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When Margaret Thatcher became UK prime minister in 1979, one of the first things she did was to launch a pioneering privatization program that won imitators all around the world. The railway system was eventually transferred into private hands in the 1990s. The UK now has a "vertically separated" model, with public-sector body Network Rail managing railway infrastructure such as track and signaling systems, while private-sector companies operate the trains under a franchise regime. Mitsui is currently participating in two UK regional franchises, the West Midlands franchise and the East Anglia franchise.
Half a century of history
Mitsui has decades of experience in the railway business. The company started out exporting Japanese rolling stock in the late 1960s. Now its subsidiary Mitsui Rail Capital owns and leases a fleet of locomotives and railcars in North America, Europe, Russia and Brazil, while Mitsui also operates both cargo and passenger railways in Brazil.
What drew Mitsui to passenger rail in the UK? Two things. First, the transparent and well-managed system under which two or three 10-year franchises are sold off every year. Second, the potential for earning a steady return.
Mitsui first began studying the UK market in mid-2015 when the West Midlands franchise was due to come up for renewal. The franchise covers 900 kilometers of track running from London, the UK's largest city, through Birmingham, the second-largest city, to Liverpool.
The bid team for the West Midlands franchise came together in April 2016. Along with Mitsui, the participants were Abellio, a subsidiary of the Dutch national rail operator which specializes in running rail franchises overseas, and JR-East, Japan's largest railway company which operates 7,450 kilometers of railway networks in Tokyo and eastern Japan. Facing a November 2016 deadline, the bid team had around eight months to draw up its bid. A group of 80 people based in London was sub-divided into multiple smaller teams responsible for creating proposals covering specific issues like timetabling, staffing numbers, rolling-stock upgrades and revenue.
Tried-and-tested solutions for overcrowding
Commuter services in London and Birmingham were already suffering from overcrowding. And with the UK population forecast to grow, albeit modestly, this was a problem that urgently needed to be addressed. The UK Department for Transport (DfT), which is in charge of selecting the franchise operators, was thus particularly eager to hear solutions in this area.
That is why strategies to tackle overcrowding formed the core of our bid. From its experience operating trains in densely populated urban areas, JR-East has unique know-how when it comes to boosting network capacity. For example, it places markers on the platform to get people to line up precisely in front of the train doors in order to speed up embarkation/disembarkation. But such easy-to-implement fixes were only a minor part of our overall proposal. More important was our commitment to invest in new carriages and locomotives. Why? Because newer trains travel faster, wider doors enable passengers to get on and off faster, and smarter seat configurations accommodate more people. Taken together, newer trains mean increased speed, capacity and comfort.
Of course, providing a good train service doesn't end with the trains. The "last one mile"—the way the network connects with other forms of transport like buses, taxis and cars—is also key. Our bid, for example, proposed a significant increase in parking spaces at suburban stations around London and Birmingham for a seamless door-to-door commuting experience.
Fostering team spirit
In August 2017, the Department for Transport informed our team that we had won the bid. We took over the running of the franchise in December that year. The first changes we made were branding-related. With the switchover of the corporate identity from London-Midland to West Midland Trains, staff uniforms needed to be changed and trains repainted. More important was ensuring that the franchise's more than 2,000 staff knew what Abellio, Mitsui and JR-East stand for. We launched a drive to communicate our values to the staff at all 170 West Midlands stations. When the franchise changes hands, staff can feel uncertain. Getting the people who actually operate the trains and stations to understand and implement our vision for an improved service is absolutely crucial.
Inevitably, delivering more concrete service improvements takes time. We have made a start by equipping all passenger-facing staff with networked tablets to provide real-time information to customers. The new rolling stock will start to come on stream in 2021. That is when the new timetable, with more frequent services, will be introduced, and serious change will get under way.
Expansion in railways-and beyond
In parallel with making the existing service better, Mitsui is also keen to offer new peripheral products and services. As part of a company-wide commitment to digital transformation, Mitsui plans to put the power of AI and Big Data to work. With access to journey data, for example, we could provide digital discount coupons for stores and restaurants close to the stations used by West Midlands' 200,000 passengers every day. In addition, car-sharing services and other forms of "mobility as a service" (MAAS) represent another area we are eager to explore. Finally, we already have an alliance with the unit of JR-East that manages commercial station complexes. This kind of property-development expertise may become relevant to the UK if station infrastructure is privatized.
Building on its experience with the West Midlands and the East Anglia franchises, Mitsui is planning to expand further in the UK passenger-rail market. The goal is not just to deliver better train services, but to offer a better total travel experience covering shopping, mobility and digital services. In the long run, we hope to expand from the UK to other regions.
Sho Ishii
Area Manager in Europe Market
Passenger Transport Development Dept.
Transportation Project Div.
Integrated Transportation Systems Business Unit I
The Mozambique LNG Project: An energy resource for the world of tomorrow
Changing Where and How We Work
Tastemade: Cooking up direct links with consumers in the food industry
FULL CHARGE AHEAD:
Assembling an EV value chain for the smart-city era
At the forefront of the energy transition: Bringing solar to the local level
Innovative Operations: Transforming Hospital Care in Asia
Aiming for the Moon: How Mitsui is nurturing high-flying startups
Corporate Development: Making Change Happen from the Inside Out
In the Driving Seat: Auto Components in a Time of Change
Trading Up: Building an energy marketing business from scratch
Knocking It Out of the Park: Japan's Best Baseball Stadium
Fabless is More: Streamlining global smartphone production
Working Together to Feed the World
Fast Track to the Future
Building a port. Building a nation
Transforming business through digital technology
Iron: A key element in all our lives
Helping people thrive and nations grow.
Enriching the Lives of American Seniors
Innovation in Food and Agriculture: Leveraging the combined power of science and a global network
Bringing Japan's best to the world
Building virtual pipelines: how Mitsui connects up the global chemical industry
A Healthy Business Model
Recipe for Success
India goes shopping . . . at home
Wholesome food goes global
The Logic of Investing in Logistics
Changing Places: Cameron LNG export terminal
Strategic Alliance with Vale
Sendai Aquarium: A Sea Change for Japan's Northeast
The Salt of the Earth
Eiji Tomioka
Kei Matsuoka
Prasenjit Adhikari
Kotaro Manabe
Kohei Umeno
Go Mizoguchi
Anna Hiraoka
Jin-Ah Lim
Atsushi Omuro
Rick Neitz / Cathy McCann
Takashi Onogawa
Takahiko Watanabe
Yuji Kubo
Akio Yonezawa
Jun Kawahara
Takayuki Tsuchida
Tatsuo Yasunaga
Masaki Kurita
Tatsutaka Sato
Naoto Mito
Mayumi Watanabe
Yuhei Saito
Koichi Yoshida
Hiroe Nagamatsu
Kenta Saito
Arata Yoshii
Yoshinori Sato
Our business: Services & Products: Mobility Business Unit I
Lightbox Movie


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San Martín de los Herreros es una localidad de la provincia de Palencia (Castilla y León, España) que pertenece al municipio de Cervera de Pisuerga.

Geografía
Está a una distancia de 10 km de Cervera de Pisuerga, la capital municipal, en la comarca de Montaña Palentina.

Demografía
Evolución de la población en el siglo XXI
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Historia

San Martín de los Herreros fue municipio independiente hasta 1974. Ese año pasó a formar parte del municipio de Cervera de Pisuerga.

Fiestas
Durante el mes de agosto, del 14 al 18, se celebra la fiesta de San Roque, patrón del pueblo. Una procesión recorre el kilómetro que llega hasta la ermita del santo donde se celebra una misa al aire libre en el campo anexo.

Referencias

Entidades locales menores de la provincia de Palencia
Localidades de Cervera de Pisuerga
Localidades de la provincia de Palencia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Taking a break from cooking indoors or having friends and family over for a night of fun and good food? Arizona has the best climate for outdoor cooking and entertaining! Why not bring your kitchen outside with a fully functional barbecue island complete with sink, refrigerator and/or any other amenities you want to include? As the evening progresses, sit down and relax around a beautiful outdoor fireplace or fire pit. We can build something that fits your space, your style and your budget. There is no better way to enjoy a beautiful Arizona evening!
Good for Entertaining – No one ever says no to a barbecue!
Increases the Value of Your Home – This home improvement earns a high rate of return on this financial investment.
Saves on Utility Bills – If you are outside, no need to keep your air conditioner running!
Keeps Smells Outside – Deep fried foods, such as fish, can have aromas that last for days in the house!
Expands Your Living Space – No need to build another room for entertaining!
Improves the Taste of Healthier Food – Grilling enhances the taste of food!
Save Money on Restaurant Meals – Why go to a restaurant when you have the best seat in the house right in your back yard?


