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translations are my best critics. Translation undresses a literary
work, shows it in its true nakedness. Translation tells the bitter
truths. Unveils all masks-Bashevis Isaac Singer
ANUKRITI COME INTO BEING?Anukriti: Translating India is designed to
function as a translation service site in all the Indian languages. The
idea of creating such a website was conceived by three institutions
devoted to the development of Indian languages - Central Institute of
Indian Languages (MHRD), Mysore, Sahitya Akademi and
National Book Trust, New Delhi. In May 2001, a meeting was held
between the trio, where the representatives of leading publishing houses,
represented by Oxford University Press and Katha were also present.
ABOUT?Anukriti:Translating India addresses the long-felt
requirement of creating a mechanism to coordinate the activities in
respect of different kinds of translations currently being done by
organizations, institutions and individuals in a sporadic and disorganized
manner. It was thought that the monitoring and promotional action could be
done by setting up a web-based service especially devoted to translation -
both literary and non-literary, including machine-aided translation in the
public domain. The main responsibility of this translation service is to
coordinate, and thus contribute to, the promotion of Indian languages and
writing and projecting them abroad. The site is proposed to be a
collocational site with different IP addresses and at least of 5 GB size
to start with.
ANUKRITI CONSIST OF?As of now, the site contains only already available materials in
print, and the bibliographic and informative documents produced by Sahitya
Akademi, such as Who's Who of Indian Writers and the
Bibliography of Translations in Indian Languages that has been
prepared by Prof. G.N. Devi (ready up to 1990). The latter will be
expanded eventually through people's participation.Translation
tools such as the dictionaries, common vocabularies published by the CIIL
have been embedded into the site. Other tools like thesauri, cultural and
technical glossaries, etc., created by NBT, CIIL, CHD and other agencies
will be made available on-line as part of this site eventually, and then
expanded to include more ambitious tools and techniques like translation
memory softwares, translation teaching softwares and machine translation
packages for Indian languages
TODAY: THE E-ZINEThe editorial and evaluation of the site's e-journal Translation
Today will be done jointly by literary scholars, creative writers and
linguists. Its editorial board will be appropriately expanded to include
both literary and language scholars to ensure quality translations (both
solicited and unsolicited) on the Net. Also, some sample pages of
translated texts published under either Indian literature or Samakaleen
will be displayed on the site and the visitors to the site will be
encouraged to order for the journal copies directly from the Sahitya
Akademi. This site will be promoted through the press and mass media as
well as through the different electronic news services (provided by .com
companies) presently without incurring much cost. An appropriate brochure
will be printed jointly by all three organizations outlining the idea
behind the creation of this site and highlighting the services offered
through the Net. The brochure will be widely distributed among publishers,
authors, translators and academics as well as taken to all book fairs so
that all potential users know the idea. The CIIL, Mysore, has taken the
initiative to create this collaborative web-based translation service,
which has been jointly hosted by CIIL, Sahitya Akademi and NBT. It will be
technically managed by the CIIL from Mysore.The ultimate aim, of
course, is to trigger a spurt in translation activity and in discursive
discourse on translation across the country with a view to achieving
excellence in the translated word and excellence in the discourse on
INFORMATION DOES ANUKRITI PROVIDE?The information that the site provides is of the
following kind:
TRANSLATION:This gives an introductory source view of translation as an
activity, and as an area of research based on Munday (2001) [Click here to go to
About Translation or go back to the Home Page and click on About
PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATION:Details of all the professional
translation organizations across India that undertake translation
jobs of different kinds of material from and into various languages
are documented here. [Click here to go to Professional
Translation or go back to the Home Page and click on Professional
EDUCATION:Details of all the academic courses in translation that are
on offer in academic organizations across the country are given
here. [Click here to
go to Translator Education or go to the Home Page and click on Translator
Education.] On-line e-courses are for registered users.
TOOLS:This link presents the various kinds of 'tools' or 'aids'
that are used in translation of any kind - literary,
scientific/technical, administrative, religious, and so on. Such
tools include the following:
TRADITIONALLY PRINTED TOOLS:(a) Thesauri(b)
word-finders (c) glossaries (d) cultural vocabularies
(e) spell checkers (f) grammar checkers (g)
technical glossaries (h) glossaries of various domains.
ELECTRONIC TOOLS:(a) Machine-readable
dictionaries (b) parsers (c) corpora (d)
e-translators, (e) translation memory softwares (f)
translation teaching softwares etc. Since we don't
have all these tools in all Indian Languages, whatever is
available forms part of this link. It is clear that as and
when these are created in the Indian languages, this slot will
be incrementally augmented. [Click here to go to Tools or go
back to the Home
Page and click on Tools.]
EVENTS:This page provides information about events on the
translation scene in the country, such as details of seminars,
conferences, workshops, etc., on translation that have already taken
place, and the details of those that are going to be held in
future.It provides updated information about the
developments on the translation scene in the country, such as the
publication/arrival of a new book on translation, a review of a
translation or a translation, awards/titles presented to/conferred
on translators and/or translations, the demise of a translator, etc.
[Click here to go to
News and Events or go back to the Home Page and click on News and
TRANSLATION TODAY: The e-zineTranslation Today is the e-journal
of Anukriti. It is designed to publish online articles, squibs,
review articles by research-active translators and translation
scholars and reviews of translations and of theoretical literature
on translation. . It is a sub-site of Anukriti. [Click here to go to Translation Today
or go back to the Home
Page and click on Translation Today: The e-zine.]
InLan: THE
E-TRANSLATORThis is the e-translator for Indian languages. This will take
some time to realize.
LINKS:Anukriti aims at broadening its users' vision, and directing
their attention to all the other kinds of information about
translation that can be found on the Internet. This page provides
lists of hyperlinks which are online resources one may visit for
further/other kinds of information on translation. These are
arranged according to the kind of information they provide. [Click here to go to Other
Links or go back to the Home
Page and click on Other Links.]
INFO:Users are invited here to submit any information they know
about the translation scene in their language(s) along the lines
given under this link. The major database in this site may have gaps
of info which this link is designed to redress.
WORKING PAPER:Users are requested here to submit a working paper to be
published in Translation Today in the format specified.
TRANSLATION:Users are invited here to submit a translation of any genre
of creative literature in any Indian language either into English or
into other Indian languages.
INTERACTIVE BOARDThis is the interactive space of the website.
Quizzes and question-answer sessions will be organized here.


text:
Naidu to review urban sector schemes in Karnataka
| Updated: Aug 23, 2017 11:20 IST
New Delhi [India], May 1 (ANI): Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu will review progress of implementation of new urban missions in Karnataka tomorrow. Naidu will chair the review meeting to be held in Bengaluru. Naidu, the Chief Secretary of Karnataka, Secretaries of both the urban ministries, National and State level mission directors of new urban missions besides other senior officials would be attending the review. The central government approved an investment of about Rs.25, 000 crore for improving urban infrastructure in Karnataka with central assistance of about Rs.9, 000 crore. Under Smart City Mission, six cities of Karnataka have been included in the mission of which five cities viz., Davangere, Belgavi, Shivamogga, Mangaluru and Hubbali-Dharwad have been selected for financing smart city plans of respective cities in two rounds of competition so far held. The sixth one - Tumakuru -- is participating in the third round of competition. Bengaluru has also been allowed to participate in the competition. Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), centre has approved a total investment of Rs.4, 971 crore with central assistance of Rs. 2,319 crore for improving basic urban infrastructure in 27 mission cities. These include; Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Gulbarga, Bellary, Belgaum, Bidar, Tumakuru and Hasan. Provision of water taps to all urban households in the mission cities and improving water supply to the normative 135 litres per day is accorded priority under this mission followed by expansion of sewerage and drainage networks, non-motorised transport and open spaces. Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), construction of 1,46,548 affordable houses for urban poor in Karnataka has so far been approved by the centre with an investment of Rs.6,288 crore for which central assistance of Rs. 2,492 crore has been approved. (ANI)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Franchise Local 2You 2018 Regional Franchise Showcase Series
Following on from the two Franchise Local 2You shows last year at Exeter Racecourse and Towcester Racecourse the dates and locations of the remaining four shows for this years Franchise Local 2You roadshow has now been announced:
17th May, The Gymnasium, Colchester, Essex
12th July, Stafford County Showground, Stafford
13th September, Tidworth Leisure Centre, Tidworth, Wiltshire
22nd November, Catterick, North Yorkshire
We look forward to seeing you at the up-coming shows where you will have the chance to have a one on one conversation in a relaxed environment with FiltaFry franchise manager, Damian Slater. If you have any questions beforehand please contact the Filta office on 01788 550100
Franchise Local 2You is an initiative of Mr Franchise, a team of experts dedicated to finding the perfect franchise for each potential franchisee.
You can register for any of the up-coming shows for free and learn more at:
Posted in: Blog Postings, Press ArticlesLeave a Comment (0) ↓


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If you have logged into X in a 'normal' fashion, you shouldn't need to go through all that just to start an X application.
DISPLAY is the proper environment variable for display, though – not display. Try export DISPLAY=0.0 instead of
specifiying localhost. More detail on the steps that you are performing and the actual error message might help more.
Register Hereor login if you are already a member


