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IP Vault lets you protect your WordPress backend – and any other part of your website – from non verified users.
IP Vault Firewall also preserves your server ressources and bandwidth by blocking hacking attempts before they reach your site.
How does it work ?
Requests to protected files and folders are redirected to the Authentication Page. IP Vault unlocks user's IP addresses using a key
that is emailed for authentication. Once users verify their account, they can access all restricted areas. Users are automatically verified on registration.
What is protected ?
Out-of-the box, IP Vault restricts access to .php
and .phtml
files, as well as wp-admin
folder, which are frequently exploited by bad bots and hackers.
You can choose which part of your site to protect. Need to make the whole website private ? No problem, just restrict access to /
The story behind this plugin
In the past 20 years, I have been monitoring a few dozen client sites to prevent malicious access. I have also helped a great number of people to clean their website from malware.
I noticed that even marginal WordPress sites or non-wordpress PHP based sites are constantly exposed to hacking attempts.
Almost all exploits I have seen work by either calling a vulnerable PHP script already on the server, by adding such a script or by injecting their own code into an existing script.
I have tried and tested quite a few security plugins. They can be quite complex to set up and to maintain. Some security plugins try to block access to vulnerable files by comparing requests to a blacklist.
These tend to become quite large and need frequent updates to be efficient. Others use geo-blocking services to block requests from certain countries. However in my experience, hacking attempts can come from just about any location.
I thought there must be a better way using whitelists for verified users instead. And that's how the idea for IP Vault was born.
To Dos
- add option to get auth code by SMS (requires users to register phone number)
I love this plugin. How can I contribute ?
- Rate plugin and leave feedback on WordPress.org
- Help resolve questions in support forums
- Help with translations
- Donate
This plugin uses the following 3rd Party services :
ip-api.com – used to offer insights into IP addresses, namely country and city information. Terms and Policies
ipify.org – used to map IPv6 addresses to IPv4. Terms and Policies
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
"Two-factor authentication (formerly IP Vault)" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsTranslate "Two-factor authentication (formerly IP Vault)" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
- optimization : added a 404 header to disallowed requests, in order to discourage bots from returning
- optimization : mapping (frequently changing) IPv6 addresses to IPv4 using third party service ipify
- fixed potential XSS vulnerabilities
- optimization : complete rewrite of authentication method : replaced secret URL by a 4-digit pin code
- various small fixes
- optimization : set transient for api calls (cache results for 1 week)
- experimental feature : use ASN for authentication (useful if your public IP changes often)
- optimisation : limit requests to ip-api to unknown IP addresses (IPs not yet logged)
- optimisation : settings link added to plugin screen
- optimisation : allow custom comments for whitelisted IPs
- fixed minor bug : title on stats screen displays correct date
- fixed minor bug : removing IP addresses with backslashes from whitelist
- fixed minor bug : missing envelope.svg
- tested up to WP version 5.7.2
- redesigned bar chart and added daily tables in statistics
- authentication mail back to plain text to optimise deliverability
- various small fixes
- added a
soft rewrite
mode, as.htaccess
mode can be tricky on some installs - cosmetic changes to authentication mails, now using html
- improved logging and statistics, database cleaned through daily cron job
- Reengineered auth page (no longer depending on frontend page)
- New logo and redesigned auth page
- Improved style and optimised ressource usage
- a lot of small changes
Fixed issue where settings were not properly removed on uninstall
First release.


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click on an icon below
Duration: 2 hours 28 minutes
Download Size: 4.84 GB
Download Instructions click here |
Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D.
This seminar discusses A Course in Miracles not only as a great spiritual teaching and means to bring us home, but as a magnificent work of art in its own right. Emphasis is placed on the importance of approaching the Course as a whole, allowing the brilliance of its structure—pedagogic and literary—to work within our hearts and minds. This is not dissimilar from being in the presence of any great art—literature, music, painting, sculpture, etc.—and surrendering to its beauty. To do otherwise runs the risk of blocking the Course's true message of forgiveness from entering our lives, preventing the healing that is its purpose. In other words, Jesus is asking us to join with his course, the loving mind that is its source, rather than having it join with us in our dualistic awareness.
Unlike most thought systems, "A Course in Miracles" does not proceed in a truly linear fashion with its theoretical structure built upon increasingly complex ideas. Rather, the Course's development is more circular with its themes treated symphonically: introduced, set aside, reintroduced, and developed. This results in an interlocking matrix in which every part is integral and essential to the whole, while implicitly containing that whole within itself. (Introduction to Glossary-Index for A Course in Miracles)
Original Workshop Date: 10/2012
Original Release Date: 05/2015

subset: commoncrawl


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"A nettle carrier is a spreader of death. Imagine a person walking the earth, smearing nettles on all life," so says Ciekals, formerly of cult Oslo outfits Neetzach and Lja, bands so underground that they could have served as tectonic plates. When he's not spending time with punk/BM hybrid Djevel, Ciekals is gleefully conjuring studio magicks with NettleCarrier. A blackened supergroup of sorts, NettleCarrier also features the drumming talents of Dirge Rep (Enslaved, Gorgoroth, Nattefrost, Orcustus) and Koldbrann's Mannevond on vocals and bass duties. While all three have served time in Djevel, don't be expecting a carbon copy. "We have less boundaries in this band than in Djevel, which is strictly based upon ancient Norwegian devil worship," says Ciekals. "In NettleCarrier I draw inspiration from every corner of our occult heritage. Our lyrics are based upon the universal occult history, both future, past and present."
Indeed, even though Ciekals admits that "I compose both Djevel and NettleCarrier material at the same time," he feels that "Djevel and NettleCarrier are very different. I instantly know if a song I compose is for Djevel or NettleCarrier and that also applies to the lyrics."
As to the song structuring process, Ciekals explains it thusly: "I … Read More
Copyright © 2024 Iron Fist Magazine. All Rights Reserved.


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On Saturday last week, we posted a picture of newly-weds cricketer Gautam Gambhir and his bride Natasha Jain. Since then we received many emails enquiring if we'll posting more pictures. So here are some more photographs of the charming couple and the wedding, courtesy Wedding Planner Meher Sarid who managed the grand yet intimate affair at a farm house in West End Greens, on the Delhi-Gurgaon highway.
Natasha's wow lehenga & Gautam's wedding sherwani were designed by Tarun Tahiliani. The creations for the other family members were designed by Kolkata's Sabyasachi and Delhi duo Shantanu & Nikhil.
The groom Gautam was escorted by a league of Safa clad bearers carrying Zardozi umbrellas, and he entered the venue on special drum beat music put together by DJ Sunny Sarid. The bride entered the venue under a canopied veil, carried by safa clad bearers and she was accompanied by her brother and sisters, and close friends in a royal procession with special bell chimes music put together by DJ Sunny Sarid.
Roberto Cavalli theme inspired design at the Cocktails
The event and entertainment planning was done by Sound of Music- Meher Sarid, Parvez Akhtar and Sunny Sarid. The elaborate elegant decor was designed and implemented by Meher Sarid and her team members Rhea Malvai, Neha Gupta and Supriyaa Choudhary. The decor was based on a Floral theme and a Fleur-de-lis sequenced motif. All the flowers were imported from London, Thailand & Holland.er family members were designed by Kolkata's Sabyasachi and Delhi duo Shantanu & Nikhil.
The Lounge
The Tent
The dinner spread included Indian, Thai and Continental delicacies specially put together by Meher Sarid and each table had a menu card for personalized service. The celebrities present included Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh with his parents, Rahul Dravid, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, VVS Laxman, Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta, Rajiv Shukla and Arun Jaitley.
At the after-party DJ Sumit Sethi and DJ Sunny Sarid jammed for the guests and their families and friends.
The couple with cricketer Yuvraj Singh
With Juhi Chawla and her husband Jai Mehta
Behind the scenes
Caterers: Seasons and Nandi Caterers
Photographs: Badal Raja Jain
Fireworks: Israar
Doli: Puneet Sohan Lal
Flower Imports: Amrish
Tenting Support & Theme Implementation: Rama Tent House


