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European Telcos
Sigfox boosts its IoT global footprint, achieving national coverage in 17 countries
At Sigfox World IoT Expo last week in Prague-Czech Republic, Sigfox announced that its network now spans 36 countries, as part of its mission to offer a consistent level of connectivity quality and service anywhere in the world.
Here are the highlights of the Sigfox conference:
- Sigfox's network is now available in 36 countries, including 17 countries with national coverage and the addition of four new operators in Costa Rica, Croatia, Thailand, and Tunisia.
- A new suite of connectivity services which includes the ability to turn any short-range wireless device into a long range IoT device, connect to the Sigfox network in markets where coverage hasn't been deployed yet, and new interoperability capabilities which allows IoT devices to recognize and automatically adapt to local communications standards without any additional hardware.
- Partnering with GCT Semiconductor, Sigfox has now launched the first hybrid cellular/Sigfox IoT solution– a chip which can support LTE-M/NB-IoT/EC-GSM and Sigfox IoT connectivity.
- New partnerships with electronics manufacturer Alps Electric Europe, Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions, and strategy consultancy Roland Berger
"We're excited to work with all of our new partners, this move marks yet another key milestone towards Sigfox's vision of a global IoT network. We are looking forward to collaborating with our new Sigfox operators to help their local ecosystems to seamlessly scale IoT solutions wherever the Sigfox network is present in the world. Together, we're building a future that will be better to live in," said Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, Executive Vice President of Operators at Sigfox.
Sigfox operators are not only contributing to accelerate IoT development in their local markets, they are also committing to deploy and operate the network infrastructure and offer national coverage in their country. Up to now, almost 100 million euros have been invested by Sigfox operators to offer a unique access to the Sigfox IoT services, with the exact same quality of service.
This unique global offer is enriched with Sigfox new service Monarch, now allowing IoT devices to recognize and automatically adapt to every local communications standard in the world without roaming. By enabling 'globe trotter' assets that can seamlessly adapt as they move across borders, Monarch could be a game-changer for logistics, freight, and consumer goods industries.
In Ireland, Sigfox Operator VT signed a €1-mill IoT subscription with Dunraven Systems, a market leader in the design and development of ultrasonic fuel tank monitors.
In addition to its core IoT connectivity service, Sigfox offers a range of services to make even more simple to use Sigfox's technology, to deploy and to adopt mass IoT solutions. These services allow to connect billions of wireless devices that are not yet connected to the internet.
Above illustration courtesy of Sigfox
This potential game-changing development has been made possible by the cognitive capabilities of the Sigfox network and its Software Defined Radio technology, where all the network and computing complexity is managed in the Cloud rather than on the device. This enables Sigfox to constantly improve its network features and make them available by simple software upgrade.
A key question for Sigfox is whether they'll also support the new LPWAN standards and specs (LTE category M1, NB-IoT, LoRA WAN, etc). We've asked the company and are eagerly awaiting their reply. Stay tuned.
Telecom Italia "5G" trial to blanket San Marino in 2018
According to the Financial Times (on line subscription required):
Telecom Italia plans to test its home grown "5G" technology in the micro-state of San Marino next year, making it the first country in the world to boast a nationwide 5G network. The state of San Marino, which has little more than 30,000 citizens, extends to only 61 sq km, making it the smallest republic in the world.
Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of the tiny country to upgrade the existing 4G-LTE network in advance of a trial of "5G" services in 2018. It will double the number of mobile sites and will install a network of small cells in downtown San Marino, a Unesco heritage site, this year that will provide the backbone of the future commercial network. Investment in 5G network trials are taking place around the world with carriers in South Korea, China and the US among the most active in testing 5G technology. Giovanni Ferigo, head of technology for Telecom Italia Mobile, said San Marino's 5G network would be the first in Europe "for sure."
It was not revealed who created the specs for the Italian telco's "5G" network or where Telecom Italia will procure the end point devices/handsets. One would assume that Ericsson is supplying TIM with the "5G" base stations, based on a MOU signed between the two companies in March of this year. TIM wrote in a press release on March 2, 2017:
TIM and Ericsson are committing to share skills, projects, laboratories and resources for designing, testing and building the technological components of the new 5G network needed to create a complete and open ecosystem around next-generation digital services.
In particular, the agreement will directly involve the research and innovation structures of the two companies, focusing on the design and testing of access infrastructure, the respective antenna systems and network virtualisation solutions, particularly through joint participation in Italian and European research projects and integration of service platforms for testing in the field of innovative Use Cases.
The 5G system will provide peak speeds of up to dozens of Gbps for UltraHD services and cloud computing solutions, a decrease in communication latency, reducing it to a few milliseconds, reliability for mission-critical services and service density with the ability to connect up to a hundred thousand terminals per cell. These characteristics mean that 5G will become the reference mobile network for next-generation digital services (such as virtual reality) and for the industrial Internet (robotics, manufacturing, health, environment, self-driving logistics).
The agreement is part of the "5G for Italy" initiative launched in 2016 by TIM and Ericsson for the establishment of an ecosystem of experimental industrial partners, confirming the commitment of the two companies to innovating technologies and networks in support of the socio-economic growth of the country.
Telecom Italia is also testing "5G" in Milano and Torino, but has more freedom in San Marino to experiment because of fewer restrictions on the use of airwaves than in Italy.
"We need to experiment as soon as possible," Mr Ferigo said. The work done in San Marino would play a critical role in the future of 5G technology in Italy but was also crucial to the wider European sector as standards for the new network are refined.
"For 5G, our intention is a European leadership in standardization," he said. The European Commission published a 5G action plan last year when it estimated that sectors such as healthcare, transport, cars and utilities would see economic benefits of €113bn by 2025 from the technology. However, the European Commission does not generate any telecom standards. For Europe, that's ETSI which contributes to 3GPP and its members contribute to ITU-R WP 5D which is standardizing true 5G (as we've noted in numerous blog posts/articles).
Earlier this year, Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) said LTE customers are expected to account for around 90% of its mobile broadband customers by 2019; That's due to almost blanket LTE coverage of Italy with network speeds up to 75 Mbps and peaks of 500 Mbps in the main cities via the use of LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation.
The above referenced FT "5G" article states:
Some countries have committed to the first 5G launches in 2019 but the wider telecoms industry is still struggling to define exactly what 5G technology is and some have argued that it is not yet clear how they can justify spending billions on the new network.
Mr Ferigo said the San Marino launch would be "very important" in defining the use case for 5G that would transform all sectors from healthcare to robotics to public transport. Telecom Italia has started working with companies including Maserati and Ducati on the use of better wireless technology but also the makers of parmesan cheese who want to better monitor the cows in their fields. Small territories have been used in the past for telecoms testing. The first 3G trial in the UK took place on the Isle of Man, while the remote Isle of Bute in Scotland was used to test "white space" technology.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2017. All rights reserved.
Arthur D Little- Telco Europe CEOs: 1% CAGR for Next 5 Years + Telco Transformation Issues
Source: Karam Targa, Managing Partner & Global Practice Leader at Arthur D Little-Austria.
On May 15th, Arthur D Little held its flagship Telco CEO & Private Equity Event in its office in Vienna, Austria. The event covered the key trends in the telecom industry, in which 60+ Telco CEOs, Managing Directors, Private Equity firms, Telco shareholders and European Regulators from more than 18 countries participated.
This year's gathering focused on the industry's hottest topic:
"How digitalization will impact telecommunication operators' configuration"
It addresses five critical questions for the telecom industry:
1. Volume-driven growth in core telcos on the horizon, back to growth?
2. B2B2x: will operators finally take advantage of the digitization of the industry?
3. Changing production models: why and how?
4. A new art: managing assets – why owning everything may not be optimal?
5. Quantifying the impact for a new telco model?
The event began with a welcome by Karim Taga, Global TIME Practice Leader and Managing Partner of Arthur D. Little – Austria. Following that was a presentation on the key observations and future strategic choices by Bela Virag, Partner at Arthur D. Little – Austria and lead author of this year's flagship report. The event finished with a Q&A session, during which the topics raised a lively discussion about the implications of the findings on the future development of telecom operators (telcos).
Key insights:
- AD Little expects that telcos will master the "ARPU x volume" battle moving forward, which will amount to approximately +1% CAGR (in Europe) over the next five years, stabilizing top-line growth.
- B2B2x is gaining importance – it represents a new segment and an untapped opportunity for telcos, which can be captured by leveraging core assets and capabilities and understanding what is needed to help companies digitize.
- New production models begin to emerge – a tailored transformational journey will be key to drive improved customer experience, lower production costs and more innovative/faster time to market.
- Telecom Operators (telcos) will need to review how they manage their diverse portfolios of assets to deal with a potentially significant impact on balance sheets due to a shift from depreciation to OPEX.
- AD Little expects the markets to recognize that, given a change from the traditional approach of asset management, vastly different types of operators will offer different risk profiles and abilities to scale.
- Volume-driven growth in core European telcos is on the horizon, with an estimated 1% CAGR over the next five years (in the geographic perimeter considered in the report modeling).
- Seeking further growth, some operators are expected to focus on new market opportunities outside their core segments and reconfigure their businesses in order to address the increased pressure on various financial margins.
- The "ARPU x volume" equation remains a key characteristic of the telecom services market. Declines in ARPU are anticipated across nearly all market segments, coupled with volume increases.
- AD Little forecasts that telcos will win the "price x volume" battle.
- Mobile and fixed broadband services will act as key growth drivers and offset declining segments such as fixed telephony. This is part of a transition from having voice segments as the main revenue driver to becoming a complementary service in converged bundles.
- Voice markets will become less relevant as the revenue share of converged services grows stand-alone segments and revenue becomes too complex to be attributed to the voice market.
B2B2x: Will operators finally take advantage of the digitization of the industry?
B2B2x is a new segment seen as an extension in new markets, in parallel with the existing segments of B2B, B2C and wholesale. It is developing to capture the business opportunity of operating customers' digital solutions. B2B2x differs from the other segments in that services become part of the client's value chain.
It differs from the Internet of Things (IoT) in that it does not include B2C, but does involve services delivered by people.
AD Little expects this market segment to reach $276B in size – or 8% of global ICT spending – by 2020 and, as such, it should be one of the fastest-growing fields for telcos to focus on.
By leveraging their assets, telecom operators can carve out a space in the segment and address a much larger share of the "digitization of the industry" mega-trend than they have historically. Doing this requires a thorough understanding of what is needed to help companies digitize. We expect that some operators will actively address this new segment in an attempt to become part of their customers' value chains, while others may choose not to participate. The main perceived drawbacks are around possibilities that the company is not ready yet, the opportunity is too small, or IT providers are better positioned, deterring the telco's entry. Industrial digitization is already in motion, and there is a material opportunity in providing and operating digital services for B2B clients. Telcos can, as well as or better than IT companies, operate technical assets on a reliable, low-cost basis. In order to capture this new opportunity, telecom operators need to work towards proactively engineering and jointly operating business models for their customers, adopting a perspective of value co-creation.
Telcos need to amend the design, sale and operation of offerings, as well as increase the agility and openness of their internal systems and processes so they can produce repeatable and scalable results from the B2B2x segment.
Changing production models: Why and how?
Three factors are driving new production models:
- An improved customer experience
- Lower production costs
- More innovation/faster time to market
AD Little Forecasts:
- Eventually network resources will become elastic, transparent and accessible – moving far away from today's often slow, cumbersome and inefficient architectures.
- We will see web-like collaboration between companies emerge – even in the network and Operations Support System / Business Support System (OSS/BSS) domain.
- We will also see web-like competition emerge (amongst telcos).
- Cross-border service competition will arise and international expansion will be accelerated.
- We expect groups with multinational footprints to be able to leverage group-wide scale effects and eventually achieve lower costs.
- Beyond this, we expect some of them to become suppliers to off-footprint operators. Transformation programs must be tailored to achieve the strategic goal of the operator initiating the move.
AD Little Takeaways:
Four key takeaways emerge from AD Little's analysis:
- There is no "one-size-fits-all" transformation program available, at least at a feasible price. As a consequence, telcos need to evaluate and set their goals and prioritize their choices.
- Customer experience strategies are geared towards enabling delivery of the demanded solutions, which still may lack the technology or an attractive business case.
- Cost optimization from business-model abstraction is enabled as hardware, software and related processes are automated and centralized, while divestment optimizes asset structure.
- Operators must make production models more accessible and programmable to enable swift and efficient innovation, beating competitors to market with a differentiating offering. Operators have struggled to monetize the growth of data traffic. More importantly, though, many operators have recognized that they need to redesign their production models to meet the continued demand for bandwidth, agility, accessibility and efficiency increases.
A new art – managing assets: Why owning everything may not be optimal:
Traditionally, telcos owned and operated their infrastructure for both fixed and mobile telecommunication services. They obtained a unique strategic advantage by owning infrastructure that was wider in geographical reach and better in technology than that of competitors. The strategic advantage of owning infrastructure needs recalibration in importance compared to the past. Diverse asset groupings, such as data centers, towers and legacy networks, among others, require differing managerial approaches and strategic objectives. Operators will need to consider establishing dedicated approaches that suit each asset class. Certain assets, such as fiber and small cells, will likely work in asset-sharing models. As many copper-network owners embark on fiber-upgrade journeys, they will have to balance the need for fiber sharing with their legacy roadmaps. This is in stark contrast to cable network operators, which, given their technical nature, can follow "upgrade with demand" strategies.
Clearly, this will have a significant impact on balance sheets: a shift from depreciation to OPEX makes EBITDA levels less comparable.
However, the most dramatic impact will stem from the vastly different types of operators that spring into existence: we will have traditional players competing with asset-light players following rigorous cost-cutting approaches while operating on simple, customer-centric models. Beyond that, we will see international operators expanding their footprints based on equally available infrastructure assets.
Quantifying the impact:
AD Little expects the markets to recognize that these vastly different types of operators offer very different risk profiles and abilities to scale. Operators can differentiate their plays by: becoming truly global players; partnering with capable players that fully embrace the new segments and customer needs; remaining strong and highly efficient in their domestic markets; becoming asset-heavy or -light operators; or becoming pure asset-holding and operating players. All of these possible paths have one thing in common: they anticipate the arrival of the next wave of efficiency increases – this time on a much more global scale.
AD Little expects to see an increase in the importance of non-tangible assets in the sense of capabilities: e.g., the "degree of openness" of an operator to third parties, the "market-oriented approach to assets", and the ability to "take design responsibility for the software that runs their factories" will gain weight when assessing operators.
Q&A Discussion:
Should operators be as they are today, or transform into asset-light and asset-heavy parts?
What role will the production platform play?
It became clear that changing the current set-up will raise a number of subsequent questions, e.g. how to manage the transition, what ownership and governance models to adopt and how differentiation from competitors can be achieved.
The B2B2x opportunity also raised interest. The main issues discussed were related to telcos' ability to build up capabilities to partner and to open their production platforms. Overall, there seemed to be a consensus on the need for clearer evaluation of the necessary steps in terms of investments, acquisitions, and other means of capability building to engage in the B2B2x opportunity.
One of the final topics discussed related to the management of such diverse operators. Will EBITDA or EBITDA margins still be as relevant? It seems that management and investors alike will need to refocus on EBIT and FCF as the leading KPIs by which operators will be managed. As some operators will own infrastructure while others share or buy access to it, the EBITDA performance may vary greatly.
About Arthur D. Little:
Arthur D. Little has been at the forefront of innovation since 1886. We are an acknowledged thought leader in linking strategy, innovation and transformation in technology-intensive and converging industries. We navigate our clients through changing business ecosystems to uncover new growth opportunities. We enable our clients in building innovation capabilities and transforming their organizations. Our consultants have strong practical industry experience combined with excellent knowledge of key trends and dynamics. Arthur D. Little is present in the most important business centers around the world. We are proud to serve most of the Fortune 1000 companies, in addition to other leading firms and public sector organizations. For further information, please visit www.adlittle.com
Copyright © Arthur D. Little 2017.
Ines Matzelle – firstname.lastname@example.com
Karim Taga – email@example.com


