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Area: 2.5 million sq. km. (967,500 sq. mi.); almost one-third size of continental U.S.
Cities: Capital--Khartoum. Other cities--Port Sudan, Kassala, Kosti, Juba (capital of southern region). No current accurate population statistics available.
Terrain: Generally flat with mountains in east and west.
Climate: Desert in north to tropical in south.
Population (1994 est.): 28 million; 25% urban.
Annual growth rate (1993 est.): 3%.
Ethnic groups: Arab-African, black African.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance--50%. Literacy--27%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--99/1,000. Life expectancy--52 yrs.
Work force (6 million, 1982): Agriculture--78%; industry and commerce--10%; government--6%.
Type: Military dictatorship.
Constitution: 1985 provisional constitution amended, now suspended.
Branches: Executive authority is shared by the 12-member Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) and the cabinet. The chairman of the RCC is concurrently chief of state (president) and prime minister. Judicial--Supreme Court, attorney general, civil, shari'a (Islamic), special revolutionary courts, and tribal courts; investigative commissions.
Administrative subdivisions: 5 northern regions, 3 southern regions; each region, 2 or more provinces.
Political parties: All political parties banned following June 30, 1989, military coup.
Flag: Horizontal red, white, and black stripes with green triangle on staff side.
GDP (1988 est.): $9 billion.
GDP annual growth rate (1994 est.): -6.0.
Per capita income GDP (1990 est.): $300.
Avg. annual inflation rate (1993): 55.3%.
Natural resources: Modest reserves of oil, iron ore, copper, chrome, and other industrial metals.
Agriculture (40 percent of GNP): Products--cotton, peanuts, sorghum, sesame seeds, gum arabic, sugarcane, livestock.
Industry: Types--textiles, cement, cotton ginning, edible oil and sugar refining.
Trade (1994 est.): Exports--$165 million: cotton, sorghum, peanuts, gum arabic, sesame seeds. Major markets--Egypt, Persian Gulf states, Saudi Arabia. Imports--$600 million: oil and petroleum products, wheat, agricultural inputs and machinery, industrial inputs and manufactured goods. Major suppliers--Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Gulf states. Fiscal year: July 1-June 30.
In Sudan's 1981 census, the population was calculated at 21 million. Current estimates range to 25 million. The population of metropolitan Khartoum (including Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North) is growing, and ranges from 3-4 million, including over 1 million displaced persons from the southern war zone.
Sudan has two distinct cultures--Arab and black African--and effective collaboration between them is a major problem.
The five northern regions cover most of Sudan and include most urban centers. Most of the estimated 18 million Sudanese who live in this area are Arabic-speaking Muslims. Among these are several distinct tribal groups; the Kababish of northern Kordofan, a camel-raising people; the Jaalin and Shaigiyya groups of settled tribes living along rivers; the semi-nomadic Baggara of Kordofan and Darfur; the Hamitic Beja in the Red Sea area and Nubians of the northern Nile area, some of whom have been resettled on the Atbara River; and the Negroid Nuba of southern Kordofan and Fur in the western reaches of the country.
The southern region has a population of about 4-6 million and a predominantly rural, subsistence economy. Here the Sudanese practice mainly indigenous, traditional beliefs, although Christian missionaries have converted some. The south also contains many tribal groups and uses many more languages than the north. The Dinka (pop. 1 million or more) is the largest of the many black African tribes in Sudan. Along with the Shilluk and the Nuer, they are among the Nilotic tribes. The Azande, Bor, and Jo Luo are "Sudanic" tribes in the west, and the Acholi and Lotuhu live in the extreme south, extending into Uganda.
Sudan was a collection of small, independent states from the beginning of the Christian era until 1820-21, when Egypt conquered and unified the northern portion of the country. Although Egypt claimed all of present Sudan during most of the 19th century, it was unable to establish effective control of southern Sudan, which remained an area of fragmented tribes subject to frequent attacks by slave raiders.
In 1881, a religious leader named Muhammad Ahmed ibn Abdalla proclaimed himself the Mahdi, or "expected one," and began to unify tribes in western and central Sudan. His followers took on the name "Ansars," which they continue to use today. Taking advantage of conditions resulting from Ottoman-Egyptian exploitation and maladministration, the Mahdi led a nationalist revolt culminating in the fall of Khartoum in 1885. The Mahdi died shortly thereafter, but his state survived until overwhelmed by an Anglo-Egyptian force under Kitchener in 1898. Sudan was proclaimed a condominium in 1899 under British-Egyptian administration. While maintaining the appearance of joint administration, the British formulated policies, and supplied most of the top administrators.
In February 1953, the United Kingdom and Egypt concluded an agreement providing for Sudanese self-government and self- determination. The transitional period toward independence began with the inauguration of the first parliament in 1954. With the consent of the British and Egyptian governments, Sudan achieved independence on January 1, 1956, under a provisional constitution. The United States was among the first foreign powers to recognize the new state.
The National Unionist Party (NUP), under Prime Minister Ismail el- Azhari, dominated the first cabinet, which was soon replaced by a coalition of conservative political forces. In 1958, following a period of economic difficulties and political maneuvering that paralyzed public administration, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Abboud overthrew the parliamentary regime in a bloodless coup.
Gen. Abboud did not carry out his promises to return Sudan to civilian government, however, and popular resentment against army rule led to a wave of riots and strikes in late October 1964 that forced the military to relinquish power.
The Abboud regime was followed by a provisional civilian government until parliamentary elections in April 1965 led to a coalition government of the Umma and National Unionist Parties under Prime Minister Muhammad Ahmad Mahjoub. Between 1966 and 1969, Sudan had a series of governments that proved unable either to agree on a permanent constitution or to cope with problems of factionalism, economic stagnation, and ethnic dissidence.
Dissatisfaction culminated in a second military coup on May 25, 1969. The coup leader, Col. Gaafar Muhhamad Nimeiri, became prime minister, and the new regime abolished parliament and outlawed all political parties.
Disputes between Marxist and non-Marxist elements within the ruling military coalition resulted in a briefly successful coup in July 1971, led by the Sudanese Communist Party. Several days later, anti-communist military elements restored Nimeiri to power.
In 1976, the Ansars mounted a bloody but unsuccessful coup attempt. In July 1977, President Nimeiri met with Ansar leader Sadiq al-Mahdi, opening the way for reconciliation. Hundreds of political prisoners were released, and in August a general amnesty was announced for all opponents of Nimeiri's government.
In September 1983, as part of an Islamicization campaign, President Nimeiri announced his decision to incorporate traditional Islamic punishments drawn from the Shari'a (Islamic law) into the penal code. This was controversial even among Muslim groups. After questioning Nimeiri's credentials to Islamicize Sudanese society, Ansar leader Sadiq al-Mahdi was placed under house arrest. On April 26, 1984, President Nimeiri declared a state of emergency, in part to ensure that Shari'a was applied more broadly. Most constitutionally guaranteed rights were suspended. In the North, emergency courts later known as "decisive justice courts," were established, with summary jurisdiction over criminal cases. Amputations for theft and public lashings for alcohol possession were common during the state of emergency. Southerners and other non-Muslims living in the north were also subjected to these punishments.
In September 1984, President Nimeiri announced the end of the state of emergency and dismantled the emergency courts but soon promulgated a new judiciary act which continued many of the practices of the emergency courts. Despite Nimeiri's public assurances that the rights of non-Muslims would be respected, southerners and other non-Muslims remained deeply suspicious.
Early 1985 saw serious shortages of fuel and bread in Khartoum, a growing insurgency in the south, drought and famine, and an increasingly difficult refugee burden. In early April, during Nimeiri's absence from the country, massive demonstrations, first triggered by price increases on bread and other staples, broke out in Khartoum.
On April 6, 1985, senior military officers led by Gen. Suwar el Dahab mounted a coup. Among the first acts of the new government was to suspend the 1983 constitution and disband Nimeiri's Sudan Socialist Union. A 15-member transitional military council was named, chaired by Gen. Suwar el Dahab. In consultation with an informal conference of political parties, unions, and professional organizations known as the "Gathering," the council appointed an interim civilian cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Dr. El Gizouli Defalla.
Elections were held in April 1986, and the transitional military council turned over power to a civilian government as promised. The government, headed by Prime Minister Sadiq al Mahdi of the Umma party, consisted of a coalition of the Umma, DUP, and several southern parties. This coalition dissolved and reformed several times over the next few years, with Sadiq al Mahdi and his Umma party always in a central role.
During this period, the economy continued to deteriorate. When prices of basic goods were increased in 1988, riots ensued, and the price increases were cancelled. The civil war in the south was particularly divisive (see "Civil Strife" below). When Sadiq refused to approve a peace plan reached by the DUP and the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) in November 1988, the DUP left the government. The new government consisted essentially of the Umma and the Islamic fundamentalist National Islamic Front (NIF).
In February 1989, the army presented Sadiq with an ultimatum: he could move toward peace or be thrown out. He formed a new government with the DUP and approved the SPLA/DUP agreement. On June 30, 1989, however, military officers under then-Colonel Omar al Bashir replaced the government with the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC), a junta comprised of 15 (reduced to 12 in 1991) military officers assisted by a civilian cabinet. General al Bashir is president and chief of state, prime minister and chief of the armed forces.
In March of 1991, a new penal code, the Criminal Act of 1991, instituted harsh punishments nationwide, including amputation and stoning. Although the southern states are 'officially' exempt from these Islamic prohibitions and penalties, the 1991 act provides for a possible future application of Islamic law (Shari'a) in the south. In 1993, the government transferred all non-Muslim judges from the south to the north, replacing them with Muslim judges.
Civil Strife
In 1955, southern resentment of northern domination culminated in a mutiny among southern troops in Equatoria Province. For the next 17 years, the southern region experienced civil strife, and various southern leaders agitated for regional autonomy or outright secession.
This chronic state of insurgency against the central government was suspended early in 1972 after the signing of the Addis Ababa accords granting southern Sudan wide regional autonomy on internal matters, but a 1983 decree by President Nimeiri dividing the south into three regions revived southern opposition and militant insurgency. After the 1985 coup, the new government rescinded this decree and made other significant overtures aimed at reconciling north and south. In May 1986, the Sadiq al Mahdi government began peace negotiations with the SPLA, led by Col. John Garang de Mabior. In that year the SPLA and a number of Sudanese political parties met in Ethiopia and agreed to the "Koka Dam" declaration, which called for abolishing Islamic law and convening a constitutional conference. In 1988, the SPLA and the DUP agreed on a peace plan calling for the abolition of military pacts with Egypt and Libya, freezing of Islamic laws, an end to the state of emergency, and a cease-fire. A constitutional conference would then be convened.
