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London organizers display wrong flag
London Olympic organizers mistakenly displayed the South Korean flag on a jumbo screen instead of North Korea's before a women's soccer match Wednesday, prompting the North Koreans to refuse to take the field for nearly an hour.
The flag flap began during player introductions when a North Korean player was introduced along with a shot of the South Korean flag.
The match against Colombia was delayed for more than an hour, and organizers apologized for the error.
"Today ahead of the women's football match at Hampden Park, the South Korean flag was shown on a big screen video package instead of the North Korean flag. Clearly that is a mistake," organizers said. "We will apologize to the team and the National Olympic Committee and steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again."
The statement, however, included another gaffe: It failed to refer to the countries by their official Olympic names, causing organizers to reissue the statement using "Republic of Korea" and "Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
Commenting on the flap, the International Olympic Committee pointed to London officials.
"It's a matter for the organizers," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
North Korea won the match 2-0.
North Korea and South Korea are bitter rivals. The flag mix-up comes amid high tension on the Korean Peninsula following a North Korean long-range rocket launch in April and repeated threats by Pyongyang to attack the South. Seoul and the US have called the launch a cover for a test of banned long-range missile technology. North Korea says the rocket, which broke apart shortly after liftoff, was meant to put a satellite into orbit.
Wednesday's match started 1 hour, 5 minutes late. Fans were confused at first, then turned to doing the wave and finally started booing as they became increasingly restless.
An announcement was eventually made over the public address system about 20 minutes after the scheduled 7:45 p.m. kick off, apologizing for the delay and saying it "was due to an issue behind the scenes. We're trying to resolve it and we'll keep you updated."
To pass more time, music was pumped from the speakers. Players from both teams finally emerged onto the field about 40 minutes after the match was supposed to begin. The players warmed up again for 10 minutes before they returned inside the tunnel to be led out again for the national anthems.
Flag controversies aren't new at the Olympics. At the 1992 Barcelona Games, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley from the Dream Team draped U.S. flags over their shoulders to hide a rival sponsor's logo on their jackets when they received their gold medals.
At the 2010 Vancouver Games, the Australians displayed a flag with a boxing kangaroo — the mascot for the country's team — in the athletes village, despite an International Olympic Committee rule that usually only permits official national flags to be displayed. The IOC eventually relented.
In 2000, sprinter Cathy Freeman caused a stir when she took a victory lap after winning the 400-meter final at the Sydney Games draped in the Aboriginal flag, which was not recognized as an official national flag by the IOC.
Also in 2000, North and South Korean athletes marched together at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics under the unified Korea flag, sparking a standing ovation. But with relations deteriorating in the years since, each country insists on a separate flag.
Last month, there was another mix-up in Britain. British field hockey officials apologized to the South African women's team for playing the apartheid-era national anthem before one of its matches at the London Cup, a warm-up event for the Olympics.
The event's organizer, Great Britain Hockey, said it was an administrative mistake and offered a "full and unreserved apology."


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How Facebook Works
Facebook is a wonderful example of the network effect, in which the value of a network to a user is exponentially proportional to the number of other users that network has.
Facebook's power derives from what Jeff Rothschild, its vice president of technology, calls the "social graph"–the sum of the wildly various connections between the site's users and their friends; between people and events; between events and photos; between photos and people; and between a huge number of discrete objects linked by metadata describing them and their connections.
Facebook maintains data centers in Santa Clara, CA; San Francisco; and Northern Virginia. The centers are built on the backs of three tiers of x86 servers loaded up with open-source software, some that Facebook has created itself.
Let's look at the main facility, in Santa Clara, and then show how it interacts with its siblings.
The top tier of the Facebook network is made up of the Web servers that create the Web pages that users see, most with eight cores running 64-bit Linux and Apache. Many of the social network's pages and features are created using PHP, a computer scripting language specialized for simple, automated functions. But Facebook also develops complex core applications using a variety of full-featured computer languages, including C++, Java, Python, and Ruby. To manage the complexity of this approach, the company created Thrift, an application framework that lets programs compiled from different languages work together.
The bottom tier consists of eight-core Linux servers running MySQL, an open-source database server application. Rothschild estimates that Facebook has about 800 such servers distributing about 40 terabytes of user data. This tier stores all the metadata about every object in the database, such as a person, photo, or event.
The middle tier consists of caching servers. Even 800 database servers can't serve up all the needed data: Facebook receives 15 million requests per second for both data and connections. Bulked-up cache servers, running Linux and the open-source Memcache software, fill the gap. About 95 percent of data queries can be filled from the cache servers' 15 terabytes of RAM, so that only 500,000 queries per second have to be passed to the MySQL databases and their relatively slow hard drives.
Photos, videos, and other objects that populate the Web tier are stored in separate filers within the data center.
The San Francisco facility replicates the Web and cache tiers, as well as the filers with the database objects, but it uses the Santa Clara MySQL database tier.
The Virginia data center is too far away to share MySQL databases: with 70 milliseconds of Internet delay, give or take, it just won't work. Thus, it completely duplicates the Santa Clara facility, using MySQL replication to keep the database tiers in sync.
What's next for Facebook's technology? For one thing, says Rothschild, the company has discovered that interrupts on the servers' Ethernet controllers–which let the servers process myriad requests arriving at the same time–are a bottleneck, since they're generally handled by only one core. So Facebook rewrote the controllers' drivers to scale on multicore systems. Facebook is also experimenting with solid-state drives, which could speed the performance of the MySQL database tier by a factor of 100.
Given that Facebook is growing–and that connections grow exponentially–the site is going to need that performance soon.
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subset: commoncrawl


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- Olive oil to grill scallops
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 ounces fresh scallops (preferable 20/30 count), side muscle removed
- 3 ounces Romaine lettuce, cut into one-half inch ribbons
- 2 ounces mesclun lettuce mix
- 1.5 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 1 ounce dried cranberries
- 2 ounces balsamic vinaigrette (store-bought) *Note: whip a bit of Dijon mustard into the dressing
- One-half lemon for garnish
- Lightly rub the scallops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill lightly on medium hot grill, turning as needed, do not burn or char, for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile place lettuces, Gorgonzola cheese, cranberries, dressing, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Toss gently with tongs. Arrange the greens on a salad plate. Arrange scallops around the top and sides of the greens. Garnish with the lemon.
Recipe Details
- Source: Menus Section, November 2003
- Dish Type: Salads


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Zagutachie is 1st Anti-establishment NFT artist, who is out spoken against establishment, martial laws, tyranny and other demons of society. He is the 1st NFT artist to illustrate against society evils, 1ft NFT Artist who speaks for women rights, 1st NFT Artist who speaks against tyranny, injustice. He is the 1st NFT artist who speaks for transgender, who speaks for a better living condition for farmers. He is the 1st artist who openly accepts the failure of existing centralized economic system and openly supports Decentralized Crypto Economic model.
He is the first NFT Artist who speaks through his NFTs via caption art against establishment, martial laws and against tyranny.
He illustrates different aspects of our socio-economic system in his NFTs. He is a big critic of our existing economic system, where governments are in full control of the wealth, and supporter of Decentralized Crypto economic model, where instead of governments, people will be controlling wealth distribution without government interference.
His NFT Art is absolutely different with the existing NFT art in the way that his all NFTs are different with one another; every NFT illustrates a different topic with a fixed message via captioning.
Zagutachie's art is different he designed each and every NFT different with another one., each NFT represents a Socio-Economic topic, as per artist it is useless to make thousands of useless AVTAR picture without any purpose or meaning, , he describes his art as meaningful and logical.
Zagutachie's Digital art is at the forefront of Women Rights, Black Rights, Gender Equality, Freedom of Speech, Farmers Rights, Transgender/LGBT, Special Need children, Positive thinking an anonymous creator, who only speaks through his social media platform and his website.
He leverages NFT art to create mind blowing "All are equal theme based" art works
Critics describes Zagutachie's art as emotionally complex, what he is trying to convince, or what he is trying to propose, all of his NFT Art shows his anger towards establishment and demons of society. He is very optimistic about Metaverse and considers this a safe heaven.
His NFTs aggressively illustrates feelings against oppression, tyranny and establishment. His NFTs openly speaks about freedom of speech, media freedom, and women rights (gender equality)
He sees existing economic system, where fiat is the base currency, as a flop system as this system has failed in providing equal distribution of wealth, Zagutachie sees Crypto as a people friendly system.
Zagutachie's NFTs illustrates ordinary people should be power hub and marshals and generals should not have enough power to seize governments, He considers this as tyranny.
Artist is against establishment's misuse of power, which he has illustrated in his digital paintings. Zagutachie's NFTs are a news trend in NFT field and a revolutionary way of transferring meaningful messages of equality through NFTs.
Here are Zagutachie's four Digital graphics:
Oooz,,,,,heros, Sheros and Zeros
This mesmerizing digital art titled "Oooz" illustrates three trees, first tree represents "Nelson Mandela", this tree has one red dot, this red dot represents the results world will see, he was a Real "Hero"
2nd tree in the graphics represents "Aung San Suu Kyi", who is under detention, her struggle will clear the path for a democratic society, the orange dot represents the results of her struggle, she is a Real "Shero"
3rd tree represents "Vladimir Putin" due to his dictatorship this tree is unable to produce any fruitful result, he is the real zero, So the hero, shero and zero all in one image
Establishment keep us in Cage
You call it establishment, or tyranny, or evil, under this dictatorship rule people suffer, even if they are not in detention their minds are captured, Zagutachie has illustrated this in his digital art.
Establishment is not system's bandage this itself is a disease
Zagutachie have illustrated in this image, that when you are under the influence of establishment, reducing the tax burdon is necessary to produce economic growth.
Black people
Black people are as equal as white even all human beings are equal regardless of their color, race or religion, black people should not be treated differently, simply "All Equal"
This artist is changing the whole NFT Era.
zagutachie zagutachie [email protected] www.zagutachie.com canada
Media ContactCompany Name: ZagutachieEmail: Send EmailCountry: CanadaWebsite: zagutachie.com