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Our program offers a nurturing and caring environment that inspires natural curiosity and fosters physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social development. Children learn to express themselves in many ways through "play": to think critically, solve problems creatively, and to interact positively with others. We believe children in preschool should have a wide variety of developmentally appropriate activities. The program balance between teacher-structured and student-choice activities is comfortable and realistic for the young child.
825 W. Desert Fairways Drive
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subset: commoncrawl


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Africa the next setting of US-China spat
by SAVIOUS KWINIKA
JOHANNESBURG – WITH the United States (US) warning about the perils of Chinese debt-fuelled spending for economic stability and China set to continue broadening engagement across Africa early signs indicate the rivalry between the two economic powerhouses will intensify in the continent in 2019.
The rivalry is set to play itself out mostly in East Africa.
These are among the key findings of the RiskMap 2019, a publication forecasting political and security risk for business leaders and policy makers across the world.
Control Risks, the specialist global risk consultancy, produced the
The current publication comes as the US-China rivalry that dominated global headlines in 2018 has played out less visibly in Africa than on other continents.
Daniel Heal, Control Risks Senior Partner for East Africa based in
Nairobi, Kenya said support for China or the US had not emerged as a defining issue in African politics, with most countries keen to pursue closer ties and seek financing from both sides than on one camp.
"In 2019, we might see this changing," he said.
Heal said while still the largest investor on the continent, the US had
seen its engagement on the continent become more narrowly focused on security matters under the current administration of President Donald Trump.
In contrast, the Chinese government of President Xi Jinping has made formidable inroads in sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade.
Heal said the current year would show revived US interest in development finance and lending for infrastructure projects on the continent and a more concerted US commercial strategy towards Africa likely taking shape.
"The increased rivalry will therefore open up additional investment
opportunities but will also present African countries with increasingly starker foreign policy and commercial choices."
Overall, Control Risks projected, the US-China trade confrontation will define global geopolitics in 2019.
This is set to complicate business not only for those European businesses operating in both countries but also for those with connections several times removed.
– CAJ News


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GM factory driver Olly Gavin and his Banner Racing team mate Gunther Schaldach drove a faultless race at Barber Motorsports Park today to take the #07 The Cool TV Camaro GT.R to second place in the GT class in round two of the 2011 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The Anglo-American duo took the checkered flag 2.5 seconds behind Bill Auberlen's Turner Motorsport BMW, and both Gavin and Auberlen finished one lap ahead of the next six runners.
The British, four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans GT1 winner paid tribute to 37-year-old Schaldach of Colorado, who qualified the GM Camaro in third place on the GT grid for the 2h 45 minute race on the 2.3 mile, 17-turn road course in Birmingham, Alabama.
"Gunther's performance in qualifying was great and it really put us in a strong position for the race. He started, drove well and kept the car in a top three spot throughout his stint, handing it over to me with not a scratch on it. We were pretty well matched to the BMW at the start and finish of each stint, but they seemed to have us covered during the middle section."
Olly continued, "We got a bit of a break with 45 minutes of the race to go when there was a caution period and Bill [Auberlen] and I got a wave by and went a lap up on everyone else. I got within two seconds of him but then we both came up on a Mazda. Bill got by him, with the bit of extra power they've got over us, and I got stuck behind for 10 laps which just about finished our race. I ran out of time to try anything else.
"The Camaro GT.R was fantastic for the whole weekend and I'm pleased with this second place. I'm really proud of the guys at Leighton Reese Performance Group as they worked very hard on the car since Homestead to make us comfortable. We've had a new seat and air conditioning system installed and made some good steps forward with set up. Our engineer, Tony Dowe, was right on it from the first practice and we were fast all weekend. I'm sure we can continue with this momentum, and I think the VIR track will be even better for the Camaro so we can really challenge for victory."
Oliver's next race with be the second round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series on the streets of Long Beach, California on Saturday, April 16.