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Title: The Gospel
Publisher: IVP Books
Author: John Stott
How can Christians effectively engage today's world while staying true to Scripture? Calling us to listen well to both the Word and the world, John Stott shows how Christianity can preserve its authentic identity and remain relevant to current realities. With the God's Word for Today series, pastor Tim Chester has updated Stott's classic book The Contemporary Christian and made it accessible to new generations of readers.
In The Gospel, Stott declares that Christianity is not a religion but God's good news for the world. To present the gospel faithfully, we must emphasize both the human need for true freedom and the historical work of Christ. Beginning with the question "What does it mean to be human?" Stott explains a biblical perspective on the human paradox: our dignity and our depravity. He then considers common objections to the gospel message, the importance of Jesus' physical resurrection, and what affirming that Christ is Lord means for all of life.
The gospel is truth from God that has been committed to our trust. This book offers a trustworthy guide for readers to understand the essence of the Christian faith and share the good news in a way that connects with people around us.
"Vintage Stott, with all that that implies. In it, as usual, we find him digesting and deploying a wide range of material with a symmetry matching that of Mozart, a didactic force like that of J. C. Ryle, and a down-to-earth common sense that reminds us of G. K. Chesterton. It is really a pastoral essay, a sermon on paper aimed at changing people . . . an outstandingly good book." J. I. Packer, in Christianity Today
This product can be purchased individually or as part of the God's Word for Today set.
John R. W. Stott (1921–2011) served many years as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain and the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). Stott's many books have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. His best-known work, Basic Christianity, has sold two million copies and has been translated into more than sixty languages. He has also written eight volumes in The Bible Speaks Today series of New Testament expositions.
The Disciple
Reading Romans with John Stott: 8 Weeks for Individuals or Groups
Problems of Christian Leadership
Balanced Christianity

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you're having trouble ramping up mobile conversions, there may be a few steps you've missed when setting up your mobile landing pages.
You likely know the basics – either make your webpage responsive or make a unique mobile site – and it's just logical to keep your mobile webpage simple (K.I.S.S.) so the viewer can easily understand the intent of the page in fewer than 10 seconds.
People need to be convinced that what you're offering is authentic, especially if they are going to share their credit card information with you. Testimonials help build trust with potential clients, similar to the way comments build trust on a blog post when a person is searching for content online.
If other people have tried your product or service and been satisfied, that is one of the best ways you can convince a new customer to try it for themselves.
Some of the best ways to include testimonials include featuring an image of the person who said the quote or recommendation, to give it more credibility, or to include real tweets from users (maybe even a live feed if your company is big enough).
Because you don't have much space on mobile, make sure that these testimonials are big enough to read but small enough to not dominate the mobile experience. After all, these reviews should only serve as support, not the focus of the page.
Common practice is to have one page where the user gives their information and converts. Once you start sending the user to multiple pages, the likelihood of them following through to conversion diminishes.
However, if your product or service requires a lot of input, you can't expect users to fill out a 20 question form then input their credit card information and address all in one place.
It's better to separate steps. The first page can collect user information and store it so repeat customers won't have to input this multiple times, and the second page should be the cart and credit card information. It's normal to have people drop off between page one and two, but at least this way you are able to collect the user's information and retarget them in the hopes that they return to complete the transaction. If all information is asked on one page, that user will likely close the link to your page before submitting anything.
Another great way to capitalize on users who would otherwise drop off is to implement an "email me later" button, where the user can send themselves the link to your webpage as a reminder to continue researching or to complete the transaction either at a later time or on a different device.
For companies with complicated offerings, desktop conversions will naturally be much higher, and if your company falls into this category, an email me later button can be really useful in securing more sales.
While these strategies exist to help mobile conversions match desktop conversion rates, if these ideas don't increase mobile conversions, they will definitely help to boost conversions in general, which really is just as beneficial.


Hazluenut Spread M&M's Now Exist!
Your love for Nutella is now in the form of an M&M!
Hazlenut Spread M&M's now exist!
There's a little bit of a wait, they won't hit shelves until April 2019.
The M&M will be filled with a creamy, nutty filling coated in milk chocolate and the classic candy coating.
That's not all for the world of M&M's!
This December, they are releasing chocolate bars that will come in five different varieties!
You can choose from milk chocolate, peanut, crispy, almond and crispy mint.


If this were 2009, I'd be freaking out now and not in a freaky fast way. Why? In the first two months of this year I've snagged 100 miles running. 50 a month average, with a May marathon – that's not good. Or it didn't used to be.
Results – a mix of miles and WODs (workouts of the day). So when I look at time, I'm a bit more confident. My life does not permit 8-14 hours of WODs a week. My "happy place" is right at 6.
With that programming time I'm able to crank an occasional average Joe marathon at 40 minutes faster than my late 30's/ early 40's self. Pretty cool. That's why I like to think of CrossFit as training for the Average Joe. I may not reach my Boston Qualifier (BQ), but I'm a lot healthier and able to work training into a real life. Since my kids swim for Nebraska Aquatics, I decided to ramp up the laps too. Quick ratio – 1 mile of swimming is equal to 4 miles of running (rough, but it works). In the first two months of this year right at 50% of my training has been CrossFit/Swimming, 40% running and 10% other (row, walk, little bit of cycling and yes, snow shoveling).
CrossFit + Max life swimming yardage + Quality Running miles = Average Joe Happy.
Final note, I've enjoyed using DailyMiles over the last years. Another way to see the mix of time/miles is through my trusty Garmin (3rd one at 410) and using the http://connect.garmin.com/calendar to the max. Garmin has been slow in adding the trending, other workouts and analysis to Connect. What's there now is solid. And I salute them!
Two week glance via Garmin Connect Calendar feature.


Parody The Final Frontier Now you can cruise the most hilarious sector of the space time continuum, with this collection of twenty Star Trek The Next Generation episodes not by the leading lights of the Western literary tradition James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Jackie CollinsSteven Boyett transports you into the sort of alternative universes and avid reader or TrekkerParody The Final Frontier Now you can cruise the most hilarious sector of the space time continuum, with this collection of twenty Star Trek The Next Generation episodes not by the leading lights of the Western literary tradition James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Jackie CollinsSteven Boyett transports you into the sort of alternative universes and avid reader or Trekker would love a Clancy like realm where the Enterprise crew mobilizes to fix Captain Picard s broken watcha Heller esque domain where you can only get out of Starfleet if you re crazy and, if you want to get out of Starfleet, you re clearly not crazya Collins ish netherworld where Counselor Demanda Troi sleeps and shops her way around the galaxya Melvillean place where Moby Trek lies in waitd many .Boldly go where no one has gone before with this stellar combination of high art and high comedy.
A witty idea, and the short stories are very quick little vignettes. On the whole though, this wasn't terribly satisfying. You understand the joke from the cover, reading the stories is a little pointless, and the writing can be fairly weak. More fun was skipping the title page and trying to guess the author being parodied by the short story. I do love books about books, so at the end of the day this 2 star book gets 3 from me.
This is a hilarious collection of Star Trek episode parodies- I'm not that big of a ST fan, but these stories had me laughing out loud. Imagine episodes written by JD Salinger, Ayn Rand, Herman Melville, Stephen King. Steven Boyett does a great job of capturing each author's voice.
If you like both star trek and literature you'll get a kick out of this. The satire is on point and both aspects make fun of each other. Definitely chuckle worthy.
It took me a long time to get through this book because, while I realize it was written as a parody, I got a little offended by the tone taken towards Trek. I like Trek and the tone felt very snarky and "this is stupid", while yes, some of the acting was sub-par and the stories trite, the parody went a bit over the top. Plus some of the mimicked authors were treated snarky as well Much less than I would expect from a Steven Boyett book . I think I'll stick to his podcasts and books like Ariel.
This parody answers the important question: What if famous authors had written episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation?The result: some minorly entertaining chapters that describe ST:TNG episodes. I suppose it would help to already know beforehand some characteristics of the authors' style - that's where my limited breadth and depth of "literature" or "common (US-)school reading assignments" tends to show. But still, overall pretty readable - I believe I did chuckle or LoL in a few places.
The author has done a good job of mimicking the different authors' voices - very clever - though I can only say that with surety about the few that I've actually read. I possibly would have enjoyed it more if I had read the books referenced, but most of them don't interest me anyway (Famous doesn't necessarily mean they appeal). So this was a bit of a disappointment.
Perhaps more of something that a writer would do in the privacy of their own home, as an amusing or instructive exercise, as opposed to being something worth publishing. Probably not very readable for anyone who isn't a Trekkie to begin with, but the fact that it's a quick read works in its favor. There are a few of these that work well enough for me to give it three stars.
Imagine Star Trek: TNG episodes written by Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King and Dr. Seuss! Of course the "authors" of these scripts never saw them produced, and if you read this parody, called Treks Not Taken, you'll understand why.
This is a fun humor anthology of Star Trek: TNG parodies in the style of famous authors. It's funny and a little strange. I nice breezy read.
This title sounds silly enough to intrigue me. I am a geek.
A wonderfully crazy and fun takes on the show. Perfect even for those with only the most basic knowledge of The Next Generation.
Loved it. Great parody stories of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Honestly I didn't read much of this book. But the one that makes fun of Bret Easton Ellis is GOLD.
Sadly, this is not as funny as you'd hope. Star Trek done in cartoony versions of each of the famous author's styles, it wore out it's welcome quickly, as there wasn't anything more to it than that.


BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) invites applications for the post of ITI Apprentice, Mechanic, Computer operators & programmer & Electricians to fill up total 386 vacancies. All eligible candidates should have to apply from 25.10.2016 – 12.11.2016. Check the eligibility criteria, selection procedure, job description & other details of BHEL recruitment given below.
Remuneration : Basic pay should be Rs.25,500 per month.
Required Qualification : Candidate must passed ITI (SCVT/NCVT) in the trade relevant to their applying post with minimum 50% Marks aggregate from recognised Univ/Institution.
Age Requirement : Candidates age should be between 18- 27 years as on 01.10.2016. Age relaxation will be provide for various categories as per govt rules. for more details download official notification from blow.
Candidates will be selected on the basis of their performance (Marks) in ITI followed by Interview.
Eligible candidates should have to apply offline by fill application form in prescribed format which can be downloaded from official website www.apprenticeship.gov.in and send duly filled application form to the following address before 12.11.2016. Please ensure your eligibility before apply.