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WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court term that begins Monday holds the prospect for major rulings about affirmative action, gay marriage and voting rights.
A look at cases the court already has agreed to hear and other top cases in the pipeline:
RACIAL PREFERENCES – In Fisher v. University of Texas, to be argued Oct. 10, the court will weigh Texas' limited use of race to help fill out its incoming classes. The outcome could result in a major cutback in the use of racial preferences at the nation's colleges.
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES – The justices will consider whether American courts may be used by foreign victims to sue over human rights violations abroad. The case of Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, to be argued on Monday, concerns claims the oil giant Shell was complicit in atrocities committed by the Nigerian government against its citizens in the oil-rich Niger delta.
DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS – Two disputes involving drug-sniffing dogs will be heard by the court on Halloween. In one, the question is whether a dog brought to the front door of a home to sniff for marijuana amounts to a search. In the other, the court will consider a dog's reliability and qualifications as a drug-sniffing animal in a case involving a traffic stop and a warrantless search that found the ingredients for making methamphetamines in a pickup truck.
FIGHTING TERRORISM – The government is trying to shut down a constitutional challenge to a law that lets the United States eavesdrop on overseas communications. Lawyers, journalists and human rights advocates filed a lawsuit that objected to the latest version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The issue at the high court, to be argued Oct. 29, is whether the law's challengers are entitled to make their case in federal court.
The following issues probably will be heard this term:
GAY MARRIAGE – The justices are expected to take up gay marriage in at least one of the many appeals pending at the high court. Several lower federal courts have struck down as unconstitutional a provision of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that denies federal benefits, including favorable tax treatment and health benefits, among many others, to legally married same-sex couples. The court almost always has the last word when federal laws are struck down. A separate appeal involves California's ban on gay marriage, ruled unconstitutional by federal courts.
VOTING RIGHTS ACT – Several appeals ask the court to invalidate a cornerstone of civil rights era legislation, a provision of the Voting Rights Act that requires all or parts of 16 states, most in the South and all with a history of past discrimination, to get approval from the Justice Department or the federal court in Washington before instituting any changes affecting elections and voting. Some justices expressed skepticism about the need for this measure in a 2009 decision that sidestepped a definitive ruling.
Associated Press


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Trento Startup Weekend 03/14
Pubblicato il 12 Mar 2014
Welcome to Trento Startup Weekend 2014!
The event will be in English.
Select your ticket tipe here below and get ready to launch a startup in 54 hours!
If you have been selected as TechPeaks #2 participant, you don't need to buy a ticket. The participation to the SW Trento is included in the TechPeaks Program.
We have some discount for university students, contact us at email@example.com to get your discount code! We will ask you to provide us your university card number.
For all event details, visit trento.startupweekend.org
Refund Policy: No refunds will be granted within 7 days of the event if food and drink have already been ordered. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
About Startup Weekend: Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation, Startup Weekends culminate in Sunday night demos and presentations. Participants create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams hear talks by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurials. The weekend is centered around action, innovation, and education. Whether you are looking for feedback on a idea, a co-founder, specific skill sets, or a team to help you execute, Startup Weekends are the perfect environment in which to test your idea and take the first steps towards launching your own startup.
Terms of Participation Agreement: It is our job to provide you with an incredible networking and learning opportunity. Our intention is that you meet some amazing people that you might actually start a company with, build relationships with coaches, and learn from your peers. The event is intended to be a collaborative forum for sharing, learning, building, and having fun. As such, by registering as a participant, you acknowledge that any ideas shared by you or anyone else over the course of the event are contributions to the overall experience and community. If you as a participant are worried about someone stealing your ideas, please reconsider your participation in the event itself or simply refrain from sharing specifics about your idea.
As a member of your startup community, you agree to to be inclusive of any and all people and their ideas. You agree to act professionally, treat everyone with respect, and treat the event facilities with proper care. You agree that you are responsible for any accidents or damages that you cause. You also agree to not hold Startup Weekend, your local volunteer team, or any of the event supporters liable for any loss, damage, injury, or any other unforeseeable incident.
By participating in the Startup Weekend, each Participant grants STARTUP WEEKEND and its licensees, successors and assigns a non-exclusive, perpetual, non-cancelable, royalty free, fully paid up, worldwide right and license to edit, modify, adapt, translate, exhibit, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer of, reproduce, copy, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, display and otherwise use all and/or any part of such Participant's names, likenesses, photographs, voices and images of all persons referenced and/or appearing in materials generated at the event, without limitation, anywhere in the world in any form (tangible or intangible, permanent or ephemeral, including, without limitation, audio, video, print, electronic, written, and photographic) and via any transmission medium (including, without limitation, television, radio, Internet, and print) now existing or that may exist in the future for advertising, trade, promotion, publicity and other related purposes without compensation and without notice to or consideration, review or approval from Participant.
Each Participant further agrees to (i) be questioned or interviewed (whether in person or by other means such as email or phone), filmed and/or photographed and available for interviewing, filming, photography and for other public relations, marketing and promotional activities associated with the Event, as reasonably required and directed by STARTUP WEEKEND, (ii) allow STARTUP WEEKEND to make contact with the Participant (whether in person, by phone, email or otherwise) for the purpose of requesting further information from the Participant in relation to their participation or for any other purpose related to the Startup Weekend. Each Participant represents and warrants that neither its participation, nor STARTUP WEEKEND's exercise of any of the rights granted to it under these Terms will (a) infringe or violate any rights of any third party or entity, including, without limitation, those relating to patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, moral rights, mask works, defamation, privacy, publicity, false light, misappropriation, confidentiality, and/or any contractual or other rights recognizable under any applicable law, rule, regulation, ordinance, judgment or decree (collectively, "Law"), or (b) otherwise violate any applicable Law.
La tua opinione è importante per noi!


