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Latest in 630
Nokia Lumia 630 review: An affordable phone you can live without
Nokia Lumia 630 and 635 bring Windows Phone 8.1 to budget seekers (hands-on)
AMD pops out sub-$100 quad-core Athlon II X4 CPU: review roundup
Samsung unveils latest Series 6 Touch of Color LCD HDTVs
Jamie Rigg, @jmerigg
Critic 9 Reviews
Users 10 Reviews
Type Smartphone
Operating system Windows Phone
Screen size 4.522
Internal memory 81
Camera Yes
The Nokia we used to know is no longer. In late April, the handset maker was finally folded into Microsoft's Devices and Services business after more than six months of courtship. Nokia wasn't ready to be assimilated without once last hurrah, however: It announced a trio of new devices at its new owner's developer conference, Build. The Finnish company had always tried to cater to every demographic, so it was fitting that its last in-house handsets were the top-end Lumia 930 (a global version of the Icon) and the entry-level Lumia 630/635.
The 630 and 635, 3G and 4G variants of the same device, are joining an already-crowded lineup of affordable Lumias. They're distinguished somewhat by launching with Windows Phone 8.1, the latest version of Microsoft's mobile OS, but in the coming months, other WP8 handsets will catch up. That's if curiosity hasn't already driven you to update manually using the developer-account loophole. The 635 is yet to be released, but for now we have the almost identical Lumia 630. Other than offering the newest software, then, is the 630 Nokia's best budget device? A worthy sendoff for the company? A save-the-best-'til-last-type deal? Spoiler's in the headline.
Gallery: Lumia 630 review | 25 Photos
Engadget Score
Uninspiring
Playful design, comfortable to hold
LTE on a shoestring
No front-facing camera
Mediocre display
The Lumia 635 is a much-needed addition to Nokia's affordable handset range. It has a serviceable camera, fun design and good battery life, but most importantly, it's one of the best-value LTE devices out there.
How would you rate the Lumia 630?
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Fun, colorful design
Comfortable to hold
Capable camera
No selfie camera
No HSPA+
Plenty of good alternatives in this price range
The Nokia Lumia 630 is another affordable Windows Phone that's nice to look at. It also has a good camera and exceptional battery life, but is missing a few basic features like a front-facing camera. With several good alternatives in the same price range, you can take it or leave it.
You'd be forgiven for confusing the Lumia 630 with the iPhone 5c. They're similar in size and shape, although it might seem a crooked comparison considering Nokia's been doing colorful plastic for much longer than Apple. Up close, the 630 is more like a mash-up of the 620 and 520 that came before it. Slightly larger than both, it combines the rounded corners of the 620 with the more sharply tapered back panel of the 520. It's blockier than both, however, with the flat edges meeting a flat back.
Nokia really hit a sweet spot with the size and weight here: 129.5 x 66.7 x 9.2mm and 134g. Those are agreeable numbers for anyone, and with sides that angle inward from the display, it rests nicely in the hand. None of the sharp edges dig in where they shouldn't. The build quality might not look like much given the majority of the handset is covered in plastic, with a sheet of glass covering the face as the only other material. It creaks under pressure, but given its weight and the thickness of polycarbonate that fits snugly to its back, it doesn't feel like a toy even if it looks a little like one.
The device itself is pretty plain apart from the colorful mass of plastic, though for the moment, you only have the choice of green, orange or black. You'll eventually be able to buy additional shells, and when the Lumia 635 launches, the dual-color covers we first saw on the 620 will be making an appearance. Since the 635 is identical in design, you'll be able to commandeer those for the 630, too. The back of the device is home to a small Nokia logo, rear camera lens up top and tiny loudspeaker grille in the bottom right-hand corner. On the top and bottom edges are the headphone jack and micro-USB charging/data transfer port, respectively, and the right edge carries the volume rocker and power button. There's no dedicated camera shutter key on this device; Microsoft removed that requirement in 8.1.
Another major difference from other Windows Phones can be found on the face of the device. WP 8.1 no longer demands capacitive keys on the bezel, and the Lumia 630 is the first handset to scrap these in favor of on-screen navigation buttons. Indeed, it looks plain, with the earpiece and Nokia logo up top, display in the center and a small hole for the mic on the bottom edge. The effect is a design that's slightly unique and a little less cluttered.
Like other budget Lumias, the 630 doesn't have a whole lot of pixels to play with. Its 4.5-inch display sports the rare FWVGA resolution (854 x 480), which is essentially 800 x 480 with a little extra length to accommodate the on-screen navigation keys. I've never cared too much about pixel density on affordable handsets (if your'e curious, the 630 works out to 221 ppi). The Lumia 625 pushed even my tolerance boundaries, but even then, I'm more interested in the quality of the panel than the quantity of pixels. Alas, the 630 has little to offer in either respect.
Nokia incorporated its ClearBlack technology into the LCD display; not that the term really means anything here. In fact, the display has a lovely color temperature, with excellent whites, but it's let down by the black range. They're almost fake, like smothering a lamp with black fabric and calling it darkness. Along the same lines (but not as noticeable), the display on my device is unevenly lit along the top edge, with alternating patches of light and dark as if a row of tiny spotlights was hidden under the bezel.
Update: After posting this review, Microsoft/Nokia insisted I'd been given a non-final device (see the performance section for another update), and the second handset I received had an improved display. While the quality of the panel was the same, the installation was significantly better, all but nullifying the gripe I had with uneven lighting on the top edge of the display.
Despite its failings, the display is guarded well by a sheet of Corning's Gorilla Glass 3. Unfortunately, Nokia seemed unable to afford the final coat, as it's very sticky and a serves as a magnet for all the oil and grime you wouldn't believe came from your fingertips. Aside from the Xperia SP, it's the worst I've seen on this front. Whatever's not quite right with the glass, it has additional side effects, including hampering sunlight readability. Assuming you can actually see through the layer of skin on top of the glass, there's a nice helping of glare that'll have you squinting at the display on a bright day. Its reflectiveness significantly reduces viewing angles, too.
Luckily, the panel can kick out a lot of light, meaning the 630 isn't completely useless when the sun's about. Strangely, there's no auto-brightness setting, so it's good that Windows Phone 8.1's new "Action Center" offers a quick way to make changes. Despite these issues, the display still works. That said, the 630 is definitely not for videophiles. The Lumia 620 came out well over a year ago, so the fact that the 630 has a worse panel is disappointing.
Update: The issues I had with the glass were mostly resolved on the second handset.
The Lumia 630, 635 and 930 are the official Windows Phone 8.1 launch devices, not that it's hard to install the developer preview of the new OS on older models. Several of the most important changes in the latest version have little to do with the immediate user experience (think: wider support for different hardware configurations). In the same vein, Microsoft's also relaxed its handset design requirements. Capacitive navigation keys and a dedicated camera button are no longer mandatory, for example, and indeed, the 630 has neither.
There are plenty of pre-installed apps on the Lumia 630, but PayPal, Skype and Line are the only ones you'd call bloatware. In addition to these, you'll find a slew of apps that aggregate news, track stocks, check the weather, recommend places to eat and drink, keep you up to date on the world of sports and so on. Luckily, all nonessential apps can be uninstalled if you want to trim the fat. Nokia and Microsoft have cooked in some of their own software, of course, like the global satnav app Here Drive+, and productivity tools like Office, OneDrive and OneNote.
I've always been a fan of Windows Phone's Live Tile UI, in terms of both looks and functionality. In the latest OS release, you can now set a background image for this home screen, which is essentially invisible. Tiles for many of the stock apps, however, act as a transparent window, which is a nice visual touch that also allows for deeper personalization. Additionally, you can add another column of Live Tiles to the home screen by shrinking their footprint, but I found that bigger was better on the 630's 4.5-inch display. The keyboard now supports swipe-based typing, and apps can be installed to SD cards for the first time -- an important change for handsets without much internal storage. WP 8.1 also grants users better access to their storage with a new file manager available on the app store.
The big changes in Windows Phone 8.1 are the addition of a notification drawer and the virtual assistant, Cortana. Through the Action Center, as it's called, you view notifications and access them within their respective apps, as you'd expect. There are also four slots to customize with quick access to settings (WiFi, etc.) and apps, like the camera. It's certainly a welcome addition to Windows Phone, but it still feels like a poor imitation of the same feature on Android. Cortana isn't supposed to be available in the UK until later this year, but you can access it by changing your region and language settings to trick the phone into thinking it's American. Once Cortana was up and running, I spent a few minutes asking it silly questions and a few more testing the limits of its contextual responses. Since then, I've been using it just as much as I do any other voice-controlled assistant: Never.
Overall, I'm underwhelmed by Windows Phone 8.1. If anything, the new version highlights how behind other mobile platforms it still is. Some really simple things still don't work the way they should. The screen-timeout setting, for example, will ignore most apps, leading to frustrating situations where the phone locks up and kills the current process because you weren't paying attention for 30 seconds. Also, the automatic time setting is as broken as it's ever been, so you'll have to set it manually (and again every time you run out of battery). Seeing as email syncing is linked with the internal clock, you'll stop receiving new messages if the time is set incorrectly. Even when it comes to the bigger new features, Cortana and a notification center do not a good OS make.
There's not much to say about the front-facing camera on the Lumia 630 because, as with the 520, there isn't one. The only camera is a modest five megapixels with no companion flash. Thankfully, Nokia knows a thing or two about imaging, and the 630's camera is one of its redeeming features. You have two options when it comes to stock camera apps, and not much separates them. Microsoft's offering loads up instantly, with normal camera, video and a low-resolution burst-capture mode to choose from. You can also select different Lenses straight from the viewfinder, but all the finer settings like white balance and exposure compensation are buried in the full menu.
In contrast, these settings are accessible from the viewfinder in Nokia's camera app, albeit using a small, fiddly toolbar. Lenses, on the other hand, are found in the deeper menu, and Nokia's app takes a few seconds to boot up, so not the best choice for opportunistic shots. The burst-capture mode of Microsoft's app is replaced by "Smart Sequence," which is more or less the same thing, but with the option to select your favorite shots after the fact.
Gallery: Lumia 630 sample shots | 18 Photos
On full auto, the 5MP camera does its best work in sunny conditions. No surprise there. Color temperature is spot-on and the focal range is broad. I've also nothing to complain about when it comes to focus and shutter speeds, although manually tapping to focus on different areas of the viewfinder was sometimes required to get the correct exposure. As lighting conditions worsened, I was impressed by how the camera held up. I did notice that pictures tended to adopt the hue of artificial lighting, so the auto-white balance setting isn't as good as it could be. I'd say better an image look the same as it does through the human eye, however, than one that's been crudely adjusted. Low-light performance is better than I expected, too, with snaps coming out considerably lighter than you'd think they would.
Video performance at 720p is much the same, although audio quality isn't a highlight. The camera is my favorite thing about the Lumia 630, mainly because it's above acceptable considering the price point. I'm only talking about the normal camera modes, as well, so there's even more fun to be had with Nokia's extra Lenses, such as Cinemagraph, Blink and Refocus.
Performance and battery life
Like earlier, lower-end Lumias, the 630's spec sheet is no trump card, but at least it's working with the current generation of Qualcomm chips. That would be a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400, to be exact, paired with a miserly 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Finding enough space for all your apps and media is no trouble, as the handset's microSD slot supports cards of up to 128GB -- and remember that WP 8.1 now allows apps to be installed onto expandable storage. That Snapdragon 400 SoC is by far the stand-out spec from that selection, and I've seen it ace performance tests on several Android smartphones of late, such as the Moto G and UK-only EE Kestrel.
I find myself questioning its place inside the Lumia 630, though. One of the pros of Windows Phone as a platform is that it's not resource hungry, which has meant Nokia could produce phones like the Lumia 520 and 620 at such compelling price points without sacrificing much in the way of user experience. The Lumia 630, as you'd imagine, feels just as slick as either of those handsets do. Popping in and out of menus or core apps happens as fast as you'd ever need it to, but it's the lack of improvement in performance that stands out.
The difference in app-loading speeds on the 630, compared with older Lumias, is negligible. Only when you put them side by side to test the disparity will you notice the 630 is a millisecond quicker. Asphalt 8: Airborne is one of the most graphically intensive mobile games on any platform, but the problem is that it's scaled to be friendly to all Windows Phone hardware. On Android handsets with a quad-core Snapdragon 400, you can see how capable the chipset is by pumping up the graphics settings to max. You can't change such settings on the Windows Phone version, but even at a low visual standard, I experienced dropped frames and jittery music. I can't remember the last time I noticed a phone's temperature rising, other than when using the 630. Anything you would consider hardware-intensive, from gaming to streaming video, quickly drove the thermostat up to alarming levels.
Having been impressed with the same SoC on Android devices, I imagine it's a case of poor optimization. While the processor upgrade doesn't seem to have made much of an impact on performance, it's a burden on the 630's 1,830mAh battery. With fairly moderate use, I could barely get through half a day on a charge. If you want to do something a little more processor-intensive than checking your emails, be prepared to watch the charge melt away before your eyes. When I wasn't out or using the handset, it was permanently on charge. That's no way to live. Annoyingly, the battery indicator is misleading, too -- the icon will have you believe you have around three quarters left, but if you look in the notification tray, you'll find it hovering just above 50 percent.
Update: After posting this review, Microsoft/Nokia insisted I'd been given a non-final device, as evidenced by severe battery life issues I experienced. Testing a second handset has confirmed as much, and the 630 actually has above average battery life. Even with relatively frequent use, including browsing, taking pictures, sending email and streaming music, it's been good for a full day and half of the next. Using the battery saver feature only added to the longevity. I've also noticed the screen is slightly improved on the second unit, which you can read more about in the display section.
Internet Explorer is your window to the web, and it's not the fastest mobile browser. Regardless of your connection, sites can take a good few seconds to pull up (they load completely, rather than piecemeal). After they've loaded, the only other curiosity is some tiling, which can be caused by rapidly zooming in and out. For connections, you've got WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and HSDPA 3G (21.1 Mbps max download speeds). WiFi connects quickly, but doesn't hold a consistently strong pairing, at least according to the signal icon. The speed and accuracy of GPS location is superb, and a nice companion to Windows Phone's excellent mapping options.
Audio quality is also worth a mention. Through headphones, the range is better than quite a few smartphones, but that's let down by kind of a vapid, clinical tone to the sound. Under the polycarbonate shell of the 630 sits an abnormally large loudspeaker that pumps through an abnormally small grille. Realistically, this is for making hands-free calls, not getting the party started. It's just strange that audio quality through this speaker is actually better with the case off. Reverberations inside the cover give a greater sense of bass, but really it's just distortion from the grille bottleneck.
The 4G Lumia 635
The Lumia 635 is almost identical to the 630, but with the key addition on an LTE radio. While the 630 didn't rise above what Nokia had already achieved with previous budget handsets, the 635 is a much more welcome addition to the range. The only other affordable, 4G device Nokia has to offer is the Lumia 625, launched last year. The handset had a number of flaws -- particularly its large, low-resolution display -- and only just crept into an acceptable price range. It was a missed opportunity after the highly regarded 620 had earned Nokia some cred, and the better-executed Lumia 635 is a great example of what the 625 should have been.
The Lumia 635 hardware differs from that of the 630 in a couple of ways. There's the LTE radio, of course, which has minimal impact on overall battery life compared to its 3G counterpart. With moderate to frequent use, the 635 runs out of gas a few hours earlier than the 630 does under the same conditions, but by this point you're well into day two anyway, so we're dealing with a relatively negligible margin. Otherwise, it's just the style of the polycarbonate back covers that distinguishes the two variants. The 630's have a matte effect, while the 635's have the glossier "dual-shot" style of shell we first saw on the 620, where transparent plastic is layered over a colored base to give the shell a visual depth. These give the phone a lot more character, though all matte and glossy covers can be used on both the 630 and 635, leaving plenty of options in hue and texture.
With LTE, the 635 is a much more attractive handset for US carriers to range than the 3G 630. Availability is still limited, but you can buy a 635 locked to AT&T for only $100 (off-contract), which appears to be by far the best value 4G handset it offers. It's the same story at T-Mobile, even though a device locked to that network is almost a third more expensive at $129 (from Microsoft's store; it's $168 direct from T-Mobile). I'd usually refer to the benchmark of affordable 4G phones at this point, the Moto G LTE, but it's in a different league at $219 (unlocked from Motorola; no carrier deals exist currently).
The situation is slightly different in the UK, mind you, where competition is fiercer. Both the Moto G LTE and Lumia 635 can be had for free across various carriers on the most basic 4G contacts. Unlocked, the cost of the Moto hovers just over £150, making the Lumia only slightly cheaper at £137. Pay-as-you-go price, however, favors the 635 more heavily and Phones 4u is currently asking for £110 and your choice of any network (note only Carphone Warehouse comes close to that at £130). The Moto G LTE, on the other hand, will set you back £150 (just shy of the unlocked price) unless you take Tesco Mobile's offer of £135.
The final call on which affordable phone is the best is really down to budget and preference. If you dig Windows Phone, especially after the recent 8.1 upgrade, then the 635 is a bargain at £110 on pay-as-you-go. The EE Kestrel is even more of a steal at £99 if Android's more your thing, though that does limit your carrier choice somewhat. Those happy to open their pockets a little wider might want to opt for the Moto G LTE instead, something I'd recommend for the higher-resolution display and better camera alone. The important thing is there's no wrong answer, and Nokia and Microsoft finally have the solid, low-cost 4G option the 625 struggled to be.
Normally this section would be about comparing the smartphone to what else is out there. This time, though, it's an exercise in proving why there is no need for the Lumia 630. Let's start with the price. We know the 630 and 635 are expected to cost under $200 in the US, with the single-SIM 630 said to be $159, assuming it'll even launch there -- the 635 will definitely have some presence on T-Mobile, possibly in July if everything plays out as planned.
I'm not sure where the price of the 630 was lost in translation, but Nokia's UK press release that pre-empted the device's launch said it would be available for £90 unlocked. In reality, the cheapest you can get it for is £99 on a locked, pay-as-you-go basis. SIM-free, that rises to £109 from one retailer, and Microsoft's even selling the handset through its online store for an insulting £129. Last year's Lumia 620 may have a lesser processor, but it's a better phone in every other respect. Also, given its age, it's comparable on price at £100 on pay-as-you-go or £110 unlocked. Even the Lumia 520 is a better option at £60 on pay-as-you-go or £85 unlocked.
If you're dead-set on Windows Phone, the Lumia 630 is not the right decision. That's if you would even consider any of the handsets I've mentioned over affordable Android offerings from the likes of Motorola. The amazing Moto G is £110 on pay-as-you-go or £130 unlocked, whereas the Moto E is even cheaper at £79 on pay-as-you-go or £89 unlocked. Better handsets, better mobile platform -- better forget about the Lumia 630.
The Lumia 635 will be more relevant when it launches, thanks to that LTE radio, and the only other affordable Lumia with 4G is the depressing 625. I dread to think what a 4G radio will do to the already-poor battery life, and the 635 will still have to face off against the LTE version of the Moto G (not yet released). Unless Microsoft intends to give the 635 away for free, I don't see my opinion being any different with the addition of LTE.
I can't help but feel that the Lumia 630 was thrown together to be a Windows Phone 8.1 demo device, and then someone decided it was suitable for a retail release. I couldn't disagree more. Forget that Microsoft still has come catching up to do before its mobile OS is considered on par with others; the hardware itself is lacking. The display is poor, and even the glass covering it is missing whatever coating most other handsets have to repel fingertip grime. There's no noticeable performance improvement over previous budget Lumia devices despite a newer, more capable chipset, and battery life is nothing short of atrocious. It's even missing basics like a front-facing camera or HSPA+ 3G radio.
To its credit, the 5-megapixel camera is better than you might suspect, and it has the Lumia line's signature fun, colorful stylings. If the handset cost less, I'd probably feel differently about its shortcomings, but the truth is there are better and comparable phones available for less. I have no choice but to issue a stern warning to avoid it, as there are several attractive and more affordable alternatives.
Update: After spending time with a second review unit, my opinion of the Lumia 630 has improved. Battery life is actually one of the handset's strong points, and the display installation is much tighter on the second review unit. Combined with a respectable 5-megapixel camera, it's not a bad package. That said, the 630 is still missing basic components like a front-facing camera and HSPA+ 3G radio, and there are plenty of good alternatives at lower or comparable prices.
Daniel Orren and Edgar Alvarez contributed to this review.
In this article: 630, Engadget spotlight review, lumia, lumia630, lumia635, microsoft, mobilepostcross, nokia, nokia lumia, nokialumia, nokialumia635, review, spotlight review, spotlight reviews, uk-reviews, video, Windowsphone8.1


