text:
Leading Massage Franchise Recognized for its Focus on Veterans
Scottsdale, AZ. Massage Envy, a pioneer and leader of professional, convenient and affordable massage and spa services, has been recognized among the top 10 percent of franchise companies named to the 2013 Military Friendly Franchises® list. Compiled by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, the list highlights those companies that provide veterans with the best financial incentives and training, and which have the highest number of veteran franchisees.
"I am proud to be a part of a company that values veterans and the qualities that we bring to business ownership," said James "Ollie" Oliver, a 21-year Air Force veteran with a top secret security clearance and more than three decades of management experience, who is now a new owner of a Massage Envy clinic planned for Virginia. "The extensive management and supervision experience I gained from the military, coupled with the support and structure from Massage Envy corporate, made the decision to become a franchisee an easy one for me."
Massage Envy has made it a priority to recruit franchise owners with military experience. The company, a proud member of the International Franchise Association's VetFran Program, offers a discounted franchise fee to veterans and has implemented a marketing program to educate and recruit veteran franchisees.
"Massage Envy values our nation's veterans–not only for their service–but for the strong skills and qualities they bring to business ownership," said Dave Crisalli, president and CEO of Massage Envy. "These franchisee candidates have the principles of leadership that are essential for a successful business, and we are thrilled to be able to offer them opportunities in the wellness industry."
The 2013 Military Friendly Franchises list was compiled through extensive research by G.I. Jobs in which thousands of franchises nationwide were polled. The survey results list were independently tested by Ernst & Young based upon the weightings and methodology established by Victory Media. The full list of Military Friendly Franchises will be published in the June issue of G.I. Jobs, and on www.militaryfranchising.com/, a Web tool that helps veterans decide which franchise to choose.
Today, there are more than 880 Massage Envy and Massage Envy Spa locations in 47 states, making it the largest system of franchised massage clinics in the industry. The company also is the world's largest employer of licensed/registered massage therapists with at least 18,000 therapists providing more than 16 million massages a year to a total of more than 1.3 million members.
Over the next several years, Massage Envy is seeking to expand across the country with Massage Envy Spa leading the way in these development goals. To fuel this growth, the company is looking for specific franchisee candidates who have the ability and the desire to learn and follow a system that ensures value and customer satisfaction. Qualified franchisee candidates should have business sales or management experience, but do not necessarily need to have a massage therapy or spa operations background. They also should possess a minimum net worth of $500,000 and liquid assets of at least $150,000.
Depending on the real estate, Massage Envy Spa franchisees can expect their initial investment to range from approximately $331,485 to $825,623, including the franchisee fee.
Entrepreneurs interested in exploring franchising opportunities with Massage Envy may contact Lori Merrall at (480) 366-4171 and lmerrall@massageenvy.com, or visit Massage Envy's franchising website at www.massageenvyfranchise.com/.
About Massage Envy
Massage Envy, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the leading provider of therapeutic massage in the U.S. The national franchise is dedicated to providing professional and affordable therapeutic massage and spa services to members and guests with busy lifestyles at convenient times and locations. Founded in 2002, Massage Envy has more than 880 locations in 47 states. For more information, visit MassageEnvy.com.
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No 'Smoking Gun' Tying Saudi Arabia to 9/11 Attacks in Secret 28 Pages
The twin towers of the World Trade Center burn behind the Empire State Building in New York after terrorists crashed two planes into the towers causing both to collapse, Sept. 11, 2001.
Marty Lederhandler—AP
By Massimo Calabresi
The long-secret "28 pages" from a 14-year-old congressional inquiry into Saudi Arabia's role in the 9/11 attacks released Friday contains a litany of clues, but no hard evidence, of any role played by the kingdom in the plot, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
The new information "does not change the assessment of the U.S. government that there's no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded Al Qaeda," Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said, quoting directly from the report.
But it contains lots of fodder for conspiracy buffs. "While in the United States, some of the September 11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government," the report said. "There is information, primarily from FBI sources, that at least two of those individuals were alleged by some to be Saudi intelligence officers."
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The partially-redacted pages, dating from December 2002, are crammed with caveats and qualifiers that will likely lead to no major changes in the public's understanding of Saudi Arabia's role in the 9/11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the downing of an airliner in Pennsylvania. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers aboard the four planes were Saudi citizens.
The leadership of Saudi Arabia abetted the rise of transnational terrorism prior to 9/11, and the world paid a price. The much-anticipated 28 pages reads like a postcard from that era. "Neither CIA nor FBI witnesses were able to identify definitively the extent of Saudi support for terrorist activity globally or within the United States and the extent to which such support, if it exists, is knowing or inadvertent in nature," said the newly-released portion of the report, by a House-Senate panel that investigated the attacks. The panel found this lack of knowledge "unacceptable," and added that the FBI "apparently" had refrained from investigating Saudis inside the U.S. "due to Saudi Arabia's status as a U.S. `ally.'"
Much of the 28 pages cites raw and uncorroborated intelligence reports, which are often unreliable. The pages had been classified to keep relations between Washington and Riyadh stable. The report named 10 Saudis who may have supported the hijackers, including one who received "a significant amount of cash" from a member of the Saudi royal family, according to a CIA report. The panel said it did not investigate evidence of the kingdom's support for the 9/11 hijackers because that was "beyond the scope of this joint inquiry." The pages are from the report's Part 4, titled "Finding, Discussion and Narrative Regarding Certain Sensitive National Security Matters." The original report was released in 2004.
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But in the 15 years since 9/11, as al Qaeda and other extremists stepped up their attacks on the Saudi leadership, the Saudis have cracked down on terrorist groups. Saudi complicity in transnational terrorism has been replaced by other more pressing problems in the U.S.-Saudi relationship. As raw as the revelations in the 28 pages are, some Middle East experts say, the U.S. needs to look to its interests as it tackles chaos in the region, global economic uncertainty and a growing threat from "crowd sourced" terrorism.
The Saudis are undergoing three slow-moving crises, says Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies: a fiscal crisis generated by the staggering drop in the price of oil over the last two years; a succession crisis, where for the first time in decades it is unclear who will take power when the current leader, 80-year-old King Salman, dies; and a crisis in its relations with the U.S.
Already nervous about the uncertainty produced by the first two, the Saudis see the release of the 28 pages in the context of the third. "In reality it's a manageable news blip, but they see it coming in the context of a crisis in bilateral relations," says Alterman, "And they don't understand it and they don't know how to respond to it."
From the U.S. perspective, the Saudis remain a problem to manage: according to Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, when the Australian Prime Minister asked President Obama whether the Saudi's weren't our friends, Obama said, "It's complicated." The ruling family is still gripped by its foundational Faustian bargain with the extremist Wahhabi interpretation of Islam, which makes it a force against liberalism worldwide.
But the Saudis remain in control of much of the world's energy supply—80% of the oil and gas on which America's trade partners in Asia use to produce goods and services we rely on comes from the Gulf. The Saudis are in the middle of the contest for the future of the Middle East, with active military and intelligence operations in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. The U.S.-Saudi relationship has "never been an easy relationship, but it's not going to stop being important," says Alterman, "As long as we want to play on a global level as the U.S. has since World War 1."
Saudi Arabia "welcomes the release" of the 28 pages, Abdullah al-Saud, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, said in a statement. "Since 2002, the 9/11 Commission and several government agencies, including the C.I.A. and the F.B.I., have investigated the contents of the '28 Pages' and have confirmed that neither the Saudi government, nor senior Saudi officials, nor any person acting on behalf of the Saudi government provided any support or encouragement for these attacks," he added. "We hope the release of these pages will clear up, once and for all, any lingering questions or suspicions about Saudi Arabia's actions, intentions, or long-term friendship with the United States."
The Saudis, in fact, have argued for the release of the 28 pages in an attempt to get this issue behind them. The question now is whether their release will make a positive or negative difference on the issues the U.S. cares about, nearly 15 years after they were written.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


When you think of ad blocking tools, you tend to think in terms of the usual suspects -- web browser ads. But when you're on the Android platform, you have to retrain your thoughts to look elsewhere. In fact, ads can show up within aps (which is very common) and on your home screen (which is also common, but lesser known).
At one point, it was perfectly fine to have in-app ads. After all, those ads helped make the apps free... right? Right. Like everything else, however, the playground has been spoiled. Advertising systems intent on nefarious doings have managed to crop up and spread their special flavor of "bad" through in-app ads and home screen "ad launchers."
Prior to these showing up, the in-app ad was little more than an annoyance, sometimes taking up enough screen real estate to cause the user to pay the price of entry to remove the ad. But now, that annoyance has become a possible danger.
How can you avoid such a disaster? You can load up an ad blocker to help stop these compromised ad networks from gaining purchase of your system. I've found a few such ad blockers that do the job. Let's take a closer look.
AppBrain Ad Detector is very easy to use, but how you act on the information is up to you. This app will not remove anything from your device. However, if you hear of an advertising network that turns out to be one of the many dangerous systems, you can open up AppBrain, tap on the Show Concerns button in the main window (Figure A), swipe to the Ad Networks tab, locate the ad network in question, and find out what apps are included in that network.
AppBrain Ad Detector running on a Verizon-branded LG G3.
The Easy Ads Cleaner app helps you to find the cause of spam ads. With the tap of a single button, you can scan your device for apps containing spam ads. After the scan completes, the listing will display all possible spam ad apps, in the order of their risk. Many apps will show up as mid-risk (Figure B). Most of these are just apps that include ads but aren't part of dangerous ad networks. Should you spot a high-risk app, do not hesitate to uninstall the app.
Easy Ads Cleaner quickly spots apps with built-in ads.
The TrustGo Ad Detector app does a great job of protecting you from potential privacy leaks via the most commonly known ad networks. Tap the Scan button, and the app will analyze every application on the device and report back the behavior of the known ad networks. Possible behaviors range from leaking identity information to downloading files when you click an ad. Once you tap on a behavior, it will list out all the apps that fall into that category (Figure C). You can then tap the X to uninstall that particular app.
Apps that can possibly leak identity information.
Although you may not be concerned with privacy leaks, you should be. Using TrustGo Ad Detector will go a long way to prevent such leaks from your Android device. Make sure, however, that you go through the apps listed after the scan. If you see anything you don't use or didn't install, uninstall it immediately. You'll also find apps that include multiple ad networks (for example, Slacker Radio uses AdMob, Millennial, and MoPub). If you see anything suspect, do a bit of research and remove if warranted.
Finally, there's no substitute for adding an anti-malware app to your Android device. Install either Malwarebytes or Lookout to help keep your Android smartphone and/or tablet safe.


