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Kanuga Conference and Retreat Center
Sunday, October 30, 2022 @ 6:00PM — 7:00PM Sun, Oct 30, 2022 @ 6:00PM — 7:00PM
Kanuga Conference and Retreat Center, 471 Kanuga Chapel Drive, Hendersonville
This will be a very special evening on All Soul's Eve, honoring lost friends and loved ones. StrathSpan will play a one hour set filled with lovely, contemplative airs and waltzes, and joyous, uplifting music. Please see the poster below describing the whole evening, which includes an optional dinner. If you've not been to Kanuga before, it is a special place situated on 1,400 pristine acres in the Blue Ridge mountains where you can re-connect with nature. The concert will be held in the lakeside pavilion, but if it's too cold, we'll move into the lovely chapel.
Friday, October 7, 2022 @ 7:00PM — 9:30PM Fri, Oct 7, 2022 @ 7:00PM — 9:30PM
St. George's Episcopal Church, 1 School Road, West Asheville
Nora and Julia will join Karen Gaughan (piano) for an English Country Dance to kickoff the whole weekend of English Country Dance workshops and dances.
StrathSpan Performs Saturday at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in Celtic Grove 1
Saturday, July 9, 2022 @ 10:00AM Sat, Jul 9, 2022 @ 10:00AM
Grandfather Mountain State Park, NC
StrathSpan performs Friday at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in Celtic Grove II
Friday, July 8, 2022 @ 10:00AM Fri, Jul 8, 2022 @ 10:00AM
Grandfather Mountain State Park NC
Beaucatcher Heights Garden Party
Saturday, June 11, 2022 @ 6:00PM Sat, Jun 11, 2022 @ 6:00PM
StrathSpan performs on Celtic Grove 1 stage
Saturday, July 10, 2021 @ 4:30PM Sat, Jul 10, 2021 @ 4:30PM
StrathSpan performs on Grove 2 Stage
StrathSpan performs at Turgua Brewing, Fairview
Sunday, June 13, 2021 @ 4:00PM Sun, Jun 13, 2021 @ 4:00PM
StrathSpan with guest artist Jason Higgins
Sunday, April 25, 2021 @ 5:00PM — 7:00PM Sun, Apr 25, 2021 @ 5:00PM — 7:00PM
Citizen Vinyl, 14 O'Henry Avenue, Asheville
Scottish traditional music at its best! Free event!
Asheville Scottish Session cancelled indefinitely until threat of Corona Virus has passed and it is safe to gather again. Stay tuned......
Friday, March 12, 2021 Fri, Mar 12, 2021
StrathSpan at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games 2020 cancelled due to Corona Virus!
Saturday, July 11, 2020 @ 12:00AM Sat, Jul 11, 2020 @ 12:00AM
StrathSpan was supposed to play two performances Friday July 10th on the Alex Beaton stage at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games - that is until Covid 19 caused the Games to be cancelled. However, the Games committee has been very busy putting together a weekend of video footage that will be aired live on YouTube and Facebook. The show will begin with the historic torchlight ceremony at 8:30 PM on Thursday July 9th. It will continue over the weekend, showing some of the Games most popular events and musicians. StrathSpan is honored to air on Saturday July 11th at 12 noon. Please log in to Facebook live or Youtube to catch our performance!!!
Cancelled due to the Corona Virus!
Saturday, April 25, 2020 @ 11:00AM Sat, Apr 25, 2020 @ 11:00AM
The Biltmore Estate Conservatory
Nora performs amongst lush greenery and flowers in the conservatory greenhouse sitting room.
Sunday, April 12, 2020 @ 11:00PM Sun, Apr 12, 2020 @ 11:00PM
The Biltmore House
Nora and Julia perform their musical magic as guests stroll through the first floor of the Biltmore.
Cancelled Due to Corona Virus! Nora plays in the Biltmore Estate garden greenhouse
Nora will serenade the public in the lush greenery and flowers of the Biltmore Estate's green house sitting room. Half hour performances will be at 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00.
Asheville Scottish Sessions Cancelled Until Threat of Corona Virus is Passed
Monday, February 24, 2020 @ 6:00PM — 8:00PM Mon, Feb 24, 2020 @ 6:00PM — 8:00PM
Nora and Julia lead an advanced session with invited musicians to play Scottish tunes together. People are welcome to come and listen, have a cider or beer and excellent food.
"Belles on Strings" Fall Concert
Saturday, November 10, 2012 @ 12:00AM Sat, Nov 10, 2012 @ 12:00AM
Alison Oaks Winery, Yadkinville, NC
Alasdair Fraser's Scottish Fiddling School
Friday, August 24, 2012 @ 12:00AM Fri, Aug 24, 2012 @ 12:00AM
Nora will be flying all the way to California to attend a week of intensive fiddling with Alasdair Fraser and his instructors. She last attended Valley of the Moon in 1999 so it's time to go again to see old friends and make new ones. She'll be going with fiddling friend Debbie Morris, and cello friend Tracey Maxwell. They'll come back pumped up and full of new music to share with their Scottish music club and keep them busy the rest of the year.
Summer Camp Concert with Belles on Strings
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 @ 12:00AM Wed, Aug 15, 2012 @ 12:00AM
Central Family YWCA, Winston-Salem, NC
The Carolinas Branch RSCDS Tea Dance
Saturday, August 11, 2012 @ 12:00AM Sat, Aug 11, 2012 @ 12:00AM
The Grange, Greensboro, NC
Nora will perform with "The Bobbies" for a tea dance given by The Carolinas Branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.


Comprehensive list of direct, brand, media and internet (website, search & email) advertising companies in Irving, TX. Read unbiased reviews, ratings and recommendations.
ABOUT NUMANTRA, DALLAS INNOVATIVE ADVERTISING AND MARKETING AGENCY Numantra is a complete service ad agency located in Irving, Texas and serving customers in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, the North Texas area, the state of Texas, the Southwest, the US, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
Choose which Epsilon service you'd like to access. Ad Age highlights Epsilon's path to leadership in feature article. Understand what drives behavior for superior performance. Read More Helping Brands Create Engaging and Authentic Customer Experiences Epsilon has what it takes to aid brands really connect with their clients.


It is a book that is a result of a collaboration of two women: one Palestinian and one Israeli.
It is refreshing to see an equal collaboration between two creative sparks. resulting not only in a book, but also exhibitions, talks and tours facilitating a space to talk about creativity, art and most poignantly- the conflict in the middle east.
OK, I've just seen your 17.01.2010 entry. Good though aren't they!!


We arrived in Seattle on Sunday & spent the morning in the city before boarding the cruise ship. Pike's Place market had the freshest flowers and fruit and seafood. The huge giant squid at Seattle Aquarium was pretty amazing; the otters were cute and fun to watch as they raced around on their backs holding shellfish to eat. We had a 360-degree view of the city from the top of the Space Needle then left for the ship. The Star Princess is truly gigantic, with 17 floors, including bars, clubs, swimming pools, restaurants, shops, theaters, a casino, a spa, and a gym. There are 2,700 passengers with us, mostly old retired couples, and 1,200 crew, all foreigners. The food is amazing & included in the price of the cruise, so I've been eating way too much. Other than that I spend most of my time in the gym, jogging around then deck, & at the slot machines n the casino. Humpback whales were spouting and slapping their tails from the upper decks as I ran.
Our first stop was Ketchkan, a long, narrow little town composed of wooden buildings on stilts. We saw a lumberjack show where they throw axes and climb tall poles and carve things with chainsaws. The next morning on the ship I woke up to a myriad of little icebergs outside my window. We were in Tracy Arm Fjord, a narrow passage surrounded by granite cliffs and snow capped peaks with hundreds of waterfalls cascading to the sea.
We arrived in Juneau yesterday, where several huge bald eagles were fishing or just sitting around on the dock. We took a tram, or cable car-type thing up one of the mountains to hike around in the snow in a light rain. From there we got on a helicopter & saw some spectacular glaciers with the bluest blue ponds, deep crevasses, and a few bears here and there. The dogsled camp was situated on one of the glaciers, on a 3-mile flat between two mountains. It was extensive, with 250 dogs, and staff that have raced in the Ididerod. It was freezing cold as we took turns driving the dogs, fresh snow stinging our faces. At one point we tipped onto one runner, and our guide said it was the closest she ever came to flipping one of the sleds.


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Q: Disable  tag in Angular conditionally I'm trying to disable a link in an Angular template. May be asking an impossible question. Is it possible to do something like this?

text text text

When the link is disabled I want it to behave  tag is just as a regular
.

A: Try the below code. Change href value based on the condition and apply some styles
Working stackblitz
Template

text text text

CSS
a.anchor-disable {
  color: black;
  cursor: text;
  pointer-events: none;
  text-decoration: none;
}

A: I would try to give you an idea.

Can we do something like this?

text text text

<ng-template #elseBlock>

text text text

</ng-template>

A: If the content of your a-tag is that complex, then just outsource it in its own component or into ng-template, so you can put it into the a-tag and the div without it being a huge mess. I don't think conditionally replacing the a-tag with a div as you would like to do is possible.

