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By Bigfoot, September 1, 2006 in Community
Necrotic
Little Mac (+550)
I specifically mentioned the technical feasibility of backward compatibility with games in an HDTV with a modern system. Way to read it totally wrong.
Also, I highly, highly doubt that backward compatibility is a SELLING point. Is it a sticking point? Yes. Did it create an unnecessary shitstorm? Yes. But do people really buy entire game consoles on backward compatibility? I'd have to laugh at that notion.
Well, even if you do take what you said into context, none of you what you said really did "click" with my own personal viewpoint on the subject... and based on the response you're getting, I'm not the only one. You're generalizing too far, maybe.
For one thing, I think you're going a little too far by saying that anyone in their right mind buys new generation consoles for the sake of playing old games. I don't even think anyone's implied that in this this thread but you, and aside from that, when a company offers to support their consumers in something it's hard to take lightly when they keep removing things after the product has been on shelves for a year now. Natural order of things is, they're going to complain. And depending on how hard they complain, that company may or may not change their stance on the issue. Seems to me a good portion of people are just as whiny about how they hate people complaining after getting shafted by a company when it's the complainer's right not to mention their job to defend their investment.
The way I see it, the more I can consolidate my consoles, the more space I save and the more convenient it is to be able to take advantage of things like, say, wireless control of my games. Maybe you have an entire house or basement at your disposal, you're single, you like being able to throw a bunch of old analog TV sets in a room and maintaining a bunch of old consoles and whatever costs are associated with it. That's cool for you, but I'm not really in that position. Plus things like games being blown up and pixelated and upscaled on an HDTV don't bother me. I play games like Monkey Island on my PC all the time and get the same effect because my monitor is too many sizes too big for the way the game is designed but I'd rather take advantage of all the space I have. Games have a habit of bugging my eyes out on oldschool analog TV's because the quality on said TV's is just so shitty in general.
Between the option of having BC and not having BC I see more benefits in having BC and I would (and did) pay for it. I think the issue is mostly that Sony is taking options away from consumers when it seems more reasonable to give consumers options.
Pac-Man (+500)
Honestly, one of the big selling points of Wii was, and to me, still is, the 100% GC BC support. But, that's because the hardware is so much smaller.
In the case of the PS3.. because of the shape of the hardware, stacking isn't possible. If you have a PS2 slim, you can't stack it with anything, unless it's the topmost system. And, as anyone with more than 3 consoles active at any time could attest to.. inputs and power spaces come at a very high premium, especially when dealing with a modern TV set and surround sound speaker system, HD cable box, and DVD player. Being able to replace a PS2 with a PS3 means you're not dealing with having a whole bunch more jacks being used, without a purpose. It's not like you'd be playing more than one game at once and you would need to have PS1, PS2, PS3, Xbox, X360, GC, Wii, N64, DC, Saturn, etc... all plugged in at the very same time. But you can readily take PS1 and PS2 out, as well as GC. And eventually, even N64. And depending on the games you have, Xbox as well, unless you use it for media center functionality.
Until they come out with a good, high quality and readily available AV switch, that supports HDMI, component and composite inputs/outputs, where you can simply string all your hardware up to it without a second thought, that's a hell of a lot of spaghetti hanging behind your system. And both MS and Sony will void your warranty, if you have their current systems plugged into a surge protector and you call them to complain about a problem.
Good luck finding enough places to plug all your systems in, both to display and to power, without doing something that would void the warranty.
I-n-j-i-n
Kirby (+1500)
Sorry if this sounds blunt, but I almost consider my stance a fact. Maybe that is because I'm a bit of a purist with oldie titles and that I think it's a ridiculous idea to replace things entirely. I don't know. I don't know many people who takes care of old consoles like I do. And the idea of trading in entire consoles for new ones is almost nonexistent for me.
For one thing, I think you're going a little too far by saying that anyone in their right mind buys new generation consoles for the sake of playing old games.
I'm not backing away from that stance by an inch. Even if you may say that you don't, then what's keeping you from NOT buying the newer system? You don't buy newer systems to play older games. That is a nigh fact. It'd be NICE if the newer system can play older games, right? But do you buy it for that sole reason? Ask yourself that. Certainly I can appreciate playing some old PSOne games on the PS2 days or the Gamecube titles on the Wii, but is it critical? I'd say no. And there is no reason at all to not consider getting the new systems if I didn't expect all the NEW games to come. I would not stop myself if the backward compatibility was an issue. I'd ignore it as the vast majority of gamers (in their right minds) do.
I don't even think anyone's implied that in this this thread but you, and aside from that, when a company offers to support their consumers in something it's hard to take lightly when they keep removing things after the product has been on shelves for a year now. Natural order of things is, they're going to complain. And depending on how hard they complain, that company may or may not change their stance on the issue. Seems to me a good portion of people are just as whiny about how they hate people complaining after getting shafted by a company when it's the complainer's right not to mention their job to defend their investment.
Exactly. Why make promises you can't keep? Why even promise backward compatibility? Here is an idea: No more slapped on backward compatibility. Or better yet, no backward compatibility at all. Focus all attention on new products, get new customers, etc etc. It worked in the past systems, it works today.
There is that subjective side and I wouldn't question that. But is your entire buying decision hinged solely on older games? If there is a game you absolutely, positively must play (Let's say: MGS4, Smash Brothers Brawl, Halo, etc etc), then what's keeping you? Backward compatibility? That is a total joke. Also, a new gaming console being backward compatible isn't really necessary in the grand scheme of things. It's simply not all that crucial at all to the equation. Gaming politics wise, it just creates a lot of headaches and nothing else. If game companies feel they don't want to provide the compatibility, I'd be really, really happy for that decision, or I wouldn't care at the slightest out of anticipation for that must have new game. Not because of older stuff.
Also, PC games are really not much of an issue in terms of compatibility since most games were still pretty pixelated from the start and it's only a matter of applying patches. There is no worry about a computer not being able to play older titles (without the patches and programs to run old OS programs). And new PCs do not make it some sales clique to pitch backward compatibility. Game consoles do that. And it's exactly just that: a sales pitch.
Okay. That is just silly. Because the BC issue is only hurting Sony in terms of its public relations and yet it's one of those features that really is just a tacked on extra. Instead of the BC issue, why not bolster their potentially biggest-goldmine-ever with the PSOne downloadable library? Patch it with a wide screen format, put some new extras, slap on a small fee, then watch millions of gamers contently download them. All BC is doing for Sony is giving them a huge headache. Do you really argue that point? How do you think this issue even came up at all?
But is it THE selling point? No. Unless you're out of your mind, it was the Wiimote. Not even the system's last generation power or BC. Actually, I think Virtual Console was THE biggest software factor with the system. It basically sold the console for me.
I play older games constantly and I did say I have around a dozen games plugged in, but I wonder if all that is really necessary. I can do just fine plugging in a single system while putting most others in boxes until I need them. My brain would go bust if I tried playing more than three different games in a day. Seriously, do gamers really play like schizophrenics and play 5 different consoles on a single day? I wouldn't think so, unless it's a bit of a habit to just put the systems in an accessible setting.
I don't disagree with the convenience. But Sony or Nintendo or Microsoft or anyone else aren't obliged to do so technically. It's been since become the norm since the PS2 and Gameboy Advance, but it's more a yet another selling point. But it still does not strike me as something crucial for game system sales at all. I would think colors for the system boxes would have a much bigger impact in the grand scheme of things.
Chocobo (+20)
I haven't seen any real positive media coverage of the PS3 lately. Even the price drop was crapped on because of the BC removal in the 40GB (and rightly so).
(it's nice to want things though, isn't it?)
It's mainly been the last couple of days. Like Gamespot did an article about their sales predictions for the Christmas period and they put the 360 in last. Joystiq also did an article about how the PS3 sales are actually equal if not slightly better than the 360's if launches are aligned (which most people already knew).
Just small stuff like that.
Mudkip (+150)
That's a long post, so I'll make the case of buying a system because of backwards compatibly quite simply.
First, let us pretend that each new console were to be made perfectly backwards compatible (including those that are not actually backwards compatible).
Now, say I just have a backwards compatible Gamecube to start. The new consoles come out and I have a choice between the Wii, PS3 and 360. The Wii offers me one generation worth of games, the 360 offers two and the PS3 offers three. Rather than stick to Nintendo, I may try the other consoles to try many of the games that I had missed out on.
Backwards compatibility can easily be the breaking point for a new console. The PS2 has one of the best gaming libraries of any console, and anyone who has missed that Library ought to be sorely tempted by the PS3. Remove backwards compatibility though, and one might as well buy a PS2--which people seem to be doing since the PS2 still outsells the PS3.
Drack
Metal Slug (+900)
It is indeed a huge selling point.
I skipped PS1. I skipped PS2! Hardly played a dozen titles for each of those platforms.
Do I want to play their games? Hell yes. Can I get them cheaply? Of course. I am considering getting a 60gb PS3.
To cover both the past and the future.
Remove the BC, or even just the hardware BC and there's no chance I'd buy it.
Your opinion is not fact.
When a system like the PS3 still has a library so honestly pathetic that the biggest selling point for it is the past libraries of games from PS1 and PS2 that you can play on it, while new PS2 games are STILL coming out, taking out the BC support is just a way to cripple it.
You just don't get the total package anymore. Fuck, in 5 years the PS3 will be reduced to two PS2 ducttaped together with a bit of waggle in the controller. Which would still make it weaker than the Wii.
Again, why bother with BC games alone? Look at Virtual Console for one second: You BUY all those games. Gamecube games (which has a dismally small library compared to the mammoth NES/SNES/Genesis libraries), that is where the real draw is. The games you BUY. The idea behind the sale of older PSOne titles is the same thing. If they can sell the old and now hard to find older games with a cheaper price, it's going to sell like wildfire. No way it'll be entirely dependent on the current backlog of games. It's a part of it but selling it like with the VC/Xbox Live Arcade style will most definitely work.
Also, future PS3 game projects at least look promising and it will have its share of AAA multi-console games right alongside 360 with Wii games on the rear as far as the highly graphical games and M-rated stuff are concerned. But it's still dismal compared to how strong the 360 looks at least for western audiences.
That's not the console's fault, nor the company's policy's fault or the fault of the system's technical aspect. It's yours. If you decide to skip it, that's tough nuts for you. Sony didn't snatch away their consoles from under your nose. You did it yourself. Also, those systems are DIRT CHEAP online by now. You can get a good, $20 PSOne if you bid right in eBay. I did that just a few months back to get a better, cleaner system.
I think you mean software backward compatibility such as a possible downloadable backlog. Also, if it hinges so much on not buying the newer console for the factor of old games, then why is buying PS3 even an option? That's what I'm getting at precisely: If you want new games, get PS3. If you want older stuff, buy older stuff. I couldn't give a crap about system politics and which systems sell. It's just silly that a backlog of games is the sole decider as it may be with PS3. It's just sad.
I suppose that makes sense if you're really coming from the side of a totally new gamer of any one type of system or generations of consoles. Maybe I don't see that perspective AT ALL since I follow just about every console out there. I still think it's silly to just blow by the perfectly fine older systems in favor of lousy backward compatible games. It's like playing console games on a PC. Can it be done? Yes. Is it appropriate or the best option? I'd really say no.
Then good. Sony ought to be revamping their new features like I kept saying. Their downloadable content idea has so much potential, it is strange how they are making such drama with the BC of older titles. Look at the 360. Their backlog of games aren't perfect and fans know that most games do work (albeit not as well. Sound being garbled is the norm with Shenmue 2 for example), but almost ALL of the visible effort put by Microsoft is with the new content, new games, new features, new online, new new new new new. It's a matter of how you sell things.
Just to make it a bit clear, I'm not writing up entire essays to disprove everyone who actually likes BC in their systems. But I still think it's an overblown 'problem' which was never something that was featured in older systems. Repackaging games sell well and sell like crazy. So that is a good knock of ancient games where a lot of the copies you either can't find or they're $200+ for a good copy. Even if you do find them, they do no justice to HDTVs anyway. Touched up remasters of older games can and often do it justice in flying colors (IE: every f'n Xbox Live Arcade game ever.)
KakTheInfected
Luigi (+750)
I think the most important point you are missing is that Sony is in no position to remove anything from the hardware. If they sold a 40GB model with full BC at launch for $400, sales in Japan alone could have pushed the worldwide sales into a much less embarassing position than they are now. Stop worrying about manufacturing costs when you're not selling hardware or software unless you plan on discontinuing the goddamn thing.
Hy Bound
Ness (+600)
I'm sorry if this is already asked, but i don't want to go through 194 pages looking for it...
Can you use the 8mb memory cards from the ps2 in the ps3 without the stupid adaptor? I've heard both it can and it can't.
Once again, injin dismisses everyone elses point of view as he obviously has the one, true, correct idea.
Fuck you. I'm not arguing with your bullshit anymore.
HoopyFrood
Goomba (+100)
yes you need the adapter for PS2 memory cards.
The memory card adapter in the system is only for camera cards. (i.e. MMC/SD, Memory stick, compactflash I/II and smart media)
I actually mellowed a bit through the argument if you paid some attention. I know I'm being very opinionated here. Aside from the very fact that backward compatibility just is not all that consistent especially with the HDTV leap with most consoles nowadays. Even with the PSP, the problem of possibly putting downloaded PSOne games on it was the widescreen format.
Worlds Apart Director
Okay so my bro just got a ps3, and so far, I am incredibly underwhelmed. This is mostly due to the fact hes got two shite games for it.
Ridge Racer 7 is an embaressment. It has graphics WORSE then GT4 for ps2, and possibly the most boring game play I've ever seen. I've never played a drift racing driving game before, but I'm fairly sure I should suck ass at it considering how complicated drifting is. I actually TRIED to corner badly, and the game just wouldn't let me do badly. You had to forcibly do something stupid to fail at that game, which is bollocks. I know its not representative of the newer games cause its almost a year old, but this game won best racing game of 2006? ....WHY!? I could have forgiven the gameplay if the graphics were incredible, but man... they shouldn't have wasted their time making it for ps3 when ps2 would have done the job.
The other game it came with was a motocross game I didn't care enough for to even look at the game case, mainly because it was one player only unless you go online. I only expect that sort of multiplayer ability from MMORPGS. If the ps3 has 7 wireless controllers possible, why didn't they use them?
That said, I'm almost positive I will warm up to it over time, especially when the biggies come out, like FFXIII or MGS4. I'm also desperately looking forward to the next TEAM ICO release. Also if that FF7 remake ever happens then hyes, but meh if it doesn't. On the one hand its the most financially safe investment ever, because theres more then enough fanboys/girls that will buy it; On the other hand they might totally change it and destroy it, we'll see.
One last bitch; you can't take your PS/PS2 saves with you unless you buy an adapter? Weak.
djpretzel
Ride Racer 7 worse than GTA4 on the PS2, visually?
What type of TV are you using? On a 50" HDTV, RR7 looks pretty sweet to me, and definitely better than any PS2 game I've played... not artwork/modeling/design, mind you, but in terms of resolution and detail, hands down...
Ryu Hayabusa (+2300)
Yeah, it should look a hell of a lot better than GT4, even though I heard the 360 version looks a tiny bit better. Probably not even noticeable unless you look really hard.
In other news, Sony's revenue is up, but games division losses are double than what they were last year. Ouch.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=29949
I think its 45" HD, and the difference is huge imo. GT4 looks and feels like a car, whereas RR7 cars looks like boxes, and they way they move is so unnatural. Theres no attention to shadows or reflections in RR7 and the scenery seemed very uninspired. While RR maybe have higher resolutiobns etc, I think the art direction really lets it down. Its relying on the ps3 imo.
I know the movement comment is moot because GT is a simulator whereas RR is a drifter, but honestly, I was expecting far more. Seeing how expensive the console was and how much better the technology supposedly is, I shouldn't be looking at a ps3 game and thinking a ps2 game comes anywhere near as good as it.
Bahamut
Moderator, Maverick Rising/Serious Monkey Business Director
Is it just me, or is Motorstorm just difficult to handle?
Brithor
Meat Boy (+250)
I thought it was only me. I always disable Motion Sensors on Motorstorm...
Wait what? It uses motion sensors?
well the six axis controls suck IMO. Same with Warhawk, everyone told me the only way to play warhawk is with the sixaxis controls enabled.. but i can't fly shit with it on.
I ended up buying the 60 gig ps3 for 499 with heavenly sword thrown in. The end boss on heavenly sword is a little bitch, it's frustrating. I'm torn between ratchet and clank and Folklore as my next game. I know ratchet got way higher scores but I've never been all that into the Ratchet series.
So I've been playing around with it for a while now, and we got a new game called skate, which is SO awesome. You realise just how stupid and unrealistic the Tony Hawks games were within 10 minutes of turning it on. I love recording the videos and slowing them down when you do a cool line, and some of the online videos are hilarious.
I'm also appreciating several other features such as the free Internet acces, how it doubles as a very low-cost blu-ray player, the way you can download demos of games directly into the console to try them out and the motion sensing is pretty good, if a little sensative.
One very bad note: it makes the FF12 cutscenes look like utter crap.
Overall, my attitude has changed from dissapointed to midly impressed. Just waiting on some more really awesome games.
Octorok (+25)
Okay so I bought a 60GB PS3 last April.
I'm in almost complete agreement that the system is underwhelming, from a purely games perspective. I'm still waiting for Gran Turismo 5, and wasn't planning to buy a PS3 until then.
Blu-Ray movies? Nice, but didn't sell the system for me. It was a pleasant surprise when Sony removed the downconverting "feature" for those who don't have 1080p TVs connected to their PS3. (I have a 720p/1080i display, but I run my PS3 in 720p mode).
Linux install capability? Hang on, we might be getting somewhere....a $500 sort-of-multicore-but-not-really machine with an interesting architecture that I'm actually interested in learning to program? Yes, this is sounding really good!
Backwards compatibility? Wait, so I can play my PS2 and PS1 games on this thing too?
You don't buy newer systems to play older games. That is a nigh fact. It'd be NICE if the newer system can play older games, right? But do you buy it for that sole reason? Ask yourself that.
Asked, and here's the answer: Backwards compatibility was THE reason that I chose to buy a PS3 now, as opposed to later, or not at all. Given that at the time, there were no PS3 games that I wanted to play, and Linux required me to use a distro that I didn't want to use (minutia, but still a factor), I didn't think spending $500 on a console that did nothing other than folding@home, and has a memory card reader, was worth it. Given the fact that I could sell my PS2 to my friend, make some money, and still play my PS2 titles until there are PS3 games that I actually _want_, without screwing with Sony's software BC, is what sold the console for me, and made it worth my while to pick one up.
Of course, I was able to toy around with Linux on it and get Gentoo running. So until I get some PS3 titles that I like, I have my completely backward compatible, Linux running, HDTV displaying, mini personal computer that I can use.
So your rhetorical question is hereby proven non-rhetorical.
But do people really buy entire game consoles on backward compatibility? I'd have to laugh at that notion.
Then laugh away, sir. I will laugh too, however, I will be laughing at you instead of with you.
For every feature X, there is someone out there who is willing to buy the product for that feature.
I love how this thread degenerated into "OK i got a ps3 now what?" but seriously folks I have an actual question pertaining to PS3 save files. I want to visit my brother tomorrow and bring along my heavenly sword file and i have a memory stick duo and a psp (if that helps). I was wondering if you can transfer them that way? Since there's no ps3 memory card how does that work? Can you never transfer saves to your buddy's ps3?
What version of the PS3 does your brother have?


