text:
- About us
- Blogs
- Funding/Donations
- Challenges
- Chapters
- Papers
- Projects
- Code of Conduct
- Google SoC
- Recent posts
- Security Workshops
[This post expresses the personal opinion of the author and is not an official statement representing the Honeynet Project.]
At the AusCERT 2013 conference, Dmitri Alperovich called for debate about, "the kinds of actions that infosec professionals are allowed to take against attackers." I agree with Dmitri, and in fact I made the same call, at the same conference on May 23, 2005! (AusCERT invited me to speak on an emerging topic and I chose to speak for the first time publicly at AusCERT 2005 about the Active Response Continuum research I had been doing with funding from Cisco.) As one of the world's foremost experts on this topic, with over two decades of security operations experience, I welcome Dmitri to the debate. :)
What follows is adapted from the forthcoming book, "The Active Response Continuum: Ethical and Legal Issues
of Aggressive Computer Network Defense," by David Dittrich. I welcome any comments, suggested modifications and/or additions.
There are many challenges facing those who are victimized by computer crimes, who are frustrated with what they perceive to be a lack of effective law enforcement action to protect them, and who want to unilaterally take some aggressive action to directly counter the threats to their information and information systems. This has been called active defense, aggressive [network] self-defense, counter-attack, and even hacking back. Regardless of the reasons why someone would want to take such actions, it is necessary to discuss the options, acknowledge the risk and benefit tradeoffs, and identify how aggressive actions can be taken in a manner that is safe, controlled, and justifiable (as best this can be accomplished). This cannot be accomplished, however, if everyone comes at the subject with their own individual frame of reference and language. (This was pointed out by more than one person at this year's Suits & Spooks DC 2013 conference.) Read more »
This is a response to a CSO Online blog post by Jeff Bardin ("Caution: Not Executing Offensive Actions Against Our Adversaries is High Risk," November 2012.), which is a rebuttal to a blog post by Jody Westby on Forbes online ("Caution: Active Response to Cyber Attacks Has High Risk.") Mr. Bardin is obviously playing on words in the title and I seriously doubt he believes that it is higher risk to not take aggressive actions than is to do so. His post does not contain a reasoned proposal for how to change or work within existing legal and ethical norms to allow aggressive actions directed at computer network attackers. It is instead a strident endorsement of a vaguely defined "new approach" of counter-attack using simplistic arguments based on emotion and a desire for retribution (an unethical position to take), lacking sufficient discussion of appropriate "rules of engagement," principle-based ethical justifications of any type beyond basic "right of self-defense" arguments, and including no oversight mechanisms to minimize the potential for abuse or collateral damage. This response is quite long, including not only Mr. Bardin's own words for context but also many references to materials apropos to the topic that Mr. Bardin does not provide in his post.
Mr. Bardin's blog post illustrates some of the problems with discussion of this topic that I have seen over and over since the first workshops I attended or lead on this topic in Seattle's Agora security group from 2001 to 2004. I have been studying and discussing these issues for over a decade and have seen the same simplistic arguments repeated in nearly every discussion. Useful analogies in this realm are really hard to find and almost always fail. Part of the problem stems from non-technical people trying to discuss extremely technical and complex issues of computer network attack and defense, combined with rushing to simple "self defense" analogies and appeals to emotion, suggesting we have to do something, anything, to get satisfaction. Frequently left out is any meaningful discussion of ethics, "rules of engagement," responsibility, or accountability.
If my response here comes across as vehement opposition, it is not intended that way. If anything, it shares Mr. Bardin's frustration that we have gotten to the point where intrusions are so widespread and pervasive, but we differ in explaining why and in proposing a viable path forward. Read more »


text:
Wolfgang Johannes Puck (born Wolfgang Johannes Topfschnig; July 8, 1949) is an Austrian-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, businessman and occasional actor. Wolfgang Puck restaurants, catering services, cookbooks and licensed products are run by Wolfgang Puck Companies, with three divisions.
He was born to Maria Worth and a butcher, who abandoned her before their child's birth. In 1956, Maria married Josef Puck, who adopted Wolfgang. The marriage produced another son and two daughters.
Puck learned cooking from his mother, who sometimes worked as a pastry chef. He trained as an apprentice under Raymond Thuilier at L'Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence, at Hotel de Paris in Monaco, and at Maxim's Paris before moving to the United States in 1973 at age 25. After two years at La Tour in Indianapolis, Puck moved to Los Angeles to become chef and part owner at Ma Maison restaurant.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wordy Wednesday: Volunteer Gourd
... aka "Squumpkin." So tagged by my husband, who noticed that a volunteer squash/cucurbit-type plant was growing along the edge of the wall on one side of our yard: "What is it, a squash, or pumpkin, or ...?" Now he is babying "Squumpkin" along, and soon we'll have ... lots of decorative gourds.
3 comments:
My 3 y/o daugher is absolutely fascinated with these pictures! She asked me, "What dat?" I told her it's a gourd, to which she announced, "Cute!" She's convinced that it "fall down," despite my telling her it grows that way.ReplyDelete
I guess I need to get my kid outdoors to see more nature! We don't typically get wild gourds growing here, unfortunately.
That is so sweet! At first we didn't know what it was, either, but when I saw that the fruit continued to be hard, I knew it was a gourd. Last Saturday one of the booths at our local farmers market was selling some gourds, and we saw this type of gourd in the bin - it was definitely the strangest looking of all the gourds!ReplyDelete
I like volunteers!ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
White Papers and Application Notes
Parameter Extraction and Support-Loss in MEMS ResonatorsPeter Steeneken
Project Leader
RF MEMS Research Group
NXP Semiconductors
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
In this paper it is shown how the equivalent circuit parameters of a MEMS resonator can be simply obtained from an eigenfrequency simulation. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the Q-factor as a result of support losses in a MEMS resonator can be determined using a matched boundary layer. The method is applied to calculate the frequency dependent admittance of a diamond disk resonator. Results agree well with measurements and analytic results. Comparison to a frequency response analysis establishes the validity of the method and shows that it results in a large reduction of the simulation time.
Keynote speaker's biography:
Peter Steeneken received his Ph.D. from the University of Gröningen, the Netherlands, where he studied magnetic and superconducting materials using optical and electron spectroscopy. In 2002, he joined Philips Research where he investigated Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS).
In 2006, Dr. Steeneken became the project leader of the RF MEMS Research project group at NXP Semiconductors, a company founded by Philips. His current interests include the design, simulation, reliability and characterization of RF MEMS switches.


text:
The Federal Communications Commission has told large telcos and carriers to stop blocking calls to conference calling services routed through Iowa. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said after a public appearance yesterday that the Commission told the big telcos that if they do not stop blocking the calls, the FCC "would end up taking action as we saw necessary," according to GigaOm.
Last month, Cingular/AT&T made waves by publicly acknowledging that they had begun to block calls to various "free" conference calling services, such as FreeConferenceCall and FuturePhone. The reasoning behind the block, according to AT&T, came from the exceptionally high "termination fees" charged by the Iowa telcos that the services are routed through. Although the calls were free to the end customer, they most certainly were not free to AT&T or other carriers who were required to pay high calling rates to those tiny, rural exchanges.
At the time of the block, AT&T's Mark Siegel told Ars that the fees were becoming so exorbitant that they could impede the carrier's ability to provide good service to its customers. "In the wireless part of AT&T's terms of service, we're very clear that wireless calling is meant for one person to talk to another. It's not meant for one person to call one of these lines, and we reserve the right to block calls to a variety of lines. We have chosen to do so here," he said.
But that isn't going to sit well with the FCC any more. Martin said after his appearance on Thursday that if the carriers did not stop blocking the calls immediately, the FCC would begin the formal process for taking legal action within several days. Apparently, all of the carriers responded to the FCC immediately, claiming that they would stop blocking the calls, although one attempted to restrict access to the Iowa telcos. "We called them back and said, no, no, you can't artificially degrade [service] either," Martin said.
AT&T spokesperson Michael Balmoris confirmed to Ars Technica that AT&T had stopped blocking calls to the free conference calling services. "In late March we decided to provide our customers access to these phone numbers," he told Ars. "Our issue was never with our customers, but with the unscrupulous carriers and the calling services they fund through unlawful kickbacks of artificially inflated access charges."
AT&T and other carriers have filed lawsuits against the Iowa telcos for their "scam" operations. They have also filed complaints with the FCC over the access charges, which Martin says is an entirely separate issue. "If you have a dispute about the intercarrier compensation rules, you can file petitions, and come to the commission to get redress. But you can't just stop letting consumers make those calls," he said.