A: If you are using angular material, you can use mat-button property and ngClass to achieve this

    Sample link

css
.simple-text {
  color: black !important;
}

stackblitz demo: https://stackblitz.com/edit/angular-hkmkn9?file=src%2Fapp%2Fapp.component.css

A: You can write it like this:

text text text

.disabled {
    pointer-events: none;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Omitting Words from Spellcheck in qdap This is my first post with StackOverflow, I apologize if I violate any rules.
I am working with the R package qdap on spellchecking very messy medical record text. The goal of this work is to identify misspellings of drug side effects in order to build a side effect misspelling dictionary. The text I am working with contains many, many misspellings, abbreviations, and other things that make a simple spellcheck difficult. After I run a spellcheck on a small doctors note, I get hundreds of words returned to me by the spellcheck program. This makes it difficult to search for the side effect misspellings that I care about.
I attempted to use the following code to create a dictionary consisting only of correctly spelled side effects, so that qdap will trigger closely misspelled words as belonging to this dictionary. The problem is that with this, nearly every word in the text, properly or improperly spelled is not returned as incorrect (i.e. "notable" is spelled wrong and "nausea" is the suggested replacement from my dictionary).
dictionary <- readLines("dictionary.txt")
check_spelling(text$NOTE_TEXT[3379],range = 0, dictionary = dictionary,
    assume.first.correct=FALSE)

Here the term "dictionary" is my self-built side-effects dictionary, and check_spelling is being run on text contained in a csv file. Is there any way to omit words that are very far away from words contained in my dictionary from appearing in the spellcheck function (such as my previous example)? This way I can cut down the number of words I am seeing in my spell_check output and identify only the misspelled side effects.
As a small note, changing assume.first.correct to TRUE will not change anything, because the dictionary does not run with it set that way.


text:
Q: Multi select dropdown reset isn't working in dropkick.js I have created two multi select drop down using dropkick js, like nested drop down
Second dropdown options will populate based on first dropdown.
I have placed my populating code whenever outer dropdown change event occurs.
When I tried to reset (to uncheck the selected items and reload the options) the both dropdown at the same time like
$('#outerSelect').dropkick('reset'); //working
$('#innerSelect').dropkick('reset'); //not working

My inner dropdown gets reset, but my outer dropdown not resetting.
But when commented out inner dropdown html codes and tried to reset the outer dropdown, it's working fine.
How can I solve this?

A: I have got answer for my question from the following link
https://github.com/Robdel12/DropKick/issues/235
work around for the issue happened plug-in used.

A: This is just a suggestion
You should try and implement select2. It's much better and powerful than dropkick. You can get it here Select 2. Check it out and you'll thank me.


text:
Q: How to add code templates for servlets in eclipse How to add code templates for servlets in eclipse ?
I know that we can add code templates for new java files in
Window -> Preferences -> Java -> Code Style -> Code Templates.

I have to add some details like date, name, copyright etc for each java file.
I am able to achieve the same using code templates for java files but the same is not working when I create servlets.

A: Window -> Preferences -> Java -> Code Style -> Code Templates > Comments > Files > Edit
make the changes and Apply
changes will reflect in each file you create.


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Stenogobius kyphosus is een straalvinnige vissensoort uit de familie van de grondels (Gobiidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1991 door Watson.

Gobiidae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Things to Watch on Japan Premier Abe's Trip to the U.S.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday kicked off a nearly weeklong trip to the U.S., where he will travel to Boston, Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Five things to watch for on the trip.
Mr. Abe told The Wall Street Journal that the U.S. and Japan are "close" to a deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional trade pact that has been held up by two-way issues between Tokyo and Washington. He's hoping to announce more progress after meeting President Barack Obama.
The two leaders are likely to talk about new guidelines for their military alliance giving Japanese forces greater leeway to assist the U.S. beyond Japanese waters.
Korean-American and other groups are set to demonstrate on Capitol Hill and elsewhere during Mr. Abe's four-stop U.S. visit, calling on the Japanese leader to make more amends over "comfort women" forced to serve Japanese soldiers sexually during World War II.
Many foreign leaders visit Washington each year, but only a few get noticed beyond diplomatic circles. Two yardsticks for Mr. Abe will be whether he gets good attendance for his speech to Congress and whether his official dinner at the White House draws celebrities and buzz.


text:
Ed Sheeran's old label brings music royalties into the 21st century
Bluebox, from Ditto Music, is using blockchain technology to split royalties between artists.
Will Ed Sheeran one day be rapping about blockchain? Image: Shutterstock.
A prominent UK-based record label has come out with a new blockchain platform for letting artists collect royalties, making it easier for everyone involved in creating a piece to get paid whenever a piece of music is played.
The platform's called Bluebox, and it comes from Ditto Music, whose former clients include Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and Stormzy. Ditto claims that use of the system will result in "higher collection rates [while] massively reducing the loss of earnings currently experienced by artists."
Stormzy was also one of Ditto's clients. Image: Shutterstock.
"Bluebox will help songwriters, producers and anyone who isn't being paid properly, legally track when their music is used and claim what they are owed," Ditto Music tweeted yesterday.
In an interview with Billboard, Ditto CEO Lee Parsons said that a key advantage of the system is that everyone involved can "claim what is rightfully theirs."
"With Bluebox, it finally means that artists who don't upload that piece of music, but are included on the song credits, such as songwriters and producers, will be able to log in and check their royalties," he said.
Parsons added that the service stands out because of Ditto's huge database of artists. The service has signed on 250,000 artists and pays out over $100 million a year. "We're not building a product and then trying to find a use for it," he said.
As though anyone would do that.
https://decrypt.co/17932/ed-sheerans-old-label-brings-music-royalties-into-the-21st-century

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Levinia Nuqaalaq Brown (born in 1947 at Dawson Inlet, south of Whale Cove, Nunavut) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the electoral district of Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut from 2004 to 2008. She was elected as a MLA on February 16, 2004, and further elected by other MLAs to serve on the Executive Council of Nunavut. Premier Paul Okalik named her as the Deputy Premier on March 9, 2004. She also served as the territory's Minister of Community and Government Services.

Prior to becoming an MLA, Brown was the first female mayor of Rankin Inlet, served on the hamlet's council, and helped set up the Eastern Arctic Teachers Education Program. Outside of politics, she has worked as a Northwest Territories Classroom Assistant and a Certified Nursing Assistant, as well as local housing and education agencies.  She speaks Inuktitut.

Political career

Rankin Inlet
Beginning at least in 1995, Brown was on the hamlet council for Rankin Inlet. She made a comment that voters needed more information before voting on sale of lands vs. continuing to lease lands from the hamlet, a sentiment echoed by nearby leaders. During the creation of Nunavut in 1999, she gave an interview to CBC Radio to give southern listeners an idea into the event's importance. In 2000, after an election season that saw 15 women serving on Kivalliq Region councils as opposed to a previous 3 total, she stated that she was happy to see women seek office and that it was important to have representation for women, elders, and youth, at all levels in the government.

Brown was the first female mayor of Rankin Inlet. On one occasion, she spoke with the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation about "the damage that has been done by the mining industry in" the hamlet.

Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
On February 16, 2004, Brown was elected to represent Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. She was further elected by other MLAs to serve on the Executive Council of Nunavut, and was then named as Deputy Premier by Premier Paul Okalik on March 9. During her term, she emphasized "the need to combine social reform, economic development and community empowerment to improve the overall health and well-being of" the territory and was the Minister of Health and Social Services.

In 2006, Premier Okalik, Education Minister Ed Picco, and Brown made an announcement in Rankin Island that the area would soon receive funding to create a trade school as part of the Nunavut Arctic College to provide more career training opportunities for the area. It is now known as Sanatuliqsarvik, or the Nunavut Trades Training Centre.

In 2008, Brown lost re-election to Rankin Inlet mayor Lorne Kusugak, who won with 62% of the popular vote vs. Brown's 38%, in an election that saw 10 out of 15 of the Legislative Assembly's open seats go to newcomers over incumbents.

Post-Assembly work
In 2016, Brown ran for president of the Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) with a platform emphasizing the elderly, food prices, financial transparency, and employment. Low NTI beneficiary voter turnout and beneficiary questions about the closure of benefits programs were two other concerns she named. She described a problem with a lack of elderly care services in the region, with elders instead being sent to southern territories where there were more services but non-traditional diets and no nearby family members. For the youth, she suggested meeting with the local government, federal government, and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to see options, as well as getting the youth involved. For unemployment, she proposed training for NTI beneficiaries at higher levels, not just service staff like kitchen workers and janitors, and also proposed looking into a road from Manitoba to Nunavut to create jobs and lower food prices.

Brown admitted in 2019 that she originally did not support the creation of Nunavut for various reasons, but "admired the determination of those who were in favour of division" and eventually became glad the territory had its own government. She also stated that poverty in housing was a continuing problem for the area, especially considering overcrowding and mould. She also noted that the region needed more range in medical equipment and facilities, as medical travel and emergency medical evacuation were considerably expensive. She stated that she would like to see proportional Inuit representation in government in the future (85% vs. the current 50%).

In 2020, Brown was appointed a member of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's (NCTR) Governing Circle.

Personal life
Brown was delivered by her father in 1947 at Dawson Inlet, south of Whale Cove, Nunavut, since "there were no nurses, doctors, or government services in that area." As a child, she celebrated Christmas with gifts from relatives, southern made or Inuit clothing (often kamiks from Inuit relatives), and would attend mass at the local mission church, joined by others who traveled there by dog sled from local camps. After the church's dinner, they participated in "games and races outdoors, with coveted prizes including big 10-pound bags of flour and sugar, packaged in white-and-red or burlap bags" that would be repurposed as household items such as tea towels after they were emptied.

