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The crucial player keeping Birmingham on track ahead of Canaries clash
Lukas Jutkiewicz beats Tom Trybull in the air during City's 2-2 draw at Birmingham on the opening day of the season Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
He may not be making too many Championship headlines but Birmingham will be bringing one of the division's best performing players to Carrow Road tonight.
The imposing figure of striker Lukas Jutkiewicz has been a pivotal part of the Blues staying in touch with the top this season, scoring 10 goals and creating another nine.
While his fellow forward Che Adams has more goals (13), it is Jutkiewicz who has become the heartbeat of Garry Monk's eighth-placed team, starting every league game so far this season.
Birmingham have scored 39 league goals and the 29-year-old has been involved in 49 percent of them. That's even better than Canaries star Teemu Pukki, whose 15 goals and six assists in the league have seen him involved in 43pc of City's 49 league goals.
The former Middlesbrough and Coventry centre-forward is a very different player to Pukki though, he is a target man who tries to dominate the aerial battle.
Statistics website WhoScored.com lists Jutkiewicz as winning an average of 12.5 aerial duels per game, comfortably more than the division next best aerial performer, Bolton striker Josh Magennis on 8.7 per game.
He's performed so well that the website rates him as the highest performing player this season, at 7.87 out of 10, ahead of Leeds duo Liam Cooper (7.50) and Pablo Hernandez (7.47).
MORE: Rhodes has provided good support but Pukki is so important to City
That has played its part in Birmingham topping the aerials won in the division, averaging 34 per game, more than any other team. Only Brentford (16.1) average fewer than Norwich (18.3).
It's a direct route which has worked for Monk's team amid transfer restrictions due to financial issues, sitting four points from the play-off places with 19 games remaining.
Speaking earlier this season, Monk told BBC West Midlands: 'Since I've come in, he's been at a high level for a consistent period.
'People might say he won that because he scored x amount of goals but, if you watch his all-round contribution, it's more than just the goals.
'There's a big demand on all the players, especially his position. But his strengths are coming out. It's Jukey's professionalism and character. He's not the most vocal lad but he leads by example. When he does speak, he speaks with intelligence and experience.'


8x8 oil on wood board, framed in a custom gold italian ceramic frame. Lightly varnished, wired, and ready to hang. Should you wish to frame this piece yourself, the price is $275. Leave a comment in the purchase that you'd like it unframed and a refund will be issued.
The song from this painting title is by Molly Tuttle. Here is my Amazon painting playlist, enjoy!


Net property income has decreased by £1.3 million, or 14%, to £8.0 million from the first half of the prior year (£9.3 million). Commercial rental income at Centre Point has ceased following the start of refurbishment in January 2015. As Marble Arch Tower moves towards a possible future start on site, rental income for this property has reduced as commercial tenants are retained on shorter term leases at reduced rates.
In the first half of 2015, Almacantar has incurred additional pre-development capital expenditure for Marble Arch Tower and costs for refurbishment works for Centre Point and the successful submission of the revised planning application for the Marble Arch Tower/Edgware Road scheme. Analysis has also begun to explore future redevelopment options available for 125 Shaftesbury Avenue with professional fee expenditure incurred during 2015.
The carrying amount of the investment property portfolio has increased reflecting additional pre-development capital expenditure for Centre Point, Marble Arch Tower and 125 Shaftesbury Avenue.
Net debt has increased by £21.6 million to £168.1 million with additional debt funding of £15.1 million drawn from the construction facility to fund refurbishment costs for Centre Point.
Share capital was increased in June following the issue of additional shares at a nominal amount of £38.1 million plus premium of £2.0 million. The amount of share capital not yet called for payment is £19.0 million.


Ms. Gwyneth Murray-Nolan is a Partner at Weiner Law Group LLP, specializing in a number of diverse areas of the law. Ms. Murray-Nolan has extensive trial experience in the State of New Jersey in a wide variety of practice areas including family law, personal injury and insurance defense cases. Ms. Murray-Nolan is a Member of the Morris County Bar Association, a Member of the New Jersey Association for Justice, and a Member of the American Bar Association. Ms. Murray-Nolan has served as a Morris County Civil Mediator and a speaker for various functions and associations pertaining to the law.