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ABOUT TO UNDERGO DUAL USE CONVERSION AS A ROAD AND RACE CAR, UNLESS SOLD BEFOREHAND.
ONLY 1 PREVIOUS OWNER. OLDER REBUILT ENGINE (NEEDS FRESH TUNING AND SERVICE), WITH BEST RACE COMPONENT SPECIFICATION 200+ BHP ENGINE PREPARED BY WELL KNOWN RACE SPECIALIST ENGINE REBUILDER. ALL APPARENTLY FULLY BALANCED & BLU-PRINTED IN a 700KG CAR!
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Or 80% 1 Year Buyback Guarantee.
Performance and handling is absolutely incredible. Mileage is an estimate, as only used for occasional Races during intermittent seasons. The Previous Owner also owns a N2O 400BHP Road going Spider, together with a£1/4M 993 RS Porsche.
The BHP figure is only an estimated maximum based on the engine rebuild Specification as stated.
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An Android trojan is using SMS phishing texts (or "smishing" messages) to prey upon unsuspecting South Korean mobile users.
In July 2017, users uploaded to South Korean websites screenshots of texts asking them to click on suspicious shortened links. One message warns recipients that someone might have leaked a private picture of them to the web. Another claims the user had made it into the news.
"First, Android/MoqHao dynamically registers a broadcast receiver for various system events such as new package install, screen state, SMS messages, and so on. This broadcast receiver spies on the device and sends device status information to the control server.
The above-referenced server receives an initial message from the malware consisting of basic information pertaining to an infected device. Thereafter, Android/MoqHao periodically sends over status data like the device's battery level and Wi-Fi signal level.
Whenever the infected device receives an SMS text message, the trojan transmits the sender address and contents to its server. Android/MoqHao also attempts to steal a user's banking credentials by attempting to download fake or trojanized versions of popular mobile banking apps. Finally, it uses a fake alert message to try to steal data pertaining to a user's Google account, like their name and birthday, off a phishing page.
Trojans such as Android/MoqHao should serve as a reminder to users to install applications from only trusted sources and to not click on suspicious shortened links. Even with developers whom they do trust, users should not authorize the installation of any apps that request an unusual number or quality of device permissions. Finally, they should install an anti-virus solution onto their phones and consider enabling two-step verification (2SV) on each of their web accounts that offers the feature.


