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Q: How convert localDateTime to format `dd/MM/yyyy`? I have some problem while converting a localDateTime to the format dd/MM/yyyy
Here is the method I am using:
public static Date localDateTimeToDateWithSlash(LocalDateTime localDateTime) {
    if(localDateTime == null)
        return null;
    DateFormat format = new SimpleDateFormat("dd/MM/yyyy");
    try {
        return format.parse(localDateTime.format(slashDateFormater));
    }
    catch (Exception e) {
        return null;
    }
}

it returns a date, but in the format 2017-12-01T01:00But I need it in the format dd/MM/yyyy.

A: Dates do not contain a specific format; there is the default (sortable) ISO format like 2017-12-19T12:55, which is invoked by toString(). In this case return a string with the correctly formatted date.
public static String localDateTimeToDateWithSlash(LocalDateTime localDateTime) {
    return DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd/MM/yyyy").format(localDateTime);
}

Date and SimpleDateFormat are of the "old" generation, and will still be heavily in use for some time. But one should try to minimize their usage.

A: The date formatting performed by format() returns a String with the expected format but as you parse it with parse() you lose the format as Date is not designed to hold a specific format and as a consequence what you see as you output the date is the toString() representation of the Date object.


The application of modern methods of cultivation and production of agricultural products are used to meet the needs of todays market, which is the increased demand for quality traditional products and health food products.
Our family has been active in the production of agricultural products since 1968 always applying modern methods of production. We entered the fruit and vegetable market in 1997 aiming for not only the best quality but also to ensure the lowest prices. We obtain our products from our own cultivated greenhouses which are located in Platanos (Falassarna) and in Elafonisi Crete, which have the ideal climate for producing horticulture products 360 days a year.
We also co-operate with producers from all over Crete, who apply integrated management systems in their cultivations. Our goods are standardized and then sent to greek markets and markets abroad from our packaging department that has ISO 22000.
-Ten refridgerator trucks for the transportation of goods.
Our duty is to make sure that the reception and storage of our goods which we sell comply with the regulations of good hygiene practice and we invest in informing and training our staff according to the ISO system.
Our clients are the largest chain-store Super Markets and businesses operating in wholesale and retail marketing of fruit and vegetables throughout Greece.