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GRUNT WORK
WAS BORN OUT OF NECESSITY.
Definition of grunt work: basic, hard work, often physical, tiring work, that is necessary for something to succeed.
Grunt Work was built by 8x CrossFit Games competitor, Chris Spealler.
Through years of experience in fitness, Chris recognized a gap in the fitness and outdoor community; a program that would build lasting strength for any endeavor – CrossFit, hunting, mountain biking, base jumping, etc.
That's when Grunt Work was developed. This type of training forces you to deal with the awkwardness of odd object movements, carries, static holds, and more, by recruiting muscles in new ways and forcing your body to work synergistically.
After testing this method Chris discovered that the brain tends to think in terms of movement, not specific muscles, and odd object training can help us get strong in powerful ways that are more primal. By training with objects that are imbalanced, awkward or unstable, we can improve our ability to control the unpredictability stressors and demands we face in competition or in life.
Grunt Work is a necessary for anyone looking to improve their overall strength and capabilities for ANY endeavor.
Chris Spealler
Chris is a former Division 1 collegiate wrestler, 8x CrossFit Games veteran, Affiliate Owner, and entrepreneur. He competed at the very first CrossFit Games in 2007, where he went on to collect a pair of Southwest Regional titles and three Top 10 finishes at the Games (2007, 2008, 2010), along with a "Spirit of the Games" award in 2010. His never quit attitude, heart, and work ethic have helped bridge the gap between the CrossFit community and the elite competitors. Chris now helps others achieve their own greatness by sharing his knowledge and experience through programming and coaching for Icon Athlete and Grunt Work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Guide to California Zinfandels
Karen Frazier
Karen is a wine, cocktails, and food enthusiast. She holds a California Wine Appellation Specialist certificate from the San Francisco wine school and a Bar Smarts mixology certificate and bartends for charitable events.
California Wine Appellation Specialist (CWAS)
While Zinfandel grapes are also grown in Europe and elsewhere in the United States, many of California's microclimates are perfect for Zinfandel production. The result is big, bold, spicy, jammy Zinfandel wines that are among the world's best. The Zinfandels that come from California differ based on terroir and microclimate, but the resulting wines are almost always accessible and delicious. This guide will help you understand some of the best Zinfandel wines that come from California.
Budget California Zinfandels ($15 to $25)
You don't have to spend a fortune to get a very good bottle of wine. These budget wines are all in the $15 to $25 range, and they've received top marks from wine critics.
Photos of 13 Wineries in Napa
2016 Cline Zinfandel Contra Coast County Ancient Vines - About $15
When a $15 bottle of Zinfandel makes it onto Wine Spectator's Top 100 list, you know you've got something special. Coming in at #40 on the 2018 list of the world's best wines, the 2016 Ancient Vines Contra Coast from Cline is resplendent with flavors of strawberry jam, coffee, and vanilla, and it garners ratings in the low to mid 90s from many wine experts. It's a truly special value priced bottle of wine you can enjoy through about 2022 or 2023.
2014 Easton Amador County Zinfandel - About $20
Another of Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2018, the 2014 Easton Zinfandel Amador County is only around $20 a bottle, and it hit the Wine Spectator list at number 45 with a 92 point rating from the magazine. With notes of black cherry and fruits, it's a lovely medium-bodied wine that pairs well with food. Drink now or hold through about 2022.
2014 Edmeades Sonoma County Zinfandel - About $20
The 2014 Edmeades Sonoma County Zinfandel ranked highly on Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 for 2018 list, coming in at number 4 and receiving a 92 point rating. For a budget bottle of wine, that's a monster rating, so you can bet this is a great choice. With flavors of fig and chocolate, this drinks well now or can hold through about 2022.
2015 Big Six Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel - About $15
As the name suggests, Big Six Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel is aged in bourbon barrels for three months to give it toasty, vanilla flavors. Total wine calls this their top Zinfandel under $15, and customers give it 5 out of 5 stars, so it's definitely worth a try.
Mid-Priced California Zinfandels ($26 to $70)
You don't have to drop a bundle for a very good bottle of Zinfandel to get one that is critically acclaimed that will drink well now or age for the next five to seven years. These are some of the best.
2016 Seghesio Todd Brothers Alexander Valley Zinfandel - Around $50
Wine Enthusiast gives the 2016 Seghesio Todd Brothers Alexander Valley Zinfandel a whopping 95 point rating, calling it "incredibly impressive." Drink now or hold until 2023.
2017 Robert Biale Vineyards Black Chicken Zinfandel - About $50
Ratings for this wine range from about 91 points up to 95 points from James Suckling, so the 2017 Robert Biale Vineyards Black Chicken Zinfandel is a good Zin for the price. The winemaker notes it's "elegant and balanced," and it has flavors of cherries and spice. Drink now or hold through about 2024.
2015 Ridge Lytton Springs - Around $50
Virtually every vintage of the Ridge Lytton Springs is a good one; the winery is known for making top quality Zinfandels. The 2015 vintage is especially well-received, garnering ratings from wine experts in the mid-90s. It also made Wine Spectator's Top 100 in 2018, coming in at 91. It's a classic jammy Zin with plenty of pepper and spice.
Luxury California Zinfandels
For the occasional splurge, true Zinfandel afficionados will enjoy the following top rated luxury Zins.
2015 Turley Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel - About $120
If you can find this Zinfandel from Turley, snap it up. Few understand Zinfandel as well the Turley family, and it shows in the 2015 Turley Hayne Vineyard Zinfandel, a polished, elegant Zinfandel from Napa Valley. You'll find the cost anywhere from about $110 to about $175, but experts agree it's worth the price. Vivino lists it as #2 of its top California Zinfandels for 2019, and tasters on Cellar Tracker give it an aggregate score of 92 points. The wine is still tannic, so it will hold for several years yet if you can resist drinking it. If you can't, decant it and let it breathe for an hour or two to allow the flavors to develop. Drink now or hold until about 2025.
Martinelli Jackass Hill Zinfandel, Any Vintage - $70 to $200
Martinelli Jackass Hill Zinfandel is one of California's iconic Zins, so it is extremely popular and sought-after. It's also only available to wine club members, although bottles do come up on the secondary market frequently. The wine comes from Zinfandel grapes planted on the infamous 2.5-acre vineyard with a non-terraced 60 degree slope, and the wines produced from the Zinfandel grapes grown there are always well received and highly rated. If you can score a bottle, buy it.
California White Zinfandels
White Zinfandel is the blush wine version of Zinfandel. While it still has some of Zin's characteristics, the blush wines are crisp, refreshing, and highly affordable, making them a great summer or picnic wine.
Low-Hanging Fruit White Zinfandel - Under $10
At under $10 for a 1.5L bottle, the Low-Hanging Fruit White Zinfandel is one of Wine.com's top white Zinfandel picks. Shoppers love it, giving it 5 out of 5 stars. It's a refreshing, light wine that's perfect to drink chilled in the summer.
Double Dog Dare White Zinfandel - Under $5
Even if you don't like this white Zin, you're not out a ton of money. At $4 for a 750 mL bottle, it's affordable and well-received. Drinkers on Wine.com give it 5 out of 5 stars. It's a light wine with stawberry notes. If you like White Zin, it's worth a try.
Zin Blends
Zinfandel stands on its own, but some wines not labeled as Zinfandel contain a blend that is predominately Zinfandel or has plenty of Zinfandel character. These blends may not be labeled as the varietal, but they are still among the best California Zin has to offer.
2016 Bedrock The Bedrock Heritage Sonoma Valley - About $50
This Zin blend, which contains about 50% new and old vines Zinfandel combined with Carignane, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Alicante Bouschet, was listed as the number 10 wine in the world on Wine Spectator's 2018 Top 100 List, and it's easy to see why. This is a very special wine. Rated at 95 points, it sells for about $50 a bottle, which is a spectacular price for such a highly acclaimed wine.
2017 Orin Swift Eight Years in the Desert - About $40
Along with having a great name, the 2017 Orin Swift Eight Years in the Desert Zinfandel is chosen as #1 of Vivino's Top 25 California Zinfandels. It's a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah, so you know it's spicy and jammy, and the winemaker calls it "lush and opulent." Robert Parker gives it 93 points, and Wilfred Wong of Wine.com rates it as a solid 93 points as well.
Zinfandel Comes to California
Zinfandel is often thought of as a strictly American grape, but it likely has its origins in Croatia, where two grapes, Crljenak Kaštelanski and Tribidrag, were discovered to be genetically similar to Zinfandel. Likewise, the Primitivo grape from Italy has the same genetic makeup as Zinfandel, although the climate and terroir produce wines with different character from Zinfandels from California. While nobody really understands completely how Zinfandel traveled from Europe to the United States, historians can trace Zinfandel's arrival in California to the Gold Rush when miners brought it with them in the 1850s. By 1857, the first California Zinfandel wine was made, and the rest is history.
What to Expect From a California Zinfandel
California Zinfandels are bold and spicy with heady fruit and often delicious, jammy flavors. While the flavors that develop are dependent on climate and terroir, which varies vastly throughout California's wine appellations, the black-skinned grape usually produces wines that have flavors of black fruits and stone fruits with spicy aromas and notes of licorice, black pepper, tobacco, and smoke. The wines are medium-bodied and acidic, and they tend to have a higher alcohol content (ABV or alcohol by volume) than other red wines. Zins have anywhere from about 13% to 16% ABV, and the wines have zippy acidity and nice spice.
California Wine Regions Known for Great Zins
California has slightly over 44,000 acres of Zinfandel planted as of 2019, which is over 60% of the world's Zin production. Zinfandel grapes grow best slightly inland from the cool California North and Central Coast. Zin is a grape that loves warm weather, and California's inland regions are warm enough for the Zinfandel grapes to ripen on sunbaked days. It does well both in the hotter inland areas, such as the Napa Valley, as well as in slightly cooler regions that are still warm and sunny but still receive some coastal cooling, such as the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. Zins also do well on hillsides where the sun warms them throughout the day, such as in the Sierra Foothills. Many California wine regions have ideal climates for producing powerful and delicious Zinfandels. Among some of the best include:
Sonoma County (especially the Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley)
Foods to Pair With a Zin From California
California Zinfandels are great for pairing with bold, spicy foods because the powerful flavors of the wine hold up well against the bold flavors of spice in foods without one overpowering the other. Foods that pair well with Zinfandel include the following:
Spicy cuisines, such as curry, pizza, or other Italian foods with red sauces
Bold spices such as garlic, chili powder, and black pepper
Bell peppers and chilies
Sharp, bold, or fatty cheeses, including Italian cheese like Parmesan, Stilton, and Gorgonzola
California Zinfandel Is an American Classic
Nobody does Zinfandel quite like winemakers in California. Whether you're looking for polished and elegant, crisp and light, or bold and spicy, there's a California Zinfandel to suit your tastes.
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Brazil-Arab News Agency: Palestinian heads global philanthropic chain
WINGS / October 2, 2013
This article was originally published by the Brazil-Arab News Agency on 1 October 2013. The original article can be found here.
image: Aurea Santos/ANBA
By Aurea Santos
São Paulo – Recently established in the city of São Paulo, Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS) is a chain that brings together other philanthropic groups worldwide. The organisation's work is to offer training, guidance and information and experience exchange between hundreds of humanitarian organisations in several parts of the world. And since January this year, these activities have been under the responsibility of an Arab, the Palestinian Atallah Kuttab.
Born in Jerusalem, Kuttab graduated in engineering and has already taught at universities in Palestine and Scotland. He is 59 years old and has dedicated himself to the philanthropic sector for 20. Currently, he lives in Jordan, where he also presides Saaned, a not-for-profit organisation that operates for the sustainable development of the Arab countries. In his first trip to Brazil, for one of the organisation's four annual meetings, he spoke to ANBA about the work developed by Wings and about the main philanthropic challenge for Brazil and the Arab nations.
"Wings provides information about global philanthropy. Each one knows about its region, but the information for several regions is collected by Wings. If I want to know what is happening in Latin America, I go to Wings to find such information. If you want to know what is going on in the Arab world, you contact Wings, and they connect you to the region or provide you with that information. There is also training in several areas of philanthropy," he explained.
The executive pointed out that Wings brings together 150 philanthropic networks worldwide. "This, in fact, covers most of the chains worldwide. Wings members are not regional foundations, but donor networks. In the Arab world, we have the Forum of Arab Foundations, which represents the entire region, from Morocco to the Gulf, and so on. The European Foundation has over 150 members and participates as a single Wings member," said the executive, regarding the group's coverage.
In Brazil, two philanthropic organisations are Wings members: the Institute for Development of Social Investment (IDIS) and the Group of Institutions, Foundations and Enterprises (GIFE). Both of these organisations operate in the transfer of private funds to public services. "New members are joining all the time. If you check in two months' time, you will see that there are new members in Brazil," pointed out the executive.
Established in 1999, Wings used to move to new headquarters every four years, and has already been in Europe, the United States and the Philippines. In 2011, the council concluded that it would be better to have fixed offices, and Brazil was chosen to house the organisation. "Brazil offers the best work environment for philanthropy. We thought about Africa and Asia. We were looking to the South, as the Wings objective is to strengthen the philanthropic voice in the countries of the South. Philanthropy in North America and Europe is strong and we want to build a strong philanthropic chain in other regions, so that we can create a global philanthropic network that may contribute throughout itself," he said.
Regarding the countries of the southern axis, Kuttab said that he sees great similarity in the challenges faced by philanthropy in Brazil and in the Arab world. "We have a problem, especially with youths, and that may be applied to both regions. They do not feel that they have a voice, they feel they have no future, no opportunities. They feel that the years they spent on education will not result in a good job, and if they find a job, it will not grant them enough money to live decently and with integrity. These are the similarities," he said.
"We encourage philanthropy in Brazil and in the Arab world to focus on these matters. We will only have a stable society if youths feel that their country represents them, that they are living with integrity, that they are having opportunities and rights. Poverty is another matter, poor neighbourhoods in large cities. But if you focus on youths, you tend to solve these points," he said.
To Kuttab, it is important for Wings to establish itself in Brazil and start offering more services to its members. In March 2014, Wings is going to promote its global forum, the group's main event, organized every four years. The meeting should take place in Istanbul, Turkey, and, to Kuttab, it is one of the main tasks of his administration. "We expect participation of 300 people from all over the world, and this is a great challenge for the coming months, to guarantee that the event in Istanbul may be good and successful for all regions," he finished off.
Contact Aurea Santos at aurea.santos@anba.com.br. Translated by Mark Ament.
October 2, 2013 in news & comment. Tags: SAANED
Philanthropy in Saudi Arabia—a new pattern emerging?
Atallah Kuttab and Maria Chertok — WINGS chairs, current and future, reflect on its evolution
Challenges and trends in private social investment and philanthropy in Colombia
← A Lesson In Astronomy—Why Post 2015 could be an opportunity to rethink the Milky Way
Foundations and civil society organizations convene during UN Week to advance Post 2015 development agenda →


