text:
JDSU Intros 10 GigE Field Tester
Monday, April 14, 2008 Packet Systems
JDSU introduced a compact 10 GigE multi-function tester for the installation and maintenance of Carrier Ethernet and IP services. Technical capabilities of the new T-BERD/MTS-6000A Multi-Services Application Module include 10 GigE, IP Video, TCP/UDP, FTP test and support for Ethernet and SONET/SDH up to 10GigE/10G on the same physical port.http://www.jdsu.com
Verizon Business Debuts SONET-for-Metro Ethernet Service
Monday, April 14, 2008 Service Providers
Verizon Business introduced its "Next Generation SONET for Metro Ethernet" service primarily targeted to its Ethernet LAN (E-LAN) or Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) customers as a means of linking their far-flung business locations. The new NG SONET enhancements enables customers that can be served by Verizon's fiber-optic network in 53 metro markets to link directly to new locations via Ethernet, eliminating certain costly connection charges. Customers also benefit from reliability and security built in to SONET ring networking and flexible bandwidth configuration of Ethernet at each location.
Verizon Business also offers networking flexibility through its Ethernet Packet Ring Service (EPRS), which combines optical networking reliability with the multipoint capabilities of Ethernet switching. The service is designed to avoid a single point of failure and also provides flexible and scalable Ethernet handoffs at each location connected to the link.
Verizon Business also offers 24 x 7 monitoring and support, and competitive network service level agreements (SLAs). The full Ethernet portfolio now includes:
Metro Ethernet Services (E-LAN and EVPL) - available within 53 metro markets in the United States.
Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) - available virtually anywhere nationwide.
Ethernet Private Line (EPL) - available within 145 U.S. metro markets and in many locations in 21 European countries.
Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) - available virtually anywhere nationwide and in many locations in six Asia-Pacific countries and territories, as well as between the United States and six Asia-Pacific regions, and between the United States and 21 European countries.
Ethernet Access for Private IP and the public Internet - available virtually anywhere nationwide, within 21 European countries, 13 countries in Asia-Pacific, four countries in Latin America and in Canada.
http://www.verizonbusiness.com
Sigma Introduces its Latest IPTV Media Processor
Monday, April 14, 2008 Silicon
Sigma Designs has begun sampling its new SMP8654 media processor SoC, designed for next gen IPTV set-top boxes. The new design, which provides a 50% improvement in performance along with lower overall system costs, integrates multiple on-chip CPUs.
From a media processing standpoint, it offers a full complement of advanced decoder engines with high definition video decoding, including of H.264 (MPEG-4 part 10), Windows Media Video 9, VC-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (part 2), and the new AVS standard. High-performance graphics acceleration, multi-standard audio decoding, advanced display processing capabilities, and HDMI 1.3 output round out its multimedia core.
The new chip also features content security through a dedicated secure processor, on-chip flash memory, and a range of digital rights management (DRM) engines for high-speed payload decryption. It also features a full complement of system peripherals, including a dual Gigabit Ethernet controller, dual USB 2.0 controller, NAND flash controller, IR controller, and SATA controller.
http://www.sigmadesigns.com
Novatel Wireless Misses Q1 Forecast
Monday, April 14, 2008 Financial
Novatel Wireless, which supplies wireless broadband access cards, reported preliminary Q1 financial results saying it now expects revenue to be approximately $91 million, lower than the company's prior guidance of $110 million. GAAP earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $0.13 to $0.15 and non-GAAP EPS is expected to be between $0.16 and $0.18 per share.
Novatel Wireless also announced the appointment of Peter V. Leparulo, the company's current chairman of the board, as chief executive officer, effective immediately. Mr. Leparulo previously served as the company's CEO from January 2003 to November 2006.
"We are very disappointed with our first quarter results," said Peter Leparulo. "Approximately $10 million of the shortfall was attributable to a delayed launch of the MC930D with a major European carrier customer. Additionally, we had lower than expected sales of our enterprise-class MC727 USB products to one major customer. We are between product launch cycles for our USB devices and demand in the current environment has shifted toward lower end products. We continue to see solid demand for our first generation MCD3000 USB products selling into this market shift, and we expect our second generation USB products to become the low end promotional offering as we introduce our third generation products mid-year."http://www.novatelwireless.com
ECI Telecom Selected for Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport
Schiphol Telematics (ST), the telecom operator at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, has selected ECI Telecom to provide a three-year managed service contract for its next-generation networks (NGN). ECI was selected to build-operate and manage this new network, providing ST with expertise, management tools and leading operations capabilities.
ST serves business customers in and around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. It also operates the telecom network for the Amsterdam national airport, including one of the largest Wi-Fi networks in Europe, and cellular backhaul lines for other carriers.http://www.ecitele.comhttp://www.st.nl
Platinum Equity Completes Acquisition of Covad
Platinum Equity completed its acquisition of Covad Communications for approximately $470 million. The acquisition was a public-to-private transaction in which an affiliate of Platinum Equity acquired all outstanding shares of Covad stock for $1.02 per share in cash. The company previously traded on the American Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DVW.
http://www.covad.com
U4EA Certified by Siemens Enterprise Communications for Telefónica
Monday, April 14, 2008 PacketVoice
U4EA Technologies' Fusion 200 has been certified by Siemens Enterprise Communications for interoperability with Siemens' HiPath 8000 V3.1 IP-based SIP softswitch and subsequent use by Telefónica.
U4EA's Multi-Service Business Gateways (MSBGs) combine the functions of a SIP session controller, router, switch, firewall, IDS, VoIP gateway, QoS and OA&M into a single device for the delivery of converged VoIP, data, and video communications.
The HiPath 8000 V3.1 is a native SIP real-time IP system designed to provide enterprises with a service creation and delivery infrastructure. It scales from just a few hundred to as many as 100,000 users per single system and can be deployed and managed as a typical enterprise solution or as a hosted service managed by either the customer, a managed service provider (MSP), or by Siemens. Siemens has certified the Fusion 200 for use in Telefonica installations with the HiPath 8000.http://www.u4eatech.com
SOFTBANK Upgrades POP in Palo Alto
SOFTBANK TELECOM has upgraded its main U.S. point of presence (POP), located at Switch and Data's Palo Alto site, to accommodate a doubling of its Internet traffic with North American Internet service providers (ISPs). The carrier is preparing for traffic with North America to increase by 100% within the next year due to continued growth in its broadband subscriber base. SOFTBANK TELECOM utilizes Switch and Data's Palo Alto Internet exchange and data center as its main hub in North America.
Switch and Data said its Palo Alto site is one of the world's most densely interconnected Internet exchanges.http://www.switchanddata.com
Akamai Forecasts Near Term Demand for Online HD
There is substantial near-term interest in launching HD broadband video, according to a survey broadcasters according to market intelligence firm Broadband Directions and commissioned by Akamai Technologies. Nearly 75 percent of respondents said they have plans to offer HD video content to their online audiences. In terms of timing, more than 80 percent of respondents with plans to offer HD content said they either already offered HD broadband video or intend to introduce it within the next 24 months. Fully half of respondents said they already offer it or intend to do so within the next 12 months.
While short-form (e.g. previews, news clips) HD content was being offered by close to half of respondents, long-form (e.g. movies, TV episodes, sporting events) was not far behind at 35 percent.
Akamai said that one way to interpret the relatively strong interest in long-form is that rights-holders of high-quality video programming (mainly TV networks and film studios), which tend to be highly focused on the user experience, are only now being drawn into broadband because HD is becoming economically and technically possible.
"Even six months ago, a 500 or 700 kilobit per second bitrate was pushing it," said Tim Napoleon, chief strategist, Media & Entertainment, at Akamai. "Now while 500-700 kbps is more of the norm, we're seeing companies really pushing the envelope with 1.5 -- 2 megabits per second and HD, in the ranges of up to 6 megabits per second bit rates, across our network. This is clearly an indication of consumer desire to experience higher quality content, and of content producers' efforts to meet those needs quickly."http://www.akamai.comhttp://www.thehdweb.com
IP-PRIME Signs HD Agreements with Telcos
Monday, April 14, 2008 TTP
IP-PRIME, which offers a turnkey IP-based video service for telcos in North America, announced the addition of 12 new High Definition programming agreements with local telephone operators. IP-PRIME's technology and extensive programming roster allow operators to overlay the more efficient MPEG-4 service atop their existing MPEG-2 service, which would otherwise not have been able to provide HD channels.
IP-PRIME will begin delivering a 32-channel lineup of news, entertainment & sports programming in HD-4 featuring content from ESPN, Disney, Discovery, CNN, Fox News, MTV, and others. Among the twelve operators who recently signed IP-PRIME HD-4 contracts are Chibardun Telephone Cooperative in Wisconsin, Home Town Cable in Florida and Manti Telephone in Utah.http://www.ip-prime.tvhttp://www.ses-americom.com
Comcast and Pando Call for P2P Management Policies
Monday, April 14, 2008 Last Mille
Comcast and Pando Networks, which offers a managed P2P content delivery service, are launching an initiative to create a "P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities" (BRR) for peer-to-peer (P2P) users and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
The companies said they will engage with industry experts, other ISPs and P2P companies, content providers and others to clarify what choices and controls consumers should have when using P2P applications as well as what processes and practices ISPs should use to manage P2P applications running on their networks.
In addition, Comcast has agreed to test Pando's "Network Aware" P2P technology. The test will capture and analyze the data flow associated with downloading a file using Pando's P2P application. The Pando test will provide additional data to help Comcast migrate to a protocol-agnostic network management technique by the end of this year. The arrangement is yet another example of how these technical issues can be worked out through private business discussions and without the need for government intervention.http://www.comcast.com http://www.PandoNetworks.com
P2P content delivery can boost delivery speeds by up to 235% across US cable networks and up to 898% across international broadband networks, according to Pando Networks, which offers a managed P2P content delivery service. The data was gathered in a recent P4P field test by Pando from more than 3,000 ISPs worldwide. As part of the test that began February 21st, Pando Networks delivered video content to more than 1 million people across global broadband networks including AT&T, Bell Canada, Bezeq International, BT, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox, Orange, Sasktel, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Time Warner, Tiscali, and Verizon.
In March 2008, Verizon announced that it will begin using a peer-to-peer (P2P) file transfer system from Pando Networks to aid with the distribution of large media files to its broadband users. When deployed, the new system will move material authorized by the content owners -- such as movies, TV programs, software or large data bases -- faster for consumers and more efficiently for network operators, including Verizon. Significantly, Verizon said it no longer regarded P2P as a "dark-alley distribution system for unauthorized file sharing.
Verizon Files FiOS TV Plan for NYC
