When you complete your subscription to Kentriki Pass service, you receive the e-transponder, a specialized cleaning cloth and a holder.
How do I install my e-transponder in my vehicle?
On the inside of the windshield behind the rearview mirror of the car.
Low and in the middle of the windshield, on the connection point of the vehicle's dashboard.
Depending on the category of your vehicle (see info above) you clean the right spot surface with the specialized cloth, you remove the sticker's safety cover off the holder and adjust the holder, pressing it against the windshield.
Slide the e-transponder gradually towards its holder in a way that the Customer Care Call Center telephone number can be seen by the driver.
For the proper function of the service, you must ALWAYS have the e-transponder affixed to the windshield of your vehicle.
Which toll lanes do I use with my Kentriki Pass e-transponder?
Α. The exclusive electronic transaction lanes in all the toll stations which have the characteristic sign right above the lane on the canopy of the toll station .
Β. All the lanes with toll collectors, in which apart from the relevant sign , you may see the sign of electronic transaction .
If the electronic transaction lane is fully functioning, right under the characteristic sign you will see a green arrow . If it is not available, you will see a red X. In that case you will either go to the nearest electronic transaction lane, or you can carry out your transaction in the nearest operating lane with a toll collector. You only have to give your e –transponder to the toll collector.
For safety reasons as well as proper service operation, when you enter the electronic transaction lane your speed must not exceed 20 km/ hour and you must also keep a distance of at least 10 meters from the car in front of you.
What do the messages displayed on electronic signs mean?
The passage of the vehicle is allowed.
The passage of the vehicle is allowed, but the balance of your account is low and it requires immediate top up.
The passage of the vehicle is not allowed because the balance of your account is not sufficient for the payment of the toll fee. In order to pass, move to the nearest lane with toll collector, pay with cash and top up your account.
Your e-transponder can't get recognized or is not valid. Check if you have your e-transponder affixed to the right spot and repeat the procedure. If the indication stays the same, move to the nearest lane with a toll collector and pay with cash.
Your e-transponder is getting rejected because it is activated for a vehicle category different than the category of the vehicle that is trying to pass from the electronic transaction lane.


text:
Q: Images which have text and links beside them Hey I'm trying to embed 4 pictures with 1 text and 2 links beside it but I can't get through the last three...here is the code so far:

 Photoshop

 Preview

 Add to your page

I tried several CSS stuff like holders and pic1, pic2, pic3, pic 4 but it seemed to work with images alone without text and links. I need to get 3 other images with the same size of this picture and same links and text beside each other. I need the images to be horizontal and the text to be vertical be side them.

A: LIke this
[DEMO]1
css
.pull-left{
    float:left;
}

A: working fiddle

     Photoshop

     Preview

     Add to your page

     Photoshop

     Preview

     Add to your page

     Photoshop

     Preview

     Add to your page

     Photoshop

     Preview

     Add to your page

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Protocol FTPES not supported or disabled in libcurlFile upload error Due to security reason my host doesn't support FTP plain text login, so they have suggested me to use ftpes protocol to connect the server. Based on this I have created a script but I am getting "Protocol FTPES not supported or disabled in libcurlFile upload error" error.
$options = array(
      CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT => 25,//waiting time, in seconds
      CURLOPT_PORT => FTP_PORT,
      CURLOPT_URL =>'FTPES://'.FTP_HOST.'/'.FTP_FILENAME,
      CURLOPT_USERPWD => FTP_USER.':'.FTP_PASS,
      CURLOPT_UPLOAD => 1,
      CURLOPT_INFILE => $fp,
      CURLOPT_INFILESIZE => filesize($meta['uri']),
      CURLOPT_TRANSFERTEXT => true,
      );

Can somebody help?

A: Try setting it:
$options = array(
     ...
     CURLOPT_USE_SSL    => CURLUSESSL_TRY,
     CURLOPT_FTPSSLAUTH => CURLFTPAUTH_TLS,
     ...
 );

See https://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/c/CURLOPT_FTPSSLAUTH.html
(I had the same problem at command line curl -T ... and solved it using it curl --ssl -T ...)


In order to install aussie addons custom session you may use one of the repositories mentioned under Additional Information > Repositories section above. Or, simply download the addon directly (if such option is present).
Select aussie addons custom session.


text:
Quigler 1.0 iPhone checklist app tracks every transaction step
New tech product aims to open the doors of transparency and communication for clients
Andrey Popov / Shutterstock.com
by Marian McPherson |
The agreement between real estate agent and client calls for a hefty dose of trust that the professional in the room has his or her responsibilities covered. Quigler 1.0, a new app released today, creates a checklist of every task an agent must complete to usher through a successful deal, and notifies consumers as progress ensues.
Quigler 1.0, a new app released today, creates a checklist of every task an agent must complete to usher through a successful deal, and notifies consumers as progress ensues.
The status of the items can be changed in real time, and the system aims to replace time-consuming agent "update letters."
The regular yearly price for agents to participate is $599, but Quigler wants to get the ball rolling in 1,100 U.S. markets. So, the company is offering a 50 percent discount with a special subscription called "Early Adopter Founding Agent."
The agreement between real estate agent and client calls for a hefty dose of trust that the professional in the room has his or her responsibilities covered.
"If you were able to look at any of the National Association of Realtors surveys over the past 30 to 35 years, the No. 1 complaint of consumers with agents is that 'I don't know what my agent is doing, I haven't heard from them, or I don't know where they are — they seem to be lost in action,' " says Quigler founder David Michonski.
David Michonski: The #1 client complaint is not knowing exactly what an agent is doing.
Michonski says this issue is what lead him to create Quigler 1.0, a new app released today, which creates a checklist of every task an agent must complete to usher through a successful deal, and notifies consumers as progress ensues.
The product takes a granular approach with the goal of eliminating client blind spots — meaning there are 14 steps (68 actions) for sellers, and 9 steps (57 actions) for buyers, based on industry best practices, regulations and The National Association of Realtors' Code of Ethics.
Michonski's right-hand woman, Barbara Fairfield, who compiled the list of steps and actions, says the list reminds agents and Realtors what they should be doing and provides consumers with a baseline for the quality of service they should be receiving.
"At the least, this should be a minimum standard of service," says Fairfield. "If you're not performing on this level, you should be concerned and the consumer should be concerned."
Barbara Fairfield: 'At the least, [Quigler 1.0] should be a minimum standard of service.
Michonski says there are other things, such as experience, wisdom, judgment and prudence, that an agent can be judged on and that makes a difference in the overall experience.
"There's still plenty of realm for agents who have those qualities to shine," he says. "But we're trying to make sure that everybody who deals with a consumer is meeting the minimum quality standards set forth by the industry."
The status of the items can be changed in real time, and the system aims to replace time-consuming agent "update letters" — which traditionally are used for marketing, progress and price adjustments — that keep clients in-the-know about the biggest purchase of their life, but perhaps not at the speed they would like.
One of the app's main purposes is to foster heightened levels of communication and increased transparency. In addition, Quigler 1.0 will act as a review service by assigning agents a letter grade based on how many actions within a step are completed.
Michonski realizes that agents may be uncomfortable — or even fearful — of receiving grades from buyers and sellers.
"We are a consumer app, period," he says. "We will always be on the side of the consumer."
But he hopes this real-time feedback will encourage agents to raise the bar on their service, and help clients better understand and appreciate the service that great agents give.
Quigler's No. 1 purpose is to increase transparency and raise the bar of service in #realestate.
For now, the Quigler 1.0 is available free for consumers on iOS. Quigler will later launch an Android version as well as a website connected to the app.
The regular yearly price for agents to participate is $599; however, Quigler wants to get the ball rolling in 1,100 U.S. markets.
So, the company is offering a 50 percent discount with a special subscription called "Early Adopter Founding Agent."
To partake, agents must complete an 80-item Ethical Checklist on industry best practices and receive their first grade before their name will show up in the app's search functionality.
Email Marian McPherson.
Connect with me on Facebook!
Why Facebook message bots are the next frontier of customer service
With Voitrix portal, agents text and vet online leads instantly
5 best apps from 2016 TechNique
Stay in touch after closing and beyond with this white-label agent app
Tru Realty CEO reveals the secret to picking tech vendors as an indie
New text and email 'gift card' scam targets agents directly
CES 2020: What's new, fun and practical for real estate
Inman News quiz: Think you're on top of the week's biggest stories?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Takeaway: Letting someone go may be the most impactful few minutes of that person's life. Managers should know how to do it the right way.
"This may be the most impactful few minutes of someone's life – and I have no idea how to deal with it."The above was part of an email sent to me about seven years ago. I remembered it recently when an author interviewed me while looking for ideas and suggestions for a book she's writing on management best practices. It's a fact of life that many organizations that do some training so well rarely provide solid assistance on this front.Before I launched what is now a global coaching network in 2001, I had been a senior leader in several companies throughout North America. I'd also led a startup with only a few dozen employees, and then created a franchise chain where we had to train "newbies" how to act like a leader in their own businesses. I've overseen the hiring, promotions, downsizing and firing of over 3,000 people. Fortunately, I learned how to handle these issues from some really good human relations experts.
1. Make an appointment with the person who is being let go – something like, "Bob, I'd like to meet with you today at (…several hours from now). The subject is you, and it's important." Use facial expressions or voice tone to indicate the solemnity of this meeting. If asked what the meeting is about, tell them you can't get into it now.
This helps the individual get his/her head around the fact that this isn't going to be great news. It will cause them to think about all the possible outcomes of the meeting. While it may seem harsh to leave them dangling for an hour or two, the fact is it's better that they arrive with a clear understanding that this isn't going to be a pleasant meeting.
It also treats the individual with some respect. Those who just call someone in unexpectedly are being callous chickens, hoping to get the thing over with and are more concerned about their own feelings.
2. If appropriate, have someone from HR involved. If you can have an HR rep in the meeting with you or waiting elsewhere, it allows the person being terminated to talk afterward with the HR person who can explain things like final pay, ongoing health benefits, that will become very important to the individual.
Additionally, it reduces the chances that the firing manager is going to get any backlash (legally or internally) as a result of the way (s) he handled this challenging process.
3. When the person being terminated arrives in the office at the appointed time, he/she is going to suspect that something serious is about to happen.
4. Let the individual have a seat. Now look them in the eyes. This is a big deal – there's another human being across the table from you. Even if this meeting is just one in a series of layoffs you have to do, being human at this time will make a huge difference to them after they've left and recall how this was handled. And they will recall how it was handled – perhaps for years.
5. Start your talk with the end: "We are letting you go effective today." Too often bosses try to explain why or how things got to this point. But human nature is such that the other guy is already defensive and may even try to justify past issues. So just say it.
6. Now: Shut up for 30 seconds. Let her/him swallow what you just said. Talking while the message is being processed doesn't help, and it can hinder the person's ability to process what was said and to get through this moment.
7. If it's reasonable (and if HR doesn't prohibit it), tell the person you are sorry it came to this. As one human being to another. Yes, you're the boss, but you can show some feeling.
8. No debate – If he or she wants to argue or ask questions try to avoid it. The decision has been made and the termination has now been done, his or her job is gone. There's nothing to be gained by getting into the why's or wherefores and, – this is important – you could unintentionally say something that may come back and bite you.
9. The Close – Stand and shake hands. Tell the person to clean up his desk and go to see HR or come back in a while to discuss departure procedures.
Above all, act like a human being. One day it may be you on the other side of the desk and you'd appreciate being treated like one, right?