Why does Auckland have a rugby problem?
Parramatta and former Fiji rugby sevens star Semi Radradra has become the latest player to back Jarryd Hayne's stunning bid for Olympic gold, but isn't thinking of switching back himself.
Radradra is one of the rare league players with links to the shortened version of rugby, having been recruited by the Eels after turning out for his native Fiji national team in 2013. And the 23-year-old joined a bulging legion of Hayne fans to throw their support behind the former Eels' remarkable sevens switch, hopeful Hayne could bring a different dimension to the gold medal favourites.
"To have him in the team, the boys will be happy. Hopefully he brings something new. It's going to be tough for him, but I know Haynesy, he loves the game and hopefully he gets picked," Radradra said.
"Fiji sevens is very hard, everyone wants to play. But if there's a spot for him, they'll like him."
Radradra, who played alongside Hayne for two years after arriving at the club in 2013, had no hesitation his former teammate would transition easily to the game.
"Haynesy suits any game. He's played rugby league, went to NFL and wants to play sevens. It doesn't matter. He'll play and he's a good talented kid," he said.
And while Hayne will look to succeed in his third sporting code in as many years, Radradra wouldn't be drawn on whether he too would like a shot at Olympic glory.
The Kangaroos representative and two-time Dally M Winger of the Year insisted he would see out the remaining two seasons of his contract before taking a look at his options.
He also said playing for Australia in the Four Nations tournament at the end of the year was a goal.
"I love to play at Parra, but time will tell. At the moment, I'm pretty happy at Parra," he said.
"I haven't decided where I want to go after that year. I'll look at that later. I haven't decided about switching back to rugby union."


We get so wrapped up in caring for others we forget about the importance of taking care of ourselves.
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Country Music Artist Carly Pearce Shares Her Favorite Summer Tracks: See Her Playlist
By Mandie DeCamp
Country music isn't all cut-off jean shorts and a six-pack of beer! Carly Pearce stopped by Us Weekly to share her diverse list of country tracks that are on her summer playlist. So roll your windows down and crank up the radio with her favorite summertime tunes!
The "Hide the Wine" singer will be on hand at the CMT Music Awards this year as she's nominated in the 2019 Female Video of the Year category for her new record, "Closer to You." She's also currently performing on the Ride All Night tour with Jason Aldean.
Song Lyrics Inspired by Celebrity Breakups
"When It Rains, It Pours" by Luke Combs
"I think that is one of the best written country songs. The line about the future ex-mother-in-law is genius. You're smart, Luke."
"Hell and Back" by Maren Morris
"The first time I heard that song I felt like everybody can relate to that. You always want to find the person that's going to love you for your flaws and through your flaws and through your imperfections. I think that song is beautifully written."
"Jolene" by Dolly Parton
"The queen herself. It's a throwback, but it is to me one of the best written songs and she actually wrote it all by herself and it will forever be a classic."
"Born to Fly" by Sarah Evans
"I always say anytime anybody asks me, 'What is one song that you wish that you would have written or that you got to record?' And it is that song. I think it is timeless and everybody can relate to that feeling."
Carly Pearce Us Weekly
"Tequila" by Dan and Shay
"I was on tour with them last year and I got to watch that song rise. The power of a song is crazy and Shay can out sing everybody."
"Whenever You Come Around" by Vince Gill
"I know that he wrote that song before he was with Amy Grant and if you listen to the lyrics it is so heartbreakingly beautiful because he loves her so much already and she doesn't even know. And oh, his voice, I can't handle it. Nobody sings like Vince."
Celebrity Music Video Couples
"Her World or Mine" by Michael Ray
"I'm not just saying this because I'm marrying him, but I think [this is] one of the best country songs that is coming out this year. It is such a good song, such a great story and he sings the crap out of it."
"It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
"I think it is one of the best duets and Faith Hill is probably my all-time favorite of the '90s. I watched that music video and can't help but think goals."
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's Cutest Moments
"Closer to You" by Carly Pearce
"It would not be a Carly Pearce playlist without my current single, "Closer to You," which I think is the perfect summer song because it is upbeat. You can roll your windows down and who doesn't want to hear about being in love?"


【Journalist Jiao Enyong, reporting at Kaohsiung】 To improve teaching quality, build up the students' capability in primary courses and promote the seamless connection of industry and university to realize the post-graduation goal of employment, the department of airline and transport service management, NKUHT, together with the railway operation office of Taiwan's High-Speed Rail Co., Ltd launched a ceremony for industry-university cooperation in order to build that platform connecting university education with the employment market and jointly cooperate for the quality cultivation of frontline transport service personnel.
The department of airline and transport service management, NKUHT is the first department of the airline management and service profession which aims at cultivating essential service and management talents for both flight and ground services required by airlines and bears the responsibility of cultivating essential service personnel and reserved management talents for flight service, ground service (transport service, ticket service, and reservations) and flight affairs. However, under the influence of the all-inclusive world economy and the opening of the high-speed rail, the results have impacted the domestic western air transport market. At the time of the market change, various Taiwanese transport service industries were all emulating the high-quality service standard of the airline business, such as waitress service listed in flight service level of international liners, national road transportation companies referring to the flight service standards of airlines and engaging in train service and reception, liner-type tourism trains promoted by the Taiwan Railway Administration, taking cabin service flow into train service, etc. In recent years, the government has also actively promoted tourism to increase by double the plan and has opened many beneficial policies for mainland Chinese people traveling to Taiwan, which will certainly bring a large amount of labor requirement to the transport services.To cope with the diverse development of society and the industry, the departmentchanged its name to the department of airline and transport service management in August 2008, and in addition to the existing airline fields, it even seeks to enter into the high speed rail industry, the representative field ofland transportation with the highest quality. Doctor Yang Cheng-Hua, associate professor and department director, indicates that with the changes of the macro environment, the department not only enlarged its cooperative scope with Taiwan's high-speed rail, but also gradually broke the past habit of only cooperating with domestic airlines to actively enlarge the pool from which to obtain cooperative opportunities with foreign airlines with international flight basis (e.g. Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragon Air) and further develop other opportunities for industry-university cooperation. NKUHT achieves joint authorization with the IATA and UFTAA to found the first authorized training center in Taiwan this semester and to open primary courses for a diploma of tourism. Students taking this course and passing the test will be granted with the IATA/UFTAA professional certificate (world recognized). We hope to enhance schooling features and market competitiveness through professional segments and models of domestic teaching excellence.
In the cooperation ceremony, president and Doctor Rong Jiye emphasized in his speech that Taiwan's High-speed Rail company is a famous business with influence and is a transport service model in Taiwan. As for the university, the industry-university cooperation can thoroughly improve the teaching content of the department of airline and transport service management and better combine with the focus requirements of the industry by conforming to the workplace requirements and increasing industry-university interaction and students' employment opportunities. Lin Peng, vice general manager of operations office of Taiwan's High-speed Rail, mentions that currently in Taiwan's High-speed Rail Company, of every four service personnel (including train conductors) there is one graduate from NKUHT, while in every ten station personnel there is one graduate from NKUHT. To the industry, educational cooperation with the academic circle and an industry-university exchange can systematically integrate different research energies and service thoughts in both of the industry-university parties, as well as promote the inclusive qualities of domestic transport service personnel.