text: Do you want to know a little about bourbon? I was in the right place. Jim Beam® has been making bourbon since 1795, three years after Kentucky became the 15th state of the United States. I had enough time to learn about the Native Spirit of America. The first step to know how to make the best bourbon is to know the difference between bourbon and whiskey and how to make bourbon cocktails even more delicious. In addition, it is impossible to talk about the world # 1 bourbon when talking about bourbon's history, so we are experts in that respect as well.


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6.16. msg_status
The messaging level in SCSI is under the command level and knowledge of what is happening at the messaging level is very rarely needed. Furthermore most modern chip-sets used in SCSI adapters completely hide this value. Nearly all adapters will return zero in 'msg_status' all the time. The type of msg_status is unsigned char .


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Matomo (formally Piwik) is the leading free, open source software application for web statistics and analytics. Webarchitects offer Matomo accounts with all our shared hosting packages and we can also setup and maintain stand alone Matomo sites for clients.
Free yourself and your users from corporate data collection and spying.
Matomo (formally Piwik) is the leading free, open source, web usage statistics and analytics tool. It has a feature rich interface that allows you to dig into your data and it offers privacy protection for your users. It also has a large marketplace of plugins for adding additional functionality.
Matomo can be used to replace Google Analytics and in doing this your users' usage data is kept confidential and no is longer available to be sold by Google to third parties for profit.
In addition to Matomo having a desktop web interface there are mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Webarchitects provides free Matomo accounts with all our shared hosting accounts and we can also provided dedicated Matomo sites on either our shared hosting packages or on virtual servers. All our Matomo sites come with HTTPS certificates.
Last updated:


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Running time: 121 mins
Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named Regan, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behaviour, Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother, Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn, although Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbour Shirley MacLaine). When Regan gets completely out of hand, Chris calls in young priest Father Karras (Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles. The Exorcist received a theatrical re release in 2000, in a special edition that added 11 minutes of footage trimmed from the film's original release and digitally enhanced Chris Newman's Oscar-winning sound work.
There are currently no performance scheduled for this event


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Jonathan Tisch and Loews Hotels & Resorts Donate Furniture to Victims of Superstorm Sandy
Furniture From the Loews Regency Hotel Goes to The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City to Help Recovering Superstorm Sandy Victims
Coney Island Seaside Senior Center to be a Recipient of Donated Furniture
NEW YORK, NY (January 23, 2013) Jonathan Tisch, Chairman of Loews Hotels & Resorts will donate several items of the more than 3,600 pieces of furniture from the Loews Regency Hotel to the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island and the Seaside Senior Center, in partnership with the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City and U.Santini Moving & Storage, to help victims of Superstorm Sandy. The contents of the hotel have been donated to the Mayor's Fund as the Loews Regency Hotel is temporarily closed to complete a renovation of the famed hotel. The Surfside Senior Center, sponsored by the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, is a Department for the Aging Innovative Senior Center.
The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island and the Seaside Senior Center were severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The Loews Regency Hotel donation will help replenish items including refrigerators, rugs, conference room tables and televisions that were destroyed during the storm.
"After more than three months, many families, businesses and organizations are still feeling the effects of Superstorm Sandy," said Jonathan Tisch, Chairman of Loews Hotels & Resorts. "I'm pleased to partner with the Mayor's Fund and U.Santini to donate these items from the Loews Regency Hotel and assist in the recovery process."
The donation to the Seaside Senior Center is part of a larger donation from the Loews Regency Hotel of beds, couches, nightstands, televisions, conference tables, rugs and more. The City of New York will use the donated items to furnish temporary housing units for families displaced by Superstorm Sandy in October. A portion of the donation will also benefit nonprofits and small businesses in affected areas to replace what was lost in the storm.
"JCCGCI and its thousands of elderly clients ravaged by Hurricane Sandy express profound gratitude to the Mayor's Fund and Loews Hotels & Resorts for their concern and generosity," said Rabbi Moshe Wiener, Executive Director of JCCGCI. "It is remarkable that a distinguished corporation such as Loews proactively reached out to offer such substantive assistance at this challenging time."
"A significant part of the City's rebuilding effort is focused on providing the necessary support to nonprofits and service providers in the most storm-impacted communities," said Megan Sheekey, President of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. "This donation from the Loews Regency Hotel is a testament to the private sector's commitment to help our City and its residents come back better and stronger."
The Loews Regency Hotel partnered with U.Santini Moving & Storage, a local family-owned business based in Park Slope, Brooklyn, to move the furniture from the 20-story hotel.
About Loews Regency Hotel
Located on Park Avenue in New York City, the Loews Regency Hotel features 353 guest rooms including 86 suites. Ideal for long-term stays, the central Manhattan location is optimal for conducting business or taking advantage of the city's best shopping, culture and dining.
About Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which facilitates innovative public-private partnerships throughout NYC's five boroughs. The Fund relies on individuals, foundations, and corporations to support public programs in areas including the environment, youth development, financial empowerment, health, volunteerism, and the arts.
About Loews Hotels & Resorts
Headquartered in New York City, Loews Hotels & Resorts owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the U.S. and Canada including the Loews Hollywood Hotel located adjacent to the Hollywood & Highland Center. The hotel features 632 guestrooms, including 113 suites and over 48,000-square-feet of meeting space. Located in major city centers and resort destinations in North America from coast to coast, the Loews portfolio features one-of-a-kind properties that go beyond Four Diamond standards to delight guests with a supremely comfortable, uniquely local and vibrant travel experience. For reservations or more information about Loews Hotels & Resorts, call 1-800-23-LOEWS or visit: www.loewshotels.com.
SOURCE: Loews Hotels & Resorts


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Spiritual Master Dr. Shri Balaji Tambe (1940 - 2021)
has initiated the SOM (Santulan Om Meditation) and SKY (Santulan Kriya Yoga) techniques. He is the founder of the Atmasantulana Village, a world-renowned holistic healing centre. He established the world's first and only Aum Temple. He has authored several books on the spiritual sciences, Yoga and Ayurveda. His compositions, healing music albums and concerts are an outcome of extensive research. He is an Ayurvedic doctor, engineer, artist, cosmologist and agriculturalist. His father Ved Shastra Sampanna Shri Vasudev Tambeshastri was an authority on the Vedic scriptures and spiritual sciences. Dr. Shri Balaji Tambe shares his time between Karla, India as well as Munich and Gleichen in Germany and conducts seminars all over the world. His family consists of his wife, two sons and daughters-in-law as well as four granddaughters, apart from a large, extended family of disciples.
He is a director on the board of the Sakal Media Group, which publishes the prestigious Marathi newspaper, Sakal. He is also Chief Mentor of Family Doctor, the newspaper's most successful weekly supplement (16-pages) that runs into more than 2 million copies. His ability to deal with all subjects, scientific, medical, social and technical, based on his life philosophy, has inspired many projects of great social relevance both in India and abroad.
More information about Shreeguru's life you will find in
We invite you to subscribe to Shreeguru YouTube channel


