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Global Resource Politics
0:01Skip to 0 minutes and 1 secondThe production of new and renewable energy in the United States is continuously increasing. According to the US Department of Energy, a third of new power generation will come from new and renewable energy within 3 years and including solar, wind and geothermal energy will reach 17,000 MW. Solar energy production itself increased a whopping 418% from 2010 to 2014 to 12,000 MW. The EU's push for a low carbon future is well epitomized in its 20-20-20 goals. What does the 20-20-20 goals of the European Union mean? There are three 20s. The first 20 is to reduce CO2 reduction by 20% to 2020. The second 20% is to increase the renewal energy. The third 20% is to increase efficiency energy.
1:20Skip to 1 minute and 20 secondsThe 2030 Energy Strategy and the 2050 Roadmap puts a policy priority on the transition toward a sustainable energy system, by way of supporting renewables (RES), energy efficiency measures and reducing the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix. Here, the concept of grid parity is important. "Grid parity" is a point where renewable sources like solar and wind cost the same or less as fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. Grid parity for solar and wind power is becoming a reality in various European countries, which is a function of pro-renewable energy regulation, subsidy policies, and rapidly faltering installation costs.
Gas and renewables: competitors?
The relatively low installed base of renewables means that taking any meaningful share of new electricity going forward will require dramatic growth, more so than in the case of gas.
Global gas demand is caught between cheap coal and continued policy support for renewables.
This is one of the reasons why demand for natural gas is declining in Europe and the US. What are most important policy changes in Europe and the US as regards to renewable energy in recent years?
© Younkyoo Kim, Hanyang University
Global Resource Politics: the Past, Present and Future of Oil, Gas and Shale
Global Ethics: An Introduction
Explore the key ethical theories surrounding global challenges and learn how philosophy can be used to address these problems.
Religion and Conflict
Understand and analyse the role of religion in conflicts and peacebuilding in present-day societies, with this free online course.