36 16 lbs. 23" 12" 15"
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Poly Bag, 36 per carton. (Must be ordered in full carton quantities. Assorted colors must be ordered in full carton increments).. Please refer to the Shipping Details table Shipping Details table located on this page.


ZENIT – Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit Challenging HHS Mandate.
This is good news, but we are ot out of the grasp of the government yet. Keep prying for Holy Mother church that she does not get supressed by the dogma of this society.
Categories: Announcements, News | Permalink.
This Sunday concludes NFP (Natural Family Planning) week. For those who are of child-bearing years, I hope you consider this approach to your family planning; with generosity. I can see the benefits families gain from this grace-filled way of life. All couples that I know practice NFP would agree with the definition of a sacrament, particularly marriage, that divine life comes to those who participate in it. Part of the definition of a sacrament is, "an efficacious sign…by which divine life is dispensed to us…".
I bet you never thought of marriage in that way. It is holy. It is where we experience the love of God. Your body is a Holy Temple of God. This is the sign; your body. This sign (your body), through the marital act or other simple acts of kindness, dispenses grace! God also said, "Be fertile and multiply" (Gen 1:28). This reserves the marital act for marriage alone. As Male and female, we are made in God's image. As a sacrament, it becomes a living image of God's love for us. The marital act outside of marriage would mock who God is and His love for us.
Marriage is not the only thing we get grace from. The grace of marriage is particular. The Divine Life in which marriage dispenses is the kind that helps us live out the commitment of marriage and all that comes with it; spouse, work & children. The love we have did not come from us. It comes from God. Does your spouse experience the love and grace of God through your marriage? Do your children experience the love and grace of God in your marriage? When you do experience God's love or grace in your marriage, how do you experience it? Does faith and closeness to God make your spouse more beautiful? How? Do you remember the love and grace of God when your child was born? Have you shared those moments with your children? These might be some fun discussion questions to have with your family.
The Church wants your marriage to be beautiful. She wants you to have the best marriage possible, because Jesus wants that for you. She is, after all, the bride of Christ and wants to give you what she has, the beautiful bridegroom. This is why she tries so hard to protect your marriage or future marriage.
Categories: From the Pastor | Permalink.
Fr Barr was installed as pastor to St Mary and St Joseph Parishes. Here is his homily at the Mass of Installation on July 21, 2012, 6pm in St Joseph Church. Pray for him!
Categories: Announcements, Homilies, News | Permalink.
Fr Barr will be at the community center at 12 noon to continue painting the east staircase, sand doors and get rim ready for around the doors. Lots of work to do! God Bless You!!
Categories: From the Pastor, News | Permalink.
Fr Barr's homilies are in the back of St Joseph and St Mary Churches in the cd racks. They are the last three homilies in the rack. Homilies before that are stored on site. At St Joseph in the bookshelf on one of the lower shelves. At St Mary, in the servers/ ushers closet on the shelf. Feel free to take one. More can be made.
Categories: From the Pastor, Homilies | Permalink.
ZENIT – Denver Mourns Victims of Shooting.
ZENIT – On Mary Magdalene.


The company that you employ to create your chatbot must provide you with a reliable platform. They need to offer a modular design with an open source and provide you with a graphical interface. It must be accessible for developers and does not require complicated coding. They must have experience with developing the most usable framework for those interested in chatbot initiation. They must provide you with more features than competitors and offer rapid development. You can find out more at https://botpress.io/.
They need to assist you with maintaining your platform and make it accessible by the Cloud. The program needs to be affordable without difficult implementation. It needs to include AI and graphical features that are uncomplicated to learn and give users communicate effectively. The software should allow the user to employ visual tools. The coding should not be difficult to employ and have connectivity to many chat platforms.
Your chatbot needs to have a content management system and multiple NLU solutions. It should incorporate marketing tools as well. You want a platform that has A/B testing and permits human interfacing when necessary. The platform needs to comply with Microsoft, howdy and kik frameworks. It should permit users to use other modules and provide an open platform. It should be easily installed on your website and give you the freedom to make individualized analytics.
The company needs to offer a chatbot that can understand a variety of languages and words. It should consist of a Universal Message Markdown system that permits the owner to organize content. Your company should assist you with developing content and managing messaging. They need to offer you a platform that will allow you to make revisions and reformat your content. The platform needs to maintain information and organize data from your website.
In addition, the company you employ needs to provide you with exceptional service. You need an innovative company that is extensible and delivers professional platforms to customers. They should constantly upgrade and seek new ways to improve technology. They need to provide you with a product that will lower your company's everyday costs and is efficient. It must be used by thousands of developers and be a proven success. You want a chatbot that has been used by well-known companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Telegram.
The company that you choose must provide you with a respected platform with the most current features. They need offer you security and protect your system against threats. You want an exceptional brand that is dependable and one that has thousands of satisfied customers. They should have stakeholders that are thoroughly invested and take part in new product releases. They need to provide you data management and source code services and remain dedicated to the industry.
You want a company that will provide you with a dependable chatbot service. It needs to be user-friendly and easy to install. The company needs to provide you with excellent service and have a team of representatives readily available.
Previous post: Brother can you spare a dime?


BSRIA and County Estate Management (CEM), the residential property man agement specialist, have jointly developed a unique environmental property audit. The project was commissioned by CEM in December 2006 and was completed in just over three months. Close collaboration between the companies throughout the development has resulted in a structured eco-friendly system promoting green practices at existing residential properties.
BSRIA's original brief was to develop an energy conservation assessment tool, otherwise known to the project team as "greening checklist". CEM identified the need for a thorough and phased approach to offering practical advice to property owners. This broadened the scope of the checklist into something much bigger. Green Vision is part of a comprehensive range of carbon footprint assessments and comes at a time when property industry bodies are warning that not enough is being done to make existing homes greener. This can be appreciated further if we consider that existing housing tends to be less energy efficient than new developments.
Reg Jones, Head of Facilities Management at CEM explains: "BSRIA's solid background in building services and involvement in green issues and renewable technologies met the brief and scope of our Green Vision perfectly. Green Vision is about being passionate and fully committed to making existing housing stock greener and BSRIA certainly had a part in making this reality. This will in turn make residential property more ecologically efficient."
The project was devised exclusively for CEM by BSRIA's Design and FM Innovation team. Through key skills such as design background, engineering research and site surveying and reporting, BSRIA has provided CEM with a unique "green health check" tool that calculates the property's carbon footprint. The property is assigned an EcoRating on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the least environmentally friendly) based on findings on energy management, waste recycling, use of energy efficient light sources, bicycle storage facilities and so on. Recommendations are made at the end of the assessment in order to improve the property's carbon footprint, with CEM then being able to provide costings for implementing the recommendations and overseeing the works.
David Bleicher, Principal Research Engineer at BSRIA says: "Government initiatives such as the Code for Sustainable Homes focus on new homes, leaving the majority of our housing stock untouched. CEM are seriously tackling the issue of sustainability in existing housing, and BSRIA is proud to have assisted in this programme".
or visit the CEM web site.


I like to keep things pure and try to reduce as much 'noise' as possible. In my experience, short communication lines and a deeper understanding of the problems that my customers have lead to the best working conditions. And therefore to the best solutions.


Northern Ireland Universities women's hockey team has won the gold medal at the 2010 British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Home Nations Championships.
University of Ulster students starred for the medal winning team at Thursday's final day of competition, which is taking place in Edinburgh.
The women's hockey team won the tournament in style, beating their Welsh counterparts 9-0. Earlier this week they secured an impressive 4-1 win over the English Universities and a 4-0 drubbing of Scotland.
In the final, Ulster student Ciara Magee scored twice, while her Ulster Elks team-mates Suman Bala, Louise Wright and Pilippine Berly also got on the score sheet.
Armagh's Scarlett Holdsworth scored a brace, as Emma Stewart, also with Armagh, and Pegasus player Kate McConnell, got the other goals.
Over 100 students from Northern Ireland travelled to the Scottish capital this week to compete in netball, football, hockey, basketball and rugby, with over half the students from the University of Ulster.
Seven of Ulster's finest featured in the women's hockey squad, including international sports scholars Suman Bala, a Commonwealth gold medalist with India, French international Philippine Berly, and South Africa's Roxy Turner.
Dr Nigel Dobson, Co-Director of the Ulster Sports Academy, said: "The girl's achievement is absolutely superb. To achieve what they have in no small feat and it follows on from the success that women's hockey has brought to the University this year. Our investment in sport and the international scholars has proven successful not only for the University but also for sport in Northern Ireland.
Just last month the Ulster Elks have won the O'NE 1918 Ulster Shield, which added to their all-Ireland intervarsity success when they won the Chilean Cup.