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Keynotes & Presentations
"Seclusion & Restraint at Iowa City Community School District: Why Framing Matters," Tammy Nyden, University of Iowa Libraries, November 3, 2021
"Wisdom Collective: Our Practice, Our Methodology," by Dionne Bensonsmith, Tammy Nyden and Angela Riccio. IAMAS (International Association of Motherhood Action and Scholarship) Conference, October 26, 2021.
Dionne Bensonsmith speaks at 2021 Women's March, Claremont, CA, October 2, 2021.
"Children's Mental Health Justice 101" by Angela Riccio and Tammy Nyden, National Federation of Families for Children's Mental health, November 24, 2020.
"Stigma Runs Deep" Keynote Address by Tammy Nyden at 37th Annual Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders, Kansas City, Missouri, February 21, 2019..
"The School-to-Prison Pipeline," Keynote Presentation by Tammy Nyden at the 35th Annual City of Iowa City Human Rights Awards Breakfast, October 24, 2018.
"I am Able Iowa with Co-Founder of Mothers on the Frontline!" KHOI Radio, May 29, 2021.
Iowa Caucus for Kids Facebook Live Candidate Conversations with Kamala Harris. October 23, 2019.
"I am a Butterfly" by Paula Cox. Created at the Mothers on the Frontline / Story Center Workshop, May 2019.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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PARKIT Expeditions: The Depths of the Wasatch
By Steven Wilcox January 17, 2020
There's always one trip per year that really sinks its teeth in and stands, by itself, as the trip of the season. You measure the rest of your snow season against it. It's the kind of trip that strips you of all energy yet drives you to run on fumes of elated happiness because the feeling of satisfaction day after day is worth every drip of exhaustion. Our latest strike to Utah served as just that.
We've been lucky to strike Utah 3 years in a row. It's become an annual pilgrimage to tackle work and play. The product development team for our new camping chair, the Voyager, is based in Salt Lake City. The city also sits right smack in the middle of Utah's Wasatch Range.
We landed on a Friday, handled our business and met up with our friends who would tag along for the weekend adventure. The forecast was strong. 3-4ft of fresh snow was expected to start Friday night and continue into Monday evening. The only question on our minds was whether we'd get through the mountain roads in one piece.
We awoke the next morning to 4 inches of fresh snow in the city. The excitement began to mount as the mountains outside of town typically pick up 3-4 times what the town does. Car loaded, we set off.
As the sun rose we opened our eyes to a blizzard. Whiteout conditions, iced-over roads, spinning tires, and white-knuckle drivers, not the natural environment for a couple of Californians. Our rental 4x4 seemed to be okay. We entered the canyon leading into the Wasatch Range a little uneasy about where our friends we're leading us, we trusted them nonetheless. We started to climb and soon would fall in line with others who we're on the same mission as us, to ride the freshly fallen snow, to float down the mountain in waist-deep, untouched and pure pow.
The roads were steep but our little SUV kept charging it's way. To be honest, there's no way our group of Californians we're experienced in these types of driving conditions. At multiple moments, it seemed as though the entire car was holding its breath, not just the driver. Finally, a glimpse of the end. A chair lift. We'd made it.
"Gear up!" yelled Jason. He would be the leader of the day as none of us knew the mountain. We arrived in a whiteout during the peak of the storm and none could really make out where we were. We were in the clouds. Ready, the group of us headed towards the lifts for our first runs of the day.
Almost immediately, the stress of the drive felt like a distant memory. Straight off the lift and into 4 ft of freshly fallen snow. Through the snow, we zig-zagged past and through Aspen trees that had overgrown the mountainside. Snow flurries billowed behind each rider while hoots and hollers of excitement echoed through the trees. And that was only the 1st run of the day. What a day we were in for.
The day would continue with face shots and endless turns through freshly uncut powder. Steeper lines would lead to more highs, more excitement and although we couldn't see it through the facemask and mirrored goggles lenses, we knew everyone felt the same.
We broke for a quick tailgate, to refuel and keep our bodies nourished for more of the same. Hot dogs, chips and Guac, beers and PARKIT camping chairs set the scene as an endless downpour of snowfall mesmerized our visions for the afternoon. The day had already been a huge success… what more could we ask for?
We would ride for 3 more hours. Sifting through trees and finding lines untouched by board and ski. Never in our lives could any of us recall a day at a resort where the slopes stayed fresh from the destruction of other riders. We rode through it all, snuck off the grid, caught busses back to lifts and did it all over again.
That's just the way it is in the Wasatch. Deep, steep and fluffy. There's something special, not only about these mountains but the people who ride them. They know they have some special in their backyard, hell, there's even science to prove it. We're just grateful that a handful of locals decided to welcome us into it. We'll be back for sure.