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PALOCH, South Sudan (AP) — The oil industry in South Sudan has left a landscape pocked with hundreds of open waste pits, the water and soil contaminated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals including mercury, manganese, and arsenic, according to four environmental reports obtained by The Associated Press.
The reports also contain accounts of "alarming" birth defects, miscarriages and other health problems among residents of the region and soldiers who have been stationed there. Residents describe women unable to get pregnant and having excessive numbers of miscarriages, and babies born with severe birth defects.
Abui Mou Kueth's infant son, Ping, was born with six fingers on both hands, one stunted leg, a deformed foot and kidney swelling.
"I was shocked the first time I saw the baby," she said, cradling him in her arms.
She said he was not able to breastfeed and needed special formula. "I am worried about his future."
The AP obtained the reports and supporting documents from people with close knowledge of the oil operations, one of whom works in the industry. The reports have never been released publicly.
The reports, which date as far back as 2013, were presented to the oil companies and South Sudan's ministry of petroleum but subsequently buried, according to four people with close knowledge of the oil operations and the documents. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of their safety.
"I don't think there's a single major industrial operation on earth that's getting away with this," he said.
There's been no clear link established between the pollution and the health problems.
But community leaders and lawmakers in the oil-rich areas in Upper Nile and Unity states — in the northeast and north of the country bordering Ethiopia and Sudan — accuse South Sudan's government and the two main oil consortiums, the Chinese-led Dar Petroleum Operating Co. and the Greater Pioneer Operating Co., of neglecting the issue and trying to silence those who have tried to expose the problem.
An AP reporter looking into the pollution and health issues was detained and questioned by government officials and government security forces working on behalf of the oil companies.
Neither company responded to multiple requests for comment on the reports, and did not answer detailed questions sent by email and text message from the AP.
The reports show that the government and the oil companies have been aware for years that contamination from drilling could be causing severe health problems in the local population. But little has been done, local residents say, to clean up the mess. Promises by the government and the oil companies to tackle the pollution have repeatedly been broken, they say.
"People are dying of unknown diseases," said Simon Ngor, a pastor with a church in Melut, a small village in the oil-rich area of Upper Nile state. "The oil company says they're working on it but I don't think they actually are."
The environmental and health problems are particularly damaging in South Sudan, a country that was only established nine years ago and shortly after was torn apart by civil war and famine. It's among the poorest nations in the world and depends on its oil industry to survive.
The oil-rich area around Paloch, a city in Upper Nile state, is dotted with exposed pools of toxic water. A chemical junkyard in Gumry town, about 45 minutes from Paloch, was strewn with overflowing containers of black sludge that seeped into the ground and were surrounded by toxic waste when an AP reporter visited in September 2018.
The air inside the yard, which was unsecured and easy to enter, smelled overwhelmingly of chemicals. Rows of stacked shipping containers lined the inner perimeter of the yard, some were left open exposing bags of what appeared to be chemicals. Many containers had labels stipulating there were hazardous toxins inside. Trash was heaped in various corners of the plot.
The junkyard caught fire in May and has yet to be cleaned up, according to a resident who visited in September and spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of their safety.
The AP interviewed more than two dozen people in Paloch and the surrounding areas, and residents reported alarming health problems that echoed those found in the buried reports: babies with birth defects, miscarriages and people dying of unexplained illnesses.
Dr. Bar Alony Wol, the county health department director, pulled out his phone in his small one-room office in Melut and pointed to a photo of a baby girl born in September 2018 with her intestines outside of her body. A few years ago, he said, he saw a baby born with no head.
"We're losing children," said Nyaweir Ayik Monyuak, chairman of the Women's Association in Melut. The 43-year-old lost two children of her own between 2008 and 2011.
She and a dozen other women were crowded on a tattered L-shaped sofa in a dimly lit shed that serves as a meeting place in Melut. One by one, the women took turns telling their harrowing stories.
Six had lost babies in the last 10 years. And all of them knew someone who had given birth to a child with deformities, had struggled to conceive or had miscarriages.
When some of the shyer women were hesitant to speak up, the more vocal ones encouraged them to share their experiences.
Ajok Ayel said she lost a child in 2010 and hasn't been able to get pregnant since.
"I'd like to leave if possible," said Jessica Uma, 34, who said she had two miscarriages in 2012 and 2013 and used to get body rashes when showering.
When doctors removed Ngor Maluol's dead daughter after she miscarried in 2018, the baby's head was concave and looked as if she'd been hit, she said.
Many women can't even get pregnant, Monyuak said.
Many of the residents said the health problems got worse after people started drinking water from white containers that began appearing several years ago in markets and along roadsides.
The same containers were strewn about the Dar Petroleum chemical junkyard, with labels saying they contained a chemical demulsifier called Phasetreat, used by the oil company during drilling to separate crude oil from water.
The containers, which were also mentioned in the 2013 report, had hazardous substance warning labels. The chemicals are supposed to be "taken to a suitable and authorized waste disposal site," according to a spokesperson for Clariant, one of the world's leading specialty chemical companies and provider of Phasetreat.
"Under no circumstances should these empty containers be used by people for any reason, in particular for holding drinking water," said Rick Steiner, an oil pollution adviser in Alaska who consults for governments, aid groups and the United Nations on oil spills.
It is unclear how the empty containers were taken from Dar Petroleum's secure compound. It took at least two years for the company to stop people from using them, local residents say.
"The oil company knew what was going on. There is no way the white containers could have left their yard without the staff in charge knowing. But they'll never take responsibility for it," said Ramadan Chan Liol, chairman of the Padang Community Union. The group represents people living around the oil areas in Unity and Upper Nile states and acts as a liaison with the oil company.
The four surveys bear out what AP found on the ground, and show that the government and oil companies are aware of the pollution and health problems. But the people who provided the reports to AP said they were purposely buried.
The earliest survey, from 2013, was led by then-Minister of Petroleum, Mining & Industry, Stephen Dhieu Dau, with support from the Ministry of Health.
A group of 10 South Sudanese researchers, including an infectious disease expert, an epidemiologist, several public health specialists and an environmentalist, toured the oil fields in Upper Nile and Unity states. They found that local residents were complaining of increased miscarriages, stillbirths and incidents of "malformed newborn babies" that didn't survive. The report, complete with photos, documented "alarming oil spillage" around some of the facilities and noted many people had drowned in the open ponds created by the oil companies.
In 2016, the same two government ministries as well as the environment ministry sent a team to Paloch to study why soldiers stationed there were falling ill.
Soil and water samples from the area, and biological samples from the soldiers were analyzed at the National Health Laboratory Service in South Africa. They found mercury levels in the water were seven times what is permissible under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, and manganese concentrations were 10 times higher than EPA allows, according to a summary of the study obtained by the AP. The chemicals were also found in the soil and in urine samples from some of the soldiers.
"These results are clearly indicating that heavy metals and petrochemicals have contaminated the area," the summary stated, and it recommended more studies to see if the pollution is connected with the health problems.
In July 2018, Greater Pioneer — which is comprised of the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp., the Malaysian state-owned Petronas as well as South Sudanese and Indian drillers — commissioned a study by EnviroCare, a South Sudanese waste management company, to determine the state of some oil operations in Unity state that had been abandoned during the country's civil war.
The company didn't do any chemical testing but did find significant oil spillage and water pollution at the waste treatment facility. It said that oil production was likely to have caused public health, safety and security hazards, injuries and accidental deaths, and land and water contamination.
One commissioner is quoted saying "some children were born with missing body parts."
The most recent study, from November 2018, was commissioned by Dar Petroleum to assess the chemical contamination in its oil fields and the surrounding areas.
Researchers took 146 samples of soil, fluids and unidentifiable chemicals and found "extremely high" levels of hydrocarbons — chemicals such as benzene that make up oil and natural gas and can cause serious health effects. It also documented 650 waste pits filled with water contaminated with arsenic and lead, and millions of liters of water contaminated with drilling chemicals sitting in ponds. The report showed at least some waste pit liners had been compromised and that flooding has allowed some chemicals to seep out of the oil field areas.
The report recommended a five-year clean-up that would cost about $58 million. South Sudan expects its oil industry to generate $99 million in revenue each month from July 2019 to June 2020, according to the national budget.