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This historic castle where King John and Henry VIII stayed could be brought back to life
A group hopes to make the site an attraction for tourists
Elaine Davies
A Lincolnshire castle that saw King James and Henry VIII stay the night could be brought back to life.
Sleaford and District Civic Trust would like to see Sleaford Castle as a more prominent attraction in the town - and even as a site that brings in tourists.
Ideas were first looked at in 2015 but after years of the plans being put to one side, Sleaford Town Council is going to look at creating a working group with the Sleaford and District Civic Trust.
Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to be shown live on big screen at Lincoln park before FA Cup Final
Chairman of the Sleaford and District Civic Trust, Garry Titmus, said the site would be a superb addition to Sleaford if something was made of it, but it is predominantly used by dog walkers.
He said: "We can enhance the layout of it and it can be a place where people can have picnics. It's a shame that dogs know it better than most humans.
An aerial photograph of Sleaford Castle (Image: Google)
"I know in the past there have been talks about having a re-enactment days. I can imagine medieval street act type things taking place.
"Also an archaeological dig.
"If the land hasn't been dug for a long time you could find several things."
Plans to develop the site were previously looked at in 2015 suggested other ideas such as a visitor centre, new footbridge, part restoration of the site and the creation of parking.
Information boards that were previously displayed at the site and show the layout of the castle
Mr Titmus said that the working group will look at and discuss ideas but are open minded as to what can be done with the site.
He said: "[If they agree] it will be a collaborative project group between us and the town council to take the project forward.
"The toilet block has been turned into Sleaford museum previously so why not this.
Lincolnshire woman discovers more than 100 living relatives in USA after taking DNA test
"It is a part of Sleaford history that hasn't been unearthed at all. We say there is not much attraction in Sleaford but that is rubbish we have a lot more to offer."
From an aerial shot you are able to see moats even though there is only part of the wall left at the site.
The site is incredibly rich in history.
It was built in the early 1120s by Alexander de Blois - the Bishop of Lincoln - who also built Newark Castle.
It is thought the castle was lived in up until 1555. It fell into disrepair towards the end of the 16th Centuary.
King John is thought to have spent one of his last nights in the castle after he lost his baggage train in the wash.
A photo from 2000 which shows what is left of Sleaford Castle
It is believed that that King Henry VIII visited the castle with his Queen, Katherine Howard, in 1541.
According to roffe.co.uk, Henry of Huntingdon wrote in the 12th century that "Sleaford Castle was every bit as massive and magnificent as Newark Castle."
According to Sleaford Town Council the castle was owned by the Duke of Somerset in 1544.
It was also later owned by the Carre family and began to fall into disrepair.
The CB Inn - take a look at a great English pub buried in the Yorkshire Dales (warning - you might not want to leave)
Some of the older buildings in Sleaford such as the 'Manor House', on Northgate, claim to have been partly built with the stonework from the castle. The last remaining piece of stonework still remains in the Northeast corner of the site.
Mr Titmus added that if plans to regenerate the site go ahead access to the site may have to be discussed as the entrance to the site is through a gate on Castle Causeway and other access sites will need to be identified.


Pittsburgh at Connecticut (Monday): Two of the best teams in the country battle for Big East supremacy in a game that will have seeding implications come March.
Texas at Texas A&M (Monday): The Longhorns have won two in a row but are struggling somewhat. A&M badly needs a win if they want to keep their hopes alive.
Michigan State at Purdue (Tuesday): The top two Big Ten teams in the preseason face off. Michigan State is rising, while Purdue is also picking up some momentum.
Maryland at Clemson (Tuesday): Expect plenty of points – and turnovers, potentially. Maryland needs a marquee win, while Clemson has to bounce back after its UVA loss.
New Mexico at BYU (Tuesday): New Mexico is on the outside in terms of the at-large picture, but a road win here would help. BYU has to keep winning if it wants a bid.
Notre Dame at West Virginia (Wednesday): The Fighting Irish have won two in a row after losing seven, while West Virginia is coming off of a blowout win over Villanova.
Miami (Fl.) at Florida State (Wednesday): Miami is just 4-7 in the ACC after its loss to North Carolina, while Florida State was blown out at Wake Forest.
Penn State at Illinois (Wednesday): Penn State is back in the at-large mix after beating Minnesota. Illinois is second in the conference pecking order after winning three in a row.
Providence at Louisville (Wednesday): Providence continues to improve its resume and a win here would do wonders for the Friars. Louisville is in line for a No. 2 seed.
Minnesota at Michigan (Thursday): An increasingly interesting conference clash. Minnesota is slowly falling in the at-large mix, while Michigan is back in the hunt.
Western Kentucky at Arkansas-Little Rock (Thursday): UALR took over the Sun Belt lead after Troy beat WKU, but the winner gets the auto-bid in next week's field.
Weber State at Montana (Thursday): The two top teams in the Big Sky battle. Weber State has a 1.5 game lead on Montana with two and a half weeks left in the season.
Washington at UCLA (Thursday): Five teams are within two games of each other at the top of the Pac-10 standings, while Washington currently holding a 1.5 game lead on UCLA.


This joker wants to steal from you and your users, are you going to make it easy?
One thing I soon discovered after diving into the wordpress world was the prevalence of malicious attacks on even the most innocuous and smallest of sites (for example, the blog of your's truly).
WordPress is a popular platform, and this has not gone unnoticed by malicious hackers worldwide (henceforth referred to as "crackers" to differentiate them from the benevolent kind, you know the ones who build your software and help the internet run smoothly).
These crackers run massive bot-nets, which do little but ping other servers, looking for common vulnerabilities that will allow them to hijack a machine to be used in further attacks, and / or harvested for valuable data that they can monetize directly.
I actually did not become aware of the prevalence of such attacks until I noticed that my site was crashing frequently (which I was quickly made aware of via my Nagios + WebInject setup, yay!), and discovered that the cause was that the site and database were being over-whelmed by overly frequent requests targeting the relative url called "/xmlrpc.php." This is apparently how a fairly common attack by the name of, you guessed it, "the XMLRPC attack" works.
Fortunately, my server was not compromised, however I needed to take action to prevent future attacks from bringing the site down. Googling around I found a plethora of plugins which address wordpress security and the XMLRPC exploit in particular. I looked at a few and eventually settled for Wordfence.
It also has a useful ( but not security related) caching engine (competitive with some of the more popular ones) which has helped with my site's performance. Anyways, my purpose isn't to sell you on one particular plugin or another, just to list a few of the features you might want to look for.
In addition to the plugin I also do regular reviews of my nginx access logs now, and just block IPs directly server-side when I spot malicious activity. This is superior to blocking IPs from wordpress contained logic, as the request is blocked even before reaching the wordpress worker processes – meaning it makes less hops on the machine, and thus causes less server load (alas even blocking takes up some resources, though far less than a request which probes the full nginx + wordpress + db stack). Currently I'm looking into ways to automate blocking from the server side (fail2ban looks promising).
What continues to surprise me however, is how little attention security is given in wordpress installation guides especially given the rather high prevalence of attacks on sites even as innocuous and as small as mine. Given how easy it would be to mention at the end that one should take steps XYZ, install a security plugin and throw out a few recommendations for said plugin, you would think this would be done much more often.
So, if you are running a wordpress site and haven't done anything yet about security (beyond setting a password :P), take a few minutes and install a well-rated security plugin which guards against the most common attack vectors. Also take a few extra steps such as making sure you have an ultra strong password, preferably auto-generated and absolutely impossible to remember (it's fine to forget it! Just keep using the email password reset feature.).
This should neutralize the vast majority of cracks you are likely to encounter, which are mostly of the brain-dead / generic type that rarely succeed in hijacking a server, but sometimes do succeed in crashing it.
And well, if the attacks are *not* generic, but are personal, because say, you spilled your latte on some temperamental mastermind in the local cafe and didn't apologize with sufficient sincerity, then hire a professional security firm or become an expert yourself if you can afford it / have the time :P.
No fancy tricks or popups, simply an article like the above, which I write a few times a month - just for my subscribers.


