Maria McKee—the singer-songwriter who burst onto the music scene some 35 years ago, fronting the band Lone Justice, going on to a storied solo career—discusses her lifelong love of dogs, while noting, early on, there was an incident that so traumatized her that she steered clear of dogs ("I shut down around dogs") for a number of years.
ALSO: I spoke with Talking Animals "Greyhound Correspondent" Don Goldstein—albeit belatedly and far too briefly, owing to a telephone outage so significant that 911 systems in four counties were temporarily down; we finally connected via Skype in the final two minutes of the show—about pending legislation (House Bill 463, Senate Bill 674) that would ban the use of anabolic steroids in racing greyhounds, and about Proposed Amendment 67, which would phase out greyhound racing in Florida. It was to be heard two days later, on Feb. 2, by The Florida Constitution Revision Commission's Executive Committee—the next step in the process.


text:
The Berlin Spectator - This is Berlin.
Fall of the Berlin Wall 30: Following the Wall Path
VideoBerlinGermanyHistory
By Imanuel Marcus	 Last updated Jan 19, 2020
Photos and Video: Imanuel Marcus
West Berlin was a democratic, free enclave. It was surrounded by the GDR, a communist country and member of the Warsaw Pact. In its capital, East Berlin, dictator Walter Ulbricht assured the world on June 15th, 1961, nobody had the intention of building a wall. But only a few weeks later, the Berlin Wall was built.
The Wall stood for 28 years. Now, the 30th anniversary of its fall will be celebrated. In today's Berlin, parts of the Wall are still standing, as reminders. Every day, tourists and students look at Wall memorials. They learn and they are being reminded of recent history, also when they follow the Berlin Wall Path. (Also see video report on the top of this page.)
In Berlin's Wittenau borough, a small piece of the Wall stands right on the Wall Path. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
On the Path we learn the Wall between East Berlin and West Berlin was 43.1 kilometers (26.8 miles) long, while the part separating West Berlin from the GDR had a length of 111.9 kilometers (69.5 miles). The construction was 3.6 meters (11 feet) high. There was an inner and an outer part, and a border strip in between.
It is relaxing to follow the Path in northern Berlin, where it leads through forests and parks. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Along the path, signs inform visitors about the Wall and its victims. Photos show them what the area they are in looked like while the Wall was standing. Tracking the Wall Path online, on smart phones, makes sense also because some Wall Path signs are missing.
These signs lead the way, but some are missing. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
The closer we get to the center, the more information signs pop up on the sidewalks. They tell us which GDR citizens were murdered by East German border guards during their attempts to climb or overcome the Wall otherwise. At 'Bernauer Strasse', the impressive Berlin Wall Memorial appears.
At Berlin's East Side Gallery, hundreds of meters of Berlin Wall are still standing. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
At the Memorial, visitors can directly compare, by looking at huge photographs taken before 1990, and the same spots today. Large pieces of the Berlin Wall and other items can be seen, touched and felt.
This piece of art symbolizes one of the many watch towers the GDR border guards used to protect their so-called 'Anti-Fascist Barrier'. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
A total of 136 people were murdered during their escape attempts at the Wall between East and West Berlin. Their photographs are part of the Berlin Wall Memorial. All these people wanted was freedom.
These five Germans died while trying to flee. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Georg Feldhahn, Dorit Schmiel and Klaus Brueske (see photographs above) were among the first to be killed for trying to leave East Germany. It would take thirty years until those murders had legal consequences.
At the Wall Memorial, metal bars next to parts of the Wall show what the latter was made of under its concrete layer. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
The Berlin Wall was ugly. This is what it looked like from East Berlin (see below). In West Berlin, graffiti sprayers and painters at least made it look artsy and colorful.
The Wall was ugly, in more than one way. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
There are more memorials all over Berlin. On a daily basis, American, British, French and Spanish tourist groups on bikes are being rushed along the Wall Path. Many of them were not even born when the Wall fell in 1989.
Americans and their guide are looking at a piece of the Wall. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Between the bridges 'Oberbaumbrücke' and 'Schillingbrücke', and between 'Marshall-Brücke', named after former U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall, and 'Hugo Preuss-Brücke', the Spree river was the border between East and West Berlin. Many refugees who tried to swim across were shot by the GDR regime's henchmen.
Some stretches of the river Spree were the border between East and West. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Close to the Wall Path, the Bush Kohl Gorbachev Monument honors three politicians who contributed a lot to making the reunification of Germany possible after the fall of the Wall. Only Michael Gorbachev is still alive.
This monument honors the late President George Bush, the late Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Mikhail Gorbachev, who was the last leader of the Soviet Union. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
The Berlin Wall can also be seen and shot on a million selfies at 'Potsdamer Platz', one of the most frequented sightseeing spots in Berlin. Tourists come here 365 days per year, all day long.
At 'Potsdamer Platz', parts of the Wall are still standing. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
There is even more to see along the Berlin Wall Path. Between 'Engeldamm' and 'Bethaniendamm', there used to be a wide and ugly border strip. Today, that same location is a quiet park in the center of the city.
This used to be a border strip. Not anymore. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Another important Wall memorial is the East Side Gallery at the Spree riverbank. Here, countless painters have taken their art to a long part of the Wall. In some cases, it was about making the construction more beautiful, other paintings include political messages.
Spanish tourists listen to their guide at East Side Gallery. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Tourists who need a break can just sit down and look at the Spree river for a while, in a more quiet atmosphere, after fighting their way through all the other tourists at the Gallery.
The Berlin Wall symbolized the dangerous Cold War period. And it still does. Had any escalation lead to an all-out thermonuclear war, both East and West Germany would have been flattened within minutes. So many missiles with nuclear warheads were pointed at both countries.
Checkpoint Charlie is yet another popular spot on the Wall Path. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
The most crowded spot of them all is Checkpoint Charlie. Here, hundreds of tourists on bikes and e-scooters meet entire bus loads of fellow vacationers from all over the globe. Sightseeing buses and the usual traffic are trying to squeeze through the crowd. This place is a mess.
The 'Club der Visionäre' (behind that red plastic wall), which was recently damaged in a fire, is located at the 'Flutgraben' canal, right at the former border between the two parts of Berlin. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Between 'Kreuzberg' and 'Treptow', part of the Landwehr Canal was the border. More towards 'Neukölln', the Wall separated streets, e.g. in 'Bouchéstrasse'. One side was the GDR, the other was the Federal Republic (FRG). When they looked out their windows, residents were staring at the Wall.
These cuties do not know they are playing right at the former border. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
In parts of Berlin, a double line of cobble stones marks the pathway of the Wall. The line runs along streets, through parks and construction sites. Some residents are unaware of what those cobble stones mean, others have been living there for a long time and know exactly where they are.
This double line of cobble stones marks the former Wall's position. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Some of the GDR's ugly watch towers still exist. They are being seen as small memorials too. But Berlin just can not do it all at once. Some towers will have to wait before they are being restored.
An old GDR border guard tower is standing at 'Schlesischer Busch' park. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
In Berlin's 'Plänterwald' borough, on 'Kiefholzstrasse', yet another memorial can be found. This one honors the children the GDR had murdered at the Wall. Jörg Hartmann was 10 years old when he was shot at this location, Lothar Schleusener 13.
In Berlin-Treptow, the GDR murdered two children and 13 adults. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
In south-eastern Berlin, the Wall Path runs through the beautiful 'Heidekampgraben' park. It is just the right place for nice bicycle rides or walks. Moving along the Berlin Wall Path makes people think of the recent history, the Wall victims, about walls and separation in general.
The Berlin Wall Path runs through crowded streets, but also quiet parks. Photo: Imanuel Marcus
Fall of the Berlin Wall 30: The Significance
Fall of the Wall 30: The Victims
Fall of the Berlin Wall 30: The Events
Patrick Shearn: U.S. Artist Created Art Installation for Fall of Berlin Wall Anniversary
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Imanuel Marcus is 54 years old and the founder and editor-in-chief of The Berlin Spectator. Originally from Hamburg, he has lived in several countries and returned to Germany in early 2019.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The trending definition of "Customer Service" is "figure it out yourself" or "customer self-service." You may get your problem solved if you are lucky and persistent enough to gather the information you need from the maze of reps. Then, maybe you can piece together the solution yourself and tell a willing agent what they need to do to fix it.
1. That recording that says, You can solve your own problem on our website to avoid waiting for us to talk to you. Duh. Looked already. I would do anything not to have to call you. Or worse, "If I could get to your website, I would have. I am calling because your site is down." I will tell you where to put your FAQs.
2. Can I just verify who you are? All I need is a little information: phone number, address, last 4 digits, last payment on your account, account number? My account number? "You want to know who I am? Can I verify who YOU are?" Seriously, you don't have my account number from the phone number? Can you look on your recent bill, please? Bill? A paper bill? I would have to log into my account to get that.
3. Now what can I do for you today? Don't you have the record of the last 8 times I have called? Let me explain the problem again.
5. I need you to go through a few steps first. Yes, we have done that before. Can I speak with a tier 2 technical support person? Just bear with me, I need to go through these steps first. I am sure we can fix it. I know that's what it says on the script you are reading, but I have heard it all already.
6. Hey, do you know who I call for a cablecard problem? Exact words of the Comcast tech at my house "phoning a friend" to help him figure out who at Comcast, his own company, to call to help him fix my problem. Not a confidence builder!
7. Hello, this is Comcast advanced technical support calling from India to help you with your problem. Uh, would you like to speak with the Comcast technician who is here at my house? Who did you say you were? says the Comcast technician to the Comcast India advanced technical support.
8. This is what we feel is best for you. We are going to give you another box, exactly like the one you have and see if it works better. Always good when they can tell you what is "best for you." The younger the tech and the closer to California, the greater the arrogance and condescension.
9. This is Comcast, how may I direct your call?
Things seem to get fixed only when customer service means that the customer is providing the service.
* Teresa and I worked together for many years at the World Bank in IT services. Early on, she headed the first centralized helpdesk and pioneered the provisioning of standard PCs. Later she led the effort to standardize software development processes and coordinated the IT governance function. She also has a well-deserved reputation as a thoughtful critic and underground satirist of institutional dysfunction.
Great post Teresa. Might I add……"Can I put you on hold?" followed by some music sure to annoy you?


