Mike Dirkers is pictured recently in his Livingston shop that contains 31 antique, cast-iron claw-foot tubs he is refinishing for Old Faithful Inn and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park.
A finished claw-foot tub gleams in Mike Dirkers' Livingston shop.
Emigrant-area resident Mike Dirkers' job is specialized even in the world of specialized jobs: He makes his living refinishing, among other things, antique cast-iron bathtubs.
And right now, Dirkers, owner of Standard Bathtub Refinishing, is going at it especially hard – he is restoring 31 more-than-a-century-old claw-foot tubs for two Yellowstone National Park iconic facilities. Fourteen of the tubs are from Old Faithful Inn and 17 are from Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
With more than 100 years' passage of time and at least one inadequate refurbishing decades ago, the tubs were in sore need of a makeover. Restoring them will allow Old Faithful and Mammoth to keep the historic, antique fixtures.
Dirkers is no stranger to park refinishing work. He already has redone 17 century-old antique cast iron sinks for Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and before that, antique sinks for Old Faithful cabins.
The old tubs he's working on now were cast in 1913 in Chicago by the L. Wolff Manufacturing Company, and they are the real deal. Each is made of "real thick, heavy cast iron," Dirkers said. They are 5 feet long and weigh an uffdah-inducing 275 pounds.
"Claw-foot tubs came into vogue in Victorian England," Dirkers said as he showed the tubs in his Livingston shop on a recent afternoon.
The feet on the park tubs depict an eagle claw clutching a ball. Dirkers said that design could have come from an old Chinese motif of a dragon foot clutching a jewel, subsequently adapted by the English and French.
"Not many people know that these feet are such beautiful works of art," Dirkers said.
Back in the early 1900s, it was a laborious process to make the tubs like the ones Dirkers is working on. After they were cast and cooled down, they were placed into an 1,800-degree furnace. Then they were pulled out and workers sifted porcelain enamel onto the hot metal, Dirkers explained.
Then, back into the furnace they went to bake on the enamel, then removed again to sprinkle on powdered glass.
"That's what makes the tub shiny," Dirkers said.
The claw-foot feet were cast separately. Originally, the feet were not painted, only primed, so that customers could choose a paint for them later.
To make the water flow downhill toward the drain, long ago the feet on the opposite end of the tubs were made taller than the front-end ones. However, manufacturers eventually figured out how to build the slope into the tubs themselves, allowing for feet of a uniform size.
The tubs for both Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Inn are being restored to preserve the historic feel of the famous facilities.
Chris Desborough, maintenance facilities and operations manager for Xanterra, the park concessionaire that contracted Dirkers for the Old Faithful Inn work, said the Old Faithful tubs exhibited some damage and tarnishing, and were in need of refurbishing.
"They are historic bathtubs," Desborough said.
"It's costing a lot more than putting brand new porcelain tubs in, but of course it is the historical aspect why a lot of people stay in the Old Faithful Inn," Desborough said.
What may look like a small project is "a big deal" for preserving the history of facilities like the Old Faithful Inn, added Rick Hoeninghausen, Xanterra's director of sales and marketing.
The Mammoth tubs must be done by mid-March and the Old Faithful Inn tubs by mid-April, so Dirkers has his work cut out for him.
Especially since refinishing the tubs is no easy job. They came in dinged up and in "various stages of deterioration" after previous refurbishing efforts, Dirkers said.
For the tub interiors, Dirkers first takes off the old coating with stripping chemicals, lets it sit, then goes after it with a razor blade and scraper. When he finds shiny areas with century-old glass glaze, he etches that in hydrofluoric acid. He then sands the interior and patches any areas that need it with Bondo or glazing putty.
In all this, Dirkers takes everything down to the original porcelain enamel layer.
To finish the tubs, Dirkers sprays on a high-tech, catalyzed polyurethane coating, which sticks to the exposed porcelain because the porcelain is porous.
He uses two colors of coatings. One is a high-gloss white, which is being applied to tubs going to Old Faithful Inn. Those tubs will have a smooth floor. The other coating is an off-white, with a non-skid surface for the tub bottom, which is going on the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel tubs.
For the tub exteriors, Dirkers sands off the old paint mostly down to bare metal, patches any areas that need it, and sprays on the same coating he uses on the inside. That coating goes on the claw feet as well.
Dirkers' personal favorite color is high-gloss white.
Some customers like a minimalist look for their refinished tubs. For example, Dirkers did a tub for Patrick Markey, co-producer of Robert Redford's film, "A River Runs Through It," that was just bare, burnished cast iron. The tub was sealed with a clear lacquer to prevent rust and show the "beauty of the old cast iron," Dirkers said.
Dirkers' customer base is broad.
"Over the last 28 years, I have refinished tubs for millionaires, movie stars, mainstream and misfits," he quipped.
It takes Dirkers about a day and a half to do a tub from start to finish. As to the value of a cast iron tub, Dirkers said a used one on Craigslist can be from $200 to $400, and a refinished tub like the ones he does can run double or triple that.
For the tough work of taking off ancient layers of paint and glass and applying new coatings, Dirkers wears a high-tech respirator and runs special fans in his shop to provide adequate ventilation.
There's a lot of exertion involved in the work.
"I don't need to go to the gym at night," Dirkers laughed.
But the work has its rewards.
Dirkers appreciates the historical aspect of his job, getting to work on antique tubs for historic Yellowstone Park institutions. He said he's glad the park didn't simply throw the tubs away.
The most rewarding aspect for him is "when they're all done, to see how they turn out," he said.
Another reward – customers' oohs and ahs.
"It's an instant gratification thing, it really is," he said.


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text:
Yemen's rival powers battle over banknotes
QNB 2019 net profit beats forecast
Qatar National Bank, the Gulf's biggest lender by assets, posted a 4 percent rise in annual profit Tuesday, beating analysts' forecasts, as earnings were boosted by double-digit growth in loans. The bank reported a net profit of 14.4 billion riyals ($3.95 billion) in 2019, up from 13.8 billion riyals a year earlier, it said in a statement. That was above a mean forecast of 13.9 billion riyals from a Refinitiv poll of analysts.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Why clock() function sometimes is not accurate when the amount of time elapsed is very short? I was benchmarking two simple sorting algoritm: selection and insertion sort.  I use clock() function to measure how much time each function use.  However, there is an interesting phenomenon: when the size of random array is 1000 the exuction time sometimes will be 0.0000 sec.  When the size increased to 10000, everything go back to normal.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <sys/types.h>

static inline void swap(int *restrict const a, int *restrict const b) {
    int tmp = *a;
    *a = *b;
    *b = tmp;
}

static void selection(int *restrict const array, size_t size) {
    for (size_t i = 0; i < size; i++) {
        int min_index = i;
        for (size_t j = i+1; j < size; j++) {
            if (array[j] < array[min_index]) {
                min_index = j;
            }
        }
        swap(&array[min_index], &array[i]);
    }
}

static void insertion(int *restrict const array, size_t size) {
    for (size_t i = 1; i < size; i++) {
        for (size_t j = i; j > 0; j--) {
            if (array[j] < array[j-1]) {
                swap(&array[j], &array[j-1]);
            } else {
                break;
            }
        }
    }
}

int main(int argc, char const *argv[])
{
    int rand_array1[10000];
    int rand_array2[10000];
    srand(time(NULL));
    for (size_t i = 0; i < 10000; i++) {
        rand_array1[i] = rand();
    }
    memcpy(rand_array2, rand_array1, sizeof(rand_array1));
    clock_t start = clock();
    insertion(rand_array1, 10000);
    clock_t stop = clock();
    printf("Insertion use %lf sec.\n", (double)(stop - start) / CLOCKS_PER_SEC);
    start = clock();
    selection(rand_array2, 10000);
    stop = clock();
    printf("Selection use %lf sec.\n", (double)(stop - start) / CLOCKS_PER_SEC);
        return 0;
}

Output(array size 1000):
[william@Notebook Sort]$ ./a.out
Insertion use 0.002276 sec.
Selection use 0.006772 sec.

[william@Notebook Sort]$ ./a.out
Insertion use 0.001282 sec.
Selection use 0.000000 sec.

Output(array size 10000):
[william@Notebook Sort]$ ./a.out
Insertion use 0.153155 sec.
Selection use 0.102534 sec.