An overwhelming majority of respondents to this week's RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll favor overhauling New York's pension system.
Ninety-five percent of readers support public pension system reform. And nearly 90 percent back Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Tier VI pension reform plan, which would apply to future state and local government employees. Among other provisions, it would hike employee pension contributions, raise the retirement age from 62 to 65, and provide the option of a defined-contribution retirement plan.
Roughly 750 readers participated in this week's poll, which was conducted Feb. 27 and 28.
In your view, should New York reform its public pension system?
Specifically, do you support or oppose Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Tier VI pension reform plan?
There should be no public pensions. Most working people have to save for their own retirement. Why not everyone?
DiNapoli is basically saying that the retirement plans, such as 401(k), that the rest of the public is relying on are not good enough for New York State workers. He invests the New York pension money in the stock market, so what is the difference? The difference is that when the stock market tanks, the pension fund has to find other ways of paying its retirees—namely raise our taxes! Let their pensions rise and fall with the stock market just like the rest of us. DiNapoli's double standard shows his true colors.
Why are we still giving government employees more money? Let them use their hard-earned money to build for their future, not mine. Time for a change; government employees double-dipping (our lieutenant governor) and plenty of others raking in two incomes from the government. Enough is enough.
Any business leader or local government official who supported wasting $40 million of taxpayers' money on a fast ferry should be embarrassed to advocate for taking pensions away from nurses and firefighters.
Many New York State jobs can take employees away from home. Additionally, many jobs are not during "normal" working hours or during holidays. As New York cuts benefits and downgrades the pensions, how will they attract a qualified workforce? Do we want the best workers, or merely those who are in an immediate need of work? New York should be creating an atmosphere that nurtures a lifelong career of public service.
Heard on NPR today a comment that went something like this: New York State public employees will have no guarantee of financial security. Welcome to the club.
The Tier VI pension reform plan does not go far enough, but at least it is a start. Be interesting to see if Cuomo folds on this one when the unions start beating him up with negative ads. If you are going to make a change, then make one that also changes the current program for those employed but not yet retired. That would be a real start on addressing the terrible financial mess past administrations have gotten us into.
It is unthinkable the number of self-entitled state employees who receive a pension with no investment beyond years of service. As a small-business owner, who by all counts is self-financing my own retirement and that of my employees, it is outrageous to think that state employees do not have to invest any of their own money to fund their own retirement.
I, like many, lost a huge sum from my 401(k) in the 2008 economic crash, from which I have not recovered. I don't want others to suffer like that, so I say no to changing the state employee plans along the lines of Cuomo's proposals.
The New York State and local retirement system is among the best in the country; 80 to 85 percent of benefits paid come from investment results, leaving only 15 to 20 percent to be paid for by contributions of employers and employees. We should be using these systems as models for improvement, not dismantling them. A New York State Corporate Retirement System should be created and made available to every business in New York, so all state employees could benefit from a well-run and cost-efficient plan. The governor is headed the wrong way on this issue. The New York State retirement system should be the model for Social Security reform. It is something that our state does better than most. Why is the governor putting a negative spin on one of the most positive things our state does?
"Public employees" is a misnomer—it should read "public employers." The private sector works for them. As a business owner, I take all the risk so that many "public employees" can retire at 50 to 55 years of age with a $50,000 pension and free health care—and absolutely no risk. Do the math—many of these "employees" are guaranteed millionaires. I have a friend who recently left a state position. He was a corrections officer and retired at 48 with a $50,000 pension (he braggingly padded it with overtime). If he only lives until 68, he has taken home a million plus in pension and benefits. Most of my family are New York State employees; I could tell you stories. Bottom line: The state has become a piggybank-shaped god, and we are simple slaves making their bricks.
There are more reforms to the system needed. Eliminate overtime to boost final year incomes. Eliminate double-dipping (retired workers receiving pensions and then hiring onto New York State payroll). Cap pensions and provide options for 401(k) type of employee contributions for maxed out salary ranges. Etc., Etc.
He also has attacked the "myth" of bloated pensions, saying that "less than one‐half of 1 percent of our 385,000 retirees receive pensions exceeding $100,000."' Ha-ha-ha-ha. Oh, they aren't making over $100,000 per year in retirement, Tom? Plus no health care costs and they still have the ability to get another job. Often in the same field. But let's not bother talking about that. Try socking away enough money in your 401(k) to accomplish that. Pensions on the whole should go away. Look at the track record: Kodak, Xerox (just wait), Detroit, New York State (etc., etc., etc.). Good work. Take your money in your salary and in your personal retirement fund. That way your company (or your state) can't steal from you when they go belly up because they over promised and under delivered. Sad part is that all the hardworking people that have thought they were socking it away for years will be the one to get stabbed in the back in the process. Might sound good on paper people, but if it ain't your account, it ain't yours. Better have a backup retirement plan when New York State tells you that they don't have the money.
The NYS pension plans and those of school districts, if they are not included, should now face realistic reforms that bring them face to face with today's realities. Raising the retirement age is a good idea, as well as forcing employees to contribute more to their defined benefit plans prior to and after retirement. In addition the accumulating of unreasonable vacation and sick time, to be used in retirement salary calculations, should be terminated. The retirement plans should all be based on their normal annual income and NOT include ANY overtime or leaves or absences of any kind. Health and medical plans should be scaled back to offer additional coverage, such as dentistry and ophthalmology, only at the employees expense. If the state is to get back on track these plans must be looked at critically at ALL levels and be brought into reasonable equality with industry and today's economy. Salaries should also be renegotiated with teachers and administrators to make them comparable with industry on an hourly calculated basis. Perks and benefits must be reduced and this all should be done retroactively to include current retirees also.
Pension reform should go even farther than what the governor has proposed. But that would require contracts to be renegotiated. And we can't do that because of the Triborough Amendment, which leaves any expiring public union contract in force until both sides agree on any new contract. Whose great idea was that anyway? Just look at how hard it is to fire a bad teacher once tenured! I think if Governor Cuomo is truly a serious reform minded leader then he must redesign the entire public employment structure. We must start with a clean sheet of paper. The good old days are gone. It's a whole new world now where workers, wages and benefits are concerned. Sad, but true. Taxpayers will go broke trying to support the awful "Ponzi scheme" Pension system from the past!
Key New York State union leaders, the governor, and other appropriate participants must work together to develop a sustainable and appropriate pension plan system. The system must include justifiable returns for the pension investments, employee participation in paying for the annual pension fee, and appropriate tax payer expenses to hire and keep good employees on a sustainable basis.
Yes. It should also reform its hiring practices, its firing practices, its employee review practices, its raise practices, its drug test practices and its comp time practices. Lt. Gov. Duffy should forfeit his police pension package while drawing his current salary—on principle alone. And when he ultimately leaves the workplace, he should be able to pick one of them, not draw both concurrently. That would show real leadership and serious intent to fix a major fault in the New York State pension system. Do away with pension-based on the last couple of years' service. Retirement should be structured on base pay, not padded overtime hours that have become the norm with a pat on the back and the wink of an eye. DiNapoli says that "less than 1/2 of 1 percent of our 385,000 retirees receive pensions exceeding $100,000." Let's do the math—1 percent of 385,000 is 3,850. Half of that (rounding up, because he says less than half of 1 percent) is 1,925. Times $100,000 (rounding down because he says "exceeds" $100,000.00) = $192,500,000.00. That's right, 192.5 MILLION DOLLARS a year! For only 1,925 people a year! So now I wonder what the figures are for the REST of the 383,075 of our pension receivers. Please RBJ, find and publish ALL those numbers for us! God bless the taxpayer! Talk about taxation without representation. Makes me want to join OWS, but I'm too busy working. Wonder what our union buddies will have to say—cry me a river.
Even more needs to be done than Tier VI, but it is a step.
The current pension system is one of only a few, if not the only system, that is fully funded and financially stable. Whatever the changes, do not, under any circumstances, let the Legislature get control of it or the stability and the money will be gone.
A 401(k) match of 7 percent is unheard of in the private sector, which is what Gov. Cuomo is proposing. The Tier VI proposal lacks private sector reality but is politically expedient for the unions affected.
New York should create better equity between the public pension system and the private sector. The Tier VI proposal should apply to all public employees who have not yet retired and in addition, all of the plans should now include a "reservation of rights" clause to permit the state to modify the benefits in the future with legislative action as economic factors dictate.
I agree with Gov. Cuomo and most New York State mayors (excluding the mayor of Binghamton, Matt Ryan) that the current public pension system, with its defined-benefit structure is unsustainable. While Comptroller DiNapoli is correct that a defined-contribution pension plan does not provide public employees a guaranteed constant level of benefits, and is therefore more risky, the free-enterprise, market-based system which the rest of us (non-public employees) must navigate is inherently risky. It is unfair to expect the taxpayers of New York, whose economic fortunes rise and fall with the vagaries of the stock market and economic conditions, to not only pay the salaries of public employees but also subsidize them and provide them with guaranteed pension benefits which they themselves do not enjoy.
I oppose Gov. Cuomo's plan only because it doesn't go far enough. The pension plans for all existing government employees should be converted to defined contribution plans. The retirement age should be raised and the minimum period of employment should be increased also.
Would someone ask Mr. DiNapoli why 401(k)s are great for us private sector guys, but too costly for the unions? Furthermore, if we are taxing the "1 percent" crowd, how about a nice tax on that group?
I support Cuomo's reform plan, but it doesn't go far enough. The current plan should be frozen for all below age 50 and all future contributions should be into a defined contribution plan. Employees should contribute to it at the same average rates experienced in the private sector.
The Tier VI plan is a baby step in the right direction, but it's not enough. In addition to the problem of all tiers milking the defined benefit system (e.g.; with overtime calculations), the root problem is that the system is set up to make it easy as pie to make promises that can't be kept. Those ever-increasing bills from the comptroller for pension shortfalls make it clear that all participating governments have been incurring unbudgeted unauthorized debt. The true reform would be to let the pension fund stand on its own, can't send out bills for shortfalls, if it doesn't have the assets then payouts will have to be managed.
Only in government is a particular pension guaranteed. RG&E changed pensions from an annuity to a lump sum in 1999. New York State should at least remove overtime from the pension calculation.
Reform? What a joke. Comptroller DiNapoli is just a corrupt public employee stooge. Super Mario Jr. has no clothes. This is just a show. At best it's a Band-Aid and they can't even agree on that. Not enough. Still a Cadillac plan. Pretty soon Greece will look more fiscally responsible then New York State. The times are passing this state by. The rest of the world and the rest of the states get it. The people of New York, its governor, and its Caesarian Legislature will have to get wise or we will soon be insolvent. We are already a national laughing stock.
While the pension system needs to be reviewed, three other areas ripe for reform in New York State include: a) benefits accruing to New York State elected officials; b) lack of comprehensive welfare reform combined with generous benefits that tied people into a multi-generational dependency cycle; c) pork-member items. All need serious reform and cutbacks.
The flow of jobs, companies and young people out of New York State can be simply explained by one word, taxes. The main driver of our state's high taxes is the public pension costs that every government organization; schools, libraries, villages, towns, counties, state, in New York State struggles with every minute. Strong reform in the pension system must be swift and correct many of the giveaways of the past. There are multitude of articles written on this subject, so take the time to educate yourself. If New York State was a company and Cuomo was CEO, he would fire DiNapoli. How can we (have) a state comptroller that puts politics ahead of fiscal responsibility? Let the state's public unions hire him for their main spokesman.
I support a thorough and objective review of EVERY segment of New York State's financials. Unfortunately, we have politicians, not economists, taking on this project. "Reform" is a political concept. This leads to "discourse and divide" —a political line is drawn, and you are either on one side or the other. Of course the labor unions are unhappy—they are the ones who will "suffer" if Cuomo's plan passes. As for 401(k) and defined-contribution plans, they are not more expensive to deliver. They do, however, place the responsibility of funding one's retirement, squarely on that one individual. If you have a 401(k), you have to use your own money to fund your retirement. Pensions allow people to fund their retirement, using other people's money. Who wouldn't want that? Save your money, people. You're going to need it.
Gov Cuomo's plan is a windfall for Wall Street with few possible "benefits" for public employees. What few new public employees there will be over the next several years will be persuaded to opt for the 401(k)-like plan, translating into huge fees for Wall Street providers. Cuomo's plan would put the current retirement systems—which are fully funded—at great risk. The state recently (2010) created Tier V which was promoted as providing relief for other levels of government. It's reasonable to look at variations on the existing retirement tiers, but the proposed Tier VI has not had complete analysis—State Comptroller DiNapoli, in fact, projects an additional cost to localities if Tier VI is implemented.
When pensions were introduced as a benefit decades ago, life expectancy was substantially lower than it is today. Current costs are NOT sustainable. If people are living longer, than the retirement age, to get full benefits, should go up as well.
We HAVE to. We simply cannot afford not to. This change is for FUTURE employees. The rules are NOT being changed for current employees. There is another option for those who apply for employment to State and Local governments in the future: See if there is a better deal in the private sector and work where the better situation is.
I strongly support the pension reform plan. State employees get better pay, work fewer hours, and get much better benefits than the rest of us who foot the bill. The present system is unsustainable. The governor needs to eliminate the inclusion of overtime and one-time payments from the calculation of retirement pay immediately, not just for future employees. Too many people are gaming the system!
Due to the artificially low interest rates, Defined Benefit Pension Plans have become too expensive to plan for and budget. Most private employers have frozen their DB Plans and substituted Defined Contribution plans such as 401(k)s. I recommend that the public sector should do likewise.
I would replace the current pension plan (defined benefit plan) with a defined contribution plan effective on the first day of the fiscal year. The new plan should be mandatory, not optional, and apply to current employees as well as new hires.
New York should reform its public pension system—from THE TOP down.
Defined benefit pension plans such as provided by governments are dinosaurs that will eventually go bankrupt or bankrupt the provider. Promises were made including continuing increasing benefits based on economic growth factors that have not materialized in the past 10 years and are not sustainable in the future. Unfortunately the unions only care about their own welfare and the people who pay their salaries and benefits be damned. It is either change or go broke.
It's easy for politicians to give out generous pensions and benefits to public labor unions as they know that they only have to raise taxes to cover costs. It is true that public employees did get paid less than private worker in large corporations but those days are over. I have never known a government worker to really have to work hard and what they do can be a service to the public but I have no sympathy for them getting laid off or having benefit reduced.
It is not all that complex. Be comparable to the private sector and the taxpayers who finance government. End defined benefit pension and begin/convert to defined contribution plans. Employers and employees contribute. Employer contributions vary among agencies, municipalities, etc. Employees make personal decisions on when and where they choose to work, in part based on employer pensions—no longer one pension taxes all. Shift the risk of return on invested pension assets from taxpayer to the beneficiary.
Like so many compensation issues, the Public Pension System is a relic from a time when public employees were paid much less than private sector workers, so they got better benefits and more days off. It has to be reformed to cut costs and do its part to make New York more competitive with other states. One of the worst abuses is padding employee salaries with overtime to inflate pensions and allowing "double-dipping" by some. These things are unethical.
Already the labor unions representing public employees are spreading propaganda regarding budget cuts and changes in public employee pension plans. Unfortunately too many voters and non-voters hear the propaganda and take it as the truth. For starters, if you don't vote—shut up! You have no right to complain since you do not participate in the elections. If you want to complain then get up off your bloated behinds and start participating in the process. The only way to fix problems in government is by voting. It is my belief that only by voting does it show that you have an interest in managing your government and a right to complain when government does not do as you would like. Now to the point; the public employee unions representing their members have an obligation to do what they can to protect their members. Unfortunately unions that represent public employees believe their members should not experience the economic challenges that private sector employees experience, even unionized workers. It is reprehensible that they use member dues to misinform and mislead the public of what the governor and members of the senate and assembly are trying to do; simply have public employees contribute more towards their pensions and to have them participate more fully in 401k plans as do most private sector workers. As hard as it is for me to support governor Cuomo, any efforts he takes to control spending and thus limit my costs as a taxpayer are welcome. As we conservatives say; "Spending is the problem." It's time that public employees take over a greater portion of their responsibility towards their retirement just as we workers in the private sector. Finally, as a voter you understand that you are the "boss" and only by voting can you extend an elected official's 'employment' or fire one for their failure to produce to your expectations. Most important as an educated voter you should not rely upon sound bites and "commercials" as your sole source of information as to how to cast your vote. If you hear something that concerns you dig deeper and actually educate yourself before you vote or—complain. It makes your vote count even more if you get the full story first. As in this issue and in many others the unions have a vested interest in misinforming and misleading you.
The plan has $146 billion plus, pays out between $5 billion to $8 billion per year, but takes in more than that in most years. The payments being put on local governments do not add up. The average pension is about $19,000 per year and the system is currently over 100 percent funded. Any reform should be to high end non-civil servants. The literally thousands of part time local legislators, political appointees, and appointees for different boards and authorities, most part time, get vested and skew the average pension upward. Whenever a part time legislator is term limited or loses an election they seem to end up with a newly created six figure job under the public domain. These pensions are agreed to deferred compensation, period. It is another attack on the middle class pushed by the 1 percent. Furthermore; Tier 5 was passed a little more than a year ago. Was that reform or just public relations? Also, I remember. I remember to follow the money as to who funded the Governor's campaign. I remember who followed the "Sheriff of Wall St." into the Attorney General's office and under whose nose the fraud of the 1 percent on Wall Street tanked the Global economy. In spite of all that New York's pension fund is one of the best funded, if not the best in the country.
I applaud Governor Cuomo's effort. However, the Governor's Tier VI pension reform plan doesn't even come close to going far enough. What Governor Cuomo should be doing is to grant pension amnesty to workers already in the system. However, with any new workers entering the system all pension/health care benefits should reflect the average plans in the private sector. The public unions should effectively be phased out for the new workers. Also, New York should become a "right to work" state. There are very strict local, state and federal labor laws which protect all workers today. Therefore, public sector workers like most private sector workers would be sufficiently protected and compensated. Given the financial problems of the state and the country, this is the responsible thing to do.
No public employee is more important or more deserving than the average New York State taxpayer. All compensation and benefits must be tied to what is offered to the average New York State taxpayer. All public employees' pensions—especially all elected officials and staff—should be converted to a 401(k) type system. The taxpayers—both working and retired—have had to adjust and expect less. Public employees cannot expect immunity from the current economic problems and state mismanagement. The governor's compensation is the highest in the U.S. The legislators are also among the highest compensated in the U.S. The average public employee in New York State is compensated far above the average taxpayer. With $70+ billion in underfunded pension liabilities in NYS, it would be irresponsible not to reform the pension system. Union employees should direct their anger toward union leadership (will their pensions be affected?) who have contributed the members' union dues to their favorite politicians. These politicians are the same ones who have FAILED to properly fund the public employee pensions and have written legislation that allows gaming of the pension system with excessive overtime public employees and pre-retirement promotion abuse for state execs.
-If new employees don't pay into the pension plan because they're investing in another product, such as a 401K, the pension fund will eventually become devalued. That's because the pension fund will see a decrease in revenue as it pays the pensions of the existing employees as they retire. When this occurs, taxes will increase and they will do so for many years. Current state law requires the pension fund to be adequately funded. The new legislation being proposed here does not address this important issue.