Following an ultimatum from the armed forces in February 1989, the Sadiq government approved this peace plan and engaged in several rounds of talks with the SPLA. A constitutional conference was tentatively planned for September 1989. The military government which took over on June 30, 1989, however, repudiated the DUP- SPLA agreement and stated it wished to negotiate with the SPLA without preconditions. Negotiating sessions in August and December 1989 brought little progress.
The SPLA is in control of large areas of Equatoria, Bahr al Ghazal and Upper Nile provinces and also operates in the southern portions of Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile provinces. The government controls a number of the major southern towns and cities, including Juba, Wau, and Malakal. An informal cease-fire in May broke down in October 1989, and fighting has continued since then. In August of 1991, opponents of Colonel Garang's leadership of the SPLA form the so- called Nasir faction of the rebel army. In September of 1992, William Nyuon Bany formed a second rebel faction and in February of 1993, Kerubino Kwanyin Bol formed a third rebel faction. On April 5, 1993, the three dissident rebel factions announced a coalition of their groups called SPLA united at a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Since 1991, the factions have clashed occasionally and thus, the rebels have lost all credibility in the West. Since late 1993, the leaders of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda have pursued a peace initiative for Sudan under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD) but results have been mixed.
The ongoing civil war has displaced over 2 million southerners. Some fled into southern cities, such as Juba; others trekked as far north as Khartoum and even on into Ethiopia. These people were unable to grow food or earn money to feed themselves, and malnutrition and starvation became widespread.
Following an international outcry, the Sadiq al Mahdi government in March 1989 agreed with the UN and donor nations (including the US) on a plan called Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), under which some 100,000 tons of food was moved into both government and SPLA-held areas in southern Sudan, and widespread starvation was averted. OLS was suspended when the informal cease-fire broke down in late 1989. Following prolonged negotiations, Phase II of OLS to cover 1990 was approved by both the government and the SPLA in March of 1990. In 1991, Sudan faced a food shortage across the entire country because of two consecutive years of drought. The US, the UN, and other donors attempted to mount a coordinated international relief effort in both northern and southern Sudan in order to avert a catastrophe. However, due to Sudan's human rights abuses and its pro-Iraqi stance during the Persian Gulf War, many donors have cut much of their aid to Sudan.
Since 1983 Sudan has been divided into five regions in the north and three in the south, each headed by a governor. Since the 1985 coup, regional assemblies have been suspended. Each region is now under the control of a military governor. All regions have limited budgetary powers and depend on the central government for economic support. Khartoum province, comprising the capital and outlying districts, is administered by a special commissioner.
President, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Revolutionary
Command Council--Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan al Bashir
Deputy Prime Minister--Maj. Gen. al Zubeir Muhammad Salih
Foreign Affairs--Ali Sahloul
Ambassador to the United States--Ahmed Suliman
Ambassador to the United Nations--Ali Mohamed Osman Yassin
Sudan's primary resources are agricultural. Although the country is trying to diversify its cash crops, cotton accounts for nearly 50 percent of export earnings. Another large export crop is gum arabic, used in pharmaceuticals, food preparation, and printing, with Sudan producing four-fifths of the world's supply. Grain sorghum (dura) is the principal food crop, and wheat is grown for domestic consumption. Other crops such as sesame seeds and peanuts are cultivated for domestic consumption and increasingly for export. Livestock production has vast potential, and many animals, particularly camels and sheep, are exported to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries.
The inadequate transportation system and the high cost of hauling agricultural products over great distances are major hindrances to economic development. Sudan's only paved highways link Khartoum to Port Sudan and the capital to Kosti and the White Nile. Completed in mid-1980, the Khartoum-Port Sudan road has greatly increased commerce between these cities. Southern transportation is vulnerable to bad weather. Programs are underway to improve roads in southern and western Sudan.
At present, the country's transportation facilities consist of one 4,800-kilometer (2,784-mi.), single-track railroad with a feeder line, supplemented by river steamers, Sudan Airways, and about 1,900 km. (1,200 mi.) of paved or gravel roads.
Sudan has made large investments in growing cotton under various irrigation and pump plans, particularly the Gezira scheme, south of Khartoum between the White and Blue Niles. Rain-fed agriculture, primarily millet, sesame seeds, peanuts, and short-staple cotton, has had uneven success; there is progress in developing the rain-fed areas for mechanized agriculture. These lands are promising, provided the problems of transportation and irrigation to supplement rainfall can be resolved.
Sudan's limited industrial development consists principally of agricultural processing and various light industries located at Khartoum North. Although Sudan is reputed to have great mineral resources, exploration has been quite limited, and the country's real potential is unknown. Small quantities of asbestos, chromium, and mica are exploited commercially. Extensive petroleum exploration began in the mid-1970s and might eventually produce all of Sudan's needs. Significant finds were made in the Upper Nile region, but the ongoing civil war in that area has forced suspension of exploration and development activity there.
Sudan has an installed electrical generating capacity of 300 megawatts (MW), of which 180 MW is hydroelectric and the rest, thermal. More than 70 percent of the hydropower comes from the Roseires Dam on the Blue Nile grid. Various projects are underway for expanding Roseires power station and for developing thermal and other sources of energy.
The United States, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) nations traditionally have supplied most of Sudan's economic assistance. Sudan's role as an economic link between Arab and African countries is demonstrated by the location in Khartoum of the Arab Bank for African Economic Development. The World Bank has been the largest source of development loans.
Sudan will require extraordinary levels of program assistance and debt relief to manage a foreign debt exceeding dollars 13 billion, more than the country's entire annual GDP. Since the late 1970s, the IMF, World Bank, and key donors have worked closely to promote reforms to counter the effect of inefficient economic policies and practices. By mid-1984 a combination of factors-including drought, inflation, and confused application of Islamic law-reduced donor disbursements, and capital flight led to a serious foreign-exchange crisis and increasing shortages of imported inputs and commodities.
The government fell out of compliance with the IMF standby program and accumulated substantial arrearages on repurchase obligations to the IMF. A 4-year economic reform plan was announced by the Sadiq government in 1988 but was not pursued. The government of General Omar al Bashir announced its own economic reform plan in 1989 and began implementing a 3-year economic restructuring program on July 1, 1990, designed to reduce the public sector deficit, end subsidies, privatize state enterprises, and encourage new foreign and domestic investment. Sudan remains the world's largest debtor to the IMF, with accumulated arrears of over $1.3 billion. In August of 1993, the IMF suspended Sudan's voting rights. In September of 1993, the World Bank suspended Sudan's right to make withdrawals under effective and fully disbursed loans and credits.
Sudan continues to suffer from a severe shortage of foreign exchange, as imports exceed exports by more than two to one. In October of 1993, the government reimposed currency controls, making it illegal to possess foreign exchange without prior approval. Exports are largely stagnant. The small industrial sector remains in the doldrums, and Sudan's inadequate and declining infrastructure inhibits economic recovery. Foreign exchange rate policies discourage remittances from Sudanese working abroad.
The Sudanese People's Armed Forces is a 60,000-member army supported by a small air force and navy. It is a defensive force, having the additional duty of maintaining internal security. Some rebels currently fighting in the south are former army members. Sudan's military services are hampered by limited and outdated equipment. In the 1980's, the US worked with the Sudanese government to upgrade equipment with special emphasis on airlift capacity and logistics. All US military assistance was terminated following the military coup of June 30, 1989. Sudan has most recently received military assistance from Iraq, China, and Libya.
Sudan in recent years has tried to steer a nonaligned course, courting western aid and seeking rapprochement with Arab states, while maintaining cooperative ties with Libya, Iran, the Comoros islands, and Iraq.
Solidarity with other Arab countries has been a feature of Sudan's foreign policy. When the Arab-Israeli war began in June 1967, Sudan declared war on Israel. However, in the early and mid-1970s, Sudan gradually shifted its stance and was supportive of the Camp David process.
Relations between Sudan and Libya deteriorated in the early 1970s and reached a low in October 1981, when Libya's leader began a policy of cross-border raids into western Sudan. After the 1985 coup, the military government resumed diplomatic relations with Libya, as part of a policy of improving relations with neighboring and Arab states. In early 1990, Libya and Sudan announced that they would seek "unity." It is not clear how or when this unity will be implemented.
Sudan broke diplomatic ties with the United States in June 1967, following the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli war. Relations improved after July 1971, when the Sudanese Communist Party attempted to overthrow President Nimeiri, and Nimeiri suspected Soviet involvement. US assistance for resettlement of refugees following the February 1972 peace settlement in the south added further impetus to the improvement of relations. Diplomatic ties were restored on June 25, 1972.
On March 1, 1973, Palestinian terrorists of the "Black September" organization murdered US Ambassador Cleo A. Noel and Deputy Chief of Mission Curtis G. Moore. Sudanese officials arrested the terrorists and tried and convicted them on murder charges. In June 1974, however, the Sudanese government released them to the custody of the Egyptian government. The US ambassador to Sudan was withdrawn in protest. Although the US Ambassador returned to Khartoum in November, relations with Sudan remained static until late 1975 and early 1976, when President Nimeiri mediated the release of 10 American hostages being held by Eritrean insurgents in rebel strongholds in northern Ethiopia. In 1976, the United States decided to resume economic assistance to Sudan.
In late 1985, there was a reduction in staff at the American embassy in Khartoum because of the presence in Khartoum of a large contingent of Libyan terrorists. In April 1986, relations with Sudan deteriorated when the United States bombed Tripoli. A US embassy employee was shot on April 16, 1986. Immediately following this incident, all non- essential personnel and all dependents left for 6 months.
US interests in Sudan center around peace and relief. The US has worked closely with the governments of both Sadiq al Mahdi and General Omar al-Bashir to see that emergency relief assistance is provided to those displaced by the ongoing civil war. Sudan's position during the Iraq/Kuwait crisis strained relations with the United States. Sudan stated that Iraq should not have invaded Kuwait, but it was equally critical of the presence of Western forces on Islamic holy lands. Because Sudan is a safe haven for Islamic terrorist groups and because Sudan has supported or is supporting insurrections and/or radicals in Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Tunisia, and Uganda, the U.S. added Sudan to its terrorism list in August of 1993. Since then, relations between the U.S. and Sudan have plummeted.
Principal US Officials
Ambassador--Donald Petterson
Deputy Chief of Mission--Lawrence Benedict
USAID Director--Robert Russell
Public Affairs Officer--Jane Gaffney
The U.S. Embassy in Sudan is located at Shari'a Ali Abdul Latif, PO Box 699, Khartoum (tel. 74700, 74611). Hours are 7 am-3 pm Sunday through Thursday. US Marine security guards at the embassy can be contacted at any time in an emergency.