Brown attended the Sir Joseph Bernier federal school Chesterfield Inlet as a day student and was not allowed to speak Inuktitut. She also attended school in Churchill, Manitoba, before working as Rankin Inlet's first teaching aid and then graduating from The Pas's St. Anthony Hospital in as a Certified Nursing Assistant and working as one in several territories.

In 1978, Brown became certified as a Northwest Territories Classroom Assistant and played an important role in creating an Eastern Arctic Teacher Education Program in Iqaluit. Two years later, she became the first chair of the Keewatin Regional Education Authority. At some point before she became the first female mayor of Rankin Inlet, she also chaired the local housing authority, worked as an information officer, and served as deputy mayor.

Brown is married to Ron Brown and has 10 children, 3 of whom are custom adopted.

External links
Levinia Brown at the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut

References

1947 births
Living people
Inuit politicians
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
21st-century Canadian politicians
Mayors of places in Nunavut
Women mayors of places in Nunavut
Women MLAs in Nunavut
21st-century Canadian women politicians
Deputy premiers of Nunavut
People from Rankin Inlet
Canadian Inuit women
Women government ministers of Canada
Members of the Executive Council of Nunavut
Inuit from the Northwest Territories
Inuit from Nunavut


I am interested in dual porosity (or dual permeability) flow between two porous media. Using MINC, I can define the material properties of the "fractured" media to be whatever I want, even lower permeability than the matrix. This leads to me think that the "fractured" media is not necessarily composed fractures, but can be any media. Is this correct? I only see MINC used for fracture flow in the literature, so I get the impression I'm in error. Thank you.
Also, how do I invoke the "proximity function" to allow randomly spaced and randomly oriented fractures (i.e., not only right angles)?


India is a land of villages and seventy per cent of India's population lives in villages—an oft-repeated cliche but there is no getting away from the truth of it.
So, how far has all the science and technology research and inputs helped this vital sector—rural India? Are the high-tech developments at all relevant to the people of remote villages? The cynic may readily say "No", but that would not be quite true.
In many ways the rural areas have benefited from the science and technology developments—indirectly as well as directly. The impact may not be remarkable or strikingly noticeable, but it is there to be perceived.
Scientific inputs in agriculture are of direct importance to the rural sector. So are the expansion efforts in telecommunications and roads— though much remains to be done in these fields. Technology for rural areas must be aimed at creating gainful employment, recycling wastes to create value-added products, human welfare through better housing, drinking water, sanitation, elimination of drudgery, promotion of non- conventional energy and decentralised techno-economic systems, particularly for remote areas.
Several institutes have brought out products suitable for use in rural areas. Techniques to purify water have been devised. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has developed chlorine tablets and ampoules for disinfecting water. The Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC) has designed economical and light Ferro cement water tanks for storing water.
The Central Glass and Ceramic Research Centre (CGCRC), has developed water filter candles which can be used in earthen pitchers to get bacteria-free water. De-fluoridation of water is possible through easy techniques now. Improved chulhas mitigate unhealthy smoke. Several construction designs have been developed using locally available inexpensive materials.
Non-conventional energy systems are slowly but steadily being utilised for rural development. Solar energy and wind energy are increasingly being brought into use in remote villages.
Space applications have been brought into play for rural development. Remote sensing has located groundwater potential, crop growth, fish presence—all of great benefit to rural population. The television experiments and weather information are again of great importance for rural areas.
The S&T programmes for rural development are promoted through the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) and the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Training (CAPART).
The Department of Rural Development is the coordinator in India for the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP), Afro-Asian Rural Reconstruction Organisation (AARRO) and technical collaboration on Rural Development under South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
NIRD is the national apex organisation for training, research and consultancy in the field of rural development. The S&T functions of NIRD include: farming systems, transfer of technology, human resource and social development; registration of researchers in rural sector, institution- building and management, and conduction of seminars.
CAPART was set up in 1986 by merging two organisations, namely, People's Action for Development (India), and the Council for Advancement of Rural Technology. The broad objectives of the Advancement of Rural Technology Scheme (ARTS) of CAPART relate to various aspects of rural development.
The S&T functions of ARTS include: (i) funding of the innovative projects for the upgradation of traditional technologies and introduction of new technologies in rural sector through R&D, pilot projects, field tests, demonstration and training, (ii) strengthening of the existing, and creation of new, institutions for conducting R&D work on appropriate rural technologies, (iii) building up of a data bank of technologies for rural sector, and (iv) creation of awareness about the application of S&T in rural development and to disseminate the relevant information.
CAPART maintains close links at all levels with other government departments and S&T agencies to ensure coordination and to avoid duplication of efforts. These include DST, CSIR, ICAR, DNES, DoE, KVIC, and the National Mission on Wastelands Development at the central level, S&T councils at the state level, and district rural development agencies (DRDAs), at the district level.
CAPART has initiated a programme of setting up technology resource centres (TRCs), charged with the responsibility of development modification and transfer of area-specific technologies.
Projects on construction technologies have led to the development of coconut fibre-reinforced cement sheets, Ferro-concrete sheets for roofing, polymer coating for mud walls, conical hollow tiles for arch roof, fire retardant thatch roof, and geodesic dome structures for low cost housing.
In view of the worsening supply situation of commercial grade timer, CAPART supported a project for the development of fishing craft made from high density polyethylene pipes, which is comparable in cost to wooden craft and is more durable. Other projects on fisheries include: integrated prawn and salt production and manufacture of improved fishing hooks.
Rural industries wherein improvisation has been achieved include pottery kiln, glazing techniques, and potter's wheel. A machine has been developed for utilisation of tussar wastes.
For more efficient land and water management, projects like micro- irrigation, utilisation of hydrams technique for lifting water, rain- water harvesting, and agri-film lining of ponds have been initiated.
A small wood gasifier (3.5 kV engine generator set) has been developed by the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru for providing domestic and street lights in remote areas.
Up to 2007, CAPART had sanctioned almost 25,000 projects involving an amount of Rs 909.34 crore.
While there are agencies for transfer of technologies, their work is not up to the standard. Many efficient techniques remain in the laboratories, and the rural population remains ignorant of their existence. Also, persuasion and education in adopting new ways are conspicuously lacking.
In the matter of health and sanitation, much more needs to be done to reach the majority of rural folk.
There are some special programmes and plans to develop rural areas through S&T inputs.
The Department of Land Resources in the Ministry of Rural Development is administering three area-based watershed programmes for development of wastelands or degraded lands. These programmes are namely, Drought-Prone Areas Programme (DPAP), Desert Development Programme (DDP), and Integrated Wastelands Development Programme.
The DPAP was launched in 1973- 74 to tackle special problems faced by those areas that are constantly afflicted by drought conditions. The programme was conceived as a long- term measure for restoration of ecological balance and optimum utilisation of land, water, livestock and human resources to mitigate the effects of drought in drought- prone areas.
The programme has three basic objectives: (a) to conserve, develop and harness land and other natural resources including rainfall with a view to improving and restoring ecological balance; (b) to minimise adverse effects due to drought on crops and livestock production through integrated development of land, water resources, and adoption of appropriate technology; and (c) to ultimately achieve drought-proofing of the project area through integrating and dovetailing activities under this programme with state sectoral plans and special programmes.
At the end of Tenth Plan period (2002-2007), about 972 blocks of 195 districts in 16 states were covered under the programme.
The DDP was launched in 1977-78 to mitigate the adverse effects of desertification. The objectives of the programme include controlling the process of desertification, mitigating the effects of drought in desert areas, restoring ecological balance in affected areas, and raising the productivity of land, water, livestock and human resources in these areas.
The objectives are sought to be achieved through activities such as Afforestation with special emphasis on sand dune stabilisation, shelter-belt plantation and grassland development, soil and moisture conservation, and water resources development. The programme also covers the cold arid areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
At the end of the Tenth Plan (2002-2007), about 235 blocks of 40 districts in about seven states were covered under the programme.
The IWDP has been under implementation since 1989-90. The projects under the IWDP include those which are not covered under DDP or DPAP. The IWDP projects cover an area of 5000-6000 ha.
India implements the largest government-sponsored rural water supply programme in the world. The Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) has three key objectives: (i) providing safe drinking water to all villages; (ii) assisting local communities to maintain sources of safe drinking water in good condition; and (iii) giving special attention for water supply to scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs). The Mission seeks to provide supply of 40 litres of safe drinking water in rural areas.
Science and technology inputs have been harnessed in a big way including remote sensing and satellite imagery, geophysical investigations, etc., to effect scientific source finding. Steps have also been initiated to transfer technologies of water purification from laboratories to commercial production and then on to the field for removing salinity, excess iron and excess fluoride.
Another initiative of the government was the National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Programme launched in 2006. The programme envisages institutionalisation of community participation for monitoring and surveillance of drinking water sources at the grass-root level.
Several schemes for rural housing have been launched, some of which specifically aim at providing convergence to various rural development activities such as construction of houses, sanitation facilities and drinking-water schemes and ensure their effective implementation by suitable and sustainable induction of technology and innovative ideas.
With a view to encouraging the use of cost-effective, environment-friendly, scientifically-tested, and proven indigenous and modern designs, technologies and materials, a scheme called Innovative Stream for Rural Housing and Habitat Development was launched in 1999. The objective of the scheme is to promote/propagate innovative and proven housing technologies, designs and materials in the rural areas.
The Rural Building Centre Movement, popularly known as the Nirmithi Movement, was started in 1985 in Kerala with a view to promoting technology transfer, information-dissemination and skill- upgradation through training and production of cost-effective and environment-friendly building components.
The rural building centres are being involved in transfer of technology from lab to land. A rural building centre can be set up by the state government, rural development agencies, credible NGOs, private entrepreneurs, professional associations, autonomous institutions and corporate bodies including public sector agencies.
The National Mission for Rural Housing and Habitat was set up in 1999 to facilitate the induction of science and technology inputs on a continuous basis in the rural housing sector.
From 2002-03, it was decided to integrate all the existing rural housing schemes being implemented by the ministry into one.
Rural sanitation is a state subject. The efforts of the states are supplemented by the Central government through technical and financial assistance under the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP). The programme provides rural sanitation facilities with a view to improving quality of life and upholding dignity and privacy of rural women.
The concept of sanitation was expanded in 1993 to include personal hygiene, home sanitation, safe water, garbage excreta disposal and waste water disposal. The components of the programme include construction of individual sanitary toilets for households below the poverty line (BPL), conversion of dry latrines to water pour flush toilets, construction of village sanitary complexes for women, setting up of sanitary marts, intensive campaign for awareness creation, health education, etc.
In 1999, the programme was revised and restructured. Total Sanitation Campaign was introduced and the allocation based programme was phased out by 2002, A community-led and people-centred programme, the TSC approach emphasise awareness-building component and meets the demand through alternate delivery mechanism. School sanitation has also been introduced in the programme as a major component to encourage wider acceptance of sanitation among rural masses.
For timely flow and proper management of immense data generated under major rural development programmes and for improving their monitoring system, the Department of Rural Development had started in 1985, a Scheme of Computerised Rural Information System (CRISP) at DRDA level. It was decided to set up a mini-computer cell in DRDAs using funds available under administrative infrastructure.


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Since 2005 SWG3 has offered four sponsored graduate spaces annually for a 12 month residency. This is now split between the design studio & the artist studios and has been supported by Robert & Anastasia Carlyle for the past 5 years. The programme runs from September to August and applications can be made from any current undergraduate. Applications can be made from 1st April until the end of June for the graduating / leaving students that year.
Molly Hankinson, Graduate Studio 2018-19
Molly Hankinson is a visual artist from South-East London who is based in Glasgow, having graduated from The Glasgow School of Art in 2018 in Fine Art: Painting and Printmaking. She was then awarded the graduate studio residency at SWG3 Studio Warehouse where she continued to work for the next 12 months. Molly now has her permanent studio at SWG3 where she works as a full-time freelance visual artist and illustrator.
Raya Gray
Raya Gray is a fine artist and designer, a recent fine art graduate of Glasgow School of Art who is based in Glasgow. Working with a range of contemporary sources and across multiple types of media Gray's fine art practice largely riffs on today's consumer and media culture. Whilst taking a pop approach she acknowledges her consumption of such sources and simultaneously thinks
critically about her enjoyment of them. Aspects of sources namely found online are
simulated by drawing on the language of advertising and what is intended to look like
marketable imagery is utilised throughout her practice. Generally speaking, by combination of sculptures, digital artworks and installation she aims to illustrate a way of thinking about the subject matter of specific works. More recently Gray has been designing artwork for the record label Artificial Horizon that's started up in Glasgow and plans to continue working between fine art and design.
Sasha Mackay
Sasha Mackay is a painter currently based in Glasgow and a recent graduate from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee.
Her work roots its self in observing everyday, yet quirky and personal moments.
Intimate and relatable, her paintings narrate contemporary home-life by looking to objects and technology to subtly convey lifestyle and habits.
She shifts the overlooked into the spotlight to be scrutinised through composition making and distortion, sometimes conveying psychological undertones paired with hints of humour.
The resulting works tend to depict domestic scenes featuring figures or limbs often in the middle of routine, boredom or breakdown.


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Why MPS should not touch BBI proposals
LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE
Kenyans should be given a chance to air their voice through a referendum.
• Kenyans lost faith in Parliament when they realised that their MPs can be bribed with as low as Sh10,000.
• The report has some strict recommendations that may affect the legislators, such as elimination of sitting allowances, wealth declarations made public and not doing business with the government.
by ALEX GIKIMA
President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses attendees after receiving the BBI report on Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
Image: PSCU
For many years, Kenya has been dealing with post-election violence every five years, other than in 2002.
The effect is that investors leave the country, businesses shut down, jobs are lost, politicians escalate divisive speech, and Kenyan lives are endangered and even lost. This becomes a cycle where, as a country, we end up taking five steps forward but 10 steps backward.
The handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga on March 9, 2018 was a pause to this trend.
It was an opportunity to take another political and economical path for this country. It was through the handshake that President Kenyatta formed the Building Bridges Initiative task force, which went across the 47 counties listening to more than 7,000 citizens from various ethnic groups, genders, and social and economic sectors.
On November 26, the task force handed over the BBI report to President Kenyatta and Raila at State House. The two leaders launched the document to the public the following day at the Bomas of Kenya.
As it is right now, a document that was supposed to unite Kenyans seems to be creating a rift, particularly among the political class, who are differing on how to implement the document.
The debate is on whether the BBI should be subjected to a referendum or be taken to Parliament. In my opinion, even if the document will be discussed in both Houses, it should be subjected to a referendum.
The BBI recommendations are aimed at empowering the people economically and ensuring long-lasting unity among them. It is a document for the people by the people aimed at achieving political and economic prosperity for this country. Therefore, Kenyans should read it, internalise it, find out what is good and if need be, recommend improvements.
Kenyans lost faith in Parliament when they realised that their MPs can be bribed with as low as Sh10,000. For instance, there were accusations that MPs had been paid Sh10,000 each in washrooms to shoot down a report on imported sugar that exposed Kenyans to health hazards.
Our MPS are known for receiving "per diem" every weekend to campaign for some individuals who want to ascend to the highest office, yet we are three years away from elections. It's unfortunate to note how our lawmakers can be reduced to receiving handouts and political quid pro quo to advance the political interests of their bosses.
These are some genuine reasons why we cannot trust the National Assembly and Senate to decide the fate of BBI. It's worth noting that the report has some strict recommendations that may affect the legislators, such as elimination of sitting allowances, wealth declarations made public and not doing business with the government. They may, therefore, vote against it or expunge those proposals.
There is this argument that a referendum will be costly. That it may cost taxpayers Sh20 billion to Sh30 billion. The question we should be asking ourselves is, is it worth it? The recommendations made on the report will benefit generations and generations to come. These are long term visionary plans for our country.
For example, if those recommendations are implemented to the letter, corruption will be reduced and the corrupt subjected to tough punishments. Also, suggestions such as tax holiday of at least seven years on new and small businesses will empower young people to have more opportunities and income throughout generations.
I think that the BBI should be drafted as a bill by experts and a referendum date set before 2022 so that Kenyans can be given a chance to make a decision on the way forward for this country.
As the saying goes, vox populi vox dei - The voice of the people is the voice of God. Kenyans should be given a chance to air their voice through a referendum.
I beseech to all Kenyans to read the report and get informed to avoid politicians misguiding them. The future of this country is in the citizen's hands and their decisions today, will determine where the country will be tomorrow.
Gikima is a researcher and communications analyst
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Results of InstaForex contests summed up
At this stage, we are pleased to announce the names of those who won the following interim contests and campaigns by InstaForex: Chancy Deposit, InstaForex Sniper, One Million Option, FX-1 Rally, Lucky Trader, Real Scalping, and Great Race. We salute our champions, welcome ones seeking victory, and wish luck to all participants!
The promo campaign is held on a monthly basis. At the end of each month, a winner picked at random is awarded a solid cash prize. Let's congratulate the finalists of the two latest stages: Alexander Anatolyevich Fedorov from Moldova and YURI STEPANOVICH VYALITSIN from Russia. You can also be among the winners, while carrying on with your trading routine on Forex! Importantly, a different prize amount is raffled every month. So, check the company news and grab a chance!
InstaForex Sniper
InstaForex Sniper requires accuracy, patience, and sharp reaction. At the latest stage, Svetlana Pavlovna Troshina from Russia brilliantly manifested these features. She outpaced all other contestants and clinched a victory. Congratulations! Keep it up! All traders are welcomed to check their precision – register and join! InstaForex Sniper contest is held every weekly from 00:00 on Monday until 23:59 on Friday.
One Million Option
One Million Option is one of the most popular contests from InstaForex. It assembles a large number of participants who are longing to test their strong competitive spirit, to feel excitement and adrenaline! People with strong will compete for the title of the best option trader in the hot struggle. Following the results of the contest's regular stage, Glendo Cuico Degumbis from Philippines got the top place. Let's congratulate the victor! Besides, we want to remind you that the One Million Option contest is conducted every week from 00:10 on Monday until 23:50 on Friday.
Vladimir Vasilievich Sokoltsov from Russia and Roman Nikolaevich Blinov from Ukraine showed the best scores in the recent interim stages of the FX-1 Rally contest. Apart from our congratulations, we wish the winners to secure the title of the best racers in further stages. If you want to face the challenge of a trading competition, welcome to the starting line of FX-1 Rally! You can join any stage of the tournament. You can register and join at any stage that is held every Friday from 00:00 until 23:59. Registration is over one hour before the race.
A steady hand and success orientation are the keys to the victory in the Lucky Trader marathon. If you are able to conduct a perfect trading session within the contest, you have a chance to win one of the stages like Farcas Martin Iulian from Romania. We are pleased to congratulate the winner and remind you that the next stage of the competition will start on August 3, 2020 and end on August 14, 2020.
To succeed in Real Scalping, traders need to have a sharp reaction, attention, healthy curiosity, and desire to learn. Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes. Something more would help you to succeed: diligence, patience, and endeavor. This time, Batyr Orazmyradovich Khudaygulyev from Turkmenistan outperformed his competitors. Congratulations! Keep it up! We invite everyone to join us and fight for the main prize! The next stage of the contest will be held from August 3, 2020 to August 28, 2020.
To participate in the contest, traders are required to register a new demo account for each stage. In addition to a cash prize, a winner in an interim stage is awarded bonus scores that can be used in the final stage. Today Fady Makary Rizk Makary from Egypt is taking the prize! Let's wish him to win other contests by InstaForex! Do not forget to sign up for the nearest stage which will take place from July 20, 2020 until August 21, 2020.
AMarkets is gearing up for the most anticipated fintech event of the year – iFX EXPO 2023
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RoboForex's List of Awards Continues To Grow
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Keurig Dr Pepper Announces Voluntary Withdrawal of Unflavored Peñafiel Mineral Spring Water that Does Not Meet FDA Bottled Water Quality Standards
Keurig-Penafiel-1
BURLINGTON, Mass. and PLANO, Texas, June 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Keurig Dr Pepper today announced it will voluntarily withdraw Peñafiel unflavored mineral spring water products, imported from Mexico, due to the presence of violative levels of arsenic. Arsenic when present in the diet at very high levels, well above those detected in recent samples of Peñafiel, is associated with numerous chronic diseases. Water quality tests of Peñafiel samples conducted by an independent laboratory on behalf of Keurig Dr Pepper detected arsenic at levels that exceeded the FDA's bottled water standards for mineral water of 10 ppb.
All unflavored Peñafiel mineral spring water products including 600mL and 1.5L of all date codes are included in this voluntary withdrawal. The product is packaged in PET bottle formats. Consumers who have this product in their possession can return it to their retailer for a full refund.
Peñafiel is a small brand in the U.S. and quantities in the marketplace are very limited, given that Keurig Dr Pepper has already begun to withdraw the products from the market. The Company has notified retailers that it will work with them to remove the product from the market.
Arsenic is found in nature, including in aquifers that are the source of mineral water and where levels can vary over time. Keurig Dr Pepper has recently installed enhanced filtration systems at its facilities that produce Peñafiel, and the product now being produced is well within regulatory guidelines.
No other Keurig Dr Pepper products are impacted by this voluntary removal. For further information, please contact the Keurig Dr Pepper Consumer Care hotline at (800) 696-5891 between the hours of 9:00 am and 8:00 pm ET, Monday through Friday. We are conducting this market action with the knowledge of the U.S. FDA.
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is a leading coffee and beverage company in North America, with annual revenue in excess of $11 billion. KDP holds leadership positions in soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea, water, juice and juice drinks and mixers, and markets the #1 single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. The Company maintains an unrivaled distribution system that enables its portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partner brands to be available nearly everywhere people shop and consume beverages. With a wide range of hot and cold beverages that meet virtually any consumer need, KDP key brands include Keurig®, Dr Pepper®, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters®, Canada Dry®, Snapple®, Bai®, Mott's®, CORE® and The Original Donut Shop®. The Company employs more than 25,000 employees and operates more than 120 offices, manufacturing plants, warehouses and distribution centers across North America. For more information, visit www.keurigdrpepper.com.
Tyson Seely
T: 781-418-3352/ tyson.seely@kdrp.com
T: 972-673-6769/ steve.alexander@kdrp.com
T: 781-418-3345/ katie.gilroy@kdrp.com


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Hull FC fans reveal their choice for the club's next vice-captain
Here are the interesting results from our POLL on who should be the next Hull FC vice-captain
Paul ClarkeSenior Sports Wire Writer
Hull FC are edging closer and closer to announcing their captain for the new season and it's widely expected to be current vice-captain Danny Houghton.
So that brings into question who should take on Houghton's role? We asked the Old Faithful that earlier this month and the response was very interesting.
There are four candidates to fill Houghton's void if and when he does land the captaincy. Italy and Tonga leaders Mark Minichiello and Sika Manu, while England international Scott Taylor and back-to-back Lance Todd Trophy winner Marc Sneyd are also in the mix.
Albert Kelly comments on 2019 worrying long term for Hull FC but brilliant short term
"The vice-captaincy is the more difficult situation to sort out as we've got a lot of blokes in our leadership group," Radford explained earlier this month.
Whoever wins out doesn't matter a great deal because of the strong leadership group that Lee Radford has at his disposal, meaning there is not really a wrong decision to back up the likely new captain Houghton.
Jake Connor a better long-term prospect in halves or at centre?
But regardless, the result from our POLL earlier this month is worth a look. Minichiello is the man who won the vote with 41% ahead of Manu, who ended second with 28%.
WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT VICE-CAPTAIN? Hull FC fans have had their say.
Sneyd and Taylor were third and fourth with 16% and 13% respectively, while only 2% of fans clicked on the other (comment) option – none of which actually added another name to the list of candidates.
Boris JohnsonMartin Lewis explains what to do if you're worried about BT price hikeThe consumer champion said people at the end of their contracts can try to bring the price down


Turkey's appeal to property investors has surged since the start of 2013, as the weaker pound makes the Eurozone less attractive to some real estate investors, such as UK buyers, it is claimed.
Plans for the world's largest airport in Istanbul could also boost the property market with the airport forecast to be operational by 2017 with a capacity for 90 million passengers a year. However, once complete, the new airport's six runways will be capable of handling 150 million passengers a year, more than any current existing airport.
The new airport is part of the Turkish government's longer term 2023 Master Plan, a nationwide programme of infrastructure developments due for completion in time for the centenary of the birth of the Turkish Republic in 2023. Julian Walker, director at Turkish property specialist Spot Blue, pointed out that given how much is happening, it's hardly surprising that global financial institutions continue to highlight the potential of Turkish real estate.
'Recently, accountancy firm Ernst & Young ranked Turkey the second most attractive market for investors in its 2013 European Real Estate Trend Indicator report and PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked Istanbul number one for development prospects in its 2013 Emerging Trends in Real Estate Europe' report,' he said. 'That you can still buy a new apartment in an Istanbul suburb for less than £60,000 seems incredible value, given that the city is already a cultural and commercial hub and has so much more potential thanks to the 2023 Master Plan. That Turkey was recently upgraded to investment grade by Fitch Ratings is reassuring too,' he added.
Turkey's largest airport currently is Atatürk in Istanbul, which was Europe's sixth busiest airport in 2012. Ambitious expansion plans by Turkey's national carrier, Turkish Airways, which by the end of June 2013 will have launched 30 new routes around the world within 12 months, means Atatürk is likely to overtake Madrid into fifth place during 2013. Antalya, gateway to Turkey's popular Mediterranean coast, is Turkey's second busiest airport.
Turkey is also bidding for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and having never hosted the Olympic Games, winning the bid for the 2020 Games would be a huge boost for Turkey's tourism and property markets. This would also encourage foreign investment and enhance its global standing. The winning country will be announced by the International Olympic Committee in September in Buenos Aires.
Even without the Olympics, Turkey's popularity as a tourist destination continues to grow each year, according to Walker. 'It's comforting for people buying holiday homes in Turkey that in the most recent United Nations World Tourism Organisation report, which ranks countries by the number of international tourist arrivals, Turkey climbed to sixth place from seventh,' he said.
He also pointed out that in December, the UNWTO ranked the Mediterranean destination of Antalya as one of the five most popular tourist destinations in the world, on a par with Paris, London, New York and Singapore. Meanwhile, in the 2013 edition of the Post Office's annual holiday price comparison survey, Turkey has made it back into the top 10 most affordable places to have a holiday, ranking it cheaper than other popular destinations such as Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Orlando, Malta, Italy and France.
Has the distressed selling in Dubai only just begun?


The new beta version is here and if you want to install iOS 10 public beta in a proper way, that means running the public beta rather than hacking your way into it. With technology, everything changes, so why to stay back on the old version when we have new version. New version now has many features that will make your experience with apple better and commendable. So here we have a guide on how to Install iOS 10 Public Beta on iPhone and iPad. The procedure is easy to be followed.
First thing you should be doing is to take a back up of your important data of your phone in a computer or iCloud so that you don't have to worry even if anything goes wrong.
After you are done with this, If you have any existing profiles from your iOS device, you have to remove that too.
Then you should go on the link http://beta.apple.com inside safari of your iphone and scroll down to find your iOS device.
Tap on the same and download the profile you want for your public beta to get installed.
Go to the settings option of your device and click software update option where the beta release is waiting to be downloaded. Once done, you may install it. It will ask for restart iPhone, go ahead and update your iPhone by clicking Settings -> General -> Software Update.
It is also important to keep your battery more than 50% on the safer side and a good Wi-Fi connection so that you don't get into any chaos and you have installed iOS Public Beta.
The first is that it has redesigned the experience of lock screen. The Apple has unveiled raise to wake that will just amaze you. This will help iPhone light up and reach the home screen as and when you lift it up. The notifications that appear onscreen are more influential and interactive now and have introduced many more new 3D touch shortcuts that lets you respond to the notifications in a better and smarter way. The new version is not limited to one single change but has brought many with it to make the applications better to be used and in a smarter way. The control centre has been redesigned too that lets you work on multiple screens simultaneously. "Slide to unlock" has been removed and instead of that you will see "Press home to open".
Secondly Apple has brought Siri intelligence to the keyboard that uses artificial intelligence that will help you with better suggestion while typing and you will have a better experience of using your phone. Siri support is available on many applications available on your phone that makes you get an easy access to many applications. It answers you anything you ask. It is handy to be used and will help you conserve some time too because of the suggestions. You will be more comfortable because now you will be getting more options as what you want to say. You will also be able to activate non Apple applications and hence you are just not that limited to only Apple applications.
Photos have also been given artificial intelligence that helps analyze faces and objects and hence can build albums for you in a better way. It helps draw pictures together identified by date, time and place and creates mementos. Apple calls it memories. Maps are now advance and you will find exploring places easy and interesting. If you slide upwards from the bottom of the maps, it will help you get suggestions of your destination. To be updated, the applications are cleaner and simpler to be used and have even added subscriptions in news that makes you get the skimmed ones to you. There is also a "breaking news" notification from the app. This will keep you one step forward always so that you don't miss out anything because you always want to stay updated with what is going on. After all, this is the need of the hour. People don't value you if you are not running as fast as the world does. You can also have paid subscriptions for the website you like so that you can limit the news you want to know.
Also, apple is launching a dedicated application that controls all appliances that are compatible with HomeKit because now apple has become serious about smart homes and Internet of Things. At home screen you will see your compatible accessories and you can easily keep a control on them. There are some real nice features in Home that also work on Siri command. And now, iOS will convert speech to text. Also, you will now be able to see rich links in messages. Emoticons will be three times the size now. There are many more new changes that target young audience. Also, you will be able to scan a message and it will show you options where you can convert text into emoticons that will make you more excited towards the iOS 10 public beta. So, the new version has lot to explore and will give you an experience you never thought of. Downloading the latest version is not just important, but also reliable.


This entry was posted in Bowel Cancer, Uncategorized and tagged advanced bowel cancer, Bowel Cancer UK, relapse, Remission, Time for Guts by bananagiraffes. Bookmark the permalink.
Hi Rachel I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but the link to Time for Guts Campaign does not work.
I hang onto your Good News so not all take more note of bad news, and I'm definitely not the only one!
I recently finished reading your fantastic book while recovering from surgery to remove a T3 tumour from my colon, and just felt that I needed to see how things were progressing for you, so found myself on this blog. I am delighted to read your latest update. I!m so pleased that you are still in remission and that you have found hapiness with John.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the cancer had reached my lymph nodes before it was removed, so I'm embarking in a six month chemo programme imminently. The great thing is that your book has given me insight into what I can expect and your story of survival is inspirational for me and my family as we start on the next phase of this journey together.
Thank you for your book, your courage and perspective. It is and will continue to be a source of great comfort over the coming months. Thank you.


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Analysis: 'Balanced approach' meets an unbalanced budget
by Len Lazarick | December 15, 2011 | General Assembly, Governor, News, Taxes | 4 |
Public employee unions, nonprofit groups and education advocates have been huddling in recent weeks to organize support for what they call "a balanced approach" to the continuing fiscal mess facing Maryland.
"Balanced approach" means balancing next year's budget with its continuing billion-dollar shortfall not just with spending cuts but with more revenues: tax hikes. These include tax increases on millionaires, corporations, internet sales and a long list of consumer services, not to mention cigars and gasoline – a pretty inflammatory mix in all.
State House complex at sunset by Thisisbossi at Wikimedia Commons
Tonight, as the Spending Affordability Committee meets in Annapolis, we'll get to see if legislative leaders are inclined toward a "balanced approach."
Monday night, AFSCME — the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest union of state workers – and MSEA — the Maryland State Education Association, representing more than 70,000 teachers – along with a dozen other sponsors organized a "community conversation" on the impact of state budget cuts. They brought out more than 100 people to Baltimore City Community College.
Worst fiscal crisis since the Depression
"States are facing the worst financial crisis since the Depression," said Jon Shure of the Center for Budget & Tax Policy in Washington and a Bethesda resident. The states are experience "the biggest drop in revenues that they ever seen," he said.
"There are some people who want to take advantage of this crisis to shrink government," Shure said. But like someone who has lost his job and can't pay his mortgage, "you don't have a spending problem, you have an income problem." (This flips the mantra of Republican legislators, who like to say, "We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.)
Shure argues that "cutting makes it harder to build a strong economy," and state governments can quickly put revenues back into the economy.
Neil Bergsman of the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute – an affiliate of the Maryland Nonprofits Association — said "we need government to step up and provide some demand." The state has already "cut services" – scaled back increased spending – and reduced government jobs.
Workers testify about impact of cuts
Attesting to the budget cuts, a long string of government workers testified to the way tight funds have changed their jobs.
Archie Nelson, a resident adviser for the Department of Juvenile Services and union shop steward, said "we've become guards" through budget cuts, keeping the detained youths from assaulting each other, rather than helping them see a positive way out of their situation.
Karen DeCamp, director of neighborhood programs for the Greater Homewood Community Corp., talked about the impact on education.
"We're flat funding education," DeCamp said, and "that flat funding meant real cuts. Flat funding is a de facto cut." She wanted the inflation adjustment restored to the Thornton education funding formula.
It was the same argument that was made two weeks ago by none other than Alvin Thornton himself, the Howard University educator who chaired the commission that led to a massive infusion of funding into K-12 education since 2002. Thornton was speaking to the Maryland Education Coalition at a meeting in Columbia.
As far as he is concerned, "Thornton" aid has not been fully funded.
Business groups on a different wave length
While teachers and social service workers agree among themselves about the need for more revenues, they might as well be speaking in foreign languages to chambers of commerce and other business groups, who see some of their members struggling to hold on through the recession.
Sen. James Ed DeGrange, the Anne Arundel Democrat who is the Senate chair of the Spending Affordability Committee this year, told the BWI Business Partnership Wednesday morning that jobs putting people back to work in the private sector and transportation funding – along with balancing the budget — would be the focus of the upcoming session.
DeGrange, who rarely votes for a tax increase, seems inclined to raise transportation revenues, but found little support for a gas tax hike. He asked how many people "wouldn't mind" a gas tax increase. Out of about 150 business people at the breakfast, he counted four who raised their hands.
"That's better than my last meeting," DeGrange observed, noting that "the business community is kind of divided" on tax hikes for transportation.
He said nothing that would have encouraged education advocates.
Flat funding for education
"It's always been that we haven't touched education," particularly for K-12, DeGrange said, who also chairs two budget subcommittees. But next year, in education aid, "maybe we hold some things flat. That's the only thing that hasn't been touched." (Public school aid was largely held flat this past year.)
"Everything has to be on the table," DeGrange.
"There will be proposals" for other tax increases, but transportation funding is "where the focus is going to be," DeGrange said in an interview.
Gov. Martin O'Malley has shown some support for a gasoline tax hike – as have top legislative leaders — and last week O'Malley argued that a millionaires income tax surcharge doesn't drive the wealthy from Maryland.
This evening's meeting on Spending Affordability Committee might provide some clues as to whether legislative leaders foresee a steady diet of cuts or the "balanced approach" with tax hikes other groups are advocating.
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Kathy on December 15, 2011 at 2:32 pm
"Spending Affordability Committee" . . . think about that, my friends . . . if you have to have a committee to figure out if you can AFFORD to SPEND, you're in deep trouble . . . 'nuff said.
Polly on December 15, 2011 at 9:38 am
A failure to increase spending is not a cut in spending. We can see why our children finish high school with no economic common sense as these educators show none of their own. Increasing the costs of doing business passes those costs on to the consumer who eventually withholds spending, and as a result businesses close down or move to other states where it is cheaper to do business. Either way parents putting their kids through school lose jobs. A classic public sector vs private sector war. Your solution – both sides lose. However, if you balance the budget, reduce taxes, reduce costs of doing business, do not discourage consumers who buy products, and reduce the size of the public sector then when more parents and stakeholders have private sector jobs, there is more tax inflow from their payroll taxes to pay more into public coffers. Why is this hard to understand?
"cutting makes it harder to build a strong economy," and state governments can quickly put revenues back into the economy." The Government takes our (private sector/citizen) money's and runs it through its bureaucracies … paying public sector employees and attendant administrative costs in the process. What's left is distributed to selected (favored?) sources. Much of these moneys, left in the private sector, can better be used to directly and more generally to nourish the private economy, the source of the "revenue" being confiscated to support "Government" activities.
"the impact on education." "We're flat funding education," DeCamp said, and "that flat funding meant real cuts. Flat funding is a de facto cut."
Could it be there is a need to reorder and prune "education" spending? Should educational organizations and salaries reflect realities of today's economy? Should priority be given to class work that will facilitate functional employees on graduation? While stimulation of intellectual capacities is "nice to encourage," real world functional skills are vitally needed. One of the points the "OWS" experience highlighted was there are too many ending their "educations" absent knowledge and skills commensurate with job performance and getting hired.
This is not to mention the litany of mismanagement and debatable expenditures the State has recently been disclosed as engaging in.
I would favor holding the so called "Balanced Approach" on hold, unless and until, there is a track record of frugal and responsible spending!
Retired Chief on December 15, 2011 at 8:39 am
A "balanced approach" can only have one meaning for people who understand the concept of the U.S. Constitution and the American way of life. A "Balanced Approach" means that you look at your previous one (two or three even) year's revenues, select the lowest year's revenue, The allocate all of your spending to fit within that revenue stream. Anything that falls outside that stream must be paid for by reducing NON-ESSENTIAL activities and services such as travel expenses take-home cars, assigned guards, and salaries that exceed the salary levels of non-government workers. Require that any pension payments be suspended for all legislators, and that their salary be reduced to One dollar a week until they have balanced the budget.
Analysis: 'Balanced Approach' Meets An Unbalanced Budget - [...] Original article> Share this:EmailFacebookPrint Filed Under: Occurrences [...]
Advocates Push for a "Balanced Approach" to Resolve FY 2013 Budget Shortfall « Conduit Street - [...] reported by MarylandReporter.com, public employee unions, nonprofits, and education groups are advocating for a "Balanced [...]


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Laurie Hurst speaks about the Clark Farm and the Grantsville Cemetery during the open comment period at the Grantsville City Council meeting. A group of more than 20 people led by Hurst attended city council meeting for the purpose of objecting the cemetery's expansion. Greg Bleazard speaks about the Clark Farm and the Grantsville Cemetery during the open comment period at the Grantsville City Council meeting. A group of more than 20 people attended city council meeting for the purpose of objecting the cemetery's expansion.
Lisa Christensen
Citizens decry use of Clark Farm for cemetery expansion
Although Grantsville City officials made the decision without opposition over two years ago, some residents want the city to reverse its current cemetery expansion plan.
In an effort spearheaded by resident Laurie Hurst, more than 20 people attended last Wednesday's Grantsville City Council meeting to stop a planned expansion of the Grantsville City Cemetery to 40 acres of land across the street next to the J.Reuben Clark Farm.
Clara Walters, one of seven persons who spoke against the expansion, expressed concern that the city's heritage would be damaged by extending the city's burial grounds to a portion of the city-owned estate.
"I really feel that if we start going any more on the J. Reuben Clark Farm, there won't be anything left," she said. "All we have is what's at the Donner-Reed [Museum]. Our heritage as a town is dying out. I would prefer to see J. Reuben Clark [Farm] and show our heritage to people to come."
Greg Bleazard told the council he felt the farm had potential to become a historical center, like Wheeler Farm in Cache Valley. He noted the site's capacity to become a community gathering center would be squandered if part of it were turned into a cemetery.
"People don't enjoy gathering in a cemetery. I think there's a great opportunity for this town to build something," Bleazard said. "It's not a cemetery yet. Once it becomes one the desire to go there and celebrate is lost."
Grantsville City Mayor Brent Marshall said since the expansion into J. Reuben Clark property was voted upon and passed by the city council in November 2010, the city has spent approximately $65,000 in improvements. They include water and sprinkling system installation, a timer for that system and labor. Excluded is the approximate $335,000 the city paid to purchase the farm a few years ago.
Resident Laurie Hurst said while the city made the decision more than two years ago, she doesn't think the issue was well-publicized at the time and that the public didn't have enough opportunity to comment on the decision. She has been gathering support through word of mouth and social media, and is compiling a petition to compel the council to reopen the issue.
"This is just a small sample of people who feel the same way," Hurst said of the people gathered at the council meeting.
The cemetery expansion was originally discussed in 2010, prompted by concerns of the current cemetery running out of burial plots. The city council at the time looked at adjacent properties, including parcels to the east and west, as potential additions to the existing cemetery.
Marshall said those options didn't work out for various reasons, the biggest of which was money. The city had just undergone a budget crisis and purchasing new land was not fiscally feasible at that time.
The Clark Farm was purchased earlier by the city with no real plan for its use. The fields to the north of the buildings were the best option the council discussed at the time, said Marshall, in part because there would be enough space that future administrations would not need to worry about finding more parcels of land for another expansion. No other ideas were brought forward from community members, either, he added.
Greg Bleazard speaks about the Clark Farm and the Grantsville Cemetery during the open comment period at the Grantsville City Council meeting. A group of more than 20 people attended city council meeting for the purpose of objecting the cemetery's expansion.
"I think if there'd have been other comments brought up at that time certainly people would have backed up and said, 'Is there another option?' I think we've looked at the options, but I think we would have taken a step back, because it takes a couple years to get a cemetery going," Marshall said, noting the bureaucratic process extended a window of several months before any work had been done on the expansion.
The mayor said at the time the issue was decided in November 2010, meeting minutes show that only one person spoke at the public comment portion — a man who lived near the Clark Farm who wanted to make sure no cemetery plans would interfere with the preschool inside the Clark House.
Despite the lack of interest at the time, Marshall said he has talked with several people recently about the issue, and found that many are not aware of the details of the city's plan. Many have said they thought buildings would be torn down, but the current plan is to leave all buildings intact and in place.
Some have suggested other places for the cemetery's expansion, he said, but the most popular suggestions—using the space currently used as a park and ride lot, or the city's maintenance shop area—would have complications.
The city was awarded a grant to pave and improve the park and ride lot in early 2010, before the cemetery issue was discussed, and those improvements are scheduled to be done this spring, Marshall said.
Using the land that now houses the city's maintenance shop would require purchasing more land, replacing the buildings and tearing down the current buildings to make that slot ready to be a cemetery, he said. The tally would be more than a million dollars, he added.
Still, said the mayor, the city is willing to entertain alternative options. Although public interest has come two years after the decision, he said, it is better now than if it had come after burials had started being performed.
The group in favor of keeping the cemetery expansion out of the Clark Farm property has agreed to submit a written list of other suggestions at the next city council meeting, Marshall said. The council has agreed to consider those suggestions.
"Of course, there hasn't been anybody interned into this cemetery expansion, so I believe if there is another option that is viable then certainly the council — they're the ones who have to vote on this — I believe they'd be open-minded enough to look at the options and consider them," the mayor said.
"I have a lot of faith in those five guys," he added. "I believe they're interested in what's best for the City of Grantsville. That will allow the council the opportunity to evaluate what their proposals are, and I'm sure there will be some issues that the council will probably need some answers on, and then comes the bottom line of time and money."
Staff Writer at Tooele Transcript Bulletin
Lisa covers primarily crime and courts, military affairs, Stansbury Park government and transportation issues. She is a graduate of Utah State University, where she double-majored in journalism and music, and Grantsville High School.
Latest posts by Lisa Christensen (see all)
Cowboys just miss on state tennis title - October 13, 2015
I'm ready to be tasered, just name the day - January 8, 2015
2014 Person of Year Laurie Hurst – Hurst started effort to stop Grantsville from using historic farm for burial plots - January 6, 2015