[william@Notebook Sort]$ ./a.out
Insertion use 0.161796 sec.
Selection use 0.141816 sec.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony (Xanth, #1)
A Spell for Chameleon attempts to be a fantasy about appearances, assumptions, history, and the importance of treating people fairly. Unfortunately it is so agonizingly sexist that it can barely go ten pages without insulting women or upholding toxic masculinity.
I used to love this series, and I'd read up as far as A Swell Foop before stopping. But now that I'm mostly out of the toxic, sexist miasma of my childhood and teen years, the problems in this book are apparent from the first page. Bink has everything (telling us he's smart, good looking, amazing in every way), except for a finger he lost in a childhood incident made worse by internalized toxic masculinity and fear making him hide the damage until it was too late to be fixed by magic, and his apparent lack of magic in a world which demands that one's magical talent appear by age 25. The world built here is fascinating, which is a large part of why I read so many of these books as a teenager. But it's conveyed in long infodumps and meandering internal monologues. There's a genuinely intriguing story here, and if it had been about someone learning to be less sexist, unlearning internalized toxic behaviors, then it could be great. But it's someone who's canonically amazing except for one thing (apparent lack of magic) who's trying to get that one last thing to go right.
There's a very uncomfortable fixation with sex, including sexual assault. There are ways to handle this topic well, and not every way this book tries is bad, but it's constant and occasionally treated like a plot twist. There's a point early on where the crime of rape is described as being almost a serious as being a human without magic, which is a terrible way to convey the seriousness of both situations. It's also obsessed with intelligence, especially as an indication of merit. In order to have a narrative which tackles a topic, like sexism, it helps a great deal to have at least one character who isn't modeling that problematic behavior. That's not the only thing you need, but it's a pretty important first step. In this book, some of the female characters are differently sexist than the male ones, but they're all participating in misogyny and rape culture in a way that expects men to behave badly and for women to exist primarily as sex objects. It has little things that show they're uncomfortable with being discussed as objects of desire, but it's repeatedly framed as then shying away from raw manliness, rather than the (in my opinion, much more likely) possibility that they don't like feeling as though only men restraining their "natural impulses" keeps them safe from assault or worse.
There are some genuinely funny moments and clearly a lot of thought went into how Xanth works, its history and its denizens. The writing is good throughout and the plot is handled really well, for the most part. If it didn't have casual and sometimes not-so-casual misogyny every other page this would be a great book, and I get why someone might like it anyway (I used to, myself). It has some interesting ideas about perception and appearances and how the official story might not be the real story. I liked the second half much better than the first, since a lot of the sexist world building was out of the way and I could relax into the story a little. But then, every couple if pages there would be an event or a comment that pulled me back out, making me remember how sexist this book is. And, the frustrating thing is, it had the potential to be an examination of those toxic ideas, but instead it features people mutually reinforcing different kinds of sexism, occasionally objecting to the way another person performs their sexist attitudes, but never questioning their rightness. There's a bit where a male character expresses a pretty sexist idea and a female character snaps at him, "You're not a woman", thus implying that the author at least knows what female objections to sexism can look like, which is part of why it's so frustrating that the book sets up the reader to much more easily identify with the mostly calm and more often reasonable male characters. In that scene, she objects, then the characters just move on to the next scene like nothing happened. It sets it up like it's just natural for everything to be this way, but the author is the one who set this up, who recreated sexism from the real world and added in a few unique dynamics only possible in a fantasy setting. Every time I thought, for a minute, that maybe the book would teach a lesson to the sexist characters, it would disappoint me by reaffirming their troubling behavior. So-called "manly" behavior is consistently equated with sexist behavior. The author had the ability to write anything here, Xanth is a really cool magical land (especially early on before the mythos became self-contradicting), and he interwove it with sexist garbage.
CW for bullying, sexism, misogyny, toxic masculinity, transphobia, dysmorphia, racism against fictional races, colonialism, mention of suicide, discussion of rape, body horror, assault, death.
Labels: Fantasy Not Recommended Review
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The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Chil...
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
The Shadowglass by Rin Chupeco (The Bone Witch, #3)
Early Departures by justin a. reynolds
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Z...


text:
Dream Theater – Distant Memories [Live In London] (2020)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever.
Formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic tendencies, later Epica have incorporated into their sound strong death metal influences. Starting from the third album, even progressive metal attitudes have become evident.
In addition, the band often uses thrash metal and groove metal riffs, black metal passages (mostly in the drum technique), power metal moments and references to Arabic music. Some songs also have electronic shades, djent transitions and folk metal melodies derived from middle eastern, Chinese and Celtic traditions.
Epica is also known for the attention to the vocal lines that, in contrast to the heavy context, weave very catchy, easy to hold, sophisticated and emotional melodies. The use of mezzo-soprano vocals and growled vocals, performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen respectively, is fundamental to the band's sound.
They primarily write their own lyrics, which often deal with philosophical, psychological, spiritual, moral, scientific, environmental, socio-political, global and topical and personal themes. Epica is also known for their wide use of orchestra and opera choirs.
In 2003, Epica's debut album The Phantom Agony was released through Transmission Records. Consign to Oblivion followed in 2005, and debuted at No. 12 in the Dutch charts. They moved labels to Nuclear Blast following Transmission's bankruptcy, and in 2007, released their third studio album The Divine Conspiracy, which charted at No. 9 in the Netherlands.
2009's Design Your Universe was met with yet greater success, debuting at No. 8 in the Dutch Albums Chart, and charting across Europe, also garnering much critical acclaim. Epica's fifth studio album Requiem for the Indifferent was released in 2012. Well received by critics, it achieved international success, entering the US's Billboard 200 at No. 104, and Japan's Oricon Albums Chart at No. 172.
At the beginning of May 2014 the band released their sixth album, The Quantum Enigma, which was a huge international success, debuting on No. 110 on US Billboard 200 and peaking at No. 4 in Epica's homeland Netherlands. In June 2015 Epica was awarded the Music Export Awards, which is given to the Dutch act with the most international success in the past year. Their seventh album, The Holographic Principle, was released in September 2016.
Cry for the Moon (2002)
In early 2002, Mark Jansen left After Forever over creative differences. He then began looking for musicians who would work towards a more classical/symphonic type of music project; this was initially named Sahara Dust. In late 2002, the band courted Helena Michaelsen (from Trail of Tears) as its frontwoman, but shortly after she was replaced by the then unknown Simone Simons, who was Jansen's girlfriend at the time.


How to get add to cart URL in Magento?
For add to cart button there is a function setLocation called on click in which URL, product id and quantity passed.
How to export products from magento?
How to move My Cart block in left sidebar?
My cart block can easily be shown on left sidebar by editing checkout.xml file which is in app/design/frontend/your-theme/layout/checkout.xml Look for following lines… And change name="right" to name="left" Save file and refresh your site. DONE..!!!!
Create discount coupons in magento.
How to get logged in customer's shipping/billing address?
We can get shipping or billing address of logged in customer via following statements. All address information is now in $address variable you can use it.


text:
Ramdam Film Festival In Belgium Cancelled Due To Terrorist Threat; Will There Be Knock-On Effect For Berlin?
By Ali Jaafar
Ali Jaafar
More Stories By Ali
Andrea Riseborough To Board BBC's Agatha Christie Adaptation 'The Witness For The Prosecution'
Stephen Frears' 'Victoria And Abdul' Adds Ali Fazal And Eddie Izzard; Working Title-BBC Co-Pro, Focus Co-Fi And Distributing
Dominic West Joins Elisabeth Moss In Ruben Ostlund's 'The Square'
The Ramdam Film Festival in Belgium has been cancelled due to security concerns over terrorist threats. The festival, originally set to run January 20-27, was set up in 2011 as a showcase for politically engaged films. Organizers were informed by authorities that the threat of a terror attack was "at a very high level" and quickly moved to evacuate the Imagix theatre yesterday.
The move highlights the heightened security situation in Europe and will be sure to raise some questions about extra measures being put in place ahead of the Berlin Film Festival launch in less than two weeks. That fest begins February 5.
"We have had no threats whatsoever," a spokesperson for the Berlin Film Festival confirmed to Deadline. "We have 300,000 people attending the festival every year so we always have a high security presence. It is something we take very seriously and we are very well-equipped. We work closely with the authorities and we are able to adapt to any security situation."
The Ramdam festival lineup included Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako's Oscar-nominated Timbuktu about Malians fighting against Islamic extremism.
"We deplore and deeply regret having had to announce this decision to the audience in theaters," a statement on the festival website read. "Since its creation in 2011, the Festival Ramdam has given the floor to plural sensitivities and advocated values of openness, dialogue, tolerance, freedom and exchange to the world."
The move comes less than a fortnight after the devastating Paris attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and ensuing hostage crisis left more than a dozen innocent people dead and brought terrorism to heart of Western Europe. The attacks have left much of Europe in a state of heightened security alert.
Latest International News
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'Tehran' Renewed For Season 3 At Apple TV+ As Hugh Laurie Joins Espionage Drama
Breaking Baz: Ruth Wilson On "Huge Act Of Stamina" Needed To Perform For 24 Hours With 100 Men On London Stage; Mud, Glorious Mud For 'All Quiet On The Western Front'


text:
from __future__ import print_function
import sys
from yambopy import *
from qepy import *
from schedulerpy import *
import argparse

prefix = 'bn'
folder = 'bse'
yambo = "yambo"
p2y = "p2y"
ypp = "ypp"
layer_separation = 12
scheduler = Scheduler.factory

def create_save(doublegrid=False):
    #check if the nscf cycle is present
    if os.path.isdir('nscf/%s.save'%prefix):
        print('nscf calculation found!')
    else:
        print('nscf calculation not found!')
        exit()