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Goal: To provide rehabilitation and re-entry services and resources after incarceration. This program will provide job training, resume building, financial literacy, referral services to housing agencies, social services and other resources. The client will be provided rehabilitation services through counseling and empowerment seminars that will help reshape and transform their minds for a successful re-entry into society. In addition, partner with local organizations to provide community service opportunitys as well as volunteer services.


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BOOK REVIEW: Waste Tide, by Chen Qiufan
Alex Hormann	Books	 October 18, 2019 2 Minutes
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Translator: Ken Liu
Genre: Tomorrow Fiction
Verdict: 4/5
In the mid twenty-first century, Silicon Isle is China's polluted shame – where half the world comes to dump their refuse. But there is more than just waste here. There are people, and there is hope . . .
Head of Zeus publishing, together with Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen, have an impressive run of translated Chinese SF behind them. Cixin Liu's novels, and Liu's anthologies are all utterly brilliant, and from that powerhouse of SF now comes Chen Qiufan's English-language debut Waste Tide. While it's not quite on the same level as Three-Body Problem, it's still an interesting read. And I do mean interesting, because while I turned every page eagerly and drowned myself in the world, I'm not entirely sure I enjoyed the book.
I'm a great admirer of Liu's translations, and so I think it's Chen's writing that I don't gel with quite so well. On a small scale, it's perfectly readable. The references are ones I get, and the descriptions vivid. But on a larger scale things fall apart. Waste Tide at times feels less like a novel and more a collection of individual scenes. There's nothing wrong with each one individually, but for most of the novel they fail to cohere in any reasonable way. Everything felt like it was always skipping around, never settling on one strand long enough for me to get properly involved. Even at the novel's close, I was not entirely sure what had happened for large periods. The ideas within are jostling for space, just as the people of Silicon isle are. But it's not a long enough book to do all of them justice.
Where Waste Tide shines is in its depiction of Chinese culture. As an outsider, I have to assume it's authentic. There is, after all, no real reason for it not to be. From spiritual festivals, to business meetings to crime bosses in their lairs, everything is deep and richly imagined. Reading these passages makes you feel as though you are walking the cluttered streets yourself. Every sight, sound and smell is tangible, wonderfully evocative. If nothing else, the book is worth reading for these scenes alone.
But there is more value in the book than just description. There are characters too, as you'd expect. Mimi, the young girl who holds the key to Silicon Isle in her mind. Kaizong, the local foreigner, returned after a long time away. Scott, the American with more to him than anyone could imagine. All are wonderfully unique, and they are only the major players in a larger cast. I'll admit to getting a few names mixed up, largely due to unfamiliarity with Chinese naming conventions. Thankfully, Liu is on hand to explain, both in the text itself and through his footnotes.
If characters and locations are what you want, then you could look in far worse places than Waste Tide. But if it's a strong plot you're after, you may wish to explore elsewhere.
Tomorrow Fiction
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The Church of the Resurrection (known colloquially as "Rez") is an Anglican church in Wheaton, Illinois. It is the cathedral parish of the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest, whose first and current bishop was Rez's longtime pastor. Since its founding in 1954, the church has had a significant and complex role in the Anglican realignment in the United States, the charismatic renewal movement and the growth in the so-called "Canterbury Trail" of evangelical Protestants moving toward Anglicanism.

History

Amid the postwar growth of the Chicago suburbs, Church of the Resurrection was planted in West Chicago on Palm Sunday in 1954 by Trinity Episcopal Church in Wheaton. It was part of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Its first rector was the Rev. Richard Winkler, who was a leader in the 20th century charismatic renewal movement in the Episcopal Church. In 1963, the church built a new brick building on Neltnor Boulevard in West Chicago on the banks of the West Branch DuPage River. The building was designed by Edward Dart, a prominent Midwestern mid-century modern architect.

In 1987, the Rev. William Beasley was appointed rector. A bastion of charismatic evangelicalism within the Episcopal Church and the center of a significant healing prayer ministry, Rez was growing numerically. Rez's location near evangelical Wheaton College and other evangelical institutions in Carol Stream and Wheaton was drawing in evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail, such as Christianity Today editor Mark Galli, who was a member of Rez for a time. At the same time, a gulf was growing between Rez's evangelical theology and the mainstream theological liberalism of the Episcopal Church. In 1993, Beasley and the Rez vestry informed Bishop Frank Griswold that they were "scandalized" by the Diocese of Chicago's position on the authority of scripture and by their perception that "priests practicing homosexual behavior were given influential positions."

Split from Episcopal Church

In 1993, more than 400 Rez attendees and Beasley disassociated the Church of the Resurrection from the Diocese of Chicago. However, due to Episcopal Church policy and the Dennis Canon, they did not retain the West Chicago property. A continuing group of just 11 congregants continued as Church of the Resurrection under the leadership of the Rev. George Koch, but attendance recovered to around 300 by 1995. The Episcopal Church-affiliated Church of the Resurrection continued until 2007, when it too left the Episcopal Church over doctrinal concerns and vacated the West Chicago property. (It took the name of Resurrection Anglican Church and joined another ACNA diocese, the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and eventually renamed itself New Jerusalem House of Prayer to distinguish itself from the Wheaton-based Rez.)

The much larger Beasley-led church began meeting at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, where it would remain for 18 years. In 1999, Beasley was succeeded by the Rev. Stewart Ruch as rector. As the Anglican realignment continued, Rez affiliated with the Anglican Mission in America, which claimed connection to the Anglican Communion through the Anglican Church of Rwanda.

Joining ACNA
Via AMIA, a founding member during the early days, Rez joined the Anglican Church in North America, initially affiliating with the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Rez was the site in April 2013 where 117 ACNA priests and laity met to form the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. The diocese was approved by ACNA's Provincial Council in June 2013, and Ruch was consecrated as the first bishop of the Upper Midwest on September 28, 2013.

In 2010, a Rez member found a vacant Alcoa warehouse on the west side of Wheaton and bought it at auction on behalf of the church. By May 2011, Rez owned the building, and the building was dedicated in December 2012 by Bishop Frank Lyons. In October 2015, the Upper Midwest Diocese designated Rez as its cathedral parish. Ruch was succeeded as rector (and dean) by the Very Rev. Steve Williamson in 2020.

Since 2004, Rez has planted numerous Anglican churches: Church of the Cross in Minneapolis (2004); Light of Christ Anglican in Kenosha, Wisconsin (2007); Immanuel Anglican in Chicago (2013); City of Light Anglican in Aurora, Illinois (2015); Christ Church in Madison, Wisconsin (2018); and Church of the Incarnation in Neenah, Wisconsin (2020). Rez leaders, including former rector Beasley and Ruch, were also leaders in the Greenhouse Movement, a church planting organization that operated under the auspices of the Upper Midwest Diocese. Rez also launched Aviva, a Spanish-speaking congregation in its Wheaton facility.