text:
from django.test import TestCase
from secureMail import functions

class CensorTestCase(TestCase):
    def testCensorTextLive(self):
        self.assertEqual(functions.censorTextLive('durch',0,5),
            'durch')

    def testCensorTextLiveFinal(self):
        x = unichr(9611)
        self.assertEqual(functions.censorTextFinal(''),
            '')
        self.assertEqual(functions.censorTextFinal('durch'),
            x+x+x+x+x)
        self.assertEqual(functions.censorTextFinal('streiche durch'),
            'streiche '+x+x+x+x+x)
        self.assertEqual(functions.censorTextFinal(
            'durch bla test'),
            x+x+x+x+x+' bla '+x+x+x+x)
        self.assertEqual(functions.censorTextFinal('Ein ganz normaler Text'),
            'Ein ganz normaler Text')

    def testHash(self):
        self.assertEqual(functions.hash('blablablablabl'), '93f3a974cfd916f7fe35783d7e3e3cbaa8401588194c4d80a7b32bdb562a30bc')

    def testCipher(self):
        cipher = functions.AESCipher('key')
        self.assertEqual(cipher.decrypt(cipher.encrypt('Dies ist ein Test')), u'Dies ist ein Test')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We organize personalised kids tennis camps with an exclusive service providing an uninterrupted supervised programme.
Tennis Academy in L'Eliana - Valencia, Spain. Housing in a luxury villa with swimming pool.
The beautiful region of Valencia in Spain is home of our summer tennis camp. We have selected this ideal location by the Mediterranean sea to set a very unique concept of luxury tennis camp. We create the perfect environment for each kid to improve their tennis skills with our top notch tennis instruction. Additionally, the kids will take part to fun activities, various sports, cultural tours and of course some time at the beach under the supervision of our qualified team.
Our experienced and qualified LUX Tennis team offers a one on one kid to staff ratio.
Each player can choose whether he wants to combine tennis with another sport of his choice or select the intense tennis programme. Many other sports and various activities will complete this programme.
Includes: Transportation, airport pick up, medical cover on site, balls, equipments, insurance, visa advice, food, villa, leisure activities, programme, follow up report.
We will contact your in the next 24 hours.


The more advanced we get with technology, especially when it comes in the form of Artificial Intelligence, is going to start making companies want to learn more towards using advanced A.I. in robots to replace humans in the job market. Recently, several malls and casinos in the past have started to roll out technology that replaces humans when it comes to doing jobs. For instance, back in June of 2018, several hotel workers in Las Vegas went on strike due to jobs being replaced by humans. One example of this is at the Tipsy Robot, a bar where patrons can come and have cocktails served by a robotic arm, simply goes to show that something like this can happen. Sure, it is in a place that is advertised as such, but many hotel employees in Vegas are beginning to worry about their jobs being replaced by that of a robot.
The K5 security robot is what patrols the parking lot of this casino.
Security over a physical casino is not something an online casino has to worry about, like the example over in Arizona at the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort, K5, a robot that patrols the parking lot of the casino on a 24/7 shift, is what is used to be able to scan license plates as well as be able to check police records and identify stolen vehicles. The casino states that K5 is able to distract or even scare away criminals just by its sheer presence alone. The robot replaces that of say a police vehicle will make criminals want to think twice before attempting theft or any other crime. Now, this robot is rather large in stature, but I wonder exactly how does replacing security actually cause a human to want to think twice?
My problem with having humans being replaced with robots is that humans are able to read body language when it comes to trying to detect what someone is up to whether it be good or bad. Body language sometimes says way more than our words do. How exactly can a robot detect feelings or pick up on having a bad vibe about something? I have worked in retail for over ten years and part of my jobs was to detect people possibly committing theft. Being able to read movements and have a genuine feeling of someone doing something wrong is what I believe humans will always have over robots and A.I. What would this robot in the parking lot mentioned about do if a criminal started to steal a car or actually drove off? Sure, it might be able to contact the authorities and let them know, but will it be able to let the person staying at the hotel know that their car was stolen?
My other problem with robots replacing humans is people losing their jobs to a machine. I really don't want to see mass layoffs just because companies don't want to have to pay out labor. Machines and humans alike are both far from perfect, but humans will always be better, in my opinion, at handling how to interact with each other more so than any robot will. Jobs these days don't come easy and laying off people or people working in fear of losing their job to a machine, I believe, is not good ethically. While I understand trying to save money as a company, I would bet that parts don't come at a very cheap cost unless of course there is some sort of robot insurance. However, the future is uncertain if whether or not we will see a day where most things are fully autonomous and with things such as self-driving cars and robot bartenders we are not too far off from that happening.


Welcome to the online home of the 6th East Kilbride Scouts. Our group was registered on the 10th April 1961, and has been based at the same location on Carnegie Hill.
Our Scout Group has two Beaver Colonies, a Cub Pack and a Scout Troop.
We are part of the Strathcalder District and Clyde Scout Region.
We are a co-educational group who offer membership to boys and girls. We believe that supporting people to reach their full potential is important, and we do this by offering a balanced programme.
If you think scouting is just about boys, tents and woggles. Join the adventure and let us change your mind.
We are the 6th East Kilbride Scouts, part of the UK's biggest mixed youth organisation.
There's always a lot going on at the 6th East Kilbride and across Strathcalder District, from meetings for young people almost every day of the week to camps, activities and adventures every weekend!


Due to the nature of a Town centre it attracts a lot of young people on evenings, particularly on Friday nights and weekends so we are out on patrol on these times to help prevent Anti social behaviour in our Town centre, North End and the Riverside Park area. Shop lifting is always a priority and we will up our patrols coming up to Christmas and deal with any offenders.
We have had officers on foot patrol over Christmas to help prevent shoplifters coming to Chester-Le-Street for easing pickings. Those that have been caught have been prosecuted and had their image placed onto a TOP 10 photo gallery for all retail store on the Shop watch scheme.
We have had very little incidents down at the Riverside Park in relation to under age drinking. The summer initiative worked very well to prevent young people drinking alcohol, swimming in the Wear and playing loud music to the annoyance of the fishing members who pay to use the river banks for peace and quiet and to enjoy their fishing during the summer.
Please e mail myself and or Paul if you want to tell us something that is happening or you need to know anything about this area you plan to move too.
The Riverside is quiet at the moment but increased patrols we start from Easter and throughout the summer along with the council wardens and the Fire brigade to spread the word in relation to fire safety.
All housing estates in our area have to be aware that if you have not called a trader to your house you don't need any repairs done to your home don't answer your door to Cold callers and report all incidents straight away to the police.


Set in the heart of Brittany, in an area known as the 'Pays du Roi Morvan' (King Morvan country), Guéméné sur Scorff is a small town whose beautiful square oozes old world charm, lined with half-timbered and front gabled houses. Founded in 1050, this small medieval town became the stronghold of the House of Rohan in the 14th century, and then enjoyed a period of prosperity and was an important market town.
The surrounding area has a wealth of interesting religious buildings. But Guéméné sur Scorff is primarily known for its charcuterie tradition. The Guéméné andouille (pork tripe sausage) is probably the best in the world.
The name of this rural town also implies a riverside location; 'sur Scorff' refers to the town's location on the River Scorff, undoubtedly the inspiration for many an artist. Not far away downstream, Pont-Scorff exudes all the authentic charm of a medieval town of character.