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December 8th, 2013. Bathrooms Ideas, Adorable Bathroom Shower Curtains For Perfect Bathroom Design.
Who said a little more details in your bathroom are not necessary? Most people end up having a nice tile or laminate for their bathroom flooring, beautiful wall, luxurious amenities, but leave the shower curtain white and plain like the one in hospital. You may be not an architect, but having a whole nice bathroom is certainly everyone's desire. Bathroom shower curtains can be more than a cover, if you give them a little touch. You can enjoy bathing more than ever before.
You can always give a magical touch to a typical simple bathroom design with everything in white color or not. It's an advantage for simple bathroom design anyway, as the possibility to ruin the whole concept by choosing a challenging shower curtains is really low. You can explore with almost everything. Choose the bright colors for cheerful effect. If you want to keep it simple but chic, play more with the patterns. Choosing white curtain with attractive pattern is probably the safest idea. In addition, don't hang on all-black curtain, if you think it will contribute to monochrome idea. A black curtain will darken the shower room once you close it. Pattern will help you to get monochrome effect in beautiful and correct way. If you share the bathroom with your little kids, make sure they also love the design. You don't need to turn the shower curtain into drawing book, just play with bright color and put additional accessories.
Bathroom shower curtains are not all about plain tailored cloth. You can always modify them with creativity. If you want to make a classy, elegant and lovely bathroom design, choose a curtain with many ruffles. You can either leave it white or not, as ruffle have been enough lovely and adorable without bright colors or pattern. Since ruffle possibly give a "too much" effect, simple bathroom design suits it the best.Croscil Beach Heaven Fabric Shower CurtainKids Bathroom Shower Curtains IdeasFlower Fields Bathroom Fabric Shower CurtainsLuxury Design Bathroom Shower Curtain Ideas
There are 12 high resolution photos again to check, so do not miss to see Outstanding images all in Adorable Bathroom Shower Curtains For Perfect Bathroom Design article galleries for your next inspiration by clicking the thumbnail below.Gallery Images
About author
admin, yeah that is the name of author for this post "Adorable Bathroom Shower Curtains For Perfect Bathroom Design". You can check to admin author page to know more.
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Hi folks, are you ready for another fabulous giveaway? Today I'm delighted to introduce Jennifer from Love JK and her collection of pretty, pretty things! The Love JK collection is made locally in Melbourne and includes a range of stationery, wall art, invitations, bunting and giftware.
If you take a little stroll through the Love JK store, you'll enjoy adventures to the moon, sail the high seas, pat some pretty horses, feed a few farm animals and make friends with a robot. You'll have fun decorating your kids living space, planning a birthday party, or picking up something pretty, just for fun.
Love JK is available for purchase online, or you can visit them on Facebook to keep up with all the latest news.
Congratulations to our winners, Cass Q. and Larabelle.
Now that you've fallen in love with the Love JK collection, we'd like you to win something for your little lad or lass! We have one boys gift pack and one girls gift pack to giveaway. To enter, simply visit Love JK and then tell us in the comments section below which design (from any collection) is your favourite. Two winners will be drawn on 8 February, 2012.
Are you super keen to win our Love JK prize? You can score an extra entry into the prize draw by sharing this competition on your blog, twitter or facebook page. Please leave a separate comment for each so your extra entries can be counted.
Girls Prize
- Dala Horse Cushion is valued (rrp. $34.95)
- Small Lovey Dovey Dala Horse Print (rrp. $34.95)
- Dala Horse greeting card (rrp. $6.95)
Boys Prize
- Mars Explorer Cushion (rrp. $34.95)
- Small Off To The Moon (rrp. $34.95)
- Cheeky Monkey Greeting Card (rrp. $5.95)


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Google I/O developer event is scheduled to begin on May 28 and the Mountain View giant is expected to unveil among other things, the successor to its mobile operating system Android L, which as per convention is sure to be called Android M.
After the initial Alpha and Beta, Google has been naming its Android operating systems on confectionary or desert items. They have been called Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat and the latest Lollipop. There are worldwide speculations as to what Google will name its upcoming Android M. People are guessing it could be Marshmallow, Macaroon, Muffin etc.
Well, we will not know for sure until the Android M is actually announced but what we know is that Google's internal name for it is Macadamia Nut Cookie or MNC. This name is already being mentioned in the AOSP codes as mnc-dev. But will the Android M actually have such a long name? We don't think so. Google may be keeping the real name as a surprise.
As for the internal code name of Macadamia Nut Cookie, Google seems to prefer three-word codenames. KitKat was 'Key Lime Pie' or KLP, while the Lollipop was 'Lemon Meringue Pie' or LMP. These internal names were then abandoned once the operating systems were released. The internal code name has never been the final name and so Macadamia Nut Cookie is also not likely to be one.
It isn't likely that Google will announce the name of Android M at the I/O event. Most probably, Google will announce its name when it rolls out the final version of the new OS just as it did with Android L. Although Android L was announced at Google/s I/O last year, its name Lollipop was revealed only in November. Probably the same will happen with Android M.


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FC: Exploring The First Civilizations! By: Brad Stewart
1: Table of Contents Mesopotamia pages 2-3 Egypt pages 4-5 Indus pages 6-7 China pages 8-9
2: Mesopotamia Oldest river valley. Limited natural resources. Rivers flood.
3: Hammurabi's Code- first set of written laws(based on eye for an eye ) Written language is Cuneiform.
4: Egypt The Nile River provides fertile land (when it overflows). Hot/dry climate. Desert surrounds it.
5: Divided into upper and lower kingdoms until united in 3000 B.C. | Used mummification which is the process of preserving the body for afterlife.
6: Indus Monsoons the seasonal winds that bring wind or dry air. Beginning of Hindu culture. Strong central government.
7: Historians cant understand Indus language. | Planned cities on a grid system.
8: China Between Yangtze River. Saw their culture at the center of the civilized world. | Mandate of Heaven meaning ruler had divine approval.
9: Bronze,iron working, silk, roads, and canals was some of their tech. | Also between the Huang He River.


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Group Benefits
Keep your Employees Happy with Group Benefits
Trust GDC provides group benefits to businesses in Hannibal, Palmyra, Bowling Green, Monroe City, Quincy, Troy, and surrounding areas.
A single policy for all employees of the same company, along with their dependents, provides bottom line coverage for employers and employees alike. Under a group benefit plan, the employer or association will be issued a master policy that will be distributed to all employees working for that particular company.
Trust GDC proudly offers these group benefits, plus many more:
- Group disability
- Life & accident
- Leave management
- Retiree health coverage
- Voluntary benefits
Contact a representative at Trust GDC to go over group benefit options for your business.


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Saturday January 30th 2010
I cannot say this enough: I fucking love Sight & Sound. This month's issue (30 Key Films of the Last Decade) is another smash and every time I pick it up it reminds me what a load of old shit this blog is.
I've never really understood why it's considered snobbish. They consistently manage to review every single film released anywhere within the UK (and many that aren't) and give almost equal precedence to films from every corner of the globe. In the same issue, you'll get fully coherent and considered reviews of both Min-dung-san and The Squeakquel. Surely that's 100 times less snobbish than completely ignoring any films that are produced without the involvement of Shia LaBoeuf.
Their 30 films of the noughties are further evidence that they'll probably be one of the few movie magazines to remain relevant in the age of the blogosphere. I doubt HeyUGuys were counting Russian Ark, United Red Army and Uzak among their end-of-decade-favs. Content-wise, Empire and Total Film are essentially printed movie blogs, so in an era when /Film is being updated 20 to 30 times a day, why wait a month and pay £3.99 for movie news that'll be outdated by the time you read it?
Sight & Sound is also the only British film magazine that isn't constantly falling over itself to congratulate the British film industry. Only 2003's Touching the Void gains entry to the best-of-decade list, although they sensibly cite Sexy Beast, Hunger and Last Resort as choices that 'nearly made it'. Instead, almost a dozen countries are represented in their 30 picks, and when they do select from the American mainstream (The Bourne Ultimatum and Adaptation both make the list) such choices are carefully reasoned, not pointless 'look how subversive we are' surprises like The Guardian including Team America: World Police.
In the future, I'd like to think that Ultra Culture could aim to be more diverse. Maybe we should start by widening our definition of world cinema to include more than just the 3 or 4 Cannes hits that Peter Bradshaw gives the thumbs up to. Looking at Sight & Sound's list, I've only seen 9 out of 30:
Adaptation (dir. Spike Jonze)
Battle in Heaven (dir. Carlos Reygadas)
The Beat That My Heart Skipped (dir. Jacques Audiard)
The Bourne Ultimatum (dir. Paul Greengrass)
Colossal Youth (dir. Pedro Costa)
The Death of Mister Lazarescu (dir. Cristi Puiu)
In Praise of Love (dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
The Five Obstructions (dir. Lars Von Trier / Jørgen Leth)
The Gleaners & I (dir. Agnès Varda)
Caché (dir. Michael Haneke)
INLAND EMPIRE (dir. David Lynch)
In the Mood for Love (dir. Wong Kar-wai)
Memories of Murder (dir. Bong Joon-ho)
The Holy Girl (dir. Lucrecia Martel)
Yi Yi (dir. Edward Yang)
Platform (dir. Jia Zhang-ke)
Russian Ark (dir. Aleksandr Sokurov)
The Son (dir. The Dardenne Brothers)
Spirited Away (dir. Hayao Miyazaki)
Talk to Her (dir. Pedro Almodóvar)
10 (dir. Abbas Kiarostami)
There Will Be Blood (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
35 Rhums (dir. Claire Denis)
Touching the Void (dir. Kevin Macdonald)
Tropical Malady (dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
United Red Army (dir. Kōji Wakamatsu)
Uzak (dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Waiting for Happiness (dir. Abderrahmane Sissako)
Werckmeister Harmonies (dir. Béla Tarr)
Workingman's Death (dir. Michael Glawogger)
Apologies for being presumptuous, but you probably haven't seen many more than that yourself. Anyway, I've got a plan. If anyone from Artificial Eye is reading this, how would you feel about sending me your entire back catalogue to watch and review? I hereby promise that I would watch it in its entirety. Holla at me.
Sorry about the anti-brevity of this post. Send in the cloons.