text:
Q: Difference between Pseudo-op and Machine-op? While studying on Assembly language programming I came across the terms "Pseudo-op" and "Machin-op".I am not sure what is their functionalities and how they differ from each other?

A: Besides assembler directives, it's common for RISC architectures to have pseudo-ops that expand to multiple instructions.
The most common type is a pseudo-op for the sequence of instructions needed to get a 32-bit constant (e.g. an address) into a register.  Since a fixed-with 32-bit instruction doesn't have room for an arbitrary 32-bit immediate, the machine can't do it in one instruction.  However, there's usually nothing to gain from separating the pair of instructions with 16-bit immediates, it would be annoying to do it manually.  (IIRC, some superscalar in-order CPUs recognize such pairs when executed back-to-back, still running them in parallel even though they modify the same register.)  ARM assembler pseudo-instructions MOV32 and ADRL do this.
Another interesting example is ARM's ldr r0, =0x12345678.  It always assembles to one instruction, but can choose from two strategies: if the constant can be represented as a immediate (using ARM's barrel shifter), the assembler uses a MOV.  If not, it puts the constant into a nearby literal pool and uses a PC-relative load.  So this pseudo-op can emit an instruction and data (still in the same section, I think).
(The non-pseudo-op form of the LDR instruction is the normal load-register form supporting ARM's various addressing modes, like ldr r0, [r1, r3, lsl #2] to load from r1 + r3 <<2).  So the same mnemonic can be a pseudo-op or machine instruction depending on the operands

MIPS takes pseudo-instructions to the extreme, with the normal ABI reserving at least one of the 32 architectural registers for use as a temporary by assembler-generated pseudo-ops!  (I guess the MIPS designers felt that 32 was really more than needed, because in the standard ABI it's normal for interrupt handlers to asynchronously clobber 2 other registers, making them unsafe for use by user-space code.  I guess that simplifies the design vs. having the hardware help more in saving/restoring architectural state on interrupts, but I haven't looked at the details.)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


High school didn't unfold exactly the way True envisioned it would. In August of 2017, just before the start of his junior year, True was diagnosed with Burkitt leukemia and started five months of aggressive treatments.
Enjoy some of the highlights of True's wish as he continues his adventure to become a professional photographer.
True's photos from his wish trip to Alaska for photography.


text:
music-pdf
Family Registration
The Cards
Music Practitioner
The With Music in Mind resources are freely available online to all people who may potentially benefit from them, irrespective of the nature of their disability, their age or country of residence.
Eligibility for the With Music in Mind service
The With Music in Mind service is freely available to children and young people under the age of 18, resident in the UK, who have Batten disease or another neurodegenerative disease in which bilateral visual impairment is present and causes in its own right a significant impediment to the child's ability to learn or function independently.
All applications should be made by a parent or guardian but can be supported in the process by a health care or other support worker. Families accepted onto the scheme will receive an initial assessment and the award will be reviewed annually.
Families will be given a resource pack. Materials include a set of specially designed activity cards, intended to give parents and carers ideas for musical activities that they can do with their child without the need for specialist knowledge or training. They tap into the intuitive musical understanding that children appear to retain until the end of their lives, scaffolding continuing social contact and underpinning emotional regulation.
Families will also receive a 'record book' for making notes of their child's musical memories and achievements, and to keep artefacts such as concert tickets, together with a memory stick for recording their favourite songs. Recording and collecting musical memories is an enjoyable and effective way of stimulating a child's memory.
Also part of the resource pack will be a music notebook for recording the session's activities and making a note of what worked well so the family can try the activities in between sessions when the music practitioner is not there.
The Music Service
As well as these carefully designed resources, a core part of the service will be providing one-to-one musical support, initially in the form of weekly music lessons from a suitable teacher if the child is able to benefit from them. At the point when traditional music lessons are no longer appropriate, the child will be allocated a specially trained music practitioner. He or she will work with the whole family providing monthly sessions of up to two hours devising and modelling activities with a view to supporting functions such as communication and language, memory, mobility, socialising and choice-making, and more generally promoting a sense of wellbeing. The With Music in Mind Coordinator will act as a point of contact who will oversee each child's music provision. They will provide an initial assessment, ongoing telephone support as required, and an annual home visit to review developments.
This pioneering new music service is the result of a three-year research project carried out by the Applied Music Research Centre at the University of Roehampton in collaboration with The Amber Trust and funded by the Bailey Thomas Foundation.
The Amber Trust
© The Amber Trust 2023