Architecture

West Chicago
Rez's West Chicago building, designed by Edward Dart, was described by Landmarks Chicago as "an excellent example of a small-scale religious structure [with] a simple barn-like form with four corner piers supporting a steeply pitched wood-shingle roof. Designed to mimic an old mill which once stood on the property, the building sits nestled within the sloping landscape abutting the DuPage River." After 2007, the diocese left the property vacant, listing it and its 3.8 acre lot for $1.2 million. With several other Dart-designed buildings being demolished or seriously altered—including Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Pilsen and Dart's own house in Barrington—the Rez building was ranked in 2009 as one of the Chicago area's "most endangered" structures. The building was not landmarked, however, and between June 2016 and April 2017, the church was demolished.

Wheaton

Meanwhile, the present-day Rez building in Wheaton began as a 70,000-square-foot warehouse. Working to a design by Skiffington Architects, Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering created a truss using existing roof framing and two existing interior columns to expand the column-free sanctuary space in the warehouse from the pre-existing 38-foot grid to 114 feet.

Churchmanship
Church of the Resurrection worship services have been described by news reports as "high octane" and "spirit-filled and Bible-based but centered on ancient liturgy," featuring a "combination of charismatic preaching and dramatic liturgy with priests wearing traditional robes and reading from the Book of Common Prayer." The blend of high church and evangelical elements is highlighted in the Rez service for the Easter vigil, a four-hour service featuring art, elaborate decorations, dance, dramatic scriptural readings, baptism and Holy Communion. The vigil began in the 1980s under Beasley's leadership; Beasley had a background in theater and incorporated actors, visual artists and musicians in the vigil. In 2011, prior to Rez's acquisition of its current building, a record 1,500 people attended the Easter vigil held in Edman Chapel at Wheaton College.

Controversies

Sex abuse
In June 2019, a former member of and volunteer at Rez, Mark Rivera, was arrested and charged with felony child sexual assault and abuse of a nine-year-old girl. Rivera had known the girl and her family through Christ Our Light Anglican Church in Big Rock, Illinois. Christ Our Light was planted through the Greenhouse Network by Rez members, including Rivera and the mother of the alleged abuse victim. Rivera served as a lay catechist at the church plant, a role that involved overseeing service details, serving Holy Communion, mentoring youth and preaching. Since these charges, nine additional people have made abuse allegations against Rivera, including child sexual abuse, grooming, rape and assault.

The nine-year-old's mother said that Rivera became part of the Christ Our Light church plant because he had held leadership roles at Rez. According to news reports, he attended Rez from the mid-1990s until Christ Our Light was planted in 2013 and served at Rez as a prayer minister, preschool volunteer, youth leader and small group leader. "My mother was the one who invited Mark and his family to move to Big Rock, to live on my childhood home property, after knowing and serving alongside him as a volunteer leader at the church for several years," she said in a statement published by Religion News Service. "My extended family members, who lent additional trust and credibility to Mark Rivera, met him through Church of the Resurrection."

The mother of the alleged abuse victim returned to Rez in 2019. She claimed to have informed Rez leadership of the allegations against Rivera immediately. According to news reports, the pastors of Rez provided a therapy referral but did not meet with her until a month after she returned to attending Rez. At that time, the mother informed a Rez deacon that she had heard additional allegations from Rez members against Rivera. According to news reports, the deacon said she would report the allegations to Ruch and said she would provide "personalized pastoral care plans" for each member of the alleged victim's family, although these were not delivered.

After the allegations went viral on social media in 2021, the focus of subsequent investigations has been on the response of Ruch (who took a leave of absence to facilitate the investigation) and other leaders in the Upper Midwest Diocese. The Rez deacon told media that she could not say whether she reported the mother's allegations to Ruch because of the ongoing investigations. In May 2022, the alleged victim's mother filed a lawsuit through counsel Boz Tchividjian, a litigator who handles sex abuse cases against religious organizations, against the now-defunct Christ Our Light Anglican. The lawsuit also named Rez, the Greenhouse Movement, the Upper Midwest Diocese and the ACNA as respondents in the discovery process.

Spiritual control
Also in 2021, individuals began to make public complaints about "spiritual hazing" and "a culture of censorship and controlling behavior," according to news reports. A couple who participated in Rez's church planting residency claimed they were "spiritually abused." Former members said that Rez leaders pressured them to remain in abusive relationships and change behaviors associated with LGBTQ identity. Those who voiced criticism of Rez leaders were denied leadership positions, news reports said. Due to these allegations, the ACNA launched a separate investigation by an outside law firm into "claims of abuse of ecclesiastical (i.e. church) power" in the diocese.

References

External links
Church of the Resurrection homepage

Religious organizations established in 1954
Churches completed in 2012
1954 establishments in Illinois
Anglican Church in North America church buildings in the United States
Anglican cathedrals in the United States
Anglican realignment congregations

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Building Your Networks is a facilitated workshop to collaborate and find solutions to issues while focusing on contributing to others. Built on the concept of paying it forward, the session is designed to support problem solving by building and expanding individual networks.
Join us for a networking reception where we will feature key industry leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities, and best practices to recruit, retain and advance women in the manufacturing industry.


If you're looking to save money (and who isn't?), think about shingle recycling. In many cases, recycling roofing is more cost effective than dumping. In a recent survey, contractors said they would be willing to take the time to separate torn-off shingles from other waste if they could save 10% on disposal costs and market themselves as contractors who recycle shingles.
That one word, "market," is key. It's clear (anecdotally, anyway, from talking to many roofing contractors) that most customers prefer that their old roofing materials are recycled. This means that if you recycle, it can help differentiate your business.
Recycling old asphalt for roads reduces the need for new oil, which could result in less dependence on foreign oil. In addition, recycling the mineral part helps conserve natural resources.
Besides the environmental benefits, recycling saves everyone money. Taxpayers can save when towns use recycled asphalt for paving, contractors save by reducing their energy and material costs, and the paving and dumpster companies reduce their costs as well. Recycled pavement can be reclaimed multiple times, which minimizes the use of new materials and helps preserve landfill space.
Asphalt is America's most recycled material. It's the main component in 80% of roofs and 94% of America's roads.
An asphalt shingle is made from sand, glass, limestone, and asphalt and it's 100% recycled and doesn't use any government grants. On the roof it is strong and adaptable and on the road it is a smooth and safe pavement. Asphalt is used for roads because it goes down quickly, offers good traction, and is quiet and smooth to drive on.
Although it is not available everywhere, shingle recycling is gaining ground and is currently offered in some form in all 50 states. Shingles, felt, or other asphaltic underlayment, nails, and flashing can all be recycled. However, mixed waste cannot – rotted wood, in particular, is a problem (it doesn't make good pavement).
Separating materials on the job requires a little more labor; it's like separating darks and lights when doing laundry, but you don't have to separate out the nails. The grinder at the recycling yard can pull off the nails with a magnet and recycle them. That results in 15 pounds of nails for every ton of tear-off shingles. Additionally, most recyclers offer documentation of recycling for LEED® and other green building certification programs. If the recycling rate is over 50%, the project is eligible for one point and can help move it closer toward developing a more sustainable building.
We strongly encourage asphalt shingle recycling. In fact, GAF is the only company that partners with shingle recyclers nationwide and provides an incentive for recycling. GAF also sponsors the Find-A-Recycler section on www.shinglerecycling.org.
How do you figure that "contractors save by reducing their energy and material costs" by recycling.
We are roofing contractor in Stroudsburg, PA. We save money in dumping fees and our customers feel better knowing the waste isn't going into the land fill. It is a win win for all.