A very thoughtful husband ordered this custom pendant to celebrate a 40 year marriage to his lovely wife! He incorporated their birthstones on the top of the heart, then their five children. The ruby center is the gem for the 40th Wedding Anniversary.


text:
How Ice Cream Castles Reduced Product Photo Turnaround from 1 Week to 1 Day
Alee and her business partner still do everything for their business — just not the tedious photo edits.
by Alexandra Sheehan on April 08, 2020
Alee Mills, director of operations at clothing brand Ice Cream Castles, and Veronique Barnes, who co-founded the brand, do everything — fulfillment, inventory management, marketing, customer support, and everything in between.
They used to spend hours on photo editing too, often staying up all night fumbling through Photoshop to have images ready for a next-day trade show. "We were taking all of our photographs and sitting there for hours Photoshopping everything," says Alee. They had a photographer, but their capacity was limited to 50 per week by how many photos they could edit at a time, and her editing costs were high.
Once Alee and Veronique started outsourcing edits, they were able to get a big batches edited in only 6 hours. For a recent trade show, Alee remembers sending off 150 product shots to be edited and cropped. "We woke up to the edited images the next day and they were perfect."
A story-driven children's clothing brand
Ice Cream Castles is a children's clothing brand inspired by a story of traveling to imaginary places. They make playful, whimsical apparel for three-month-old babies through size 10.
Veronique co-founded the brand and is now the sole owner of the company in her role as president and head designer. Alee is director of operations at Ice Cream Castles.
We're very story-driven. Every collection is centered around a magical imaginary place that these children are traveling to on imaginary ice cream trucks.
"We're very story-driven. Every collection is centered around a magical imaginary place that these children are traveling to on imaginary ice cream trucks," says Alee. "The clothes they bring back are all souvenirs and memories from visiting these places. So you have a lot of visuals, and a lot of the prints are kind of out there but relatable."
Challenges fiddling with Photoshop
Then: up to 37 hours editing a batch of photos
Now: 6 hours, worry free
Then: wasting 12+ hours for 4 imperfect images
Now: 12 hours, worry-free
Then: spending valuable time in Photoshop
Now: spending less than $1.00 per image
Originally a social media marketer and now a jack-of-all-trades, Alee worked with Veronique to do everything for the business — fulfillment, inventory management, marketing, customer support, and anything in between. "I've got my hand in everything," she says.
When she first started, the product photos on the website needed some attention. "The pictures on the website were all different sizes," Alee recalls. "Some were really close, some were really far away, and some you could see the print and the colors look different from piece to piece."
Veronique was busy running a brand and didn't have time to do photo edits, and design isn't an area Alee has too much hands-on experience with. But product photos needed editing if they wanted to propel the brand forward, so they invested time learning Photoshop.
"We sat there doing product shots, Googling, and getting YouTube videos for resizing. It's just so many hours of time," she says. Soon, the photo edits combined with a growing workload, became too cumbersome.
To create a white border and make the images look uniform, "we were taking all of our photographs and sitting there for hours Photoshopping everything." This process was intense and time-consuming. Alee and her partner often found themselves pressed for time in stressful situations with tight deadlines.
"We would get our samples and then have to photograph everything and take them to a trade show. A lot of times the turnaround for that is two or three days. One time it was the day of — we got the samples, picked them up at FedEx, and took them on a plane with us to New York and needed everything photographed in 20 minutes."
And as the brand grows, so do the product photography needs. "We do a ton of social media," says Alee. "We also partnered with Zulily. We're using the Amazon function."
They've hired a product photographer for lifestyle shots, but editing still takes a lot of time, especially considering channels with different requirements. Plus, their product photographer caps out at 50 photos per shoot. "[Our photographer] doesn't have time to edit for us," she says. "I know I could get more out of her."
At a certain point, they knew it was time to look for help. "We would have loved to be able to take pictures ourselves and have them edited professionally without having to pay an arm and a leg for a photographer," Alee says.
We would have loved to be able to take pictures ourselves and have them edited professionally without having to pay an arm and a leg.
Taking the photo edits off their plate
Veronique did a quick Google search and found Path. "The pricing was very competitive, as well as the different turnaround times," Alee says. "It's fast. It takes an extra thing off of our plates that we don't have time for anymore."
With prices so low, there was little risk. So Veronique decided to give it a try.
She and Veronique like that they're able to provide direction for the photo edits while not having to do it themselves. "We both have a really good work ethic and we're both really controlling," Alee explains. "So, I like being able to have something that we control from start to finish and [direct] the aesthetics and where we want to take things."
Our cost with Path is less than $1 per image, and the different turnaround time options are a great way to save some extra money.
They also love the flexibility in turnaround time and how it works with different budgets. "Our cost with Path is less than $1 per image, and the different turnaround time options are a great way to save some extra money," she says. "I know that if we have a week, it's going to be cheaper and it'll still come out the way I want. We really like the consistency."
An effortless photo editing solution
Now, they outsource their photo edits to free up the time they'd otherwise be fumbling around in Photoshop. Ice Cream Castles sends as many as 75 photos to Path in a single batch — and up to 150 in urgent situations.
"Path allows us to just take the pictures and send them," Alee says of outsourcing their edits. "Then we get them back, and they're all on a white background. The size we need, the resolution we need — and we don't even have to think about it. It's alleviated a lot of our stress with product pictures. We average 50-ish new products per season and take front and back images of most pieces."
Path has come in handy for tight deadlines, too.
"One time we needed 150 product shots edited and cropped urgently for a trade show that was happening the day after we received our samples. [Veronique] stayed up all night editing — and the entire flight to New York and the next day so we could have line sheets for the trade show. [Now] we're able to photograph all of the products and submit for editing in the same evening. We wake up to the edited images the next day, and they're perfect."
Same-day turnaround saves the day for these time-pressed situations. When they still DIYed their edits, it took three of them 12+ hours to get four poster images ready for a trade show booth. That's all changed now that they work with Path. "When we need something by the end of the day, it'll be there," she says.
"We just used Path for the first time to edit our lookbook images, and it worked out to be around $3.25/image to make all of the background colors consistent, to do image masking, and to add a natural-looking drop shadow to all of the images," says Alee. "We got them back in 12 hours, which is amazing."
Alee also needed to make sure she was working with a company that could scale with their changing needs. Businesses experience fluctuations and busy periods, and sometimes they have big batches of photos to edit.
"The amount of pictures we're able to get back in such a short amount of time is one of the things we absolutely love about Path. There are several times each year where we need a relatively large amount of photos edited really quickly, and doing it in-house takes up so much time."
Outsourcing photo editing has also allowed Ice Cream Castles to get the best bang for their buck when it comes to the professional photographer they work with, who takes about a week to turn around edits.
"Our photographer is very talented, but it costs us so much extra for the editing," Alee says. Now, they can get more shots from her.
Like many busy professionals, time is a hot commodity. When they started outsourcing to Path, Alee and Veronique were able to invest their time in other more impactful activities to contribute to business goals. And they don't have to spend so much time tinkering with their photography skills.
"We now have the freedom to shoot products on any surface with any lighting because we know Path will come through and deliver consistent, quality imagery every time."
"We used to spend 5–15 minutes per product shot editing them ourselves, and they would never be cropped uniformly or saved to the right size we needed for our website and vendors. We just didn't have the extra time to put in. Now we can get 50–150 images back in 6 hours if we need to, and all we have to do is upload them completely unedited and untouched. We now have the freedom to shoot products on any surface with any lighting because we know Path will come through and deliver consistent, quality imagery every time."
Now that editing is off their plate, Alee and Veronique have gotten back in touch with their passion and creativity.
"Just having fun is really important for us. If you're not having fun, the creative work suffers, and a huge amount of what we do is the creative part."
Path has taken something that we don't like to do off of our plate. It's allowed us more time to do other things that need to get done.
Path can handle photo editing jobs big and small. Forget fiddling with Photoshop. Get back to the work you love to do.
Case study,
Clipping path india,
Inspiring stories,
Outsourcing,
Alexandra Sheehan
In her past agency life, Alex has led digital marketing initiatives for Fortune 500 companies. Now, she's passionate about helping retailers and retail industry leaders harness the power of the written word and fuse it with strategic content, email and social media marketing campaigns.
#Inspiring Stories