Konkan …Perhaps the only place in India that offers landscape that has beaches with palms side-by-side to hills, rivers, backwaters and waters falls. The landscapes along with friendly people their culture and appetizing Konkan food makes a perfect recipe for delicious safari adventure.
Note: This is a Gypsy style exploration safari; we are not making any advance bookings of hotels, nor-any restaurant pre-decided for food.
First-Cut Plan for Konkan Safari (August 15 to August 17, 2008).
We are expected to back in Mumbai on August 17, 2008 evening.
Few Places of Interest, others need to be discovered (and Loads of Temples / Beaches on the way to be discovered).
Hired Vehicle (Per head cost) – Rs.1350/- for 3 days (and 700 km); if it exceeds 700 km then each person has to share Rs.1.5/- for every additional kilometer.
(If we cross 700 km, cost per head for every additional km Rs.1.50/- only).
Carry Extra amount of Rs.1500/- for emergency.
Simply do electronic funds transfer (EFT). Our Banking branch is Versova.
Please note: Participants doing Electronics fund transfer from bank other than ICICI Bank, need to add Rs. 25/- extra per transaction.
For children below 10 years of age; 30% discount of transportation and 50% discount on registration. Food and Accommodation charges will be on actual bill.
Misc. expenses like mineral water, in-between meals / non-standard meals have to be borne by individuals.
Konkan cuisine is strong in spice, red chillie powder, corianders, and prepared with coconut oil. It is prepared using a deep purple berry that has a pleasing sweet and sour taste, kokum and raw mango as souring agents along with tamarind and lime. Konkan cuisine is of two styles, first one is Brahmin cuisine, which uses little spice and more of coconut based ingredients. Another version is known as non-Brahmin style, prepared with lots of spice. Konkan cuisine would find prepared with peanuts, sesame and coriander as the main spicing agents if one goes a bit further towards inland. Lots of charcoal grilled onions, which are either used chopped or ground along with masalas after being grilled are used in Konkan cuisine. Coconut is also used in various forms as raw grated, fried grated, coconut paste and coconut milk.
10) Other goodies like (Camera, binoculars, local tourist maps, list of eco-nomy lodges, places of interest are welcome).
11) Carry 3 liters of water per head (If you would like to save money on mineral water; carry 2 jerry cans of 5 liters each per head for 3 days).


text:
Q: Google App Engine environment setup I am trying to setup the environment for Google App Engine in PHP. I have downloaded the SDK for PHP. And I have also downloaded the python 2.7.7 64 bit and installed both. I tried to run the hello world program from
https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/appengine-php-guestbook/archive/phase0-helloworld.zip
and extracted it in a folder named helloworld(In this folder 3 files are stored app.yaml,helloworld.php,README.md)
then I added it and tried to run it. After running I get this error

can anyone help me? plz

A: This problem I faced because of the version of python I was using(3.4.2). It should be python 2.7 . Otherwise you will face this error.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In no surprise to anyone paying even marginal attention, the FBI's clearing Hillary Clinton of wrongdoing in its briefly reopened investigation — however, the time the agency took to reach this conclusion is not only bereft of logic and reason, it constitutes the most hubristic of insults to the public's intelligence.
In just 691,000 seconds from announcement to conclusion, FBI Director James Comey wants you to believe agents thoroughly examined over 650,000 emails newly 'discovered' on Anthony Weiner's computer — including any threads resulting, as well as all attachments — before deciding Clinton innocent of wrongdoing.
Before the nay-sayers jump in with a there's no comparison deflection, consider the following points.
Such fine gradations of meaning, naturally found in the English language but also purposefully employed to throw off investigators and interlopers, could not possibly be revealed by artificial means — at least not that quickly and particularly not with currently-available technologies.
Law enforcement departments and the National Security Agency together have amassed astonishingly voluminous data sets on every person in this country, including through emails and online activities.
A technology advanced enough to comb for subtleties in language would hone in on criminal behavior and activity with incredible frequency.


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Events, People
Good France at the Château de Bel Ombre
Chef Ravi Kanhye was selected to take part in the "Goût de France/Good France" campaign, which will take place on March 19, 2015 at the Château de Bel Ombre. Residents of Heritage Resorts are invited to this unique – and surely delicious – evening!
Good France is an international event which aims to promote French cuisine, its capacity for innovation and the values it conveys: sharing, enjoying and respecting the principles of high quality and environmentally responsible cuisine. It follows the listing of French cuisine in the World intangible Heritage by UNESCO and contribute to its influence on the world.
More than 1000 chefs on all five continents are expecting to join the event to honour the merits of French cuisine. To take part in this great celebration, chefs were selected worldwide by a committee chaired by chef Alain Ducasse and composed of professionals from haute cuisine to fine-dining bistros. They will prepare a dinner combining the culinary traditions of their country and French gastronomy.
During this distinctive evening, Chef Ravi Kanhye will present a special menu for the occasion at the Château de Bel Ombre. Guests will have the opportunity to taste a fine and creative menu, including potted duck leg, lobster bisque, salmon filet, thick round of Rossini beef, cheese platter and chocolate mille-feuille.
Chef Ravi Kanhye selected
For Chef Ravi, this is an ideal opportunity to put forward Mauritian culinary savoir-faire. Driven by the creativity and challenges of his profession, he has in mind to please the finest palates with a distinctive cuisine: refined, bold and generous at the same time… A must-try at Heritage Resorts!
Moreover, the Chef has recently reviewed the menu of the Château in order to offer a distinctive cuisine to gourmet customers. It is now an ode to Mauritian generosity and to old-time recipes inspired by the splendid 19th century mansion. Pleasure goes hand in hand with refinement, in a place where the palate is ravished by Chef Ravi's original blend of opposite flavours, tradition and modernism.
The Château de Bel Ombre is one of Heritage Resorts' 12 restaurants on the Domaine de Bel Ombre. Set in the middle of a captivating French-style garden, this historic mansion offers exquisite Mauritian dishes made with locally grown products. The romantic setting of this place is also ideal for weddings and receptions.
Chef Ravi's cuisine provides for a whole culinary journey that will leave Heritage Resorts' guests totally thrilled!
March 6, 2015 /by evovlh19
http://www.coloursmauritius.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/chateau-de-bel-ombre-gout-de-france.jpg 350 700 evovlh19 http://www.coloursmauritius.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/colours-main-logo.png evovlh192015-03-06 11:49:532020-05-14 07:15:13Good France at the Château de Bel Ombre
Focus, People
Veranda Resorts: a dedicated wedding specialist at your disposal
Tropical wedding on the beach is all soon-to-weds could dream about. Veranda Resorts gives its guests the opportunity to stand in the sand on one of the island's most beautiful beaches while they say "I do", and offers to organise the event from A to Z through the expert services of a wedding planner.
Wedding, renewal of vows, symbolic wedding… Many couples wish to take their vows in an idyllic setting, and with simplified procedures, Mauritius stands as an ideal venue for their dream wedding! Veranda Resorts gives couples the opportunity to celebrate their love in one of its four 3*+ hotels, surrounded by white-powdered beaches and turquoise sea as far as the eye could see… and Véronique Laurent, our dedicated wedding planner, will make their dream come true!
This customer relations expert has acquired significant experience in 5* hotels in Seychelles, before she started focusing on wedding planning at Veranda Resorts. Since February 2014, she has been working on a unique concept for 3*+ hotels in Mauritius: future brides and grooms now receive complete assistance from a dedicated specialist for the organisation of their wedding in one of our four hotels.
Her role is to advise our guests prior to their arrival and help them choose the wedding package that best meets their expectations. They first choose between a classic and a "creole" theme, then decide on optional services available at Veranda Resorts: flowers, make-up, entertainment, food and beverages, photos… Everything is thought out to the smallest detail to fulfill the couple's wishes and make it the best day of their life!
Patient and helpful, Véronique makes it a point to add substantial value to each wedding. Though she believes it is the couple that brings magic and beauty to this precious moment, newly-weds like to think that her outstanding organising skills and creativity does make a difference! From venue decoration to the bride's hairdo, she sees to every detail and makes sure her guests have a hassle-free stay and a wonderful experience on the D-Day.
Everything is thought out to the smallest detail to fulfill the couple's wishes and make it the best day of their life!
Veranda Grand Baie, Veranda Pointe aux Biches and Veranda Paul & Virginie ('adults only' hotel since the 1st November) are located on the most beautiful beaches of the North coast, while Veranda Palmar Beach faces the splendid Eastern lagoon. Each of the four Veranda Resorts hotels offers a unique backdrop for fabulous wedding celebrations.
Véronique Laurent
E: veronique.laurent@vlh.mu
December 4, 2014 /by evovlh19
http://www.coloursmauritius.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/mauritius-tropical-wedding-on-the-beach.jpg 339 600 evovlh19 http://www.coloursmauritius.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/colours-main-logo.png evovlh192014-12-04 07:19:452020-05-14 07:15:31Veranda Resorts: a dedicated wedding specialist at your disposal
Change of Direction at Veranda Grand Baie and Veranda Paul & Virginie Hotels
In early June, we were pleased to welcome a new associate: Vikash Dawoo has taken up as Veranda Grand Baie's Manager, after Jennifer Wong's appointment at Veranda Paul & Virginie, where she had previously worked for 10 years. Meet two managers and diligent ambassadors of VLH's values.
Vikash has been working in the hospitality sector for 25 years. He was Food & Beverages Manager at the Mauritian hotel, Le Méridien (Starwood Hotels), then Executive Assistant Manager at the Grand Sukhumvit Hotel (Accor Hotels) in Bangkok. During his three-year term in this prestigious Thai hotel, he assumed the role of Acting General Manager for 5 months.
Vikash joined VLH group as Veranda Grand Baie's Manager on the 2nd of June. He brings in the rich experience and knowledge he acquired in the two above-mentioned world-class hotel groups. As a seasoned manager, he has an accurate vision of his goals. His priority: 100% client satisfaction.
Jennifer Wong is back at Veranda Paul & Virginie
Veranda Paul & Virginie Hotel – Mauritius
Vikash Dawoo is replacing Jennifer Wong, a familiar figure at VLH. She is back at Veranda Paul & Virginie, where she previously spent 10 years.
"It's a life-learning experience", says Jennifer about working for VLH. "We have all the necessary ingredients at hand to provide our customers with the best possible service." She actually makes it a point to meet people where they are.
Jennifer is one of the few women in Mauritius to act as Hotel Manager. Her objectives are to align with the targeted clients' changing and more sophisticated expectations. Being close to the hotel guests, she intends to make Veranda Paul & Virginie the reference hotel for romantic getaways.
There is a good chance she will succeed as she can count on a solid and motivated team and on the VLH expertise. A very creative and detail-oriented person, she undoubtedly has the necessary skills to achieve her goals.
Recent staff changes in the Veranda Hotels are in line with VLH's prevailing trend of anticipating clients' new needs in respect to the latest drastic shift in the hospitality industry.
July 18, 2014 /1 Comment/by evovlh19
http://www.coloursmauritius.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/veranda-grand-baie-hotel-mauritius.jpg 350 700 evovlh19 http://www.coloursmauritius.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/colours-main-logo.png evovlh192014-07-18 08:27:182020-05-14 07:15:52Change of Direction at Veranda Grand Baie and Veranda Paul & Virginie Hotels