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Our senses help warn us of danger and help keep us safe. Learn about the five senses and how they help us enjoy the world around us in this engaging and fascinating nonfiction book that features detailed images and diagrams, informative text, and riveting facts!
Do you know the important skills it takes to survive in the jungle? Learn about them in this useful nonfiction reader. With helpful diagrams, vital tips and instructions, vivid images, and a glossary of useful terms, this title will have readers feeling aware and prepared!
Find out the truth about our bodies and learn exactly what makes us human in this fascinating nonfiction reader! Featuring detailed, vibrant images, diagrams, and charts that familiarize readers with digestion, the circulatory system, and bacteria in conjunction with biological and anatomical vocabulary, readers will learn all about gross anatomy, some of the amazing things our bodies can do, and how it performs day-to-day activites--from digesting to pumping blood.
When a catastrophic event happens, will you have what it takes to build shelter in order to protect yourself from extreme temperatures? This nonfiction reader examines some of the methods to prevent exposure and other survival aspects when dealing with the harsh elements. Featuring TIME content, this high-interest book builds critical literacy skills and academic vocabulary and is purposefully leveled to engage different types of learners. Developed by Timothy Rasinski and Lori Oczkus, the text includes a table of contents, captions, glossary, index, and images to deepen understanding. The detailed sidebars feature fun facts that develop higher-order thinking. The Try It! culminating activity provides additional language-development activities. Aligned with McREL and WIDA/TESOL standards, this text features complex content appropriate for middle school students.
Discover what it takes to be an Emergency Room doctor in this enlightening nonfiction title. Readers learn about the hard work and dedication it takes to have a career as an ER doctor and what a typical day is like in the emergency room. From medical school to residency, medical symptoms to diagnosis, children will learn all about the steps it takes to get involved in this profession. This engaging title features vivid photos, helpful charts and diagrams, informational text, a glossary of terms, and an interview with a real life ER doctor to delight, inform, and encourage children from beginning to end.
Early elementary readers find out what causes earthquakes and what to do to stay safe if one occurs in this helpful nonfiction reader. Featuring informational text, colorful maps, diagrams, and vibrant photos, this book keeps children engaged and fascinated at the same time!
Learn all about the amazing things your brain does and how to keep it healthy and strong! Readers will discover the anatomy of the brain including neurons, the cerebellum, and the nervous system. Using vibrant images and informational text in conjunction with supportive diagrams, readers are encouraged to learn all about (and use) their brains.


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Established: 1927
Joined System: 1969
Enrollment: 11,000+
Phone: (501) 569-3000
At a Glance:
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, located in the state's capital city, offers a comprehensive academic experience at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels; innovative research opportunities; a quality faculty educated from around the world; and a rich student life experience with athletics, housing, study abroad, Greek life and service learning.
Student success is the university's top priority and not just for our 18- to 25-year-olds. From high school students and traditional residential and graduate degree seekers, to mid-life adults and senior citizens, UA Little Rock fulfills one of the state's greatest needs by educating more college graduates. UA Little Rock's caring faculty and staff in programs such as the Academic Success Center and the Mentoring Network provide students with extra help to be successful.
The Carnegie Foundation has selected UA Little Rock for the Advancement of Teaching for the Community Engagement classification – one of only two institutions in Arkansas in this category. The university is widely recognized for its involvement in community issues such as race and ethnicity, criminal justice and pre-kindergarten to 12th grade education. UA Little Rock students, faculty and staff are actively involved in service-learning activities around the state through partnerships with the Clinton School of Public Service and the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty.
Points of Pride
- UA Little Rock is a public university with more than 11,000 full- and part-time students enrolled in more than 103 programs of study in five colleges, the Graduate School and the William H. Bowen School of Law.
- As a metropolitan university, UA Little Rock has created unlimited pathways for students to find a quality, yet affordable, education. The university awards millions in annual scholarships.
- Coleman Creek runs through the natural tree-lined campus that is undergoing facility growth. The newest building, the 64,000 square-foot Windgate Art and Design Center, elevates and expands art education.
- Other modern facilities include the Engineering and Information Technology building, the West Residence Hall, the Center for Integrated Nanotechnology Sciences, Coleman Sports and Recreation Complex, and Charles W. Donaldson Student Services Center. Additionally, a renovated Nursing Building features a simulation lab for one of the most popular degree programs.
- Students at UA Little Rock get real-world learning through the Signature Experience program which allow students to actively engage with research and community service opportunities. Donor funding makes these experiences possible.
- UA Little Rock's location at the seat of state government affords unique access to corporate, government and nonprofit opportunities for jobs, internships, research and professional mentoring, and a range of cultural and recreational opportunities. The new UA Little Rock City Center in the River Market District, opening soon, will be a center for lectures, exhibits, and receptions. UA Little Rock Benton Campus provides those who want to pursue a four-year degree, yet remain close to home, that opportunity.
- Most UA Little Rock classes are small with a 14-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, with students who come from all over Arkansas, as well as other states and foreign countries.


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When it comes to Fashion Trends, it is hard to guess what kind of outfit will be trendy for each season. This also goes for swimwear, and this summer the OYE's Spring/Summer Campaign has brought a lot of sexy and at the same time lovely swimwear options. This is the best season of the year where you are energetic and fun so you also probably want to feel sexy by the pool or on the beach.
By looking at the pictures from the swimwear from OYE you will definitely find your style. You won't make mistake whatever you choose because they have sophisticated patterns, amazing cut-outs, shear details that are placed on the right spot, which doesn't leave enough space to hide away from being in the center of attention.
Making the right choice for a swimwear is very important. It is the primary thing you need to think about in the summer. So, for this summer we have pictures of OYE's Spring/Summer Campaign hot swimwear to choose from.


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iSeries powers U.K. football team smart cards
A British soccer franchise is using smart-card technology on an iSeries to improve ticketing, customer relationships and, ultimately, the fans' game experience.
U.K. soccer fan checklist:
Lukewarm cup of Bovril.
One stale pie.
Hand-knit scarf in team colors.
Smart card.
Smart card? Yup. The same kind of card that gives extra-dollar savings at CVS drug stores and Stop & Shop supermarkets is being used by one British franchise to help it stay solvent.
In the dog-eat-dog world of Premiership soccer (which is sort of like our National Football League world), one team is using technology to help it build its business; the goal is that the smart cards will improve ticketing, customer relationship management (CRM) and ultimately the fans' game experience.
Using technology from two British firms -- Fortress GB Ltd., a maker of smart-card products, and Computer Software Ltd.'s Software4Sport, a provider of CRM management solutions for sports clubs -- the Manchester City Football Club has come up with a high-tech way to profile its customers in an attempt to drive revenue and improve the game environment. In a nutshell, they want their fans to keep coming back.
The system, powered by an IBM iSeries 800 server, lets a fan buy tickets on the football club's Web site, download the tickets to his smart card and pay for them using the same card.
Guy England, iSeries channel and solutions manager for IBM in the United Kingdom, said that when the Manchester team opened its new stadium last year, club owners wanted a ticket-less entry system. They also wanted a way to better understand what fans wanted, and they decided to get answers by looking at fans' buying habits and seating preferences.
"The club wanted to see how they could extend a traditional ticket system to help them build upon their loyal customer base, meaning the fans, and provide them with better service and keep that target audience happy," England said.
For Manchester fans, the new smart-card system brings benefits, including faster stadium entry -- entry times have been halved. Holders of the "CityCard" can now purchase tickets (including to Cup games) over the phone and, on game day, arrive straight at the turnstile and use their cards to enter the stadium.
Fans wave their CityCards over Fortress GB card readers fitted at each turnstile, which gives a color light indication to the stadium attendants regarding each card holder's status. In addition, every time the CityCard is used, information is recorded on Fortress GB's Smart Stadium Management Server and presented live at the stadium's control room; the room houses two iSeries systems (one for processing, one for backup) allowing the club to know which fan entered the stadium, when and through which turnstile.
Collected information is fed straight into Computer Software Ltd.'s TalentSport software, allowing the club to track who its customers are and record all attendances, purchases and communications throughout the ground. The TalentSport application handles ticketing, CRM, merchandising, loyalty assessment and prepayment.
England said that Manchester's club installed the iSeries 800 as much for its reliability as for its processing power. In addition to running the CRM applications, the system handles network and power failure issues, limiting the risk of delayed start times.
In fact, 40% of the Premier League now runs its businesses on the iSeries platform.
"One of the reasons they do," England said, "is that on match days they can't afford to be down. Similarly, in terms of performance, clubs don't know what capacity they'll need, so the iSeries is equipped with on-demand functionality."
Eventually, England said, the uses for the card will be extended to offer things such as remote messaging via e-mail, PDA or cell phone.
This vision has huge potential, England said. "For example, clubs can contact fans as to ticket availability if a game hasn't been sold out," he said. "This hasn't been done yet, but in terms of vision, just imagine. If you have tickets, you can let them know and get them out of the malls and into the sporting event."


text:
Despite continued uncertainty over Europe's debt crisis and fears of a global recession , Brazil's depressed currency and equity prices may present buying opportunities.
"Things can get cheaper," says Tim Seymour, founder of Triogem Asset Management, a hedge fund specializing in global and emerging markets. "You haven't had an opportunity to buy the market this cheap — both equity and the combined currency effect — since 2005."
Early Friday the Brazilian Bovespa rose for the first day in five on speculation the G-20 group of world finance ministers and central bank governors would aid the global economy; then it slid nearly 1 percent in early afternoon trading.
The Brazilian real also pared losses from its worst weekly plunge since November 2008 after Brazil's central bank sold currency swaps in an effort to curb currency volatility Thursday.
Those early gains in Brazilian shares Friday were aided by bargain hunting, pointed out Francisco Drohojowski, who covers emerging markets with a focus on Latin America at Weiss Multi-Strategy Fund.
"People are jumping in today just because it's been so depressed," he said.
Drohojowski is bullish on homebuilders such as PDG Realty, citing the Brazilian government's commitment to lower interest rates. He also likes retail picks including Tecnisa.
"The Brazilian consumer is alive and kicking very well and there's a lot of people that think the Brazilian consumer is not overextended," he said.
Seymour, who is also the founder of Emergingmoney.com, said investors who are firm believers in Brazil should buy ETF iShares MSCI Brazil Indexand banks including Itau and Bradesco .
Despite the earlier rally, Drohojowski pointed out that Brazil and other emerging markets would continue to suffer.
"Unless you have some clarity on the European situation, markets are going to continue to be nervous," he said.
Seymour echoed similar concern:
"You could start buying Brazilian equities if you think they're not terrible. The risk here is that I don't think the U.S. market is anywhere settled out, and there's a lot of crossover in emerging markets," he said.