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Kooheji Contractors - الكوهجي للمقاولات
Milestones > Durrat Al Bahrain
Client Consultant
Project Summery
Construction of 160 luxurious villas (Built up area of each villas varies from 500 to 800 m2) of very high quality which includes all Civil works including finishing and all interior works, MEP and associated Infrastructure etc.
About Durrat Al Bahrain
Durrat Al Bahrain is the largest artificial island in Bahrain after the Amwaj Islands. The US$6 billion project will consist of a series of 15 large artificial islands, covering an area of over 20,000,000 m2 (220,000,000 sq ft) once completed in mid-2015. It will comprise six atolls, five fish-shaped islands and two crescent-shaped islands. The plans for the finished islands include five-star hotels, an 18-hole golf course, 12 bridges, and a marina.The marina will span three of the islands and will cover a land area of approximately 700,000 m2 (7,500,000 sq ft) with a cost of about US$1.3 billion. The marina is a joint venture between Durrat Khaleej Al Bahrain and Tameer, one of the GCC region's leading developers. The marina development is the first of its type and size in the Middle East.
Project Title	: Durrat Al Bahrain Resort Project
Contracts reference: Atoll 2 Villas Part A and B
Budget: 25.0 Million BHD
Ground Breaking: 2006, October 10
Completion: 2009 October 30
© Kooheji Contractors. All rights reserved. Home | Careers | Contact | Terms of Use


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Jacqueline Alexander
Child Protective Services Specialist V • Department of Family and Protective Services
Oct. 1, 2022 Child Protective Services Specialist V Department of Family and Protective Services 40 $61,134 0%
July 1, 2022 Child Protective Services Specialist V Department of Family and Protective Services 40 $61,134 0%
April 1, 2022 Child Protective Services Specialist V Department of Family and Protective Services 40 $61,134 0%
Jan. 1, 2022 Child Protective Services Specialist V Department of Family and Protective Services 40 $61,134 0%
Sept. 30, 2021 Child Protective Services Specialist V Department of Family and Protective Services 40 $61,134
Child Protective Services Specialist V


16° & 18° - Success!
On Saturday, March 16th, 2013, The Valleys of Syracuse & Norwood presented the 18° following the presentation of the 16° by the Valley of Utica. A great day of Brotherhood was had by who traveled to Utica for the presentations.


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Q: Installing Xcode documentation At the bottom of the AudioKit Downloads page there is a section titled "Installing Xcode Documentation" which says:

Un-tar it and place it in the Shared Documentation folder:
tar -xf ~/Downloads/AudioKit.tgz -C /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Documentation/DocSets/

Probably I've missed something, but this seems incomplete and/or out of date. I have two questions:

*

*Where do I download the "AudioKit.tgz" file?

*Xcode Help for Xcode 9.1 says documentation should go in ~/Library/Developer/Shared/Documentation/DocSets. Which is correct?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Wales emerged victorious in the Wendy White Series, emerging 2-nil victors after a 72-34 win last night at the Sport Wales National Centre, Cardiff.
It was a nightmare start for the visitors as goal attack Terrelle Onesemo went down with a nasty leg injury within the first thirty seconds. Once play restarted it was Wales who struck first, although a second Welsh goal went awry for a Samoan interception. Indeed, Samoa had done their homework on their hosts and were leading by 1 after five minutes of play. Things were neck and neck for most of the quarter, only for Samoa to lose concentration in the final three minutes and give wales a 4-goal lead going into the first break.
The second half began in a somewhat rigid fashion as both teams exchanged simple goals. It was Wales who broke the deadlock with a brilliant interception from Nia Jones who pounced on a loose pass to set up Sarah Llewelyn who was waiting to take advantage. Despite some Samoan changes, Wales took a 14 point lead at half-time.
What had started the match as a reasonably sturdy Samoan defence started to flake as the second half wore on. Wales rung the changes as the goals kept coming and the third quarter saw was up by 26. With a minute to go Wales passed the seventy-goal mark and other than a beautifully floated Samoan pass that drew a wow from the crowd, the visitors were routed.
The final score of 71-45 did not tell that whole tale of how much the young visiting side improved in this second test, particularly in defence. Samoa made some outstanding interceptions, and despite losing Terrelle Onesemo to injury they put in a performance that will stand them in good stead in the future.
Post-match, Wales were presented with the Wendy White trophy for winning the series. Meanwhile, Eleanor Roberts was recognised by Welsh Netball President, Merle Hamilton, for winning her first cap on Tuesday and Georgia Rowe was crowned player of the series and had her award presented by Tom Cooper from Ace Orthotix.
Wales now turn their attentions to January's World Cup qualifiers in Perth, Scotland. Elsewhere, Celtic Dragons head to Severn Stars for their first pre-season match ahead of the 2018 Vitality Superleague season.
Suzy Drane (C), Fern Davies, Bethan Dyke, Kyra Jones, Nia Jones, Sarah Llewelyn, Cara Lea Moseley, Eleanor Roberts, Georgia Rowe, Christina Shaw, Leila Thomas and Amanda Varey.


Thank You For Visiting Our Web Site, Hunan Garden Family chinese restaurant on 1979B East Pembroke Ave, Hampton Virginia has been VA Tradition Since 2002 , We served hunan style, szechuan style chinese food to carry out.
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text:
import time

from contextlib import closing

from zeroconf import ServiceBrowser, Zeroconf

class MyListener(object):
    wifi_gates = set()

    def remove_service(self, zeroconf, type, name):
        self.wifi_gates.remove(name)

    def add_service(self, zeroconf, type, name):
        self.wifi_gates.add(name)

def discover():
    with closing(Zeroconf()) as zeroconf:
        listener = MyListener()
        listener.wifi_gates.clear()

        browser = ServiceBrowser(zeroconf, "_jsongate._tcp.local.", listener)

        time.sleep(1.0)

        gates = [g.replace('._jsongate._tcp', '')[:-1]
                 for g in listener.wifi_gates]

        return {
            host.replace('.local', ''): (host, 9342)
            for host in gates
        }

def main():
    import argparse

    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
    parser.add_argument('cmd', choices=('discover', ))
    args = parser.parse_args()

    if args.cmd == 'discover':
        while True:
            print(discover())

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


From the time of Pythagoras of Samos (sixth century BC), the Greek philosopher-scientists taught that the Earth was a sphere and the harmonies of the universe were governed by mathematical relations. With the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, cultural darkness descended on Europe and all intellectual pursuits languished under the rule of barbarians. In the Early Middle Ages, the universe reverted to a mythic polarization of Heaven and Earth. Cosmas (sixth century AD), an Alexandrian geographer, held that the Earth was a rectangular plane surrounded by an abyss of water. While European learning was at its lowest ebb, remnants of ancient knowledge survived in Byzantium, Syria, and Persia. According to the ideas of Cosmas, we can imagine the Earth in the form of a cube but with the same mass as Earth. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the acceleration of gravity "g" at the center of each face of the cubical Earth. Our calculation uses Newton's law of universal gravitation and suggests the value "g" = 9.8162 m s[superscript -2] . At the center of each cube face the gravitational force is almost exactly as at the surface of the spherical Earth.


Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) cytochrome P450 gene CYP121 is shown to be essential for viability of the bacterium in vitro by gene knock-out with complementation. Production of CYP121 protein in Mtb cells is demonstrated. Minimum inhibitory concentration values for azole drugs against Mtb H37Rv were determined, the rank order of which correlated well with Kd values for their binding to CYP121. Solution-state spectroscopic, kinetic, and thermodynamic studies and crystal structure determination for a series of CYP121 active site mutants provide further insights into structure and biophysical features of the enzyme. Pro346 was shown to control heme cofactor conformation, whereas Arg386 is a critical determinant of heme potential, with an unprecedented 280-mV increase in heme iron redox potential in a R386L mutant. A homologous Mtb redox partner system was reconstituted and transported electrons faster to CYP121 R386L than to wild type CYP121. Heme potential was not perturbed in a F338H mutant, suggesting that a proposed P450 superfamily-wide role for the phylogenetically conserved phenylalanine in heme thermodynamic regulation is unlikely. Collectively, data point to an important cellular role for CYP121 and highlight its potential as a novel Mtb drug target.


text:
Character Questionnaire 2: Aden Summerfeld
Posted on March 5, 2017 March 5, 2017 by tessarenalds
Physical/Aesthetic Characteristics
What color is your character's hair? Raven black, windswept and unruly.
What color are your character's eyes? Emerald green
What color is your character's skin? Caucasian—well-tanned and slightly weathered skin for a 19-22 year old;
What special aesthetic characteristics does your character have? He has distinguishable scratches upon his forearms, wrists, hands, and legs from battling at such a young age. He does have a few scratches on his face, but the one that didn't fully heal was the one inflicted upon his eyebrow on his left side. He does sport a 4 inch gash mark on his back from the capsizing of The Division.
Does your character have any piercings? Tattoos? He has two piercings on his ears; He has a sterling silver sword ear cuff on his left cartilage. On his right cartilage he has an obsidian black orb hanging from an ear cuff chain that wraps around his ear.Aden doesn't have any tattoos. He finds them unappealing on him since he has a lot of scars.
What's the sexiest physical characteristic of your character? His eyes are the main drawing point to his face. If someone were to be looking from afar, it would most likely be how he carries himself (i.e. His shoulders straight and tall, head up, confident smirk playing up his lips).
What's the ugliest physical characteristic of your character? He does have scars scattered over his body—years of training and fighting are easily shown upon his skin. Some of his scars are not that pretty to look at.
BONUS: What element of their appearance is your character most insecure about? Aden really does not like the way his hip bones protrude out. While his brothers compliment him on his physical physique, he finds his hips to be his lack-luster attribute to his entire body. Ergo his reason why he focuses a majority of the time on leg workouts when working out; although no one really notices it except him.
8a. What does your character wear? He sticks to comfortable clothing that is easy to move in. Aden wears a white or black long sleeved shirt that is drawn together at the collarbone with string. His sleeves extend to his wrists but due to his line of work, he rolls them up to his elbow. He is not one to conform to societal expectations so he opts out of the topcoat due to the stuffiness. He wears black suspenders, a work vest with embroidered square patterns along the sides, and a rustic brown utility belt that holsters his broad sword at his right hip. He wears khaki uniform pants with multiple pockets on each pant leg. His pants are tucked into his black work boots.
BONUS: Why does your character like wearing that outfit? It suits his line of work and the brand/fabric is easy to find anywhere. Plus his brothers know plenty of merchants that sell their uniforms for cheap.
8b. what does your character wear? (Formal) Aden has a formal Captain's attire he will wear if they are invited to attend specific meetings or galas. He sticks to the typical suit and tie standard: A distinctive black tailcoat that was tailored specifically to his waist, the two tails in the back extended past his buttocks, a waistcoat that was similar in color as the tailcoat, there were small embellishments ordained on this vest to showcase his work in the State, an ordinary white collared shirt with long sleeves, black trousers were worn with black suspenders to hold up his pants, and he wore white gloves to cover his hands. For shoes, he had a State ordained polished pair of formal shoes.
PS He hates wearing this outfit.
8c. what does your character wear? (Winter) Aden will wear what he typically wears on any other given day, but he will add more layers to his attire. He will wear more mantles and heavy coats to protect him from the elements. All of his coats will be in colors or dark colors such as navy blue, black, brown, and dark green.
He likes winter time, but not for the clothes.
Expressions of Emotion
When your character smiles, what does their smile look like? Aden does not have a toothy smile, for the most part he will smile using as little facial expression as possible. He is not one for smiling, but when he thinks he is by himself, he will smile with a slight dimple appearing on both his cheeks. He gets that from his mother. He is more of the smirking type of person.
What does your character's laugh sound like? His laughter is a low-pitch chuckle that reverbs in his chest to his throat. He isn't the type to just laugh out loud. He does laugh softly to show his amusement. Unless something really funny happens, he won't laugh out loud.
BONUS: What sort of things would make your character laugh? He would laugh mostly at his family's/friend's expense. If they happened to do something silly, he would laugh at them. Mostly it is directed to Damien, Xavier, and sometimes Charlotte. Although he is known to give an evil chuckle when someone is asking for trouble—typically this is directed to the crew members or Charlotte.
What is your character's normal style of speech? Due to his calm composure (or lack of caring in some respects), he is concise with his choice of words and straight to the point. He is not as expressive when he is happy, but when he is mad or angry it is easy to discern. If he gets too riled up, or gets caught in a lecture, he will talk for hours on end about it (although he only does that to Charlotte). When something does not make sense to him, he does appear to have some concern evident in his voice—but it's mostly for how to avoid stupid and careless decisions in the future. When he knows he is at fault for something, he does his best to apologize in his own way. He tries to express it best using a low and humble voice, speaking specifically to that person or thing he may want to apologize toward.
BONUS: What are some memorable things your character has said that showcase their unique voice? "If you forgot your stuff in the boat I am not getting it for you"; "I promise to protect you"; "She died because I was too powerless to protect anyone. It was a harsh reminder that I am still young and inexperienced", "Okay, 'Char…well, you know'".
How does your character express/handle anger? Aden expresses his anger very naturally. When he is talking with someone who angers him or questions his decisions, he will aggressively stand his ground. He does not yell (as that would be counter-productive), but his facial expressions will darken and he will look down on the person he is speaking to. When he is in battle and angry, he will become violent to his aggressor, forgetting about his own personal safety. If it is someone that he is close to, he will be more touchy with them (put them into a headlock, grab them by their collars, kick them in their solar plexus—he mostly does this with his brothers and close guy crew mates.) With females, he will just tower over them to ignore them. Although he chooses a different approach with Charlotte as he will just run her around the ship on his shoulder, and tie her up to the mast.
Does your character cry? As Aden is human, he is allowed emotions. He doesn't get emotional and weepy though. He will be solemn and steel his look. He refuses to cry in front of others, but he will let himself be vulnerable.
BONUS: What sorts of things would make them cry? His friends and family dying because he was too weak to protect them.
How easy is it for other people to read your character's emotions? Unless they are fairly close with him, he really isn't an easy book to read. For the most time, a lot of people see him as this aloof character unless he specifically wants the person to know what he intends.
Character Beliefs
Is your character religious? There really isn't anything that Aden believes in regard to religion.
How does your character view those of other faiths? He accepts that everyone is a human being that is meant to live in this world for a reason. He understands the symbolic burning of the corpses as some type of belief system passed down as a rite of passage into the next—although he doesn't necessarily agree that it will. He merely goes along with the masses, seeing as it will help them in the grieving process than he.
What are your character's core values? Aden believes that what must be conserved in this world is the presence of family bonds and protecting the rights to live. He is skeptical of the current world they live in as he does not believe there should be a Utilitarian military designed to control the people through tactical suppression. He also does not agree with the pirates trying to take down the only government entity supporting their world. There should be something in the middle that they could come to terms with to live in harmony, but he is unable to figure that out yet.
How willing is your character to fight for those values? Aden is willing to fight for what he believes is the best course of action. He is striving for some sort of token to be received, and it is more than likely Charlotte's approval.
Character Likes and Dislikes
What is your character's favorite food? Baked Parmesan Tilapia, scalloped potatoes with bacon bits, cheese, and sour cream, strawberry yogurt
What is your character's favorite color? Aden enjoys the color of the setting sun; the ways of rich amber meet the horizon line with the dark blue ocean in the distance.
What are your character's sleeping preferences? He is a night owl, working during the late shifts and sleeping in the early morning to early afternoon. When he sleeps he is a light sleeper, waking up at any given time. If someone enters the room or approaches his side (no matter how close) he will wake up. Due to his light sleep, he will only get short hours in bed. It doesn't help that he is an insomniac.
BONUS: What position does your character typically sleep in? Aden will sleep primarily on his stomach or side. Ever since his back injury, he has been prone to sleeping on other places instead. If he is not paying attention, he could fall asleep sitting up (happens when he is reading late into the morning).
What is your character's sexual identity? He identifies as straight—he knows that he likes women over men.
What are your character's sexual preferences? Aden is a liberal person toward his sexual preferences. He is pretty comfortable with the concept of sex, but he stops with his flings after the Estate. (Hrmm, wonder why?) Aden sees sex as nothing more than a primal instinct to procreate and release inner frustrations. This was what was ingrained into his mind when he was working with Zaine, so the mindset kind of stuck with him. He does enjoy fantasizing about women, but he is not inclined to act upon his urges. He is a pretty dominant person in bed, and enjoys teasing the other party into submission.
BONUS: What sexual experiences or choices does your character feel especially good or bad about? This does tie into his insecurity of his hips, but when he was working under Zaine he had to have a couple fair scores of women. He isn't exactly thrilled to remember these particular moments, but he always had to hear it from the pirates about how bony he was in his lower region. He received a lot of grief about it, so he worked double time to gain more muscle. Although it backfired on him because he still had prominent hip bones protruding—and his workouts just accentuated them.
What type of music does your character like? He likes music that does not have lyrics attached to them—anything in the classical to single wind chime noises in the distance. It reminds him of tranquility.
BONUS: Does your character have a song that is "their song"? Aden does sing a common pirate's shanty once in a while—but he doesn't necessarily think that it is "his song".
What is your character's birthday? November 13th, 1874*
BONUS: Does their astrological sign seem to fit them? Yes and no. It fits Aden in regard to his sexual and familial bonds, but as he is cut short on expressions he does fall short on that. He is known to keep secrets, which scorpio's are excellent at having. He does enjoy a good chase, which also is an aspect to scorpio's character. Very intense.
What family structure did your character have growing up? He has a peculiar family setting—his mother left her previous marriage with him from another man (not too important to Aden who the guy was) and they've been on the run since he was about 2 years old. He was taken in by Emmett Summerfeld when they were found. He does have two older siblings from his mother's previous marriage. He gets along well with his brother Damien, but he has a difficult time understanding Xavier. They have had a strained relationship since they first met, but they both agree that they appreciate the other. Xavier is a bit standoffish to Aden whenever he brings his mom up, so they learned quickly not to speak about family stuff unless someone wanted to wind up with a black eye.
How well did your character get along with their family? He gets along with his present family as one would expect. They all live together on one ship, so that can cause some tension as there is little to no personal space. Everyone kind of knows everything about everyone. He does care for his family and wants to keep them safe though.
What is the worst thing your character has ever done? Aden feels most ashamed about his past when working under Zaine. He committed plenty of villainous acts that went against any human morals he had placed upon himself as a child. As he studied under Zaine for almost a decade, he came to terms of how black and white life is. He struggled with this concept, wanting to keep hope for a chance for freedom but he was not blinded by it. He still feels regret over his actions to this day—he pays back his debt to society by working with The State (even though he knows working for them amounts to the same as Zaine), but at least he could choose what he wanted to do. With Zaine, he was forced to slaughter people for his crews' amusement.
What is the best thing your character has ever done? Aden sucker punched Zaine in the face. He felt particularly proud of that moment because it became his moment to break free. He wasn't scared of dying or being coerced—he just wanted to do the right thing.
What is the most significant romantic encounter of your character's past? Aden never did fall in love with anyone—he had plenty of night flings but never got emotionally attached. He probably broke more hearts than they did to him.
Has your character ever been in love? No, and he doesn't see it as a bad thing. He is only doing what he wanted to do.
Has your character ever been in lust? Yeah—he is especially lusty since he's been celibate for quite a while. He does this thing where he hovers over Charlotte and just wants her. But he won't actually push her boundaries and space. He respects that she is inexperienced and just wants her to be with him because she wants to be with him.
What is your character's level of sexual experience? Aden's pretty skilled, or else he would have had more insecurity about himself in bed. The pirates would not have let him live it down if that were the case.
