text:
Q: Get shortest/fastest path between two points from SpatialLines(DataFrame) I have a large rivernetwork as a SpatialLines(DataFrame) and want to subset it so I get a SpatialLine with only the shortest/fastest path between two SpatialPoints(DataFrame) which propably need to be snapped onto the line first.
In the example Code, I want to get the closest line between the red dots, while moving on the lines. Also I want to move between the left red point and the right blue point, which needs to be snapped to the closest SpatialLine
library(sp)
x <- c(1,5,6,8)
y1 <- c(1,3,4,7)
y2 <- c(5,5,5,2)

L <- SpatialLines(list(Lines(Line(cbind(x,y1)), ID="a"),Lines(Line(cbind(x,y2)), ID="b")))
P <- SpatialPoints(data.frame(x=c(1,8),y=c(1,2)))
P_snap <- SpatialPoints(data.frame(x=c(8),y=c(1)))

plot(L)
points(P,col="red")
points(P_snap,col="blue")

A: apologies for all these libraries, i'm not sure exactly which is needed... Good luck! this is kind of complicated. and not exactly sure how it works.
library(igraph)
library(RColorBrewer)
library(SpatialTools)
library(sp)
library(ANN)
library(rgeos)
library(maptools)
library(sp)
library(rgeos)
library(plyr)
library(FNN)
library(tidyr)
library(foreign)
library(dplyr)
library(plyr)
library(reshape)

buildTopo <- function(lines) {

  g = gIntersection(lines, lines)
  edges = do.call(rbind, lapply(g@lines[[1]]@Lines, function(ls) {
    as.vector(t(ls@coords))
  }))
  lengths = sqrt((edges[, 1] - edges[, 3])^2 + (edges[, 2] - edges[, 4])^2)

  froms = paste(edges[, 1], edges[, 2])
  tos = paste(edges[, 3], edges[, 4])

  graph = graph.edgelist(cbind(froms, tos), directed = FALSE)
  E(graph)$weight = lengths

  xy = do.call(rbind, strsplit(V(graph)$name, " "))

  V(graph)$x = as.numeric(xy[, 1])
  V(graph)$y = as.numeric(xy[, 2])
  return(graph)
}

routePoints <- function(graph, from, to) {
  require(FNN)
  xyg = cbind(V(graph)$x, V(graph)$y)

  ifrom = get.knnx(xyg, from, 1)$nn.index[1, 1]
  ito = get.knnx(xyg, to, 1)$nn.index[1, 1]

  p = get.shortest.paths(graph, ifrom, ito, output = "vpath")
  p[[1]]
}

buildTopo() use this function to create a topographically correct object. The input is a SpatialLinesDataFrame
Then use
    routePoints(ResultOfbuildTopo, FromCoord, ToCoord)

A: A way to approach this problem could be by switching from sp
to sf objects, and then use sfnetworks and tidygraph which
internally use igraph.
First we recreate the lines and points as sf objects.
x <- c(1,5,6,8)
y1 <- c(1,3,4,7)
y2 <- c(5,5,5,2)

library(sf)
#> Linking to GEOS 3.8.0, GDAL 3.0.4, PROJ 6.3.1
L = st_sf(
  ID = c("a", "b"),
  geometry = c(
    st_sfc(st_linestring(cbind(x,y1))),
    st_sfc(st_linestring(cbind(x,y2)))
  )
)
P = st_as_sf(data.frame(x=c(1,8),y=c(1,2)), coords = c("x","y"))
P_snap = st_as_sf(data.frame(x=8,y=1), coords = c("x","y"))

Then we can create an sfnetwork object from the LINESTRINGs L.
library(sfnetworks)
(G = L %>%
  as_sfnetwork(directed = F))
#> # A sfnetwork with 4 nodes and 2 edges
#> #
#> # CRS:  NA
#> #
#> # An unrooted forest with 2 trees with spatially explicit edges
#> #
#> # Node Data:     4 x 1 (active)
#> # Geometry type: POINT
#> # Dimension:     XY
#> # Bounding box:  xmin: 1 ymin: 1 xmax: 8 ymax: 7
#>   geometry
#>    <POINT>
#> 1    (1 1)
#> 2    (8 7)
#> 3    (1 5)
#> 4    (8 2)
#> #
#> # Edge Data:     2 x 4
#> # Geometry type: LINESTRING
#> # Dimension:     XY
#> # Bounding box:  xmin: 1 ymin: 1 xmax: 8 ymax: 7
#>    from    to ID                geometry
#>   <int> <int> <chr>         <LINESTRING>
#> 1     1     2 a     (1 1, 5 3, 6 4, 8 7)
#> 2     3     4 b     (1 5, 5 5, 6 5, 8 2)
G %>% class()
#> [1] "sfnetwork" "tbl_graph" "igraph"
plot(G)

This will return a network consisting of the two linestrings as edges,
and nodes created at the linestring end points.
However, routing will be difficult since there is no node that connects
both edges. This will probably not be a problem in the larger river network,
but for this particular case we can fix ti with the following code:
G = L %>%
  # Combine LINESTRINGS into a MULTILINESTRING geometry
  st_combine() %>%
  # Create a node where the MULTILINESTRINGs cross
  st_node() %>%
  # Cast back to LINESTRINGs
  st_cast('LINESTRING') %>%
  # Reset IDs
  st_sf(ID = c("a","a","b","b")) %>%
  # Create sfnetwork
  as_sfnetwork(directed = F)

Now, with help of tidygraph we can convert the network to its spatial
shortest paths. Convert will result in a subset of the original network,
consisting only of the spatial shortest path in this case.
sfnetworks accepts sf POINTs as to and from arguments,
while internally snapping this points to the nearest node.
It also uses the edge geographical length as weight internally
library(tidygraph)
#>
#> Attaching package: 'tidygraph'
#> The following object is masked from 'package:stats':
#>
#>     filter
# Convert to spatial shortest path between points in the network
G_sp1 = G %>%
  convert(to_spatial_shortest_paths, from = P[1,], to = P[2,])
# Convert to spatial shortest path to snapped point
G_sp2 = G %>%
  convert(to_spatial_shortest_paths, from = P[1,], to = P_snap)

We can plot the result to see how it worked
par(mar = c(0,0,0,0), mfrow = c(1,2))

plot(G, col = "grey", reset = FALSE)
plot(P, pch = 8, col = "green", add = TRUE)
G_sp1 %>%
  plot(col = "blue", add = TRUE)

plot(G, col = "grey", reset = FALSE)
plot(P, pch = 8, col = "green", add = TRUE)
plot(P_snap, pch = 8, col = "red", add = TRUE)
G_sp2 %>%
  plot(col = "purple", add = TRUE)

If you still need to obtain the shortest path as a SpatialLine,
it can be extracted as follows:
(L_sp1 = G_sp1 %>%
  st_geometry(active = "edges") %>%
  as_Spatial())
#> An object of class "SpatialLines"
#> Slot "lines":
#> [[1]]
#> An object of class "Lines"
#> Slot "Lines":
#> [[1]]
#> An object of class "Line"
#> Slot "coords":
#>          [,1] [,2]
#> [1,] 1.000000  1.0
#> [2,] 5.000000  3.0
#> [3,] 6.000000  4.0
#> [4,] 6.333333  4.5
#>
#>
#>
#> Slot "ID":
#> [1] "ID1"
#>
#>
#> [[2]]
#> An object of class "Lines"
#> Slot "Lines":
#> [[1]]
#> An object of class "Line"
#> Slot "coords":
#>          [,1] [,2]
#> [1,] 6.333333  4.5
#> [2,] 8.000000  2.0
#>
#>
#>
#> Slot "ID":
#> [1] "ID2"
#>
#>
#>
#> Slot "bbox":
#>   min max
#> x   1 8.0
#> y   1 4.5
#>
#> Slot "proj4string":
#> CRS arguments: NA

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Try this recipe for a post-fever boost to the immune-system. She also discussed apple cider vinegar, honey and vertigo.
Juice all the ingredients and add an equal quantity of water. Make fresh for best affects. Take twice a day for a month. This recipe is for two people.


VTERM-J - Handheld or Panel-Mount Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) from Beijer Electronics, Inc.
Learn more about the hardware and software that works with the VTERM-J on our Partner Page.
Supertwist, 20×4, LCD display; a lighted display and vacuum-fluorescent display (VFD) are available as options.
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Available in a handheld or panel-mount housing; a mounting holster is available for the handheld unit.
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text:
Q: Add a msbuild task that runs after building a .NET Core project in Visual Studio 2017 RC Is there something like the AfterBuild Target in msbuild with .NET Core in Visual Studio 2017 RC?
I tried to add the following snipped to the .csproj file, but it is not excuted during a build (Contrary to VS2015 where it does work).
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
  <Message Importance="High" Text="This is a test" />
</Target>

Another interesting discovery: As I thought that the AfterBuild target might have been removed - running msbuild <project.csproj> /t:AfterBuild doesn't seem to call the added target. If I rename the target to "Test" an call it with msbuild <project.csproj> /t:Test it works just fine.

Additionally, is there any documentation on the msbuild version (and possibly the .NET Core build scripts) shipping with Visual Studio 2017 RC?

