text:
Rewrite rules are a powerful tool that you can use to optimize Haskell code without breaking backwards compatibility. This post will illustrate how I use rewrite rules to implement a form of shortcut fusion for my pipes
stream programming library. I compare pipes
performance before and after adding shortcut fusion and I also compare the peformance of pipes-4.0.2
vs. conduit-1.0.10
and io-streams-126.96.36.199
This post also includes a small introduction to Haskell's rewrite rule system for those who are interested in optimizing their own libraries.
Edit: This post originally used the term "stream fusion", but Duncan Coutts informed me that the more appropriate term for this is probably "short-cut fusion".
Rule syntax
The following rewrite rule from pipes
demonstrates the syntax for defining optimization rules.
{-# RULES "for p yield" forall p . for p yield = p #-}
-- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-- Label | Substitution rule
-- |
-- `p` can be anything -+
All rewrite rules are substitution rules, meaning that they instruct the compiler to replace anything that matches the left-hand side of the rule with the right-hand side. The above rewrite rule says to always replace for p yield
with p
, no matter what p
is, as long as everything type-checks before and after substitution.
Rewrite rules are typically used to substitute code with equivalent code of greater efficiency. In the above example, for p yield
is a for
loop that re-yield
s every element of p
. The re-yield
ed stream is behaviorally indistinguishable from the original stream, p
, because all that for p yield
does is replace every yield
in p
with yet another yield
. However, while both sides of the equation behave identically their efficiency is not the same; the left-hand side is less efficient because for
loops are not free.
Rewrite rules are not checked for correctness. The only thing the compiler does is verify that the left-hand side and right-hand side of the equation both type-check. The programmer who creates the rewrite rule is responsible for proving that the substitution preserves the original behavior of the program.
In fact, rewrite rules can be used to rewrite terms from other Haskell libraries without limitation. For this reason, modules with rewrite rules are automatically marked unsafe by Safe Haskell and they must be explicitly marked TrustWorthy
to be used by code marked Safe
You can verify a rewrite rule is safe using equational reasoning. If you can reach the right-hand side of the equation from the left-hand side using valid code substitutions, then you can prove (with some caveats) that the two sides of the equation are functionally identical.
includes a complete set of proofs for its rewrite rules for this purpose. For example, the above rewrite rule is proven here, where (//>)
is an infix synonym for for
and respond
is a synonym for yield
for = (//>)
yield = respond
This means that equational reasoning is useful for more than just proving program correctness. You can also use derived equations to optimize your program , assuming that you already know which side of the equation is more efficient.
Rewrite rules have a significant limitation: we cannot possibly anticipate every possible expression that downstream users might build using our libraries. So how can we optimize as much code as possible without an excessive proliferation of rewrite rules?
I anecdotally observe that equations inspired from category theory prove to be highly versatile optimizations that fit within a small number of rules. These equations include:
Category laws
Functor laws
Natural transformation laws (i.e. free theorems)
The first half of the shortcut fusion optimization consists of three monad laws, which are a special case of category laws. For those new to Haskell, the three monad laws are:
-- Left Identity
return x >>= f = f x
-- Right Identity
m >>= return = m
-- Associativity
(m >>= f) >>= g = m >>= (\x -> f x >>= g)
If you take these three laws and replace (>>=)
with for
(and rename m
to p
, for 'p'ipe), you get the following "for loop laws":
-- Looping over a yield simplifies to function application
for (yield x) f = f x
-- Re-yielding every element returns the original stream
for p yield = p
-- You can transform two passes over a stream into a single pass
for (for p f) g = for p (\x -> for (f x) g)
This analogy to the monad laws is precise because for
and yield
are actually (>>=)
and return
for the ListT
monad when you newtype them appropriately, and they really form a Monad
in the Haskell sense of the word.
What's amazing is that these monad laws also double as shortcut fusion optimizations when we convert them to rewrite rules. We already encountered the second law as our first rewrite rule, but the other two laws are useful rewrite rules, too:
"for (yield x) f" forall x f .
for (yield x) f = f x
; "for (for p f) g" forall p f g .
for (for p f) g = for p (\x -> for (f x) g)
Note that the RULES
pragma lets you group multiple rules together, as long as you separate them by semicolons. Also, there is no requirement that the rule label must match the left-hand side of the equation, but I use this convention since I'm bad at naming rewrite rules. This labeling convention also helps when diagnosing which rules fired (see below) without having to consult the original rule definitions.
Free theorems
These three rewrite rules alone do not suffice to optimize most pipes
code. The reason why is that most idiomatic pipes
code is not written in terms of for
loops. For example, consider the map
function from Pipes.Prelude
map :: Monad m => (a -> b) -> Pipe a b m r
map f = for cat (\x -> yield (f x))
The idiomatic way to transform a pipe's output is to compose the map
pipe downstream:
p >-> map f
We can't optimize this using our shortcut fusion rewrite rules unless we rewrite the above code to the equivalent for
for p (\y -> yield (f y))
In other words, we require the following theorem:
p >-> map f = for p (\y -> yield (f y))
This is actually a special case of the following "free theorem":
-- Exercise: Derive the previous equation from this one
p1 >-> for p2 (\y -> yield (f y))
= for (p1 >-> p2) (\y -> yield (f y))
A free theorem is an equation that you can prove solely from studying the types of all terms involved. I will omit the proof of this free theorem for now, but I will discuss how to derive free theorems in detail in a follow-up post. For now, just assume that the above equations are correct, as codified by the following rewrite rule:
"p >-> map f" . forall p f .
p >-> map f = for p (\y -> yield (f y))
With this rewrite rule the compiler can begin to implement simple map fusion. To see why, we'll compose two map
pipes and then pretend that we are the compiler, applying rewrite rules at every opportunity. Every time we apply a rewrite rule we will refer to the rule by its corresponding string label:
map f >-> map g
-- "p >-> map f" rule fired
= for (map f) (\y -> yield (g y))
-- Definition of `map`
= for (for cat (\x -> yield (f x))) (\y -> yield (g y))
-- "for (for p f) g" rule fired
= for cat (\x -> for (yield (f x)) (\y -> yield (g y)))
-- "for (yield x) f" rule fired
= for cat (\x -> yield (g (f x)))
This is identical to a single map
pass, which we can prove by equational reasoning:
for cat (\x -> yield (g (f x)))
-- Definition of `(.)`, in reverse
= for cat (\x -> yield ((g . f) x))
-- Definition of `map`, in reverse
= map (g . f)
So those rewrite rules sufficed to fuse the two map
passes into a single pass. You don't have to take my word for it, though. For example, let's say that we want to prove that these rewrite rules fire for the following sample program, which increments, doubles, and then discards every number from 1 to 100000000:
-- map-fusion.hs
import Pipes
import qualified Pipes.Prelude as P
main = runEffect $
for (each [1..10^8] >-> P.map (+1) >-> P.map (*2)) discard
The -ddump-rule-firings
flag will output every rewrite rule that fires during compilation, identifying each rule with the string label accompanying the rule:
$ ghc -O2 -ddump-rule-firings map-fusion.hs
[1 of 1] Compiling Main ( test.hs, test.o )
Rule fired: p >-> map f
Rule fired: for (for p f) g
Rule fired: for (yield x) f
I've highlighted the rule firings that correspond to map fusion, although there are many other rewrite rules that fire (including more shortcut fusion rule firings).
Shortcut fusion
We don't have to limit ourselves to just fusing map
s. Many pipes in Pipes.Prelude