What is your character's most embarrassing moment? In the Academy he was assigned a creative assignment to prepare a motor engine. Not knowing much about the engineering, he set forth to his books for help and even consulted the AI help desk (AKA Olivia Cheric). Being funny, the young missus suggested he add some artillery defense mechanisms. She knew it clearly would end disastrously, but Aden did not. He completed his assignment, presented the engine, and before he knew it (it exploded, taking out a good chunk of the cafeteria in its wake). Andy Nielsen, Aden Summerfeld, Damien Drummond, Leroy Tegan, and several other students nearby suffered both scorch marks and burns for their trouble. Not one person passed their assignment as Aden was the first to present his project, and it completely obliterated the rest of the classes projects.
Character Introspection
What is your character's biggest goal in life? WILL UPDATE LATER TO PREVENT SPOILERS
What does your character believe is their greatest virtue? Courage. Many people agree with this as he acts first without thinking of his personal safety. Sometimes though, some individuals will think that he is doing the crazy actions for the glory of completing a daunting task.
What does your character believe is their greatest vice? Aden has a mixture of laziness and wrath to his character. He believes that he is quite the vicious individual who would throw anyone away for his own sake. He had killed countless people under the rule of Zaine, and due to this his thinking became one of indifference to life. Plenty of people would disagree with him, but because he does not explain his past in full detail they only seem to agree with his apathy to certain things.
What motivates your character most? WILL UPDATE LATER TO PREVENT SPOILERS
Is your character objective-oriented? WILL UPDATE LATER TO PREVENT SPOILERS He is highly objective-oriented. He takes things steps at a time.
Would your character rather be a great person or a good person? He would rather be a good person than great. He isn't looking for fame or fortune. All he is doing is just trying to survive and keep his family safe.
Would your character rather be hated for being who they are or loved for pretending to be someone else? Aden is the type of person that would rather be hated for being who they were instead of pretending to be someone that he wasn't.
Is your character an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert? Aden leans more on the introvert scale, wanting nothing more than to work on his own and be independent. He will be extroverted when he is with people he truly cares about. He does not like being in the center of attention.
Is your character creatively expressive? No—Aden is by far one of the destructive when given hands-on modules and crafts to work with. Although if one looked at it from another angle, he is creatively expressive in destroying things effectively
What's your character's disorder? He is a bit of a perfectionist and OCD-maniac. He likes to know where things are located and as such, keeps things in a numerical and alphabetical order. He writes his notes down in a systematic and logical sense, keeping it concise and plain-to-read.
What is your character's standard emotional state? Aden's standard emotional state depends on who he is with. If he is with Zaine (or talking about Zaine), he is more on edge and tense. He suffers from post-traumatic stress due to his past with this particular antagonist and is more inclined to freeze when subdued by this man. When he is surrounded by his friends, family, and crew mates he is typically non-blasé about everything. He will show little to no emotion unless something strikes him as needing to express himself.
Is your character materialistic? He loves reading any type of novels or books, but that is as materialistic as he will get. When he reads, he can escape everyday life and just relax. With reading, he knows that it is his safe haven to go to. He discovered reading when he was given free time as a child.
BONUS: What are some of your character's prized possessions? His books. Don't touch his books unless you want to face his wrath.
What is your character's major learning style? He is a visual and kinesthetic learner. He learns by examples dictated in written instructions rather than listening to someone explaining it.
What question isn't on this questionnaire that your character is just burning to answer?
I am a _________. How would your character complete that sentence? WILL UPDATE LATER TO PREVENT SPOILERS. I am a SPOILER.
Life is an act of _________ing. What verb would your character use to complete that sentence? WILL UPDATE LATER TO PREVENT SPOILERS. Life is an act of SPOILER.
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Private producers of natural gas for Tanzania's domestic market are applauding the state energy firms for timeous payment of their receivables.
Canada headquartered Wentworth Resources, a member of the consortium producing Mnazi Bay Concession, reports that "Monthly payments in January and February 2019 for gas sales generated from the concession in aggregate, $3.2 million net to Wentworth, have been received" (as of March 6, 2019.
Gas production from the Mnazi Bay concession reaches 80Million standard cubic feet of gas per day at peak and is supplied to state owned power plants and industrial users like Dangote Cement Plant.
"These payments are post allocation of the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation ("TPDC") receivable, adjusted to reflect the Ziwani-1 exploration well and associated 3D seismic costs".
Wentworth says that "payments were received from both TPDC and Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) and due arrears from both off-takers remain at three months, having steadily reduced during the course of 2018".
As a result of the continued demand and sustainable payment landscape, the Company continues to meet and pay-down its debt commitments from free cash-flow in 2019 and expects to be debt free with the final payment on its single outstanding loan facility falling due in January 2020.
Servicing of the $1.2Billion (2.409tri/-) debt procured for the construction of gas pipelines and power plants in the country is the major cause of the three consecutive year loss by Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC).
Kapuulya Musomba, acting Managing Director of TPDC, says "the mega investment" made by the government to increase natural gas for electricity generation, after securing the loan from Exim Bank of China supply, is the major reason for the losses.
The fluctuation of the Tanzanian shilling against the US dollar to 2230/- per dollar in 2016 from 1600/- in 2013 is also a huge contributing factor to the increased losses, Musomba wrote in reaction to a Parliamentary report.
The projects consist of a 542 kilometre pipeline from the country's natural gas fields in Mnazi Bay, Mtwara Region to Dares Salaam, the commercial centre. The line has the capacity to transport 784 MMscf/d of gas to be used in the production of 3,920 MW of electricity. Also included in the project is the construction of natural gas processing plants at Madimba in Mtwara and SongoSongo Island in Lindi. Two power plants at Kinyerezi I and Kinyerezi II with power generation capacities of 150MW and 240MW, respectively, weill be fired by natural gas.
Musomba's statement was responding to a Parliamentary Investment Committee (PIC) listing TPDC among the three loss making public institutions in the country.
The mega projects were commissioned in 2015. Musomba said it was impossible to realise profit in a short period of time since project started to operate in 2015. The books recorded $145Million (341Billion/-) loss in the first year of its operations 2015/16,.
This pushed up the loan to $72.5Million (170Billion/-) which is equivalent to 50.4% of the total loss recorded in 2016. The payment of $30.3Million (71.05Billion/-) interest on the loan, representing 21%of the total loss registered in 2016 contributed to the mounting losses.
/- is the symbol of the Tanzanian currency, the Shilling.
There is no single E&P company on the list of the current beneficiaries of the Pioneer Status Incentive of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).
But the oil and gas industry is not entirely excluded.
Three companies, which either use natural gas as feedstock or convert and distribute products of natural gas, are listed among the 21 Beneficiaries of the incentive on the latest report on the NIPC website.
They include the Indorama Eleme Fertiliser, which has purportedly invested ₦360Billion on the facility for which it was granted the incentive. Indorama's status was approved in April 2017 and it is expected to expire in March 2020. The company is located in Rivers State in the eastern Niger Delta.
PNG Gas Limited, located in Delta State, had its Pioneer Status approved in September 2017, with an August 2020 expiry date. It has purportedly invested ₦13Billion to produce and market Propane. Lagos based Power Gas Delta Innovations Limited is said to be in "gas manufacture and distribution", according to the NIPC report. It won the Pioneer status as a result of investment worth ₦8.7Billion. The incentive approval was made in March 2018 and the expiry date is February 2021.
Anadarko, the large American independent, will take the Final Investment Decision (FID) on its proposed, two train, 12Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, in Mozambique, next month, which is March 2019.
Omar Mitha, Chief Executive Officer of the Mozambican state hydrocarbon company ENH, gave the specific date to a correspondent of Africa Oil+Gas Report, in Lagos, Nigeria.
"That's what we are looking at", Mitha told us on the side-lines of the West Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (WAIPEC), held in Lagos, recently.
FID for the Anadarko led project, to monetise over 75Trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Golf-Atinho fields in the deep-waters of the Indian Ocean, has been long in coming. "Anadarko has gone through a steep learning curve to get here", Mitha said. The resources were first discovered in February 2010. "They (Anadarko) haven't done this kind of project before".
Anadarko, the first company to encounter commercial sized gas accumulations offshore East Africa, has announced four long term Sales and Purchase Agreements with clients from mostly Asia, in the last 15 months. The latest deal, announced February 15, 2019, involves the sale of 1Million Metric Tonnes a year of LNG for a term of 15 years to India's Bharat Petroleum. The deal gives the project a total of 8.5Million Metric Tonnes of LNG sales a year in signed contracts, lifting the operator over the 8Million Tonne threshold which the company said it wanted to reach before project sanction.
Anadarko leads the LNG project in an acreage named Area 1 with a 26.5% ownership stake. Other owners include ENH with 15%; Japan's Mitsui Group, 20%; India's ONGC Videsh, 16%; Bharat, 10% Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production, 8.5% and Oil India Ltd., 4%.
Penspen has announced that it has been awarded a contract by The Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to execute the First Phase of the FEED (FEED Phase I) of approximately 5,700 km gas pipeline proposed to run from Nigeria to Morocco.
The award is a follow-up on the feasibility study completed by Penspen in July 2018., the company says.
The London headquartered firm claims it is a leading global provider of engineering and project management services to the energy industry, but it doesn't have a single office in the entire African continent.
Its announcement comes at a time when there's still a lot of conversation around the value of the project and questions around why the Nigeria-Algeria pipeline idea was scuppered.
Penspen says that the FEED Phase I consists of a detailed review of the feasibility study results and in-depth evaluation of the gas demand and supply study. Further design of the pipeline system, in addition to the execution of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), will then be carried out with the aim of optimising the proposed pipeline route and project economics.
"Penspen will also support the client in marketing and promoting the pipeline project to potential stakeholders showcasing the wider benefits of its development", the company says..
"At the end of the study, key detailed outcomes will help the client prepare for the second phase of the FEED (FEED Phase II) which is expected to lead to a Final Investment Decision (FID).
"Penspen will be utilising the skills and capabilities of Dar Al-Handasah, Crestech and Control Risk to conduct a number of special studies required for the FEED services, environmental impact assessment, Nigeria gas supply study and risk study respectively".
This is a "key milestone enabling the participants to rapidly move toward a final investment decision in 2019 on the first phase of the Rovuma LNG project. Area 4", ENI says in a release. Participants are ExxonMobil, ENI, the China National Petroleum Corporation, Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos, Kogas and Galp.
"Those commitments are subject to the conclusion of fully-termed agreements, which will be finalized and initialed in the next weeks, with the approval of the Government of Mozambique", ENI explains.
"The Rovuma LNG marketing team has worked at an accelerated pace to reach this important milestone, a tremendous achievement made possible by the strength of the Area 4 co-venture parties and the support of the Government of Mozambique," adds Peter Clarke, president of ExxonMobil Gas and Power Marketing Company.
while ENIwill lead the construction and operation of the upstream facilities.
The development plan for the first phase of the Rovuma LNG project specifies the proposed design and construction of two liquefied natural gas trains, which will each produce 7.6Million tons of LNG per year. Mozambique Rovuma Venture is currently holding productive discussions with the Mozambican Government on development plan details.
BP has announced the agreement, with its partners, for Final Investment Decision (FID) for Phase 1 of a Floating LNG project in two fields straddling Senegal and Mauritania.
It will be the third floating LNG plant offshore Africa, coming after the Perenco operated 2.4MMTPA Hilli Episeyo FLNG, located on the Atlantic offshore Cameroon, which came on stream last June and the ENI operated 3.3MMTPA Coral South FLNG, to be sited on the Indian Ocean offshore Mozambique. Construction of the Coral South Vessel has begun.
The FID for BP operated Greater Tortue Ahmeyim development was made following agreement between the Mauritanian and Senegalese governments and partners BP, Kosmos Energy and National Oil Companies Petrosen and SMHPM.
The project will produce gas from an ultra-deepwater subsea system and mid-water floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will process the gas, removing heavier hydrocarbon components. The gas will then be transferred to a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility at an innovative nearshore hub located on the Mauritania and Senegal maritime border. The FLNG facility is designed to provide circa 2.5Million tonnes of LNG per annum on average, with the total gas resources in the field estimated to be around 15Trillion cubic feet. The project, the first major gas project to reach FID in the basin, is planned to provide LNG for global export as well as making gas available for domestic use in both Mauritania and Senegal.
Delays by one of the two contractors constructing the OB3 Pipeline has ensured that the crucial line will not be completed in 2018.
The Oben –Obiafu-Obrikom (OB3) pipeline is Nigeria's largest gas transmission pipeline and its completion will create the first semblance of a gas grid in the country.
It will ferry gas from the huge reservoirs in Rivers State, in eastern Nigeria, to the industrial markets in the West of the country.
The pipeline, being constructed by the Nigerian government, will have the capacity to pump Two Billion standard cubic feet of gas a day.
The EPC contract was awarded by the Nigerian cabinet of Ministers (Federal Executive Council) in the third quarter of 2012, to Messrs Nestoil Limited (Lot A) and Oilserv Limited (Lot B).
Lot A involves the EPC of 64.15km x 48" Class 600 gas pipeline and Custody Transfer Metering Station at Obiafu/Obrikom in Rivers State. Lot B involves the EPC of 47.13km x 48" & 18km x 36" Intermediate Pigging Station and Gas Treatment Plant at Oben, Edo State.
Contractual project completion date for both Lots is 31st July, 2018.
But whereas Lot B (OILSERV) is mechanically finished, Lot A (Nestoil) is stagnant. There are contractor issues with Lot A and the project is stalemated.