A: An alternative is to use the AfterTargets attribute on the Target. Something like:
<Target Name="TestTarget" AfterTargets="Build">
  <Message Importance="High" Text="This is a test" />
</Target>

I'm not sure why "AfterBuild" wouldn't work any more, but this appears to be a conscious decision by the maintainers of MSBuild (h/t to Livven on pointing me to this github issue). "AfterBuild" was a special name that was used by the Build target. The current version of Microsoft.Common.CurrentVersion.targets still has it:
  <PropertyGroup>
    <BuildDependsOn>
      BeforeBuild;
      CoreBuild;
      AfterBuild
    </BuildDependsOn>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <Target
      Name="Build"
      Condition=" '$(_InvalidConfigurationWarning)' != 'true' "
      DependsOnTargets="$(BuildDependsOn)"
      Returns="$(TargetPath)" />
  <!--


Helen's district cooling production is at a record high as its customers' cooling demand has increased more than threefold from the June level. Cooling is produced at full capacity in the Katri Vala and the Esplanade heating and cooling plants and in the Salmisaari power plant. A sufficient cooling output for the customers is safeguarded with the huge underground reservoirs under the Esplanade Park and in Pasila.
On the hot July days, the cooling demand and Helen's production have risen to a record high, up to three times the normal levels. The average cooling output in June was 30–40 megawatts per day, but in the past few days it has risen to as high as 114 megawatts. This output would provide enough cooling for about 75,000 one-bedroom apartments. The difference is considerable compared with summers in the past few years. For example, the cooling need has doubled from the levels in July last year.
Helen is now producing district cooling in Helsinki at full capacity in the Katri Vala underground heating and cooling plant in Sörnäinen. Katri Vala is the world's largest heating and cooling plant producing heat and cooling in the same process. Cooling is also produced in the cooling plant at the Salmisaari power plant and in Helen's new heating and cooling plant under the Esplanade Park, which is currently undergoing commissioning tests.
Underground reservoirs, i.e. cooling storage facilities, are utilised in the cooling of customers in Helsinki. Finland's largest district cooling reserve is located under the Esplanade Park at a depth of about 100 metres. The cooling reserve holds 25 million litres of water, which corresponds to the volume of an average-sized lake. The capacity of the Pasila cooling accumulator is about 11 million litres.
The cooling need varies significantly according to the time of day and the temperature, and cooling production is adjusted accordingly.
"During a hot spell, we produce cooling during the night with an output of some 40 megawatts. The demand for cooling starts to rise in the early morning, and at 7am it is already about 70 megawatts. The 100-megawatt mark is exceeded already by ten in the morning," says Team Leader Mirka Mäkelä who is responsible for Helen's energy system development.
Cooling demand is at its highest in the afternoon, by which time it has already risen to a record 114 megawatts. The lower cooling demand during the early hours of the night enables utilisation of cooling reserves.
"The cooling reserves are charged at night to make sure that there is enough cooling for everyone when the cooling demand rises over the course of the day," Mäkelä explains.
The district cooling system in Helsinki is the third largest and the most rapidly growing cooling system in Europe.
Large commercial premises, data centres, shops and thousands of apartments are connected to district cooling.
Helen produces district cooling in the Katri Vala heating and cooling plant in Sörnäinen and in the Salmisaari cooling plant.
Helen is currently commissioning a new heat pump plant under the Esplanade Park. The plant will improve the output of cooling and renewable district heat production and increase the efficiency of the underground cooling reserve. At the same time, carbon dioxide emissions will fall by more than 20,000 tonnes.
Helen has two huge underground cooling water reserves, one under the Esplanade Park and one in Pasila.
The cooling reserves are charged at night and discharged during the day when the customers' cooling need is at its highest.
District cooling is the best cooling method in terms of the environment. In district cooling, surplus heat is recovered and utilised in district heat production.
The amount of heat collected from the excess heat of properties and utilised in district cooling would require solar collectors covering the size of 30 football pitches.
Helen's district cooling system is internationally awarded (e.g. Global District Energy Climate Awards).


First released in 2014, Houston Rap Tapes is an insightful journey through the history — largely told by those who have been firsthand witnesses and/or important participants — of the vibrant and influential HTX hip-hop scene. It features oral histories and interviews with folks like Bun B., Willie D., Paul Wall, Z-Ro, Big Mike, DJ DMD, K-Rino, Salih Williams, Lil' Troy, and more.
Written by veteran music writer and hip-hop scholar Lance Scott Walker, the book is a kind of primary source companion to Houston Rap, a collaboration between Walker and photographer Peter Beste that focused primarily on Beste's phenomenal photographic documentation of the scene.
Rap Tapes too benefits massively from Beste's contributions, though taking a more comprehensive approach to storytelling, featuring full interviews, anecdotes, and other tidbits woven throughout Walker's fine reporting work.
It's remarkable, really, how thorough and perceptive each of these guys is in their own right, and even more special how well each's work supplements the other's.
This month The University of Texas Press has released a definitive version of the book, entitled Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-Hop. This edition, some 80 pages longer than the first, features even more of Walker's interview work — with the likes of Scarface, Slim Thug, Lez Moné, B L A C K I E, Lil' Keke, Sire Jukebox (of the original Ghetto Boys) and more — and new photographs from Beste to boot.
It is a Texas hip-hop nerd's best friend and, to my mind, one of the best scene-specific explorations of hip-hop you'll ever find.
To celebrate the release of the book, Walker will be stopping in to Friends of Sound next Saturday for a book launch talk and Q&A session.
Free, 6-9pm, Sat, Oct. 20, Friends of Sound Records, 700 Fredericksburg Rd., (210) 971-8044, friendsofsound.com.