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Railway Collision at Blantyre
Blantyre Events
A train crash occurred in Blantyre on Monday 21st December 1914, exactly 106 years ago today.
That Monday evening an alarming collision between a passenger train and a mineral train took place between Blantyre and Newton on the Caledonian Railway. The track was which was blocked was cleared on the Tuesday morning and services resumed that next day.
The Glasgow Central passenger train left Central Station at 7.10pm, bound for Lesmahagow. The mineral train was further up the line heading in the same direction, but going much slower.
In the darkness of the evening, the passenger train ran up the back of the mineral train around half a mile from Blantyre near Calderglen. Three people were injured.
The goods train had mostly empty trucks but some of the waggons were completely derailed blocking the line in both directions.
The brake van at the back of the goods train suffered the brunt of the collision. It was lifted from its wheels and smashed to pieces. The brakesman (or guard) a Mr Robertson of Glasgow was somewhat badly injured. His left shoulder was dislocated, and he received a flesh wound on the arm and a slight scalp wound and numerous bruises.
The engine driver and fireman of the passenger train, James McIntosh and Walter Coulter both Hamilton men escaped with slight injuries. Though there were a considerable number of passengers in the front carriage, none of them fortunately were injured.
First aid was given to the brakesman by a lady passenger as they all alighted a little in shock. That evening, the passengers walked along the rest of the Blantyre line from Calderglen to Blantyre Station. A relief train later took them onwards to Hamilton and Motherwell.
A locomotive is pictured at Blantyre Station in 1949.
1949 Blantyre Train Station
Tags: train
marieskindl
Etched in my memory, days of standing exactly here taking the train to Stonehouse or further afield before the electric trains came in. We felt like the "Railway Children" when we lived in Knightswood terrace just across the road from the station. Thanks so much for posting Paul.
When we moved to Hillview Drive, and the field in front of our house was empty, we used to run through the field to go and wave to the driver, (our Grand father was the signalman at Motherwell) so we thought we might see him some days. It wasn't always like that though
We could see the "Dandy" beyond, and felt very "country", but when we first moved there we children thought it a "disused railway line" and one day, just after we moved there, my sister and I went to play on the tracks, innocently revelling in all the wee stones we could gather and do something with.
The next minute, we turned around to see a woman waving her arms and yelling something, running at us, we looked at each other, and then it dawned that it was our mother, we thought she was angrilly yelling at us for getting dirty! Not so, she really gied me laldy that day, dragging my wee sister off the line, and telling me a train was about to come and I should have known better. I don't know how an 8 year old is supposed to know better, she was just a terrified Mum. We so loved the trains though, I can still smell the steam, and feel the leather, a lovely memory.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Sydney Blum's Fuzzy Geometry Runs June 5 To July 3, 2014 At Kim Foster Gallery (New York)
Sydney Blum's Fuzzy Geometry runs June 5 to July 3, 2014 at Kim Foster Gallery (529 West 20th St., New York). There will be a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 5.
Imagine a geometry informed by mathematics wherein spatial coordinates are variable having a range of value? Our idea of shape might be irrelevant in such geometry. Blum creates forms made of colored synthetic hair that is wraped with fine wire around heavier wired in grid substructures. These shapes are variations on familiar shapes. Yet they imply a "betweenness."
Charlie James Gallery (Los Angeles) Opens Two New Exhibits, Saturday May 31st, 2014
The End XIII by Luke Butler
Charlie James Gallery (989 Chung King Road, Los Angeles) opens two new exhibits, Saturday May 31st, 2014. The two are; Luke Butler-In Color and Black and White and Material Object, a group exhibit curated by Justin Cole. There will be opening receptions for both from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 31.
The solo exhibit by Luke Butler, his first with the gallery, features paintings such as The End. The words here are the figure in the artist's landscape. Is it poignant or ridiculous?
Material Objext is a group exhibit featureing work by Phil Chang, York Chang, Justin Cole, Emilie Halpern, Soo Kim, Evan La Londe and Gina Osterloh.
Untitled (Final Monochrome) by Phil Chang
Hossein Irandoust's "Tumult Of Lovers" Runs June 5 To 21, 2014 At Shirin Gallery (New York)
Hossein Irandoust's Tumult Of Lovers runs June 5 to 21, 2014 at Shirin Gallery (511 W. 25th suite 507, New York). There will be a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 5.
The exhibit is the Iranian artist's first with the gallery. Tumult of Lovers explores the mystical dimension of Islam and Sufism, depicting spiritual expression with minimal color. Irandoust's grandfather was Chinese and he avails himself of the artistic traditions of China in his minimal use of color and also the interplay of black and white as an expression of good and evil/yin and yang.
ArtNowNY Opens Two Exhibits June 5, 2014, "Caution" By Gabriel Angemi & Mia Tyler And "Rainbow Dreams of the Serpent Queen" By Chor Boogie
ArtNowNY opens two exhibits on June 5, 2014, Caution by Gabriel Angemi & Mia Tyler and Rainbow Dreams of the Serpent Queen by
Chor Boogie. There will be an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 5 at ArtNowNY (548 W 28th Street 2nd Floor, New York). Both exhibits run until June 21.
Caution is a photography show while Rainbow Dreams of the Serpent Queen features spray paintings on canvas.
Holly Lynton's Pioneer Valley Runs May 23rd To July 1st 2014 At Miller Yezerski Gallery (Boston)
Holly Lynton's Pioneer Valley runs May 23rd to July 1st 2014 at Miller Yezerski Gallery (460 Harrison Ave., Boston). There will be an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, June 6th.
This is the photographer's first solo show with the gallery. Her work explores the tension between people wishing to maintain agrarian traditions in a globalizing, high tech world. Her work also references Italian and Dutch masters in its compositions.
Lynton works and lives in Massachusetts, has a BA from Yae and an MFA in photography from Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College. Her work has been shown in publications like The Village Voice, The New Yorker, The Boston Globe and Oxford American.
Cernuda Arte (Coral Gables) Presents "Cuban Art In Miami Public Spaces" A Presentation By Jorge A.Hernández June 4, 2014
Cernuda Arte (3155 Ponce de León Blvd., Coral Gables) presents Cuban Art In Miami Public Spaces a presentation by Jorge A.Hernández at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, 2014.
As art aficionados not living under a rock are aware, Miami has become an art destination, an epicenter of arts in America. This is in no small part due to artwork installed in publc places.
Hernández, using powerpint, will show his audience the location of a variety of works; murals, installations, sculpturs and monuments creeated by Cuban artists (including; Agustín Cárdenas, Carlos Alfonzo, Cundo Bermúdez, Antonio Gattorno, Tony López, Rolando López Dirube, Manuel Carbonell, Domingo Ravenet, Juan José Sicre, Enrique Martínez Celaya, Enrique Riverón, José Bedia, Manuel Mendive and more.)
Hernández, holds an MBA from Florid International University, a Masters in Management from Nova Southeastern and a BA in Computer Science fro the University of Havana. He is also a researcher on and enthusiast for Cuban art.
"Vivian Maier: Exposed" Exhibit At The Cleve Carney Art Gallery (Glen Ellyn, IL) June 17 to August 16, 2014.
Vivian Maier: Exposed runs at The Cleve Carney Art Gallery (425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL) June 17 to August 16, 2014. There will be an opening reception 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 17. There will also be an Afternoon with Vivian Maier film screening, panel discussion and book signing from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 27.
The museum, associated with College of DuPage is showcasing a mix of silver gelatin and digital prints by the artist. Maier, originally from New York City, grew up in France. She returned to NYC in the late 1930s, working as a nanny for 40 years. She produced more than 100,000 negatives. Her work was not discovered until 2007. She is a true undiscovered genius. It is sort of sad she was not acknowledged until the very end of her life. In fact her work really didn't receive true acclaim until after her death in 2009.
All the exhibited photographs are from the collection of Jeffrey Goldstein, one of the three original owners of the artists work. He and others have championed this work. Goldstein needed 275 rolls of Maier's film developed and he contacted Frank Jackowiak, a College of DuPage faculty member (at that time). He and a team of students worked on the prints. Jankowiak is the co-curator of the exhibit.
The SCAD Museum Of Art Presents "An American Master Of Inventive Design" Fashion By Stephen Burrows
The SCAD Museum of Art (601 Turner Blvd, Savannah, Georgia) presents An American Master of Inventive Design an exhibit on the work of fashion designer, Stephen Burrows, from May 20 to September 15, 2014. The exhibit features work from Burrows' forty years in the business. Burrows is to receive the 2014 André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award which is presented during the SCAD Fashion Show. The exhibit is curated by André Leon Talley.
SCAD, aka the Savannah College of Art & Design, is a private nonprofit educational institution offering degrees in over 40 majors. They have campuses in Savannah, Atlanda, Hong Kong and Lacoste (France).
Expo Chicago Announces Curators For In/Situ And Video Program For 2014 Fair
Expo Chicago (September, 18 to 21, 2014) has announced curators for In/Situ and the Expo Video program at the 2014 fair. The former is curated by Renaud Proch. In/Situ is the Expo's "public space" art--outside the confines of exhibitor booths. In a way it knits the fair together.
Proch was the Senior Director at Project in NYC, a co-founder of Art2102 in Los Angeles. Proch is also founder of the backroom, an archive/research project presented in five cities throughout Mexico, France and the USA. He has curated a variety of impressive projects around the globe.
The video program at Expo Chicago 2014 is to be curated by Astria Suparak. Expo Video, comprised of curated viewing stations in the hall, will feature three stations with videos from artists associated with exhibiting galleries. A fourth viewing station will feature work by students from Chicago's Columbia College. Suparak has curated screenings, performances and live music events and exhibitions for art spaces, academic venues and film festivals around the world.
Expo Chicago is in its third year and is the rebirth of the high end fine art fair in the city. It was a welcome return and seems poised to perhaps be that proverbial "tide that raises all boats." Others seem to have caught on that having multiple events at the same time can attract more visitors and make Chicago more of an art destination. Find out more at www.expochicago.com.
Mark Sheinkman's "New Work" Runs May 17 To June 21, 2014 At Von Lintel Gallery (Los Angeles)
Mark Sheinkman's New Work runs May 17 to June 21, 2014 at Von Lintel Gallery (2685 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles). There will be an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 17.
a painter whose origins are in minimalist drawing. His work reflects, at its heart, his attraction to line and space. His works on paper (from the 1990s) were mechanical grids with massed lines that mix and intertwine.
His work remains abstract with titles of an arbitrary nature. He still draws on the venerable lexicon of the New York School in this new work (think Cy Twombly and Jackson Pollock) but while the theory is the same the work is unique.
Sheinkman has a BA from Princeton. His work is included in museum collections at the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney, the National Gallery and many others.