1. What is a UCITS fund?
Investment funds are specially constituted investment vehicles, created with the sole purpose of gathering assets from investors, and investing those assets in a diversified pool of assets. By investment in investment funds, small investors can buy exposure to a professionally-managed and diversified basket of financial or other assets. Overheads are spread over the pool of investors, reducing average cost for the investor.
A UCITS fund is an investment fund regulated at European level. UCITS funds were first introduced in 1985. Since then the UCITS Directive1 has offered European investors a wide range of high quality and safe investment products. The subsequent reforms of the Directive (2001 and 2009) have built upon the high level of investor protection and prudential supervision ensured by the Directive.
The standards introduced in the UCITS rules have also contributed to the success of the UCITS brand in third countries (notably in Asia and Latin America) where UCITS funds domiciled in the EU enjoy a significant investor base. The requirements relating to depositaries that act on behalf of undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) are one of the key building blocks within the UCITS framework and aim primarily to ensure a high level of investor protection.
2. What is a UCITS depositary?
A UCITS depositary is an entity that is independent from the UCITS fund and the UCITS fund's investment manager. Neither the fund manager nor any prime brokers that act as so-called 'counterparties' to a fund may also act as the fund's depositary. The independence of a depositary is necessary because the depositary essentially acts both as a supervisor (the 'legal conscience') of a UCITS fund, overseeing certain fund transactions (redemptions and investor payments to the fund) and as a custodian over the fund's assets.
ensuring that transactions of the fund manager comply with all applicable laws and that transactions involving the fund's assets are carried out within the customary time periods.
3. Why is a depositary so important for investors?
While the fund manager makes investment decisions for the fund, the third-party depositary is in charge of holding the fund's assets in custody on behalf of investors.
The assets of the UCITS are segregated from the assets of both the depositary and the manager. Therefore, the UCITS assets are protected in case of a default by the manager or the depositary. This is a crucial pillar of investor protection in the UCITS framework.
In April 2012 total assets of UCITS amounted to almost €6 trillion, which represents a major part of the wider European investment market. Roughly 85% of the European investment fund sector's assets are managed within funds governed by the UCITS framework. Proper safekeeping of UCITS assets is therefore of great importance for UCITS investors in Europe, as well as for investors in third countries.
4. What does the proposal include?
(3) harmonisation of the minimum administrative sanctions that are to be available to supervisors in case of key violations of the UCITS rules.
The amendments set out detailed rules on the tasks of depositaries and specify which entities can act as depositaries. These amendments broadly follow the approach on such rules for depositaries as they are already set up in the legal framework for fund managers managing investment funds dedicated to professional investors, the Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFM) Directive (2011/61/EU).
The amendments also clarify the tasks of depositary, including those related to financial instruments that can be held in custody such as stocks or bonds, and those related to other financial instruments such as derivative instruments.
The amendments also harmonise the depositary's oversight functions and establish conditions that govern any delegations of depositary tasks to third parties.
The proposal also better clarifies the depositary's scope of liability. In case of the loss of assets held in custody, the depositary will have to provide replacement assets to investors, without the latter having to undertake lengthy litigation to establish liability.
The amendments relating to remuneration policies require these to apply to the staff of management companies that can take decisions that have a material impact on risk profile of a fund and the management company.
The financial crisis also revealed discrepancies in the approach of supervisors to the sanctioning of breaches of UCITS rules. The Commission has proposed to introduce minimum administrative sanctioning powers that must be available to supervisors.
5. Why has Commission limited the scope of the amendments only to three main areas?
This proposal reflects lessons learned from a number of failures in the UCITS market that have led to losses of assets by UCITS investors, notably in connection with the Madoff incident. The AIFM Directive already includes safeguards that aim to mitigate the negative consequences of such failures for investors. It is necessary to extend these safeguards to retail investors as soon as possible.
With respect to other areas related to the UCITS framework, including money market funds, the use of collateral, liquidity management and the use of derivative instruments, the Commission believes more work and stakeholder consultation is needed to assess the robustness of the current framework. The Commission remains committed to taking all steps necessary to protect the UCITS brand's good reputation, and plans to consult shortly on several other aspects of the UCITS framework.
6. How will retail investors benefit from this proposal?
The proposed amendments will enhance those safeguards that are already embedded in the UCITS framework. Uniform rules on the current tasks of the depositary, on the conditions and diligence to be applied when delegating these tasks to third parties, and on the liability of depositaries have the potential to boost investment and increase confidence in the UCITS brand, especially where UCITS are sold cross-border. Currently, Member States apply different standards on depositaries which means that consumers benefit from different levels of protection depending on in which country they have invested.
Harmonising these rules will benefit retail investors by reducing uncertainty and ensuring they can continue to trust UCITS, whether marketed cross-border or not. The same holds for rules on remuneration and sanctions. Moreover, enhanced provisions on the delegation of tasks by depositaries, their due diligence, and their liability will provide for greater confidence in UCITS that invest in emerging markets in particular. This could ultimately widen the breadth of investment opportunities for retail investors.
7. What are the main differences between the provisions on depositaries in the AIFM directive and this proposal?
UCITS are open to retail investors. Therefore, a level of investor protection similar to the one contained in the AIFM Directive (which is focused on professional investors) is indispensable. In some instances, the AIFMD rules have been adapted to reflect the potential retail profile of UCITS investors. In relation to remuneration policies, the proposal reflects the approach taken with respect to AIF managers.
With regard to the types of firm that can be depositaries, the Commission has concluded that only credit institutions and regulated investment firms should be eligible to act as UCITS depositaries. These institutions provide sufficient guarantees in terms of prudential regulation, capital requirement and effective supervision. A small number of other institutions in the EU that at present are allowed to be UCITS depositaries will need to transform themselves either into credit institutions or investment firms should they wish to remain eligible to be UCITS depositaries.
With regard to the segregation of assets, the Commission has proposed to strengthen guarantees that the assets of the UCITS will always be kept separate from the assets of the depositary, in case of a default of the depositary or its sub-custodian.
Where the custody of assets has been delegated to a sub-custodian in a third country, a depositary will not be allowed to discharge its liability through a contractual arrangement -- even when such delegation is mandatory under the rules of that third country. The Commission believes that it would be inappropriate and unfeasible to require retail investors to understand the consequences of such contracts. The proposed solution should help build the trust of investors in the role of the depositary by ensuring consistency in what they can expect.
8. What are the costs and benefits?
This proposal addresses certain issues that have arisen during the financial crisis. The main purpose of the proposal is to improve protection for UCITS investors. Current differences in implementation of requirements concerning a depositary's responsibilities could undermine the reputation of UCITS as a robust legal framework suited to the needs of retail investors.
Harmonisation of the rules on the depositaries and remuneration policies across the EU will increase legal certainty for both investors in UCITS and UCITS managers and depositaries. The proposal is broadly based on the provisions on depositaries in the AIFM Directive. Consistency between UCITS and the AIFM directive should limit the costs related to the implementation of new requirements in both areas. The Commission is convinced that this proposal will contribute to the further development of the UCITS market and increased investment in UCITS by European and international investors.
9. When will UCITS V be in place?
The proposal of the Commission will now go to the European Parliament and the Council for their consideration under the codecision procedure. Once they reach agreement, Member States usually have two years to transpose the provisions into their national laws and regulations, meaning that the new rules could apply by the end of 2014. By this date, the necessary package of implementing measures should also be adopted.
Directive 2009/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS), OJ L302, 17.11.2009, p 32.


All registration fees are in Canadian dollars (CAD).
Regular price for two oldest children, 50% off for each additional child.
As the parent/guardian of the child(ren) I am registering, I confirm that all information I submit is accurate. If it is determined at any time after the registration is processed, that I have registered with an association that is outside of my residential catchment area, and the proper release has not been obtained from the local commission, the registration shall be deemed null and void and my money refunded.
Full refund prior to participation in any organized team event (practices/tryouts/evaluations). Full refund less $50.00 if participated in any organized team event and prior to playing first game. Full refund less $50.00 up to 2 weeks into the season with medical reasons (Proof of conditions must be provided by doctor).
All information collected during registration will only be used by my local lacrosse association and the British Columbia Lacrosse Association for registration purposes. The information collected will not be shared with any parties outside of the BC Lacrosse Association and its members.


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American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) granted approval in principle to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding's new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier design.
The approval of 174,000-cbm GTT MARK III Flex LNG carrier strengthens Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding's position as China's premier LNG shipbuilder, ABS said in a statement on Tuesday.
Through this partnership with ABS, Hudong-Zhonghua can now offer its clients designs using both GTT membrane containment systems, MARK III Flex and NO 96 series.
This allows Hudong-Zhonghua to use different kinds of cargo containment systems to best meet their clients' diversified requirements throughout the LNG carrier's life, the statement said.
Posted on September 4, 2018 with tags ABS, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding.


How Rich is Denis O'Hare? – How Rich?
How Rich is Denis O'Hare?
Born in Kansas City, MO, Denis O'Hare ultimately spent his childhood years in the suburbs of Detroit. He spent much of his child involved in music, playing the church organ and singing in his school choir until 1974, when he earned his first chorus role in small Show Boat theater production. He ultimately left Chicago to study at Northwestern University, where he majored in theatre.
Believe it or not, O'Hare has spent a lot of time on the stage. His roles include a Broadway rendition of Assassins, Take Me Out, and Sweet Charity, and Cabaret.
His television career started later, with guest appearances on different Law & Order spin-off shows. His most notable roles, however, include his time on the cast of True Blood and his ongoing roles in American Horror Story and American Horror Story: Coven.
O'Hare's private life is pretty quiet. He is married to partner Hugo Redwood and he and the couple has an adopted son. His current net worth is estimated at $2 million.
How much is $2 million?
Compared to other celebrities, it's not much, but it's definitely enough to live a comfortable lifestyle while pursing new acting projects. Considering his talent, we'd love to see him in new roles. And considering his family history, it would be nice to see him supporting some LGBT projects throughout the US, especially those that focus on adoption issues!
How Rich is Chloe Sevigny?


Our MA Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling is the first of its kind to offer written translation, oral interpreting and film and video subtitling within a single course.
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Physician Associates are healthcare professionals who support doctors with the diagnosis and management of patients. They are trained to have the attitudes, skills and knowledge base to deliver holistic care and treatment within general practice, hospitals (e.g.