Verizon has filed plans with the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) to offer its FiOS TV service throughout all five boroughs of the city. The plan would extend the fiber optic service to approximately 3.1 million households over a 6 year period. Verizon submitted the plan in response to a Solicitation DoITT issued on April 11. The solicitation seeks "proposals for franchises for the provision of cable television services to be made available throughout the City." Currently, only two legacy cable TV companies operate in separate and distinct parts of the city.
Verizon said if its proposal is accepted and all approvals are achieved in a timely fashion, it would begin offering service to NYC residents later this year.
Key aspects of the citywide plan include:
Verizon will deploy its fiber-optic network throughout the entire City by midyear 2014.
Verizon will make available FiOS TV service to requesting customers in all five boroughs within a six-year time frame as Verizon's wire centers are upgraded to being video-capable. If Verizon's proposal is approved, hundreds of thousands of New York City residents will have access to FiOS TV this year;
FiOS TV will include an all digital channel line-up of more than 400 channels and 150 HD channels by year-end, and a growing library of more than 10,000 video-on-demand selections;
Verizon will provide a fiber-optic institutional network (known as an INET), primarily to support the City's public safety needs;
Verizon agrees to pay franchise fees equivalent to five percent of gross revenues on cable TV service, as do other cable TV operators in the City;
Verizon has agreed to appropriate customer service provisions.
Verizon noted that it began constructing its fiber network in the City in late 2004 and has installed FiOS in hundreds of MDU buildings throughout the City. http://www.verizon.com
Vendors Set LTE Licensing Deal
Sunday, April 13, 2008 Service Providers
Top network equipment suppliers reached agreement for licensing intellectual property rights (IPR) that relate to 3GPP Long Term Evolution and Service Architecture Evolution standards (LTE/SAE). The parties include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, NextWave Wireless, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks and Sony Ericsson.
The framework is based on the prevalent industry principle of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms for essential patents. This means that the companies agree, subject to reciprocity, to reasonable, maximum aggregate royalty rates based on the value added by the technology in the end product and to flexible licensing arrangements according to the licensors' proportional share of all standard essential IPR for the relevant product category.
Specifically, the companies support that a reasonable maximum aggregate royalty level for LTE essential IPR in handsets is a single-digit percentage of the sales price. For notebooks, with embedded LTE capabilities, the companies support a single-digit dollar amount as the maximum aggregate royalty level. The parties believe the market will drive the LTE licensing regime to be in accordance with these principles and aggregate royalty levels.
The companies said their framework balances the prevailing business conditions relevant for the successful widespread adoption of the LTE standard, which continues its progress toward definitive adoption by the industry in the applicable standards forums and organizations.
http://www.nokia.comhttp://www.ericsson.com
In May 2007, a group of world leading telecom technology manufacturers and network operators comprised of Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, France Telecom/Orange, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, T-Mobile, and Vodafone, launched a joint initiative aimed at driving high performance mobile broadband networks based on 3GPP Release 8 "Long Term Evolution / System Architecture Evolution" (LTE/SAE) specifications. The LTE/SAE Trial Initiative targets mobile broadband peak data rates exceeding 100 Mbps. In line with 3GPP requirements, LTE/SAE aims to provide a mobile broadband service that outperforms both 3GPP Release 6 HSPA, as well as current fixed line DSL data rates while maintaining and extending the highly successful mobility and coverage benefits of 3GPP networks such as GSM. Other vendors have subsequently joined the initiative.
Tata Communications Establishes MPLS Interconnect with Telecom Egypt
Tata Communications
has expanded its Global VPN service to Egypt through a partnership agreement with TE Data, a subsidiary of Telecom Egypt . Specifically, the carriers have interconnected their respective MPLS infrastructures, setting up multiple, redundant network-to-network interconnection (NNI) points between the two companies connecting Tata's European and Indian network hubs with TE Data's facilities in Egypt.
The NNI agreement allows Tata Communications to seamlessly extend its current end-to-end service capabilities by incorporating the TE Data's IP MPLS network footprint in Egypt, using more than 800 access points-of-presence.
Tata currently offers its MPLS services in almost 40 countries and expects to reach over 50 by the end of 2008. It is also increasing the resiliency and depth of its international network with new dual PoPs in four countries and new PoPs in 8 cities within its existing country footprint.
.http://www.tatacommunications.comhttp://www.tedata.net
MPLS-Inter-Carrier Interconnect (ICI) Spec Released
Sunday, April 13, 2008 Packet Systems
The IP/MPLS Forum has approved a new MPLS Inter-Carrier Interconnect (MPLS-ICI) specification that defines how carriers can link their networks on a global basis for the delivery of MPLS services. The specification includes methods for the establishment of Label Switched Paths (LSPs); signaling and routing protocols; resiliency; traffic management and QoS; Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM); as well as packet forwarding and security requirements.
Specifically, the MPLS-ICI Technical Specification addresses four common IP/MPLS services: inter-carrier IP VPN services, labeled IPv4 routes, pseudowires or PWE3 (Layer 1 and Layer 2 emulated services over an IP/MPLS network) and traffic engineered trunks. Each of these has unique requirements. The Technical Specification covers issues common to all these uses as well as addresses attributes that are specific to each of the services.
The IP/MPLS Forum said that as enterprise customers have increasingly sought end-end service delivery of VoIP, VPNs and other Layer 2 and Layer 3 services across multiple service provider networks, the carriers only historical means to deliver this has been via bilateral agreements which are limited to basic IP interconnect or the transport of native Layer 2 services over ATM or Frame Relay NNI connections. The MPLS-ICI changes all of that by supporting a rich array of service interconnections using MPLS which can carry a variety of Layer 1, 2 and 3 services.
"The MPLS-ICI provides a standards-based definition for carrier interconnect that allows services to be transported over MPLS from one provider edge to the other provider edge in a secure, consistent and transparent manner," said Nabil Bitar, Editor of the MPLS-ICI specification and Director, Packet Network Architecture at Verizon Communications. "In addition, because MPLS is a multi-service transport technology, an MPLS-ICI eliminates the need to have multiple interconnect technologies at the carrier connection points, enabling carriers to simplify network, reduce OPEX and CAPEX, and improve ROI. These are the same factors that initially motivated carriers to deploy MPLS for their converged packet backbone networks."http://www.ipmplsforum.org
Vendors Show SFP+ Optical Interface Interoperability
Sunday, April 13, 2008 StandardsWatch
The Ethernet Alliance conducted a multi-vendor interoperability test of Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP+) short-reach (10GBASE-SR) and long-reach (10GBASE-LR) optical interfaces.
The testing was recently held at the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL) by the Ethernet Alliance SFP+/EDC subcommittee and included AMCC, Avago Technologies, Broadcom, ClariPhy, Cortina Systems, ExceLight Communications, Finisar, Gennum, Inphi, Intel, JDSU, MergeOptics, NetLogic Microsystems, Opnext and Vitesse.
The test demonstrated multiple SFP+ SR and LR optical transceivers and physical layer (PHY) ICs interoperating over 270 meters of OM3 multimode fiber and 10 km of single-mode fiber. In addition, the group demonstrated multiple SFP+ SR and LR optical transceivers and PHY ICs interoperating with XENPAK, X2, and XFP optical transceivers over the same distances.
SFP+ modules are hot-pluggable, small-footprint optical transceivers intended for datacom applications. SFP+ interfaces offer the smallest, lowest-power solution for 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) to enable increased density in enterprise applications.
SFP+ modules and PHY ICs are being developed for SR, LR, LRM (long-wavelength multimode) and ER (extra-long-wavelength) optical reaches per IEEE Std. 802.3ae-2002 and IEEE Std. 802.3aq-2006. Electrical and mechanical interface specifications for SFP+ modules, direct attach cables, and hosts are under definition by the SFF Committee, a multi-source agreement group with broad industry participation.
"We expect the move to smaller SFP+ modules will help increase the port density and reduce the cost of 10 Gigabit Ethernet line cards," said Jag Bolaria, senior analyst, Linley Group. "Demonstrating interoperability between 10GBASE-SR and 10GBASE-LR SFP+ modules with existing XENPAK, X2 and XFP modules showcases the readiness for deployment of SFP+ modules."http://www.ethernetalliance.org
Nokia Siemens Networks Signs Gateway Deal with GENBAND
Sunday, April 13, 2008 PacketVoice
GENBAND announced a five-year OEM agreement under which Nokia Siemens Networks will be the preferred supplier of trunking media gateways for their global fixed network market. The companies have also reached a definitive agreement for GENBAND to acquire Nokia Siemens Networks' SURPASS hiG fixed line trunking media gateway product line. Nokia Siemens Networks will continue with its fixed core networks solution portfolio and provide service and support to its current installed base and future customers.
GENBAND said the deal strengthens its position in the fixed network gateway market and expands its international reach, especially in the APAC and CALA regions. GENBAND will also attain a team in Brazil, focused on hiG research and development, program- and product management.http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.comhttp://www.genband.com
ICO Successfully Launches G1 Satellite for Mobile TV
Sunday, April 13, 2008 Satellite
ICO Global Communications announced the successful launch of its North American geosynchronous satellite, ICO G1, on board an Atlas V 421 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. ICO G1, which was constructed by Space Systems/Loral using the Loral 1300 platform, has a total mass of 6634kg, making it the largest satellite ever launched by an Atlas rocket, and is the largest commercial satellite ever launched.
ICO is planning to offer a converged mobile media service called "mim" that addresses a wide variety of consumers' entertainment, information, and two-way communication needs: live and stored mobile TV in vehicles, interactive navigation, and roadside assistance, all with nationwide coverage. ICO mim will provide multiple channels of high-quality mobile video to portable, larger-screen (4.5 to 10 inch) user devices.
The ICO G1 satellite will operate in the 2 GHz S-band and will provide coverage to the United States and most of North America. It S-band antenna has an aperture of 12 meters and was built by Harris Corporation. ICO G1 also pioneers the use of a ground-based beam forming (GBBF) system for both satellite-receive and satellite-transmit directions. The company expects that GBBF will provide unprecedented flexibility in operation for the spacecraft to form S-band antenna beams, flexibility in assigning frequencies and power, and will accommodate any modulation protocol within ICO's licensed spectrum. GBBF can form up to 250 transmit and 250 receive independent S-band beams.
ICO will be conducting alpha trials for its fully interactive mobile video, navigation and emergency assistance service to be known as ICO mim (mobile interactive media) later this year. The mobile television component of ICO mim will use the DVB-SH standard, and is the first deployment of DVB-SH in the United States.
"With our launch of ICO G1, ICO is now poised to deliver a new generation of mobile services for consumers," commented Tim Bryan, chief executive officer of ICO. "We look forward to meeting our 12th and final FCC milestone by May 15, 2008, when we anticipate certifying that ICO G1 is operational. Later this summer we will commence market trials in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina for our mobile interactive media service, ICO mim, which we expect to launch commercially later in 2009."http://www.ico.com