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


After hours of racing through the desert, Mahra Al Shamsi recites the Quran to her horse to give it strength. Al Shamsi, an endurance horse racer from Ras Al Khaimah, will go to any length for her horse.
She competes for Seeh Al Salam stables in 80km, 100km and 120km events, a test of perseverance, strength and strategy for both horse and rider that may last five or six hours.
Endurance horse racing has grown in popularity with young women since Al Shamsi, 27, took up the sport five years ago.
David Walsh, the award-winning journalist from the Sunday Times who uncovered much of the Lance Armstrong saga, says "it's a big worry when officials outside of racing unearth a drugs problem." He says the Mahmood Al Zarooni case and the ongoing Philip Fenton issue reveal that "Authorities are ambivalent... I don't sense true conviction..."
A Godolphin restructure was inevitable. From a small, elite band of equine talent when it started in 1992 under the guidance of Simon Crisford and Saeed bin Suroor, the international stable has mushroomed into an enterprise that spans the world.
The equine empire of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, goes beyond the Royal Blue silks of Godolphin, which have raced in more than 16 countries.
The huge Darley Australia operation and a blossoming presence in Japan is a growing aspect to Sheikh Mohammed's global outlook.
Dubai: Leading military endurance riders from over 20 countries will vie for top honours in the second annual CISM World Military Endurance Championship, which will be held in Dubai next month.
After multiple experiences working at some of the world's greatest sporting events, Mathieu Collet joined the Organising Committee of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy on 19 June 2013 as Site Manager for the Exhibition Centre, the Zenith and the Games Village. His role is to coordinate the requests of the Committee's different departments in order to ensure that the event takes place in the best possible conditions on these 3 sites. With 35,000 visitors predicted in the Village every day, and tens of thousands of spectators expected for the Vaulting and Reining events, Mathieu is a very busy man!
Mathieu, which events did you work at before joining the Games adventure?
By Lakshmi Kothaneth — There was ecstasy in the air as Gallops of Oman came to a conclusion in the Wilayat of Jaalan Bani Bu Ali's seashore. The excitement was not just among the winning teams, but each member of the 20 teams as they completed the journey of endurance — crossing 180 km of Sharqiyah Sands. "I think it's a great success that we have achieved, it has been an excellent experience and organising Gallops of Oman was not easy," said Brig Abdulrazak Alshahwarzi, Commander of the Royal Cavalry, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Gallops of Oman. They had reached the final stage of 21 km and at the finish line as the riders accompanied their horses to the veterinary doctors; one could see the bond between the riders and the horses that had developed in the last six days.
The Mongol Derby — the world's longest, toughest horserace —boasts its biggest line-up yet for 2014.
The yellow-carding of a rugby or football player is, in my view, a sporting spectacle in itself.
It's the sense of anticipation that draws me. One can sense 30,000 bottoms sliding forward on their stadium seats as the referee summons a player after some egregious sin.
It is clear what's coming. The referee is strutting and looking especially officious by this stage.
The player receives a brief dressing down and the referee, in a grand flourish, reaches for his pocket and pulls out the yellow card, or possibly even a red card.
The FEI has a yellow-card system, too. However, their use does not generate anything like the same drama and spectacle.
In equestrian sport, the yellow card is essentially a small yellow form which is printed out and given to the offending rider by the president of the ground jury at an event. No drama. No theatrics. That, my friends, is the FEI way.
Arabian horse breeder Carl Fudge has been presented with the Award of Excellence for his outstanding achievements in the sport of Endurance in Canada.
Fudge, who is Managing Partner of Sturgeon Creek Arabians, was presented with the award at the Equine Canada Annual Awards Gala recently in Winnipeg, Manitoba, by current Chair for Endurance Canada, Terre O'Brennan.
HORSE riders from across the north west will endure 10 and 15 mile routes around a Cheshire forest in aid of Cancer Research on Saturday, March 8.
As part of a series of National Rides organised by Endurance GB, riders are being encouraged to enter this event at Delamere Forest whether or not they have done endurance riding before.
Six yellow warning cards were handed out, with two riders disqualified, at the 100-mile President's Cup ride in Abu Dhabi on Saturday as organisers finally reacted to global pressure to punish rule-breaking and horse abuse in Middle East endurance racing.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and owner of Manchester City, is understood to have intervened in the clean-up, and been instrumental in the installation of security cameras at vet-gates (vet check) areas and on the "crew" cars following the horses.
Representatives of Lord Stevens' intelligence services company Quest, and International Equestrian Federation (FEI) endurance director Ian Williams were on hand to support officials.
The unprecedented move came days after Telegraph Sport's exposure of horse-beating by a running groom, caught on video at a ride in Sakhir, Bahrain, on Feb 8.
The FEI later announced that the rider, winner Sheikh Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, received a yellow card and was suspended.
February 16, 2014, Abu Dhabi ~ The HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival lends support to four Endurance Championships: Portugal-April 25 to 27, France-May 23 to 27, Italy-July 25 to 27, and Slovakia-September 27.
Lara Sawaya, director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and chairman of the Ladies Racing (IFAHR) gave a press briefing in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, February 16.
February 15, 2014, Abu Dhabi ~ Wearing his typical shy smile, Khalifa Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri crossed the finish line in first place with his winning partner Niac Armor for Al Wathba Stables in the CEI *** 160km President of the UAE Endurance Cup, taking home the keys to a car, a custom Rolex watch and a cash prize of Dh300,000 (€60,000).
The FEI held an Endurance Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland on February 9, 2014. Representatives from 20 member nations attended, though noticeably absent were members from region VII (Middle East), the nations in the focus of the doping scandals and horse abuses addressed by this conference.
The Bahrain incident in which an endurance horse was struck across the rump by support crew as it neared victory in a prestigious 120km desert race resulted in a formal warning to the rider and a ban, the FEI confirmed early today (NZ time).
However, equestrian journalist Pippa Cuckson, who brought the matter to wide attention in a piece in Britain's Daily Telegraph, questioned why the incident resulted in the winner of the event receiving only a warning, despite what appeared to be multiple breaches of endurance rules.
The FEI says there is a broad consensus among endurance nations on the future direction for the sport, but views are mixed are whether there should be different rules for the more aggressive distance racing which finds favour in the Middle East.
Delegates from 23 countries have met in Lausanne, Switzerland, for a one-day endurance conference, where they showed strong support for most of the recommendations for reform proposed by the Endurance Strategic Planning Group (ESPG), formed after several FEI member nations voiced concern about welfare issues and the worrying number of drug infractions in horses centred on Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain – all members of FEI regional group 7.
Germany's Sabrina Arnold top the standings for the Open Riders World Endurance Ranking for 2013. The UAE's Abdulla Ghanim Al Marri was second, with France's Virginie Atger in third. USA's Cheryl Van Deusen ranked sixth.
In the Open Combination World Endurance Ranking, Sweden's Maria Hagman-Eriksson and Al Tayar topped the list. Japan's Toshiaki Hirohashi and Lucky ranked second, with Uruguay's Miguel Meireles and EO Shadi third. Two USA riders ranked in the top ten, with Cheryl Van Deusen and EBS Regal Majjaan in fourth, and Melody Blittersdorf and Synthetic in fifth.
In the Junior/Young Rider division, Malaysia's Azizatul Asthma Dato' Haji Abdullah ranked first, with Uruguay's Maria Pereira in second and Joaquin Stirling in third. Three USA riders ranked in the top ten: Christina Kimery in sixth, McCamey Kimbler in seventh, and Taylor White in eighth.
In the Junior/Young Rider Combination World Endurance Ranking, Uruguay's Frederic Maidana and JQ Zarial ranked first, with USA's Taylor White and Hoover the Mover in second. Chile's Paula Llorens Clark was third.
BAHRAIN'S best riders will participate in HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Endurance Race Cup, which kicks-off at 7am today at Bahrain International Endurance Village.
The championship will comprise two race-categories, the 120 kilometer race (five stages, 30, 30, 24, 20, 16 km) and the 80 km qualifying race (three stages, 30, 30, 24 km).
Supreme Council for Youth and Sports (SCYS) chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee president and Royal Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa praised the organisers' efforts to ensure the success of the race, while he visited the veterinary examinations for participants' horses. The examinations were conducted by international experts at the village yesterday.
Abu Dhabi: The Hamdan Bin Rashid Festival 2014 Al Wathba Challenge Endurance Ride (120km) will take place from 7am on Saturday at Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba.


text:
// Copyright (c) Aurora Studio. All rights reserved.
//
// Licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE in the project root for license information.