But to date no clean-up has been done, residents say.
There is no definitive proof that the pollution or the chemical containers caused the birth defects and other health problems that residents around Paloch are complaining of.
South Sudan's crippling five-year civil war that killed almost 400,000 people and displaced millions has created a dire humanitarian crisis, plunging pockets of the country into famine. Approximately 7 million people are reliant on aid and more than 5.5 million people could go hungry by early this year, according to a statement by the U.N. in December. Years of fighting have impeded people's access to medical care.
Exposure to toxic chemicals such as lead, arsenic, manganese and benzene can cause a variety of health problems including cancer, respiratory problems, impotence and stillbirths, according to the World Health Organization.
South Sudan has the seventh highest rate of pollution-related deaths in the world, according to the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, an organization of national environment ministries, international development organizations and NGOs.
Two sets of data seen by the AP, one from a local advocacy group focused on the environment and another by the health ministry, noted an increase in birth deformities and premature deliveries in Unity state between 2015 and 2017.
Birth deformities around the oil fields in Ruweng state (formerly part of Unity state), almost tripled between 2015 and 2017, from 19% to 54%, according to an environmental study by the local advocacy group. The group asked not to be identified because it was still gathering information for the report, which has not yet been published because the research is ongoing.
Additionally, an internal letter from the ministry of health in Ruweng state that was intended for South Sudan's national health minister in 2018 documented a nearly threefold increase in premature deliveries between 2015 and 2017, from 41 cases to 118. The letter notes that the data were limited to hospital deliveries and excluded babies delivered at home.
The letter also notes that before oil production in the region, in 1999, "there were no alarming reports of women giving birth to deformed babies, experiencing premature birth(s) amongst other environmental related diseases."
Steiner, the American oil pollution adviser, said there is substantial medicalliterature linking hydrocarbon exposure with birth defects and that it can reasonably be concluded that petroleum exposure could be a contributing cause of the birth defects in the region.
"The pollution is a public health and environmental emergency," he said.
After the 2018 report on Upper Nile was presented to the government, officials acknowledged the problem, calling it a "significant risk to the people living within the vicinity of the oil fields and the surrounding environment," and instructed Dar Petroleum to move ahead with the proposed clean-up, according to a December 2018 letter from the oil ministry seen by the AP.
But Dar Petroleum — a consortium that includes China National Petroleum and Sinopec, another state-owned Chinese company, along with companies in Malaysia and Egypt and South Sudan's state owned oil company __ never acted, according to two people with close knowledge of the oil operations in the area who didn't want to be named for fear of their safety.
AP called China National Petroleum Corp. and Sinopec multiple times and sent detailed questions by email and fax, but neither company responded. The AP also reached out to Petronas, which did not respond to requests for comment.
South Sudan's 2012 Petroleum Act says anyone working in the oil industry must comply with best international practices on health and safety.
President Salva Kiir acknowledged in a statement in January that there is a pollution problem in the oilfields and surrounding areas, and said he wants to bring proper environmental standards to the country's oil exploration operations.
The government in January asked for proposals from companies to perform an "environmental audit" that will evaluate how to clean up the existing pollution and put in place best practices for future oil exploration.
Residents, however, are skeptical, saying the government and oil companies have talked about cleaning up the pollution before.
In July 2018, after local residents complained about the pollution, Dar Petroleum sent a delegation of local leaders and government officials to an environmental lab in Uganda. The visit was organized by EnviroCare and EnviroServ, a waste management company based in South Africa with a branch in Uganda, to discuss cleaning up the oil fields, said Yuahanna Ayuel, the youth chairman in Melut.
But after the trip, residents say, the oil company said the clean-up was too expensive.
"I'm angry," Ayuel said. "Our environment is polluted. It's a problem and it's getting worse."
In February, Phillips Anyang Ngong, a human rights lawyer, sued South Sudan's Ministry of Petroleum, Greater Pioneer Operating Company and Nile Petroleum — the country's state owned oil company, claiming the oil pollution caused health problems and loss of life and demanding $500 million for victims. It's the first human rights lawsuit due to oil pollution filed in the country, he said.
"Companies are violating the law and the government is not intervening," he said. "It's a crisis that needs immediate attention now."
But the government doesn't appear to be in a hurry.
South Sudan's petroleum minister, Awow Daniel Chuang, said until there's scientific evidence tying health problems to oil pollution, no conclusions should be drawn.
"Only speculations are being made until scientific evidences are out to see the level of damages created by oil operations. Obviously there shouldn't be conclusions with evidences connected to deformation," he said.
Health experts who have tackled oil pollution in similar contexts say companies often try to hide any connection between pollution and health problems.
"Polluters try as much as possible not to let connections be drawn from pollution to health issues, they try to connect it to something else, like genetics. This is a known tactic," said Nnimmo Bassey, executive director for health at the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, a not-for-profit environmental group based in Nigeria.
Bassey's work focuses on the Niger Delta, where a 2011 U.N. environment report found pollution from over 50 years of oil operations in Ogoniland, Nigeria, penetrated further and deeper than people realized, causing grave health and environmental risks.
"They do it in South Sudan, in Nigeria, everywhere," he said.
That's what baby Ping's father, Cornelious Mayak Geer, believes is happening to his family.
In July 2019, the Greater Pioneer Operating Company flew the family to Nairobi, Kenya, for what they thought would be medical treatment for Ping. Geer says the company told him that they would first do tests to determine if Ping's deformities were tied to oil pollution. If they found a link, they would pay for treatment, Geer says the company officials told him.
Doctors at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi told Geer that the baby needed surgery, according to Geer, but Greater Pioneer refused to pay. Geer says he pushed for medical tests to determine whether Ping's problems were linked to oil pollution, but the doctors in Nairobi said they couldn't do such tests.
Geer refused to give up, and in January, Greater Pioneer flew them to Berlin, where the whole family underwent 10 days of tests on their blood and hair and were sent home. The baby received no medical care.
Geer said the company told him the child's problems were genetic and not caused by oil pollution. But they never shared any test results with him.
"Results for the child will not come, they're still playing games," he said.
Geer is losing hope.
"The baby still cries day and night because of the pain and not feeling well," he said. "They're just buying time until the baby dies."
Nyawiir Adoup, a 37-year-old Paloch resident whose home is a short drive from an open waste pit, had a similar experience. In 2013, she miscarried one baby and then a second baby was born dead without a nose or eyes. Dar Petroleum brought her and her husband first to Kenya and then to Germany for tests.
They spent more than a month in Germany in 2014, according to Adoup's husband, Deng Awaj Awol. But they have never received results.
"We weren't told what was happening and when we came back to Juba I asked for the results and they refused," Awol said.
In 2015, Adoup then gave birth to a second stillborn child, this one born with a gaping hole in its stomach.
"You could see through," she said. "I was crying."
The AP obtained a copy of the couple's medical report from Germany, which was dated Oct. 20, 2014. It was addressed to the health safety and environment department at Dar Petroleum and submitted by the doctor who accompanied the family. It showed they saw specialists in occupational medicine, nuclear medicine, gynecology and human genetics, according to the report.
Dr. Robert Middleberg, a forensic toxicologist at the NMS Labs in Horsham, Pennsylvania, reviewed the records and said they showed the couple were exposed to toxic chemicals, some of which are associated with inducing abortion. But, he said, the analyses were missing crucial details, including any numbers in the toxicology reports that he reviewed.
"Sometimes I still feel sick, my body isn't normal," said Adoup. "Sometimes I have nightmares of having another (child) like the previous ones."
Environmental experts say there is little incentive for multinational companies to do anything because it is easy to get away with things in impoverished countries like South Sudan.
That's in part because the country is so dependent upon its oil sector to survive.
Oil accounts for almost all the country's exports and more than 40% of its gross domestic product, according to the World Bank. As South Sudan emerges from years of fighting, it is trying to revive its economy by expanding the industry. In October, the ministry of petroleum announced plans to open 14 oil blocks this year for exploration.
"No one's really watching. The government is neither willing nor able to monitor and enforce its own environmental laws," said Luke Patey, senior researcher studying China's oil investments in Africa at the Danish Institute for International Studies.
He said the result is "a vicious cycle of negligence."
Reporting by Sam Mednick; Associated Press researcher Chen Si contributed to this story.
Image: In this photo taken Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, containers used for hazardous chemicals lie exposed and piled up at a junkyard run by the Chinese-led Dar Petroleum Operating Company in Gumry, near Paloch, in South Sudan (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)