text:
Real Casinos
Slots Play Casinos » News » Casino News » Does an £8000 Donation Constitute Political Influence?
August 7, 2018 by Jack Marsh
Does an £8000 Donation Constitute Political Influence?
Recent revelations by the Guardian about a study conducted in 2012 by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in Great Britain that strongly recommended relaxing regulations that restrict the practices of British casinos has been called into question because the IEA subsequently received about £8000 in donations from the National Casino Industry Forum (NCIF) a gambling industry organization.
The doubts raised by the quick donation to the IEA after it released its conclusions fall into two categories. Are £8000 enough to sway the results of a study by a reputable organization and does the donation obviate the conclusions of the study? By using bonus codes, some gamers can access bonuses larger than £8000!
The Guardian discovered that the research team had shown a draft of the report to industry representatives and had accepted their feedback before releasing the study to the general public. In the statement that accompanied the release of the study, the IEA did not mention that gambling industry people had been involved in any way with the study.
Two Main Conclusions
The two primary findings in the study are that present regulations serve to slow down or prevent new casinos from being built and that there is a big enough market for land based casinos in Britain that every middling-sized town could have a casino of its own if the regulations were loosened.
These conclusions did not address the question of whether it would be a good thing overall for average sized towns to have a casino. The conclusions may have been correct that the regulations presently make it harder for casinos to open but it didn't say exactly why that is a problem.
The role of the NCIF in this matter is also murky. On the one hand, they might be supported by existing casinos which would likely prefer that competing casinos have a harder time getting approval to build and open. On the other hand, the NCIF is supposed to be a forum for the gambling industry in toto, both existing gambling operations and future gambling operations.
The NCIF announced that it supported the conclusions in the IEA report and felt that presenting these findings through a reputable think tank such as the IEA would have more gravitas with the public than if the NCIF had released the same conclusions under its own name.
This newspaper discovered the involvement of the gambling industry in the preparation of the report by the IEA when it was investigating and reporting on rumors that the IEA had offered, as a fund raising method, "access" to government officials as high on the ladder as ministers to farming interests interested in free trade policy in the aftermath of Brexit.
The Guardian found out that the IEA had arranged for a meeting with Steve Baker, then the Brexit minister, with an American farming interest in exchange for a £35,000 donation to the IEA.
Education Charity
The IEA is officially registered as a charity in the education sector. If it is found to be using its position and many connections in the government to influence its own conclusions and to further the political desires of unofficial "clients", it may have to be registered as a political lobbying organization.
At this stage in the story, the issue is a purely political one.
The Effect on Gambling
We should return to the gambling aspect of this emerging contretemps over the reliability of the IEA. If the IEA does, in fact, be shown to be an unreliable source of intellectual capital, does it mean that the conclusions it reached in the gambling and casino report are false?
A spokeswoman for the IEA said, "It is perfectly legitimate to check facts and data with relevant industry representatives. This categorically does not mean that they have any sway or influence on the conclusions we come to in our research."
That statement is prima facie true. The questions here are whether the IEA was in fact "checking facts and data" and whether the involvement of the industry in the fact-checking process did have some influence on the conclusions even though it is plainly clear that they might not have done so?
An unnamed source claims that an internal document states that the donation was solicited before the release of the IEA's report and that the NCIF wanted to release the report through a reputable think tank rather than on its own recognizance. The IEA disputes the existence of such a document and the incriminating evidence alleged to present in the document.
This organization seeks to nullify all IEA conclusions that support the oil and gas industry as oil and gas interests such as British Petroleum (BP) regularly donate to the IEA. Greenpeace is making the case that if the IEA is taking money to reach pre-set conclusions in one sphere, it might be doing the same in another.
How Many Casinos are Enough?
Certainly, we don't know yet what the optimum number of casinos is in Britain or in any other country. We also don't know the long term effects of building casinos in smaller communities rather than in rather larger communities.
There are some givens that governments and regulatory bodies recognize generally.
People like to gamble. Some gambling is branded as entrepreneurship or investment but it is also a type of gambling.
There are so many ways for people to gamble that adding casinos on the surface should have little effect on overall gambling activity.
Casinos often bring out the worst in gamblers and casinos need to be a lot more pro-active in dealing with this problem.
Some tax authorities have tried to pass very large tax rates for gambling winnings and casino profits. This will likely backfire as land based casinos will lose customers to online casinos based outside British legal jurisdiction.
The IEA may lose its reputation as a reputable and impartial think tank but its conclusions regarding the casino and gambling industries may be true in any case. Only time will tell on that score.
Jack Marsh enjoys examining the world around him from many different points of view: the mathematical, the psychological, the political, and the philosophical.
He will write from a mathematical perspective on why the cards fall the way they do, from a psychological perspective on why gamblers gamble the way they do, from a political perspective on why forms of entertainment that are encouraged in one place are prohibited in another, and from a philosophical perspective on the nature of happiness ... [Read Jack Marsh full bio]
What Can We Take from the Challenges of 2020?
Why Do Online Casinos Offer So Many Bonuses?
Get in on the Fun at Ozwin Casino!
Slots Play Casinos Introduces 13 Great Games from Dragon Gaming
Uptown Aces, Uptown Pokies, and Red Stag Offering Great November Promos
How Do Land Based Casinos Trick You into Betting More?
Good Reasons to Stay Away from Land-Based Casinos Right Now
Play Safe and Secure at SPC Partners
Optimize the Fun of Free Social Casino Games
How will Covid-19 Affect Gambling in the Future?
Will Bitcoin Ever Replace Government Money?
Blockchain Remains Inscrutable to Most
FunFair Blockchain Technology Partnering with Spike Games
Emu Casino Closed to Aussies: Sign Up at Fair Go Casino Now!
The US Continues to Struggle with Online Casino Legalization
Arkansas Could Earn as Much as $75,000,000 a Year in Taxes
Slots Play Casinos Happily Recommends the Intertops Family of Sites
Does Free Social Gaming Turn Teens into Problem Gamblers?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Russians damaged 15 energy infrastructure facilities. Air defense shot down 73 missiles
Sofiia Telishevska
19:08, 15 november 2022
The enemy fired more than 90 missiles at Ukraine, of which the anti-aircraft defense shot down 73.
This was announced by the Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
According to him, due to the rockets' hits 15 energy infrastructure objects were damaged. Emergency disconnections of subscribers are currently underway to stabilize the system.
Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat announced on the air of the telethon that Russia had launched 10 Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones. All 10 were destroyed in the south of Ukraine.
"We have good air defense results. Out of more than 90 missiles, 73 were shot down. This is quite a decent result," Ignat said.
He noted that no air defense system in the world would be able to shoot down such a number of missiles, besides, they "were flying from different directions" and in different directions.
War. Russia is attacking Ukraine with missiles, high-rise buildings were hit in Kyiv, and part of Lviv was left without electricity. Day 265: live coverage
In another terrorist act against the Ukrainian state, the Russians involved 14 strategic aviation Tu-95 missile-carrying aircraft, ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and Iranian kamikaze attack drones.
After the air alert was announced, the Russians launched almost a hundred missiles on the territory of Ukraine. The occupiers launch Kh-101 and Kh-555 missiles, the "traditional" launch areas are the Rostov Region and the Caspian Sea. Tu-95 and Tu-160 aircraft are mainly used for missile launches, and the Russian army also fires Calibers from the Black Sea.
Noticed an error? Highlight it and press Ctrl + Enter — we will correct
I always interested in — how and why
Editing rules
© 2023 Babel. All rights reserved.
Babel is not against reprints, but first write us
made by ideil.
All right, just want to warn that Бабель uses cookies. Thats how we analyze traffic and set up advertising.