text:
Posts filed under 'Future predictions'
2020: not looking so good
Do you ever wonder what the world will be like in 2050? Frankly, I think we'll all be stuffed and the planet frizzled up. But if the climate change scientists are wrong, then what do we have to look forward to?
I had a hissy fit over full-body scanners being installed in airports as a knee-jerk reaction to the underwear bomber – so that led me to thinking – why bother with the tardis-like machines that x-ray the heck out of you? Why not have machines that quickly read a passenger's mind? Shove us in booths with flashing lights and zapping sounds (for special effects) and read our minds to see if we have evil intentions to blow up planes.
Mmmm…..seems there are some great minds out there thinking the same thing. Whilst the technology isn't quite there yet to read what's on my mind, an Israeli-based company called WeCU are developing "brain-fingerprinting". It involves a combination of infra-red technology, remote sensors, and flashing subliminal images (such as symbols associated with a certain terrorist group), which will detect someone's stress reactions. I don't think you would get shoved into a tardis-like booth as it seems the sensors would be hidden and assess passengers as they mill around an airport. Perhaps, sensors will be hidden in walls and seats. And then there's a suggestion that airport walls might be alive with the sound of….not music…but sophisticated sensors that will literally sniff out would-be terrorists.
Crikey, as we say in Australia! But what will the world of work be like? And what medical advances will there be? The Independent rounded up some futurist dudes and asked them to imagine the world in 2020 (mainly the UK). I think they should have imagined 2050 but they stuck to 2020. And here's what futurists think our world might be like:
- the 2010s will be called DOA – the Decade of Austerity. Frankly, this is in line with my thinking: we'll still be feeling the effects of the GFC and there'll be a crisis in public finance. Carbon taxes will make people think twice about purchasing new appliances or doing home improvements (gee: maybe we'll return to a time when we mended things and kept items for years rather than tossing them out). Fair trade goods will be more popular.
- there's an increase in neighbourliness. Property prices never returned to the dizzy heights of the start of the millennium, so people stay in their homes longer and shun the excesses of pre-GFC times.
- SADS or Shared Adult Dwellings are multi-occupancy homes that are popular with single people under 35 or over 65 who realise they can live more cheaply sharing costs whilst still maintaining independence.
- at airports "naked x-ray machines" will be the norm and passengers will be required to use see-through suitcases or purses. One futurist is suggesting that every passenger will have to undergo an interview just to get on a plane (I don't think he's wrong about this actually). There's even a suggestion that a budget airline has introduced a "standing room only" service on its planes (mmm….if this comes to fruition, I'd bet it's Ryanair that first introduces this service).
- because of rising fuel costs (oil will be over US$300 a barrel) people abandon cars and cities have car graveyards. Fast electric cars that you unlock via fingerprint scanners are the norm.
- organs and tissues will be grown from stem cells making it possible to grow a replacement heart for example.
- blogs, Facebook, Twitter, text messages and email are seen as middle-aged obsessions because people under 25 actually like to talk to people face-to-face.
- there is a swing towards wanting leaders and politicians who are older and more experienced, rather than young, untested Presidents or Prime Ministers.
- a decade of economic woes finally leads to the collapse of free admission to national museums and galleries.
- by 2020, citizens have grown accustomed to the Nanny State. The State has made smoking and alcohol unacceptable social habits. Employees are forced to submit to mandatory urine testing to flush out anyone who has defied the smoking or alcohol bans.
- work-life balance and flexible working hours has died out, replaced with more presenteeism and clock-watching. Because of the after-effects of the 2008/2009 recession and the need for Governments to pay off humongous public debt, a new generation of employees work harder.
- CCTV cameras are everywhere, scanning faces in shopping centres and eavesdropping on conversations (heck, I think this is wrong: this won't happen in 2020, it will be 2015 or sooner if you ask me. "Listening" CCTV cams are already being trialled in Scotland and artificial intelligence software is being used to "teach" CCTV cams to recognise aggressive sounds such as breaking glass). Personally, I think that biometrics will mean all CCTV cams will be loaded up with a scan of our faces and they'll use this to monitor us in shopping centres and public spaces.
- but most theft is now committed on the Internet, so the CCTV and biometrics paranoia is largely ineffective. Tasers, stun grenades, tranquillizer darts and hand-held computers are used by police to combat crime.
- DNA of citizens will be stored in a central database and because of severe public spending cuts, there's a large army of civilian investigators involved in police work.
- climate change has been slower than predicted by scientists back in 2009 but marine life has migrated northwards, sea levels have risen, the UK is warmer and sharks are sighted off the UK coast. One futurist is even hedging his bets that the UK might experience 40℃/104℉ temperatures. Wild weather patterns will also be experienced.
The article is in two-parts but I've summarised the main stuff for you. I would add to these predictions by suggesting that the 5-bedroom McMansion homes everyone seems to be so keen on will be albatrosses around homeowner's necks by 2020 if not before. You won't be able to sell them because of rising electricity costs and a return (I believe) to a simpler life.
What do you think the world will be like in 2020 or beyond?
2010: gazing into the tea leaves
So from my last post, you know that I'm giving myself ticks for my 2009 predictions. I have now gazed into the crystal ball and here's what I think could happen in 2010.
Global Financial Crisis: I've said I'm no economist, so am happy to be corrected but I don't think the GFC has finished with us yet. Let's take the US as an example. With US $787 billion in Government stimulus packages and $700 billion in bank bail outs, I think the financial crisis will be of a different form in 2010. It will be a crisis in public finance. The US Government deficit seems to be spinning out of control. Total US debt is bulging and is now $12.1 trillion (and growing by an average of $3.81 billion per day). In 2010, Congress will seek to rein it in or at least stabilize it.
Government debt is also known as public debt, national debt or sovereign debt and refers to the money or credit owed by any level of government eg Federal, state, local. It includes any money owed to foreign countries (referred to as individual investors). Public debt soared from $5.8 trillion to $7.6 trillion in 2009 and and is more than half the size of the US economy for the first time since 1956. And annual interest on the public debt will be around $800 billion by 2019.
What does this all mean? Apart from the US needing to go on a serious budget diet, it means that there has been a massive expansion in the scale of public finance in areas such as bank bailouts, mandatory expenditure on unemployment and related social needs, housing, funding the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, infrastructure spending and so on. But some states have literally run out of money – California is a good example. And the money being spent is borrowed money. There's a huge risk here and one that's not talked about much – Governments are gambling on the stimulus spending creating economic growth and jobs, which then allows Governments to make debt payments and continue spending (hopefully without raising taxes).
The risk I think is that in 2010 a crisis in public finance will start to weigh heavily on all public expenditure and that will affect you and me. Let's take Japan (the world's second largest economy) as our example. Big business has been asking Japan's new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, to slash social spending and rein in public debt, which is expected to soar above 200% of gross domestic product in 2010. In 2009, Japan scrapped controversial plans to reduce social security spending by 220 billion yen a year – basically, it would have meant putting a cap on social security spending which is higher when there is more unemployment and a large aging population, as in Japan's case. Malaysia is also cutting its spending in 2010 by 4.4% to rein in its ballooning deficit. So I think we're going to start to see a public finance crisis. Governments will say they will cut costs not services but cuts or reductions in growth of spending on education, health care and other programs will happen. Or we'll see tax hikes. Take your pick.
So Federal governments will cut back and then State governments will cut back, leaving local governments screwed. This could mean that local councils will increase property taxes for example. Or you might find garbage/trash services cut back. Or local area health services are given a haircut. Or it could mean laying off government or local council workers. You get the idea.
Globally, the public debt dilemma is very worrying. Just look at what's been happening to Dubai – no longer the rich oasis it used to be and needing Abu Dhabi to help bail it out of $59 billion worth of debt and asking for a 6 months' moratorium. The total global debt in 2010 is predicted to reach at least $49.5 trillion. Even Moody's is warning that 2010 will see sovereign debt spiralling and warns of social unrest. And you also get financial markets losing confidence in the ability of countries to cough up what they owe after borrowing vast amounts. From this scenario, it's not a big leap to imagine financial markets steering clear of official debt instruments—such as treasury bonds—and this would deprive countries of fresh cash.
So my prediction is: 2010 is the year for a crisis of public finance and the year we see government spending pruned. The European Union will lead the way. Look at what's happening with Greece with its crisis budget.
UPDATE: 16/1/10 I could be tracking well with this prediction already. Marc Faber (Swiss investment analyst) is saying the next crisis will be sovereign debt and he thinks it will particularly affect the "PIIGS": Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain. Watch this video of him talking about sovereign debt.
UPDATE: 8/1/10 seems the State is already screwing school districts – the state misses grant payments to all 871 Illinois school districts and leaves a $4.5 billion IOU for services from schools to homeless shelters.
UPDATE: 4/3/10 Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, warns that the United States could soon face a debt crisis like the one in Greece.
UPDATE: 10/3/2010 Financial Times opinion piece on how to handle the sovereign debt explosion.
Climate Change Fatigue: because some scientists behaved badly and emails suggesting that climate change data had been manipulated leaked on the Internet, 2010 will be a battleground for climate change. Public concern and belief in anthropogenic global warming is on the decline already.
A recent Pew Research Center poll (conducted in late 2009) showed that only 57% of Americans think there is solid scientific evidence to support the global warming thesis, compared with 71% in April, 2008. I know in my own area of Australia, a recent radio poll showed that two-thirds of people doubt climate change is caused by human activities. This green fatigue will lead to confusion over what to believe and cynicism. There are mixed messages: we're told that the planet is heating up yet we continue to see airplanes flying around, runways being built, coal being mined and so on. I think there will be mounting resistance to any form of "green taxes".
But if the climate experts are right, in 2010 we'll really start to see the planet heating up and wild weather patterns will increase.
China crashes or doesn't. I'm hedging my bets on this as I'm not sure. I think China will continue to flex its muscles (as it did at Copenhagen) and might stop buying up American debt, which of course would plunge the US into crisis. Newsweek is predicting that the China stock and real-estate bubble will collapse, leading to a destabilizing bout of global deflation. I'm inclined to lean in this direction. Certainly, China seemed to navigate through the GFC storm easily, but there are a number of factors at play: property prices are forming a bubble; exports are weak (because the West, which is China's major market, is curbing spending); the Chinese are dangerously overheating their economy by erecting cities (70 at last count) at a rapid rate; and they boast luxury stores and malls for which there is hardly any demand. So is there an illusion of progress? Is China more a paper tiger than a roaring dragon?
Jim Chanos (the short-seller who was the first to see that the accounting of Enron was dodgy) is saying that China will be "Dubai times 1000, or worse". I think China is starting to look a lot like Japan in the late 1980s – and we know how that turned out. So prediction is that China teeters.
Major food shortages. I've blogged many times about how I think the future will be one of water and food scarcity. I think we'll really start to see things happening in 2010. A perfect storm is coming: there are continuing droughts; the world population is growing rapidly; there is a wheat fungus causing problems and there are crippling crop failures – when you put this all together, you get the frightening possibility that global food supplies will be in trouble. Let's look at some examples, starting with Ug99. This is a wheat fungus (known as stem rust) that I'd never heard of until recently. But crop scientists fear this fungus could wipe out more than 80% of worldwide wheat crops. If the fungus spreads to the US (which is considered inevitable), US $10 billion worth of wheat would be wiped out. And the result would be a " significant humanitarian crisis" according to Rick Ward, the coordinator of the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
I think the lack of monsoons in India is also something to be concerned about. In 2009, India's monsoon season was 29% below average from 1 June –11 August and caused drought in 278 of the country's 626 districts, damaging crops of sugar cane, wheat, rice and oilseeds. India is an important producer of wheat (number 2 in the world) and it dominates the world's rice harvest. What happens when there is no bumper wheat harvest in India? There is significant loss in yield, wheat quality is affected, prices go up and civil unrest occurs.
There are many more examples of global food supply concerns I could give you. Just read here and here to start. And make sure you read 2010 Food Crisis for Dummies and all the links in the article. It's a comprehensive run-down of the crisis we'll be facing and you will end up being as concerned as I am about global food supplies.
Obama. IMHO 2009 was an unpromising year for Obama. And I think in 2010, his ratings will take a dive. Mind you, it's already pretty low with an average 48-50% in the lead up to Christmas 2009 and it's down 15 points since the start of 2009 (I think this is the worst third quarter decline in public approval ratings for any elected president since World War II). Heck, even Oprah's ratings have taken a plunge since she openly supported Obama (known as the O2 effect).
Americans will start to blame Obama for worsening conditions in 2010 and Obama will no longer be able to blame Dubya. His approval ratings could sink to 40% or lower in 2010 as Americans (and the world) wonder what Obama actually stands for. His campaign and the massive movement that swept him into office was largely personality, not issues, based. The Obama campaign raised such enormous hopes and in his first year of governing, the Prez has disappointed many. The bank and auto bailouts have been broadly unpopular during a time of significant unemployment. I don't see him as decisive – look at how long his deliberations over Afghanistan have taken (a speech in March 2009 announced a new strategy but it was almost eight months later that he announced additional troops would be needed).
Americans have most likely felt betrayed by a Prez who has bailed out banks (close to $1 trillion and used to pay bonuses for senior executives) without demanding significant reforms; failed to close Guantanamo Bay; failed to withdraw US military forces from Iraq; failed to end the conflict in Afghanistan; stuffed up health care reform; and seems to have the same stance on Gaza as Dubya.
I think Americans will fret over the escalating national debt, continuing unemployment problems, Obama's health-care reform and the decline of the US as the world's only superpower (watch out for Brazil in 2010 – an economic powerhouse on the rise). And many will question the wisdom of expensive reform during a time of unprecedented economic distress. So prediction is – brand Obama takes a nose dive in 2010 as people realise he's the consummate campaigner and a masterful orator but an inexperienced politician with an administration that is floundering. The actions sadly don't match the rhetoric.
Really, I'm hoping I'm wrong and 2010 will be a rosy year but from all I've been reading, it's a Nyet on that.
Did I stuff it up?
Just over a year ago, I walked the plank. Well, not quite. I offered up my predictions for 2009. The first time I've done that – so time to look back and see how many predictions I stuffed up. If I managed to get them all right, then I am going to embark on a new career as a psychic. Dress up with wild red hair in ribbons and gaze dreamily into a crystal ball. That should do it.
To refresh our collective memories, here were my predictions for 2009 with a look at how I tracked against them:
- Reinvent yourself as a Chief Financial Officer (or CFO) – due to the global financial crisis, I said that organisations would need a financial wizard to navigate them through the mess. I may have this one right – the Best of 2009: Careers in CFO.com (possibly a biased publication!) declared 2009 as the Year of the CFO, with the role of strategic CFO being prominent. A quick look at seek.com.au and I found 95 jobs for CFOs or senior corporate accountants. So I'm giving myself a tick for this prediction.
- Formal recognition of global recession: I predicted that the IMF would formally admit the global economy was in recession. Well, that happened in April 2009 with the IMF's April World Economic Outlook. I thought that despite a new Prez in the White House, Obama's economic stimulus programme would not put a halt to rising unemployment during 2009 in the US or a deepening recession. Although hiring is starting to pick up now and jobless figures are dropping, a record 20 million-plus people collected unemployment benefits in 2009 in the US and the unemployment rate hit 10%. In March 2009, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, told the grim tale of a deepening US recession and indeed world recession. Falling US auto sales and increasing home foreclosures signalled a recession that wasn't going to disappear quickly. Further, I muttered that I wouldn't be surprised if some US states declared bankruptcy. Well, that happened in California. Arnie ran out of money and basically had a US $12bn deficit on his hands. He ended up giving IOUs to creditors and civil servants. Illinois is in the midst of a financial struggle that could mean tax increases for its citizens. And Business Week laid it all out, highlighting the US states in bad financial shape. Thankfully, hyperinflation didn't happen. So…basically a tick for these predictions.
- Banks will screw us. What better example can I give than the Westpac (Australia) outrage and its "mortgages are banana smoothies" ill-judged metaphor. And Australian banks certainly tightened credit in 2009. Tick.
- I said that Governments would take increasing control of banks. Well, the Austrian Government had to take control of Bank Medici; Ireland became the first European Union country to take de facto control of all of its most important banks; Obama took over control of the bonus pool by capping executive pay at banks that were bailed out; and the Spanish Government took over the troubled savings bank, Caja de Ahorros de Castilla-La Mancha. Tick.
- Employers could get nasty. I predicted that wages could be cut and more demands made on staff to "do more with less". This certainly happened – Hewlett-Packard imposed wide-ranging pay cuts including Executive council members who took a 15% haircut on their base pay; Japan slashed wages across the board in an effort to stem job losses; and the recession was putting pressure on some workers to do unpaid overtime so they could keep their jobs. And the global recession witnessed worsening employee morale. Tick.
- Trend towards a simpler life. Really, I think this is an ongoing trend and will continue into 2010. But with many people in the US, for example, out of work – people are learning to be thrifty (and enjoying it). Here's the story of 37-year old woman leading a simpler life after being laid off; USA Today reported that Americans were paring back their lavish lifestyles because of the financial crisis; the DIY industry exploded in 2009 with people doing their own home improvements, learning how to cook at home or making crafts to sell. The global recession even renewed interest in home vegetable gardening. Tick.
- Increase in civil unrest and rekindling of socialist ideals. I'm sure you all remember the angry protests against financial institutions in the UK; Greek farmers blocked roads and protested over falling agricultural prices; a million workers in France joined demonstrations to demand greater protection for jobs and wages; Icelandic demonstrators clashed with police in Reykjavik. There was unrest all over Europe; a wave of protests swept across Russia; folks in Connecticut weren't going to take it anymore and descended on the luxurious homes of bank CEOs and US students at the University of California clashed with police whilst protesting against a hike in tuition fees the university says is needed to raise US$505 million. A Rasmussen poll during April 2009 pointed to a possible shift towards socialism in the US – 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism and 20% say they prefer socialism (I'm going to bet on the high probability that many young people, who don't know what socialism is, were in that 20% and the 27% who weren't sure which is better). So…tick.
- I thought that the cosmetics and entertainment industries would thrive in 2009 – because women won't give up lipstick (lipstick sales during the Great Depression of the 1930s rose by 25%) and people will want to forget economic doom and gloom for a few hours whilst watching a film. Both are mood enhancers. 2009 saw an increase in Avon representatives (probably as people laid off thought of new career opportunities) and I think there was a trading down to cheaper brands. The so-called "lipstick index" (created by Leonard Lauder, chairman of Estee Lauder) says that when there's a recession, women buy more lipstick and Forbes reported what women were still buying in 2009, with lipstick high on the list. What I didn't predict but should have is the rise of natural and organic cosmetics, which increased by 13% to €1.7 billion in Europe in 2009. Although cosmetic companies have taken a bit of a battering, make-up and lipstick is still selling well. Similarly, moviegoers defied the global recession with attendance at US cinemas up 5% during 2009 and box-office revenue up 8.6% in the U.S. and Canada and certain to top $10 billion, an all-time record. Tick.
- Better leadership from our politicians and more cooperation between political parties. The US and China pledged to work more closely together on political, economic and environmental issues; representatives of political parties from Latin America and Asia-Pacific met to strengthen cooperation amid the global financial crisis; and UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, urged global cooperation at the World Economic Forum in Davos. So I guess a tick.
- Politically, Afghanistan will start to haunt Obama. You just have to read the newspapers to know that Obama's troubles are pretty desperate in Afghanistan and that quite possibly the country will be Obama's Vietnam. And he's going to have to spend 2010 explaining to Congress why he needs roughly $100 billion a year and at least 40,000 more troops (surge anyone?) in fighting a war that is increasingly unpopular. Tick.
- Rise in trade protectionism. Tick, this has happened despite the need for a coordinated economic approach to the financial crisis. Global use of trade remedies rose by 18.8% in the first quarter of 2009 – download a report here.
- Wild weather due to climate change and skirmishes over water and food. This is not science to say this but when I was a kid, I don't remember so many days of 35 or 40 degrees. We seem to be getting warmer weather during winter (eg in August) and very very hot days in summer followed by a day that is 15 degrees cooler. Read about Australia's weird weather here. We've had severe storms and floods, Perth and Adelaide are on fire, and of course Sydney was hit with a red dust storm during September. Wild weather has wreaked havoc in Indonesia and climate scientists are predicting that the year ahead will see El Niño exacerbating the effects of climate change, bringing with it floods, droughts and the hottest years on record. We've also seen snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures in the UK, Europe and the US – which the skeptics use as evidence against global warming – but climate scientists are putting this down to La Niña (cooler than normal water temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean) and does not detract from the fact that we are seeing thinning ice and retreating glaciers. Climate experts are predicting that the real heat will set in after 2009 with a surge in temperatures. So I'll give this a tick. Crop failures saw 1500 farmers commit suicide in the Indian state of Chattisgarh; there were some reports of a catastrophic fall during 2009 in global food production; and I've already told you about skirmishes over water. Tick.
Clearly, I should reconsider my career path and become a psychic. I'll dust off my crystal ball. But frankly, if you follow world events keenly and note the patterns, you don't need to be Einstein to figure out what will happen. Next post – my predictions for 2010. Given my track record, I know you'll be excited but try to get some sleep 🙂
2050 and beyond
The astronomer royal, Martin Rees, has been looking into the future. He is offering up predictions for 2050. You know I love a good prediction or two, so really interesting to read about what he thinks might be in store for us. Much of what he says, we already know – by 2050, the planet will be staggering under the weight of a global population of 9 billion and the world will be warmer. Beyond this, Rees suggests:
- CO2 concentration levels will reach twice the pre-industrial level by around 2050 if we keep with business as usual
- the entire solar system might have been explored and mapped by tiny robotic craft
- long range space flights to Mars and beyond
- altered human beings – through mind-enhancing drugs (didn't that happen already in the 1960s?!!); genetics; or cyborg techniques
- the human lifespan could be greatly extended
- widening gulf between what science enables us to do and what applications it's prudent or ethical to pursue.
I think that last point is spot on. I'm not sure that ethical issues surrounding genetics or gene therapy are keeping pace with science. The modification of an individual's genotype has great future prospects. Tinkering around with human genes could mean that a person will not have to suffer cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease for example. A fetus with a genetic defect could be treated and cured before it is born. Hereditary disease might become a thing of the past and lifespans extended. All good.
But then there's the darker side of genetic engineering. We've all read about designer babies, genetically engineered so they are aesthetically pleasing to society as a whole, or we can imagine some psycho cloning a whole lot of athletic, blonde men for a private army. I'm no geneticist, but seems to me that the human body is a complex maze of biological pathways and interconnections. So if you tinker with a gene, what are the side effects or long term ramifications elsewhere within the body?
What makes humanity so splendid is diversity, uniqueness, individuality. Every human is different. There's a wonderful variety of hair and eye colours, statures, physical appearances. Isn't it this diversity that makes humanity strong and able to evolve and cope with diseases or other onslaughts? If we are all genetically engineered, then I wonder what vulnerability factor is introduced. If an unknown disease came along, would a genetically engineered population be able to withstand it, since it seems to me that biological diversity provides humanity with the means to battle a variety of diseases.
And then there's transgenics – where scientists tinker around and develop organisms that have a novel trait not normally found within a species. Golden rice is but one example of a transgenic organism. There are three categories of transgenics: animal-human combination; animal-animal combination; plant-animal-human combination. We've all read about pig organs, for example, being explored as an alternative for human organ transplants (known as xenotransplantation). But consider the ethical issues – and these are just some that come immediately to mind:
- what might be the health risks? Take golden rice – it is engineered to overproduce beta carotene and retinoids derived from beta carotene may be toxic and cause birth defects.
- would human-animal organisms be viewed as a lower order of being that would not be worthy of full respect or dignified treatment? I can imagine a whole class of "slave chimeras" being created for the purposes of doing low-grade or demeaning work.
- at what point would organisms, which possess a particularly human phenotype or exhibit certain human behaviours, be considered "human"? Indeed, if we start tinkering around, would the whole notion of what it means "to be human" change or will it need to expanded?
- if animal genes are inserted into a human embryo, what possible effects might there be on the individual identity of the future person? At the early stage of life, cells are growing and changing – how might the introduction of animal genes significantly alter a human's make-up and identity? Genetic instructions are contained within an embryo, so if you introduce foreign material from an animal, are you potentially affecting the development of the human?
- would the animal-human combination need to be given rights and special protections?
- could new diseases emerge due to the close proximity of animal and human tissue?
- might unexpected new deformities and disorders be created in animal-human entities?
I read this article recently and in the paper is an interesting argument:
"The animal and plant kingdoms—the kingdom of genes—contain vast amounts of genetic information of potential value to humanity. Humans have many unique and valuable qualities, like the capacity for high-level moral reasoning. But they also have many limitations, which other animals and plants do not. We age faster than some animals,we do not have sonar, acute sight, hearing, smell, or the capacity to photosynthesize or produce our own essential nutrients. And we are susceptible to diseases other animals are not. These limitations are genetic. By understanding how genes contribute to function we could use these genes, or artificial copies of their sequences, to overcome the limitations of being human."
I get this. It's a logical argument. And it comes from a position of acknowledging that the human being does not have moral superiority. But are we opening the proverbial Pandora's box or will we simply be mining the kingdom of genes to produce a more robust, disease free human?