text:
Douyin — China's TikTok — Said to be Banning Cantonese Speakers
By Sam Reynolds
Apr 1, 2020 11:00 EDT
As TikTok is a hit in the West, Douyin is equally popular within China, as a source of lip-sync videos, memes, and comedy. But it's now alleged that within China, Douyin is suppressing videos that feature the Cantonese language — which is in line with Beijing's policy of suppressing it in favor of promoting Mandarin.
Douyin's alleged banning of the Cantonese language on its platform is significant because it reinforces the idea of close ties between Beijing and the company. Beijing has long had a policy to suppress Cantonese within China, as it sees it as an erosion of its hegemonic vision of cultural and linguistic harmony. For instance, officially, Mandarin is known as Putonghua, or "common language", this is the preferred term of Beijing as it emphasizes unity.
China's Parting Shot at Trump is Sanctions on Former Officials
Cantonese is primarily spoken in China's southern province of Guangzhou and the quasi-independent city of Hong Kong. The language itself is mutually unintelligible with Mandarin; while they share a similar character set, Cantonese has its own vocabulary and with it a rich library of idioms, slang, puns and vulgarity that are unfamiliar to a speaker of Mandarin. Cantonese is a defining characteristic of Hong Kong's unique culture and identity. It defines Hong Kong as much as its traditions of a free market and independent judiciary, passed on from the British; Canto-Pop and Hong Kong cinema, a global phenomenon long before Korea became the cultural export giant, are also a pillar of the Cantonese identity.
THREAD about how Douyin, the Chinese version of #TikTok, is banning livestreamers for speaking Cantonese instead of Mandarin. 1/
— David Paulk 波大卫 (@davidpaulk) April 1, 2020
As Stephen Vines wrote in the South China Morning Post in 2010:
Like other languages, Cantonese provides an identity for the society it serves. It reinforces the regional differences and is attached to a rich cultural history that cannot simply be expunged by edict. Moreover, because of the intense tradition of emigration from the south of the country, Cantonese has become the effective lingua franca of much of the Chinese diaspora and has developed a life of its own outside China.
And, of course, Cantonese enhances a sense of identity. It is this that scares the rulers in Beijing; officials across the border are already accusing the defenders of Cantonese of having 'ulterior motives'.
Anyone challenging this process is quickly labelled a 'splittist' in the wonderful language of Maoism. This is a serious charge and is thrown about indiscriminately at both those who genuinely desire to split from Beijing, such as Tibetans, and at others who are happy to be in the Chinese state but seek a stronger sense of local identity.
As Hong Kong's institutionalized liberties are eroded as 2047 ticks closer, so too is its Cantonese heritage. The city's last few Chief Executives were notoriously Beijing-friendly, and the region has an official policy of encouraging immigration from Mainland China. The majority of schools in Hong Kong now use Mandarin as a primary language of instruction, which has caused a cultural clash between the 'Cantonese Hong Kong', which seeks to preserve its identity, and a new China-focused Hong Kong which prefers to eschew the city's identity for closer ties with the Mainland.
TikTok is looking to shed its image that its a Chinese Trojan Horse in order to win favour from US lawmakers. The company initially came to their attention because of its $1 billion acquisition of Los Angeles-based Musical.ly -- which was re-branded as TikTok -- back in 2017. The company claims that it firewalls its US version, TikTok, from the Chinese side and protects the data of US users from Beijing, but it makes no promises like that for its Chinese users.
News Source: David Paulk - Twitter
China Adds 60,000 New Chip Firms In 2020 For 22% Annual Growth Reveals Data
Ramish Zafar • Dec 22
SMIC's Advanced Chip Production Likely Kneecapped By U.S. Sanctions
Ramish Zafar • Dec 18, 2020
Chinese Firm Develops Key Material For Creating Local Chip Industry – Yet Lags Globally
SMIC & Chinese Pursuit of Latest 5nm Chip Process Will Be Gutted By C.E.O.'s Sudden Departure
China's $1.4 Trillion Program Aims To Replace U.S. Chip Subservience & Make Satellites
Ramish Zafar • Nov 30, 2020
NVIDIA Downgrades G-SYNC Ultimate Specification From 1000 Nits To 600 Nits2193


text:
Home World Warren Buffett explains his $750 million charitable donation on Thanksgiving eve
Warren Buffett explains his $750 million charitable donation on Thanksgiving eve
Warren Buffett donated more than $750 million in Berkshire Hathaway stock to four foundations associated with his family on Thanksgiving eve, and the legendary investor said the timing was no coincidence as this is his way of giving thanks to his children for their charitable work.
"I've got a personal pride in how my kids turned out," Buffett told CNBC's Becky Quick. "I feel good about the fact that they know I feel good about them. This is the ultimate endorsement in my kids, and it's the ultimate statement that my kids don't want to be dynastically wealthy."
The 92-year-old investor donated 1.5 million Class B shares of his conglomerate to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named for his first wife. He also gave 300,000 Class B shares apiece to the three foundations run by his children: the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the NoVo Foundation.
The recipients this time didn't include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The "Oracle of Omaha" has vowed to give away his fortune over time and has been making annual donations to the same five charities since 2006.
In June, he gave 11 million Class B shares to the Gates Foundation, 1.1 million B shares to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and 770,218 shares apiece to his children's three foundations.
Previous articleMusk says Twitter to launch 'Verified' service next week with a 'gold check' for companies
Next articleOmicron boosters probably aren't very effective against mild Covid illness, but will likely prevent hospitalizations, experts say


text:
Q: Mongolite: How to insert Date in mongodb using r Hi I'm trying insert date but it is only taking as string.
mongo$update(query = paste0('{"_id": ', c, ' }'),
update = paste0('{"$addToSet": {"values": {date_data": "ISODate("',dat,'")"
} } }'))

If i remove quotes from value: "ISODate("',dat,'")", its is giving invalid json object error and with quote it inserts as string.
Any help will be appreciated...

A: To insert date in mongodb using rmongolite package use $date.
mongo$update(
    query = paste0('{"_id": ', c, ' }'),
    update = paste0('{"$addToSet":
        {"values":{"date_data":{"$date":"', dat, '"} } }'
    )
)


Theophylline (brand names include Uniphyl® and Theochron®, among others) is used for various conditions associated with airway spasms in adults and children. Specifically, the drug is approved to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It comes in several different forms, including capsules, tablets, an elixir, and an injection. Theophylline works by relaxing the muscles of the airways, and also prevents inflammation that can lead to an asthma attack.
It's important to review theophylline's safety information with your healthcare provider before starting treatment. This drug may not be suitable for everyone, so make sure your healthcare provider knows if you have any other medical conditions, such as epilepsy, liver disease, or certain allergies, and if you are taking any other medications, including nonprescription drugs.