text:
Gang of 8 plots secret retreat
President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will crisscross the country during the next month offering different visions for how to fix the country's fiscal mess.
But in Washington, the senators in the Gang of Six — plus two newbies — will have a secret retreat next week hosted by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) to start cobbling together a plan to avoid the looming fiscal cliff.
Story Continued Below
For this round of talks, the bipartisan group has added Sens. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who has grown close to Obama as he tries to capture Colorado this election season.
Senate insiders confirmed the upcoming session, although the group will not disclose its location.
"This group continues to meet and work toward a bipartisan solution," Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.
Other Gang of Six members include Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).
The group came together in the summer of 2011 to try to hammer out a deal to solve the debt ceiling crisis but failed to reach an agreement in the end.
Yet it's jumped into the latest debate over the fiscal cliff — the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and a dramatic cut to federal spending, including for the Pentagon — to see try to see if the bipartisan fever catches widely.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), McConnell and other top senators have encouraged the talks to continue — largely because they have nothing to lose. These bipartisan groups typically don't have much real power — in fact, last time, they were blamed for scuttling a deal between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) after they proposed higher revenue targets than agreed to by the principals.
Even through their track record is poor, such gangs do have appeal in Washington: They're bipartisan, and seeing political opposites lock arms in genuine negotiations looks refreshing to both the media and the American public. These secret meetings — like the one Warner is hosting — play to official Washington's obsession with quiet negotiations between politically serious figures as the way to unravel the most pressing political problems.
But the dynamic, which is sure to distract many in town, ignores a fundamental truth: The House of Representatives is where the action will be after the election.
House Republicans have already passed a bill that extends all the Bush tax rates for a year and moved on legislation to blunt massive cuts to Pentagon and defense spending. If past is precedent, Boehner will hold that up as the party's negotiating position until the rest of the players are ready to come to the table.
Plus, Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor's Republican Conference has been hesitant to put enough revenue on the table to satisfy Democrats and refused to endorse any increase in taxes.
"The House has outlined a common-sense path forward by passing legislation that replaces the sequester and stops the looming tax hike for one year while Congress works to enact comprehensive tax and entitlement reform. Tax hikes are a nonstarter, as the speaker has made clear," Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith said in a statement to POLITICO.
With Reid, Obama and Senate Democrats strongly opposed to extending the Bush tax rates for anyone making more than $200,000 annually and families making over $250,000 annually, the lines are set for a huge political clash. Insiders on both sides of the aisle are bracing for a rocky lame-duck session no matter who wins on Election Day.
If polls stay steady, Boehner will be at the helm of a House filled with Republicans disappointed that Obama will have another four years in the White House.


text:
Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour
from 199.99
Photos are matted to 8x10 and 11x14 depending on chosen size.
*Frame may not be exactly as pictured. Frames have a beveled inside edge.
Frame Colour:
- mounted on a beautiful wood frame with beveled edge, 1 3/8" wide
- choice of black or white frame
- regular glass
- fully mounted and ready to hang


text:
LAKE PLACID - As if 23 breweries weren't enough to try, the beer selection at the Lake Placid Brewfest is set to double this year.
This is the second year of the event, and state Olympic Development Agency spokesman Jon Lundin said the number of breweries participating will grow to more than 40 this year.
Most breweries will bring two or three beers, so that means there will be more than 80 different brews to taste.
Article Photos
Lake Placid News file photo
Attendees enjoy last year's Brewfest.
"Whether you're an ale guy, a stout guy, a lager guy, a hefeweizen beer drinker, there's going to be a beer for every palate," Lundin said.
Brewers are coming from as far away as Maine, Michigan, California, Colorado and Hawaii. But all the local heavy hitters will be there as well: Lake Placid Pub and Brewery and Great Adirondack Brewing Company are sponsoring it along with Saratoga Eagle and the Craft Beer Guild Distributors of New York. Blue Line Brewery in Saranac Lake, which opened just over a year ago, will also be serving this year, as well as brewers from Canton, Plattsburgh and Lake George.
"We've got a really nice representation of beers from local and all over," Lundin said.
Fact Box
If you go...
What: Lake Placid Brewfest
When: 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: 1932 Rink at the Olympic Center
Since organizers are doubling the size of the breweries participating, Lundin said they are also hoping to double the number of people who attend.
The idea for the event came from Rob Kane Jr. and Sr., who own Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood and the brewery they operate there, Great Adirondack Brewing Company. They pitched the idea to ORDA President and CEO Ted Blazer when he was having dinner at their restaurant one night in early 2012. Blazer thought it was a great idea and went with it.
At last year's Brewfest, organizers were thrilled with how the event came together and talked about how they hoped it would grow.
Lundin said the people attending the inaugural Lake Placid Brewfest last year enjoyed it, and so did the brewers. Brewers talked it up as they were traveling around the country to other brewfests over the last year, he said.
"They very much enjoyed coming to Lake Placid," Lundin said. "This is growing in large part because of word of mouth."
The full listing of breweries attending can be found on ORDA's website at www.whiteface.com/events/lake-placid-brewfest.
A Watertown-based band, Annie in the Water, will also play during the brewfest. The three-piece band bills itself as a high-energy acoustic jam group that blends blues, hip hop, rock and bluegrass influences.
"We are looking forward to jammin out for everyone and enjoying some choice brews," the band posted on its Facebook page.
Food will be for sale at the event as well through ORDA's caterer, Centerplate.
Beer drinkers at the event will pay $40 at the door and get a 4-ounce tasting glass embossed with a Lake Placid Brewfest logo, plus 12 tokens for tastes of beer. Designated drivers get in for $10.
Attendees must be 21 or older.
Tickets can be purchased at the door, or ahead of time by calling 518-523-3330, at the Olympic Center Box Office, or online at purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2439.


text:
Yesterday the Obama administration announced that it is delaying the implementation of Obamacare's employer responsibility provision. Now employers won't have to worry about compliance with the provision until 2015, after the midterm elections. Announced without fanfare on the Treasury Department Web site, the story was designed to escape the attention of all but those with a legal need to know. Bloomberg News broke the story.
Samuel Johnson famously observed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. He might have added that the road to Obamacare is paved with big lies. Just about everything President Obama said to promote passage of the Obamacare legislation was blatantly false, as is now proved every day in the fullness of time.
The delay in the implementation of the employer mandate is designed to obscure one aspect of the profound damage the law is doing every day. It will continue to do such damage so long as it hangs over our heads. This is one of the points made in James Capretta's comment on the delay. It should also be noted — as Jeffrey Anderson notes — that the delay in implementation is a lawless act on the part of the Obama administration. Both the falsehoods supporting passage of the law and the lawlessness of the delay in its implementation are part of a larger pattern..
The Obama administration's solicitude for big business (employers with 50 or more employees subject to the mandate) apparently doesn't extend to families and individuals. Bill Kristol asks: "Shouldn't House and Senate Republicans move next week to delay the individual mandate as well? Will Democrats stand up on the floor of Congress to defend the proposition that businesses deserve relief, but not people?"
Capretta anticipates the administration's response: administration officials will argue that employees can still get coverage in the health exchanges if employers don't offer coverage. But, Capretta notes, the premiums that dumped workers would find in the health care exchanges to which they would be relegated will generally be far higher than those typically charged by employer-sponsored plans, and will not be tax-preferred.
The thing should be delayed in its entirety and then killed.


text:
I've received a number of buyer leads from Homes.com that were interested in working with a REALTOR®. The leads were adequately prepared to begin a real estate transaction.
Julie Gray-Roller
by Hannah Graham | Mar 1, 2018 |
Real estate agents and brokers, market your listings on Homes.com to reach buyers and sellers in your area.
Capture leads and market your communities with native advertising options from Homes.com.
Many of today's renters are tomorrow's buyers! Property managers, get your foot in the door now by helping them find their next rental with Homes.com.
Moving takes more than a real estate agent and a mortgage professional; promote your business on Homes.com.
Connecting Mortgage Professionals with more homebuyers.
Homes.com offers real estate websites built to connect you with buyers and sellers.
Homes.com provide SEO information and assistance to improve your real estate website's ranking in local search results.
Let Homes.com social media experts help you find and engage with your audience on your real estate website.
Homes.com will pre-screen your incoming real estate leads for you to assist with effective lead qualifying.
Homes.com offers automated flyers, postcards, and more to get your listings on the real estate market.
Homes.com offers many tools to create unique real estate reports for buyers and sellers.
Proven strategies from Homes.com to fill your real estate sales pipeline with future business.
Systems and tools from Homes.com that can help you convert your contacts into closed sales.
Everything you need to know to build a profitable real estate business from Homes.com.
Homes.com brings world-class training to your city or office with SecretsLive.com events as well as Local Lunch and Learn sessions.
Homes.com free webinars provide thousands of real estate professionals tools to turn those leads into closed deals.
Useful real estate business guides and consumer resources that you and your clients are sure to love.
What agents are saying about Homes.com leads, products, and service.
The history and philosophy of Homes.com, one of the top 5 real estate websites.
by Hannah Graham | Mar 1, 2018 |
I've received a number of buyer leads from Homes.com that were interested in working with a REALTOR®. The leads were adequately prepared to begin a real estate transaction.
Home » Customer Stories » Julie Gray-Roller


text:
The xx will follow the No.1 success of new album Coexist with a huge tour of Europe and the UK at the end of 2012. Tickets are on sale now.
The 24-date tour kicks off at the La Riviera in Madrid on 14 November, and concludes on 19 December at Le Nef 104 in Paris on 19 December.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, 21 September 2012 but fans on the band's mailing list will be able to purchase their tickets from midday on 19 September. The band have performed just a handful of live shows in 2012, including the Friday night of Bestival 2012.
A stunning new remix of the band's recent single 'Angels' by ambient dance star Four Tet was revealed this week. Listen below.
They currently hold the No.1 album with their second album Coexist after entering the charts at the top on the first week of the album's release.
Tickets are on sale on now. For more information visit Gigwise Gig Tickets.
14th Spain, Madrid, La Riviera
16th France, Lyon, Transbordeur
17th France, Bordeaux, Medoquine
18th France, Nantes, Stereo
19th France, Lille, Aeronef
21st Belgium, Antwerp, Lotto Arena
22nd Holland, Utrecht, Vredenburg
23rd Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Rockhal
25th Denmark, Copenhagen, Falkoner
26th Norway, Oslo, Sentrum
27th Sweden, Gothenburg, Lisebergshallen
28th Germany, Hamburg, Sporthalle
30th Germany, Munich, Zenith
1st Switzerland, Lausanne, Metropole
2nd Italy, Milan, Alcatraz
3rd Switzerland, Zurich, Volkshaus
4th Germany, Cologne, Palladium
6th UK, Brighton, Dome
11th UK, Newcastle, o2 Academy
12th UK, Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
14th UK, Bristol, Colston Hall
16th UK, London, Brixton Academy
18th France, Paris, Le Nef 104
19th France, Paris, Le Nef 104