    #check if the SAVE folder is present
    if not os.path.isdir('database'):
        print('preparing yambo database')
        shell = scheduler()
        shell.add_command('pushd nscf/%s.save; %s; %s'%(prefix,p2y,yambo))
        shell.add_command('popd')
        shell.add_command('mkdir -p database')
        shell.add_command('mv nscf/%s.save/SAVE database'%prefix)
        shell.run()

    #create the folder to run the calculation
    if not os.path.isdir(folder):
        shell = scheduler()
        shell.add_command('mkdir -p %s'%folder)
        shell.add_command('cp -r database/SAVE %s/'%folder)
        shell.run()

    #check if the SAVE folder is present
    if doublegrid:
        #check if the double grid nscf cycle is present
        if os.path.isdir('nscf_double/%s.save'%prefix):
            print('nscf_double calculation found!')
        else:
            print('nscf_double calculation not found!')
            exit()

        if not os.path.isdir('database_double/SAVE'):
            print('preparing yambo double database')
            shell = scheduler()
            shell.add_command('pushd nscf_double/%s.save; %s; %s'%(prefix,p2y,yambo))
            shell.add_command('popd')
            shell.add_command('mkdir -p database_double')
            shell.add_command('mv nscf_double/%s.save/SAVE database_double'%prefix)
            shell.run()

        if os.path.isfile("%s/SAVE/ndb.Double_Grid"%folder):
            #initialize the double grid
            print("creating double grid")
            yppin = YamboIn('ypp -m',filename='ypp.in',folder='database')
            yppin['DbGd_DB1_paths'] = ["../database_double"]
            yppin.write('database/ypp.in')
            shell = scheduler()
            shell.add_command('cd database; %s'%ypp)
            shell.add_command('mv SAVE/ndb.Double_Grid ../%s/SAVE'%folder)
            print(shell)
            shell.run()

def run(nthreads=1,cut=False):
    #create the yambo input file
    y = YamboIn('%s -r -b -o b -k sex -y d -V all'%yambo,folder='bse')

    if cut:
        y['CUTGeo'] = 'box z'
        y['CUTBox'] = [0,0,layer_separation-1]

    y['FFTGvecs'] = [30,'Ry']
    y['NGsBlkXs'] = [1,'Ry']
    y['BndsRnXs'] = [1,80]
    y['BSEBands'] = [3,6]
    y['BEnSteps'] = 500
    y['BEnRange'] = [[0.0,10.0],'eV']
    y['KfnQP_E']  = [2.91355133,1.0,1.0] #some scissor shift
    y.arguments.append('WRbsWF')

    if nthreads > 1:
        y['X_all_q_ROLEs'] = "q"
        y['X_all_q_CPUs'] = "%d"%nthreads

    y.write('bse/yambo_run.in')

    print('running yambo')
    shell = scheduler()
    if nthreads <= 1:
        shell.add_command('cd bse; %s -F yambo_run.in -J yambo'%yambo)
    else:
        shell.add_command('cd bse; mpirun -np %d %s -F yambo_run.in -J yambo'%(nthreads,yambo))
    shell.run()

def analyse(dry=False):
    #pack in a json file
    y = YamboOut('bse')
    y.pack()

    #get the absorption spectra
    #'yambo' -> was the jobstring '-J' used when running yambo
    #'bse'   -> folder where the job was run
    a = YamboBSEAbsorptionSpectra('yambo',path='bse')

    # Here we choose which excitons to read
    # min_intensity -> choose the excitons that have at least this intensity
    # max_energy    -> choose excitons with energy lower than this
    # Degen_Step    -> take only excitons that have energies more different than Degen_Step
    excitons = a.get_excitons(min_intensity=0.001,max_energy=8.0,Degen_Step=0.01)
    print( "nexcitons: %d"%len(excitons) )
    print( "excitons:" )
    print( "  Energy  Intensity Index")
    for exciton in excitons:
        print( "%8.4lf %8.4lf %5d"%tuple(exciton) )

    if dry:
        # read the wavefunctions
        # Cells=[13,13,1]   #number of cell repetitions
        # Hole=[0,0,6+.5]   #position of the hole in cartesian coordinates (Bohr units)
        # FFTGvecs=10       #number of FFT vecs to use, larger makes the
        #                   #image smoother, but takes more time to plot
        a.get_wavefunctions(Degen_Step=0.01,repx=range(-1,2),repy=range(-1,2),repz=range(1),
                            Cells=[13,13,1],Hole=[0,0,6+.5], FFTGvecs=10,wf=True)

    a.write_json()

if __name__ == "__main__":

    #parse options
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Run BSE calculations on BN.')
    parser.add_argument('-dg','--doublegrid', action="store_true", help='Use double grid')
    parser.add_argument('-r', '--run',        action="store_true", help='Run BSE calculation')
    parser.add_argument('-c', '--cut',        action="store_true", help='Use coulomb truncation')
    parser.add_argument('-a', '--analyse',    action="store_true", help='plot the results')
    parser.add_argument('-d', '--dry',        action="store_false", help='print excitons only')
    parser.add_argument('-t' ,'--nthreads',                        help='Number of threads', default=1)
    args = parser.parse_args()
    nthreads = int(args.nthreads)

    if len(sys.argv)==1:
        parser.print_help()
        sys.exit(1)

    cut = args.cut
    dg = args.doublegrid
    create_save(dg)
    if args.run:     run(nthreads,cut)
    if args.analyse: analyse(args.dry)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


As everyone had predicted, Apple announced a refreshed Apple TV during their September event. With rumors abound prior to the official reveal calling it a console killer, it was widely expected the new Apple TV would offer more gaming grunt for an increased price tag.
Coming in at $149 for the 32GB model and $199 for the 64GB model, the new Apple TV features Siri, Apple's voice assistant, and tvOS, a new operating system that's focused on the lounge room. Thanks to these new additions, the Apple TV will get it's own dedicated app store, greatly expanding its usefulness.
The new remote actually features some pretty cool tricks. It uses Bluetooth 4.0, eliminating the need for line of sight. Motion control and a touchpad also feature, which should offer intuitive navigation and possibly less intuitive gaming control.
It also features dual microphones allow you to use Siri from the comfort of your couch. The idea of being able to say "Play Family Guy" and have Netflix automatically open and start playing a video sounds like nirvana. How well it actually works in practice is yet to be seen.
Codec support is essentially limited to 1080p H.264 videos via hardware decoding. Although, with an app store, I'm sure apps like VLC will come along to help the situation in time via software decoding.
I'm a little disappointed that Apple didn't embrace the whole gaming aspect with a dedicated controller. Whilst the New Apple TV features MFi controller support and showed off the SteelSeries Nimbus controller at the event, the fact that they're not producing a first party controller suggests that the TV gaming space isn't of particular interest to Apple at this stage.
The New Apple TV is listed as coming soon on the official page. I'll update the article as soon as more info is available.