text:
by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press, 2012
Graphic Novel
Grades 2-5
Digital copy provided by publisher through NetGalley.
Binky the space cat has
been promoted to lieutenant. He's now in charge of training the next
generation of space cadets. But then he meets the new space kitten --
who isn't a kitten at all! Is someone trying to pull the fur over his
eyes? Binky and Captain Gracie need to figure out the new cadet before
the next alien attack.
Binky, the Space Cat, has a new assignment. He is in charge of training a new recruit to the F.U.R.S.T. (Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) organization. And he thinks he is prepared, until the new recruit shows up and he discovers that F.U.R.S.T has become P.U.R.S.T. (Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) and the recruit is a dog! What's Binky to do? How can he train a DOG! He doesn't know but he gives it a try, but the dog is terrible at everything Binky tries to teach him. He might even be a spy for the aliens! Binky and Captain Gracie need to find out just who and what the new recruit is before the alien's invade. Full of humorous illustrations and just enough potty humor, children are bound to relate to Binky and his dilemma. Spires' dry sense of humor is very evident throughout the book and I found myself snickering more than once. I confess I did not see the twist at the end coming, all the evidence seemed to point at something else. Overall, a nice addition to a fun series and perfect for kids who love pets and graphic novels.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: Binky Takes Charge by Ashley Spires
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Welcome to a new mini-blog series that revolve around transparency in your market/sales called "Saran Wrap Series". Understand that Saran Wrap has nothing to do with this post, or me, I just saw it in the kitchen while writing and realized it's transparent and it sounded catchy (see what I did there, I was transparent about the blog series title. I'm cool like dat)
Part 1: My Transparency on Twitter
When I started getting some momentum on Twitter, gaining up to 500 new followers a day during the craziest of my tweeting addiction, I turned off notifications of new followers. I couldn't keep up with them all. I then had a choice, become a Twitter Diva (or "Twiva" if you want to annoy the eggnog out of people) and not follow anyone back, or auto-follow everyone back who followed me. I picked the latter, since I figured it was a nice way to say thanks for following me, and hey, if they followed me they at least have that going for them 🙂
This was a mistake for three reasons:
1. I followed back spammers/porn accounts and other undesirables. I got nothing against porn stars. I'm sure they wake up and put on their latex pants like the rest of us, but I had no desire to hear about the sequel to Long Dong Silver in my tweet stream. Also, on your profile page, it shows a collection of people you've recently began to follow. Some of those profile pics don't reflect fondly on your brand, and why are you following @WhipsAndChainsForMen anyways?
2. I ended up following 30,000 people. I barely look at my "All Tweets" screen. I've removed it from Tweetdeck. There is so much noise, that I've had to make custom groups called "rockstars" and "awesomesauce" to read the tweets of people are learn from/know. I should've stayed selective in those I followed back and now only follow those I learn from/laugh from or that engage with me and I find them interesting (a great tool for that is ReFollow.com I check off "Not Following" and down below check off "Users who have @ mentioned me" to see whose been engaging with me but I haven't followed.) And don't get me started on all the auto-dm's it opened me up to. Even after using socialtoo.com to block most of them, if I get one more "it lets your Facebook friends find you on Twitter" DM's I'm gonna start getting all stabby.
3. It was not being transparent. I was trading authenticity for automation. Efficiency for transparency. People would tweet or DM me that they were flattered I followed them back, and I winced every time. I couldn't tell them that it was automated.
Twitter is different than a newsletter. There is a much more personal connection on it. Just like auto-tweeting, which I'll go over in the next post in the series, as soon as you throw automation into your relationships, they stop being that. Is it worth deceiving people, if that's how they might see it, for the sake of automation? I realized a little too late, my answer is "no".
What's yours? Does it make you feel all warm and fuzzy if someone follows you and you get that notification? How do you feel about people auto-following back? Or any automation? Comment below! And sign-up for updates to get notified when the next post is up! I'll cover what other people are doing with automation, and why it can kill your image.Tweet