text:
The 'X Factor' judge - who was bullied when she was at school - is the new ambassador for Secret's Mean Stinks campaign, which encourages girls to "gang up for good" to end bullying in schools.
She said: "I heard about the programme last year, and thought it was such a great opportunity. They're really trying to put an end to bullying."
The programme asks girls to pledge to have a "Drama Free School Year" by making a pinky swear, symbolised by wearing blue nail polish on their pinky fingers and Demi added: "I'll definitely be wearing [the nail polish] starting soon. It's a conversation starter: 'Hey, why is your pinky blue?' 'This is a pinky promise that I'm not going to bully people, that me and my friends are ganging up for good.' "
Demi, 20, also spoke of the tough time she had at school because she was targeted by bullies.
The singer - who spent three months in rehab for her eating disorder and self-harming at the end of 2010 - told PEOPLE: "I had a really tough time when I was in middle school. People would write 'hate petitions' [about me] and send them around to be signed. They'd have CD-bashing parties of my demos. They'd come to my house, stand across the street and yell things. It was a very emotional time for me, and all I wanted to do was get away."


text:
On Saturday night, July 20, around 9:30 p.m. a one-vehicle wreck occurred on the Galen Road near Friendship Church. Antonio Santiago, age 34, of Lafayette, was driving eastbound on State Highway 261 in a 2003 Chevy Venture, when he ran off the road on the right hand side, hit a light pole and overturned. Alcohol is suspected to be a possible factor in the crash.
Santiago was reported to not be wearing his seatbelt, and he was transported by EMS ground to Vanderbilt Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition on Monday morning.
THP Sgt. Wilson, of Clay County, conducted the investigation.
Responders were the Macon County Sheriffs Office, Macon County EMS, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Macon County Rescue Squad and the Macon County Chronicle.
- << Prev
- Next


text:
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 25, 2013) - Quidel Corporation (
Quidel's management presentation will begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time with a question and answer session scheduled immediately following the management presentation. During the presentation, the Company will discuss business and financial developments and trends. The Company's statements may contain or constitute material information that has not been previously disclosed. For further details about the event, please contact Ruben Argueta at email@example.com.
A live webcast and audio archive of the presentation will be available via the Investor Relations section of the company's Web site at www.quidel.com. Participants should allow approximately five to ten minutes prior to the presentation's start time to visit the site and download any streaming media software needed to listen to the Internet webcast. A replay of the webcast will also be available on the company's Web site for 14 days.
About Quidel Corporation
Quidel Corporation serves to enhance the health and well being of people around the globe through the development of diagnostic solutions that can lead to improved patient outcomes and provide economic benefits to the healthcare system. Marketed under the QuickVue®, D3® Direct Detection and Thyretain® leading brand names, as well as under the new Sofia® and AmpliVue® brands, Quidel's products aid in the detection and diagnosis of many critical diseases and conditions, including, among others, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, Strep A, herpes, pregnancy, thyroid disease and fecal occult blood. Quidel's research and development engine is also developing a continuum of diagnostic solutions from advanced lateral-flow and direct fluorescent antibody to molecular diagnostic tests to further improve the quality of healthcare in physicians' offices and hospital and reference laboratories. For more information about Quidel's comprehensive product portfolio, visit www.quidel.com and Diagnostic Hybrids at www.dhiusa.com.
Contact Information:
Quidel Contact:
Quidel Corporation
Randy Steward
Chief Financial Officer
(858) 552-7931
Media and Investors Contact:
Quidel Corporation
Ruben Argueta
(858) 646-8023


text:
The exhibition includes over 170 items (besides frescoes there are items made from ceramic, bronze, and stucco reliefs), several of which were comparatively recently found by Italian archeologists.
The main part of the exposition consists of ancient frescoes which adorned Roman seaside villas and buildings in Stabiae, a city located not far from Pompeii. This was a famous resort in ancient times, where the Roman elite constructed buildings of unusual magnificence and taste. For more than 100 years, in the period of the late republic and early empire this was essentially the summer residence for the Roman government until in 79 A.D. Stabiae was buried beneath Vesuvius' lava.
Stabiae was discovered by archeologists in the 17th century, almost simultaneously to the discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and archaeological excavations started in the mid- 18th century with the villa of San Marco, which today is one of the most studied buildings in Stabiae. However, the planned large scale study of this city only began in the 20th century. In 1974 studies began on one of the most interesting complexes, the villa Casa Salese at the San Antonio Abate. Today Stabiae is accepted as the largest centre of well preserved seaside villas on the Gulf of Naples.


text:
The Android framework offers a variety of graphics rendering APIs for 2D and 3D that interact with manufacturer implementations of graphics drivers, so it is important to have a good understanding of how those APIs work at a higher level. This page introduces the graphics hardware abstraction layer (HAL) upon which those drivers are built.
Application developers draw images to the screen in two ways: with Canvas or OpenGL. See System-level graphics architecture for a detailed description of Android graphics components.
android.graphics.Canvas is a 2D graphics API and is the most popular graphics API among developers. Canvas operations draw all the stock and custom android.view.Views in Android. In Android, hardware acceleration for Canvas APIs is accomplished with a drawing library called OpenGLRenderer that translates Canvas operations to OpenGL operations so they can execute on the GPU.
Beginning in Android 4.0, hardware-accelerated Canvas is enabled by default. Consequently, a hardware GPU that supports OpenGL ES 2.0 is mandatory for Android 4.0 and later devices. See the Hardware Acceleration guide for an explanation of how the hardware-accelerated drawing path works and the differences in its behavior from that of the software drawing path.
In addition to Canvas, the other main way that developers render graphics is by using OpenGL ES to directly render to a surface. Android provides OpenGL ES interfaces in the android.opengl package that developers can use to call into their GL implementations with the SDK or with native APIs provided in the Android NDK.
Android implementers can test OpenGL ES functionality using the drawElements Quality Program, also known as deqp.
Android graphics components
No matter what rendering API developers use, everything is rendered onto a "surface." The surface represents the producer side of a buffer queue that is often consumed by SurfaceFlinger. Every window that is created on the Android platform is backed by a surface. All of the visible surfaces rendered are composited onto the display by SurfaceFlinger.
The following diagram shows how the key components work together:
The main components are described below:
Image Stream Producers
An image stream producer can be anything that produces graphic buffers for consumption. Examples include OpenGL ES, Canvas 2D, and mediaserver video decoders.
Image Stream Consumers
The most common consumer of image streams is SurfaceFlinger, the system service that consumes the currently visible surfaces and composites them onto the display using information provided by the Window Manager. SurfaceFlinger is the only service that can modify the content of the display. SurfaceFlinger uses OpenGL and the Hardware Composer to compose a group of surfaces.
Other OpenGL ES apps can consume image streams as well, such as the camera app consuming a camera preview image stream. Non-GL applications can be consumers too, for example the ImageReader class.
Window Manager
The Android system service that controls a window, which is a container for views. A window is always backed by a surface. This service oversees lifecycles, input and focus events, screen orientation, transitions, animations, position, transforms, z-order, and many other aspects of a window. The Window Manager sends all of the window metadata to SurfaceFlinger so SurfaceFlinger can use that data to composite surfaces on the display.
Hardware Composer
The hardware abstraction for the display subsystem. SurfaceFlinger can delegate certain composition work to the Hardware Composer to offload work from OpenGL and the GPU. SurfaceFlinger acts as just another OpenGL ES client. So when SurfaceFlinger is actively compositing one buffer or two into a third, for instance, it is using OpenGL ES. This makes compositing lower power than having the GPU conduct all computation.
The Hardware Composer HAL conducts the other half of the work and is the central point for all Android graphics rendering. The Hardware Composer must support events, one of which is VSYNC (another is hotplug for plug-and-playHDMI support).
The graphics memory allocator (Gralloc) is needed to allocate memory requested by image producers. For details, see Gralloc HAL.
Data flow
See the following diagram for a depiction of the Android graphics pipeline:
The objects on the left are renderers producing graphics buffers, such as the home screen, status bar, and system UI. SurfaceFlinger is the compositor and Hardware Composer is the composer.
BufferQueues provide the glue between the Android graphics components. These are a pair of queues that mediate the constant cycle of buffers from the producer to the consumer. Once the producers hand off their buffers, SurfaceFlinger is responsible for compositing everything onto the display.
See the following diagram for the BufferQueue communication process.
BufferQueue contains the logic that ties image stream producers and image stream consumers together. Some examples of image producers are the camera previews produced by the camera HAL or OpenGL ES games. Some examples of image consumers are SurfaceFlinger or another app that displays an OpenGL ES stream, such as the camera app displaying the camera viewfinder.
BufferQueue is a data structure that combines a buffer pool with a queue and uses Binder IPC to pass buffers between processes. The producer interface, or what you pass to somebody who wants to generate graphic buffers, is IGraphicBufferProducer (part of SurfaceTexture). BufferQueue is often used to render to a Surface and consume with a GL Consumer, among other tasks. BufferQueue can operate in three different modes:
Synchronous-like mode - BufferQueue by default operates in a synchronous-like mode, in which every buffer that comes in from the producer goes out at the consumer. No buffer is ever discarded in this mode. And if the producer is too fast and creates buffers faster than they are being drained, it will block and wait for free buffers.
Non-blocking mode - BufferQueue can also operate in a non-blocking mode where it generates an error rather than waiting for a buffer in those cases. No buffer is ever discarded in this mode either. This is useful for avoiding potential deadlocks in application software that may not understand the complex dependencies of the graphics framework.
Discard mode - Finally, BufferQueue may be configured to discard old buffers rather than generate errors or wait. For instance, if conducting GL rendering to a texture view and drawing as quickly as possible, buffers must be dropped.
To conduct most of this work, SurfaceFlinger acts as just another OpenGL ES client. So when SurfaceFlinger is actively compositing one buffer or two into a third, for instance, it is using OpenGL ES.
The Hardware Composer HAL conducts the other half of the work. This HAL acts as the central point for all Android graphics rendering.
Synchronization framework
Since Android graphics offer no explicit parallelism, vendors have long implemented their own implicit synchronization within their own drivers. This is no longer required with the Android graphics synchronization framework. See the Explicit synchronization section for implementation instructions.
The synchronization framework explicitly describes dependencies between different asynchronous operations in the system. The framework provides a simple API that lets components signal when buffers are released. It also allows synchronization primitives to be passed between drivers from the kernel to userspace and between userspace processes themselves.
For example, an application may queue up work to be carried out in the GPU. The GPU then starts drawing that image. Although the image hasn't been drawn into memory yet, the buffer pointer can still be passed to the window compositor along with a fence that indicates when the GPU work will be finished. The window compositor may then start processing ahead of time and hand off the work to the display controller. In this manner, the CPU work can be done ahead of time. Once the GPU finishes, the display controller can immediately display the image.
The synchronization framework also allows implementers to leverage synchronization resources in their own hardware components. Finally, the framework provides visibility into the graphics pipeline to aid in debugging.