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HomeNews & Social MediaSanya NewsFar Eastern Air runs 24 flights weekly to Sanya, Haikou & other Chinese cities
Far Eastern Air runs 24 flights weekly to Sanya, Haikou & other Chinese cities
Taiwan-based Far Eastern Air Transport expects to receive three to five Airbus planes in September as part of the carrier's efforts to start flights across the Taiwan Strait, the airline company said Saturday.
The exact number of planes Far Eastern Air will rent from Airbus will depend on how the local carrier does in repairing two grounded Boeing 757s, the carrier said.
Far Eastern Air, which resumed services in mid-April after a three year hiatus due to financial problems, currently operates a fleet of three MD-80 aircraft and provides four regular flights between Taipei and the outlying island of Kinmen each week.
The carrier said its fleet will expand with another MD-80 shortly after the completion of repair work on the plane.
After its service resumption last April, the carrier was assigned by the aviation authorities a total of 24 flights a week to the second and third tier Chinese cities of Taiyuan in Shanxi province, Sanya and Haikou in Hainan province, and Chengdu in Sichuan province.
However, Far Eastern Air failed to secure the most popular Chinese destinations, such as Beijing and Shanghai, where an empty seat in cross-strait flights is a rarity.
Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) gave Far Eastern Air a condition that the airline must meet in order to operate cross-strait flights. The carrier must increase its fleet to nine planes by Oct. 20. Otherwise, the number of flights will be cut based on the size of the fleet.
Far Eastern Air said it is determined to meet the CAA's demand either by accelerating its efforts to repair its existing planes or by renting new aircraft to launch cross-strait services.
In addition to the cross-strait routes, the carrier is planning to provide services to the outlying island of Penghu, as well as Siem Reap in Cambodia, starting this month.
SOURCE: focustaiwan.tw
Previous news: Real-name registration system for pesticide purchase launched in Hainan
Next news: Online photo of flooded Beijing airport proved a photo taken in Hainan