Yesterday saw me in St Andrews for John and Lynn's Old Course Hotel Wedding. A beautiful day, if a tad breezy at times. So breezy that the golfers playing in the Woman's British Open halted play! But that didn't deter us capturing some great images from their wedding.
Below are a couple of preview images from their fantastic Old Course Hotel wedding.
© 2019 Reids Photography|ProPhoto 5 by NetRivet, Inc.


There's nothing like the real deal, sitting in the presence of a renowned teacher and many of us have had the good fortune to do just that..
From what I gather, Dharma talks are designed to give people what they need and not necessarily what they want..
How helpful are they/have they been to your practice ?
Or are Dharma books more your thing ?
I'm actually not a prolific listener to Dharma talks. I find more "Aha" moments in reading. I have listened to podcasts in the past and found some to be "meh" and some to be quite good. I am going to start with Dharma talks though because my commute to and from work is 50 mins each way so I have quality time to myself from now on.
That is the ideal, coming from able, enlightened teachers. Otherwise we are just in the presence of 'thus did I read', hear about or believe is the right propaganda. Sadly that is the norm. It is why people travel or go on retreat or find useful insight.
If 'aha moments' come from reading, then that is worth our time and investment.
In time we may find others who can provide insight, guidance, environment, example, shared experience that enables our progress. That can be from podcasts, youtube or being attentive to our daily life.
Just listened to this talk. So direct and to the point.
I go through phases when I listen to dharma talks like once a day. It has to be someone with a decent speaking voice though, and a fair command of English.
But I also learn the dharma from books that I sometimes share with my father, from courses or directly from Access to Insight, where I may pick a keyword, do a search and then choose a Sūtra to read.
I think the internet makes it easy to pick and choose who to listen to and for how long, it's just a question of allocating time to it.
I'm deep into a trip with Ram Dass currently, on a podcast called Ram Dass Here and Now. It's not all Buddhadharma, so to speak, but it is certainly Universal Dharma. And in the end, what's the difference?
He's a fascinating guy. His talks are witty and make me laugh, and then they also bring me home.
I usually listen on my commute, and the combination of this and daily meditation is really starting to bring me back to the present, more and more frequently and for longer each time.
It's possibly why I have 7 different knitting projects on the go!
Oh gee @lobster, you caught me out. Guilty as charged!
One set of Dharma Talks which I quite like is the podcasts by Ajahn Amaro done at Amaravati Monastery. He does one quite regularly on a variety of subjects.
I've found it useful to listen on my iPad and then to use Access to Insight at the same time to examine various sutra's that he mentions.
I turned off my podcast this morning as I neared work, looked around at the world a little differently, and had the following thought. Anything which prompts you intellectually to see the world in a fresh way and wonder about it, can be a Dharma talk. Einstein gave Dharma talks, The Matrix was a Dharma talk.
Maybe a Dharma talk is the intellectual prompt that triggers the intuitive change.
As far as I know, the thought of awakening is the only thought that leads beyond thinking.
Just as I am an emanation of buddha nature, so is every teacher I meet. Therefore the ultimate teacher is buddha nature.
And yes since the the ultimate teacher is buddha nature emanation and need are not different.
Just consider an embodied human teacher giving a talk. There may be two individuals listening to the same talk but understanding something completely different. Nevertheless their understanding may be helpful for each of them. Problems however may occur if they start discussing what the teacher meant because their understanding is different. They may lose all potential benefit through that discussion if obscurations dominate.
In the desire realm the bodily presence of an human embodied teacher may be conducive. I find it inspiring. However ultimately there is no difference between an embodied teacher and an 'embodied' Dharma book. Both are emanations. As I read a Dharma book it occurs to me that I hear the voice of the author speaking to me in a very kind and well-intended way.
@herbie said: ...Problems however may occur if they start discussing what the teacher meant because their understanding is different. They may lose all potential benefit through that discussion if obscurations dominate.
To restrict one's self to attending, listening to, understanding and accepting teachings gathered solely and uniquely via a Buddhist Ethos is extremely self-limiting, and unnecessarily restrictive.
I remember hearing a discussion on Feng Shui by a supposed eminent and extremely well-known consultant in Feng Shui, who explained something in such complex terms that the majority of the class had difficulty understanding her intentions. Yet within the Realms and Discipline of Feng Shui, this woman's word is sacrosanct and her expertise unarguable. About 6 months later, I shared this information with a tutor of mine, in Shiatsu, and within 10 minutes he had explained in a few words, what she had been unable to clearly convey in an hour.
Yet he was not a Feng Shui consultant or practitioner. he merely used what he knew of Feng Shui for his own purposes.
So had I limited myself to only listening to purported experts or teachers, I might never have understood the concept of Elemental imbalances.
Of course. Everything is possible. Problems occur only if obscurations dominate.
Great example! Of course since - from my perspective - the ultimate teacher is buddha nature the possibilities of receiving teachings are countless.
I can give an example, too: when on a 2 days retreat in the woods at a lake the teacher appeared in the body of a frog. He was sitting next to me and taught me what no dharma talk or dharma book could ever convey.
I like the spoken word, it allows for the natural inflections and nuance in verbal communication. I mostly get my knowledge from audio, with the prevalence of recorded speech it allows for repeating sections if a concept is difficult or missed the first time.
I don't know if its a matter of learning style but I've found it much easier for myself to digest information by listening and while moving than sitting still and reading. Also, having that mode as a base has made my reading more focused and enjoyable, though I often will walk around the house while reading.
Are there any good apps out there for an iPhone that have dharma talks?
Headspace is quite popular these days, although I'm not sure if it does dharma talks. I often watch mine on YouTube.
Lots of options as you mentioned due to tech (https://player.fm/featured/buddhist) but for me sitting with someone is pretty great.
Podcast-wise, there's Audio Dharma, which also has an app.
Now that I live in a city where I can regularly attend dharma talks in person, I am finding that I am getting a lot more out of it. I still buy and read books all the time, especially when they pertain to a specific subject within Buddhism (namely women and feminism in Buddhist contexts). When you it comes to the Dharma itself, I find that talks and lectures make it easier for me to understand.
But also, books are shiny.


Foyer Mudroom Utility Room Bedroom Shoe Storage Bench Entryway Rack New Storage. Store your shoes where you put them on with our Bench.
Internal dimensions: 6.75 in. W x 5.5 in. H x 13.75 in.
Total weight capacity of 200 lbs. This listing is for Bench only! Our stock all ships from our US-based warehouses. The item "Foyer Mudroom Utility Room Bedroom Shoe Storage Bench Entryway Rack New Storage" is in sale since Friday, March 10, 2017. This item is in the category "Home & Garden\Furniture\Benches & Stools".
The seller is "blessed112316" and is located in United States. This item can be shipped to United States.


text:
<configuration>

  <appender name="STDOUT" class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
    <encoder>
      <pattern>%d [%highlight(%-5level)] %logger{5} - %msg%n</pattern>
    </encoder>
  </appender>