text:
click to view
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price excludes tax, tag, registration, title and dealer fees. Actual dealer price will vary.
Your ZIP code 20147 is outside the region supported by this site. Click Leave to be redirected to the appropriate site for your location, or Stay to continue using this site.


text:
To focus on better serving our members, we've decided to shut down the POF forums.
While regular posting is now disabled, you can continue to view all threads until the end of June 2019. Event Hosts can still create and promote events while we work on a new and improved event creation service for you.
Thank you!
|Home login MyForums
Logging into the forums has been disabled. However, Moderators and Event hosts may continue to login. To manage your POF account, please go to www.pof.com.


text:
|United States Department of Army
|The Army's public web site, WWW.ARMY.MIL, is The Army's only communicative tool that maintains a connection with the American public and the global audience 24/7/365. The Army is at war and we must have a timely, accurate, and professional presence on the web. This will enhance understanding of the Army's strategic vision, missions, and roles in support of the Nation.
|Office of the Chief of Public Affairs
1500 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-1500
|U.S. Army Public Health Center
|Enhance Army readiness by identifying and assessing current and emerging health threats; developing and communicating public health solutions; and assuring the quality and effectiveness of the Army's Public Health Enterprise.
|U.S. Army Public Health Center
5158 Blackhawk Road
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5403
Phone: 1-800-222-9698
|U.S. Army Base Realignment and
Closure Office
|The U.S. Army Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Office manages all BRAC and selected Non-BRAC Excess properties and requirements while being good stewards of taxpayers' dollars and responsive to Army leadership.
|Dept of the Army
ATTN: BRAC Office (DAIM-BD)
600 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-0600
Phone: 703-545-1318
|U. S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD)
|The USAMRICD mission is to develop medical countermeasures to chemical warfare agents and to train medical personnel in the medical management of chemical casualties.
U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense
2900 Ricketts Point Road
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5400
Phone: 410-436-3276
Fax: 410-436-4150
|First Prev 1 2 3 of 3 Next Last
|Home |
|Links |
|Environment |
|Community |
History |
Records |
|Privacy and Security Notice


text:
Spatial Ecology 2009
Seminar in Spatial Ecology (Fall 2009)
Professor John Silander
A forum to present and discuss a variety of issues related to modeling or quantifying spatial and temporal patterns of species distributions and ecological or evolutionary processes. We will meet once a week. Graduate students will present and discuss some of their on-going research or provide an opportunity to present research plans, ideas, or results, and to get feedback from the group. Other meetings may be devoted to reading current or classic papers on spatial-temporal patterns and processes in ecology and evolution.
We meet Tuesdays from 2:30 to 3:30 or so in the Bamford Room (TLS 171b)
September 1
Professor Sheng Qiang, Nanjing Agricultural University in China will talk briefly about his research on the distribution of Solidago canadensis species complex (which is invasvie in China), and genotypic variation therein, and what he hopes to accomplish during his visit here.
September 8
Cory Merow (CA Models)
September 15
John Silander discussing two papers by Catherine Graham (Stony Brook). Catherine will be giving the EEB Departmental Seminar on September 17th.
Elith J, Graham CH 2009. Do they? How do they? WHY do they differ? On finding reasons for differing performances of species distribution models. ECOGRAPHY 32 (1): 66-77 http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122221437/abstract
Phillips SJ, Dudik M, Elith J, Graham CH, Lehmann A, Leathwick J Ferrier S. 2009. Sample selection bias and presence-only distribution models: implications for background and pseudo-absence data. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS 19(1): 181-197 http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/07-2153.1
September 22
Sarah Treanor
September 29
October 6
Mark Urban -- Evolution of species interactions across natural landscapes
October 13
Tsitsi McPherson: discussion...modelling multiple species using spatially clustered, biased, presence-only data
October 20
Jason Parent
October 27
Adam Wilson ~ Post-fire biomass accumulation and climate
November 3
Jeb Stevens
November 10
Brian K
November 17
Jenica Allen
November 24
Thanksgiving Break (no meeting)
December 1
Juan Carlos Villarreal
To be announced
December 8
Zbigniew Grabowski


text:
Enter keywords, ISBN, author, or book title
Home > Resources: Author Profiles > Author Profile
The short-stroy form continues to be a rich and fertile vein of literary expression. Collected in this remarkable volume are twenty renowned writers of the modern age who brilliantly mastered the distinctive power and beauty of the form--each bringing his or her own unique vision to the page. This powerful collection... Read more
This volume contains twenty-three stories by some of the most important writers at work in the middle of the twentieth century. As Sylvia and Douglas Angus write in their introduction: "These stories present a fascinating psychological record of what may best be termed "The Age of Crisis', the age in which... Read more
Included in this brilliant collection are twenty-five stories of twentieth-century Europe by some of the greatest writers of the era. Unique in their range of insights, these pieces reflect the vast upheavals of their time, etching o fascinating and very thorough spiritual record of Europe's recent cultural evolution. Read more
RH.com | Privacy
Policy | Back to Top | Educator
Services | Contact Us
| Site Map | Permissions
2004 Random House LLC. All rights reserved.


text:
GASTONIA � Old school football coaches have frequently used the politically incorrect phrase that their players �played like girls� whenever they play poorly.
Clearly, none of those coaches have seen Southwest Middle School two-way starter Alexis Murriel.
An eighth-grader who is the biggest minority in Gaston County sports as the only female football player in the county, Murriel is a standout performer on a championship team that begins its pursuit of a county title on Wednesday.
�I�m not trying to make any sort of statement or anything,� said Murriel, who also is a standout for the Roadrunners� women�s basketball and track teams. �I just like playing football.�
Murriel has done more than just play football. She�s helped Southwest to an unbeaten 6-0 record and the favorite�s role entering the playoffs.
The Roadrunners, who won the Gaston County Conference Division I regular-season title, host Division II runner-up Chavis (3-3) Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. Division II champion Friday (6-1) hosts Division I runner-up Grier (5-1) Wednesday at 6 p.m. at North Gaston High�s Trudnak Stadium.
Wednesday�s winners meet Oct. 30 for the county championship game at a site and time to be determined.
Also on Wednesday, there are three consolation games � York Chester at Holbrook at 4:15 p.m. for third place, Mount Holly at Stanley at 4:15 p.m. for fourth place and Cramerton against Belmont at 6 p.m. at South Point High�s Lineberger Stadium for sixth place.
Murriel�s success at Southwest surprises only rival players, coaches and fans.
Southwest coach Bryce Powell had heard about Murriel�s exploits for the Union Road Jaguars Pop Warner program before she came out for his team this season.
�It was a matter on whether or not she would come out and play for us,� said Powell, a seventh-year coach whose 42-7 record makes him the winningest coach in school history. �I had heard about how well she did for Union Road and I knew she was athletic from watching basketball last year. But I didn�t know how she would react to being hit or anything like that.�
Murriel feels that her unique status as a girl has made her a bit of a target. That�s even as her success this season � she�s scored one touchdown and caught a two-point conversion pass � has gained the respect of most of her rivals.
�Most of the time, they (opponents) are like, �Good job, Miss,� or �Good job, Lady� and they�re complimentary,� Murriel said. �But some have gotten jealous and said, �I�ll get you next time and try to hurt me.� I don�t worry about all that: I just want to go out there and play.�
Powell said that while he had to create different locker room facilities for Murriel, he�s tried to coach her like he would coach any of the other talented players on his championship team.
�I don�t really think it�s different, other than it gives the guys a chance to learn better manners,� Powell said. �We certainly don�t make anything easier for her compared to the others.
�Honestly, some of the other teams have said something about what she�s doing but some of them don�t even know she�s a girl. Now, I did hear a dad in the background of one of our films saying, �That�s a girl that made that play� and he sounded all surprised. Actually, on the team, we�re used to seeing her make plays because she has done that all year long.�
Murriel said convincing her family she was truly interested in football when she was in elementary school was her biggest challenge to getting to play the sport.
Her older brother, Chase Wright, let her play backyard football when she was younger and her first action was Optimist Club football at Hunter Huss High before she joined the Union Road Pop Warner program.
�When I first played, I think my dad thought I�d get hit and not want to play anymore,� Murriel said. �But I got hit and did just as well as the boys and he said, �I guess you do want to play football.� I said, �I've been telling you that all these years.��
Since she�s been so successful in basketball and track, Murriel says this will be her final season of football.
�Football is definitely my favorite sport, but I think my best future is in basketball,� said Murriel, who said she plans to attend Ashbrook High next year. �I�m definitely doing basketball and track this year and in high school.�
Powell sees a bright future in whatever sport or sports Murriel pursues.
�I don�t know if she�ll be able to keep playing football long-term just because of size,� Powell said of Murriel. �She�s taken some hard hits lately that may have shaken her up. But she hasn�t made anything of it and just kept on playing. I just think her future is probably in basketball because she�s got a lot of skills in that. She should be our best player again this year.�
You can reach Richard Walker at 704-869-1841 or by twitter.com/JRWalk22
October 23
Chavis at Southwest
Grier at Friday
(Consolation bowls)
October 23
3rd place � York Chester at Holbrook
4th place � Mount Holly at Stanley
5th place � Cramerton at Belmont
October 30
Site TBA