text:
Female CEOs are still extremely rare in the US and Europe
Published Tue, Apr 25 2017 10:39 AM EDT Updated Tue, Apr 25 2017 2:17 PM EDT
Benjamin Snyder@WriterSnyder
Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors, poses with an autonomous vehicle during a General Motors press conference at the Renaissance Center on December 15, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan.
Though high-profile executives like Mary Barra and Indra Nooyi may grab headlines, the number of women at the helm of top companies in the U.S. and abroad is still woefully small, according to new research.
The study, "Route to the Top," was put together by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, and examined the number of female CEOs in the U.S., the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Notably, the U.S. has the largest percentage share of female CEOs, with about 8 percent of the top spots held by women. However, that number declined by 1 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to the study. Meanwhile, the percentage rose in the United Kingdom, from 5 percent to 6 percent. Both France and Germany remained the same at 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively.
"The small progress women have made over the years in being named to CEO roles has stalled," says Bonnie Gwin, vice chairman and co-managing partner of the firm's global CEO & Board Practice, in a statement. "Forward-looking companies should be mindful that their succession plans include both women and men, with a particular focus on ensuring they gain the critical experiences necessary to serve as CEO."
The research, which was conducted last year, examines chief executives of the top 100 companies in the Fortune 500, the FTSE 100 in the United Kingdom, the DAX 30 and MDAX 50 in Germany and the SBF 120 in France, according to Heidrick & Struggles.
But there may be some good news in the future — at least in the U.S. Fortune reported that the number of female CEOs heading up Fortune 500 companies is slated to grow this year, to 27.
The current list of female CEOs in the Fortune 100 is:
Mary Barra of General Motors
Virginia Rometty of IBM
Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo
Marillyn Hewson of Lockheed Martin
Safra Catz of Oracle
Phebe Novakovic of General Dynamics
Irene Rosenfeld of Mondelez International
Key takeaways from the life of America's first female self-made millionaire


Samantha Brown is the girl next door with the best job in the world. In one unexpected, life changing moment, she went from travel novice and struggling actor to professional traveler and TV host of her own show. As a result, for the last 13 years, Samantha has gotten to journey to some of the most fascinating destinations across the globe and document her incredible experiences for a travel series bearing her name on the Travel Channel.
As a Travel Channel host, Samantha has visited dozens of countries, hundreds of cities and countless hotels around the world, all while immersing herself in the beautiful people and cultures she encounters in each place.
In the most recent edition of her travel series, Samantha Brown's Great Weekends, Sam explores the very best in weekend getaways. From Sundance to Montreal, or Philadelphia to Savannah, this series has Sam traveling to destinations all across the U.S. and worldwide. Previously, Sam traveled through various areas of China for Samantha Brown: Passport to China. In Passport to Latin America, Samantha took viewers to 20 cities, revealing colorful landscapes and warm populations. Prior to that, Sam delved into European culture, traveling to 65 destinations from magnificent capitals and tiny mountaintop villages to ancient seacoast towns in Passport to Europe.
From her high energy, carefree attitude and genuine enthusiasm that come through on every episode, it's clear that Samantha truly enjoys showing Travel Channel viewers how extraordinary it is to be a part of everyday life in another part of the world and how the language barrier can sometimes be a bridge to a deeper communication, one that she respects and cherishes.
With all of those miles banked (she stopped counting after she hit the million mark) and all that time spent globetrotting (230 days a year), it's no surprise that Samantha knows a thing or two about travel and the importance of good luggage. In May 2011, she put her expertise to more good use and debuted her exclusive collection of fashionable, yet highly functional luggage on HSN.
Each piece of her travel-friendly luggage – upright suitcases, carry-ons, totes, and a weekend bag – was inspired by Sam's personal adventures around the world. The Samantha Brown Luggage collection launched following a meticulous 2 year design process, but Samantha's vision for the luggage really began well over a decade ago when she boarded her first flight for her job as a world traveler.
But, her luggage isn't just about beauty, it's got brains too. Each detail is a well thought out improvement or solution based on a piece of failed luggage that Sam owned, and the lesson she learned from that experience. The features were chosen to make travel as easy and stress-free as possible. In fact, one of her upright suitcases even comes complete with a built-in scale in the handle, so you can know if you meet weight requirements before you get to the airport. Genius!
Prior to her life as a professional jet-setter, Samantha graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and spent a number of years pursuing acting in New York City. Her off-Broadway credits include Brutality of Fact at Primary Stages and June Moon at the Variety Theatre.
SB: The most interesting thing in my handbag has to be earplugs. I travel with earplugs, just those cheap, $.25 foam things you get in Home Depot. I find that I'm actually really sensitive to sound, especially in an airport. I think a lot of the stress in airports is actually noise related. So I always have them with me. But, I also find that when I go to the mall and into like a hip women's shop, they're blaring the music… I hate that too; I go into a coffee shop, there's music. Everyone has to have music at 10 on a volume scale and so I just pop in my foam earplugs and I'm in my own private Idaho. So, they're in my purse always.
SB: It would have to be my smartphone. I'm not going to give the maker because I hate them right now. They have made my life miserable. I actually just came back from their center where you talk to someone about the problems you're having, it's like marriage counseling. I'm like, "You don't understand… I've been trying to reach out to this phone for so long, I've been taking care of it, I put in my password and it still doesn't respond to me." You realize that you have a relationship with this thing. This morning I put in the wrong password and it wiped out my entire contents of the phone and the guy at the center said, "Well… that's uh, ya know a security measure that we put in to the phone." I'm like, "You don't understand, no one wants to steal these phones anymore because they stink! So don't worry about the security measure." I'm just a little upset right now… I need to put in my earplugs (she laughs).
SB: I'm reading a book now called The Happiness Project. I just thought, "what a great title". And I learned a lot because I'm genuinely a very happy person and some people have criticized me for that. My biggest critics have said, "oh, she's too perky" or "she's always happy" and "travel can't always be that good". So, it was good to read someone who actually acknowledges that it takes a lot of effort to be happy; that it's not just something you are; that it's actually a lot easier to be cynical, to be downtrodden, to be critical. I liked reading that, so I'm enjoying the book.
SB: My biggest pet peeve is plastic wrapped hotel soap… you know the kind. You get into the shower and by the time you step in it's too late. You look down on that plastic wrapped soap because with wet hands you will NEVER be able to remove that plastic from that soap. And you'll try… you'll try thinking if you could just get your nails underneath that little sticker that holds all the plastic together you can get the plastic off, but you can't. So you begin to claw it, you maul it like you're a bear. Then out of complete desperation you put the whole thing in your mouth. So, plastic wrapped soap has reduced me to the omnivorous habits of nocturnal varmint. I hate plastic wrapped soap.
SB: It's chocolate. I love chocolate. I love dark chocolate. I love milk chocolate. I even love white chocolate. Chocolate (she sighs)… I have to have it every single day.
We love Samantha because she is herself. Thanks for being you Samantha!
Loved the "photos" of the male Travel Channel hosts in bikinis.
This is lovely coverage of Samantha Brown–warm, unpretentious, relating easily with her interview staff. coherent, good content. Natural, like in her own shows.
I feel like I know her now… or at least more than just the perky traveler I watch. I love these kinds of videos because you get to know the real person through their words – not an edited production in an exotic location.
230 days on the road!?!?!?!? That is quite a personal sacrifice to make… but then again lots of execs in corp America spend this much or more time on the road/in a plane. But, her job sounds thrilling and SO MUCH better than any corporate job could ever be… well worth the sacrifice. And it sounds like she REALLY loves what she does for a living. Passion is the key when it come to career.
I was never quite sure if her TV personality was put on. But, after watching this, she genuinely seems really down to earth and has such a nice way about her. I guess she's the real deal. Her "perkiness" is refreshing. Go Samantha!
I am a big Travel Channel watcher and have always loved Sam, so it was great to hear her story… I knew nothing about her personally.
I have never seen her show, but now can't wait to catch it!
She's awesome! I love Sam. Fun loving with no snark, unlike some of the other travel channel shows.
Hmmmm… I wonder who you are referring to…. Let me think.
Are you saying the "snarky" hosts are not good?
Actually, no. I really like some of the other hosts on the Travel channel… Zimmern and Bourdaine are awesome as well. I was just saying Sam is much more loveable (and some would say not creepy) and she lacks snark. Not going to comment about the "eating contest" hosts on the channel though….
Penelope and El Reebo thanks for taking the time to comment… we love this kind of reader input and back and forth. How great is Samantha Brown!?!?
I just realized in my response to Penelope that I left out the fact that I really like Ms. Brown as well. I think she has a relaxed style that is fun to watch.
I enjoyed the article on Ms. Brown. I've seen her show many times and always enjoyed being taken to far away places and not so far away places where she goes. Although it looks so great and wonderful to travel like she does, I give her a lot of credit for traveling 230 days a year. I get tired just thinking about it.
I've watched Samantha on the Travel Channel many, many times, and have enjoyed her show so much. She brings a warmth and sparkle to each show, and seems to thoroughly enjoy every country and/or city she visits. After reading this post, I know that her warmth and sparkle are truly genuine, and she truly enjoys her job!! I am so happy to have had the opportunity to meet her in this way. Way to go, Samantha!!