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Jul 15, 2022 Country Profiles
Ecommerce Market Watch: Chile
The Chilean ecommerce market has expanded significantly, with a 23% increase in 2021 and a total volume of US$7 billion, making it the 31st largest ecommerce market in the world.
That growth is slowing to some degree, but the country's low fraud rate still makes it a solid investment for new online businesses.
Why has Chile seen so much ecommerce expansion?
Chile's technology infrastructure development is one reason, as well as strong local sales rules and regulations that support ecommerce development. At the same time, online businesses have to understand how to navigate Chile's trade rules and customer behavior to strategically approach this market and achieve success.
Ecommerce in Chile Exceeded Expectations
Just as we've seen in the rest of Latin America, ecommerce sales in Chile skyrocketed in 2020, reaching US$9.4 billion. In the first quarter of 2021, ecommerce sales were up another 196% nationwide. And, while online sales tapered slightly through the end of 2021, there's no question Chileans have embraced ecommerce.
In fact, one of the biggest online retailers in Chile, Mercado Libre, realized a 200% increase in 2020 and had to open a dedicated distribution center just to meet demand.
There are several factors that help Chile continue to be an ecommerce powerhouse in the LATAM region. Let's take a closer look at what makes this market so desirable.
Chileans Are Multigenerational
Chile is a relatively young country: The median age is 36.3, and over 52% of the population is between 18 and 54.
With Chileans mostly spanning Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X, ecommerce businesses have to straddle several generational trends and preferences to succeed. In our original research report, State of Consumer Attitudes on Ecommerce, Fraud & CX 2021, we found that consumers in the millennial and Gen Z markets share some common behaviors when it comes to online shopping.
Specifically, millennial and Gen Z consumers:
Shop online more often.
Expect a high level of personalization.
Are open to mobile payment options.
Gen X consumers tend to be a bit split: Most behave like their younger counterparts when it comes to mobile adoption, but not all Gen X consumers are as open to some of the more recent ecommerce developments.
Chileans Have Embraced the Digital World
By the third quarter of 2020, internet penetration in Chile was at 100%, mostly via smartphones. Chilean consumers fully embraced remote working and education environments with virtual meetings, virtual conference rooms and online classes.
Delivery services were wildly popular during the pandemic as well. In fact, food and personal care were the two categories with the highest growth at over 42%. Brands like Rappi, Uber Eats, and PedidosYa experienced more demand as restaurants and street-side retailers had to close their doors to the public.
Chileans even have an annual three-day event called CyberDay designed to promote online shopping. In 2021, the event had 670 vendors and generated $640 million in sales, which increased almost 60% from the previous year.
High Internet and Social Media Penetration
Internet penetration in Chile was at 92% of the population at the beginning of 2022. That reflects an increase of 1.9 million internet users between 2021 and 2022.
Chileans are active social media users, which they access primarily on their mobile phones, creating plenty of opportunities for social advertising and ecommerce businesses with an omnichannel strategy. Here's a breakdown of the social media channels Chileans use most often and the ad reach opportunity for each:
YouTube is hugely popular with 81.1% of users: Its ads reached 88.1% of Chile's population.
Facebook accounts for 77.6% of eligible users (13 and older) with an ad reach of 70.6% of the country's total population.
Instagram users account for 72.3% of those eligible and its ads reach of 65.8% of the country's total population.
TikTok is also popular in Chile, with 57.5% of users and an ad reach of 48.3%.
Twitter users make up 18% of those eligible, and the platform has an ad reach of 16.4% of the country's total population.
Snapchat is used by only 6.8% of those eligible and has an ad reach of 6.2% of the country's total population.
One important point of interest: Nearly 80% of Snapchat's users identify as female. Considering Snapchat is also popular with younger consumers, brands wanting to get in on the ground floor with young women shouldn't overlook this platform).
Regulations in Chile Help Prevent Fraud
Unlike in many other Latin American countries, the Chilean government has developed a number of priorities that make ecommerce easier and safer in Chile.
Matriz Digital 2018-2022
One such priority is Matriz Digital 2018-2022, a roadmap on national connectivity priorities. Designed to bridge technology gaps, Matriz Digital focuses on three specific areas:
Define and respect the rights of digital citizens.
Stimulate investment and infrastructure, including the implementation of 5G.
Promote digital development.
What's an example of how that looks in practice? Free internet zones for low-income residents that allow them to connect for 30 minutes at a time, making internet connectivity fully accessible everywhere in Chile.
U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement
Implemented in 2004, this free trade agreement amplifies cross-border ecommerce between the United States and Chile by sharing information related to regulations on data privacy, cyber security and intellectual property rights.
National Enterprise for Electronic Certification (NIC Chile)
The Santiago Chamber of Commerce created this initiative in 2002 with the support of the Chilean Economic Development Agency. NIC Chile provides higher levels of security and confidence to safeguard the integrity of ecommerce transactions.
In practice, this translates to assigned Chilean domain names, as well as regulations on how foreign businesses can operate in Chile. Essentially, a foreign company can register a domain name in Chile, but it must have a local presence.
Payment Methods in Chile Are Complicated
The most popular payment types in Chile are local bank transfers and local bank credit; however, it's important to note that credit cards issued outside Chile are typically not accepted on Chilean ecommerce sites.
Chileans are opening up to digital payments with popular platforms such as MACH, Fpay, and Mercadopago. Chileans choose digital platforms based on security and convenience, and it's anticipated those priorities will continue.
According to Chilean eCommerce platform Justo, FinTechs may also have some opportunity in the future, as long as those two priorities, security and convenience, stay top of mind.
Chile Sets the Tone for Payments in LATAM
Chile is serving as a model for digital payments in Latin America, mostly because of its high mobile penetration and 73% rate of banked consumers, which makes Chile a natural market for the expansion of payment methods.
The Chilean government's active role in supporting ecommerce helps as well, especially when it comes to the security measures mentioned in the last section. In that way, Chile serves as an example for an otherwise fraud-rampant region. Granted, digital payments in Latin America have a long way to go, but Chile is the country to watch.
Chile does, however, go through the same struggles as other countries in the LATAM region when it comes to false declines.
Chile Struggles With False Declines
Chile has a much lower fraud rate, thanks to government intervention – something that the rest of Latin America cannot claim. However, just as is the case with the rest of the region, Chilean ecommerce businesses struggle with false declines. Strict filters and restrictions keep the false decline rate in Latin America at a steady 30%. With strong machine learning, these transactions could easily be either flagged for secondary review or approved, instead of being declined out of hand.
So, the question is, how do Chile's young consumers tolerate false declines?
The short answer: Not well.
Younger generations have no time or patience for false declines, as we discovered in our research: Almost half of consumers under 40 will simply stop shopping at a store — forever — because of a false decline.
To add insult to injury, the high social media penetration in Chile makes for a perfect word-of-mouth storm when a consumer experiences a false decline. It's easy and natural for younger consumers to take to social media and complain – about 33% of those under 40 will do just that.
If young consumers can get your product elsewhere, they will. So, you must give them no reason to look elsewhere.
Choose the Best Fraud Prevention Solution
We've covered several factors to consider as you contemplate an ecommerce presence in Chile. But the bottom line is this: To succeed, your business should make it a priority to create a strategy that's thorough enough to detect fraudulent transactions without turning away valid customers.
Any business looking to enter the Chilean ecommerce market needs a comprehensive solution to address all aspects of fraud.
At ClearSale, we help companies enter new markets with ease. Online businesses count on us to help them find the balance between fraud prevention and false declines. Contact us today to find out how we can work together toward success in this burgeoning market.
Luis Casillas
Luis Casillas works as Digital Content Latam, at ClearSale. With extensive experience in marketing and communications within the private sector working with B2B and B2C companies and focused on the creation and strategies of digital content for said businesses.
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Solskjaer 3/1 To Get United Job On A Permanent Basis
Lawrence Lyons
on December 20, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Added to betslip Solskjaer - Man Utd Manager 1st Day Of 2019/20 Season
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been backed to become the permanent manager of Manchester United despite only being appointed on an interim basis.
The former fans' favourite oversaw training on Thursday as he arrived to begin his stint as United manager following the sacking of Jose Mourinho on Tuesday. Molde meanwhile stated that they expect Solskjaer to be back the helm in Norway in May.
Solskjaer is now just a 3/1 shot after being backed in from 9/2 to get the nod to manage the Red Devils into next season.
Reports on Thursday suggested that Manchester United have already agreed a compensation package with Molde worth over £7m should they wish to retain the services of Solskjaer on a permanent basis.
Mauricio Pochettino, who is believed to be the number one target of United Chief Executive Ed Woodward, is still the frontrunner to be the Manchester United manager on the first day of the 2019/20 season at 2/1, with former Real Madrid manager the third favourite behind Solskjaer at 6/1.
Jose MourinhoManchester UnitedMauricio PochettinoOle Gunnar Solskjaer
Lawrence is a keen writer who started in the newsrooms of Belfast and continues to scribble on all things sporting. A sports fanatic with a particular passion for football he enjoys a rant on any of the day's talking points from the back pages.
Dubliner Pulls Off 7,500/1 Christmas Lotto Coup
AUDIO: Kevin Kilbane's Premier League Tips - Wolves v Liverpool