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HSE University
Office of Internationalisation
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Important announcements 1
Since October 21, PCR tests for foreigners arriving in Russia have been cancelled
'Working in Academia Is My Lifelong Desire'
Majid Sohrabi is a 28 year-old student from Iran currently enrolled in a doctoral programme at the HSE University Faculty of Computer Science. Before starting his PhD, he graduated with honours from the university's Master of Data Science programme. In addition to studying, he also works as an assistant at the School of Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence and a research assistant at the Laboratory for Models and Methods of Computational Pragmatics.
Admissions international faculty ideas & experience international students doctoral programmes
'HSE Has Made Me Confident and Brave'
Enrolment in undergraduate programmes is underway. International recipients of the Russian Government Scholarship can study at HSE University for free and get a place at an HSE dorm. Senanu Dekpo-Adza from Ghana and Hamisha Rijal from Nepal study at HSE University as part of the scholarship programme. They shared their experiences of admission and studies at HSE University with the HSE News Service.
Admissions ideas & experience international students master's programmes bachelor's programmes scholarships
Culture Café: Azerbaijan, 25.01.2023
Welcome to the 1st ISN Culture Café of 2023 which was devoted to beautiful Azerbaijan! Whether you were at our meeting on January 25 or not, now you have the opportunity to review and learn some interesting facts about this splendid land. We would also like to thank the Azerbaijani students who shared with us fascinating information about their country.
On Campus international students
Wushu, Tekken and Fortune-telling by the Book of Changes: Lunar New Year Celebrated at HSE University
This New Year, according to the Asian calendar, arrived on January 22nd. On this day, HSE Cultural Centre brought together Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cultures. To the sounds of Asian songs and Korean drums, the guests tried their hand at calligraphy, studied jianzhi and origami, played Ttakji and Go, ate traditional cookies and expelled evil spirits. The Lunar New Year at the university was organized by the School of Asian Studies and the HSE Chinese Club.
On Campus concerts students leisure international students
Party Like an Indian!
We invite all HSE students and alumni from India to join our Indian programme as part of the Asia Festival at HSE University.
On Campus alumni students international cooperation master's programmes bachelor's programmes
'I Learned How to Cheer Myself up, Find Motivation, and Work Hard'
How to cope with the new culture? What activities and events does HSE University offer its international students? How to deal with rules and paperwork? Students from different countries and educational programmes at HSE University-St Petersburg shared their memories about life at the university in 2022.
Community ideas & experience international students
HSE University-St Petersburg International Activity Results for 2022
HSE University strives to be part of the international academic community, follow world educational standards, and provide students with ample opportunities. Students of HSE University-St Petersburg have well-developed cross-cultural communication skills thanks to international educational programmes, participation in international academic mobility and double-degree programmes, and daily interaction with students from all over the world. The International Office reports on the results of international activity in 2022.
On Campus international students international cooperation
'I Made a Lot of Friends and My Speaking Level Improved'
On December 23, students of the HSE Preparatory Year got together for a festive Russian speaking club. They expanded their vocabulary and cultural outlook by immersing themselves in Russian winter holiday traditions and even played the role of Ded Moroz—the Russian Santa.
Community ideas & experience international students preparatory year Russian language
Okro Soup, Bubble Tea, and Relleno: International Students Share Their New Year's Traditions
HSE University is home to international students from all over the world, many of whom will be celebrating the New Year in Russia for the first time. They shared their plans for the festive season with the HSE News Service and spoke about holiday traditions and dishes in their home countries of China, Ecuador, Pakistan, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Guatemala, and India.
Community ideas & experience international students master's programmes bachelor's programmes New Year traditions
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Ørsted Chosen for New Jersey Offshore Wind Project
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has selected Ocean Wind, an offshore wind energy project proposed by Ørsted with support from Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), to negotiate a 20-year offshore wind farm with a capacity of 1.1GW.
Located off the coast of Atlantic City, Ocean Wind will be New Jersey's first large-scale offshore wind farm. It will also be the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. to exceed 1GW. Subject to Ørsted's final investment decision, the wind farm is expected to be completed by 2024.
Ørsted will work with PSEG's non-utility affiliates which will provide land for the project and energy management services. PSEG, which serves 2.2 million electricity customers in New Jersey, has an option to become an equity investor in the Ocean Wind project.
Ocean Wind will supply more than half a million New Jersey homes. The project is expected to create over 3,000 direct jobs annually through development and the three-year construction cycle. Ørsted is also proceeding with plans to establish an operations and maintenance base in Atlantic City that will provide jobs during the 25+ years lifespan of the project.
The state has set the goal of having 3.5 GW of offshore wind by 2030. Another solicitation will open in 2020 and a third in 2022.
The award means that Ørsted has secured a U.S. offshore wind build-out portfolio with a total capacity of approximately 2GW to be completed between 2022 to 2024. Ørsted aims to optimize operations across the portfolio as well as inside the clusters:
Mid-Atlantic cluster
• Ocean Wind (1,100MW) will deliver power to New Jersey. Expected commissioning by 2024.
• Skipjack (120MW) will deliver power to Maryland. Expected commissioning by 2022.
North-East cluster (owned 50-50 with Eversource)
• Revolution Wind (704MW) will deliver power to Rhode Island (400MW) and Connecticut (304MW). Expected commissioning by 2023.
• South Fork (130MW) will deliver power to Long Island, New York. Expected commissioning by 2022.
Separately, the US Department of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has published the official notice for comment on Anbaric's proposed New York and New Jersey OceanGrids, advancing the projects along in the federal approval process. Anbaric is the first to present a planned transmission system for both New York and New Jersey and to advance its application to use federal waters for underwater cables to connect New York and New Jersey offshore wind to shore. OceanGrids will connect the offshore wind energy sought by New York and New Jersey to on-shore grids via offshore collector platforms and cables buried underwater and underground.
MarEx Corporate
Fincantieri Marinette Marine Names Richard W. Hunt as President
Schottel Supplies Propulsion for Six Specialized Coal-Handling Vessels
VIKING Wins Breakthrough Order for HydroPen Firefighting System
HIT Chooses XVELA's Collaborative Berth Window Management Application
Port of Muuga Strengthened with New Ferry Connection to Finland
ForSea Offers Fast Broadband with Nowhere Networks


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The art of awakening
Wendi Song
Mainland Chinese artist Zhang Dase shared his latest artistic concept with High Life during his second visit to Macau.
Mainland Chinese artist Zhang Dase was recently invited to Macau by the Macau University of Science and Technology to talk about his latest artistic concept – the art of awakening. It was his second visit to Macau since his solo exhibition "A state without limits" in 2015.
Having graduated from Capital Normal University in Beijing, Zhang majored in oil painting where his philosophy that art is a quest for the truth of life developed. Over the past two decades he has been to Tibet to study Buddhism multiple times and after thoroughly studying the mind has refined the essence of wisdom – especially the acts of watching, listening, singing, painting and dancing – to a set of self-cultivation methods suitable for modern people and for developing his concept of "The art of awakening".
During his stay in Macau, Zhang Dase granted an exclusive interview to High Life, explaining "The art of awakening" with profundity and an easy-to-understand approach.
"I started to realize that it was easy for me to focus and relax in painting and I wish to convey this tranquility, serenity and joy to people through my own works," he says.
"In fact, I have been practicing meditation, but in traditional ways. When invited to give lectures to others, I hoped to find a more direct way. Gradually I developed a series of artistic practices including mandala paintings and then refined that into a whole series of ways of catering to modern people."
Citing mandala painting as an example, Zhang says, "The mandala visually reflects our inner consciousness, which is a structural diagram of our internal view. When we continue to draw, we are integrating our inner order.
"In painting, it can also be very effective to practice focusing and enhancing the inner concentration and awareness. When you are drawing, you will see yourself painting. At this time, you will change from the participant to the viewer and you will look at yourself from a different angle. Whether you want to practice meditation or want to know yourself, this is a very direct method.
"Art is different from religion in that it is more free. Whether you are a religious person or not, it can be your means."
Zhang says "The art of awakening" includes many more aspects of Zen life and humanistic aesthetics but admits, "I didn't expect people's inner loneliness to be so great."
Therefore, he began to adjust the curriculum to cater to the needs of more people – primarily to find inner health, learn how to relax and build a flexible space for the mind.
When asked about the difference between "The art of awakening" and spiritual healing, Zhang explains that the latter is just to create a more comfortable sense of existence. "The art of awakening" is art-focused and reveals that the comfortable sense of existence is an illusion. A sweet dream is not as good as awakening, which will lead you to a freer world.
"Everyone lives in this world and gets along with their emotions at all times, but we don't understand ourselves, lack the power to go beyond our troubles and often lose out in self-limitation. 'The art of awakening' opens a door and shows us the inner connection between life and awakening to help us to find a peaceful, beautiful and free life in art, which is closely related to everyone," he says.
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Home > News > Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary > December 2017 > December 8, 2017 (PM)
December 8, 2017 (PM)
(There was a statement on the overview of the extraordinary Cabinet meeting.)
REPORTER: I have a question on Israel. Various countries have issued statements in succession criticizing the United States over President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Are we to understand that, as the Government of Japan, Prime Minister Abe will not be issuing any kind of statement or making a comment?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government's position on this issue is as I have stated in previous press conferences. Foreign Minister Kono has also responded to press questions in an ad-hoc press conference on the same topic. I would like to refrain from conjecturing any future Government response in relation to this issue.
REPORTER: I believe that the Government of Japan has as yet not expressed any criticism as other countries have done. Is the Government's response out of consideration for President Trump and its ally the United States?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Firstly, from the perspective of realizing stability in the Middle East region, the Government of Japan fully seeks to maintain even closer communication with the United States and other countries concerned. The Government supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our position is that it should be resolved through negotiation between the parties, based on relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions adopted to date and the agreements previously reached by the parties, including on the issue of the final status of Jerusalem.
REPORTER: I have a question concerning the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. There are reports that President Trump is considering to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Is the possibility zero that the Government of Japan will follow the United States in moving its own embassy from Tel Aviv?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: The Government has no such intention.
REPORTER: I would like to ask a question that the viewers of Nico Nico Douga (video) wanted me to ask you. Congratulations on your birthday, which was two days ago. Many people the same age as you, such as Ms. Harumi Miyako and Mr. Hiroshi Itsuki, or politicians such as Mr. Takashi Kawamura, are still active in society. I believe you turned 69, so this will be the last year of your 60s. Could you share with us how you plan to spend the coming year?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: When I think of the people you have just mentioned, I realize again that I am getting up there. In any event, as Chief Cabinet Secretary I will continue to work hard with the basic intention of fully and sincerely accepting my responsibilities and supporting the Prime Minister in taking our nation forward.
REPORTER: I have a question about the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games that are scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea (ROK) in February next year. Given the very unsettled situation on the Korean Peninsula, if a larger than usual number of Japanese nationals were to visit the ROK for the Games, how would the Government rescue them in the event of a contingency? Some view that it would be very difficult to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) of Japan to engage in rescue activities in the ROK. Although there are moves to create a coalition among nations as a means of weakening antipathy towards the SDF, the possibility cannot be denied that the ROK may deny the entry of the SDF into the ROK. Is the Government engaging in negotiations with the Government of the ROK on such matters?
CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY SUGA: Appropriate implementation of activities to evacuate Japanese nationals in emergency situations is the greatest duty of the Government. It is true that the Government is always consulting with the United States on response measures with such a situation in mind. Naturally we are also working closely with the ROK as a country concerned. However, due to the nature of the matter I would like to refrain from making any further comment regarding our discussions with them.