text:
Australians in the US await the overturning of…
EU Database Raises More Questions About Japanese Owner Of Mauritius Oil Spill Ship
by InterNewsCast 26th November 2020 013
Aug 9 Press Conference at MOL Headquarters on the Wakashio. From Left to Right: Masanori Kato (MOL's … [+] Head of Safe Operations), Akihiko Ono (Vice President of MOL), Kiyoaki Nagashiki (President Nagashiki Shipping)
The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius continues to face an unprecedented ecological, human health and economic impact from the devastating oil spill in August.
At the center of the controversy lies the Wakashio bulk carrier, the cause of the disaster. Now, an important EU Ship Transparency Database, called EQUASIS (Electronic Quality Shipping Information), administered by the European Maritime Safety Authority in Lisbon, Portugal, is raising more questions about the Japanese owner of the Wakashio.
8 Aug: the massive heavy fuel oil spill from the Wakashio drenched the beach, coral, seagrass, … [+] mangrove coastline of Mauritius
With demands growing for a full international inquiry into how the bulk carrier – one of the largest ships in the ocean – came to crash into a network of internationally protected nature reserves along Mauritius' coral reefs, questions are starting to be asked about the business operations of the vessel owner itself, Japan-based Nagashiki Shipping Co Ltd (reportedly known as Changfeng Steamship company in Japan). This is particularly relevant as Mauritius prepares its multi-billion dollar legal case for damages from the vessel's insurers.
There is a growing mismatch between statements made by the company's representatives, what is listed on the company's website and what international shipping databases are showing.
Addressing Secretive Shell Companies and 'Flags of Convenience' in global shipping
One of the biggest reasons for this opaqueness is the widespread use of secret offshore shell companies by the global shipping industry. 70% of global shipping are registered with the six major 'Flags of Convenience' countries (Panama, Liberia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Singapore, Hong Kong) whose registration system makes it easy to hide shipping assets and limit how much multi-billion dollar shipping companies have to pay out in the event of an environmental catastrophe as was seen with Mauritius.
Sep 12: There has been large scale protests on Mauritius around how the oil spill response in being … [+] handled, with the response being spearheaded by the vessel owners' insurers, Japan P&I Club
Although Nagashiki Shipping is based in Japan and presents itself as a Japanese Shipping Company with a long maritime history in Japan, not one of its vessels are registered in Japan. They are all registered in 'Flags of Convenience' nations, such as Panama, the Marshall Islands and Liberia.
In previous meetings over the past decade, the G20 has taken on free trade, climate change and tax transparency. Global shipping lies at the nexus of all three, and has been left without sufficiently strong and independent international oversight. With 80% of world trade passing through the economies of the G20, and major changes needed to wean the industry off fossil fuels in the next decade, this may be the right window to intervene, especially with a new U.S. Presidential team coming into office.
The failure of the UN Shipping Regulator, the IMO, to take action last week on shipping emissions and Arctic pollution once more reminded the world that public trust has been completely eroded with the UN-affiliated shipping institution. Rather than being multilateral institution representing safety of seafarers, coastal communities, tax authorities and the planet, the IMO is now largely regarded as a trade body primarily focused on the interests of the global shipping industry.
The case of the Wakashio is a perfect case example for why wholescale shipping reform and data transparency is needed to improve vessel safety and sustainability.
EU: a champion of public and transparent data in global shipping
The EU's Equasis database provides transparency into global shipping
SOURCE: EQUASIS
Shipping information is available under a range of databases. One of those databases is called Electronic Quality Shipping Information System or EQUASIS, that is administered by the European Maritime Safety Agency, based in Lisbon, Portugal.
It was established as a joint project by the French Government and the European Union, is free to access with just a simple registration, and provides all public information on vessels to bring transparency to the shipping industry.
A quick look through the database reveals some unexplained records concerning the Wakashio.
Questions about Wakashio's insurance
The international law under which Mauritius will be filing for insurance payout, the 2001 Bunker Fuel Convention, is very specific on the need for vessel insurance. Indeed, many ports would not admit a vessel without having insurance.
However, questions have been raised about what sort of insurance the Wakashio had.
The EU's EQUASIS database shows the Wakashio's Japan P&I insurance commencing on 7 August, 13 days … [+] after being declared a Total Loss and one day after the oil spill began on 6 August 2020.
Equasis
The Wakashio was defined as a Total Constructive Loss on July 25 2020, the day it ran aground. This should have been the last time any insurance could have been taken for the vessel. On August 6, oil had started leaking. And yet, according to the EU's EQUASIS database, the vessel's insurance with Japan P&I Club was incepted on August 7, 2020, a day after oil had started leaking.
What makes this even more surprising is that these insurance records no longer appear on the EQUASIS database, even though such insurance details had appeared for other vessels long after a sinking or total loss, and also given that the rear stern of the Wakaskhio continues to be on Mauritius' reefs and likely to remain there until after the cyclone season through to Spring next year.
Other changes to Wakashio's records
Examples of two changes to Wakashio's records on the EU Database, EQUASIS, on 25 August and 27 … [+] October, three months after the Wakashio was deemed a Total Loss on 25 July
There have also been several unexplained changes to the Wakashio's records since the vessel was ruled an Total Loss on 25 July.
Shipowner, Nagashiki Shipping, was asked whether they issued any instructions to alter any documentation for the Wakashio since its grounding on July 25, and a spokesperson for the shipowners responded on November 1 that they had not.
It is unclear why and how the EU's EQUASIS database would have recorded that the ship's records would have been updated since the July 25 Total Loss.
The EQUASIS database also allows the public to view the corporate structure of various shipping interests.
Questions about Nagashiki Shipping's business structure
A search through the EU's EQUASIS database can only identify five vessels that Nagashiki Shipping … [+] owns
EU's EQUASIS Ship Transparency and Safety Database
At a MOL-Nagashiki Shipping Press Conference on the Wakashio oil spill, hosted at MOL's Headquarters in Tokyo on August 9, Nagashiki Shipping's President and CEO Yoshiaki Nagashiki publicly stated that Nagashiki Shipping owns 11 vessels, which he specified as bulk carriers, container ships and tankers.
He was giving a joint press conference along with MOL's Executive Vice President, Akihiko Ono, and MOL's Head of Safe Operations Division, Masanori Kato.
However, using the EU's shipping database, EQUASIS, it is only possible to identify five vessels owned by Nagashiki Shipping (one of which was added this month on November 1, the Admiral Jimmu).
Nagashiki Shipping's President and CEO Yoshiaki Nagashiki responding to questions from the media on … [+] the Wakashio and saying Nagashiki Shipping owns 11 vessels that were 'container ships, bulk carriers and oil tankers'
Japanese Newspaper reports at the time of the August 9 Press Conference show CEO Yoshiaki Nagashiki saying "Our company owns a total of 11 vessels. Of these, only the vessel, 'The Wakashio' was managed in-house. The remaining vessels are outsourced."
Nagashiki Shipping was asked by Forbes to provide a list of all the vessels owned by the company on October 30, but have not responded to these requests.
Global Headquarters of Nagashiki Shipping, owners of the Wakashio, in Okayama Prefecture in Japan in … [+] a residential house
Upon noticing that vessel ownership was changing in Nagashiki Shipping's several shell holding companies, Forbes reached out for an explanation about the rationale of the restructure of Nagashiki's business since the Wakashio's grounding on July 25. The question was also raised whether there had been any changes in the shipping assets held by the Panama shell company of Okiyo Maritime Corp, which the Wakashio was registered under.
On November 1, in response to a question whether there had been any changes since July 25, a spokesperson for Nagashiki Shipping responded with, "There has not been any restructure of our business."
The global headquarters for Nagashiki Shipping is in a small village in rural Japan
It is therefore challenging to reconcile this November 1 statement by the Nagashiki Shipping spokesperson, remarks made by the CEO of Nagashiki Shipping at the MOL Press Conference on August 9, vessels listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website in July, with data found in international ship safety databases such as EQUASIS administered by the European Union.
Data from the EU's EQUASIS database reveal further questions about the ownership of 7 of the 11 vessels listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website. That is almost two-thirds of Nagashiki's fleet.
Here are the ten unanswered questions about ownership of these 11 vessels.
1. Changes to Nagashiki Shipping's website
A comparison of Nagashiki Shipping's website on July 25 and November 25 reveals changes (highlighted … [+] in red). There are other unexplained vessels listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website (highlighted in orange).
Nagashiki Shipping Co Ltd
At the time of the grounding, there were 11 vessels listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website. Today, there are only ten.
A closer examination reveals that the Nord Sakura is no longer on Nagashiki Shipping's website.
2. Nord Sakura changed names and owners
The EQUASIS databases shows the Nord Sakura renamed as Invictus on 1 October 2020, and it is no … [+] longer owned by Nagashiki Shipping
It also appears that since the grounding of the Wakashio, the Nord Sakura changed names and owners.
A search through EQUASIS reveals that the Nord Sakura was renamed as the Invictus on 1 October 2020.
It has a new company owner, Invictus Shipping Corp, which only has one ship under management, the Invictus.
The Invictus now has a Greek owner, Coral Shipping Company, which owns 13 vessels, including Invictus Shipping Corp and the Invictus (the former Nagashiki Shipping's Nord Sakura). 11 of Coral Shipping's vessels are registered with the Marshall Islands. The Nord Sakura was also registered with the Marshall Islands before the change of ownership.
So, the Nord Sakura and renamed Invictus had a change of ownership since the Wakashio grounding.
3. Jupiter Express owned by MOL
The EQUASIS database shows the Jupiter Express is owned by MOL Product Tanker Ltd, at the same … [+] address as the MOL Headquarters in Tokyo
The oil tanker, Jupiter Express, listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website is owned by MOL Product Tankers Ltd, whose address is that of Mitsui OSK Lines Headquarters in Tokyo.
This is one of four of Nagashiki Shipping's vessels with a close relationship with Mitsui OSK Lines, the other three being the Wakashio, the MOL Seabreeze and the Eternal Sunshine. It is flagged with the Marshall Islands.
So, again, another vessel that does not appear to be owned by Nagashiki Shipping.
4. Ore Amazonas owned by NYK Lines
The Equasis database shows the Ore Amazonas is owned by NYK Line
A bulk carrier listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website, the Ore Amazonas, is owned by a Panama-registered shell company called Kamishio Maritime / Santos. Kamishio Maritime / Santos only owns one vessel, the Ore Amazonas. Its registered address is another of the 'big three' Japanese shipping companies, Nippon Yusen KK (NYK Line) (Nippon Yusen Kaisha).
Three shipping lines dominate Japan. They are Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), NYK-Line and K-Line. All three recently announced a large multi-billion dollar alliance with their container ships, called the ONE Alliance.
So according to EQUASIS, the Ore Amazonas does not appear to be owned by Nagashiki Shipping and is flagged in Panama.
5. Ocean Clarion owned by NYK Line
EQUASIS shows the Ocean Clarion appears to be owned by NYK Line
Another bulk carrier listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website, the Ocean Clarion, is owned by a Panama-registered shell company called Myoken Maritime Corp. Myoken Maritime Corp only owns one vessel, the Ocean Clarion. Its registered address is another of the 'big three' Japanese shipping companies, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, or NYK Line.
So according to EQUASIS, the Ocean Clarion does not appear to be owned by Nagashiki Shipping either and is flagged in Panama.
6. Takeshio owned by the giant Malaysian Kuok Group
The registered owner of Takeshio is based in Singapore and is ultimately a subsidiary of the … [+] Malaysia giant, Kuok Group
A sister ship of the Wakashio, the Takeshio, listed on the Nagashiki Shipping website also raises several flags. The Takeshio is owned by a Singaporean shell company called Peony Shipping.
Peony Shipping has two ships registered to it, the Takeshio and the Glorious Kauri. The Glorious Kauri does not appear on Nagashiki Shipping's website.
The multi-billion dollar Kuok Group is highly diversified and prominent across South East Asia
Kuok Group
Peony Shipping also appears to be linked to another company called Pacific Carriers Ltd, that is once more based in Singapore and linked to ten vessels. Pacific Carriers Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singaporean giant, the multi-billion dollar Malaysian Kuok Group, that has large shipping and plantation interests across South East Asia and had owned interests in the South China Morning Post and Shangri-La chain of hotels.
So EQUASIS highlights that the Takeshio does not appear to be owned by Nagashiki Shipping and is flagged in Panama.
7. Eternal Sunshine owned by tanker group Asahi Tanker Co Ltd
Equasis shows the Eternal Sunshine registered with Asahi Tanker Co Ltd in Tokyo
The oil products carrier, Eternal Sunshine, appears to be owned by Asahi Tanker Co Ltd, a large Japanese tanker company.
This vessel was built in 2019.
Asahi Tanker has 269 staff and Mitsui OSK Lines is identified as a Major Shareholder.
Mitsui OSK Lines is identified as one of the major shareholders of Asahi Tanker Co Ltd
Asahi Tanker Co Ltd
A search through Equasis reveals 22 vessels owned by Asahi Tanker Co Ltd, all of them either oil tankers or chemical tankers.