text: Playing with ASP.NET 5, SOAP, Ember, cryptocurrencies and Go

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


According to reports,Over two thousand Nigerians own private jets and as we all know,Private jets are not Keke marwas,they are not saloon cars neither are they motorcycles. Its already known that only Nigerian Elites who live on the speed lane can afford the luxury of a jet.Its also known that regular travels on commercial airlines would inconvenience their jet lifestyle,that's why they have chosen to take their movement schedules in their own hand,which is the only option for a smooth travel Experience for the rich class.
The richest Black man owns two private jet,A Bombardier Global Express 5000 valued at $45M(9Billion naira) and A Bombardier Global Express XRS.
The Nigerian political Icon,former governor of one of the biggest city in Africa and the National leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress,Purchased a brad new Bombardier Global Express XRS valued at $50m(10Billion naira)which is reportedly his second jet in May 2014. A jet which all believes was used extensively during the Nigerian 2015 General election campaigns which saw to the victory of Muhammadu Buhari.
Currently the Nigerian Minster for works,Chibuike Amaechi was a former governor of the controversial oil rich Niger Delta State(Rivers State).CHIBUIKE used a Brazilian-made Embraer Legacy said to be for the state government(Embraer EMB135BJ),(Legacy 600(5N-RSG) and a (Bombardier Global 5000(N565RS).
Senator is a former Governor of Boko haram Captured Borno State is currently a prominent politician of great astute in Nigeria. Ali Sheriff owns a fleet of skycrafts having a whooping 4 private jets to his name which are as follow: Gulfstream G650 and Domed.They are valued at $72m(14.4billion naira).
A world class businessman,one of the wealthy Nigerians on the Forbes list,Chairman of the SLOK Group conglomerate is a former Governor of Busiest Commercial city in the Eastern Nigeria (Abia State).He tops the list of Jet owners with a fleet of five private jets which is the largest in Nigeria. His fifth jet, a Gulfstream G650 which is valued at $72m (14.4billion naira) is rumored to be The most expensive jet in the Nigerian airspace leaving even the presidential jet a French made Falcon 7X at its feet.
The Globacom boss,who doubled as the Second richest man in Nigeria had three jets to his credit which includes French made Falcon 7X(Same model on the Nigerian presidential fleet) Valued at $50m (10billion naira).
Undoubtedly the richest woman in Nigeria owns a Bombardier Global Express XRS VP- CEO worth over $45m (9billion naira).
Apart from Celebrities,politicians and businessmen and women,it is worthy to note that some religious leaders are in this list of Luxurious private Jet Owners Gang.
The controversial bling wearing former president of the Christian Association Of Nigeria who was favoured by the Goodluck Jonathan Adminstration owns a Jet which he said was a gift, a Registered Bombardier challenger601 (N31CB).Pastor Ayo's Jet was rumoured to have broken down in early 2018.
The Head/presiding Bishop of one of the most popular churches in Nigeria, Winners Chapel church owns a total of Four private jets,a Gulfstream G550 valued at $30m (6billion naira),Gulfstream VO450,Bombardier Challenger 604(N664D)David Oyedepo is also the first man of God to start private airline in Nigeria.
Being the second man of God to start a private airline in Nigeria after Pastor David Oyedepo,Pastor Enoch Adeboye is the founder of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God owns Double aircraft in his fleet used for operations by Dominion Air Company.One of the Aircrafts a Gulfstream (N707EA) registered as E.Adeboye/Emmanuel Aviation is valued at $60m(12billion naira).


There's a predictable buzz of futurology as the FT announces that its digital subscription circulation (301,471 and rising) has passed its print sales (297,227 and falling). How long will it be before pink paper and pounding presses are mere memories? Now, with subscriptions swelling, the FT looks far better placed for such online transition, a digital trailblazer by choice rather than force of circumstance.


MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 21, 2011 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has introduced a mobile application available to U.S. military veterans that enables secure access to health information and records from a mobile device.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-developed "Blue Button" capability allows VA patients to download their personal health information through their VA MyHealtheVet account to share with medical providers. Northrop Grumman created a complementary application, "VA-214", which gives veterans the ability to access their personal electronic health records stored in MyHealtheVet on their mobile device.
The VA-214 application is currently available on both Apple's iOS and Google's Android platform. The app allows veterans to view their personal information and medications at the touch of a button.
"Following the innovation lead of the VA's chief technology officer Peter Levin, the development of this application for secure, reliable and portable personal health records supports the administration's goal of promoting greater use of health information technology," said Amy King, vice president of health IT programs for Northrop Grumman. "We are excited to support the Department of Veterans Affairs to extend access of personal health information through the Blue Button feature and through additional mobile devices."
This new application gives veterans ready access to personal health information for better understanding of their medical history and to partner more effectively with health providers. The application is accessible to all MyHealtheVet accounts, about one million veterans in total.
The VA-214 application is available for download at www.northropgrumman.com/apps .


In Part 8 of our "Lest We Forget" series we will be looking at the Three Angels messages and why the Seventh-day Adventist church is so passionate about taking them to the World!
The Bible contains over 1500 specific references to the second coming of Christ. So why do we talk so little about it? Today we will delve into this most important Bible truth and discover the keys to being ready!