has an associated free theorem that rewrites pipe composition into an equivalent for
loop. After these rewrites, the "for loop laws" go to town on the pipeline and fuse it into a single pass.
For example, the filter
pipe has a rewrite rule similar to map
"p >-> filter pred" forall p pred .
p >-> filter pred =
for p (\y -> when (pred y) (yield y))
So if we combine map
and filter
in a pipeline, they will also fuse into a single pass:
p >-> map f >-> filter pred
-- "p >-> map f" rule fires
for p (\x -> yield (f x)) >-> filter pred
-- "p >-> filter pred" rule fires
for (for p (\x -> yield (f x))) (\y -> when (pred y) (yield y))
-- "for (for p f) g" rule fires
for p (\x -> for (yield (f x)) (\y -> when (pred y) (yield y)))
-- for (yield x) f" rule fires
for p (\x -> let y = f x in when (pred y) (yield y))
This is the kind of single pass loop we might have written by hand if we were pipes
experts, but thanks to rewrite rules we can write high-level, composable code and let the library automatically rewrite it into efficient and tight loops.
Note that not all pipes are fusible in this way. For example the take
pipe cannot be fused in this way because it cannot be rewritten in terms of a for
These rewrite rules make fusible pipe stages essentially free. To illustrate this I've set up a criterion
benchmark testing running time as a function of the number of map
stages in a pipeline:
import Criterion.Main
import Data.Functor.Identity (runIdentity)
import Pipes
import qualified Pipes.Prelude as P
n :: Int
n = 10^6
main = defaultMain
[ bench' "1 stage " $ \n ->
each [1..n]
>-> P.map (+1)
, bench' "2 stages" $ \n ->
each [1..n]
>-> P.map (+1)
>-> P.map (+1)
, bench' "3 stages" $ \n ->
each [1..n]
>-> P.map (+1)
>-> P.map (+1)
>-> P.map (+1)
, bench' "4 stages" $ \n ->
each [1..n]
>-> P.map (+1)
>-> P.map (+1)
>-> P.map (+1)
>-> P.map (+1)
bench' label f = bench label $
whnf (\n -> runIdentity $ runEffect $ for (f n) discard)
(10^5 :: Int)
Before shortcut fusion (i.e. pipes-4.0.0
), the running time scales linearly with the number of map
warming up
estimating clock resolution...
mean is 24.53411 ns (20480001 iterations)
found 80923 outliers among 20479999 samples (0.4%)
32461 (0.2%) high severe
estimating cost of a clock call...
mean is 23.89897 ns (1 iterations)
benchmarking 1 stage
mean: 4.480548 ms, lb 4.477734 ms, ub 4.485978 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 19.42991 us, lb 12.11399 us, ub 35.90046 us, ci 0.950
benchmarking 2 stages
mean: 6.304547 ms, lb 6.301067 ms, ub 6.310991 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 23.60979 us, lb 14.01610 us, ub 37.63093 us, ci 0.950
benchmarking 3 stages
mean: 10.60818 ms, lb 10.59948 ms, ub 10.62583 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 61.05200 us, lb 34.79662 us, ub 102.5613 us, ci 0.950
benchmarking 4 stages
mean: 13.74065 ms, lb 13.73252 ms, ub 13.76065 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 61.13291 us, lb 29.60977 us, ub 123.3071 us, ci 0.950
Stream fusion (added in pipes-4.0.1
) makes additional map
stages essentially free:
warming up
estimating clock resolution...
mean is 24.99854 ns (20480001 iterations)
found 1864216 outliers among 20479999 samples (9.1%)
515889 (2.5%) high mild
1348320 (6.6%) high severe
estimating cost of a clock call...
mean is 23.54777 ns (1 iterations)
benchmarking 1 stage
mean: 2.427082 ms, lb 2.425264 ms, ub 2.430500 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 12.43505 us, lb 7.564554 us, ub 20.11641 us, ci 0.950
benchmarking 2 stages
mean: 2.374217 ms, lb 2.373302 ms, ub 2.375435 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 5.394149 us, lb 4.270983 us, ub 8.407879 us, ci 0.950
benchmarking 3 stages
mean: 2.438948 ms, lb 2.436673 ms, ub 2.443006 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 15.11984 us, lb 9.602960 us, ub 23.05668 us, ci 0.950
benchmarking 4 stages
mean: 2.372556 ms, lb 2.371644 ms, ub 2.373949 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 5.684231 us, lb 3.955916 us, ub 9.040744 us, ci 0.950
In fact, once you have just two stages in your pipeline, pipes
greatly outperforms conduit
and breaks roughly even with io-streams
. To show this I've written up a benchmark comparing pipes
performance against these libraries for both pure loops and loops that are slightly IO-bound (by writing to /dev/null
import Criterion.Main
import Data.Functor.Identity (runIdentity)
import qualified System.IO as IO
import Data.Conduit
import qualified Data.Conduit.List as C
import Pipes
import qualified Pipes.Prelude as P
import qualified System.IO.Streams as S
criterion :: Int -> IO ()
criterion n = IO.withFile "/dev/null" IO.WriteMode $ \h ->
[ bgroup "pure"
[ bench "pipes" $ whnf (runIdentity . pipes) n
, bench "conduit" $ whnf (runIdentity . conduit) n
, bench "io-streams" $ nfIO (iostreams n)
, bgroup "io"
[ bench "pipes" $ nfIO (pipesIO h n)
, bench "conduit" $ nfIO (conduitIO h n)
, bench "iostreams" $ nfIO (iostreamsIO h n)
pipes :: Monad m => Int -> m ()
pipes n = runEffect $
for (each [1..n] >-> P.map (+1) >-> P.filter even) discard
conduit :: Monad m => Int -> m ()
conduit n =
C.enumFromTo 1 n $= C.map (+1) $= C.filter even $$ C.sinkNull
iostreams :: Int -> IO ()
iostreams n = do
is0 <- S.fromList [1..n]
is1 <- S.map (+1) is0
is2 <- S.filter even is1
S.skipToEof is2
pipesIO :: IO.Handle -> Int -> IO ()
pipesIO h n = runEffect $
each [1..n]
>-> P.map (+1)
>-> P.filter even
>-> P.map show
>-> P.toHandle h
conduitIO :: IO.Handle -> Int -> IO ()
conduitIO h n =
C.enumFromTo 1 n
$= C.map (+1)
$= C.filter even
$= C.map show
$$ C.mapM_ (IO.hPutStrLn h)
iostreamsIO :: IO.Handle -> Int -> IO ()
iostreamsIO h n = do
is0 <- S.fromList [1..n]
is1 <- S.map (+1) is0
is2 <- S.filter even is1
is3 <- S.map show is2
os <- S.makeOutputStream $ \ma -> case ma of
Just str -> IO.hPutStrLn h str
_ -> return ()
S.connect is3 os
main = criterion (10^6)
The benchmarks place pipes
neck-and-neck with io-streams
on pure loops and 10% slower on slightly IO-bound code. Both libraries perform faster than conduit
warming up
estimating clock resolution...
mean is 24.50726 ns (20480001 iterations)
found 117040 outliers among 20479999 samples (0.6%)
45158 (0.2%) high severe
estimating cost of a clock call...
mean is 23.89208 ns (1 iterations)
benchmarking pure/pipes
mean: 24.04860 ms, lb 24.02136 ms, ub 24.10872 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 197.3707 us, lb 91.05894 us, ub 335.2267 us, ci 0.950
benchmarking pure/conduit
mean: 172.8454 ms, lb 172.6317 ms, ub 173.1824 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 1.361239 ms, lb 952.1500 us, ub 1.976641 ms, ci 0.950
benchmarking pure/io-streams
mean: 24.16426 ms, lb 24.12789 ms, ub 24.22919 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 242.5173 us, lb 153.9087 us, ub 362.4092 us, ci 0.950
benchmarking io/pipes
mean: 267.7021 ms, lb 267.1789 ms, ub 268.4542 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 3.189998 ms, lb 2.370387 ms, ub 4.392541 ms, ci 0.950
benchmarking io/conduit
mean: 310.3034 ms, lb 309.8225 ms, ub 310.9444 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 2.827841 ms, lb 2.194127 ms, ub 3.655390 ms, ci 0.950
benchmarking io/iostreams
mean: 239.6211 ms, lb 239.2072 ms, ub 240.2354 ms, ci 0.950
std dev: 2.564995 ms, lb 1.879984 ms, ub 3.442018 ms, ci 0.950
I hypothesize that pipes
performs slightly slower on IO
compared to io-streams
because of the cost of calling lift
, whereas iostreams
operates directly within the IO
monad at all times.
These benchmarks should be taken with a grain of salt. All three libraries are most frequently used in strongly IO-bound scenarios, where the overhead of each library is pretty much negligible. However, this still illustrates how big of an impact shortcut fusion can have on pure code paths.
is a stream programming library with a strong emphasis on theory and the library's contract with the user is a set of laws inspired by category theory. My original motivation behind proving these laws was to fulfill the contract, but I only later realized that the for
loop laws doubled as fortuitous shortcut fusion optimizations. This is a recurring motif in Haskell: thinking mathematically pays large dividends.
For this reason I like to think of Haskell as applied category theory: I find that many topics I learn from category theory directly improve my Haskell code. This post shows one example of this phenomenon, where shortcut fusion naturally falls out of the monad laws for ListT