So from EQUASIS, it does not appear that the Eternal Sunshine is owned by Nagashiki Shipping, and is flagged in Liberia.
8. Mimitsu owned by the Daiichi Chuo Shipping Group
Mimitsu appears to be owned by First Marine Service Co Ltd of Japan
The bulk carrier, Mimitsu, is owned by a Panama shell company, Mimistu Shipholding Corp, which only has one ship associated with it, the Mimitsu.
The registered owner of Mimitsu Shipholding Corp is First Marine Service Co Ltd, based in Tokyo Japan. First Marine Service Co Ltd is a subsidiary of the Daiichi Chuo Shipping Group. The Daiichi Chuo Shipping Group was Japan's fifth largest shipping company until it collapsed in 2015 with over $1 billion debt to almost 600 creditors. One of its biggest assets was Star Bulk Carrier, one of the largest bulk carrier companies in the world.
Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha is the main supplier of Capesize Bulk Carriers (like the Wakashio) to the … [+] world's third largest steel manufacturer, Sumitomo Metal Industries, that is part of Nippon Steel
Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha
The recently restructured Daiichi Chuo Shipping Group (known as Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha) is the main supplier of Capesize Bulk Carriers for Iron Ore and Coral to Nippon Steel's, Sumitomo Metal Industries, the third largest steel manufacturer in the world. The Wakashio was also a Capesize Bulk Carrier for Iron Ore.
According to statements on its website, First Marine Service Co Ltd earned $60 million last year and has several ties with business entities associated with MOL, such as its bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and several MOL-business unit related customers, MOL Techno-Trade Ltd, MES Machinery Co Ltd, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
Again, EQUASIS shows that the Mimitsu does not appear to be owned by Nagashiki Shipping, and is flagged in Panama.
9. Addition of the Admiral Jimmu
Nagashiki Shipping has a shell company (Moon Rise Shipping) that owns four vessels. The newest … [+] addition is Admiral Jimmu that was added in after the Wakashio grounded on Mauritius' reefs.
A new bulk carrier vessel has now appeared and registered to Nagashiki Shipping, called the Admiral Jimmu on 1 November 2020. This new vessel is not listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website.
It is owned via one of Nagshiki Shipping's shell companies, Panama-based Moon Rise Shipping Co SA.
EQUASIS reveals that Moon Rise Shipping Co SA owns four of Nagashiki Shipping's vessels, the NSC Kingston, Ultra Prosperity, MOL Seabreeze, and now Admiral Jimmu.
The Admiral Jimmu also appears to have a close relationship with Daiichi Chuo Shipping Group's subsidiary, First Marine Service Co Ltd, who is named as the managing company (ISM Manager). First Marine has several business ties to MOL-related affiliates, as seen from the Mimitsu. The vessel is flagged in Liberia.
10. Questions about Wakashio shell company Okiyo Maritime Corp
Okiyo Maritime is a subsidiary of Nagashiki Shipping. But there have been updates to the Okiyo … [+] records up through to 16 November 2020, despite only having two vessels at the time of the Wakashio grounding.
So this brings us to a Panama shell company that held the Wakashio, and which the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth acknowledged on August 31 was the legal entity that signed the Lloyds salvage agreement for the Wakashio.
Nagashiki Shipping have acknowledged that Okiyo Maritime Corp is wholly owned by them (and it is clear on EQUASIS that Okiyo Maritime is linked to Nagashiki Shipping).
However, on the evening of July 25 when the Wakashio hit the reefs of Mauritius, there were two vessels listed owned by Okiyo Maritime Corp. This second vessel was not one of the vessels listed on Nagashiki Shipping's website.
Today, that vessel is no longer listed under Okiyo Maritime Corp.
Nagashiki was asked to explain this second vessel under Okiyo Maritime Corp. This question was not responded to.
Need for transparency over Nagashiki Shipping's operations and structures
The main street in front of Nagashiki Shipping's 'Global Headquarters' appears very residential
There have been several questions about the operations and structures of Nagashiki Shipping.
Unanswered operational questions about the Wakashio
Ten key operational questions have been publicly raised about the Wakashio on October 30 but have not been fully addressed. In terms of the questions about how Wakashio was able to maintain around-the-clock contact with the Wakashio given the nature of the Nagashiki Shipping Headquarters appearing like a residential property, a spokesperson responded on November 1 with "Nagashiki shipping have an established 24/7 emergency contact system to support the Captain."
'Dark Forces' surrounding lawyers
Aug 18: Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, Captain of the MV Wakashio, seen outside Court in Port Louis, … [+] Mauritius
On September 2, there were concerns expressed by the former lawyers of the Captain of the Wakashio. After the grounding, the Captain had appointed the the very senior Mauritian lawyer, Yousuf Mohamed, one of the longest serving lawyers in Mauritius and former Deputy Speaker of the Mauritian Parliament. In media interviews in Mauritius, he described the 'dark forces' at work that led to his team being replaced with a set of lawyers appointed by the Wakashio's owner, whom he described as having different objectives as that of lawyers appointed to just represent the interests of the captain.
Changes to Nagashiki Shipping's vessel ownership structures after the Wakashio grounding
On November 1, a spokesperson for Nagshiki Shipping when asked whether Nagshiki Shipping had issued any instructions to alter any documentation since the Wakashio's grounding on July 25, responded that they had not.
The devastation caused by the Wakashio to Mauritius' Nature Reserves could be seen from space
With questions and changes to the ownership structure to two-thirds of Nagashiki Shipping's fleet, there is a need for independent scrutiny of the company given the devastation wreaked on Mauritius.
It will also be a test for the Japanese authorities present in Mauritius to see how robust they are in investigating the conduct of their own shipping industry.
For a spokesperson of Nagashiki Shipping to have said that, "There has been not been any restructure of our business," there appears to have been a lot of unanswered questions about Nagashiki's 11 vessels, with changes or discrepancies with almost two-thirds of Nagahsiki's fleet in just a few short weeks since the Wakashio grounded.
Nagashiki Shipping have not responded to clarifications on the vessels that it owns today and at the time of the grounding on July 25.
Questions about what MOL knew
With Mitsui OSK Lines appearing to have such a close working relationship with Nagashiki Shipping (at least three of the eleven vessels – the Wakashio, the MOL Seabreeze, and the Jupiter Express are frequently used by MOL), it is also surprising that there was no clear fact-checking at the Press Conference on August 9 at MOL's Headquarters in Tokyo. That press conference had MOL's Executive Vice President, Akihiko Ono, and MOL's Head of Safe Operations Division, Masanori Kato also addressing the media when these statements were made.
Akihiko Ono speaking at the Aug 9 press conference on the Wakashio at MOL's Headquarters in Tokyo. … [+] He reports directly to MOL's CEO with responsibility for the Wakashio response as well as being Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Information Officer and Safety Operations HQ
Associated Press / MOL
Akihiko Ono is one of the most senior executives at MOL, reporting directly to the President and CEO and holding responsibilities as Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Information Officer – key positions to be aware of Nagashiki Shipping's compliance with MOL's standards and data disclosure. Since the grounding, Ono now holds MOL's responsibility for "recovery of environmental damage from the Wakashio incident and contribution to the Mauritian community."
Given the close working relationship between MOL and Nagashiki Shipping, MOL has been approached to clarify the ownership of the vessels of Nagashiki Shipping that was stated at the press conference at MOL's Headquarters on August 9.
MOL's Head of Safety and Managing Executive Officer, Masanori Kato (Far Left), speaking on Aug 9 at … [+] MOL's Headquarters in Tokyo. Some of the statements about how the Wakashio ran aground was later found to be inaccurate.
Also noteworthy from the MOL Press Conference on August 9 was MOL's Head of Safety and Managing Executive Officer, Masanori Kato, saying that the original voyage plan was to sail 10 to 20 miles off the south side of Mauritius Island, but "the waves were high and we were shifting north to avoid cliffs."
Satellite analysis of the region at the time does not reveal any adverse weather patterns in close vicinity of Mauritius, and certainly none that impacted the trajectory of any other large ocean-bound vessel. Satellite analysis from global maritime analytics firm, Windward, also reveal that the Wakashio had been on a straight line course for four days before it struck Mauritius' reefs.
Satellite analysis reveals most vessels pass Mauritius over 20 nautical miles from the island
Putting the Wakashio within 20 miles of Mauritius' coastline would have been highly risky and not authorized by Mauritian officials, as satellite analysis of passing maritime traffic reveals. This raises even more questions about who developed and authorized the voyage plan of the Wakashio to travel between 10 and 20 miles of Mauritius' coastline, unnecessarily putting the island at risk of such a large vessel.
Forbes has reached to ask for clarifications of Kato's remarks and an explanation for how such a Voyage Plan to place the Wakashio between 10 and 20 miles of Mauritius' coastline could have been approved.
Since the Wakashio grounding, neither MOL nor Nagashiki Shipping have answered ten foundational operational questions raised about the Wakashio and route planning, monitoring and inspections. If this was a genuine accident, more transparency was to be expected to ensure such an incident does not occur again.
Need for G20 reform of global shipping
The 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou saw joint US-China leadership on the Paris Climate Agreement. … [+] Significant progress was made at the G20 against tax havens and climate change over this period.
While the various legal cases are likely to drag on for years for the Wakashio, the complex business structures surrounding the Wakashio's owner and operator is a perfect example for why there needs to be global shipping reform.
Climate change is opening up new passages across the Arctic. Allowing vessels to travel through risky icy conditions without appropriate safety standards, nor adequate transparency of ownership and operational data, is highly risky.
NOVEMBER 24: President-elect Joe Biden introduces key foreign policy and national security nominees … [+] who could take a lead in addressing issues in global shipping.
The opaqueness of global shipping and vessel ownership structures needs to end, and pressure from world leaders, financial markets and shipping customers will become the biggest driver for change. The shipping industry will fight tooth and nail to prevent the world shining the light at the industry.
However, if we are to move to enter a more sustainable era by the end of the decade, reform of Flag States and fixing Ship Registrations must become a G20 Agenda item within the next few years. Perhaps a new era of multilateralism under a Biden-Harris Presidency in the U.S., combined with leadership from the EU, U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand could usher this in.
Source: Forbes – Business
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Oxfordshire's Blenheim Palace has recently had their unique collection of historical documents and artefacts transferred to a new, repurposed archive.
The move, which was carried out over five days by Blenheim Palace staff, is part of the Estate's £40m restoration programme which will also see them re-acquiring key lost works.
'Correctly preserving archival material is an essential part of protecting Blenheim Palace's heritage,' said Blenheim Palace archivist Alexa Frost.
'Archives provide evidence of activities which help us to understand the culture of those who lived and worked on the Estates as well as giving us insights into the lives of the Marlborough family,' she added.
The new archive features rolling shelving racks to provide ease of access as well as more storage areas for existing material and space to accommodate modern archives in the future. There is also a designated area for map storage.
For Oxford graduate Alexa, who also has a Masters degree in Classics from the University of Bristol and is in the final year of a Classics PhD at the Royal Holloway, the new facilities will provide a unique opportunity.
'Approximately 80 per cent of our archival material has been part-catalogued: 20 per cent is yet to be rediscovered,' said Alexa.
'I am particularly interested in the social history of the Blenheim Estates. As the cataloguing programme continues, I often find information about individuals which we were not previously aware of as we have very few records listing individual servants.
'A few of my favourite discoveries thus far include '1470 Virgil Aeneid' – as a Classicist this is a particularly favourite especially as it is an incunabulum i.e. a book printed in the infancy in printing It is in staggeringly good condition and the text is still very legible.
'Also 'Illuminated addresses from schools etc. to Frances 7th Duchess of Marlborough for her work as Vice-Reine of Ireland 1876 -1880' – the beauty of the addresses fittingly reflects the kindness of the Duchess and the messages are very touching.' She added.
Blenheim Palace is celebrating the 30th anniversary of being awarded World Heritage Site status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Oxfordshire palace, which has been home to the Dukes of Marlborough since the early 18th century, is among around 1,000 locations globally to be recognised as having outstanding value to humanity.
Designed by Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, the Palace was financed by Queen Anne, on behalf of a grateful nation, following the first Duke's triumph over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession.
Hi! My father was born in the Lodge at Blenheim Palacd and I am trying to find out what my grandfather did on the estate? I am due to visit Woodstock on the 12th February and wonder if there is any chance that I could speak with somebody from Staff Archives for 1916. Family name Moxham and my grandfather was Walter. Many thanks Wendy Cook née Moxham.
I am looking for any photo of my 2nd Great Uncle the Rev Frederick John Brown M.A. 1896-1918. Rector of Steeple Aston for 21 years. Rural Dean of Woodstock 1900-1916. Perhaps he had cause to visit Blenheim?