text:
module System.Build.Access.Protected where

class Protected r where
  setProtected ::
    r
    ->  r

  unsetProtected ::
    r
    ->  r

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Overcoming March defeat, Woodbridge School District successfully passes referendum
This is the first year the district has taken an operating referendum to voters since 2006.
Overcoming March defeat, Woodbridge School District successfully passes referendum This is the first year the district has taken an operating referendum to voters since 2006. Check out this story on delawareonline.com: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2019/05/30/woodbridge-school-district-successfully-passes-referendum/1284268001/
Natalia Alamdari, Delaware News Journal Published 12:21 p.m. ET May 30, 2019 | Updated 5:24 p.m. ET May 30, 2019
Woodbridge School District's referendum passed on Wednesday, raising taxes to cover increasing security, utility and transportation costs.
The district had lost its previous vote in March. Voter turnout this week nearly doubled that of the March election, with the unofficial tally coming in at 1,313 for and 1,042 against. The previous vote saw a total of 1,395 voters.
"I was cautiously optimistic," said Heath Chasanov, superintendent for the district. "We had excellent turnout. That's a good sign, regardless of how people vote. Hopefully, we can come back together and focus on educating kids."
Chasanov said he thinks the district's messaging helped win the vote. It wasn't a glamorous campaign, he said. Instead, it focused on needing money to maintain the school and keep teachers.
Earlier in the campaign, school board member Steve McCarron shared a video of teachers listing items they've bought for their classroom out of pocket. The teachers listed standard items like art supplies, erasers and paper. But some items went beyond school supplies — uniforms, snacks, even sneakers and lunch.
Woodbridge School District successfully passed an operating referendum on Wednesday. The win comes after a video made rounds on social media, listing the variety of items teachers have bought for their students out of pocket. (Photo: Suchat Pederson, The News Journal)
TEACHER EXPENSES: Video shines light on teachers' out-of-pocket spending to supply classrooms
Woodbridge hasn't taken an operational tax hike to voters since 2006. In 2011, the district won a capital referendum, which raises funds for the construction of new schools.
Wednesday's win will bring in about $950,000, which will go toward transportation, utility and security costs. It will also allow the district to halt deficit spending and account for its steadily increasing student population.
Since 2006, the district has grown from 1,937 to 2,526 students.
UNDERSTANDING REFERENDUMS: System questioned as Christina district holds 4th referendum in 4 years
On average, Sussex County residents can expect to pay $70 more per year; Kent County residents can expect an $85 increase.
Natalia Alamdari covers education for The News Journal. You can reach her at (302) 324-2312 or nalamdari@delawareonline.com.
Woodbridge High graduation 2018
Woodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Michael Roshon Brewer II points to the crowd during Woodbridge High School Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Class president Lamyra Ross gets teary-eyed as she talks at Woodbridge High School Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Graduates turn their tassels as Woodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Graduates throw their caps in the air as Woodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Woodbridge's Asayshia Houchens of Seaford, left, gets help from Ronkeira Holder of Bridgeville as iWoodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Graduates get ready for Woodbridge High School Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Rain forced hundreds to warch Woodbridge High School Commencement on TV's at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Woodbridge MCJROTC at Woodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Teacher Harry Brake talks to the crowd as Woodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Salutatorian Alsli Alondra Torres-Landeros gives her address as Woodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Valedictorian Kieu Huong Kathlin Dinh gives her address as Woodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Principal Kent Chase speaks at Woodbridge High School held their Commencement at the School on Sunday, June 3, 2018 graduating 137 seniors at Woodbridge High School Auditorium. It was the 49th class to graduate from the school. Todd Dudek/Special to The News Journal
Read or Share this story: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2019/05/30/woodbridge-school-district-successfully-passes-referendum/1284268001/
Mexican eatery closed after complaint says roach fell out of soda machine


The government has joined a legal proceeding against appeals to a $1.2 billion redevelopment of the Three Kings quarry in Auckland.
Two community groups, the Three Kings United Group and the South Epsom Planning Group, lodged an appeal at the Environment Court last year to stop the redevelopment of the Three Kings quarry, citing environmental concerns.
Today, the government announced it had joined Auckland Council and Fletcher Residential to fight the appeal.
Housing Minister Nick Smith said the redevelopment would build 1500 apartments and townhouses, and employ 1000 people during construction. He said something needed to be done with the quarry so it did not sit as is for another decade.
"It is an ugly eyesore, and I find it very difficult to accept there aren't significant environmental benefits as a consequence of being able to proceed with these developments."
Dr Smith said the two community groups had their concerns heard by independent commissioners during consultation, and their views were rejected.
"Those independent commissioners confirmed that this was a quality urban built environment."
As part of the legal proceedings, the government will be able to make submissions to the court about housing affordability and supply in the hope the Environment Court will rule against the appeal.
"It is of some concern to me that small groups such as that are able to cause huge delay for a $1.2 billion project."
He said the case highlighted why special housing legislation, which bypassed the appeals process, was so important for pushing the intensification necessary for housing growth.
"There are people that don't want to see greenfields developments, and want to see intensification, and the moment someone does, like Fletchers Residential proposed intensification, people come out of the woodworks opposing it."
He would not say just how many of the 1500 houses would be affordable, and said the exact price range would be determined by Fletcher Residential once the property came onto the market.
"Affordable is always a very value judgement term, because what's affordable to one person is not necessarily for the next.
"What we do know is that this Three Kings development will provide a lot more of those town houses and apartments that is so desperately needed in close proximity to the city."
It is the first time the government has taken such a step for more than 15 years. Dr Smith said that was because the development was so large, and so important for Auckland.
Garry Bryant, president of the Three Kings United Group, said he was happy for the site to be developed but was against what was proposed.
Mr Bryant said the infrustructure would not be able to cope with the number of people in the planned 1500 appartments and houses.
He hoped the appeal would provide an opportunity to look at other plans for the quarry.
If the appeal was overruled, Dr Smith expected construction onsite to begin by the end of the year, and the first houses built by 2017 or 2018.
The 15.2 hectare Three Kings Quarry site is just 8km from Auckland's central business district, at the southern end of Mt Eden Road.
Fletcher Building wants to turn one of its disused quarries into a housing development for up to 1500 homes. They want to use 6.4 hectares of Crown land in the development.


Everpix was great. This is how it died.
.. Wherever You Took Them. Review at Cult of Mac.
Instantly see & share your photos from all your accounts & devices.
Glad to be a part. You'll love this service.
"Everpix, the startup that organizes all your photos in the cloud (and a previous TechCrunch Disrupt 2011 finalist), has just closed a $1 million seed round led by Index Ventures. The round also saw participation from 500 Startups, Kii Capital, 2020 Ventures' David Williams, and other angel investors..."
"More than just disrupting Flickr, it shows us what Apple's iCloud Photo Stream could be..."
Doing to pictures what Google did to search - i.e. making it work. Glad to be on board.
Alpha Demo from Everpix on Vimeo.


text:
Q: .htaccess remove a part of the url in PHPthumb I did the research and couldnt find anything useful
I have a problem with phpthumb ,
http://localhost/sandbox/public/PhpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=../../../../../../../../../etc/passwd&w=140px&h=120px&q=100

I need to replace the the ../ proceeding the src. Basically to remove all ../ occrunces. Or to redirect to an error page. I prefer both.
RewriteRule ^(.*)phpThumb\.php?(src)?(=)?(\.\.\/)*$ images/unknown.gif [NC]

I suspect that the above rule which i created is not correct. Please advise.
Thanks in advance.

A: You cannot do this kind of modification via mod_rewrite like this. It is only concerned with the actual URL, not with GET parameters. You should handle those from within the executed PHP script.
Other option would be to add a RewriteCond using %{QUERY_STRING} which is (in comparison to RewriteRule) able to work with GET parameters. Then you can use %1, %2, ... in the replacement part of your RewriteRule instead of $1, $2, ...
Something like this:
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} \.\./
RewriteRule phpThumb\.php$ images/unknown.gif [L]


So if kids and other e-media users want to be happy (likely based on getting along with or connecting with others) and more mentally sharper/aware, then they need to become less distracted. Hmmmm, what are the major distracting devices in our society today? How do those devices make people more self-focused and self-centered with less contact with real people, nature, and their immediate surroundings? If individuals lose touch with others, nature, and their immediate surroundings, how does that affect their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual connectedness? How does that affect the way they see and view others? How does that affect their relationships, school work, or responsibility in the working world? How does that affect their fitness for long-term relationships or commitment as well as fitness for raising a family? If they feel nothing for others, who will do the demanding hospital and health care work and child care? If they feel no empathy, how will they respond to the pain and suffering of others? Will sympathy bite the dust because the condition of empathy is diminished? How chaotic and unstandardized will education become? How much more can the world become uncaring with all this e-media distraction?
It's all there in Morelli's quote–what we have become or shall become. It's a pretty dark, depressing sort of scenario thanks to how much a society has sold its young, its individuals, and consumers to the great god of e-technology. Wireless Is The Word, baby! Get with the program and dumb-dumb wa–a-y down. Forget all about nature, beauty, mind, spirit, and soul. That's just old stuff that no one needs.