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Hands-On Workshop: Jazz Up Your Agile Development with Rational Team Concert
Jim D'Anjou, Simon Archer (SAS )
Making With Eclipse · Sponsored
Tags: Tools
Tuesday, 10:00, 2 hours | Alameda
Join us for an opportunity to be a member of an agile development team working under the collaborative umbrella of Team Concert, a cornerstone of the Jazz product family. In this workshop you will be a member of a development team that will plan, develop, and build an application in a collaborative development environment using the features of Team Concert. You will learn how Team Concert helps teams become more productive, more agile, and more effective. There are no technical prerequisites for participating.
Jim D'Anjou is a Senior Software Engineer at the IBM Silicon Valley Lab in San Jose, California. He has held a variety of technical and management positions developing products for relational databases, database tools, application repositories, and application development tools. He holds two U.S. patents for work in software process automation. He is the lead author of the book, The Java Developer's Guide to Eclipse. He joined the Jazz project (jazz.net) in 2005 as a developer and is now the technical lead for the Jazz Jumpstart team, an outbound arm of product development responsible for enabling customers on how to use the Jazz platform effectively.
Simon Archer has more than sixteen years of software engineering experience with an emphasis on object-oriented design, agile practices, and software quality. After earning his B.Sc. in computer science from the University of Portsmouth, UK, he worked as a Smalltalk developer at Knowledge System Corporation and later at Object Technology International. While at OTI in 2000, Simon began working with and teaching OSGi in areas such as telematics and RFID. Today he works for IBM Rational, using OSGi to build collaborative development tools for the Jazz Foundation project. He lives in Cary, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.