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|Tasty Dairy Specialities Limited
Country: India
City: kanpur
Address: C-1 to C-5 , Udyog Kunj, Panki Site - V, Kanpur (U.P.) INDIA Pin: 208020
Phone: +915122551643
Fax: +915122551643
Local Business Registration Code: 017227/PMT/SSI
Website: www.tastydairy.com
|Catagory:Food Sub-categories: Cheese Dairy Rice
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from 30/07/2004 to today 05/12/2019 for a period of 15 years and 131 days.
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Epson Announces Low-Price, High-Res Scanner
Epson has announced a low-priced, high-resolution color scanner for photo enthusiasts and anyone looking to preserve digital memories. The Epson Perfection V200 Photo is a flatbed single-pass scanner for which the company's stated optical resolution is 4,800 dpi. It provides one-touch scanning for photos or film. Its high-rise 180-degree lid and hinge let it scan documents and 3D objects up to 25-mm thickness. A built-in transparency unit helps scan slides and negatives.
The V200 comes with a software suite that includes Epson Easy Photo Fix, Epson Creativity Suite, ArcSoft PhotoImpression 6 (PhotoImpression 5 for Mac), and ABBYY Fine Reader 6 Sprint Plus (ABBYY Fine Reader 5 Sprint Plus for Mac). Epson Easy Photo Fix helps in color restoration, dust and grain removal, and backlight correction (for better color reproduction of underexposed images). The V200 will sell at an estimated street price of $99.99.


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TORONTO, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- James Reimer made 49 saves and added two more stops during a shootout Saturday, carrying the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-1 win over Washington.
Reimer turned aside 18 shots in the third period but yielded Alex Ovechkin's 20th goal of the season with 4:10 remaining, which tied the score 1-1.
After stopping three shots in a scoreless overtime, Reimer stoned Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom in the shootout before Joffrey Lupul scored on Washington's Braden Holtby in the fourth round.
A final try by the Capitals' Troy Brouwer missed the mark and Toronto emerged with a third win in four games.
David Clarkson got the Leafs' goal in regulation.
Holtby stopped 27-of-28 shots as Washington dropped a third straight.


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Music streaming service Spotify.com is being forced to remove some songs from its database because of the terms of deals chiefs have signed with record labels – and the wishes of certain musicians.
Writing on the Spotify blog, chiefs said that from next week (beginning February 2) a number of songs would be removed from the service, which allows users to listen to streaming songs free, with funding raised through advertising.
The move is being made because of the terms of deals signed with labels regarding the availability of songs in certain countries, plus the wishes of certain musicians who didn't want their music available on the service.
However, in the blog Spotify.com bosses said that once the initial song removal process was implemented there would be no further culls. "From this point on there are no plans to remove any more music and our catalogue will only grow from here," the blog read.
It continued: "We already have music from all the major labels and a vast majority of the independent labels licensed, between them we have millions of tracks that we still can add into Spotify.com. Now it's a matter of importing that music into our system, which we are doing on an ongoing basis in an effort to add thousands of albums a week."
No details on which tracks were to be removed from the service, and in which countries, were divulged.


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"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)
God's perspective! How God sees and understands. How God processes information. What is God's take on a situation or on a matter? After the Holy Spirit led me to choose the text, I had to wonder what it had to do with seeing and understanding as God does. I'll explain as the Holy Spirit helped me see. Let's dive right in.
In Genesis 1:26, God said "let us make man in our image and in our likeness." I had searched for a long time, for a satisfactory difference between image and likeness. Most times I found them to mean the same, and even used interchangeably. However, I knew in my heart that there was a difference as God used them. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul tells us to be transformed, changed into the "image" of Christ.
As my search continued, I realised from Ephesians 4:23, that being transformed into the image of Christ is to change our thoughts and attitudes to His thoughts and attitudes. Hmm… does being made in the image of God mean having the same intellectual abilities as God? Our minds reason, process information, is patterned as God's is, we have His nature; love, and have the same character as Him (Galatians 2:20). And, made in His likeness is made in the same class and quality as God – we are tripartite beings, we have the ability to create as He does, we are light as He is light, we are made to rule over every created thing, except of course other humans.
If God's focus is for us to be changed to the image of Christ in us; for our thoughts and attitudes to be changed to His, it means that what we lost in the Garden of Eden was the image of God!
In the Garden of Eden, we lost the power to walk in the ways of God. We began to walk in our own understanding. Therefore, our paths became crooked, because we no longer had the thought pattern and attitudes to keep our paths straight (I expand on this in next week's Inspirational Truth – don't miss it!). No matter what God says to you, even if it may look like it just worsened your situation, I tell you, if you would employ patience (a quality of God's nature) and hang in there trusting Him, you will see your path straighten out.
The thing that led to man losing the image of God in the Garden is TRUST! God had told Adam that he could eat freely from every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told him that he would surely die if he ate of it. Then, the enemy came and attacked his trust for God by presenting to him a different perspective from God's, causing him to question if God's perspective was reliable. The devil disguised as the serpent, said to the woman, "… "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"… "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."" (Genesis 3:1, 5 NIV).
The devil's focus has always been to cause us to distrust God. Whatever God says to us in His word or as a direct personal word to us, quickly comes under attack by the devil. It is our trust in God that will determine whether he will succeed in his attack or fail. If we are submitted to the ways of God, the devil's attack will fail, because it means that we trust God, just as it failed with Jesus (Matthew 4:3-11). If we fail in his attack, it means that we do not completely trust God and so are not submitted to His ways.
Therefore, to see and understand as God does is to trust Him. To trust God, we must be completely submitted to His ways. To submit completely to His ways, we must have the same thoughts and attitudes as He does.
Dear Reader, God never created us to lean to our own understanding, even if He gave us the ability to – we are made in His likeness. Our perspective was designed to be His, otherwise, we die, which is what happened to Adam and Eve in the garden. Thankfully through Jesus Christ, we can have life again if we believe. We can begin to enjoy life again as we step back into the Garden of Eden, where we enjoy a full, rich and satisfying life that overflows to others (John 10:10). Hallelujah, God wants you to see and understand as He does, so that you can live and enjoy life abundantly.
I pray that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened so that you will see and understand as God does. I pray that you will hear the voice of God, you will follow it, and experience victories. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Amen!! Enjoy a fruitful and productive week!!


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Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (MES) completed and delivered a 56,000 dwt type bulk carrier M.V. "HANJIN CHIBA" (MES Hull No. 1829) at its Chiba Works on 19th November, 2014 to VENUS OCEAN NAVIGATION S.A., Panama, company says.
This is the 7th ship of our "neo56BC", the new generation eco-ship. This keeps the superior usability and reliability of "Mitsui 56" which is highly appreciated in the market and more than 160 units have been delivered by MES.
The electronic controlled engine and optimized shape make the superior propulsive efficiency and fuel oil consumption.
Principal Particulars
The vessel has four (4) cranes and five (5) cargo holds, and keeps the superior usability of "Mitsui 56".
The length is less than 190m and keeps the superior usability in consideration of domestic and foreign ports.
The vessel is designed for loading various cargos like coal, ore, grain, as well as lengthy/heavy cargo such as steel pipe and hot coil.
The new form of the bow and stern makes it possible to keep good performance in rough sea conditions as well as calm sea conditions and shows better maneuverability.
The size of hatch opening is the largest for this type of vessel in terms of both length and width.
Main Engine, MITSUI-MAN B&W Diesel Engine 6S50ME-B9.3, complying with MARPOL NOx restriction (Tier-II) for exhaust gas emissions, gives superior fuel oil consumption over wide range of output.
Considering strengthened restriction for SOx, the ship has low sulfur fuel oil tanks, which are designed for operation in ECA (Emission Control Areas).
The vessel is designed in accordance with IACS Common Structural Rules.


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Mr King is a seventy-five-year-old male brought into the Acute Medical Ward via the rapid access clinic in University Hospital Waterford who alerted the Clinical Nurse Manager on the suspicion of sepsis and poor vital signs. The clinical nurse manager welcomed Mr. King reassured him and explained what was happening.
Mr King had Increasing shortness of breath and productive cough
Had Started five days ago, seen by GP and started on oral antibiotics two days ago. Became increasingly unwell despite antibiotics.
PMHx – COPD, T2DM, venous leg ulcer and HTN
DHx – salbutamol PRN, carbocysteine 375 mg TDS, tiotropium BD, metformin 1g BD, amlodipine 5mg OD, Ramipril 2.5mg OD. No known drug allergies.
O/E – Speaking in short sentences
Accessory muscle use
Purulent sputum
No obvious deficits in chest expansion
Global wheeze and crackles mid to base on right-hand side. Dullness on percussion to mid and lower right side.
Observations: BP 90/45 HR 130 CRT 6s SpO2 82% on air, respiratory rate 32, temperature 38.6 degrees.
This patient clearly meets the SIRS criteria being pyrexic, tachycardic and tachypnoeic. The purulent green sputum suggests the chest as a focus of infection, this is reinforced by the previous treatment and diagnosis of a lower respiratory tract infection by the patient's GP.
Assessment of The Septic Patient
As with any critically ill patient, follow the ABCDE framework. A quick hello and how are you can give you an idea of a patient's ABCDE state. I do this to tell me is this patient going to arrest on me in the next thirty seconds and do I have enough time to go into a more detailed assessment following handover? During my secondary assessment I can then take more time and be more thorough.thenar em
I also document my assessment in the ABCDE framework. It's logical, allows you time to think and makes it harder for you to omit details in both examination and documentation of findings.
A – patent
B – Tachypnoeic with respiratory rate 32, SpO2 84% on air, equal chest expansion. Global wheeze and crackles mid to base on right side. Dullness on percussion to mid and lower right side.
C – BP 90/45 HR 130 CRT 6s, cold to touch.
D – Alert, blood glucose on venous blood gas 14.5 mmol/l
E – temperature 38.6 degrees
Basic investigations – blood cultures, clotting screen, full blood count, urea and electrolytes, liver function, C-reactive protein and a venous blood gas. Urinalysis and send for culture. Are they confused? Measuring of urine output is needed. Often a catheter is required for an accurate fluid balance
Use Irish references as much as you can. Use the Sepsis 6
Have an appendix with case presentation, nursing documentation, charts,