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Used Perrysburg playground equipment could go to Haiti – Sent-trib – Sentinel-Tribune
PERRYSBURG — As three city parks are getting ready for new playground equipment, the possible donation of the old equipment is being investigated by the city council recreation committee.
Missions International of America, a 501c3 charitable organization, contacted the city with the idea of having the playground equipment that is being removed from Fort Imagination be used at a school in Haiti.
Jay and Jan Neilsen, the group founders and Perrysburg residents, built and operate the Brad Reddick School in Savanette, Haiti. They attended a recent recreation committee meeting and answered questions from council members Jonathan Smith and Cory Kuhlman.
Prior to the meeting, Smith requested Law Director Kate Sandretto look into the possibility of the donation. At the same time, there is also new equipment going into Woodlands, Municipal and Bicentennial Parks, and the old equipment could also be donated.
Sandretto has found that it is common for a certified playground equipment safety inspector be used prior to the donation of playground equipment. She said the cost for three parks would be approximately $3,000.
"This is a little about liability, but it's more about the safety of children," Sandretto said.
City Administrator Bridgette Kabat found that the contractor performing the removal needs to consult with the new equipment installation contractor. The installation contractor would want proper backfill for future stability of the playground.
"We have to be careful of a poured-in-place flooring bubbling or heaving, if the site is not prepped correctly," Kabat said.
Kuhlman, who is a lawyer, suggested that a waiver might be enough for liability issues.
The Neilsens agreed, pointing out that they have volunteers working with the group who have experience in playground equipment removal. Some were involved in the original installation of the Fort Imagination equipment.
"I'm all for the donation," Kuhlman said. "I just don't want our taxpayers to pay for it."
Smith agreed with Kuhlman that a waiver should be enough, but has asked Sandretto to do some further research.
"If we can find a way for kids to use it somewhere else, I would like to see that," Smith said.
The next step would include the new equipment contractor meeting with the volunteers who would be doing the removal. After that, the donation would have to be approved by city council.
Inspired by the donation concept, Smith had also asked Finance Director Amber Rathburn to investigate the possible creation of a parks foundation.
Rathburn looked at the Metroparks Toledo foundation concept as an example, with the idea of having citizens donate to the foundation, and then the foundation could make donations to the city.
Rathburn and Kabat will continue to look into the concept.
"This will be my personal goal here, for the next six months," Smith said.
Kabat also updated the committee on the status of the playground installation projects.
There has been a delay on new equipment going into the city parks. Because they are attempting to create more accessible facilities, the playground surfaces are poured rubber, and weather conditions must be ideal for installation.
Kabat said that about half the playground equipment has arrived from the manufacturers and the city is storing the truckloads that have shown up until installation. She added that, contractually, the manufacturers need to have the equipment installed by the end of June.
Council member Barry VanHoozen was absent from the meeting.
Young Haitians bond over sports, earrings and pineapple jam – Haiti – ReliefWeb
'The Big Brunch' Host Dan Levy on Creating an Unconventional Cooking Competition (Exclusive) – CBS News 8


IASC European Regional Meeting 2014 will take place in Umeå, Sweden on 16-19 September, 2014.
IASC European Regional Meeting 2014 with the title "From generation to generation – the use of commons in a changing society" will take place in Umeå, Sweden on 16-19 September, 2014. The conference is open to researchers and practitioners in the policy domain who work on natural resource management and who want to contribute to discussions on management regimes and governance in a changing society.
The deadline for submitting the abstract of the article that you like to present is the 1st of April.
Read more about the IASC European Regional Meeting 2014 here.


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Pepê & Neném
Pêpê Rapazote

Outros
Avenida do Pepê
Praia do Pepê
Pepê (futebolista)
Pedro Paulo Guise Carneiro Lopes — esportista brasileiro

Ver também

  Pepe — página de desambiguação.

Desambiguações de antropônimos
Hipocorísticos


Tamanu oil is a fantastic oil for skincare. It can help stretch marks, psoriasis, eczema, acne, post acne pigmentation, dermatitis, rashes and age spots! It is high in oleic and linoleic faty acids. Oleic fatty acids have been shown to prevent dandruff, sooth skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, moisturize the skin, and have anti-aging benefits. Linoleic fatty acids may help prevent acne – acne prone skin has lower levels of linoleic acid and higher levels of oleic acid in the sebum, so adding linoleic acid to your skincare might help balance the two fatty acids. Tamanu oil promotes the regeneration of skin making it effective in anti-aging and healing post acne pigmentation. It is also an antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory – all wonderful things for creating clear, healthy skin!
I have been using tamanu oil every morning for the past six months. I bought mine on Amazon and it was about $15.00 for 1 oz of oil in a glass bottle with a pump, but there are plenty of different brands that make tamanu oil. I would recommend that you look for a cold-pressed, organic oil (I always buy organic, cold-pressed oils for my skincare). I can honestly say that I feel like tamanu oil really speeds up the healing of my post acne pigmentation. Normally the red spots left after a breakout would take close to 3-4 weeks to completely heal, but since using tamanu oil, that healing time is almost cut in half. Tamanu oil is not greasy, absorbs quickly into my skin, and feels very moisturizing. If I am feeling particularly lazy, I will even use tamanu oil in the ends of my hair! It's light enough to tame and smooth the ends without weighing them down or making my hair look greasy and dirty.


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Home / About Us / University structure / Staff Profiles / Lucy Nicholson
Lucy Nicholson
Senior Lecturer and Co-Course Leader
School of Journalism, Media and Performance
Media Factory, ME107
lenicholson@uclan.ac.uk
Subject Areas: Dance, Performance
Lucy coordinates the degree as well as lecturing in technique, choreography and dance education. Her particular area of interest is in using movement as a tool to re-engage and the potential it holds in developing ownership, choice & self-awareness, especially when working with non-dancers from potentially excluded communities. Lucy brings her experience of working nationally and internationally as a dance artist to her current teaching practice. UCLan Dance Twitter
Before joining the UCLan dance team Lucy worked extensively as a community dance artist in the UK as well as leading projects in Ethiopia and South Africa. As a dance development artist for Bradford City Council, Lucy set up a dance for Mental Wellbeing programme, working in partnership and as lead artist with Bradford Mind, Bradford & District Autism Support Group and The Grove Resource Centre.
While creating performance and Youth dance training initiatives with Yorkshire Dance, York Arts Service, 2nd Stance Youth Dance Company, Trigger Point Dance Company, Lincolnshire Dance, South Lakeland Youth Dance Company, Dare Dance & Ludus Dance Company Lucy started to specialise in working with non-dancers with specific needs and moved into a particular focus on developing dance within the criminal justice system as a dance artist and project director with Dance United; She contributed to the creation of their Academy, an alternative education programme, leading contemporary dance training for young people who had offended or were at risk of doing so. Lucy was also a director of the community element of their Destino National tour, working in collaboration with Professional choreographers, Hofesh Shechter, Adam Benjamin, Russell Maliphant and Junaid Jamal Sendi as well as being the rehearsal director for the company's Graduate Performance Company.
Her work at UCLan continues to delve into the value of movement when working with non-dancers considered hard to reach or socially excluded and is particularly interested in the role bodily awareness has to play within this context.
Lucy has been involved in the development and mentoring of a number of dance artists and continues to share her passion for engaging and effective dance practice with her students as they begin their careers.
Nicholson, L., (2018) Return To The Body: An approach to working with people in disconnect, The Dancer-Citizen, [e-journal] 8. Available through Dancer-Citizen Website
Nicholson, L & Spencer, R., (2013) Engaging with NOS within Higher Education. Animated (Summer)pp. 14 – 16
Foord, M., Graham, E., Nicholson, L., Wainwright, J. (2011) What makes us what we are? Mailout pp. 38 - 39
Linsell, H & Nicholson, L., 2011. Finding The Balance. Animated (Winter) pp 31 - 32
Board Member for Lisa Simpson Inclusive Dance Company | University Review Panel Member
Reading The World, an arts and asset based community education programme, serving the Preston and wider Lancashire area. As the movement director for this project, Lucy works with participants to find a connection to the physicality of their writing and the strength within their own performances.
Lucy teaches contemporary dance technique that focusses on finding inner connectivity and outward expression, composition, choreography, dance in education and community settings. Lucy is involved in module and curriculum design and oversees the day to day running of the degree.
Dance and Somatic Practice Research Group
People Dance – The Foundation of Community Dance
National Dance Teachers Association
Associate of the Higher Education Academy


Maruti Suzuki's Nexa dealership chain has started accepting bookings for the Baleno facelift, with the The booking amount being Rs 11,000. The Nexa app is now showing the colour options and trim levels the refreshed Baleno will be available with; interestingly, there are two new colour options - Metallic Magma Grey and Pearl Phoenix Red.
Maruti Suzuki has launched the Baleno facelift, with prices starting at Rs 5.45 lakh.
The Baleno facelift gets a new front bumper, a 3D design for the grille, LED projector headlights with DRLs (which are standard from the Delta variant onwards) and new dual-tone 16-inch alloy wheels. Inside, it gets a dual-tone black-and-blue interior colour scheme, and the new SmartPlay Studio infotainment system with a 7.0-inch touchscreen.
Came across a walkaround video showing the car inside and out!
Maruti Suzuki has revealed what the updated Baleno RS will look like. It will receive a revised front-end with a new bumper, new fog lamp housings, a large airdam and a new design for the alloy wheels. Inside, it will likely feature a new interior colour scheme, along with Maruti's new SmartPlay infotainment system.
Can I have detailed specification of this car and what is the showroom prices. Does it have good suspension and how's the overall performance.


The American Dream is as unique for each person that lives it as one person is different from another. That difference, that perspective and the emotion with which it is held is what we are striving to capture with this exercise in art & film.
In the tradition of art & film, we intend to hold a "One Night Only" Event - on separate dates in both New York & Los Angeles to premiere a longer formatted, theatrical version of The American Dream. This extended version will allow for a more expressive and creative telling of the contained stories and inclusion of more "stand-up" interviews.
These events, produced in partnership with Fathom Events, will be a showcase for the brands and network that supported The American Dream. On-site, in-theatre pre-show and after-show opportunities to connect to the audience will be implemented. Each event will be open to the public along with invited guests. Regional participants of the "stand-up" interviews during our eight weeks of production will be notified of the pre-event ticket availability.
Pre-show, onscreen digital branding, inclusion within the "making of The American Dream" pre-show short.
Complimentary tickets to select brand guests.
This presentation and treatment has been prepared by Main St. Marquee, Ltd. (referred to herein as the "Company" or "Main St. Marquee") for the purposes of generating interest and raising capital to finance the production of the content defined (referred to herein as "the Project"). This Proposal is the property and copyright of the Company and shall not be reproduced or used for any purpose other than as stated above. This presentation / treatment constitutes solely an invitation for further discussions relative to underwriting of or professional involvement in the Project. Except as set forth above, neither the Company nor any prospective underwriter will be committed or obligated in any way unless and until an appropriate written document is executed. This Proposal has been prepared from information provided by the Company and other sources believed to be reliable. The Company makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein.


BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Free for the first time to make art about whatever he wants, veteran Libyan sculptor Ali al-Wakwak chose gnarled mortar shrapnel, bullet casings and shattered gun barrels as his medium.
"I saw the ammunition around, and so I thought I'd make something nice with it," the stout, bearded 63-year-old said as he sat sipping espresso outside a new art museum displaying his works near Benghazi's port.
As with many of the exhibits at the museum, housed in a monarchy-era palace, Wakwak's motifs revolve mostly around war, testament to the scars the six-month old uprising against Muammar Gaddafi has left on the North African country.
But the fact the new museum exists at all is a triumph for local artists, and many see it as evidence of the creative and open future they hope awaits their country despite its fractious politics, beleaguered public services and glut of heavy weapons.
Now, Mohamed said, he is free to depict and display whatever he wants. His exhibit included oil paintings of landscapes inspired by impressionists and post-impressionists including Cezanne, Monet and Van Gogh.
In the next room, a series of wood carvings portrayed traditional Libyan shoes, horse-drawn carriages and jars.
But most of the paintings in the palace once owned by King Idris, who was ousted by Gaddafi in a 1969 coup, tackle darker themes.
One shows Gaddafi's face looming over a row of tanks, rebel fighters on a machine-gun mounted pickup truck and a pile of skulls set against a red and black sky.
In one room, the walls are almost entirely covered by "identification cards of the martyrs," including names, birth dates, and the times and places where men were killed during the uprising.
One painting honours Ali Hassan al-Jaber, an Al Jazeera cameraman gunned down near Benghazi in March. Nearby, another work pays tribute to Kais al-Hilali, a slain political cartoonist whose caricatures adorn many of Benghazi's walls.
Many other artists have had scrapes with Gaddafi's government.
Wakwak spent seven years in prison after refusing to serve in a war with Chad in the early 1980s.
His brother was also imprisoned, as was his son, who returned on Sunday from Tripoli, where he had spent seven years in the Abu Salim prison.
Arrests were so frequent that almost everyone knew someone in prison, Wakwak said.
"In Benghazi, every family has one - Abu Salim, Abu Salim, Abu Salim," he said, pointing to different people.
Visitors at the museum said they finally had a chance to enjoy a public space that wasn't controlled or monitored by Gaddafi's government.
Mohamed Hamed, 36, said of the exhibits he had seen he preferred Wakwak's sculptures, such as one figure crafted from rusting bullet casings and shrapnel holding up two 50mm fingers in a peace sign.