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Fort VI – jeden z fortów Twierdzy Modlin, wzniesiony w ramach budowy pierwszego pierścienia fortów w latach osiemdziesiątych XIX wieku.

Fort znajduje się we wsi Czeczotki. Jest jednym z najbardziej zniszczonych fortów twierdzy.

Twierdza Modlin
Czeczotki

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Considering my next project, I wanted to make an electromechanical display using magnets. I turned to the internet for inspiration and quickly came across Flip-dot displays; solenoid driven pixels. A good starting point for what I wanted to do, I looked further.
I found a 900mm, 56×7 display on eBay from a bus salvager (who know such a thing existed!). The displays used to be common on public transport – prior to being replaced my dot matrix LEDs – to display the route number and destination. It cost me £170, which may seem expensive to some, but for 392 individually mechanically actuated pixels that are quite a feat of engineering, I thought it cheap.
Manufactured by Hanover Displays and with a basic datasheet to hand, I took the plunge.
Along with a header (containing display resolution and address) and footer (containing CRC). I can only imagine the designers went designers went down this route due to hardware limitations at the time; perhaps they only had access serial controllers that would send ascii characters for use in terminals. Or perhaps there is a reason I am missing?
Having a logic analyser to scope the hardware output become invaluable when the driver didn't work at first. Despite apparently unloading the full buffer, the node-serialport was clipping the data. A bit of debugging and a pull-request later and that hitch was solved.
This conversion from hex bytes to ascii characters can quickly become confusing, so I designed my driver to work a 2d matrix of rows and columns, only being encoded to the display format when buffering to the serial port. The matrix means one can intuitively flip a bit at the [x][y] and flip that dot on the display.
Finally, I added a queue and automatic frame/string scrolling. Once I had all this functionality, it was begging for a GUI!
The GUI was quite quick to develop as the driver was written in node.js – which is primarily a web technology – creating a web app was not a problem. By adding a HTML *canvas* element to emulate the flip-dot display, one can quickly toggle dots on the display to draw any shapes. One can send text with any Figlet font, fill the display, enable the clock and show Twitter streams.
I go into the hardware more in my video, but I'll briefly discuss the electromechanical pixel operation. On my Hanover display, the dots have a magnet inset on one side and an exposed crescent on on the other. Two posts either side are the two poles of a solenoid, hidden below. On my diagram and up close, one can see that the magnet is attracted/repelled from each pole by alternating the current direction in the solenoid coil – this allows control of the exposed dot surface.
Diagram showing how a flip-dot display can toggle the dot with a single solenoid by alternating the current direction.
Residual magnetism in the high remanence core, holds the dot in the last position without the solenoid energised. The un-powered, luminous stable state of the display is what made them great as low-power daylight displays.
The solenoids are arranged in a multiplexed grid pattern as you'd expect. To raster a frame, the driver appears to enable a row, followed by each column, then the next row… There does not seem to be any frame optimisation – only firing dots that have changed since the last frame for example – causing the display to raster a full frame each time. This fixes the maximum refresh rate to around 2 Hz – slow but enough to display a HH:MM:SS clock!
Considering the electronic area is so large and accessible, one could relatively easily upgrade the driving hardware by hoping directly onto the driver ICs to potentially increase this refresh rate, increase the buffer, better message structure etc. As an electromechanical pixel rather than electrochemical like modern displays, the upper refresh rate would probably be limited by the physical movement of the dot however, along with the solenoid losses.
The display had flying leads for the RS485 and 24 V power that I used for development, but I've since been able to install a AC/DC 24 V supply within the enclosure and a Raspberry Pi hosting the node.js web controller. I can now simply plug in an IEC lead, then control the display from any web browser.
The main PCB features a microcontroller (big package), some CMOS RAM and line decoders that output to drivers firing the solenoids, along with a power stage for the solenoids.
New school with old school!
I managed to squeeze an AC/DC 24 V supply into the enclosure, with a IEC inlet cut on one side. Adding a Raspberry Pi means the whole display can be controlled remotely from a single IEC lead.
Made some fancy side panels: partly to make it look less industrial, partly to cover up dremel cuts!
The display features a Twitter stream display so people can tweat the display.
Writing the software and understanding the electromechanical operation of this display has been well worth it. My packages are open-source with links below. They should work for any Hanover Flip-dot display by changing the row and column values at initiation. Even if you don't have a display, the web controller is setup to emulate by default so you can still have a play!
I was surprised to see an article about flipdot displays on hackaday (https://hackaday.com/2017/11/21/flip-dot-display-brought-out-of-retirement-by-new-drivers /). After reading your article, I was even more surprised to see that your development was inspired by my dirty python library. Your driver is really well done! Good work.
For my part, after spending nearly two weeks of my free time deboning the protocol, and another week to do something 'usable', the fun was gone, and I gave it up.
Thanks! You certainly gave the project a running start and avoided me having to obtain a bus controller with it. I'm curious as to how you reverse engineered it yourself – did you have a controller to sniff?
I got the feeling that might have been the case with the Python driver, but at least you got the hard work done! I was going to start from your base and merge it back in but decided it was going to be easiest to start from a fresh.
I didn't had a controller neither, but my chance is that someone has sent me a binary dump of transactions sent by a controller. The only thing I knew at that time is that it was a transaction for a system with three displays of different sizes.
I first tried to split the transactions to isolate the displays. Once I was convinced of my splits, I easily understood that the address and the size was present in a kind of header. I also suspected a kind of CRC for the last byte.
It took me roughly two hours from the dump to display the content. (fortunatly, my display had the same size than one of the three display used to dump the communication).
The checksum was the tricky part. First, I thought that it was a CRC. So I made a script to retrieve the polynomial value of the CRC. As you can imagine, the script ran during hours and hours, without success. But in the meantime, I understood how the pixel where coded.
The fact that the pixels are sent as an ASCII representation of their hexadecimal value troubled me. After hours of brainstorming to understand why they coded it that way, I finally understood that the development of these display were made with an old technology, and using a CRC with this technology was then improbable. So, I tried simpler methods, and finally find it. The conclusion is that the checksum couldn't be simpler.
Yes I feel like the ASCII byte representation was due to the fact they only had access to serial terminal drivers. I think that part would have had me stumped for a while!
Hi John, I tried your app and it's not working for some reason. I have a 7×84 Hanover flipdot and am using Windows 7 to drive the display via a USB RS485 adapter via COM12. The display address is 1.
And nothing else on the display.
The python script from ks156 works on my display works, so for sure the display works.
I have no experience with node.js and am wondering if you can provide some input as to why it is not working for me?
Looking at these lines https://github.com/tuna-f1sh/node-flipdot/blob/master/flipdot.js#L67-L72 , I'm wondering if there's not a problem with the resolution.
The result of the nodejs code is 73, which is not correct.
this.data = ((rows * 8) / 8); for debugging.
The comment required approval by the spam filter so didn't appear at first. Thanks for the reply but I think you're getting the rows and columns mixed up here. Alan is issuing a command for a display with 7 rows and 84 columns – I think you've written something above for 84 rows and 7 columns.
The code rounds the number of rows to the nearest 8 to get the correct number of bytes and expected Hanover resolution format. So an input of -r 7 will round to 8 rows at this line https://github.com/tuna-f1sh/node-flipdot/blob/master/flipdot.js#L59-L60 before the following code above.
This ensures that it is always ((columns * [8 multiple of rows]) as in your suggested fix. I'm confident this works as others have used the module with other sizes and my display is in fact a 7 row display too.
I'm not sure what the problem is Alan without looking into it more. Are you sure you have the latest version of the code? There were some constants in some files that others have fixed since I released it.
Oups, forgot the solution gave in my previous comment. I'm definitively bad in nodejs.
Anyway, I think that the resolution is not correct somewhere.
Maybe Flipdot-clock -p COM12 -a 1 -r 8 -c 84 instead of Flipdot-clock -p COM12 -a 1 -r 7 -c 84 will fix your problem.
So it looks like the address AND the rows need to be incremented by 1 each for it to work. FYI I also had to increment the display address by 1 in the python script by Ks156 for my display to work.
The address is set in with hardware on within the display so that being wrong would make sense for it not working.
You are right – it works with -r 7. I was sure I tried that earlier. But the address setting in the display is "1", so an increment of 1 is still required without changing the code.
term.js is also working now … thanks for all the help and the code. Much appreciated.
I had hoped that the web interface would help me debug the display logic, however, resolution in web interface is hard-coded and attempting to adjust these values open pandora's box.
When attempting to debug the flipdot binaries, it becomes apparent that the mapping patterns for these larger boards is far different than for their smaller boards.
If you have any tips, I'm all ears.
Just a suggestion ,,, maybe try the Python script from ks156 to see if it works for your panel(s)?
You're right, the web interface was rolled together rough and ready for an Art Trail – there are some hard coded elements and it's a bit of a mess.
I looked at passing the rows and columns to generate the correct size display board but due to expected aspect it was more work than I could afford to do. If you fancy tackling it, feel free to make a pull request on GitHub.
Hi John, I have had success running your driver under Windows and now would like to run in the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ because of the much smaller form factor of the Pi. I see that you also have a Pi connected to your flipdot display.
I think it has something to do with the serialport module installation, but am not sure how to resolve it. Appreciate if you can offer some advise on what I can try.
I'm going to be purchasing a Hanover 96×16 display from probably the same seller you purchased yours from. I'm curious what hardware you used specifically for your display. There seems to be an abundance of RS485 dongles out there, so I'm wondering which one you chose and why. Also, which Raspberry Pi model did you use in your project?
I used a Raspberry Pi 2 because I had one lying around. I'd get a RPi3 B+ just for the start up time and performance if you're going to use the web app.
Thanks so much for your blog post. I referred to it a lot while working with my own signs. It was really invaluable when getting my head around the protocol!