Water damage is every homeowner's and business owner's nightmare. It is a disaster that affects millions of businesses and homes every year. Appliance failures, burst pipes, heavy rains, floods, or a leaking faucet can cause extensive damage to your property in a short amount of time and leave you devastated. Water is one of the most destructive elements in an indoor environment. It weakens and dissolves many materials, promotes the growth of hazards, damages floors and walls, and can ruin irreplaceable items such as family heirlooms and photo albums. In the unfortunate event of your property being affected by water damage, you need experts who will clean-up and restore your property to its former condition.
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While most water damage clean up companies simply remove water, we don't just stop there; we cautiously handle and preserve all your cabinets, home furnishings, and belongings. This enables us to restore your home to an even better condition than before. We work hard to minimize the damage caused by water and to restore your property in the shortest time possible. Our skilled team will remove your belongings and carefully clean the mess left behind by the water damage. During the clean up process, we treat your property as our very own and handle everything with the utmost care. Our latest equipments are capable of handling problems in different buildings ranging from small homes to large commercial buildings.
et us give you peace of mind as we provide quality water damage clean up services. Our dedicated clean-up team is available around the clock to help mitigate your damage. Your home is one of your biggest investments and it should be treated by a professional tean like ours. We will ensure everything is clean, and all the moisture levels in your home reach a standard readings when we finish our jobs.


The sunscreen, beach towels, and waking with no alarm are all slowly fading away. I know many of you are sad to see summer go, but I hope you're getting excited about your last first day of middle school! Your 8th grade year is going to be wonderful; I can't wait to meet you and get started!
This year will mark my 9th year as a classroom teacher and I am so excited to be at this place in my career. I've experienced the crazy, exciting, and challenging life of the eighth grade classroom for several years; yet I still have so much ahead of me. While I've been able to refine my teaching practice, I continue to find ways to grow and stretch myself to help my students learn each year. One of my favorite things about being a teacher is that I'm constantly learning - learning about my students, my teaching practice, and myself!
Even though teachers aren't in front of students during the summer months, we do still work! I find myself using time to reflect on how I can adjust and change my teaching practice to better meet the needs of my students. I spend time searching for new lesson ideas, and this summer, I've immersed myself in connecting with educators through social media like Twitter and Pinterest. In June, I visited my family in Michigan and attended an edcamp put on by a group called the Nerdy Book Club. I discovered this group as I connected with educators on Twitter and it reinforced my views on reading and literacy in the classroom. Over 150 passionate teachers joined the discussion and continue to do so using the hashtag #nerdybookclub. I am so excited to see what I learned spill over into my teaching practice. The design and format of the camp made me think about how I run my classroom - I want to rework and remodel the structure of my teaching.
I also read several professional books like Notice & Note by Kylene Beers, Pathways to the Common Core, and Book Love by Penny Kittle. I'm anxious to get into my room, meet my students (who I'll most likely refer to as "my kids" soon), and practice what I've learned from these amazing educators.
I can't wait to meet my students and begin the year, and I'm soaking in the last few days with my family. Our summer has been wonderful and filled with travel. We went to Louisville and Lexington for the first time, visited family in Nashville and Michigan, played in the city parks and pool, took walks and played with our dog - it was fabulous.
Like I said, I love the seasons of my job and while I'm sad to see summer go, I am so excited to get the school year started!


Some time ago we told you that in Hyundai had thought merge the Sonata strong> and i40 names. This operation has all the sense of the world, because despite the aesthetic differences, both models are the same. However, it was not until they presented the eighth generation of their saloon media , that they confirmed it. For this, they have released the first images on their official website, uncovering the design they will wear.
However, as usual, the official presentation of the new Hyundai Sonata strong> will not be in Europe. To show it, the Asian firm has chosen a smaller appointment, but of vital importance for its impact on sales. The place chosen is the next New York Hall , which will be held in April. The reason for this is simple: The United States is the main market for this sedan. However, will you like the product you created?
Traditionally, the design of the Hyundai saloons have maintained a discreet cut. However, with the eighth generation, designers have created a product that risks in every way. From the outset, the frontal is the most impressive of those presented in recent years. The daytime driving lights, the optical groups , the grille and the chrome line take the bumper in two.
the daylight extends from the low area of the headlights (Full LED) to the pronounced ribs of the bonnet. Following the optical groups, they become more dynamic, as they extend to the wheel arch. The grill , is perhaps the element that least attracts our attention, as the latest Hyundai have more and more marked. Finally, the chrome line divides the front grille and the air intake that is on the bumper.
What was the boss thinking about? design when you approved this back?
The lateral view, is perhaps the most harmonious; until we get to the integration of the third volume . The designers of Hyundai have created a body sedan with a marked air coupe . Up there, good. As for tension lines, sheet-glass ratio and size of wheel arches, everything is perfect. In fact, the lines that run through the doors give an elegant and subtle image. The same assessment can be made for alloy wheels.
The problem comes when we go to the behind . There, the integration of the gate with the moon is good, but the headlights , end with the magic coupe. The lid of the boot ended in a small spoiler, gives way to optical groups in shape of "C" that join in the lower area. This aesthetic resource is similar to the one used by the fourth-generation Sonata, although at that time with better tact, it was chromed .
Finally, we can not ignore the format of your bumper later. Here, sanity returns, because it has some discrete lines and simple.All in all, the lines here are reminiscent of the ones featured on the Honda Civic sedan that is currently on sale. Although it is a difficult rear view (not to say ugly), we must praise the arrests of the brand, and more in such a complex market.
If the exterior design of the eighth generation of the Hyundai Sonata is controversial, in the interior bet on the safe. Any profane, to see it, might think we are in a BMW of the latter, however, it is not. The problem is that the Hyundai designers have attacked where it hurts most, because the dashboard layout , central touch screen and some controls is very similar.
Thus, we find elements as a cockpit completely digital and configurable. The infotainment system is handled through a generously sized touch screen and the climate controls are at a second height. Among the trinkets that the new Hyundai Sonata shines, there is a system to access and start the vehicle through an App or an automatic change commanded by buttons.
The general quality , at least in the images given, it is at a great height. As is the norm, the cabin will be configured for five occupants, but that of the central rear seat, will be somewhat uncomfortable. The length of the set will reach 4.90 meters , a width of 1.89 meters and a height of 1.44 meters. The wheelbase grows 3.5 centimeters until it reaches 2.84 meters . For now, the capacity of the luggage compartment is unknown.
When will it hit the market?
The New York Motor Show will open its doors on April 19. After that, the new Hyundai Sonata will make its landing in the United States. Therefore, Europe should arrive in the first half of 2020. In addition, it will do so with a versatile family body , so that the most dynamic families will be in luck. Now, of course, it will be necessary to see what is the back of his designers.