text:
Sci-Fi Storm
News From The Edge Of The Universe
Other OINC Sites
Syfy Ventures partners with Her Universe for female-oriented SF gear; talk games
by Doc on Oct.17, 2010, under Games, Gear
Syfy Ventures, a relatively new division created during the rebranding of Syfy as part of breaking out of the cable channel constraints and become a true transmedia, tech savvy destination, announced jointly with actress Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars) during the Digital Press Tour on Monday that Syfy Ventures would join forces with Eckstein's Her Universe brand of female genre merchandise, to produce Syfy branded merchandise under the Syfy Gear label.
"We are a fairly new company," Eckstein said. "I do the voice of Ahsoka Tano on 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars.' And this past summer we launched our business at San Diego Comic-Con, and we started the first 'Star Wars' merchandise line just for women. We want to make girls chic from head to toe. And we have apparel, jewelry, accessories. And almost half of all Syfy fans are women. And they weren't giving us anything to buy. Last time I checked, the girls are the ones that are spending the money. So I've spent the summer at conventions meeting the girls. I actually go to the conventions at the booths. And so many girls have been begging me for Syfy merchandise. So I'm really excited to announce this today."
Dave Howe, president of Syfy, added, "I think from a brand perspective, it really does send out the right messages about what we want to stand for, which is a business that is for everyone with platforms that reach out to everybody. And licensing and merchandising and gear in particular that reaches out to everybody, it's very exciting."
"Yes. That's the biggest misconception is that Syfy is not just for the men, it's not just for the women, it's for everyone." said Eckstein. "And that's what we're trying to say. We don't — we didn't start Her Universe to start a company that says, 'Girl power. Syfy is just for the women.' It's not. It really — it transcends gender, and you guys do a great job with that at Syfy. And we're looking forward to creating some great product together."
Right now, Her Universe merchandise is aimed at the "tween and up" ages, although there is no reason it will stay there. And expect seasonal items as well. "We have a couple items come out for the holidays for 'Star Wars'," according to Eckstein.
The Syfy Gear/Her Universe collection will include original designs that reflect Syfy's commitment to engaging the imagination, as well as show-specific merchandise from hit Syfy series such as Caprica, Eureka, Battlestar Galactica, Destination Truth, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Hunters Academy and Warehouse 13.
Some other Syfy Ventures items were mentioned during the panel…and that in all the ventures storytelling is the focus.
Allan Seiffert, senior vice president of Syfy Ventures, "We have launched our Syfy games brand. And yes, we will be publishing games. The only reason I'm hedging is that the way that we look at it is, just as in television and just as some of the other projects that we've talked about, we're not necessarily kind of keeping to the same traditional lines. So we will be involved in gaming. And part of the reason is it's a great way to tell stories. It absolutely is appropriate for our key audience. Whether that is a traditional publishing arrangement, I'm not quite sure. But Craig [Engler, senior vice president of Syfy Digital] and his team have a thriving Syfy games online presence. We have strong partnerships coming up. We've got a few other announcements over the next several months. So we are very much in this space. But the key for us, and whether it's Her Universe or it's gaming or it's kids — even we talk about gear. It's about the story. It's about the storytelling. And so that's going to be the ultimate driver."
One of these will be an online browser-based game for Battlestar Galactica, which will debut in December, and will include new elements that fit within the story. In addition, a partnership with game developer Trion World is the develop a new story from the ground up as a multiplatform story – including an online game and TV series. And also, Syfy has been in development with THQ on a 2-hour backdoor pilot based on the Red Faction game series, to be set within game story between the last game and the new game due out in early 2011, Red Faction: Armageddon.
:ashley eckstein, battlestar galactica, fashion, her universe, red faction, star wars, syfy
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Chinese officials at all levels of government and in the private sector agree that investing in the transportation system is one of the country's most important investment priorities. Not only does a reliable and efficient transportation system support economic development, but it also provides mobility for an increasingly mobile Chinese population.
Figure 5 shows the level of investment that has occurred since 2000 in different elements of the transportation system and the expected level of investment up to 2010, in U.S. dollars. Figure 6 shows the extent of four transportation networks in terms of network expansion.
The investment strategy in each modal network is very different, including who is involved, what type of investment is being contemplated, and the expected role each modal network is to play in the overall transportation system. Each modal network will be discussed in the following sections.
Figure 5. Average annual total investment in Chinese transportation infrastructure (US$).
Of all the transportation investments made in China over the past 5 years, the largest amount has been dedicated to the nation's road network. In fact, the pace of investment has been so fast over the past 5 years that any comparison with years before this does not provide a good picture of what is happening with road investment today. Table 3 presents some of the most important characteristics of China's road network. As the table shows, the growth rate in both network expansion and network use has been substantial.
According to the Ministry of Communications, the total highway investment in 2006 was US$84.3 billion, a 13.6 percent increase over the 2005 investment level. Domestic loans (from the China Development Bank) and self-finance bonding accounted for the bulk of the revenue for this investment program, 40.7 percent and 32.8 percent, respectively, of the funding. Only 1.5 percent of the capital investment came from the national government budget.
The government has plans to expand the national expressway system, as shown in figure 7. By 2010, the expressway system is expected to be 65,000 km (40,389 mi) long; by 2025, the total expressway network is expected to be 85,000 km (52,800 mi). This expressway network is designed to have seven major expressways radiating out of Beijing, nine north-south expressways, and 18 east-west expressways (the so-called 7-9-18 plan). This network is intended to link most cities with a population of more than 500,000. In addition, expressway extensions into the western provinces are aimed at increasing economic opportunity in this part of the country.
Figure 6. Growth and expected growth in Chinese transportation infrastructure.
To a large extent, this expressway network is modeled after the U.S. Interstate network, with similar geometric designs and operational characteristics. Also similar to U.S. expressways, the urban portions of this network are severely congested during peak periods.
Transportation officials and U.S. shippers pointed to overweight trucks as one of the most important challenges facing Chinese transportation agencies. Given that the trucking industry consists primarily of numerous one- to three-truck firms, many markets are highly competitive. In addition, Chinese manufacturers have the right to choose the carrier for the first move from the plant, which provides a strong incentive to load a truck as much as possible to maximize revenue. The national, provincial, and municipal governments have established enforcement programs, but the sense among transportation officials is that a large number of oversized and overweight trucks are still on the road.
Table 3. Characteristics of China's road network, 2005–2006.
Build an express passenger transport network with four north-south and four east-west lines, plus three intercity express routes.
Enhance rail access to ports.
Target rail investments in the western region.
Optimize rail network by electrifying and building dual track.
Construct 18 intermodal container rail terminals and develop a double-stack container transportation route.
Container movements by rail face several challenges. Container movement on the rail network carries about 2.2 percent of the national rail freight tonnage and 1.5 percent of the total container volume moved in the country. Three types of rail intermodal services are available: scheduled, unscheduled, and block trains. Scheduled and unscheduled trains have the least priority on the rail network, with military, passenger, coal, and foodstuffs coming first (the rail network is shared by freight and passenger rail services). Freight movements by rail are often unreliable and, in many markets, face stiff competition from trucking firms. Few ports have dockside rail access, so some form of intermodal transfer must occur before containers reach the port that enables them to be loaded onto a ship.
Figure 7. China's major highway network.
Figure 8. China's rail network.
China plans to invest in the freight rail network with expectations that more freight (especially containers) will be hauled by rail. A 10 million 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) target via rail has been established as part of the 5-year planning process. Given that the level is now 3 million TEUs, this is an ambitious goal. Eighteen new intermodal yards are part of the strategy to attract more container traffic to rail. Several of these yards are open and others are under construction. New freight-only track is being constructed in major origin-destination corridors and investments are being made in rolling stock. However, unlike many of the major road projects, private investors have not actively sought investment opportunities in the rail network. Government solicitations to participate in some of the intermodal rail yard projects, for example, did not attract much attention from the investment community.
Throughout China's history, rivers and coastal shipping routes have been major thoroughfares for commerce. The Pearl and Yangtze Rivers, in particular, have served as the commercial arteries for much of China's economic development. As noted earlier, the Pearl River Delta was the first region to experience large-scale foreign investment, becoming a major manufacturing and transportation hub of China's international trade.
Table 4 shows statistics on the importance of China's navigable water network. These statistics are national and thus hide the more local nature of barge transportation. For example, about 30 percent of the transshipments that occur in Shanghai involve barges. In the Pearl River Delta, the percentage is slightly higher. The exact percentage in the Pearl River Delta is hard to estimate because many transshipments occur in midstream from one barge to another to avoid terminal fees. Also, some terminals have limited barge access because of capacity constraints, so barges must have a minimum of six containers to berth pier-side.
Those interviewed for the scanning study had different opinions about the Pearl and Yangtze River barge operations. The sense was that too much barge capacity exists in the Yangtze River market and, given the numerous small operators (similar to the trucking industry), it is a highly competitive market. In some cases, the freight forwarder is also the barge operator, which results in a mixing of interests on expediting the movement of the container. Few berths are available for barges along the river and at the mainland port itself (this is not true for the new port built off the coast). In addition, the recent opening of a new port in Shanghai (Yangshan) many miles from the old port and located in deep water raises questions about the seaworthiness of the existing barge fleet to serve the new port.
For the Pearl River, the sense was that barge capacity is sufficient to handle market demand, although competition is still quite high, in this case among larger barge companies. New river ports have been constructed in the Pearl River to cater to barge traffic, thus providing more convenient intermodal transfer (although a large percentage of the transshipments occur midstream).
Table 5 indicates why inland water transportation is so important for the supply chain in China. This table shows estimated costs and transit time to move a 20-foot container from Chongqing to Shanghai, a distance of 2,092 to 2,575 km (1,300 to 1,600 mi), depending on the modal network (see map in figure 8 for the location of Chongqing). Although barge transport takes a longer transit time than truck, it costs almost 80 percent less. For commodities that are not time sensitive, barge transportation is clearly the preferred mode on the basis of cost.