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Good new days
By craigmedred on November 11, 2018 • ( 29 Comments )
Salmon swarm into a Southeast Alaska river/U.S. Forest Service photo
This might have been a slightly off-year for Alaska salmon fisheries when judged by the bounty 49th state residents have come to expect in modern times, but a historical analysis of harvests shows it was simply the lower end of a range that has made this decade the most salmon-fruitful in recorded history.
Forget the New York Times' suggestion Alaska salmon runs are fading and "scientists, who haven't had time to study the problem, are cautious about naming causes. But many suspect it has to do with a recent period of warmer ocean temperatures."
The only words for that description are "fake news." If there is a scientist who believes global warming has reduced Alaska salmon returns to date, he or she simply hasn't examined the numbers.
So far into the new millennium, climate change has been nothing but good for Alaska salmon. That could change. Salmon are adapted to cool not tropical waters. There is a point at which a warming ocean is going to turn against them.
But so far, it's been nothing but positive.
The five-year average salmon harvest is over 200 million fish per year. Neither the state, nor the territory, ever saw anything remotely like this before. If the pattern established from 2010 to 2018 continues – despite a strange oscillation in the size of returns – Alaska is destined to round out four decades of steadily and dramatically increasing salmon harvests.
Here is where things stand now:
2010 to present – an annual, average harvest of 181 million.
The 2000s, a 167.4 million per year average.
The 1990s, a 157.5 million average.
If you're skeptical, you can find the 2003 to 2012 harvests cataloged in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's 2013 report on "Recent Trends in Alaska Salmon Value and Implications for Hatchery Production."
National Marine Fisheries Service biologist Bill Heard, who spent most of his career in Juneau, has the years 1970 through 2003 listed in a report on the "Status of Alaska's Salmon Fisheries."
The data for the years 2010 to 2018 is not quite as easy to find, although it is not a problem to Google the state harvest summaries for 2013, 2015 and 2017.
Twenty-thirteen saw a record harvest of 272 million salmon. The 2015 harvest reached 263.5 million, the second largest on record. And 2017 came in at 224.6 million, third largest.
Fish and Game promoted them all.
"Record wild salmon harvests like these are a testament to Alaska's sound, science-based management, the professionalism of ADF&G's staff, and thoughtful stakeholder engagement," Forrest Bowers, Deputy Director of the Division of Commercial Fisheries, proclaimed in a 2017 press release.
The state did not talk up the comparatively weaker years, but in the context of Alaska history back to 1880s, every year in the 2010s saw phenomenal returns.
When all was said and done, the final harvest this year was 114.5 million. In what some consider the heyday of the Alaska salmon fishery in the 1930s, there was only one year – 1936 – that bettered that catch.
The 10-year average for those years of the "good old days" of the '30s? Ninety-one million salmon.
Still, compared to the decades before and after, the 1930s were indeed good times for Alaska fishermen. Here's a decade by decade by decade breakdown from 1890 on.
More, more, more and less
The 1890s, 8.5 million per year average.
The 1900s, 31 million average.
The 1950s, 41.4 million average.
Retired Fish and Game biologist Larry Edfelt, who compiled a "Statistical History of Alaska Salmon Catches" in 1973, noted that harvests were generally a simple function of fishing effort up until about 1915.
After that date, he wrote, "fishery agents became concerned with the onset of depletion and began thinking of the resource in terms of variable maximum productivity.Salmon catches peaked during the period 1935-1945, followed by a drastic
decline in certain major fisheries during the 1950's. "
Edfelt's report tabulates catches from 1878 to 1971 by year, region and species.
The numbers there provide some perspective on the red (sockeye) salmon returns to Cook Inlet and the Copper River, both of which were considered commercial fishing disasters this year.
The Cook Inlet harvest of sockeye totaled a little over 1.1 million with 815,000 harvested in the upper Inlet and 370,000 harvested in the lower.
That was only about 30 percent of the most recent 10-year average, but a bonanza compared to the Copper River, where the sockeye catch barely topped 44,000. That catch was but 3 percent of the 10-year average of 1.29 million.
The previous record low harvest for the Copper was 112,000 in 1936. It is, however, worth noting that in those days almost no one was paying attention to how many salmon escaped upstream to spawn. The state now manages for an escapement of 360,000 to 750,000 sockeye into the Copper.
More than 700,000 made it this year. There is little doubt that in earlier times several hundred thousand of those, or more, would have been caught, thus boosting the 2018 harvest out of the historical cellar.
Cook Inlet, meanwhile, has seen harvests of 1.1 million or smaller before. The historic sockeye harvest, according to the data compiled by Edfelt, didn't top 1.1. million until 1911 and in 17 of the years that followed it failed to meet that mark.
The average sockeye harvest for the 1950s in the Inlet was only 1.3 million, and it fell to 1.2 million in the 1960s.
These were years, retired state commercial fishery biologist Ken Tarbox notes, when the Kenai River, the largest sockeye producer in the Inlet, was also managed for spawning escapements – the number of fish escaping to spawn – of a few hundred thousand or fewer sockeye.
The escapement of late-run sockeye to the Kenai this year was just over 1 million. If commercial fishermen had been allowed to catch 600,000 to 700,000 of those fish, the Inlet catch would have risen to 1.7 to 1.8 million fish – 40 to 45 percent above the combined average for the '50s and '60s.
Compared to the rest of the years since the 1980s, 2018 was not a great year for Cook Inlet sockeye, but with an estimated total return of 3.1 million sockeye, it wasn't the disaster some would like to believe, either.
Spawning goals were met or exceeded in most streams, and the restrictions placed on commercial fishing in the Inlet to protect sockeye allowed a lot of silver (coho) salmon to escape into Susitna River tributaries.
"Coho salmon assessments on all Upper Cook Inlet systems were either above or within their escapement goals in 2018," Fish and Game reported, and anglers reported great fishing almost everywhere.
Even bad is good
And overall, the not-so-good, statewide season of 2018 was better than 14 of 48 years back to 1970, better than any year in the '70s, almost twice as good as any year in the '60s, a full twice as good as any year in the 1940s, better than all but one year in the 1930s, better than all years in the 1920s, and way better than any year back to 1878.
This should not come as a big surprise.
Scientists Greg Ruggerone and James Irvine this year reported in a peer-reviewed paper in "Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science" that their research has led to the conclusion the North Pacific Ocean today contains more salmon than at any time in history.
Some of this is natural, they said, observing that "following an initial peak during 1934–1943, abundances were low until the 1977 regime shift (to warm waters) benefited each species."
And some of it is manmade.
"Although production of natural-origin salmon is currently high due to generally favorable ocean conditions in northern regions, approximately 60 percent of chum salmon, 15 percent of pink salmon, and 4 percent of sockeye salmon during 1990–2015 were of hatchery origin," they wrote. "Alaska generated 68 percent and 95 percent of hatchery pink salmon and sockeye salmon, respectively, while Japan produced
75 percent of hatchery chum salmon.
"Salmon abundance in large areas of Alaska (Prince William Sound and Southeast
Alaska), Russia (Sakhalin and Kuril islands), Japan, and South Korea are dominated by hatchery salmon. During 1990–2015, hatchery salmon represented approximately 40 percent of the total biomass of adult and immature salmon in the ocean. Density-dependent effects are apparent, and carrying capacity may have been reached in recent decades, but interaction effects between hatchery- and natural-origin salmon are difficult to quantify, in part because these fish are rarely separated in catch and escapement statistics."
Ruggerone and Irvine suspect that in some areas large numbers of hatchery fish are now suppressing wild fish numbers, and a study of the Exxon Valdez oil spill last year stumbled on evidence that the production of large numbers of pinks in Prince William Sound drives down returns of sockeye to the Copper River.
But the Alaska Board of Fisheries decided there is nothing to worry about.
Some questioned the decision, but the state has for almost 40 years now gambled on generating ever bigger salmon runs, and so far the gamble is paying off.
Correction: Due to a math error, an early version of this story inflated the 1930s, annual average salmon harvest by about 17 million fish.
Categories: News, Outdoors
Tagged as: 114.5 million, alaska, climate change, coho, Copper River, Edfelt, fake news, four decades, global warming, good old days, harvest, Heard, heyday, historical analysis, historical cellar, Irvine, kenai, Kenai River, new millennium, New York Times, nothing but good, off-year, record, recorded history, Ruggerone, salmon, salmon-fruitful, sockeye, Susitna River
Wildcat wrangler
Hidden story
Bill Yankee says:
https://www.ktoo.org/2018/11/18/adfg-predicts-weak-pink-salmon-harvest-in-2019/
F & G is saying pink forecast for 2019 is for 18 million (roughly half of latest 10 year average). I suspect this is based on surface trawling that takes place in SE late June and into July.
The salmon fleet keeps getting more and more efficient, instead of catching these fish In
the bays, newer steel boat helps fishermen catch salmon out on the capes
That's only when wild fish are returning in good numbers, brian.
Fiberglass boats outnumber steel boats in pws by far
Dave Mc says:
Craig,the japanese especially like the chum roe.
I remember decades ago during a mid summer layup in the long lining season(pre IFQ about '90 or '91).I went for a road trip to Manley Hotsprings,and fell in with some local commercial fish wheel folks.
They were harvesting chums from the Tanana and stripping the roe(and boxing the frozen fish for sale).
Personally we (longline fleet) would have called the dogs #2 baitfish, but hey whatever floats somebodies boat.
The roe of course was sent to The Land of The Rising Sun
dave Mc
As someone who cures and loves salmon roe Dave, my experience is that the chum roe is easiest to get clean from the skeins with the least breakage. Thus the chum roe is favored because of economics IMO. I've not the skill that can distinguish the taste difference between say chum and king roe and I've not tried pink roe. Perhaps a good wine taster could discern the difference.
The roe used to be shipped to Japan in egg boxes before curing (just gravity removing much of the moisture). I suspect it's done differently today. I remember hearing that only women worked in the egg-room as they were easier on the product.
Opinion says:
Interesting fact ,Bill whoever told you only women work with the row was telling stories. I worked in an egg room. Long enough to be apprenticed to the Japanese who were shipped in to over see the process very particular they were . In this cannery Only Japanese were allowed to be involved with brining process , mixing chemical, temperature, stirring and timing was very important to them . I'm not sure why the Japanese chose me to help them and eventually work the brining myself when they were not right there . The Japanese oversers couldn't or wouldn't speak English but through pointing and numbers taught me their trade . I was paid extra to be their assistant . Aprx 50 -75 plus Americans were involved with the arranging sorting and packing of the row in special boxes . Men and women 30/70 aprx . Large cannery . Shocking amount of row . Roughly over 10,000 pounds many days . In short men were there .
The Japanese egg technicians as they were called were men .
That was the story told me in early 90s at North Pacific Processors in Cordova by a gillnetter who worked some there at that time. I doubt this guy was telling stories but that this was the situation at this particular processor at that time.
Were you involved when the roe was packed in those egg boxes and I forget what the product was called at that time.
Yes I was involved when the row was packed in the egg boxes . As we're about 70 other men and women. The specific people were the same every day . Occurred early and mid 90s . It was a blast .
Could you tell the difference in taste between king roe and chum roe?
Al Barrette says:
Are we to expect a higher yearly total harvest numbers of salmon? Are we allowing fish managers to experiment with ocean capacities? At what point will we not have yearly increases in total number of salmon harvested? Meaning it has to stabilize at some point,to be the most productive and predictable.
Too many variables, Al. Were all the variables to "stabilize" the salmon numbers might follow. Just sea temperatures alone don't seem to be stabilizing.
As I recall the big argument for hatcheries was to be able to more stabilize the notorious ups and downs of the salmon returns. World is full of good intentions, it seems.
When the state was contemplating hatcheries and sold the idea it could possible create a more stable fishery, this would have been true if the state run it (possible). Instead the state gave it to the industry and capitalism is never satisfied with break even. Who would have ever thought capitalism is satisfied "even steven"? LOL
The FRED division originally played with several hatcheries and eventually sold/gave them away to the aquaculture associations. It must have become too vulnerable for government to continue but the private sector is always wanting in on govt. issues that might turn a dollar.
Like you say, capitalism is hard to satisfy.
Jack Smothers says:
I was doing a job on Whidbey Island last month and went to the Haggen Grocery with my brother after work. He was buying some rock fish for dinner and I pointed to a nice fillet of 'Wild Alaskan Caught Keta' salmon for $24/lb to him. He reminded me that he doesn't like salmon (weirdo). I pointed again to the fillet and told him to look closely at it. He stared for a second and exclaimed 'That's a dog!! Their selling chums for $24!!'
Pretty wild what people are happy to eat when their fish of choice is unavailable – just rebrand it. I really hope that doesn't happen up here…
Jack: bright chum, before they start to lose fat, are pretty tasty fish. the Japanese certainly like them. that said, $24 a pound for just about any salmon has me going yi, yi, yi.
Finally Change is here says:
Many people, including myself, prefer smoked Keta over any other smoked salmon. Hard to find it, though. A company in the interior used to process lots of it and I never tasted better. I hope it is still in business.
Yes, Interior Fish Processors are still smoking Keta, the best. Virgil Umphenour is the owner.
Yeah, if I catch one in the ocean, I'll keep it and eat it. Just thought that it was humorous to see the price on that stuff. Same goes with pinks out of the ocean – if I catch one, I'll bring it home… or use it for halibut bait!
Jack: i hope those are subsistence humpies because if they're sport caught, it's illegal to use them for bait.
i think, though you better check, that the rule does not apply to subsistence catch. i know that the state specifically says you can use personal-use salmon for bait. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingpersonaluse.faqs#bait
and, of course, you're perfectly legal if you go buy some humpies from a processor. you can do anything you want with those.
aren't Alaska fishing regulations fun?
Careful Jack, I believe sport caught salmon cannot be used for bait (head, etc. OK).
I remember years ago a commercial halibut boat paid $1/lb for 1000 lbs of sockeye to use for bait. Very good halibut bait. Also remember being asked by F & G officer, when asked about a halibut on board, if the bait (sockeye) was sport caught (of course not).
PU caught fish also can be used for bait.
This is just a wanton waste issue for a public resource-without it imagine the amount of fish and game that would be wasted. And the idea of being able to use purchased pinks is similar to a consumer being allowed to do whatever he wants with the fillet mignon he purchases @ Safeway.
What's troubling here is that Jack does his fishing with charter folks which suggests that they are allowing the use of sport caught humpies (for bait). Frankly, I doubt anyone gets upset enough about a few pinks used in this way but the literal law could apply. Charter folks doing this seems industrial strength stoopid, to me.
Bill, good points. You can use purchased fish, personal use, and subsistence fish for bait. But you can not used purchased big game (Bartered), or subsistence big game for bait. You can strip roe from fish and throw the rest away, You can do the most horrendous job of filleting a fish.Keep the little slab of filet and throw the rest away. But leave 10lbs of big game meat in the field,or use some of your big meat for bait that had spoiled and you'll make the headlines if charged.
Steve Stine says:
On a side note, I was told by a local that a wildlife trooper investigating "dirty" bait stations (for commercial bear hunting) in the Skwentna area found whole salmon tossed on top of dog food at several bait stations this fall.
I do not think he could prove who exactly had done this, but you can see salmon do get wasted in various forms from baiting to rotting in deep freezers throughout the state.
What you are speaking of is done regularly with so-called freezer burned fish and game. As one who was given much of it, when I kept a dogteam, I also know that sometimes the wife gives away the husbands game because she doesn't like it. Heheh!
Anyway, once these fish are processed it's difficult to say how they were acquired and few people process their salmon whole. I do know that some freeze their king salmon whole and steak them out later with band saw.
I would think that whole salmon would make good bear bait. And legal if personal use, too. My favorite bear bait story is where popcorn is used and the bears sit there and eat that popped corn one at a time-I would like to see that sometime.
For the record: the only time that I used salmon for bait was in BC where I was sturgeon fishing. I believe that the guide purchased them from a local processor. Sorry for the poor attempt at pink humor. Also, for the record: I don't exclusively fish via charter or guide. In fact, I have only used charter or guided businesses 4 times in the past 5 years. I've always been a that guy hiking up small streams with my waders on searching for trout. As far as Bill's slight insinuation of charters willingly break the law, I have never had a guide seen a guide break any F&W law – willingly or unwillingly (granted, I'm not a F&W officer), however, the guides and charters that I have used spend the time to educate their clients about AK Wildlife law nuances (this is a great conversation starter with fellow outdoorspeople). I wish that I could hire guides and charters more often, I feel that a good guide / charter is well worth the $ – I just wish that I had more ability to do this more often. But, as my dad would tell me: 'wish in 1 hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up 1st'…
Cheers folks!
Thanks for setting the record straight, Jack. And this is the honor system. Heheh!
I did notice your comment was "if I caught one" and not "when I caught one." I missed the attempt at humor, totally.