  <logger name="com.github.ybr.zk" level="TRACE" />

  <root level="ERROR">
    <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
  </root>
</configuration>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We've internalized this drive to produce as much as we can for as little as possible. That means we take on the costs of training ourselves (including student debt), we take on the costs of managing ourselves as freelancers or contract workers, because that's what capital is looking for.
And because wages are stagnant and exploitation is up, competition among workers is up too. As individuals, the best thing we can do for ourselves is work harder, learn to code, etc. But we're not individuals, not as far as bosses are concerned. The vast majority of us are (replaceable) workers, and by working harder for less, we're undermining ourselves as a class. It's a vicious cycle.
Loan officers, mortgage brokers and many others acted to line their own pockets rather than helping customers, said the report, which urged the government to rein in an industry that it said too often operated with a cavalier disregard for the welfare of the Australian people.
"So far it is not the case but clearly this might be overcome in the future. Human intelligence can be enhanced with an AI-Chip implant, but then are we entering new realms and defining what is and what isn't a hybrid humanoid?"
"Superhuman is the last step, and I fear to use the word last. It is what drives the future of the research."
The Raptor is a staged-combustion reusable rocket engine powered by cryogenic liquid methane and liquid oxygen (LOX), rather than the kerosene and LOX combination (RP1) which powers the Merlin rockets used by the Falcon rocket family. Once complete, the Starship will have seven Raptor engines, each of which will provide twice as much thrust as the Merlin 1D used by the Falcon 9.
The company says the ad is misleading when it talks about the bailout a decade ago. GM says it paid the loan back to Canadians.
This court battle between Cabot and Kemble has been going on for quite some time now. This decision by a judge in Susquehanna County means Ray Kemble has until late March to get another attorney and then have to answer questions for attorneys in this lawsuit.
Our neoliberal federal government has been fighting this inquiry all the way. Gotta protect our mates, the banks, they're not guilty, and if they are guilty, not very and we can live with that.
Now the report is out to an amount of consternation and comment in the media. The people are not happy because of what it has revealed. The government is not happy ditto. Bank shares rose yesterday quite nicely.
I wait to see the extent to which the whole thing will be papered over.
Some 85% of Australia's population lives in urban areas. In these areas autonomous cars have a chance of being successful.
In the 85% of Australia that's rural, most roads are gravel surfaced, no lane markings and indeed no lanes at all, dodgy surfaces, indistinct edges, plenty of horizontal and vertical curves in some areas, gates and cattle grids, and so on. Autonomous vehicles in these areas are doomed to failure — unless Chinese AI efforts pay off and the superhumans take over.
We could end up with two classes of citizen: deskilled urban dwellers who are chauffered around in and by autonomous vehicles and are clueless and useless when they go out of their urban compounds — back to the 19th century and earlier —, and rural dwellers, small in numbers, who retain driving skills but must purchase expensive vehicles capable of autonomy for brief periods of use when they come into urban areas.
Billy Darnell, a cattle rancher in Hidalgo County who has lived in the region more than 70 years, said he calls in every incident but has paid the price for informing Border Patrol and the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Department.
"I turned in 700 pounds [of marijuana] up here ... I called it in [to Border Patrol]. They went and got it. That night, they [smugglers] came back. They ... broke off all the floats off my troughs — chopped 'em up, drained all of it," Darnell said, adding groups of 12 men carry heavy packs filled with marijuana through the region.
Cammi Moore, a cattle rancher and farmer who lives about 50 miles north of the border in Animas, also worries about whether to report illegal activity.
"You don't know whether to call them [suspected criminals] or not, if they are packing 'cause there is retaliation on some families," she said.
She noted the case of Robert Krentz, a prominent rancher in nearby Cochise County, Ariz., who many believe was murdered by drug cartel members after he left to check on his cattle in 2010 and never returned.
Department of Homeland Security officials declined to respond to questions about possible retaliation from cartel members. But retaliation isn't a figment of the imagination or a conspiracy theory, according to Kris Massey of Animas.
"My house is maybe 100 yards from my barn. One time, I found a hand-drawn map that I turned over to the sheriff's department that listed every ... water tank from south all the way to my house. And my barn was marked with a big X. And they even labeled it 'Massey barn.' So, they're pretty informed on what they're doing. And this is literally on the highway, so you know what they're doing out here in the pastures, and you find bundles of drugs in your field when you're harvesting — backpack size," Massey said.
Tricia Elbrock, a business owner and resident in Animas, said her family believes spotters for the cartels camp out in the hills overlooking her house and will know if she tries to report suspicious activity. She said her family members have gone up the hill during the day and found semiautomatic rifles, satellite phones, cellphones, and telescopes.
"Most of those peaks you'll find batteries, lot of wire, cellphones," she said. "And what they're doing is they're spotting for the loads."
I'm not saying you shouldn't be in a remote, rural area or plan to bug out to one in a SHTF scenario. I'm just saying those locations can be very insecure and dangerous in WROL (without rule of law) situation. Today, rural locations in stable, prosperous countries are generally the safest in the world, but they won't necessarily stay that way. Theft, robbery, vandalism, and violence up to murder would become ever-present threats in a SHTF scenario in which you need the food you're growing to survive and don't want to be in population centers because they are so dangerous and violent. This is true today on the US southern border and it has been true in other rural places in recent times in a variety of countries in crisis: Argentina (ask Ferfal how unsafe the countryside was when their economy collapsed), Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, Yugoslavia (ask Selco about whole villages being slaughtered by armed groups during their civil war), Venezuela and others. We can watch this dynamic in real time today as South Africa descends into chaos and begins stealing farmland without compensation and authorities can't or won't stop common crimes.
If you're counting on weathering The Storm in a rural location, just make sure you have the plan, equipment, training and manpower to defend yourself and your homestead should the peace and quiet you enjoy today turn to crime and danger in some version of a dystopian future where you're at. Don't be naive.
Some people (me!) choose a small town as a third option (as opposed to an urban/suburban or rural area). Small towns tend to have the manpower, organization, will and infrastructure to defend themselves from individual criminals and small bands of organized criminals, without being a large population that contains significant numbers of criminals to start with.


text:
Carnival and Norwegian cruise liner are rushing to get stranded ship workers house by cruising them to different nations as the CDC declines to let team disembark in the US
Cruise industry giants currently have strategies in the works to repatriate some crew members.
A number of Norwegian Cruise Line ships will assemble on the business's private Bahamanian island, Great Stirrup Cay, tomorrow.
A team member onboard the Norwegian Impressive told Company Insider that a plan to potentially consolidate crew on fewer ships may be under method, with the goal of assisting in crew repatriation.
On The Other Hand, Carnival Cruise Line has sent the Carnival Panorama to Asia to drop off particular crew members.
A Carnival spokesperson told Company Expert that the company has actually so far picked a number of vessels "to take a trip to ports in Asia, Europe, and Latin America."
Go to Business Insider's homepage for more stories
Cruise lines are presently sailing ships around the globe in a bid to return long-stranded team members house, as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Avoidance continues to limit concerning the movement of cruise personnel.
Norwegian Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruise Lines have both just recently adopted different techniques concerning the repatriation of crew members. A team member onboard the Norwegian Epic told Company Insider that a handful of the line's ships are cruising from Florida to Great Stirrup Cay, the business's private island in the Bahamas. A Carnival representative informed Business Expert that the company is preparing to dispatch ships docked off The United States and Canada to return crew to "ports in Asia, Europe, and Latin America."
These separate moves happen as cruise liner team members all over the world continue to withstand weeks of isolation onboard ships. The coronavirus pandemic has roiled the cruise ship market, and left crews stuck on different vessels facing ship-wide COVID-19 break outs, cut pay, and unpredictable professional futures
The Norwegian crew member stated that by sailing to Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian might potentially facilitate ship-to-ship transfers without incurring the ire of the CDC.
In an April 9 upgrade to its March 14 "no-sail order," CDC director Robert Redfield repeated: "Cruise ship operators shall not be allowed to disembark travelers and crew members at ports or stations, other than as directed by the USCG, in consultation with HHS/CDC personnel and, as suitable, as collaborated with Federal, State, and regional authorities."
In leaked audio obtained by Business Expert, the Impressive's captain revealed that Norwegian has a strategy in the works to possibly combine or move team from different ships outside of United States waters. Norwegian Cruise Lines did not react to Organisation Expert's request for remark. Cruise ship tracking website VesselFinder.com presently lists the Norwegian Impressive, the Norwegian Happiness, the Norwegian Repetition, and the Norwegian Star as en route to the Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. The ships are all slated to show up tomorrow afternoon.
Business Expert also listened to audio dripped from the Epic in which the ship's captain discussed the CDC's order barring "vessel-to-vessel" and "vessel-to-shore" transfers of crew during the pandemic.
" We are taking a look at any alternate way possible to get you home," the captain said in a Thursday announcement that a team member dripped to Organisation Expert.
On Tuesday April 21, the captain of the Norwegian Epic made a ship-wide announcement going over the CDC's brand-new rules regarding the movement of team on and off ships throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
" The CDC have announced that all movements in the United States are momentarily suspended, consisting of vessel-to-vessel or vessel-to-shore, until further notice," the captain stated, in a ship-wide statement leaked to Organisation Insider. "It appears like, taking a look at the news and whatever, that things are starting to chill out. I do not anticipate this to be a lengthy suspension."
A Norwegian team member informed Organisation Expert that the cruise line had established charter flights to take particular crew members home, however those were cancelled as a result of CDC restrictions.
" I'm quite alright, however a lot of my coworkers are bummed," the Norwegian team member told Organisation Insider. "Not surprisingly so."
Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Line has dispatched its Carnival Panorama cruise liner to Asian "to return crew members to that area," according to a declaration from a company spokesperson. Cruise industry blog site CruiseRadio.net reported on April 19 that the cruise giant has been sending its ships around the world to repatriate stranded teams. Because mid-March, the line's fleet of 27 ships "have been docked in the house ports or anchored at sea" with only crew members aboard, a business representative told Service Expert.
" As the company transfers to safe operational manning levels throughout our pause in operations, we have actually begun the process of returning healthy crew members to their house countries throughout the world using a few of our fleet as transportation provided the minimal variety of industrial flights and charter options," the line's spokesperson said.
The Carnival spokesperson informed Service Insider that the company has actually so far singled out "a number of ships" at ports in North America "to take a trip to ports in Asia, Europe, and Latin America." Carnival will only allow crew members who "have been cleared by our medical group and by migration authorities in their house countries" to move vessels, and all such crew members will get everyday temperature checks.
" In particular circumstances, crew members will be taken from their existing ship to their designated ship by means of chartered air and/or bus," the representative stated. "Team members have actually been provided masks to endure the transfer to their appointed ship, constant with the advice of the CDC."
Read the full statement from Carnival:
Carnival Cruise Line is devoted to taking care our team members and getting them house to their families.
As the business transfers to safe functional manning levels during our pause in operations, we have actually begun the procedure of returning healthy team members to their home nations throughout the world using a few of our fleet as transportation given the minimal variety of commercial flights and charter choices.
We have presently identified a variety of ships from our North American home ports to take a trip to ports in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Team members who will be moving vessels have actually been cleared by our medical group and by immigration authorities in their home countries. All team members have actually had their temperature level taken daily while on board and will so once again throughout the debarkation process as they transfer to sign up with the ship that will carry them home.
In specific instances, team members will be drawn from their present ship to their assigned ship by means of chartered air and/or bus. Crew members have been provided masks to wear on the transfer to their appointed ship, consistent with the recommendations of the CDC.
As always, we will continue to keep social distancing and other protocols that have actually shown efficient to promote the health and safety of our team.
All Carnival Cruise Line's 27 ships have been docked in the house ports or anchored at sea since mid-March with no visitors on board, just crew members.
We want to thank our crew members for their effort, perseverance and understanding throughout this extraordinary time out in our operations.