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\section{Introduction}

High-index silicon surfaces are of interest not only from a
fundamental point of view, but also as potential substrates for
electronic device fabrication. The reconstructed
Si(331)-(12$\times$1) surface is of particular importance since it
is the only confirmed planar silicon surface with a stable
reconstruction located between the (111) and (110) directions. Due
to its large unit cell and its pronounced structural anisotropy it
represents a promising template for the growth of low-dimensional
heteroepitaxial nanostructures such as quantum dots and nanowires. \cite{Battaglia08c}\\
Since its discovery more than 17 years ago \cite{Wei91} several
structural models containing dimers and adatoms as elementary
structural building blocks have been proposed.
\cite{Olshanetsky98,Gai01} We recently revealed the presence of an
additional building block on the Si(331)-(12$\times$1) surface.
\cite{Battaglia08} Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) we were
able to resolve for the first time rows of pentagon pairs running
across the Si(331) surface.
Very similar pentagons were observed earlier on the reconstructed
Si(110) and Ge(110) surfaces. \cite{An00,Ichikawa95,Gai98} Inspired
by structural elements encountered on Si(113) and Ge(113) surfaces,
\cite{Dabrowski95,Laracuente98,Stekolnikov03} An \textit{et al.}
\cite{An00} have proposed an adatom-tetramer-interstitial (ATI)
model for the Si(110)-(16$\times$2) reconstruction containing
silicon pentamers as building blocks which explain the pentagons
observed in STM images. The stability of the ATI model has
subsequently been tested theoretically by means of first-principles
total energy calculations. \cite{Stekolnikov04,Stekolnikov04b}
 Based on a detailed
analysis of our experimental results and a comparison between the
 Si(110) and Si(331) surface, we proposed a new
structural model for the Si(331)-(12$\times$1) reconstruction
containing silicon pentamers as essential building blocks.\cite{Battaglia08} \\
In order to account for the pentagons observed in our STM images,
the model contains two pentamers per (12$\times$1) unit cell, which
saturate a certain number of energetically unfavorable dangling
bonds of the bulk-truncated Si(331) surface. Some of the remaining
dangling bonds are saturated by simple adatoms. The pentamer
positions and bonding configurations were determined exclusively
using experimental information and by comparing Si(331) to Si(110)
as discussed in detail in Ref.~\onlinecite{Battaglia08}. Although
the available body of experimental results allows to narrow down the
location of the adatoms, currently we do not have sufficient
evidence to precisely determine the adatom positions on the surface
solely based on information derived from experiment. In this paper
we use first-principles total energy calculations to determine the
precise adatom positions by finding the lowest energy configuration
among various alternative adatom configurations.\\
The paper is organized as follows: After briefly reviewing the
methods used for the calculations, we focus on the bulk-truncated
Si(331) surface and compare its energetics to other silicon
surfaces, which are known to be stabilized by surface
reconstructions. In a second step pentamers are introduced and the
consequences on the total energy are discussed. Then we consider a
variety of candidate adatom configurations and determine the one
with the lowest energy. At the end we discuss the impact of the
remaining dangling bonds on the total energy.  \\

\begin{table*}[ht]
\caption{\label{tab:SurfaceEnergiesBT}Surface energies for unrelaxed
bulk-truncated surfaces of various orientations. The numbers in
parenthesis give the number of surface atoms and dangling bonds per
(1$\times$1) unit cell respectively.}
\begin{ruledtabular}
\begin{tabular}{rrrrr}
Surface & Surface atom & Dangling bond &   Estimated surface & Calculated surface\\
 orientation &    density (\AA$^{-2}$) & density (\AA$^{-2}$)&energy (meV/\AA$^2$) & energy (meV/\AA$^2$) \\
\hline
(111) &0.078 (1)&0.078 (1)&  90.1&113.6\cite{Stekolnikov02} \\
(100) &0.068 (1)&0.136 (2)& 155.9&149.2\cite{Stekolnikov02} \\
(113) &0.082 (2)&0.123 (3)& 141.0&137.9\cite{Stekolnikov03b} \\
(110) &0.096 (2)&0.096 (2)&  110.3&127.3\cite{Stekolnikov02} \\
(331) &0.093 (3)&0.093 (3)&  107.3&127.2     \footnotemark[1]
\end{tabular}
\end{ruledtabular}
\footnotetext[1]{this work}
\end{table*}

\section{Theory}
\subsection{Computational details}

Our results are based on first-principles calculations within
density-functional theory (DFT), \cite{Hoh64,Koh65} using the
local-density approximation (LDA) for the exchange-correlation
functional. \cite{Per81,Cep80} We adopt a plane-wave basis set and
norm-conserving pseudopotentials, as implemented in the PWSCF code
of the QUANTUM-ESPRESSO suite. \cite{PWscf}  Pseudopotentials for
silicon
and hydrogen are choosen in the von Barth style. \cite{CarUn,Cor93}\\
The Si(331) surface was simulated by means of an atomic slab and a
repeated supercell, in order to recover a three-dimensional
periodicity. The slab thickness corresponds to 10 silicon double
layers (DLs), and the periodic images are separated by 9.4 \AA$\;$
of vacuum. Since each bulk DL contains 24 silicon atoms, our
supercell counts 240 silicon atoms plus a number of silicon atoms at
the top surface (varying from 0 to 14 depending on the specific
reconstruction). The bottom surface of the slab is
hydrogen-passivated (with 36 hydrogen atoms).\\
Since we are interested in small energy differences, we adopt strict
convergence criteria with respect to both the kinetic-energy cutoff
and the sampling of the surface Brillouin zone. In particular, the
inclusion of plane waves up to 544 eV (40 Ry) and the use of a $xy$
shifted 3$\times$4$\times$1 Monkhorst-Pack grid \cite{Mon76} for the
{\bf k} point sampling allowed us to ideally compute total energy
differences with
 an accuracy of the order of 15 meV/supercell. By taking into account
 the fact that our relaxed structures still show small residual forces
 (see below),  we estimate our numerical accuracy on calculated surface
 energies to be better than  0.1 meV/\AA$^2$. All structures were optimized till the largest
residual force on the
mobile atoms was less than 0.026 eV/\AA$\;$ (0.001 Ry/Bohr).\\
The hydrogen atom positions were determined in a first run by
optimizing them on a bulk-terminated slab with fixed bulk-like
positions for silicon atoms, with top and bottom surfaces saturated
by hydrogen. In all the following calculations we have taken
hydrogen atomic positions at the bottom surface as fixed. In a
second step, we inspected the decay of forces in the direction
perpendicular to the surface, for a slab containing a non-relaxed
surface reconstruction. A nearly force-free bulk region is reached
after the five topmost DLs. Thus, only the topmost five bulk silicon
DL were allowed to relax together with the surface (reconstruction)
atoms, where the inner DLs have been kept fixed. All results
presented below are based on a slab relaxed in this way.