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SSF 2011 Highlights
NYPE 2015 Highlights
Articles & Case Studies
Publications & Downloads
New Standards for Asia
Today, Asian shipowners control about 50 per cent of the world's fleet. With the centre of gravity of global shipping shifting rapidly towards Asia, the vigorous growth of the market has resulted in the need for new standard forms that are up-to-date, comprehensive, and tailored specifically to the needs of shipowners within Asia.
As the representative voice for the maritime industry in Singapore, the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) is committed to developing new and improved standard documents that would cater specifically to the needs of the Asian maritime community. SMF's documentary efforts began with the launch of the Singapore Ship Sale Form (SSF) in 2011, and continued with the introduction of the New York Produce Exchange Time Charter (NYPE) in 2015.
A Strong Foundation for Maritime Excellence
In 2004, SMF was established to strengthen Singapore's maritime ecosystem, and support Singapore's efforts to become an International Maritime Centre. One of SMF's critical roles is building a strong tripartite relationship between the government, industry associations and private maritime players in Singapore. At the same time, SMF also maintains close ties to the international maritime community. These strengths allow SMF to effectively harness the insights of its maritime stakeholders, and drive initiatives that serve and address their needs.
Crafting the SSF 2011
In 2008, SMF commissioned the Centre of Maritime Studies at the National University of Singapore (CMS NUS) to research and draft a new ship sale form that would improve upon prevailing sale and purchase practices at the time. Industry professionals, trade associations and international maritime organisations across Asia were all consulted in order to ensure that the finished document would be balanced, comprehensive and robust. After receiving its endorsement from the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners' Associations (FASA), the SSF was officially launched on 6 January 2011. Since then, it has been accepted as a new industry standard for the sale and purchase of vessels in Asia.
Developing the NYPE 2015
In 2012, SMF collaborated with BIMCO and the Association of Shipbrokers and Agents (ASBA) to introduce the first revision of the NYPE since 1993. The objective of the revision exercise was to develop a version of NYPE that reflects current commercial practices, and has global appeal. The three organisations jointly co-authored the new NYPE 2015, with SMF playing a critical role in ensuring that the views of Asian maritime industry were considered and incorporated into the updated form. As part of these efforts, SMF organised a consultation session for Asian stakeholders on 8 July 2014, where members of the drafting team introduced the proposed updates to the form and received feedback from the industry. The result was a modern and comprehensive dry cargo charter party form that serves as a new global standard.
This timeline captures key events that shaped the SSF as well as documentary work SMF has been committed to since 2011.
Key Milestones for 2008
In 2008, the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) commissioned the Centre for Maritime Studies of the National University of Singapore (NUS) to embark on the research and drafting of a new ship sale form that would enhance the current ship sale and purchase (S&P) practices and procedures in view of regulatory developments. Through this partnership, SMF hopes to formulate a form that would minimise ambiguities through its clearly written clauses and reduce the number of changes to be made to the standard form. The Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) was instrumental in helping to engage the shipping community by facilitating meetings with their members.
April – An industry consultation session to introduce and explain the drafting process of the SSF was attended by 120 ship sale and purchase professionals at Capital Tower, Singapore during the Singapore Maritime Week (SMW). The guest of honour was Tan Sri Frank Tsao, Founder and Senior Chairman of IMC Group.
October – Representatives of the SSF drafting committee embarked on a four-city roadshow to four major Asian maritime centres (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Taiwan) to present the SSF to industry professionals.
December – A month prior to the official launch, the SSF was endorsed during the 36th Annual General meeting of the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners' (FASA) in Jakarta. All country members were encouraged to use the form for ship sale and purchase.
January – The SSF and its official website, www.singforms.com were launched by Mr. Michael Chia, Chairman of SMF as part of the annual SMF New Year Cocktail Reception. The signing ceremony of the first-ever S&P transaction using the SSF also took place then, with the form inked between Marco Polo Offshore II (Pte.) Ltd., a member of the SSA, represented by Mr. Sean Lee, CEO, and Abbeypure Pte. Ltd., represented by Mr. Darmawan Layanto, Director for the vessel, SMS Spectrum.
January – SMF gave well-received presentations on the SSF to the shipping communities in Seoul and Mumbai. These presentations were co-organised by the Korea Shipowners' Association (KSA) and the India National Shipowners' Association (INSA).
January – SMF worked with SSA to co-organise a well-attended special explanatory session on the SSF at Marina Mandarin Singapore.
March – NOL adopted the newly launched SSF for the sale of one of its ships, a 300-teu feeder ship, Tiger River.
March – The SSF was presented at the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) Conference.
May – The ASF agreed to distribute the SSF at its 20th AGM held in Bali, Indonesia.
November – SMF gave the exclusive rights to distribute the editable version of the SSF to ASF for two years, and in its first bold attempt to market the SSF, ASF partnered and licensed leading maritime software and tools development and consultancy company, SDSD to distribute a digital editable version of the form through the Charter Party Editor programme.
December – SMF and SSA co-organised a well-attended seminar on the SSF involving ship sale and purchase stakeholders at Capital Tower, Singapore.
January – At the SMF New Year Cocktail Reception, Mr. Michael Chia highlighted the wide industry acceptance of the SSF where 76 known S&P transactions had used the form since its launch a year prior. He also announced that two renowned lecturers from the Institute of Maritime Law of the University of Southampton, Mr. Filippo Lorenzon and Mr. Charles Debattista, will co-author a publication on the SSF to provide practical annotation which carefully examines the use of the form.
In 2012, SMF launched "A Guide to the Singapore Ship Sale Form (SSF)", a compilation of published articles by maritime lawyers and academic institutions on the use of the SSF.
November – The SSF was presented at the Ship Sale and Purchase Training Seminar organised by IBC.
November – Singapore was included as an arbitration seat in the BIMCO Standard Dispute Resolution Clause.
April – SMF launched the SSF book "Sale of Ships Under the Singapore Form", a publication that provides a comprehensive clause by clause commentary of the SSF as well as details the differences between the SSF and the 1993 and 2012 editions of the Norwegian Sale Form.
June – SMF held discussions with the Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ASBA) and BIMCO to collaborate on the redraft of the New York Produce Exchange Form (NYPE).
September – The NYPE drafting committee, comprising ASBA, BIMCO and SMF, met in New York for key discussions.
May – Delegates attending the Asian Shipowners' Forum in Japan were briefed on the NYPE draft.
June – SMF collaborated with ASBA and BIMCO to organise NYPE Roadshow in London and New York.
July – SMF organised the NYPE Industry Consultation with ASBA and BIMCO at M Hotel, Singapore.
January – The SSF was made available on the widely used BIMCO IDEA2 standard form editor.
October – The NYPE 2015, a joint effort by ASBA, BIMCO and SMF on the industry's most widely used standard form of dry cargo time charter party, was officially launched.
March – SMF organised a networking seminar on understanding and using the SSF at The Bank Bar + Bistro, Singapore.
April – SMF conducted a seminar on the NYPE 2015 at Maxwell Chambers, Singapore.
November – A roadshow was held to present the NYPE 2015 to ship owners and shipbrokers in USA and Canada with ASBA and BIMCO.
November – SMF organised a seminar to provide an update on the use of the SSF at Maxwell Chambers, Singapore.
July – SMF partnered with Chinsay to license and distribute the SSF on their industry-leading recap manager.
January – The SSF was made available on BIMCO's new contract editor, SmartCon.
2018 also marks the formation of the Singapore Shipowners' Focus Group, in support of BIMCO's Documentary Committee (DC) Meetings. The committee comprises of shipowners, legal, Singapore representatives to BIMCO DC and SMF, and aims to provide meaningful feedback and contribute to the discussions at DC.
The Singapore Ship Sale Form, catering to the needs of increasing maritime activities and arbitration cases in Asia.
Copyright 2019 Singapore Maritime Foundation. All rights reserved.