Robins was co-director of UN Environment's Inquiry into a Sustainable Finance System, from 2014-18. As part of this, he led country activities in Brazil, the EU, India, Italy and the UK, along with thematic work focused on investors, insurance and green banking. Before joining the UN Environment Programme, he was head of the Climate Change Centre of Excellence at HSBC. Prior to HSBC, he was head of sustainable and responsible investment funds at Henderson Global Investors. He has also worked at the International Institute for Environment and Development, the European Commission and the Business Council for Sustainable Development. Robins has earned a master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and a bachelor's degree in history from Cambridge University.


GREE Forum > Forums > Modern War > General > Does anyone have tokens over 10?
View Full Version : Does anyone have tokens over 10?
Since day 2, I've been stuck on 10. After the fix, Im still stuck on 10. Does anyone have tokens over 10? Its been like this the last 2 crate events where they just stop showing up.
I have 13 on one account, 11 on another, 10 on two and 9 on fifth one.
I have 0, 1, 4, 10, 19, 23, 30 tokens.
One guy in our fakeshun has 55 tokens.
Our theory is, some accounts are luckier than other accounts.
I'm just asking because I've opened about 50 crates and only got 10 tokens, the rest were units. Guess RNJesus isn't on my side, once again.
I got 1 account stuck on 10... For the last 2 days. I think when they changed it to 70. They changed the reward rate.... Reason why I was peed they took the bonus away from 10.
I seriously think something is wrong. Im at about 60 something opens now and still stuck at 10.
I'm on droid and just got to 11 after God knows how many hits. But I still say they have changed the ratio.
I got the other goal tho with the amount of units I got. So I think it's about even.
So the drop rate is really low. What happened to the one in three chance to get it? This doesn't make anyone want to spend.
I don't think the drop rates changed, it's always been great for some and terrible for others and I've always fallen on the terrible side and still do.
Drop rate is worse at this time. I see on my both accounts that swapped in luck from event to event. And one account is more lucky in this box event as usual. But I see worse drop rate on both accounts.
I guess I'm lucky somewhere else.
Latest update: 3 accounts at 13, 1 at 12 and another at 10. 2 got 8/8 units also.
By the way levehead, you still got reward for 10 tokens, Microton Tiger Lily 3% air attack.


text:
U City
STL International Film Festival
The Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) kicks off its 22nd year with an opening night screening and reception at Landmark's Tivoli Theatre:
"We Always Lie to Strangers"
directed by: AJ Schnack and David Wilson
6pm Reception, 7:30pm Screening
@ Landmark's Tivoli Theatre in the U-City Loop
"We Always Lie to Strangers" is a documentary about Branson, one of the biggest tourist destinations in Missouri and the country. Guests are invited to attend both a pre-film reception and a post-film Q&A with Schnack, SLIFF's Charles Guggenheim
Cinema St. Louis Award winner.
Can't make it to opening night? Don't worry, SLIFF will span 10 full days and screen a total of 330 international films from 54 countries! For more information, visit: cinemastlouis.org
Sponsored by the Missouri Division of Tourism
Landmark's Tivoli Theatre
Landmark's Tivoli Theatre
6350 Delmar Blvd - Saint Louis


Storm have recorded their fourth straight win of the season with a 26-10 triumph over the Roosters in a bruising encounter at AAMI Park.
The win maintains Melbourne's three-game buffer inside the NRL's top two, setting up a blockbuster clash against the third-placed Cowboys next Saturday night.
Plenty of questions were asked by Sydney throughout the contest but as it has all season, the Storm defence was able to come up with the answers.
Jesse Bromwich had 196 metres and 27 tackles in his 150th match as his teammates made sure it would be a milestone to remember for the superstar prop.
Cameron Smith put on a masterclass from dummy half, coming up with assists for two of Storm's tries while Kevin Proctor and Dale Finucane were also tireless with 65 tackles between them.
The Roosters were given a fortuitous start inside three minutes when a deflection off a Mitchell Pearce kick fell into the hands of Blake Ferguson to score.
Unfortunately for the Roosters Ferguson played a hand in Melbourne leveling the scores 10 minutes later when he was unable to gather a Cooper Cronk high ball, setting Storm up with a golden chance they were only too happy to accept.
Cameron Smith was the creator with a grubber kick from dummy half into the path of Dale Finucane who bulldozed through in trademark fashion to ground the ball.
The Roosters came back up field to pile on the pressure but the Storm defence once again held firm. The purple wall counter punched beautifully to turn a kick into their end-goal into a 50-metre gain.
After forcing a repeat set, some telepathic play between Smith and his halfback would see Storm take the lead.
With momentum flowing all the way of Melbourne they extended their lead out to eight just after the half hour mark courtesy of a Smith penalty goal.
Both teams exchanged blows without troubling the scorers for the first 25 minutes after the break however the Roosters suffered a hit to their big man stocks losing Jared Waerea-Hargreaves through injury.
That appeared to take the wind out of the visitors' sails and as Storm pressed forward it seemed only a matter of time before the resistance was broken.
That happened in the 65th minute and it was the classic Cronk-Proctor combo that produced the goods for an unassailable 14-point lead.
From there it was a purple party and one which Tohu Harris happily joined when Blake Green sent him over with a short pass six minutes from time.


text:
export const fetch = () => ({
  path: '/tournaments/administered',
  method: 'GET'
})


Harrisburg Academy's mission is directed at only one outcome: providing what is best for each student and what will enable him or her to achieve the best academic outcomes and preparation for success in life. Our focus, therefore, is each individual child. In every division from Early Childhood through Upper School, we seek to know each child — his or her motivations, passions, and aspirations. To that end, our focus has to be, and is, on the "whole child" and his or her academic, emotional, and social development. By understanding who each child is, we are best able to attune our instruction to help each child become more analytical, creative and innovative, and most importantly, to think critically.
Using the widely respected programs of the Responsive Classroom® approach (in Early Childhood and Lower School, our preschool and elementary school divisions) and Developmental Designs® (in Middle School), we help every child reach his or her potential. The highly regarded and successful mentoring of Upper School high school students by our faculty extends this kind of attention in a most age-appropriate manner. Our methods, as well as our school mission, are directed at this one philosophical tenet which guides Academy policies in every area. Be sure to read our Community Compact, as well, which serves as a three-way mutual agreement -- between teachers, students, and parents -- to uphold the guiding principles of our school.


text:
Q: TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for %: 'int' and 'Element' So this is for my homework in cs class. The first tasks where coding the sieve of eratosthenes and comparing it with different data structures. The last part is to use my sive to return all factors of n.
Sieve:
def eratosthenes(ds):
""" Your code here """
a = int((len(ds) + 1) / 2 + 1)
for i in range(2, len(ds) + 1):
    for j in range(2, len(ds) + 1):
        o = i * j
        if ds.contains(o):
            ds.remove(o)
return ds

Data Structure:
class DynamicArray:
    class Iterator:

        def __init__(self, array):
            self._array = array
            self._index = 0

        def __next__(self):
            if self._index < len(self._array):
                index = self._index
                self._index += 1
                return self._array[index]
            raise StopIteration

    class Element:

        def __init__(self, data):
            self._data = data

        @property
        def data(self):
            return self._data

        def __str__(self):
            return str(self.data)

        def __repr__(self):
            return str(self.data)

    def __init__(self):
         self._len = 0
         self._data = list()

    def __len__(self):
        return self._len

    def __getitem__(self, i):
        if len(self) == 0:
            raise IndexError("no data")
        return self._data[i]

    def __repr__(self):
        return str(self._data)

    @property
    def first(self):
        return self[0]

    @property
    def last(self):
        return self[-1]

    def append(self, data):
        if self._data is None:
            self._data = [self.Element(data)]
        else:
            ndata = [None] * (len(self) + 1)
            for i, elem in enumerate(self):
                ndata[i] = elem
            ndata[-1] = self.Element(data)
            self._data = ndata
        self._len += 1

    def remove(self, data):
        c = 0
        for elem in self:
            if elem.data == data:
                c += 1
        nlen = len(self) - c
        ndata = [None] * nlen
        c = 0
        for elem in self:
            if elem.data != data:
                ndata[c] = elem
                c += 1
        self._data = ndata
        self._len = nlen

    def contains(self, data):
        for element in self:
            if element.data == data:
                return True
        return False

    def reverse(self):
        ndata = [None] * len(self)
        n = len(self) - 1
        for i, elem in enumerate(self):
            ndata[n - i] = elem
        self._data = ndata
        return self

I thought of iterating trough the data structure and remove all items that are not modulo 0.
But I get an TypeError when i try to use modulo while iterating trough the list.
def prime_factors(n):
arr = DynamicArray()
for i in range(2, n + 1):
    arr.append(i)
arr = eratosthenes(arr)
for factor in arr:
     if n % factor == 0:
        arr.remove(factor)
return arr

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Pier 57, recently renamed the "SuperPier," has received a $225 million loan from PNC Bank, according to a source close to the Commercial Observer. The $350-million project by RXR Realty and partner Youngwoo & Associates is set restore this old shipping and bus terminal. 560,000 square-feet of mixed-used development will be the result.
Around 480,000 square-feet has already been set aside for office blocks. Google has managed to secure 250,000 square-feet of that space when it signed a 15-year lease, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. So far, there's no word on who'll be Google's neighbors.
A food market run by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain will occupy 100,000 square-feet. Speaking to The New York Times, Bourdain said the food hall will feel like "an Asian night market." In addition, 80,000 square-feet will make up the public park that will housed on top of the pier while promenades on which the public can walk will take up 34,000 square-feet of the structure.