text:
About NTT DATA
A top 10 global IT services provider
Who We Are — NTT DATA Services
At NTT DATA Services, we drive outcomes that keep our clients a step ahead in this digitally dynamic world. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, our team of more than 50,000 professionals worldwide works with you to address today's challenges, and tomorrow's – whether it's to help jump-start your cloud migration, reinvent the customer experience, streamline business processes or upgrade aging infrastructure.
As a division of NTT DATA Corporation, a top 10 global IT services provider with 118,000+ employees in more than 50 countries, we excel in blending IT and business expertise with decades of industry know-how.
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SEE OUR CORPORATE SNAPSHOT
NTT DATA Services Executives
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John W. McCain serves as executive chairman of NTT DATA Services and has more than 30 years of experience in IT services. He also is the first non-Japanese member of the board of directors at NTT DATA Corporation (NTDTY). Previously, John was chief executive officer of NTT DATA Services for eight years. During this time, the company developed broad capabilities in digital, cloud and automation technologies.
Bob Pryor Chief Executive Officer
Bob Pryor serves as chief executive officer of NTT DATA Services, a trusted global innovator delivering technology-enabled services and innovative solutions to clients around the world. He previously served as chief operating officer as well as chief integration officer, overseeing the 22-month integration of Dell Services into NTT DATA.
Bob joined NTT DATA from Fujitsu, where he was CEO of Fujitsu Americas, Inc., leading the hardware, software and services businesses in North America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Latin/South America. He started his career at EDS through the Systems Engineering Development Programme and progressed to a variety of senior leadership roles across sales, industry verticals and geographic businesses. He's also held senior leadership positions at Ernst & Young, Capgemini, HP and Genpact.
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David Croxville Chief Financial Officer
David Croxville is chief financial officer at NTT DATA Services, overseeing all global finance, including property and procurement. His 20+ year career spans leadership roles that include unit controller, managing director of financial planning and analysis and CFO of a $10 billion organisation. David joined NTT DATA from Pegasus Logistics Group, where he served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
David Bonner Executive Vice President, Infrastructure, Cloud & Security
Dave Bonner is executive vice president for infrastructure, cloud and security at NTT DATA Services. With an extensive background in IT consulting, outsourcing and software development, he has more than 30 years of experience working with clients around the world. Dave leads a team of over 12,000 employees in service-delivery and operations centres in more than 20 global locations. Previously, Dave led the IT integration for NTT DATA's acquisition of Dell Services.
Mona Charif Chief Marketing Officer
Mona Charif is senior vice president and chief marketing officer for NTT DATA Services. She has more than 20 years of experience with Fortune 100 companies, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies and EDS. Mona has broad experience in complex marketing and communications strategy and flawless programme execution. With an extensive background in branding and rebranding companies, she led the marketing integration of the former Dell Services with NTT DATA. Mona also leads the North Texas chapter of Women Inspire NTT DATA (WIN), an employee resource group.
Eric Clark Chief Digital Officer & EVP, Application Services
Eric Clark is chief digital officer and executive vice president of application services, focusing on go-to-market and offering management. As a key contributor and spokesperson for NTT DATA Services, Eric is often called upon to deliver his insights to clients, media and analysts on topics such as the development and execution of strategy and operations for digital transformation, cloud, mobility, internet of things and security. Eric has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry. Prior to joining NTT DATA Services, Eric held numerous global, senior leadership positions with ServiceNow, Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, Ernst & Young and Bank of America. Eric is a board member for the DFW World Affairs Council and has served on the advisory board for the SMU Digital Accelerator. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Tim Conway President, Public Sector
Tim Conway is president of Public Sector at NTT DATA Services, driving our business to deliver technology-enabled solutions to federal, state and local governments in the United States, Canada and Australia. Tim is a seasoned leader, providing management and technology consulting to the public sector for nearly three decades. He has held management and executive positions at Keane, Inc., Xerox (formerly ACS, Inc.), IBM, Lockheed Martin and the Public Service Electric and Gas Company.
John Dick Executive Vice President, Legal
John Dick is executive vice president and general counsel at NTT DATA Services. He is responsible for general corporate counsel, compliance, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, plus employment and litigation matters. With 20 years of experience, John was previously at Keane, Inc., as well as Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. John also represented companies and funds in connection with private placements, venture funds and private equity funds.
Amir Durrani Executive Vice President, Global Delivery
Amir Durrani is executive vice president of global delivery and responsible for ensuring that our balanced onshore and India-based offshore delivery models remain competitive differentiators through our expert talent, service delivery, innovation and unparalleled quality. Amir has more than 20 years of experience in the IT services industry, including serving as executive vice president of Asia Pacific at Keane, Inc.
John Graham Chief Revenue Officer
John Graham is chief revenue officer with responsibility for corporate sales strategies across diverse channels, overall sales processes and results, and mentoring world-class teams for sales, account management and sales support. John has leadership expertise in building high-performing teams that can implement operational improvements to drive revenue growth and increased profitability. Before joining NTT DATA Services, John was chief executive officer at Omnitracs, and prior to that, he was president of security, government and infrastructure for Intergraph Corp., Hexagon AB. John's prior experience also includes senior executive roles at Capgemini, Ernst & Young, Siebel Systems and EDS. John is also a former naval officer, serving in multiple theatres.
Alan Hughes Group President
Alan Hughes is group president of the global healthcare practice. As head of the company's largest industry segment, Alan is responsible for leading the growth, profitability and transformation of the global healthcare business. Alan has 30 years of leadership experience, specialising in enterprise strategy development and execution, information technology, business operations and building high-performance teams to drive results in the healthcare and financial industries.
Tanvir Khan President, Business Process Outsourcing
Tanvir Khan is president of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and has spent more than 23 years in IT and outsourcing. He is a hands-on BPO practitioner who drives process transformation combining technology, process optimisation, analytics and automation. Tanvir's approach to BPO is based on a foundation of vertical industry-specific platforms layered with workflow and automation to continuously optimise transaction processing.
Tim Morton Senior Vice President, Global Operations
Tim Morton is the senior vice president of global operations at NTT DATA Services, responsible for the development and execution of the company's overall operational strategy. He has global experience in business management, strategy, revenue growth and client management across both public and private sectors. Previously, he led multiple start-up and turnaround business environments, earning a proven track record of delivering results for his clients and his firm. With more than 35 years of experience in the IT services industry, Tim has held management and executive positions at Keane, Inc., HP, EDS and Texas Instruments.
Barry Shurkey Chief Information Officer
Barry Shurkey is chief information officer for NTT DATA Services. He is responsible for optimising and advancing the company's IT roadmap to support the company and its clients. Previously, he was a senior vice president, overseeing the company's Transition Services Agreement with Dell, and before that led the company's overall service delivery to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). With more than 30 years of experience in the IT services industry, he has held leadership roles with Travelport, Vertex Business Systems, EDS and HP.
Sylvia Steinheiser Executive Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions
Sylvia Steinheiser is executive vice president of Corporate Development. She is responsible for developing new business opportunities with an emphasis on acquisitions and strategic partnerships that align with our core strategy, global competitiveness and market trends. Sylvia is also responsible for managing and optimising our International Business. Sylvia holds an MBA from Georgetown University, a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law and a BA in economics from the University of Michigan.
Elizabeth Towson Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer
Elizabeth Towson is chief diversity and inclusion officer at NTT DATA Services, leading the company's strategy to create and sustain a diverse and authentically inclusive workplace. She is also senior vice president of human resources, responsible for global talent acquisition and all recruitment programmes. Previously, Elizabeth held progressive leadership roles at Keane, Inc. and EDS in the areas of recruiting, human resources, and leadership training and development.
Dean Williams Executive Vice President, Human Resources
Dean Williams is executive vice president of human resources at NTT DATA Services, leading strategic human capital activities, including workforce development and organisation effectiveness, compensation, recruiting, diversity and HR processes. With more than 20 years of experience, Dean has held progressive leadership roles in building human resources management and acquisition programmes, workforce planning and other strategic initiatives.
Meet Our Game Changers
Sitting on the sidelines isn't for them. Our Game Changers come from diverse backgrounds and experiences but share one goal: being the best collaborators, problem-solvers and transformers in the business. See how they are changing the game for organisations worldwide.
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We are part of the NTT family of companies, a $107 billion organisation with more than 300,000 professionals in 88 countries and regions. Ranked 55th in the Fortune Global 500, NTT partners with 85% of the Fortune Global 100 companies. We leverage NTT's $3.6 billion investment in R&D and 5,500 researchers worldwide.
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We're more than a traditional IT services provider. With NTT DATA Services, you get the scale and delivery power of a top 10 IT services provider with the attention that you'd expect from a boutique firm. You'll benefit from our deep expertise in healthcare, life sciences, financial services, insurance, manufacturing and the public sector.
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Our work is guided by our values: placing our clients' needs first, applying foresight to each engagement and working as a team. The result: strategic, yet practical guidance and tangible business outcomes.
Meet Our NTT DATA Corporation Global Executives
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NTT DATA supports philanthropic and sustainable programmes, globally and locally. We are committed to operating ethically and finding ways to solve environmental and social problems.
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text:
The energy transition is unstoppable | Cyprus Mail
By Rodney Carter Last updated Dec 5, 2021
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On the Pandora Papers list: an IRS officer and a former chief IT commissioner
GAIL to build India's largest green hydrogen plant, Energy News, ET EnergyWorld
Cyprus worried about 'pandoramonium' overshadowing good work, KNEWS
Disy: Akel, not us, gave citizenship to a man linked to Pandora Papers
Trump's media partner says he has put up $ 1 billion in capital
Amid Evergrande Crisis, More Chinese Developers To Issue Asset-Backed Securities, Real Estate News, ET RealEstate
Ex-lawyer Rasmus Knudsen promoted to CFO of Monjasa Group
Leak suggests pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politician secretly profited from Russian oil…
Greece loses interest as Washington sheds interest in EastMed pipeline –…
What 2022 will bring for energy


Mark Tross- Mark is a gifted Bible teacher, pastor, prayer leader, and is often used as the glue which bonds Christians together. He is a man of peace, and has touched many people with the love of God. He is a true exhorter in the Lord's flock. He works tirelessly utilizing mass media to plant seeds of the Gospel worldwide. Here are a few of his websites , blogs, etc.


(CNS): In her 2012 birthday honours list the queen has handed out two MBEs as well as one Overseas Territories (Police) Medal to Caymanians. The governor has named two more to receive the Cayman Islands Certificate and Badge of Honour. Martyn Bould, chair of the CNCF board chair, and Dr.Sook Lee Yin-Eccles, who is medical director of the Cancer Society, have been made MBEs for their respective services to cultural preservation and medicine and charitable organisations. Davis Harrison Scott, asenior officer with the RCIPS, received the OTM for meritorious service. Meanwhile, Governor Duncan Taylor has named Nicole Tyson-Petit and James Young Scott as CERT Hons for their work in government and the construction industry.
These awards simply don't count any more especially when you got our Grand Premier handing out such prestigious and distinguished wards like Order of Merit 7th degree "Article Dan" to his pioneers of political suffrage To hell with dem colonial pilgrims Ribbons and buttons! made for the knick nack kitchen junk drawer.
Nothing matters here on Cayman, especially the law and good governance, accountability, responsibility and fiscal prudence. At least those awarded are acknowledged to buck the normal trend and have actually done good in their lives for the betterment of Cayman. It's easy to sit and criticise or pour scorn on a culture and tradition, its much harder to earn the respect needed to get that award or be acknowledged as a worthy member of society. What did you do today that has bettered the lives of others? Didn't think so.
Jacky Backside from Oldbush. Your just jealous. Stop it and I say be nice now. If you had gotten one your mouth would not be able to hold you teeth with the smile. Live and let others live.
Congrats Dr. Yin! Well deserved!
I wish you were right, but unfotunately it does and its current incarnation is more insidious than all of the previous versions put together.
One of their greatest successes is convincing us otherwise, but there you have it.
Tough luck, as British Citizens you're a part of it as well, tee hee.
And Queen Victoria is dead but people still can be awarded the Victoria Cross.
Between your ears obviously, muppet. Pardon my British.