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Working from home with Yealink
A year ago, nobody would have imagined that working from home and the home office would be such a topical subject...
A year ago, nobody would have imagined that working from home and the home office would be such a topical subject, but the last few months have caused us to rethink and re-evaluate how our businesses are run and what is essential. What has become very clear, is that businesses need to continue being operational and efficient with a substantial percentage of the workforce offsite. Even with the relaxing of lockdown restrictions, many employees continue to work from home. Thus, a clear and concise work from home strategy is vital.
Effective communication is key to this work from home strategy. Cloud hosted PABX solutions (such as 3CX) are on the rise, while Microsoft Teams is ideally suited to enabling collaboration amongst colleagues and business partners. Getting the full value of these solutions is fundamental to a sustainable work from home strategy, and this is where Yealink's work from home products can really benefit your business.
Working from home typically means that a large amount of time is spent on voice and video calls. In fact, web meeting usage has increased more than 300% since the start of the year. Headsets play a critical role in maximising productivity and ensuring that workers are communicating professionally while not sacrificing productivity. The Yealink UH36 USB headsets were launched earlier this year, just as the headset market boom set in. Not only are the Yealink headsets certified and fully integrated with Microsoft Teams, but they also have a 3.5mm jack for use with most mobile phone brands, should you be using a mobile application as your preferred softphone client. The Yealink headsets offer unparalleled audio and voice quality, with dynamic equalisation which adapts to the audio stream (ideal for switching between voice and music) and noise suppression to cancel out that pesky background interference.
For personal voice conferencing, the Yealink Bluetooth Speakerphones are a must have. The built-in Bluetooth will connect directly to your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone or laptop, creating a mini conferencing solution for your home office or huddle room. The Yealink CP700 makes use of two omni-directional microphones, while the Yealink CP900 has a 6-microphone beamforming array, for every meeting space requirement. The Lithium Polymer battery with extended battery life ensures you are never left wanting, even in the event of a power outage. Support for Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business, as well as other leading softphone and virtual meeting services, means you will only need a single device for any service you choose.
Cloud based PABX solutions make setting up a home office increasingly simple and eliminate the need for complicated VPN solutions to have access to the company PABX and getting your extension in your home office. The choice of handset for your home office is also crucially important for convenience and practicality. The Yealink DECT phone series provides an ideal solution, allowing you to move freely in your space without compromising on voice quality.
Video conferencing between colleagues working from home and those in the office is essential for collaboration. Yealink has a solution for every situation, whether you are using standard (H.323 or SIP) video conferencing, Teams or Zoom. For personal video conferencing, such as individuals working or executives calling from their office, the Yealink VP59 Smart Video Phone cannot be matched. With an 8-inch colour touch screen, 2 mega-pixel camera and running on an Android based operating system, the Yealink VP59 is your all-in-one VC solution.
For your boardroom solutions, Yealink has a range of video conferencing products to meet any requirement. The MVC range has been specifically developed with Microsoft Teams in mind and is fully interoperable. For your Zoom Rooms solutions, Yealink offers the ZVC range. Both variations provide an all-in-one solution, with a mini-PC to run your platform of choice. The Yealink video conferencing product range has a solution for any size boardroom, from medium to extra-large, including multiple cameras and microphones.
With no end in sight, today is the time to finalise your work from home strategy. Let Yealink help you in enabling your workforce.
For more product information or where to buy contact Nology, the Platinum Distributor of Yealink in Southern Africa. Click HERE to visit the Yealink South Africa website
About Yealink:
Founded in 2001, Yealink is a leading global provider of enterprise unified communication systems and collaboration solutions, with best-in-class quality, innovative technology and user-friendly experience. As one of the best providers in more than 140 countries and regions, Yealink ranks No.1 in the global market share of SIP phone shipments (Global IP Desktop Phone Growth Excellence Leadership Award Report, Frost & Sullivan, 2018).
Yealink has been available in South Africa through their Platinum Distributor, Nology, since 2009. Together, Yealink and Nology, has established Yealink as the preferred IP phone brand for South African Service Providers, Operators and Resellers. This has been achieved through outstanding technical expertise and dedicated local support. Yealink and Nology aim to empower their partners through local training and marketing support.
About Nology:
Founded in 2001, Nology combines trusted business fundamentals, technical expertise and over 19 years' experience to provide quality Broadband, Wireless, Networking and VoIP solutions to leading service providers, network operators and systems integrators across Southern Africa.
Nology represents, distributes and supports leading international brands and we are continually expanding our product offering. We have a strong reputation and proven track record in our industry and are trusted by the largest ISPs, network operators and South Africa's broadband community in general.
For more information contact us on +27 (0)10 824 0040. Alternatively, send any enquiries to sales@nology.co.za.
Why the Ematic Android TV Box is the perfect choice for home entertainment
Streaming services have become increasingly popular over recent years, providing users with loads of video....
Streaming services have become increasingly popular over recent years, providing users with loads of video and music content such as Netflix, Showmax and Spotify. Many customers, having purchased a smart TV, believe that they do not need a dedicated streaming device since their TV should be sufficient for streaming content.
While this may technically be correct, it is important to note that not all smart TVs are created equal. Performance, reliability, updates, available apps and functions can differ according to brand, age and even the operating system (OS) installed. Another important factor to keep in mind is that not all apps can be run on a Smart TV, only the apps that are pre-installed or available for download by the Smart TV manufacturer can be used. Most of the TV brands do not support Android TV, therefore severely limiting the number of apps available on the TV.
"Just because you have a smart TV in your home, doesn't necessarily mean you are getting the best streaming experience," said Grant Robertson, Ematic Product Manager at Nology. "TV manufactures focus primarily on picture quality first and smart functions as secondary. This often means subpar performance with a slow user interface and limited features. Worst still, updates are often scarce, leaving customers stuck with non-working or outdated versions of their favourite apps."
This is why a dedicated Android TV box like the Ematic AGT419 makes sense – it's basically a small computer with Android TV OS that plugs into any TV and gives the user the ability to stream online content, surf the Internet and install almost any app from the Google Play Store.
Smart TVs can also lack some important features found on an Android TV box, such as voice search via Google Assistant, Chromecast and access to almost every app on Google Play Store. "Google Assistant is a powerful feature found on newer Android TV boxes. With Google Assistant built into the Bluetooth remote, not only can you pull up the weather or get the answers to all your questions, but even control your smart home devices and lights by using only your voice".
A dedicated Android TV box allows you to watch TV shows, movies and viral videos, or play games and listen to music from thousands of options on streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, DSTV Now, Showmax, YouTube, and more. This means that even with a smart TV sitting in your lounge, having a separate Android TV box will almost certainly elevate your home entertainment experience and transform any TV into a full-featured, content-rich smart TV.
The Ematic Android TV Box uses the latest Android TV OS and has specifically been designed for viewing and easy navigation on a TV screen. It is one of only a few Android TV boxes on the market that has an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as official Google and Netflix certification, ensuring that all your apps are running at their optimum performance and resolution. Additionally, this also means that the device will receive continuous firmware and app updates to make it future-proof.
Features of the Ematic Android TV Box include the following:
Android TV OS (9.0 or newer)
Netflix and Google certified
Easy access to thousands of movies and TV shows
Netflix, YouTube, DStv Now, Showmax, and more apps come pre-installed
Super-clear and vivid 4K Ultra HD (4K) resolution
Voice-controlled remote with Bluetooth technology
Dual-band Wireless AC
Two x USB ports and MicroSD card slot to play media files
Visit www.ematic.co.za for more information and where to buy.
MORE INFO WHERE TO BUY
For more information contact us on +27 (0) 010 824 0040. Alternatively, send any enquiries to sales@nology.co.za.
Nology Launches Shelly Smart Home Solution in SA
Nology, a leading supplier of converged IP solutions has announced its appointment as the official distributor of Shelly smart home products....
November, 2020 -- Nology, a leading supplier of converged IP solutions has announced its appointment as the official distributor of Shelly smart home products in South Africa. This new relationship paves the way for delivering smart home devices at an affordable price point that is within reach to the average consumer.
Shelly is a reliable, yet affordable smart home automation solution that allows you to intelligently control and manage your home through an Internet connection and intuitive mobile app.
Shelly uses standard Wi-Fi and will work on your existing Wi-Fi network. No need for a specific or dedicated Hub or Controller.
With the focus being on making life easier, the Shelly solution allows you to control your home appliances and office equipment, as well as monitor the power consumption of your appliances from anywhere with your smartphone or sensors placed around the home or office, which can be used as triggers.
For example, you can set Shelly to automatically switch on your outdoor lights at sunset and automatically switch off at sunrise. Your Shelly 1 can automatically trigger your heater when the temperature drops below a certain value and Shelly Flood can instantly notify you of a burst geyser before costly damage is caused. Additionally, Shelly devices can also be set to perform multiple tasks with a single click or voice command (via Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa), such as drop the projector screen, dim the relevant lights and switch on the popcorn maker when you're about to watch a movie.
Shelly products are designed to offer maximum comfort, safety, and ease of installation. With their compact size, they offer some of the smallest designs in the world and have no issue fitting behind a light switch, out of sight.
The only thing needed to use Shelly products is Wi-Fi, an Internet connection and the free, user friendly Shelly Cloud mobile app which is available for both Android and iOS devices. The Shelly Cloud mobile app has a host of features, such as scheduling, timers, countdown, grouping or creating of scenes that can activate multiple actions with just one tap.
All the Shelly products distributed by Nology have the required regulatory approvals and certifications, and are sold through authorised resellers, retailers and installers throughout South Africa.
Download the Shelly Cloud app for Android & iOS
Shelly Solutuin Features
Control your lights by adjusting the brightness, colours and set custom schedules
Manage your home appliances or office equipment from anywhere
Save energy and money
Control every single electrical appliance in your home, no matter where you are
Secure your house with integrated motion detection sensors
Monitor temperature, humidity, and brightness
Power consumption control and monitoring
For more information and details on the products and where to buy them, please visit the Shelly website at https://shellysa.co.za/
About Allterco / Shelly:
ALLTERCO is a holding group company consolidating 7 companies in IoT and telecommunications. After more than 20 years of experience in offering mobile value-added products and services, the company is leaving its telecommunication business behind, and focusing on the development and distribution of IoT products and solutions.
In 2015 the affiliated company Allterco Robotics introduced its first GPS/GSM watch for kids, called MyKi Watch, and after that started the development of the home automation devices series – Shelly. Since then, Allterco Robotics has built a whole new trend in the Home Automation systems, Wearables, and Health Care segments, and has grown into one of the world's leading manufacturers that sells its products in more than 120 countries.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup
Stoner powers to Valencia victory
Casey Stoner closed the 800cc era with his tenth victory of the season by a margin of one hundredth of a second over Ben Spies, with Dovizioso claiming the third podium spot and third in the Championship.
The Repsol Honda rider launched from pole position and into the lead off the start of the Gran Premio Gernerali de la Comunitat Valenciana, the final race of the season and of the 800cc machines. Although the race was declared wet, the field all sported slicks tyres in the difficult conditions that claimed the first casualties in the very first corner.
In the rush for the first corner, Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) fell, taking out Pramac Racing's Randy de Puniet along with both Ducati Team riders, Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi. The crash was the Rossi's third race in succession to conclude with a fall, marking the end of a difficult season for the seven times MotoGP World Champion.
Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa managed to avoid the incident, and with Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) already holding first and second in the Championship, the campaign for third between the teammates remained to be decided this weekend. Neither of the Repsol Honda riders showed any sign of deferring to the other as the two fought for the second spot on the podium, as well as the final Championship position, until the final laps of the race when the Spaniard slowed slightly as the slight rain fall picked up.
Ben Spies rode behind the Honda men as they battle for second, until on lap 23 the Texan made his move on Pedrosa for third, then put on the afterburners and closed in on Stoner, passing Dovizioso on the way to the front.
With three laps left, Stoner ran it wide, letting the American through to take over the head of the race and who then pulled an immediate one second gap at the front. The Yamaha man looked set to take the win, until in the very last corner of the race when the World Champion rocketed past the Texan at the line to claim his tenth win of the season and in the final race of the 800cc era.
The chase for the Rookie of the Year award between Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) and Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) also went down to the very last lap, with the Czech rider poised to take the title until he touched the British rider and ran off into the gravel, handing Crutchlow the title and fourth place in the race. Abraham was able to rejoin the race to finish in eighth, ahead of Loris Capirossi (Pramac Racing), who concluded the final race of his career with a ninth place.
Fifth place went to Dani Pedrosa, with Lorenzo's replacement rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Yamaha Factory Racing) claiming sixth ahead of Colin Edwards' replacement on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team, Josh Hayes. Toni Elías (LCR Honda) completed the top ten finishers, with Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) and Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) the final race finishers.
MotoGP, 2011, GRAN PREMIO GENERALI DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA, RAC
BikeRacing.it: Coriano to erect monument in memory of Marco Simoncelli
Ducati Team out of Valencia GP in Turn one
Emotional final race for Loris Capirossi
MotoGP, Loris Capirossi, Randy de Puniet
Pirro scores his first win at Valencia
Nico Terol – 2011 125cc World Champion
125cc, Nicolas Terol
Terol crowned World Champion as Viñales wins final 125cc GP
Hayes the pace man in MotoGP warm up
Alex de Angelis on top in damp Valencia warm up
Warm up concludes with Viñales on top
Bradl: "This will take some time to sink in"
Moto2, Stefan Bradl
Stefan Bradl – 2011 Moto2 World Champion
Second and third rows for Rossi and Hayden
Héctor Barberá targets best result of the season in final GP
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"a Lot Of Songs Were Taken Away From Me" – Alka Yagnik
"A lot of songs were taken away from me – Alka Yagnik
by Farhana Farook | June 15, 2016, 17:00 IST
Time has preserved Alka Yagnik. Much like her dulcet, distilled voice. Her slight frame and girlish demeanour bear no testimony to the three decades she has spent churning odes to love, loss and celebration. "I'm fond of clothes, dressing up and staying fit. In the '90s, I was so busy recording four-five songs a day, there was no time for exercise. Today, I'm
doing a lot of concerts. Apart from hearing you, fans can also see you. It's important to be well-groomed in the age of media glare," she smiles.
She believes in keeping pace with the times. As someone who shot to limelight as Raakhee's voice in Mere angnein mein (Laawaris) in 1981, she brought out Deepika Padukone's angst as beautifully in Agar tum saath ho in the recent Tamasha. In fact, she even won the Filmfare nomination for the soulful melody last year. "I'm emotional about Filmfare. I won my first Filmfare Award for Ek do teen (Tezaab, 1988) a month after I had my daughter Sayesha," she says recalling those halycon days. "Till date I've won seven Filmfare Awards. I hope to win many many more," she smiles.
Lata Mangeskar, My Guru
She credits her father Dharmendra Shankar and mother and classical singer Shubha Yajnik (the original spelling of the surname) for having reached so far. "My parents were ambitious. Left to myself, I wouldn't have come this far. I was laidback and dreamy," says Alka who as a child sang on All India Radio in Kolkata. She traces her fascination for Lata Mangeshkar since then. "When girls played with dolls, I'd be stuck to the radio. I'd imitate Lata didi. I've learnt by just listening to her. She's my guru. Didi is in me. Raina beeti jaaye (Parichay), Ajeeb dastan hai (Dil Apna Preet Parai) were my favourites," she gushes. She recalls the time when she first met the legendary singer who she believed was a 'fairy' dwelling in a surreal world. "I met Didi for the first at Film Centre in Mumbai. She was recording Main tujhse milne aayee from Heera for Kalyanji-Anandji. I just gaped at her speechless.
She blessed me and said, 'Padhai mat chodna!' Though a bright student, I hated studies. But I went on to complete my studies." Alka maintains that Lata can have no 'successor'. "Her songs give me goose bumps. And mind you, in her days there was no technological enhancement," she points out.
ROMANCE & RIVALRY
The late '80s and '90s saw a revival in romance where melody was king with the surge of musicians like Nadeem-Shravan, Jatin-Lalit, Anu Malik, Anand-Milind and others. She rates the time as her golden period too - when her tracks for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Tezaab, Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Saajan, Raja Hindustani among others went on to be superhits. "My voice suited romance," she states. "I came in at a time when Lata didi and Ashaji (Bhosle) were ruling. Newcomers were not easily accepted. But I was fortunate to find my niche," she claims. And there was no quest for survival either. "We were a well-to-do family. I was brought up like a princess," she avers.
Struggle she may not have experienced but rivalry she definitely did. "Politics exists in every line of work. A lot of songs were taken away from me. One of my contemporaries played very dirty politics with me. Like I'd rehearse a song only to know that a senior singer had eventually sung it." Never being the 'over ambitious kind', it didn't leave her perturbed. "I'd say koi baat nahin. I didn't bother who was doing what, saying what… I was a homebody and only too happy to return home after work." Her competition, she says, was with herself. "I struggled with myself to get better. I sang from my heart. I was self-analytical, self critical… Even if today a song of mine is playing on radio, and I find something wrong with it, I ask the driver to switch the station," she remarks humbly.
UNCONVENTIONAL MARRIAGE
One song she remembers being emotionally moved while recording was Babul ka ghar chhod ke from Daata (1989) composed by Kalyanji-Anandji. "I was about to get married. And while singing this song with Kishoreda, I almost choked!" she recalls. The conversation veers to her long-distance marriage with Shillong-based Neeraj Kapoor, distributor of Mohan Meakin Breweries in the North-East. "Our marriage can be summed up in the U2 song Can't live with or without you. It's been a difficult marriage to hold on to. But we couldn't let go of each other," she confides adding, "So far, we've survived the negatives of staying apart. It was tough to keep the marriage going though we meet off and on." She views her unconventional marriage with humour. "People say you're on a constant honeymoon. But it's not like that. If you don't live together, you don't grow together. Somewhere, the communication gap creeps in. But we've stuck together because there's a strong basic bond. Joh chhute nahin chuthta. In between, we had separated for about four-five years but we got back," she clears the air. She credits her husband for understanding the demands of her profession.
She doesn't deny that attractions do happen. "After all we sing songs of mausam, mohabbat...," she laughs. "I'll not lie and say that I've never got attracted to people. But
I didn't get carried away. My values are strong. I also believe one's dignity lies in one's hands. I don't believe in frivolous behaviour.
I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I'm a bit of an idealist." She was firm about drawing the lines in an industry where stories of the casting couch abound. "Nobody had the audacity to act fresh with me. My body language says 'don't mess with me'. I won't say nobody tried to misbehave with me. But they could not, barring one or two unpleasant instances. I laid down the rules. I was never glamour struck," she asserts.
MUSIC TODAY
Coming to the current music scenario she rues the fact that singers today have a short shelf-life. "There's an influx of singers. There's no dearth of talent. Supply is more than the demand. So it's difficult to carve your identity. Also, the intrinsic value of a song has diminished. You listen to it, you dance on it, you forget it... just like fast food!" She's also aware of the trend where six to seven singers are made to sing one particular song out of which one version is retained. "What does this trial and error mean?" she retorts adding that she'd never comply with such a scenario. She doesn't quite take to the fact that technology can tune a 'besura' voice. "It can even change the tonal quality. That's why sub-standard singers can get away with playback singing. But on stage there's no second chance. You're heard as you are," she cautions.
She enjoys doing concerts. "The audience euphoria, energy… charges you, then it's just my song, my audience and myself. I'm shy but I become a different person on stage. Surprisingly, the audience demands the songs I sang in the '80s and '90s," she points out.
It's been a full-throttled life. But she does concede to feeling lonely at times. "Basically, I'm a loner. It's not difficult to be with myself. I hear music, read and watch films. I like spending time with my daughter Sayesha who's launched her restaurant - Boveda Bistro – in Andheri. My husband flies down to spend time with us sometimes." She seems to have aced the balancing act with the years. She winks and says, "Kaam bhi karti hoon, zindagi bhi jee rahin hoon. I never did the wild things as a teenager. Movies, parties... Maybe, I love to do the wild things now."
Alka Shares the memories behind the music...
Ek do teen (Tezaab, 1988)
It was a well-written number counting the days of the month. The lyrics (Javed Akhtar) and tunes (Laxmikant-Pyarelal) were hand in glove. It was an 'item' song of substance. Madhuri Dixit's dance was the highlight.
Gazab ka hai din (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, 1988)
We were a new team – director Mansoor Khan, composers Anand-Milind, actors Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla and singers Udit Narayan and I. We were all trying to prove a point. Only Majrooh saab (Sultanpuri) was a veteran.
Pardes (1997)
In the song Meri mehbooba, I just had to sing an antara of four lines… Bhala kaun hai woh... and it won me the Filmfare Award.
Kuch kuch hota hai (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, 1998)
The song on paper seemed a bit funny but when we sang it, we knew it was a winner. Karan Johar, though so young then, had a sharp music sense, he understood every harkat.
Pyaar ke liye chaar pal kam nahin the (Dil Kya Kare, 1999)
The Jatin-Lalit score is symbolic of my life with my husband Neeraj. We were never together. My husband has only one grudge against my music. "It's kept you way from me," he says.
We flew to Chennai on short notice as AR Rahman was to fly overseas. He came around 2.30 am. Subhashji (Ghai) and I were almost falling asleep outside the studio. But when we began recording it, we forgot everything else.
Aisa lagta hai (Refugee, 2000)
Anu Malik's score is lilting. It was Kareena Kapoor's debut and her chubby innocence was endearing.
FILMFARE AWARDS FOR BEST PLAYBACK (FEMALE)
Ek do teen - Tezaab (1988)
Choli ke peeche - Khal-Nayak (1993)
Meri mehbooba - Pardes (1997)
Taal se taal mila - Taal (1999)
Dil ne yeh kaha hai dil se - Dhadkan (2000)
O re chhori - Lagaan (2001)
Hum Tum - HUM TUM (2004)
More on: Alka Yagnik, Interviews