text:
With a concentration on surfboards, the fundamental, most important element in a surf shop, we pride ourselves in providing our customers with the highest quality of craft within the industry. Our "ride everything" approach means that we are consistently stocked with a wide variety of boards, from long to short and everything in between. We look forward to putting you on your next magic board.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Garth Product Number: HAB-079-100-BA.24
Barcode: 4046806255127
Region and year: EU 2024
Other products with the same parts or other names by which this product is known: n/a
Please select the region where your item was purchased* Australia & New ZealandEurope & UKUSA & Canada Product serial number, Garth product number, or brand and model name* Where is the serial number on my barbecue or oven?
Please be aware that this is not an automatic order placement. We will reply to you with pricing first, after which you can place the formal order.
Where to find a spare part code for my product?
Spare Part Code* (List SUPPLIER CODE not PART NO.)
Who are you?* I am an individual customerI am a retailer
Company Name
First Name* Last name* Your Email* Phone* Country* State or County Post Code or Zip-Code* Address (street, building/apartment number)*


text:
Maria Muhle: Re-thinking past thought. Reenactment zwischen Kunst und Geschichte
The lecture presents a case study in the philosophy of media on the present forms of the reenactment: against the background of some of the central aspects of the discussion surrounding these forms, which are emerging within the charged relationship between historiography and the fine and performing arts, I would like to approach the philosophy of the reenactment as it is put forward by British philosopher Robin George Collingwood. For Collingwood, understanding history does not rest solely on the study of sources and the analysis of historical documents; much rather, it demands the re-thinking of past thoughts, which he describes as a reenactment in the sense of a staging of the ideal, that is of the meta-historical. In this vein, reenactment for Collingwood is not a specific method of historical knowledge, but much rather the consequence of historical imagination. The import of this for the thought of an historian is that it takes on a creative, constructive, and imaginative shape. To this I would like to subsequently ask in what way the interpretation of the reenactment can be excavated from its ontological dimension and placed within an aesthetic and political layer of meaning. The lecture comprises three parts: a first on documentarian reenactment, a second on the philosophy of reenactment, and a third part putting forward thoughts on an "aesthetic reenactment". The seminar expands on the relation between history and thinking, and from there leads to Michel Foucault's archaeological method of appraising the historicity of thinking, against which Collingwood's understanding of history as repetition (reenactment) of thoughts (ideas) already thought. Additionally, the "power of historical imagination" broached by Collingwood in regards to the definition of fiction, as it is introduced by Jacques Rancière in his politico-aesthetic texts, is illuminated and its pertinence to that "excess of words" that Rancière delineates as a central aesthetic-political gesture in The Names of History is examined.
Under the direction of the German philosopher Christoph Menke and in collaboration with Chus Martínez, the seminar What is Thinking? Or a Taste that Hates Itself is a series of twelve two-part sessions focusing on the relationship between art and philosophy, between thinking and perceiving. It is an attempt to address the questions and the methods of philosophy for those who are curious but not necessarily close to the field. Each session is divided into a public lecture every Monday evening in the Ständehaus, followed by a more intimate discussion seminar on Tuesday mornings in the Zwehrenturm of the Fridericianum.
In September 1959, the philosopher Theodor W. Adorno gave a lecture on the occasion of documenta 2. A few days earlier, he had mentioned in a letter to Max Horkheimer his interest in visiting the exhibition, in seeing what culture—art—could do after the greatest collapse that the country and the world had ever experienced. This lecture, "The Idea of New Music" (Die Idee der neuen Musik), is of key significance to dOCUMENTA (13). It is read and commented upon by Albrecht Wellmer at the opening of the exhibition and by Carla Harryman at the end, as the inspiration and source for a reflection on the importance of deeds, like art, and thoughts, like philosophy, that are less driven by aims and results, than guided by values.
The What is Thinking? seminar is a rigorous meditation on language, on meaning, on the limits and possibilities of skepticism, on imagination as the ground for social democracy, and on art and experience. It aims to contribute to an understanding of the importance of an art exhibition with the history and tradition of documenta, as a crucial space for the community to respond to questions of ethical and aesthetic significance.
The seminar sessions can be attended individually or in full. Texts and other materials for the sessions are available online.
Maria Muhle is media theorist and a professor of aesthetic theory at the Merz Akademie Stuttgart. Her research focus is on political aesthetics with a focal point on aesthetic realism, bio politics and life, history and media. She is co-founder of the August Verlag Berlin, a forum for theory at the intersection of philosophy, art, and politics, and the author of: Biopolitische Konstellationen (2011).


text:
Real Estate Glossary
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- Yankee Screwdriver
- Ratchet type screwdriver that has deep spiral grooves in its shank, which is free to rotate within the handle. By using a pawl in the handle, which rides in the spiral groove so that when the handle is pushed along the shank toward the work, the shank rotates and turns the screw
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- Y-Connection
- Referred to as a wye connection, this electrical connection has all three coils in a three-phase generator meeting at one point.
- Yellow Hat
- Term for a wire connector, which actually comes in different colors for different sized wires.
- Y-Fitting
- Also called a wye fitting, this plumbing drainage fitting gets its name by being shaped like the letter Y. It is used where a branch enters the run at an angle less than 90 degrees.
- Yield
- The return on an investment. Volume or amount produced. Alternately, a permanent deformation in a material cause by its being bent or stretched.
- Yoke
- Brace clamped around a form when a concrete column is being poured. Metal mounting strap on an electrical receptacle.
- Also called a head jamb, it's the upper horizontal finish member in a window frame.
- Yoke Lock
- Lock that hold the brace that is clamped around a form when a concrete column is being poured.
- Yoke Vent
- Plumbing pipe, which slants upward at an angle from the waste stack to the vent stack to prevent pressure changes in both stacks.
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text:
Needless to say, Ale did not need any invitation to free the toys from their paper packaging... and set them up nicely for play too!
The Playhouse opens up to reveal several rooms that all kids will be familiar with, and with furniture and a staircase too.
Ale would pretend she is Peppa while the rest her classmates in Nursery school, and will then go on to role-play her time in school. It's hilarious just to sit some distance away from her and listen to her goofy stories, sometimes she will even imitate her teacher's voice too! Lol.
So I guess it is safe to say she absolutely adores her Peppa Pig toy sets, even more so since it included a Peppa Swing Playground Playset (S$39.90) too. Just look at the fun she had!
Siblings - you either love them or loathe them, no? But after the boys asked nicely, the monkies were playing together once again and making up sillier stories by the minute.
The board and the felt images are of high quality and this is just such a great set to take along in the car, or on flights. Just keep the felt pieces in a bag and it'll be perfect to keep a child entertained for ages!
Or if you have a toddler who just cannot seem to sit still, then the Peppa Muddy Puddles Playmat (S$59.90) will be a god-send.
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text:
PROMES UPR CNRS 8521 (INSIS) - Labex SOLSTICE PROMES is a Research Unit of CNRS (UPR 8521) belonging to the Institute for Engineering and Systems Sciences ( (INSIS) under contract with the University of Perpignan (UPVD). The laboratory is located in three sites: Odeillo-Font Romeu (1 MW CNRS Solar furnace), Targasonne (Themis site, 5 MW central receiver solar facility, a site of "Pyrénées Orientales" Council) and Perpignan, Tecnosud. CNRS and UPVD have created the IN'SOL Unit devoted to solar innovations that is supported by PROMES in Tecnosud site that develops the Solar test platform of Perpignan (CESP). PROMES is the leader of the laboratory of excellence SOLSTICE (Solar Energy: Science, Technology and Innovation for Energy Conversion). PROMES Management team is composed of Francoise Bataille, Director, and 4 Deputy Directors. The laboratory staff is composed of 150 persons from CNRS and UPVD working together on a common subject, solar energy and its use as a source of energy and high temperatures. One of the original missions of PROMES is to develop researches with the large scale concentrating facilities of CNRS in Font Romeu (particularly solar furnaces) and of "Pyrénées Orientales" Council in Targasonne (Themis central receiver plant). These researches may be carried up to the demonstrator level as done for the PEGASE project. Moreover, the laboratory is in charge of the development of the National Platform on concentrated solar energy thanks to the "equipment of excellence" SOCRATE project (Concentrated solar energy, advanced researches and energy technologies). It is also very active in the management of the DERBI competitiveness cluster. PROMES leads the laboratory of excellence SOLSTICE. Access to the PROMES unique facilities for the European research community is open thanks to the European projects SFERA3 and EU-SOLARIS. Strongly connected to the European research, PROMES coordinates the H2020 projects Next-CSP and POLYPHEM devoted to the development of new concepts for solar power plants, and is a partner in the IMPROVEMENT and MINISTOR projects. Contact - Odeillo Site: PROMES - CNRS 7, rue du Four Solaire 66120 Font Romeu Odeillo FRANCE
- Tecnosud site: PROMES-CNRS Tecnosud Rambla de la thermodynamique 66100 PERPIGNAN FRANCE


text:
This heavy duty tin plated copper butt splice allows you to join two wires with a high quality butt splice. The butt splice is color coded with crimp die codes and crimp areas to assist in making a proper connection. We recommend using our adhesive lined heat shrink tubing to finish the splice and keep it protected.
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An international team of scientists has used a wireless "brain-spinal interface" to bypass spinal cord injuries in a pair of rhesus macaques, restoring intentional walking movement to a temporarily paralyzed leg. The researchers, who describe their work in the journal Nature, say this is the first time a neural prosthetic has been used to restore walking movement directly to the legs of nonhuman primates.
The study was performed by scientists and neuroengineers in a collaboration led by Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, together with Brown University, Medtronic and Fraunhofer ICT-IMM in Germany. The work builds upon neural technologies developed at Brown and partner institutions, and was tested in collaboration with the University of Bordeaux, Motac Neuroscience and the Lausanne University Hospital.
"The system we have developed uses signals recorded from the motor cortex of the brain to trigger coordinated electrical stimulation of nerves in the spine that are responsible for locomotion," said David Borton, assistant professor of engineering at Brown and one of the study's co-lead authors. "With the system turned on, the animals in our study had nearly normal locomotion."
The work could help in developing a similar system designed for humans who have had spinal cord injuries.
"There is evidence to suggest that a brain-controlled spinal stimulation system may enhance rehabilitation after a spinal cord injury," Borton said. "This is a step toward further testing that possibility."
Grégoire Courtine, a professor at EPFL who led the collaboration, has started clinical trials in Switzerland to test the spine-part of the interface. He cautions: "There are many challenges ahead and it may take several years before all the components of this intervention can be tested in people."
Re-establishing communication
Walking is made possible by a complex interplay among neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Electrical signals originating in the brain's motor cortex travel down to the lumbar region in the lower spinal cord, where they activate motor neurons that coordinate the movement of muscles responsible for extending and flexing the leg.
Injury to the upper spine can cut off communication between the brain and lower spinal cord. Both the motor cortex and the spinal neurons may be fully functional, but they are unable to coordinate their activity. The goal of the study was to re-establish some of that communication.
The brain-spinal interface used a pill-sized electrode array implanted in the brain to record signals from the motor cortex. The sensor technology was developed in part for investigational use in humans by the BrainGate collaboration, a research team that includes Brown, Case Western Reserve University, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Providence VA Medical Center, and Stanford University. The technology is being used in ongoing pilot clinical trials, and was used previously in a study led by Brown neuroengineer Leigh Hochberg in which people with tetraplegia were able to operate a robotic arm simply by thinking about the movement of their own hand.
A wireless neurosensor, developed in the neuroengineering lab of Brown professor Arto Nurmikko by a team that included Borton, sends the signals gathered by the brain chip wirelessly to a computer that decodes them and sends them wirelessly back to an electrical spinal stimulator implanted in the lumbar spine, below the area of injury. That electrical stimulation, delivered in patterns coordinated by the decoded brain, signals to the spinal nerves that control locomotion.
To calibrate the decoding of brain signals, the researchers implanted the brain sensor and wireless transmitter in healthy macaques. The signals relayed by the sensor could then be mapped onto the animals' leg movements. They showed that the decoder was able to accurately predict the brain states associated with extension and flexion of leg muscles.
The ability to transmit brain signals wirelessly was critical to this work, Borton said. Wired brain-sensing systems limit freedom of movement, which in turn limits the information researchers are able to gather about locomotion.
"Doing this wirelessly enables us to map the neural activity in normal contexts and during natural behavior," Borton said. "If we truly aim for neuroprosthetics that can someday be deployed to help human patients during activities of daily life, such untethered recording technologies will be critical."
The researchers combined their understanding of how brain signals influence locomotion with spinal maps, developed by Courtine's lab at EPFL, which identified the neural hotspots in the spine responsible for locomotor control. That enabled the team to identify the neural circuits that should be stimulated by the spinal implant.
With these pieces in place, the researchers then tested the entire system on two macaques with lesions that spanned half the spinal cord in their thoracic spine. Macaques with this type of injury generally regain functional control of the affected leg over a period of a month or so, the researchers said. The team tested their system in the weeks following the injury, when there was still no volitional control over the affected leg.
The study showed that with the system turned on, the animals began spontaneously moving their legs while walking on a treadmill. Kinematic comparisons with healthy controls showed that the lesioned macaques, with the aid of brain-controlled stimulation, were able to produce nearly normal locomotor patterns.
Limitations and future work
While demonstrating that the system works in a nonhuman primate is an important step, the researchers stressed that much more work must be done to begin testing the system in humans. They also pointed out several limitations in the study.
For instance, while the system used in this study successfully relayed signals from the brain to the spine, it lacks the ability to return sensory information to the brain. The team was also unable to test how much pressure the animals were able to apply to the affected leg. While it was clear that the limb was bearing some weight, it wasn't clear from this work how much.
"In a full translational study, we would want to do more quantification about how balanced the animal is during walking and measure the forces they're able to apply," Borton said.
Despite the limitations, the research sets the stage for future studies in primates and, at some point, potentially as a rehabilitation aid in humans.
"There's an adage in neuroscience that circuits that fire together wire together," Borton said. "The idea here is that by engaging the brain and the spinal cord together, we may be able to enhance the growth of circuits during rehabilitation. That's one of the major goals of this work and a goal of this field in general."


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- Collection Overview
- Collection Description & Creator Information
- Access & Use
- Collection History
- Find Related Materials
To the Congress, 1918 November 11
Collection Overview
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Arrangement
The Papers of Others About Woodrow Wilson Series is broken down into multiple sections based on the collector or creator of the papers. Within each section, materials are organized by form and then alphabetically.
Collection History
- Appraisal
Cartoons and etchings have been removed to Graphic Arts. A death mask by Fotunato has been placed in the Special Collections Department's collection of death masks.
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
The audio and audiovisual portion of the Woodrow Wilson Collection is currently on one 7" reel tape, a Victor Record, and a sound film strip.
- Credit this material:
To the Congress; Woodrow Wilson Collection, MC168, Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library65 Olden StreetPrinceton, NJ 08540, USA
- Storage Note:
- Mudd Manuscript Library (mudd): Box 68
Find More
- Existence and Location of Copies
Photocopies from portions of the Woodrow Wilson Collection may be available in the Papers of Woodrow Wilson Project Records at the Mudd Manuscript Library.
- Other Finding Aids
Card indexes to "Early Axson Correspondence" and "Woodrow Wilson and Ellen Axson Wilson Correspondence" are located in drawer 530 of Series 3: Indexes of the Papers of Woodrow Wilson Project Records at the Mudd Manuscript Library.
- Bibliography
Link, Arthur Stanley, ed. The Papers of Woodrow Wilson. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1966-1994.
The following works were consulted during preparation of biographical note: Ambrosius, Lloyd E.. "Wilson, Woodrow"; http://www.anb.org/articles/06/06-00726.html; American National Biography Online Feb. 2000. Baker, Ray Stannard. Woodrow Wilson: Life and Letters. Greenwood Press, NY. 1968. Link, Arthur S., editor. The Papers of Woodrow Wilson. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 1966.
- Names:
- League of Nations.
Princeton University
Lloyd George, David, 1863-1945.
Wilson family
Albert, King of the Belgians, I (1875-1934)
Axson, Stockton (1867-1935)
Bragdon, Henry L.
Bryan, William Jennings (1860-1925)
Clémenceau, Georges (1841-1929)
Cleveland, Grover (1837-1908)
Close, Gilbert F.
Creigh, Thomas.
Daniels, Josephus (1862-1948)
Droppers, Garrett (1860-1927)
Farrand, Wilson (1862)
Foch, Ferdinand (1851-1929)
George, King of Great Britain, V (1865-1936)
Glass, Carter (1858-1946)
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers) (1878-1938)
House, Edward Mandell (1858-1938)
Houston, David Franklin (1866-1940)
Houston, David Franklin (1866-1940)
Hulbert, Mary A.
Lewis, McMillan (1903-1974)
Marquand, Allan (1853-1924)
Marshall, Thomas R. (Thomas Riley) (1854-1925)
McAdoo, W. G. (William Gibbs) (1863-1941)
Orlando, Vittorio Emanuele (1860-1952)
Paderewski, Ignace Jan (1860-1941)
Swem, Charles L. (1893?-1956)
Taft, William H. (William Howard) (1857-1930)
Thackwell, Helen
Thompson, G. E.
Tumulty, Joseph P. (Joseph Patrick) (1879-1954)
Turnbull, Laura S.
Vanderlip, Frank A. (Frank Arthur) (1864-1937)
Villard, Oswald Garrison (1872-1949)
Wescott, John W. (John Wesley) (1849-1927)
Wilson, Ellen Axson
Wilson, Ellen Axson
Wilson, Woodrow (1856-1924)
Woods, Lawrence C. (Lawrence Crane) (1869-1925)
Yates, Frederic


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Source: Reporters Without Borders
6 February 2013
(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the Chinese
government's readiness to violate the confidentiality of sources, which
has jeopardized the safety of New York Times journalists and their sources in China.
The newspaper has been subjected to growing harassment in recent
months. An article about outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao's fortune was
censored. The authorities refused to issue or renew visas and
accreditation for its journalists. And now it turns out that it has been
the target of cyber-attacks for months.
"If hackers working for the government were ordered to spy on such a prominent newspaper as the New York Times,
it means that the authorities are trying to identify its sources in
order to step up their persecution of dissidents," Reporters Without
Borders said.
"It also means that, in addition to the recent censorship of
international news stories and the growing difficulties for foreign
journalists to get visas for the China, the government is deploying
major resources in a bid to gag the international media. If such methods
are used against the New York Times, it bodes ill for the harassment
and surveillance that Chinese newspapers can expect."
Reporters Without Borders added: "We hail the responsibility with which the New York Times has acted and we urge other media to do the same for the sake of their sources and contributors."
The New York Times reported on 30 January that it had been the target of attacks from hackers in China for the past four months.
The first intrusions took place on 13 September, when the newspaper
was preparing the report about the fortune amassed by Prime Minister
Wen's family. The New York Times allowed the hackers to keep probing for four months in order to identify every digital back door.
According to experts hired by the newspaper, the techniques used by
the hackers are similar to those used by the Chinese military. They got
into its computer systems via the email accounts of journalists based in
China and other foreign countries, including Shanghai bureau chief
David Barboza, who wrote the Wen exposé, and South Asia bureau chief Jim
Yardley, who is based in India.
Malware that the experts recognized as being of Chinese origin was
then installed in the system that gave the hackers access to all of the
network's computers. The experts also found evidence that the passwords
of 53 employees were stolen. Chinese defence minister Liang Guanglie has
denied that the Chinese authorities were in any way involved.
This is not the first time that a major foreign news organization
has been the target of such a cyber-attack. The news agency Bloomberg received attacks
that infected several of its computers last June when it revealed that
relatives of then Vice-President Xi Jinping had amassed a fortune.
The New York Times said: "The mounting number of attacks
that have been traced back to China suggest that hackers there are
behind a far-reaching spying campaign aimed at an expanding set of
targets including corporations, government agencies, activist groups,
and media organizations inside the United States."
The attacks on western journalists have apparently been increasing since 2008.
Visa difficulties
Chris Buckley, a 45-year-old Australian journalist working for the New York Times, was meanwhile forced to leave China on 31 December after the authorities failed to renew his visa in time.
Based in China since 2000, he joined the New York Times
last September after working for Reuters. After waiting in vain for a
response to his repeated requests for renewal of his accreditation,
Buckley and his family were forced to move to Hong Kong.
The New York Times has also been waiting since March 2012
for the Chinese authorities to issue accreditation to Philip Pan, who
has been appointed as its Beijing bureau chief.
Tenacious censorship
The New York Times had already been subject to close
monitoring by the Chinese government for years but it intensified after
the revelations about the Wen family's fortune. The report was censored
in China by the authorities, who also blocked searches for "Wen Jiabao"
or "New York Times" on the Chinese micro-blogging website Sina Weibo.
The Wall Street Journal announced on 31 January that its
computers had also been the target of cyber-attacks from China with the
aim of monitoring its media coverage of China, while CNN reported that
its international service's computer network was blocked for several
minutes after a report about the New York Times hacking.
Finally, Twitter reported on 2 February that 250,000 of its accounts had been accessed in attacks similar to those on the New York Times. Again, it was suggested that China was to blame.
China is ranked 173rd out of 179 counties in the 2013 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.


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Terms and Conditions
Angaben gemäß § 5 Telemediengesetz (TMG):
Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH
Via Pietro Capelli 18
6900 Lugano
Telefon: +41 91.208.3161
Telefax: +41 71.414.2560
E-Mail: email@example.com
Vertreten durch (Geschäftsführer):
Herrn Philipp Patrick Plein
CH-Nummer (Kanton Tessin): CH-440.4.024.339-4
Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer: CHE-115.922.647
Verantwortlicher für den Inhalt nach § 55 Abs. 2 RStV:
Herr Philipp Patrick Plein (Kontakt siehe oben)
1 General
1. Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH, located at Via Pietro Capelli 18, 6900 Lugano in Switzerland and of which Mr Philipp P. Plein, firstname.lastname@example.com, is the chief executive (hereafter referred to as "Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH" or "we"), operates an online shop under the Internet address www.philipp-plein.com (hereafter referred to as "the Website"). All orders you place through this Website and our deliveries and services are subject solely to the version of the following Standard Terms and Conditions currently in force at the time of the order. Unless we have consented in writing to their application, we do not recognise any differing terms and conditions of the customer.
2.Only consumers may place orders with the online shop. Dealers or intermediaries are expressly not permitted to purchase. Goods will only be sold to consumers in quantities and ranges customarily purchased by consumers.
2 Right to return the goods
1. You can request a return within 14 calendar days since you receive a package and you should send it back not later than within 5 working days since the return label is created and sent to you. Only goods not suitable for packaging (e.g. awkwardly-shaped goods) may also be returned by a written demand, e.g. by letter, fax or e-mail, to take the goods back. This deadline will have been met, provided that the goods are sent off in time. All goods are returned at our expense and at our risk.
We request that within the European Union and Switzerland the demand to return the goods should be submitted in writing,e.g. by letter, fax or e-mail. Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH will then arrange for UPS to pick up the goods directly, unless the goods are sent to us immediately without a prior request to return them.
A request to return the goods must be sent to:
Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH
Via Pietro Capelli 18
6900 Lugano
The goods must be sent to:
7R Logistics Park
ul. Maratońska 104 A
94-102 Łódź
2. Costs cannot be reimbursed until Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH has received back the customer's complete order with all tags remaining in original condition and original packaging.
3 Consequences of return
1. Should the goods be properly returned, both parties are required to return any services received or use provided (e.g. benefits of use). Should you be unable or only partly able to return or restore the services or use received (e.g. benefits of use) or only in a worsened condition, you will be required to compensate us for their value. You will only be required to compensate us for deterioration or refund the value acquired through use should this use or deterioration be due to treatment that goes beyond an inspection of the product's qualities and how it works. You will not be required to compensate us for deterioration resulting from simply putting the product to use in the correct manner. You must only refund the value acquired through use if you have used the product in a manner that goes beyond an inspection of the product's qualities and how it works. "An inspection of the product's qualities and how it works" covers testing and trying out the goods in question, as is possible and customary, for example, in a shop.
Obligations to make payments must be fulfilled within 30 days. This period begins for you when you return the goods or request that they may be returned and for us when they are received.
2. Your credit card will be charged when the goods are dispatched. The card will be credited if the goods are returned, possible currency exchange losses will however not be refunded.
3. Please refer to our Service Team by e-mail under firstname.lastname@example.com should you have any questions.
4 Formation of the contract
1. A contract between you and Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH will not exist until we have dispatched the goods ordered to you. You will have submitted a binding offer to us to conclude the contract with you by transmitting an order to us entered on our website. We will carry out the order once you have entered all the data requested during the ordering process and finally confirmed the order by pressing the button "Please order and charge me".
2. Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH is entitled to reject your order without providing any reason.
5 Important information
1. The goods offered under www.philipp-plein.com are presented in the form of digital photographs of the actual products. Minor differences between this presentation and how the goods really appear do not constitute a defect in the goods ordered.
2. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that products shown on www.philipp-plein.com may no longer be available or obtainable at the time of the customer's visit and that the relevant prices might have changed. The prices offered are shown in Euro, including value added tax but excluding shipping costs.
3. The customer consents to a possible part-shipment by Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH by entering the order.
4. Für Artikel aus der Home Collection (ausgenommen Textilien) werden die Lieferkosten an der Kasse angezeigt.
Während unserer Verkaufszeiträume beachten Sie bitte, dass bestimmte Produktkategorien von Aktionen und Rabatten ausgenommen sind. Dies betrifft alle lizenzierten Produkte, wie Uhren, Schmuck, Brillen, Möbel und Parfums.
Für ausgewählte Modelle innerhalb dieser Kategorien kann ein maximaler Rabatt von 30% gelten. Diese Rabatte unterliegen jedoch der Verfügbarkeit und können jederzeit nach unserem alleinigen Ermessen geändert oder eingestellt werden.
Weitere Produktkategorien können ebenfalls von Verkäufen und Aktionen ausgeschlossen sein. Wir empfehlen unseren Kunden, die spezifischen Geschäftsbedingungen für jeden Verkauf zu beachten oder sich an unseren Kundenservice für detaillierte Informationen zu wenden.
Wir behalten uns das Recht vor, diese Ausschlüsse jederzeit ohne vorherige Ankündigung zu ändern, zu ändern oder zu modifizieren. Es wird empfohlen, unsere Geschäftsbedingungen regelmäßig zu überprüfen, um über Änderungen unserer Verkaufsrichtlinien auf dem Laufenden zu bleiben.
6 Delivery and dispatch
1. The goods will be delivered solely by UPS, DHL or FedEx. Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH will bear the risk of transport to the customer.
2. The goods will approximately be ready for shipment on the day following your order. Unless anything different is agreed, the delivery will be made from the warehouse to the delivery address given by the customer. Please note that the customer will be charged with all import taxes, customs duties and handling charges that are different in each country.
7 Payment, payment arrears
Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH can offer the customer five payment methods (depending on the coutry):
PayPal (PP Retail GmbH), Klarna (invoice to be paid within 14 days, only available in DE, AT, NL), Sofortüberweisung/iDeal, cash on delivery or credit card.
The customer will be required to pay any transfer costs or bank charges incurred.
Any credit notes for returned goods that were paid for in cash on delivery will be transferred back to your bank account. We therefore ask you to provide us with the relevant bank account details when requesting a return. All other payments will be reimbursed with the relevant method of payment (PayPal, credit card).
Procedure when paying by credit card:
Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH has a security encoding for data with SSL connection (Secure Socket Layer). This method of encoding protects your credit card data against eavesdropping and manipulation during transmission. It is therefore impossible for unauthorised persons to read this data during transmission in the Internet. The goods will be delivered as soon as the bank or credit card company has confirmed that payment has been made.
We accept the following credit cards: Visa Card and Master Card.
With the exception of counter-claims that are undisputed or have been established in law, a right to withhold or to refuse service on the part of the buyer is excluded in relations between businesspeople.
8 Reservation of title
Goods delivered will remain the property of Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH until completely paid for.
9 Warranty
The provisions of the Law on Warranty will apply.
10 Data protection
Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH will store and process all customer data solely in accordance with the relevant laws on data protection. In particular, personal data will only be recorded and stored in order to process an order for goods or, should you have given your express consent, also used for marketing measures by Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH, such as for example in distributing newsletters. We will not keep personal data any longer than is necessary. We will not forward personal data to third parties. Excluded from this provision are Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH's service partners that require transmission of the data in order to process the order. In such cases, however, the amount of data transmitted will be limited to the required minimum.
11 Choice of law, validity
Only German law, to the exclusion of UN purchase law, will apply. Should one or more provisions be or become invalid, this will not affect the validity of the remaining provisions.
Last amended on 01 / 14


text:
Global economics
Global confidence dips slightly in quarter four but still enjoys above-average levels compared to the past two years.
Chart showing a dip in global economic confidence in Q4 2017
In Q4 of 2017 the number of respondents expecting conditions to worsen exceeded those expecting conditions to improve by 14 percentage points, causing the small dip in confidence this quarter.
However the overall level is still higher than its average of the past couple of years. This is broadly consistent with the PMIs and the hard economic data, which suggest that the global economy remains in decent health.
Brexit's shadow on the UK
Economic confidence in the UK has been volatile over the past 18 months – most likely reflecting uncertainty over the country's departure from the EU – and Q4 was no exception. Despite completion of the first stage of the Brexit negotiations and trade talks on the horizon, confidence has plunged to one of the lowest readings on record.
Depressed confidence in the Caribbean
Confidence in the Caribbean fell in Q4 and remains firmly in negative territory. The sharp fall is probably linked to the hurricanes that caused havoc across the region in September 2017. Although the rebuilding will boost growth, the region's economies are likely to suffer in the near-term – particularly in the crucial tourism sector.
US at an all-time high
The outlook for the US economy is good, and the results of the GECS reflect this, with all of the main sub-components of the index at elevated levels.
Confidence rebounded strongly in the final quarter of the year: 33% feel more confident about the future, and just 25% feel less confident. Overall confidence levels are now at the levels they reached at the start of the year, and remain high by historical standards. This may in part reflect hope that the recent tax changes provide a fiscal-led boost to the economy.
Looking ahead
2017 saw strong growth in all the world's major economies and despite the small dip in confidence last quarter, the outlook for 2018 remains promising.
Growth in China is set to slow slightly over the next year as the authorities double down on efforts to reduce risks in the financial sector, but the future looks bright for other emerging markets. India with its government reforms and buoyant private consumption seems capable of retaining its spot as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Growth in the rest of Asia should also hold up well, with exports likely to be the main engine of growth.
The outlook for developed markets is also positive. For the US, high levels of consumer confidence, a booming stock market and the recent massive tax cut could lead to strong growth. Although its interest rates are likely to rise, the pace of tightening will be gradual and it is unlikely to derail the recovery.
Global economics
Accountants' key role in economic development
Global economic conditions continue to dominate business and political life.
Research for the Q4 2017 GECS took place between 24 November and 11 December 2017.
ACCA and IMA members around the world responded including more than 150 CFOs.
The Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS) is the largest regular economic survey of accountants around the world, in terms of both the number of respondents and the range of economic variables it monitors.


text:
DMT (Cartridge) 1mL Deadhead Chemist for sale
DMT (Cartridge) 1mL Deadhead Chemist DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine) is a hallucinogenic tryptamine drug that occurs naturally in many plant species. Which have been used in religious practices and rituals. It is also referred to as the "spirit molecule" due to the intense psychedelic skill.
Other names for it are businessman's trip, businessman's special, fantasia, and 45-minute psychosis. DMT is the active ingredient in ayahuasca. Traditional South American brewed tea. and is used for its psychoactive, hallucinogenic effects. "Spiritual insight" is one of the most commonly reported positive side effects of the drug. The main effect of DMT is psychological. And with intense visual and aural psychedelic, euphoria, and an altered sense of space, body, also time.
DMT is the active part in ayahuasca, an old South American brewed tea, And is used for its psychoactive Also psychedelic things. "Spiritual insight" But one of the most commonly stated positive side effects of the drug.
- 1mL
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You'll be in the magical colorful dimension of Dimitry's Magic Stick.


text:
Case Comment: ANS v ML [2012] UKSC 30
27 Monday Aug 2012
Alasdair Henderson, One Crown Office Row Case Comments
Share it
Scottish adoption law compatible with human right to family life
This case concerned a mother who opposed an adoption order being made for her child. The mother challenged the legislation which allowed the court to make an adoption order without her consent, arguing that it was incompatible with her ECHR, art 8 rights to private and family life. However, the Supreme Court ruled that there was no breach of the Convention.
The appellant mother argued that the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, s 31 was incompatible with the Convention. This would mean it was unlawful, as statutory provisions incompatible with the ECHR are not within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament under the Scotland Act 1998, s 29(2)(d) (this is different to the UK Parliament in Westminster, which is able to legislate contrary to the ECHR, and the most the courts can do under the Human Rights Act is make a declaration of incompatibility).
Specifically, the mother argued that s 31(3)(d) of the 2007 Act breached her art 8 rights. This subsection allows an adoption order to be made without the parent's consent where one of several grounds are met. The grounds are that:
1. The parent is dead
2. The parent cannot be found or is incapable of giving consent
3. The parent is, in the opinion of the court, unable satisfactorily to discharge their parental responsibilities towards the child and likely to continue to be unable to do so; or an order has been made removing their parental responsibilities and rights.
4. Even if the conditions in ground 3 do not apply, "the welfare of the child otherwise requires the consent to be dispensed with".
It was this last ground that was applied in this case, and which the mother argued was insufficiently precise and therefore meant that an order made on that ground was not 'in accordance with the law' as required by art 8(2) for any interference with her right to private and family life.
The main judgment was given by Lord Reed, one of the two Scottish Justices of the Supreme Court and one of the most recent appointees, who dispensed with the mother's argument fairly swiftly. He held that the meaning of the subsection was clear and the word 'requires', particularly read in the context of the whole statute, meant it was a high threshold that must be crossed before an adoption order without consent would be made. The use of general language in a context where judges must make highly fact-specific decisions is not inconsistent with Convention rights, and indeed there is recent Strasbourg case-law which makes this point in the very context of adoption.
Broader issues
Although the decision in this case was relatively straightforward, there are three broader issues raised in the judgment that have broader impact.
The first is the helpful summary in Lord Reed's judgment of the correct approach to interpretation under the HRA. He criticised lawyers who jump to use the HRA as soon as human rights are mentioned, and reminded them that the proper method is as follows:
It sometimes seems that, whenever lawyers hear the words "compatibility with the Convention rights", they reach for section 3 of the Human Rights Act. That response is however a mistake: since the object of section 3 is to avoid, where possible, action by a public authority which would be incompatible with the Convention rights and therefore unlawful under section 6, it follows that the special interpretative duty imposed by section 3 arises only where the legislation, if read and given effect according to ordinary principles, would result in a breach of the Convention rights…That conclusion also follows on constitutional grounds: the courts endeavour to ascertain and give effect to the intention of Parliament (or, in this case, the Scottish Parliament) as expressed in legislation. It is only if that intention cannot be given effect, compatibly with the Convention rights, that the courts are authorized by Parliament, in terms of section 3, to read and give effect to legislation in a manner other than the one which Parliament had intended…When an issue arises as to the compatibility of legislation with the Convention rights, it is therefore necessary to decide in the first place what the legislation means, applying ordinary principles of statutory interpretation. Those principles seek to give effect to the legislature's purpose. If language is used whose meaning is not immediately plain, the court does not throw up its hands in bafflement, but looks to the context in order to ascertain the meaning which was intended. The court will also apply the presumption, which long antedates the Human Rights Act, that legislation is not intended to place the United Kingdom in breach of its international obligations. Those international obligations include those arising under the Convention. If however the ordinary meaning of the legislation is incompatible with the Convention rights, it is then necessary to consider whether the incompatibility can be cured by interpreting the legislation in the manner required by section 3.
Anyone bringing or contemplating bringing a human rights claim would be wise to bear this careful, sensible explanation in mind.
That was not the only chiding of human rights lawyers in this judgment. The second was from Lord Carnwarth, who had a go at the habit some have of citing large amounts of Strasbourg case-law in court:
We were referred to numerous cases dating back over more than twenty years, dealing with the rights of children and parents in similar contexts. They offer slightly different formulations and different shades of emphasis. Many of the cases contain summaries of the previous case-law, but again there are differences in the way they are presented. In general little help is likely to be gained by detailed comparative or historical analysis. In the present case, as Lord Reed has shown, the relevant Strasbourg principles are readily apparent from the most recent cases, and the leading UK authorities, as cited in his judgment.
Lord Carnwarth also commented on the tendency of the ECtHR to summarise previous decisions at length in its judgments, and he emphasised the need to be careful not to cite chunks of these summaries and present them as new statements of law:
I cite these various examples not by way of criticism of the Strasbourg Court. Such variations are unsurprising bearing in mind that the judgments may be given by different chambers of the Strasbourg Court. Their primary task is to outline the main principles and apply them to the facts of the case before them, not to establish any new proposition of law, or even to offer authoritative restatement of existing law. There are many decisions of the Court of Appeal in England or the Court of Sessions in Scotland, of which the same could be said. …[T]he passages relied on were largely designed to summarise earlier authority, and on examination, and in the light of their treatment in later cases, cannot bear the formulaic significance attributed to them by the appellant's submissions.
Thirdly and finally, the Justices all emphasised the importance of quick decisions in adoption cases and expressed concern about the fact that adoption proceedings had begun in this case in November 2009, that the decision whether to make an order would now have to be referred back to the original judge, and that all this delay had profoundly negative effects on the child in question. This is a good reminder that, in the end, any decision about adoption must put the interests of the child front and centre, and that this applies as much to the process as to the eventual result.
Alasdair Henderson is a barrister at One Crown Office Row. This post originally appeared on the UK Human Rights Blog and has been reproduced with kind permission and thanks


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I've made my first novel, Ventus, available as a free download, as well as excerpts from two of the Virga books. I am looking forward to putting up a number of short stories in the near future.
To celebrate the August, 2007 publication of Queen of Candesce, I decided to re-release my first novel as an eBook. You can download it from this page. Ventus was first published by Tor Books in 2000, and and you can still buy it; to everyone who would just like to sample my work, I hope you enjoy this version.
I've released this book under a Creative Commons license, which means you can read it and distribute it freely, but not make derivative works or sell it.
I've made large tracts of these two Virga books available. If you want to find out what the Virga universe is all about, you can check it out here:
In spring 2005, the Directorate of Land Strategic Concepts of National Defense Canada (that is to say, the army) hired me to write a dramatized future military scenario. The book-length work, Crisis in Zefra, was set in a mythical African city-state, about 20 years in the future, and concerned a group of Canadian peacekeepers who are trying to ready the city for its first democratic vote while fighting an insurgency. The project ran to 27,000 words and was published by the army as a bound paperback book.
If you'd like to read Crisis in Zefra, you can download it in PDF form.
I've got a story in this innovative online anthology/short story contest
The XPrize Foundation has sponsored a new, visionary time-travel anthology that you can read online--and contribute to! It's called Seat 14C, and you can enter your own story to join myself and a stellar cast of SF greats as we explore the world twenty years in the future.
My own story's called The Urge To Jump, and it's about adventurers doing a High Altitude High Opening parachute jump onto the back of a mile-wide aerostat (high altitude balloon) in the South Pacific. For the bounty... and a chance to build themselves a new home.
Come join us on the flight, there's one seat left.
Head over to Goodreads and enter today
You can enter to win a free copy of my newest book, Lockstep. Goodreads and Tor Books are sponsoring the draw, which is open until February 25, 2014.
Early buzz on Lockstep is very flattering (see this blogger's review, and this one). I had a lot of fun writing this novel; like 2002's Permanence, it's something of an homage to the Andre Norton juveniles I grew up reading.
One cool aspect of this particular draw is that what you'd be winning is an ARC--an Advance Reader's Copy of the novel. These are generally the same as the hardcover edition on the inside, but paper-bound and usually without cover art. Plain, intended for reviewers--and collectible.
So what have you got to lose? The contest's open to anyone in the U.S. and Canada, and goes for another month.
By a hair, it's the city of Naypyidaw! Because it's REAL
Well, the "win a copy of Tor's gorgeous new edition of Metatropolis contest" is over, and the prize goes to Jim Rion, for alerting us to a dystopian nightmare that's actually being built over in Burma. Now, I gotta admit, some of the other entries were weirder--flying blimp refugee housing for a flooded New York, for God's sake? Thanks to Jon Hansen for that one. And what about Arcosanti and Biosphere 2? (Thanks, Neth Space!) The obviously-his/her-real-name Potato gave us perhaps my favourite, which was the microwave indoor heating system (or Personal Pain Ray) and, well, that's just damned weird. Millennially weird, actually.
And yet... with a little twist of perspective, I could actually see most of these ideas being implemented. The common thread in the designs I ultimately didn't pick was that they were largely motivated by genuinely reasonable concerns about function and efficiency, albeit usually hypertrophied compared to the rest of the body that usually goes into a good design. Microwave heating as a way of saving 75% of heating costs... okay, I can sort of get that (though if I had to choose, I think I'd bury my house in sod before prying the door off my microwave oven).
I really wanted ideas that had at least reached the municipal planning stage, however--proposed, not just thought of. Most of these wonderful plans have, alas, not been seriously taken up by any real municipality.
It came down to sheer lunatic inventiveness vs. sinister Orwellian reality. The other big contender was Shimizu Corporation, whose website contains not one, or two, but seven gobsmackingly wild visions of future urbanity. In the end, it was the fact that Naypyidaw really exists that pushed it over the edge for me. I mean, come on--a city built with extra-wide roads that can double as military runways? A place where the military 'fortress' and government quarter are literally walled off from the rest of the city? --Where not even the families of government workers are allowed to visit? (You too could live in a colour-coded apartment block, whose roof colour can tell the air force exactly which units to precision bomb to take out entire sectors of the bureaucracy.) Where key government officials and high-ranking military personnel live in a dedicated system of bunkers and tunnels 11 kilometers from the rest of the city; but there's waterslides and not one, but two golf courses for the happy citizens?
Ah, Naypyidaw. It'll make a dandy theme park some day.
Incidentally, what stunned me was that nobody mentioned Dubai. What the frack? Was it too ordinary for you guys? Did I miss the memo and is Dubai reasonable or something? Or just so obviously the elephant in the room that nobody felt it worth mentioning? Not citing Dubai... now that's weird.
So, anyway--Jim, I'm just coordinating with John Scalzi about getting you your book. And thanks for bringing just a little grim, dystopian magic into all our lives!
From now until the 7th, you have five chances, on five blogs, to win free copies of the new Tor Books edition of Metatropolis
The new Tor edition of Metatropolis will be out in just a couple of days, and you can get it for free. All you have to do is enter any of the five contests being held by myself and the four other authors on their blogs (John Scalzi, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias Buckell, and Jay Lake). Winners will receive free books!
In my case, you need to reply in the comments below (you'll sadly have to sign up for my site first, an annoying restriction necessitated by the large amounts of spambot garbage I've been receiving in my comment threads). Then, you need to describe--and hopefully link to--the most bizarre, weird-ass example of urban planning or urban renewal you've ever heard of. It can be anything from Russia's scheme to light cities at night using giant orbiting mirrors, to nuclear-powered commuter trains. But it has to have been really proposed at some point.
Contest closes on June 7th. Ready... set... go!
I'm a member of the Association of Professional Futurists with my own consultancy, and am also currently Chair of the Canadian node of the Millennium Project, a private/public foresight consultancy active in 50 nations. As well, I am an award-winning author with ten published novels translated into as many languages. I write, give talks, and conduct workshops on numerous topics related to the future, including:
For a complete bio, go here. To contact me, email karl at kschroeder dot com
I use Science Fiction to communicate the results of actual futures studies. Some of my recent research relates to how we'll govern ourselves in the future. I've worked with a few clients on this and published some results.
Here are two examples--and you can read the first for free:
The Canadian army commissioned me to write Crisis in Urlia, a fictionalized study of the future of military command-and-control. You can download a PDF of the book here:
For the "optimistic Science Fiction" anthology Hieroglyph, I wrote "Degrees of Freedom," set in Haida Gwaii. "Degrees of Freedom" is about an attempt to develop new governing systems by Canadian First Nations people.
I'm continuing to research this exciting area and would be happy to share my findings.
"Science fiction at its best."
--Kim Stanley Robinson
"Lean and hugely engaging ... and highly recommended."
--Open Letters Monthly, an Arts and Literature Review
(Sun of Suns and Queen of Candesce are combined in Cities of the Air)
"An adventure-filled tale of sword
fights and naval battles... the real fun of this coming-of-age tale includes a
pirate treasure hunt and grand scale naval invasions set in the cold, far
reaches of space. "
—Kirkus Reviews (listed in top 10 SF novels for 2006)
"With Queen of Candesce, [Schroeder] has achieved a clockwork balance of deftly paced adventure and humour, set against an intriguing and unique vision of humanity's far future.
--The Globe and Mail
"[Pirate Sun] is fun in the same league as the best SF ever has had to offer, fully as exciting and full of cool science as work from the golden age of SF, but with characterization and plot layering equal to the scrutiny of critical appraisers."
"...A rollicking good read... fun, bookish, and full of insane air battles"
"A grand flying-pirate-ship-chases-and-escapes-and-meetings-with-monsters adventure, and it ends not with a debate or a seminar but with a gigantic zero-gee battle around Candesce, a climactic unmasking and showdown, just desserts, and other satisfying stuff."


text: Scraper Mats by Sports Licensing Solutions are great for showing off your team pride in high traffic areas! Scraper Mats have nibs that scrape shoes clean of dirt, debris, and moisture so that your home stays clean. Rubber construction ensures durability and means that it can be used outside all year long. Features a high resolution image that will not fade! Easily clean off any debris by just spraying the mat with a hose. At 19?x30? these mats are perfect for doorways or used at a workbench in the garage or shed. Made in the USA. ***This product is made to order. Please allow 7-10 business days for production. We will send you a tracking number as soon as it is available.***


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Wholesaling Inc with Brent Daniels
Find distressed properties for pennies on the dollar and turn them for huge profits!
Let's face it, Real estate education has lost the script. Everybody "claims" to have the secret sauce. They get you to sign up, get you to bite on a "magic" formula, but there's no real tools to get there. There's so much talk, no practical steps. It's not instructional, it's hype. The ideas aren't focused on your success, it's focused on theirs. Well, it doesn't have to be that way. If you've been searching for a way to escape the rat race and achieve true financial freedom wholesaling real ...
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Location: Silesia, Germany and Poland
The Moazagoatl is the local name for a
foehn type wind in the Sudeten Mountains. It is marked by a lee wave rotor, a stationary bank of cirriform cloud marking the upper portion of the system of lenticular clouds formed in the lee wave produced by flow across the Sudeten Mountains in southeastern Germany. The Moazagotl reaches its maximum development in the colder months, but especially in the autumn. It usually occurs when the air is conditionally unstable and wind speeds exceed certain critical values. It is genetically very similar to the
helm bar of the Northern Pennines. Although the moazagoatl is a weak feature, it is a true foehn wind, as the formation of a lee-wave rotor requires a constant wind of at least 15 knots.
The term is said to be local dialect for the name of a shepherd called Gottlieb Matz. He is said to be the first person reporting about this cloud above the Hirschberg area in the Silesia Mountains. Later the cloud was very popular among local glider pilots indicating upwind air movement.


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Home >
News & Policies >
May 2003
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 29, 2003
Executive Order Establishing the Bob Hope American Patriot Award
By the Authority Vested in Me as President and as Commander in Chief by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is ordered as follows:
Section 1. Establishment of the Award. In order to encourage love of country, service to the people of the United States, and support for our Armed Forces, and in order to recognize the unique and lifelong service of Bob Hope to the United States Armed Forces and to the Nation through his unwavering patriotism and dedication to maintaining the morale of the troops he entertained for nearly six decades, and on the occasion of his 100th birthday, there is hereby established the Bob Hope American Patriot Award (Award).
Sec. 2. Granting and Presentation of the Award.
(a) The Award may be granted by the President, in his sole discretion, to any civilian individual who has demonstrated extraordinary love of country and devotion to the personnel of the United States Armed Forces, in the form of true patriotism. The Award may also be granted by the President to an organization that meets the same criteria.
(b) Other than in exceptional circumstances, no more than one Award may be granted in any given year.
(c) The presentation of the Award may take place at any time during the year.
(d) Subject to the provisions of this order, the Award may be conferred posthumously.
May 28, 2003.
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EEC is proud to introduce Endurance C, our fully solid-state C-Band radar product line. Endurance C systems provide for ultra-wideband performance and low life-cycle costs thanks to advanced solid-state power amplifiers operating in the widest C-Band frequency range available. For geographic areas with diverse and dynamic weather conditions, nothing offers greater return on your investment than the Endurance C.
For most areas of the world, nothing offers a better value than the proven line-up of C-Band radar systems from EEC. Even in challenging environments, our C-Band systems provide powerful and accurate information. Perhaps most importantly, the specifications of our C-Band radars can be customized to meet a wide range of demands and uses.
EEC's solid-state Endurance C-Band radars are the most advanced weather radar systems in the world. Thanks to their perfect balance of power and effective range, these dual polarization systems are the ideal choice for customers with a diverse set of weather detection demands.
With any EEC C-Band radar, our turn-key design, manufacturing, and installation processes allow us to configure your system to your exact specifications. Among the many options are a variety of full-featured control and display systems. For a clean and true picture of mid to long range weather events, we will match your EEC C-Band system with the precise Doppler processing of our super-sensitive IQ2 signal processor and digital receiver. You can even choose the installation and radome that best fits your environmental needs.


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Serving the people and organizations in our communities
At BrightStar Care of San Luis Obispo, we believe in giving more. Not only to the people we serve, but also to our community. We do it through a variety of high-quality, compassionate care and unparalleled support for our local healthcare system—making our clients' best lives possible and the San Luis Obispo community stronger than ever. Now that's what we call, "A higher standard."
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We give the kind of high-quality care and support that can truly make a difference. See what clients and healthcare organizations are saying about BrightStar Care of San Luis Obispo.
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If you'd like to learn more about our in-home care, medical staffing, and other support and services, please reach out. We'd be happy to give you more information.


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The ASP.NET Core Splitter is a layout user interface (UI) that provides resizable, expandable, collapsible, and nestable panes. It is useful for constructing different layouts in web apps such as Outlook style, Windows Explorer style, code editor UI, and more. The control can integrate other JavaScript UI controls inside its split panes.
The ASP.NET Core Splitter control has built-in resizable support that helps widen or shrink the panes. Users can control the resize behavior for individual panes with min and max size validation.
Built-in support is available for expanding and collapsing the panes by interaction.
Users can configure more than 2 panes to construct different layouts using ASP.NET Core Splitter control such as Outlook-style, Windows explorer-style, Visual Studio code-style, and more.
Users can integrate other ASP.NET Core UI control (For example: TreeView, ListView, Rich Text Editor), HTML markup, or plain text content in the split panes.
The orientation of the split panes can either be horizontal or vertical inside the ASP.NET Core Splitter control.
The ASP.NET Core Splitter control has a split bar to visually split the panes that contains resize gripper.
Splitters can be nested in various levels within the pane to create complex layout such as code editor-style layout.
The ASP.NET Core Splitter control supports right-to-left (RTL) rendering. Users can change the text direction and layout of the Splitter control from right to left. It improves the user experience and accessibility for users who use RTL languages.
The ASP.NET Core Splitter control has several built-in themes such as material, bootstrap, fabric (Office 365), and high contrast. Users can customize any one of these built-in themes or create new themes to achieve their own desired look and feel either by simply overriding SASS variables or using our Theme Studio application.
Users can specify pane size either in pixels or in percentage values including min and max range values to accommodate the sizing to its child control or content.
Greatness—it's one thing to say you have it, but it means more when others recognize it. Syncfusion is proud to hold the following industry awards.


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You've probably already seen our extra amenities and activities? There are a lot of them and you can enjoy any. But today we want to make a special accent on the Island boat tours.
Remember a book about Robinson Crusoe? You have a chance to experience a piece of his life on your own!
Let's ride with us to the secret island!
Our boat ride package includes:
- Round-trip to the secret island
- Island chic accommodations only steps from the beach and the bay
- Complimentary hot breakfast and evening wine & cheese reception
- Access to beautiful nature lakes and forests
- Bell service and dockside luggage service
Welcome with your kids or partners! It's safe.
Still have worries? Ask us everything you would like to know.


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Volvo Construction Equipment's EC140BLCM is the perfect solution for work in the paddy fields of Southeast Asia – offering power, fuel efficiency and stability on the boggy terrain.
Ample rainfall and high temperatures make the Indonesian climate ideal for cultivating Asia's food staple – rice. The country is the world's third largest producer after China and India, producing around 70 million tons a year, and South Sulawesi is one of the country's biggest contributors. The region is home to over half a million hectares of paddy fields, where rice plants are submerged in water up to 50 cm deep.
Rice growing is a labor intensive process because of the boggy land making it difficult to use modern machinery to harvest the crop. Many areas of South Sulawesi still use traditional farming techniques, but for some parts of the process, heavy equipment can be used. One plantation, just outside Barru, the principle town of Barru Regency, has put a Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) EC140BLCM to work to dredge out an irrigation pond.
CV Setia Bangunan started out as a construction materials supplier and branched out into heavy equipment hire in 2011. The company's owner, Andi Hamsah, identified an opportunity to rent out his one 20 t excavator – and since then, the business has gone from strength to strength and his current fleet includes six Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) excavators, including the EC140BLCM. With a wider undercarriage for increased weight distribution, this model has proven successful in paddy fields across the region where it often works submerged in sodden ground.
The perfect fit
The 14tn EC140BLCM can be configured with a shoe width of between 600-900mm, and while the operating weight increases in correlation to the shoe width, the ground pressure decreases. This makes the machine suitable for operations on soft or wet ground, while still being able to deliver more power and productivity than a lighter-weight, 10 t machine.
"The ground around paddy fields is very soft and larger machines sink under their own weight," explains Hamsah. "In these cases, we use wooden planks to map out a path for the machine, but this is not very effective and time consuming. A 10 t machine wouldn't sink, but it has less power and takes longer to complete the job. That's why, for us, the EC140BLCM is the perfect fit because it offers low ground pressure and high power."
The EC140BLCM is powered by the turbocharged four-stroke, four-cylinder D4D diesel engine that has been specially designed for Volvo's excavators. It offers excellent fuel efficiency, low noise, low emissions and a long service life. It also has further fuel saving features such as the automatic idling system that reduces engine speed to idle when the levers and pedals are not being used.
"The machine offers low fuel consumption and high power – that's why our customers like it," Hamsah continues. "It's agile and easy to operate with a smooth and responsive joystick. Many of our customers tell us that they're happy with the fuel consumption and operator comfort that Volvos offer."
At your service
In the rural region of South Sulawesi, getting the right support for construction equipment is important. For Hamsah, his business depends on the machines in his fleet being up and running. Intraco Penta Prima Servis (IPPS), part of INTA Group, distributes and supports Volvo products across Kalimantan and Sulawesi with over 15 offices in the region.
"We have always received good support from IPPS, from the purchase to service and spare parts," says Hamsah. "The representative is very responsive and meets our customers' needs – sometimes before they even realize what they need themselves."