\subsection{Determination of the surface energy}

The surface energy $E_{\rm surf}$  of a double-sided symmetric slab
containing $N_{\rm Si}$ silicon atoms can be written as
\cite{Stekolnikov02}
\begin{eqnarray}
  E_{\rm surf} = \frac{1}{2} (E_{\rm tot}(N_{\rm Si})-\mu_{\rm Si} N_{\rm Si}) \quad ,
\end{eqnarray}
where $\mu_{\rm Si}$ is the chemical potential of silicon, being
simply the bulk energy per atom at zero temperature. This value can
be obtained from a simple bulk silicon calculation. $E_{\rm
tot}(N_{\rm Si})$ is the total energy of the slab. The factor of 2
comes from the fact that there are two identical surfaces. For a
non-symmetric slab for which only the bottom surface is saturated by
hydrogen atoms, we have
\begin{eqnarray}
  E_{\rm surf} + E^{\rm H}_{\rm surf} =
E_{\rm tot}(N_{\rm Si}, N_{\rm H})-\mu_{\rm Si} N_{\rm Si} -
\mu_{\rm H} N_{\rm H}
\end{eqnarray}
Here, $E^{\rm H}_{\rm surf}$ is the surface energy of the hydrogen
saturated surface, $\mu_{\rm H}$ is the chemical potential for the
hydrogen atoms, and $E_{\rm tot}(N_{\rm Si}, N_{\rm H})$ is the
total energy of the slab whose bottom surface is saturated by
$N_{\rm H}$ hydrogen atoms. Therefore, we have
\begin{eqnarray}
  E_{\rm surf} =
  E_{\rm tot}(N_{\rm Si}, N_{\rm H})-\mu_{\rm Si} N_{\rm Si} - \mu_{\rm H} N_{\rm H}
  - E^{\rm H}_{\rm surf} \quad .
\end{eqnarray}

In order to avoid the determination of $\mu_{\rm H}$, we consider
the following: The total energy of the slab can be written as
\begin{eqnarray}
  E_{\rm tot}(N_{\rm Si}, N_{\rm H}) = \frac{1}{2} E_{\rm tot}^{\rm H}
              + \frac{1}{2} E_{\rm tot}
\end{eqnarray}
where $E_{\rm tot}^{\rm H}$ is the total energy of a symmetric
hydrogen saturated slab and $E_{\rm tot}$ is the total energy of a
symmetric slab containing the surface reconstruction. The value
$E_{\rm tot}^{\rm H}$ has been calculated in the preliminary run
used for the determination of the hydrogen positions. The surface
energy (per unit area) for the top surface carrying the surface
reconstruction can then be determined using
\begin{eqnarray}
\gamma=  E_{\rm surf}/A
  =\big( E_{\rm tot}(N_{\rm Si}, N_{\rm H})  - \frac{1}{2} E_{\rm tot}^{\rm H}
    - \tilde{N}_{\rm Si}\mu_{\rm Si}\big)/A
\end{eqnarray}
where $\tilde{N}_{\rm Si}$ is the number of silicon atoms in the
upper half slab and $A$ the surface area of the slab.

\section{Results and discussion}

\begin{figure}[b]
\centering
\includegraphics{Fig1b.eps}%
\caption{\label{Fig1}(Color online) Side (a)/(c) and top view
(b)/(d) of the unrelaxed bulk-truncated Si(331)-(12$\times$1)
surface unit cell/unrelaxed 'pentamers only' model. The bulk
directions are given. In (b)/(d) only the topmost atoms contained
within the rectangle in (a)/(c) are shown. Subsurface atoms are
shown in grey, undercoordinated surface atoms in black, pentamer
atoms in red. In (a) the Si(111) and Si(110) terraces composing the
Si(331) surface are indicated. In (b) the (1$\times$1) and
(12$\times$1) surface unit cell vectors $\mathbf{a_1}$,
$\mathbf{a_2}$ and $\mathbf{A_1}$, $\mathbf{A_2}$ respectively are
also drawn. The orientation of the glide plane is indicated by a
dashed line. In (b) the four different types of adatom adsorption
sites $T_4$, $H_3$, $A_3$ and $A'_3$ are represented by markers. In
(d) the 2$\times$12 possible adatom positions after introduction of
the two pentamers are shown.}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Bulk-truncated surface}

In order to define an energy reference for the following discussion
we have determined the surface energy for the unrelaxed
bulk-truncated Si(331) surface shown in Fig.~\ref{Fig1}(a) and (b).
The value of 127.2 meV/\AA$^2$ may be compared in
Tab.~\ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesBT} with the values for
other surface orientations.\\
The surface energy of a bulk-truncated surface can be estimated from
the cohesive energy of silicon, which is $E_c=4.6$ eV per atom.
\cite{Farid91} The cohesive energy of a solid is the energy per atom
required to break the atoms of the solid into isolated atomic
species. Since a bond is formed by two atoms and each silicon atom
makes four bonds, the energy required to break a bond is half the
cohesive energy, i.e. $E_b=2.3$ eV per bond. \cite{Harrison80} The
surface energy $\gamma$ can now be estimated by multiplying the bond
energy $E_b$ by the density of broken bonds $n$. \cite{Dabrowski00}
The latter is the number of dangling bonds $N$ per surface area $A$,
$n=N/A$. Thus $\gamma= N E_b/2A= n E_b/2$. The factor of 2 takes
into account that two
surfaces are created.\\
Note that the dangling bond density $n$ is not necessarily equal to
the surface atom density (see values in parenthesis in
Tab.~\ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesBT}). This is due to the fact that a
surface atom may either carry one or two dangling bonds. (111)-like
surface atoms carry a single dangling bond, whereas (100)-like
surface atoms carry two dangling bonds (see Fig. 3(a) and 2(a)
respectively in Ref.~\onlinecite{Battaglia08b}). On the (113)
surface, both types of surface atoms coexists, whereas on the (110)
and the (331) surface only (111)-type surface atoms occur (see Fig.
5(a), 6(a) and 7(a)
respectively in Ref.~\onlinecite{Battaglia08b}).\\
In Tab.~\ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesBT} we summarize estimated and
calculated surface energies of unrelaxed bulk-truncated surfaces for
a series of surface orientations. Although the simple estimate based
on the cohesive energy fails to precisely reproduce the values
determined with the help of first-principles methods, it correctly
reproduces the energy ordering of the various surfaces. The
estimated values tend to underestimate the surface energy for
surfaces containing only (111)-type surface atoms, whereas they
overestimate the surface energy for surfaces with (100)-type surface
atoms. For Si(113), which contains both types of surface atoms,
these two tendencies compensate resulting in the best agreement
between estimated and
calculated value.\\
From the theoretical point of view, the most stable surface is the
one with the lowest surface energy. Consequently only structural
models for the reconstructed surface with a surface energy lower
than the bulk-truncated surface must be considered. Allowing the
bulk-truncated surface to relax and determining the corresponding
surface energy, we obtain an even more stringent condition on the
surface energy for any valid candidate model. The relaxed structure
of the bulk-truncated Si(331) surface is shown in
Fig.~\ref{Fig2}(a). Note that although the relaxation was performed
within the (12$\times$1) supercell, it did not break the
(1$\times$1) periodicity within our numerical accuracy. The surface
energy for the relaxed bulk-truncated surface is given in
Tab.~\ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesComp} along with the surface energies
for other structures for the Si(331) and Si(110) surface discussed
hereafter. Relaxation of the bulk-truncated Si(331) surface within
the (12$\times$1) unit cell results in a reduction of the surface
energy of 16.3 meV/\AA$^2$, a value to be compared with the
corresponding value of 21.2 meV/\AA$^2$ for Si(110) obtained by
Stekolnikov \textit{et al.} \cite{Stekolnikov04b} via relaxation of
the bulk-truncated Si(110) surface within the (16$\times$2) cell.