using Com.Aurora.AuWeather.CustomControls;
using Com.Aurora.AuWeather.Models.Settings;
using Com.Aurora.AuWeather.SettingOptions;
using Com.Aurora.AuWeather.ViewModels;
using System;
using System.Linq;
using Windows.ApplicationModel.Resources;
using Windows.UI.Xaml;
using Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls;
using Windows.UI.Xaml.Navigation;
using Windows.UI;
using Windows.UI.Xaml.Media;

// "空白页"项模板在 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=234238 上提供

namespace Com.Aurora.AuWeather
{
    /// <summary>
    /// 可用于自身或导航至 Frame 内部的空白页。
    /// </summary>
    public sealed partial class SettingOptionsPage : Page, IThemeble
    {
        private Type curretType;
        private bool isWideState;
        public static SettingOptionsPage Current;

        public SettingOptionsPage()
        {
            this.InitializeComponent();
            Current = this;
        }

        protected override void OnNavigatedTo(NavigationEventArgs e)
        {
            base.OnNavigatedTo(e);
            curretType = (e.Parameter as Type);
        }

        private void SettingsList_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            MainFrame.Navigated += (s, v) =>
            {
                if (App.MainColor.A > 0)
                    if (MainFrame.Content is IThemeble)
                    {
                        (MainFrame.Content as IThemeble).ChangeThemeColor(App.MainColor);
                    }
            };
            if (curretType == typeof(DonationPage))
            {
                SettingsList.SelectionChanged -= SettingsList_SelectionChanged;
                SettingsList.SelectedIndex = -1;
                SettingsList.SelectionChanged += SettingsList_SelectionChanged;
                MainFrame.Navigate((typeof(DonationPage)));
                return;
            }
            SettingsList.SelectionChanged -= SettingsList_SelectionChanged;
            SettingsList.SelectedItem = (SettingsList.ItemsSource as SettingsList).First(x =>
            {
                return x.Option == curretType;
            });
            var loader = new ResourceLoader();
            if (curretType == typeof(Preferences))
            {
                if (this.ActualWidth < 720)
                {
                    PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Preferences");
                }
                else
                {
                    PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Settings");
                }
                MainFrame.Navigate((typeof(PreferencesSetting)));
            }
            else if (curretType == typeof(Immersive))
            {
                if (this.ActualWidth < 720)
                {
                    PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Immersive_Background");
                }
                else
                {
                    PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Settings");
                }
                MainFrame.Navigate((typeof(ImmersiveSetting)));
            }
            else if (curretType == typeof(Models.Settings.Cities))
            {
                if (this.ActualWidth < 720)
                {
                    PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Cities_Management");
                }
                else
                {
                    PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Settings");
                }
                MainFrame.Navigate((typeof(LocationNote)));
            }
            else if (curretType == typeof(About))
            {
                if (this.ActualWidth < 720)
                {
                    PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("About");
                }
                else
                {
                    PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Settings");
                }
                MainFrame.Navigate((typeof(AboutSetting)));
            }
            SettingsList.SelectionChanged += SettingsList_SelectionChanged;
        }

        private void SettingsList_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
        {
            curretType = (SettingsList.SelectedItem as SettingOption).Option;
            SettingsList_Loaded(null, null);
        }

        private void DonateButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            if (MainFrame.Content is DonationPage)
            {
                return;
            }
            SettingsList.SelectionChanged -= SettingsList_SelectionChanged;
            SettingsList.SelectedIndex = -1;
            SettingsList.SelectionChanged += SettingsList_SelectionChanged;
            MainFrame.Navigate(typeof(DonationPage));
        }

        internal void ReloadTheme()
        {
            Context.ReloadTheme();
            MainPage.Current.ReloadTheme();
        }

        private void Page_SizeChanged(object sender, SizeChangedEventArgs e)
        {
            if (this.ActualWidth >= 720)
            {
                GotoWideState();
            }
            else
            {
                GotoNormalState();
            }
        }

        private void GotoWideState()
        {
            if (isWideState)
            {
                return;
            }
            isWideState = true;
            var loader = new ResourceLoader();
            PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Settings");
        }

        private void GotoNormalState()
        {
            if (!isWideState)
            {
                return;
            }
            isWideState = false;
            var loader = new ResourceLoader();
            if (MainFrame.Content is PreferencesSetting)
            {
                PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Preferences");
            }
            else if (MainFrame.Content is ImmersiveSetting)
            {
                PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Immersive_Background");
            }
            else if (MainFrame.Content is CitiesSetting)
            {
                PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Cities_Management");
            }
            else if (MainFrame.Content is AboutSetting)
            {
                PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("About");
            }
            else
            {
                PageTitle.Text = loader.GetString("Settings");
            }
        }

        public void ChangeThemeColor(Color color)
        {
            var color1 = Color.FromArgb(Convert.ToByte(color.A * 0.9), color.R, color.G, color.B);
            var color2 = Color.FromArgb(Convert.ToByte(color.A * 0.6), color.R, color.G, color.B);
            var color3 = Color.FromArgb(Convert.ToByte(color.A * 0.8), color.R, color.G, color.B);
            (Resources["SystemControlBackgroundAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemControlDisabledAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemControlForegroundAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemControlHighlightAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemControlHighlightAltAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentHighBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color1;
            (Resources["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentLowBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color2;
            (Resources["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentMediumBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color3;
            (Resources["SystemControlHighlightListAccentHighBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemControlHighlightListAccentLowBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemControlHighlightListAccentMediumBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemControlHyperlinkTextBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["ContentDialogBorderThemeBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["JumpListDefaultEnabledBackground"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            (Resources["SystemThemeMainBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlBackgroundAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlDisabledAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlForegroundAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAltAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentHighBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color1;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentLowBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color2;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentMediumBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color3;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightListAccentHighBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightListAccentLowBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightListAccentMediumBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHyperlinkTextBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["ContentDialogBorderThemeBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["JumpListDefaultEnabledBackground"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Light"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemThemeMainBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlBackgroundAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlDisabledAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlForegroundAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAltAccentBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentHighBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color1;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentLowBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color2;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightAltListAccentMediumBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color3;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightListAccentHighBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightListAccentLowBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHighlightListAccentMediumBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemControlHyperlinkTextBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["ContentDialogBorderThemeBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["JumpListDefaultEnabledBackground"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            ((Resources.ThemeDictionaries["Dark"] as ResourceDictionary)["SystemThemeMainBrush"] as SolidColorBrush).Color = color;
            if (MainFrame.Content is IThemeble)
            {
                (MainFrame.Content as IThemeble).ChangeThemeColor(color);
            }
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Fultograf – skonstruowane w latach 20. XX wieku urządzenie do odbierania obrazów przesyłanych za pośrednictwem fal radiowych. Obraz był przenoszony na papier w procesie elektrochemicznym, poprzez zaciemnienie odpowiednich obszarów na papierze owiniętym wokół obracającego się cylindra. Urządzenie zostało skonstruowane przez  i było w użyciu na przełomie lat dwudziestych i trzydziestych XX wieku do nadawania obrazów do domów drogą radiową.

W latach 1929–1932 za pomocą fultografu BBC przeprowadziło 759 transmisji.

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne

Historia telekomunikacji
Historia radia
Radiotechnika
Urządzenia telekomunikacyjne