A fearless changemaker since her adolescent years, Tamera Luzzatto is now the Senior Vice President of Government Relations at The Pew Charitable Trusts. She is inspired by, and has high hopes for the younger generation leading the charge of tackling current social issues. We are excited to have Tamera join us at Upswell in November!
Q: What drives you, what you're working on, and why you're inspired to make the world a better place?
TL: As a teenager in the 60s, I was caught up in opposing the Vietnam War and pushing for civil and women rights as well as environmental protections—an intensely "woke" time for my generation. Ever since, I've worked in a combination of politics and public service. While scared in these current times for our nation, I'm hopeful that another wave of young people and others will overcome.
TL: To relax, he's called Johann Sebastian Bach (aka Musical Bliss).
TL: The one social issue I'd like to put in the very distant rear-view mirror is discrimination and bias based on race, gender, religion, etc.!
Q: If you could invite any group or individual to Upswell, who would it be – and why?
TL: At Upswell, I sure wish we'd have the Parkland heroes there.


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Newbie female working in male institution
Writing Prof:
I highly recommend reading Ted Conover's NewJack. It pinpointed this issue beautifully—one day his infant screamed from his crib, and Conover almost snapped seeing/hearing one more yell from "behind bars." It changed his attitude (and also his job, but…) Having an Inside attitude that does not spill over Outside is difficult. This string of suggestions is wise. ... full thread
MOCK PRISON RIOT: Stopping the Disturbance Before It Starts
By Paul VanDeCarr
It's not many people who will describe being held hostage as an "opportunity." But then, most people are not like Mike Coleman, Director of Security for the West Virginia Division of Corrections (WV DOC).
It was New Year's Day, 1986 at the West Virginia Penitentiary, where Coleman was working as a corrections officer. Four years earlier, prisoners had filed suit to challenge what they saw as the inhumane conditions at the facility—problems with overcrowding, heat, sanitation. Some say it was the lack of progress in responding to those complaints that led to the 1986 riot, when 20 inmates armed with knives stormed the cafeteria and took 15 corrections officers and food service workers hostage. Coleman was among them. ... full story
Incident Command System/Incident Management System Part I
Prison and Pre-school Parallels
Hard Work & Hard hands
Family Engagement Sessions Another Key to Reentry Process
Parole Director - Kansas Department of Corrections
The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) is accepting applications for an unclassified Parole Director/Public Service Executive III, located in Topeka, Kan.
The Parole Director provides supervisory and administrative direction at the regional level to all NPR staff, including support staff, parole staff, case management staff, and resource staff. This position is responsible for oversight/continuity of the NPR's risk reduction efforts, from future planning through daily operations.
Three years of experience in planning, organizing and directing the work of a department, program or agency. Education may be substituted for experience as determined relevant by the agency.
Substitution: A Bachelor's Degree with major coursework in criminal justice, social sciences, or behavioral sciences. ...
"If you aren't failing every now and then, you're probably playing it too safe"
- Woody Allen


The Andrews Government has buckled to pressure from National MPs on the state's kangaroo pet food scheme, throwing the program a lifeline at the last minute.
The scheme, which was set to expire this Sunday, will now be extended until October 1 when a permanent industry will be created.
The Nationals Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has been an outspoken advocate for the continuation of the program, which she has described as vital to local farmers.
"Farmers across Victoria will be relieved to hear the program will continue in its current form until October," Ms Kealy said.
"The Andrews Government has dithered for months over the program, refusing to guarantee it would be ongoing.
"This announcement is a huge win for local farmers and pet food processors and comes after years of lobbying by myself and The Nationals team, local farmers, the VFF, the pet food industry and all the drivers that have hit a roo and added their voice to our campaign.
"A huge thank you to everyone for their strong support and advocacy.
The Nationals first established the scheme in 2014, after farmers raised concerns that kangaroos culled under a permit were being left in paddocks to rot.
"We now need to ensure that the government's regulation of the new industry from October and the harvesting zones and quotas that are set are in line with community expectations and needs," Ms Kealy said.
"Farmers around some areas of Lowan have reported kangaroo numbers in plague proportions.
"This program offers a way of proactively converting a problem to a product with an economic benefit for rural and regional communities.
Ms Kealy said the government should immediately begin the reissue of tags to licensed shooters so pet food processors using kangaroo carcasses could keep using roos in a sustainable way.