text:
Well ladies....friends. Thank you thank you thank you, each and every one for leaving such heart felt comments. It made me realise I had definitely done the right thing in sharing our news. Hubby and I have read them over and over again as it really warms my heart.
I didn't mean for it to be so long between posts but we have all had a horrible bug which found me in hospital overnight as so dehydrated. Hubby then got it, then Mum and it was a nasty one. I had to stay away from hubby for a few days while he mended but we are all good now. It seems most of our town had it too. But we had a very positive experience in hospital and met the most wonderful consultant who I have been waiting and longing to meet which has given me a new found confidence for our forthcoming arrival.
I just wanted to share some photos of Betty Flo's first wedding. We had a wedding list at the gallery a few weeks back and as the lovely couple are surfers I thought they might like to use Betty Flo as the wedding car. Along with a beautiful white VW beetle it made quite a lovely convoy. Since then I have had 2 requests to use her next year so we shall see.
This Saturday she is coming out of storage again as we have a Victorian themed event in town with a Christmassy feel too.You may remember we have it every year in Beaumaris where the town dresses up in Victorian costume, there are processions, choirs, punch and judy, craft fairs, an antique fair, fairground rides, apple bobbing, snow machines and much more. This year we are doing face painting in Betty Flo parked up outside the gallery.....could be fun. I will try to remember to take photos. If you are over our way its definitely worth a visit. We serve mulled wine and stollen all day, its a lovely way to get in the mood for Christmas. If you're not already.
I have a freshly baked carrot cake waiting to be eaten that is pulling me away, and I have to leave some things to say in my next anyway. I swear by this recipe, tried and tested many times. Its so big though that I have to do the rounds to neighbours and friends with a slice while it is fresh and at its best. It's from the wonderful Falling Cloudberries book and everyone LOVES it.
Carrot Cake recipe:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
250g caster sugar
185ml sunflower oil
300g plain flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
400g carrots, peeled and grated
55g chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting:
180g butter, softened
250g icing sugar
180g cream cheese
3 drops vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 180oC/350oF/Gas4. Grease and flour a 24 cm springform tin or bundt pan. Whisk eggs and sugar until creamy, then whisk in the oil. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon. Add this to the eggs and whisk. Add the carrots and walnuts and mix together. Scrape into tin and bake for an hour.
Once the cake has cooled; For the icing whip the butter and icing sugar together until its stiff. Beat in the cream cheese and vanilla. Spread over the cake. And decorate with walnut halves.
Its the best I have ever tasted. I could happily sink my head into the bowl of topping its so good.
What a pretty sight, hope all is well with you lovely lot, I am also about to plan our Christmas windows to do tomorrow so bye for now.