text:
Farrah Fawcett was right: We have little medical privacy
ProPublica is exploring how patient privacy violations are affecting patients and the medical care they receive
By Charles Ornstein
This story first appeared on ProPublica, and was co-published with the Washington Post.
Seven years ago, I sat across from Farrah Fawcett in the living room of her Los Angeles condo. In what would be her last media interview before she died in 2009, she described her suspicion that an employee at UCLA Medical Center had shared details of her cancer treatment -- and the setbacks along the way -- with the National Enquirer.
Whenever she sought treatment there, the tabloids were quick with a story, even if it wasn't right.
"I actually kept saying for months and months and months, 'This is coming from here,' " Fawcett told me in the summer of 2008. "I was never more sure of anything in my life."
To prove her theory, Fawcett set up a sting: In May 2007, she withheld news of her cancer's return from nearly all of her relatives and friends. Within days, the story was in the Enquirer. "I couldn't believe how fast it came out," Fawcett said.
A UCLA employee was caught and charged with selling information to the tabloid. She pleaded guilty, but died before she was sentenced.
In 2008, prompted by Fawcett's experience and those of other celebrities, California passed a law authorizing fines against hospitals that fail to protect patient privacy. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed it; his then-wife, Maria Shriver, was one of those whose records had been accessed inappropriately at UCLA.
At the time, I thought that this was a problem largely confined to the People magazine world of celebrities and that this law would quash the prurient interest in their medical records.
After spending the past year reporting on loopholes and lax enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the federal patient-privacy law known as HIPAA, I've come to realize that it's not just celebrity patients who are at risk. We all are.
[See also: Privacy law ignored by repeat offenders and 2015 healthcare security breaches: a long list.]
Over the course of my reporting, I've talked to hundreds of people who said their medical records were hacked, snooped in, shared or stolen. Some were worried about potential consequences for themselves and their families. For others, the impact has been real and devastating, requiring therapy and medication. It has destroyed their faith in the medical establishment.
I spoke to Jacqueline Stokes, a cybersecurity consultant whose story I wrote about in The Washington Post. When she went to what was supposed to be a secure website to check the results of a paternity test she'd purchased at a local pharmacy, she stumbled upon 6,000 other people's test results. She complained to the federal regulator that enforces HIPAA, but she was told that the lab wasn't covered by the law -- when it was drafted in 1996, its authors probably hadn't anticipated such things as over-the-counter paternity tests. Stokes gave up when she was told to contact a different agency.
I met Kenneth Chanko, whose dad Mark was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2011 after being struck by a sanitation truck. Unbeknownst to his family, a real-life medical show, "NY Med," was filming in the hospital at the time. The following year, Mark Chanko's widow was watching the show on ABC and realized that the blurred-out man dying on the TV screen in her living room was her husband. No one had told the family -- or asked for permission. The Chankos filed a lawsuit against the hospital and the TV network, as well as a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services's Office for Civil Rights, which enforces HIPAA. The lawsuit was dismissed and is being appealed to New York's top court. The complaint with the civil rights office, filed in January 2013, is pending. In the meantime, New York City's hospitals voluntarily agreed this summer not to allow commercial filming of patients without their permission.
I talked to Edie McGee, a lawyer for a federal agency who lives in Maryland and whose name was leaked to the media in 2003. She had just returned from China after adopting her daughter when she came down with an upper respiratory infection. Doctors suspected she had the SARS virus. Before the lab results even came back ruling out SARS, a Washington Post reporter showed up at her door, and other media outlets wanted interviews, too.
And I spoke with a woman named Frances whose diagnosis with a sexually transmitted disease was plastered on Facebook by a former friend who worked at the Indiana hospital where she received treatment. "PLZ HELP EXPOSE THIS HOE!" the public post said. Frances now drives miles out of her way to go grocery shopping so she can avoid people in her town. I was surprised by just how many health workers have leaked details about acquaintances who have STDs.
I've written about nursing home workers who posted dehumanizing, explicit photos of residents on Snapchat and about a New Jersey psychology practice that didn't redact patients' mental health diagnoses or their treatments as part of legal actions to secure payment of unpaid bills. Even the names and diagnoses of minors were included.
In each story, a common theme emerged: HIPAA wasn't working the way we expect. And the regulatory agency charged with enforcing it, the HHS Office for Civil Rights, wasn't taking aggressive action against those who violated the law.
We all know HIPAA, whether we recognize the acronym or not. It's what requires us to stand behind a line, away from other customers, at the pharmacy counter or when checking in at the doctor's office. It is the reason we get privacy declaration forms to sign whenever we visit a new medical provider. It is used to scare health-care workers, telling them that if they improperly disclose others' information, they could pay a steep fine or even go to jail.
But in reality, it is a toothless tiger. Unless you're famous, most hospitals and clinics don't keep tabs on who looks at your records if you don't complain. And even though the civil rights office can impose large fines, it rarely does: It received nearly 18,000 complaints in 2014 but took only six formal actions that year. A recent report from the HHS inspector general said the office wasn't keeping track of repeat offenders, much less doing anything about them.
Making matters worse, HIPAA does not allow patients to sue health providers for damages if they violate the law. So if the federal government doesn't enforce the law, there are often no consequences for breaking it, though some patients have found grounds to sue under some states' laws.
What can be done? For one, the HHS civil rights office could use the tools already at its disposal. When the office imposes fines for HIPAA violations, it gets to keep the money for its own enforcement efforts, rather than hand it over to the treasury. Experts I interviewed said the agency needs to use its authority more and demonstrate that it's serious about violations, particularly repeat ones. ProPublica recently analyzed data requested under the Freedom of Information Act and found that hundreds of health providers have been cited for violations multiple times. The top offender was the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, followed by CVS Health.
Moreover, the government still needs to write regulations to implement provisions of a law passed in 2009. One would require health providers to give patients, upon request, a log of everyone who looked at their electronic medical record. Another would give patients whose privacy has been violated a share of the money HHS recovers. Finally, the government has yet to submit to Congress a report due in 2010 with recommendations for how to deal with the privacy of health information not covered by HIPAA.
For our part, we as patients -- and loved ones of patients -- need to stay vigilant. We need to ask for and keep copies of our medical records. We should look for errors and ask for corrections. Beyond that, we can request a list of who has looked at our electronic records (although providers may not have the ability to generate this or could simply say no). You can ask to speak to your hospital's or clinic's privacy or compliance officer with such a request.
After my mom died in 2013, I worried that her death might have been caused by a medical error. In the course of trying to investigate, I asked for a listing of everyone who had looked at her records. It was dozens of pages, and even though I'd been writing about health care for more than 15 years at that point, I couldn't make much sense of it. I didn't know who the people were or why they had looked at her records. I'm sure many, if not all, of them had legitimate reasons to do so -- to take her blood, process her prescriptions, adjust the settings on her ventilator, etc. That said, now that I know about the steps I can take to protect myself, I'm pretty sure I will take them going forward.
Ultimately, though, privacy boils down to trust. It has to. If we need medical care, we seek it -- and whether our records will be kept secure is generally not foremost in our minds.
I've thought often this year about how what Fawcett told me years ago foreshadowed a much bigger problem.
"I'm a private person," she said. "I'm shy about people knowing things. And I'm really shy about my medical" care.
"It seems that there are areas that should be off-limits."
[See also: 5 takeaways from Cybersecurity Act 2015.]
Ornstein interviewed Fawcett while he was a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Has your medical privacy been compromised? Help ProPublica investigate by filling out a short questionnaire. You can also read other stories in our Policing Patient Privacy series.
This article was first published by ProPublica on Dec. 30, 2015 and co-published with the Washington Post. It is published here with permission.
Privacy & Security, Quality and Safety, Compliance & Legal
Top 10 healthcare technology advances for 2017, according to ECRI


Following outline planning permission granted earlier this year, the Council are now consulting on the detail of the proposals to expand Sudbourne Primary School using the vacant site on the other side of Sudbourne Road.
The proposed expansion would enable Sudbourne School to expand from the current 1.5 form entry school, to a 3 form entry school. This would mean that from September 2015, the new school would open its doors, and would be able to admit 90 children in each year group, instead of the current 45. Eventually, Sudbourne School would be able to accommodate 630 pupils from Reception up to Year 6; twice the current number.
Brixton Hill's councillors and Lambeth's lead on education, Cllr Rachel Heywood, have been working with the school to ensure the expansion maintains the current school's ethos and way of working.
Now local residents have a chance to have their say on the plans on Tuesday December 17. Proposed designs will be on display at a drop-in session at the school between 2-8pm and people will be able to comment on them and speak with the designers.
This entry was posted in Blog and tagged Hayter Road, planning, Sudbourne Primary School, Sudbourne Road by Martin Tiedemann. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
2014 Indianapolis 500 Odds: Pole winner Ed Carpenter 7/1 to win
Ed Carpenter Indy 500 Odds
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (TheSpread) – Ed Carpenter will start the 2014 Indianapolis 500 in first place, but will he find a way to end in first?
View Real-Time Sports Betting Odds
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Carpenter has been given 7/1 odds to win this race. He will start in the pole position for Sunday's race.
Carpenter has competed in this race 10 times. He has only finished in the top 5 once, which was fifth in 2008. He has finished outside the top 10 seven times and was 10th last year despite winning the pole as well.
Carpenter was an IndyCar regular, but is not this year. He has never had a strong overall season, with 12th being his top position in the standings. His last win in an IndyCar race came back in 2012.
Carpenter starts in the prime position of No. 1. The pole position has produced more Indy 500 winners than any other starting spot, with 20 winning from the pole. The last winner came in 2009. The front row starting grid has also produced a total 42 winners.
Bet on Indianapolis 500 Odds
The Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 25 from Indianapolis Motor Speedway at Noon ET on ABC.
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!


text:
François Coli (5 June 1881 – presumably on or after 8 May 1927) was a French pilot and navigator best known as the flying partner of Charles Nungesser in their fatal attempt to achieve the first transatlantic flight.

Early life and World War I
Born in Marseilles of a Corsican seafaring family, Coli became a merchant captain, married, and produced three daughters. Upon outbreak of World War I he offered his services to the French Navy. Reportedly disillusioned because no warships needed a captain, he entered the army as a private. His age and experience gained him a commission in 1915 and that summer he was promoted to captain. Suffering multiple wounds, he was declared unfit for infantry service and transferred to the French Air Service, gaining his pilot's brevet in March 1916. Late that year he joined Escadrille N.62 and rose to command the squadron in February 1917.

Captain Coli remained as chief of the Escadrille des Coqs even after losing an eye in a crash in March 1918. He departed the Roosters that August with a reputation as an exceptional navigator and leader.

Post-war career

After the war Coli began a series of record-setting distance flights. On 26 January 1919 he achieved the first double crossing of the Mediterranean with Lieutenant Henri Roget. The flight established the over-water distance record of 735 kilometers (457 statute miles) in five hours.

On 24 May, again with Roget, Coli set a long-distance record from Paris to Port Lyautey, Morocco, a distance of . He was injured in the crash at the end of the flight.

The following year, 1920, with Joseph Sadi-Lecointe, Coli made further long-distance flights around the Mediterranean.

In 1923 Coli began planning a nonstop transatlantic flight with wartime comrade Paul Tarascon, a leading flying ace. In 1925 they became interested in the Orteig prize of $25,000 for the first flight between Paris and New York. Late in 1926 an accident destroyed their Potez 25 biplane and Tarascon was badly burned. A new aircraft was sought, and Tarascon relinquished his place as pilot to Charles Nungesser. They took off from Paris on 8 May 1927 in the biplane L'Oiseau Blanc, but disappeared en route.

In 1928, the Ontario Surveyor General named a number of lakes in the northwest of the province to honour aviators who had perished during 1927, mainly in attempting oceanic flights. Amongst these are Coli Lake () and Nungesser Lake ().

For details of other memorials, see L'Oiseau Blanc Legacy.