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Eurovision WTFs: A Celebration (Part 1: Albania Through Croatia)
By Ben Rothenberg May 21, 2012, 8:00pm EDT
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The 57th Eurovision Song Contest is taking place this week in Baku, Azerbaijan. The first semifinal is Tuesday, the second Thursday, and the final is Saturday. As the American spiritual home of Eurovision, we here at Broad Street Hockey are committed to giving you the coverage of this momentous week that you deserve.
Held every year since 1956, the contest was created as a way for European countries to battle through songwriting instead of previous methods they'd tried like doing battle through enormous wars. The success of this idea is indisputable:
World Wars Before Eurovision: 2
World Wars Since Eurovision: 0
You just try nitpicking at those stats.
But over its many decades Eurovision has aged into something that only slightly resembles its early incarnations. The contest is now held over three nights in stadiums and arenas that seat tens of thousands, and over a hundred million viewers make it the most watched non-sports event on television world wide.
And it's also turned into something decidedly insane. As they say, you can't spell "Eurovision" without "W-T-F."
So in alphabetical order, here is a stroll back through Eurovision history, presenting the best WTFs from each country's Eurovision history (admittedly skewing a bit recent).
51 countries have competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in its illustrious, sparkly history. Because Serbia and Montenegro was sort of an interim country and only competed twice (and never did anything especially WTFish) we're going to skip them to keep it at a nice round 50.
Here we go. Enjoy.
ALBANIA - 2009
As this is the first one, I thought I'd use the opportunity to walk you through the evolution of a Eurovision WTF (don't worry, most entries will be far more succinct). Albania was the first country to select a song for the 2009 contest, and actually did so in late 2008 at their annual song competition called Festivali i Këngës. Kejsi Tola, who at 16 years-old just barely was old enough to compete at Eurovision, won Festivali i Këngës with the song "Më Mërr Në Endërr." She sang in front of a full orchestra and barely moved.
To try to promote their entry in the months between her selection, the song (which had been translated into English fairly jumbledly and reduced from 4:17 to under three minutes) was given a promotional video, which was essentially Kejsi dancing in front of Windows Media Player for three minutes. The Albanian TV station Radio Televizioni Shqiptar may lack budget, but they do at least own a green screen. Keep in mind while watching the clip that this technological triumph was only made like three years ago. Like, during the Obama administration.
Then it was time to compete live in Moscow in the second semifinal in Eurovision 2009. And by that time, the RTSH organizers had made several transformations to Kejsi's song, look, and performance. Please, discover them for yourself.
To review, Kejsi is now wearing a tutu, dancing, and being groped by someone who looks like Charlie from Always Sunny as green man (but with more disco ball-type mirror shards). Meanwhile, mime twins dance and form a human staircase for her to ascend.
Did all this WTFery work? Probably. Albania qualified for the final and eventually finished 17th (out of the 43 countries that entered that year).
ANDORRA - 2007
Tiny Andorra (population: 84,000) entered the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 2004, but in six attempts never made it out of the semifinals and hasn't tried again since 2009 due to budget issues. Andorra was a casualty of often singing in a language (Catalan) that isn't exactly popular in most of Europe, and the intense neighbor/diaspora voting that dominated most of the last decade.
Without any diaspora to speak of and with only two neighbors (Spain and France who are too big to worry about tiny Andorra), the country often fell well short. Andorra probably should have qualified with their environmentally conscious rock song in 2007, but the contest format that year meant that finishing 12th out of the 28 nations in the semifinal wasn't enough.
The WTFiest part of this entry isn't so much anything specific to it, but rather just to mention that while all vocals in Eurovision must be live, there is currently a rule against playing music live. So those guitars and drums that these nice Andorrans are playing so passionately aren't plugged into anything and you're just hearing a tape. Kinda lame.
ARMENIA - 2011
If you know where Armenia is (east of Turkey), you know that it's not European at all, by most reasonable definitions of Europe. But like a handful of other countries on the periphery of Europe, Armenia wiggled its way into the European Broadcast Union and thereby Eurovision, and has been a perennial force to be reckoned with ever since arriving in 2006. In their first five entries Armenia never finished outside the top 10, finishing 8th, 8th, 4th, 10th, and 7th.
But in 2011, everything came crashing down for Armenia.
Despite some desperate enthusiasm and a very impressive boxing ring that somehow emerges from her backup dancers, Emmy's pugilistic pep didn't make it out of the semifinals, a knockout blow for a country that had never missed the final (or even finished in the bottom half of it).
To add insult to insult, the 2011 contest was won by Armenia's rival Azerbaijan, which meant that Azerbaijan would be the host of Eurovision 2012, and meant that the Armenians were ultimately forced to withdraw from this year's contest due to safety concerns about traveling to Azerbaijan. Those concerns seem completely legitimate. In 2009, only 43 Azeris called in to vote for the Armenia song, despite it getting a top 10 finish in the contest and doing well in most every other country's voting. Those people were summarily interrogated by Azerbaijani authorities as to why they had voted so traitorously. It will be interesting to see this week how much (if any) mention is made of the Armenian absence this year and the troubling free speech/human rights issues in Azerbaijan that caused their absence. Assuming Azerbaijan doesn't repeat (which no one has since Ireland in 1992-94), Armenia should be back in the fold in 2013.
AUSTRIA - 2003
In the 2003 edition of the contest (which was held in Latvia, by the way), Austrian stand-up comedian Alf Poier sang/talked about farm animals in German. He was also surrounded by cutouts of farm animals for good measure.
Naturally, Alf came in 6th out of 26, Austria's best finish in the contest in the last 23 years. One must not try to understand Eurovision.
AZERBAIJAN - 2008
This year's host and defending champions Azerbaijan (which is even further southeast away from Europe than Armenia) made their debut in 2008, with this bizarre good vs. evil duet by Elnur and Samir. It features angels, demons, a costume change, and a plot I don't entirely understand. Not to mention some brutally shrill vocals.
Azerbaijan took this mess and finished in 8th place, which showed the incredible voting power of their diaspora. That high finish wound up being their weakest to date--Azerbaijan finished 3rd, 6th, and 1st in their next three tries (all of which were decidedly less satanic).
BELARUS - 2011
Belarus has only been in the competition since 2004, but there were a lot of WTF entries for me to choose from. I went with their most recent because its WTFness is probably the most unique. It's the only entry in Eurovision history that is straight-up Soviet-esque propaganda. And there's nothing subtle about it (unless you think screaming "I Love Belarus!" over and over could be code for something else).
Anastasiya Vinnikova, the bizarrely huskily-voiced lead propagandist of the song, was originally going to sing an only slightly less obvious propaganda number that was ultimately disqualified called "Born in Byelorussia."
"Born in Byelorussia" (which was at one point titled "I Am Belarusian") yearned for the days of communism with subtle lyrics like "When I was wearing the star / back in the U.S.S.R." and "Born in Byelarussia, USSR time/ Byelarussia, got you on my mind / You're my passion, do it old-fashioned."
BELGIUM - 2009
Belgium was one of the seven countries that competed in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, but has only managed to win the thing once (and that wasn't until 1986).
Belgium has entered a lot of quirky stuff in their time, but I have to give the WTF spot of honor to the Elvis impersonator they sent in 2009, who earned only one point and came perilously close to 0 and the dreaded "nul points."
Pretty thoroughly awful stuff.
As a palate cleanser, here's a bonus Belgian entry from 2003, which finished second and just barely missed out on winning. It's sung in an entirely imaginary language and is a good reminder that Eurovision music doesn't always have to suck.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - 2008
Bosnia often gets stuck in a dirgy rut of Balkan ballads, but when they shake free of it they can be pretty awesome. Case in point, this absolutely insane entry from the 2008 contest in Belgrade, featuring clothesline choreography and knitting brides. It's pretty awesome stuff, and pretty cool that a country whose recent history has been so shitty can take itself so un-seriously on occasion.
BULGARIA - 2009
Bulgaria is an old country but only first emerged onto the Eurovision scene in 2005. They've only made the final once since, and really don't seem to understand what it takes to make a successful Eurovision entry on a very basic level.
Case in point, this epic disaster from 2009. Krassimir Avramov, who won over voters in his national selection show in Bulgaria by talking about how big a deal he was in the US (I mean, you've heard of him, right? Right? Oh.)
They realized somewhere along the way (after they already committed to a medieval theme in a very high-budget promotional video that featured things like boobs and midgets and broken dolls and women with their hair braided together--a lot like a Stefon description of New York's hottest club) that he was awful, and so they decided to flank him with three female backup singers (who were never so much in unison as in competition with each other) and two dancers on stilts. Because really, why not?
Brace yourself.
It's like the audio equivalent of a spinal tap. I don't expect anybody to crash and burn quite this badly at Eurovision 2012, but one can always hope.
CROATIA - 2006
Croatia has had a few down years at Eurovision lately, but this entry from 2006 remains a highlight.
Why is this a WTF, you may ask? "Sure, Ben," you say, "there's a bizarre ethnic instrument no one has ever seen before, folk dancing, and the removal of an already revealing skirt, but that's all standard Eurovision fare in this day and age!"
And you are right, friend. But what really makes this a WTFer is what the lyrics actually mean, which unless you know Croatian you were unlikely to have picked up on. The title "Moja Stikla" translates to "My High Heel," and the chorus discusses how her footsteps prevent grass from growing. Then there's a bunch of random interjections "Hay, straw, cheese, salami!" and a spirited "Africa paprika!" It makes no sense at all and it doesn't care. And that's sort of what Eurovision is all about.
That's all for Part 1, thanks for reading and watching. We'll have Part 2 (Cyprus through Hungary) and a thread for the first semifinal of Eurovision 2012 (at 3:00 pm EDT) tomorrow. Clear your schedule.


text:
Denver Water
Three Stone Buildings
In April, my husband and I visited several of the sites participating in Doors Open Denver, the Denver Architectural Foundation's annual open house. Our favorite stop was Denver Water's Three Stone Buildings. The knowledgeable guide told us that these three small buildings were built in 1880, 1881 and 1905, all of Castle Rock rhyolite.
The photo below is from the Denver Architectural Foundation's Facebook page, and shows you two of the three buildings as they appeared in 1896. While the history and use of the buildings are interesting, I was most interested in the stone.
Castle Rock rhyolite, known geologically as Wall Mountain tuff, was formed during a volcanic explosion near Mt. Princeton about 36 million years ago. The volcano spewed an immense amount of hot ash and pumice into the air. When it landed, the hot ash and pumice compressed and cooled to form either tuff or rhyolite. Tuff is a soft pumice stone that erodes easily and is not a durable building stone. (The ancestral Puebloan people carved caveates out of tuff. Many are now protected as part of Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.) Rhyolite, however, was better compressed and is much more durable as a building stone. According to the geology website Geocaching:
"This rhyolite is ideal for a building stone because of its uniformity, durability, and light weight. The glassy matrix does not have cracks that weaken many types of rock. When it does break, it breaks in conchoidal fractures similar to patterns in broken glass or other non-crystalline volcanic rock like obsidian."
Fortunately for us, a thick band of fine-grained rhyolite about 15 to 30 feet thick was deposited in the Castle Rock area, just south of Denver. Most of the Castle Rock rhyolite is quite durable, but inclusions in the stone like iron cause staining and deterioration of the stone. Castle Rock rhyolite began to be quarried in the late-nineteenth century, and many historic buildings along the Front Range were constructed of this stone. (A nice collection of historic photographs of Castle Rock and its environs, including one of a rhyolite quarry, can be found here.)
The rhyolite used to erect the Three Stone Buildings is very fine grained and is in excellent condition despite being over a century old. Take a look at the original tooling marks banding the corner stones and the irregular, chipped appearance (conchoidal fractures) typical of rusticated rhyolite units on the 1905 building, below.
You can also see small iron inclusions that are rusting and staining the stone's surface, especially at lower right in the photo above, and the two units in the photo below.
The bedding pattern of the hot ash and pumice is also evident on some of the stones in the above photograph, which was taken of one of the two older buildings. The quality of the stone is much less regular on these two older buildings, as is the carving of the stones. Still, the condition of these buildings is quite impressive. Clearly Denver Water has been a good steward of these historic and important buildings.
Jennifer June 26, 2014 stone


text:
Farní sbor Českobratrské církve evangelické v Bukovce je sborem Českobratrské církve evangelické v Bukovce. Sbor spadá pod Chrudimský seniorát.