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Description: 1.) Sony Ericsson L36i L36h Xperia Z Squirrel lines leather Case is selected slim quality leather with environmental protection PC material bining designed, Inside with high density fiber. 2.) Surface pressed into squirrel streak, simple and elegant, strong texture, Non-slip wear-resistant, perfect touch.3.) Ultra-thin Flip design, combination of ultra-thin leather and hard backing, give you phone more comprehensive protection. 4.) High density fiber inner, perfect protection for the screen; Clear reserved listen hole location, so you call unimpeded.5.) The precise holes reserved fitting body retain phone comes with features easy to use. 6.) Unique stent design, so you can easily watch movies online browsing, good too exciting every moment.
You solely accept the full risk of any package (or part thereof) being detained by customs for whatever reason and acknowledge and agree that you will not hold our store liable for such packages or loss, for whatever reason being unable to be delivered to you. Warranty:The items DO NOT comes with warranty. However, for customer benefits our store offers 5 days warranty period PROVIDED ALWAYS:


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Decorating, dividing, sealing, writing… Washi Tape is a perfect companion in your projects and suitable for many tasks. The Washi Tape can be used for journals, cards, or other craft projects.
Washi Tape also called masking tape, is semi-transparent and has designs printed on it. The tape is rolled on a small chipboard base to make it easy to use and store.
- Width: 15 mm
- Length: 10 meters
- Colors: Mint, Peacock, Pink and Rose Pink
You can use the colors above to search for other matching products in our store.
Documenting has never been easier! We aim to deliver inspiration and convenience in a box filled with color and happiness.
With our collection color palette, we have selected several colors with great care. We mix and match these colors throughout our collections, providing customers with a new color scheme every month. Every once in a while, we add more colors and remove older ones, to maintain the color palette. With our color palette, every collection will match earlier and upcoming collections, making sure crafty customers can mix and match products among collections.
The DLS Design palette is also used for Little Miss Evie and Paper Memories. While those brands have their own color scheme, we always try to combine at least several colors from the DLS Design palette, making it easier for customers and retailers to combine our other brands. Don't stock up or hold on to any leftovers when you are done with a collection; you can easily use them with one of our other collections.
If you are interested in reading more about our color palette, click on the link below.
You can also shop per color via this page or use our shop menu to see all colors and products in our color palette.
Our team is happy to pack and ship your order with love and care, from our warehouse to your doorstep.
We ship worldwide from Monday till Friday during office hours.
Curious what shipping costs would apply for you?


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3 Ways to Style Your Pillows on a King Size Bed
I've never had a king size bed until I moved in with my heartmate in New Orleans. And what a life changer it's been. My heartmate told me he upgraded from a full because he wasn't getting a good night's rest. He was also going through a bad breakup and has two 50 pound pups snuggling with him at night. I think if you have a partner and pets (who are allowed on the bed), it definitely warrants a king. Honestly, it's not that much bigger than a kween.
If you think about it, we all spend 6–8 hours in bed every day. For me, it's closer to 10 hours. What? I'm a freelance napper! Don't haaate. Lol. That means your bedroom is definitely a place you need to invest in, like a solid bed and more importantly, amazing bedding. Today we're gonna discuss some luxurious linens from Parachute who we've partnered with. We'll also show you how to style your pillows on a king size bed.
I always bought my sheets, pillows, and duvets from department or big-box stores. It was always an overwhelming experience. Don't even get me started with the trivial thread counts. The great thing about Parachute is they only offer three premium types of materials (percale, sateen, and linen) so it's very straight-forward. They also offer pillows, duvets and blankets so y'all can hook your bedroom up in one go! All of Parachute's bedding are all natural. No synthetics and no chemicals like formaldehyde (which are terrible for you, btw)
I picked the Percale Venice Set which is really soft, Egyptian cotton. I also got the sateen for my euro shams and you know what? I think I like the sateen even more. It's so silky and sumptuous and that subtle shine is really nice. I love the indigo essential quilt. After going so green and jungalow in our bedroom, I really needed something darker to ground the space. Honestly, their bedding have been sleep-changing!
Let's talk pillows now. After styling a handful of bedrooms, I've realized that many people don't buy the correct size for their bed or even the right type for the way they sleep. Good news is, Parachute has the best pillows I've ever owned. I got the alternative down (firm) because I'm a back sleeper. Alright, let's get to pillow styling!
2 King Pillows + 1 Lumbar Pillow
Let's start with the minimal look. This is so easy to throw together. It's basic without being baaasic. You know what I mean? Just place two king size pillows down. Add some interest by tossing a lumbar pillow in front, like this one from Parachute (in collaboration with The Citizenry). Lumbar pillows are the best! They seriously complete the whole look. And don't forget to layer a fun, patternful blanket at the end of the bed. I like to cover a third of it.
3 Euro Pillows + 3 Standard Pillows + 2 King Pillows + Accent Pillows
This look is for those who want a little EXTRA. Does one really need this many pillows? The answer is, duh! This has 3 Euro in the back, 3 standard size in the middle and 2 king pillows in the front. You can alternate the standard pillows with the king pillows, too. The heartmate and I occasionally work in bed so all the pillows are perfect for back support. It also makes the bed feel even bigger. This is our current situation and I love it. But what do you do with all these pillows when it's bedtime, you ask? That's where a bench at the foot of the bed comes in handy. You see, pillows need a bed to sleep on, too! All about that extra livin'!
2 King Pillows + 1 Euro Pillow + 1 Standard + 2 Accents + 1 Lumbar
When maximal meets messy, you get messimal. Okrrr! This is where you can loosely throw in a variety of pillows in different sizes. You still want at least two king size pillows though. Then layer a few of your favorite throws and quilts. Embrace the wrinkles and everything. Again, lumbar pillow saves the day!
So tell me, which is your favorite style?
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Greatest Rock Vocalists #5, Janis Joplin, Piece of My Heart, To Love Somebody
Posted in Greatest Rock Vocalists, Janis Joplin, Youtube Favs on October 3rd, 2011 by WillieDid you know "Piece of my Heart" was originally recorded by Aretha Franklin's older sister Erma? I didn't even know Erma existed and had a music career. Thanks Wikipedia. Well, we all know Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company's classic version. The video I have below is the most hard rocking and punkiest take I've ever seen. Janis and the boys deliver this one with some extra kick and funk, blasting it out for hard core blues addicts. The tempo is super-charged, and the atmosphere is damned manic, I've never seen a Janis performance like this. The next bonus song, "To Love Somebody," is taken from the Dick Cavett Show in 1969. This one is just a pure showcases for Janis's unbelievable talent and energy. It reminds you that Janis was, and remains, the greatest female rock vocalist, and in the overall top 5 of greatest rock vocalists ever. I have her as #5. I came out about this number extremely scientifically, having gone through the long process of spontaneously coming up with the concept as I'm writing this sentence. This is bound to be fun, so stay tuned tomorrow and watch me pull #4 out of my ass.