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Q: Machinist2 and dirty tracking Unfortunately, it seems that Machinist in cooperation with Active Record somehow bypasses dirty tracking. While I have test based on after_save callback, the tracked attribute must be set explicitely, otherwise tracked_changed? returns false... Does someone have experience with this?
# in after_save tracked_changed? returns false
client = Client.make!(:tracked => "AAA")

# in after_save tracked_changed? returns true
client = Client.make!
client.tracked = "XXX"
client.save


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HomeNew ProductsD'Anniballe on Sterling 1700-Powered Skater: "Mind-blowing."
D'Anniballe on Sterling 1700-Powered Skater: "Mind-blowing."
Yesterday's first sea trial of the much-awaited Skater 388 catamaran with the first pair of Sterling 1,700-hp turbocharged engines on Lake St. Clair couldn't have gone better, according to Sterling principal Mike D'Anniballe.
"When the power came on, it came on hard," said D'Anniballe, who throttled the boat for its maiden run. "The acceleration was mind-blowing. I was running at about 4,000 rpm at around 80 mph, and hit the throttle for like two seconds and it jumped to 7,000 rpm—and the speed jumped to 140 mph.
Sterlng 1700.
"We had too much power for the props," he added. "I think we were just boiling them. The conditions weren't great, it was sloppy with two-footers, and it was my first time throttling a Skater 388. And it was still like nothing I've ever seen before. When the power came on, it came now. Once the boat gets propped right—we actually had to back off the throttle and wait for the props to bite—wow."
On board with D'Anniballe were Sterling's Jeff Burrill, who was collecting data on a laptop connected to one of the engines, and well-known mechanic/rigger Steve Lopez, who worked for offshore racing notable Bobby Moore.
"Steve has been in every raceboat known to mankind, and he said, 'Mike, I've never experienced anything like that,'" said D'Anniballe.
The catamaran will leave the Sterling shop today and is headed south for more testing with David Wade and the owner. From there, said D'Anniballe, it will head for the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout at the end of August where it will make its public debut.
Cut-Down 47-foot Outerlimits Cat Makes First Sea Trial
First Outboard-Powered Active Thunder 33' Hits the Water
My Way Crash Forces Shootout Scratch
Captain Ron: The Man Behind the Shootout
Project Update: Ironman Nearing Completion


Last week I attended the Retail Business & Technology Expo 2018 in London. I last attended RBTE in 2012, and the first thing that struck me was just how much it has grown. In its early days it was on the cutting edge of topics because it took on combining both business and technology leaders under the same roof to have conversations about the future of retail.
That early vision has paid off, in that, no one thinks any longer that it is at all remarkable to hold a conference that brings together business and technology in retail.
Aptos booth visitors chatting about retail technology at RBTE 2018.
Two things struck me about the show this year.
One, digital and customer experience are now completely fused together – inseparable. RBTE this year was co-located with the Retail Digital Signage Expo and the Retail Design Expo – the former focused on digital signage (surprise!), and the latter focused on store design.
The store design section was about what I expected it to be: slat-wall and lighting and flooring. There were also some potted plant vendors and some vendors focused on seating or display stands. But on the other side of the expo hall, other than the carpet color changing over from blue to red, it was very difficult to tell where RBTE ended and RDSE began. Much of the digital signage section was focused not on display, but interactive – touch screens and responsive tabletops, in-store beacons, RFID-activated stands and displays.
There were several solution providers within the RBTE side of the Expo hall that also addressed the customer experience, and I imagine a lot of them faced a bit of a quandary deciding where to locate their stand. This is not a bad thing – customers increasingly expect a digital component to their shopping journey, up to and including how it is delivered in store.
It's a mistake to read that and think it means that you should implement an Amazon Go experience in your stores right away – digital has a context and retailers would be shooting themselves in the foot if they ignored the in-person context that customers seek when they go to a store. But the fact that even in stores, it is increasingly difficult to tell where the "enterprise" solution ends and the "customer experience" solution begins – this is an important evolution of retail technology, and RBTE's Expo hall reflected that.
The second thing that struck me about the show related to the content tracks at the event. I had the luxury of actually attending content sessions – I imagine this luxury won't last forever, but I will enjoy it to the hilt for as long as I can! I attended four sessions, not including the panel I moderated or Vicki Cantrell's call to arms around using data to differentiate in retail. For a free event – anyone in the expo can attend any session, including tracks at other shows – the content was surprisingly good, with companies very willing to share some pretty deep lessons learned. What did I learn?
AliPay and WeChat, the two dominant payment platforms in China, are poised to eventually be the dominant payment platforms globally.
I was keyed to this idea during Engage US, when I overheard some people talking about how all the taxi drivers in Las Vegas are now taking AliPay and WeChat payment methods, because of the influx of Chinese tourists, all of whom expect to pay that way.
At RBTE, Wirecard, a Germany-based payment services provider, presented a case study on the implementation of AliPay and We Chat for retailers within Munich Airport. Munich is an important air travel transfer point in Europe, and Chinese tourists usually travel with a very long list of purchases to make for family and friends, especially where they can buy luxury goods with greater assurance that the products are not knockoffs. Chinese tourists spend 3-4x what an average European tourist spends – EUR 860 for your average German traveler vs. EUR 3000+ for a Chinese traveler (and the gap with British travelers was even larger), according to Wirecard. But when Munich Airport implemented AliPay and WeChat at a few of its retail shops as a test, it found that Chinese tourists using those payment methods spent 280% more than those who used other methods.
The idea of something like AliPay "winning" the consumer digital wallet wars immediately raises a lot of questions – can I open an AliPay account as an American deep in the embrace of the US banking system? What kind of oversight or access does the Chinese government have with AliPay? As a US consumer, I have a certain base level of assumptions about consumer privacy and security that I'm pretty sure are not good assumptions to have when engaging with Chinese authorities. Pretty sure – but not positive, and not even sure that I would be "big potatoes" enough to be interesting to Chinese authorities anyway (I certainly hope not!). I'm intrigued, and will be digging into that as soon as I get a chance.
Second thing was something that I didn't so much learn as have reaffirmed for me: anyone who tries to build a business case for something radically new is a fool. No one will believe the business case, and when you actually do the radically new thing, you find that all the benefits you thought would be there are not really there, but a whole slew of other benefits are – ones you never thought of when building your business case.
Such was the case for Vita Mojo. Vita Mojo is a restaurant. The founders weren't restaurant people. They were technologists who were really more interested in selling a cashless order-taking system to the restaurant industry. But when they were rebuffed too many times with "Consumers won't eat at a cashless restaurant – that'll never work", they decided to put their own skin in the game. They opened a restaurant. They now operate three locations in London, and I wish wish wish I had the time to check one out.
Here's how it works. You order from a kiosk, I'm assuming at a table. But there is no set menu. There are a list of main dishes and a list of sides, and you put together your own meal on your terms. You can refine the list according to your personal dietary needs – allergic to nuts or dairy? Just say so, and you'll only see options that meet those requirements. But the real magic is that you can also size your portions according to a calorie goal. So you can size your meal up if you're hungry and size it down if you're not, and the kiosk gives you real time feedback on how many calories you'll be getting on your plate.
That was what the founders had set out to prove. But what they learned is that, in order to do that well, they had to digitize their entire restaurant. They had to have very detailed product and portion information, and they had to digitize the kitchen so that each custom order could be communicated to the back of the house and tracked for delivery to the right customer's table.
The end result: Vita Mojo has an unprecedented level of visibility into their business. They see all of the plated combinations that customers build for themselves, they see the explicit decisions and tradeoffs consumers make around eating enough vegetables, dietary requirements, and calorie counts. They just recently implemented an integration to a consumer DNA company (he didn't share which one), where you can share your DNA results with them, and they will suggest the perfect meal based on your DNA.
There were lots of questions from the audience on that one – basically, you're authorizing to share 3 specific DNA markers, and the restaurant uses those markers in combination to decide whether you need more protein or less dairy or whatever it may be. "No personally identifiable information" the presenter was quick to say, and noted that it was not the entire genetic profile. He also noted that people are generally willing to share the information, because they are intrigued to see what kind of recommendations they get – an important thing for retailers to keep in mind: consumers will give you pretty much anything, so long as you promise them something that they value.
But that data access – that is going to become a priceless resource for Vita Mojo as the company looks into consumer behavior. I don't know what they can do with it yet, and neither do they, really, but at least they have the data to start from. For example, did you know that at the restaurants (the 3 locations in London), people are 80% more likely to order broccoli when it rains? Like I said, I don't know what you can really do with it, but it's more than you knew a second ago.
Third thing I learned came from Brian Bride, the former head of Amazon.co.uk, and now chairman of Asos. It wasn't that I learned anything new from Brian, but I found it fascinating that he very nearly echoed Vicki's presentation, almost word for word. You can't win without technology. And you won't win if you don't use all the data your technology gives you about your customers and your business. Not unlike Vita Mojo, Brian emphasized that you may not know what to do with all that data when you first get your hands on it, but for sure you can't do anything if you don't have it.
Did you know that the largest drone delivery service area in the world is in Reykjavik? I had no idea. Aha.is is an Icelandic marketplace that is actually the forerunner of live, to customers drone deliveries.
Delivering via drone in Iceland is really hard. To say that it's windy there is an understatement. It makes me wonder if they didn't invent the phrase "blown away". But for all of the technical problems with weight, safety, weather, range, batteries, etc., the logistical problems of delivering by drone are significant enough that it makes me hesitate to think it will be a mainstream delivery mechanism any time soon.
Drones in Reykjavik are limited to four main routes, and all of them follow roads. The drones are not permitted to fly over people's houses to get to their destinations – they have to fly over the roads to get there, and they can only deliver to front yards unless a house backs up to a road-accessible open space or another road. Only about one-third of the city is covered by these four routes, mainly because the drones must stay away from the local airport and its flight paths. Aha had to negotiate among five different local authorities – the airport, the aviation administration, the police, the fire department, and the local government. It took many months.
Initially, the company had to keep line of sight control over the drones, and if a drone was going to land, they had to have a handler on the ground to be there when it took off again. The line of sight requirement has since been lifted, but authorities were not going to lift the handler requirement. Aha had to design an airborne delivery mechanism to compensate – the drone signals the consumer via the retailer's app that it has arrived. It does not land. It hovers. The consumer signals when they are ready to receive their order by typing a PIN into the app. The bottom of the drone's payload opens and a winch lowers a bag containing the order to the consumer, who removes it and signals that they are ready for the drone to leave. Thus it never has to land.
There are still significant limitations on the drones – the weight they can carry, the range they get. But even in this limited application, Aha is finding that it's more cost effective than cars (especially now that they don't have to send a car and a drone handler out after every drone). However, from my perspective, this takes a lot of wind out of the blades of drone enthusiasts (ha ha). I get the business case. I have sat in traffic in Mexico City, New York, and London. Drones are the perfect solutions to those messes. But if Aha's experience is in any way the norm, we're a long way off from ubiquity.
One, I'm going to see if it's even possible for me to download AliPay (or if it has an English language version or if that's even the app, since it's really just a part of Alibaba's mega-app). If you have any thoughts there, please do let me know! Two, I'm adding Vita Mojo to my list of things to see the next time I'm in London. Three, I'm going to continue to work with my Aptos colleagues to think about how we can keep on working on getting retailers to value data as a strategic asset. And four, I'm going to be grateful that of all the things my tech-minded teenage son is obsessed with, drones is not one of them.