Farářem sboru je František Plecháček, kurátorem sboru Martin Plecháček.

Faráři sboru
 Pavel Keřkovský (1980–1983)
 Pavel Keřkovský (1983–1988)
 Dagmar Ondříčková (1989–1993)
 Jiří Doležal (1994–2004)
 Martin Grombiřík (2006–2010)
 Dalibor Antalík (2011–2016)
 František Plecháček (2016–)

Externí odkazy
 Údaje o sboru na portálu Evangnet
 Oficiální stránky sboru

Bukovka
Bukovka


Whether you need dish storage for the dining room or extra storage space in the living room, the Copeland Furniture Audrey 3-Drawer / 2-Door Buffet by Copeland Furniture provides versatile storage space while maintaining the elegant, modern d�cor of your home. Beautifully crafted from solid American black walnut hardwood, this modern buffet features a classic, contemporary design that will complement any d�cor while sturdy wood legs and high quality craftsmanship ensure strength and stability. Not only does the Copeland Furniture Audrey 3-Drawer / 2-Door Buffet offer an ample amount of versatile storage space with 2 drawers and two cabinets but is available with the drawers placed on the left, on the right, or in the center of the two doors.


Rumble - This toddler is a huge fan of his dinosaur toys, and at just two years of age, he's able to name all of them by sight. He knows his T-Rex from his raptor, and his brontosaurus from his stegosaurus. He's incredibly polite too, thanking his mother for each toy as she hands them over.
Old lady hears the Macarena and knows every dance move!


text:
Q: Gimbal SDK v2+ Demo App is not Working *No beacon sighiting and no place monitoring for device: InFocus Bingo50 (Android 6.0) *
Samsung, Android Core OS phones runs perfectly, problem in InFocus M460 Bingo50 (Android 6.0, skin inLife UI 2.0). what should i do for scan beacon in this device.. Beacons are already register in Gimbal Manager.
I tried  some ways, but do not get any result.
Try1: Make actual app same as Gimbal SDK 2.36 provided For Android. not work for Infocus bingo50 but samsung Galaxy note5, Android one works perfectly.
Try2: Make Simple Basic app for Beacon sighting and place monitoring (geofence). still Geofence's visit and exit works but Beaon is not scan, no logs in InFocus Bingo50. other device works perfectly.
Try3: AltBeacon Lib used. works perfectly but not get Identifier, only get one beacon scan info while 2 beacons are already switch on. client requirement and advice to just used Gimbal SDK.
Acording to this link
Try2:
    MainActivity.java
 package com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android;

    import android.app.Activity;
    import android.os.Bundle;
    import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;
    import android.widget.ListView;
    import com.gimbal.android.Gimbal;

    public class MainActivity extends Activity {

    LocationPermissions permissions;
    private ArrayAdapter<String> listAdapter;
    private ListView listView;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        listAdapter = new ArrayAdapter<String>(this,
                android.R.layout.simple_list_item_1);
        listView = (ListView) findViewById(R.id.list);
        listView.setAdapter(listAdapter);

        listAdapter.add("Setting Gimbal API Key");
        listAdapter.notifyDataSetChanged();
        Gimbal.setApiKey(this.getApplication(),
                "a252edba-981a-4b7e-b668-38661b616415");

        if (permissions == null) {
            permissions = new LocationPermissions(this);
        }
        permissions.checkAndRequestPermission(listAdapter);

    }

    @Override
    public void onRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode,
            String[] permissions, int[] grantResults) {
        this.permissions.onRequestPermissionResult(requestCode, permissions,
                grantResults);
    }

    @Override
    public void onDestroy() {
        super.onDestroy();
    }
   }

LocationPermissions.java
package com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android;

import android.Manifest;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.app.AlertDialog;
import android.content.DialogInterface;
import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
import android.support.v4.app.ActivityCompat;
import android.support.v4.content.ContextCompat;
import android.widget.ArrayAdapter;
import android.widget.TextView;

import com.gimbal.android.BeaconEventListener;
import com.gimbal.android.BeaconManager;
import com.gimbal.android.BeaconSighting;
import com.gimbal.android.CommunicationManager;
import com.gimbal.android.PlaceEventListener;
import com.gimbal.android.PlaceManager;
import com.gimbal.android.Visit;
import android.util.Log;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Locale;

public class LocationPermissions implements DialogInterface.OnClickListener {
private static final String TAG = "LocationPermissions";
public static final int LOCATION_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE = 100;
static private Activity activity;

public LocationPermissions(Activity activity) {
    this.activity = activity;
}

private PlaceManager placeManager;
private PlaceEventListener placeEventListener;
private ArrayAdapter<String> listAdapter;

private BeaconManager beaconManager;
private BeaconEventListener beaconEventListener;

public void checkAndRequestPermission(ArrayAdapter<String> listAdapter) {
    this.listAdapter = listAdapter;
    if (isLocationPermissionEnabled()) {
        enablePlaceMonitoring();
    } else {
        requestLocationPermission();
    }
}

public boolean isLocationPermissionEnabled() {
    return ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(this.activity,
            Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED;
}

public void requestLocationPermission() {
    if (!ActivityCompat.shouldShowRequestPermissionRationale(this.activity,
            Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION)) {
        showMessageOKCancel(
                "Permitting us to access your location will entitle you to receive exclusive offers when you visit our stores. Please allow us to access your location so that we can better help you navigate our event.",
                this.activity, this, this);
        return;
    }
    activityRequestPermission();
}

private static void showMessageOKCancel(String message, Activity activity,
        DialogInterface.OnClickListener okListener,
        DialogInterface.OnClickListener cancelListener) {
    new AlertDialog.Builder(activity).setMessage(message)
            .setPositiveButton("OK", okListener).create().show();
}

@Override
public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) {
    if (which == DialogInterface.BUTTON_POSITIVE) {
        ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this.activity, new String[] {
                Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION,
                Manifest.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION },
                LOCATION_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE);
    } else if (which == DialogInterface.BUTTON_NEGATIVE) {
        Log.e(TAG, "Application was denied permission!");

    }

}

private void activityRequestPermission() {
    ActivityCompat.requestPermissions(this.activity, new String[] {
            Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION,
            Manifest.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION },
            LOCATION_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE);
}

public void onRequestPermissionResult(int requestCode,
        String[] permissions, int[] grantResults) {
    if (requestCode == LOCATION_PERMISSION_REQUEST_CODE) {
        if (grantResults.length > 0
                && grantResults[0] == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
            enablePlaceMonitoring();
        } else {
            Log.e(TAG, "Application was denied permission!");
        }

    }
}

private void enablePlaceMonitoring() {

    final SimpleDateFormat dateFormate = new SimpleDateFormat(
            "MM/dd/yyyy, hh:mm:ss", Locale.UK);
    final String dateTimeStr;

    beaconEventListener = new BeaconEventListener() {
        @Override
        public void onBeaconSighting(BeaconSighting beaconSighting) {
            // TODO Auto-generated method stub
            super.onBeaconSighting(beaconSighting);
            String UUID = beaconSighting.getBeacon().getUuid();
            String beaconName = beaconSighting.getBeacon().getName();
            String identifier = beaconSighting.getBeacon().getIdentifier();
            Integer RSSI = beaconSighting.getRSSI();
            long dateTime = beaconSighting.getTimeInMillis();
            String dateString = new SimpleDateFormat("MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss")
                    .format(new Date(dateTime));

            listAdapter.add(beaconName.toString() + " " + dateString+"Rssi: "+RSSI);
            Log.i("GBeaconListener", "Name: " + beaconName + " RSSI: "
                    + RSSI + " DateTime: " + dateString);
        }

    };

    placeEventListener = new PlaceEventListener() {
        String dateTimeStr;

        @Override
        public void onVisitStart(Visit visit) {

            dateTimeStr = dateFormate
                    .format(visit.getArrivalTimeInMillis());
            listAdapter.add(String.format("Start Visit for %s,\n %s", visit
                    .getPlace().getName(), dateTimeStr.toString()));
            listAdapter.notifyDataSetChanged();
        }

        @Override
        public void onVisitEnd(Visit visit) {
            dateTimeStr = dateFormate.format(visit
                    .getDepartureTimeInMillis());
            listAdapter.add(String.format("End Visit for %s,\n %s", visit
                    .getPlace().getName(), dateTimeStr.toString()));
            listAdapter.notifyDataSetChanged();
        }

        @Override
        public void onBeaconSighting(BeaconSighting beaconSighting,
                List<Visit> list) {
            super.onBeaconSighting(beaconSighting, list);

            String UUID = beaconSighting.getBeacon().getUuid();
            String beaconName = beaconSighting.getBeacon().getName();
            String identifier = beaconSighting.getBeacon().getIdentifier();
            Integer RSSI = beaconSighting.getRSSI();
            long dateTime = beaconSighting.getTimeInMillis();
            String dateString = new SimpleDateFormat("MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss",Locale.UK)
                    .format(new Date(dateTime));
            // listAdapter.add(
            // beaconName.toString() +" " + dateString );

            Log.i("GPlaceListener", "Name: " + beaconName + " RSSI: "
                    + RSSI + " DateTime: " + dateString);

        }
    };

    beaconManager = new BeaconManager();
    beaconManager.addListener(beaconEventListener);

    placeManager = PlaceManager.getInstance();
    placeManager.addListener(placeEventListener);

    placeManager.startMonitoring();
    beaconManager.startListening();

    CommunicationManager.getInstance().startReceivingCommunications();
}
}

activity_main.xml
    <RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools" android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent" android:paddingLeft="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
    android:paddingRight="@dimen/activity_horizontal_margin"
    android:paddingTop="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin"
    android:paddingBottom="@dimen/activity_vertical_margin" tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <ListView
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="fill_parent"
        android:id="@+id/list"
        android:layout_centerVertical="true"
        android:layout_alignParentStart="true" />

</RelativeLayout>

AndroidManifest.xml
  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
    <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
        package="com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android"
        android:versionCode="1"
        android:versionName="1.0" >

        <uses-sdk
            android:minSdkVersion="19"
            android:targetSdkVersion="23" />

        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE" />
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BATTERY_STATS" />
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH" />
        <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN" />