This Shabbat I was in central Jerusalem with a visiting relative and as I try to do as often as possible, I went to pray at the Kotel, the Western Wall, one of the supporting walls which are all that remain of the ancient Temple complex destroyed almost 2000 years ago by the Romans. This wall is the closest Jews can come today to our holiest site, the Temple Mount itself, which is now the site of Muslim shrines built in the 7th century.
I am always awed by walking in ancient Jerusalem, and especially when standing and praying next to those ancient stones of the wall my ancestors built millennia ago. Of course it is a cliche to wonder at what those stones have only witnessed, but all the same, I cannot help but think of that whenever I am there. These stones which my forefathers walked past on their pilgrimages to the Temple - who knows, perhaps some of my ancestors were even priests in the Temple, or market vendors selling pottery and livestock to the pilgrims.
Even more so than the stones though, the mount which they support, the Temple Mount itself, is a physical symbol of the eternal Jewish people, the very soul of the Jewish nation. Three times a day I face the Temple Mount in prayer, just as my Jewish forebears have done for millennia. Thousands of years ago, this is the site on which the Temple stood, the centre and symbol of Jewish religious life, political sovereignty and freedom, the centre of the Jewish universe to which Jews made at least three pilgrimages a year. Centuries before Christianity or Islam even existed, my ancestors came to offer sacrifices at this site, recited Hebrew prayers at this site - the very same Psalms in the same language that I recited today by the remains of the Western Wall. And when invaders destroyed the Temple and forced the Jews into a millennia long exile, wherever they have wandered in the world, whether they were exiled to Babylon, Egypt, Spain, Russia, Britain, Iran, the USA or anywhere else, Jews have turned to face the Temple Mount and pray for a return to Zion and the redemption of the Jewish people.
Even more than the ancient stones, I am awed at the fact that I have been granted the privilege to stand right next to Judaism's holiest site, to look up upon the Mount itself, a site which for centuries millions of Jews have longed to see even just once in their lifetime, and which I can look upon with my own eyes whenever I choose to take the bus into Jerusalem.
No Jews are allowed to go up to the Mount itself, not since the intifada began in late September, sparked allegedly by a Jewish Israeli politician visiting the site. Following the 7th century Muslim Arab conquest of the Holy Land the Muslims built a mosque and shrine on the ruins of the Temple, claiming it as their own holy site and refusing to share the site with the Jews. For that matter, in modern times they refuse to even acknowledge that this is indeed a Jewish holy site at all, insisting that it is only holy for Muslims and that Jews have no history here. In order to avoid antagonising the Muslim world, Israel, since gaining control of the site from Jordan during the Six Day War, has granted the Muslim religious authorities control of the Temple Mount, forbidding Jews to pray at our holiest place in the world.
The Muslim authorities don't even really like Jews to visit the site, following around Jews who do so in case they try to mumble a prayer when no one is looking. It they catch you trying to pray they call the Israeli police and haul you off the site, or, if you're really unlikely they might beat you up. Muslim kids can play football on this holy site, non-Jewish visitors can picnic here, tourists can click their cameras and marvel at the beautiful Muslim shrines here, but Jews may not pray here.
Well, that's the way it is, the closest we can get is a building near the Mount which looks down onto it, or we can sneak up disguised as foreign tourists and whisper a prayer in our hearts while pretending to admire the view or photograph the golden Dome of the Rock, but it's better than nothing. At least we can freely get close and pray at the Western Wall below. Thirty-four years ago we couldn't even do this because the whole area was under Jordanian control and Jews were not allowed into Jerusalem's Old City at all. Today, except on the rare occasions when Palestinians riot on the Temple Mount and throw rocks down onto Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall, Jews can freely visit at least the Western Wall.
Well, at least for now I can go and gaze up upon the Mount whenever I want to. At least for now. There is a reason that I'm writing all this, and it isn't because I suddenly feel like waxing romantic about Jewish history. It's because suddenly a Jewish Israeli government is on the verge of doing the unthinkable - signing away the Temple Mount and most of the surrounding Old City to the Palestinians. So you say, I've just written that we don't really control the Temple Mount anyway, and at least we'll still have the Western Wall, what's the big deal? Well, here is the big deal. The Temple Mount is the focus of Jewish prayers, at the core of the Jewish soul, it is the heart of the Jewish nation, the nexus of Jewish identity, the symbol of Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem - it is in short big. A place like that is not something that you consider giving up even to a friendly neighbour who recognises your religious and historic rights to the site, let alone to a supposed "peace partner" who is right now acting more like an enemy and who denies that the site even has any connection to the Jewish people.
Right now Muslims are free to worship at the site, security permitting, Jews are in theory allowed to at least visit the site. If it comes under Palestinian control Jews won't even be able to visit, as was the case when it was under Jordanian rule. Aside from that, though today Jews may not be able to pray on the Temple Mount, the police guarding the area, protecting the Western Wall below from possible attacks from the Temple Mount above, are Israeli police. How would people feel about going to pray at the Western Wall knowing that instead there were Palestinian police up there, the ones who are currently taking potshots at Israeli homes and vehicles. Shall we say that Israelis don't really feel that comfortable with the idea?
And now you understand why it was that this morning I not only prayed at the Western Wall, I also wept at the Western Wall. Also known as the Wailing Wall, it is here that ever since the Temple was destroyed Jews have come and wept as they suffered the terrors and indignities of foreign rule and exile. Today for the first time in my life I joined the millions of Jews who have come to this wall and cried their hearts out. As I looked up at the Mount, looked at the Israeli police ensuring my safety, at the other Jews praying around me, I wondered sadly if this would be one of the last times I could come here freely and openly as an Israeli and as a Jew.
This week we celebrated Chanukah, commemorating the day some 2200 years ago when the Maccabees recaptured the Holy Temple from the pagan Syrian-Greek occupiers and rededicated it for Jewish worship. This Chanukah, for the first time, a government of the modern State of Israel voted to endorse a plan which would relinquish sovereignty over the site of the Temple to Israel's enemies.
If the Clinton agreement goes through the Western Wall and the adjacent Jewish Quarter of the Old City will become an isolated Israeli enclave surrounded by Palestinian-controlled areas. Israel will be allowed access to the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall via a narrow corridor along one edge of the Old City. According to the agreement the Palestinians will be obligated to allow Israelis free access to these sites.
In theory it sounds good enough - if Israel were signing an agreement with Switzerland perhaps. Unfortunately Israel is negotiating with Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. They have already been granted control of other Jewish holy sites which under the Oslo agreements they were bound to protect and allow free Jewish access to. So far they have ransacked Joseph's Tomb in Nablus/Shechem and built a mosque in its place and set fire to the ancient Shalom Al Yisrael synagogue in Jericho. The Palestinian minister in charge of religious affairs pledges that when they get control of the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, the burial place of Abraham and Sara, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leiah, they will not allow Jews to visit. The Palestinian press crows about how they hope to wrest Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem from Jewish control and do to it as they did to Joseph's Tomb. Palestinian negotiators refuse even to acknowledge that the Jews have any ties, historical, religious or otherwise, to the Temple Mount. This doesn't sound like peace to me. It certainly doesn't sound like people I want to entrust any more Jewish holy sites to, guarantees or no guarantees.
We've been through this before though. In the 1948-49 War of Independence the Jordanians took the Old City and besieged the Jewish Quarter whose defenders were eventually forced to surrender, and the surviving Jews were expelled from the Old City. Under the armistice agreement which ended the war Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan, with the Jordanians granted control of the Old City, including all the Jewish holy sites. Officially Jordan was to grant Jews free access to the Western Wall. In practice Israelis were not allowed to enter Jordanian-held Jerusalem and during 19 years of Jordanian rule Jews could not pray at their holy sites, including the Western Wall. In addition the Jordanians systematically desecrated Jewish holy sites, destroying almost every synagogue in the Old City and using the tombstones from the ancient Jewish cemetery on the nearby Mount of Olives to pave roads and build homes and latrines. Last year I worked as an editor for a professor writing a book on the history of this period, of divided Jerusalem from 1949 to 1967. It does not make for comforting reading.
Usually I come to the Old City with a sense of wonder, My mind reels with verses about Jerusalem from the bible, Jewish prayers and modern Hebrew literature. King David, Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi and Naomi Shemer's words resound in my ears. I look up at the Western Wall and the Temple Mount above and I think of my great-grandparents and their great-grandparents and all the pious and learned Jews in generations before me, far more righteous than I, who have not merited to stand before this most sacred of all places. My heart fills with gratitude that I can so easily and freely visit the place for which my people have yearned for millennia. Today I wondered whether my children will ever stand where I stood today. Whether, please God, when I am old and grey I will be able to come and pray here like the elderly lady by my side. I wondered whether even in a few months time, this Pesah, one of the three pilgrimage festivals on which Jews from all over flock to Jerusalem, I will be able to come here as I do every pilgrimage festival. How could I help but weep at the prospect of a millennia-old prayer, a realised millennia-old prayer, being dashed, not by an enemy, but by our own Jewish Israeli government under pressure from America and Europe.
At the end of minha prayers on Shabbat afternoon many have the custom to recite Psalms 120-134. I managed the first few clearly, and then the tears began to come, slowly at first, and then uncontrollably as I read on. "My soul has had its fill of dwelling with those who hate peace. I am peace, but they are for war... I rejoiced when they said to me we will go to the House of God. Our feet stood within your gates, oh Jerusalem... Pray for the peace of Jerusalem... Peace be within your precincts and your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and friends I will say peace be yours... May God bless you from Zion and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life."
How can I read that in today's Jerusalem and not weep?
As I sat and cried over my siddur (prayer book) a young mother who was asking worshippers to offer special prayers for a seriously ill relative came and sat by me. "Everyone has her own burden to bear" she said. "It is forbidden to weep on Shabbat, we must rejoice the best we can." I tried to find a way to rejoice on the Sabbath but I have never been more frightened for the future of Israel.


text:
German leader changes sides in VW power struggle
Published: Feb. 15, 2007 at 1:04 a.m. ET
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A powerful German politician has changed his position supports Volkswagen AG Chairman Ferdinand Piech's moves to tighten his control on Europe's largest automaker, according to a media report Thursday.
The new support comes from Christian Wulff, governor of Volkswagen's home state of Lower Saxony, which is Volkswagen's (766400) second-largest shareholder, The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition. See Wall Street Journal story (subscription required).
Piech couldn't be reached for comment, The Journal said.
In an unusual joint appearance Wednesday with Piech at Volkswagen's Wolfsburg headquarters, Wulff said he no longer opposes the move by VW's biggest shareholder, Porsche AG (693773) for a third representative on VW's board in addition to Piech, The Journal said. Porsche, which owns 27.4% of Volkswagen's stock, said last year it plans to increase the holding to 30%, The Journal reported.
Piech, a member of Porsche's board, was Volkswagen's chief executive from 1993 until 2002. He is a descendant of the company's founder, Ferdinand Porsche. Porsche's descendants own 100% of Porsche's voting stock.
Wulff told reporters Wednesday that he's willing to accept a greater role for Porsche in Volkswagen's governance in recognition of Porsche's growing financial, The Journal said.
"We agreed that the largest shareholder (Porsche) has the right to get three posts on the supervisory board," The Journal said it was told by Wulff, who added that his government will support Porsche's candidate for board chairman.
Wulff didn't elaborate on his reasons for supporting Porsche, but he is widely viewed in Germany as a potential candidate for chancellor in the future , The Journal said.
Wulff has clashed repeatedly in recent years with Piech in boardroom debates on strategy and governance, The Journal said. In 2006, claiming conflicts of interest between Piech's roles at Porsche and Volkswagen, Wulff extracted a commitment to relinquish the chairmanship of Volkswagen's board when his current term expires in April.