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
VIU Exceeds Fundraising Goal for Imagine VIU Campaign
Joseph Monaghan, a VIU alumnus who is conducting research in the Applied Environment Research Laboratories, says moving to the new Health and Science Centre has expanded opportunities for the world-class research facility.
September 23, 2020 - 9:45am
The campaign raised $7.3 million to complete three new buildings on campus, create new scholarships, awards and bursaries, and acquire cutting-edge equipment.
From new equipment to learn on, to increased research opportunities, to dozens of new student scholarships, awards and bursaries – the impact of the Imagine VIU campaign has expanded beyond its initial goal of equipping and completing three new buildings on Vancouver Island University's (VIU's) Nanaimo Campus.
Over the past two years, the Imagine VIU campaign raised $7.3 million – over and above the campaign's initial goal of $5.5 million – to help create cutting-edge learning environments for students in the new facilities. Since their opening in 2018, the Dr. Ralph Nilson Centre for Health and Science, the Windsor Plywood Trades Discovery Centre and the District Geo-Exchange Energy System have transformed the experiences of students and faculty alike.
"We are delighted by the support for VIU's most ambitious fundraising campaign to date and are grateful to our community who have allowed us to dream. Each donor should know that they have made a difference in the lives of our students," says Dr. Deb Saucier, VIU President and Vice-Chancellor. "Imagine VIU has enabled us to expand opportunities for students and faculty to realize their potential. Exciting things are happening at VIU."
The campaign raised $2 million for new scholarships, awards and bursaries for students. Another million was raised for new equipment and other program supports in the trades, sciences and health-care areas. More than $1 million went to new research projects.
Video of Thank you for supporting the Imagine VIU Campaign at Vancouver Island University
"I would love to go to med school and become a paediatric neurologist. Going to a place that has a very strong chemistry program is really important to me and the fact that VIU has this building was an important factor for me coming here," says Bachelor of Science student Katrin Hanneson. "The labs here are great and all the technology we have is so cool."
The new buildings have also helped VIU respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new Trades Discovery Centre, alongside the other new facilities, is allowing for physically distanced, hands-on training opportunities for students.
The state-of-the-art labs in the new Centre for Health and Science enabled VIU to become a designated manufacturing site for topical hand sanitizer. It also houses the Applied Environmental Research Laboratories (AERL), which focus on measuring the chemical determinants of environmental and human health. Researchers in the AERL help to save lives affected by the opioid crisis, while others work to detect chemical spills in bodies of water quickly.
"Moving to the Centre for Health and Science has been a huge opportunity for me in the AERL," says Joseph Monaghan, a VIU Bachelor of Science alumnus and PhD student at the University of Victoria, who conducts his thesis research in the lab. "The improved infrastructure has let us work faster, more safely and gives accessibility to more students. VIU and the AERL really give undergraduate students an unparalleled research experience in terms of access to infrastructure and supportive faculty members."
On top of an enhanced student experience, the District Geo-Exchange Energy System has allowed VIU to become a green technology frontrunner. The system has reduced energy needs at the Centre for Health and Science by 75%, helping the building achieve LEED Gold certification.
To learn more, visit viu.ca/imagine.
Jenn McGarrigle, External Communications Advisor, Vancouver Island University
C: 250.619.6860 | E: Jenn.McGarrigle@viu.ca | T: @VIUNews
Tags: Community Engagement | VIU alumni | VIU Foundation | Announcements
VIU to Train More Community Mental Health Workers
VIU Media Highlights: Top 24 of 2020
VIU Invites People to Experience University Life in Live Virtual Events
Juno-Award-Winning Dub Poet Lillian Allen to Give VIU Gustafson Lecture and Reading
VIU and Island Health Partner on COVID Testing Location at Nanaimo Campus
VIU Media Highlights: November 24 - December 7, 2020


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text:
Q: How to deserialize XML file with nested elements of same name, with one of elements are root? I am trying to use the XmlSerializer class in C# to deserialize some XML that I am pulling from someone.  Unfortunately, they have their root element named "Employee", and then the inner elements inside that root element are also named "Employee":
<Employee xmlns="http://www.testxmlns.com/employee">
    <Employee>
       <OtherElement>OE</OtherElement>
       ...
    </Employee>
    <Employee>
       <OtherElement>OE</OtherElement>
       ...
    </Employee>
</Employee>

I was able to find another question that is very similar, but not exactly.  Here is what my current object looks like:
[XmlType("Employee")]
[XmlRootAttribute(Namespace = "http://www.testxmlns.com/employee", IsNullable = true)]
public class Employee
{
    [XmlElement("Employee")]
    public Employee[] InnerEmployee;

    [XmlElement("OtherElement")]
    public String OtherElement;

    ...
}

When I run the following, everything seems to work (no exceptions thrown), but everything in the returned object is null, including the inner list of Employee objects, which should not be null based on the XML I am inputting:
Employee retObj;
XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(typeof(Employee));
using (TextReader sr = new StringReader(xmlString))
{
    retObj = (Employee)serializer.Deserialize(sr);
}
return retObj;

Any help would be appreciated!

A: You can see in this fiddle that if I take your code and run it... it works!
What I would suggest, however, is to have two classes: one for the 'root' and one for each child element. This would make it less confusing to work with:
[XmlRoot("Employee", Namespace = "http://www.testxmlns.com/employee")]
public class EmployeeRoot
{
    [XmlElement("Employee")]
    public Employee[] Employees { get; set; }
}

public class Employee
{
    public string OtherElement { get; set; }
}

You can see in this fiddle that this also works.


text:
Q: Common insights into hypothetical complexity of graph problems I came across two examples of hypothetical hardness of some graph problems. Hypothetical hardness means that refuting some conjecture would imply the NP-completeness of the respective graph problem. For instance, Barnette's conjecture states that every 3-connected cubic planar bipartite graph is Hamiltonian. Feder and Subi proved that refuting the conjecture would imply the NP-completeness of the Hamiltonian cycle problem on graphs in the class of the conjecture.
Tutte's 5-flow Conjecture states that every bridgeless graph has a nowhere-zero 5-flow. Kochol showed that if the conjecture is false, then the problem to determine whether a cubic graph admits a nowhere-zero 5-flow is NP-complete.

Are there common insights into the above conjectures that explain the hypothetical NP-completeness of the corresponding graph problems?

Also, I am interested in other known examples of hypothetical complexity in the above sense.
P.S. What kind of conjecture would imply the NP-completeness of graph isomorphism problem?


What a unique, heartfelt, and personal wedding Carly + Jason had! Their ceremony was completely custom-tailored to each of them and their relationship, and it was so cool to see nearly their entire wedding party, plus a few other family and friends, take part in it. There were poems, music, personal anecdotes, and the grandfather of the bride performed the ceremony! Then we moved on to the reception, which was just as personalized as the ceremony with nods to musicals and plays that Carly's family loves so dearly. The maid of honor's speech was even full of lines from various musicals that the girls grew up watching together (complete with bibliography at the end!). The Orpheum was decorated so elegantly, and the blue uplighting just gave the whole place an amazing atmosphere, which helped make for some really cool images. These are a few of my favorite things (see what I did there!?): throughout the day were recreating both an engagement session photo we did last fall, and then a photo that was taken on one of the first nights Jason + Carly met, Carly's amazing full-back lace dress, the black feathers in her bouquet, the bicyclist riding through one wedding party photo (!), the Orpheum bathed in blue light, and Nigel's, uh, memorable best man speech. Ha! :) Leave a comment below for Carly + Jason, and after 50 comments, they'll receive a complimentary 11x14" mounted print of their choice. Enjoy!!


text:
Nature ISN'T fragile – nor a bossy mother-in-law
The Green movement needs to rethink its philosophy from the ground-up. That's according to Peter Kareiva, a leading conservation expert and chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy, the world's biggest environmental group.
It must abandon the idea that nature is "feminine" and in particular that it's "fragile", he said, because not only is this artificial, it's wrong, and so many bad ideas follow.
When people believe that a fragile "Mother Nature" is harmed by anything humans do, it's actually the humans who suffer, Kareiva argues in the co-written essay called Conservation in the Anthropocene.
Environmentalism is now dominated by "misanthropic, anti-technology, anti-growth, dogmatic, purist, zealous, exclusive pastoralists" – says Kareiva. Greenpeace's co-founder Patrick Moore made similar points in an interview here.
The modern environmental movement views every human action – from fracking to flying – as both intrinsically evil and irreversibly harmful. But this is an artificial view, one generated out of convenience, says Kareiva. "The notion that nature without people is more valuable than nature with people and the portrayal of nature as fragile or feminine reflect not timeless truths, but mental schema that change to fit the time," the authors write.
Kareiva cites Rachel Carson's bestseller Silent Spring as popularising the "fragility trope". The book purported to blame the collapse of bird ecosystems on DDT, and is often cited as a catalyst for the modern environmental movement. But Kareiva and his co-authors argue that the data suggests this view simply isn't true:
"The trouble for conservation is that the data simply do not support the idea of a fragile nature at risk of collapse. Ecologists now know that the disappearance of one species does not necessarily lead to the extinction of any others, much less all others in the same ecosystem. In many circumstances, the demise of formerly abundant species can be inconsequential to ecosystem function."
"Nature is so resilient that it can recover rapidly from even the most powerful human disturbances," scientists now conclude. Well, some of them do.
How our idea of Mother Nature changed
What's an ecosystem?
The idea of an "ecosystem" being inherently fragile is a very modern one. When the word was dreamed up by English botanist Sir Arthur Tansley, nature was thought to be self-healing and robust. Sir Arthur believed natural life was an instance of what he called "the great universal law of equilibrium". This view prevailed for the next fifty years.
Then came the hippies, whose new view of the relationship between man and nature was summarised by the Pogo cartoon in this embellishment of the first "Earth Day" event in 1970: "I have seen the enemy, and he is us." This went on to be the most successful political idea of the next forty years, culminating in "climate change", accompanied by policies that regulate and tax every industrial human activity.
Kareiva objects to characterising nature as a helpless, fragile female or a bossy matriarch – the only two versions we seem to hear. In his view, eco-mentalists are giving up the human-hating policies of conservationism, but are doing so too slowly.
"Instead of pursuing the protection of biodiversity for biodiversity's sake, a new conservation should seek to enhance those natural systems that benefit the widest number of people, especially the poor," he said.
Much the same point was made by the anonymous distributor of the Climategate emails last year, known only as "FOIA" in the README.TXT editorial that accompanied the second release of private emails from climate scientists at the University of East Anglia.
"One dollar can save a life – the opposite must also be true. Poverty is a death sentence," the author wrote, comparing it to the "$37 trillion" investment in energy technologies apparently needed to halt runaway global warming.
It's likely that more self-styled progressives and environmentalists who would never read Climategate emails will take note of Kareiva. And some already have, including the New York Times' Malthusian-in-residence Andrew Revkin.
The problem with turning the ship of environmentalism around to a more humane and less fearful philosophy is that it has been so successful – at least up until now. Although the public, when asked, doesn't share the apocalyptic worldview, eco-mentalism remains embedded among the political and media elites.
The environmentalists who have succeeded using this version of Mother Nature now have successful bureaucratic empires as a result; they're now really the New Establishment, and have seats at the table.
They won't voluntarily give these up.
Originally published at The Register
0 responses to "Nature ISN'T fragile – nor a bossy mother-in-law"