text:
Israel is a small, open economy that grew at a relatively fast pace for much of the 2000s. The population is increasing more rapidly than the OECD average. With a relatively small, densely populated, water scarce territory and a highly urbanised population, pressures on the environment are often intense.
Since 2003, government ministries have been required to prepare sustainable development strategies. This has helped to raise environmental awareness in line ministries, and to foster analysis of how potentially negative environmental impacts of sectoral policies could be mitigated. However, the quality of ministerial strategies has been mixed, implementation has often been slow, and monitoring and follow up mechanisms have often been insufficient. The information base on economic aspects of environmental policy is still weak, as are the capacity and requirements for conducting economic analysis that are needed to better integrate economic and environmental decision making.
Public expenditure on environmental protection has been at about 1.6% of civilian expenditure since 2000, in line with the share in many other OECD countries. The government budget for environmental purposes has increased significantly over the last decade, but accounts for a minor share of the total government budget. Some dedicated environmental funds, especially the Maintenance of Cleanliness Fund, have provided supplementary and relatively secure sources of funding for environmental protection. However, there is a risk that such funds will lock in spending commitments and reduce the overall efficiency of revenue allocation. Their use should be subject to periodic assessment to make sure that their continuation is justified, and that they are achieving their objectives efficiently and effectively.
In the context of a fiscal policy that has prioritised reduction of the public deficit, Israel has made greater use of environmentally related taxes and other economic instruments, including a landfill tax and a water extraction levy. The inelasticity of demand for private car transport, partly due to inadequate development of public transport, implies that vehicle and fuel taxation is an important source of revenue, but also that it does not substantially affect vehicle usage and associated environmental impacts. Revenue from these taxes (in real terms) increased by more than 50% between 2000 and 2009. In 2009 they accounted for about 3% of GDP and 10% of total tax receipts, among the highest shares in the OECD.
The vehicle tax is well designed from an environmental point of view and has encouraged a shift towards smaller and "cleaner" vehicles. However, it is relatively high compared to taxes on other goods. It could be reduced, for example with a corresponding increase in fuel taxes and road charges to better target actual car and road use. The environmental effect of this measure would be enhanced to the extent that efficient and reliable alternatives to private car transport are made available. Such a shift should be accompanied by measures to compensate poorer population groups for the impact of higher fuel prices. Taxes on transport fuels are relatively high in comparison with those in many other OECD countries. Petrol-diesel tax parity has nearly been achieved. It is commendable that the excise duty on coal was increased five fold in 2011, which will encourage a shift away from coal in electricity generation. However, taxes on energy products for stationary purposes should better reflect the fuel carbon content, as well as other environmental externalities.
A number of support schemes and tax breaks currently in place provide environmentally harmful incentives to production and consumption. In particular, diesel for commercial use benefits from partial tax rebates; support to agriculture is mostly coupled with production; and car allowances for banking and civil service employees and the tax treatment of company cars overly encourage car ownership and use. The Ministry of Environmental Protection should be commended for undertaking a first study of environmentally harmful subsidies in 2011. Removing environmentally harmful subsidies and expanding the use of green taxes could contribute to the government's objectives of reducing public debt while cutting income taxes.
Israel has sizeable innovative and high-tech sectors and strong potential in the field of environmental technologies. The "clean tech" sector has been growing in recent years, mainly driven by increasing global demand, and is specialised in water and renewable energy technologies. Progress in this area has been supported by environmentally related policy measures, such as increased water prices and renewable energy support, increased public R&D funding and targeted assistance programmes. Nonetheless, domestic demand for environmental technologies is generally low, partly due to the relatively slow implementation of environmental regulations and standards. The demonstration and commercialisation of new environmental technologies could be better supported. In addition, the clean-tech industry is made up of relatively small businesses that have difficulty accessing credit and venture capital.
A number of measures have been taken to encourage good environmental performance in the business and financial sectors. Nevertheless, the environmental review criteria and procedures for Israel's trade and investment policies and practices should be strengthened. This includes future Free Trade Agreements, as well as grants and insurance coverage provided to industry under export credit programmes.
During the last decade, Israel has adopted a number of important environmental laws including the Protection of the Coastal Environment Law, the Polluter Pays Law and the Clean Air Law. While these laws have strengthened the environmental regulatory framework, their development has generally been driven by NGOs and Knesset members rather than by a considered environmental legislative strategy on the part of the government. This has contributed to the fragmentation of Israel's primary environmental legislation. However, in recent years the government has played a more proactive role in the development of environmental legislation. Despite recent efforts to introduce integrated environmental permitting, the regulatory focus continues to be on individual media and end-of-pipe pollution control. Moreover, the widespread lack of regulations needed to implement the primary environmental laws weakens the legal framework within which individual businesses operate.
Israel has a highly centralised system of environmental governance, with officials of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MoEP) having to address many – including relatively minor – environmental issues. This leads to inefficient use of the Ministry's limited human and financial resources. Although local authorities have recently been delegated certain permitting and enforcement powers for facilities that have low environmental impact, some smaller municipalities do not currently have the capacity to exercise these powers. The central government provides significant financial support and training to the existing local environmental units, but has limited influence over their performance in environmental policy implementation.
The MoEP is working to expand the scope and quality of environmental inspections, which has led to increased compliance levels. It also actively engages citizens in environmental compliance monitoring through a system of recruiting and training of volunteer "cleanliness trustees". However, most site inspections by the MoEP's main enforcement arm, the Green Police, remain sporadic and superficial. The low effectiveness and efficiency of inspections are exacerbated by the poor enforcement of self-monitoring requirements for regulated entities: very few businesses submit regular reports to the competent authorities, and most reports are not verified.
Israel has started important work to make environmental enforcement more rapid and proportionate to non-compliance through the development of a system of variable administrative fines for environmental offences under a broad range of environmental laws. Collection of existing fines has improved. Incorporating the recovery of economic benefits of non-compliance in environmental monetary penalties, as currently envisaged by the MoEP, would align Israel with best international practices. At the same time, the environmental liability system could be strengthened: regulated entities responsible for pollution rarely bear the costs of environmental remediation.
Israel has made significant advances with respect to non-regulatory environmental policy instruments. The government has facilitated the adoption of voluntary environmental management standards and eco labelling. It has also invested heavily in environmental education and has recently adopted a regulation allowing free public access to a wide range of environmental information.
While Israel has an elaborate system of strategic environmental planning, the environmental authorities operate without an adequate performance management framework. The effectiveness and efficiency of their activities are not measured, nor are they linked to planning and budget allocation. Although measuring environmental results is a well-recognised challenge, Israel could draw on the positive experience of OECD countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States to develop outcome indicators of environmental policy implementation, including compliance assurance.
Israel's international environmental co-operation activities have increased appreciably since 2000 and are carried out at both bilateral and multilateral levels. Israel has demonstrated its willingness to fulfil its international environmental commitments, and to contribute its substantial expertise to help meet international and regional environmental challenges. It is a party to most major global environmental agreements, and has a good record of providing data and progress reports as required under these agreements, as well as transposing key elements into domestic law. To inform and support its domestic responses to environmental challenges, it has drawn effectively on recommendations, procedures, guidelines and resource support related to various international programmes. However, Israel has not yet ratified some important multilateral environmental agreements, regional conventions and associated protocols. These include global agreements on prior informed consent, persistent organic pollutants and biosafety, together with recent protocols under the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Geopolitics continues to constrain Israel's ability to participate with its immediate neighbours, and with some other countries, in collaborative work on environmental issues. This affects its ability to participate fully in international organisations and regional groups, and to propose and pursue regional and transboundary initiatives. Nonetheless, during the past decade Israel has become a member of, and has actively participated in, the UNEP Governing Council and the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. As a new OECD member, it has moved rapidly to adjust its policies and procedures to conform with OECD legal instruments and policies. It has also increased its environmental co operation with the European Union and in the Mediterranean region, notably by actively participating in the Mediterranean Action Plan and by joining the Mediterranean Climate Change Initiative.
Effective management of transnational rivers and aquifers (the main sources of Israel's water supply) has also been affected by the specific geopolitical situation. Ever-increasing demand for freshwater by the riparian parties has been responsible for water quantity and quality problems, and for the exacerbation of disputes over water rights and responsibilities. However, increased effluent reuse and seawater desalination has eased some of the pressures on water supply.
During the past decade, Israel has made significant progress in strengthening coastal and marine management, managing the living resources of the Mediterranean Sea, curtailing marine pollution and being prepared to respond to oil spills. Comparatively small oil spills and the dumping of contaminated bilge water are now exceptional events. There are fewer pollutant discharges into marine waters from municipalities and land-based industries than some years ago, but these discharges have not been eliminated. The 2004 Protection of the Coastal Environment Law imposes strict regulations on development in the coastal region. Beaches are cleaner than at any time in recent decades as a result of the Clean Coast programme. However, in certain coastal areas and harbours, pollution (largely discharges of industrial and municipal wastewater into rivers) continues unabated.
New measures have been introduced to curtail trade in endangered species of plants and animals, and Israel has joined the International Whaling Commission. It has made considerable progress in meeting requirements for the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Notably, production and use of methyl bromide, an economically valuable substance of which Israel is one of the world's largest producers, have been dramatically reduced. Efficient use of funding for international environmental efforts will be essential if Israel is to fully meet its various goals and commitments. Funding priorities should include: improving the management of internationally recognised conservation areas; and strengthening monitoring, inspection and enforcement related to marine pollution, illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances, endangered species and hazardous waste.
Official development assistance (ODA) as a share of gross national income (GNI) is significantly less than the contributions of other OECD members, as well as those of most other middle-income countries. The share of its ODA allocated to environmental management is relatively small. A significant increase in financial support for the latter would be a sound investment, as Israel has demonstrated that it can carry out highly effective environmentally related development co-operation activities when resources are available. Such activities have focussed, in particular, on natural resources management, including management of water resources, in Middle Eastern and African countries.
Israel's limited water resources are under severe pressure due to its geo-climatic location, rapidly expanding population, growing economy, and water pollution loads. Responding to these threats and opportunities, Israel has introduced some ambitious water policies and has been at the forefront of developing efficient water technologies.
Pressures on water resources have intensified in recent years, as Israel has faced the worst water crisis in its history. From 2003/04 to 2010/11, the country experienced almost seven consecutive years of drought. Water consumption exceeds the natural rate of replenishment, while the intensity of freshwater use is extremely high by OECD standards. Groundwater is being used unsustainably and a potentially serious pollution problem (including salinity and nitrates) is developing, particularly in the Coastal Aquifer. Climate change is further intensifying pressures on water resources.
Israel has pioneered water-efficient technologies such as drip irrigation, soil aquifer treatment for reuse of treated wastewater, brackish and seawater desalination, and large-scale filtration of lake water. Recently, there has been increasing reliance on economic incentives and other instruments to reduce demand for scarce water resources. Practically all water consumption is metered. Use of "smart metering" is growing. Water prices have significantly increased, and rising block tariffs provide incentives to conserve water resources. However, further steps could be taken to reduce household consumption in line with good international practices. A 40% increase in domestic water prices, introduced in January 2010, was a bold step which will help to address this issue. A marine pollution tax for direct discharges of effluent to seawater is currently under discussion.
Overall, Israel has achieved full recovery of the costs of supplying water services and this is an established policy principle, including for the agricultural sector. However, about 35% of agricultural uses of potable and reused water are still cross-subsidised by the household sector and receive a relatively large share of public support. The 2006 Farmers' Agreement contains a commitment to achieve an agreed target price in the direction of full cost recovery by 2017.
As the water crisis has deepened, more emphasis has been placed on increasing supply. Israel has embarked on an ambitious policy of seawater desalination, with the aim of supplying 750 million cubic metres (about half the expected potable water needs of the urban, industrial, and agricultural sectors) by 2020. Its desalination plants are among the most energy- and cost efficient in the world. However, a planned substantial increase in the production of desalinated water is based on a number of key assumptions. First, it is assumed that the agricultural sector can absorb steep increases in the cost of water as full cost recovery of supply is introduced. Second, no major change in the cost of producing desalinated water is foreseen in Israel's water supply outlook. This may be optimistic, as the price of desalinated water is linked to energy costs, which are important for both production and long-distance transport. Increasing energy prices could put the economic balance, and/or the political will to ensure full cost recovery, to the test. Although some studies have been carried out, the environmental and health effects of seawater desalination (e.g. impacts on coastal biodiversity, health effects of desalinated water's low magnesium content) require further assessment.
Water governance has improved since 2007 with the creation of the Water Authority. It is responsible for the regulation of the entire supply-recovery cycle of water and oversees the national water grid, by means of which water may be transported almost anywhere in Israel (upstream and downstream). This situation is unique. In 2010, 60 million cubic metres of water (potable water and treated wastewater) were allocated for environmental purposes. Nonetheless, centralised management of water resources has not given sufficient weight to environmental considerations. River basin management authorities have been established, although their performance remains uneven. Environmental quality objectives have not been established for rivers. Major rivers, which once supported rich aquatic and wetland ecosystems, became seriously depleted and polluted. However, restoration and rehabilitation programmes have resulted in steady water quality improvements over the past 5 years. The reuse of treated domestic wastewater for irrigation means that most of this water is lost to evaporation and plant transpiration, leaving virtually none for river flows and aquifer recharge. However, addressing this issue would require greater use of potable water.
Despite its relatively small size, Israel has an exceptionally high degree of biological diversity. This is largely due to its location at the interface of Africa, Asia and Europe. It is also important for migratory birds and marine species. Its biodiversity policies therefore affect ecosystems in other countries, as has been recognised by Israeli policymakers.
One of the country's unique features is that its land is publicly owned. How land may be used is determined by national land use planning policy. Within this framework, a relatively large share of the total land area is protected. About 20% of land area is currently classified as nature reserves (primarily for nature conservation) and 1% as national parks (primarily for conservation of heritage and archaeology). Although the number and extent of protected areas are increasing, they do not adequately represent the country's diversity of habitats. None of the protected areas is large enough to preserve entire ecosystems. Their small surface area and lack of buffer zones leave them vulnerable to human activity. Biosphere reserves are being identified to help reduce habitat fragmentation.
The current status of biodiversity presents a mixed picture. Israel's biodiversity is subject to serious pressures from several sources: habitat fragmentation, the introduction of invasive species, over exploitation of natural resources, and pollution. Demographic changes, economic development and climate change are the main drivers of these pressures. In response, Israel has made progress in reducing pressures on aquatic ecosystems from river pollution and in enhancing habitat protection through an impressive afforestation programme. On the other hand, the condition of coral reef habitats has deteriorated and the size of coastal ecosystems has decreased. The number of threatened mammal species is relatively high compared to that in other OECD countries, while the status of other species is more favourable.
The National Biodiversity Strategy (NBS) adopted in 2010 provides a comprehensive framework for monitoring, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The NBS recognises that economic development and biodiversity conservation objectives are not incompatible. This represents an important shift from the traditional conservation approach followed in Israel and many other countries for a number of years. The need to mainstream biodiversity in all policy domains and economic sectors is explicitly recognised. The NBS also signals a clear shift from previous biodiversity policy, in that it aims at the conservation of ecosystems and the promotion of biosphere reserves and ecological corridors rather than focusing on single species.
The NBS has established guidelines and objectives. Targets will be developed in the future. Taking account of such targets in legislation or government decisions would support effective implementation. The existing information system and indicators provide a sufficient basis for management purposes. However, they would be more effective if the information base were more comprehensive and were expanded to include the economic aspects of biodiversity conservation. A more systematic analysis of future trends would also strengthen the basis for biodiversity policy development, including the development of targets.
The NBS recognises the role that economic instruments can play both in internalising environmental costs in economic activities and in providing incentives for sustainable use of biodiversity resources. Greater use should be made of such approaches to help mainstream biodiversity in economic and sectoral policies (e.g. in agri-environmental schemes by creating markets for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, introducing tradable fishing quotas and establishing levies for coastal and marine protection). Policy and institutional co-ordination remains a key challenge. Co ordination with climate change mitigation and adaptation policies, including possible trade offs, is of growing importance. Israel has a range of useful educational and public awareness programmes, which should be continued and strengthened.
Between 2000 and 2008, Israel's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions grew by about 5%, mainly due to rapid population and economic growth and the associated increase in energy demand, particularly that of electricity. However, the emission and energy intensities of the economy are close to the OECD average, while the energy supply remains more carbon-intensive than in most OECD countries. This is largely because electricity is generated entirely within Israel, using almost exclusively fossil fuels. Historically, coal and oil have dominated this mix. The discovery of off-shore gas and its progressive use for electricity generation since the mid-2000s have helped mitigate the increase in GHG emissions and contributed to a decrease in emissions of some air pollutants. GHG emissions are expected to continue increasing as a result of rapid economic growth. Some estimates suggest that, under business-as-usual assumptions, they will double by 2030 compared to the 2005 level.
Since it is not a party to Annex I of the Kyoto Protocol, Israel is not committed to a binding GHG emissions reduction target for the period 2008 12. Perhaps as a result, it has made a relatively late start in formulating a climate change mitigation policy. For much of the 2000s its approach was piecemeal. However, in 2009 it set the target of reducing GHG emissions by 20% by 2020 compared with a business-as-usual scenario. This was a positive step forward, although reaching the goal will entail a further increase in GHG emissions. While a national action plan for reducing GHG emissions was prepared, some uncertainty remains concerning the definition of both the target and the strategy to meet it, which may compromise their effectiveness in guiding and motivating implementation. Not only is the target defined against a business-as-usual scenario rather than in absolute terms, but it is not anchored in legislation. While the contribution of the electricity sector to the achievement of the target is reasonably clear, this is not the case for other sectors. An inter ministerial committee, chaired by the Ministry of Finance, was established to oversee the implementation of the action plan and identify additional measures needed to achieve the GHG emissions reduction target. However, a more open and independent oversight mechanism could provide a broader basis for discussing the policy adjustments that may be needed to achieve this target. There is also room for improving data collection and reporting of GHG emissions trends to support decision making.
The main GHG emissions reduction measures are being developed at the sector level. According to the authorities' current plans, mitigation measures in the electricity sector will account for most of the targeted emissions reductions. As regards energy efficiency, there have been few effective initiatives over the review period. Hence, the National Energy Efficiency Programme, adopted in 2010, marks an important step; it aims to achieve a 20% reduction in projected electricity consumption by 2020. The main implementation instrument, the Energy Efficiency Fund, will need to be carefully designed to meet this objective. Opportunities exist to improve the energy performance of buildings through better performance standards and provision of information to households.
For many years, Israel has promoted solar water heating, which now accounts for 80% of all water heating requirements. However, renewable energy sources account for only a minor share of electricity production, well below Israel's objectives. The implementation of feed-in tariffs and production quotas has improved performance considerably. A number of obstacles need to be addressed if the goal of supplying 10% of electricity with renewable energy by 2020 is to be achieved. In particular, a variety of financial incentives are being used to support the use of renewables (with potential overlaps), while land use re-zoning and permitting procedures are complex and time-consuming.
Transport demand and private car ownership increased considerably in the 2000s. As in many other OECD countries, transport is a major source of GHG and air pollutant emissions. A number of measures have been introduced to reduce emissions from transport. Among them are the adoption of European standards for imported vehicles, fuel quality and vehicle tests. In 2009 the vehicle purchase tax, which has long been an important source of tax revenue, was restructured and is now linked to emissions of CO2 and local air pollutants. As a result, the average emission performance of new vehicles has improved, especially with regard to emissions of local air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates. Nevertheless, the carbon efficiency of new cars is still well below the EU average. The introduction of an electronic toll system on the main highway to Tel Aviv is a positive step. If successful in reducing congestion and emissions, it provides a basis for considering the extension of road pricing to other congested motorway stretches and to metropolitan areas. Nevertheless, there is scope to improve the economic incentives to car use. Further efforts are also needed to integrate transport and land use planning and to improve alternatives to private car use.
Many measures to reduce GHG emissions would also help reduce emissions of the main air pollutants, and vice versa. Although emission intensities of sulphur and nitrogen oxides (SOx and NOx) have decreased since 2000, mostly due to the switch to natural gas and improved fuel quality, they remain above the respective OECD averages. Overall emissions of major air pollutants tended to decrease or stabilise during the 2000s, but there are still air pollution hotspots at industrial sites. Ambient air concentrations of NOx, PM10 and ozone continue to exceed limit values in major metropolitan areas, mainly due to heavy transport pressures. The implementation of the Clean Air Law as from 2011 represents a major step towards consolidating the regulatory framework for air pollution from both stationary and mobile sources. In addition, the Law creates a legal basis for imposing air emissions levies on large industrial facilities requiring an emission permit. The air quality monitoring network is among the densest in the world and data are made widely available to the public. However, lack of uniformity in data control among the different monitoring bodies may hinder data reliability.
Demographic and economic trends have resulted in an increase of about 15% in municipal waste generation in Israel over the last decade, but the growth was relatively decoupled from the growth of GDP and private final consumption. Despite new policy initiatives in the second half of the 2000s, municipal waste generation per capita in 2009 was among the highest in OECD countries. Throughout the decade Israel continued its efforts to exercise adequate control over unregulated waste dumping, a major problem in the 1980s and 1990s. Significant improvements have been made to ensure safe operation of landfills, which remain the principal means of municipal waste disposal. However, challenges remain and strong local opposition has impeded the opening of new landfill sites.
Two recent policy initiatives provide a basis for developing a modern waste management policy, in line with good international practices. The 2006 Sustainable Solid Waste Management Master Plan identified priorities, set ambitious goals for waste recovery and recycling, and led to the introduction of a set of new policy instruments including a landfill levy and Extended Producer Responsibility schemes. In 2010 the Recycling Action Plan reinforced some of these measures and provided a basis for separate waste collection and recycling for household waste, with an emphasis on organic waste which could support greater use of composting, anaerobic digestion and waste-to-energy. The Action Plan established an ambitious target of reducing the share of municipal waste in total waste subject to landfilling from the current 87% to 50% by 2020.
Municipalities have the main responsibility for delivering waste services. Private operators account for 20% of waste collection, and there is evidence that in some cases their operations are more efficient than municipal utilities. A greater role for the private sector in this area has been blocked by labour union opposition. Nevertheless, the private sector is playing a bigger role in waste treatment and disposal. Introducing more competition between public and private operators across the range of waste management activities, with appropriate regulation, has the potential to reduce costs and improve service quality. This should be supported by measures that allow for greater recovery of costs, including: waste collection charging based on the real costs of the service; gradual introduction of weight- or volume-based charging for mixed waste; and increased use of composting, anaerobic digestion and waste-to-energy solutions.
The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for beverage containers and used tyres has resulted in higher rates of collection. A similar system for packaging was introduced in 2011 and a voluntary system has been introduced for waste paper recovery and recycling. These systems could be extended to a range of other products (e.g. batteries, waste electric and electronic equipment, vehicles), as has been done in other countries. However, the system design should address existing organisational and recycling market failures and ensure that efforts to reduce environmental impacts from post-consumer products maximise social welfare. Further efforts are needed to make the construction industry responsible for its waste. However, so far the EPR schemes have not resulted in a significant increase in the rates of recycling and recovery of municipal waste. One of the main obstacles is the low cost of landfilling. Introduction of the landfill levy and a recent increase of its rate were important steps to address this problem, but so far it has not raised the cost sufficiently. Nevertheless, the revenues generated by the levy have been used to support several pilot projects in municipalities.
Good progress has been made in managing industrial waste, of which 60% is recycled. Generation of hazardous waste has grown rapidly (by 33% between 2000 and 2008) while capacity to treat and dispose it safely has not kept pace. Lack of adequate waste collection infrastructure in some areas has led to landfilling of hazardous (e.g. medical) waste in municipal landfills. The regulatory framework for hazardous waste management is fragmented and needs to be consolidated in a new law. Co operation with the business sector could be strengthened, with a view to developing voluntary initiatives and preventive actions.
Contaminated soil has been identified at a number of locations. It is largely the result of past industrial and agriculture activities, or of inadequate waste disposal and treatment. Some measures have been taken to identify the most severely polluted sites and to formulate clean-up requirements. Technical remediation measures have also been implemented, including at one of the most affected sites at the Ramat Hovav industrial zone in southern Israel, and the site of the country's main hazardous waste disposal facility. However, progress has been slow due to the high costs of the clean-up and unresolved issues concerning liability for past pollution. Resolving these problems will take decades. In the short term, a more comprehensive framework should be established for identifying priority problems that pose the greatest risk to human health and the environment. The rapid adoption of the law on the Prevention of Land Contamination and the Remediation of Contaminated Land should provide a good basis for comprehensive rehabilitation efforts.
For more information please contact Ivana Capozza or Shayne MacLachlan
Related Documents