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Biographical - Jonathan Rosenblum
The Limits of Forgiveness
by Jonathan Rosenblum
Mishpacha Magazine
https://www.jewishmediaresources.com/2003/the-limits-of-forgivenss
If they can forgive each other, can we?
My wife and I are just back from nearly two weeks in South Africa, during which time we made many friends, spent Shabbos and Shavuos in one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the world, and viewed wondrous scenery around Cape Town.
But for me the most fascinating part of the trip was observing the interactions between blacks and whites in South Africa today, and reminding myself that less than 30 years ago blacks and whites could not sit on the same bench or drink from the same water fountain. The notorious Pass Laws severely restricted where blacks could travel and effectively separated families. The ruling Afrikaans government provided, under the Bantu Education Act, only the most rudimentary education to blacks to ensure that they could not compete with whites for skilled jobs.
Today, blacks and whites mingle naturally. In the smiling greetings of a group of young black children in their school uniforms at the entrance to the Cape Town aquarium, I detect no indication that they view white people as enemies or oppressors. Nor do I detect the slightest indication that they doubt in any way their equal human dignity. (These observations of an outside visitor, on a short visit, almost certainly lack important nuance.)
Much credit for South Africa's ability to move past its bitter racial past undoubtedly belongs to Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected president. Mandela understood the power of symbolic gestures, and the primary signal he sent to South Africa's white citizens was: We seek to build a society based on the equal dignity of all human beings, and not with the intent of taking revenge.
Immediately after taking office, he attended a soccer game where the new national anthem was played. Then he ordered the band to play the old Afrikaaner anthem. And when South Africa upset the New Zealand All Blacks to capture the world rugby crown, the loudest applause from the crowd was for Mandela wearing the jersey of South Africa's Afrikaaner captain.
All this is not to say that South Africa's future is rosy. The rand is at 15 to the dollar. Less than half of those between 25 and 64 are working. Beggars hover at every traffic light, and large groups of those seeking work are a common sight. A shanty town of tin huts remains a painful eyesore on the drive from Cape Town airport even after a quarter century of majority rule. And one can see even worse driving to a rural lion park.
It will take the country a long time to recover from the ten years of Jacob Zuma's presidency, in which he and his cronies looted the country and destroyed what had been Africa's best infrastructure. But when Zuma was brought down, it was ultimately the work of his own party, the African National Congress, and much of the opposition to his rule came from black businessmen, journalists, and judges.
THE AFRICAN CONTINENT is the scene of novel work in reconciliation between former enemies. Partly, that is a matter of necessity. South Africa's future after 43 years of apartheid rule depended, and still depends, on retaining trust between the deposed former rulers and those whom they oppressed.
Similarly, Rwanda, today one of Africa's safest and least corrupt countries, would have been doomed to endless tribal warfare had a way not been found to move forward from the horrific 1994 genocide of Tutsi tribesmen at the hands of their Hutu neighbors. Over 800,000 Tutsis (and some moderate Hutus) were chopped to death with machetes by Hutus over a period of three months as the world looked on and did nothing.
In South Africa, over 2,000 citizens, both perpetrators and victims, testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Many of those hearings were broadcast nationwide. In Rwanda, 100,000 genocidaires confessed to their crimes and submitted themselves to ad hoc tribunals of their neighbors. The government has created reconciliation villages, in which victims live together with those who, in many cases, left them widowed and childless. About 3,000 people live in those villages.
At the entrance to the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre, there is a photo exhibit of about 12 panels from the Rwandan reconciliation work. Each panel contains a photo of a participant in the massacre of Tutsis, and his own recitation of his crimes and remorse. Most of them had served years in jail for their actions.
The other photo in each panel is (with one exception) of a woman who lost her husband and children at the hands of one of those perpetrators but who had nonetheless granted forgiveness to that person. In many cases, the perpetrator and victim have grown close, with the former being the one to perform tasks on the latter's behalf that would formerly have been done by male family members.
The reconciliation process described in the photos is the diametric opposite of the settling of accounts between the Allied victors and Nazi war criminals at Nuremburg. At Nuremburg, retributive justice was meted out to the Nazi perpetrators, with the hope also of deterring other would-be participants in genocide.
Yet the Nuremburg process strikes the Western mind — at least this Western mind — as far more natural. In The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness, the late Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal relates how, when he was in a forced labor unit in a German military hospital, a nurse summoned him to the bedside of a mortally wounded German soldier. The soldier sought from Wiesenthal absolution for his role in the machine-gunning by SS soldiers of 300 desperate Jews as they tried to escape a burning building. Wiesenthal left the room without responding. He had no authority to grant forgiveness in the name of the Jewish People. And I'm sure each of us would react in the same way.
Even in my fantasy life, the outer limits of my capacity to forgive extend only to the point of urging a judge not to throw the book at, for instance, a young drunk driver responsible for the death of a loved one. But even then I cannot imagine maintaining an ongoing relationship with that person.
I wonder if there is something in traditional African culture that allows for reconciliation.
In those panels at the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre, there are two amazing transformations. The most obvious is that of the victims, who describe themselves as not wishing to be consumed by hate and recognizing its futility to bring back their slaughtered loved ones.
But there is also the evident sincerity of the perpetrators, who are overcome with remorse and consumed by the magnitude of their crimes. I have not read any such confessions, as far as I can recall, from Nazi SS participants in the Einsatzgruppen, mobile killing units, or sadistic concentration camp guards.
Sincere regret expressed directly to the victims of one's actions is difficult, even for far less heinous crimes. Theodore Dalrymple writes in the current City Journal of a tipsy Cambridge law student who responded to a homeless man who solicited a handout by burning a 20 pound note in front of him. "He took pleasure in the pain he knew [his action] would cause, in the extra humiliation inflicted upon a man already in a humiliating position," writes Dalrymple.
Two months later, the young man issued an apology to his fellow Cambridge students, who were the victims of guilt by association when a clip of his behavior went viral. But he apparently could not bring himself to seek forgiveness from the victim himself or to view his act as anything more malevolent than could be cured by greater awareness of the dangers of drinking and a course in social inclusion. The homeless man, for his part, was more generous, allowing that he had suffered worse, including being kicked and spat upon.
I AM UNSETTLED by the panels of the Rwandan reconciliation, and torn between viewing the forgiveness of the victims as both superhuman and somehow inhuman. And I'm frustrated by my inability to derive any non-trite lesson from the panels beyond the need to confront honestly the pain and harm we inflict on others, on the one hand, and, on the other, to let go of our trivial, or even not so trivial, grievances and hurts.
Related Topics: Biographical - Jonathan Rosenblum, Social Issues receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free jewish media resources mailing list


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Machete/Bat Fight Ends in Gunfire
Investigators are still piecing together the bizarre fight that ended…
Investigators are still piecing together the bizarre fight that ended with one gang member in the hospital, and two others in custody.
Officers rushed to a home on Augusta near Gettysburg in Northeast Fresno, just before 7 p.m. Sunday, after getting reports of a shooting.
Police said a man, who lives near a troubled park in the area, spotted the gang members outside his house. He first confronted them with a machete, but one of the suspects got a baseball bat out of a car nearby and knocked the weapon out of the man's hand.
Some of the resident's family members then joined the fight, which ended after the man grabbed a rifle and opened fire.
SW Missouri Shooting Determined to Be Self-Defense
Investigators are still piecing together the bizarre fight that ended with one gang member in…
by Personal Defense World	/ May 29, 2013
FIRST LOOK: SilencerCo Non-NFA Maxim 9 Is the 'Quietest Pistol...
Internet Slams Actor Chris Pratt for Wearing a Gadsden Flag...


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Le musée Maria Skłodowska-Curie (en polonais Muzeum Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie) est un musée située Ulica Freta dans le quartier de Nowe Miasto, arrondissement de Śródmieście, à Varsovie.

Histoire

Sources

Musée à Varsovie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


"There's an Old Consumer and a New Consumer…The Old Consumer borrowed eagerly and spent freely. The New Consumer saves soberly and spends prudently," explains Robert J. Samuelson from The Washington Post. In a post-financial crisis world, 65 percent of consumers prefer saving money to spending it according to a gallop poll.
This decrease in consumption spending has affected many areas of the economy as well as the mindset of consumers, "people got a cruel lesson about [the dangers] of debt," says U-M Professor of Economics Matthew Shapiro. However, despite all of the negative affects that consumer savings have caused as outlined in this article, this increase could also be increasing a consumer's financial confidence and willingness to spend at an increasing rate.
Read the original article from The Washington Post, "The economy's real drag: Us."
Read the study by Claudia R. Sham (PhD '07), Matthew Shapiro and Joel Slemrod, "Balance-Sheet Household and Fiscal Stimulus: Lessons from the Payroll Tax Cut and Its Expiration," as referenced in the original article.
Balance-sheet repair drove the response of a significant fraction of households to fiscal stimulus following the Great Recession. By combining survey, behavioral, and time-series evidence on the 2011 payroll tax cut and its expiration in 2013, this papers identifies and analyzes households who smooth debt repayment. These "balance-sheet households" are as prevalent as "permanent-income households," who smooth consumption in response to the temporary tax cut, and outnumber "constrained households," who temporarily boost spending. The asymmetric spending response of balance-sheet households poses challenges to standard models, but nonetheless appears important for understanding individual and aggregate responses to fiscal stimulus.


The Unbound Prayer Ministry seeks to empower people to take hold of the freedom they have been given in Christ. This freedom, however, can be influenced by deceptions and lies that distort the truth of who God is, what he has done for us, and our relationship with Him.
The Unbound model of prayer is a safe, loving, simple, and reproducible model that helps people to respond to the Good News of the Gospel and apply the truth to their lives using five simple keys which are presented at the conference and are found in the "Unbound Companion Guide" (cost $10) available at the conference or online at "Heart of the Father" Ministries (http://www.heartofthefather.com/product-category/conference-materials/). This model is simple enough to be used in daily individual prayer. However, it can also be used in private prayer ministry sessions where individuals are led through the five keys by trained prayer ministers who listen to your story, ask questions, and help guide you to deeper freedom in Christ.
Individuals will learn how to use these 5 keys to help themselves and others be set free. Please register on the Grace Center website. Walk in registration is also available from 8:30-9 am on the day of the conference. There is no charge to attend the conference. Study Guides and Lunch Boxes are available for purchase at the conference.