You've Got a Flat Tire, Now What?
The first thing you need to do is to get off the road as soon as it's safe to do so. Even with a flat tire, you can slow your car to roughly 25 mph and still be able to keep your car under control.
ground you see. The more level and solid the ground, the better. Call for help if you are in an emergency lane or center lane on a main street or highway. It is not safe for you to work on the vehicle unless you are well off the road with plenty of room to work.
Set the car in park and set the emergency brake. If you have a manual transmission, leave the car in 1st gear or reverse.
Find something to brace the tire against to prevent rolling. If you don't have something look for a large rock or log.
Loosen the Lug Nuts. The first crank is the toughest; do it before you jack up the vehicle. Skip every other lug nut working your way around until all lug nuts have been loosened. Remember: "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey".
Place your jack under the vehicle as instructed in your vehicle's owner's manual, being sure not to wedge it against the side trim or a flexible area.
Completely remove the lug nuts and remove the tire by pulling straight away from the car. It may be heavy so do this slowly and be careful.
Mount the spare tire onto the screw prongs, lining up the screws with the holes in the tire. Remember that the air valve should be facing out. Screw on the lug nuts by hand, alternating as you go with every other one, just until they're all secured. Then go back with the tool and tighten them slightly.
Replace the Lugnuts and try to tighten each one equally to keep your spare evenly mounted. Turn them to the right to tighten and use some force.
Lower the Jack and give each lug one more twist to be sure.


Best Dog Walkers in Faulkner School of New Smyrna Beach, FL | Wag!
Faulkner School is a small neighborhood of single-family homes located between Mary Avenue and Murray Street. This address puts you right on the Indian River where cool breezes often blow to help you beat the sun's heat during the hottest part of summer.
While you are a little bit out from the central part of town, there are a few restaurants in the area to try along with a few convenience stores. If you want a place to buy groceries, clothes, dog food, or other pet supplies, you can find them all within a short drive on this side of the river. There are even more great restaurants, boutiques, and unique stores purveying a considerable variety of goods.
Living here also puts you within a short drive of the beach, a nature preserve, and an aquatic preserve, all of which can be a lot of fun for you and your dog on any day of the year.
Faulkner School is only one block from Washington Street and the N Causeway Bridge so that you may find that traffic along N Riverside Drive and Washington Street tends to be heavy at times, especially during rush hour and peak tourist seasons. Traffic is limited mostly to vehicular, with very little in the way of pedestrian traffic.
The one place you might see a fair amount of pedestrian traffic is the green walkway running along the river going north to Riverside Park. Even then, you may find that this traffic is limited to the early morning hours before things heat up. You can also take your dog over the causeway where you can enjoy the fresh breezes coming off the water to help the two of you keep cool. The causeway even has a concrete barricade to keep you safe from the traffic as this tends to be a bustling bridge.
The nearest green space is the riverside walkway that runs from the New Smyrna Beach City Marina to Riverside Park. This is a very wide strip of grass that is perfect for you and your dog to take your daily walks.
You are also next door to Old Fort Park. Here, you will find plenty of grass to run around on, walking paths to hike on, and the ruins of an old fort whose origins are shrouded in mystery. It's a good place for the two of you to hang out and play for a while.
If long hikes are your thing, then there are several entrances to the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve. This 1,600-acre wildlife preserve is home to dozens of different species of animals and birds. It is also home to more than three miles of nature trails for you and your pup to hike along at any time from sunrise to sunset.