Albert Capsouto '73, the youngest of three brothers who in 1980 started Capsouto Frères, one of the first of the more high-end restaurants in TriBeCa, died in 2010 at 53. Family and friends started this scholarship for a Stuyvesant senior who has demonstrated a commitment to community service, volunteer work, because Albert had been very active for 19 years in Manhattan Community Board 1.
The student must demonstrate a commitment to community service and an interest in volunteerism.


As you scurry around looking for the perfect gift for your loved ones this holiday season, take some time for self-care. It's amazing how good it can make you feel when you make yourself a priority.
They will look their best at holiday parties and in pictures.
Fillers can improve their self-esteem as they start thinking ahead to the New Year.
They want to do something that will make them smile every time they look in the mirror.
If you're considering dermal fillers for your face, the following are some of the most popular types and how they are used.
Bellafill® is a collagen filler that offers immediate results. It adds volume to the skin to help hide wrinkles. It's primarily used around the mouth where most people see smile lines (nasolabial folds).
This filler can also be used off-label for lip augmentation, acne scars, and wrinkles on other parts of the face.
Learn more about this injectable by clicking here.
FDA-approved Juvéderm® XC is an injectable gel that lasts 12+ months. It very effectively fills in severe facial wrinkles and folds. Like Bellafill®, this product also adds volume to create a smoother appearance to the face.
An experienced aesthetic injector, like James Christian Sardelli, RPA-C, assesses clients' aging concerns and creates a custom treatment with Juvéderm® XC for natural looking results.
Click here to message James for a consultation.
Radiesse® is a non-permanent filler. It acts much differently than Bellafill® and Juvéderm® XC. This injectable stimulates collagen production, which increase. volume. It accomplishes this with a combination of gel matrix and calcium bead components.
This product is an effective option for those who feel more comfortable simply boosting the amount of collagen in their face rather than adding filler to areas of concern.
Those wishing for bigger, plumper lips often request Volbella®. This injectable rejuvenates the area around the mouth, improves the contours around the lips, and enhances lip volume.
If you feel as though your mouth is getting thinner with age, this may be the treatment for you.
'Tis the season of giving, and that should include giving to yourself. Contact James Christian Cosmetics during at 1-844-iBOTOX-Now from 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. After hours, call or text our 24/7 Cosmetic Concierge line at 917-860-3113.
Aesthetic injector James Christian Sardelli, RPA-C, serves Suffolk and Nassau County areas of Long Island. Offices are conveniently located in Manhattan, Commack, Islip, West Sayville, Westhampton Beach, Rockville Centre, Farmingdale, and Babylon Village, NY.
Bellafill is a registered trademark of Suneva Medical.
*Juvéderm XC is a registered trademark of Allergan, Inc.
*Juvéderm VOLBELLA XC is a trademark of Allergan, Inc.
*RADIESSE is a registered trademark of Merz North America, Inc.


WEMO-tec offers you more than 70 different types of elevating work platforms, which are available to you at a favourable price. Telescopic fork lifts, mini cranes and vacuum glass carriers for fitting panels/glass can also be found in our hire fleet.
Whenever your way is up, the only way is past us - with our small, manoeuvrable passenger lifts, the battery or diesel operated scissor platforms, trailer-mounted or lorry-based cherry pickers. The WEMO-tec programme always offers you the correct work platform to match your work requirements from more than 300 alternative devices.
To make the choice easier for you, use our work platform configurator, with which you can decide for yourself, which work platform is best suited to your requirements, using the required height, reach, lifting power etc. For more involved projects, our experienced field representatives are available for free on-site consultation.
One point of contact nation-wide!
As a member of the PartnerLIFT cooperative, WEMO-tec can offer work platforms, cranes and fork lifts nationally and Europe wide.
The PartnerLIFT cooperative is a cooperative of independent, medium-sized work platform hire companies, with at present more than 120 further partners nationally and throughout Europe. As a member, we can always fall back onto the hire machines of our partners and are thus able to service your request reliably as usual.
Therefore, even when the locations are further away, you don't have to do without your familiar point of contact at WEMO-tec. You will receive your work platforms just as easily and reliably, exactly where you need them and will therefore, have more time to concentrate on your core business.
Due to this cooperation, we are able to offer work platforms, cranes and fork lifts even in times of high demands, or react to urgent requests - no matter where you need them.
Trailer-mounted cherry pickers are an effective alternative to our lorry-based cherry pickers, although there are restrictions in terms of mobility. Trailer-mounted cherry pickers have a relatively light and compact construction and therefore, are very suitable for work in difficult to reach areas and on delicate ground.
Working height up to 18.60 m.
Telescopic articulated work platforms are efficient time savers when working at greater heights. Due to the articulation joint in the telescopic arm, they are ideally suited for spanning obstacles, such as porches or machines. They work without support and can be also adjusted in height from the basket.
Small and compact built for narrow application areas.
Lorry-based cherry pickers are optimally suited to work in greater heights. The cherry pickers can be collected at our depots or hired complete with one of our experienced operators.
Scissor work platforms are the faster, more flexible and cheaper alternative to mobile scaffolding for fitting on walls and ceilings. Scissor platforms are suitable for use indoors and outdoors and can also be moved while fully extended.
Working height up to 21.50 m.
Telescopic booms are efficient time savers for work in greater heights. They work without support and can be also adjusted in height from the basket. Therefore, they are ideally suited to the efficient targeting of various work points without the time consuming "up and down".
The telescopic platform is a mix of scissor platform and telescopic work platform, and is ideally suited for work in the structural facings sector. With the large platform and the telescope, an area of 170 m² can be clad while using the machine without moving it.
Vertical platform lifts and personnel lifts are safe alternatives to ladders and small mobile scaffolding, particularly when working indoors and at lower heights. Some of the mobile work platforms can be moved from the platform and are thus far superior to conventional technology in terms of safety and efficiency.
Working height up to 12.00 m.


Ages 12 – 16. In this camp you will use Construct 2 software to create a game that can be utilized on a mobile device. This software also utilizes drag and drop programming but with more in depth abilities. You will create your own worlds, learn to create own characters, learn to animate those characters, create objectives in their games & deliver their games on a phone.
Ages 10 – 14. OUR MOST POPULAR PROGRAM! In this camp you will create your own 3D worlds, add in pre-made characters and functionality through click and drag programming interface. We utilize Microsoft Kodu software. It is best for younger individuals without a lot of experience with game creation.


text:
AliJDiJetTask * AddTaskJDiJet (
		Int_t    trigger       = AliVEvent::kEMCEJE,
		TString  taskName      = "DiJetTask"   ,
		TString  jetTaskName   = "AliJJetTask" ,
		TString  cardName      = "cardAlice_pp.input",
		TString  cardSetting   = "",
		Int_t     debug         = 1
		){
	// Get the pointer to the existing analysis manager via the static access method.
	//==============================================================================
	AliAnalysisManager *mgr = AliAnalysisManager::GetAnalysisManager();
	if (!mgr)
	{
		::Error("AddTaskJJet", "No analysis manager to connect to.");
		return NULL;
	}

	// Check the analysis type using the event handlers connected to the analysis manager.
	//==============================================================================
	if (!mgr->GetInputEventHandler())
	{
		::Error("AddTaskJJet", "This task requires an input event handler");
		return NULL;
	}

	AliJCard *card = new AliJCard(cardName.Data());
	card->PrintOut();
	card->ReadLine( cardSetting.Data() );
	card->ReCompile();
	card->PrintOut();

	//-------------------------------------------------------
	// Init the task and do settings
	//-------------------------------------------------------
	AliJDiJetTask * dijetTask = new AliJDiJetTask(taskName,"AOD");
	dijetTask->SetJetTaskName( jetTaskName );
	dijetTask->SetCard( card );
	dijetTask->SelectCollisionCandidates(trigger);
	mgr->AddTask(dijetTask);

	// Create containers for input/output
	AliAnalysisDataContainer *cinput  = mgr->GetCommonInputContainer();

	// Connect input/output
	mgr->ConnectInput(dijetTask, 0, cinput);
	AliAnalysisDataContainer *jHist = mgr->CreateContainer(Form("%scontainer",dijetTask->GetName()),  TDirectory::Class(), AliAnalysisManager::kOutputContainer, Form("%s:%s",AliAnalysisManager::GetCommonFileName(), dijetTask->GetName()));
	mgr->ConnectOutput(dijetTask, 1, jHist );

	return dijetTask;