The police commissioner position has been a revolving door all year.
A huge job vacancy remains unfilled at the Baltimore Police Department—as the city's crime problem appears to be spiraling out of control. Baltimore has been searching for several months for the right person to take on the challenge of leading the police force.
Mayor Catherine Pugh blamed Baltimore's recent surge of violence on drug wars and a police shortage Wednesday at her weekly news conference, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Baltimore's homicide rate is at a record level—higher than Chicago's and Detroit's. The city recorded 342 homicides in 2017. At the same time, the police force is struggling to fix serious problems stemming from its long history of corruption and systemic racial bias against Black residents, detailed in a scathing 2016 Justice Department report.
"You've heard about the war on drugs. There is a drug war. People are protecting their territories with guns," Pugh said, explaining what was behind the 11 shootings on Tuesday that resulted in three deaths.
During the press conference, the mayor didn't offer a clue about her timeline for appointing a permanent police commissioner.
The police commissioner's office has been a revolving door all year. In January, Police Commissioner Kevin Davis was fired and replaced by Darryl De Sousa. However, De Sousa stepped down in May after being charged with a federal tax offense. Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle, who served as one of De Sousa's top deputies, withdrew his application on Oct. 9 to become the permanent commissioner.
Baltimore has had 10 police commissioners since 1989. There are now reportedly more than 50 applicants for the post. No doubt, city officials and residents are hoping for stability with the next pick for commissioner.
"I don't think there is a more challenging police chief job in the country right now. It's facing a number of challenges: A consent decree, significant crime and issues rebuilding trust," Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, told the newspaper.


CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela is seeking to repatriate about $550 million in gold bars from the Bank of England because of fears it could be caught up in international sanctions on the country, two sources with direct knowledge of the effort told Reuters.
Maduro says his government is victim of an "economic war" led by the opposition and fueled by Washington's sanctions. His critics blame the country's state-led economic model, stringent exchange controls and nationalizations of private companies.


text:
Dodgers 10 Brewers 6: Offense is in Sync
By Amanda Howell
Jun 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (10) rounds third after a three run home run in the third inning of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
The Dodgers get the win in an offense filled game despite a poor performance from Mike Bolsinger on the mound.
Alright, let's be real, Mike Bolsinger was just flat out bad tonight. He only went 2.2 innings and allowed nine hits and five runs. Bolsinger struggled with his pitch count right off the bat. He went deep in almost every hitters count. He finished with exactly 73 pitches and threw 44 strikes. In the second inning Bolsinger put his left wrist under his right arm and that triggered Dave Roberts and the Dodgers trainer to head out to the mound to check on him. According to Bolsinger everything was fine so he stayed out on the mound, but following that check up, he allowed two more runs. It is not that the Dodgers expected much from Bolsinger, I mean he has not gone deeper than six innings in any of his five previous starts, but I'm pretty sure he was expected to make it out of the third inning at least. In my opinion, Bolsinger will not be making his next start. He is likely to be sent back to AAA or depending on what the whole wrist/mound visit entailed possibly the DL.
In his preview this afternoon, Alex brought up a great point about Bolsinger so far this season:
"Basically, Bolsinger is good for five innings and three runs. The Dodgers have surprisingly had a bullpen that can make that work, but scoring more than three runs seems like a lot to ask these days."
Tonight Bolsinger got that stat confused as he did not make it out of the third inning and gave up five runs. Chris Anderson who started for the Brewers did almost the exact same as Bolsinger this evening. he too only threw 71 pitches, 44 for strikes and did not make it out of the third inning. Bolsinger and Anderson are both close friends and were each groomsmen in each other's weddings. Tonight they both had almost identical stats from the mound. Both pitchers also came from the Diamondbacks farm system and were teammates at AA and AAA. It seems like neither guy wanted to out perform the other.
The Brewers would score one in the first after a walk and double to get them the early lead. In the bottom of the first inning, the Dodgers would tie it at one when Justin Turner scored on a Trayce Thompson single. Turner got on base thanks to a walk and advanced to third on a ground rule double by Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzo tried to score on the single too, but was called out at home and the inning ended.
In the top of the second inning the Brewers tacked on two more thanks to four consecutive singles. Howie Kendrick would get the Dodgers within one and the score to 3-2 in the bottom of the second when he went yard with a solo home run. Bolsinger would allow the Brewers to score two more in the third inning to make the score 5-2, Brewers.
The Dodgers again proved to be resilient when they struck back by scoring six runs in the bottom of the third inning. Joc Pederson led off the inning and reached first on an infield single. Corey Seager followed him up with a walk and Justin Turner came to the plate. Turner was the hero last night with two home runs and the game winning single. Tonight he stepped up to the plate again and blasted a three run shot into center.
JT flying up, no ceiling, when he's in his zone. pic.twitter.com/1UOel8mc50
Shout out to Matthew Mesa who runs the Dodgers social media for posting Turner's HR along with Justin Timberlake lyrics. You have successfully combined my two favorite JT's and I greatly appreciate it. It also inspired the title for tonight's recap. Gotta love those JT NSYNC days, anyways… back to baseball.
With one swing of the bat the game was now tied again. Jhan Marinez took over for Anderson in the third inning, but he allowed a two run double to Yasmani Grandal and then Chris Hatcher joined in on the fun when got an RBI single to make the score 8-5, Dodgers. Hatcher's single was the first hit and RBI of his career in 12 plate appearances. He has a pretty good swing too!
The whole pace of play thing was not going too well in the first three innings. It took the Brewers and Dodgers 99 minutes to get through just three innings. Both teams combined for 13 runs on 18 hits and scored in every half inning.
Things settled down after the bottom of the third inning. Hatcher pitched two great innings and Casey Fien took over for the boys in blue to pitch the top of the sixth inning. The Dodgers offense got going again in the bottom of the sixth inning. Pederson hit a solo shot to deep right center. Seager went the other way to double into right. Turner came up and singled then Gonzo followed him up with another single. Two runs scored to make the score 10-5, Dodgers all with no outs.After Pederson's home run, the roomies (Pederson, Seager and Thompson) combined have hit 38 home runs and the rest of the Dodgers club combined have only hit 40.
Fien allowed a solo home run to Ryan Braun to lead off the top of the seventh inning, but then quickly got three outs to get out of it all. Score was now 10 to 6, Dodgers. Adam Liberatore pitched a great eighth and ninth inning to help lead the Dodgers to a win. The bullpen as a whole did fantastic again tonight as they only allowed two hits after the third inning and 1 run in 6.1 innings pitched.
The Giants won again today, so the Dodgers remain 6.5 back in the division. The Dodgers will be looking for the sweep tomorrow afternoon against the Brewers. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM.


Behavioral Stakes: Our "What" is emotional reactions to active elements. Commitment and repetition are the only "why" we need. But "Because" can elevate the emotional stakes of a scene with context.
"Stakes" come in many forms – and we want to apply emotion to all of them. These exercises focus on elevating characters by allowing choices to affect who they are as people.
Defining Behaviors – while a player who is doing something for the first time is dealing with Situational Effects, a player who is doing something for the hundredth time is defining herself as a person, and a player who is doing something for the first time after having done something else a hundred times is being affected. The audience loves knowing our characters; it allows them to react with us in-the-moment. We can build stakes by heightening patterns of emotional behavior.
Player Two accepts the reality of the endowment. Player Two should feel about the endowment (Not being able to smile makes me sad). Player Two should heighten the endowment by elevating/expanding the details ("I feel like Prometheus stealing Doritos Tacos from the gods!").
• You're that guy; how does it feel? – Don't just be Comic Boy Guy; love all things comics; despise books without pictures.
• Actively experience – Don't just talk about what you've done or what you will do; engage the active elements of the present moment.
YOU ALSO / I ALSO – Every line of dialogue must start with either "You also…" or "I also…". Heighten the details through an emotional perspective. Accept the endowments, engaging physically and in the present.
• Start in the middle – Making assumptions jump starts our scenes. Choosing to react emotionally to and with those assumptions turbo charges our scenes.