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Weekend reads: Stolen colon is flushed out of hiding
Ben Palmer's reads
The mystery of the stolen colon. For days, residents of Kansas City, Missouri wondered who had stolen a 10-foot-by-10-foot, 150-pound inflatable colon owned by the Colon Cancer Foundation, a group that raises awareness about colon cancer. But on Monday, a days-long police investigation flushed the stolen colon out of hiding. No arrests were made as of Monday—in fact, the organization said it had dumped any plans to press charges. Suffice to say, investigators are likely pooped after an investigation of such scope.
The most effective smoke alarm might be … your mom? A mother's voice is more effective at waking up children and getting them out of their room than a traditional smoke alarm, according to a study in the Journal of Pediatrics. The researchers monitored 176 children ages five to 12 with EEG electrodes. Once the children fell asleep, the researchers set off either a standard smoke alarm or one of three recordings of the child's mother shouting the child's name and instructions. The researchers found that a mother's voice woke up almost 90% of the children and got them out of their rooms in less than 30 seconds on average. In comparison, a standard alarm only woke up about 50% of the children and took an average of nearly five minutes to get them out of their room.
Rachel Schulze's reads
The 26.2-mile-long road to recovery. As part of their recovery from opioid misuse disorder, a group of patients from Odyssey House—a drug and alcohol treatment center in New York—as well as supporters and former patients, will run the New York City Marathon. Odyssey House COO John Tavolacci, who has run 22 marathons, started the running group in 2001 as a supplement to treatment. He's seen the team help boost participants' self-esteem and fill time that might otherwise be used for unhealthy behaviors.
Your Reese's Cup is going on a diet. Hershey's this week announced it will launch a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup that's 40% thinner than the original confection. Why? Hershey's President Michele Buck said the product is for consumers who "want something sweet with more permissibility." According to the Washington Post's Rachel Siegel, Hershey's is focusing on consumer's sense of guilt. Ravi Dhar, director of the Center for Customer Insights at the Yale School of Management, said, "The permissibility comes from the guilt that people feel and it creates a sort of rationalization."
More from today's Daily Briefing
Around the nation: Top HHS drug pricing adviser dies
'None of us expected this': New research warns against minimally invasive cervical cancer surgery
What's worse than smoking, diabetes, or heart disease? (Hint: It's entirely under your control.)
What you need to know about the 682-page Home Health Prospective Payment System final rule
Hospital-acquired infections have fallen by 16% (but the news isn't all good)
What you need to know about the 2,378-page Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule
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Sectarian Superpowers: At war with ourselves in Syria
Posted on Nov 12, 2015 by Patrick Hilsman
"Hey, whose side are you on?" — A Kurdish female fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) near the site of fighting between ISIS and fighters from the Democratic Forces of Syria in south-eastern Syria. (Photo by REUTERS / Rodi Said)
Much has been written by so-called experts in the West about the Syrian catastrophe, and what it tells us about Islam and the Arab world:
Do Arab countries need a strongman dictator to hold them together? Is the Syrian civil war the ultimate reckoning of sectarian divisions within Islam? Are Muslim states really ready for democracy?
While we love to contemplate these questions from a comfortable distance, the Syrian war and the subsequent refugee crisis might actually tell us more about "Christian" nations like Russia and the America.
We tend to think of sectarianism as a problem unique to the Middle East. But make no mistake, the actions of major powers like Russia and America are largely driven by sectarian agendas, and these have a huge role in fueling confrontations in the region.
The Arab Spring was an Uprising Against Sectarianism
The Arab Spring is often framed as the catalyst for the sectarian disasters that followed.
But in reality the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen were driven by modernity, the rejection of the sectarian status quo, and the desire to overthrow the tyrants who for decades had played into the major powers' agendas.
In Western democracies we take freedom of dissent as a given, so social media didn't rock our countries, (if anything it was a distraction). But in Egypt, where nothing resembling a free press existed, twitter was like the discovery of fire. Governments built on lies, conspiracy theories and disgust for their own people were suddenly at risk.
Indeed these early rebellions defied the sectarian narratives with such vibrance that America came out looking like a country caught in the past, obsessed with maintaining sectarian balance and alliances in a new era of free information.
Both Shia and many Sunni stood up for democracy in Bahrain, only to be betrayed by an American government that prized its naval base above human progress, and saw the potential of a non-sectarian Shia/Sunni democracy as a threat from Iran. Yemen also saw a cross-sectarian revolution that has devolved into a proxy war for major powers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a meeting in Moscow in October (Photo from REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin)
In Syria, Russia has consistently supported Assad because it wants to preserve its base in Tartous and it sees a Sunni rebellion against him as a threat from America.
If you believe the fundamentalists, Putin is now the "champion of the Shia," and Saudi Arabia and even America are the "champions of the Sunni." In a bizarre side effect the Sunni/Shia sectarian divide is causing many fundamentalists to take sides on the Russian/Ukraine conflict, which has almost nothing to do with Islam. It would seem that only the Arab Spring revolutionaries are genuine champions for non-sectarianism.
We all remember the pictures of Christian demonstrators in Tahrir Square locking arms to protect Muslims as they prayed. Yet both Russia and America have helped Egypt's new dictatorship crush the Egyptian revolt in the name of maintaining "secularism."
Over and over we've seen amazing movements against the sectarianism of the Middle East. But without fail America and the other superpowers fall back on sectarianism as a rule, often with disastrous results.
Western Sectarianism in Syria
There are many competing conspiracy theories about the agenda behind the Syrian war, but the fact remains that no one is siting in some secret room snickering about how everything is going according to plan. This is a war that no outside power truly wants to commit to. They're not sure what they are doing in Syria, and they're not being honest about their largely sectarian agendas.
Russia's stated goal in Syria is to fight ISIS, but the real target is obviously the Western psyche. The Russian leadership looks at the situation in Syria and sees a threat to their national pride, and an opportunity to hurt America's.
Russian ground staff members load a fighter jet with weapons at the air base near Latakia, Syria. Russia reported hitting 277 "terrorist targets" with airstrikes early this week. (Photo from REUTERS/Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation)
Russia's actions in Syria are pouring fuel on the fire, and despite any rhetoric to the contrary, the motivations are not related to radical Islam. Indeed Russian forces in Syria seem more concerned with testing cruise missiles, killing American allies, and buzzing American drones than fighting ISIS. Meanwhile Putin is presenting himself as the savior of marginalized Christians throughout the world and has been trying to reinvigorate christian identity politics in Russia.
And a not-so-simple breakdown of the factions fighting in Syria shows how badly the status quo of American policy has harmed its ability to act rationally. Years of shady alliances and double standards have come home to roost and American effectiveness has become the latest victim.
Consider how ridiculous this web of alliances have become: ISIS is the main target of U.S. strikes, but it is also the main target of Hizbollah and Iran, both of which are blacklisted by the U.S. Among the most effective forces fighting against ISIS are the Kurdish YPG and the various Islamist Arab factions in northern Syria. The YPG is loosely linked to the PKK, which the U.S. State Department considers a terrorist organization, in a nod to our alliance with Turkey.
The various anti-ISIS militant brigades in Aleppo and Idlib province coordinate closely with Jabat Nosra, also listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. which has even targeted some of its members with airstrikes.
In Damascus one of the most significant Palestinian faction resisting the ISIS takeover of the Yarmouk refugee camp, Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis is affiliated with Hamas, listed as a terror group by America and many other nations.
Smoke rises after what activists said was an airstrike conducted by the United States and its allies targeting positions controlled by Islamic State fighters in south-eastern Syria (Photo by REUTERS/Rodi Said)
Turkey is the most important U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS and Jabat Nosra cells because it has given American forces access to its Incirlik airbase. This is a major problem because Turkey actually supports Jabat Nosra, shares intelligence with them on American assets, and is currently carrying out air strikes on anti-ISIS PKK positions from the same airbase. The U.S. consistently demands that Assad step down after destroying his own country, but refuses to effectively help rebels fight the government as well as ISIS en masse.
America's need to please Saudi Arabia and Israel has also severely damaged the ability to make rational non-sectarian decisions. There is constant obsession about the "potential threat" to Israel or the "potential threat" to the Gulf countries that guides American policy in Syria. These theoretical scenarios haven't materialized, yet the potential of a small incident in Saudi or Israel continues to be of greater concern to the American government than the total cataclysm actually happening in Syria.
Even worse, America lets sectarianism destroy its credibility on Syria, by staying completely silent when our sectarian ally Saudi Arabia behaves exactly like Assad, killing civilians by the thousands with airstrikes in Yemen.
"Christian" Superpowers in the "Muslim" World
The religious zeal of those driving this fight in the "Christian world" is barely concealed. Obama's messianic critics at home are are pushing a purely rhetorical and sectarian agenda. Senator Ted Cruz has been insisting that Obama use the words "radical Islam" when describing America's enemies. The American right wants to turn this geopolitical issue into the perfect Holy War.
Of course, the idea that ISIS will somehow be weakened by changing the way we label them is ridiculous. There are no real- world strategic ideas coming from the American right. But their sectarian arguments have been a major factor pressuring Obama into taking military actions without clear objectives, just to calm his critics.
ISIS is treated as the great threat from the East by most conservatives in America. Yet it probably has the highest percentage of European fighters of any militant group in Syria. ISIS fighters can often be identified by their U.S. military gear stolen from Iraq, and their light completions. An American or European passport is seen as a sign of a potential jihadi by anti-ISIS rebels inside Syria. Nativists from Marine Le Pen to Donald Trump treat Syrian refugees as a potential ISIS threat, when in fact the flow of fighters is in the opposite direction, from Europe and America to Syria.
Rebel fighters form the Democratic Forces of Syria, an alliance of Arab and Kurdish militias fighting ISIS in Syria with U.S. support. (Photo by REUTERS/Rodi Said)
On the Russian side we have seen the head of the Russian Orthodox church declare Putin's intervention in Syria to be a "Holy War" and we are seeing increasing rhetoric about Russia saving christian civilization.
Russia will "defend traditional values that have made up the spiritual foundation of civilization in every nation for thousands of years," said Putin in an apparent attack on Europe's liberal attitude towards the LGBT community. Putin is known for shocking intolerance, frequently comparing LGBT people to pedophiles even saying "Policies are pursued that put large families and same-sex partnerships in the same category, belief in God and belief in Satan. Excesses of political correctness reach the point where there are serious discussions on the registration of parties that have propaganda of pedophilia as their objective."
This Christianist rhetoric is coming from Moscow, but also from Putin's far-right allies in Western Europe who have unanimously sided against refugees while declaring allegiance to the regime that is causing them to become refugees in the first place. It's downright bizarre to see European nations that pride themselves on being superior for their secular governance suddenly raising the banner of "Christian civilization."
In sum, western involvement in Middle East turmoil is a parody of itself.
People who would prefer not to risk having a closer look will say that this was inevitable. That the Arab Spring was some smokescreen for Islamists all along. That Arab people are too ignorant or backwards to think for themselves. That we should have let all these democratic aspirations be crushed, and just split up the world however big, powerful countries see fit.
All you have to do is examine our own actions to know this is bogus. The major economic powers like to pretend they are above sectarianism, yet the actions of countries like America and Russia can usually be predicted along sectarian lines.
Am I psychic? Or are the superpowers petty sectarians themselves?
Tags: Iran, ISIS, Israel, Kurds, Obama, Patrick Hilsman, Putin, religion, Saudi Arabia, Syria.
Patrick Hilsman
Patrick Hilsman is a freelance journalist and New York native reporting on Syria and the Middle East. He has written for The Daily Beast, Syria Deeply, Vice News, the Christian Science Monitor, Newsday and The Stranger. He is a dual national of France and the US.
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Sanmanredter says:
Bizarre on,y to a globalist who considers nonwhites born in Europe to be "European", and doesn't get that the far right supports russia not because it's "Christian" but because it's white run by a pro white leader or at least not anti white.
Bob McDonald says:
Very interesting article. Russia and the US also have competing economic interests in Syria that hinge on Assad's regime. I'm surprised that the strategic importance of Syria as geographic link for moving oil and natural gas between Europe and the Middle East was not covered in this article.
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deadmau5's Mau5trap Recordings to Release the "Meowingtons Hax Tour Trax" Compilation Album Today
Posted on August 25, 2011 by MSOPR
DT: AUGUST 25, 2011
FR: ALEXANDRA GREENBERG/JOHN OCHOA
deadmau5'S MAU5TRAP RECORDINGS
TO RELEASE THE 'MEOWINGTONS HAX TOUR TRAX' COMPILATION ALBUM
TODAY, THURSDAY, AUGUST 25
FEATURING TRACKS BY deadmau5, SKRILLEX, FEED ME,
TOMMY LEE & AERO, EXCISION & DATSIK, ZEDD, MOGUAI FT. SOFI,
AL BIZZARE AND JAMES NIJE
As deadmau5 embarks upon the Meowingtons Hax North American tour alongside a host of the Mau5trap stable, the label head leads the charge with a brand new compilation. The Meowingtons Hax tour trax album—released today, Thursday, August 25 via Mau5trap Recordings—features new and exclusive tracks from deadmau5 and a host of artists featured on the tour, as well as a selection of tracks from new additions to the label that you can expect to hear a lot more from in the coming months. With contributions from Skrillex, Feed Me, Tommy Lee & Aero, Excision & Datsik, Zedd, Moguai featuring SOFI, Al Bizzare and James Njie, this compilation is set to be the soundtrack to the tour carnage that will undoubtedly ensue.
Opening with the insistent, driving powerhouse that is "Where My Keys," an exclusive deadmau5 track, the compilation goes straight for the jugular. It then moves onto the jarring "Cott's Face" by Feed Me which fuses together glitchy drums and erratic synth lines. The tour's Tommy Lee & Aero deliver two fidgety electro house, party-starting tracks with "Static" and "LFO Tool."
Excision & Datsik turn up the heat with "Deviance" as grinding beats and growling basslines meet extra-terrestrial synth lines, proving once again why their star is most definitely in the ascendant. Zedd's remix of the Skrillex smash "Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites" channels the power of the original into a filthy 4×4 monster, while Moguai featuring SOFI's "Beat of The Drum" surges forward on the elastic synths and rolling bassline with SOFI, the voice of deadmau5 smash "Sofi Needs A Ladder," delivering her vocals with attitude.
Upcoming Mau5trap artist Al Bizzare brings "Blast Wave" to the table, a many-headed beast that switches up glistening synths and swelling bass and is in turns both euphoric and gritty. Rising talent James Njie rounds off the compilation in style, introducing himself with "U Turn" and "Anti Crisis," two futuristic progressive house tracks that are at once delicately nuanced and full of impact, speaking volumes of his talent.
Mau5trap has grown exponentially since its inception in 2007 and has become home to some of the most exciting electronic artists in the world. This new compilation features just some of the talent that the label champions and offers up a decisive musical statement for those holding tickets to the tour or not. To celebrate the release of the Meowingtons Hax tour trax compilation, the Beatport version will come with selected track parts available for digital DJs, giving them the chance to get creative. Visit here to purchase the compilation: http://bit.ly/rcyCfo.
Check out the video for Tommy Lee & Aero's "Static" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0uai7hvBJw&feature=player_embedded.
The track listing for Mau5trap's Meowington Hax tour trax compilation is:
deadmau5 – Where My Keys
Feed Me – Cott's Face
Tommy Lee and Aero – Static
Tommy Lee and Aero – LFO Tool
Excision and Datsik – Deviance
Skrillex – Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites (Zedd Remix)
Moguai featuring SOFI – Beat Of The Drum
James Njie – U-Turn
James Njie – Anti Crisis
Al Bizzare – Blast Wave
Meowingtons Hax NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES FOR 2011:
August 25, 2011 Los Angeles Palladium (Sold Out)
August 28, 2011 Los Angeles Palladium**
August 30, 2011 Denver Red Rocks
September 1, 2011 Phoenix Phoenix Convention Center
September 2, 2011 Las Vegas The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas**
September 3, 2011 Las Vegas The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas*
September 7, 2011 Atlanta Tabernacle***
September 8, 2011 Atlanta Tabernacle*** (Sold Out)
September 10, 2011 Columbia, MD Virgin Mobile FreeFest†
September 13, 2011 Austin Austin Music Hall
September 14, 2011 Austin Austin Music Hall (Sold Out)
September 16, 2011 Houston Verizon Wireless Theatre
September 17, 2011 Dallas Palladium Ballroom (Sold Out)
September 18, 2011 Dallas Palladium Ballroom
September 23, 2011 Philadelphia Penn's Landing – Festival Pier***
September 24, 2011 Atlantic City Borgata***
September 29, 2011 Montreal Metropolis***
September 30, 2011 Montreal Metropolis*** (Sold Out)
October 1, 2011 Montreal Metropolis*** (Sold Out)
October 5, 2011 New York Roseland Ballroom*** (Sold Out)
October 9, 2011 New York Roseland Ballroom***
October 11, 2011 Boston House of Blues
October 12, 2011 Boston House of Blues (Sold Out)
October 14, 2011 Boston House of Blues*** (Sold Out)
October 20, 2011 Detroit The Fillmore
October 22, 2011 Chicago Argon Ballroom (Sold Out)
October 26, 2011 San Diego Soma** (Sold Out)
October 29, 2011 San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium+
November 5, 2011 Toronto Rogers Centre***
†Excision and Tommy Lee & Aero will not appear on Virgin Mobile FreeFest
*Excision and Tommy Lee & Aero will not appear on 9/3
**Excision will not appear on 8/28, 9/2, 10/28
***Tommy Lee & Aero will not appear on 9/3, 9/7, 9/8, 9/23, 9/24, 9/29, 9/30, 10/1, 10/5, 10/6, 10/7, 10/8, 10/14, 11/5
+Fat Boy Slim, A-Trak, Tommy Lee & Aero and Feed Me also appear on this date.
Complete ticket and tour information is available at www.deadmau5.com and www.LiveNation.com.
www.deadmau5.com
www.facebook.com/deadmau5
www.twitter.com/deadmau5
www.excision.ca
www.facebook.com/ZeddMusic
www.tommylee.com
About deadmau5
Mau5trap label head Joel Zimmerman, more commonly known as deadmau5 (pronounced 'dead mouse'), is one of the world's most respected electronic producers of modern times. Enjoying international chart success with his singles "Sofi Needs A Ladder," "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" and "I Remember," he has also released three critically acclaimed albums: 4×4=12, For Lack Of A Better Name and Random Album Title. The Grammy®-nominated artist is ranked #4 in the world by DJ Mag followers and was recently voted Artist of the Year by the Beatport Community. His ability to push the boundaries of his talent grows at an equal rate to his fan-base, which counts over 3.5 million on his Facebook page. deadmau5's current offerings include a remix package for "Raise Your Weapon," the new deadmau5 Touch Remix app and the deadmau5 Live @ Earl's Court DVD. His Juno Award-winning track "Sofi Needs A Ladder" is currently featured in The Hangover 2 and in the season premiere of HBO's hit series "Entourage." A new artist album is on the horizon for 2012. For more information about deadmau5, visit www.deadmau5.com.
For more information on deadmau5, contact:
MSO 818-380-0400
Alexandra Greenberg x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
John Ochoa (Tour) x230, jochoa@msopr.com
deadmau5'S MAU5TRAP RECORDINGS TO RELEASE THE 'MEOWINGTONS HAX TOUR TRAX' COMPILATION ALBUM TODAY, THURSDAY, AUGUST 25 ; FEATURING TRACKS BY deadmau5, SKRILLEX, FEED ME, TOMMY LEE & AERO, EXCISION & DATSIK, ZEDD, MOGUAI FT. SOFI, AL BIZZARE AND JAMES NIJE
This entry was posted in MAU5TRAP RECORDINGS, Press Releases. Bookmark the permalink.