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|Archived Aug 4, 2016
Geology of the National Parks
In the earlier part of the Ice Age, the Olympic massif may have been almost covered by its own cap of ice. That part of the geologic record is unclear. It is known that while the Cordilleran ice sheet was stretching southward, snow piling deep on the high peaks of the Olympics grew into glaciers that descended most Olympic valleys at least four times. These glaciers gouged out the stream valleys, and melt water deposited tremendous amounts of outwash gravels around the west and south sides of the mountains.
The alpine glaciers on the northeastern side of the range melted back before the last retreat of the Cordilleran ice. The valleys, thus dammed by the ice sheet, were filled with fiordlike lakes. (CLICK for a view of ancient Lake Elwha). Icebergs that broke off the ice sheet floated into the interior of the mountains. When these bergs melted, they dropped erratics far up the drowned valleys.
Deciphering the complex history of alpine glacial advance and retreat employs many scientific disciplines. Geologists such as Dwight Crandell of the United States Geological Survey have sorted out moraines and glacial outwash on the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault rivers. Old moraines can be told from younger ones because their boulders and cobbles are more deeply weathered. The ages of young moraines may also be determined by counting the annual growth rings of the trees on them. Experts examine fossil pollens in layers of mud and silt that were deposited in ancient bogs. Professor Calvin Heusser of New York University has been able to estimate the abundance of different plants present on the western Olympic Peninsula at various times of glacial advance and retreat. By comparing these abundances with those of presentday plant communities at sites ranging from the Olympics to the Arctic, he has been able to describe the changes from tundra to forest and back again as the glaciers waxed and waned and has estimated the average July temperatures, which have been only three to eleven degrees (Fahrenheit) colder than today. Students from the University of Washington have detailed the advance and retreat of the glaciers of the Queets, Quinault, Humptulips, and Wynoochee, as well as other drainages.
>Olympic alpine glaciers are not only noted for their beauty; they have also contributed much to man's understanding of his environment. Glaciologists have been watching changes in the Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus and its relationship to climate for many years. Professors Robert P Sharp, Barkley Kamb, and their associates have measured the pulse, form, and flow of the lower Blue Glacier. Professor Edward LaChapelle and his group have dissected the Snow Dome on the upper Blue. The research teams have determined the ways in which snow accumulates and ice melts, how the glacier flows, and even variations in the types of oxygen (isotopes) making up the ice. For instance, the Blue Glacier moves by internal flow†that is, slippage on planes in the ice crystals themselves†and by slippage along the bottom. There is more flow in the center of the glacier than at the bottom and along the edges. Differences in flow velocity stretch the brittle ice near the surface and it cracks, forming crevasses (fig. 35).
The world became warmer than it is today after the last ice advance in the Puget Sound area about thirteen thousand years ago. Some geologists say that this warm period was a minor fluctuation and that we have not yet emerged from the Ice Age because the earth is still somewhat iced, as shown by the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps, the frozen North Polar Sea, the numerous small glaciers sprinkled about many mountain ranges, and the wide expanses of permanently frozen ground in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. During the warm period the northern ice sheets and most of the alpine glaciers disappeared, although the largest and highest†such as the Blue and Hoh glaciers†may have survived. Present-day Olympic glaciers apparently were born about twenty-five hundred years ago and reached their maximum growth only about two hundred years ago, evidence of a current cool episode. Since then they have been steadily retreating, but whether this present warming is a long-time trend or whether a full-scale ice age will reoccur is unknown.
| Olympic National Park geology home | | Olympic National Park | | Geologic Map | | Field Trip Map | | Geology field trip | | Site contents |
Material in this site has been adapted from Guide to the Geology of Olympic National Park by Rowland W. Tabor, of the USGS. It is published by The Northwest Interpretive Association, Seattle.
|Archived Aug 4, 2016


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I was wondering aloud the other day about how students use OneNote in a class environment. I've heard a little bit of feedback through our newsgroup and from a few other websites like www.tabletpc.com. Nothing compares to first hand use, though, so I decided to try it out myself in a classroom setting.
I went to the MIT open courseware site (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm) and downloaded a complete course on Ordinary Differential Equations. I figured this would be sufficient to keep me from trying to type and force me to use my pen. It did.
Here are the lessons I (re)learned:
1. Instructors do not pause for me to take notes. Admittedly, since I had recorded video, I could go back any time to get the information I missed. Since I was trying to simulate a classroom setting, though, I did not pause and just kept the video playing.
2. Practice switching pen colors! I enabled the pens toolbar, but spent a few precious minutes of class time trying to move it to a spot on screen in which it felt comfortable for me to quickly change pen colors. After that was settled, it worked for me much better (I put it on the left hand side of the screen).
3. The control to add more space at the bottom is small - very small. My pen is fairly well calibrated, but it's still hard to click the control. Needs to be bigger and more discoverable.
4. I always need to add more space.
5. Handwriting recognition does not work well for formulas.
6. Erasing takes too long in class. This is the same thing I experienced when using a pencil and paper when I went to school, so it may be me more than anything else.
7. You still need to go back after class and clean up your notes.
8. Almost all ODEs can't be solved <g>.
Now to apply this to testing. First, I'll keep in mind for scenario testing the needs of the student now that I understand them better. Having an option to perform a needed task is the first step (like inserting extra space at the bottom of the page). Insert | Extra Writing Space as a menu item is the first step, but clicking it, then resizing the page takes too much time in a classroom environment. The control at the bottom right is much faster, but is too small, so I can recommend enlarging it.
Second, I'll need to think about erasing. The Lenovo I had had an "eraser" at the end of the stylus. Flip it upside down, and the eraser worked (albeit slowly). The Gateway doesn't have that functionality, so I have to click the eraser toolbar icon. This is too slow for classroom use - I'll make my scenarios weighted to simply scribbling over mistakes instead of erasing them in class.
Third, I wanted to use the drawing tools for making graphs. It was quicker just to draw the XY axis myself. I'll call this a personal preference, but still make sure my student scenarios include cases for students who want to use the tools for drawing graphs.
Questions, comments, concerns and criticisms always welcome,