Nicole Petallides is an American anchor, TV Broadcaster and reporter for the Fox Business Network. She worked previously with CNN and Bloomberg but she was concerned to be in sports after college.
Nicole Petallides was born in Queens New York on September 20, 1971, to her parents. Her mother Fannie Holliday was an immigrant from Cyprus is the founder and chief operating officer of Proini and father John C. Petallides, who owns Amfax, a New York company called salesforce 911. Nicole attended Buckley Country Day School in 1985, and after high school, she graduated from American University in 1993. As a student in college, she used to play soccer as center-forward and also a goalkeeper.
Nichole Petallides started her career soon after her college degree. She began her career as Segment Producer in Good Day New York. After that, she joined as an anchor at Bloomberg television where she reported from New York Stock Exchange for syndicated shows.
After gathering several experiences on her resume, she joined CW11's WPIX and started to work as a business news anchor.
As a professional reporter, she also worked with CNBC, News 12Long Island, CNN and currently working as an anchor for Fox Business Network.
The beautiful anchor Nicole is a married woman and is living happily with her loving husband. She married to her long term boyfriend, Nicholas Tsiolas, who is a dentist in Manhattan, in 1998 at the age 27. The wedding took place at the Greek Orthodox Shrine Church of St. Nicholas in Queens. She walked with her father into the church.
The beautiful couple is blessed with two children, but they never revealed anything about their children. From her social media sites, she always shares her romantic photos with her followers.
Nichole has earned a massive amount from her career. As a professional anchor at Fox, she is earning a handsome amount annually. The exact net worth and salary is not out on media, but from her social media photos, she is living of a well-appointed lifestyle.
Nichole Petallides is active on social media sites. She uses Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Petallides has almost 17.2k followers on Instagram, and she has about 868 posts. On Twitter account, she has almost 22.5K followers and approx. 1495 tweets. Nicole is also active on Facebook but not like Twitter and Instagram.
Nicole is 6 feet 2 inches tall and has around 57 kg body weight. Her hair color is dark brown, and her color is brown. Her body measurement is 35-26-36 inches and her shoe size of 9 US and dresses size of 6 US.


Starting your own company from scratch is hard — it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman.
Gender shouldn't matter when it comes to raising money and getting your company off the ground, but some women have reported instances in which being a female founder had been particularly hard.
Take Kathryn Minshew, the co-founder and CEO of the career-building platform The Muse, for example.
In a recent interview with prestigious incubator Y Combinator, she revealed her toughest challenge when it came to starting The Muse.
Minshew said that although the media tends to emphasise the more obvious instances when it comes to sexism in tech, the real hardships are more subtle.
Raising venture capt ial as a female founder has been a fascinating, albeit difficult experience. While recent media coverage has focused on examples of some of the particularly bad behaviour (and believe me, I've experienced some pretty awful crap), it's often the subtle, unintentional stereotypes and biases that are the hardest thing to deal with: people assuming you don't really want to build a massive company, that you prefer lifestyle business, that your ambitions are small or cute, that smiling and not being an a–hole means you're likely not tough enough to cut it.
Ultimately, I think it takes a certain grit and determination to constantly re-prove to people that you're just as dedicated, just as determined, and just as capable as the entrepreneurs around you who may better fit the physical pattern — but on the flipside, women who succeed often become razor sharp through the process.
That's not to say all female founders feel this way. One founder, in fact, told Y Combinator the opposite about her experience. Jessica Mah, founder of accounting platform inDinero, said being a woman was a "massive advantage" when it came to working on her startup. Susan Johnson, the founder of Women.com, said "a good product knows no gender," and that being a woman never impacted her ability to raise money.


The low pressure center that has been gyrating over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico for days has now dropped very heavy precipitation over southeastern Louisiana. The Global Precipitation Measurement mission, or GPM, core satellite gathered rainfall data on the system and looked at it in three dimensions.
Up to 10 inches (254 mm) of rain since Thursday, Aug. 11, has already caused flooding in parts of the state. Today, Aug. 12 the National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for many parts of southeastern Louisiana. Much of the New Orleans area is under a flood watch until Saturday morning, Aug. 13.
The GPM core observatory satellite flew directly above some very intense Louisiana storms on Aug. 11 at 10:26 p.m. EDT (Aug. 12, 2016, at 0226 UTC). Rainfall estimates in these storms were calculated using the satellite's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments. GPM's radar (DPR Ku band) measured rain falling at a rate of over 3.9 inches (100.1 mm) per hour in one intense downpour.
At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, a 3-D image and animation were created using the GPM data. The 3-D structure of rainfall within the Louisiana thunderstorms during the evening of Aug. 11 was measured by GPM's Radar (DPR Ku Band). DPR found that a few storm tops were reaching heights of over 9.9 miles (16 km). The GPM core observatory satellite gave further evidence of the power within these storms when it found that radar reflectivity values of over 53 dBZ were returned by some intense showers.
GPM is a joint mission of NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
For updates on the area forecasts, visit the National Weather Service website: http://www.weather.gov.


Best Allergists in East Los Angeles, CA with Verified Reviews – Book Online!
Need to make an allergist appointment this week? Use Zocdoc to find allergists in East Los Angeles who take your insurance. It's simple, secure and free.
I thought Dr. she was wonderful. She really reviews my results and tries to thing out of the box to help with my rare condition. She is extremely kind and has excellent follow-through.
It was great! She was super informative and got me started on a plan right away to fix this rash and swollen eyes I've had for over a month! She knew exactly how to treat me and gave me the proper tests for allergies. I loved it here! Awesome doctor, very efficient and effective! See her if you're looking for an allergist definitely recommended.
Dr. Mobasser is always great! The only bad thing about going to her office is the wait, and of course she is only there twice per week.


If you haven't caught on, pay-to-play is as real as ever, especially in the social media world. On top of shrinking organic engagement, the days of organic social media are falling to the wayside – especially after Facebook announced it would prioritize content of family and friends over businesses, solidifying the pay-to-play model. This is why it is crucial for businesses to allocate a budget for social media advertising.
So how do you spend your budget efficiently? Here are a few tips.
Going viral is on every brand's checklist. The exposure and media coverage generated from a viral social post can catapult brands to a new level.
Going viral is difficult to plan, but there's a way to make it work on a smaller scale.
For example, if you notice one of your social media posts performed well organically, "boost" it, or put some advertising dollars behind it to expand reach and exposure. If users were engaging with the post organically, chances are others outside your usual organic reach will, too.
Many organizations host and attend large conferences, trade shows or events where they showcase products, feature demonstrations and make new announcements.
Maximize your investment by promoting the social posts for it, either by geo-targeting individuals in the area who plan to attend, or targeting by industry and interests, or both.
Say Company ABC is attending Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and wants to maximize the reach of their announcement and get people into their booth. Create a social post highlighting the announcement and inviting people to come see a live demo at the tradeshow booth; then, target the social post to those in only in Barcelona (Geo-Targeting) with interests in Technology (Industry) and Mobile Phones (Interests).
Marketing departments spend hours creating content – eBooks, blogs, whitepapers, infographics – and too often, this content just sits on the website until someone checks it out.
That's the wrong approach. Instead, look at what website content has the most clicks/views, and promote it on social media.
Again, chances are that if your main audience is looking at this organically, other readers with related interests will want, too.
Most importantly, once the dust settles, look back at the social metrics. What were impressions and clicks? What was the engagement rate? Look at these key indicators to determine the advertised social post's performance.


text:
The Last Temple of Apollo By Ivan Fenech
At a summer camp in the remote fishing village of Linappoll, in Cornwall, south-west England, Anne and Giuliano find they have more in common than they could ever imagine - together they can foretell... More > the future. But what they see is ominous indeed. The mighty Titan Cronos, who once ruled the ancient world with a priestly cult of murderous Vates, is planning a vengeful return. Can Anne and Giuliano ever hope to stop the bloodthirsty tyrant? They find help close at hand. Living in obscurity in Linappoll village are four Olympian gods: the absent-minded Zeus, who now runs a post office; Apollo, who has exchanged his lyre for a guitar and sings ballads at the village inn; the lame tinker Hephaestus who lives a hermit's life in an abandoned mine; and grey-eyed Athene, the mysterious but beautiful goddess.< Less
eBook (ePub): $4.99
At a summer camp in the remote fishing village of Linappoll, in Cornwall, south-west England, Anne and Giuliano find they have more in common than they could ever imagine - together they can foretell... More > the future. But what they see is ominous indeed. The mighty Titan Cronos, who once ruled the ancient world with a priestly cult of murderous Vates, is planning a vengeful return. Can Anne and Giuliano ever hope to stop the bloodthirsty tyrant They find help close at hand. Living in obscurity in Linappoll village are four Olympian gods: the absent-minded Zeus, who now runs a post office; Apollo, who has exchanged his lyre for a guitar and sings ballads at the village inn; the lame tinker Hephaestus who lives a hermit's life in an abandoned mine; and grey-eyed Athene, the mysterious but beautiful goddess.< Less


Hi Liz and all, This procedure you describe did work in NSW local courts until around mid 2016. Then Veda decided that a discontinuance was no longer sufficient. I found out not because of changing law or legislation, simply a decision of their own that they now will not remove a judgment based on a discontinuance alone.
My daughter received a call from 407-215-2900 on her cell phone. I don't know what time the call was received, but they left a voicemail to "call back as soon as you receive this message".
Is it safe to completely remove the drive shaft?
I had a dream once that my husband was catching fish and 1 month I was pregnant!