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Bright Half Life
February 17, 2016 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Pillsbury House + Theatre
3501 Chicago Avenue S
Map Pillsbury House + Theatre
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in a baby carriage. Bright Half Life follows Erica (Sarah Agnew) and Vicky (Jasmine Hughes) through four-and-a-half decades: introduction, courtship, children, same-sex marriage to divorce. It flashes forward and falls back and sometimes repeats the same scene twice. Moments of the past collide with fragments of the present in this kaleidoscopic telling of the loves and loses of coupledom. Bright Half Life is a contemporary play with a theme as timeless as the ages. Bright Half Life was developed during residency at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference in 2014. Preston Whiteway, Executive Director, Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director. The New York premiere of Bright Half Life was produced in 2015 by Women's Project Theater (Lisa McNulty, Producing Artistic Director).
Art Blocks Block Swap: Powderhorn PorchFest


5	Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.
9	Then the king called Saul's servant Ziba and said to him, "aAll that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's 1grandson.
10	"You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food; nevertheless aMephibosheth your master's grandson bshall 1eat at my table regularly." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11	Then Ziba said to the king, "According ato all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do." So Mephibosheth ate at 1David's table as one of the king's sons.
12	Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.
13	So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for ahe ate at the king's table regularly. Now bhe was lame in both feet.


text:
And Who - Records
Music Singles
And Who returns to his Boom Boom Longtime imprint this October to deliver the third release on the label entitled 'Records'.
Known by a select few as one half of one of the UK's most established and prominent house music duo's, cryptic talent And Who has quickly become a name to take note of under his anonymous guise over the past six months through a pair of stand out singles on his newly formed label Boom Boom Longtime. Backed by the likes of Marco Carola, Route 94, Detlef, Claptone, Claude VonStroke, Richy Ahmed and Steve Lawler to name a few, with radio support also flooding in from key names including BBC Radio 1's Danny Howard, attention now turns to the labels third release 'Records', kicking off October in style.
Delivering a raw, analogue, bass driven cut that 'shifts and trips' when you most want it to, 'Records' combines an amalgamation of warping vocal hooks, twisting synth lines and vibrant stabs to reveal a production primed for the peak time.
And Who 'Records' is out on Boom Boom Longtime on 4th October 2018.
www.instagram.com/and_who_/
www.boomboomlongtime.com/
www.beatport.com/artist/and-who/699393


A BNSF oil train derailed near Heimdal, N.D., on May 6, 2015.
A tiny central North Dakota town has been evacuated after the derailment of an oil train.
The incident displaced residents of Heimdal, sheriff's officials told local media. The accident involved a BNSF Railway train with 109 cars, five of which were burning. Six to seven cars derailed and the cause of the event is unknown, according to officials.
Berkshire Hathaway-owned BNSF said in a statement: "At approximately 7:30 am CDT today, a train operating approximately 50 miles east of Minot, ND derailed carrying crude oil. Initial reports from the crew indicate there are no injuries but a fire has been reported at the scene. The tank cars involved in the incident are the unjacketed CPC-1232 models. BNSF will work with the nearest first responders."
Heimdal is located along one of the main rail lines heading east out of the giant Bakken oil patch. About two-thirds of all North Dakota oil production is shipped by rail, three-quarters of that to refiners on the East Coast.
Oil prices were up late morning Wednesday.
BNSF, which provides transport for commodities like oil, was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 2010.
BNSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The derailment came just days after the U.S. Department of Transportation and Canada's Transport Ministry announced new rules for oil trains, including phasing out older tank cars, adding electronic braking systems and imposing speed limits. The measures were all meant to reduce the frequency and severity of oil train crashes.
The volume of crude oil transported by rail has rocketed in recent years as production increases from areas like North Dakota outpaced new pipeline development.
A spate of explosive accidents have accompanied that growth, the worst of which occurred in July 2013 when a train derailed in the town of Lac Megantic in Canada, killing 47 people.
Already this year, five trains have derailed and caught fire in the United States and Canada, all in rural areas. No deaths have occurred but the accidents have stoked fears about the safety of moving crude oil by rail.
Correction: Berkshire Hathaway purchased BNSF Railway in 2010. The year was misstated in an earlier version of this article.


With the news now official that Amazon's second headquarters (HQ2) will be split between New York City and Arlington County, VA, transportation planners are already looking ahead to how the localities will cope with the expected influx of people and jobs.
Both localities will add 25,000 jobs apiece, with Nashville, TN also set to benefit from a new Operations Center of Excellence that will bring 5,000 jobs, but some have warned that already strained transportation systems in these regions may struggle to cope.
Despite some dire predictions, there was broad optimism among political leaders who believe Amazon will partner to ensure the regions' existing infrastructure is not overwhelmed, while some have already started looking to the future.
One of the cornerstones of the successful bids was an emphasis on public transportation, and officials are betting the investments they have already made will pay dividends and help their cities cope with more workers.
In Arlington's bid, which it put forward in collaboration with the city of Alexandria, VA in a joint Northern Virginia effort, it notes New York City and the Washington, DC metropolitan area are both ranked as top cities that commute by means other than driving alone. According to their cited statistics from the American Community Survey, 49.8% of New Yorkers do not rely on driving, while that figure is 34.2% in DC.
And both localities talked up their existing transit facilities. During a press conference, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D, said Amazon's home in the Long Island City neighborhood will be close to all manner of transportation infrastructure that already exists or is already under construction. That includes projects to revamp LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airports, a connection to the new Penn Station and a ferry service that will connect the area to Manhattan.
"In many ways, this location benefits from many other investments that are going on and many other initiatives that the city and the state are in the midst of," Cuomo said.
Meanwhile, the official website for National Landing — as Northern Virginia's joint bid has been dubbed — talks up its "extensive interconnected network of mass transit, airports, commuter rail, roads, bike lanes and walking trails."
"Throughout this process, we have worked with our colleagues in Arlington County to highlight the collective strengths of our communities — our workforce, education system, infrastructure, and unparalleled quality of life — all of which will be strengthened by this new investment from Amazon, the Commonwealth and our localities," Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg said in a statement.
But both cities have faced criticism for the standard of their public transit offerings, as well as concerns they will not be able to cope with the influx of people. New York's subway has suffered from a lack of funding for maintenance and now is set for an ambitious recovery plan, while in Washington, the Metrorail system has faced similar criticism.
There are acknowledgements that this victory should spur further investment and effort to improve transportation offerings. Northern Virginia's bid touted the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) $5.1 billion capital improvement plan and $6.8 billion project to bring rail service to Dulles International Airport. It had other promises too, including adding more trains during peak periods, bringing new opportunities for buses to skip congestion in dedicated lanes, and expanding the bus fleet.
"Going forward, NOVA will also invest in increasing and improving the existing public transportation infrastructure and develop programs to further incentivize and promote adoption of Bus-Rapid Transit and Metrorail systems," the bid document reads.
In a statement, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said Amazon's decision to locate close by is a "win for DC," but she called on further improvements to infrastructure and transit to help the region keep up with demand.
"We know that this opportunity will push us to work together on our biggest challenges like improving our transportation and infrastructure," Bowser said. "We must continue our investment in safety, reliability, and capacity at Metro and find ways to enhance service, including late night service."
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser says in a press conference regarding #HQ2 that while "most people are wowed" by WMATA, transportation infrastructure incentives from Amazon "should help" improve service. Bowser also wants to revisit keeping Metro open later.
And Nashville may also struggle, given its reliance on personal vehicles. Voters in the city soundly rejected a $5.2 billion transit plan earlier this year, and at the time, Mayor David Briley warned on Twitter the city's "transportation problems are not going away; in fact, we know they're only going to get more challenging as we continue to grow."
The debate highlighted broad agreement on the need for action, and given the city's continued growth, experts said they may need to explore other options.
"I'm interested to see how Nashville handles it, because Nashville has already been growing so much more rapidly than it was designed for, and the infrastructure is already struggling there," Julie Niederhoff, associate professor of supply chain management at Syracuse University's Whutman School of Management, told Smart Cities Dive. "That center they're putting in in Nashville, infrastructure-wise, it's going to be interesting to see how that develops."
As part of the incentives packages to Amazon, there are promises coming from the state and local level to up the ante when it comes to improving transportation, with more financial backing coming for long-discussed projects.
Virginia will invest up to $195 million in transportation projects to improve mobility in the region, including adding entrances to two Metro stations, improving the oft-clogged U.S. Route 1 corridor, expanding bus-rapid transit and adding a pedestrian bridge from the Crystal City neighborhood to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
That is in keeping with long-term planning and study in the region, Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol said during a press conference. Arlington and Alexandria will invest a further $570 million in transportation projects, all of which had been approved as part of long-term capital improvement projects but could be accelerated under the right circumstances.
"Amazon's presence in Arlington County will bring improved transportation systems, new parks, wider sidewalks, expansion of retail offerings, all things Arlingtonians have long prioritized in their vision for the future," Cristol said.
It is a similar story in New York City, with the city and state already having committed to $2.4 billion of investment in infrastructure in the Long Island City neighborhood. Under the terms of the agreement with Amazon, a Long Island City Infrastructure Fund will be established to take 50% of the project's payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT payments) and invest in infrastructure and other neighborhood priorities.
"The City and State are working closely together to make sure Amazon's expansion is planned smartly, and to ensure this fast-growing neighborhood has the transportation, schools and infrastructure it needs," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
And Niederhoff warned construction could cause major disruption in the jurisdictions and may not be completed in time for Amazon to move in. Hiring at its three new facilities will begin next year, although the company has not offered any other specific details on when construction and redevelopment projects might begin on the buildings it intends to occupy.
"These construction projects never go as quickly as the rest of us hope. There is definitely going to be a gap where they aren't going to have the city structures up to where, ideally, they would be," Niederhoff said. She added that humans are "wonderfully adaptable" and will deal with any challenges when it comes to mitigating construction impacts from new infrastructure.
Among the solutions that Amazon could consider for transit efficiency are staggered shifts for its workers or a shuttle bus service, like those run in Silicon Valley for large technology companies. That shuttle could connect to a parking facility or transit station, if it is not possible to locate them close to Amazon's new offices.
Niederhoff said a shuttle service may be most useful in Nashville, which does not have much of a transit infrastructure and is still very car-reliant, while its operations center looks to be close to the downtown core. Meanwhile, Arlington and New York City are in more transit-heavy areas, so she said that there may be less of a concern about adding thousands of cars to already congested streets.
"As with everything else, the locals will find something to complain about, then eventually everyone will get used to it. And we'll find solutions."
Some bold new ideas have also surfaced for transit. David Alpert, the founder of nonprofit advocacy group Greater Greater Washington, called for what he described as "Metro Express" to bolster transit around DC and make more use of commuter rail services that connect to Virginia and Maryland. Integrated commuter rail service would then enable better connections across the metropolitan region, Alpert argued.
"The payoff: the ability to run frequent trains from three rail lines in Maryland and two in Virginia to and through the Crystal City area, not to mention Alexandria, the L'Enfant Plaza and Union Station areas of DC, Silver Spring [MD], and more," he wrote. Alpert noted that such suggestions on Greater Greater Washington are to start a conversation, and are not necessarily always feasible.
Either way, Niederhoff said she is confident naysayers in the affected communities will come around, and that Amazon's host cities will adapt and grow with their new tenants and the influx of jobs.