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North African Country, Morroco Applies To Join West African Community (ECOWAS)
by Bamidele Ogunberu Last updated on April 13th, 2017,
Morocco, a north African country, has officially requested to join the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a full member. The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation issued a statement on the plan to join the 15-member West African bloc. The kingdom of Morocco has informed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia who is the current chair of ECOWAS of "its interest to join the regional grouping as a full member" a statement from the ministry said. This request is in line with provisions of ECOWAS founding treaty and in full satisfaction of its membership criteria, it asserted.
According to Morocco, its move comes "to crown the strong political, human, historical, religious and economic ties at all levels with ECOWAS member countries".
It said these links were reinforced over the last few years, through the king's 23 visits to 11 countries in the region.
The statement said these visits were crowned by the signing of several hundred agreements, which gave a "strong" impetus to bilateral cooperation with the 15 member countries of the regional bloc.
Morocco also maintains institutional relations with ECOWAS, through an observer status, which has been in place for several years.
Morocco has participated in several meetings of the organization and has contributed to its activities, particularly in areas relating to peace and stability, the statement added.
The desire to join ECOWAS is also part of the royal vision for regional integration, as a key to Africa's economic take-off, and is in line with the African policy of King Mohammed VI, reflected by the return of the kingdom to the African Union (AU), the statement concluded.
The country was recently re-admitted into the African Union (AU) after decades of voluntary withdrawal from the continental body. The country embarked on diplomatic shuttles to many African countries, including Nigeria and Senegal to mend sour relations and to seek support of the countries for its admittance into AU.
Implications Of Morroco's Membership Of Ecowas
During the visit of King Mohammed VI of Morocco to Nigeria in December 2016, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for collaboration on fertilizer to boost agriculture in Nigeria. The phosphate Morocco is using is from Western Sahara territory. It may be worthy of note that the legal department of the United Nations Security Council had in 2002 concluded that Morocco's exploitation and exploration of the mineral reserves of Western Sahara constitute a violation of international law, especially when such action is undertaken against the wishes of the rightful owners of the resources. Similarly, the European Court of Justice had in 2015 annulled the EU-Morocco Free Trade Agreement because it included products from Western Sahara. Again on 21st December 2016, the European Court of Justice ruled that Western Sahara is not a territory of Morocco underlining that Morocco has no right to exploit the resources of the territory it occupies illegally.
By entering into a fertilizer business deal with a Moroccan company that illegally mines and exports phosphate from the occupied territory of Western Sahara, Nigeria unwittingly accords political legitimacy to Morocco's occupation of the territory. This contradicts Nigeria's long-standing position on the issue of Western Sahara which the country spearheaded in 1984 in favour of Saharawi people under the same President, then as military Head of State, that resulted in Morocco's withdrawal of its membership of the Organization of African Unity, OAU. It is, therefore, advisable for Nigeria to reconsider its December 2016 agreement on fertilizer with Morocco taking into account its principled extant stance on the question of Western Sahara.
Morocco has officially initiated diplomatic moves to join ECOWAS as a full member, a manoeuvre that appears to already enjoy the support of French West African countries that constitute the larger membership of the sub-regional organization. It is an indisputable fact, however, that Morocco is not a West African country, geographically speaking. The sub-regional economic integration bloc and others of its kind in Africa and elsewhere around the world are established on the basis of geographical or territorial contiguity that permits seamless transition into a common market or the unfettered operation of common external tariffs, free movement of persons and goods, harmonization of economic and fiscal policies, among many others.
It is precisely for this reason that Morocco's similar application on 20th July 1987 to join the European Economic Community, the predecessor organization to the present European Union, was roundly rejected by the Community members as they did not consider Morocco an European country. Morocco's rejection by European countries was effected despite the fact that it shares boundary with Europe on the Mediterranean Sea. With respect to ECOWAS, however, it shares no boundary with any West African country considering its location at the very farthest end of North Africa.
Concerns are being expressed in different quarters about the true intention of Morocco in its bid for ECOWAS membership. One thing, however, appears certain: its bid for membership, if endorsed by ECOWAS, will create deep division with the Organisation especially between Francophone and Anglophone member states of the bloc or at least exacerbate any existing divergences in positions.
This is apart from the possibility of displacing Nigeria as the most influential member of the sub-regional organization. Besides, it appears already imbued with immense capacity to destabilize ECOWAS, its programmes and projects, by rendering implementation impossible and by re-directing its decisions away from core interests of the sub-region it was established to serve. With Morocco as a full member, ECOWAS will be compelled to include as part of its regular agenda both political and economic interests of Morocco as a Maghreb and Arab nation.
Morocco recently got re-admitted into the African Union, a move Nigeria rightly supported and helped to make happen. In spite of the havoc Morocco caused by disrupting the activities of the AU from outside, it is right to bring back one of the founding members of our continental body so that it can contribute its own quota to the development of Africa. However, Morocco seeking to become a member of ECOWAS is not only absurd, it is another condescending act to black African countries from this North African/Maghreb country to want to become a member of ECOWAS. As it will be recalled, when ECOWAS was established in 1975, it was made up of sixteen contiguous countries in the West Africa Sub-Region.
Those sixteen countries included its present fifteen members, plus Mauritania, which was considered then a West African country sharing borders with two other West African countries, Senegal and Mali. In due time, Mauritania chose to leave ECOWAS in order to join its neighbours in the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) in North Africa. That was a sovereign decision by Mauritania but it is completely out of the question for any country not sharing borders to want to be admitted into ECOWAS. Chad which shares borders with Niger and Nigeria but belongs to the Central Africa economic and political body could not secure membership of ECOWAS and is content to have an observer status. Indeed, Morocco should not even be considered for an observer relationship with ECOWAS because it has no qualification for it.
It is important to point out that Morocco joining ECOWAS has serious implications for the sub-region in general, and Nigeria in particular, especially if Nigeria is the country used to float and actualise this absurd idea.
Firstly, the whole community will look ridiculous to admit a country which is not in the region as a member. Some will argue that not all the eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs) recognised by the African Union coincide with the geographical regions. Indeed, only ECOWAS, ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States), AMU and East African Community (EAC) can be said to be this.
However, the other RECs, SADC, Cen-Sad, IGAD and COMESA are not contiguous, but this can be explained by the history of their formation. SADC's situation is in its anti-apartheid origin; Cen-Sad was originally to fight desertification in three African regions – West, North and East Africa; IGAD for similar reasons in East Africa; and COMESA for trade and related purposes. Recall that the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community recognises five RECs strictly based on the five regions of the continent. It has also been advocated that Africa should return to this because multiple membership by countries in two or even three RECs adversely affects regional and continental integration.
Indeed, of the eight RECs, the only one that does not work and may never work is AMU because of the unending struggle for supremacy between Morocco and Algeria. The main explanation for this is the latter's stubborn refusal to allow self-determination for the people of Western Sahara, which many African countries, including our own, disdain. This is why some think that Morocco's co-existence with SADR in the AU portends great danger for the smooth functioning of the organisation in the future; as long as it continues to colonise Western Sahara. An optimistic view of Morocco's AU comeback is that it will help implement all OAU/AU and UN resolutions to end its occupation of the territory.
Secondly, a major danger to Nigeria of Morocco's membership of ECOWAS is that it will further deepen Nigeria's marginalisation in a Community which is headquartered in its capital, of which it contributes over 60 per cent of its budget and constitutes nearly two-thirds of its economy/GDP.
The truth is that Morocco has many friends in Africa but particularly in Francophone West Africa, which constitutes the largest block in the Community. Nigeria has not been able to exert any control in the way ECOWAS is run, largely because it has not made the necessary effort. Adding Morocco to the Francophone ranks in the ECOWAS will just ensure that Nigeria's influence is further whittled down.
Thirdly, Morocco has consistently made efforts to put a wedge between Nigeria and its long time North African ally and partner, Algeria.
It is regrettable that those managing Nigeria's foreign policy, which does not only mean the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which has not always been allowed to do its work, do not see what Morocco is doing. Nigeria has a lot more to lose in disrupting Nigeria's constructive relationship with Algeria. In seeking to join ECOWAS, Morocco is not unlikely to be seeking to extend its advantage over Algeria as the latter will not seek to join ECOWAS. Algeria is not also in Cen-Sad where Morocco plays a prominent role – Nigeria should not allow Morocco take its struggle with Algeria to ECOWAS. In any case, the ECOWAS Treaty does not provide for admission of a country outside West Africa. Morocco's membership can only work against Africa's interest in general and Nigeria's in particular. It must not be countenanced.
http://NigeriaCircle.Com A newspaper that covers world news and current events with emphasis on Nigerians and the Nigerian diaspora globally in the areas of politics, economy, business, investments, banking, health, finance, sports, entertainment, oil and gas, energy, manufacturing, Daily Parallel Market Rates etc.