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How winter weather can damage Kentucky's homes and businesses – and how it can be prevented
Posted on Jan 20, 2014
"When snow, ice and freezing temperatures hit, we typically think first of the mess that it will make on the local roadways," said KFB Insurance Vice President of Claims, Greg Youngblood, "but we can't forget that our homes and businesses are also subject to changes in weather. We manage a large number of claims each year for homes and businesses damaged by winter storms and freezing temperatures."
Over the last five years, KFB Insurance has received nearly 29,000 home and business property claims for incidents related to either freezing conditions or damages resulting from the weight of ice, sleet or snow. The overwhelming majority of these claims occurred during the massive ice storm that swept through Kentucky in early 2009. While most claims (85%) during this timeframe were for net losses of $5,000 or less, and the average claim's net paid loss was approximately $2,600, some totals were for amounts greater than $340,000. As KFB Insurance data reveals, the region's annual bouts with ice, snow and freezing temperatures – and the occasional unexpected ice storm – can wreak havoc on homes and businesses.
"We advise all Kentuckians to regularly inspect and protect their homes and businesses from the effects of below-freezing temperatures and winter storms," said Youngblood. "Taking the time to be a little proactive around one's property can help prevent costly losses and big headaches in the long run."
Additionally, not all insurance policies cover every type of winter damage. Policy holders should call their local agent to learn more about the kind of coverage their property has for winter perils.
While there are many areas of a home or business that can be monitored and modified to endure winter weather conditions, KFB Insurance recommends that, at a minimum, the following three areas are considered:
Weight of ice, sleet and snow The overwhelming majority of KFB Insurance's wintertime homeowner and business-owner claims (approximately 95%) are related to structural damages caused by the weight of ice, sleet and snow on homes and businesses – or things nearby that consequently fall on those homes and businesses for the same reason. To decrease the chances of this occurring when heavy accumulations are forecast, property owners should make sure that trees and their branches are trimmed so they cannot hang too close (or over) a house, business or the electrical wires that connect to either.
Frozen pipes Another destructive, yet common, cause of damage to a home or business during the winter originates from water pipes that have frozen and burst. Unlike most other wintertime claims, snow and ice are not necessary for a pipe to freeze – just bitter cold temperatures. According to studies conducted by the Building Research Council at the University of Illinois, the true threat of pipe freezing occurs when outside temperatures fall to 20° F or below. Pipes located against outside walls or in crawl spaces or attics are at the highest risk of freezing under those conditions. To prevent water in pipes from freezing:
- Keep the cold air out and the warm air in. Locate holes and cracks in exterior walls or foundations near pipes and seal them with caulk.
- Wrap insulation around exposed pipes to slow the transfer of heat.
- Disconnect all garden hoses from exterior faucets.
- Run a small, steady trickle of water through interior faucets that are connected to pipes in unheated areas.
- Open cabinet doors below sinks to allow the warmer interior temperatures to circulate around pipes.
- Drain the water system if the house or business will be unoccupied during winter weather.
Ice dams A lesser-known, but equally destructive, wintertime issue that occasionally appears around the home or business is the phenomenon known as an "ice dam." When the interior heat from a home or business melts accumulated snow on the roof, water can run down and refreeze at the edge of the roof where it is much cooler. These ice dams often block water from draining properly off the roof, forcing water under the roof covering and into an attic or down the inside of the wall instead. To help reduce the risk of ice dams forming:
- Adequately insulate attic floors to minimize the amount of heat that rises up through the attic from the building's interior.
- Keep attics well-ventilated so temperatures are regulated and snow can't melt as easily and then refreeze in another spot on the roof.
- Clear gutters of all leaves and other debris.
"The value of a property owner's awareness and preparation for winter weather cannot be overstated," concluded Youngblood. "It is definitely worth the time and effort to work these things out before a storm than after it hits."
Tagged Post Topics Include: Frozen pipes, Greg Youngblood, Ice, Ice Dam, Insulation, Insurance, KFB, Pipes, Roof, Sleet, Snow, Ventilation, Winter


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Happy Halloween, everyone. Have a KitKat—Google's latest update to Android, that is, which Google just announced, along with the new Nexus 5. Here's what you need to know about the mobile OS update.
KitKat will bring even smarter and easier search to Android, according to the Official Google Blog, and, perhaps more importantly, it's going to be backwards compatible with older devices, so everyone can get in on the fun. Here are a few of the more prominent features, many of which you can actually get right now.
Better Performance and Memory Usage
Many of KitKat's biggest improvements are under the hood. You should find that it performs better, especially when it comes to RAM. The Android Developer site states that "KitKat streamlines every major component to reduce memory use," so even old phones running KitKat should be faster and more responsive—even with as little as 512MB of memory. You should be able to mutli-task without your phone freezing more easily in KitKat.
Google Now Gets Easier and More Powerful
Google Now is getting a much bigger focus in KitKat, with easier access, more cards, and hands-free usage. How cool will it be when you can wake up your phone, start a search, take a photo and so on just by saying "OK Google"? It's like the futuristic Google Glass stuff, but on your phone.
Google Now will also find a place on your home screen if you like (and you can swipe left-to-right to access it), and Google will be adding more cards to make your phone even smarter, automatically suggesting things based on your interests, location, and lots more.
A New Dialer with Universal, Integrated Search
The Dialer is one of the oldest, most traditional apps on your phone, and KitKat brings a pretty big update. Now you'll be able to look up a number for a business or person directly from the phone dialer—searching across not just your contacts, but also Google Apps and nearby places. It works in reverse, too: your phone's caller ID will also be able to look up matches from Google's Maps listings if you receive a call from someone who isn't in your address book. That's pretty darn handy.
The integrated search runs throughout all of KitKat, so you'll be able to do a search for a recipe or restaurant and Google will take you directly to the right app. And if you're a fan of searching with your voice, like we are, you'll appreciate getting search results faster in KitKat.
SMS Support, Location Sharing, and Animated GIFs in Hangouts
Google announced this yesterday, and it means that Hangouts can be your go-to app for all of your instant messages, video calls, and text messages. If you hate having your conversations all over the place in a bunch of different apps, with KitKat you'll just need Hangouts, which replaces the old Messaging app.
The location sharing feature may be very convenient when you're meeting up with friends and don't want to have to keep texting each other "Where are you?"
Finally, if you're a fan of inserting emoji into your messages, there are lots you can add from the Google Keyboard in KitKat.
Improvements to NFC, Cloud Printing, and File Browsing
KitKat also includes a lot of improvements that app developers can make use of to enhance their apps. The NFC enhancements, for example, will automatically route you to the right app when you tap one of those pay-with-a-tap terminals. Printer manufacturers can develop their own print services so you can easily print from your Android device to your specific printer. And the new storage access framework provides a consistent way to access files stored on other services from any other app (e.g., open or save files saved to Box or Dropbox from your mobile browser).
Lots, Lots More
KitKat also includes a full screen "Immersive Mode" for your apps, updates to the Downloads and Email app, HDR+ photography (on supported phones like the Nexus 5), infrared blasting for remote control of TVs, less battery-draining audio playback, and a lot more. Check out Google's official KitKat page to see more.
KitKat is out today on the Nexus 5, and is coming to the Nexus 4, 7, and 10, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play edition in the next few weeks.
Android for all and the new Nexus 5 | Official Google Blog


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This question exists as it fills a specific criterion. While you are encouraged to help maintain its answers, please understand that "big list" questions are not generally allowed on Ask Ubuntu and will likely be closed per the FAQ. More information on the software-recommendation tag.
What kind of desktop environments or shells are there for Ubuntu users to install?
Please list a desktop environment or shell for each:
- a description on why you like or suggest it (features, performance, etc.).
- a good screenshot, preferably of it running on Ubuntu and showing off some of its features.
- the minimal requirement for it to be usable, If there's any setting to lower it's requirement (Like kde's low-fat profile); how to enable the said setting
- some instructions on how to set it up if in the repositories, please provide a software centre link


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Air freight parcel delivery is the transfer and shipment of goods via an air carrier, which may be charter or commercial. Such shipments travel out of commercial and passenger aviation gateways to anywhere planes can fly and land.
Air cargo is any property carried or to be carried in an aircraft. Air cargo comprises air freight, air express and airmail.
Our Location
You can see the above map to clear our location. Following to the red arrow from others area.
Your Benefits
Determine method of shipment, and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
- Asset based services
- Warehousing.
- Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).
- Freight Distribution.


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CBL presently subscribes to 57 blogs. More than half of them are law related (although CBL would not ever want to miss an installment of such non-law blogs as ZeroToSixtyInOneYear and PitchersAnd Poets). But CBL subscribes to very few official law firm blogs -- law blogs that are clearly designed by somebody's marketing consultant and have gone through all the editing, screening, conflict-checknig and sanitizing typically necessary to get them through big-firms' scrutiny (while at the same time ensuring boredom for the reader).
But there are exceptions to every rule, and one of them is the IP Law Blog of Sacramento's Weintraub Genshlea Chediak Law Corporation. Even though IP Law Blog is an official law firm blog, the posts are well-written and instructive in a field where CBL doesn't generally toil, and they are often interesting.
A pretty good example was this one on a doctrine CBL had never heard of: the doctrine of Naked Licensing. As Weintraub's Jeffrey Peitsch observes, "Naked licensing is not as fun as the name suggests." It refers, for example, to the granting of a license for a product without taking steps to control the licensee's manufacturing quality. As Peitsch suggests, naked licensing occurs if the World Champion San Francisco Giants Baseball Club (I still love typing that) licenses its logo to the Joe Schmoe Manufacturing Company without regulating Schmoe's design and manufacturing processes, and Schmoe uses the license to manufacture and sell a bunch of substandard junk. The Ninth Circuit has held that this would be a deceptive business practice on the part of the WCSFG's, and could result in their losing their trademark protection.
But there's an interesting crossroads here between IP and product liability law. In California, as in most states, manufacturers and distributors are strictly liable for injuries caused by defective products. But who else might be liable? A licensor? The answer is "maybe." Under Kasel v. Remington Arms Co. (1972) 24 Cal.App.3d 711, a trademark llicensor may be held strictly liable for injuries caused by the licensed product, or not, depending on the extent to which the licensor exerts control over the quality of the product. And dictum in Bay Summit Community Assn. v. Shell Oil Co. (1996) 51 Cal. App. 4th 762 rather strongly indicates the same:
[W]here a licensor maintains significant involvement in the distribution or manufacturing process, the policies underlying the doctrine are implicated, including that the defendant is in a position to deter unsafe products and to spread the risk of loss.
So it looks as though the Naked Licensing doctrine and the doctrine of strict liability work together like this: if the WCSFG's let any old licensee use their trademark without regulating quality, they face loss of the trademark. If they regulate the quality, they face strict product liability for any product defect. And that goes for licensors who don't play baseball, as well.