"Bringing data together to provide local government with the tools and methods of efficient decision-making, resulting in greater community vitality".
Geographic Information Systems is the creation, management, analysis, editing and storing of geographic data, organized into a usable format or display. GIS combines layers of information about a location and overlays them to give the user a better understanding of that location. The result is a more efficient organization of information which supports the decision making process. The City of Rifle uses GIS everyday for several applications and to assist such Departments as Planning and Building, Public Works, Utilities, Emergency Services, Finance and Administration.
The City makes every effort to provide its employees and citizens with the most accurate data and information available. Most maps are updated as data changes or becomes available. Maps produced by the City GIS department are meant to assist the work and interests of its employees, outside agencies, as well as its citizens, however, they are only meant to be used as thematic tools and should never be used in place of surveys or legal documents.


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Becoming a policy entrepreneur topic of Nov. 21 talk
The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine is set to host a talk "Becoming a Policy Entrepreneur: Learning to love the creative and sometimes surreal world of policy making" at 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21, offered both remotely via Zoom and in person at 107 Norman Smith Hall on the UMaine Orono campus.
In this talk, Lisa Margonelli, editor-in-chief at Issues in Science and Technology, quarterly policy forum published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Arizona State University, will discuss her path to understanding and participating in policymaking and the kinds of active roles scientists can take to engage with policymakers and become policy entrepreneurs, according to a news release from Ruth Hallsworth, strategic program manager at the center.
In addition to serving as editor-in-chief of Issues in Science and Technology, Margonelli is the author of "Oil on the Brain: Petroleum's Long Strange Trip to Your Tank" and "Underbug: An Obsessive Tale of Termites and Technology." With a fellowship at the New America Foundation, Margonelli began to propose policies directly to decision-makers in 2006. She came to realize the myriad, and surprisingly chaotic, ways that the sausage of policy is made. Scientists often provide evidence for policymakers, but actively proposing policies can be a very effective avenue for creative problem solving on a big scale.
ll talks in the Mitchell Center's Sustainability Talks series are free. Registration is required to attend remotely; to register and receive connection information, visit umaine.edu.
Note that face coverings are required for all persons attending Mitchell Center Sustainability Talks. For the latest UMaine health and safety guidance, visit umaine.edu/return.
To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Hallsworth at 207-581-3196 or [email protected].
Winter Coat, Mitten and Hat Giveaway event set for Nov. 20 in Augusta
Tourism association kicks off statewide food drive
orono maine, university of maine, virtual events