Many engineering companies that are spread all over Singapore provide a number of services from workshop repairs to products and spare-parts distribution and supplies. However, with such a number of companies that are available in Singapore, it makes one's decision even tougher.
Here are some factors you should consider to help you distinguish between the various companies when deciding on which engineering company is right for you.
You may be running into several problems for your equipment so it is always best to choose an engineering company that specializes in all kinds of services, so you don't have to run around looking for multiple firms to solve the issue. Furthermore, rather than selecting a company that only focuses on handling existing or new equipment, pick a company that undertakes projects for both types of equipment, such as upgrading of existing equipment and testing of new equipment.
An all-rounded engineering company in Singapore will provide a profusion of services comprising of switchgear services, field services, generator maintenance, workshop repairs for generators, as well as power transformers, generator overhauling, products and spare-parts distribution and supplies.
It's great if you already have a specific service that you are looking for when engaging with an engineering company, however, you never know what kind of problems you may run into whether it is for your generator, transformer or any other equipment. Choose a company that has ample services so you'll never have to worry.
In today's highly competitive engineering industry, companies have to be equipped with superlative and reliable equipment if they want to stand out from their competitors. Two renowned companies can provide you with the same number and variety of services, so the determining factor will be how up-to-date their technology is.
There's nothing wrong with slightly older machinery when it comes to power transformer repairs and generator overhaul, but it becomes crucial when you have to consider various factors like speed, orders, deadlines to meet and so on. Having the latest facilities and technology becomes especially essential if you have to satisfy your client's needs, such as repairing a motor generator as soon as possible for the client's use. So, make sure you pick an engineering company that is equipped with outstanding facilities and technology to have faster and better results for your equipment.
Though this goes without saying, you should still check through and make sure that the engineering company that you plan to engage with has a substantial amount of experience in their line of work. You want to make sure that they know what they are doing when providing their services as it will become troubling if any damage is caused to the equipment.
Besides making sure that the company has many years of experience in the industry, you should also make certain that the company has hired plenty of qualified and experienced engineers, technicians, managers as well as skilled craftsmen in each field. This way you'll be guaranteed of refined services for your equipment, be it generators or transformers.
Other than having experienced engineers in the company you should also make sure that they are able to provide advisory and consulting services up to final solutions for all types of rotating machine problems, such as vibration, thermal overheating, alignment and other related problems.
With such services available, you'll know what is happening during the different processes, such as repairing, installations and so on. You can also get any sort of doubts or enquiries cleared up too as these engineers will typically be quite knowledgeable so you don't have to worry about having any unanswered questions.
Last but not least, check up on the company's past clients and accreditations to date up till now. Look through their past works and see if they have a pool of clients, if you have the ability then look up on some reviews and see if they are positive or negative. The more renowned the client, the better, as it means that many famed companies are fond of the engineering company's services.
Besides past clients, see if the company is accredited with any certificates such as bizSAFE, which shows that the company has went through the workplace safety and health program. Having accreditations shows that the company is reliable and credible, meaning that you are able to trust them and engage with them regarding your projects.
These are some key tips you should take note of when you are deciding on which electrical engineering company in Singapore to engage with. There are many notable engineering firms in Singapore like Maintech Engineering & Supplies Pte Ltd (MES) that you can engage with, so make sure you pick the right one that will assist you properly and efficiently.


We love travelling back to India every once in a while. It's almost like looking for beautiful places around the world only to come home to find it.
Bangalore to Coimbatore to Munnar: three cities in three states with old world charm. We stopped for breakfast and realized, there's nothing that ghee pongal, crispy vada-sambar and steaming traditional South Indian filter coffee can't cure. Even the blazing midday sun was forgiven.
We watched the changing landscape, from the Annaimalai Tiger Reserve across the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary towards the city of Munnar.
From the countless windmills, the warm wafting air, the paddy fields as they unrolled ahead and the hills running along the horizon to the sight of green peppercorn on creepers, the scent of purple jacaranda, low-lying clouds, occasional chilly gusts of wind and an intertwining web of passageways, with the tea gardens on either side.
As our car burned rubber climbing uphill, we watched the planet shrink below us.
We reached our hotel, one that was perfectly nestled in a quaint village and as we checked into the extra large double suite (with a tres magnifique view), a meal and nap were in order.
The sky was painted in watercolours and the light of dawn strobing the mountains (of course making the one hour gruelling journey to this point, Top Station, worth it).
Words don't describe this moment. Only, now, it's, as glorious as the rising sun.
We trudged our way to a higher altitude, the hills awash with tea leaves, only to reach the world's highest organic tea garden, the Kolukkumalai Tea Factory.
We were guided through the processing and grading (met lovely tea pickers on the way), generously refilling our cups with orange-pekoe cardamom tea, while being shown the antiquity of an establishment still making thousands of kilograms of organic tea a day.
This led us to the sight of the finely chiseled peaks of the Western Ghats running along the length of the country's west coast. The heavens for a view and an overwhelming sense of smallness of ourselves.
We soon came spirally down to the city and not before doing a local breakfast of puttu, made of ground rice and coconut and aval payasam soaked in jaggery, did we visit the fuchsia, rose and spice gardens where just the fragrance in the air cried, spring.
We circled the quiet lake adjoining the Mattupetty Dam before heading home and couldn't help spending some time revelling in the surrealism of this city.
Photo credits: The very talented, Akshar.


Mick McCluney, ANZ Technical Lead for security software vendor Trend Micro, says better enterprise cyber security can be yours, with these simple steps.
In today's real-time enterprise, with a focus on doing more with less, it is tempting for technical teams to take shortcuts. In software development this is often labelled "technical debt" but it applies equally to infrastructure.
Forgetting to manually apply security controls is a victim of shortcuts resulting in servers put into production without adequate protection, and with high-risk vulnerabilities open for exploitation. A recent prominent example is Equifax, revealing the identity and credit details of well over a 100 million US citizens and pinned down to unpatched software.
McCluney took a break from presenting at VMware's vForum event in Sydney to speak to iTWire. "When we build workloads in virtualised environments, we must understand their security posture at the beginning and deploy their security when we deploy the workload," he said.
"Some of the things we encourage people to do are look at event-based tasks to look at new workloads and automatically deploy the right security policy to those workloads as they come online.
For example, he says, "you can have application control, which again can be API-driven, so when you're deploying your code from your orchestration tools they can call the API to put the workload into maintenance mode while deploying, then use the API again to lock the executable code down".
This is great, McCluney says, "because you've worked with DevOps and put security into the process and it's not a pain. This can be done in prod and test and so on through the whole pipeline".
"The more you can integrate your security into your operational processes the easier it is for everyone to be security-aware and compliant as part of their normal process.
To clarify, McCluney points to well-publicised security vulnerabilities of recent years — ShellShock and Heartbleed — as well as Apache Struts, WordPress and Oracle vulnerabilities.
"Trend Micro's view is if we can understand the vulnerability, we can create an IPS rule for it, and that can be deployed to your workload automatically.
Complexity in security exists, and it's because "no single approach works," McCluney says. "You need multiple layers and you need automation as well. Trend Micro helps with host-based IPS, as well as deep security products like Machine Learning (ML), file integrity monitoring, log monitoring, application control, file warning and behaviour monitoring.
"For example, if we see ransomware executing on an endpoint we can prevent it from running. We can use ML to see if an unknown file looks suspicious. It may not be known in our global intelligence cloud so the software will watch it. If it starts encrypting files then we can stop it on the third one and roll its changes back.
"With Equifax, Apache Struts had a vulnerability. Maybe it couldn't be patched quickly enough, but where was the mitigating control?" he asks.
"A company should have had an IPS. It's the same with WannaCry – ok, you may not be able to patch the vulnerability, but did you have anything else to protect you? The mitigating control is important," McCluney states.
"The other thing that comes top of mind to me is a significant amount of attacks come through email. Do you have an email defensive system applying proper sandboxing? Are you taking the threats out of email, putting them in a sandbox, detonating them, to see if they are malicious, and can you prevent them at that stage? I couldn't recommend more the need to have a good layer policy on email coming in.
"From an endpoint policy point of view, if it's got to the machine through the email, and someone's hit the link, you need to concentrate on what layers you have available and if you can catch things as they run. This is where endpoint ML and behaviour monitoring come in.
While Trend Micro is an international organisation, founded in Los Angeles, global headquarters in Tokyo, and an R&D centre in Taipei, it is doing good things in Australia.
"One of our data scientists in Melbourne, Jon Oliver, is very influential in our ML capabilities. He was instrumental in the way we focused on ransomware within the company. He saw the attack on Australia in a strong way two years ago, and a lot of the protections Trend Micro brought in were based on thought leadership from this country. Jon has over 100 patents to his name," McCluney says.