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חברת נייקי הציגה את "המתקפה הישירה על הצרכן", היערכות חדשה של החברה שמאפשרת לנייקי לשרת את הצרכן טוב יותר באופן אישי, בקנה מידה גדול. תוך ניצול הכוח של הדיגיטל, נייקי תיצור צמיחה -- על ידי האצת החדשנות ויצירת מוצרים, התקרבות נוספת לצרכנים באמצעות ערי מפתח והעמקת הקשרים אחד על אחד.
"את עתיד הספורט תקבע החברה שמטרידים אותה הצרכים של הצרכן המתפתח", אמר מרק פרקר, יו"ר, נשיא ומנכ"ל חברת נייקי. "באמצעות "המתקפה הישירה על הצרכן", אנחנו מגבירים את האגרסיביות בשוק הדיגיטל, מתמקדים בשוקי מפתח ומספקים מוצרים מהר יותר מאי פעם".
With a New Leadership Structure, Nike Drives Growth Through Key Cities by Doubling Innovation, Speed and Direct Connection to Consumers
BEAVERTON, Ore., 15 June 2017, (BUSINESS WIRE):
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) today introduced the Consumer Direct Offense, a new company alignment that allows Nike to better serve the consumer personally, at scale. Leveraging the power of digital, Nike will drive growth—by accelerating innovation and product creation, moving even closer to the consumer through Key Cities, and deepening one-to-one connections.
"The future of sport will be decided by the company that obsesses the needs of the evolving consumer," said Mark Parker, NIKE, Inc. Chairman, President, and CEO. "Through the Consumer Direct Offense, we're getting even more aggressive in the digital marketplace, targeting key markets and delivering product faster than ever."
Consumer-focused Growth
Trevor Edwards, President of the NIKE Brand, will drive the Consumer Direct Offense through integrated category, geography, marketplace, product, merchandising, digital, and direct-to-consumer teams.
In the new alignment, the company will drive growth by deeply serving consumers in 12 key cities, across 10 key countries: New York, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Mexico City, Barcelona, Seoul, and Milan. These key cities and countries are expected to represent over 80 percent of Nike's projected growth through 2020.
Nike is moving closer to the consumer—creating a local business, on a global scale. To improve efficiency, all key cities and countries are supported by a simplified geography structure, changing from six to four—comprised of North America; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); Greater China; and Asia Pacific and Latin America (APLA). The leaders of the newly-formed geographies are: Tom Peddie VP/GM of North America, Bert Hoyt VP/GM of EMEA, Angela Dong VP/GM of Greater China, and Ann Hebert VP/GM of APLA.
As such, financial results for the NIKE Brand will be reported based on these four operating segments beginning in fiscal 2018.
The geography leaders will report to Elliott Hill, President of Geographies and Integrated Marketplace.
Nike's Triple Double
The Consumer Direct Offense is fueled by Nike's Triple Double strategy: 2X Innovation, 2X Speed and 2X Direct connections with consumers.
To double innovation, Nike will accelerate the impact and cadence of new innovation platforms. As an example, over the past few months, Nike launched a cushioning revolution, featuring three new groundbreaking platforms: ZoomX, Air VaporMax and Nike React. And, to give consumers more choices of the products they love, Nike is editing to amplify—reducing its styles by 25 percent, and offering a deeper selection of key franchises.
To double speed, Nike is on a path to cut product creation cycle times in half. That starts with the Express Lane, which quickly creates, updates and fulfills products in response to consumer demand. Already operating in North America and Western Europe, a new Express Lane will be activated this summer in China, serving Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo—some of the world's most promising markets for sport.
To supercharge this faster pipeline, Michael Spillane is assuming the new role of President of Categories and Product—leading an end-to-end design-to-delivery organization, including Categories, Design, Product and Merchandising. This new integrated organization will place greater resources in the categories with the highest potential to fuel growth: Running, Basketball, Nike Sportswear, Men's and Women's Training, Global Football and Young Athletes. To build on the growth of the Nike Women's business, a new dedicated Women's team will complement each top-tier category.
To double direct connections with consumers and shape the future of retail, Nike is creating the new Nike Direct organization, led by Heidi O'Neill, President of Nike Direct, and Adam Sussman, Chief Digital Officer. This organization will unite Nike.com, Direct-to-Consumer retail, and Nike+ digital products to enhance and expand Nike's membership experience on an increasingly global scale. Nike will also extend innovations to its strategic wholesale partners.
Leading with mobile, this team will unite physical and digital retail to serve consumers with the best of Nike. Two recent examples of innovative consumer connections are SNKR Stash, which unlocks access to exclusive Nike and Jordan product using mobile geo-locations; and Shock Drop, surprise alerts for coveted sneakers that allow consumers to buy instantly through the app or at their nearest Nike or wholesale store. Over the next several months, Nike is also launching its Nike+ and SNKRS apps globally to energize the sneaker experience in new markets.
Spillane, Hill, O'Neill and Sussman will all report to Edwards.
Nike's leadership and organizational changes will streamline and speed up strategic execution. The changes are also expected to result in an overall reduction of approximately 2 percent of the company's global workforce.
"Today we serve our athletes in a changing world: one that's faster and more personal," said Edwards. "This new structure aligns all of our teams toward our ultimate goal—to deliver innovation, at speed, through more direct connections."
About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiary brands include Converse, which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Hurley, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, NIKE, Inc.'s earnings releases and other financial information are available at http://investors.nike.com. Individuals can also visit http://news.nike.com/ and follow @Nike.
NIKE, Inc.
Media Contact
Kellie Leonard, (503) 671-6171
Investor Contact
Nitesh Sharan, (503) 532-2828
Source: NIKE, Inc.
View this news release online at:
*** הידיעה מופצת בעולם על ידי חברת התקשורת הבינלאומית Business Wire


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I ask you: is there anything better than sitting inside on a rainy day, listening to the rain fall as you read and sip a hot beverage of your choice? Especially if it also happens to be fall, and even better, October? I live in New England, and our falls are just perfect. My favorite season.
I haven't written a Sunday Post in a really long time. I'm making good progress with the R. I. P. Challenge. I read the second two Miss Peregrine books, Hollow City and Library of Souls. I have two other contenders currently on the nightstand: The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte and The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine. Progress on my other challenges is mixed.
I don't know that I'll be able to do 50,000 words this November, but I've signed up again for NaNoWriMo. I have an idea that I'm very excited about, but it will involve some research, and I don't have a ton of time to do it. Still, I do have some, and if I can prioritize some things a bit this month, perhaps I can be ready to go on November 1. I'm returning to my favorite: historical fiction. At any rate, I have a Scrivener file ready to rock and roll with some notes and preliminary sketches. I am thinking about whether or not to get involved with some local events. My experience with writing groups has been decidedly negative up until this point. Not in terms of discouraging feedback or anything, but more in terms of finding a group who takes writing seriously and isn't, you know, weird.
It's a nice long weekend. I have Monday off. We are still talking about what we might want to do since it's rare these days that my husband, my kids, and me all have the same day off. If it's raining still, I'm not sure we'll go out, but I was hoping we could go into Boston and look around, but if we're going to do that, we need to make some plans.
Well, I'm going to curl up with the coffee and book again. I have some reading to do. Enjoy what's left of your weekend!


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Watch the New 'Wayne's World' Uber Eats Super Bowl Ad
Wayne and Garth have reunited for a new Uber Eats commercial. The Wayne's World characters created by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey show up in a new TV spot that will air during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
The clip, a playful riff on the movie's surreal product-placement segment, centers on the public-access-TV duo's distaste for gimmicky advertising. "We'd never manipulate you the way all these other commercials do," says Garth (played by Carvey), before they do exactly that — holding up baby versions of themselves, using a dreamy slow motion on Garth's face and working in a "shameless" celebrity cameo from rapper Cardi B.
The ad ends with the trio singing a "Local Eats" variation of the Wayne's World theme as Wayne (Myers) strums along on guitar.
You can watch the commercial below.
The campaign was teased last week, when Wayne and Garth mocked the NFL's strict policy of not allowing the use of its copyrighted properties, including the Super Bowl, in ads having to do with the big game.
"We just wanted to say that we'll see you soon for the ... game, which for legal reasons cannot be named," Myers says in the teaser video. Carvey then refers to the "big bowl," as Myers follows up with "the gigantic bowl," before they conclude that their words are "totally legal."
Wayne and Garth are also featured in a standalone clip performing the Wayne's World theme that includes the new lyrics for Uber Eats: "Local eats / Wayne's World / Yummy time / Excellent."
In December, Myers and Queen guitarist Brian May participated in a video interview devoted to Wayne's World. May revealed that Freddie Mercury, who died a few months before the February 1992 release of Wayne's World, did see the movie's opening scene that features "Bohemian Rhapsody" when May brought a videotape so the ailing singer could approve its use.
"He loved it," May said. "He just laughed and laughed. He was very weak, but he just smiled and laughed. He said, 'How wonderful is that?'"
"I didn't know that," Myers responded. "That's ... I can't even. My little Toronto head can't handle that. But that's fantastic."