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IPO loses lure in the face of plenty: MakeMyTrip
Rajesh Magow, CEO & co-founder said he wouldn't jump to specifics of when the company would likely break even
Jul 2, 2019 by Moulishree Srivastava
MakeMyTrip, India's largest online travel agent (OTA), is dealing with more than one problem right now.
Much has changed in the two years since MakeMyTrip acquired its biggest rival Goibibo in one of the largest M&A deals in the Indian online travel space. Now Ctrip, China's number one online travel agent (OTA), owns almost half of MakeMyTrip's shares.
With the rise of 'super apps' such as Paytm, PhonePe, and Amazon that target online flights and hotels, and a new breed of Asian VC-funded travel startups like HappyEasyGo entering India, the market is ruthless.
To stay on top, MakeMyTrip is exploring synergies with Ctrip, its largest shareholder, in outbound travel, while betting big on corporate travel, where it is challenging the likes of Thomas Cook and Cox & Kings.
In an exclusive interview with The Passage, co-founder & CEO Rajesh Magow explains how MakeMyTrip is riding the tide. He also speaks, for the first time, Ctrip's role in its future, Goibibo founder Ashish Kashyap's departure, Naspers' exit and Oyo becoming an ally again.
Edited excerpts:
The Passage: How does Ctrip's 49% stake in MakeMyTrip change things for the company?
Rajesh Magow: Ctrip had been monitoring MakeMyTrip's story even before they invested in us. In fact, around the time of the IPO, they were keen to come on board. So it has been a long-standing relationship. The team has not changed either. Jane Sun, the CEO right now, used to be the CFO in 2010. James Liang, the current chairman, had then taken a break to do research studies in the States.
Ctrip ended up investing in us in 2016, and ever since they have been on our board. From that perspective, they have been insiders. Obviously, their shareholding percentage was less but they always had the option to increase their stake.
This potential transaction would be completed with regulatory approval. Operationally, there is not going to be any change. This transaction is essentially a secondary transaction between Naspers and Ctrip. So Ctrip was on our board, and they continue to be. Back then they had invested in the management and the founding team, and they continue to follow the same thesis even now.
From our point of view, it is business as usual. Given that their shareholding would be large now, there could be massive potential synergies in a few areas. Ctrip has done a lot of work in enhancing their vision to go beyond China — they acquired Skyscanner in the past, invested in Travelfusion and others. Behind the scenes, they are working on fixing technology and the supply side.
They have invested a lot to build the international supply for all foreign destinations, both in hotels and flights, and MakeMyTrip can benefit from the work that they have done, especially in the last four years.
Potential synergies can be in the outbound category, where we are looking to grow. There is a lot of headroom. With the Indian middle and upper middle class aspiring to go overseas, outbound travel is growing phenomenally at 50% plus rate year on year for us.
Earlier, we had started our journey to build our own supply of hotels and alternative accommodations for some of the key destinations where Indians travel. We had a list of about 20 destinations where we were building our own supply. But there is much more supply that Ctrip has already built, we could perhaps ride on that and integrate with them.
So we do not really need to invest in building our own supply in other destinations. On the flight side, they have done a lot of work given their association with Skyscanner, they have multiple source inventory for international travel.
Besides this, the strategic advice at the board-level continues. They (Ctrip) would also take supply feed from us for hotels and flights. For their inbound traffic coming into India, they would also integrate with us.
The Passage: Can you enter the China market directly or can Ctrip enter India directly?
Rajesh Magow: No, not really. We will not enter China directly. Since Ctrip is a significant shareholder of MakeMyTrip, it does not make sense to go there directly, and neither does it make sense for them to come to India on their own. It is also carved out in the deal. But we would always be open to all other markets in the future.
The Passage: Ctrip is going global and so is Booking.com. What do you think of the competitive landscape in India and around the world?
Rajesh Magow: Booking.com and Expedia have been around for many years now in India. We have the market leadership, which we have not only sustained over the years but also improved. We will be able to execute our strategies to deal with any competition.
But at some level, the competition will come from Booking.com, Expedia, the international OTAs and local OTAs — whether it is Yatra or Cleartrip. They have lost shares over the years and we do think that they would perhaps continue to keep losing shares given their own set of problems.
Cleartrip is largely focusing on the Middle East market. Yatra is going through its own set of challenges. The other competition could also come from some of these horizontal super apps, Paytm or PhonePe which are trying to do some travel use cases for the last couple years, especially transport related.
We keep participating with PhonePe and we also power Flipkart. But if you talk about just a travel super app, which is what we are and our vision is, we are focused on making sure that we continue to improve the consumer experience, keep innovating consistently, and provide the Indian travellers with every single travel need so that we continue to stay ahead of the competition all the time.
The Passage: HappyEasyGo recently entered the India market, and many more such rivals will come. How do you see the competition changing the industry?
Rajesh Magow: Over the years, there have been plenty of such players. If I go back in history, I could list quite a few players who have come and gone. We always watch the competition closely but never get paranoid about them. You have to have your own strategy and your own focus areas and keep executing.
Yes, HappyEasyGo has come in, but it is perhaps easier for anyone to come in. Our market share on domestic flights is more than 25%. A year earlier Yatra and Cleartrip were a distant number 2 and 3. Then Paytm started giving cashbacks and took some share away. From the last two years, others such as Via.com, HappyEasyGo and Goomo, have also started making some noise.
On the face of it, it's easy to sell domestic flights. The real challenge comes in when you get into complex products like international air, hotel and accommodations, and also when you try to become a one-stop shop like us.
The Passage: Do you see Oyo as competition since it also has a direct selling app?
Rajesh Magow: For that matter, every chain will have a direct app or site. If you look at it globally, India is no different. If you look at the middle segment hotels like Lemon Tree and Sarovar, and five-star hotel chains, both Indian and global, they all have their direct sales channel.
However, the budget category is different. Not everyone has the resources to go out and acquire customers directly. It takes a lot. Oyo has tried to aggregate that inventory and build a supply-direct strategy on top of it. To that extent, it would be a competition. The good news is that because of our partnership we are also selling them. We have commercial arrangements where the content strategy is maintained between the two sides, which is very important, and therefore, it doesn't hurt beyond a point.
But in terms of overall competition you would always have a share of hotel bookings that are done directly from the hotels' websites or apps. And then a large portion of hotels will be filled by OTAs like us, and then there will be some offline travel agents. So there is still a lot of headroom for us. Our overall focus, largely, is on budget segment.
The Passage: You were not selling Oyo till early last year. Why did you decide to resume it?
Rajesh Magow: We were not selling Oyo initially, and the single important reason was that when Oyo started, it was not positioning itself as a complete hospitality chain. They were doing partial inventory like us. Then they began taking hotels with 100% inventory and not just a few rooms. Now they are completely operating on a hospitality business model rather than a hotel aggregator model.
There are nuanced differences between the two, but quite an important one — inventory risk is the most important one. That is when we did not see any conflict of interest, so we started selling them.
The Passage: Why are Treebo and FabHotels not on your platform anymore?
Rajesh Magow: It is a commercial thing. Right now, the size that they have (is not as big), and some of those independent properties which they have, when the churn* happens, in any case, it comes to us when we sell them. And the deal is not carved in stone. If the commercials work out, then we can always have them.
The Passage: So is there no exclusivity agreement with Oyo?
Rajesh Magow: To be honest, I don't think we need to read too much into it. I would leave it by saying that from time to time, you end up doing some commercial agreements which are very competition sensitive. So we cannot go public with those terms. It is a commercial decision, whether it is exclusive or non-inclusive doesn't really matter.
In the past, Treebo too had decided not to work with us. Do not assume that it could be one-sided.
The Passage: How did things change for MakeMyTrip after the acquisition of Goibibo? How do you differentiate between the two brands? As a customer, I see that both are doing the same thing.
Rajesh Magow: Interesting that you say this. But between the two brands, the customer overlap is just about 25%. So 75% of the customers who transact on MakeMyTrip or Goibibo are unique, which is good for us.
Obviously, we are watching this data point very carefully. If you go in more detail, you will see we have tried to position them differently. For example, Goibibo is focusing a lot more on budget and mid-segment, whereas MakeMyTrip is mid and premium segment, and loyalty programmes are different. There are nuanced differences in the user interface as well. There are many differences at least by design that we do behind the scenes.
In today's era, consumers like to compare prices. And given that India is a mobile app market, if you have number 1 and 2 app on small real estate, it doesn't hurt.
The Passage: Ashish Kashyap (of ibibo Group) left a year after the acquisition. What happened there? We see founders leave the company within a year or so after getting acquired.
Rajesh Magow: What do you think happened? (Laughs) Please go and ask Ashish, but I can tell you this, nothing unusual happened.
One of the reasons, normally, founders leave is that sometimes they feel they have finished one part of the goal in their mind and they would want to do something different. So it is quite natural. In many cases, you would see that they would want to do things differently. But there was nothing unusual or untoward that happened. It was very smooth and totally his own decision. The rest of the team is intact. In fact, all of the leadership team of Goibibo is still us.
The Passage: Was Naspers looking for an exit when they sold their share to Ctrip?
Rajesh Magow: It's a question for Naspers. From our point of view, both Naspers and Ctrip were equally good. Naspers came by virtue of the transaction with Goibibo. They provide a very good global platform. By virtue of this transaction, they got on to the Ctrip cap table. At our level, nothing much has changed because they stay invested in travel by virtue of being now on Ctrip.
The Passage: The company has been posting operating losses. During your previous earnings call, you said you would be breaking even soon. How close are you?
Rajesh Magow: The strategic directions, the trajectory, the way we have been reporting our performance for the last few quarters, it is likely to continue. That's the only thing that I could say because I don't want to jump to specifics of when we would likely be breaking even. The market is pretty dynamic.
The Passage: How do you see Chinese investors as compared to US investors?
Rajesh Magow: I haven't deeply analysed both of them, but in our limited experience with Chinese investors—essentially Ctrip—we see there are more similarities between the Indian and China markets, and you would see them fairly close to the ground reality. The US investors sometimes may take some time to completely understand the Indian market.
The Passage: What are the top learnings you have got from Ctrip?
Rajesh Magow: It's difficult to point out one thing. India and China both are mobile app markets.
One could always compare notes on how consumers behave on an app ecosystem in China and India, which is what we have been doing. The learning is not necessarily one-sided. Sometimes, they end up learning something from us as well. Specifically in travel, there is a lot of group travel that happens out of China and India. So you can look at some consumer insights and learn from each other.
Last, but not the least, it is also the competitive dynamics. Ctrip went through a huge amount of competition, whether it is Qunar or Elong, and used sales promotions as one of the disruptive ways of growing into the market in terms of customer acquisition. The Western markets never did it. Again, this is another area you can learn from, and not necessarily copy-paste in India.
The Passage: Do you plan to partner with OTTs?
Rajesh Magow: No. We are working on building our own content at least for now, but it's a work in progress.
The Passage: You entered local activities space some time back. Is entertainment a potential market for you?
Rajesh Magow: Local activities segment is very close to travel experience and complementary, if you look at the weekend and local traffic.
The idea was to basically look at high-frequency use cases. Overall, not necessarily digress completely from super travel app vision. Currently, that's the focus. We have launched activities, events and food-related deals, etc. This would drive traffic because of high-frequency use-case. Nothing is ever ruled out in the internet business. But our vision, right now, is to stay focused on overall travel and travel-related stuff.
The Passage: Very few Indian startups get listed in India. Why? And what can others learn from MakeMyTrip?
Rajesh Magow: I don't know whether they need to list anymore because there is plenty of new capital that is available. There are only two reasons to go public. One, you are looking for an exit. Two, you are looking for more capital. So one of them is getting filled nicely in private equity.
Exit is the function of market prices and maturity of the business cycle. Now the options for it can also be two — one, you can just go public and provide an exit to your investors or you go for sellouts.
I would not like to generalise by saying there are very few companies which have opted to list in India. I think every business is different, the stages of life-cycles are different, and they have different goals.
The Passage: What are the growth areas for MakeMyTrip?
Rajesh Magow: Outbound is one category we are focussing heavily on, and we will grow really at a fast pace. Then there is corporate — we started focusing more on acquiring market share and the corporate business about a year and a half ago. We recently announced majority stake ownership in Quest2Travel as well.
So we would look to grow corporate market share. Bus, activities and events, which is a new category will continue to grow. Domestic hotels and accommodation segment is still underpenetrated, it will also continue to grow. That leaves us with domestic flights, where we will continue to incrementally grow our market share.
The Passage: Do you plan to enter global markets?
Rajesh Magow: At some stage, perhaps, we would go overseas, but right now, we think India has a lot to offer in the next two to three years.
The Passage: Oyo went international with its hotel chain strategy. How do you look at that? They are doing something different than other players.
Rajesh Magow: Again, better ask Oyo. But I am sure, at some level, it is driven from the investors' ambitions as well. From their own hotel inventory acquisition model they have decided to go global, and I think there is room.
The Passage: What are the challenges in the market right now?
Rajesh Magow: The headwinds are in the domestic aviation market right now. Thanks to Jet Airways, there are supply constraints. But I believe, as compared to what happened with Kingfisher a few years ago, the industry is better poised right now. I think, in the next three to four quarters, the industry should come back as SpiceJet, Indigo, and the others would take slots and play. But I do see that growth is under pressure for this fiscal year. In the next fiscal, the growth will probably come back.
*Churn rate: Rate of attrition; percentage of service subscribers who discontinue their subscriptions within a given time period.
Moulishree Srivastava
Moulishree Srivastava is a Bangalore-based tech journalist. She focuses on emerging Indian startups and unicorns. She can be reached at moulishree@thepassage.cc.
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Change of Management at Packaging Technology
News Jun 10, 2014
Joachim Dittrich (50) has been appointed head of the Liquid Food business unit at Bosch Packaging Technology. He succeeds Jürgen Katzenbach (45), who will become the unit's commercial manager.
The Liquid Food business unit develops, manufactures, and markets processing and packaging solutions for liquid and paste-like foods, especially for customers in the dairy, fruit juice, and coffee industries. The personnel changes took effect on May 1, 2014.
Dittrich initially to remain head of the Weert site
Joachim Dittrich is a qualified automotive mechanic and mechanical engineer, who has been working for Bosch Packaging Technology since June 2011. He has many years of experience in the industry, having previously held a variety of positions as a manager or specialist at international packaging technology companies. He began working for Bosch as head of the Weert site in the Netherlands, a post the father of two will continue to occupy until a successor has been found.
Jürgen Katzenbach remains head of the Waiblingen site
Jürgen Katzenbach, a graduate in information management, will remain head of the Waiblingen site and simultaneously occupy the newly created position of commercial manager of Liquid Food. Since April 2011 he has been managing the Waiblingen site, a fast-growing location that currently has a workforce of around 1,100 associates. Katzenbach, also a father of two, previously spent five and a half years in Japan.
PA 2020: expansion of Liquid Food portfolio
On behalf of Klaus Albeck and Dr. Stefan König, both of whom are members of the division's executive management team, division president Friedbert Klefenz expressed his gratitude to both Joachim Dittrich and Jürgen Katzenbach for their work to date. He also wished them every success for their new management tasks: "Our PA 2020 strategy is targeting global expansion of our portfolio of packaging systems for liquid foods," he said. "In order to achieve this, we require not only international management experience, but also outstanding technological expertise - two qualities that we can now boast in an ideal combination," he added.
Following a call to investigate potential dangers of consuming micro-RNAs (miRNAs) contained in cows' milk and dairy products, it appears highly unlikely that the miRNAs ingested with milk have any effect on human health.
Growing Proteins for a Vegan Market
A university-based start-up wants to produce vegetable proteins for vegan meat substitutes. Their potential market is a million-dollar business.
Our Microbiome Is What We Eat
A high-quality diet is linked to more potentially beneficial bacteria in the gut; while a low-quality diet is associated with an increase in potentially harmful bacteria. Modifying the microbiome through diet may therefore be part of a strategy to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Could Offshore Wind Farms Power the World's Major Cities?
Grasshoppers Top the Antioxidant Rich List
Coprophilous fungi
Un-knotting Pretzel's Delicious Aroma
"Liquid Forensics" Could Lead to Safer Drinking Water
Higher Consumption of Sugary Drinks May Increase Risk of Cancer