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Companies and organizations come in virtually countless shapes and sizes, but one thing that tends to unite them all is at least some reliance on printing. Hand in hand with that fact, in turn, come the ubiquitous paper, toner and other various related items, all of which can add up both in the budget and in their toll on the planet.
Just from a budget perspective, in fact, the average corporate organization spends between 1 and 3 percent of its annual revenue on printing, according to a report in the Recycler.
What's a green-minded company to do? Aiming to print less, of course, is the first, most basic step, as my PCWorld peer Tony Bradley pointed out today in a related column.
The world of technology, however, also has some assistance to offer. Here, then, are a few tech tools that can help you minimize the financial and environmental impact of the printing you simply have to do.
1. Ecofont
It's not uncommon to hear the recommendation to use the Century Gothic font if you want to use less toner. There's clearly something to that, but an even better option could be to use Ecofont, software that features tiny, practically invisible holes in its printed versions.
The software requires no change in the fonts you're currently using, and it works with your existing documents. It's also compatible with most all printers. The main difference is that when it comes time to print, the tiny holes in the multiple eco-variants of your chosen fonts save more than 25 percent of the toner you'd normally use, the company says.
Ecofont won a European Environmental Design Award last year. Its Small Business Edition covers 10 to 50 workstations, with pricing on a per-license basis. Most companies break even within 12 months, Ecofont says. Users of the software also get an official Ecofont certification and logo as proof of their green "creds" in their own communications.
2. GreenPrint
Targeting all the paper that gets wasted every day unnecessarily, meanwhile, GreenPrint is a package that lets you preview print jobs and then remove unnecessary pages, such as blank ones or those with only images. You can also use the software to create electronic PDFs from the files instead.
The result is that users can print dramatically fewer pages than they would otherwise, thereby saving paper, toner and electricity. In fact, the software even tracks and reports the pages, trees and money you've saved. Its enterprise version, meanwhile, adds the capability to direct employees to lower-cost printers.
GreenPrint Home Premium for Windows and Mac is priced at $19, and a tree is planted with every purchase.
3. ACTPrinter
For documents that you'd print only so as to have them with you on the go, another option is software that "prints" it to your iPhone or iPad instead. Houdah Software's ACTPrinter is a package that does just that, as I recently noted in my look at money-saving green apps. The app costs $1.99 on iTunes, and the accompanying software for your Mac or Windows PC is free. I'm hoping Houdah will develop an Android version in the near future, not to mention software for Linux PCs.
4. Efficient Printers
This is not to say that you should run out and buy a brand-new printer if you don't already need one, but newer printers tend to be a lot more efficient than older ones, particularly if they carry a certification such as EnergyStar. Because they tend to run cooler and last longer, such devices could even help you save on air conditioning and maintenance as well.
5. Cartridge Alternatives
Last but not least, it's worth also mentioning toner cartridges, which remain one of the most expensive parts of running a printer. It's no wonder alternatives have popped up to the manufacturer-sanctioned varieties, and they can clearly help save you some money. Our Serial Refiller column, in fact, has looked in depth at several of these, including offerings from Office Depot, Cartridge World and Costco.
There are also toners that have been designed with environmental sustainability in mind. Fuji Xerox's EA Eco-Toner is one of these, and it can reduce power consumption by up to 40 percent, the company says.
Of course, there's also the perennial question of when to replace cartridges, since in some cases months can go by between when the "toner low" light goes on and when streaks actually begin to appear on the page. We're still waiting for software that will tell us the honest truth on that one.


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(this is part two of the discussion which started here.
The Royal Alberta Ground Forces (RAGF)
- Tanks are really starting to become a 20th century creation, but still are handy to have, along with proper defenses. 12 of these or so should provide an adequate fleet of main battle tanks.
- 20-25 FV 432s sound like a nice touch for pure infantry transport
- The Canadian Coyote APC is nice, but the M2/M3 Bradley is a more all-round vehicle. 25 M3A3s, 10 M2A3s, and 5 M6s for air defense
- Since the Bradley is a tracked machine, there will also be need for wheeled mid-level offensive platforms: 25-30 Mowag Pirahnas seem suitable for the task (the Coyote is derived from it)
- Artillery is still applicable in our modern times: no less than 40 PzH2000 German Panzers (partially because you can't go wrong with German Panzers)
- 10 G6 Howitzers are also handy to have around
- 20 Ukrainian BTR-94 APCs sound like a beautiful idea, they are a little more versatile than the American equivalent, the old LVT-7
- The Israeilis make a lovely armoured D9 "battle-dozer", and buying 5 or so of them seems like a wise investment (well, technically we buy a "D9 armour kit" and then attach it to an existing D9)
- With a mere 10 Apache attack helicopters planned, air support on the battlefield will be primarily a reconaissance aim (hence all the unmanned vehicles). As a result, a dedicated anti-tank ground weapon will be required in addition to the artillery. May I suggest 25 NM-142 Norwegian tank-killers? Norway is in general a good model for study militarily, as they have the same climate we do (none of this Aussie-following).
- Finally a fleet of fast-transport vehicle will be required: The French-made Sarajevo-taxi seems a good fit. I'd suggest 60 "VBL TOURELLE FERMEE", an additional 30 "VBL (à flancs redressés) CANON", with 10 "VBL TOW"s and 5 "VBL ALBI-MISTRAL"s
- Finally, a fleet of approximately 400 HMMWVs is appropriate, with the vast majority of them variants of the M1145.
Ground Force Operations would be centred at the primary base of operations of the Royal Albertan Ground Forces (Alberta Army, or RAGF), located at Suffield, Alberta. Additional bases would be at Kamloops and Saskatoon.
The Royal Alberta Marine Corps (RAMC)
The Royal Alberta Marine Corps would not be a traditional marine outfit as 20th century terminology would understand it. The RAMC would encompass emergent-technology warfare, special forces operations, and skunkworks. Sort of SAS-meets-SEALs-meets-JTF2-meets-DeltaForce.
- Vehicle-wise, there wouldn't be much to the RAMC, but what would be included would be:
- 25 NH90 helicopters, 15 of them NFH versions with 10 of the TTH versions.
- 40 French-made VABs will provide for the urban warfare division.
- Three C2 Greyhounds for paratrooping missions
- 20 RQ-1 Predator drones, with 5 RQ-1 Mariners, and 15 RQ-4 Global Hawks
- Approximately 8 Skjold-class Norwegian cutters for traditional marine purposes
- Also for traditional purposes, 10 LCAC hovercraft that can be deployed from Albertan Navy mobile docking platforms
- One British Bay-class landing dock ship as well, for dedicated LCAC missions
- 10 LCU Mark 10 amphibious assault craft
- Two modified Astute-class British attack subs: one rigged with a diving team delivery system (similar to what the USS Polk underwent in the Richard Henrck novel Attack On the Queen; the other rigged for ELINT (electronic warfare and signal aquisition)
- 6 Ka-50 Russian gunship helicopters
Royal Albertan Marine Corps would be trained solely at their training facility in Canoe Lake, Alberta. Their base of operations would be located there as well, with air resources stored at Cold Lake and naval resources stored at Vancouver.
Update, October 28 2006 4:56pm: I never did add on here that the math for the Navy/Airforce/Army/Specialforces has been redone assuming Alberta annexes much of the NWT and Yukon


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- This event has passed.
eGarage Beginner Equipment Training 3D Printing (Afinia H480)
April 10, 2019 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pmFree
This is the beginner equipment training for the eGarage's Afinia H480 rapid prototyping machine. This piece of equipment is very useful for producing a prototype quality item.
Ultimately, if you're interested in exploring the techniques involved in additive manufacturing this will be where to start. As this is a beginner lesson, we'll be focusing on building your skill-set from nothing to full utilization of the beginner tools available.
This training will start promptly at 4 pm and an active wait list is maintained. If you're running late, you should contact email@example.com ahead of time or your spot will be given up.
This will be in a lab environment, so appropriate attire should be worn. Necessary safety equipment will be provided.
A ticket is required for access, if tickets don't show, the event is sold out.
This is for eGarage members only.


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Hovensa LLC also will pay more than $5.3 million to settle Clean Air Act violations; EPA estimates smog and asthma-causing emissions will be reduced by 8,500 tons per year.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice have announced that Hovensa LLC, owner of the second largest petroleum refinery in the United States,has agreed to pay a civil penalty of more than $5.3 million and spend more than $700 million in new pollution controls that will help protect public health and resolve Clean Air Act violations at its St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands refinery.
The settlement requires new and upgraded pollution controls and more stringent emission limits as well as aggressive monitoring, leak-detection, and repair practices to reduce emissions from refinery equipment and process units.
The government's complaint, filed concurrently with the settlement, alleged that the company made modifications to its refinery that increased emissions without first obtaining pre-construction permits and installing required pollution control equipment. The Clean Air Act requires major sources of air pollution to obtain such permits before making changes that would result in a significant emissions increase of any pollutant.
Once fully implemented, the pollution controls are estimated to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides by more than 5,000 tons per year and sulfur dioxide by nearly 3,500 tons per year. The settlement also will result in reductions of volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants that affect air quality. Additional pollution-reducing projects at the refinery's coking unit under the settlement will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 6,100 tons per year.
The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands has joined in the settlement and will receive a portion of the civil penalty. The company also will set aside nearly $4.9 million for projects to benefit the environment of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The projects will be identified jointly by the U.S. Virgin Islands government and Hovensa, in consultation with EPA.
The settlement with Hovensa is the 28th under an EPA initiative to improve compliance among petroleum refiners and to reduce significant amounts of air pollution from refineries nationwide through comprehensive, company-wide enforcement settlements. The first of EPA's settlements was reached in 2000, and with this settlement, 105 refineries operating in 32 states and territories – more than 90 percent of the total refining capacity in the United States – are under judicially enforceable agreements to significantly reduce emissions of pollutants. As a result of the settlement agreements, refiners have agreed to invest about $6 billion in new pollution controls designed to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants by over 360,000 tons per year.
Hovensa is one of the 10 largest refineries in the world and has the capacity to refine more than 525,000 barrels of crude oil per day.The consent decree, lodged in the District Court of the Virgin Islands, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval.
This free educational webinar will provide a detailed process for climate-driven "pre-response" in a variety of key areas including: Supply Chain Disruptions, Employee Safety and Productivity, Regulatory and Compliance Risks …and many more areas.