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South Coast Waterfalls & ATV Ride to DC3 Plane Wreck
Ride a powerful ATV over a large, black, volcanic beach, walk behind the thundering veil of water at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, and take in the incredible view over Iceland's South Coast from the top of the cascade Skógafoss on this fantastic day tour. Those looking to mix sightseeing with a burst of adrenaline should not let this opportunity pass them by.
After being picked up early in the morning or meeting up with your guide at Reykjavík Terminal, you'll be whisked away to Iceland's South Coast, famous for its dramatic coastline and cascading waterfalls. Your first stop is the black desert of Sólheimasandur, in the shadow of Eyjafjallajökull glacier, where you'll swap the bus for a powerful ATV quad-bike.
ATV biking is a unique and super fun way to traverse the stark, black beaches of Iceland's South Coast. This adventure on wheels sets your pulse racing as you speed across the sands, crossing small rivers and streams originating from the active subglacial volcano Katla.
You will make your way to the DC3 plane wreck from 1973, recently seen in Justin Bieber's music video and photo shoots. Looking northwards and inland, the Mýrdalsjökull glacier rises majestically, while to the south you can sense the raw power of the enormous Atlantic waves crashing on to the shore. Here the scenery is of epic proportions.
Once back on the bus, you will continue your journey and visit an iconic waterfall duo, Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss. The former falls from the heights of 60-metres, and a staircase next to it will lead you to unbelievable views of the South Coast and Iceland's interior. Seljalandsfoss, however, is a narrower cascade which falls over a concave cliff, making it possible to fully encircle the stream of water.
Spice up your holiday in Iceland with this exciting ATV and South Coast tour. Check availability by choosing a date.
Quick facts
- Available: All year
- Duration: 11 hours
- Activities: ATV, Sightseeing
- Difficulty: Easy
- Minimum age: 5 years.
- Languages: English, Spanish, German, Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean
- Attractions: Skógafoss,
Skógafoss is one of Iceland's biggest and most beautiful waterfalls with an astounding width of 25 meters (82 feet) and a drop of 60 meters (197 feet).
Due to the amount of spray the cascade produces, at least one rainbow is present any time the sun emerges from behind the clouds.
Located on the Skógá river, this mighty cascade is clearly visible from Route 1 and is an excellent place to stop and stretch the legs while travelling Iceland's South Coast. The river below Skógafoss holds a large char and salmon population and is thus a favourite spot for fishermen in the summer.
The land underneath the waterfall is very flat, allowing visitors to walk right up to the wall of water. This will get you drenched, although, on a summer's day, it can be quite tempting.
Skógafoss can also be viewed from the top as a steep staircase leads to an observational platform above the cascade. Many nesting seabirds can be found on the route up.
Skógafoss is located near the small village of Skógar, south of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier volcano. There you'll find the Skógasafn folk museum, an open-air museum with both old wooden houses and turf houses, as well as a regional museum with various artefacts from this area.
A part of the Skógasafn Regional Museum is the Museum of Transportation, which showcases the history and evolution of transportation, communication and technologies in Iceland. There, you can see how this nation evolved from the age of the working horse to the digital communications of the 21st century.
The Skógasafn museum also includes a café and a museum shop, and in the village of Skógar, you will find both a hotel and a restaurant.
At the eastern side of Skógafoss, you will find one of Iceland's most famed hiking routes; the Fimmvörðuháls pass. The 22 kilometre (14 miles) trail takes you along Skógá river, between two glaciers, Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull, before ending in the beautiful Þórsmörk valley.
Skógafoss is often visited alongside the waterfall Seljalandsfoss, which is just a little further along the South Coast. Both fall from cliffs of the same height, and while Skógafoss is much more powerful, Seljalandsfoss has a cave behind it, which means it can be fully encircled. It is also next to a much lesser known but still awe-inspiring waterfall, Gljúfrabúi.
A gold ring is on display at the Skógasafn museum. According to legend, the ring is from a chest that was owned by Þrasi Þórólfsson, one of the first Viking settlers in the area, who by some accounts was a giant. Folklore states that before his death in 900 AD, Þrasi buried a chest filled with gold in a cave behind Skógafoss waterfall.
Many attempts were made to retrieve the chest after Þrasi's death, and years later, locals managed to grasp a ring on the side of the chest. As they pulled, the ring broke off, and the treasure was lost forever. The ring was then given to the local church before it made its way to the museum.Seljalandsfoss,
Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall that can be fully encircled, situated on the South Coast of Iceland with a drop of 60 metres (200 feet).
Due to the waterfall's close proximity to the Ring Road and impressive natural features, it is one the country's most famous and visited falls. Majestic and picturesque, it is one of the most photographed features in all of Iceland.
Geology and Surroundings
Seljalandsfoss waterfall, part of the river Seljalandsá, has its origins underneath the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. The volcano beneath this ice cap was the one that erupted in 2010 and caused havoc at airports across Europe.
The cascade of the falls is relatively narrow but falls from a tall cliff that once marked the country's coastline, the sea is now located across a stretch of lowlands and is visible from the site.
The most distinguishing feature of Seljalandsfoss is a pathway that stretches all the way around it. The cliffs behind the falls have a wide cavern, and rocks and paths allow guests to fully encircle it in summer.
Though a mesmerising opportunity, visitors should be prepared to get dampened due to the perpetual mist of the falls, which also tends to make the rocks of the pathway slippery.
Floodlights have been set up on both sides of the waterfall, which impressively illuminate the scene during the night when the midnight sun is not out. The lights were installed in 2001 due to the growing popularity of the falls as a tourist destination.
After visiting Seljalandsfoss, it is common for visitors to continue north to the waterfall Gljúfrabúi, which is found partially hidden behind a rock face. Because of Seljalandsfoss extreme popularity, Gljúfrabúi is widely considered the hidden gem of the scene, as it is too often overlooked.
Seljalandsfoss is also usually visited alongside the nearby Skógafoss. The waterfall falls from the same height, and while it cannot be encircled, it is much more powerful and steeped in the legend of a giant's hidden treasure.
Visitor Centre Controversy
In 2017, it was announced that a visitor's centre was to be constructed near the falls. The design of the building indicated that it would be seven metres (23 feet) high and 2,000 square metres (21,500 square feet) in size. Landowners in the area opposed to the idea, proclaiming that the centre would greatly alter the natural appearance of the waterfall's renowned scenery.
The project has neither been fully approved nor wholly cancelled, with ideas surfacing of either significantly reducing the size of the construction, or moving the visitor centre's location further away, for instance to the nearby farmstead Brekkuhorn.
Seljalandsfoss in Popular Culture
Along with a multitude of South Iceland's most famous natural attractions, Seljalandsfoss can be seen in Justin Bieber's music video for his song 'I'll Show You'. Please enjoy the video without emulating any antics that will endanger yourself or the environment.
The waterfall was also a featured waypoint during the first leg of the sixth season of The Amazing Race, an American reality TV series.Mýrdalsjökull,
Mýrdalsjökull is a glacier in the south of the Icelandic highlands. It is the country's fourth largest ice cap, covering nearly 600 square kilometres (232 square miles), and its highest peak is almost 1500 meters tall. It is most well-known for sitting atop the notorious and explosive volcano, Katla.
Mýrdalsjökull is visible from Route 1 on the South Coast, sitting to the north of the village of Vík. It is visited on some snowmobiling, ice caving and helicopter tours, and one of its glacial outlets, Sólheimajökull, is the most popular place in the country for ice-climbing and glacier hiking.
Eruptions beneath Myrdalsjokull
Since 2010, the world has known of the volcano beneath Eyjafjallajökull; after all, it halted European air travel for over a week and stumped news readers everywhere. Few, however, are aware of the much larger volcano right beside it.
Mýrdalsjökull conceals Katla, one of the country's most active volcanoes, having erupted, on average, once every fifty years since 930 AD. Because of the glacier above it, these eruptions tend to cause enormous ash clouds. It is these ash clouds that lead to flights being grounded, crops and livestock poisoned, and have the potential to change the world's climate.
The last major eruption beneath Katla was in 1918, in which such huge lahar floods occurred that the southern coastline was extended five kilometres outwards. This area is also very susceptible to glacial floods, or 'jökulhlaup', during eruptions, even when the lava does not break through the surface of the ice. These are as dangerous as the lava itself, having wiped out whole Icelandic villages before.
Historically, the area was little settled for this reason.
Katla is connected to the same volcanic system as Eyjafjallajökull and usually erupts violently a few years after Eyjafjallajökull does. As the ex-president, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson said in 2010:'The time for Katla to erupt is coming close… it is high time for European governments and airline authorities all over Europe and the world to start planning for the eventual Katla eruption'
So it is currently several years overdue. Katla is monitored heavily, and roads around it closed when seismic activity increases. All road closures around Iceland can be found on Road and Coastal Administration's website.
Tours on Myrdalsjokull
While there are no eruptions immediately imminent, tours continue to run onMýrdalsjökull, allowing visitors to enjoy the glacier. It is, for example, possible to snowmobile across its surface throughout the year and take ice caving tours beneath it throughout the year, with departures from both Reykjavík and Vík.
Considering the ice caves under Vatnajökull glacier are usually only accessible from November to March, this provides a wider window of opportunity for travellers to Iceland outside of the depths of winter. It should be noted that the caves in Mýrdalsjökull do not have the same blue ice, however.
Tours around Myrdalsjokull
Mýrdalsjökull can be seen on all South Coast tours that reach Vík and beyond in clear weather. It can also be seen from above on helicopter tours that depart from Reykjavík.
The best perspectives of the glacier, however, can be found on the popular Fimmvörðuháls hiking trail, which goes between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. Part of this hike can be done in a day, or you can take the complete route from Þórsmörk to Skógar on a three-day trekSólheimasandur,
Sólheimasandur is a vast area of sand and gravel along the South Coast of Iceland, between the cliffs of the interior and the modern shoreline. It was built up by immense glacier bursts sweeping from the mountains to the shore.
Geography of Sólheimasandur
Sólheimasandur is a glacial outwash plain, meaning when that when eruptions happen under the nearby glacier, Mýrdalsjökull, the floodwater rushes across this land for the sea.
A glacial flood, otherwise called Jökulhlaup (one of two words taken from Icelandic in the English language, the other being geyser) is perhaps the most dangerous immediate element of an Icelandic eruption. While individuals have been killed by lava flows and bombs, many more have lost their lives to the water.
For this reason, Sólheimasandur has no significant settlements, all the way from the village of Vík í Mýrdal to Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The whole area is vulnerable to glacial floods, which are still notoriously unpredictable to modern science.
This is especially the case considering that the volcano beneath Mýrdalsjökull, Katla, is Iceland's most active volcano, which carries a reputation for violently erupting, seemingly at random.
Even if these eruptions do not break the surface of the ice, they can still cause devastating floods. In fact, these can even be more dangerous, as these eruptions are often not detected..
If Katla is showing signs of waking, then the Ring Road going south across Sólheimasandur is often closed.
In spite of its dark reputation, Sólheimasandur is a place of ethereal and haunting beauty. Entirely flat, composed of black sands, it is often compared to a lunar landscape, or else some kind fantastical desert. The views of Mýrdalsjökull, Vatnajökull, the Highlands and the South Coast are also magnificent in clear weather.
Sólheimasandur is easy to reach, laying on the Ring Road that encircles the country.
The DC-3 Plane Wreckage
Wikimedia, Creative Commons, Photo Credit: Sekeri
One of the most impressive sights on Sólheimasandur is the DC-3 plane wreckage. Lying abandoned in the sand, a deteriorating skeleton, with nothing but endless black sand surrounding it, it makes an eerie destination even more ominous.
It is a US Navy plane, that was flying across the area in 1973; until recently the US had a NATO base at Keflavík, as Iceland has no armed forces of its own. It seemed to run out of fuel - although it was later discovered that the pilot had, in fact, switched to the wrong fuel tank - and had to make an emergency landing.
Thankfully, no one was killed or injured, although the plane was far too damaged to be repaired.
Because there were no deaths or injuries, there is nothing tasteless about taking photos with the plane. In fact, it a popular addition to many South Coast tours. Because the wreckage is not expected to remain there for long - considering the regular glacial floods that rush through the area - it is fine to touch it. It is not recommended that you climb on it, however, for safety reasons.
To reach the plane requires a short walk across Sólheimasandur.South Coast,
The South Coast of Iceland is one of the most popular parts of the country for travellers. South Iceland is lined with countless natural wonders including cascading waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers and black sand beaches.
This incredible South Shore of Iceland stretches from the greater Reykjavík area in the west to the magnificent Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon in the east. It's possible to incorporate a trip to The Golden Circle before heading South. This is another popular area with visitors to Iceland. Here you can see Þingvellir (or Thingvellir) National Park, the Geysir geothermal area, a volcanic crater called Kerið, and one of Iceland's biggest waterfalls; Gulfoss.
Highlights of the South Coast of Iceland
The South Coast offers an array of natural wonders that draw thousands of visitors each day.
The whole area is geologically very young, formed during the last Ice Age by the lava flows from numerous volcanoes in the area. The lowlands are surrounded by volcanically active mountains, notably Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla. If you stop at Hveragerði, you can visit the Quake 2008 exhibition where you can witness the split in the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
In terms of culture in the South, it is rich and diverse. Most towns have amateur groups for theatre, poetry reading, and choir song. Community is a big part of an Icelander's life and one of the key things that help them get through the winter months. The South was once home to the ancient bishop seat of Skálholt. Also, Iceland's most famous saga, Njal's Saga, takes place in the region.
When driving the South Coast route from Reykjavík city, the first major features are the two great waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. These falls which sit beneath the notorious subglacial volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. On clear days, the Westman Islands can be seen across the ocean from these beautiful cascades. Less than a kilometre from Seljalandsfoss is the hidden gem of Gljúfrabúi waterfall.
Skógar, which is home to Skogafoss waterfall, has a very interesting museum that discusses some of the nation's history and culture. One of Iceland's most famous hiking trails, Fímmvörðuháls, cuts through the area and is worth the walk if you have time.
A little further down the route is the glacier Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which covers one of Iceland's most explosive volcanoes, Katla. Many glacier hikes are taken here upon the glacier tongue, Sólheimajökull.
This landscape has also been shaped by volcanic eruptions, although these were much more recent. Vast expanses of the black sand stretch from the Highlands to the sea, part of several glacial outwash plains that flood during a volcanic eruption. One such sandplain, Sólheimasandur, is home to a crashed DC-3 Plane Wreck.
The Dyrhólaey cliffs are next, home to many seabirds. Jutting out to sea is an enormous rock arch of the same name, which you can marvel at from many angles.
Adjacent to the village of Vík is the famous black-sand beach, Reynisfjara, which is home to basalt columns and the Reynisdrangar rock formations. These pillars are said to be two trolls frozen by the light of the sun.
Though beautiful, this area is notorious for its dangerous sneaker waves. Even on seemingly calm and still days, visitors should keep a distance from the shoreline. There are no landmasses between Reynisfjara beach and the continent of Antarctica, so you can imagine how the waves can build momentum.
After passing through Vík you will cross the glacial sandplain of Skeiðarársandur before entering Vatnajökull National Park. Here you can see Vatnajokull Glacier, Iceland's largest glacier. Many ice cave tours take place in Vatnajokull in the winter months.
Move on to the dramatic Skaftafell Nature Reserve in the National Park. Here you can enjoy a diversity of landscapes and terrains. The area was considered a National Park in its own right because it was so beautiful.
Finally, you will approach the famous Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, a deep lake that fills with icebergs as the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier slowly breaks down. Here there are plenty of options for boat tours that take you around the lagoon and up close to icebergs. A short distance from Jökulsárlón you will find the Diamond Beach, where blue icebergs wash on the black-sand beach, and another glacier lagoon called Fjallsárlón.
Geography, Nature & Wildlife
The South Coast is the most easily accessible part of the country's southern region, found along the Ring Road (Route 1), which encircles Iceland. The area is made up of diverse landscapes; marshlands, bays, cultivated pastures, estuaries and black sand deserts.
Underneath the soil rests a vast lava field, known as Þjórsárhraun. Reaching several hundred metres offshore, it provides a protective factor to the lowland as ocean waves crash upon it. This results in the South Shore being unusually lacking in the deep fjords that so distinctly characterise the rest of Iceland's shoreline.
Unlike most early Icelandic settlements, few of the communities in the south were based on fishing. The only town with a significant harbour in the south is Þorlákshöfn, where the ferry to the Westman Islands leaves. Some agriculture is found here, with farms nestled in the mountains, but because of the glacial floods, they are few and far between.
There are, however, plenty of hot springs in the area. The most famous is the Blue Lagoon Spa which is close to Keflavik airport. The lagoon formed as a result of the overflow from a nearby power plant.
However, there are lots of natural geothermal hot springs in more remote locations, where you can avoid the crowds and have a more natural experience. Some of the spots travellers recommend are Seljavallalaug, which is close to Skogar, and Reykjadalur, the Valley of Steam, which is close to Hveragerði.
The South region boasts vibrant bird life during all seasons. Freshwater birds nest in the marshlands and around the estuaries, while seabirds flock around the cliffs of Reynisdrangar and Dyrhólaey.
You may be able to spot North Atlantic puffins nesting on the cliffs between May and August. In summer there are 2-3 times as many Arctic Tern as Icelanders so you are bound to spot some of them on your travels. Some species stay throughout the harsh Icelandic winter, including the northern diver, the loom and various species of gulls and ducks.
Seals are often found along the shore, particularly around the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. As with everywhere in Iceland, you should always keep an eye out to sea, as whales and dolphins reside all along its coastline.
In terms of sports; horse riding is popular, as is fishing, hiking, snorkelling, sightseeing and river rafting.DC3 Plane Wreck
The DC Plane Wreck is a famous site located in South Iceland, its rusting shell laying on haunting black sands. The wreckage is a particularly beloved spot by local and visiting photographers alike thanks to its sparse and wild surrounding landscape and its incredible visual contrast to the aircraft's gnarled metal.
The aircraft, a Douglas R4D-8, a Super DC-3, was originally in possession of the US Navy and considered to be a symbol of the golden age of air travel.
Originally utilised as a cargo aircraft, the US Navy was routinely flying over Iceland during the 1970s as a part of its unilateral defence agreement with the country. Iceland is a NATO member, and US forces had a permanent base on the island until 2005.
The aircraft crashed into Sólheimasandur on Wednesday, November 21st, 1973, at around 14:00 as reported by the Aviation Safety Network. It was flying from Höfn in Iceland's east coast and onboard were seven crew members.
No one is quite sure why the plane crashed, with several theories flying about. Some blame it on icing damaging the plane's structure; others say that the thrusters were not working correctly. Some say that it was a mishap of the pilot who believed the thrusters were not working when they were.
Regardless, it little matters as no one was injured in the crash. The forced landing was made on an icy river by the coast, and though the ice broke, the plane didn't sink.
In the years since its rocky landing, the DC Plane Wreck has borne the brunt of Iceland's tempestuous weather; heavy rainfall, freezing and powerful gales. Today, the aircraft's wings are no longer attached, and it has only half a tail (rumours stipulate that a local farmer cashed in on the tail long ago.)
It is not expected that the plane wreck will be there forever. Sólheimasandur is a glacial outwash plain, meaning when there is an eruption underneath the glacier Mýrdalsjökull, there is a chance floodwater could wash it away.
It truly is a case of 'when there is an eruption', not if, as Mýrdalsjökull covers Katla, one of the country's most explosive and regular volcanoes.
Getting There
If you are looking to visit the DC Plane Wreck, you could join organised hiking, horse riding or ATV riding tour that take you right up to the site.
Alternatively, you could choose to find the wreckage yourself. To reach it requires a walk, however, as driving over the sands is considered to be driving off-road, and incredibly heavy fines are attached to this.
A recently built car park by the main road allows visitors to leave their vehicles and proceed their way over to the wreck, taking approximately two hours.
It's also now possible to take a shuttle bus out to the plane wreck. The bus runs regularly and can be pre-booked in advance.
It should also be noted that as this is not a natural attraction, nor is it a permanent feature, so Icelanders in the past have not been too concerned about visitors climbing it for photographs. However, there is now a sign from the owner of the land stating that climbing on the plane is not allowed, and this should be respected.
However, do take extra precautions when moving around the wreck in order not to hurt yourself on the metal.
Pickup time : 08:30.
Please be at your pickup location in time for your departure and look out for our green SmartBus™. Should your pickup location be at a bus stop and you need assistance finding it, seek guidance in your Hotel's reception or contact your tour provider directly.
In bus audio guide with a choice of 10 languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Finnish)
Professional driver & guide
Experienced Quad bike guide
Local knowledge
ATV equipment and approx 1 hour ATV ride
Visit to all the top sites on the South Coast
Hotel pickup is not included with your purchase. SmartBus™ hotel pickup is available at extra cost.
Meals and refreshments
What to bring:
Warm and waterproof clothes
Good outdoor shoes
Headwear & gloves
Headphones for the In-Bus-Audio-Guide (can be added during the booking process)