text:
North Korea must be stopped | 5 things we learnt from President Buhari's #UNGA speech
Thinking Through
September 19, 2017 | Oludolapo Adelana
Oludolapo Adelana
Moments ago, President Muhammadu Buhari delivered a speech at the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. Not known for his oratory skills, Buhari who spoke few minutes after U.S. president, Donald Trump, had a few words for his fellow world leaders on the situation in North Korea.
The president who took a slight turn from Trump's veiled threat to Kim Jong Un's country asserted that the UN Security Council must use "all necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts" to ensure a "peaceful resolution of the crisis".
Here are five things we learned from Buhari's #UNGA speech.
1. North Korea is a threat to international peace and must be stopped
Buhari while speaking said Kim Jong Un's " accelerated nuclear programme" is "the most pressing threat to international peace and security today". Comparing it to the 1962 Cuban missile, Buhari said if necessary action is not taken, the crisis may have a similar proportion to that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War.
2. Buhari is grateful to the international community for the Boko Haram war
The president who took over a ragtag military low on weapons and morale expressed his gratitude to the international community for its assistance in helping Nigeria and its neighbours in the Lake Chad region" to contain the threats posed by Al Qaida and Boko Haram". He added that more needs to be done to "stop fleeing ISIS fighters from mutating and infiltrating into the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, where there are insufficient resources and response capacity is weak".
3. The ongoing ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Myanmar must end
Mr. President urged the international community not to remain silent on the "state-backed programme of brutal depopulation of the Rohingya inhabited areas in Myanmar on the basis of ethnicity and religion". Buhari said the Government of Myanmar must be called to order, saying in a crisis such as this, the vulnerable, mainly women and children are affected.
Catch up on the Rohingya genocide here.
4. Africa will continue to uphold the tenets of democracy
Seeing that African leaders have a sit-tight mentality, President Buhari assured world leaders that the region will "uphold democratic principles" like it did in The Gambia early this year and previously in Cote D'Ivoire.
5. Nigeria will continue to support the United Nations in ensuring peace and global security
Bringing his speech to a close, Buhari said the nation will "continue to support the UN in all its efforts, including the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
Tags: North Korea, President Muhammadu Buhari, UN speech, UNGA
Bolanlee Kareem Adeigbe
Sai baba. You pass them joor. See person haters wishes him to die stand gidigbaa dey talk in d mist of real leaders. I trowel my cap for you ooo.
September 19, 2017 - 9:31 pm Reply
Kalu Destiny
BUHARI is another pyongyang..terrorist president
Omoleye Omoruyi October 20, 2020
36 states and only 7 governors think the #EndSARS protests are genuine
It is Day 14 of the #EndSARS protests. Nine days since the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced the ...
Sanwo-Olu, Obiano are singing the songs #EndSARS protesters want to hear, but we are not there yet
Who would have known that it will take 7 whole days before forces in government places begin to take action? ...
Uroupa Kiakubu October 5, 2020
Bisola's kidnap teaches us a lesson we usually try to avoid
Kidnapping is a serious crime and a security threat that is prevalent in Nigeria. Over the years, Nigerians have experienced ...
Nelson C.J September 29, 2020
Why are Nigerians taking Rema's emotional outburst as fodder for bants?
All of Monday, social media saw a frenetically outspoken side of Rema in a string of tweets, some cryptic, others ...
Uroupa Kiakubu September 28, 2020
Boko Haram or a compromised cabinet; what is Governor Zulum up against?
A once peaceful Nigeria has since 2009 been grappling with heightened insecurity issues from the Boko Haram insurgency that has ...
Population control or intentional carelessness | The Iju-Ishaga gas explosion sends too many messages
Safety on Nigerian roads has been a source of concern for many, especially with the rising number of avoidable accidents ...


The phrase "not completely brain dead", like "not completely pregnant", has a Monty Python-esque ring to it. But it is the way the Daily Mail described an alarming organ transplant incident in the German city of Bremen.
Doctors in a hospital in Bremen had already made an incision in the abdomen of a man who was presumed to be dead when they discovered that the deceased donor was still alive according to organ transplant protocols.
The operation was immediately terminated – and the brain-damaged patient died. The incident is being investigated by the German Medical Association.
The article above is published by and BioEdge.org under a Creative Commons licence.
Here are excerpts from the original article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung German Paper If you go read it there, just translate it to English at the top of your browser.
My takeaway's from the German article which unfortunately happen's here in the US but goes unreported.
The case proves once again what critics have long admitted: The diagnosis of brain death is not secure enough in Germany. Doctors are not sufficiently trained in how they determine the loss of brain function in a patient correctly. So it always comes back to errors.
Especially terrible was the idea that a patient whose brain still shows residual activity may suffer the pain of surgery and organ removal as opposed to a brain dead.
Did he know he was going to have his organs harvested but couldn't show anything to stop the doctors? Did he feel pain when the doctors sliced into his abdomen? You do know by now from reading my blog that anesthesia is NOT used.
"Don't cut me open — don't hurt me! Let me wake up!." While doctors hovered over her bed… discussing organ donation, Christina Nichole could hear every word they said – and their conversation terrified her.


Would you recommend The Twenty Minute VC: Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder @ Initialized Capital & Reddit to a friend?
@harrystebbings @reddit @initializedcap @garrytan @jbelsea @workramp Thanks for a great interview!
Neil deGrasse Tyson explores the front page of the internet.


Make this delicious ham the star of your Easter Sunday dinner table. Raised humanely and sustainably with no antibiotics or artificial hormones.
This sparkling apple cider is the perfect thing to serve alongside your Easter dinner. It adds some fun and fizz and is perfect for the kids!
What's a better way to finish off your Easter dinner than with this festive, spring-time cake? It will be the star of your Easter celebrations.
Take the guesswork out of Easter with the Oliver's Complete Easter Dinner. Each dinner serves 4-6 people and comes with an Oliver's Half Ham and all the fixings. Order online now!
…with a large selection of both natural and conventional groceries, great local organic produce, amazing service departments, and a knowledgeable, down-to-earth group of employee owners, who understand that good food and great customer service doesn't have to be expensive.
As a Sonoma County business, we've built enduring relationships with local growers, makers, and manufacturers, because they make the foods and wines we love.