text:
Five Teams Eye JaMychal Green
January 27th 2015 at 3:11pm CST by Chuck Myron
3:11pm: Knicks president Phil Jackson inquired about Green today, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. Green has offers from two other teams, Berman adds.
3:06pm: The Grizzlies, Knicks, Bulls, Bucks and Blazers are expected to register interest in power forward JaMychal Green, whose 10-day contract expires tonight, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Green is parting ways with the Spurs after the sides failed to come to terms on a new deal, according to Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter).
Chicago, New York and Memphis had interest when Green signed his 10-day deal with San Antonio earlier this month. The 24-year-old spent the preseason with the Spurs and was with San Antonio's D-League affiliate in between stints with the big club. Green, who went undrafted out of Alabama in 2012, saw just 6.2 minutes per game in four appearances on his 10-day deal.
Memphis has a full 15-man roster, as our roster counts show, though Tyrus Thomas is on the fifth day of a 10-day contract. The Knicks have a pair of 10-day contracts coming off the books later this week. Bucks coach Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, whose 10-day pact with Milwaukee expires after Wednesday, raised doubts today about a report that Martin and the team had agreed to a deal for the rest of the season, so if they split, that would leave a roster vacancy. The Bulls already have an open roster spot.
The Blazers have 15 players on deals that are guaranteed for the rest of the season, but GM Neil Olshey said on SiriusXM NBA Radio today that the team is actively seeking a way to upgrade the roster, as The Oregonian's Jason Quick notes. However, Olshey downplayed the need for a big man, like Green, and suggested the team is looking for help on the wing instead.
JaMychal Green


text:
Baraboo to celebrate circus culture
The city of Baraboo will host its third annual Big Top Parade & Circus Celebration on Saturday, July 25.
Baraboo to celebrate circus culture The city of Baraboo will host its third annual Big Top Parade & Circus Celebration on Saturday, July 25. Check out this story on fdlreporter.com: http://fondul.ac/1MJH8vQ
Action Reporter Media Published 11:11 p.m. CT July 22, 2015 | Updated 11:11 p.m. CT July 22, 2015
Circus tent(Photo: Getty Images, file)
The city of Baraboo will celebrate its circus heritage and community spirit during its third annual Baraboo's Big Top Parade & Circus Celebration on Saturday, July 25.
Family-friendly activities will be scheduled throughout the day in downtown Baraboo from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., including an antique and artisan fair, a farmer's market, a classic convertible display, food vendors, old-time carnival games, activities and attractions for children.
In addition, there will be an antique circus wagon exhibit from Circus World. Live entertainment, presented in "circus rings" at each downtown retail district intersection, will feature comedy, clowns, concerts and more.
The centerpiece of the day's festivities, the Big Top Parade, will begin at 2 p.m., featuring over 75 circus and community entries traveling around the downtown's historic courthouse square district.
"Baraboo will come alive that day with the sights and the sounds of the circus," said Debra Bauer, executive director of the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the parade and the day's festivities. "The excitement will all come to a head when the Big Top Parade steps off. Young and old will be enthralled by the circus wagons, the bands, the animals and the clowns."
This year's parade grand marshals will be PHOX, the alternative folk/indie pop musical group featuring six musicians originally from Baraboo. In addition to serving as grand marshals, PHOX will perform in concerts under Circus World's big top on Saturday evening.
On Sunday, July 26, downtown Baraboo will be the site of more activity, including the Sunday Market featuring artisans' works and antiques, a classic car show and breakfast with the Ringling Bros. Circus members at the Al. Ringling Mansion.
Free parking and handicapped-accessible shuttles to the downtown will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the west side at the corner of Highways 12 and 33/8th Avenue near Pierce's Market, from the east on Highway 33/8th Street and from the south at Circus World's parking lot on Highway 113/Water Street.
Baraboo has the distinction of being the current-day home of Circus World, the International Clown Hall of Fame & Research Center and the Al. Ringling Theater and Mansion. Baraboo is also the historic home to numerous circuses, including the world-renowned Ringling Bros. Circus whose owners were the celebrated kings of the circus world.
The third annual Baraboo's Big Top Parade & Circus Celebration is supported in part by a Sauk County Arts, Humanities & Historic Preservation grant, with funding from the Wisconsin Arts Board, State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information about the third annual Baraboo's Big Top Parade & Circus Celebration, contact the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce at (608) 356-8333 or visit bigtopparade.com. For a listing of other circus attractions, activities and events scheduled in Baraboo over the July 25th weekend, including daily big top performances at Circus World, visit baraboo.com.
Read or Share this story: http://fondul.ac/1MJH8vQ
Rock musical exploring morality, sexuality coming to Thelma April 11 to 14
Homeschool actors bring 'Jolly Roger and the Pirate Queen' to life
FDL Co. Fair names rock headliners: The Guess Who, Orleans, Rare Earth
April 3, 2019, 10:02 a.m.
Greek Fest canceled, but gyros and shish kebabs still a go
Miss Fond du Lac pageant set for March 9
Feb. 27, 2019, 12:18 p.m.
'Godspell' coming to NFDL, performed by SMSA students


text:
Q: jQuery Mobile + PhoneGap : Issues with iOS build - Splash screen and page transitions I am working on a small app using jQuery Mobile and Phonegap so I can make it available on Android and iOS devices.
The Android build was going pretty smooth but today when I did the first iOS build, there were some "weird" graphical issues.
To start with, the splash screen showed at launch (as expected) but then seemed to "shrink" and show a lot of white behind it before it disappeared (as the app had loaded).
Secondly, when clicking on a link to an internal "page" (a div defined with a data-role within the index.html file - there are about 6, small "pages" like this) you could momentarily see the pages content flicker before the page transition, and finally showing the content. Clearly it should not behave like this.
The Android build has zero issues with the splash screen or navigating to the internal pages.
To clarify, I am using jQuery 1.7.1, jQuery Mobile 1.1.0, phonegap.js (so it uses the latest version) and I am testing on a HTC Desire running CyanogenMod 7.1 and an iPhone 4 (unsure of iOS version, its my colleagues)
The only "mobileinit" setting I have is
<script type="text/javascript">
        $(document).bind("mobileinit", function() {
            $.mobile.loadingMessage = 'Loading...' ;
        });
</script>

Any ideas folks?


text:
Poix-Terron station (French: Gare de Poix-Terron) is a French railway station  on the Soissons to Givet rail line, located near the downtown area of the commune of Poix-Terron, in the Ardennes department, Grand Est.

The station was opened in 1858 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer des Ardennes. It closed at the end of the 20th century and re-opened in 2011.

The station is operated by the SNCF with TER Grand Est service.

Geographical Location
Located at an altitude of 178 meters, Poix-Terron station is located at Kilometric point (PK) 126.2 of the Soissons-Givet rail line, between the currently operating stations of Amagne - Lucquy and Mohon.

The two-track rail line has two platforms at the station.

History
The station was commissioned September 15, 1858 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer des Ardennes, when it opened the Rethel to Charleville section of the Soissons-Givet railway line.

The first station at the site (destroyed during World War I) was a Type C station building for the Chemins de fer de l'Est.  It was replaced by a medium-sized  "Reconstruction" type station, built in 1920. It has a wing with five bays, operating as a ticket office, a waiting room, and a storage room for luggage.

At the end of the 20th Century, the station became a simple passenger stop before being completely closed to passenger and freight traffic.

In 2009, with the opening of an Apprenticeship Training Center (CFA Centre de formation d'apprentissage), a plan was made to re-open the passenger station, for service to the Training Center.  Construction started in Spring 2011, with an overall cost of 3.44 million Euros, expenses shared between the State, the Region, the Departement, the Commune, the Communauté de communes des crêtes préardennaises, the RFF and the SNCF.

A redesign of the old passenger stop included the creation an underground passage, construction of two platforms (120 meters long and 55 cm high) for accessibility purposes with the newer generation of TER trains, a locked, secure bicycle shelter and a parking lot. The facilities were designed using an "eco-sustainable" approach, consisting of wooden shelters with a green roof, low-energy lighting and a photovoltaic glass canopy.

The new station opened on August 29, 2011. The official opening was celebrated October 1, 2011, with the presence of representatives from all levels of government that were involved in project financing. For the ceremony, an Autorail grande capacité (AGC) painted in the colours of the commune was brought in and a local railway history display was shown at the station and at other locations in the commune.

Reports indicate that in 2012, a year after opening, the station is used by a thousand people each week. These include apprentice students as planned, but also the residents of the town and the surrounding area. The train service offers 14 daily stops at the station.

Usage Statistics
According to estimates from the SNCF, the annual passenger numbers at the station are shown in the table below.

Passenger services

Facilities
An unstaffed SNCF passenger stop, featuring a two-track, open access design with passenger shelters and a ticket vending machine. A point of sale for TER tickets is open every day in a florist's shop at No.36 on the main street of Poix-Terron.

An underground walkway allows passengers to cross the tracks and allows passage from one platform to the other.

Train Services
Poix-Terron is served by regional trains from the TER Grand Est network, with destinations being Reims, Charleville-Mézières and Sedan.

Parking Facilities
The station includes a bicycle stand and parking lot.

Railway Heritage
Unused for rail service, the old passenger building was refurbished (with a restoration of the facades) by the SNCF, after the opening of the new passenger stop.

The former station building was a particular type built by the Chemins de fer de l'Est to replace those lost during World War I, according to a standard plan from before the war (first seen in 1903). Other stations using the design were built (until the beginning of the 1930s) on new lines or to replace station buildings that had become too cramped.

Three standard types using this design have been built, one for large stations, one for medium-sized stations and one for halts and small stations; the building at Poix-Terron corresponds to the second type, larger than the simple passenger stop but with a small accommodation area for the station master.