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Guys, I've been a pretty terrible blogger lately. This poor little guy has been more than a little neglected and I feel kinda bad. But between spring and the inevitable school work catch-up after spring break (what professor assigns projects over spring break? Seriously), life's been a little crazy. And mostly I've been a little lazy because I'm wishing spring break would come back.
Responsibilities are silly, I'd like to go back to the beach pretty please.
Mother Nature is also trying to play a mean joke on me with this forecast:
That's funny, I thought spring was supposed to be warm. Thank you weather.
Sorry for all the complaining, cold weather makes me cranky. Whining over. You know what I can't complain about?
(Thanks Jenn!)
This week my food is coming at you spring break style. I'll admit that I didn't eat too many vegetables over break (but I did eat lots and lots of chocolate) and you know what, I don't feel bad about it. Sometimes you just need to stuff your face with junk food.
But let's kick things off with something healthy shall we? This combination is one of my new favorites and I ate it everyday for lunch during Pilates training. It's broccoli slaw, mixed with avocado, topped with sunflower seeds and a little salt and pepper. Light but filling and you can do the Pilates ab series afterwards without wanting to puke.
I was going to recreate this for lunch today but Harris Teeter was out of avocados. TRAVESTY. Bigger travesty is that they were out of bananas too. Get it to-freaking-gether Harris Teeter, this girl needs her produce.
Vanilla frozen custard with chocolate chips mixed in. Pure heaven. I'm a hard core fro yo lover, but even I need some heavy duty frozen custard every once in a while. So good.
I don't know what my deal is but I've been craving chocolate like nobody's business lately. It's all I want to eat and I can't seem to get enough of this. But this Trader Joe's chocolate bar definitely helps. Is it bad that I think 85% tastes super sweet after eating so much Baker's chocolate?
And onto the Outer Banks! I have a full recap coming soon (I owe you guys so many recaps it's ridiculous, I need to get back on top of things) but for now I've got food. I didn't lug my camera to any of the restaurants because it's huge, so the pictures aren't the best, sowwy.
We had a Restaurant.com deal for Sanya Asian Bistro so we stopped there for dinner after getting into town Friday night. It was perfect because we could all eat there (I tend to make things difficult when it comes to eating out, whoopsies) and we saved $50 off our bill. Awesome.
I accidentally filled up on trail mix before heading to dinner (I seriously cannot control myself around the stuff, it's too good) so I was in the mood for something lighter. So I ordered an Avocado and Cucumber roll.
It was really good, but I don't think I've had bad vegetarian sushi, it's kinda hard to mess up. You should know that I ate all of my ginger, then my friend's ginger (ironic because she is ginger!) and then my boyfriend's ginger. I guess you could say I like ginger a little.
Later that night we headed to Lucky 12 Tavern for drinks. It ended up be perfect because it was walking distance from our hotel, they had a great beer selections and there was a $5 martini special. Um, awesome.
I had a Flying Dog K-9 Winter Ale per recommendation from my boyfriend. He's a serious beer connoisseur, and it ended up being a delicious choice.
And because we had to take advantage of the $5 martinis, me boyfriend and I split a dirty martini. Pretty much the only martini this old man could handle. I can't do sugary frou-frou drinks and this fit the bill.
Please ignore the awkwardly placed olives and straw.
Our hotel room had a small kitchen, so to save money we at breakfast and lunch there, which was a very boring combo of eggs and frozen veggies, we don't need pictures of that.
We had dinner at Tortuga's Lie (which has been feature on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives!). But I was a bad blogger because I left my phone in the car and didn't get a picture of my meal. That's okay because I had beans and rice and I'm pretty sure we all know that that looks like. It was extra delicious after a long day of sight seeing, but if you mess up beans and rice that's pretty sad.
I'm sure any seafood lovers out there are very sad that I passed up the opportunity for fresh caught local seafood. Yeahhhh vegetarians.
Despite trying incredibly hard to find a local ice cream shop that was open, we had no such luck. It's still considered the off season so lots of places are closed until April. Luckily, Sweet Frog was there to save the day. Not as good as local ice cream, but it hits the sweet-craving, chocolate-loving spot.
Chocolate fro yo with peanut butter chips, Reeses pieces, chunks of Reeses cups and a drizzle of hot fudge. Can you tell I hate chocolate and peanut butter? I'm not even going to lie, I could totally have eat another cup's worth. No shame.
Dinner was some pizza place and I ordered a Greek salad. Boring. The one place in town with gluten-free pizza was no longer in business (whhhhyyyyyy?????). So salad it was.
Don't worry I balanced that salad out with some serious ice cream.
Oh. My. Goodness. Can I just wax poetic about how AMAZING this ice cream is? Ben and Jerry, you are pure ice cream geniuses. I don't even care that it was store bought, I wish I could jump into this pint and live there. No I don't, that would be a little sticky, but still. Holy cow. Vanilla and chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cups, heath bar pieces, white chocolate chips and fudge covered almonds. I'm drooling a little bit right now.
Friday night we headed to the Outer Banks Brewing Station for drinks and late night snacks (which was also featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives!). It ended up being a really cool place. The food was delicious, we ended up demolishing a plate of black bean dip and chips. The beer was equally amazing, they brew it at the restaurant and the process is powered by a wind turbine, I love that they're environmentally friendly!
One of my friends was sweet enough to buy a bottle of champagne for all of us to celebrate my roommate's engagement!
I don't remember exactly what kind it was, but it tasted like bubbly grape juice. Cheers.
And because I drink like an old man I switched to beer. I love me some heavy duty (none of that light stuff) and dry red wine, old man status over here.
I failed on taking a picture of my beer but it was sooo good. I ordered their Full Circle Robust Porter (a fat and sassy robust porter with complex nuts and dried fruit-like aromas over a big, round, and slightly toasty palate) I love that they describe it as fat and sassy. I think I'm only going to drink fat and sassy beers from now on, that sounds like a good policy to me. Basically the beer was smooth, heavy and darn tasty.
And now I'm skipping to Sunday because lunch was delicious.
Yet another trip to the Mediterranean Deli in Chapel Hill. I have the hardest time ordering at this restaurant because there are too many tasty looking vegetarian and gluten-free options. I'm not used to having so many choices. I like it, even if it takes me 15 minutes to order.
I had a vegetarian plate with sauteed cauliflower, roasted vegetables, sauteed eggplant, avocado and feta salad and gluten-free(!) pita points. Delicious. I also had too many dates for dessert. I have not control when it comes to those dried out little pieces of nature's candy. Those dates fueled my 3 hour drive back to school (ugh, one thing I won't miss when I graduate).
Upon arriving back at my apartment, I was welcomed by this site
I donated to a living playground initiative at an elementary school, and got a free candy bar and jar of peanut butter from Justin's in return for my donation. Pretty sweet reward if you ask me. Pun intended.
Now I just want to go back to spring break. Anyway, I've got an 8am class in the morning (yippee) so it's time for this girl to get to bed.
What's your favorite vacation food? ICE CREAM!
What's your favorite drink (alcoholic or not)? Water, black coffee, red wine and beer. I told you, old man over here.
Who's ready for spring?