text:
Q: MySQL join 3 tables and counting another I'm making a blog that has an article that can have tags and comments. I want to try and get the right SQL to get it one query.
I have 4 tables:
article
+------------+-----------------+------------+
| article_id | title           | photo      |
+------------+-----------------+------------+
|          1 | This is a test  | image1.jpg |
|          2 | Another Article | image2.jpg |
+------------+-----------------+------------+

article_tag
+------------+--------+
| article_id | tag_id |
+------------+--------+
|          1 |      1 |
|          1 |      2 |
|          2 |      2 |
+------------+--------+

tags
+--------+------+
| tag_id | name |
+--------+------+
|      1 | tag1 |
|      2 | tag2 |
+--------+------+

comment
+------+---------+------------+
| name | message | article_id |
+------+---------+------------+
|    1 | hello   |          1 |
|    2 | a       |          2 |
+------+---------+------------+

I'm trying to get this:
+------------+----------------+------------+---------+----------+
| article_id | title          | photo      | tag_ids | comments |
+------------+----------------+------------+---------+----------+
|          1 | This is a test | image1.jpg | 1,2     |        1 |
+------------+----------------+------------+---------+----------+

This is what i have so far:
SELECT a.article_id, a.title, a.photo, a.date, a.description_long, a.author, GROUP_CONCAT(tag_id) as `tag_ids`, COUNT(c.comment_id) as comments
FROM article as a
JOIN article_tag as at
ON a.article_id = at.article_id
LEFT JOIN comment as c
ON a.article_id = c.article_id
WHERE a.article_id = 1

But I'm getting comments as 2 instead of 1?
Thank you
PS If anybody knows of a way so that I can change tag_ids from 1,2 to tag1,tag2 that would be amazing :-)

A: The tags and comments are independent.  So, if you have three tags and two comments, you'll get 6 rows in the combination.
The easiest way to fix this query in MySQL is to do a group by and use distinct in the select:
SELECT a.article_id, a.title, a.photo, a.date, a.description_long, a.author,
       GROUP_CONCAT(distinct tag_id) as `tag_ids`, COUNT(distinct c.comment_id) as comments
FROM article a JOIN
     article_tag as at
     ON a.article_id = at.article_id LEFT JOIN
     comment c
     ON a.article_id = c.article_id
WHERE a.article_id = 1
group by a.article_id

I would say, though, that the "proper" way to fix the query is to fix the join.  This uses subqueries in the from:
from . . .
     (select article_id, group_concat(tag_id) as tags
      from tags
      group by article_id
     ) at
     . . .
     (select article_id, count(*) as numComments
      from comments
      group by article_id
     ) c
     . . .

A: This is due to the fact that there is more than 1 tags, so 2 rows are generated.
Try COUNT(DISTINCT c.comment_id). This will only count the distinct comment IDs, so the duplicate ones won't be counted twice.
To get the tag names, do a left join with the tags table. Then GROUP_CONCAT with the name column, instead of the tag_id column.
Here's what it should be:
SELECT a.article_id, a.title, a.photo, a.date, a.description_long, a.author, GROUP_CONCAT(d.name) AS `tag_names`, COUNT( DISTINCT c.comment_id ) AS comments
FROM article as a
JOIN article_tag as at
ON a.article_id = at.article_id
LEFT JOIN comment as c
ON a.article_id = c.article_id
LEFT JOIN tags d ON at.tag_id = d.tag_id
WHERE a.article_id = 1


Quayside Properties has a varied portfolio spread over multiple sites in Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.
Our Milford Haven properties have a range of benefits including close proximity to bus, road and rail links; Milford Fish Docks and Milford Marina; nearby cafes, restaurants and shops at Milford Waterfront; and conference and meeting room hire.
Our Pembroke Dock properties are based primarily within and adjacent to Pembroke Port and most benefit from 24/7 security; nearby slipway and quay access; twice daily ferry service to Ireland with Irish Ferries; and on-site engineering businesses.
The Quayside Properties team are based in the Cedar Court business complex in Milford Haven, conveniently situated close to bus, road and rail links.
Our Milford Haven properties benefit from their close proximity to transport links, Milford Waterfront, Milford Marina and Milford Fish Docks.
Our Pembroke Dock portfolio includes light and heavy industrial units and office space.


Level 3 Paediatric First Aid requires 2 days in a classroom to complete the Course – If you want to save time in the classroom but still meeting the required hours, we offer a blended version where you complete half the course using our video online training then attend one day in the classroom.
This ProTrainings course meets and exceeds the requirements laid down by Ofsted, EYFS, CSSIW and SureStart for people needing a 2 day 12 contact hour first aid course for Infant and child.
This group includes childminders and carers.
The HSE recommend that all first aiders complete an annual first aid refresher courses and our online course meets this requirement. ProTrainings Paediatric courses are approved by most councils across the UK.


text:
Daesh Claims Killing of Christian in Bangladesh as "Lesson to Others"
March 23, 2016, 3 years ago
Daesh claimed responsibility for stabbing a Christian to death in Bangladesh as a "lesson to others". REUTERS/Murad Sezer
DHAKA, March 23 – Daesh claimed responsibility for stabbing a Christian to death in Bangladesh as a "lesson to others", an online group that monitors extremist activity said, the latest killing declared by the militant group in the Muslim-majority nation.
The South Asian country has seen a surge in Islamist violence in which liberal activists, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups have been targeted.
The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said Daesh claimed responsibility for killing Hussein Ali Sarkar in Kurigram, north of Dhaka.
The group reported on Twitter that a "security detachment" killed the "preacher" to be a "lesson to others".
Police said the 68-year-old victim converted to Christianity from Islam in 1999 but was not a preacher.
Kurigram district police chief Tobarak Ullah said three attackers stabbed him while he was having his morning walk.
"They left the scene exploding crude bombs to create panic," Ullah told Reuters by telephone.
Three men were picked up for questioning, he said.
Over the last few months, Daesh has claimed responsibility for the killings of two foreigners, attacks on members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups, but police say domestic militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen was behind the attacks.
At least five militants of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen have been killed in shootouts since November, as security forces have stepped up a crackdown on militants seeking to make the moderate Muslim nation of 160 million a sharia-based state.
[Bangladesh], [bangladesh intolerance], [bangladesh terrorism], [bangladesh violence], [christians], [Daesh], [isil], [isis], [Islamic State], [Muslims]
Iranians Exasperated As U.S. Sanctions Frustrate Deal Making
Belgians Identify Two Suspected Bombers in Brussels Blasts
Notice: It seems you have Javascript disabled in your Browser. In order to submit a comment to this post, please write this code along with your comment: 9ab20e8539bcb974000615cbc3bc308a