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So this is our new house.
Note that it is still green.
1900 Dutch Colonial - not far from our old house. I will have more photos in the days to come as we settle in and start to paint!
So this is our new house.
Note that it is still green.
1900 Dutch Colonial - not far from our old house. I will have more photos in the days to come as we settle in and start to paint!
Holy smokes. Looks like there might be a room somewhere in there for me! That's a fantastic place you got there.ReplyDelete
If I spoke French I'd probably say something like "j'adore tu chez nouveax!" but that would be very broken French so instead I will say: I LOVE your new house! Can't wait for the updates as you make it your home.ReplyDelete
When I saw the Tweet about you moving the first thing I thought was...."I can't wait to see what she does with the new place!" And wow...its amazing. Congrats!ReplyDelete
Swoon! That is gorgeous! Those upstairs dormers look like prime craft room territory.ReplyDelete
Oh wow..it is GORGEOUS! Can't wait to see more photos...ReplyDelete
Congrats! It's SO cute.ReplyDelete
Wow! I love it and can't wait to see the interior!ReplyDelete
What a charming and lovely house! May you both have years of happiness, health and creative moments in (and around!) it!ReplyDelete
Congratulations! There's always something fun and entertaining from ljcfyi. The new home is too cute for words. And it's so huge. Your pets can get their own rooms!
Happy Thanksgiving!
What a beautiful house, I can't wait to see more pictures. It looks like it is full of character-congratulations!ReplyDelete
Love, love, love your new house! Can't wait to see more photos! :o)ReplyDelete
How beautiful! Your house has it's own English garden :)ReplyDelete
It's enormous!
And what a beautiful yard!
Congrats! Your new home is absolutely beautiful! Can't wait to see what you do with the place.ReplyDelete
I, like your other loyal fans cannot wait to see what you guys do with this house! I always wondered where you fit all your stuff in the old one. Congrats.ReplyDelete
Congratulations - it's a lovely house and you and Aaron will make it even more beautiful.ReplyDelete
WOW! Absolutely...positively...GORGEOUS! GOOD LUCK...the furkids are going to have a ball exploring!ReplyDelete
How beautiful! And seems enormous! Congratulations. Just lovely, lovely.ReplyDelete
Love it! Can't wait to see what you do with it!ReplyDelete
OMG! It's Lovely!! It looks really shady and peaceful. Is it too shady for a veggie garden?ReplyDelete
What a gorgeous house! I can't wait to see you put the ljc touch on everything!ReplyDelete
Beautiful! It will be so fun vicariously experiencing all the seasons for the first time in your new house.
Fourth Breakfast
It's absolutely beautiful! Big congratulations. I look forward to seeing more of your new home in blog posts to come.ReplyDelete
That house is SO FLIPPIN BEAUTIFUL!ReplyDelete
Wow, your new home is beautiful and it looks like it will have plenty of space for your pyrex collection too! Congratulations and Happy Thanksgiving.ReplyDelete
Congrats on your new house! It's beautiful!! Can't wait to see pictures of the inside.ReplyDelete
Congratulations - that's a beautiful house!ReplyDelete
Yowza! That is so much bigger and grander than your last house! It is gorgeous! Congrats! I hope you got a great deal on it!!!
Cannot wait to see inside!
Just gorgeous! Congrats!!ReplyDelete
Its amazing Jenny!! And beautiful. It certainly has charm for miles! And its HUGE!! So many windows for Stewie, so little time! lol Ive enjoyed reading about your adventures in decorating in the old house, and cant wait to see what magic this one has in store for you guys. It certainly looks magic doesnt it? Very English country dream house. Congratulations.ReplyDelete
Congrats on the new house. It is magnificent! May you, Aaron and the awesome animals have a lifetime of happiness!
And I love Stephen Fry. Geeves and Wooster all the way!
So beautiful!! I hope you guys will be very happy in your new home. I can't wait to see it evolve as you guys make it your own.ReplyDelete
the new house is simply stunning. sooo much charm.ReplyDelete
That is fantastic! Good luck with everything!ReplyDelete
Very charming! I can't wait to see the colors of paint you pick.ReplyDelete


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CHAPTER 109. Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin.
According to usage they were pumping the ship next morning; and lo! no inconsiderable oil came up with the water; the casks below must have sprung a bad leak. Much concern was shown; and Starbuck went down into the cabin to report this unfavourable affair.1
Now, from the South and West the Pequod was drawing nigh to Formosa and the Bashee Isles, between which lies one of the tropical outlets from the China waters into the Pacific. And so Starbuck found Ahab with a general chart of the oriental archipelagoes spread before him; and another separate one representing the long eastern coasts of the Japanese islands—Niphon, Matsmai, and Sikoke. With his snow-white new ivory leg braced against the screwed leg of his table, and with a long pruning-hook of a jack-knife in his hand, the wondrous old man, with his back to the gangway door, was wrinkling his brow, and tracing his old courses again.
"Who's there?" hearing the footstep at the door, but not turning round to it. "On deck! Begone!"
"Captain Ahab mistakes; it is I. The oil in the hold is leaking, sir. We must up Burtons and break out."
"Up Burtons and break out? Now that we are nearing Japan; heave-to here for a week to tinker a parcel of old hoops?"
"Either do that, sir, or waste in one day more oil than we may make good in a year. What we come twenty thousand miles to get is worth saving, sir."
"So it is, so it is; if we get it."
"I was speaking of the oil in the hold, sir."
"And I was not speaking or thinking of that at all. Begone! Let it leak! I'm all aleak myself. Aye! leaks in leaks! not only full of leaky casks, but those leaky casks are in a leaky ship; and that's a far worse plight than the Pequod's, man. Yet I don't stop to plug my leak; for who can find it in the deep-loaded hull; or how hope to plug it, even if found, in this life's howling gale? Starbuck! I'll not have the Burtons hoisted."
"What will the owners say, sir?"
"Let the owners stand on Nantucket beach and outyell the Typhoons. What cares Ahab? Owners, owners? Thou art always prating to me, Starbuck, about those miserly owners, as if the owners were my conscience. But look ye, the only real owner of anything is its commander; and hark ye, my conscience is in this ship's keel.—On deck!"
"Captain Ahab," said the reddening mate, moving further into the cabin, with a daring so strangely respectful and cautious that it almost seemed not only every way seeking to avoid the slightest outward manifestation of itself, but within also seemed more than half distrustful of itself; "A better man than I might well pass over in thee what he would quickly enough resent in a younger man; aye, and in a happier, Captain Ahab."
"Devils! Dost thou then so much as dare to critically think of me?—On deck!"
"Nay, sir, not yet; I do entreat. And I do dare, sir—to be forbearing! Shall we not understand each other better than hitherto, Captain Ahab?"
Ahab seized a loaded musket from the rack (forming part of most South-Sea-men's cabin furniture), and pointing it towards Starbuck, exclaimed: "There is one God that is Lord over the earth, and one Captain that is lord over the Pequod.—On deck!"
For an instant in the flashing eyes of the mate, and his fiery cheeks, you would have almost thought that he had really received the blaze of the levelled tube. But, mastering his emotion, he half calmly rose, and as he quitted the cabin, paused for an instant and said: "Thou hast outraged, not insulted me, sir; but for that I ask thee not to beware of Starbuck; thou wouldst but laugh; but let Ahab beware of Ahab; beware of thyself, old man."
"He waxes brave, but nevertheless obeys; most careful bravery that!" murmured Ahab, as Starbuck disappeared. "What's that he said—Ahab beware of Ahab—there's something there!" Then unconsciously using the musket for a staff, with an iron brow he paced to and fro in the little cabin; but presently the thick plaits of his forehead relaxed, and returning the gun to the rack, he went to the deck.
"Thou art but too good a fellow, Starbuck," he said lowly to the mate; then raising his voice to the crew: "Furl the t'gallant-sails, and close-reef the top-sails, fore and aft; back the main-yard; up Burton, and break out in the main-hold."
It were perhaps vain to surmise exactly why it was, that as respecting Starbuck, Ahab thus acted. It may have been a flash of honesty in him; or mere prudential policy which, under the circumstance, imperiously forbade the slightest symptom of open disaffection, however transient, in the important chief officer of his ship. However it was, his orders were executed; and the Burtons were hoisted.
In Sperm-whalemen with any considerable quantity of oil on board, it is a regular semi-weekly duty to conduct a hose into the hold, and drench the casks with sea-water; which afterwards, at varying intervals, is removed by the ship's pumps. Hereby the casks are sought to be kept damply tight; while by the changed character of the withdrawn water, the mariners readily detect any serious leakage in the precious cargo. ↩


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Approximately 700 people killed in 9 days of intense clashes and executions between the ISIS forces against islamist and rebel battalions
697 people have been killed between Friday 3/1/2014, when the clashes began, and midnight of Saturday 11/1/2014. The victims include 100 civilians, 21 were executed by the ISIS fighters in the children hospital in Qadi Askar neighbourhood of Aleppo and 1 executed by an anfamous rebel battalion in the Meyser neighbourhood, the rest were killed in the crossfire during the clashes.
351 combatants from the islamist and non-islamist rebel battalions, killed during the clashes, car bombs, and attacks on vehicles in the provinces of Aleppo, Raqqah, Hama, Homs and Idlib. 53 of them were executed by ISIS forces, 21 of them in the children's hospital of Aleppo.
246 ISIS fighters were also amongst those killed. 56 of them, as well as members of Jund al-Aqsa, were summarily executed by rebels in the Jabal al-Zawiya area of Reef Idlib, as confirmed by medical and local sources, while the others were killed by clashes.
Worryingly the fate of hundreds of detainees taken months and weeks ago by the ISIS are still unknown. Also unknown is the fate of hundreds of ISIS captives.
We again call on the International Organisations and Community to not suffice with press statements, they must also work to end the conflict in Syria that is causing daily war crimes to be committed. A ceasefire is needed to stop the Syrian regime, which is indiscriminately using all forms of weaponry in heavily populated areas, and to stop those that are committing war crimes under the guise of assisting the Syrian people.
–Syrian Observatory on Human Rights, January 12, 2012.
As the Geneva II Peace Conference scheduled to open on January 22, 2014 approaches, there is only one subject which should be on the table for discussion: establishment, implementation and verification of compliance with a ceasefire throughout all of Syria.
To discuss final arrangement provisions while a bloody civil war rages uncontrolled, imagining more "castles in the sky" as Kofi Annan did throughout his mediation effort, would be futile, like spitting into the wind–again.
70,000 people have died in Syria since the article below was first published. An estimated 130,000 have now died in Syria since demonstrations began in 2011.
First published July 28, 2012
The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin—Obama's Debacle in Syria — Update #70
The Opening of the XXX Olympic Games
It was a poignant moment, as world leaders gathered in London last night (July 27) for the opening of the XXX Olympic Games, with the performance of an extraordinary spectacle, in which at one point five Olympic rings appeared suspended in the heavens over the Olympic Stadium. Over a billion people were said to have watched the opening ceremonies on television.
Here, in the very heart of the democratic civilizations of Europe, the Olympic ideal shone brightly.
In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games were preceded by a "Sacred Truce" among the warring city-states, in which athletes were guaranteed safe passage to and from the games, and all fighting was to be halted for a period of one month. This period was eventually extended to allow the athletes and visitors to return home.
The games were held every four years from 776 BC to 393 AD, when they were abolished by the Christian Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I. The ancient Olympic Games lasted for 1170 years. The Modern Olympic Games were initiated in 1896, and have been held every four years or more often since then except for 1916, 1940 and 1944.
–"Brief History of the Olympic Games," NOSTOS (Hellenic Information Society, UK).
Importantly, the Olympic Games today stand as a symbol for humanity's goal of one day achieving universal peace. The alternative, it seems, is either the goal of endless war, or the resignation that goes with the sense of helplessness we feel when we reject the goal of peace.
The Battle for Aleppo, and the Response of the World
Meanwhile, in Aleppo in Syria, a country where the international community and the Security Council have been unable to reach agreement to act effectively to halt the atrocities of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the portents of death and destruction were all too palpable yesterday and today, as the regime's troops, tanks, artillery, helicopters and war planes began a concerted assault on the lightly armed rebels of the Syrian Liberation Army, in what a pro-Assad Damascus newspaper termed "the Mother of all Battles".
Today, on Saturday, July 28, the battle was joined in earnest.
For news of recent developments on the ground in Syria, see
Luke Harding (in Anadan, on the Aleppo front line), "Syrian rebels near Aleppo: 'We are besieging Assad's army'; Regime forces have been pulverising rebel-held districts using artillery and helicopter gunships. But the rebels are upbeat," The Guardian, July 28, 2012 (11:35 EDT).
Damien McElroy (in Aleppo), "Badly armed rebels face tanks as Syria's mother of all battles begins," The Telegraph, July 28, 2012 (6:57PM BST).
Álvaro de Cózar (Special Correspondent in Marea), "El Ejército sirio avanza para tomar Alepo; Las tropas de El Asad atacan con bombas y tanques los barrios en manos rebeldes; Las líneas de teléfono y el suministro de energía han sido cortados, El País, 28 Julio 2012 (23:45 CET).
Kareem Fahim and Ellen Barry, "Syrian Military Intensifies Assault on Rebels in Aleppo," New York Times, July 28, 2012
Unfortunately, Americans accessing the Internet do not find it easy to gain a sense of what is actually taking place on the ground, due to "The Filter Bubble" which prevents most U.S. observers on the Internet from seeing the search results for newspapers outside of their own country (including, e.g., British and other newspapers which have correspondents on the ground in Syria). To get around The Filter Bubble, see the directions in the bottom right-hand column on the right on our Home Page, or go here.
Thus, as the world turns its attention to the joyful spectacle of athletes from countries throughout the world competing on the basis of individual merit, as humanity comes together for its quadrennial celebration of the richness and diversity of the human family, the people in Aleppo and in Syria are left to face the absolute terror and barbarism of the Bashar al-Assad regime, alone.
Russia and China, along with the Syrian regime, are clearly to blame for this state of affairs, and populations who follow international affairs throughout the world are aware of the role they have have played in thwarting effective U.N. Security Council action. Memories of how they have backed the murderous regime of al-Assad are likely to be long indeed in the Middle East, and also in the democracies of the world.
The United States and other Western countries warn of an impending massacre in Aleppo, as if anyone but they themselves could save the day.
It is a new role for Americans: Eyewitness News reporters without an inkling of any sense of moral responsibility that might lead them to act. In this role, they are following the lead of their president.
The Americans, the Europeans, top U.N. officials and others loudly deplore the lamentable state of affairs in Syria in general, and the unfolding of the "mother of all battles" in Aleppo, in particular.
Leaderless, they stand helpless and paralyzed before the terror and barbarism of al-Assad.
They provide countless declarations of moral outrage, and call for the nations of the world to increase their "pressure" on the al-Assad regime.
The "pressure" of which they speak is a "pressure" of words, of plaintive moral appeals directed to war criminals whose moral depravity is beyond dispute. Or perhaps the "pressure" may even consist of voluntary economic sanctions, imposed by different countries outside the framework of the U.N. Security Council, whose impact is uncertain and in any event will take much time.
Neither words nor economic sanctions, however, will stop al-Assad's armies.
These leaders are at once appalled by the terror, the barbarism, the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity before their very eyes, and caught in their own moral cowardice, impotent, helpless, with verbal reproaches the only weapons they have the courage to wield. Paralyzed by their own cowardice, they will not act—not effectively, not in time to save the thousands of additional deaths that the grinding gears of war portend to claim, and of which they so earnestly warn.
Enough with Words!
These leaders can all do the world one big favor: Stop denouncing al-Assad's atrocities, at least until they are willing to do something really effective to bring them to a halt.
With their moral energies thus freed, they can pay close attention to the facts on the ground, to what is actually happening to thousands of human beings in the maw of war, and then they can seek quiet solace in their churches, their synagogues, their mosques, and the other spiritual refuges in which they must, as individual human beings, come to terms with what they have seen, and what they have not done.
Enough with words!
Enough with the self-absolving declarations these leaders offer to the world, and to themselves, so they can sleep at night, knowing they were present at Srebrenice, present at Auschwitz, present in Rwanda, over a very long period of time, and did nothing.
President Theodore Roosevelt, Recipient of the 1907 Nobel Peace Prize, on Words and Deeds
As for President Obama, who reportedly likes to think of himself as emulating the great American presidents, the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, recipient of the 1907 Nobel Peace Prize, come to mind. Roosevelt declared:
"International Peace"
We must ever bear in mind that the great end in view is righteousness, justice as between man and man, nation and nation, the chance to lead our lives on a somewhat higher level, with a broader spirit of brotherly goodwill one for another. Peace is generally good in itself, but it is never the highest good unless it comes as the handmaid of righteousness; and it becomes a very evil thing if it serves merely as a mask for cowardice and sloth, or as an instrument to further the ends of despotism or anarchy. We despise and abhor the bully, the brawler, the oppressor, whether in private or public life, but we despise no less the coward and the voluptuary. No man is worth calling a man who will not fight rather than submit to infamy or see those that are dear to him suffer wrong. No nation deserves to exist if it permits itself to lose the stern and virile virtues; and this without regard to whether the loss is due to the growth of a heartless and all-absorbing commercialism, to prolonged indulgence in luxury and soft, effortless ease, or to the deification of a warped and twisted sentimentality.
Moreover, and above all, let us remember that words count only when they give expression to deeds, or are to be translated into them (emphasis added). The leaders of the Red Terror2 prattled of peace while they steeped their hands in the blood of the innocent; and many a tyrant has called it peace when he has scourged honest protest into silence. Our words must be judged by our deeds; and in striving for a lofty ideal we must use practical methods; and if we cannot attain all at one leap, we must advance towards it step by step, reasonably content so long as we do actually make some progress in the right direction.
[Footnote] 2. The "Terror" is a term characterizing the conduct of power in revolutionary France by the second committee of Public Safety (September, 1793-July, 1794), sometimes identified as the "Red Terror" to distinguish it from the short-lived "White Terror", which was an effort by the Royalists in 1795 to destroy the Revolution.
–Theodore Roosevelt, 1907 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, delivered May 5, 1910.
President Obama and the other leaders of the world would do well to take these words to heart, today, and every day hereafter until they find the courage to take effective action to halt the barbarism and the terror in Syria.
The Trenchant Observer
For links to other articles by The Trenchant Observer, click on the title at the top of this page to go to the home page, and then use the "Search" Box or consult the information in the bottom right hand corner of the home page. The Articles on Syria page can also be found here. The Articles on Targeted Killings page can also be found here.


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How Not To Think About The Pension Crisis
The latest news out of Detroit isn't good. To get its fresh start, this once great but now bankrupt city is going to stick it to municipal employees and retirees.
City retirees there haven't enjoyed exactly lavish pensions, but what they had was thought to be secure, protected under the state's Constitution. That was until this week, when a federal judge ruled that guarantee void.
This has bad implications for Detroit, and for public employees everywhere.
Federal judge Steven W. Rhodes ruled that federal law trumps Michigan's constitutional protection for public pensions. That means that pensions that were promised to more than 21,000 Detroit workers — fire and police, trash haulers, water and street crews — can now be considered as part of the unsecured debt of the city.
To put it in human terms, the public librarian who worked 30 years checking out books, helping countless youngsters learn to read, might see her pension slashed. That might mean this fixed income retiree won't be able to pay her mortgage or heating bill each month.
According to Detroit Free Press, general city retirees receive about $19,000 in average pension benefits. Police and fire former employees get about $32,000, but they are also not eligible for Social Security benefits as part of their pension agreements.
Those are not astronomical payouts. Raise your hand if you think that's too much to live on in your retirement.
The danger is that this approach will be presented as inevitable when cities and states finally have to clean up the messes of past poor governance. If the decision is upheld, the way has been greased for other cities to follow suit.
And because it's Detroit, too few people will heed the alarm. After all, Detroiters are used to doing with less, right? Only a third of the city's ambulances are operating, and 40 percent of its street lights. It takes police an hour to respond to "priority one" 911 calls, and large sections of Detroit, with its 78,000 blighted and abandoned properties, resemble a sparsely inhabited war zone.
Detroit is everybody's favorite byword for urban malaise, but don't think this is limited to the Motor City. Other municipalities and states have anxiously awaited Rhodes' ruling on Detroit's pensions because they have similar or even worse pension shortfalls. There's even an ominous shorthand term pundits and editorialists now use: The Pension Crisis.
However, there's something about the way these very serious people discuss The Pension Crisis that promotes the stick-it-to-the-retirees approach. They like to throw around large, scary numbers without any context, such as expressing pension shortfalls as a percentage of expected revenues or income. They blame unions (or, if they're particularly hostile, "union bosses") for hanging on to something that private-sector employees once had but lost.
They sometimes mention that pensions are underfunded because elected officials chose not to fund them, as they were supposed to. However, they almost never ponder the fact that employees — whose benefits we must cut — made all their pension contributions, on time.
Also unmentioned: Many of the deficit scolds now crying for blood (bond rating agencies, pundits, editorialists) were somehow OK with shorting the pension funds back when it seemed like a good idea (back when the stock market and "AAA-rated" mortgage-backed securities were everybody's friend).
Now, we are told, the only alternatives for dealing with the mess are hiking taxes, cutting services and getting out of pension obligations.
That brings us back to the significance of Judge Rhodes' decision. It's "the canary in a coal mine for protected pension benefits across the country. They're gone." That's how a spokesman for the Detroit Police and Fire Retirement System put it to the New York Times.
We're in the middle of a wrenching national process in which wage earners will have to part with any hope for secure employment and secure retirement. Middle-class workers in the private sector are getting worried, too. They've already been shunted into 401(k) plans, a pathetic alternative to the defined-benefit pension. Add in all the mendacious schemes to "fix" Social Security, and you might see a pattern.
Do we have a pension crisis? Yes, but it's really a crisis of government. We need a federal law that regulates state and municipal pensions, just like we have in the private sector. And Americans need to understand that if they want to keep what they've already earned, they're going to have to fight.
(Mary Sanchez is an opinion-page columnist for The Kansas City Star. Readers may write to her at: Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. 64108-1413, or via email at firstname.lastname@example.com.)
Photo: ifmuth via Flickr


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|Download Char Dham Fixed Departure Tour Details 2023 PDF File Download
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Chardham package is offer you tension free Chardham yatra package ex Delhi in 10 nights 11 days with all types of package luxury, budget, deluxe. We are use best hotel in that are as per package in year 2023.
Chardham - The most important Hindu religious path in the Himalayas, which is found in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand state, in the past which was part of Uttar Pradesh. The path passes through four Hindu pilgrimage destination - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.
Day 01: Haridwar Barkot (210kms/7-8hr) Height: 1352 MTS.
Barkot via Mussoorie, enroute visit Mussoorie Lake & Kempty Fall in Mussoorie. Later drive straight to Barkot. Check into the hotel arrival in Barkot. Overnight stay at Barkot. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Barkot Weather - Generally pleasant in summer, the temperature ranges from 25-30 degree Celsius, Winter: The Days are pleasantly cool but the nights are cold,temp ranges from 10 deg to 05 deg.
Day 02: Barkot to Yamunotri to Barkot {36kms drive & 6kms Trek (one side)} Height: 3235 MTS.
Early morning after breakfast (packed breakfast), drive to Jankichatti / Phoolchatti & star trek from here to Yamunotri (6kms) (Either by walk or by horse or by Doli at own cost). After taking bath in Jamunabai Kund's warm water and having "Darshan" of "Yamunaji" return to Jankichatti by trek. Later drive towards Barkot, Overnight stay at Barkot.
(Breakfast, Dinner) Yamunotri Temple : Maharani Gularia of Jaipur built the temple in the 19th Century. It was destroyed twice in the present century and rebuilt again. At Yamunotri, One can cook rice by packing it in a cloth and dipping it in the hot water of the Tapt kund. Pilgrims take this cooked rice home as "Prasad". Here near the temple "Pooja" can be offered to Divya Shila.
Surya Kund : There are a Number of thermal springs near temple, which flows into numerous pools. The most important of these is Surya Kund.
Divya Shila : A rock pillar, worshipped before entering the Yamunotri Temple.
Yamunotri Weather - In summer the maximun temp is 18 degrees and the minimum is 10 degrees celsius. The days are pleasantly cool but the nights are cold.
Day 03: Barkot to Uttarkashi (100kms/4hr) Height: 1352 MTS.
Morning after breakfast, drive to Uttarkashi. Check into the hotel arrival in Uttarkashi. Visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Uttarkashi. Overnight stay at Uttarkashi. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Uttarkashi is home to a number of ashrams, temples. The name of the town reflects its similarity to and location (as north of) the city of Kashi (Varanasi). Similar to Varanasi, town of Uttarkashi is also situated on the banks of River Ganga.
Vishwanath temple - Vishwanath temple is one of the oldest Shiva temples in Northern India. Re-constructed in 1857 by Maharani Khaneti Devi of Tehri State in the ancient architectural style. It is situated at the heart of the town. A massive iron trident, symbolic of divine mother's, is erected and worshiped from time immemorial at the temple complex. Ganeshji, Sakshi Gopal, Markandeya Rishi's small shrines are also part of the temple complex. Akhand Jyoti as well as Akhand Abhishek, special aarti at morning and evening are offered. As per Skunda Puran, Uttarkashi is known as 'Saumya Varanasi', the abode of Lord Shiva in Kaliyug and counted as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
Shakti temple - Right in front of the Vishwanath temple is Shakti temple. It has a big 'Trishul' of about 6 meters in height and a circumference of 90 cms. at bottom. Though there are different views about the making of this, the upper part of it seems to be made up of iron and the lower one is of copper. As per the epics this Shakti was thrown on the devils by the Goddess Durga(Shakti), hence it gets its name. Since then this Shakti is erected over here.
Uttarkashi Weather - Generally hot in summer, the temperature ranges from 30-35 degree Celsius but nights is pleasant, Cold in winters.
Day 04: Uttarkashi to Gangotri to Uttarkashi (100kms/3-4 each side) Height: 3048 MTS.
Early morning (packed breakfast) drive to Gangotri, enroute at Gangnani take a holy dip in Garam Kund, further drive to Gangotri via beautiful Harsil Valley. Harsil is famous for its nature beauty and for the majestic views of the Deodar trees and mountains. On arrival at Shree Gangotri, take a holy dip in the sacred river Ganges which is also called Bhagirathi at its origin. Perform Pooja and Darshan, after that relax for some time in the lovely surroundings. Later drive back to Uttarkashi. Overnight stay at Uttarkashi. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Gangotri Temple : The temple was constructed by the Gorkha General Amar Singh Thapa in the 18th Century, is situated on the right bank of Bhagirathi.
Gangotri Weather - The maximum temperature during summer can go up to 20° Celsius. Summer nights can get cooler with a minimum temperature of 10° Celsius. Light woolen clothes are required while visiting Gangotri during summer. Winter season is very chilly in Gangotri. Gangotri will be covered in sheets of snow during winter. Pilgrim centers remains closed throughout winter due to heavy snow falls.
Day 05: Uttarkashi to Guptkashi (220kms/8-9hr) Height: 1319 MTS.
Morning after breakfast, drive to Guptkashi via Moolgarh & Lambgoan. Enroute you can see the beautiful river Mandakini at Tilwara. The Mandakini river comes from Kedarnath, drive alongside the river to reach Guptkashi, visit Ardh Narishwar Temple in Guptkashi. Check into the hotel arrival in Guptkashi. Overnight stay at Guptkashi. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Guptkashi :- The name Gupt Kashi means "Hidden Benares. Mythology describes how when the Pandava brothers were searching for a glimpse of Shiva, Shivji first concealed himself at Guptkashi, but later fled from them further up the valley to Kedarnath, where the Pandavas finally got their wish fulfilled. There are more tangible connections as well-the Kedarnath pandas (priests) live in Guptkashi during the winter months, and after the Kedarnath temple closes for the winter, the image of Kedarnath passes through Gupt Kashi on its way to Ukhimath (across the valley), where it stays for the winter.
Guptkashi Weather - pleasant in summer, the temperature ranges from 25-30 degree Celsius. Cold in winters.
Day 06: Guptkashi to Kedarnath(30kms by road & 19kms Trek one way) Height: 3384 MTS.
Morning after breakfast go kedarnath. Enjoy Kedanrath Darshan & back your hotel. Overnight stay at Kedarnath. (Breakfast, Dinner)
By Helicopter : Morning our driver will transfer you your prebook Helipad. After Back our car will drop you at Hotel for rest.
By Trek : Morning our driver will drop you at Sonprayag then you have to take local jeep for Gourikund & then your trek strat for kedarnath ji. After darshan you follow same & back to Sonpraag. There is big parking issue so driver will back other palace if his contact no. in not working then you have to arrange other taxi or wait for your driver & send the massage any other driver.
Kedarnath : The Kedarnath shrine, one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is a scenic spot situated, against the backdrop of the majestic Kedarnath range. Kedar is another name of Lord Shiva. According to legend, the Pandavas after having won over the Kaurava in the Kurukshetra war, felt guilty of having killed their own brothers and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva for redemption. He eluded them repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a bull. On being followed he dived into the ground, leaving his hump on the surface. The remaining portions of Lord Shiva appeared at four other places and are worshipped there as his manifestations. The arms appeared at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the belly at Madhmaheshwar and his locks (hair) with head at Kalpeshwar. Kedarnath and the four above-mentioned shrines are treated as Panch Kedar.
Kedarnath Weather - Due to its high altitude the weather in Kedarnath remains cold for most part of the year. Summer here is cool and pleasant while winter is severe. During summer season the temperature varies around 20°Celsius. Light woolen wear is recommended. Winter season in Kedarnath is severe with mercury falling to as low as 0°Celsius. During this time the place experiences snowfall as well. Due to the extreme climatic conditions, this time is usually avoided by tourists.
Day 07 : Kedarnath to Guptkashi (30kms by road & 19kms Trek one way) Height: 3384 MTS.
Morning after Pooja & breakfast & back your hotel. Overnight stay at Guptkashi. (Breakfast, Dinner)
By Helicopter : Morning our driver will transfer you your prebook Helipad. After Back our car will drop you at Hotel for rest.
By Trek : Morning our driver will drop you at Sonprayag then you have to take local jeep for Gourikund & then your trek strat for kedarnath ji. After darshan you follow same & back to Sonpraag. There is big parking issue so driver will back other palace if his contact no. in not working then you have to arrange other taxi or wait for your driver & send the massage any other driver.
Day 08: Guptkashi to Badrinath to Pandukeshwar (230kms/9hr) Height: 3133 MTS.
Morning after breakfast, drive to Badrinath. Check in to the hotel arrival in Badrinath/ Pandukeshwar. Overnight at Pandukeshwar.
Day 09: Badrinath to Joshimath to Rudraprayag (160kms/7hr) Height: 895 MTS.
Morning Pilgrims after having a bath in the Taptkund have the Darshan of Badrivishal & Aarti in evening. Brahamakapal is significant for Pinddan Shraddh of ancestors (Pitrus). There are other interesting sightseeing spot like Mana, Vyas Gufa, Maatamoorti, Charanpaduka, Bhimkund and the "Mukh" of the Saraswati River. Just within the three kms of Badrinathjee.later drive back to Rudraprayag via Joshimath. Check into the hotel arrival in Rudraprayag. Overnight stay at Rudraprayag.(Breakfast, Dinner)
Badrinath one of the 'Ancient Four Dhams' is one of the most celebrated pilgrimage spots of the country and is situated at an elevation of 3,133 meters, guarded on either side by the two mountain ranges known as Nar & Narayan with the towering Neelkanth Peak providing a splendid backdrop. This revered spot was once carpeted with wild berries. Thus the place got the name "Badri van", meaning "forest of berries".
Tapt Kund : Natural thermal springs on the bank of the river Alaknanda, where it is customary to bath before entering the Badrinath temple.
Mana Village : Inhabited by an Indo-Mongolian tribe, it is the last Indian village before Tibet.
Vasundhara : As the name suggests, vasundhara is a magnificent water fall. This place is 5 kms. from Badrinath out of which 2 kms. is motorable upto Mana.
Bhim Pul : On the other side of Mana village, a massive rock forming a natural bridge, lies over the roaring Saraswati river. It presents a spectacular view of water thundering down through the narrow passage under the rock and is believed to have been placed there by Bhim, the second eldest among the five Pandava brothers.
Vyas Gufa (cave) : Near Mana Village, this is a rock-cave where Ved Vyas is believed to have composed the Mahabharata and the pauranic commentaries.
Badrinath Weather : The average maximum temperature will be around 18° Celsius and the average minimum is 8° Celsius. Warm and woolen clothes are hence required for a stay in Badrinath throughout the year. Winter in Badrinath is often accompanied by snow falls. Winter is very chilly with an average temperature of 5° Celsius. Due to the extreme climatic conditions, this time is usually closed for tourists. Visit on the way Narsingh Temple in Joshimath.
Joshimath is situated on the slopes above the confluence of the rivers Alaknanda and Dhauliganga. Of the four 'Maths' established by Adi Shankaracharya, Joshimath is the winter seat of Badrinath. The idol is brought down to Joshimath and installed in the temple for people to worship. There are many other temples in the township. The most important is the temple of Nir Singh with the idol of Lord Vishnu. The left arm of this deity is getting destroyed with time and the popular belief holds that the day the arm completely withers Badrinath valley will cease to exist and the Gods will transfer the residence into the neighboring Niti Valley at Bhavishya Badri.
Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River. It is confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. Kedarnath, a Hindu holy town is located 86 km from Rudraprayag.
Rudraprayag Weather - Generally hot in summer, the temperature ranges from 35-40 degree Celsius, Winter: The Days are pleasantly cool but the nights are cold, temp ranges from 20 deg to 05 deg.
Day 10: Rudraprayag to Haridwar Tour(165kms/5-6hr).
Morning after breakfast, drive for Haridwar via Rishikesh. Rishikesh 'place of sages' is a celebra ted spiritual town on the bank of Ganga and is surrounded by Shivalik range of the Himalayas on three sides. It is said that when Raibhya Rishi did hard penances, God appeared by the name of " Hrishikesh " and this area hence firth came to be known as Rishikesh. Check in Hotel. Later visit Rishikesh Temples & Sight Seeing – Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula. Overnight stay at Haridwar. (Breakfast)
Rishikesh : Named after the Lord Vishnu, Rishikesh is a holy city for Hindus. Located in the foothills of the Himalaya in northern India it is also known as the yoga center of the world and is home to many world renowned ashrams. Rishikesh styles itself as the 'Yoga Capital of the World', with masses of ashrams and all kinds of yoga and meditation classes. The fast-flowing Ganges is surrounded by forested hills inside the city. Apart from temples and ashrams Rishikesh is now a popular white-water rafting centre, backpacker hang-out, and gateway to treks in the Himalaya.
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|Hotels Detail
|Hotel Kalindi or Similar
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|Hotel Giriraj or Similar
|Bikaner house or Similar
|Hotel Patliputra or Similar
|Lovekuch or Similar
Cost Includes :
Hotel accommodation as per package same or similar hotels.
Meals as per package (Breakfast + Dinner).
Transfers and sightseeing as prepackage car.
All toll tax, parking, fuel and driver allowances.
All applicable hotel and transport taxes.
Cost Doesn't Include :
GST will be extra.
Meals does not include in Package.
Anything not mentioned under 'Package Inclusions'
All personal expenses, optional tours and extra meals.
Medical and travel insurance.
Any kind of entry fees anywhere if not mentioned in including.
Tips, travel insurance, medical insurance, laundry charges, liquors, mineral water, telephone charges.
All items of personal nature.
Porter, pony, horse, cable car, boat, train tickets, air tickets charges.
Helicopter Ticket INR 7500/- per person (As per Uttarakhand Goverment).
INR 5100/- VIP Ticket for Kedarnath Darshan.
Trekking guide will be extra charges basis.
Payment :
INR 2100/- advance and balance at the time of trip start.
Refund :
Before 15 days 25% cut of full amount.
Please read emails carefully and understand the contents and prices. All the email conversations will be also part of your contract with us once you make the booking.
Please take care of the belongings before leaving the car or Hotels. Company is not responsible for any loss.
Vehicle seat will first come first serve basis. As per the directive given by the Government of India, all Indian/Foreign Nationals are required to provide proper proof of identification upon check-in. Valid identifications documents are: Passport & Visa together, Voters Id card, Current Drivers License. All the documents must include a photograph.
Hotel / camps or any kind of accommodation can deny stay if valid id proof is not provided. Company is not responsible for any ID proof related issues.
For extra adult many hotels provide extra mattress also instead of extra bed. Kindly inform us in advance if you prefer only extra bed instead of extra mattress.
It is presumed that the tourist is medically fit to undertake the tour. If you have certain kind of allergy (especially for food) or any serious health issues kindly inform us in advance.
Many small hotels / resorts do not have lift so kindly inform us in advance if you are not comfortable with stairs.
Generally hotel check in time is 14:00 hrs and checkout time is 11:00 hrs across India. Confirm early check in or late checkout will be chargeable if not included in cost. Kindly contact hotel directly if you want complimentery early check in or late check out.
Many hotels charge extra for room heater or wifi. Normal package does not include this so in that case these charges should be paid at hotels.
If meals are included in package it will be served at set menu basis in a buffet menu / fixed / meal credit. Any items which are not in their in ideal Buffet / Fixed menu will be charged extra at the time of consumption. Hotels decide the menu and options of items for menu. Some hotels having Meal credit policy instead of Buffet or Fixed Menu during low occupancy in hotel – This meal credit amount is decided by hotel management – if bills goes above the given meal credit amount then extra amount should be paid directly at respective hotel. Room service for the food or packing is charged extra at many hotels.
Due to any reason if Vehicle breakdown due to technical reasons we will try our best to arrange another vehicle as soon as possible for the major problems. For minor problems which will not take much time vehicle will be repaired. Kindly cooperate.
We shall not be responsible for any delays & alterations in the program or expenses incurred directly or indirectly due to natural hazards, flight cancellations, accident, breakdown of transport, weather, sickness, landslides, closures/blockades due to political unrest or any such incidents.
AC will not work in all hill areas or stopped / parked vehicle.
Driver will not drive on No-entry zones and should not be forced to drive on narrow streets or roads which can create traffic jam. Normal working hours of driver is 12 hrs in case you want services more than 12 hours in a day kindly inform us in advance.
In some hill area roads driving after sunset and music is not allowed due to risk of life. Kindly cooperate for the same.
Pick up and drop point will be one only (If multiple pickups and drop please mentions email conversation before booking).
In case you want multiple visit to the some particular place kindly mention in advance because some places are having very high charges of parking.
Tour destination / route cannot change without prior notice (Amended route and tour Destination rates may be change) The rates are subject to change, depending on the fluctuation of diesel/Petrol prices in India. If the prices increased more than 5 % than the time of booking we will increase the rate even if the rates are confirmed earlier.
Company reserves the right to give you a similar car if the car you booked is unavailable.
At many of the tourist destination / hill station - some of the road / shopping market / mall road have "NO ENTRY" for all / some bigger tourist vehicles depends on destination along with time restrictions also. In this kind of situation guest have to manage another available mode of transport with an additional cost and on direct payment basis, this cost is not included in ideal package inclusion.
Some time vehicle parking area little far from the sightseeing spots. Guests need to reach the parking at their own cost.
Vehicle will be permitted to use for sightseeing points on the route and inside the city limits or which is mentioned in itinerary. For additional sightseeing, off route sightseeing, sightseeing not inside the city limits or substitute sightseeing kindly contact company. Refund is not possible if any particular sightseeing point is not covered. In case you want some excursions kindly inform company in advance or discuss these things with company rather than driver. All nearby sightseeing points should be covered together. However in case of sometime issues with some particular place we can adjust.
No refund for short stay or unveiled facilities.
No cancellation or any refund will be made if situation is beyond our control, such as bad weather, landslide, climatic conditions or any other natural disaster, fire, any embargo, acts or decisions of government, political or national crisis, road blocks, heavy snow fall, acts of terrorism or other similar causes, strikes or problems at airlines, rails, buses, hotels or transporters, labor unrest, insolvency, business exigencies, operational and technical issues, route and flight cancellations or due to which the customer could not reach the destination and which is beyond our control.
Company is not responsible for any accident/injury/death/theft of person or property during the course of the tour.
All rights reserved to management to cancel any service without any refund until full advance money towards the service is received from the customer and accepted by company. Company can change the features or functionality of the services at any time, without any notice.
Company Here by expressly disclaims any implied warranties imputed by the laws of any jurisdictions or country other than India. Company considers itself and intends to the jurisdictions only of the court of Haridwar Uttarakhand India.


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Press Releases
.pw becomes the first TLD to adopt the Uniform Rapid Suspension rights protection mechanism
July 29, 2013 – Austin, Texas and Dubai, UAE:
The .pw Registry is pleased to announce its adoption of ICANN's latest rights protection mechanism, the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS). By doing so, the .pw Registry becomes the first TLD to adopt the newest rights protection mechanism from ICANN. Sandeep Ramchandani, Business Head – .pw Registry said, "Proactive abuse mitigation is one of our primary tenets. URS offers brand owners a highly effective, quick and inexpensive mechanism to eliminate names that violate their trademarks. We are glad to be leading from the front by becoming the first extension globally to adopt it."
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Mr. Ramchandani added, "The URS is a compulsory feature for all new gTLDs and our advance implementation will give NAF, brand owners, registries, registrars and ICANN an opportunity to test its effectiveness in a live environment. One of our goals in the adoption of URS is also to help the community by ensuring a more refined and predictable experience when the URS roll-out takes place across more than a thousand new gTLDs. To that end, we will be sharing our implementation lessons and best practices with the community in addition to opening a communication channel to relay policy related feedback to ICANN and NAF."
For information on the URS and how to file a URS complaint, please click here
About .pw – the Professional Web:
.pw – the Professional Web, is a TLD that has been opened globally to create a dedicated namespace for professionals and businesses to set up an online presence, with a first choice domain name at an affordable price point. The .PW is offered by 100+ accredited Registrars across the globe. For more information, please visit https://registry.pw