text: Donald Trump call for a ban on women driving in the US June 7, 2016 No Comment Politics In a speech held yesterday, the presidential candidate, Donald Trump, declared his support to those who believe women should not get behind the wheel. Asking the world to follow the Saudi example. And stated that Hillary Clinton, as a woman, … Read more »


text: Located on a quiet Toluca Lake street is this charming and meticulously updated home, plus pool and separate guest quarters. The original orchard house and collection are for the apples and walnuts on the farm that was Toluca Lake. Wonderful front porch with plantation fans. High ceilings & large public rooms. Banquet sized dining room with French doors that lead to the adjacent patio. Master suite with sitting room & spacious walk in closet. Second bedroom plus library with walk out patio. Separate guest quarters with private entrance. Beautiful new pool with easy slide cover. Grassy gated yard for croquet or horseshoes. Terrific BBQ area with fridge and sink.


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General Photography Services
As well as portraiture I have experience of shooting landscapes, equestrian, pets, events, products, people doing their sports/hobbies/pastimes and creative photography.
Service Price Guide
To give an idea of my prices I will charge. Once I understand your requirements fully I can give you an exact quote!
£75 Per hour
£250 Per half day (4 hours)
£450 Per full day (8 hours)
Product Price Guide
High quality prints and digital downloads are extra and can be purchased through my website in a private & password protected gallery. As a guide these prices start ....
From £4.95 for a 6 x 4 inches high quality print
From £5.95 for a 640 x 480 pixel digital download
Further Information
I have portable lighting systems and I am fully insured. If you have any special requests or have questions please do not hesitate to contact me


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Philosophising about the 'S'-word: Watch… and learn
The Bridge is an American drama television series developed by Meredith Stiehm and Elwood Reid, airing on the FX network, and based on the Danish/Swedish series Broen/Bron ("The Bridge"). Starring Mexican actor Demián Bichir and German actress Diane Kruger, the series' 13-episode first season debuted on July 10, 2013.
The Bridge follows two police detectives – one Mexican, one American – and their joint effort to investigate a serial killer menacing both nations along the Texas–Chihuahua border. Their investigation is complicated by the rampant corruption and general apathy among the Mexican authorities and the violence of the powerful borderland drug cartels. The show title refers to the Bridge of the Americas that serves as a border crossing between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where the series is set.
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The Series Philosopher is a woman in her late 20s. Not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.