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LAMY Safari Fountain Pen Blue
The LAMY Safari is a stylish, modern writing instrument and a functional and elegant companion. Made of aluminium, it features stylish details refined with precious metal and a sophisticated shiny finish.
- Sturdy plastic
- Metal clip
- Ergonomic grip
- Steel nib, polished
- With ink cartridge LAMY T 10 blue /
- Can be used with the converter LAMY Z 28


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Moncton – Start Date
- 13-Jan-20
- 10-Feb-20
- 09-Mar-20
- 06-Apr-20
- 04-May-20
- 01-Jun-20
- 10-Aug-20
- 07-Sep-20
- 05-Oct-20
- 02-Nov-20
- 30-Nov-20
Oromocto – Start Date
- 13-Jan-20
- 09-Mar-20
- 04-May-20
- 10-Aug-20
- 05-Oct-20
- 30-Nov-20
Sussex & Miramichi – Start Date
- 06-Apr-20
- 07 Sept 20
What Trans-Canada College Graduates Are Saying
"I took the 12-week Trucking course last year with Trans-Canada College, and I've been employed ever since. It feels great to be earning a good wage… I love the freedom that my job offers, and I love the people I work for."
-Trevor G.- Trans-Canada College graduate
"I graduated from the school, and got hired by Midland right away. I now have been with Midland since October 2013 on the Michelin run…I really enjoy the experience."
-Gerry A.- Trans-Canada College graduate
Become A Truck Driver In 12 Weeks
No Previous Experience Required!
Apply For Our Class 1E Program
Our standard application is free for you to complete, but will help you learn if you are qualified for the course. Before you sign up, you will already know if you can succeed. Call or email us to receive the application.
Complete The Course
Over 12 weeks, you will complete a minimum of 100 hours of interactive in-class safety training coupled with a minimum of 100 hours of practical truck time. You will then move to a 4 week real life internship with one of our Transport Carrier Partners!
Start Your New Career!
You will be successful. For over 25 years, we have placed over 95% of our graduates into job opportunities immediately following graduation. We keep in touch with our alumni, and as a long-term New Brunswick business, we are fixtures in the trucking industry.


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Featured this month
- Williamson County Expo Center – Taylor, TX For details click here
- For a list of Texas arenas with a photo tour click here
Equivent Take entries online for your event without any fees to you (the producer)
Barrel Racing Results
- WWP Salt Creek December 11, 2019
- 9th Annual Christmas Classic Kinder, La
- WWP Fall Barrel Classic Cowtown December 8, 2019
- BRAT Christmas Classic December 6-8, 2019
- WWP Salt Creek December 4, 2019
- 2019 Gobble Up the Cash – Marshall
- 15th Annual Christmas Ca$h – Amarillo, Tx Complete Results
- WWP Salt Creek November 27, 2019
- Cube IT Weatherford November 30, 2019
Well it finally happened, I got the new website up and going and one by one folks are finding their way here. If you have any problems with the website just email me at email@example.com.
We started this site as a way to help producers find equine event arenas, exhibitors find out more about the arenas and to help vendors get a better idea of what is in store for them. As producers we have had trouble finding the arena that is best for us. Just like one man's trash is another man's treasure. What is best for me is not always best for you. You may not need AC 10,000 seat 400 stalls. That is what we mean by best. We kind of know what we want but really not where we want to have our event.
As vendors we want to know what the arena looks like before we go. We want to know how many RV spots there are and how the arena is set up. We have found that we are not the only ones who want all that.
If you will look to the top of the page on the Menu that says Add Your Arena. It will take you to a form that will ask you questions about your arena. Please answer all the questions.
Added a rating system to or site, so make sure you go to the pages of your favorite arenas and rate them!


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Male- Van Hutchinson Jr.
Van Hutchinson Jr. of the Niagara College men's basketball program has been named this week's male athlete of the week. The Knights' 3rd year guard from Nassau, Bahamas earned the award after his 36 point performance in the 102-97 victory over the Humber Hawks.
"Van has been great for us all season," said Knights head coach Mike Hurley. "His ability to come up big in games like these show how crucial his success is for us heading into the OCAA championships in 2018."
Hutchinson Jr. has been impressive for the Knights this year, averaging 17. 3 points and 11.7 rebounds through the first 9 games of the season. His latest 36 point performance against a very good Hawks' program shows the Knights can rely on their 3rd year guard to come up big in important moments.
Hutchinson Jr. and the Knights will be back in action Wednesday, December 13th when they host the Fanshawe Falcons (6-4, 5th OCAA West) to close out 2017.
Female- Mary Ingribelli
For the second consecutive week, Mary Ingribelli of the Niagara College women's basketball program has been named this week's female athlete of the week. The St. Catharines, Ontario native receives this award after posting a team high 15 points and 7 rebounds in the Knights 102-50 loss over the undefeated Humber Hawks (11-0, 1st OCAA West)
The 4th year guard is the focal point of the Knights offense this season, averaging 17.9 points through the team's first nine games. The fourth year former Governor Simcoe standout is also giving the Knights 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
"Mary continues to find ways to impress" said Niagara Knights women's basketball head coach Mike Beccaria. "Her ability to compete at an elite level makes her dangerous for us heading down the stretch."
Ingribelli and the rest of the women's basketball program will look to finish off 2017 in the win column when they host the Fanshawe Falcons (8-2, 3rd OCAA West) Wednesday, December 13th at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre.


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Stratigraphy and reservoir characterization of the Devonian Deposits in the Salem Field
Richard C. Berg, Director
615 E. Peabody
Champaign, IL 61820
© 2019 University of Illinois Board of Trustees. All rights reserved.
For permissions information, contact the Illinois State Geological Survey.
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Liverpool are struggling lately. The managerial change didn't help them a lot as they are still only 8th in the league currently and are rather unimpressing when it comes to the way of play (apart from the game where they destroyed Manchester City). Arsenal are the league leaders currently and are playing well in general (although their games against Newcastle and especially Southampton didn't look that pretty).
Liverpool currently have to cope with quite some injuries, with Coutinho, Ings, Lovren, Origi and Skrtel all out and Sakho and Touré also not being completely fit. This means that their main two centre backs will be out with injuries, and even the back-ups that will most likely play have problems too. Up front Coutinho will be a huge missing since Firmino has only had one good game so far in the Premier League, against Manchester City.
Arsenal have a lot of their main players slowly coming back into the squad from injuries and this will only strengthen them. They were in the luxury position of being able to rest Mesut Özil in the cup against Sunderland, ensuring he is fresh for this game. Özil is in absolutely phenomenal form last months, creating chance after chance for his teammates and topping the assist rankings by a nice distance.
For me, Arsenal should be clear favorites in this game given the current circumstances. I therefore recommend placing a medium-sized bet on Arsenal to win @ 31/20 (2.55) at Bet365. Should you fancy a bigger gamble, you can try Arsenal to win by at least 2 goals @ 17/4 (5.25) offered by Bwin.


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My poor Doris Lindner resin "Top Secret" is oozing. Before my husband and I workout in the living room in the morning I move the big boy from his shelf in the china cabinet. He is a large, solid cast resin and he wobbles just slightly when we run and do jumping jacks. For about four months now I moved him without seeing any issues. Today, there was oozing.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this piece. I'm just glad I never sold him. I took off his bows and wiped down his ribbon. The problem seems to be coming from where I glued the bows. I used Zap A Gap and baking soda. I'd hate to think that this combination of products on top of resin causes reactions. Nothing else has gone bad on the horse. I'll wait, watch and see.
It's days like this that make me want to just forget resin completely and turn all my attention to china and china painting. The only thing that can harm china is crazing (and some people like this effect) or a fall. Once the piece has been created and painted its good forever.