See also
Hanriot HD.1
List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea

References

External links

Escadrille 62
Tighar Tracks (Spring 1987), Volume 3, Number 1, published by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery
"Mystery of the White Bird"
cenotaph;findagrave memorial

1881 births
1920s missing person cases
1927 deaths
French people of Corsican descent
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents
Flight navigators
French aviation record holders
French people with disabilities
French World War I pilots
Missing aviators
People from Marseille
People lost at sea
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1927
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in international waters

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Gary Wnek appointed chair of macromolecular science and engineering
Roger French appointed visiting faculty member at Tohoku University
CCIPD researchers receive awards
Civil engineering students receive awards at ASCE Earth and Space Conference
Published on May. 8, 2018
Two civil engineering students were recognized for their research at the 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Earth and Space Conference.
Xiyu Zhang, an undergraduate student, won the best undergraduate student poster award for a poster entitled "Improving Energy Production by Using Bio-inspired Wind Turbine Blades." The co-authors of the poster included PhD candidate Jiale Li and Xiong (Bill) Yu, professor of civil engineering and Zhang's research advisor.
Yuan Guo, a civil engineering PhD student, won second place in the best student paper competition for a paper entitled "Framework to Holistically Predict the Behaviors of Cohesive Granular Materials." The award was judged by a panel of experts in space exploration. Yu is also the advisor for this work.
The ASCE Earth and Space Conference was held April 9-11 in Cleveland.
Explore related information at the School
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Bill Yu
Professor, Civil Engineering
Advances geosystems, infrastructure and geotechnical engineering with expertise in smart and multifunctional materials and multi-scale multiphysics processes
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text:
Sataspes, Sohn des Teaspes, war ein persischer Adliger und Seereisender im 5. vorchristlichen Jahrhundert. Seine Mutter war eine Schwester des Großkönigs Dareios I., wodurch er ein Cousin ersten Grades des Großkönigs Xerxes I. war.

Um das Jahr 483/482 v. Chr. vergewaltigte Sataspes eine Tochter des hochgestellten Adligen Zopyros, worauf er von Xerxes I. zum Tod durch Pfählung verurteilt wurde. Seine Mutter konnte allerdings bei ihrem königlichen Neffen eine Bewährung für ihren Sohn erwirken. Von Xerxes I. erhielt Sataspes daher den Befehl, mit einer Flotte das Land Libyen (Afrika) von West nach Ost zu umrunden, entgegen der Richtung jener Seeexpedition, die einst Pharao Necho II. initiiert habe. Wohl mit phönizischen Schiffen ausgestattet, begann Sataspes seine Reise in Ägypten, fuhr entlang der nordafrikanischen Küste, passierte die Säulen des Herakles, um sich am Kap Soloeis (wohl Kap Cantin) nach Süden zu wenden. Im Verlauf der Reise sichtete die Expedition in unbekannten Ländern kleinwüchsige Menschen, die Palmzweige als Kleidung nutzten. Zu einem Kontakt mit ihnen kam es aber nicht, da die einheimische Bevölkerung stets in das hügelige Hinterland flohen, sobald die Expedition an Land ging.

Wohl nach der monatelangen Reise entlang der Küste der Sahara entmutigt, entschloss sich Sataspes zur Umkehr und segelte wieder nach Ägypten zurück. Gegenüber dem Großkönig erklärte er dies mit auftretenden Untiefen, die eine weitere Passierung des Kontinents unmöglich gemacht hätten. Xerxes glaubte ihm nicht und ließ Sataspes nun doch für sein Versagen pfählen.

Nach Sataspes' Tod bemächtigte sich einer seiner Eunuchen eines Teils seines Vermögens und setzte sich damit nach Samos ab. Dort wurde der Eunuch von einem Einheimischen bestohlen, von dem der Historiker Herodot die Geschichte der Sataspes-Expedition erfahren haben will und sie so in seine Historien (4.43) aufnehmen konnte. Da sie die einzige Quelle dazu darstellt, ist ihr Wahrheitsgehalt schwer überprüfbar.

Literatur

Perser der Antike
Entdecker
Seefahrer
Geboren im 6. Jahrhundert v. Chr.
Gestorben im 5. Jahrhundert v. Chr.
Mann


text:
Q: Put Default Values for date filters Below is the code for my filters in a chart in APEX. Wanted to know if I could put in default values for the date filters, otherwise they are null and wont display anything until a date is inputed.
There is a "Date From" and "Date to" value. Ideally I'd like for date to to be the current date and the date from to be from a year ago.
(MODEL = :P9_Model or :P9_Model is null)
AND (Paint_shop = :P9_Select_Shop or :P9_Select_Shop is null)
AND (Color = :P9_COLOR or :P9_COLOR is null)
AND (Department_Code = :P9_DEPARTMENT_CODE or :P9_DEPARTMENT_CODE is null)
AND SCRAP_DATE > :P9_DATE_FROM
AND SCRAP_DATE < :P9_DATE_TO

A: (MODEL = :P9_Model or :P9_Model is null)
AND (Paint_shop = :P9_Select_Shop or :P9_Select_Shop is null)
AND (Color = :P9_COLOR or :P9_COLOR is null)
AND (Department_Code = :P9_DEPARTMENT_CODE or :P9_DEPARTMENT_CODE is null)
AND ((:P9_DATE_FROM IS NULL AND SCRAP_DATE > sysdate - INTERVAL '1' YEAR)
      OR (SCRAP_DATE > :P9_DATE_FROM)
    )
AND ((:P9_DATE_TO IS NULL AND SCRAP_DATE < SYSDATE)
      OR (SCRAP_DATE < :P9_DATE_TO)
    )

or use NVL
(MODEL = :P9_Model or :P9_Model is null)
AND (Paint_shop = :P9_Select_Shop or :P9_Select_Shop is null)
AND (Color = :P9_COLOR or :P9_COLOR is null)
AND (Department_Code = :P9_DEPARTMENT_CODE or :P9_DEPARTMENT_CODE is null)
AND SCRAP_DATE > NVL(:P9_DATE_FROM,SYSDATE - INTERVAL '1' YEAR)
AND SCRAP_DATE < NVL(:P9_DATE_TO,SYSDATE)

As a side note, it is advised to always pass the date format when converting strings to dates. :P9_DATE_FROM is a string (everything in apex is a string) so it's better to write TO_DATE(:P9_DATE_FROM,'DD-MON-YYYY'). Replace the 'DD-MON-YYYY' with the format of your choice. Same for :P9_DATE_TO

A: Assuming you have page items named as :P9_DATE_FROM and :P9_DATE_TO
and the requirement is to have these items
In that case, you can have type as date and have default value to sysdate and (sysdate - 365)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


One of the most popular aspects of today's landscape is the addition of an outdoor kitchen. An outdoor kitchen can be as simple as a built in gas grill or it can be equipped with all of the amenities that you would see in a chefs dream kitchen. In one of our most recent outdoor kitchens we installed a 42″ stainless steel grill, double side burners, two refrigerators, sink, and stainless steel cutting and food prep boards within the countertop. It may seem like overkill but with only four to five months out of the year to enjoy the outdoors, our client was looking for all of the comforts of home to enjoy with his family. You can choose from concrete, natural stone, tile or granite to finish off your new countertop.


Did NY Daily News Take Things Too Far With This 'Redskins-Nazis-Confederates' Cartoon?
Opening the morning paper and seeing your team logo displayed like this has to be a shock to the system: once the editorial cartoonists get hold of you, it's very tough to break away intact.
Since the 16th Century we humans have been skewering unpopular people or institutions with caricature and allusion: which has often been proven to be just as mighty as the sword. But sometimes, things go too far. Does this one by veteran cartoonist Tom Stiglich represent one of those times?
It's no secret how we at this site feel about the antiquated, sad, infuriating nickname and logo of the Washington D.C. football team. If it was within our power to make Daniel Snyder walk barefoot down the Trail of Tears for even five minutes we would do so. But when you turn up the hyperbole machine to 11, sometimes it actually hurts your cause instead of helping it.
That being said, this New York Daily News cartoon isn't that farfetched. Our shameful history with the Native American population is indeed rife with stories of genocide and enslavement, and the cartoon here seeks to highlight what these symbols represent, not just what is happening in the current day.
But it seems that every intense debate sooner or later brings comparisons to Hitler, and the side that gets there first is usually the side that loses.