text:
Dissecting the issues that matter to you
« What the Italians can teach us about home security
"Anonymised" elderly people to be sold off in UK government cost recovery plan »
A global police misconduct crisis and the Total Surveillance solution
Police, Regulatory action
By Simon Davies
Each year, between five and six hundred people are killed by US police. To put the figure in perspective, that's more than twelve times the number of lawful executions across the nation. Except that in this situation most of the victims are declared innocent.
In human terms, this is a sobering statistic. Spread over twelve years it represents double the number of deaths on 9/11 and it exceeds the total number of US fatalities in the Iraq conflicts. As the CATO Institute put it: "you're eight times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a terrorist".
An official "precise" figure – if one has ever been formally compiled – is shrouded, but the ballpark statistic is consistent across a number of calculations.
Police reform is one of the most complex challenges that any government faces
Many of the victims had mental health problems, traumatised by anxiety and fear, and many of the killers avoided conviction – indeed a much higher proportion than the equivalent statistic for killings by civilians.
This pattern is repeated in most, if not all countries. US authorities, however, seem to have a blind spot when it comes to the unflattering international comparative data. Figures compiled in England and Wales, with less than a sixth the US population, show that an average of 65 people a year die during contact with police. This figure also includes a high number of road traffic accidents and deaths in custody. Even so, the overall fatality statistic is a fraction of that in the US. Even more stark, UK police shoot and kill an average of only three people a year (though officers do not routinely carry guns).
When wide-ranging and open investigations are conducted into such matters there is, all too often, evidence of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice or falsification of evidence by police. In some cases a conspiracy of silence or subversion may involve dozens of officers. Police units are often opaque environments that are resistant to scrutiny and they can fall victim to decisions made under a suspended reality.
Lower down the spectrum of severity, claims of corruption, criminality and brutality are persistent in media coverage across the world. YouTube is crammed with such moments. In many countries the trend of reported police misconduct appears to be rising. Complaints about excessive use of force, threats, false imprisonment, bribery, discrimination, intimidation, unlawful surveillance and misuse of personal information are common – though such behaviour is rarely found to be endemic.
Numerous countries have taken measures to reduce the incidence of police misconduct by improving transparency, reorganising old organisational structures, reforming working conditions and changing entrenched work practices.
Regrettably, many governments have failed to institute independent complaints mechanisms to deal with such problems, choosing instead to pursue largely cosmetic or illusory measures. Meanwhile, public trust in the police slides year on year as the tally of corruption and misconduct revelations increases.
The most important challenge is to find at least a partial solution. Numerous countries have taken measures to reduce the incidence of police misconduct by improving transparency, reorganising old organisational structures, reforming working conditions and changing entrenched work practices. These, however, are externally imposed "top down" measures that can trigger resentment and resistance. Changing the culture of policing requires fundamental reform, which in an era of budget slashing is often impossible. Chicken and egg.
Soon, in the face of such trends, more extreme measures must be considered. One such option is (ironically) Total Information Awareness (TIA) within police organisations. That is, seamless surveillance. Every word uttered, every movement, every interaction with or between police officers would be recorded and stored – fully post-auditable – with vastly increased public scrutiny of police. "Sousveillance", as Steve Mann describes it.
This approach has been at least partially adopted in some police forces. Video recording devices in police cars, police cells, interview rooms and even on the police themselves have been made mandatory. There has been a mixed response from officers, but most have accepted the new impositions. The chief practical issue is that these measures are piecemeal and do no create a full audit of police activity.
The option of total surveillance involves some difficult choices and consequences, divided roughly into the legal, the ethical, the financial and the practical. Police of course have legal rights that even a broadly framed employment contract cannot trump, but they do have a moral obligation to uphold the law. Yet at a practical level, with morale in many forces on the slide and budgets slashed, how would yet another top-down solution build a better culture? And this is before we even start to consider the ethical dilemma of imposing total surveillance on the police while resisting it for the citizenry.
The short answer is that TIA doesn't necessarily need to structurally induce a better police culture. Police have consistently argued that surveillance – with sufficient mass – reduces the incidence of deviancy by constricting opportunities for covert behaviour. The case of ubiquitous CCTV and intensive road surveillance in the UK are living examples of this mentality.
No informed person, however, could ever argue that the imposition of total surveillance on any dysfunctional environment will solve all problems (though that hasn't stopped the police constantly arguing as much).
It goes without saying that the public and their elected representatives need to choose to make a broader investment in police training and support, but it also goes without saying that the current situation surely cannot indefinitely continue. As new technologies come on stream, the public will increasingly impose surveillance on the police, as they have over recent years. This surge of incriminating data will escalate the disintegration of trust.
I argued in a previous article that good law enforcement requires a fundamental mistrust of the police. In the absence of practical solutions to the current crisis I stand by my belief that only when that breakdown of trust reaches a nadir will reform be embraced by the police themselves.
Better policing requires a fundamental public distrust of the police How to curtail surveillance Why have 200 Americans been executed by US police since the Michael Brown killing in Ferguson? Police militarization is not just about lethal weapons; it's also about too much power and too much data


text:
Q: load multiple models in Tensorflow I have written the following convolutional neural network (CNN) class in Tensorflow [I have tried to omit some lines of code for clarity.]
class CNN:
def __init__(self,
                num_filters=16,        # initial number of convolution filters
             num_layers=5,           # number of convolution layers
             num_input=2,           # number of channels in input
             num_output=5,          # number of channels in output
             learning_rate=1e-4,    # learning rate for the optimizer
             display_step = 5000,   # displays training results every display_step epochs
             num_epoch = 10000,     # number of epochs for training
             batch_size= 64,        # batch size for mini-batch processing
             restore_file=None,      # restore file (default: None)

            ):

                # define placeholders
                self.image = tf.placeholder(tf.float32, shape = (None, None, None,self.num_input))
                self.groundtruth = tf.placeholder(tf.float32, shape = (None, None, None,self.num_output))

                # builds CNN and compute prediction
                self.pred = self._build()

                # I have already created a tensorflow session and saver objects
                self.sess = tf.Session()
                self.saver = tf.train.Saver()

                # also, I have defined the loss function and optimizer as
                self.loss = self._loss_function()
                self.optimizer = tf.train.AdamOptimizer(learning_rate).minimize(self.loss)

                if restore_file is not None:
                    print("model exists...loading from the model")
                    self.saver.restore(self.sess,restore_file)
                else:
                    print("model does not exist...initializing")
                    self.sess.run(tf.initialize_all_variables())

def _build(self):
    #builds CNN

def _loss_function(self):
    # computes loss

#
def train(self, train_x, train_y, val_x, val_y):
    # uses mini batch to minimize the loss
    self.sess.run(self.optimizer, feed_dict = {self.image:sample, self.groundtruth:gt})

    # I save the session after n=10 epochs as:
    if epoch%n==0:
        self.saver.save(sess,'snapshot',global_step = epoch)

# finally my predict function is
def predict(self, X):
    return self.sess.run(self.pred, feed_dict={self.image:X})

I have trained two CNNs for two separate tasks independently. Each took around 1 day. Say, model1 and model2  are saved as 'snapshot-model1-10000' and 'snapshot-model2-10000' (with their corresponding meta files) respectively. I can test each model and compute its performance separately.
Now, I want to load these two models in a single script. I would naturally try to do as below:
cnn1 = CNN(..., restore_file='snapshot-model1-10000',..........)
cnn2 = CNN(..., restore_file='snapshot-model2-10000',..........)