A 35-year-old Australian real estate franchise has launched a U.S. sister company with former Realty Executives International CEO Glenn Melton in a top management role.
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Professionals Realty Group USA (ProsUSA) has signed its first brokerage — a former Realty Executives franchise in Escondido, Calif. — and lined up other "strong candidates" in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Utah, Melton said.
Melton said ProsUSA is offering brokerages in all 50 states an advanced technology platform and protected territory for a flat fee that's based on the number of homes in their market, rather than the transaction-based royalty employed by many franchisors.
"We know how much it costs to service and support a brokerage, and how much we need on top of that to cover overhead and earn a reasonable return on investment to the owners of the company — that's how we construct our flat fee," Melton said.
Although ProsUSA is a brand new franchise, it can draw on the experience, technology and deep pockets of its sister company, Australia's Professionals Real Estate Group, a franchise founded in 1976 by independent agents in Brisbane that's since expanded to more than 350 offices in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand and New Guinea.
Melton, who is serving as the new franchisor's president, said ProsUSA has a $3 million initial funding commitment from "a number of shareholders" based in Australia and the U.S.
Jeff Turner, founder of Real Estate Shows and President of Zeek Interactive, has been named to the ProsUSA board of directors.
Professionals Real Estate Group CEO Glyn Morgan said the long-term goal is not for ProsUSA to be the biggest or most profitable franchise in America, "but the best from a broker perspective. If that means 200 offices, or 400 offices, great, but it's all about the members."
Morgan noted that Professionals just wrapped up its annual meeting in Australia, and 70 percent of members attended.
"That doesn't happen in the U.S.," he said of competing franchisors. Professionals, Morgan said, is "about the culture, being the best value for the money you can get, and (being a) very strong brand."
He said 10 percent of ProsUSA profits will be earmarked for member brokers to spend as they see fit — to provide additional services or marketing that benefits franchise members, for example.
Melton said Morgan has been researching the U.S. market for five years, and "became aware that there is a big hole in the middle of the offering."
Traditional U.S. franchisors "offer a package of services at a very significant cost," Melton said. At the other end of the spectrum is "a reactive side of the business that's a low-cost, low-content offering."
"What's missing is the middle — a high-content but very affordable cost offering," Melton said. "It was (Morgan's) belief that there would be an opportunity for the brand."
Melton said he and Morgan have known each other for about four years. When Realty Executives International's largest brokerage, Phoenix-based Realty Executives Inc., laid Melton and other executives off in January, "all of a sudden (Professionals) had access to a complete team capable of opening and managing a franchise business that they already knew and trusted," Melton said.
Melton said ProsUSA will draw on the resources Professionals has to offer, such as its brand and technology, wherever there is convergence between the U.S. and Australian business models. Although the business of real estate is similar in many ways in both countries, there are no multiple listing services in Australia.
So while ProsUSA is tapping Professionals for customer relationship management (CRM) software, it's adding its own lead-generation and management tools to drum up and manage business generated by the display of listings and other website content.
"We have the lead-generation capability to drive significant traffic to agent and broker websites," which the company will also offer to provide, Melton said.
ProsUSA offers websites based on WordPress3, making it easy for brokers and agents to create their own hyperlocal content.
"Or we have a publicist who writes location-specific material, and you can can pull their stuff into your blog," he said.
In addition to driving traffic to broker and agent sites, ProsUSA's lead management software will maintain data on every search and inquiry made, cataloguing each by IP address to give agents and brokers insight into an individual user's interests even before they become registered users.
ProsUSA has also partnered with one vendor, Virtual Agent, to provide "point of sale" technology to generate leads using QR codes ("quick response" codes can be scanned using smartphone cameras), text messaging and toll-free numbers on yard signs and other marketing materials.
The goal is to provide not just technology, but "but technology that's user-friendly and can easily be employed to increase their income," Melton said. "We want a completely integrated approach so all the pieces work together," and so that agents aren't spending too much time learning how to use the technology, he added.
Melton said all of the services ProsUSA provides to brokers are included in its flat fee. If agents want the same capabilities, he said, there is a subscription fee that varies by the size of the office.
He said ProsUSA has "moderate growth plans," adding that because the company is sufficiently capitalized it can be prudent about expanding.
Because ProsUSA has been founded "by brokers to serve brokers," he said, "our inclination is not to provide endless supply of shiny objects to make them feel they're getting something for their money, but (to) ask, 'What does a broker need (in terms of) coaching, training, and mentoring to be successful?' and 'What can we provide (to brokers)?' "
Brian Williams, broker owner of Escondido-based Professionals Realty Group North County, joked, "I will either be a genius or a fool because I bought the first franchise," signing a 5-year agreement with ProsUSA on the strength of the company's offerings and his previous experience with its managers.
"I had a 5-year history with Realty Executives, so I knew what they (the management team at ProsUSA) were all about," Williams said. "Frankly, when they left, things were not the same" at Realty Executives.
Realty Executives International chairman Rich Rector said in a statement that Realty Executives is "incredibly focused on supporting our brand for our current and prospective franchisees by providing the right environment, tools and systems for them to succeed in their real estate businesses."
By being focused on those things, he said, "we've been able to sell 34 franchises, renew 46 franchises and open 45 new offices year-to-date (in) 2011."
G. Scott Hurlock, ProsUSA vice president of franchise development, held the same position with Realty Executives until following Melton to join the new franchisor in June. Inline media and marketing services manager Kelly Zegers and director of member services Meghan Hartman are also veterans of Realty Executives International.
"As far as the technology goes, the people (at ProsUSA who are) running it at the franchisor level … understand online marketing via social media," Williams said. "They are not afraid to try new stuff. From a (search engine optimization) standpoint, they understand how to get our listings seen as opposed to the competition."
Williams said he likes the certainty that the flat-fee model affords, adding that it allows him more freedom to hire agents "who aren't top producers necessarily, but want a great place to work, and a great split, and tools available to them at no cost."
The per-agent fee he paid Realty Executives International meant "I needed an agent to do a transaction about every 45 days to make that make sense for me," he said.
Williams said ProsUSA's flat-fee model may not pencil out for small brokerages with only three or four agents — he has 17 — "but if you have a mid- to large-size office, it works all day long."


The 1992 CLC Protocol changed the entry into force requirements by reducing from six to four the number of large tanker-owning countries that are needed. It also widened the scope of the Convention to cover pollution damage caused in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or equivalent area of a Contracting State. The Protocol covers pollution damage as before but environmental damage compensation is limited to costs incurred for reasonable measures to reinstate the contaminated environment. It also allows expenses incurred for preventive measures to be recovered even when no spill of oil occurs, provided there was grave and imminent threat of pollution damage. The Protocol also extended the Convention to cover spills from sea-going vessels constructed or adapted to carry oil in bulk as cargo so that it applies to both laden and unladen tankers, including spills of bunker oil from such ships. Under the 1992 Protocol, a shipowner cannot limit liability if it is proved that the pollution damage resulted from the shipowner's personal act or omission, committed with the intent to cause such damage, or recklessly and with knowledge that such damage would probably result.
The 1992 Protocol allows for States Party to the 1992 Protocol to issue certificates to ships registered in States which are not Party to the 1992 Protocol, so that a shipowner can obtain certificates to both the 1969 and 1992 CLC, even when the ship is registered in a country which has not yet ratified the 1992 Protocol. This is important because a ship which has only a 1969 CLC may find it difficult to trade to a country which has ratified the 1992 Protocol, as it establishes higher limits of liability. From 16 May 1998, Parties to the 1992 Protocol ceased to be Parties to the 1969 CLC due to a mechanism for compulsory denunciation of the "old" regime established in the 1992 Protocol. However, for the time being, the two regimes co-exist, since there are a number of States, which are party to the 1969 CLC and have not yet ratified the 1992 regime - which is intended to eventually replace the 1969 CLC.


SANTIAGO, Chile, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) (NYSE: SQM; Santiago Stock Exchange: SQM-B, SQM-A) reported earnings today for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 of US$439.8 million (US$1.67 per ADR), an increase from US$427.7 million (US$1.63 per ADR) reported for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017. Gross profit reached US$782.3 million (34.5% of revenues) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, higher than US$762.5 million (35.3% of revenues) recorded for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017. Revenues totaled US$2,265.8 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, representing an increase of 5.0% compared to US$2,157.3 million reported for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017.
The Company also announced earnings for the fourth quarter of 2018, reporting net income of US$108.6 million (US$0.41 per ADR) compared to US$110.5 million (US$0.42 per ADR) for the fourth quarter of 2017. Gross profit for the fourth quarter 2018 reached US$201.5 million; lower than the US$216.1 million recorded for the fourth quarter 2017. Revenues for the fourth quarter 2018 totaled US$565.2 million, a decrease of approximately 1.6% compared to the fourth quarter 2017, when revenues amounted to US$574.8 million.
SQM's Chief Executive Officer, Ricardo Ramos, stated: "During 2018, our strong results were led by higher average prices in the lithium business line, higher specialty plant nutrient sales volumes, and higher average prices and sales volumes in the iodine business line. These factors offset the impact of the lower sales volumes of potassium chloride. The lithium market continued to grow at unprecedented levels. We believe that demand growth surpassed 25% in 2018, led by growth in the electric vehicle market. We believe electric vehicle penetration levels reached 2% in 2018, and we expect these levels to increase significantly in the future. As a result of strong demand growth, average prices in 2018 were significantly higher than prices reported in 2017; as anticipated, prices in the fourth quarter also remained strong. We believe lithium demand could grow at least 20% in 2019, and we will invest accordingly in this growing market."
He continued by saying, "In recent weeks, the north of Chile, including areas near our operations, was impacted by heavy rains. Our first priority was the safety of our employees, and we are pleased to announce that no injuries were reported. Following this climactic event, we have been very active in helping the neighboring communities which were impacted, and suffered during the rain. Finally, while some of our facilities were not operating at 100% for a short period of time, we do not believe that there will be a lasting effect on our sales volumes or revenues in coming quarters. We will continue assessing any potential impacts of these rains, and will inform the market if anything relevant materializes."
successfully develop and implement all lithium expansion projects of the Company, acquire more lithium and potassium assets to generate a competitive portfolio.
improve our stakeholder management to establish links with the community and communicate to Chile and worldwide our contribution to industries essential for human development.
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "plan," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "should," "will" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make concerning the Company's business outlook, future economic performance, anticipated profitability, revenues, expenses, or other financial items, anticipated cost synergies and product or service line growth.
Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are estimates that reflect the best judgment of SQM management based on currently available information. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are outside of our control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in such statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Readers are referred to the documents filed by SQM with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the most recent annual report on Form 20-F, which identifies important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to SQM on the date hereof and SQM assumes no obligation to update such statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.