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Rome, Day One
Exhausted as we were, we couldn't wait to go out and explore a bit. From our trusty map, we knew that most of the sights weren't that far as the crow flies, so we decided to head towards the Colosseum.
We crossed the Ponte Testaccio (one of the seven main bridges that link one side of the Tiber to the other) and walked for a while along the Lungotevere Testaccio to Via Marmorata. This is a broad avenue that hugs the Tiber delimited from the river by a chest-high wall, and tall trees. On the other side, housing complexes (I hesitate to call them apartment buildings as we know them here in Canada) side-by-side, with tall windows, some closed with rolling outside blinds. It's very quiet, with little traffic, but on each side of the street, every inch is lined with cars. The cars are small, and brands we don't see often in our country: Lancia, Fiat, Peugeot, Opel, and, of course, dozens upon dozens of SmartCars.
The water of the Tiber is a cloudy jade green, with lots of current. It's not really a pretty river here, caged at it is between high walls. We walk to the Ponte Sublicio turn onto Via Marmorata. Surprisingly, because I never thought of Rome as tropical, palm trees and bamboo grow along pine and a tree that resembles maple. But it's the pines, here, that take our breath away. They are majestic and incredibly beautiful against blue sky. Throughout our trip, we saw them everywhere, and could not tire of them.
We walked down Marmorata to Piazza San Paolo which, we learned later from experience, is one of the traffic hubs in Rome. It's a major metro stop, a train station, an important stop for buses, and somewhat of a roundabout for cars. Even on Sunday, it was pretty busy. We promptly got lost, a fact that would happen more times than we cared to count during our month there. "Lost" when you're on holiday and exploring isn't a big thing. We sort of roamed for a while, then I went to a newspaper stand and asked directions to the Colosseum. I nearly burst out laughing: for a moment, the man had to orient himself before he could point us in the right direction. We walked along the Viale della Piramide Cestia, leaving behind most of the traffic (especially in the direction of the airport) then Viale Aventino, its name taken from the smallest of Rome's seven hills, the Aventino (40 meter high), which led us to the Circo Massimo, built around 600BC. The Circo, where Romans use to race their chariots in daredevil races (remember Ben Hur?) is HUGE, certainly half a kilometer long (1,875 roman feet). The length of a race was seven circuits. With seats all around, it could accommodate from 150,000 to 385,000 spectators. That's more than some of our stadia here!
The Via di San Gregorio led us to the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine, as we walked along the Forii Imperiali and part of the Foro Romano. Seeing the Colosseum rise as we approached it, and rise, and rise, until it is truly colossal, was an awe-inspiring experience. In spite of the hundreds of tourist roaming around the Piazza del Colosseo, or maybe because of it, its size is imposing; you feel the weight of the years here, but also the sheer genius of those architects and builders who raised a monument that lasted over a thousand years. It is 50 meters (164 feet) high and its total circumference is 545 meters (1,790 feet).
We gaped for an hour, then decided to stop for a bite to eat then return to the apartment, by then having walked several kilometers. Later, I sat on the balcony, and listened to the sounds that were to become familiar after a month: car traffic, honks, people's voices echoing up, and the clanking sound of pans as supper was prepared. The sky was clear, the air redolent of cooking smells and the particular scent that is Rome, indescribable but oh so recognizable.


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Red berries, green grass, blue skies (almost).
Tag Archives: landscape
Beach Scene: The Burrow, Kilmore Quay
Going through the 2011 photo archives recently when this one caught my eye. It looks so different down there now after the winter storms.
Bellagio, Italy: Pearl of Lake Como
Bellagio is a beautiful picturesque village in Northern Italy. Surrounded by amazing panoramic views of Lake Como and the Alps, it is has to be one of the most romantic places to visit when in Italy. Beautiful old buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, wonderful cafes and restaurants all make up a wonderful experience.
Last Sunset of 2013
As the sun sets on 2013, I would like to thank everyone who visited my blog and took the time to comment, like, follow, etc. Thank you very much for your time. Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy New Year.
Saltee Islands, Kilmore Quay, Ireland.
Trying out the Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 on a Leica M9. Well-built, sharp, tiny lens. Small issue of edge colour casts when shooting this on the M9 but that can hopefully be fixed with software. Maybe a little too wide for my liking but great for dramatic landscapes.


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We Are Dedicated To Our Staff
Brundage-Bone is dedicated to the concrete pumping industry and those who run it. We strive everyday to be the employer of choice and it all starts with a determined staff of operators, supervisors, management, and leadership officials who go through a strict training process that is above the industry standard. All of our operators are OSHA 10 and ASPC trained and our supervisors are OSHA 30 trained. We are proud to be the only concrete pumping company that is a member of the National Safety Council and staffs a full time safety department.


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Debbie Smith is the founding member
and owner of Diving with Sharks.
Debbie is the 1st woman in Africa to have been nominated, selected and inducted into the international Women Divers Hall of Fame, for her outstanding achievements and contributions as a woman in diving. WDHOF is an international non-profit professional honour society whose members span a wide variety of fields including: The Arts, Science, Medicine, Sports, Exploration, Marine Archeology, Media, Service, Dive Training and Education, Safety, Business, Marine Environment and Conservation, Free Diving, Commercial Diving and Military Diving.
Debbie's dive career started in 1986 and the following are her achievements to date:
Diving with Sharks is an eco-tourism company specializing in:
We pride ourselves on our meticulous attention to detail, our ability to provide that personal service and above all, on our long standing experience within the diving industry to make sound decisions. It is our passion to further promote and educate all on the plight of our oceans, how we can all make a valued difference, big or small and ultimately to be a voice for those that cannot speak for themselves and who rely on us for ongoing protection.


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New Delhi: Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan today warned of "policy uncertainty" for the world economy due to there being a "bunch of new leaders" who need to prove they are strong, even as he exuded confidence about all large economies doing well.
Without specifically mentioning India, Rajan said, "This is the first time in a long while we have seen all the big engines firing at the same time including the large emerging markets ... We have seen trade picking up.
"We are seeing early signs of investment intentions. Of course there are always clouds. There are clouds this time also," he said. In an interview to CNBC, the Chicago Booth School professor and the outspoken economist also said the "good news is some of the fears about the (Trump) administration that it would move immediately to a more protectionist stance haven't played out".
"There have been noises but of course the strong action that some people feared against Mexico, against China hasn't really materialised. That's the good news," he said while referring to Donald Trump administration in the US. Talking about the possible risks before the world economy, Rajan who served as RBI governor for three years, said, "There is lot of policy uncertainty right now because of the work the (US) administration is going to do and how much it can achieve.
"But also there is geo-political risk. We have a bunch of strong leaders around the world who are already well entrenched in their strength. "We have a bunch of new leaders who need to prove themselves that they are strong. And in that kind of environment, who has room to back off if in fact there is a confrontation. We have many areas of confrontation." Rajan further said as the US monetary policy normalises, "we will see more stress" on heavily indebted entities....


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Georgia Foreclosure Fraud Story Emblematic of Lack of Accountability, Crushing Consequences
The financial fraud task force can file civil suits for the next 10 years, and they still won't understand how this will not satisfy homeowners who had everything they've ever worked for taken away from them, and who see no complementary losses on the side of those who caused this tragedy in their lives.
This is about a month old, but it was updated last week, and the scarred lives of foreclosure fraud victims resonates regardless of date.
"It makes mafia's organized crime look like fifth-grade math," said Patrick Powell of Cumming.
Powell said he became a victim of massive foreclosure fraud when he attempted to modify the loan on his Forsyth County home. He said the bank told him not to make his mortgage payments while it worked out the loan modification, then lost his 60-page modification application six times […]
Powell was about to lose his home when he saw a 60 Minutes report in 2011 that blew the lid off the industry's big secret.
The report revealed banks used phony documents to push people out of their homes. The documents were apparently created because banks lost the original documents when Wall Street bundled mortgages into trusts and sold them to investors.
Bank attorneys and foreclosure firms forged the documents, called assignment of mortgage, which sometimes contained incorrect information about the true owner of the mortgage. The signers that provided signatures of bank vice presidents and notaries were called robosigners.
60 Minutes exposed one prolific robosigner named Linda Green.
"I saw that and I said 'Linda Green!' I pulled out my assignment and it's Linda Green," said Powell, who thought courts would quickly toss out the case since the bank was trying to foreclose using fraudulent documents.
The rest is familiar. The judge refused to allow Powell to consider the fraudulent assignments in his foreclosure case, and in fact reacted with anger when Powell tried to explain it in court. The response of the judges in Georgia resemble reactions around the country. And really only a handful of anti-foreclosure activists and some registers of deeds have clued into this massive fraud. The woman responsible for mortgage transfers in this area of Fulton County, Georgia, said she's basically not responsible for authenticating the documents she receives into her office.
The biggest issue here is that the foreclosure fraud settlement was supposed to wipe the slate clean, with immunity given on past assignment fraud along with a promise to change the behavior. The dirty secret is that it hasn't changed. Registers of deeds paying attention, like John O'Brien in Massachusetts, still routinely receive faulty or fabricated assignments.
Sam Olens, the Attorney General of Georgia, justified this by saying that, once July 1 of next year hits, the banks will truly, really not engage in foreclosure fraud, because the state passed a law empowering district attorneys to prosecute the matter criminally. This is a frequent refrain, and it assumes that false documents submitted to a court were somehow legal at one time, which should be news to everyone. Here was Olens' response:
"Look. It's more complicated than that," Olens said. "When you're dealing with the foreclosure process most of the time the documents weren't being changed in the state."
But Powell's assignment was signed in Georgia along with untold thousands of others inside an office in Alpharetta.
Local news, paradoxically, has done most of the best journalism on foreclosure fraud. They actually get public officials on the record on their evasions and unwillingness to prosecute. And they listen to the stories of the people whose lives have been shattered by fraud and abuse.


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One of Neal Boortz' favorite whipping boys when news is slow is the specter of education in America. His relentless diatribes about "government schools" sometimes cause me to switch to NPR, whatever is playing (normally classical music) because he sounds like a broken record.
Stupid in America, a report from ABC News affirms that a lack of choice in schools is taking a toll on educational outcomes.
In San Jose, Calif., some parents break the rules to get their kids into Fremont Union schools. They're so much better than neighboring schools that parents sometimes cheat to get their kids in by pretending to live in the school district.
"We have maybe hundreds of kids who are here illegally, under false pretenses," said District Superintendent Steve Rowley.
Inspector John Lozano works for the district going door-to-door to check if kids really live where they say they live. And even seeing that a child is present at a particular address isn't enough. Lozano says he needs to look inside the house to make sure the student really lives there.
Think about what he's doing.
The school district police send him into your daughter's bedroom. He even goes through drawers and closets if he has to.
At one house he found a computer and some teen magazines and pictures of a student with her friends. He decided that student passed the residency test.
But a grandmother who listed an address in his district is caught. The people who answered the door when Lozano visited told him she didn't live there.
Two days later, I talked with the grandmother who tried to get her grandson into the Fremont schools.
"I was actually crying. I was crying in front of this 14-year-old. Why can't they just let parents to get in the school of their choice?" she asked.
My wife says she saw it on TV but I missed it.
Do you suppose blogging is yielding a subset of people who know a lot about what they find on the internet but don't know what the weather is going to do? Or that the CSI episode that was so great was a re-run from earlier in the season?
H/T Blogsnow