        <application
            android:allowBackup="true"
            android:icon="@drawable/ic_launcher"
            android:label="@string/app_name"
            android:theme="@style/AppTheme" >
            <activity
                android:name=".MainActivity"
                android:label="@string/app_name" >
                <intent-filter>
                    <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

                    <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
                </intent-filter>
            </activity>

            <meta-data android:name="com.google.android.gms.version" android:value="8487000"/>
        </application>

    </manifest>

Logs:
    04-03 14:48:27.378: V/ActivityThread(30746): Handling launch of ActivityRecord{88c3202 token=android.os.BinderProxy@a7a1713 {com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}} startsNotResumed=false
04-03 14:48:27.378: V/ActivityThread(30746): ActivityRecord{88c3202 token=android.os.BinderProxy@a7a1713 {com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}}: app=android.app.Application@ef9b66b, appName=com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android, pkg=com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android, comp={com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}, dir=/data/app/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android-1/base.apk
04-03 14:48:27.415: V/ActivityThread(30746): Performing resume of ActivityRecord{88c3202 token=android.os.BinderProxy@a7a1713 {com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}}
04-03 14:48:27.416: D/ActivityThread(30746): ACT-AM_ON_RESUME_CALLED ActivityRecord{88c3202 token=android.os.BinderProxy@a7a1713 {com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}}
04-03 14:48:27.416: V/ActivityThread(30746): Resume ActivityRecord{88c3202 token=android.os.BinderProxy@a7a1713 {com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}} started activity: false, hideForNow: false, finished: false
04-03 14:48:27.416: V/PhoneWindow(30746): DecorView setVisiblity: visibility = 4 ,Parent =null, this =com.android.internal.policy.PhoneWindow$DecorView{4b5cd50 I.E...... R.....ID 0,0-0,0}
04-03 14:48:27.417: D/WindowClient(30746): Add to mViews: com.android.internal.policy.PhoneWindow$DecorView{4b5cd50 I.E...... R.....ID 0,0-0,0}, this = android.view.WindowManagerGlobal@6d3b7fb
04-03 14:48:27.418: D/OpenGLRenderer(30746): CanvasContext() 0x7fa98e5800
04-03 14:48:27.420: D/ViewRootImpl(30746): hardware acceleration is enabled, this = ViewRoot{914d962 com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity,ident = 2}
04-03 14:48:27.427: V/ActivityThread(30746): Resuming ActivityRecord{88c3202 token=android.os.BinderProxy@a7a1713 {com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}} with isForward=true
04-03 14:48:27.427: V/PhoneWindow(30746): DecorView setVisiblity: visibility = 0 ,Parent =ViewRoot{914d962 com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity,ident = 2}, this =com.android.internal.policy.PhoneWindow$DecorView{4b5cd50 V.E...... R.....ID 0,0-0,0}
04-03 14:48:27.428: V/ActivityThread(30746): Scheduling idle handler for ActivityRecord{88c3202 token=android.os.BinderProxy@a7a1713 {com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}}
04-03 14:48:27.432: D/ActivityThread(30746): ACT-LAUNCH_ACTIVITY handled : 0 / ActivityRecord{88c3202 token=android.os.BinderProxy@a7a1713 {com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity}}
04-03 14:48:27.450: D/Surface(30746): Surface::allocateBuffers(this=0x7f94fbb400)
04-03 14:48:27.450: D/OpenGLRenderer(30746): CanvasContext() 0x7fa98e5800 initialize window=0x7f94fbb410, title=com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android/com.gimbal.hello_gimbal_android.MainActivity
04-03 14:48:27.450: D/Surface(30746): Surface::connect(this=0x7f94fbb400,api=1)
04-03 14:48:27.452: W/libEGL(30746): [ANDROID_RECORDABLE] format: 1
04-03 14:48:27.455: D/mali_winsys(30746): new_window_surface returns 0x3000
04-03 14:48:27.464: V/InputMethodManager(30746): onWindowFocus: android.widget.ListView{7c335d6 VFED.VC.. .F....ID 32,32-688,1008 #7f080000 app:id/list} softInputMode=272 first=true flags=#1810100
04-03 14:48:27.464: V/InputMethodManager(30746): START INPUT: android.widget.ListView{7c335d6 VFED.VC.. .F....ID 32,32-688,1008 #7f080000 app:id/list} ic=null tba=android.view.inputmethod.EditorInfo@37edadc controlFlags=#105
04-03 14:48:27.480: I/[MALI][Gralloc](30746): [+]r_hnd(0x7fab9a7ce0), client(28), share_fd(40)
04-03 14:48:27.480: D/GraphicBuffer(30746): register, handle(0x7fab9a7ce0) (w:720 h:1184 s:720 f:0x1 u:0x000b00)
04-03 14:48:28.652: I/[MALI][Gralloc](30746): [+]r_hnd(0x7fab9a7380), client(28), share_fd(41)
04-03 14:48:28.652: D/GraphicBuffer(30746): register, handle(0x7fab9a7380) (w:720 h:1184 s:720 f:0x1 u:0x000b00)
04-03 14:48:28.669: I/[MALI][Gralloc](30746): [+]r_hnd(0x7fab9a79c0), client(28), share_fd(43)
04-03 14:48:28.670: D/GraphicBuffer(30746): register, handle(0x7fab9a79c0) (w:720 h:1184 s:720 f:0x1 u:0x000b00)
04-03 14:48:28.686: I/[MALI][Gralloc](30746): [+]r_hnd(0x7fab9a7ba0), client(28), share_fd(44)
04-03 14:48:28.686: D/GraphicBuffer(30746): register, handle(0x7fab9a7ba0) (w:720 h:1184 s:720 f:0x1 u:0x000b00)
04-03 14:49:01.283: V/InputMethodManager(30746): onWindowFocus: android.widget.ListView{7c335d6 VFED.VC.. .F.....D 32,32-688,1008 #7f080000 app:id/list} softInputMode=16 first=false flags=#181

More Logs:
04-04 00:37:45.138: D/NativeCrypto(3035): ssl=0x7f94e67480 NativeCrypto_SSL_interrupt
04-04 00:37:45.138: D/NativeCrypto(3035):  sslNotify, appData=0x7f94ccb500 ret=1
04-04 00:37:45.138: D/NativeCrypto(3035):  sslNotify, appData=0x7f94ccb500 ret=1
04-04 00:37:45.138: D/NativeCrypto(3035): ssl=0x7f94e67480 info_callback where=0x4008 ret=256
04-04 00:37:45.138: D/NativeCrypto(3035): ssl=0x7f94e67480 SSL3 alert write:W:CN warning close notify
04-04 00:37:45.139: D/NativeCrypto(3035): ssl=0x7f94e67480 info_callback ignored
04-04 00:37:45.139: I/System.out(3035): close [socket][/10.66.51.2:49434]
`

output of Try2:
Not Working InFocus M460:

Working  other devices: Shows Beacons / Geofence / place logs.

Updates:
Infocus Bingo50 is Encrypted by default. Again Gimbal Sample app is not able to sight / scan beacon.  I tested in 3rd party beacon scanning app (scan iBeacon) from this device, beacon logs received but not in sample app.

Updated Logs:
05-31 18:49:01.876 17875-17875/com.gimbal.android.sample I/-----: Using android logger factory
05-31 18:49:02.031 17875-17875/com.gimbal.android.sample E/WifiManager: mWifiServiceMessenger == null
05-31 18:49:02.414 17875-18190/com.gimbal.android.sample E/GED: Failed to get GED Log Buf, err(0)
05-31 18:49:07.481 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=registration.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:07.481 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=4; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:07.482 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=registration.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:07.482 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=1024; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:08.493 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: getaddrinfo: registration.gimbal.com get result from proxy gai_error = 0
05-31 18:49:08.874 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=registration.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:08.874 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=4; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:09.255 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample E/NativeCrypto: ssl=0x7fa84e1580 cert_verify_callback x509_store_ctx=0x7f921f4370 arg=0x0
05-31 18:49:09.255 17875-18269/com.gimbal.android.sample E/NativeCrypto: ssl=0x7fa84e1580 cert_verify_callback calling verifyCertificateChain authMethod=ECDHE_RSA
05-31 18:49:10.381 17875-18213/com.gimbal.android.sample W/G.d: [PropertyChangeNotif] Failed to update places: Unable to refresh place bubble, no fix available
05-31 18:49:10.416 17875-17935/com.gimbal.android.sample D/BluetoothLeScanner: onClientRegistered() - status=0 clientIf=5
05-31 18:49:10.424 17875-18213/com.gimbal.android.sample I/BluetoothLeScanner: startRegisteration: mLeScanClients={com.gimbal.proximity.core.bluetooth.k$1@2838227=android.bluetooth.le.BluetoothLeScanner$BleScanCallbackWrapper@4d07cd4}
05-31 18:49:11.234 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=placebubble.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:11.237 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=4; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:11.246 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=placebubble.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:11.246 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=1024; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:11.323 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: getaddrinfo: placebubble.gimbal.com get result from proxy gai_error = 0
05-31 18:49:11.625 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=placebubble.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:11.625 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=4; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:11.966 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample E/NativeCrypto: ssl=0x7fa84e2200 cert_verify_callback x509_store_ctx=0x7f9223e3b0 arg=0x0
05-31 18:49:11.967 17875-18278/com.gimbal.android.sample E/NativeCrypto: ssl=0x7fa84e2200 cert_verify_callback calling verifyCertificateChain authMethod=ECDHE_RSA
05-31 18:49:12.564 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=android.api.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:12.564 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=4; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:12.564 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=android.api.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:12.564 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=1024; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:12.607 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: getaddrinfo: android.api.gimbal.com get result from proxy gai_error = 0
05-31 18:49:12.912 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: hostname=android.api.gimbal.com; servname=(null); netid=0; mark=0
05-31 18:49:12.912 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample D/libc-netbsd: [getaddrinfo]: ai_addrlen=0; ai_canonname=(null); ai_flags=4; ai_family=0
05-31 18:49:13.243 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample E/NativeCrypto: ssl=0x7f91ea8700 cert_verify_callback x509_store_ctx=0x7f91939370 arg=0x0
05-31 18:49:13.243 17875-18283/com.gimbal.android.sample E/NativeCrypto: ssl=0x7f91ea8700 cert_verify_callback calling verifyCertificateChain authMethod=ECDHE_RSA

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