A 12th Century Norman Castle, and surrounding 6,000 acre historic Estate originally built and still owned by the Berkeley Family.
Responsible for all marketing & PR, brand development, advertising, websites, events, media work, business development venue hire and retail outlets. After the 2007 floods in Gloucestershire the Castle lost its main event in the year "JOUST" and as a result new events had to be found and a period rebranding necessary to change the emphasis of Berkeley from "Where JOUST was held" to a venue in its own right.
A great deal of work was carried out in promoting the venue to the Group Travel industry and pushing the Castle hard as a wedding venue.
Other initiatives were, revamping the website, an interactive newsletter, introducing Ghost Tourism and establishing partnerships, notably with The Edward Jenner Museum, Cattle Country, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge and several consortia covering the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire.
The famous Gardens, are on the historic Spetchley Estate owned by the Berkeley Family since 1606.
Responsible for all marketing & PR, brand development, advertising, websites, events, media work, business development venue hire and retail outlets.
The profile of Spetchley was raised considerably through strong partnerships with the local district councils, local businesses and various local consortia, as well as establishing a link with the Battle of Worcester Society and The Elgar Birthplace Museum, where a joint marketing imitative was started for Groups. Introducing Spetchley as a wedding and marquee venue as another income stream showed promise, as well as a new retail outlet.
In conjunction with the Museum, Copper Phoenix improved joint marketing for Groups, created an Online Marketing Strategy, set up social media applications, identified new markets, sourced print requirements for leaflets and banners and ran media campaigns promoting the Museum and Old Cyder House.
After producing a new and very successful website, Copper Phoenix also introduced Ghost Tourism and continues to provide an Attic Tour service when the Servants' Quarters are open to the public.
The world famous preserved narrow gauge railway running through Snowdonia and the rebuilding of the Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon to Porthmadog.
My work involved community liaison, business to business, media work, marketing, PR, product development, diversification and brand building. The railway had a pub, 3 shops and 2 cafes to promote plus the largest engineering works in North Wales which also carried out non railway contract work.
I developed strategic alliances with local businesses and created sponsorship deals with international companies, one deal resulted in the repainting and branding of a steam locomotive.
I created and introduced new events to widen the organisation's appeal and was credited with turning around the perception of the railway, from being a "train spotter's toy" to being accepted as an integral and necessary part of the region's employment and economic development.
Assisted in a �10 million grant bid (achieved), community liaison work, PR work, marketing/business advice.
This was the construction company rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway and as a result a large number of meetings with both private and public stakeholders were needed, as well as countering the negative press from a local opposition group.
I was Chairman of this regeneration company created to improve the Royal Town of Caernarfon and the surrounding area through high profile events and grant funding.
Events were staged through successful grant applications.
LPAG asked Copper Phoenix to review all their current marketing, both traditional and digital, then assist in the creation of an online marketing plan and designing a social media strategy.
Since implementation LPAG's online presence has increased dramatically and the online marketing has resulted in more enquiries and increased sales.
We continue to work together on further projects.
The Arts and Crafts Museum, Court Barn, asked Copper Phoenix for advice on marketing, publicity and PR. Court Barn was provided with an outline Marketing and PR Plan for the Museum to use.
Rupert asked Copper Phoenix to evaluate his current marketing for his wedding and corporate photography.
A new online Marketing Strategy was devised plus the setting up of an e-newsletter for Rupert's clients. As a result his website has had much increased traffic.
Copper Phoenix also provided copy writing services for his promotional material and training in social media applications.
Providing monthly reports on the company's online marketing activity and helping to fine tune the ways of communicating with clients and the general public.
Copper Phoenix assisted with general marketing advice, setting up both social media and online marketing applications, promoting images of past festivals on the web, creating and writing newsletters and copy writing services.
I would thoroughly recommend Tim Davies of Copper Phoenix to anyone looking to get that little bit ahead of their competitors in the marketplace.
Do you need an Events Speaker, either for training staff or just providing a daytime or evening's entertainment? Have a chat with us about how Copper Phoenix can help!


Vault of Light: My very first beta!
I woke up the other day to see my Twitter feed buzzing with news of the Warlords of Dreanor beta starting. I told my boyfriend as soon as he woke up "I know, I got an invite" "...". The only e-mail I had from Blizzard was offering me 50% off of WoW. Way to break my heart Blizz! Thankfully a few hours later I also got an invite! I've never played in any of the expansion betas and I can't remember ever opting in for any of them besides WoD.
I started it up last night for the first time. Sadly as I'm from the EU and the only servers available at the moment are US servers I can't copy a character over.* I made a pre-made Priest, grabbed a Shadow and Disc spec, threw together enough key bindings to be able to play and headed in the same direction as everyone else! Unfortunately I was unable to hand in my first quest so I packed it in for the night after having a little run around.
There are so many excellent changes added to the interface options. The key binding windows all have their own section instead of the old mishmash which is a welcomed change. Raid graphics has it's own section. I'd have loved that with my old computer which was essentially a potato.
Logging in this morning I was able to abandon and redo my first quest and was also able to complete it. I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with the beta. I've only visited a small corner of Shadowmoon Valley so far and it's incredibly beautiful. Part of me wants to not touch it and leave all of it until live but I keep doing "just one more quest". Why did I opt in if I wasn't willing to test it?
Garrisons are one of the aspects of WoD I was looking forward to the most. While there has been a lot of lag, many DC's and completely random phasing it's still been incredibly fun. I've started questing and even started my Garrison.
While it's beta it's very similar to an expansion launch and holy cow, people are ruthless! I'm one of those people who if I see someone fighting a mob right next to a vein or on top of it, I presume they're going for the vein and I'll leave it. One of the first quests requires you to click on flags next to trees. The trees are of course surrounded by mobs. As soon as you get into combat with them someone will inevitably come in and yoink your flag. Bloody scoundrals.
Did you opt in for the beta? Did you get lucky? What do you plan to do with it, explore the whole thing or just little bits, exploration?
Labels: questing, screen shots, WoD beta, world of warcraft, yay!
I got lumped with Skinning and Alchemy on my Premade. Do you know if you drop it, do you start back at 1 or go straight to 600? I'll need to make a Horde to see the other side!
Nice to see you got in, I wasn't that lucky, so I hope to get in on one of the next waves, really curious about garrisons as well, pet battles and professions as well.


text:
OWC Mercury Elite Pro: http://eshop.macsales.com/NewsRoom/images/PR_MEPS_USB3.jpg
OWC Mercury Elite Pro Now Offers USB 3.0 'SuperSpeed' Performance
Plug and Play External Drive Offers Data Transfer Rates up to 300MB/s, Storage/Backup Capacity up to 4.0TB, and up to Four Different Interfaces for Connection Flexibility Starting at $169.99
September 18, 2012, Woodstock, IL - Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today it has enhanced its award-winning, high-performance Mercury Elite™ Pro desktop storage solution line with the USB 3.0 'SuperSpeed' interface. Complemented by two FireWire® 800 ports as well as an eSATA port, the new USB 3.0 model – which is fully USB 2.0 backwards compatible - delivers data transfer speeds up to 300MB/s. All of that speed resides in a brushed aluminum housing offering up to 4.0TB of Plug and Play storage and/or backup capacity.
High Performance for Professional Use
The Mercury Elite Pro is ideal for demanding A/V, digital photography, professional music, graphics, Time Machine® backups, as well as general data uses requiring up to 4.0TB of reliable, high performance storage. With multiple interfaces, all connection cables included, and a $100 retail value disk utility software bundle, the Mercury Elite Pro offers Plug and Play ease of use with any Mac, PC, or Linux-based computer with a FireWire or USB interface.
Mercury Elite Pro Key Features
USB 3.0/2.0, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and/or eSATA ports
Data transfer speeds up to 300MB/s
Next-generation high-speed Oxford chipset
Compact size at 9" (D) x 1.5" (W) x 4.6" (H)
Brushed aluminum, impact-resistant, heat-dissipating enclosure
Whisper quiet fanless operation
All interface cables included
UL-Listed 3Amp 100-240v 50/60hz US/International auto-switching power supply
Pricing, Availability
The new Mercury Elite Pro model with USB 3.0 capability is available immediately from Other World Computing, as well as select retailers, in five different capacity configurations from 500GB to 4.0TB starting from $169.99 MSRP. Offering connection flexibility to owners of legacy machines, the Mercury Elite Pro is also available with FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 interfaces starting at $114.99.
"The Mercury Elite Pro solidifies the foundation of a high-performance desktop workspace," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "Adding USB 3.0 'SuperSpeed' capabilities to this award-winning drive was a natural evolution to meet the workflow needs of professional users."
Backed by the Best Support in the Industry
The best product warranty is one a consumer should never have to use, but should the need occur, OWC's stellar reputation for support offers peace of mind ownership. All OWC Mercury Elite Pro storage solutions come fully backed by free lifetime US-based 24/7 technical support and a three-year warranty which includes a 48-hour repair turnaround time with up to one year of complimentary Level 1 data recovery service.
New Model Joins Industry's Most Comprehensive Storage and SSD Line for Macs and PCs
The new model of Mercury Elite Pro storage solution joins OWC's existing line of performance storage solutions which includes the highest capacity bus-powered portable drives on the market, selectable RAID multiple drive solutions with up to 16TB capacity, and OWC's Mercury brand of Solid State Drives. For more information on these products and the entire OWC catalog of over 3,000 performance upgrades and accessories for Macs, PCs and iDevices, or for reseller inquires, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/
About Other World Computing (OWC)
Other World Computing has been providing quality hardware products and support to the computer industry since 1988 and features one of the largest online catalogs of computer, iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad® enhancement products through its e-commerce portal www.macsales.com. As a member of the Apple® Developer Program, OWC also provides extensive US-based technical support for Macintosh® users around the world as well as Internet access via www.fastermac.net and www.owc.net.
Widely recognized for the high quality of its products and exemplary customer service, OWC's industry awards and recognition include: Crain's Chicago Business 2009 and 2011-2012 "Fast Fifty" List of the Fastest Growing Companies in the Chicago Area; Inc. 5,000 "Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America" list honoree 2007-2012; Reseller Ratings Elite Member 2009-2012; Better Business Bureau Top Rating of A+ 2010-2012; About.com 2012 Readers' Choice Award for best Mac Peripheral Reseller; Computerworld Magazine Top Green-IT Companies; and McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 and 2011 Business Champion Award.
Bill Herring
bherring@macsales.com Agency Contact:
Andy Marken
andy@markencom.com
OWC is a registered trademark and Mercury Elite is a trademark of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Canada. Apple, Mac, Macintosh, FireWire, Time Machine, iPod, iPhone and iPad are the trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property of their owners.