I encounter the error [The error message is long. I just copied/pasted a snippet of it.]
NotFoundError: Tensor name "Variable_26/Adam_1" not found in checkpoint files /home/amitkrkc/codes/A549_models/snapshot-hela-95000
     [[Node: save_1/restore_slice_85 = RestoreSlice[dt=DT_FLOAT, preferred_shard=-1, _device="/job:localhost/replica:0/task:0/cpu:0"](_recv_save_1/Const_0, save_1/restore_slice_85/tensor_name, save_1/restore_slice_85/shape_and_slice)]]

Is there a way to load from these two files two separate CNNs? Any suggestion/comment/feedback is welcome.
Thank you,

A: Yes there is. Use separate graphs.
g1 = tf.Graph()
g2 = tf.Graph()

with g1.as_default():
    cnn1 = CNN(..., restore_file='snapshot-model1-10000',..........)
with g2.as_default():
    cnn2 = CNN(..., restore_file='snapshot-model2-10000',..........)

EDIT:
If you want them into same graph. You'll have to rename some variables. One idea is have each CNN in separate scope and let saver handle variables in that scope e.g.:
saver = tf.train.Saver(tf.get_collection(tf.GraphKeys.GLOBAL_VARIABLES), scope='model1')

and in cnn wrap all your construction in scope:
with tf.variable_scope('model1'):
    ...

EDIT2:
Other idea is renaming variables which saver manages (since I assume you want to use your saved checkpoints without retraining everything. Saving allows different variable names in graph and in checkpoint, have a look at documentation for initialization.

A: This should be a comment to the most up-voted answer. But I do not have enough reputation to do that.
Anyway.
If you(anyone searched and got to this point) still having trouble with the solution provided by lpp AND you are using Keras, check following quote from github.

This is because the keras share a global session if no default tf session provided
When the model1 created, it is on graph1
  When the model1 loads weight, the weight is on a keras global session which is associated with graph1
When the model2 created, it is on graph2
  When the model2 loads weight, the global session does not know the graph2
A solution below may help,

graph1 = Graph()
with graph1.as_default():
    session1 = Session()
    with session1.as_default():
        with open('model1_arch.json') as arch_file:
            model1 = model_from_json(arch_file.read())
        model1.load_weights('model1_weights.h5')
        # K.get_session() is session1

# do the same for graph2, session2, model2

A: You need to create 2 sessions and restore the 2 models separately. In order for this to work you need to do the following:
1a. When you're saving the models you need to add scopes to the variable names. That way you will know which variables belong to which model:
# The first model
tf.Variable(tf.zeros([self.batch_size]), name="model_1/Weights")
...

# The second model
tf.Variable(tf.zeros([self.batch_size]), name="model_2/Weights")
...

1b. Alternatively, if you already saved the models you can rename the variables by adding scope with this script.
2.. When you restore the different models you need to filter by variable name like this:
# The first model
sess_1 = tf.Session()
sess_1.run(tf.initialize_all_variables())
saver_1 = tf.train.Saver([v for v in tf.all_variables() if 'model_1' in v.name])
saver_1.restore(sess_1, weights_1_file)
sess_1.run(pred, feed_dict={image: X})

# The second model
sess_2 = tf.Session()
sess_2.run(tf.initialize_all_variables())
saver_2 = tf.train.Saver([v for v in tf.all_variables() if 'model_2' in v.name])
saver_2.restore(sess_2, weights_2_file)
sess_2.run(pred, feed_dict={image: X})

A: I encountered the same problem and could not solve the problem (without retraining) with any solution i found on the internet. So what I did is load each model in two separate threads which communicate with the main thread. It is simple enough to write the code, you just have to be careful when you synchronize the threads.
In my case each thread received the input for its problem and returned to the main thread the output. It works without any observable overhead.

A: One way is to clear your session if you want to train or load multiple models in succession. You can easily do this using
from keras import backend as K

# load and use model 1

K.clear_session()

# load and use  model 2

K.clear_session()`

K.clear_session() destroys the current TF graph and creates a new one.
Useful to avoid clutter from old models / layers.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