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Uttarakhand News » eua-main » Nelong Valley: The Hidden Jewel of Uttarakhand
by Abhay Aswal
Nicknamed as 'Ladakh of Uttarakhand' due to its striking resemblance to the famed landscape of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, Nelong valley has been off limits for tourists for more than half-a-century since the 1962 Sino-Indian war, due to its proximity to the Chinese border. That changed in May 2015, when the shrouded valley opened its doors for the first time since 1962.
A Gem within a Gem
Situated in the Uttarkashi district, the mesmerizing Nelong valley lies within the Gangotri National Park. Just 23km from Bhaironghati, this nature's delight is just a stone's throw away from the revered Gangotri shrine. As opposed to the lush green background of the Uttarakhand Himalayas, Nelong valley is a cold desert with scarce vegetation and wildlife, imitating the Tibetan plateau. Still, home to the rare and elusive Snow Leopard, the valley offers some of the spectacular Himalayan landscapes to leave you awestruck.
In addition to that, this veiled valley was a part of the arduous Sino-Indian trade route which lasted for centuries. A hand-built wooden bridge which is still present from those days evidently confirms it.
Lukewarm Response, Govt. Vows to Pull up Socks
Despite opening its doors to the public earlier this year, the Nelong valley failed to generate enough tourism for the state in past six months, with a footfall of only 200 tourists. For Uttarakhand, which relies substantially on tourism to generate revenue, this cold response was a setback.
Inadequate publicity was one of the reasons for the low footfall. Retired bureaucrat S S Pangtey concurs. "It is a remote, virgin area that can turn into an adventure tourism hot-spot if the state provides ample publicity."
Another reason for the no-show can be credited to the bad roads. Forest minister Dinesh Aggarwal assures that the roads leading to the valley will be improved in addition to the proper promotion of this newfound treasure by next season. However, whether Forest ministry keeps its promise or not, only time will tell.
A mesmerizing view of Nelong Valley in Uttarakhand. Photo Source : hindustantimes
Experts believe that the scenic and enchanting Nelong valley has the potential to spearhead tourism in Uttarakhand, just like Valley of Flowers in Chamoli district which attracts thousands of tourists and nature enthusiasts every year. It is a golden opportunity for the Uttarakhand government to improve the tourism sector in the state.
Nelong valley is open to the Indian public from May to November. However, entry to the foreigners is not allowed, yet.
Src: Hindustan Times
Abhay Aswal
A cartoonist who enjoys doodling. Enjoys writing, movies and art. And football. And sarcasm. And travelling.
Shubhadarshini Singh Says
Are the snow leopards coming here?
Purvi Jain Says
I think, the reason Nelong Valley was not open for tourism is that to protect the natural habitat of the wild animals like snow leopards, as it is inevitable how human invasion in such territories can affect its beauty, that we talk about so fondly.
Deepak Rawat Says
well done bro..keep it up…looking forward for more, such kind of information from you.
Abhay Aswal Says
I appreciate your encouraging words. Bringing out the news and stories related to our beloved Uttarakhand to a wider audience is an honor and a responsibility for us all. We will continue to do so. Thank you.
S. S Bisht Says
Excellent write-up. Keep it up. I appreciate the grass-root service u r rendering to our Dev Bhoomi. Give it wider publicity.


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← BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – July 2019
Gaza propaganda on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' →
BBC News website republishes deleted video report
Last month we documented the unexplained removal of a video from the BBC News website and other locations on the internet.
"On July 9th the BBC News website published a filmed report on its 'Middle East' page titled "Teaching Palestinians to talk about sex". […]
That filmed report giving BBC audiences a rare glimpse of Palestinian society remained on the BBC News website's Middle East page for three days and then disappeared, with no explanation given. […]
The video has also been removed from syndicated content…"
Over three weeks later, on August 6th, an edited version of the same video reappeared in the 'Latest Updates' section at the bottom of the BBC News website's 'Middle East' page under the title "Shattering sex taboos in the Palestinian territories". Its synopsis reads:
"A survey carried by the Arab Barometer for BBC News Arabic in 2018 and 2019 suggests that, across the Middle East and North Africa, people feel their right to freedom of expression is being squeezed.
It indicates that people feel 20% less free to express themselves today than when they were surveyed in 2013.
That also has an impact on sex education. But organisations like Muntada al-Jensaneya are breaking through the silence and finding safe spaces for people to learn about sexuality, helping to transform society's attitude towards sexual rights and health.
Note: This is an updated version of the original published report."
Section 3 (Accuracy) of the new editorial guidelines published by the BBC last month includes a clause titled 'Correcting Mistakes'.
"3.3.28 We should normally acknowledge serious factual errors and correct such mistakes quickly, clearly and appropriately. Inaccuracy may lead to a complaint of unfairness. An effective way of correcting a serious factual error is saying what was wrong as well as putting it right.
Mistakes in on-demand and online content
Where mistakes in our on-demand content, which is available online after broadcast, are unlikely to be a serious breach of editorial standards, a correction should be published on that platform, so that it is visible before the output is played. Such on-demand content does not then normally need to be changed or revoked.
Where mistakes to our on-demand content are likely to be considered a serious breach of editorial standards, the content must be corrected and the mistake acknowledged, or in exceptional cases removed. We need to be transparent about any changes made, unless there are editorial or legal reasons not to do so.
In online text content, any mistake that alters the editorial meaning should normally be corrected and we should be transparent about what was wrong." [emphasis added]
Informing audiences that "[t]his is an updated version of the original published report" without clarifying why it was updated, why that took so long and what it was about the original film that "was wrong" obviously does not meet standards of transparency and does not help those who watched the original report during the time it was online.
BBC News website fails on transparency
BBC publishes new Editorial Guidelines
Summary of BBC News website portrayal of Israel and the Palestinians – July 2019
By Hadar Sela • Posted in Accuracy, BBC, transparency	• Tagged BBC, BBC Arabic, BBC editorial guidelines, BBC News, BBC Online, BDS, Muntada al Jensaneya, NGOs, Omar Barghouti, Palestinian affairs, Safa Tamish
3 comments on "BBC News website republishes deleted video report"
Pingback: Summary of BBC News website portrayal of Israel and the Palestinians – July 2019 | BBC Watch
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Complaints over inaccuracies and omissions by the BBC should not be handled by the BBC – it is like putting the prisoners in charge of the prison. Please, Boris, set up an independent "OffMedia" regulator body to stop this abuse by the BBC being the judge of its own bias.
What does the BBC tell audiences about Iraqi attacks on Israel in 1991? bbcwatch.org/2020/01/21/wha… https://t.co/fr4wd0aluE 13 hours ago
BBC yawns at PA paper's call for violence at Holocaust commemoration bbcwatch.org/2020/01/20/bbc… https://t.co/RIMXDgrjBn 1 day ago
BBC audiences denied offshore gas news bbcwatch.org/2020/01/20/bbc… https://t.co/AJdBYbQTsi 1 day ago
UK government anti-terrorism sanction disregarded by BBC News bbcwatch.org/2020/01/19/uk-… https://t.co/zWOSxTqs2J 2 days ago
BBC News website recycles misleading map bbcwatch.org/2020/01/19/bbc… https://t.co/jZR7hEpWcd 2 days ago
Follow @bbcwatch


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Homepage > Region Stetsko > Villages in the vicinity of Štětí
Radouň
The village of Radouň was called Radaun by its German residents. Today, the village is a part of Štětí. Radouň underwent a boom at the end of the 19th century when there 129 houses with 900, mostly German, residents. The village currently has 190 - 200 permanent residents. Radouň is one of the oldest villages in the Litoměřice district because the very first notion dates back to the 11th century in the establishment deed of the Litoměřice Chapter. Early in the 20th century, there was a large fishpond where the large park-style village square with its high trees stands today. On the southern side, the village of Radouň co-financed with Count Karel Hubert Pachta from Rájov (von Raihofen) based in Liběchov, the construction of the St. Florian Chapel. The charming chapel building is built in the late Baroque style and the structure was reconstructed in 1866, 1930 and finally and finely in 2005. At the village entrance from Štětí is the sculpture of St. Florian, the patron of firemen, dated 1753 (i.e. before construction of the chapel) on a high pedestal. The former brewery's cellars are a rare structural sightseeing attraction. The large cellars are located between houses 51 and 60 and under the adjacent reconstructed road. There are several semi-timbered cottages in a Lusatian style and the oldest date back to 1779 and 1808. Some houses are in the early 19th century Empire style. There are many houses in a recreational style. In the 18th century, there was a large Jewish population in Radouň. A visible relic of the Jewish settlement in Radouň is the Jewish cemetery established in 1789 on the hillside northwards from Radouň. In 2003 - 2005, the cemetery was cleared from wild plants and bushes and is now regularly chemically treated. The ceremonial hall was statically stabilised, the dome was repaired and the circumference walls were bricked up and coated with plaster. There are two deposits of protected herbs - orchis militaris. The military orchid is the Bohemian orchid growing on lime soils and dry sunny hillsides.
Created 14.4.2011 17:59:51 - updated 20.2.2012 14:49:48 | read 6116x | tana