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Q: Using Image field for SQL search I have a Access database table which includes an field for a file attachment for an image. How can I create a SQL query to search for NULL value in this field? I have used
SELECT * FROM [Student Register]
  WHERE ((([Student Register].Image.FileName)="isnull"));

but this just brings up an empty result table.
Thanks
Sara

A: SELECT * FROM YourTable WHERE Column_Name IS NULL

A: I believe you want to try something along the lines of:
SELECT * FROM [Student Register]
  WHERE Image.FileName Is Null;


By the time we reached Punakha, it was almost 15:30 and the dzong was going to close in another 1.5 hours. Hurriedly, we went in to show our papers at the security office – they check your Travel permit and Special Area permits.
"We all deeply regret what happened in Mumbai, everyone is talking about it. Why did they attack and kill the innocent people?" he said as his peers looked at us.
My eyes got a bit moist, pained by the incidents that happened in Mumbai and guards' gesture of genuine concern.
We heard the news only briefly on the radio – my home city Mumbai was attacked by terrorists (26/11 or November 26, 2008) from Pakistan yesterday. What a sad thing to happen, we felt guilty for being on vacation.
Punakha Dzong was the seat of Bhutan's government until Thimphu was established as the new capital in 1961. Building of this dzong was foretold by Guru Rinpoche in 8th century. Construction of the dzong begain in 1637 and was completed in one year. It was expanded in 1639 to celebrate victory over invading Tibetan army. Frequent fires, glacial burst and an earthquake damaged the dzong and it has since been repaired and restored.
The dzong can be entered by crossing the Mo Chhu (Mo river) on the beautiful little bridge seen above. In addition to its strategic location at the confluence of two rivers – Mo Chhu (Mother river) and Pho Chhu (Father river), the dzong has provisions to protect it from invasions.
The dzong has three docheys1 or courtyards. The first (northern) courtyard is for administrative functions and houses a huge chorten with a Bodhi tree. The second courtyard houses the monastic quarters and is separated from the first by an utse2. The third (southern) courtyard has the main temple. Sacred remains and relics are placed in a closed room inside the temple and only the two guardian Lamas, the King and the chief Aboot of Bhutan (called Je Khenpo) may enter the room.
↑ Punakha dzong, second courtyard (housing for monks).
The dzong is massive and the towering whitewashed walls of the utse felt very intimidating to me. 🙂 After the guard left us to explore the place ourselves, I climbed to the top of the first utse (tower) and looked at the beautiful view below. I don't know how they built such a high structure and as I climbed it, it reminded me of another 11-storey structure I had seen at Shringi Vatika, Himachal Pradesh.
It was almost 16:30 and they had already closed the main temple. But Bhutanese hospitality is not just lip service. A young Lama, seeing our predicament (we were trying to push open the temple door not realizing that it was locked), went away and fetched someone that had keys to the temple.
The Buddha spoke to me?
The door was opened for us, and as we stepped in, the grand interiors of the temple seemed mesmerizing. The huge central statue of Buddha was so beautiful, powerful an engaging, that I automatically bowed to it out of sheer respect. For a moment, it felt that there was nothing else in my life except the grand statue of Buddha, in fact I lost a sense of existence and surroundings. The statue was speaking something to me and I think I was standing there simply looking at, without being aware of it. I didn't wake up from this trance until my friend nudged me. The feeling was surreal and incomprehensible to my otherwise rational self.
We got out at 17:00. The guards handed back our luggage and offered us water as we spinned the last prayer wheel at the Punakha monastery. A huge building but an humbling experience.
2. Utse: The central tower inside a dzong that houses a temple. The two Utses in Punakha dzong were very tall and overpowering.
This magnanimous structure is so real, yet the experience inside surreal!
nice! Liked the first courtyard picture. Wish you had also posted a picture of Buddha? Were they restricting tourists from taking pictures inside?
@ Priyank : That is the most beautiful dzong in Bhutan as far as I have seen. I think the Je Khempo is also the oracle for Bhutan but I am not sure. I notice they have put in a new bridge in the days that I had been there it was just one of those rope type bridges.
Odzer, yes, they put a new cantilever bridge now. Years ago, there used to be a cantilever bridge of some kind (constructed in 1720) on both the rivers, but they got destroyed. A simple cable suspension bridge took their place for many years but now it seems they built this bridge back.
Fantastic! While the artwork and architecture seems similar to those in China and Thailand, these ones seem almost new and very well maintained.
Hi Shantanu, this place is very well maintained… But I wonder why you think the artwork and architecture is similar to China and Thailand. IMO it is completely different, the roof styles, wall styles and the religious art is not same at all!
Oh but Bhutani architecture is similar to European and Arab style, no? Pillars, roofs, windows, walls…. its so same.
@ Shantanu : Actually they are not similar at all to Chinese or Thai buildings. However if they are I am quite curious to know how you think they are similar?
I have been through all your Bhutan pictures and needless to say they are impressive. I wish we had managed to go to Bhutan when we were in Calcutta, but now even if we are here I think that is one place one must not miss!
Thanks Nita. I'm sure that the next time you decide to go, this information will be very useful to you!
Beautiful pics again, are you planning on being in Bhutan for the Total Solar Eclipse July 22nd?
Wow! Great Architecture. Love your photographs.
I liked reading about your experience inside the temple.
Thanks! Punakha monastery is very beautiful indeed. I'll post the art work shortly.
I'd like to see a picture of that grand statue of Buddha, but I assume taking photos weren't permitted. Anyway, great post!
I wish I could take pictures… 🙁 But as you guessed, it wasn't allowed.
Thanks for the comment – I did not know about the Trongsar Dzong! Perhaps I should check it out on my next visit!
Thanks, Priank. Found on Google.Visited 2004, Had precisely same experience before the Buddha statue, am a hard-bitten skeptic otherwise. But it made me feel the universe was so large, and I was so tiny, yet I felt I was part of this whole vastness, was filled with a kind of ecstasy. Felt humble at the same time empowered. Can't get it out of my mind. I could approach right up to the knees of Buddha 'cause some renovation was going on, monks were lovingly painting the base of the pillars, there was no usual worship nor were there worshipers. Wish we could take pics, it is an image I carry in my mind and gain a kind of serenity. Shall visit again.
Thanks Sunipa and I am glad you had a similar experience. Whenever I think of Bhutan, this event flashes before my eyes.
@Priyank, is the Dzong open on Sunday? if yes, till what time? We plan to visit in April and as per the itinerary it would be a Sunday. Will we be allowed to explore the entire place? Would you also know if National Memorial Chorten and Buddha Dordenma Statue remain open on a Saturday (Thimpu)?


Though not addressing interest rates or immediate policy concerns directly, Yellen laid out the deepening concern at the Fed that U.S. economic potential is slipping and aggressive steps may be needed to rebuild it.
"One can certainly identify plausible ways in which this might occur," she said.
Looking for policies that would lower unemployment further and boost consumption, even at the risk of higher inflation, could convince businesses to invest, improve confidence, and bring even more workers into the economy.
Yellen's comments, while posed as questions that need more research, still add an important voice to an intensifying debate within the Fed over whether economic growth is close enough to normal to need steady interest rate increases, or whether it remains subpar and scarred, a theory pressed by Harvard economist and former U.S. Treasury Secretary, Lawrence Summers, among others.
Her remarks jarred the U.S. bond market on Friday afternoon, where they were interpreted as perhaps a willingness to allow inflation to run beyond the Fed's 2.0 percent target. Prices on longer dated U.S. Treasuries, which are most sensitive to inflation expectations, fell sharply and their yields shot higher.
The yields on both 30-year bonds US30YT=RR and 10-year notes 10YT=RR ended the day at their highest levels since early June, and their spread over shorter-dated 2-year note yields US2YT=RR widened by the most in seven months.
While investors by and large think the Fed is likely to raise interest rates in December this year, in a nod to the country's 5.0 percent unemployment rate and expectations that inflation will rise, they do not see the Fed moving aggressively thereafter.
"This is a clear rebuttal of the hawkish arguments," to raise rates soon, a line of argument pitched by some of the Fed's regional bank presidents, said Christopher Low, chief economist at FTN Financial.
Boston Federal Reserve Bank president Eric Rosengren, who is hosting the conference at which Yellen spoke, was one of three policymakers who dissented at the Fed's September policy meeting and argued for an immediate increase in interest rates. He feels a slight increase now will keep job growth on track and prevent a faster round of rate increases later.
But in a speech earlier on Friday Rosengren also referred to the economy as "nonconformist" because of its slow growth, and the general mood at the conference was that the sluggishness is largely the result of forces like aging and demographics that are unlikely to change.
That sort of assessment could figure importantly in coming debates over rate policy, and over whether support is building at the Fed to risk letting inflation move above its 2.0 percent target in order to employ more workers and perhaps encourage more investment. It could even impact the central bank's willingness to put more aggressive monetary policies back into play if the economy slows.
From low inflation to the effect of low interest rates on spending, Yellen's remarks demonstrated how little in the economy has been acting as the Fed expected.


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Xiaomi to Debut its Mi Home Range in India with Launch of Mi Air Purifier 2 on Sep 21
Amidst increasing demand for air purifiers in India, thanks to the rising pollution levels, Xiaomi is prepping up to launch their own Mi Air Purifier 2 in the country on September 21. Apparently, a leaked screenshot by a tipster reveals that Xiaomi will be livestreaming their product launch on YouTube this time around – just like in the case of Redmi 3S and Redmi 3S Prime.
While Mi Home products including the Mi Air Purifier 2, Mi Cooker, Smart LED bulbs etc have been exceedingly successful in China and surrounding markets, Xiaomi had delayed the Indian launch so far. That said, Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra had however hinted about the company's plan to launch the Mi Air Purifier in an around Diwali during the Mi Max launch in India. Now the upcoming YouTube stream stating a "breath of fresh air" makes it even more clear, leaving very little doubt in our minds that the launch in question is that to the Air Purifier.
It's however interesting so Xiaomi considering their Air Purifier as the first Mi Home product to introduce in India. Possibly, increased sales of air purifiers in India from other brands have triggered the move. Just in case you are unaware, Xiaomi's Mi Home range of products include a wide range of gadgets including Mi Rice Cooker, Mi Washing Machine, Mi Pen etc.
Initially launched in China last year alongside the Redmi Note and the Mi Pad 2, the Mi Air Purifier offers a great value for money. At 699 Yuan (Rs 7,250 approx.) it is cheaper than its old generation by 200 Yuan. Despite that it is a marked upgrade over its predecessor. The Mi Air Purifier 2 is not only slimmer and compact than its last generation, but also boasts of higher air cleaning rate of 388 cubic meters/hour; up from 330 cubic meters/hour. That aside, Xiaomi claims that their Mi Air Purifier 2 is about 58 percent more power efficient than its predecessor and makes just 30db noise when switched to night mode.
While not much information regarding the Indian price is known so far, expect it to retail via the Mi Store at around Rs 10,000. It's also worth noting that Xiaomi will be selling air filters for the Air Purifier 2. As for the pricing in China, the standard filter costs 149 Yuan (Rs 1,500 approx.) while the enhanced one is priced at 169 Yuan (Rs 1,700 approx.)
Source:Twitter
Last updated by Sayan Sarkar, on 14-Sep-16