See also
 List of SNCF stations in Grand Est

References

Railway stations in Ardennes (department)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


JAKARTA ~ A 20-year jail sentence was recommended this week for a Muslim militant accused of assisting acts of terrorism.
Prosecutor Farda Nawawi told the Semarang District Court on Wednesday that evidence and testimony showed that defendant Joko Wibowo, alias Abu Sayaf, was guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and of assisting terrorism.
Nawawi said Wibowo had assisted terrorism by lending his gun and 20 bullets to another terror suspect, Subur Sugiarto, an alleged key aide of fugitive terrorist Noordin Mohammad Top.
Sugiarto is being tried separately at the same court.
The revolver and some 30 bullets were found in the defendant's home when he was arrested in January.
The defendant is an avowed member of the hardline Islamic organization the Indonesian Mujahedin Council led by cleric Abu Bakar Bashir that advocates Islamic Syariah laws.
The court resumes on November 15 to hear the defense plea.
Four other Muslim militants, including Sugiarto, are being tried separately at the same court over charges of assisting others in terrorism, including by hiding and helping Noordin.


text:
Rice: Are we chasing our tail?
By Charles Ugwuh
RICE has assumed a very important position in the food basket of many Nigerians, to the extent we consume six million tonnes per year, of which we produce (grow and process) at best only three million tonnes per year.
Tremendous efforts and investments have been made by various Nigerian Governments over the years, from President Shehu Shagari through President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and now President Goodluck Jonathan.
Enormous resources have been poured into stimulating private sector investments with considerable assistance from the Federal Government and State Governments under various agricultural promotion initiatives.
Nigeria has suitable ecology to grow rice paddy virtually all over the country. With dedication, perseverance and national commitment, Nigeria can grow and process enough rice to meet its domestic need.
Indeed, the country can also export to other African countries at the least; where a ready market exists for over 15 million tonnes from West through Central and Southern Africa.
Current Situation Nigeria has been striving hard to grow its capacity in paddy production and processing through massive investments in infrastructure: power, water, irrigation facilities, dams and processing industries and technology.
At this moment, Nigeria has made a serious start, but she is yet uncompetitive and needs even greater investments to compete with other countries in South East Asia, who have been producing rice for decades (with more developed/advanced infrastructure and techniques) and have evolved a culture of rice at a low cost and high yields that are difficult to match.
Unfortunately, each time we make earnest efforts to grow our rice capacity to displace imports, our traditional rice suppliers from South East Asia (India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc.) double up their efforts (through the Diaspora merchants) to beat us down.
With their production efficiencies, low cost of production, better quality milled rice and other trade malpractices and gimmicks, they are able to weaken our resolve and erode our competitiveness, forcing us to buy from them and to abandon all our well-laid plans, investments and import-substitution strategies.
In the meantime, we commit up to US$2.6 billion to buy 3.0 million tonnes of rice per year. We export out of Nigeria various desperately needed jobs to South East Asia. We further pauperise our people by collecting additional toll as import tariff of over US$1 billion. In the process, we also enrich smugglers and sundry merchants/traders with another US$1.2 billion.
Overall, we bleed US $4 billion to US$5 billion from our economy each year on a product we can well produce with little effort and determination. From 2008/2009 we embarked on another cycle of investments in integrated new rice mills, farms, seeds production, infrastructure, and technology and rice agronomy christened import substitution strategy, a component of the ATA.
Suddenly in May 2014, we reversed our policies and allowed rice merchants (parading as investors) to dump on Nigeria over two million tonnes of rice between June 2014 and January 2015. The consequence is a total collapse of the rice market.
This was through legitimate import quota, smuggling and discretional waivers granted by "higher authorities". Once again we have wiped out local small holder rice farmers, small rice millers and the new industrial level rice processing factories established between 2008 and 2014.
No one in the Rice Value Chain is able to cope with the level of prices at which these imports have landed Nigerian markets. We are enjoying incredible low prices for rice as commodity prices fall in the world market.
Consequently, we have allowed the little progress we have made recently to be completely destroyed, trapping unwary local investors and their bankers in huge debts, while subjecting indigenous farmers to outrageous poverty and agony.
What a disaster!! How will salvation come? Ideally, it would have been better to ban the import of rice, close our doors, windows and all borders to rice import; reform our Customs, bring in excellent, dedicated Customs officers from Mars, who would be deployed to man our borders.
Incorruptible! Rock Solid! We can then continue our massive investment drive in local production for five years. Borrowing money from the World Bank to develop our Rice production – (farms and processing factories).
In less than five years, we would have developed our infrastructure and strengthened our capacity (through vertical integration strategies) to a point we can compete with India, Thailand and others in all areas and factors of rice production.
We can amortise our World Bank loan through the export of 10 million tonnes of locally produced rice to our neighbours in Africa, who may be unable to make the level of investments they require to produce their own needs.
We can also mortgage a small part of our oil revenue to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production and save up to US$4 billion per year going forward. Yes, success is possible! Let's consider some realistic strategies and smart ways to achieve our national goal.
Yes, let's restrict imports and deploy a viable quota system to import/supply the national shortfall in our demand for a few years; impose a reasonable tariff on the regulated imports – perhaps 30% across the border; encourage the Governments of Benin and Cameroon to respect our tariff laws and tariff rates; and maintain the same customs tariff as Nigeria; and let's pay to these countries, the differential tariff between their own low import tariff rates and the high tariff levels we need them to impose on rice to protect our border.
Given the centrality/importance of their collaboration (in order to prevent smuggling through their borders), it pays Nigeria to subsidize the Benin and Cameroon Governments the needed tariff to protect their income or earnings from rice import.
This may sound radical, but it is indeed the only way we can achieve price parity in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Cotonou and Yaoundé to prevent the subversive impact of smuggling.
Yes, there may still be trickles of smuggling coming from dare devil smugglers but the volume would be insignificant to do any damage to us.
This policy would need to be sustained for three years at least within which Nigeria can drive hard to grow local capacity and competitiveness. With the massive investments being made in rice production, we can uplift our capacity and strengthen our competitiveness against the sporadic destruction of our activities in the Rice Sector, every election year.
Vertical integration of our activities will ensure efficiencies, and cost effectiveness at every stage such that Nigeria achieves world viability in rice and then openly compete with other world producers.
Indeed, when the irrigation schemes for rice are linked to fish production (aqua culture), the overall benefit to our nation would be very great.
It is worth it to think globally to uplift our nation beyond smuggling and its catastrophic effects on us. Delivering local rice as near as possible to world commodity price levels, we can ensure market access for our local production without India, Thailand and elsewhere delivering rice far cheaper than we can produce the commodity.
This is the progress we need! Yes, it is possible to achieve! Finally, for the policy to succeed, Nigeria must make strong and determined efforts to give market access and patronage to locally milled rice that are properly and effectively graded. Wider Economic Impact Ask CBN. Nigeria is spending a whopping US$9 billion annually on four commodities (wheat, rice, sugar and fish).
•Can we muster political will and national determination to reduce this by 50% in three years? • What other vital national need or infrastructure can we afford to establish with US$4 billion savings we can make – just by changing our habits and adjusting our trade policies with our neighbours within ECOWAS? • Is anybody awake in Nigeria? • Ugwuh, an engineer and a former Minister of Commerce and Industry , wrote from Abuja
Next-of- kin: Implication on beneficiaries of estates in relation to laws of succession
The public has constantly misunderstood the implication of the appointment of a next-of- kin to legal documents.
SAN frowns on conflicting court orders, professional misconducts
Irked by the activities of erring judges in the country, one of the newly appointed Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Samuel Atung, has frowned on the professional misconduct of some Judges who issue conflicting judgments.
FRC garners support to review financial statement of government entities
Experts have expressed support for the Financial Reporting Council [FRC] to review financial statements of government entities contrary to criticisms in some quarters.
Buhari assures manufacturers of improved access to FX
The Federal Government says it is working on relevant measures to improve access to foreign exchange (FX) for the importation of raw materials and machines, which could not be sourced locally.
Sunday Igboho's counsel dismisses planned elimination of client
Chief Yomi Alliyu (SAN), the counsel to Yoruba Nation agitator and self-acclaimed activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho, yesterday, dismissed a report of an alleged plan to eliminate the agitator.
Insecurity: A major minus to good governance
Presently, the issue of insecurity has been ethnicized by some people; and, this has led to the 'banishment' of the 'suspected culprits' (the Fulani herdsmen) from different parts of the country.


text:
The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets
Ingår i 4 pocket för 3
You may have watched hundreds of episodes of The Simpsons (and its sister show Futurama) without ever realising that they contain enough maths to form an entire university course.
In The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets, Simon Singh explains how the brilliant writers, some of the mathematicians, have smuggled in mathematical jokes throughout the cartoon's twenty-five year history, exploring everything from to Mersenne primes, from Euler's equation to the unsolved riddle of P vs. NP, from perfect numbers to narcissistic numbers, and much more.
With wit, clarity and a true fan's zeal, Singh analyses such memorable episodes as 'Bart the Genius' and 'Homer ' to offer an entirely new insight into the most successful show in television history.
Författare: Simon Singh
Format: Pocket
Förlag: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd
Fermat's Last Theorem
The Code Book


Patients with brain tumours are to be offered fast-track day surgery for the first time.
The procedure, during which the patient remains awake, is being pioneered by Britain's youngest female brain surgeon working with a team based at University College Hospital. Dr Gelareh Zadeh, 35, is a specialist in malignant brain tumours and one of the few female brain surgeons in the world.
Her first patient was 52-year-old businesswoman Deborah Calder, who had the operation in July and has since made a full recovery. Dr Zadeh told the Evening Standard today that there has already been interest from other London hospitals in the work of the Brain Metastatic Clinic and the technique is to be adopted by the NHS.
Until now, patients have had to stay in hospital for up to a week after brain tumour surgery to allow them to recover fully from the after-effects of a general anaesthetic. But with day surgery, doctors can use a local anaesthetic which they inject into the patient's scalp to "freeze" it before making an incision in their skull.
Dr Zadeh said: "The fact the patient can be awake makes them feel a lot better after surgery and it makes it a lot easier for doctors to operate.
Mrs Calder, who had cancer in her lungs before it spread to her brain, married her partner of 20 years, 72-year-old Johnny, a few days after having the operation. She said: "When I first found out my cancer had spread to the brain I was really shocked and upset, especially as they couldn't say what my chances were.
More than half of all adult brain tumours are caused by cancer in other parts of the body spreading.
The aim of the Brain Metastatic Clinic is to identify patients with secondary brain tumours so their treatment can be managed effectively. Day brain surgery is already a standard procedure in other countries.