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Apple Tips
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he past year has been a rocky one for Apple's software updates, with iOS 13 rapidly moving through a total of ten different versions between its launch on Sept. 19 and iOS 13.3 on Dec. 10, but while iOS has been the most high-profile case of frequent updates, it seems that Apple has also been…
Apple TV+ Loses High-Profile Documentary Following Oprah's Departure as Executive Producer
In what appears to be a second big setback for Apple TV+, it looks like a new documentary that was originally being produced by Oprah Winfrey will not be airing on the service after all, following Oprah's decision to remove her name from the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Winfrey was working on a high-profile…
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What a ride this has been for AAPL. The stock closed at US$316.96 Monday. We're getting accustomed to headlines like: "Apple hits all-time high" (again) or "Apple's best year in a decade" or "Apple stock doubles." Financial headlines rarely tell the whole story, however, and when any stock hits the stratosphere this quickly, it makes…
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A new report Macotakara today puts a bit of a different light on what we might expect to see from the much-rumored "iPhone SE 2," which is expected to resemble an iPhone 8. The report indicates that there may be two models of the new budget-priced iPhone. The report says conversations with Apple suppliers at CES 2020…
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Burst abdomen. A preventable complication, monolayer closure of the abdominal incision with monofilament nylon.
Age and symptomatology of menopause in Indian women.
Hydatid cyst as a cause of common bile duct obstruction (a case report).
Sub-acute sclerosing panencephalitis (a report of 43 cases).
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Sickle cell beta thalassemia with absence of spleen (a case report).
Plasma lipids and lipoproteins in treated diabetics.
Tuberculosis of gall bladder (a case report).
Disseminated histoplasmosis (a case report).
Familial thyroid disease : Grave's disease and non-toxic goitre (a case report).
Serum glycoprotein levels in protein-calorie malnutrition.
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A Mekong River cruise is one of life's must-do travel experiences as far as we're concerned and a languid three-day Mekong River Cruise to Luang Prabang on the Luang Say boat was the reason we'd flown from Bangkok to Chiang Rai and driven up to the Thai Border city of Houei Say.
The Mekong River runs for a distance of some 4,909 km from the Tibetan plateau to the Mekong Delta where it flows into the South China Sea. The Mekong region as a whole has a total population of almost 325 million, with approximately 60 million of those people living along the river.
While speedboats bounce along the Mekong river for the 300 kilometre-long journey from the Thailand-Laos border at Chiang Khong-Houei Say (also known as Huay Xai) to Luang Prabang in Laos in an adrenaline-pumping six hours, we decided to travel the legendary river, where life otherwise carries on at a languid pace, in the only way that made sense to us: slowly on a Mekong River cruise, on the Luang Say boat.
A driver collected us from Chiang Mai for the ninety-minute transfer to Chiang Khong on the Thailand side of the border to meet the Luang Say boat for our Mekong River cruise. The early morning trip was a sleepy blur in between blinks of impressionistic roadside images — monks collecting their breakfasts from merit-makers, families whizzing along on motorbikes, Lanna-style wooden houses dotting lush fields.
At the tiny Thai immigration office, there was a short line of the ubiquitous twenty-something travellers with their towering backpacks, looking like they might topple over at any minute, a world-weary French-New Yorker and her well-travelled teenage daughter with two colossal suitcases, and Terence and I with our carry-ons, one full of camera gear.
Cruising the Mekong River from Thailand to Laos.
In less than ten minutes we had our passports stamped, the driver had deposited our bags on the longtail boat, and we were crossing the river for the five-minute trip from Chiang Khong in Thailand to Houei Say or Huay Xai in Laos where we were to board our Luang Say boat for our Mekong River cruise.
Things went equally as smoothly, if perhaps a little more slowly, on the other side at Huay Xai where the Mekong River Cruises rep met us and escorted us to their office to complete the Laos immigration forms over coffee. At the adjoining immigration booth, I changed our Thai baht for Laos kip, paid US$30 each for our visas, and collected our passports within minutes. It was all too easy.
And then we took in the scene while we waited for the rest of the Mekong River Cruises' Luang Say boat passengers to arrive. Petite Lao women in floral shirts, batik skirts and flip-flops sat on the steps filling out forms. Backpackers diligently read their Lonely Planet guides so there'd be no surprises. Hmong women in blue trousers and orange sashes, with big plastic garbage bags full of handicrafts, waited in line for the speedboat.
Minutes later, we were hiking up the hill, and piling into songthaews (small shared taxi trucks) for the brief drive to the slow boat dock. There our posh teak and rosewood Luang Say boat waited for us, moored amongst squat wooden boats, gaudily-painted in vibrant shades of peppermint, royal blue and grass-green, with mail-box red trim, and flower pots and flags on bamboo poles decorating their bows.
A renovated rice barge, with open sides, polished floorboards, and furnished with wicker sofas and chairs and coffee tables, the Luang Say boat was comfortable, if not luxurious. There were only a dozen passengers plus a handful of staff, so there was plenty of room to spread out. Terence and I got comfy on a sofa and seats, beneath the captain's deck and a sign that said: 'Please be careful boat can sway in the rapids'.
We were welcomed with big bottles of iced water and glasses, and baskets of crunchy fried banana and sweet potato crisps. Our guide used a hand-drawn map to point out our route along the Mekong River to Luang Prabang.
On the first day of our Mekong River cruise on the Luang Say boat we would stop at the Hmong village of Huay Hok Khong, arriving at Pakbeng for sunset and our overnight stay at Luang Say Lodge. The second day we were to visit the weaving and whiskey-making village of Baw, home to Lao Loum people, and stay at Kamu Lodge, adjoining the Kamu village of Nyoy Hai. And on the final day we would visit the Pak Ou Caves with their thousands of Buddhas, before arriving in Luang Prabang.
While our fellow passengers — from France mostly, as well as Spain and the USA — were quick to bury their noses in their Kindles and paperbacks, Terence and I found ourselves bouncing from one side of the boat to the other, photographing the scenery.
For the entire length of the route, we would watch herds of buffalo, cattle, and even goats, taking dips, and sometimes snoozing, in the shallow waters at the river's edge — a sensible idea, as it was sweltering.
We watched farmers tending their crops of corn, growing in fenced off areas on the river's sandy beaches, and chickens pecking around the shoreline. Women crouched in the water washing clothes or panning for gold. Children swam naked, splashing and tackling each other.
Men threw out a line from skinny wooden boats or checked their fishing nets that hung from tall poles. Villages of bamboo huts and ramshackle wooden houses on stilts, topped with palm fronds and corrugated iron roofs, poked above the trees.
The vegetation varied from thick verdant jungle to gentle hills of barren farmland, from acres of lush banana plantations to dramatic limestone rock formations. The Mekong was still mostly, with strong currents and whirlpools in places. At one spot our captain had to negotiate some rapids. Fortunately, our little Luang Say boat didn't 'sway'.
Every now and again, the peace and quiet of our Mekong River cruise was disrupted by a speedboat crammed with locals whizzing by, or one of the brightly-painted, budget slow boats, jam-packed with backpackers, with pushbikes and other bits of cargo scattered on their roofs.
These periods of doing little at all on the Luang Say boat but taking in the scenery and taking photographs, were punctuated by meals — delicious buffet lunches of tasty Northern-style sausages, fish wrapped in banana leaves, hearty curries, and rice, and icy Beerlao — and sticky visits in the scorching heat to villages perched above the river banks.
At tiny Huay Hok Khong, home to 300 people from 45 families of Hmong people, who are Animists rather than Buddhists, we visited a spirit house and learnt about animal sacrifices. In a darkened shop, a group of young men invited Terence to join them to share their plates of som tam.
At Baw the next day, a village where the Lao Loum inhabitants make whiskey and weave textiles, we were unlucky to find there was no whiskey being made, but instead were fortunate to discover our visit coincided with village festivities to mark the monk's blessing of a new temple being constructed.
On a walk around hilly Nyoy Hai village, where 73 Kamu families farm rice, corn, sesame, and hops, we visited a shop selling bottles of potent whiskey with scorpions, centipedes, snakes, and even small turtles. Of the 324 residents, 28 villagers work at adjoining Kamu Lodge, where after our walking tour, staff demonstrated how to plant and harvest rice, how to pan for gold, and how to cast a net to catch fish.
Kamu Lodge didn't possess the same level of luxury as the lovely Luang Say Lodge, where we'd stayed the previous night. At Luang Say we were met at the boat by smiling porters who carried our bags up to the property, and upon arrival at the lodge we were greeted with cold bowls of water, fragrant with frangipanis and jasmine, that was poured over our hands, and lemongrass drinks that quickly quenched our thirst. There was no such welcome at Kamu.
From the individual teakwood stilted houses that serve as guest accommodation, we had sublime Mekong River views through big louvered windows and more dramatic vistas from our private balcony that we savoured as we sipped cold Beerlaos and chilled white wine.
In the bathroom there was a steaming hot shower and aromatic bathroom products. In the main room, a big comfy bed was covered in beautiful white linen, upon which frangipanis were scattered, and a mosquito net draped prettily. There was a colourful bowl of fresh tropical fruit on a table.
Dinner, a set menu of way too much Lao food that covered our table, was superb: beef soup, pork larb, spring rolls, chicken curry, grilled beef, stir-fried vegetables, black sticky rice, and, for dessert, fried banana balls and fruit. Breakfast of sticky rice and mango, papaya, eggs, bacon, Laotian coffee, and lemongrass tea was almost as delicious.
By contrast, Kamu Lodge, a responsible tourism project operated in conjunction with the Kamu people, has a little catching up to do. The setting is spectacular, however, with an alfresco bar and restaurant in separate bamboo-stilted structures situated on lush rice terraces, and permanent eco-tents dotting the edge of the property.
When we stayed, these were in need of a little maintenance that may well have happened since — the basin in our sink had no taps, the bedspreads were stained and ripped, and there was no torch or umbrella, so we stumbled around in the darkness and the rain. The food was average, and it's not often we say that in South East Asia.
While we felt like we had got a good feel for the rhythm of life on the river after a few days on the Luang Say boat, in reality our Mekong River cruise gave us just a small glimpse into how people on the Mekong live their lives.
A slow boat is the way to go as far as we're concerned, and the Luang Say boat was wonderful, despite the minor disappointments with Kamu Lodge.
If anything, the trip made us eager to experience more of the Mekong. And in much the same way as we did. Nice and slow. As we like to say: next time. There's always next time.
Book The LuangSay Lodge & Cruise Mekong Cruise with our booking partner Booking.com.
Click through to read our Guide to Mekong River Cruises and the slow boat versus the fast boat.
Have you done a Mekong River cruise from Thailand to Laos on the Luang Say boat or another boat? We'd love to hear about your experience.
Love the idea of doing this slow cruise. We will be in LP in a few months and will have to look into this for a few days. Sounds like it was a great experience!
We took the slow boat in 2008 and this post brings back memories! We got to the port by public transportation and took the cheapest local boat… sounds like a very different experience.
Hi Marilyn – yes, it happens from time to time at various sections of the Mekong, in Cambodia too – you'd think these guys would be better at judging the water levels, wouldn't you? They repair these boats pretty quickly so don't think they're ever out of action for long. Despite the heat, I really enjoyed it, though if I was to do it again it would be at a cooler time of year.


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