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text:
Non-Financial Goals a Business Wants to Achieve in the First Years of Business
by Brian Hill
Customer satisfaction is the No. 1 non-financial business goal.
note jaune thanks image by Guy Pracros from Fotolia.com
1 The Right Questions to Ask When Dealing With a Startup Company
2 Business Enterprise Planning
3 Business Planning & Strategy
4 Key Factors to Considering Business Feasibility
All businesses should set goals. As part of the planning process, the management team establishes goals for the short term, the upcoming year, as well as for the longer term, the next three to five years. Having goals in place helps focus the management team on the operational steps it must take and the resources it needs to meet these targets. Reaching key non-financial goals improves the company's chances of achieving important financial targets such as revenue and profitability.
Achieving a high degree of customer satisfaction--and improving on that rate each year--should be a major goal of any business. Keeping customers satisfied provides the opportunity for repeat business. Satisfied customers are likely to tell their friends or associates about the positive experience they had, generating additional customers. In the case of a company that sells to other businesses, being able to provide endorsements from customers can be crucial to closing a sale with new customers.
Planning and Reporting Systems
The management team of a start-up creates a business plan for the venture to present to possible investors or lenders, which also serves to guide them as they build the company, much like a blueprint in a construction project. As the company grows, the planning process must be ongoing, including regularly gathering information about competitive activity and comparing actual results to forecast numbers on at least a quarterly basis.
Revenue growth and business expansion inevitably create additional complexities and responsibilities for the management team. Give existing staff members educational opportunities to improve their skills and capabilities as managers. Expect each key employee to create a career development plan to make certain they acquire the skills needed to be part of the team as the company grows.
Long-Range Vision
In the beginning, a start-up company's major concern is survival, being able to successfully launch the company within the constraints of the financial resources it has and reaching positive cash flow as soon as possible. When the company emerges from this initial phase, the management team should begin thinking how the company will evolve over the longer term. Considerations include new markets the company could enter or additional products that could be developed. The goal should be to create a company-wide emphasis on identifying opportunities that are emerging so the company can pursue them before competitors do.
A small company may not need to have detailed policies and procedures written down. But as the company expands, documenting work flow and methods and articulating company policy becomes a higher priority. New employees need direction about the company's business philosophy, the company culture and what you expect of them so they can step in and be immediately effective. The original management team may be shuffled and their old positions filled with individuals from outside the company. The need for this documentation is a sign the company has left the start-up stage and is in a true expansion mode.
Most successful businesses try to contribute time and financial support to improving the quality of life in their community--being a good corporate citizen. This support could include sponsoring charity events and encouraging employees to get involved in worthy causes. Initially, the goals for community involvement could be modest in terms of dollar commitment. Any efforts to get involved can enhance the company's reputation and give its brand name additional exposure.
&ldquo;Simplified Strategic Planning: The No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast&rdquo;; Robert W. Bradford and J. Peter Duncan; 2000
Brian Hill is the author of four popular business and finance books: "The Making of a Bestseller," "Inside Secrets to Venture Capital," "Attracting Capital from Angels" and his latest book, published in 2013, "The Pocket Small Business Owner's Guide to Business Plans."
note jaune thanks image by Guy Pracros from Fotolia.com
Hill, Brian. "Non-Financial Goals a Business Wants to Achieve in the First Years of Business." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/non-financial-goals-business-wants-achieve-first-years-business-4542.html. Accessed 17 January 2020.
Hill, Brian. (n.d.). Non-Financial Goals a Business Wants to Achieve in the First Years of Business. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/non-financial-goals-business-wants-achieve-first-years-business-4542.html
Hill, Brian. "Non-Financial Goals a Business Wants to Achieve in the First Years of Business" accessed January 17, 2020. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/non-financial-goals-business-wants-achieve-first-years-business-4542.html
Plan & Grow a Business Venture
Why Is Planning an Important Step in Starting a Business?
Management Challenges
What Is in a Good Business Plan?
Employee Empowerment & Team Building
Construct a Business Charter Statement
Corporate Life Cycle Strategy
Components That Motivate Employees
The Impact of Planning on Business Growth
What Creditors Look for in a Business Plan
Counter the Argument From a Potential Investor That Most Small Businesses Fail


text:
France's Special Forces Are Tough as Nails
August 3, 2021 Topic: Special Forces Region: Europe Blog Brand: The Reboot Tags: FranceMilitaryTechnologySniperMaliSpecial Forces
They're among the world's best.
by David Axe Follow @daxe on Twitter L
Here's What You Need to Know: French operations continue in Mali.
In January 2013, a heavy French force struck Islamic militants who had been advancing across Mali. Paris deployed 4,000 troops plus tanks, helicopters and warplanes.
Operation Serval, which France's Western and African allies strongly supported, routed the militants. And a year and a half later, Paris expanded the operation—and renamed it Barkhane—to include counterterrorism missions across the Sahel region of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Niger and Chad.
Years later the fighting continues. Sometimes in dramatic fashion and often involving helicopters, as was the case on June 14, 2019 when militants shot down over Mali an SA342 Gazelle helicopter belonging to Aviation Légère de l'Armée de Terre -- French army aviation.
"Both pilots were heavily wounded but were able to make a controlled crash-landing," Scramble reported. "A third crew member, a commando sniper, with only minor injuries was able to extract the heavily wounded pilots from the helicopter."
The Gazelle, deployed in support of Operation Barkhane, was shot down by jihadists near the border of Mali and Niger during a patrol mission near Liptako. The pilots and French ground troops from Niger and Mali got involved in serious fighting with militants that are believed to be part of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
The SA342 that gave overhead support received multiple hits in the engine compartment by small-caliber weapons … Subsequently, an engine fire started that resulted in the loss of power. An autorotation landing in brown-out conditions followed, but due to its low altitude this did not work out properly.
Nearby, an ALAT Tiger attack helicopter was also involved in the fight, its crew decided to rush to the crash site to give top cover for the three crew members, at the risk of being shot, too.
Upon arrival at the scene, the Tiger crew discovered that the pilots were seriously wounded and they decided to land. With the help of the sniper commando, they strapped both pilots to the outside of the Tiger and quickly returned to base to allow for immediate treatment of the airmen.
The sniper commando ... remained at the crash site and destroyed the Gazelle with explosives. He was picked up by another helicopter soon after, and extracted to a safe location.
All three crew members were transported back to France for further treatment in a military hospital.
"Helicopters have been a significant element of the French army's counter-terror operations in Mali since Operation Barkhane — named after crescent-shaped dunes in the Sahara Desert — began in August 2014," Rotor & Wing reported.
Twenty-one helicopters --Tigers, Caimanes, Pumas, Cougars, Gazelles and Chinooks -- and 4,500 personnel are supporting the operation. The three Royal Air Force HC Mk5 Chinooks arrived in Mali in July [2018] to transport supplies and personnel for French and other military forces.
The Boeing Chinooks, equipped with advanced avionics and the Boeing Digital Automatic Flight Control System, have helped to sustain French combat operations and to keep troops off the roads, which are vulnerable to improvised explosive devices, according to the RAF.
Many attack helicopters, in theory, can transport troops the way the French Tiger did in Mali. In 2007 in Afghanistan's Helmand province, two British AH-64 Apache gunships carried four marines into a Taliban-controlled riverside fort to retrieve the body of a British soldier who had died in an earlier assault.
"Two Apaches landed and four volunteer marines strapped themselves to the aircraft wings using harnesses," The Guardian reported.
Dodging Taliban gunfire -- and with four marines lying across the wings in the manner of the heroes of the Second World War film Flight of the Phoenix -- the two Apaches sped across the river and landed outside the Taliban fort. The marines unstrapped themselves and searched for Lance Corporal [Mathew] Ford. Having recovered his body, they strapped it to one of the Apaches and safely crossed the river.
Defence sources described the rescue as an unprecedented operation. Apaches cannot carry passengers -- the small fuselage is crammed with instruments and weapons systems and can barely accommodate two pilots. But there are attachments on the wings to which soldiers can harness themselves in an emergency.
U.S. Air Force A-10s flew top cover for the daring British operation. One A-10 pilot recalled his shock when he realized what the British were doing. "As I passed abeam one Apache, I glanced high left to see a man, leaning over the stubby helicopter wing, unloading his rifle on the enemy."
David Axe served as Defense Editor of the National Interest. He is the author of the graphic novels War Fix, War Is Boring and Machete Squad.
This article first appeared in June 2019.
Image: French soldiers of the "Belleface" Desert Tactical Group (GTD) conduct an area control operation in the Gourma region during the Operation Barkhane in Ndaki, Mali, July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier