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Hunting Strategies for High-Country Mule Deer Bucks
To find mature mule deer in open expanses, locate the things that allow them to grow old there.
A big trophy mule deer buck is pictured in Montana. Pressured bucks don't necessarily bed in thickets. Even small clumps of sage and rock will hide them, or provide them an escape route. (Shutterstock image)
August 26, 2021 By Gary Lewis
Crossing a fence in the late afternoon, we approached the water tank, circled it and knelt to take a look at tracks in the mud. One was bigger than the others—well over 3 inches long.
A buck in this canyon had likely watered at this tank, but under the light of the moon and not since. He'd had a drink and then bedded down for the day, likely within a mile of there—but where?
This was dry country with few trees and fewer water holes, ground given to the farming of dry-land wheat. Glancing at the sun, I guessed we had two hours before darkness fell.
Bill, my hunting partner, was on my left. Our plan was to still-hunt, trying to stay 10 yards apart in the bottom of the coulee above the water tank, sometimes splitting up to check a feeder canyon or look into a ditch.
Well over half a mile from the tank, I signaled Bill with a lift of my hand. Here, the Great Basin wild rye was chest-high—deep enough to hide a buck. Some sixth sense told me to stop. A moment later the buck erupted from the October rye. It had overplayed its hand and now was out in the open, broadside.
This was Bill's first mule deer hunt and here was a buck with two points on each side, long eye-guards and antlers as brown as the creosote on the telephone poles it had used to rub off its velvet. Figuring out how this buck used the landscape to meet its needs at different times of the day gave Bill a lasting memory on his first hunt. And the same process can do this for you on every mule deer hunt.
There may come a time when we hunt that country again. I like to think that when we entered that coulee, we solved a problem.
Where does a buck go during the season? Where does it feed? Where does it bed? Where does it escape? These last two, in particular, pertain to middle-of-the-day hunting, and now we know at least one place, in that kind of country, where bucks are likely to be during part of the day.
Patiently watching a small patch of cover until this buck stood up for a midday stretch allowed the author to fill his tag. (Photo by Gary Lewis)
TRACKS AT WATER
In much of the arid West, accessibility to water defines one of the most important features of a buck's home range. But even in dry country we tend to miss some of the most important water sources.
Creeks, rivers, lakes, farm ponds and cattle tanks are the most obvious ones, but there are less obvious water sources that do not show up on a map and are important to big game. Guzzlers installed by ranchers or wildlife agencies are one possibility in a few areas, but there are two more common options, even in arid country: seeps and small basins where water collects after a rain.
When you do find water, make sure you have a tape measure handy to sort through the prints left by does and fawns. In the places I hunt, the magic starts with prints that are 2 7/8 inches or bigger; few does leave tracks bigger than that. Any buck with a track that measures 3 inches or more is a buck that should be looked at with a spotting scope.
Lay out a topo map on the hood of the truck. Mark that water point and triangulate with other known water sources. A buck will want to have several sources of water in his home range, and big bucks get to choose the best home range.
First, look for those blue lines that indicate a dry creek bed or the low spots where water collects in the rainy season.
Where are the ridges? Next, look for contour lines and hilltops marked for elevation. Bucks tend to bed toward the tops of canyons and three-quarters of the way up a slope, especially where they have overhanging rimrock or shade-giving boulders. Study the topo for clues, then turn to an aerial photo or an app and mark potential bedding spots.
GONE TO BED
A buck's bed is often nothing more than an scraped oval in the dirt, a flat spot dug into the side of a slope with a view for hundreds of yards, or a hole in the brush with three ways out for fast escape. It might be just downhill from the crest of a ridge or it could be out in the flats under a scrap of sagebrush.
Bucks live or die based on their selection of bedding spots. It's easier to locate a younger buck's bedding locations—they tend to pick more obvious spots, such as beneath a juniper tree. But bucks live longer when they use beds that are hard to approach undetected. Prior to the rut, look for solitary bucks in one of several places.
1. High Ridges: These provide safety because they are difficult to approach and offer good visibility. The presence of shade is important—not only is it cooler, but lying in a shadow makes it easier for the buck to remain hidden. Only a scrap of shade is necessary, but consider the time of day. A morning bed on a west-facing slope may not be as ideal in the afternoon. Glass just downhill from the crest of the ridge and try to peer into shaded spots. Later, with the sun at a different angle, glass that same ridge and try to find the alternate spots once the shadows have shifted. These beds allow the buck to watch other deer or even cattle below to stay alert to any threat. From a perch on a faraway ridge, the buck can watch a road or a parking spot. Threat detected, the buck can rise, slip over the spine of the ridge and be gone fast.
2. Cut Banks: These features offer shade and protection from the wind. Out in open country, where the tops of the wheat wave in the wind, bucks have ample escape cover with defined bedding options in the coulees. Down in the ditches where tumbleweeds gather, on the banks of catch dams and wherever a fold in the ground offers shelter from heat and wind, bucks will scrape out their beds. And the very best beds—the most remote and least likely to be found—are taken over by the bucks that can hold their claim to them. This is where careful examination with a topo map can pay off. If it's hard to get to, that's where the big buck is.
Look for mule deer to hide in areas of cover near the edges of draws, between water seeps below and food on the flats above. (Photo by Gary Lewis)
3. Sagebrush Flats: These offer little shade but good visibility. On a topo, or while driving or glassing, look for tilted tablelands with scattered patches of sagebrush. Ideally, the ground is as large as four football fields or bigger. A bucks that beds here knows where danger might come from—the nearest roads and trails—and by swiveling its head can see the approaches but keep its back is to its backdoor. For this reason, do not approach from an angle where light will wink off lenses or gun barrels. Instead, slide over rimrock and glass for that buck out in the middle somewhere.
4. Manzanita or Mountain Mahogany: These are the hardest of all to penetrate. When pressure ratchets up in the first few days of hunting season, bucks slink into thickets of mountain mahogany, their bellies close to the ground on trails fit for a cottontail, and position themselves so they can watch their back trail. They are safe in these spots because the ground cover is dried leaves and twigs that snap, crackle and pop. Most hunters know bucks use these thickets, which can be a half-acre to hundreds of acres in size, but they give up before they start because it is hard to locate or get a shot at animals in this thickest of cover. A treestand might be a good option. Another way to approach it is with moccasins and the wind in your face. Hunting these places can be a long-shot, but remember: A place that's hard to hunt but holds a nice buck is always more productive than a place that's easy to hunt and holds no deer.
SPOT OR STEALTH?
With potential bedding spots isolated, the challenge is to look into each one with the long glass. In a lot of mule deer country, this is impossible because of timber or a lack of roads. Flatland sage is almost impenetrable with optics, and there is usually only one way to hunt a grove of mountain mahogany—low and slow and into the wind. Habitat dictates the hunting strategy, whether that means mornings and afternoons behind the glass or ghosting through bedding cover with a two-man drive.
One of the mistakes we make is identifying a big buck track and then looking into average bedding spots to find that deer. The bucks that get big are the ones that choose bedding and feeding areas that are hard to see into and to move in without making a lot of noise.
The biggest buck I ever saw was 36 inches wide with main beams as big as my forearms. This was the opening day of archery season on a year when I had drawn a rifle tag. The buck was bedded in thick sagebrush on the valley floor, and because I had scouted some smaller bucks early in the day, I was taking a shortcut back to the truck. I happened to walk right into that buck's bedding area and pushed him out. The buck stopped a rifle shot away and looked back.
Big bucks haunt our memories. Those memories can teach us a lot.
Once you've located a buck with your spotter, carefully planning your route to it is the critical next step. (Photo by Gary Lewis)
MAP IT OUT
Sketch a plan of attack before you begin a stalk.
On a two-man hunt, once you and your buddy have spotted a buck while glassing and are beginning to plan your approach, take out a piece of paper and a pencil. They don't take up much room in the pack, and a sketched-out battle plan enables a smarter stalk.
The idea is for one hunter to keep watch from the glassing spot, while the other hunter attempts the stalk. The problem for the stalking hunter moving toward the buck is that the landscape "on the ground" will often look different up close than it did from half a mile away.
So, before the stalker heads out, locate landmarks and draw them on paper in relation to the buck's bed. Take note of rock formations, broken snags or anything that creates a waypoint that's easy for the hunter to recognize, even if approached from the opposite direction. Next, scan for non-target animals and locate them for the stalker, too. Take note of the prevailing wind and indicate that on the paper.
Devise a system of hand signals that will help the spotter communicate with the stalker from time to time.
With the stalk planned, one hunter keeps an eye to the scope while the other one begins the sneak.


Print is dead…Or is it?
As a designer working in the industry for more than 15 years, I have to say this bold statement stopped me in my tracks. So much so, I thought I'd explore this assertion further.
So, is print 'dead' or is it simply undergoing transformation?
Print exists everywhere you look, however it's just that we may not necessarily notice or appreciate it. Everybody probably instantly thinks of magazines, books and newspapers.
But if you take a look around you'll find a plethora of examples right in front of you, ranging from wallpaper, drinks bottles and large in-store signage to cosmetics, credit cards, billboards and the latest trendy t-shirt – which has most probably been silk-screened. What's more, packaging in all of its many forms will always exist, from cereal boxes to the digital devices we buy to view publications. The list is endless.
There's undoubtedly no substitute for the experience of handling a nice brochure that is hot off the press. Print is permanent as opposed to the world of computers, in which information vanishes at the click of a mouse.
"When we watch students with books, there's a very different experience – there's that power of having something physical that they own, particularly when they write and see their name in print: it's always there. With computers, it's gone at the touch of a button."
However, while online resources, smartphones and tablets might be continuing to take the place of print in some instances, it's important to note some specialty print markets are growing. Many smart, commercial printers are constantly adapting their tools and techniques to response to big trends in technology, culture and commerce.
One thing's definitely for sure: print is inescapable.
An increasing number of organisations are investing more time in developing and generating content capable of driving business leads. However, in their..


Jenny from the block is really trying to make this comeback thing happen. The Bronx-born singer has just dropped a new single entitled "I'm Into You" featuring none other than rapper Lil Wayne.
With "On the Floor," J-Lo recruited Miami rapper Pitbull for an infectious dance tune that caters to the club scene. Now, the Lil Wayne–featured "I'm Into You" should get J-Lo a little street buzz. It's all to help build anticipation for the May 3 release of her new album, Love.
Also, there is a campaign to get Jennifer's Facebook friends involved. In order to hear the song before its official iTunes release date, fans have to "like" the song on her Facebook page.


This paper investigates formation control of multiple nonholonomic differential drive wheeled mobile robots (WMRs). Assume the communication between the mobile robots is possible where the leader mobile robot can share its state values to the follower mobile robots using the leader-follower notion. Two approaches are discussed for controlling a formation of nonholonomic WMRs. The first approach is consensus tracking based on graph theory concept, where the linear and angular velocity input of each follower are formulated using first order consensus protocol, such that the heading angle and velocity of the followers are synchronized to the corresponding values of the leader mobile robot. The second is l-φ approach (distance angle) that is developed based on Lyapunov analysis, where the linear and angular velocity inputs of each follower mobile robot are adjusted such that the followers keep a desired separation distance and deviation angle with respect to the leader robot, and the overall system is asymptotically stable.The aim of this paper is to compare the performances of the presented methods for controlling a formation of wheeled mobile robots with matlab simulations.
Nonholonomic WMR; the leader-follower structure; graph theory; consensus protocol; l- approach.
T. Jacobs et al., "Design of wheel modules for non-holonomic, omnidirectional mobile robots in the context of the emerging control problems," in ROBOTIK 2012; 7th German Conference on Robotics, 2012.
W.-Y. Lee et al., "Mobile Robot Navigation Using Wireless Sensor Networks Without Localization Procedure," Wirel. Pers. Commun., vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 257–275, 2012.
K. H. Kowdiki et al., "Leader-follower formation control using artificial potential functions: A kinematic approach," Adv. Eng. Sci. Manag. (ICAESM), 2012 Int. Conf., pp. 500–505, 2012.
A. Bazoula et al., "Formation Control of Multi-Robots via Fuzzy Logic Technique Mobile Robot Modeling Modeling of Leader-Follower Formation," Communications, vol. III, no. May 2008, pp. 179–184, 2008.


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362 () fue un año común comenzado en martes del calendario juliano, en vigor en aquella fecha.

En el Imperio romano, el año fue nombrado como el del consulado de Mamertino y Nevita, o menos comúnmente, como el 1115 Ab urbe condita, adquiriendo su denominación como 362 a principios de la Edad Media, al establecerse el anno Domini.

Acontecimientos
 Juliano reúne un ejército de 60.000 hombres, una flota de 50 barcos de guerra y mil buques de transporte. Asegura la cooperación del rey de Armenia, Arsaces, y marcha sobre Persia. Logra un éxito detrás de otro, empujándolos hasta Ctesifonte. Sapor II pide la paz, pero Juliano lo rechaza. Pronto, acosado por guerrillas persas, el ejército romano se ve obligado a retirarse.
 21 de febrero: Atanasio vuelve a Alejandría.
 22 de octubre: Un fuego misterioso destruye el templo de Apolo en Dafne, afueras de Antioquía.
 2 de diciembre: en Nicea y Nicomedia (Turquía) se registra un terremoto de 6,8 grados en la escala sismológica de Richter (intensidad de 10).

Fallecimientos
 Donato de Arezzo, religioso cristiano.

Enlaces externos

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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HHS's Suspension of Acquisition Services Leaves Outside Agencies and Contractors in Limbo
Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock.com
By Courtney Bublé
| September 16, 2019
It's been three months since the department announced it was closing down its shared services operations, and many questions remain unanswered.
The Health and Human Services Department's decision to wind down its acquisition services for outside agencies has left customers scrambling to fill the void and a number of unanswered questions.
HHS announced in June that it would no longer offer assisted acquisition services for non-HHS customers through its Program Support Center, and gave them until Sept. 30, 2020, to find alternative providers. The center works for HHS and 19 other agencies on a fee-for-service basis, administering more than $1.4 billion in contracts per year, Federal News Network reported. Also, the department put four officials associated with the Program Support Center on paid leave between April and June, Bloomberg News reported.
"As the result of an internal review that is ongoing, [the Program Support Center] has determined that it does not have the policies, procedures, or internal controls necessary to conduct assisted acquisitions for agencies outside of HHS," said Melissa McAbee, acting head of contracting at PSC, according to a report in Bloomberg News. As of mid-June, the center was managing 250 contracts for agencies besides HHS, including the Defense Department and Environmental Protection Agency.
Catherine Bird, principal deputy assistant secretary of HHS for administration, allegedly "raised questions about whether the support center is legally authorized to administer contracts for other agencies" in 2017, Bloomberg News reported. Bird was tapped by President Trump on March 26 to be general counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority and now is awaiting Senate confirmation.
Nearly three months after HHS's announcement, questions remain, including what will happen to bid proposals that are still in the process of being evaluated. The center has essentially suspended communication with customers, according to Federal News Network, even though in the center's most recent newsletter, James Simpson, acting assistant secretary for acquisitions in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Administration at HHS, emphasized the need for "continuous communication" in customer service. Additionally, the HHS general counsel ruled that contracts couldn't be transferred to other agencies, according to Federal News Network.
Despite multiple attempts, the Program Support Center did not respond to Government Executive for comment.
"This is a troubling development for federal agencies that have solicitations already underway at … the center as well as for contractors competing for that work," said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel for the Professional Services Council, a trade organization. "In addition, the center is shutting down its contract administration role for more than 500 contracts already awarded on behalf of the Department of Defense and an unknown number of contracts awarded on behalf of civilian agencies."
Chvotkin said he is concerned about the immediacy of the center's actions and the "few readily available alternatives." The council is working with member companies and government officials to help mitigate the negative effects of this change.
An EPA spokesperson told Government Executive: "The requirements for EPA's current and future contracts that were to be handled by the HHS Program Support Center will be moved to existing [EPA] contract vehicles, where appropriate; placed on new contract vehicles placed by EPA's contracts office; or handled through interagency agreements with other federal agencies, when deemed necessary."
The Office of Special Counsel, a small independent agency that helps protect federal employees from prohibited personnel practices, also uses the Program Support Center's services. OSC "has spent significant time and resources identifying assisted acquisition providers for its near-term and long-term procurement needs," spokesman Zachary Kurz said. "In the near-term, OSC has partnered with the Merit Systems Protection Board to process several mission-critical procurements. Beginning in fiscal year 2020, the General Services Administration has graciously agreed to provide assisted acquisition services to OSC for our procurement needs."
Additionally, Federal Occupational Health, an HHS agency within the Program Service Center, on Sept. 1 suspended its administration of employee assistance programs across the Defense Department, including medical and financial assistance. However, after nine days services were temporarily restored to give an extra 60 days for "DoD components to work out a long-term contracting solution," the Defense Logistics Agency wrote.
The temporary disruption affected employees in the military departments, defense agencies and defense field activities. "The health, safety and welfare of our civilian employees is a priority, and DoD is committed to continuing the services previously provided by the Employee Assistance Program," said Heather Babb, Defense spokeswoman. The department "is developing long-term solutions to provide this important support to DoD civilian employees."
Another question that remains is whether other agencies that provide acquisition support services for customers across government will follow in HHS's footsteps and change or scale back their offerings. The General Services Administration and Interior Business Center did not respond to requests for comment.
"I do think the government needs to address this situation in a global way, so this type of thing does not occur again because obviously this is very disruptive for other agencies and the contractors," said Robert Burton, partner with Crowell & Moring LLP and former deputy administrator and acting administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. He said this situation "highlights the inherent risks" of shared services, which have been encouraged under previous presidential administrations as a tool to improve contracting efficiency and are included in President Trump's management agenda as well.
In late April, the Trump administration said it wanted to "make a concerted effort toward establishing a sustainable shared services ecosystem to lower costs and ensure best practices and modern infrastructure pervade government," Nextgov reported. Office of Management and Budget acting Director Russell Vought issued a memo that outlined new policies for shared services and rescinded some earlier guidance.
"While the [HHS Program Support Center] provided a valuable 'shared service' to other federal agencies, its withdrawal does not undercut the administration's laudable goal of finding appropriate shared services providers across a wide range of governmental functions," Chvotkin said.
NEXT STORY: Rep. Will Hurd Highlights Plans For Final 14 Months in Congress

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The HC resistor series from Alpha Electronics offers their ultra-precision resistor capabilities in a hermetically sealed package. With a resistance range from 1Ω up to 120kΩ all in a small through-hole package with a pin pitch of 3.81 ±0.25mm. By utilising Alpha's Bulk Metal® foil resistor technology, they are able to produce resistors with low temperature coefficients and excellent long-term stability.Ultra-precision hermetically seal..
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Maya DiRado Wins 200 Backstroke For Third Individual Medal In Rio
By Peggy Shinn | Aug. 12, 2016, 11:04 p.m. (ET)
Maya DiRado celebrates winning gold in the women's 200-meter backstroke at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on Aug. 12, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro
RIO DE JANEIRO — A year ago, Maya DiRado was not even thinking about the Olympic Games. The Stanford graduate had won a silver medal (in the 400 individual medley) at the 2015 world championships. But it was time to move on. She already had a job lined up.
Until her coach, Greg Meehan, convinced her to swim for one more year.
And oh, what a year it's been.
In the women's 200-meter backstroke on Friday night, DiRado, 23, won her first individual gold medal in 2:05.99 ahead of "iron lady" Katinka Hosszu from Hungary (2:06.05) and ahead of Hilary Caldwell from Canada (2:07.54).
It was the final competitive swim of DiRado's career, and she hadn't yet absorbed the feeling of winning her first — and last — Olympic gold medal in an individual event.
"This whole day has been kind of crazy," she said. "It's all these last things that I'm about to do, my last warm up with the girls in the training pool today. I wrote my parents an email this morning to say thank you and started bawling on my bed."
Usually a medley swimmer, DiRado calls the 200 back her "fun third event" — a race that usually does not make her nervous.
It's DiRado's fourth Olympic medal at the Rio Games, tying her with Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky for most medals won so far by U.S. swimmers at these Olympic Games. Among female American swimmers, only Natalie Coughlin, Missy Franklin, Allison Schmitt and Shirley Babashoff have won more at the same Games.
Download the Team USA app today for breaking news, 2016 U.S. Olympic Team bios, videos and more.
DiRado won an Olympic silver medal in the 400 IM on Saturday night, then took bronze in the 200 IM a few days later. She also helped the U.S. women win the 4x200 freestyle, giving her an Olympic gold medal. She plans to give one of her Olympic medals to her parents and another to her alma mater, Stanford University.
Franklin, who holds the world record in the 200 back, did not qualify for the final.
The Olympic Games is DiRado's best swim meet ever.
"I just wanted to get another medal, and my teammates all day had been like, eluding to this is going to be good, you're going to surprise yourself," DiRado said. "So for me to be able to deliver and be part of this incredible team and incredible week, I'm so honored and privileged."
DiRado is not going to bask in Olympic glory for very long. She and husband, Rob Andrews, are leaving Rio before the Games are finished to vacation in Paris. Then she begins her job as a business analyst for McKinsey & Company on Sept. 9.
Has anyone asked her to reconsider her future?
"People that I don't know and who don't know me are like, 'Why would you stop?'" she said. "But no, this is the perfect way to go out."
A freelance writer based in Vermont, Peggy Shinn is in Rio covering her fourth Olympic Games. She has contributed to TeamUSA.org since its inception in 2008.
Steve Johnson, Jack Sock Win Men's Doubles Olympic Bronze For Team USA Aug. 12, 2016
U.S. Men's Basketball Team Survives Serbia For Its 48th Consecutive International Win Aug. 12, 2016
American Men Exact Olympic Revenge On Italy, Capture First Team Foil Fencing Medal Since 1932 Aug. 12, 2016
Kim Rhode Becomes First Woman To Medal At Six Straight Olympic Games Aug. 12, 2016
Nearly 80 Percent Of The 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Has Competed In College Sports Aug. 12, 2016
Maya DiRado


Greenwich, CT law firm Ivey, Barnum & O'Mara, LLC announced that three of its attorneys have been named among the top attorneys in the state for 2018 by Super Lawyers. Stephen G. Walko, a partner at the firm was selected to Super Lawyers, for the fourth consecutive year. Stephen M. Napier, also a partner at the firm, was selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list (Estate Planning & Probate), for the second year running and Andrea C. Sisca was selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for the third consecutive year.
Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. Selections are made on an annual, state by state basis.
Stephen Walko focuses his practice in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, real estate and employment law. Mr. Walko, a third-generation resident of Greenwich, takes a hands-on approach regarding all aspects of litigation from pleadings, discovery and motions, through both trial and appeals. He handles matters including real estate title claims, construction disputes, securities fraud, business disputes, zoning appeals and Will contests. Mr. Walko also serves as local counsel for national law firms.
In 2008, Governor Rell appointed Mr. Walko to serve as a Public Member of the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration. In 2011, Mr. Walko was appointed by the Connecticut Neutral Arbitrators' Selection Committee to serve on the Panel of Neutral Arbitrators until his resignation. From 2008 - 2011, he served as Chairman of the Greenwich, CT Board of Estimate and Taxation. He has also served as Chairman of the Budget Overview Committee of the Representative Town Meeting and as Chairman of the Republican Town Committee. From 2011 - 2013, Mr. Walko served as a State Representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, representing the 150th District, Greenwich's shoreline. He is currently the Chairman of the New Lebanon School Building Committee, overseeing a $37 million dollar new school construction project.
Stephen Napier practices in the areas of estate & tax planning, trust & estate administration and business succession planning. Mr. Napier regularly advises individuals, families and business owners on developing tax efficient and practical wealth management strategies, including the preparation of wills, revocable living trusts, insurance trusts and business succession plans. He also helps guide fiduciaries and beneficiaries through the trust and estate settlement and administration process. Mr. Napier was a recipient of the 2016 Fairfield County "40 under 40" award given by the Fairfield County Business Journal for his business leadership, professional success and commitment to the community. He was also named by the Connecticut Law Tribune as a "New Leader in the Law" for 2018.
Andrea Sisca focuses her practice on civil and commercial litigation, including real estate, contract, construction and other similar types of disputes. She handles all aspects of litigation from pleadings, discovery (including large e-Discovery productions) and motions through trial and appeals. She has also handled matters including securities fraud, business disputes, zoning appeals and Will contests. Ms. Sisca brings to the Litigation team her experience in defense work, her skill at analysis and strategizing, and her meticulous attention to factual details crucial to successful management and favorable resolution of cases. In a recent representative matter, Ms. Sisca prepared a summary judgment motion and oppositions to defendants' motions resulting in judgment in her client's favor on his New York labor law claims. In another matter, Ms. Sisca second chaired at trial and wrote the post-trial briefs in a Connecticut adverse possession case, successfully defeating defendant's counterclaim for adverse possession and securing reimbursement for her client's attorneys' fees as well. Ms. Sisca tries cases and handles hearings on behalf of her clients. Ms. Sisca is actively involved in community and charitable organizations. She is active in the Junior League of Greenwich, and sits on the Boards of Meals on Wheels of Greenwich and the YWCA Greenwich.
Ivey, Barnum & O'Mara, LLC is a general practice law firm which was established in Greenwich, CT in 1950. It is the largest Greenwich-based law firm, with additional offices in New Canaan, CT and New York City. The firm has more than thirty attorneys who handle a wide range of legal matters in areas including Litigation, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Trusts & Estate Planning, Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Corporate, Employment Law, Franchise Finance and Franchise Acquisition.
Please visit us at http://www.ibolaw.com and http://www.ibopersonalinjurylawyers.com.


Norway's Telenor has received interest over a potential bid for its mobile phone operations in central and eastern Europe, and will evaluate its options, it said on Friday.
The company's mobile phone operations in the region are based in Hungary, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Serbia.
"With a view of creating shareholder value, Telenor has engaged in a process to evaluate the interest received. Telenor expects to conduct these assessments in the first quarter of 2018," it said in a statement.
The eastern and central European operations contributed eight percent of Telenor's revenues and nine percent of core operating earnings in 2017, it added.


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Celebrities April 12, 2010 June 7, 2016
Madonna shells out $77,250 to install a device to fight cellulite
The war between women and cellulite has been going on for ages. According to market analysts Mintel, women fork out £56 million a year on products that promise to fight cellulite. Despite many miracle creams claiming to defeat this enemy, there is still no assured cure for this woe. But a latest machine claims to be the ultimate weapon in the war against cellulite. With celebrities like Madonna backing it, you can't but not agree. Reportedly the material girl has shelled out a sum of £50,000 ($77,250) to have this machine installed in her home. The aforementioned device, a Swiss-manufactured D-Actor device utilizes acoustic wave therapy (AWT) to target dimples.
READ: Paris Hilton splurges on a luxury rodent mansion for her pet hamster
AWT has been used for several decades to make kidney stones disintegrate and to ease joint pain. While treating the joints of female athletes, doctors noticed a marked improvement in the appearance of their thighs. And that's how AWT's cellulite fighting abilities were noticed. The device works by blasting problem zones with compressed air, creating rapid pulsations on the surface, while sending pressure waves to the underlying skin where cellulite develops.
The treatment can be used on areas that are prone to dimples, including the bottom, thighs, arms and tummy. But don't expect any miracles, as a study published on the website of Storz Medical says patients may see only a small decrease in their thigh diameter after using this machine.
If you cannot afford to install the device at home like Madonna, then go ahead and indulge in this expensive but apparently effective device that fights cellulite at EF MediSpa. EF Cellution costs £200 per session (six sessions are recommended for visible results) at EF MediSpa.
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Make a difference in the life of a child who is visually impaired!
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P. phegopteris (beechfern) is a graceful species with a black, slender root-stock, from which the pinnate fronds rise on long stalks, generally about 12 in.
When the pinnate leaf of a Mimosa pudica, the so-called sensitive plant, is pinched or struck, the leaf droops rapidly and the leaflets become approximated together, so that their upper surfaces are in contact.
They are all trees, usually of large size, with alternate stalked, unequally pinnate leaves, and abounding in an aromatic resinous juice.
In circumference, and bearing a crown of 6-9 very large spreading pinnate fronds.
Fraxinella is a very characteristic and attractive plant, 2 to 3 ft., with bold pinnate leaves, and tall racemes of irregular-shaped purple or white flowers.
P. coeruleum (Jacob's Ladder), 2 ft., has elegant pinnate leaves, and long panicles of blue rotate flowers.
A leaf with only a single midrib is said to be unicostate and the venation is described as pinnate or feather-veined.
- Imparipinnate (unequally pinnate) leaf of Robinia.
In Cycas whorls of scales alternate with large pinnate leaves.
- Stems tuberous or columnar, not infrequently branched, rarely epiphytic (Peruvian species of Zamia); fronds pinnate, bi-pinnate in the Australian genus Bowenia.
In a crown of long pinnate leaves.
The latter are simple, or irregularly lobed in Ophioglossum, more or less compoundly pinnate in Botrychium and palmately pinnate in Helminthostachys.
The leaves, at the base of which are two large stipulelike outgrowths, have a thick leaf-stalk, and are simple or simply pinnate in Danaea, pinnate in Archangiopteris, bito tri-pinnate in Marattia and Angiopteris, and digitately lobed in Kaulfussia.
The leaves are large and pinnate; their lamina is usually thick, though filmy species of Todea occur.
- These forms have a horizontal rhizome, from which simply pinnate leaves arise in Platyzoma, while Gleichenia bears compound pinnate leaves with continued apical growth.
The leaves are simple and linear in Pilularia, but in Marsilia bear a pinnate four-lobed lamina.
Sphenozamites, chiefly from French localities, which are referred to 1 fronds, which therg is good reason to refer to the Cycadales in the Cycads because of their similarity to the pinnate fronds of Upper Triassic, Rhaetic, Jurassic and Wealden rocks in India, modern Cycadaceae.
A number of hairy linear bracts enclose the whole; internal to these occur 12 to 20 crowded pinnate leaves (sporophylls), with their apical portions bent over towards the axis of the flower, the bases of the petioles being fused laterally into a disk surrounding the base of the conical receptacle.
Another well-known Cycadean genus is Williamsonia, so named by Mr Carruthers in 1870, and now applied to certain pinnate fronds - e.g.
Williamson was the first to express the opinion that the Bennettitean flowers known as Williamsonia were borne on the trunks which terminated in a crown of pinnate fronds of the type long known as Zamites gigas; this view was regarded by Saporta and others as incorrect, and the nature of the Bennettitean foliage was left an open question.


You can combine with light colors more easily. The product is used unlined. It has a plain appearance. Lycra fabric provides comfortable use. Long sleeve product. Tippet collar is prefered. Suitable for 4 seasons. Plus size option available.


Humane treatment of an animal includes providing it with adequate shelter, food, water, and exercise, as well as any necessary veterinary care. To ensure proper animal health, it is recommended that owners have their pets examined by a veterinarian at least once a year. A number of state and local laws prohibit animal cruelty as a crime punishable as a felony or misdemeanor. In general, cruelty includes every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable physical pain or suffering is caused or permitted (Penal Code Section 597(b)).
What happens after I file an animal abuse report?
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Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival Returns this August
With this, Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival breaks through the noise with on-site and online screenings starting this August 2022!
CCP Main Theater
Philippine cinema
STREAM NOW: Teatro Europa Once Again Invites Everyone to their Virtual Theater Festival
The EU Ambassador to the Philippines invites everyone to the Virtual Theater Festival of Teatro Europa.
LOOK: Catch Cinemalaya's 13 Independent Films on its 17th Year
In its 17th Year, the Cinmelaya invites everyone to watch 13 Independent Films.
Beach Clean Up
See Great Italian Movies at the 10th Moviemov Italian Film Festival
The Philippine Italian Association, together with ACPLAYTOWNROMA, will hold the 10th Moviemov Italian Film Festival online on February 1-6, 2021.
14th International Silent Film Festival Manila to Showcase Japanese Animation Classics
Japan's film lineup includes the oldest Japanese Animated short film straight from the National Film Archives of Japan (NFAJ) collection.
Project Dreams – How to Build Mazinger Z's Hangar Headlines the 2020 Japanese Film Festival!
The Japan Foundation, Manila kicks off its first digital edition of the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) with a drive-in cinema experience with an ode to a manga and anime classic! Catch the 3-day special screening on November 20 to 22, 6:00 pm at the SM Cinema Drive-in at the Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City!
Instituto Cervantes Nuevas Cinefilias: Introducing The Other Spanish Cinema
This November, Instituto Cervantes and Festival de Sevilla with the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines will treat Filipino film buffs to the "New Cinephilias Online", a series of movies considered as "The Other Spanish Cinema", a label with which the generation who started working with cinema at the dawn of the 21st century was named.
Instituto Cervantes' 19th PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival Goes Online
From October 3 to 11, 2020, the 19th edition of PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival will feature the best of contemporary Spanish cinema by screening eight feature films and four short films online.
Korean Film Festival 2020 Goes Online Featuring Films From Korea's Biggest Stars!
With the theme "The Celebrity Spotlight", the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the Philippines brings us the Korean Film Festival 2020 highlighting some of the biggest stars of Korea. Catch it starting this September 12 until October 2, 2020!
Japan Film Week 2020 To Screen Films Online for Free This July
An online edition of the Japan Film Week is happening for the first time starting July 22 to 26, 2020, following the successful run of Japan Film Week screenings in 2019.
Instituto Cervantes Presents Free Streaming of Classic Spanish Films This July
Instituto Cervantes de Manila and the Embassy of Spain will present "Clásicos Contigo"/"Classics With You," a program of select Spanish film classics that can be streamed for free, this month of July through the Instituto Cervantes Vimeo channel.
Acclaimed Writer Ricky Lee to Hold Free Online Writing Workshop This April
Renowned and acclaimed writer Ricardo "Ricky" Lee holds a free online writing workshop on April 8, 15 and 22, 2020.
Catch Renowned Local Films at Cinema Under the Stars on December 13 to 15
The Cultural Center of the Philippines will be hosting Cinema Under the Stars, a 3-night special event on December 13 to 15, 2019 as part of Sinag: Festival of Radiance.
3rd Hungarian Film Festival Showcases 5 Full-Length Films This November
Soak up some of the richness that's innate to Hungary's culture by means of films starting November 14!
4th German Film Week in Manila Features 12 Full-Length Films
A roster of German films will yet again grace the big screens around the country as the 4th German Film Week officially commences on November 6.
Catch the Película Manila Spanish Film Festival This October
PELÍCULA Manila Spanish Film Festival 2019 is back for its 18th season of showcasing award-winning Spanish and Latin American films!
Ayala Center
10 Films to Catch at the Tingin ASEAN Film Festival
Tingin ASEAN Film Festival is happening on September 26 to 29, 2019 at the Shangri-La Plaza Red Carpet Cinema.
EDSA Shangri-La Hotel
Lying to Mom Screens at the CCP for EIGASAI 2019
Lying to Mom is a humorous drama that depicts the life of a family as they attempt to get back to their feet from a sorrowful event.
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Catch quality Filipino films at the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino in all regular cinemas nationwide starting September 13 to 19.
Cinemalaya Unveils Official Film Entries for Its 15th Edition
The country's biggest and much-awaited independent film festival—Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival—is back for its 15th edition!
Celebrate Craftsmanship and Creativity at Design Week PH 2019
Organized by the Design Center of the Philippines, the biannual art event brings together creative visionaries from different art forms and platforms to promote craftsmanship and the art and creative industry in the country.
Fair & Expo
Networking Night
Cine Expo Manila 2019: First Cinema Convention and Exhibition in the PH
The first ever cinema convention and exhibition in the Philippines Cine Expo Manila is happening this coming April 22 to 23, 2019 at the EDSA Shang-la Hotel, Mandaluyong City.
Celebrate with Espacio Femenino: Spanish and Filipino Female Filmmakers This March
In celebration of International Women's Month, Instituto Cervantes Manila presents Espacio Femenino: Spanish & Filipino Female Filmmakers, a film series featuring female directors.
Be Inspired with Duncan Mac Millan's Every Brilliant Thing
Duncan MacMillan's: Every Brilliant Thing is happening at the Maybank Performing Arts Center in Bonifacio Global City from February 2, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, and 24, 2019. This light tale performance tackles mental health conditions that will surely spark everyone's interest.
BGC Arts Center
Women and War: An Exhibition on Filipina Survivors of World War II
Pay tribute to the remarkable life of Filipina survivors of the World War II as Filipinas Heritage Library presents Women and War, taking place on February 2 until March 3, 2019 at the Ayala Museum, Makati City.
Shangri-La Plaza Celebrates the Chinese New Year 2019 with Exciting Festivities!
Shangri-La Plaza brings luck and good fortune to mall guests with a sea of red and gold lanterns and auspicious flowers heralding the arrival of Chinese New Year. Join the festivities from January 30 to February 10, 2019 at the Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong city!
CCP's Pasinaya Open House 2019 To Highlight Karapatan, Kalayaan at Kultura
CCP's three-day festival called Pasinaya Open House will be featuring over 3,000 artists from the different fields of art. That said, a lot more workshops, exhibits, and screenings! Catch this year's festival from February 1 to 3, 2019 that will take place at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and partnered museums.
Fox Movies Big Screen Holiday Weekend Fair: An Outdoor Screening With A Cause
Catch an outdoor movie screening featuring some of your favorite movies at Fox Movies Big Screen Holiday Weekend Fair happening this December 1 and 2, 2018 at Nuvali Lakeside Grounds, Sta. Rosa Laguna!
Catch Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium This November 23 to 25
Experience the best thriller drama performance with Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium on November 23 to 25, 2018, 8 p.m. at the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall of Maybank Performing Arts Theater!


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IHH
Shriram Vijayakumar Appointed as CEO of IHH Healthcare India
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 10:39AM IST (5:09AM GMT)
Mr. Shriram Vijayakumar, CEO, IHH Healthcare India
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Mr. Shriram Vijayakumar has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of IHH Healthcare India, effective 01 March 2021.
Shriram joined IHH Healthcare as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of its India Operations Division in December 2019. Until 28 February 2021, he oversaw the operations of five Gleneagles Global hospitals and Continental Hospital in India.
As the newly promoted CEO of IHH Healthcare India, he will work with the Board of Directors to guide and advise the management team as it delivers on its business strategy while ensuring alignment and continual improvement in its service development, physician engagement, and clinical quality.
Before joining us, Shriram had a successful career as the Founder and Managing Director of Nephrolife before he sold the business to DaVita Kidney Care and became DaVita's Deputy COO International.
Shriram holds a double major degree in Bachelor of Science, Economics and Information Systems from the Carnegie Mellon University, United States.
With his strong credentials and close to 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Shriram is well placed to take IHH IN to the next level of success.
About IHH Healthcare
As a leading international healthcare operator, IHH believes in the sustained demand for quality private healthcare in its home and growth markets. We are key players in our home markets of Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and India, and key growth market of Greater China (including Hong Kong). We employ over 65,000 people and operate over 15,000 licensed beds across 80 hospitals in 10 countries worldwide.
Our vision is to become the world's most trusted healthcare services network and we will continue to make healthcare services more convenient and transparent to our patients. We offer our patients a full spectrum of integrated healthcare services from clinics to hospitals to quaternary care and a wide range of ancillary services across our portfolio which comprises of premium-brand healthcare assets, collectively representing a unique multi-market investment position in the healthcare sector.
Parkway Pantai Limited is one of Asia's largest integrated private healthcare groups with a network of 31 hospitals throughout the region, including Malaysia, Singapore, India, Greater China and Brunei. "Mount Elizabeth", "Gleneagles", "Parkway" and "Pantai" are among the most prestigious brands in Asia.
Acibadem Holdings is Turkey's leading private healthcare provider, offering integrated healthcare services across 21 hospitals in Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. The "Acibadem" brand is renowned for its clinical excellence in the Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and North Africa ("CEEMENA") region
Fortis Healthcare Limited is a leading integrated private healthcare provider in India. It operates across a network of 28 hospitals and 415 diagnostic centres in India and Sri Lanka. Fortis is listed on the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd and Bombay Stock Exchange.
IMU Health is IHH's medical education arm and oversees the established higher learning institutions of International Medical College ("IMC") and International Medical University ("IMU") in Malaysia.
More information can be found at www.ihhhealthcare.com
Ashok Nagaraj, Ketchum Sampark, +91-9449834080
Mr. Shriram Vijayakumar has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of IHH Healthcare India, effective 01 March 2021.


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Catastrophe Threatens Niger as Violence Disfigures Nigeria
January 25, 2012 January 29, 2012 / David Alton
Niger: Question January 25th 2012 Question
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the Save the Children and Oxfam report on the crisis in east Africa and the call for early responses to warning signs, what they will do to ensure a similar crisis is averted in Niger.
Baroness Northover: My Lords, the Government are very concerned about the emerging crisis in Niger and have been monitoring the situation closely. The Secretary of State for International Development has announced emergency support to mitigate the impact of the crisis. This will reach 68,000 children in Niger, Chad and Mali and provide livestock support to 30,000 families.
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for her response. The warning signs of looming disaster were there in the Horn of Africa two years ago, but no action was taken and tens of thousands of Somalis starved to death and millions of people in east Africa were affected. Against that background, will the Government give active endorsement to the UN-supported charter to end extreme poverty, which identifies five specific actions that must be taken when we know that a crisis is predicted and preventable? We can and must stop the drought in west Africa and the Sahel turning into a famine. We must say never again and mean it.
Baroness Northover: The noble Baroness is right that we must say never again and mean it, but I dispute that the Department for International Development was not leading on the response in the Horn of Africa. Credit has been given to the UK Government for that. The report from Oxfam and Save the Children to which her Question refers is extremely welcome. It indeed emphasises that the intention is to manage the risk, not the crisis. That is absolutely the right way to go about it: to intervene early and build resilience. That is why the Department for International Development did that in the Horn of Africa and is doing that across the Sahel.
Lord Chidgey: My Lords, is my noble friend aware that in the report, A Dangerous Delay, which has just been issued, Oxfam states that many of its messages chime well with the humanitarian emergency response review chaired by my noble friend Lord Ashdown? Focusing on anticipation of and resilience to natural disasters, what measures have been put in place to co-ordinate cross-departmental and cross-agency efforts through the stabilisation unit and other means?
Baroness Northover: The noble Lord is right that the humanitarian emergency response review made some extremely important recommendations for the anticipation of disasters and building resilience to them. That is being taken forward at the moment. DfID is in the process of developing a humanitarian framework for Africa and a Sahel resilience strategy which will help the UK anticipate and respond strategically to crises across the continent. The building stability overseas unit normally focuses on resilience against conflict issues rather than natural disasters. Nevertheless, the two feed on each other, so there is action that that unit can take as well.
Lord Alton of Liverpool: My Lords, has the Minister seen the reports this week that Boko Haram, the radical Islamist group in Nigeria, has been responsible for a large number of people having to escape the violence there by fleeing into neighbouring areas in Niger, and that this is both leading to an exodus of refugees, compounding the existing problems in Niger, and preventing food being transported from Nigeria into Niger? Did she see the warning from the European Union earlier this week from Kristalina Georgieva, the commissioner for human aid, that it is a race against time to prevent catastrophe and to safeguard the lives of the 5.5 million people who are currently at risk?
Baroness Northover: The noble Lord is right to flag up the problems in the area generally. Indeed, the knock-on effects from the problems in Nigeria are having an effect. So, too, are the returning mercenaries from Libya who instead of sending back remittances now need to be supported in that area. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State today spoke to the Commissioner about the situation in the area and the EU has just doubled its contribution. We are acutely aware of the difficulties of working in this area as it is very unstable.Lord Richard: Can the noble Baroness give us a figure on what the British contribution has been so far and what she intends it to be in the future?
Baroness Northover: The United Kingdom has just contributed £2 million to this directly in response. It is worth bearing in mind that the United Kingdom is also a major contributor to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund which has just put in £7.9 million, of which £1.9 million was from the United Kingdom. The European Commission contribution, as I have just mentioned, has doubled in the past few days to £105 million and we contribute 17 per cent of that. Maybe the noble Lord would like to do some of the maths. For historic reasons, the French are the leading country in this area, and DfID staff are in France right now seeking to gear up the response.
The Lord Bishop of Liverpool: My Lords, according to the World Health Organisation 40 per cent of the healthcare in Africa is delivered through the churches. Can the Minister say whether the Department for International Development will be working through the churches as part of its response to these crises?
Baroness Northover: The right reverend Prelate is right that the churches are very active in the region and DfID is working with a number of organisations. This is a region where, generally speaking, it is not possible to channel money directly through Governments. Therefore, a number of other organisations are the routes to support in the area.
Lord Boateng: In the light of the Minister's very helpful answers to previous questions, will she consider how she might co-operate with her colleagues in the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in seeing how we can better support the African Union and ECOWAS in terms of their peacekeeping of conflict resolution capacity in view of the deteriorating situation in the Sahel involving the Tuareg?
Baroness Northover: The noble Lord is right. In terms of co-operation, the FCO, the MoD and DfID are working very closely together. My noble friend made reference to the building stability overseas unit, which is, as it were, a concrete example of that working together. The support for the African Union is very strong and will continue to be so.
Baroness Tonge: My Lords, some of us may be old enough to remember that in times of plenty the Pharaohs used to build up stores of excess supplies to use in times of famine. I wonder whether the international community has made any progress in pre-empting these crises by making sure that there are stores in strategic parts of the world that are likely to suffer famine in advance of the famine occurring.
Baroness Northover: The World Food Programme and UNICEF are indeed already stockpiling supplies and a lot of work is going into how best to ensure that these crises do not occur. The Question from the noble Baroness, Lady Kinnock, was all about how to pre-empt such crises and develop resilience in an area where already the population is exceptionally vulnerable. A lot of the problems are because of rising food prices rather than necessarily food scarcity. The noble Baroness's point is well taken.
The Earl of Sandwich: Will the Minister join me in commending BBC correspondent Mike Wooldridge and his colleagues for outstanding coverage of the famine in West Africa? One point that he made, which the noble Baroness mentioned, was that food prices had risen 40 per cent in a single year, out of reach of the local population. What is DfID doing for longer-term sustainability? The noble Baroness mentioned cattle; perhaps she would comment on agriculture as a whole.
Baroness Northover: I am very happy to commend the BBC and its journalists for their brave coverage in these very unstable areas. DfID supports the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, a pilot programme from the World Bank on climate resilience, which is extremely important here, and a global facility for disaster risk reduction. It is also important to emphasise DfID's support for social protection programmes, and for cash transfers where appropriate, to try to build up these vulnerable communities so that they will be more resilient in circumstances such as this.
Lord Skelmersdale: My Lords, that is all very well, but will the noble Baroness tell me what is being done to extract and preserve water, on which all agriculture and horticulture depend?
Baroness Northover: I will have to write to the noble Lord on that area.
Briefing from Ann Buwalda – Executive Director, Jubilee Campaign
Recent events in Nigeria have occurred with such vicious speed that it is difficult to put all of them into one release. Since our last prayer alert on Nigeria, Boko Haram continued with almost daily attacks killing two or three people at a time. In total from January 1st to last Friday Boko Haram killed 74 people, mostly Christians with some moderate Muslims.
On Friday, January 20th, Boko Haram initiated a new wave of destruction in Kano State with coordinated bombing and attacks on police stations that killed a confirmed 178 people. Unconfirmed reports put the casualties well over 200. Two churches were bombed early Sunday morning in Bauchi, thankfully there were no casualties. Unfortunately an attack by gunman, also in Bauchi, was more successful, with at least 11 casualties.
Fearing for their lives thousands of Christians have attempted to flee to the south but a strike related to the end of fuel subsidies has frozen Nigeria's economy and made it difficult to travel. Throughout the country tensions are running high. A prominent Christian leader has called for churches to defend themselves. The President of Nigeria called this crisis worse than the 1967 Civil War and raised concerns that the Nigerian government had been infiltrated by Islamic militants.
These claims are particularly chilling in light of the recent escape of Kabiru Sokoto under suspicious circumstances. Sokoto is suspected of planning the bombing of a church which killed 38 Christians this last Christmas. Our friends at the Christians Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria condemned this escape and called for a decisive and transparent response to this security failure.
Our contacts in Nigeria have reported that Christians in the North are gathering into groups large enough to set guards throughout the night. Attacks are so prevalent that they no longer feel safe to sleep without a constant watch. If civil war or even widespread unrest breaks out, it is this Christian minority which will suffer the most. Please continue praying for the Christians in Nigeria and stay posted for future updates.
Ann Buwalda
jubilee@jubileecampaign.org
Africa, Author's Recommended Posts, Faith Matters, Human Rights, Parliament
← Lecture on the life of the remarkable Sophie Scholl by Professor Frank McDonough of Liverpool John Moores University.
Oxford University Discussion On North Korea – Monday February 6th →


Dr. Moore is serving her second year on the Board and was appointed by the Concordia Parish Police Jury. Dr. Moore has been an educator for nearly 40 years having served as a Teacher, Principal, Adjunct Professor, and is currently the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance for the Concordia Parish School Board. Dr. Moore has been recognized by the Outstanding Young Women of America and as an Exceptional Adjunct Instructor. She is the President of Phi Delta Kappa and a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, Louisiana Association of School Executives, and the Special Education Advisory Council, in addition to several other organizations. Dr. Moore's areas of interest are developmental disabilities and behavioral health.
Copyright © 2017+ – All Rights Reserved – Central Louisiana Human Services District.


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NEWS HIGHLIGHT Alberta funds Otoka at Drayton Valley BioMile Scrap treetops and branches from forestry operations in Alberta will soon be converted to electricity at the Drayton Valley Energy Campus.
Oct. 23, 2009, Drayton Valley, AB – Scrap treetops and branches from forestry operations in Alberta will soon be converted to electricity at the Drayton Valley Energy Campus.
Oct. 23, 2009, Abilene, TX – Advanced Trailer is now involved in a third project to test its biomass-drying technology.
Faced with one tough year in the forest sector, the organizers of Wood Week 2009 wisely combined two key events and three sectors to allow the show to go on.
The Baldy Hughes site just outside Prince George, British Columbia, is the first certified therapeutic community and addiction treatment centre in Canada providing multi-phase residential addiction treatment and long-term recovery to British Columbians suffering from addiction disorders.
McKay Hodgson has seen a lot of changes in the logging industry since he first started in the business back in the mid-1960s. And he is on the cusp of seeing a lot more.
Many of the world's top bioenergy experts were in Vancouver in late August 2009 for the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Bioenergy conference.
Ontario is promoting more renewable electricity generation and conservation through the Green Energy Act. Biomass represents one renewable electricity option for the province.
Oct. 16, 2009, Nanaimo, BC - Two dozen pulp and paper companies across Canada have qualified for funding under the federal government's $1-billion Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program.
NEWS HIGHLIGHT Canadian black liquor credits allocated Two dozen pulp and paper companies across Canada have qualified for funding under the federal government's $ 1-billion Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program.
Oct. 16, 2009 – British Columbia's minister of forests and range, Pat Bell, responds to concerns that the U.S. Biomass Crop Assistance Program could subsidize U.S. forest companies. The Prince George Citizen reports.
NEWS HIGHLIGHT Forests minister addresses U.S. subsidy concerns British Columbia's minister of forests and range, Pat Bell, responds to concerns that the U.S. Biomass Crop Assistance Program could subsidize U.S. forest companies.
Oct. 16, 2009 - Members of the Canadian forest industry are concerned that U.S. forest companies could receive subsidies under the U.S. Biomass Crop Assistance Program. The Vancouver Sun reports.
NEWS HIGHLIGHT Biomass crop subsidy raises concern in Canada Members of the Canadian forest industry are concerned that U.S. forest companies could receive subsidies under the U.S. Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
NEWS HIGHLIGHT Coskata starts up small wood ethanol plant Coskata, a developer of next-generation biofuels, has successfully started its semi-commercial flex ethanol facility located in Madison, PA.
NEWS HIGHLIGHT 45 case studies of wood-to-energy systems The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities has announced the completion of 45 case studies of "best-in-class" community-scale wood-to-energy systems selected from projects across Canada, Europe, and the United States.
Oct. 13, 2009, Seattle, WA – The global trade of wood chips is down 26% in 2009, as pulpmills reduce production worldwide, reports Wood Resources International.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Global trade of wood chips down in 2009 The global trade of wood chips is down 26 per cent in 2009, as pulpmills reduce production worldwide, reports Wood Resources International.
NEW PRODUCT Morbark launches conversion kit The new Morbark Quick Switch grinder-to-chipper conversion kit is now available commercially.
NEWS HIGHLIGHT Enligna to expand NS wood-pellet production Wood pellet manufacturer Enligna Canada is expanding its production capabilities in Upper Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, to meet international demands.