\subsection{Pentamers}

\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics{Fig2.eps}%
\caption{\label{Fig2}(Color online) (a) Top view of the relaxed
bulk-truncated Si(331)-(12$\times$1) surface. (b) Top view of the
relaxed 'pentamers only' model. (c)-(j) Various candidate adatom
configurations of the adatom-pentamer model. The surface energy
$\gamma$ for each model is given in units of meV/\AA$^2$. }
\end{figure}

\begin{table}[t]
\caption{\label{tab:SurfaceEnergiesComp}Comparison between the
surface energies of various surface structures of Si(331) and
Si(110) }
\begin{ruledtabular}
\begin{tabular}{lll}
        &  \multicolumn{2}{l}{Surface energy (meV/\AA$^2$)} \\
Structure  & Si(331)& Si(110) \\
 \hline
bulk-truncated   & 127.2\footnotemark[1]  & 127.3\cite{Stekolnikov02} \\
bulk-truncated relaxed    & 110.9\footnotemark[1] & 106.1\cite{Stekolnikov04b,Stekolnikov02} \\
pentamers only   &  114.9\footnotemark[1]  & 108.6\cite{Stekolnikov04b,Stekolnikov02}\\
adatoms and pentamers   & 107.9\footnotemark[1]&
103.8\cite{Stekolnikov04b,Stekolnikov02}
\end{tabular}
\end{ruledtabular}
   \footnotetext[1]{this work}
\end{table}

The bulk-truncated Si(331) surface consists of alternating single
and double rows of undercoordinated surface atoms running along the
$[\bar{1}10]$ direction (black atoms in Fig.~\ref{Fig1}(a) and (b)).
Each of the 36 (111)-type surface atoms per (12$\times$1) unit cell
carries one dangling bond, which
renders the unreconstructed structure energetically unfavorable.\\
In our model, 10 out of the 36 dangling bonds are saturated by two
silicon pentamers observed as pentagons in STM images. Their
integration onto the bulk-truncated Si(331) surface was discussed in
detail in Ref.~\onlinecite{Battaglia08}. It is important to note
that the bulk-truncated Si(331) surface may be viewed as a highly
stepped surface consisting of small alternating Si(111) and Si(110)
terraces (see Fig.~\ref{Fig1}(a)). This allows to anchor the
pentamers on the Si(331) surface in exactly the same local binding
configuration as on the Si(110) surface, where pentamers are also
observed. Introducing two pentamers per unit cell as shown in
Fig.~\ref{Fig1}(c) and (d) reduces the number of dangling bonds from
36 to 26 and lowers the surface energy (for the corresponding
relaxed model shown in Fig.~\ref{Fig2}(b)) by 12.3 meV/\AA$^2$ with
respect to the unrelaxed bulk-truncated surface (see
Tab.~\ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesComp}). This value is comparable with
the reduction of 18.7 meV/\AA$^2$ obtained when introducing four
pentamers onto the Si(110)-(16$\times$2) surface (corresponding to
the tetramer-interstitial (TI) model in
Ref.~\onlinecite{Stekolnikov04b}, note that in the TI model the step
is already included into the unit cell accounting for 1.0
meV/\AA$^2$ energy reduction). However, the 'pentamers only' models
for both, Si(331) and Si(110), are not stable structures, since the
relaxed bulk-truncated surface for both surfaces possesses a lower
surface energy. This is not surprising, since the introduction of
pentamers suggested by STM images, leaves a lot of dangling bonds
unsaturated. So an additional building block is required to
stabilize the structures containing pentamers.

\subsection{Adatoms}

In the ATI model for Si(110)-(16$\times$2), the pentamer structure
is stabilized by adatoms. Among the various elementary structural
building blocks observed in silicon surface reconstructions (see
Ref.~\onlinecite{Battaglia08b} for a review), adatoms impose
themselves also as the best choice for Si(331) to saturate some of
the remaining 26 dangling bonds for the following two reasons:
Firstly, as mentioned before, the bulk-truncated Si(331) surface may
be viewed as being composed of small alternating (110) and (111)
terraces. Since adatoms are observed on both the Si(110) and the
Si(111) surface, the Si(331) consequently provides exactly the same
local environment for adatoms as on Si(110) and Si(111). Secondly
adatoms allow to explain the additional protrusions seen in STM
images, which can not be attributed to the
pentamer atoms. \cite{Battaglia08}\\
An adatom requires three unsaturated surface atoms to be attached
to. On the (111) terraces of the Si(331) surface, adatoms may occupy
two possible sites indicated in Fig.~\ref{Fig1}(b). These geometries
are distinguished as hollow ($H_3$) and atop ($T_4$) sites depending
on whether the substrate atoms below the adatom is found in the
fourth or second layer. In $H_3$ sites the adatom is three-fold
coordinated, in $T_4$ sites the adatom is approximately four-fold
coordinated due to the substrate atom directly below in the second
layer.\\
On the (110) terraces of the Si(331) surface, we can also
distinguish between two different three-fold coordinated adsorption
sites depending on their orientation labeled $A_3$ and $A'_3$ in
Fig.~\ref{Fig1}(b). Note that on the bulk-truncated (110) surface
these two sites become equivalent due to the mirror symmetry
of the (110) surface along the $[\bar{1}10]$ direction (not shown).\\
Careful inspection of Fig.~\ref{Fig1}(d) shows that after
introducing two pentamers per unit cell there are exactly
2$\times$12 possible positions for placing adatoms, the factor of 2
is due to the glide plane symmetry along the $[\bar{1}\bar{1}{6}]$
direction (dashed line in Fig.~\ref{Fig1}(d)). Out of the
2$\times$12 candidate adsorption sites, we identify 2$\times$3 $T_4$
sites, 2$\times$4 $H_3$ sites, 2$\times$3 $A_3$ sites and 2$\times$2
$A'_3$ sites. This however does not imply that a maximum of 24
adatoms can be placed on the surface. The reason for this is as
follows. After placing a first adatom on the surface, some
surrounding candidate sites can not be occupied by an adatom
anymore, since they shared the same dangling bond with the now
occupied site, whose
adatom saturates this dangling bond.\\
A first pair of adatoms must be placed between two successive
pentamers, in order to account for the clear protrusions seen in STM
images. \cite{Battaglia08} Due to the glide plane symmetry adatoms
must always occur in pairs. There are only three candidate sites for
this first adatom: a $T_4$ site (Fig.~\ref{Fig2}(c)), a $H_3$ site
(Fig.~\ref{Fig2}(d)) and a $A_3$ site (Fig.~\ref{Fig2}(e)). Using
first-principles calculations we have tested these three possible
adatom configurations and found that the $T_4$ site is the most
stable of the three (surface energies for each model are also given
in Fig.~\ref{Fig2}). This is not surprising, since $T_4$ sites are
commonly favored over the $H_3$ sites on (111) surfaces such as in
the Si(111)-(7$\times$7) reconstruction and the
Ge(111)-c(2$\times$8) reconstruction (see
Ref.~\onlinecite{Battaglia08b} for a review of their structural
models). In addition the $T_4$ adatom position reproduces best the
protrusion observed by STM between two successive pentagons. \cite{Battaglia08}\\
Consequently, in order to reduce the large number of potential
candidate adatom configurations to a computationally manageable
number of models, we have restricted our further investigations to
the subset of models containing the $T_4$ adatom pair. In a second
step we have investigated \emph{all} possible remaining positions
for a second pair of adatoms. There are exactly five candidate
configurations to be considered (shown in Fig.~\ref{Fig2}(f)-(j)).
Using first-principles calculations we find that a $A_3$ adatom
position (configuration T4e) gives the most stable configuration.
The position of the $A_3$ adatom pair is also in agreement with
light protrusions seen in STM images \cite{Battaglia08}. After
placing this $A_3$ adatom pair there is no more
candidate site left on which one could place an additional adatom.\\
As discussed before, the introduction of two pentamers is not
sufficient to obtain a lower surface energy than for the relaxed
bulk-truncated surface. Inspection of
Tab.~\ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesComp} shows that adding adatoms to the
pentamers allows to sufficiently lower the surface energy to render
the reconstructed surface more stable than the relaxed
bulk-truncated surface, for both the Si(331) and the Si(110)
surfaces (reduction of surface energy by 7.0 meV/\AA$^2$ and 4.8
meV/\AA$^2$ respectively with respect to the 'pentamers only'
models).

\begin{table}[t]
\caption{\label{tab:SurfaceEnergiesRec}Surface energies for silicon
surface reconstructions }
\begin{ruledtabular}
\begin{tabular}{lc}
Reconstruction &  Surface energy  \\
   & (meV/\AA$^2$) \\
\hline
Si(111)-(7$\times$7) &  84.9\cite{Stekolnikov02}                     \\
Si(100)-c(4$\times$2)&  88.0\cite{Stekolnikov02}                      \\
Si(113)-(3$\times$2) &
87.9\cite{GaalNagy07}/87.4\cite{Stekolnikov02}  \\
Si(110)-(16$\times$2)& 103.8\cite{Stekolnikov04b,Stekolnikov02}                      \\
Si(331)-(12$\times$1)& 106.4\footnotemark[1] \\
\end{tabular}
\end{ruledtabular}
   \footnotetext[1]{this work}
\end{table}

\subsection{Rest atoms}

Introducing two $T_4$ and two $A_3$ adatoms per unit cell into our
structural model for the Si(331)-(12$\times$1) reconstruction
further reduces the number of dangling bonds from 26 to 14 (10 of
the 36 dangling bonds are saturated by the pentamers, introducing 4
adatoms further eliminates 4$\times$3 dangling bonds (here we do not
count the dangling bond carried by each adatom)). The remaining 14
surface atoms, which still carry a
dangling bond, are so called rest atoms (black atoms in Fig. \ref{Fig2}(i)).\\
Rest atoms are common structural building blocks accompanying
adatoms. The adatom model for the Ge(111)-c(2$\times$8)
reconstruction is built from four adatoms and four rest atoms. For
this case, we have an ideal one-to-one correspondence between
adatoms and rest atoms. Each adatom delivers one electron from its
dangling bond to fill the dangling bond of the rest atom resulting
in a further decrease of the surface energy. In contrast, in the
famous dimer-adatom-stacking fault (DAS) model of the
Si(111)-(7$\times$7) reconstruction, there are 12 adatoms, but only
6 rest atoms plus the corner hole atom, which behaves similarly to a
rest atom. In this case, using a simple ionic picture, we have 7
electrons which are transferred from the adatoms into the rest atom
plus corner hole atom states, but five electrons remain in the
adatoms bands. For the ATI model of the Si(110)-(16$\times$2)
reconstruction, there are 8 adatoms and 12 rest atoms. So even when
transferring the 8 electrons from the adatoms to the rest atoms,
only a fraction of the rest atoms may saturate their dangling bonds.
Similarly in our model, with four adatoms and 14 rest atoms, we
expect some remaining unsaturated rest atoms.\\
The unequal adatom:rest atom ratio between the ATI model (8:12=0.67)
of Si(110) and our model (4:14=0.29) of Si(331) might on the first
view explain why the ATI model exhibits a slightly lower surface
energy than our model (energy difference 4.1 meV/\AA$^2$, see
Tab.~\ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesComp}). Reinspection of
Tab.~\ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesComp} however reveals that this energy
difference between Si(331) and Si(110), whose corresponding
unrelaxed bulk-truncated surfaces have almost the same energy
(energy difference only 0.1 meV/\AA$^2$), is already present for the
respective 'pentamers only' models (energy difference between
'pentamers only' models 6.3 meV/\AA$^2$). It is also interesting to
note that the introduction of the adatoms leads to a larger
reduction of the surface energy for Si(331) (7.0 meV/\AA$^2$) than
for Si(110) (4.8 meV/\AA$^2$) with respect to the
'pentamers only' models.\\
Introducing hypothetically an additional adatom pair into our model
for Si(331) would improve its adatom:rest atom ratio from 4:14=0.29
to 6:8=0.75. The introduction of the first pair of adatoms ($T_4$)
accounts for a reduction of 3.1 meV/\AA$^2$ of the surface energy.
Adding a second pair of adatoms ($A_3$) to the first pair allowed to
reduce the surface energy by 3.9 meV/\AA$^2$. Following this
tendency, by assuming an energy gain of 3-4 meV/\AA$^2$ for the
introduction of a hypothetical third pair of adatoms into our model,
suggests that the surface energy of Si(331) comes to lie close to
the value determined for Si(110) by Stekolnikov \textit{et al.}
\cite{Stekolnikov04b}. However, note that the rest atom geometry of
T4e does not allow the introduction of an additional adatom pair.
When considering the subset of T4x models (with x=a-e), only
configurations T4a and T4b admit a pair of free adatom sites,
resulting in configuration T4a+b. But this configuration was
discarded because it is not compatible with the experimental
STM images. \cite{Battaglia08} \\
Several more three adatom pair configurations are possible when
studying H3x (8/7 possible two/three adatom pair configurations) or
A3x configurations (5/1 possible two/three adatom pair
configurations). Even more possibilities may exist when allowing the
placement of the first adatom pair on a different site. Here we
focused on the family of T4x models, whose selection was motivated
and justified in section C. Before testing other potential
configurations, further experimental hints on the position of the
adatoms from complementary experimental techniques are necessary to
assist in the search for the lowest energy configuration.
\\
When compared to the surface energies of reconstructions on surfaces
with other orientations listed in Tab. \ref{tab:SurfaceEnergiesRec},
the models for the Si(110)-(16$\times$2) and the
Si(331)-(12$\times$1) reconstruction have surface energies which are
of the order of 20 meV/\AA$^2$ higher than the surface energies for
Si(111)-(7$\times$7), Si(100)-c(4$\times$2) and
Si(113)-(3$\times$2). As it was already mentioned by Stekolnikov
\textit{et al.} \cite{Stekolnikov04b} in the context of the ATI
model for Si(110)-(16$\times$2), a completely new, more complex
reconstruction model cannot be excluded. Nevertheless, the advantage
of our method for developing a structural model for
Si(331)-(12$\times$1) consists here in integrating elementary
structural building blocks such as pentamers and adatoms identified
on the (110) and (111) silicon surfaces \cite{Battaglia08b} onto the
bulk-truncated Si(331) surface. The consistency of the pentamer
building block with all currently available experimental data on
Si(331)-(12$\times$1), but also on Si(110)-(16$\times$2), represents
further indirect evidence in favor of the two structural models. It
should be noted, that our model for Si(331) is far from a simple
extension of the Si(110) surface to its vicinals. The pentagons on
Si(110) (see Fig. 6 in Ref.~\onlinecite{Battaglia08b}) are arranged
in pairs pointing in opposite directions, whereas on Si(331) pairs
point in the same direction. Also the direction of the double
pentagon rows appears to be completely unrelated between the two
surfaces. Using pentamers and adatoms we succeeded in combining
these seemingly
conflicting experimental observations in a coherent picture.\\

\section{Summary and conclusions}

Using first-principles density-functional theory we studied the
stability of the structural model for the Si(331)-(12$\times$1)
surface reconstruction, which we recently proposed. In particular we
determined the energetically most favorable adatom configuration
among a variety of candidate structures. We find that a
configuration with a pair of $T_4$ adatoms and a second pair of
$A_3$ adatoms results in the lowest energy. We also discussed the
implications of the rest atoms on the energy and compared our model
to other silicon surface reconstructions.

\section*{Acknowledgments}

Stimulating discussions with Claude Monney, Cl\'{e}ment Didiot, Eike
Schwier, Nicolas Mariotti, and Michael Gunnar Garnier are gratefully
acknowledged. Skillfull technical assistance was provided by our
workshop and electric engineering team. This work was supported by
the Fonds National Suisse pour la Recherche Scientifique through
Div. II and the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research
MaNEP. We acknowledge support by the European Community through the
"Nanoquanta  NoE" and "ETSF-I3" projects (NMP4-CT-2004-500198 and
Grant  Agreement n. 211956) for the theoretical results, which are
an outcome of the ETSF User Project n. 94.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
FYI: HILLARY CLINTON: GLOBAL LGBT ADVOCATE
From:bstrider@americanbridge.org To: ctrfriendsfamily@americanbridge.org Date: 2014-08-18 17:29 Subject: FYI: HILLARY CLINTON: GLOBAL LGBT ADVOCATE
Below and Attached: HILLARY CLINTON: GLOBAL LGBT ADVOCATE Secretary Clinton championed the cause of gay rights around the world. In recognition of International Human Rights Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton loudly and proudly declared gay rights are human rights. Her commitment to advancing the rights of LGBT individuals around the world produced the first ever UN resolution on LGBT rights. Across the globe Sec. Clinton condemned the discrimination and violenceenacted on the LGBT community and denounced criminalizing homosexuality. "When Hillary Clinton gave that speech in front of the Human Rights Council in Geneva and said five simple words, 'Gay rights are human rights,' she transformed the debate. And standing here with Robyn, I want to build on that legacy, because LGBT rights are human rights, and human rights are LGBT rights." -Secretary of State John Kerry, 6/19/14 Championed Gay Rights as Human Rights Around the World MADE LGBT RIGHTS A PART OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY Sec. Clinton directed the State Department to "champion a comprehensive human rights agenda" that included protection of LGBT human rights. "Human rights are inalienable and belong to every person, no matter who that person is or whom that person loves. Since January 2009, Secretary Clinton has directed the Department to champion a comprehensive human rights agenda — one that includes the protection of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The Department uses its full range of diplomatic and development tools to press for the elimination of violence and discrimination against LGBT people worldwide, particularly those forced to flee their homes or countries." [State Dept. Fact Sheet: Promoting Human Rights of LGBT People, 12/6/11] Sec. Clinton made the promotion of equality for gay people a core value of U.S. foreign policy. According to the Miami Herald's world affairs columnist and former CNN producer and correspondent Frida Ghitis, "As Hillary Clinton makes a whirlwind round of appearances in her last days as secretary of state, one groundbreaking aspect of her work deserves a moment in the spotlight: In a bold departure with tradition, Clinton made the promotion of equality for gay people a core value of U.S. foreign policy. That is a transformative change, one that advances the cause of human rights around the world -- not just for gays and lesbians, but for everyone." [Frida Ghitis, CNN, 2/8/13] Sec. Clinton declared that "gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights" to the international community. According to Sec. Clinton's remarks in recognition of International Human Rights Day in Geneva, Switzerland, "I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden along with other ministers, ambassadors,excellencies, and UN partners. This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one of the great accomplishments of the last century. […] This recognition did not occur all at once. It evolved over time. And as it did, we understood that we were honoring rights that people always had, rather than creating new or special rights for them. Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights." [Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day, state.gov, 12/6/11] Sec. Clinton secured a policy change for foreign aid appropriation that would "take into account" a country's LGBT human rights record. In her book Hard Choices, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote, "Early the next morning I learned that the White House had finally approved a policy change that we had been discussing. From now on, the United States would take into account the LGBT human rights record of a country when appropriating foreign aid. This kind of policy has a real chance of influencing the actions of other governments." [Hard Choices, pg. 582, 2014] WORKED WITH OTHER NATIONS TO ADVANCE LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS Sec. Clinton launched the Global Equality Fund to support LGBT human rights advocates in partnership with eight countries. According to remarks by State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Acting Assistant Secretary Uzra Zeya, "We regularly engage with and support civil society organizations to ensure our work does no harm and supports long-term change. In December 2011, then-Secretary Clinton launched the Global Equality Fund to support civil society advocates working to strengthen the human rights of LGBT persons. The United States has partnered with eight-like minded governments – France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Denmark – as well several foundations to raise and allocate more than $7 million dollars for projects in over 50 countries." [Uzra Zeya Remarks on Protecting and Promoting LGBT Rights in Europe, state.gov, 10/24/13] Sec. Clinton worked with other countries to pass the "first ever" UN resolution on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. According to Sec. Clinton's statement on the UN Human Rights Council resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity, "Today, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the first ever UN resolution on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. This represents a historic moment to highlight the human rights abuses and violations that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people face around the world based solely on who they are and whom they love. The United States worked with the main sponsor, South Africa, and a number of other countries from many regions of the world to help pass this resolution, including Brazil, Colombia, members of the European Union, and others." [Statement on the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution on Sexual Orientationand Gender Identity, state.gov, 6/17/11] The State Department led efforts to reinsert language on sexual orientation into UN resolution on executions.According to the Department of State's Accomplishments Promoting the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual andTransgender People fact sheet, "In December 2010, the State Department led efforts at the UN General Assembly to reinsert language on sexual orientation into a resolution on extrajudicial, summary, and arbitrary executions, after the language's removal in committee. The amendment was approved by a 93-55 margin." [The Department of State's Accomplishments Promoting the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People, state.gov,12/6/11] Forcefully Condemned LGBT Violence, Discrimination and Criminalization Under Sec. Clinton, the U.S. joined with Colombia and Slovenia in securing passage of a UN Human Rights Council statement on ending violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity. According to Sec. Clinton'sresponse on the UN Human Rights Council statement on ending violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity,"Today, 85 countries from every region of the world joined together in a historic moment to state clearly that human rights apply to everyone, no matter who they are or whom they love. The United States, along with Colombia and Slovenia, took a leading role on this statement along with over 30 cosponsors. Countries around the world participated including many that had never supported such efforts. And we hope that even more countries will step up, sign on to the statement and signal their support for universal human rights." [UN Human Rights Council Statement on Ending Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, state.gov, 3/22/11] Sec. Clinton fought Ugandan efforts to criminalize homosexuality. In a speech on the human rights agenda, SecretaryClinton said, "[T]he example that I used of a piece of legislation in Uganda which would not only criminalize homosexuality but attach the death penalty to it. We have expressed our concerns directly, indirectly, and we will continue to do so. The bill has not gone through the Ugandan legislature, but it has a lot of public support by various groups, including religious leaders in Uganda. And we view it as a very serious potential violation of human rights." [Remarks on the Human Rights Agenda for the 21st Century, state.gov, 12/14/09] Sec. Clinton: In many places in the world "violence against gays and lesbians – certainly discrimination and prejudice – are not just occurring, but condoned and protected." According to Sec. Clinton's remarks at a Europeantown hall, "Human rights is and will always be one of the pillars of our foreign policy, and in particular the persecution and discrimination against gays and lesbians is something that we take very seriously. It is terribly unfortunate…that right now in unfortunately many places in the world, violence against gays and lesbians – certainly discrimination and prejudice – are not just occurring, but condoned and protected. We would hope that over the next few years, we could have some influence in trying to change those attitudes." [Remarks at a European Town Hall, state.gov, 3/6/09] Sec. Clinton: "It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished." According to Sec. Clinton's remarks on International Human Rights Day, "It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished. It is a violation of human rights when lesbian or transgendered women are subjected to so-called corrective rape, or forcibly subjected to hormone treatments, or when people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save their lives. And it is a violation of human rights when life-saving care is withheld from people because they are gay, or equal access to justice is denied to people because they are gay, or public spaces are out of bounds to people because they are gay. No matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we are, we are all equally entitled to our human rights and dignity." [Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day, state.gov, 12/6/11]
2014.08.14.LGBT-State edited.docx
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Download entire raw dataset for all published Podesta Emails here