The economic growth that China has experienced over the past two decades has been driven primarily by international trade. This trade could not have occurred without port capacity to handle the ever-increasing flow of containers coming from mainland factories. Figure 9 shows TEU movement for selected Chinese ports in 2006 and that expected in 2011. Growth in these ports has averaged greater than 20 percent per annum over the past 5 years, so the forecasted volumes do not appear unreasonable. Figure 10 shows a comparison between TEU throughput in Chinese and U.S. ports. Figure 11 shows the expected growth in China container movements as a share of the global market, from a 31 percent share in 2006 to an expected 34 percent share by 2011. Ten of the top 30 container ports are located in China, as are three of the top four (Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Shanghai). By 2010, eight of the top 15 container ports will be in China, with Shanghai expected to be the largest container port in the world.
Figure 9. TEU throughput in selected Chinese ports, 2006 and 2011.
Figure 10. TEU throughput in Chinese and U.S. ports, 2006.
Figure 11. Expected Chinese share of global container market.
The ports in Shanghai, in particular, play a significant role both in the Chinese economy and the global market. Tonnage through the ports in Shanghai will exceed 350 million in 2007, making it the largest port in the world from the perspective of tonnage moved. Shanghai has already overtaken Hong Kong as the largest container port in China (an expected 27 million TEUs in 2007), and expected future growth will only solidify this position.
The new Shanghai Port of Yangshan is an example of the type of investment the Chinese are making in port infrastructure (see figures 12 and 13). The first two phases of the US$14.5 billion Yangshan deep-sea port are now open, with a 2020 target year for achieving the full capacity of the port (33 to 50 deep-sea berths) at 25 million TEUs per year. The port is located about 32 km (20 miles) offshore and is connected to the mainland by a highway bridge (there is no direct rail connection to the port, although there is a new intermodal rail yard on the mainland near the bridge gateway).
Figure 12. Many container transshipments in the Pearl River basin take place in midstream, primarily to avoid fees for land terminal use.
Figure 13. The new Yangshan deep-sea port in Shanghai.
Figure 14. The new bridge connecting the Port of Yangshan to the mainland.
One of the most impressive aspects of the Yangshan Port, and indeed other Chinese ports, is its operational productivity. The terminal can handle 35 TEU operations per hour per crane, with a daily throughput record of 23,044 TEUs. The terminal is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The terminal operator commits to loading and unloading a barge within 5 hours and a vessel within 20 hours, and it has a posted truck turn time of a maximum 30 minutes. Some ports can use seven cranes per vessel in the loading and unloading process, greatly speeding up the vessel turnaround time.
The Yangshan Port has not only created a modern facility to export goods to the world, but it has also spurred local growth. For example, the mainland entry to the port bridge has become a highly desirable location for logistics and warehousing centers. A new town has been created to house port employees, and what was once agricultural land is turning into manufacturing, freight consolidation, and warehousing sites.
The scan team met with many representatives of U.S. retailers and shipping, warehousing, and consolidation firms. Many of these discussions focused on their perceptions of the performance of the U.S. transportation system as much as on the Chinese transport system. The major point the private sector participants in these meetings made is that they have every expectation that the Chinese government, along with private investors, will provide a transportation system that will meet the needs of the supply chain in China. Their concern is more with the ability of the United States and European Union to provide reliable transportation serving their own ports. Much of the discussion centered on the poor productivity of U.S. port operations compared to Chinese ports.
World trade is expected to grow 6 to 12 percent a year over the next 5 years, and 80 percent of this trade will be carried by ships.
Asian growth (especially in China) is key. More than 51 percent of worldwide container traffic passes through Asia. In 2001, international trade represented 79 percent of East Asian GDP, up from 50 percent in 1991.
Although China still faces serious challenges ahead, its strong growth momentum will be maintained in the next 5 years.
Key challenges facing China include deteriorating environmental conditions, undersupply of natural resources, asset inflation, an aging population, a social welfare system under pressure, employment demands because of accelerated urbanization, uneven income distribution, and protectionism in international trade.
Coastal infrastructure is first class, but inland infrastructure is inadequate. The sources of China's economic growth are concentrated in coastal China, but growth in coastal China is slowing as costs rise. Linking coastal China to untapped inland markets is a key to the future.
Rail use in mainland China's hinterland still remains the key bottleneck for the future. Rail rates over long distances are still challenged by truck, which enjoys fuel price protection on diesel (to a degree). There is little enforcement of over-the-road weight limit, allowing one truck to carry what would normally require two to three. This makes some long-haul truck routes competitive with rail, especially because of speed.
Mainland China is dominated by mom-and-pop truck operators. The average trucking company has one to two trucks.
Current ship orders (3.15 million TEUs) represent more than 45 percent of worldwide capacity.Thirty-five ships are in service with a capacity in excess of 7,500 TEUs, with orders for 126 additional ships of this size or larger.
In North America, there is a clear trend by shippers to diversify inbound shipments to multiple ports. The goal is to minimize the risk of disruption in the supply chain in the event a single port is impacted by labor unrest, terrorism, etc.
North American and European transportation systems are a concern because of insufficient investment in infrastructure, limited terminal capacity, road congestion, and the inability of government to provide timely investments. Harbor depths, port terminal size and equipment, capacity of regional highway and intermodal rail infrastructure, land availability, and labor and environmental constraints will limit or enhance port growth in North America and Europe.
The number of transshipment hubs will grow. Twenty-eight percent of the worldwide volume of containers (85 million TEUs) are transshipped. In China, new direct shipment ports are emerging in areas that traditionally used transshipment hubs. As a result, the ports at Los Angeles-Long Beach and New York-New Jersey will likely lose market share to several emerging North American ports, yet the sheer volume of containers handled at the major North American ports will remain dominant.
Larger, multimarket, global terminal operators continue to grow (Hutchinson, Eurogate, PSA Corp., HHLA, CSX World Terminals, International Container Terminal Services, Inc.). Major shipping lines (A.P. Moeller-Maersk, Evergreen, APL, COSCO, NYK, Mediterranean Shipping Co., P&O) continue to integrate vertically, offering more value-added services (consolidation and deconsolidation, rail shuttles, logistics, third-party logistics services (3PLs), etc.). Increasingly, 3PLs and ship lines will be customers for port-related properties.
The need for deconsolidation warehouse facilities will increase in North America and Europe, especially at the emerging direct shipment ports. Logistics providers (shipping lines and 3PLs) are increasingly seeking deconsolidation warehouse facilities where inbound product can be unloaded, mixed, and repacked for direct distribution. Proximity to port terminals is essential and foreign trade zone designation is increasingly meaningful.
In China, facilities for import- and export-oriented activities will increase: export consolidated forwarding services for consolidation (nonbonded), international logistics (bonded), and inbound consolidated forwarding services for deconsolidation (bonded). The provision of such facilities should not be difficult, given the access to world finance markets that Chinese development projects enjoy.
The city and Port of Qingdao, located in the province of Shandung on the Yellow River, has been one of the fastest growing economic centers in China. GDP growth in the province has averaged just over 16 percent a year for the past 3 years, with growth in foreign direct investment averaging just over 13 percent a year. The Port of Qingdao has been one of the fastest growing ports in China. Port officials expected about 9 million TEUs to move through the port in 2007. The United States has the highest number of container exports (19 percent), but Japan (18 percent) and South Korea (14 percent) are just behind. The European Union represents 17 percent of port exports.
The port used to be located in center city, some 80 km (50 mi) away. However, because of community concerns about port expansion so close to neighborhoods, government officials decided that a new port should be constructed some distance away. A toll road was built to connect to the new port. Qingdao is one of six cities in China that has been given planning authority by the central government, so it has been able to develop an economic development strategy that emphasizes the competitive advantages of the surrounding region.
The port itself is one of most modern in China. It has ondock rail facilities (one of the few in China that does), as well as barge transshipment terminals. The major terminal in the port, the QQCT terminal, is a joint venture of four shareholders—a government corporation (31 percent share), Dubai Ports (29 percent), Maersk (20 percent), and Cosco Pacific (20 percent). Just over US$880 million has been invested in the terminal to date. Terminal operations include the monitoring of key performance measures, such as gross crane rate (36.6 moves per hour), gross vessel rate (69 hours), net crane rate (40.8 moves per hour), and truck turnaround time (34 minutes).
Figure 15. The Port of Qingdao is one of the most efficient ports in China.
Many other private company participants echoed the observations made by these three companies. Economic growth is expected to continue at high rates. The Chinese government is investing heavily in transportation infrastructure and is slowly opening the transport sector to foreign investment. There are areas of concern for the Chinese transportation system (e.g., the freight rail network), but generally most believed that transportation to and from the ports will not be a big issue in the future, although lowering the cost of logistics will be a major focus of both public and private organizations.
Table 4. Characteristics of China's navigable water network.
Table 5. Comparative costs and time to transport a TEU to Shanghai from Chongqing.
ProLogis is the world's largest owner, manager, and developer of distribution facilities, with 44.9 million square meters (483 million square feet) of industrial space in 105 markets across North America, Asia, and Europe. The company leases its industrial facilities to 4,700 customers, including manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers, and other enterprises with large-scale distribution needs. Since going public in 1994, ProLogis has experienced extraordinary growth. It has gone from $400 million in assets under management in just nine U.S. States to a global portfolio of properties valued at more than $34 billion. ProLogis continues to follow its customers into new markets and to extend its position as the global leader in industrial real estate.
ProLogis identified China as a major market several years ago and now has facilities in 19 markets in the country. ProLogis has also been a major player in developing the Lingang industrial park near the new Yangshan Port. The Lingang industrial area is expected to be about 300 square km (116 square mi) in area (half the size of Singapore), with land uses targeted for manufacturing, heavy industry, high tech, logistics, and residential and commercial activities. The 2020 population is expected to reach 800,000.
The ProLogis facility in Lingang, a joint venture with a state-owned agency, has an area of about 2.8 square km (1.1 square mi) and currently has 15 acres of warehousing floorspace and just over 52 acres for a container yard. At build out, this facility is expected to have about 1.4 million square meters (15 million square feet) of usable space.
Investment in the ProLogis facility was based on expectations that the new Yangshan Port will generate large demands for both bonded and nonbonded warehousing and containerhandling facilities. The local government invested in the local road infrastructure with the expectation that development would occur at some future point.
Figure 16. The new Lingang industrial park has the road and sewer infrastructure built, waiting for development to occur.