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Get to Know: Tracy Allen
Monique Muñiz
EXPERIENCE: Senior infielder Tracy Allen is fourth on the Northridge softball team with a .269 batting average. Photo Credit: Courtesy Braden Villanueva of CSUN Athletics.
Full name: Tracy Nicole Allen
Date of Birth: Jan. 18, 1989
Place of Birth: Riverside, California
Height: 5' 11"
Position: Third base
Major: Communications
Stats: In 38 games: .269 batting average, five home runs, 23 RBIs, 17 runs, 29 hits, and six doubles
Food: Mexican
Music: Country
Movie: Cinderella Man
Song: "Tomorrow" by Chris Young
Athlete: Joe Mauer from the Minnesota Twins
Book: "Dirt Music" by Tim Winton
Greatest Difficulty: "Not stepping outside my comfort zone. Sometimes I need to just take a chance."
Greatest Goal Accomplishment: "Becoming a college student athlete and getting closer and closer to graduating with a college degree."
Most Embarrassing Moment: "Recently I walked into my apartment complex with a friend and my bag gets caught on the step, I fall straight forward on my face and my knees, then when I try and get up, my bag is still stuck and pulls the tile off of the step. My friend and I laughed for hours."
Hobbies: Going to the beach, hanging out with friends, anything with music, concerts, and just relaxing
Best part of my game: "I would have to say my defense."
Part of my game that needs improvement: Hitting the outside pitch
Best player I've played against so far: "I haven't faced anyone I can't hang with, but I'd have to say a pitcher from Stanford who I have struggled the most with."
Player I pattern my game after: Myself
Pre-game rituals: "I have a few songs I like to listen to before every game."
Superstitions: "I don't really have any, but if I am hitting well, I don't like when other girls use my bat."
Team: "Stay focused on us. Doesn't matter what goes on with the team on the other side."
Individual: Be confident and play hard
My first sports: Soccer, basketball, softball and cross country
Other sports I played while growing up: Volleyball
When I started playing softball: At about 8 years old
What I do to stay in shape during the offseason: Run and play other sports games with friends
Person I would like to meet: Anyone and everyone
Monique Muñiz, Author
Matadors hold on to beat Vikings in a nail-biter
Matador of the Week: Women's Volleyball's Taylor Orshoff
Plagued by poor shooting, men's basketball loses to Boise State 74-48
Women's basketball nabs overtime win against LMU
Matador of the Week: Women's basketball's Tess Amundsen
Women's basketball falls to No. 20 UCLA despite early lead, 73-46
Fourth time's the charm: Women's volleyball snaps losing streak against UC Riverside with a 3-1 win
Men's basketball loses to Eastern Washington, beats Dixie State in Good Sam Empire Classic
Matador of the Week: Men's basketball's Atin Wright
CSUN women's basketball defeats CSU Dominguez Hills for first win of the season


Bit of a catch up this one – a couple of months ago I was asked by the lovely Liz Azyan to write a post for her LGEO blog. Around the time there had been an issue with BT and connectivity between Google services so I decided to write a third "Faith in the Cloud" post regarding this (having previously discussed issues with banning and corporate machinations, now looking at the technical side). I'm not going to reproduce it, but you can read the post here.
Next Next post: Hollywood! Ur doin' it rong!


text:
Dutch ISPs Must Block The Pirate Bay Despite Fierce Protest, Court Rules | TorrentFreak
The Pirate Bay is blocked in dozens of countries around the world. In most cases, ISPs are ordered to take action after a relatively short legal process.
In the Netherlands, however, pirate site blocking has proven to be a rather cumbersome and slow-moving process, lasting over a decade.
The blocking battle started in 2010 when Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN went to court, demanding that local ISP Ziggo should block The Pirate Bay. The ISP, which was later joined by XS4ALL, fought tooth and nail and used all options at its disposal to prevent a blocking requirement.
Appeals, EU Court, and a Do-over
A Dutch court first issued an order to block The Pirate Bay in 2012, but this order was overturned two years later. Anti-piracy group BREIN then took the matter to the Supreme Court, which subsequently referred the case to the EU Court of Justice, seeking further clarification.
After a careful review of the case, last year the EU Court of Justice decided that The Pirate Bay can indeed be blocked. The top EU court ruled that Pirate Bay's operators knowingly provide users with a platform to share copyright-infringing links, which violates the EU Copyright Directive.
The EU ruling put the case back with the Dutch Supreme Court for a final say. However, instead of ending the matter, the country's highest court decided that the case should get a do-over. The Supreme Court sent the case back to the Court of Amsterdam for a fresh look at the matter.
ISPs' Long List of Defenses Fail
Today the Court of Amsterdam issued its new ruling, which is a clear win for BREIN. Based on existing jurisprudence from the EU Court of Justice as well as local law, it concluded that a Pirate Bay block is warranted.
In its decision, the Court waved away a long list of defenses from the Internet providers. For example, the argument that legal content would also be blocked failed, as the vast majority of The Pirate Bay's links – 90 to 95% – point to copyright-infringing material. If this changes in the future, subscribers have options to address this in court.
The fact that Pirate Bay users will circumvent the blockades is not seen as a stumbling block either, nor is the argument that pirate streaming services are a bigger problem than torrent sites.
"The streaming phenomenon and its magnitude are irrelevant to the decision in this case, as both parties assume, as mentioned, that TPB is still a well-visited website," the Court writes.
Other defenses failed as well. These include the alleged violation of the ISPs' entrepreneurial freedoms, BREIN's alleged failure to go after the Pirate Bay's operators, and BREIN's unauthorized collection of subscribers' IP-addresses.
Dynamic Blocking Order
The Court ordered that the two ISPs, Ziggo and XS4ALL, must block The Pirate Bay's domain and IP-addresses. This is a so-called dynamic blocking order, which means that new IP-addresses and domain names of TPB and its proxies can be added along the way.
The ISPs were also ordered to pay BREIN's legal costs, which comes down to more than €250,000 for Ziggo and roughly €60,000 for XS4ALL.
The Pirate Bay has been blocked by Dutch ISPs for several years. This was the result of preliminary ruling which first required the most-used ISPs to take measures while the legal process makes its way through the courts. So for TPB users, not much will change.
Ziggo and XS4ALL have yet to comment on the verdict but are expected to be disappointed.
For BREIN and the copyright holders, however, this first blocking case is a crucial victory. Research has shown that blocking measures are not effective if a single site is blocked, so they are eager to request more pirate site blockades.
BREIN is happy with the outcome and it expects that this will be the end of the legal proceedings. However, if the ISPs see any reason to continue the case, the anti-piracy group is confident that the blocking order will stay in place.
BREIN also intends to ask other ISPs to follow suit. While these are not covered in this proceeding, the anti-piracy group can use the court order to back up their request.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
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Posted by jherskowitz at 3:10 PM


I have never been one for outmoded recruitment clichés, but perhaps the one I detest most is that you need "a round peg for a round hole". When talking about people, careers and the commercial future of clients, that is a simplification beyond the pale!
Nevertheless it is worth reiterating that 'recruiters' like ourselves here at JML really can add value, not just to our instructing clients, but importantly to our candidates' career search journeys as well.
To illustrate my point, let me recount a recent experience in the field, which was by no means unique. I met, appraised and assessed an excellent candidate with strong career potential, and subsequently approached a client indicating that this talented individual would dovetail beautifully into their vacant role. Pleasingly, this single consultancy recommendation resulted in an appointment – a happy outcome for all concerned.
This wasn't luck. It was the result of knowing our market, recognising talent wherever and whenever we find it, and having the courage of our recommendation convictions.
You could call it "a hole in one", yes, but in reality it was so much more. So if you are in the Watch and Jewellery sector and contemplating recruitment, we have the knowledge here to do all parties proud, so lift the flag now!
Wishing you all success at the CMJ Spring Trade Event!


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Two Hollywood Signs, Old and New
November 30, 2014 § Leave a comment
The Hollywood Sign As It Looked on August 7, 1978/Both Photos Courtesy Raiden Peterson
The New Hollywood Sign, Circa November 1978
I've been immersed in a weeks-long repainting of my house's interior, an ordeal I wouldn't recommend if it weren't necessary. Tomorrow the final phase begins: the repainting of the woodwork in my living room/office, so today I began the arduous process of clearing out all the cabinets. That's when I found these two photos which were sent to me by Raiden Peterson, who I interviewed in 2007 my documentary Under the Hollywood Sign . (The documentary is available for sale on DVD at underthehollywoodsign.com and as a download for sale or rent from https://vimeo.com/ondemand/uths)
Raiden Peterson supervised the tear-down and reconstruction of the Hollywood Sign for Pacific Outdoor Electric, and documented his work throughout the process. The first photo was taken on August 7, 1978, the day before demolition began. The second was taken soon after the new Sign was completed on October 30, 1978. Thirty-six years later, many–perhaps the majority–of the visitors to the Hollywood Sign have no idea that the current Sign is not the original. These photos tell the story.
Among the Dead at Hollywood Forever
Hollywood Forever Cemetery 11/11/14/All photos Hope Anderson Productions
Last week I had a visitor from England–Heath Woodward, who I met three years ago because he was writing a musical about Peg Entwistle. Last year I visited Heath's hometown of Margate, where I saw an early showcase of "Goodnight September" (which recently had its first performances there); this year it was his turn to visit Los Angeles. Because Heath's previous visit was short and lacking in both a car and a guide, I was determined to show him more of the city, and I think I succeeded. In addition to Hollywood and Beverly Hills, I took him on a tour of downtown that included the Broadway theaters as well as the Belasco, where Peg Entwistle had great success starring in "The Mad Hopes" in 1932.
Mickey Rooney's Headstone at the Mausoleum
Last Tuesday we went to Hollywood Forever, my favorite cemetery. It was an appropriately overcast day, and as we wandered through the Garden of Legends I realized that–with the exception of a screening of "Chinatown" and a Johnny Marr concert, both held at night–I hadn't been there in twelve years. (Last time I was showing it to a friend from Hawaii; he said it was his favorite place in LA because he couldn't hear the sound of traffic.) Although it was late afternoon when Heath and I arrived, we managed to see some of the highlights–the Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, Jr., and DeMille memorials–but not the Valentino crypt, as the mausoleum is being worked on and was locked. But its outside wall featured a new addition–a stone for Mickey Rooney, who died earlier this year. Nearby stood Johnny Ramone's statue and Hattie McDaniel's pink oblong stone. One headstone caught our eye simply because it was unlike any memorial we'd ever seen–a sculpture of a man lashed with steel cable to a jagged rock. Staring at the inscription, we were startled to realize that it was Tony Scott's grave.
Heath Woodward at Tony Scott's grave
By then it was getting dark, so my efforts to pay respects to John Huston, whose excellent autobiography An Open Book I'm reading, had to be postponed. Along the way we had picked up a couple of fellow travelers–a woman and her live wire four-year-old son. The little boy grabbed my sleeve, showed me his blankie and attached himself to our self-guided tour, saying "We need more people!" Unlike us, he didn't mean dead ones.
The Fairbanks Memorial, burial place of Douglas Sr. and Jr.
Toto's Memorial Statue
Visiting Hello Kitty Con and "Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty" at JANM
Live Action and Film Combo at Hello Kitty Con, 10/30/14/All photos Hope Anderson Productions
Though I grew up in her homeland, I came late to the charms of Hello Kitty, a serious lapse of my instincts for pop culture phenomena. How did I miss Kitty's future ubiquity as Japan's ambassador of kawaii? Probably because I was jaded by my Tokyo years, which featured a delightful stream of childish novelties: toys, stickers, candies and rice crackers in seasonal shapes (e.g., cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, umbrellas). Japan also celebrated (and still does) three children's holidays–Children's Day, Doll Festival, 7-5-3 Day–surely a record unmatched by any other country.
Hello Kitty Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival) Emperor and Empress Dolls, at the Japanese-American National Museum
Against this backdrop of national cuteness, Hello Kitty's debut in 1974 was not earthshaking news. In fact, because my family had moved to the United States two years earlier, I didn't see the pink sensation until my first trip back in 1980. "I don't think this is going to catch on in America," I remember saying. I soon knew better. But it wasn't until early 90s, when I noticed a grown woman in the next car gripping a Hello Kitty steering wheel, that I realized how wrong I'd been.
In the years since, Hello Kitty's reach has extended around the world and into the air. As part of Sanrio's 40th anniversary celebration, EVA Airlines is flying to Paris in planes painted with Hello Kitty. Inside, everything is Hello Kitty-shaped or marked: food, soaps, pillows, headrest covers, and toilet paper. Another part of the 40th anniversary celebration was last week's Hello Kitty Con, which I wouldn't have missed. Held at the Geffen Contemporary, it was a completely sold-out four-day convention of all things Kitty: exhibits, merchandise, official and unofficial mascots, and even a live show against a filmed backdrop (above).
Next door at the Japanese-American National Museum, I toured a more subdued but even more fascinating show (which runs until April 24th) featuring Sanrio's artifacts as well as Hello Kitty representations in fine art and fashion.
Hello Kitty Man's Suit at JANM
Lady Gaga's Hello Kitty dress at JANM
Hello Kitty birthday cake sculpture at JANM
Which brings me to the perplexing news that Hello Kitty is not a cat. According to Christine Yano, the author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific in an interview in the LA Times:
Hello Kitty is not a cat. She's a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature."
As if that weren't enough, Kitty White is a British third-grader who lives with her twin sister, parents and grandparents outside London. She loves Paris–hence the EVA flights.
Nevertheless, Hello Kitty could only have sprung from Japan, the land of kawaii. As the JANM exhibit points out, the word kawaii (cute) is derived from kawaisoo, which means pitiable. It's the powerful combination of cuteness, pity and the color pink that gives Hello Kitty her universal appeal.
You are currently viewing the archives for November, 2014 at Under the Hollywood Sign.


In Miami-Dade County all cash home and condominium sales are controlling the real estate market, with almost two out of three sales or 65% being all cash, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. Cash is king in the "Magic City" and it has been for some time. Some 66% of all sales were in cash during January and 67% in 2011.
Miami is a major exception in terms of many issues surrounding its real estate market. For the third month in a row, Miami home prices posted strong gains in February. The median and average prices are rising as the majority of the nation's housing markets decline on home values.
International demand for discount priced condos and homes that have been foreclosed are part of the reason. Some 54% of sales were of distressed properties during February, which includes foreclosures and short sales. But the turn around in the Miami market may even be surprising for many locals, who have seen condo prices jump an average of 26.3% from one year ago, from $214,012 to $270,300.
Single family homes have increased 15.4% over the same period, according to the local multiple listing association. Rising prices have resulted from a new all-time sales record in 2011, ushered in by near record low mortgage rates and more foreign interest in the market than ever before.
The sales of existing homes in Miami, however, is starting to show a bit of a slowdown, increasing only two percent in February compared to a year ago. Condo sales also dropped 12% for the month compared to year ago levels, which could signal the beginning of a slowdown from its record pace.
"Miami not only attracts the highest percentage of international buyers and investors, but also has become the focal point of emerging markets, as worldwide buyers and investors recognize the benefits of investing in Miami," aid Miami Realtors residential president Patricia Delinois.
A decline of the inventory of homes and condos listed for sale also provides a positive picture for the marketplace, with a 45 percent year-over-year drop. The U.S. housing inventory of existing homes rose 4.3 percent through the end of February.


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Mercedes-Benz AVTR
Mercedes-Benz reveals surreal driving footage of insane-looking electric car prototype
Fred Lambert | Sep 27 2020 - 2:36 pm PT
Mercedes-Benz has revealed actual driving footage of its insane electric Vision AVTR car prototype inspired by Avatar.
The German automaker unveiled the concept earlier this year, and we didn't even cover it on Electrek because it looked too crazy to ever make it to production.
That's still the case, but Mercedes-Benz has now unveiled actual footage of the electric vehicle driving and it's just too cool not to share it with you.
The idea behind the Vision AVTR is inspired by the movie Avatar and the idea of "merging" with your vehicle, not unlike the Na'vi merging with the flying mountain banshees in the movie.
But don't worry, you don't have to plug yourself into the car like you would with a banshee in Avatar.
The electric vehicle is controlled through a pulsating sensor in the center console:
Obviously, it's not something that would be legal on the road today, but Mercedes-Benz is trying to envision technologies of the future.
They wrote about the concept:
Instead of a conventional steering wheel, the multifunctional control element in the center console allows human and machine to merge. By placing the hand on the control unit, the interior comes to life and the vehicle recognizes the driver by his or her heartbeat and breathing.
As for the powertrain, Mercedes-Benz says that the vehicle is powered by "a revolutionary battery technology based on graphene-based organic cell chemistry":
For the first time, the VISION AVTR concept vehicle is using a revolutionary battery technology based on graphene-based organic cell chemistry that is completely clean of rare earths and metals. The materials of the battery are compostable and therefore completely recyclable. In this way, electric mobility becomes independent of fossil resources. As a result, Mercedes-Benz underlines the high relevance of a future circular economy in the raw materials sector.
That's likely just conceptual and the electric powertrain of the prototype is probably just a regular electric test bed for prototypes.
But the wheels and steering system are quite special and enable a "crab walk," just like the recently teased GMC Hummer EV's "Crab Mode."
Check out Mercedes-Benz's newly released video about the Vision AVTR concept for some footage of the features in action — it's worth the 13 minutes of your time:
Much like seeing the Tesla Cybertruck in action, it looks like the footage is CGI, but it's an actual working prototype.
We aren't likely to see these features make it into a production car anytime soon, or ever in some cases, but it is still a cool project.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.


AvPlan EFB 7.3.9 is now available in the Apple App Store as a free update for all users.
This release adds support for sending flight plans wirelessly from Command Flight Planner. Users of Command Flight Planner on a Windows PC will soon be able to tap a button and send a completed flight plan into AvPlan EFB on their iPad or iPhone.
Head to www.commandsoftware.com.au to download Command Flight Planner or to update your subscription. A new release of Command Flight Planner will be available in the coming week.
European airport diagrams and instrument approach procedures are now geo-referenced and will overlay on the maps.
There is a fix for ADSB weather for US pilots.


text:
package org.xlcloud.service.heat.parsers;

import org.json.JSONException;
import org.json.JSONObject;

import org.xlcloud.service.heat.template.Outputs;

/**
 * Implementation of {@link JSONParser} for {@link Outputs}.
 * @author Konrad Król, AMG.net
 */
public class OutputsParser implements JSONParser<Outputs> {

    /** {@inheritDoc} */
    @Override
    public Outputs fromJSON(JSONObject json) throws JSONException {
        Outputs outputs = new Outputs();
        outputs.setOutputs(json);
        return outputs;
    }

    /** {@inheritDoc} */
    @Override
    public JSONObject fromPojo(Outputs pojo) {
        return pojo.getOutputs();
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub