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Corry scarred by Croke Park nightmare
by Adam Hathaway
BATH, England, March 8, 2007 (AFP) - Martin Corry admits the
scars of England's record 43-13 humiliation at the hands of Ireland
at Croke Park in the last round of Six Nations matches will haunt
him as long as he plays.
Corry has been moved from the back row to the second row for
Sunday's Six Nations Test match against France at Twickenham as
coach Brian Ashton shuffled his cards after his team's failure to
match the Irish in any area of the game in their hammering.
The French will arrive in London in search of a fourth straight
win, following their defeats of Italy, Ireland and Wales, but the
former England skipper is not looking to give them an easy ride.
"What happened at Croke Park will stay with me for the rest of
my rugby career but the most important thing now is to use it as a
motivating factor," said Corry.
"No-one wants to lose when they are playing in an England
"But this is no place for excuses - we have got to look at the
bigger picture as a unit. We got outplayed in Ireland in the contact
area. My view is that we got the attitude right there but for me the
most important thing now is getting it right against France.
"We fronted up in Ireland - I would never question the attitude
of the English pack but we should have imposed ourselves more.
"It hurts me personally but the great thing is that we have got
the opportunity to go out there on Sunday and put it right. We have
had a detailed debrief - people in this camp care and things were
said, but the most important thing is working towards the bigger
"This Sunday is England playing at Twickenham and whatever
people think, when you are playing for England at Twickenham you
expect to win - you have got to go there expecting to win."
Corry, England's leader during the desperate run of results in
the autumn internationals, also revealed he was phoned personally by
Ashton when he was passed over for the captaincy in favour of Mike
Catt who takes control on Sunday, following Phil Vickery's
"I had not thought about it," admitted Corry.
"Brian Ashton indicated what the side would be and gave me a
call which was very good of him - he did not have to do that.
"I have had my time as captain which was disappointing but Mike
Catt is a tremendous guy who has the respect of all the players - I
will be looking to back him up."
Corry's shift to the second row - with both Louis Deacon and
Danny Grewcock being dropped after the Irish hammering - could
signal a shift of emphasis in the 33-year-old's career.
Corry also revealed that tight-head prop, and club mate, Julian
White - a club mate at Leicester - should know what to expect with
Corry behind him.
"I have been behind Julian in the scrum plenty of times. He
knows what I am going to give him, some times in Leicester training
I step in there.
"If I am on the bench at the club I sometimes come on and play
second row - it is not a technique that takes years and years of


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Learn how MacUpdate Desktop can install apps on MacUpdate with the simple click of the icon. Plus, keep all your apps updated.
Top community discussions about BetterTouchTool
What are your most used bettertouchtool gestures/shortcuts?See discussion
How to disable Better Touch Tool inside a specific app?See discussion
Can I set a double-click on my Apple Mouse?See discussion
BetterTouchTool adds many new, fully customizable gestures to the Magic Mouse, Multi-Touch MacBook trackpad, and Magic Trackpad.
These gestures are customizable:
- Magic Mouse:
- Pinch in / out (zoom)
- single-finger tap left
- single-finger tap right
- single-finger tap middle
- single-finger tap
- single-finger click middle
- two-finger tap
- two-finger click
- two-finger swipe (up/down/left/right)
- two-finger tip tap left/right
- three-finger tap
- three-finger click
- three-finger swipe
What's New in BetterTouchTool
- Release notes were unavailable when this listing was updated
Requirements for BetterTouchTool
- OS X 10.10 or later

subset: commoncrawl


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September 12
Orange Circle Farm
184 Blackberry Hill Road
Berwick, ME
Learn how to put the power of the sun to work for you!
Join us as we lead a tour of solar-powered Orange Circle Farm and learn how to transition your home or business from fossil fuels to clean, solar energy.
Stop by at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, September 12th to experience the solar-powered, clean energy lifestyle! Solar technology costs have dropped by more than 75% over the past 10 years, making solar energy an affordable investment opportunity. One of ReVision Energy's solar design professionals will also be available to discuss current trends, how solar energy works, and how you can make the exciting transition to 100% clean power. The tour will be followed by refreshments and a Q&A Session.


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|2017 Self-Study Tax Education
This course meets 3 hours of Tax Update continuing education that is required by CTEC.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is an intermediate course, designed for seasoned tax
preparers who have the basic knowledge of tax.
3 Hour Federal Tax Update (IRS Course #B8FQK-U-00025-18-S) (CTEC Course #3064-CE-0050)
|Education for the Tax Professional
TaxEase is confident that the student will
find the information informative and helpful
to their practice. If the student is not
satisfied with our course:
No refund of our 2018 courses purchased
after December 31, 2018 will be issued.
|30 Day Refund Policy
|30 Years Experience in Tax Education
|TaxEase Accepts:
Mastercard - VISA - Discover
|TaxEase, LLC
|2018 Tax Update Course


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Megyn Kelly's 'Blackface' Comments Leave Her NBC News Future Very Cloudy/
I missed this Megyn Kelly 'blackface' stupidity from Tuesday. The NBC face been on thin ice anyway, as Kelly's ratings have not been great. Her audience is 35% or more people -- largely women -- of color.
She still hasn't recovered from her run-in with Jane Fonda, choosing to ask Fonda about plastic surgery rather than her activism, which was the scheduled topic. Fonda abruptly ended the interview.
So Megyn Kelly, who already has a track record over objecting to black Santas, wonders out loud -- in the midst of this Trump crisis -- why whites can't wear blackface on Halloween. If the woman wanted to get her contract cancelled, she just delivered her own knock-out punch.
Kelly's off the air Thursday and everything is up in the air at NBC. Rumors are intense that her departure is in negotiations. Given the outrage among her own colleagues over her 'blackface' remarks, it's difficult to understand how Megyn Kelly can survive.
What was she thinking!!! Just last night I wrote a terse pushback over Instagram and Twitter outrage that Kendall Jenner was wearing frizzy curls in a photoshoot. Generally I feel that our culture has become way too politically correct. However, blackface??? Are you out of your mind Megyn Kelly? Because I refuse to buy the dumb blonde moniker, being one myself.
Kelly got withering criticism from her NBC colleagues. On Wednesday's "Today" show, NBC anchor Craig Melvin called her comments "racist and ignorant," and Al Roker, mister nice guy, always genial weatherman, said that Ms. Kelly "owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country." Roker continued, "I'm old enough to have lived through 'Amos 'n' Andy' where you had white people in blackface playing two black characters magnifying the worst stereotypes about black people. That's what the big problem is. That's what the issue is."
MSNBC anchor Jacob Soboroff wrote on Twitter that Kelly's remarks were "vile." "I was born in the same decade as Megyn Kelly and do not recall blackface being acceptable anywhere, anytime," tweeted Alex Wagner of CBS News.
In her email, Kelly said that she'd never been a "PC" person, "but I understand that we do need to be more sensitive in this day and age. Particularly on race and ethnicity issues which, far from being healed, have been exacerbated in our politics over the past year.
The former FOX News anchor and Creative Artists Agency, the Hollywood talent agency that represented her, have parted ways. In addition, cast members and showrunners from the Netflix drama "House of Cards" canceled their scheduled appearance on her show.
THR reports that Kelly's new lawyer Bryan Freedman, one of Hollywood's top talent-side litigators, will meet with NBC News executives in New York as early as Friday for what are expected to be decisive talks about her status at NBC News Considering the withering criticism from colleagues, it does seem increasingly unlikely that Kelly can return to NBC News. ~ Anne


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Designed by Bright Beings copyright 2015. All rights reserved. Terms and conditions
Combining Reiki and sound healing together can deepen the effect of healing and relaxation. Firstly you will receive a sound healing session to tune up the nervous system and chakras, so you will be in a more relaxed state to receive the healing energies of Reiki. We do strongly recommend taking these two treatments together as they compliment each other and helps you get into the healing zone. Your body is intelligent, so why not give it the tools to help you feel brighter, more relaxed and happy. In today's world, we are subjected to stress, anxiety and depression. We would like to help you deal with these common symptoms of today's life. We change the world by changing ourselves first. Take your first steps for change today and book yourself a treatment.


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|Only Teez
Country: United States
City: Beverly Hill
Address: 8730 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 210, Beverly Hills, California, 90210 United States
Phone: 8555252642
Number of company employees : 1000+
Approximate annual sales : USD$100,000,000 +
Percentage of exports : 80%
Website: www.onlyteez.com
|Catagory:Apparel Sub-categories: Apparel Stock
|We can verify that Only Teez has been registered with ExportBureau
from 05/08/2015 to today 19/05/2019 for a period of 3 years and 288 days.
|Report this company
Thank you ! We have sent your message.
|This report should be used only as a guide to build a more informed opinion on potential international trading partners.
click here to update this company information


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|Dan Sleigh
|K. Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award
Daniel (Dan) Sleigh was born on the farm Geelbeksfontein on the West Coast on November 3, 1938. He matriculated at Vredenburg High School and then joined the South African Navy. Until 1962, he studied at the Paarl Training College to become a Physical Education teacher, after which he taught in Namibia and Cape Town.
In 1969 he completed his BA Degree in History and English Literature at UNISA. Sleigh then completed a MA Degree cum laude, followed by a Doctorate in History in 1987 at the University of Stellenbosch. Until his retirement in 1996, Sleigh worked at the Western Cape Department of Education.
He made his literary debut in 1974 with the volume of poetry entitled Duif oor water. This was followed by historical works for young people, like Die buiteposte and Tussen twee vlae.
In 2001 he won the Sanlam/Insig/Tafelberg Competition for his novel Eilande. This novel was later also awarded the WA Hofmeyr, RAU, M-Net and Helgaard Steyn Prizes.
Did you know?
Islands, André P. Brink's English translation of Eilande, was listed by The Seattle Times as one of the ten best books of 2005. Booklist, an American library services publication, also listed it as one of the top ten debut novels of 2005. In 2004 the Dutch translation, Stemmen uit zee, reached the 98th spot on the Dutch booksellers' list of bestsellers.
Books still in print
Eilande, Tafelberg (2002)
Afstande, Tafelberg (2010)
Wals met Matilda, Tafelberg (2011)
C Louis Leipoldt Prize (1971) – Duif oor water
Winner of the Sanlam/Insig/Kwela Great Novel Competition (2001) – Eilande
WA Hofmeyr Prize (2003) – Eilande
RAU Prize for Creative Writing (2003) – Eilande
M-Net Prize for Creative Writing in Afrikaans (2004) – Eilande
Helgaard Steyn Prize (2004) – Eilande
Medal from the Academy for Science and Culture (2007)
List of titles
1971 Duif oor water, Tafelberg
Prose: novels
1972 Die nege-maande-mars, Tafelberg
1973 'n Man om te hardloop, Tafelberg
1977 Sersant Barodien, Kaapse Korps, Tafelberg
1978 'n Kanon vir Barbier, Tafelberg
1979 Vryburger Tas, Tafelberg
2002 Eilande, Tafelberg
2010 Afstande, Tafelberg
2011 Wals met Matilda, Tafelberg
Prose: youth novels
1974 Tussen twee vlae, Tafelberg
1975 Onder die bittervaan, Tafelberg
1976 Anselm en die jut, Van der Walt
1978 Jan Kompanjie: die wêreld van die Verenigde Oos-Indiese Kompanjie, Tafelberg
1979 Ruiters teen die Ryk, Nasou
1988 The Huguenots (met AJ Grant en Ronald Mayo), Maskew Miller Longman
1993 Die buiteposte, HAUM
1996 The Forts of the Liesbeeck Frontier, Castle Military Museum
1999 The Rode Against an Empire, Castle Military Museum
Eilande (2002)
English (Islands, 2004) and Dutch (Stemmen uit zee, 2004)
"This novel, translated from the Afrikaans by André Brink, was offered to me for review with an apologetic note advising me to abandon it at the first onset of boredom. Seven hundred and fifty dense pages later I can report that it is riveting throughout. Based on the first 50 years of Dutch settlement in South Africa, it is a monumental, vividly imagined epic that, in spite of its huge cast and range, maintains its balance and direction." – John de Falbe, The Spectator (2004)
"I can only beg you: make time for this brisk, dense and entirely fascinating book. Its scale is exhilarating, not exhausting. Dan Sleigh has made a whole history dance and has defied time to bring back, like some sorcerer, the beat and blood of lives that would otherwise be only traces in the documents of an old colony." – Michael Pye, The Scotsman (2004)


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***RECONCILIATION FOR CONFIRMATION CANDIDATES*** Saturday, April 28, 2018 9:00am
All Confirmation students are asked to go to Confession this morning after 9am daily Mass.
***CONFIRMATION PRACTICE*** April 30, 2018 at 6:30pm in church
A sponsor or parent must attend with the candidate.
***CONFIRMATION*** Tuesday, May 1st, 2018, 7:00pm Mass
The Confirmation program at St. Mary's consists of several components which includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- The purpose of the faith-sharing program is to have the sponsor assist the parents in leading their children to love and serve God in daily life.
- Each candidate will meet monthly with his or her sponsor for prayer, sharing, and discussion.
- Beginning in November, the candidate will complete five faith-sharing sheets with their sponsor.
- The candidate should complete the faith sharing questionnaire during the time with their sponsor. They will turn in this sheet to their teacher by the date indicated on the top of each faith sharing sheet. The sponsors may wish to write comments as well. Their feedback will help us make this a more meaningful experience for the Confirmation candidates.
** CHOSEN by Ascension Press**
The program the 7th and 8th graders in our parish Religious Ed. program use to prepare them for Confirmation, as well as to catechize them in general, is Chosen by Ascension Press. Chosen is a twenty-four-lesson program that provides everything needed to prepare students both intellectually and spiritually to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, and to become lifelong disciples of Christ. All too often teens drift away from the Church after Confirmation. Chosen seeks to reverse this trend by winning over the hearts of teens at a critical time in their lives and keeping them firmly planted within the faith community of the Church.
Chosen's carefully designed methodology features highly effective and engaging material conveyed through videos, student workbooks, and group discussion with peers. Chosen has been voted by the USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishop's) as the number one Confirmation program on the market, and came highly recommended to our parish from the Archdiocese of Detroit's Office of Evangelization and Catechetics, agreeing Chosen is, without a doubt, one of the best Confirmation programs available today. They described Chosen as a program that incorporates evangelization and leads the students toward conversion.
At St. Mary's, the 7th graders work on the first 12 lessons, and the 8th graders cover the second 12 lessons. Chosen is DVD/discussion driven. This means the students do have a regular text book, but the main components of the program are DVD segments that the students watch–3 for each lesson–and discuss. Each segment is full of information that explains, in a very succinct manner, on a teen's level, everything from what the Catholic Church believes, why we believe these things and how these young men and women can and should go out into the world and be disciples of Christ. Because the program relies so heavily on the DVD segments and the discussion that follows, 7th & 8th grade cannot be home schooled.
Ascension Press has made select video clips available online (on You Tube). (Simply search the terms "Chosen" and "Ascension Press" in YouTube to find the clips that are available.) Please take a moment to view these. These would be beneficial and engaging not only for those preparing for Confirmation, but for parents, sponsors, and many other teens or adults who may have questions about our faith as well.
Service projects are works that are unpaid without any material reward.
- Your projects should help you to take on the mind and heart of Christ, fulfill the needs of others, and build up the Christian community; your commitment to service should continue after your Confirmation and all through your life.
- Your parents are responsible for your transportation and for your supervision, and may have to help make arrangements.
- Your service will be recorded and offered up to God on your Confirmation day. This is your gift to God in appreciation for all He has given you.
- Complete as many service projects as you can each month, but by your Confirmation day you will be expected to have completed at least three different projects from each category—service to church, service to community, and service to family.
- Service to church contributes to the life of our church community by enriching our worship, furthering our formation, or enhancing our parish programs.
- Service to Community reaches out to the wider community—people outside our family. We feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit the lonely, or help others wherever we are needed.
- Service to Family deepens our relationships with our parents, siblings, and extended family through prayer or service.
** Interviews **
Each candidate will meet with Father Michael or another member of the Confirmation team for an interview prior to Confirmation. During the Confirmation ceremony the Bishop/celebrant will ask Father Michael if the candidates are prepared to be confirmed. The purpose of this meeting is for Father to assess whether or not the candidate is truly ready. Mass attendance in an important part of determining if the candidate is ready.
Each candidate should be able to tell their interviewer what will happen at Confirmation, why they want to be confirmed, why they chose the Confirmation (saint) name and what they know about this saint, and what service projects they have participated in and what they have learned from them.
The candidate should also be able to recite from memory any of the prayers as outlined on the 8th grade prayer sheet.
** Confirmation Retreat March 3, 2018 9:00AM-2:00PM
• gain insight into what it means to belong to a Catholic community of faith, and get to better know the other adult and youth participants.
• share in faith discussions and prayer experiences with other youth.
• explore scripture and deepen their understanding of the teachings of Jesus, and what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus in the world today.
• consider how living out their Confirmation commitment in daily life can make a difference for good.
• reflect on their personal gifts and strengths for Discipleship, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their response to God's call to discipleship.
• identify ways they can continue to grow in their ability to be Confirmed Disciples in the world today.
~~Missing Confirmation Retreat~~
Last May a letter was mailed out to all parents of then 7th grade parents explaining some of the upcoming events and requirements of the 8th grade Confirmation program. The letter also included a list of important upcoming dates. One of the dates listed in this letter was the Confirmation retreat, which is Saturday, A letter was emailed and sent home a couple of weeks ago with details about this retreat (including a permission slip). In these communications, it was clearly stated that Confirmation retreat is a mandatory part of the Confirmation program.
Our parish views this retreat to be an integral part of the preparation for the sacrament your child will be celebrating. The material presented is meant to further prepare your child for the journey they have embarked on this year.
Those who cannot attend the retreat at St. Mary's are responsible for securing a place at another Confirmation retreat prior to March 30, 2016. (Parents are responsible for transportation for their children.) A letter of verification must be signed by the DRE or facilitator at the retreat, and mailed back to us from that parish upon completion. (See the link below for a copy of this letter.) For your convenience, several parishes in our vicariate are listed below with retreat dates, although any parish in the Archdiocese hosting a Confirmation retreat is acceptable.


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Here you will find articles, information and breaking news related to Nutrition, first aid and general care . Join the discussion!
Disclaimer: The information and services listed in the HCBC forums are intended to facilitate accessibility to the professionals, products and services that play a part in the horse industry. HCBC does not assume responsibility for errors, omissions or subsequent changes in the information provided. While readers are encouraged to use the products and services of the merchants and users of this forum, Horse Council BC does not recommend, endorse, or guarantee the products and services of advertisers listed.
Hoof Supplements- what works? Clair Thunes, PhD,
|April 12, 2016
So how do you choose a hoof supplement if they all look similar?My horse has poor hoof quality. Would he benefit from a daily hoof supplement? If so, what ingredients should I look for that will really help my horse?
When you look at the hoof supplements at your local feed store or do online comparisons you will typically find that they provide sources of zinc, copper, methionine, lysine, biotin, and fatty acids. The reasons why these are typically included in hoof supplements is that each plays a role in healthy hooves.
Lysine and methionine are both essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein). Lysine is most commonly the limiting amino acid in the equine diet. Since hoof horn is made up of a number of keratinized structures—and keratin is a protein—if a diet does not provide adequate lysine then keratin generation might be negatively impacted.
The keratin-associated proteins of the hoof contain large numbers of sulfur containing amino acids. Therefore, should a deficiency in sulfur amino acids exist the structural function and strength of the hoof could be compromised. Methionine is an essential amino acid that contains sulfur and can be used to create another sulfur-containing amino acid called cysteine.
Zinc is a key mineral involved in the health of epithelial cells of which the cells of the hoof wall are examples. Zinc is used in their repair, maintenance, and reproduction. Additionally zinc is vital for keratin protein synthesis as well as forming the lipoproteins that cement the cells of the hoof together. Copper is necessary for the formation of the disulfide bonds in keratins. Ultimately these bonds impact the rigidity of the outer hoof wall.
Biotin, a B vitamin, helps stick the cells of the hoof together. Like zinc it plays a role in the lipoprotein of the extracellular matrix.
Hoof supplements usually also contain fats in some form. In general the reason for adding fats to hoof supplements is that if hooves are too rigid then they risk cracking. Fat is thought to add pliability to the hoof so that it can expand when weight bearing without cracking.
Lecithin, a phospholipid that occurs in plants and is a rich source of choline (which helps maintain cell pliability), is a common ingredients in hoof supplements. Sometimes an omega-3 fatty acid source is also added to hoof supplements.
All these ingredients play important roles in other functions within the horse's body. For example, copper is necessary for collagen formation and zinc is involved in immune function. Biotin might improve coat characteristics.
Selecting the Right Hoof Supplement
So how do you choose a hoof supplement if they all look similar? I would argue that, in some cases, you don't. If your horse's hooves need help, then it's worth stepping back and assessing the entire diet, because a hoof supplement might not be the best solution. Instead, poor hoof quality could indicate that the overall diet has deficiencies or is unbalanced. A hoof supplement will certainly go a long way to helping, but it might not offer the optimal solution.
For example, supplementing high levels of individual amino acids might impact the overall amino acid balance in the diet, causing other issues. Therefore, improving the overall protein profile in the diet by improving protein quality might provide a better benefit. Horses consuming predominantly forage-based diets might require copper and zinc supplementation. In fact, these horses might need more copper and zinc than a typical hoof supplement offers.
Often, when I analyze diets of horses with hoof issues, their vitamin E levels are low too, more omega-3 fatty acids are needed, and their calcium phosphorous ratio is less than ideal. Rather than needing a hoof supplement, these horses might better benefit from a ration balancer, which not only provides a source of quality balanced protein and guaranteed levels of amino acids but is also highly fortified with trace minerals, and an omega-3 fatty acid source.
The Importance of Following Feed Instructions
Often owners use senior or performance feeds at levels below the manufacturers' recommended daily intake, and then feed an additional hoof supplement because their horse has poor hoof quality. This is the big problem with using commercial feed incorrectly.
When fed correctly, they are designed to provide your horse with all the vitamins and minerals needed outside of forage. However, feeding below recommended levels can leave your horse with a number of key deficiencies, which might show up as hoof-quality problems. By using a ration balancer instead of the incorrectly fed performance feed, I can often fix all these issues with one product rather than just fixing certain pieces with the hoof supplement or having a diet made up of multiple feeds and supplements.
This is not to say hoof supplements aren't useful. Some horses do require a high level of supplementation in these key nutrients. I just prefer to insure that the whole diet is balanced first, and then add a hoof supplement if, after a period of time, I'm still not getting the results I want.
Also keep in mind that some horses just have genetically poor hooves. For these horses even the very best diet might not give them hooves as nice as the horse in the stall next door. However, you can ensure that your horse has the nutritional pieces necessary to have the best hooves he's genetically capable of having by feeding a correctly balanced diet.
Take-Home Message
If you're unsure whether your horse's diet is balanced and meeting his needs, a qualified equine nutritionist can help you by evaluating the current diet, identifying deficiencies, and suggesting feed fixes.
About the Author
Clair Thunes, PhD
Clair Thunes, PhD, is an independent equine nutrition consultant who owns Summit Equine Nutrition based in Sacramento, California. She works with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University in Scotland and her master's and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the United Kingdom Pony Club. Today, she serves as the regional supervisor for the Sierra Pacific region of the United States Pony Club. As a nutritionist she works with all horses from WEG competitors to Miniature Donkeys and everything in between.


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Spike Disease
Sandal, the pride of Karnataka's forest wealth, is a perennial plant and
exploitation of the plant for wood and oil is of great commercxial importance.
The specie is a native of the southern part of India and nearly 80% of sandal
oil production in India is in Karnataka.
However, sandal trees are susceptible to a serious disease, known as the spike disease, which was first observed in 1888. The disease causes an extreme smalling of leaves with sprouting of auxiliary buds, resulting in the certain death of infected trees. Although considerable research has been done, practical control measures are not available. The casual agent and mode of transmission of the disease are not established although some research shows that the causal agent might be a mycoplasma, and certain inspect species have been incriminated as vectors of the disease.
The major lines along which the research was carried out are indicated below:


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By Olivia Cahoon
Part 1 of 2
Manufacturers print on ceramics and glass that is eventually used in buildings, monuments, and other structures. These projects require large pieces of heavy material to run through digital print devices. Printer manufacturers and ink vendors offer equipment and consumables ideal for glass and ceramic applications.
Digitally Innovative
Digital print technology allows for the simplification of high-quality ceramic and glass decorating. Ceramic tile manufacturing is a heavy industrial process but with digital production, preparation and setup tasks required in an analog decorating process are eliminated.
"Traditionally, drum circumference set the pattern repeat length, but with digital printing, pattern length is limited only by the memory of the PC or printhead drive electronics, which means that more realistic natural patterns and finishes are achievable and there is greater flexibility in design and creative potential," says Gerard Winn, senior product manager, Xaar.
The digital process gives users more variability for changing designs while streamlining production. "Once high-quality graphics became easier to produce, our customers discovered they could open new revenue and profit opportunities," says Jose Luis Ramon Moreno, VP/GM, EFI Industrial Printing. Tile manufacturers benefit from simpler methods to store digital inks while digital systems don't require as much ink mixing and waste.
Digital technologies also create a faster setup time by eliminating roller sleeves and physical changeover between images. Winn says that with setup handled by print control software, production downtime and waste are reduced, making it simpler to print short runs including single tiles. He adds, "faster setup, instant pattern switchover, and improved color management means there is no need for long print runs or to hold extensive stocks of finished and partially finished goods—saving on storage costs."
Yuval Nahum, head of marketing, Dip-Tech, a Ferro Company, believes digital technologies offer UV durability in outdoor conditions and supreme adhesion with chemical and scratch resistance. Ceramic inks can be laminated, bent, and double glazed. "Opaqueness or transparency, light transmission, and see through or privacy can be controlled," he explains. Large scale projects can also be divided for different glass panels.
According to Winn, inkjet printing also produces high-quality finishes, reduces tile breakage, allows printing on textured tiles, and gives manufacturers a wide ink choice.
The Industrial Segment
The introduction of inkjet in the industrial segment of ceramic and glass printing cut production costs, reduced waste, and improved responsiveness to design changes and customer demands.
Amadeo Capuz, commercial technician, KERAjet, believes inkjet created a deep revolution and as a result, only companies that switched to digital decoration survived and those reluctant to join inkjet have or will perish. "Reduction in manufacturing and operational expenses and design improvements virtually wiped out those companies that did not invested in digital," he adds.
According to Moreno, ceramic tile is one of the best success rate case studies in the transition from analog to digital printing. "A significant segment of the market is now digital and many new tile production lines are developed with digital decoration in mind as opposed to transitional screenprint methods," he says.
In fact, Moreno believes the ceramic industry is the most digital transformed example in the world. He says 70 to 75 percent of ceramic tiles are printed and more than 70 percent of those printed are digital.
Dedicated to Design
As the transition to inkjet technology is underway for ceramic and glass manufacturers in the industrial segment, its important to discuss if a dedicated printer or ink set is the best scenario for printing to ceramics or glass.
Winn believes digital inkjet is now the must-have technology for ceramic tile manufacturers. "It is no longer a case of offering digital tiles as an optional extra, digital capability is expected," he shares.
Inkjet produces higher quality tiles that offer more realistic reproductions of marble and other natural materials cost effectively. Instead of competing on price, tile manufacturers now compete on creativity and innovation. "The combination of benefits such as life-like designs and improved tile quality with reduced costs give digitally equipped ceramic tile manufacturers a huge advantage over rivals still using traditional methods," admits Winn.
Nahum points out that industries that traditionally use ceramic inks and multiple colors, like appliance glass, are moving toward digital ceramic printing to simplify the process and reduce costs.
Brazil, China, and India have a large installed base of traditional ceramic tile production lines and according to Winn, show rapid conversion to digital inkjet decoration. "As worldwide production of ceramic tiles grows, it creates huge opportunities for suppliers of digital inkjet ceramic tile printers and inks," he says.
Moreno believes that dedicated printers and ink sets are the best scenario for printing to ceramics and glass because digital tile manufacturing occurs inline with the manufacturing process where the tiles are fired. "It is possible to decorate tiles post-glazing on a wide format flatbed UV-cured printer, which is an option for some decorative applications, but perhaps not as useful a process for higher volume industrial production," he explains.
However, an inline manufacturing process also brings challenges. Moreno warns that like analog decoration, the inline manufacturing process for digital ceramic tile decoration sets a barrier for printing businesses that want to offer tile decoration without manufacturing the tiles.
While digital decoration ends the classic rigidities and limitations in the manufacturing process, Capuz says that any disadvantage to inkjet technology for ceramic and glass printing is the need for a change once this technology is introduced. He offers, "not joining it will definitely mean the extinction of un-adapted corporations for sure."
Ceramics and Glass
According to Winn, the majority of ceramic tile manufacturers in major tile producing countries already converted to digital inkjet printing. "We have now seen the change from traditional to digital ceramic tile decoration gather momentum in the rest of the world," he adds. As the production of ceramic and glass grows, so does the opportunities for digital ceramic printer and ink suppliers.
Part two of this series provides a roundup of available printers and printheads used in the industrial space for ceramic and glass printing.
Click here to read part two of this exclusive online series, Ceramic Solutions
Oct2017, Industrial Print Magazine