text:
Wasze historie
Poniżej przedstawiamy Wam historie niepełnosprawnych kibiców z całej Europy!
Jeśli chcielibyście się sami przedstawić społeczności CAFE w Polsce, albo znacie kogoś, kogo powinniśmy opisać,piszcie do nas email@example.com i wrzucajcie zdjęcia z hashtagiem #WaszeHistorieCAFE ! Pokażcie, że piłka nożna jest dla wszystkich! #TotalAccess
'CSKA lost that game, but those were still the most vivid emotions I had felt for many years'
Elena Popova
Football has been with me since my childhood, but I got really captured by this game after UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal. I started to use a wheelchair in 2003 and since then have spent a few years at home. Almost all my friends turned away from me. It has been the most difficult period in my life, and the only joy was football and my team CSKA Moscow. My first visit to a stadium was in 2005. CSKA lost that game, but those were still the most vivid emotions I had felt for many years. The most memorable event happened last year, when our players became champions. Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/elena-popova
'Attending that match is one of my greatest ever memories!'
Oleg Gab
I first became a football fan around the time of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, which took place in Spain. At the time I was serving in the army and working for the Kiev police, and so my favourite team is Dynamo Kiev. I love football and believe that all fans should be able to attend live matches. I hope that disabled fans in Sumy can work together and create a disabled supporters association. Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/oleg-gab
'I can't imagine my life without live football'
Taras Kontsevich
I have loved football ever since I was a child, when I would often attend matches with my father. We are fans of Karpaty Lviv in Ukraine. After I had left school I wanted to carry on watching live football. This was not always easy, as disabled people can face a lot of obstacles at some stadiums. My father had died and so wasn't there to accompany me. Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/taras-kontsevich
'My dream came true'
Olexiy Moskalenko
I want to share with you some stories about my football trip to the training base of FC Metalist Kharkiv, in the village of Vysokyj. I want to say a big thank you to Metalist Kharkiv. During 2013, I was able to visit different stadiums and cities of Ukraine as a Metalist supporter. But sometimes, some clubs do not have sufficient facilities for disabled people. It is very sad. I hope in the future this problem will be solved, and that all people will be able to attend live football matches! Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/olexiy-moskalenko
'It's such a huge difference between watching football on TV and going to the stadium. It's all about the atmosphere'
Kostyantyn Halak
I'm a fan of FC Dynamo Kiev and the Ukrainian national team, but before UEFA EURO 2012 I had only watched football on television. My first time at a football match was at the new stadium in Kiev. That was amazing. I went to the match with a personal assistant, who helped me to climb the stairs. Unfortunately they don't have rails which makes it quite difficult not only for a person like me, but for elderly people or small children. But I'm not complaining. The match was worth it. Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/kostyantyn-halak
'UEFA EURO 2012 was the beginning, not the end'
Yaroslav Hrybalskyy
It was great to be able to do so much work in Lviv to make it more accessible for disabled people. Three matches took place at the new Arena Lviv stadium, and there was a lot of disabled supporters in attendance at each of them. This included wheelchair users, deaf and hard of hearing supporters, and blind and partially sighted supporters. All disabled supporters were provided with a parking pass along with their match tickets, enabling them to access a car park facility directly underneath the stadium. As an illustration of the number of disabled people attending matches, this car park was full throughout the matches we hosted. Volunteers were on hand to assist supporters however they could, including some that spoke in various European languages. There was a lot of work put in to ensure that the stadium was as accessible for disabled supporters as possible. In addition to the car parks, we also had lifts, accessible toilets and dedicated seats in the stadium. Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/yaroslav-hrybalskyy
'Nothing compares to being there live'
Sergey Rozhentsov
Football has always played a huge role in my life. When I was a child, I went to a specialist sports school, where I played competitive football for seven years. By the age of fourteen, I was training less but going to watch my team, Dynamo Kiev, with my friends every week. I also collected photographs of the team that I then put into albums. After I became disabled, football was almost left behind. I sometimes told myself that I still wanted to go and watch my team again, but I never acted on those words. Back in 2012, the NSC Olympiyskiy arena was reconstructed ahead of UEFA EURO 2012, where the final was played. In the past, Dynamo Kiev played their European matches at the stadium, and now we would be able to return home once again. Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/sergey-rozhentsov
'I will keep this unforgettable atmosphere for the rest of my life'
Oleksandr and Valeriy Haiday
My brother and I have been football fans for more than fourteen years. When we learned that Ukraine would host UEFA EURO 2012, it became our dream to get to this historic event. We were thrilled to get tickets for Ukraine v Sweden, which took place at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev. When we were driving to Kiev, all of the cars around us had Ukrainian flags, and we were like in the blue and yellow sea. We felt like it was a great festival for Kiev and the whole country. When we reached the stadium, the highlight of my entire life began. Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/oleksandr-and-valeriy-haiday
'There is nothing better than football to bring people together'
Oleksandr Sydelnykov
I fell in love with football as a young child, when I used to play with my friends at school. As I got older, I met people who supported so many different teams. It was fantastic to have the chance to learn all about different clubs and leagues. I eventually moved to Sevastopol and met my wife. A lot of things changed in my life, and the time available for me to enjoy football was greatly reduced. However when my sons had grown up, my interest in the game came back all over again. Read more - http://www.cafefootball.eu/en/oleksandr-sydelnykov