Are screen core gaskets beneficial?
Metal-reinforced gaskets are a staple in the industry. They provide radial strength for both handling and in-application uses. The gaskets are dimensionally stable and very robust.
But some gaskets have screen cores…is this a good thing? In most cases, no. Read on to learn why.
Screen core is one version of a metal center layer sandwiched between two layers of sealing material. It provides a metal core layer for a laminate that offers strength while allowing a place for an adhesive bond to occur. It also provides an additional level of lateral strength as the facing cannot slide laterally on the screen core. While it seems like it might be a good idea, the drawback comes with the issue of sealability. By its nature, screen is a woven material, generally wire, in an over/under overlapping pattern. This is what creates the problem. The over/under configuration provides a leak path for the fluid being sealed. The facing material must conform tightly to the metal or a leak will generate. This is difficult for the facing to do as there is an inherent void to be dealt with. In some cases, this can be addressed by a heavy layer of adhesive, but this is not the best solution since it only puts a band-aid on the problem.
If Not Screen Core, Then What?
A better solution is a solid core laminate using flat metal and a thermally-cured adhesive. This product provides NO leakpath along the core due to the adhesive bond. Another core style is expanded steel. While it is a "porous" core, it also has NO direct leak path through the core by the nature of its design, thus allowing the adhesive to bond the two sides of facing directly through the core.
As with all products that contain a thermally-cured adhesive, you need to pay attention to the operating temperatures of your application and the specification of your chosen material. In fluid sealing applications, temperature capability of solid core materials is often more than sufficient to withstand the conditions of the application.
As you can see, there are some things to be aware of if you're thinking about using a screen core as a layer of metal-reinforcement. For fluid sealing applications, there are better choices available, such as solid core laminates or expanded core laminates.
If you aren't familiar with solid core laminates, talk with your trusted gasket material supplier to learn about your options.
What type of material do you prefer in this situation?
Need solid core? Download a free Surbond product comparison today!
Metal Tech offers solid core products under the SURBOND product group for fluid sealing applications.