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About Studio Flatland
Studio Flatland is a collective of artists and designers specializing in animation, post-production and motion graphics. We enjoy creating unique storytelling and visual experiences for companies and business brands.
Studio Flatland takes a unique, tailored approach to each project using whatever techniques and media will craft the most engaging world. Skilled in many dimensions of animation, the Studio Flatland team brings together video, audio, 3d, motion graphics and 2d traditional character animation into one vision.
Before Simian:
As a company, we rely on media sharing for two specific purposes: project workflow and proposals. From email to Hightail, Dropbox and Box.net, plus custom webpages and lots and lots of links, at Flatland Creative, we've tried a variety of solutions.
During project workflow, we needed to share files frequently. Since we do a lot of character animation work, projects require numerous updates as a piece goes through design, storyboarding, timing, sound and animation, so we created folders and subfolders in Dropbox.
Since we also have a background in digital advertising, we often would be asked to create derivative content such as interactive material or animated web ads. Problem was, that this content could not be viewed from Dropbox or a computer desktop without the creation of a webpage where the material could be posted.
In addition for proposals, we would frequently need to send hand-selected samples to potential clients. If they wanted to see certain styles of character animation, of course we wanted to send them samples that were most relevant. Also, if they were interested in our broad range of services, like post production or motion graphics, we wouldn't want to distract them with our many cartoon examples. This required emailing a list of links to our prospects or even editing together a custom sizzle reel per proposal = time consuming to say the least! Not only that but the video would then need to be Ftp'd in order to share it.
The problems were plentiful. Dropbox and Box.net lead to an array of issues. Streaming previews on Dropbox was often poor in quality. File times could lead to the inability to stream. Often, clients would need to download material in order to view it properly, which lead to difficulties in sharing content with larger groups of people, as well as the inability to view on mobile devices. Since many of our clients were on the go, a mobile compatible solution was desperately needed.
Webpages that hosted our digital content samples experienced other issues. Browsers often wouldn't refresh content. This required brand new webpages to be created for each stage of development and each round of revisions to ensure that our clients were seeing the newest versions. Again, a huge resource and time issue.
Simian Solution:
Recently, a highly valued client praised our decision to switch to Simian. The project we worked on consisted of multiple videos that included educational content that required input from her internal team. With Simian, she was not only able to view updates easily on her phone, but we were also able to rapidly set up a project microsite that enabled her entire team to view the collection of videos and provide feedback on the spot.
Simian's mobile compatibility has been better than expected. I am one of the few people on the planet with a Windows Phone. Simian works seamlessly, even on this often neglected platform.
In addition, flash content can be uploaded like any other video. The Simian link embeds the SWF file perfectly, thereby allowing for full preview of the animation and interactivity. Simply uploading numerous files and sharing the folder instantly, has taken the place of the need to constantly create updated, custom web pages.
Another wonderful benefit is the analytics. In the past, we'd need to follow up with a client to make sure they had seen the latest update. Often times they had viewed it, but had not yet compiled feedback. With Simian, you can immediately see that have received and viewed the material. No more "did you see it?" emails needed!
Lastly for proposals, we are able to quickly grab related content into a custom reel. The creative on a Simian generated, interactive demo reel looks far more professional than sending a list of links and faster than editing a custom sizzle reel. Simian is so simple to use, my animation rep can even put together custom reels herself, without my help. This adds back valuable time to my day.
Enhanced Results:
Simian enables us to better present our proposals and in-progress projects to our clients with less effort and less turn around time. Winning over clients is not only about the quality of your work – but also about the quality of the service you offer. Simian makes our service faster, easier and better not only for us – but for our clients as well.
Our clients have used our Simian microsites to share multi-video campaigns with internal teams for collaboration. Our agency clients forward our Simian presentation to their clients for review and approval, making Simian a winning solution for all involved.
Elias Dancey
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Juiced 2 – Hot Import Nights PS2 ISO Free Download
Free Download Juiced 2 – Hot Import Nights PS2 ISO.
Get into the drift with Juiced 2: HIN – the only place where superstar DJs, smokin' hot models and totally tuned cars come into close contact.
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Wow the crowd, keep tabs on your opponents and take the crown as the rightful king of drift!
- Get your car drifting sideways for as long as possible to rack up the big scores
- Enjoy amazing modding and tuning options, plus almost limitless graphics options
- Develop your unique Driver DNA and let your friends download it
- Game Name : Juiced 2 – Hot Import Nights
- Region : USA
- Release Date : September 17, 2007
- Genre : Racing


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Many years ago, my parents and I were at my grandparents' house for Christmas. It was a special one, as my aunt, uncle and cousins from Illinois were visiting, something they couldn't do very often. My cousins, 3 girls, had brought their record player and some records, one of which was this:
I was 6, but I fell in love with Davy Jones looking at that album cover. He was my first celebrity crush. The first in a long line that continues to this day, 46 years later.
It's hard for me to believe Davy has died. As one of my friends said, we have to think of him as still young, so we won't feel so old ourselves. Lots of us are very sad about this --- seems I wasn't the only one who fell for "the little English one."


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Project details:
A contemporary rectilinear garden in Ringwood with yew hedging and grasses running at 90 degrees to each other to create a garden that reflects the clean lines of the house but which is dynamic and invites exploration. Designed by Robert Kennett. Landscaping by own team due for completion end November 2014.


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At least once a year, we test our dispatch protocols to ensure we have accurate contact information for all responders and can efficiently reach out to you all. Typically, this involves a phone-tree-style approach, with neighborhood team captains reaching out to members using a call sheet. This year, the plan went through a bit of a shakeup.
On Saturday, September 24th, around 9:00 AM, designated team captains were notified via text message from Allen's Computer Aided Dispatch system that CERT had been activated for a drill. Upon notification, all available team captains jumped in their vehicles and headed for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) which happens to be the Ron Gentry Fire Training Center. Along the way, they checked in and received updates using our new CERT-designated N5UIG amateur radio repeater. Upon arrival, command staff roles were assigned and an initial briefing was given by Brian LeVasseur, the appointed Incident Commander for the event. The team captains continued with reaching out to all CERT responders to confirm reachability and availability. Once enough responders were available, teams were mobilized to elementary schools around the city to perform damage assessments and report back intelligence.
At times, the exercise was challenging, demanding, confusing, and chaotic. However, the objectives were accomplished and we learned many lessons that will greatly enhance our operational capabilities.
Next Steps
A debriefing is scheduled for Wednesday, October 5th, 7:30 PM at La Madeleine. Everyone is welcome to attend and observe and/or provide feedback.
We hope to execute a dispatch simulation semi-annually so look for a communication early next year. Don't forget to check your contact information.


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- For other uses, see Leviathan.
The USS Leviathan (NCC-73966) was a Federation Regent-class cruiser in service in the early 25th century.
Following the Undine attack on the Sol system in early 2410, the Leviathan was stationed as part of the Starfleet picket guarding Earth Spacedock. (ST video game: Star Trek Online)
|Ships named Leviathan
|Federation, Starfleet
|USS Leviathan (Sovereign-class) • USS Leviathan (NCC-73966, Regent-class)
|Klingon Empire
|IKS Leviathan
External linkEdit
- USS Leviathan article at The Star Trek Online Wiki.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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We've said it before, but it's worth repeating: The absolute popularity of vintage Chevrolet cars is truly a global phenomenon.
During our visit "down under" to Australia in 2017, Chevy High Performance had the pleasure of interacting with a truly die-hard Bowtie drag racing proponent, Jason Donnelly. During that week, Jason and his D.B.S. team were gracious enough to grant us access to their multicar drag racing operation, which includes a truly impressive, world-class collection of 1957 model Chevys.
In addition to a pair of original 1957 Chevys (a 10.90 e.t. capable street-driven sedan and a restored '57 convertible) housed at his ranch-style home near Tamborine, Queensland, Jason's passion for that iconic model year is also well represented at the dragstrip, where he often presents no less then four different 1957 Chevy drag cars.
That hit list includes a one-of-a-kind '57 Nomad Pro Slammer (aka Top Doorslammer), a Supercharged Outlaws classed '57 Funny Car, a meticulous '57 Top Sportsman car, and an outrageous '57 Chevy-bodied exhibition wheelstander dubbed The Rocket Ship.
Stating the obvious, Jason is a '57 Chevy fanatic and a huge fan of that era Americana memorabilia, both of which he is quick to affirm.
"Just have a look at them. The body styling is so cool that it just speaks for itself," he stated. "I got my very first 1957 Chevy 23 years ago, and over the years I've worked hard and saved my money while keeping up on my car collection. Now we tour with our cars all over Australia, giving racing fans something unique and American nostalgic. Their reactions are always very appreciative."
While Jason focuses most of his personal driving in the '57 Pro Slammer, his two sons Jake and Dan are tasked with driving the Supercharged Outlaws car and Top Sportsman cars, respectively.
All of the D.B.S. team race cars are show quality and meticulously prepped and maintained with everything from A-Z being done in-house at their race shop.
The Top Sportsman '57 Chevy, which has been campaigned for 10 years, is an all-steel original car except for the front clip and boot lid. That machine has a 632ci Scott Shafiroff engine with nitrous oxide injection available if required. This 3,100-pound car has been a TS class championship contender on numerous occasions.
Both the Supercharged Outlaws and Pro Slammer cars feature alcohol-burning supercharged engines. Jake has been driving the Supercharged Outlaws car for four seasons and has a best time of 6.52 to his credit. The Pro Slammer Nomad was debuted three seasons ago and features a Murray Anderson-built chassis and an automatic transmission. That car has run a best of 6.01 at 237.
We would be remiss if we did not mention that Jason's D.B.S. Racing Team extends its racing presence even further. Amazingly, his commitment to the quarter-mile sport also includes two nitro-powered Funny Cars, which he runs within the Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Car series. His team campaigns both Dodge Avenger and Chevy Camaro-bodied fuel burners within that circuit.
"That group is fantastic," Jason added. "We get to travel all over Australia with a great group of people. We take the sport to country towns and to both small and large regional tracks. The grassroots aspect of all that is really fun and the fans and crowds are great!"
Jason Donnelly is a 100-percent independent racer who funds his family oriented racing operation passionately from his self-founded Donnelly Blasting Services company. That business is one of the largest drilling contractors located in South Eastern Queensland, and employees 20.
Jason pointed out that his company and race team's D.B.S. title also has some personal philosophy behind it, which he fully embraces: "Dream - Believe - Succeed." CHP
Photos by Bruce Biegler


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MAKE WAVES! Spring into a Season of Classic Swimwear and be a splash of fashion!
MAKE WAVES! Spring into original Vintage clothing and swimwear and be a splash of fashion! Springtime vacations are a great reason to add to your vintage & retro clothes collection. Wear a 1930's or 1960's Mod era bathing suit and your personal style will stand out for sure. Monster Vintage has some great bathing suits, swimwear and summer fun dresses so stop by and make a Vintage Splash!
Sunny Afternoon Roses at the Beach & After Dark at the Pool
Volleyball Flare & Rare 30's Swimsuit
"Girls Don't Want Cute Little Bathing Suits, they Want to Make Waves!"