text:
Puma-Quick Potter's House Wins Matchup of 1st-Time Finalists
By Perry A. Farrell
NOVI – Wyoming Potter's House's first trip to the Division 4 soccer championship match was a successful one, to say the least.
On Saturday at Novi High School, the Pumas (24-3-1) lived up to their nickname, racing past Clarkston Everest Collegiate 3-0 to claim their first Finals title.
It was the first Finals appearance in boys soccer for both schools.
On its way to the championship, Everest (18-3-4), which had nine freshmen on varsity, beat No. 4 Royal Oak Shrine, No. 11 Lansing Christian and No. 10 Bad Axe.
Potter's House had knocked off No. 2 Grandville Calvin Christian, with the Pumas winning three one-goal games and their District final in a shootout on their way to the Final.
Saturday's battle wasn't as close.
Potter's House, boasting nine players taller than 6-foot, took the fight to Everest with their quickness for most of the first half as both teams missed a couple of scoring opportunities.
"These guys have been working passing patterns for the last month-and-half,'' said Pumas coach Mike Colago. "Guys have been hitting their spots, playing between the lines. A lot of experienced players and a lot of guys buying into what we are doing. We just try to dominate from the beginning and play really fast.''
That philosophy worked again.
Forward Jonathan Stout, the team's leading scorer and a Michigan State recruit, finally got the Pumas on the board with a boomer from 25 yards out at the 15:27 mark of the first half. It was his 27th goal of the season.
"There were a bunch of alumni here and guys I played with in the past,'' said Stout. "This is the first time we've made it this far. For future generations coming here, they can say we can do this because the team before us did it. It builds confidence.''
Quickness paved the way for the Pumas' second goal as Yosia Mukanda put the eventual winners up 2-0 with nine minutes left in the first half when the Mountaineers were unable to clear the ball out of their end.
"Until we get that first goal, we're just pushing and pushing and pushing,'' said Stout. "Once we got that first goal, in my head, I thought we were going to set back. But Yosia and Rukundo (Masengesho) had other plans.
Masengesho wasn't technically credited with a goal because it hit an opposing player on the way. But he was the initiator of the action that led an Everest defender to accidentally put the ball in his team's own net with 5:59 left in the half to make it 3-0.
"In the second half we've had to hold onto those leads, but we were fortunate enough to have a three-goal lead instead of a one-goal lead to hold onto,'' said Stout.
PHOTOS (Top) Jonathan Stout (13) leads the attack for Potter's House while Everest defenders Lucas Cross (10) and Luke Walker (22) pursue. (Middle) The Pumas' Yosia Mukanda (16) and Mountaineers'' Charlie Reichert (5) race downfield. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Tags: 2021-22 Finals , Clarkston Everest Collegiate , Wyoming Potter's House
Storch Returns to Retirement After Elevating Alpena Teams From Cellar to Contenders
By Tom Spencer
It wasn't long ago that Alpena boys and girls soccer opponents took their long bus rides to play the Wildcats expecting an easy win, and most likely by securing the victory by the eight-goal differential rule, commonly known as the "mercy rule."
Worse yet, the Wildcats also had to take those trips across the northern part of the Lower Peninsula, as well as northern and southern journeys of two hours, dreading thoughts of experiencing yet another shortened game.
Those expectations started to change in 2011, when Tim Storch, arguably the most decorated coach in the history of Michigan high school soccer, took the reins of the Wildcats' boys and girls programs.
Storch made the move after retiring from Troy Athens as a teacher and coach of the Redhawks' boys and girls soccer teams.
Slowly but surely, Alpena's mercy losses disappeared – and wins over their Big North Conference opponents became reality. Under Storch, the Wildcats went from the cellar to challenging for titles.
But now, Storch is showing some mercy on the Big North – perhaps an early Christmas present. The conference schools won't see him on sidelines any longer. He's retiring – again.
Storch is doing so after leading the Wildcats to wins over all conference opponents except Traverse City West. The Wildcats did get a tie this fall against the Titans, one of the BNC schools that regularly makes a deep postseason run, as Alpena stayed in the league title race most of the season.
"When I came to Alpena it was about trying to make the program relevant in the school, the community, the area, the BNC and northern Michigan," Storch recalled. "We got to that point after some growing pains.
"Early on we took our lumps, and we were mercied by everybody," he continued. "By the end we were competitive with everybody."
Storch, who started the Athens soccer programs from scratch in 1981, won eight Class A or Division 1 Finals titles with the Redhawks. He's near the top of the lists of the winningest boys and girls soccer coaches in the state. The last of his 1,109 wins was a 3-1 victory over Bay City Western during this fall's postseason.
The Wildcats also beat conference opponent Cadillac in their District opener. They finished 14-6-3 on the season.
Storch will be dearly missed in Northern Michigan, veteran Petoskey boys and girls coach Zach Jonker pointed out. Jonker's Northmen picked up a victory over Alpena in the Division 2 District Final – also Storch's last game.
"Tim has had a legendary career as one of the most influential figures in Michigan high school soccer over the past 40 years while having an enormous impact on thousands of student-athletes," Jonker said. "Over the past decade, Tim helped to dramatically raise the overall level of play in the Big North.
"He is one of fiercest competitors I have ever coached against, but he is also one of the most genuine and empathetic coaches I have ever encountered," Jonker continued. "I feel fortunate to have been able to build a competitive relationship with him and call him a friend."
Storch's last game with the Alpena girls also was a District Final, a 3-0 loss May 31 to West.
Storch is proud of what the Wildcats accomplished, noting logistics — unlike in southeastern Michigan — were a big challenge.
"We were an island," Storch said. "We were big school in the middle of nowhere.
"We couldn't get together and have any kind of summer program with other communities because they didn't have soccer, and if they had soccer they were at a Class D or C level that was way beneath what we were playing in the Big North."
Storch's tenure, which included six years serving as the Wildcats' athletic director while coaching, drew accolades from his coaches and athletic directors. In addition to Jonker, Gaylord AD Christian Wilson, and West boys head coach and girls assistant coach Matt Griesinger gave high praise.
They are among those who will miss the successful coach.
"Tim leaves Alpena in better shape than when he arrived, and that is the true mark of a great coach and administrator," Wilson said. "He has been an outstanding representative of Alpena High School, both as a soccer coach and as an athletic director.
"Tim brought a level of stability and expertise and was well-thought of by players, coaches, and community members."
Griesinger, who has led the Titans to considerable postseason success and upheld BNC dominance since taking over the West program eight seasons ago, was particularly impressed with Storch's energy and passion for his players evident in every match.
"Tim is one of the most respected coaches in the state, and what he has done for the soccer communities in both Troy and Alpena is not just commendable, but also something that every high school coach should hope to emulate," Griesinger stated. "Storch is a stand-up guy, and all of us other coaches in the BNC should consider ourselves lucky that our journeys in the sport overlapped."
Storch is leaving Michigan high school sports as they face a shortage of referees and qualified coaches. He's not certain of the exact reasons for it, but he points to time constraints and pressures faced on and off the field.
And, he knows the days of a teacher starting a career, coaching sports and sticking with it are long gone.
"My wife has always said I was a dinosaur," Storch said with a chuckle. "Back in my day, even if you had family and kids, you still made time for coaching.
"Coaching was part of my fiber — it kind of defined me."
Storch is quick to point out "soccer coach" was just one of three hats he wore, along with history teacher and friend.
"I'm Mr. Storch to my students," he recalls telling his student-athletes at Athens. "I'm Coach to my kids, and I am Tim to my friends.
"They are three different hats; I learned how to wear them and how to balance them."
Storch looks back to all the friendships he's made around the game of soccer – with former players, fellow coaches, and referees – with excitement for the future.
He is also keeping in mind former players, referees and coaches who have passed on.
"It is kind of humbling when I think back all the years (to) coaches, referees and players I have interacted with," he said. "We're all here for a finite time.
"We need to make the most of it and hopefully leave the place a better place when we leave."
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at tomspencer@chartermi.net with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Recently-retired Alpena soccer coach Tim Storch, left, talks things over with one of his players. (Middle) Storch, holding the microphone, elevated the Wildcats' girls and boys programs since taking over both in 2011. (Photos courtesy of Therese Shaw.)
Tags: Northern Lower Peninsula , Alpena , Troy Athens


text:
Otto is back
The sun had just dipped under the horizon when Claudia released the mooring lines and I reversed one engine and put the other one forward, spinning us on the spot and turning our aft end to Bonaire.
This was to be the big test to see how things would work. We have a total of 390 nm to go to Grenada, but with several stops on the way. First leg to Las Aves is 35 nm if you go directly, but with the wind, waves and current on the nose, it will be more like 70 – 80nm, due to the tacking up and down to make any headway.
I was nervous to see how the Furuno autopilot would work. I had done everything I could do: Changed the CPU unit and the hydraulics pump and also bled the system properly. In addition I had lengthened and properly aligned the rudder indicator and drilled new holes and properly attached the hydraulic ram.
The wind was forecast to hit a maximum of 24 knots. On the nose that can be quite severe, but it was worse for the following days, so it was worth braving these "milder" conditions to get on the way. What we met was different: We had true winds in the range of 24 – 28 knots with gusts up to 30. The apparent wind hit 34 a few times, which was unpleasant. Waves quickly built and we were soon pushing through 3 meter waves, short in interval. A 1 knot head current didn't make it better. In short, the conditions were unpleasant and on any day they would have been a challenge for an autopilot. That's why it was awesome to see Otto, my trusted autopilot return in form. He slogged through everything and did so unrelenting. It was a huge comfort and I was so happy to have him back on my team again. What was more pleasant was that I went down in pump size and the new pump uses less amps, so not only does it work better, but it uses less amps. A classic win – win situation.
Claudia and I divided the shifts so that one person sat at the helm montioring the situation, while the other slept in the cockpit. It means that you always have the other at hand if something develops. The downside is that it's difficult to get proper rest, because you are somewhat exposed to the elements sleeping in the cockpit.
The wind and waves made for a wet ride and we were both drenched when we finally got to Las Aves after 13.5 hours of pushing through the relatively tough conditions. Having said that we sailed the whole way here and our biggest problem wasn't moving forward, but stopping African Innovation from going too fast. With the big waves hitting in short interval, it really stops you, so if you sail too fast, it puts a lot of strain on the boat. We sailed with a double reefed main and a double reefed genoa, but I still had to work very hard to limit our speed to 7.5 knots by depowering the main and steering a bit too high to the wind.
We were happy when we pulled into the tiny bay between Isla Palmeras and Isla Ramon which is part of a island and reef group known as Aves de Sotavento, which again is part of Las Aves. Ian and Westa, having sailed the day before us, were already there with their boat Marsha Claire. When we put down the sail I noticed that the mainsail had gotten a tear in it, below the second reefing point. It's a shame, because now we'll have to sail with a double reefed main until we can get it fixed on Grenada. We'll do fine though … African Innovation is fast and I was already contemplating moving the first reef up to the third reefing point, to be able to reduce the main even further. The tear won't have a huge impact on us, because going upwind against the strong tradewinds, waves and current I doubt I will want to sail with a full main.
After we had dropped anchor, Ian dinghied over and welcomed us to Venezuela with a couple of beers. While he was over, the Coast Guard stopped by to get our details. Unlike the Coast Guard visit I endured on Bonaire, this was very friendly and they were all smiles and happy faces, despite them not speaking English and none of us speaking Spanish. We still managed to fill out the paperwork and everything was fine and dandy.
When Ian left we did the only proper thing to do after a night sail: We hit the sack to catch up on some much needed sleep. The trip across had been tough, but it would have been a much more difficult journey if Otto hadn't been back.
Sailing from north to south in Norway
Meeting old friends in Australia
Hiking, diving and sailing in New Caledonia
Exploring the volcano on Tanna in Vanuatu
AFRICAN INNOVATION
Archives Select Month December 2018 September 2018 December 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2014 January 2014 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 November 2012 August 2012 July 2012 May 2012 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 August 2009 July 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 July 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 April 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005
Copyright © 2019 Andreas Julseth | All Rights Reserved


Both practical and stylish! A turbocharger further enhances performance, while also preserving fuel economy. With fewer than 25,000 miles on the odometer, this 4 door sport utility vehicle prioritizes comfort, safety and convenience. It includes power seats, front fog lights, power door mirrors and heated door mirrors, and air conditioning. Smooth gearshifts are achieved thanks to the efficient 4 cylinder engine, and for added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. Four wheel drive allows you to go places you've only imagined.


Tracker tracks Lagrangian particles in physical space.
Tracker tracks Lagrangian particles in physical space. It works on a chunk of the Eulerian mesh, and tracks particles in elements and across mesh chunks held by different Charm++ chares.