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michaelericbrown.com
Posts Tagged 'vita'
Platinum Review – Guacamelee! (PS Vita)
My second Platinum was the first one I ever earned on purpose: after realizing that I ended up with The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season one by accident, I decided I should go for one in a game I actually enjoyed playing. Guacamelee! is quite special, which is why I reviewed it as highly as I did. In fact, I like it so much that I'm sure I'll eventually buy it again for the PS4 next time a sale rolls around.
Unlike the unmissable Platinum in The Walking Dead, Guacamelee! demands a lot more attention to complete it. There are a fair number of collectibles in the game, as well as some challenges that border on crazy. Thankfully, playstationtrophies.org exists, which has made my Platinum quests a great deal easier.
As before, here are my most noteworthy trophies:
Best Trophy: Licking His Wounds (Bronze) — defeat Jaguar Javier. I found this fight to be especially rewarding given its toughness (but also its fairness). This guy will annihilate you if gets his hands on you; there's a very good strategy you really need to stick to in order to win.
Worst Trophy: El Savior (Gold) — access the alternative ending (collect all orbs). I found the process of finding all the optional orbs to be grueling and masochistic. The amount of precision platforming required to reach a couple of these orbs is outrageous, with the constant threat of having to start a long sequence all over again if you make even one mistake. Also, I do find it regrettable that this trophy dramatically changes the ending for the game; in fact, it's the better of the two options, so you're really obligated to go after this one.
Special Mention Trophy: Cock of the Walk (Bronze) — defeat an enemy as a chicken. The very idea of this is not only hilarious, but it's also something you would never attempt otherwise.
Rating: A — just as I rated the game. I found this Platinum to be enjoyable overall, the El Savior trophy notwithstanding.
Written by Michael
Posted in Games, Reviews
Tagged with guacamelee, playstation, trophies, vita
Platinum Review – The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (PS Vita)
There was a time that I didn't think I'd ever earn any Platinum Trophies. I had largely ignored Achievements on Xbox 360, and I didn't think there was much reason to handle Trophies any differently. But then I ended up with this one by accident, for The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season, and I felt a strange sense of accomplishment.
I then learned that this Platinum is in fact completely unmissable. That is to say, you get it simply by completing the game. Many trophy purists found this to be quite annoying, since most other games require a great deal more effort — a great deal more care. After considering this fact, I realized that trophies offered a great measure for comparing just how much you cared about a certain game with your friends, and that I suddenly wanted to start collecting them for my favorite titles, almost out of a respect for the developers.
The Walking Dead was not a favorite of mine, as I've written before. That voice acting and storyline were all very good, but the general controls combined with the astoundingly poor performance of this game on Vita made me severely unhappy to actually play it. On this level, I'm slightly embarrassed to acknowledge it as my first, but here we are.
For this series of Platinum reviews, I will pick what I think is the best trophy, the worst trophy, a special mention trophy, and my overall rating for how much I enjoyed earning the Platinum itself.
Best Trophy: What Remains (Gold) — complete Episode 5: "No Time Left". I selected this because it was the end of the first season, the end of a miserable experience, which is kind of a terrible thing to say, but seriously, the technical issues were that bad.
Worst Trophy: The Walking Dead (Platinum) — earn all trophies in "The Walking Dead". As already stated, the idea that you get this one simply by playing through the story is a bit offensive to the idea of what a Platinum should be.
Special Mention Trophy: Lend Me Your Ears (Gold) — complete Episode 3: "The Long Road Ahead". This episode was especially powerful, storytelling-wise, featuring a shocking fate for multiple characters as well as a great twist at the end.
Rating: D — I wanted to give this an F for being so ludicrously easy to get, but the story was compelling enough throughout that it still felt like an achievement to complete (read: endure) it.
Tagged with playstation, the walking dead, trophies, vita
PS3 and PS Vita Priority Lists
I should note the full menu of games I'm trying to play before the close of this generation. (There's no way I'll finish before the PS4 launch, so this will continue past November 15.)
PlayStation 3 Titles
inFAMOUS (in progress…)
inFAMOUS 2 (will download digitally after first game)
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (delivered on 09/20/2013)
Beyond: Two Souls (preordered; comes out 10/08/2013)
Shadow of the Colossus (downloaded; awaiting play)
ICO (downloaded; awaiting play)
Catherine (will purchase)
The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (in progress…)
Persona 4: Golden (will purchase after finishing Ni No Kuni on PS3)
Dragon's Crown (maybe; will decide later)
Killzone: Mercenary (will purchase)
Soul Sacrifice (will purchase)
There are other titles I'm interested in, too, including a couple of Final Fantasy classics I can play on Vita, as well as God of War II and III on PS3.
Beyond this, there are always new titles being added to the free Instant Game Collection (IGC) on PS+. Europe is set to get Far Cry 3 (90 on metacritic, less than a year old!). You can bet that I'll download that if it gets added to North America's IGC. Rayman Legends is coming to the IGC for Vita next week, I think, so I'll probably try that too.
Posted in Games
Tagged with beyond two souls, catherine, dragon's crown, far cry, final fantasy, god of war, ico, infamous, instant game collection, killzone, ni no kuni, persona, playstation, playstation plus, ps3, rayman legends, shadow of the colossus, soul scarifice, vita, walking dead
Snap Judgment – Machinarium (PS Vita) Micro-Review
Machinarium (PS Vita)
As I eluded to in my previous Premature Judgment about the game, this is a very cute, clever puzzle game oozing with wonderful art and style.
I made a mistake about one item in that summary, however. It is possible to manipulate the cursor with the touchscreen (and even the back touch panel), but this is difficult to do well. It's easier, at least in my mind, to use the analog stick — as awkward as that is.
My only complaint about the game, and the reason I'm giving a grade lower than it probably deserves, is the lack of context in the puzzles throughout the levels. You almost have to randomly click over various parts of the screen to find items you can either manipulate or pick up, and you're not even sure why you're doing so until you randomly click it with something else. Also, some things can't be manipulated unless you're standing next to them, but some others you can click from afar, and your robot will saunter over and do some wholly unexpected action.
It really feels like you're just throwing things against the wall, waiting for something to stick. It doesn't help that the items I found were unlabeled as well, so I couldn't always tell what it was that I had, which would have been a clue as to where to take them.
In other words, keep a guide handy.
Still, a charming journey. B
Tagged with game reviews, machinarium, vita
PlayStation Game Reviews – September 2013
I've been playing some PS3 and Vita games lately, trying to get caught up before the PS4 hits this November. There's still more to come, so stay tuned. Moreover, I'll have some thoughts on the next-generation console war, as well as a review for the PlayStation Vita soon. In the meantime, here are my micro-reviews:
Snap Judgments
God of War HD (PS3)
This venerable PS2 title was remastered with HD textures and higher-res character models, and largely looks pretty good, especially considering the original title came out in 2005.
God of War follows Kratos, a mortal given god-like powers after he makes a deal with Aries, the God of War, to save him from defeat on the battlefield. In exchange for his salvation, Kratos becomes a killing machine with the sole purpose of fulfilling Aries' will — that is, until something grievous happens in Kratos' personal life, and the two had a falling out.
The game harkens back to a time when games were harder, partially by design, and partially by awkward control mechanics and level layout decisions. I cursed this game a bunch of times while playing it, and it's story is pretty thin, so it was hard to push through at times since the only reward was for me to just say I finally beat it. (Which, granted, was a pretty big reward in itself.)
That said, much of it is fun hack-and-slash, and the cutscenes are enjoyable in a B-move, unintentionally hilarious way. This is one of PlayStation's most important series, and so I will probably playing II and III, even if the original title is a bit trying. C+
Journey (PS3)
A PlayStation Network (PSN) downloadable title, this game has gleaned numerous awards and industry accolades for its beauty, originality, and moving musical score. The game opens with your character gazing up a far-off mountain; reaching it is your singular goal, and journeying to do so will feature jaw-dropping deserts, abandoned cities, underground ruins, and other locations I don't want to spoil.
It features the most unique multiplayer I've ever seen, in that you don't find people in a lobby, or see other player's game tags floating above their heads while you play. There is no chat whatsoever. All you can do is chirp notes at one another. You are nameless, and so are your potential companions that the game auto-matches you with. It's not possible to ruin someone else's experience, and everything you do is cooperative and meaningful — and I would argue necessary to fully appreciate the story Journey is trying to convey. When you travel alone in this world, there's a sense of loneliness that's only cured upon finding another traveler, and the excitement in doing so is tangible as you both greet each other with chirps and by jumping up and down.
While you complete your pilgrimage, the game shows you mini cinematic clips to give you background on what happened to your ancestor's civilization, but with zero narration. Only mural-style art and melancholy music.
And it's incredible. A+
Heavy Rain (PS3)
Quantic Dream's critically acclaimed mystery thriller ties the lives of four main characters who are impacted by the recent kidnapping of a ten-year boy when it is learned that the culprit is the infamous Origami Killer: the boy's emotionally distraught father, a reporter covering the high-profile case, an FBI investigator, and a retired police officer.