text:
In September, 2012, the City of Baton Rouge received a grant to implement group violence reduction strategies over 3-year period.
Mayor-President Melvin "Kip" Holden announced that the city-parish had been awarded $1.5-million Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) Project.
The grant will implement group violence reduction strategies that target juvenile offenders over a three-year period.
The grant will provide up to $500,000 per year for the following activities:
- Violent crime research and data analysis tools from LSU to help identify criminal suspects and groups that should be targeted by the BRAVE project.
- Caseworkers and resources to provide substance abuse, mentoring, and job training to 25 youths each year who choose to leave crime behind through the BRAVE project.
- Support staff for BRAVE Director Anny to maintain grant records, and conduct media and community outreach.
The project was launched in May with $150,000 in city-parish funding that was used primarily to pay for the services of BRAVE Director Herbert "Tweety" Anny
and consultant Jim Fealy, who provided technical assistance for the violence reduction program.
Mayor-President Melvin "Kip" Holden's Office and the City-Parish Finance are the fiscal agents for the grant. Partner organizations are District Attorney Hillar Moore's Office, East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux's Office, the Baton Rouge Police Department, Louisiana State University, City-Parish Department of Juvenile Services, Jim Fealy, Healing Place Church/Dream Center, Capital Area Human Service District, Baton Rouge Working Interfaith Network (Alvin Herring), Hope Ministries and the Department of Corrections.
BRAVE is targeting known violent and drug-trade offenders in criminal hotspots, beginning with zip code 70805 in North Baton Rouge.
Project BRAVE has been designed to reduce and eliminate violent crime committed by 190 juveniles in zip code 70805, a small criminal "hot spot" that has 13.5 percent of Baton Rouge's population, but accounts for 25 percent of the city's total police calls, 30 percent of its homicides, and 40 percent of its gun assaults.
The National Network of Safe Communities' Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) model will be implemented under the support of the Mayor and District Attorney to target youth ages 14-17 in the 70805 zip code, which has a violent crime rate of 25 times the national average.
Project BRAVE seeks to:
- Change community norms towards gang and group violence
- Provide alternatives to criminal offending by the targeted group, and
- Alter the perception of youth regarding risks and sanctions associated with violent offending
The GVRS model is a multifaceted, community-oriented approach used to deter youth from violent crime by limiting opportunities to commit crime and increasing alternatives to violent behavior. The approach will be focused on targeting a small number of chronic offenders responsible for the majority of crime to have these offenders believe that the costs of committing crime outweighs the benefits. By tailoring and focusing an array of evidence-based methods aimed at addressing the conditions that are the root of crime, the community can significantly reduce the crime rate.
Mayor Holden said that the BRAVE project is utilizing the same GVRS that has been successfully used by Operation Ceasefire programs in cities like Boston and Los Angeles.
BRAVE officials will call in violent criminal and drug-trade suspects into meetings with faith-based and community organizations, who then confront the suspects with their criminal behavior and the collective knowledge of their activities. The suspects are advised of the consequences of continuing in their criminal behavior, including severe prosecution and tough sentences. They are also advised about opportunities to abandon their criminal lifestyle through substance abuse treatment, job preparation, GED training, and employment.
In recent months, BRAVE project organizers have met with many different organizations across Baton Rouge in their attempt to focus on zip code 70805. As a result, the BRAVE project now has support not only from law enforcement and local government, but also from the faith-based community, business and industry, social service and non-profit organizations, and the academic, educational, and recreation community.