text:
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Screenshots
By Mike Dunn
Ahhh, Square Enix, another of your sequels seems to have spawned a little sequel of it's own. With as many worlds and characters that the Final Fantasy series has brought about, you have to wonder if maybe they might be better off spinning off into a new brand with the more successful ones. I mean, how long until we see a sequel of a sequel of a sequel? Imagine how confusing the title of THAT game would be!
How about we just take a look at these screens from Final Fantasy XIII-2 instead:
Related Articles: E3, Final Fantasy XIII-2


text:
HomeEventsThe Staves at Black Box Theatre
26th March | 19:30 -
The Staves at Black Box Theatre
The Staves are thrilled to announce a run of live shows for this Autumn in support of their new album 'Good Woman', out now on AtlanticRecords.
Support: Samantha Crain
"We're so excited and thankful to be announcing a UK tour today. It's been a long old year and we can't WAIT to play music in front of people again! We hope to see all your lovely faces there."
Good Woman was written and recorded in a time of severe turmoil for the band, seeing the ending of relationships, the death of their beloved mother and the birth of Emily's first child. Produced by John Congleton, the album stands as a testament to their strength and that of other women, to sisters, mothers and daughters. To love, loss and change. To trying to be a good woman.
26th March 2022 - 26th March 2022
Black Box Theatre
Terryland
Dyke Rd,
Terryland,
€24/26
Book Tickets Website +35391586540 Email Map View
Explore More Events in Galway...
Galway Theatre Festival
Cúirt International Festival of Literature
Galway Tattoo Show
Tedfest
Baboró International Festival For Children


text:
GOP Presidential Hopefuls in Final New Hampshire Push
By Jim Malone
In U.S. presidential politics, all eyes are on the northeastern state of New Hampshire, where six Republican White House hopefuls are competing in Tuesday?s presidential primary.
New Hampshire follows Iowa as the second test for presidential contenders hoping to win the White House, and five of the six Republican hopefuls are pushing their campaigns hard in the final hours before the vote.
The favorite here is former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who is hoping to build on his narrow first-place showing in the Iowa caucuses with a decisive victory in New Hampshire.
Romney has been campaigning with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is popular with conservative Republicans.
Correspondents Jim Malone and Carolyn Presutti preview the GOP primary voting in New Hampshire
Romney continues to target President Barack Obama more than his Republican rivals, as he did in a recent ABC television debate.
"This election is about the soul of America," he said in Sunday's nationally televised debate. The question is, what is America going to be? And we have in Washington today a president who has put America on the road to decline."
Romney is well ahead in public opinion surveys in New Hampshire, and the real battle among his opponents seems to be for second and third place.
Texas Representative Ron Paul has strong support the Granite State, but he faces a challenge from former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who nearly tied Romney in the Iowa caucuses.
But Paul says he is gaining on the front-runner. "Ron Paul is creeping up on Mitt Romney, and he has a solid second place," he said.
Watch voters in Manchester react at a Ron Paul campaign stop
Another factor is former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. Huntsman has staked his entire campaign on a good showing in New Hampshire and says he hopes to draw support from undecided voters like Karen Heller of Manchester.
"I really, really, really like Huntsman," said Keller. "But I am afraid I am throwing away my vote and I?m hoping today that I can fall in love with Ron Paul."
Heller waited to meet Paul at a restaurant here, but Paul left after greeting only a few voters because his aides said the crush of media waiting for him was a distraction.
Former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich is also looking for a good showing in New Hampshire, after a disappointing finish in Iowa.
Gingrich told NBC television's "Today" program that he would be a better conservative candidate than Mitt Romney.
"A Reagan conservative who is articulate and can debate effectively is much more likely to beat Obama than somebody who can?t defend their record," said the former House Speaker.
Tom DeFrank, a veteran political reporter for the New York Daily News, says early presidential contests in Iowa and New Hampshire play an important role in choosing presidential nominees.
"They give a chance for somebody to jump out of the pack, as Rick Santorum has done," he said.
From here, the presidential campaign heads to South Carolina and Florida. Romney had trouble in the South Carolina primary four years ago and conservatives might try to stop him again by rallying around candidates like Santorum, Gingrich or Texas Governor Rick Perry, who largely bypassed campaigning in New Hampshire.
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New Hampshire state laws allow many unknown candidates - some bizarre and unusual - to enter the primary


text:
۱۳۹۳ شهریور ۴, سه‌شنبه
Free Imprisoned Workers!
During the recent months, the Islamic Republic and Hassan Rouhani's government, have increased pressure on the labor-union activists and the Iranian workers' existing labor-union movement in general.
Since forming of the government and selecting Rabieih as Minster of Labor, a specific and calculated policy is being implemented against the working class and toilers. Rabieih, who was a leading member of the Workers' House organization, affiliated with the government, and as a member of the security forces has a history of fight against workers' syndicates, consistently works toward engineering of the workers' protests and preventing formation of real workers' syndicates, syndicates based on correct class nature. With the assistance of organizations such as the Center for Islamic Labor Council and other fraudulent organizations, the government's and Ministry of Labor's goal on this issue, is control of the workers' labor-union movement and prevention of its becoming an effective force in the struggle against Islamic Republic's social-economical orientation. The Islamic Republic's strategy in the economic fields is completely clear; it is implementation of the privatization and free-market economic programs based on the International Monetary Fund's and the World Bank's prescriptions. Top regime leadership has put restoration of relations with the west, USA and European Union, as its top priority. For that reason, applying pressure on the labor and syndicate movement is implemented as a multi-faceted plan. All Islamic Republic efforts are directed at preventing restoration of the labor-union rights and inhibiting reinforcement and strengthening of the labor-union movement in our country's social and political developments. It is exactly for that reason that workers are being detained, tortured and imprisoned. Labor and syndicate activists are fired from their jobs and are put under immense pressures. In fact the working class and Iran's existing labor-union movement are being prosecuted and oppressed, so that more than ever, the Islamic Republic can strengthen its links with the international capitalism. Iranian workers and labor-union activists, including the imprisoned workers, are victims of the Rouhani government's and Ali Khamaneeih's Resistive-Economic policy of privatization and attracting and drawing of the imperialist monopoly capital. Islamic Republic, with the assistance of its reactionary and sham so called labor organizations, tries to control and manage the increasing workers and toilers' protests against privatization and economic deregulation; and prevent its escalation into a strong, all inclusive and encompassing movement. With implementation of the imperialist organizations', especially the International Monetary Fund's and the World Bank's dictated policies, currently in our country, all workers' obvious labor-union rights are crushed and stepped on. Our country's workers and toilers are denied of the most effective weapon in the labor's struggle, the right to strike, Based on the Islamic Republic laws, the right to organize syndicates, is being crushed and trampled. Privatization and attracting and drawing of the imperialist monopolies, under the label of "flexible market", have caused destruction of the millions or Iranian workers' job security. Expansion of the temporary-contracts, are results of the Islamic Republic's economic policies.
Based on what was indicated, one can understand the reason for oppression, prosecution and engineering of the workers' protest movement. The imprisoned workers, are kept in prison, only and only for their labor-union activities and defending of the workers' rights. With all its ability, the workers' existing labor-union movement, struggles, and has struggled for freedom of the imprisoned workers and labor-union activists. This is a struggle against exploitation and profiteering, against privatization and for securing working class's and toilers' immediate and future interests.