This game is very impressive for a lot of reasons, mostly for the way that subverts your expectations for what a game can and can't do. But I will say that it features the most unusual gameplay I've ever seen, because nearly all of your actions are pantomimed with the controller. This is mostly done on the analog stick in some way, with very few button presses. Heavy Rain also features heavy doses of quicktime events.
I kind of hated this at the beginning, but as the game went on, I grew comfortable with it. That's not to say I liked it, but it was fine for me by the end. What made this better was the fact that failing these quicktime events didn't result in a game over screen in most cases. In fact, I remember reading that Quantic Dream's head feels that game overs are actually the developer's fault, not the gamer's. The net result of this is a fluid story that changes and adapts to how well you play, and to the choices you make. No two playthroughs are exactly the same.
Much of the storytelling is pretty great in fact, though I will say the ending is quite jarring and will put off some people. There's a plot twist that doesn't feel earned, but despite this, I still look back on the entire game fondly.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning that most of the voice acting is good, but some of it was done by French actors who did their best to fake American accents, but this isn't always successful. I found this to be distracting at times.
Still, an important game in the grand scheme things, showing that games can be art. Their next effort, Beyond: Two Souls, looks very good and I'm extremely excited for it. B+
The Last of Us (PS3)
Given a perfect score by many outlets, I feel as if I have very few points to make about the game that others have not.
Naughty Dog cemented themselves as the best studio making games today with this title, featuring one of the most compelling stories, art design, creative direction, and voice acting you will ever see, period. Not just in games, mind you. Anywhere.
The game takes place in a post-pandemic world, in which much of the human race is either dead or infected with cordyceps fungus, which renders those people into zombie-like beings in a kind of living death. (That said, these are not actually zombies. The infected ramble as if sick with fever, and writhe in pain. As the game progresses, one gets the impression that these are still people in there, but people who now lack the ability to control their own bodies.)
The frightening thing about this game is that the infected are not the worst things you'll face. It's other survivors. The Last of Us manages to paint one of the bleakest pictures of humanity and humanity's lack of grace after the fall of civilization.
By the time you reach the end, you'll ask yourself whether humanity can survive this. What you should be asking yourself is whether it should.
For two days after beating it, I was filled with a strange disquiet. I realized the reason for this was because my answer to that question was "no". A+
Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PS Vita)
The very first game I downloaded and played on the PS Vita was this title. The Uncharted series on PS3 is one of my all-time favorites, and so I leapt at the opportunity to jump back into that world with some of my favorite characters to ever grace video games.
There was reason to be skeptical, however. Naughty Dog, the creators of the PS3 trilogy (and the aforementioned The Last of Us), took no part in actually creating this title.
Instead, the game was developed by Bend Studio, a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment of America (which also owns Naughty Dog, it's worth mentioning). And they did a fantastic job.
The game features a lot of touch and motion controls, trying to show off the Vita's capabilities. (It was a launch title, so these are obligatory.) For the most part, this works well. You can do charcoal rubbings of reliefs you find by rubbing your finger on the screen, or reveal hidden lettering on a piece of paper by actually holding the Vita up to a light (using the camera on the back, obviously). The only time this failed, as far as I was concerned, was in the combat system. Bend has you swiped in different directions for counter moves, and it's kind of annoying to lift your hands away from the joysticks or analog buttons to complete those actions.
Simplistic but fun story, solid voice acting. Overall, a worthy entry into the series. B
Gravity Rush (PS Vita)
This is my second PS Vita game that I completed, and I feel like I should start by saying its very anime in its sensibilities. How you feel about anime will affect how you feel about this game.
It's gorgeous and features an interesting mystery surrounding its reasonably compelling main character, Kat, who has the ability to change the direction of gravity to explore and fight enemies. It's pretty fun.
And awkward. Not just in its gameplay mechanics, which features more motion control than I want, but also in its general storytelling, which is, again, very anime.
Still pretty cool. And while the story purposely leaves some loose ends for a sequel, it's still quite satisfying by the end. I look forward to this becoming a series. B+
Premature Judgments
I've also started a lot of games, but I haven't finished them yet. Even so, here are a few thoughts:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game (PS3)
An arcade style, side-scrolling beat-em up, which harkens to the golden era of arcade gaming in much the same way that the eponymous movie and comic do.
I am reminded of The Simpsons Arcade Game, in the way that you can play with others in local co-op, pick up items to use as weapons, and even through people.
This game is hard. I'm not sure if I can beat it alone, but the game allows for couch co-op, allowing me to involve friends. The couple of boss battles I've played (the first two evil exes) were pretty cool.
I'm leaning towards a B-.
Okami HD (PS3)
Okami is often referred to as the greatest Zelda game ever made, except for the fact that it's not a Zelda game at all. But there are some superficial similarities to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, at least insofar as both games feature wolves. Beyond that, I'm a bit dismissive of the comparison.
The HD remake of the PS2-era title is gorgeous, and the artwork is inspired, almost looking woodcut and painted.
The companion, whose name I can't remember, features the worst sound I've ever heard for mimicking speech. And much like Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, this character is incessant with trying to teach you gameplay and give awkward summaries of world-building background information.
Even so, that really doesn't detract too much from the overall game, and it's quite stunning to take part in a complex Japanese-style myth.
I'm not very far, and I fear the reason I haven't beaten this game is because I've fallen out of love with this kind of game, but I will endeavor to complete it nevertheless.
I'm leaning towards a B+.
inFAMOUS (PS3)
Another cornerstone franchise of PlayStation (along with Grand Turismo, Uncharted, God of War, and others I'm surely neglecting), I actually had almost zero interest in playing this game until I saw the preview for inFAMOUS: Second Son on the PS4. That game looks amazing.
Even though it's not technically necessary to play the first two games in order to appreciate the third game, from what I understand, I still really want to.
And so far, I'm fairly satisfied with it. In spite of its awkward controls and slightly obnoxious mission system, inFAMOUS really makes you feel like a superhero. And the game rewards you for defeating your enemies with style and general badassery.
Graphics are passible if a bit underwhelming for a game that came out in 2009, two and a half years into the PS3's life cycle. But art direction is solid, and the use of comic book-style cutscenes is very cool and rare in this medium.
Really solid so far. I'm leaning towards a B.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (PS3)
When I saw this game come up as a free download on PlayStation Plus, I had high hopes that it was a compilation of the early titles in the franchise. Sadly, this is not the case. Instead, it's an arcade-style, on-rails shooter that takes you through the chronological best moments of the series in a kind of executive summary of each original title's story.
It's very strange, and kind of terrible. But I'm playing with someone else, and that makes it kind of enjoyable, in a share suffering kind of way.
I'm leaning towards a C-. (It'd be a D- if I were playing alone.)
The Unfinished Swan (PS3)
Another heralded PSN title that is often connected to other high-concept endeavors (like Journey, Flower, and so on), this game follows the story of a boy who recently lost his mother and is now living in an orphanage. His mother left him a bevy of unfinished paintings, but he was only allowed to take one. He chose her unfinished painting of a swan.
He is awakened one night to discover the the swan has gone missing from the painting, so he enters the now blank canvas to pursue it. Gameplay begins in an all white scene, and your only tool is an infinite supply of black paint. As you cast splatters of it, it reveals terrain, buildings, nature, and tons of other objects in the world.
The game is kind of a maze, as you use the paint to reveal the path ahead. It's visually quite stunning.
The heart of the game is its narration and story, however, and so despite the seemingly simplistic-sounding gameplay mechanics, it's quite compelling.
I'm learning towards a B+ on this one.
Machinarium is a clever puzzle game about a robot-filled world — and I mean that literally, all living things in the game are mechanical, including owls, cats, and rodents. The game centers around a much-bullied robot whose sole purpose is to make it back into the city he was thrown out of, exact revenge on those who have abused him, and reunite with his one, true love.
It's very cute. And the excellent artwork suits this game well.
But I must admit that I've had to refer to a guide more than I normally do with games. I'm not very big into puzzle games and generally only tolerate them when I'm in the rare mood. (I had Portal 2 waiting for me to play for nearly half a year before I finally dove in, and I absolutely loved the first one. I'm just impatient with the genre.) That said, I'm trying to do as much of it as I can, and it's quite enjoyable. My only complaint is that it's a port of a PC game, and so the developers mapped a floating cursor (a mouse pointer, really) to the left analog stick. This is clunky and kind of insulting given the excellent touchscreen the Vita possesses.
I'm leaning towards a B on this one. Better controls would have raised this potential score higher.
Tagged with game reviews, god of war, gravity rush, heavy rain, infamous, journey, machinarium, okami, playstation, ps3, resident evil, scott pilgrim, the last of us, uncharted golden abyss, unfinished swan, vita
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