China's GDP has increased steadily since 1949, reaching 63,646 billion Renminbi (1038 billion US dollars) in 2014 to become the world's second largest economy (1) (Fig. 1).
In recent years, China's food security has received attention from researchers and policy makers (2, 3). In 2011, China had 20% of global food production (4). Future trends in grain production, consumption and import will affect food prices in the region (5) and food security is a high priority of China's national political agenda.
Increasing grain production to ensure food security is a national priority (6). In this paper we include soya bean as a grain crop, so that the term 'grain crops' includes all cereals and soya.
China's grain production doubled from 300 Mt in 1949 to 600 Mt in 2014 (7), China produces 80% of its food on irrigated farmland (8). In the last two decades, the availability of water (surface water and groundwater) has declined and may become deficient for agricultural purposes in the next 20 years (9).
China's population is projected to grow by 60 million from 2010 to 2025 (10). With the water crisis in North China, overall grain production and hence food security in China will be challenged.
The grain (cereals and soybean) production in North and South China has changed with the economic growth of South China (11). Our primary goal here is to review changes in grain productivity in China and assess challenges for national food security.
(4) an assessment of the 'North shipped food to South' policy, and how the current policies of the Central Government will further deepen the water shortages in North China.
China's agricultural production areas are divided into North China and South China by the Qinling Mountains and Huai River (12).
North China consists of arid and semi-arid regions with suitable thermal conditions for grain production in spring and summer.
However, it lacks water resources with only 18% of the total available water in China despite having 65% of the total arable land (10).
North China consists of 16 provinces, while South China consists of 19 provinces: (Fig. 2; data from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan not included). The main crops grown in North China are wheat and maize, while South China with its humid climate, relative abundance of water and summer rainfall which is often 'wasted' through flooding (13), grows mainly rice.
South China historically produces higher yields and more grain than North China, due to its higher rainfall and temperatures, so the Sui Grande Canal was built during the Sui Dynasty.
Subsequent improvements to the engineering of the Canal ensured that grain transportation was unimpeded (11).
From 1949 to 2005, grain production was higher in the south than the north and both increased in parallel from 1949 until 1980 (Fig. 3).
From 1980, grain production in the south stagnated, while production in the north continued to increase so that from 2005 grain production in the north exceeded that in the south (Fig. 3). Grain production in South China was 278kg/capita from 1949 to 1985, compared with 303kg, in North China. Owing to net migration and stagnation of grain production, the grain production per capita continued to increase in North China, (Fig. 4a), so that grain production per capita for North and South China from 1985 to 2013 were 447kg and 344kg respectively. Under the traditional planned economic system (20), the government unified the purchase and sale of food, regulating its allocation to different provinces, resulting in an average of more than 6.42 Mt per year being transported from South China to North China from 1949 to 1989 (Fig. 4).
The GDP of South China relative to the GDP of the whole country increased from 53.7% in 1978 to 57.4% in 2013 (Fig. 5). Since 1985 when the Chinese government cancelled the state monopoly for purchasing and marketing agricultural products (30, 21), non-agricultural industries have benefited more than agricultural industries due to low profit margins in traditional agriculture. Development of a rural township enterprise in the southeast coastal region has been rapid, with the agricultural labor force moving to non-agricultural industries. For example, in Guangdong province, the share of non-farming income for rural residents increased from 44% in 2002 to 65% in 2012 (data from the National Statistical Bureau of China website). Farmers paid less attention to their land and the cropping intensity (number of crops harvested per unit area per year) decreased significantly from 164% in 1979 to 94% in 2009 (Fig. 6a). The area under crops in 2013 was 9.9 Mha less than that in 1978 (Fig. 6b).
Grain production in South China increased from 67.60 Mt in 1949 to 262.72 Mt in 2013 (Fig.3a). Before 2005, South China accounted for more than half of the country's grain production but this decreased from 62% in 1982 to 44% in 2013 (Fig. 3b). From 1978 to 2013, the percentage share of grain production in China for Jiangxi and Anhui provinces increased slightly, Tibet remained stable, while in the remaining provinces of South China it decreased, especially in Zhejiang and Guangdong (Fig.7a).
Grain producing areas in North China are located in a dry climate zone with abundant sunlight, but with less precipitation and cooler temperatures than South China. Due to the shortage of water resources in this area, productivity has been below the potential of the land quality.
To overcome this, the Chinese government developed irrigation and water conservation facilities, such as dams, reservoirs and wells, to intercept surface water and pump groundwater (33). The area of irrigated farmland has been expanded by 59.5% since 1978 to reach an area of 35.1 Mha in 2013 (Fig. 8) and is the major reason the north ships food south today. From 1978 to 2013, there was a significant positive relationship between the area of irrigated farmland and the percentage share of the total Chinese grain yield in North China (P<0.001, n=36).
Production in North China increased from 125.28 Mt in 1978 to 339.22 Mt in 2013, with the proportional share of Chinese production increasing from 41.1% to 56.4% (Fig 3b).
Economic development in North China does not appear to have affected grain production; this may be because most provinces in North China are less developed than in the South.
Nine provinces increased their proportional share from 1978 to 2013: Hebei, Mongolia, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Henan, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, with Heilongjiang increasing the most (5.3%). The proportional share of five provinces decreased: Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Shaanxi and Qinghai, while that of Shanxi remained stable (Fig. 7a).
Output in North China increased from 310 kg/capita in 1978 to 595 kg in 2013. Total surplus grain for export in North China increased from 13.27 Mt in 1990 to 55.68 Mt in 2013 (Fig. 4b) with eight provinces exporting grain (Fig. 7b).
The increased total grain production in North China mainly resulted from increased yield per unit area rather than any increase in cultivated area (Figs 9a, 9b). In 2013, yield per unit area in North China reached 5.4 t ha–1 (Fig. 6a).
South China has had a continuous grain shortage since 1990, with the gap widening each year.
Consumption exceeded production by 128 Mt in 2013 (Fig. 4b), with only the Anhui province producing surplus grain (Fig. 7b). Grain production in South China fell from 401 kg/capita in 1984 to 335 kg in 2013 (Fig. 4a).
Confronted with the large grain shortage in South China, the Chinese government could have bought grain through the international market, but this will require a change in government policy. Transport of grain from North China to South China is not regarded as sustainable as the production uses large amounts of surface – and ground-water.
The average quantity of grain transported from North China to South China from 1990 to 2012 was more than 30.20 Mt per year (Fig. 4b), reaching 55.68 Mt in 2013.
particularly on the North China Plain (34–36). In addition, some natural oases along the old Silk Road have shrunk or disappeared, wells have dried up, and water flow in the Yellow, Huai and Songhua Rivers has decreased (37). The use of water for irrigation has significantly compromised the availability of water resources for ecological sustainability (38).
In an attempt to ease the water shortages in North China, a 'South–North Water Transfer Project' Scheme was initiated in 2002—the world's longest and largest water diversion project with a planned investment of 486 billion Renminbi (U.S. $77 billion) (39). Based on the current 1000 tons of water needed to produce one ton of grain, farmers cannot afford to buy water in the absence of state subsidies.
An estimated annual total of 44.8 Gt of water by 2050 (39) will be moved in the 'South–North Water Transfer' far less than the 55.7 Gt of water used for grain production in North China in 2013. Therefore, it is not a feasible plan to produce grain in the North using water from South China.
It is difficult to improve agricultural water use efficiency in China in the short term.
At present, the central government vigorously promotes grain production to ensure food security, but at the same time needs to control water use. With its water and temperature advantages, South China is the inevitable choice for increasing grain production.
In 2009, the cropping intensity in South China was about 94%, compared with 164% in 1979 (Fig. 6a), there is potential to improve cropping intensity and hence production per unit area. The Government should encourage farmers to increase crop production and efficiency by providing appropriate farming subsidies.
At the same time, the Chinese government should reduce the number of small and non-viable farms and consolidate land into larger units to increase efficiency and farmer income, especially in areas where a comparative advantage exists.
In addition, North China should reduce its total water consumption by industry and increase agricultural water use efficiency. This may be best achieved by increasing yield through modern crop breeding technologies, innovative farming systems and other emerging technologies (40).
Water-saving measures in agriculture that could be implemented include drip and sprinkler irrigation, no-till farming to reduce evaporation and ridge– furrow mulching systems to increase precipitation use efficiency (41–44) (Fig. 10).
The Chinese government is currently implementing the 'One Belt and One Road' policy to develop the economy (45).
Chinese government is also vigorously promoting grain production to ensure national food security, but has not reduced the consumption of surface- or ground-water in North China.
This will further aggravate the water crisis in that region (37). Urgent attention is needed to alleviate the pressure on water resources to replenish the deep aquifers in North China and to increase grain production from the current levels in South China.
Most provinces in West and North China are self-sufficient in grain production but, in the face of future economic development, some provinces may move away from investment in agriculture and grain production. The government should strategically allocate grain production targets to all provinces based on their water and environmental resource to guide future food production of China.
This work was supported by the Chinese National Key Technology Support Program (2015BAD22B03); the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (2452016015).
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9. Liu, Y H (2006) The Chinese ministry of science and technology of rural and social development division. In: The Development Strategies on Water-saving Agriculture in China. Chinese Agriculture Science Technology Press, Beijing.
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27. National Statistical Bureau of China, (2012) China Statistical Yearbook 2012. China Statistics Press, Beijing.
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29. Chai, J C H (1997) China: Transition to a market economy. Oxford: Clarendon.
31. Ministry of Land and Resources of Cadastre Management, (2005) Survey of the Reclamation of Land Use in China 2005, China Land Press.
32. Ministry of Land and Resources of Cadastre Management, (2009) Survey of the Reclamation of Land Use in China 2009, China Land Press.
33. Liu, J G & Yang, W (2012) Water sustainability for China and beyond. Science, 337, 649-650.
34. Qiu, J (2010) China faces up to groundwater crisis. Nature, 466, 3081.
35. Li, J G (2010) Water shortages loom as northern China's aquifers are sucked dry. Science, 328, 1462-1463.
36. Feng, W, Zhong, M, Lemoine, J M, Biancale, R, Hsu, H T & Xia, J (2013) Evaluation of groundwater depletion in North China using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data and ground-based measurements. Water Resources Research, 49(4), 2110-2118.
37. Chai, Q, Gan, Y T, Turner, N C, Zhang, R Z, Yang, C, Niu, Y N & Siddique, K H M (2014) Water-saving innovations in Chinese agriculture. Advances in Agronomy, 126, 149-202.
38. Liu, J, Zang, C, Tian, S, Liu, J, Yang, H, Jia, S, You, L, Liu, B & Zhang, M (2013) Water conservancy projects in China: Achievements, challenges and way forward. Global Environmental Change, 23, 633-643.
39. Zhang, Q F (2009) The South to North Water Transfer Project of China: environmental implications and monitoring strategy. J. Am. Water Resour. As., 45: 1238-1247.
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41. Gan, Y T, Siddique, K H M, Turner, N C, Li, XG, Niu, J Y, Yang, C, Liu, L P & Chai, Q (2013) Ridge–furrow mulching systems–An innovative technique for boosting crop productivity in semiarid rain-fed environments. Advances in Agronomy, 118, 429-476.
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43. Wang, X H, Lu, W X, Xu, Y J, Zhang, G X, Qu W. & Cheng, W G (2016) The positive impacts of irrigation schedules on rice yield and water consumption: synergies in Jilin Province, Northeast China. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 14, 1-12.
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Figure 1. The increasing trend of China's GDP from 1949 to 2013.
Figure 2. Provinces of North China and South China.
Calculations: Surplus grain = (grain yield per capita in a region) – (per capita grain consumption in China) Å~ population in the region. Per capita grain consumption in China = (grain output – exports + imports) / total population in China. Per capita grain output = (grain output) / total population.
Figure 5. Percentage of Gross Domestic Production (GDP) between North China and South China from 1949 to 2013 (22–28).
Figure 6. Change in (a) cropping intensity (number of crops harvested per unit area per year) and (b) area planted (planted area) in North China and South China over time (22, 31, 32; Ministry of Agriculture of China website: http://www.moa.gov.cn/).
Figure 7. (a) Change in proportional share of grain yield in China from 1978 to 2013 and (b) surplus grain (million tons) in each province, minus sign means grain shortage, Sichuan includes Chongqing, and Guangdong includes Hainan (22, 28).
Figure 8. Eff ective irrigation area (land which can be irrigated every year) in North China and South China from 1978 to 2013. Source: Ministry of Agriculture of China website: http://www.moa.gov.cn/.
Figure 9. (a) Cultivated area and (b) grain yield per unit area from 1949 to 2013 in North China and South China (22, 31, 32; Ministry of Agriculture of China website: http://www.moa.gov.cn/).
Figure 10. Gansu Province is located in a dry area of Western China. Plastic-fi lm mulch technologies have successfully improved local food production and water use effi ciency. It is estimated that 100 Mha in the province will be under plastic-fi lm mulch in 2016 (44).


text:
You are here: Home / Fires/Accidents/Disasters / Burned bodies likely young engaged couple
Burned bodies likely young engaged couple
January 2, 2013 By Jackie Johnson
Amy Damon, Brandon Slattery
UPDATE: The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office is confirming the identity of the deceased couple discovered after a fully-engulfed car fire was extinguished by firefighters.
Brandon Slattery, 24, and Amy N. Damon, 21, were both from Edgerton, Wisconsin.
Preliminary results from autopsies suggest neither was a victim of criminal activity. The Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the manner of death for both: Accidental.
This case remains under investigation by the Village of McFarland Police, the State Fire Marshall's Office and the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office.
Firefighters made the gruesome discovery of two bodies after extinguishing a burning car just south of Madison on New Year's Day.
A person close to the victims' families say engaged couple Brandon Slattery and Amy Damon are the deceased. Police are awaiting autopsy results for confirmation of identity.
Some residents in McFarland, Dane County, awoke to the tragedy early Tuesday morning. A car was fully engulfed in flames in the street, and when firefighters extinguished the blaze, the tragic discovery was made.
Neighbors say they woke up at 6:00 am to the sight of "flashing lights" and "lots of smoke." One local resident says flames were shooting 10 to 15 feet into the air from the windows of the car. Once firefighters extinguished the blaze, they made the horrible discovery. Police say it doesn't appear that foul play is an issue.
Police say it doesn't appear foul play is an issue, but the investigation continues. The victims are reportedly in their 20s. More information is expected later today.
Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News


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