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License plate recognition (LPR) is one of the most powerful tools now available to law enforcement agencies. These systems have the ability to identify vehicles that may have wants and warrants associated with them, and they provide a force multiplier for agencies by increasing officer efficiency.
Here are 12 things that agencies planning on acquiring LPR and officers operating these systems should know about the technology and its use.
1. It's Not New
Although LPR is often thought of as 21st century technology, it was actually developed in the United Kingdom in the 1970s as an anti-terror and anti-crime tool and was widely used in Europe for stolen car recovery and other police operations by the 1990s. It took about a decade longer for the technology to catch on in the United States. One reason is the wide variety of license plates in the United States. European countries, including the UK, use very basic license plate designs, just numbers and letters in a rectangle with no or very little imagery. In contrast, the US has 50 states, five territories, and one district all with a host of different available plate designs that tell the world the owner's military service experience, college affiliation, sports team allegiance, and hobbies.
2. The Components of LPR
An LPR system basically consists of optical character recognition software, analytical software, databases, and cameras with infrared and visible light spectrum imaging capability. The active infrared imaging camera of an LPR system lets it capture license plates in low-light, nighttime conditions, and in sunlight so bright that it would obscure the characters in an image captured by a visible spectrum camera.
3. The Role of the Evangelist
One of the keys to the successful implementation of new equipment into a law enforcement agency is the "evangelist." The evangelist is not just an officer who believes in the technology, he or she is the person who can preach its benefits to the brass and to fellow officers. For LPR the evangelist is the person who is willing to learn everything available about how it works and what it can do. If an agency wants to do more than scratch the surface of the benefits provided by LPR, then it needs a motivated officer who is enthusiastic about the technology and can excite other officers about its capabilities.
4. Benefits of the Technology
LPR has many uses and offers numerous benefits to agencies that implement and apply the technology. Some of the earliest LPR successes involved the detection of unregistered vehicles, enforcement of parking regulations, and recovery of stolen vehicles, but LPR systems have also helped solve a wide variety of criminal cases, including murders, abductions, and drug and human trafficking. Power users of LPR systems are constantly developing new and innovative ways to apply the technology.
5. Procedures and Policies
Just as with any law enforcement tool or technology, it's important for agencies to establish clear procedures and policies for the use of LPR systems. Issues that need to be addressed include: training for officers who operate the systems, storage and access to the data, and what databases will be used. Training can be a simple 15-minute orientation. But in order to get the most out of their systems, agencies should look into getting more advanced training for their LPR operators. Storage and access to data is a policy concern that agencies will have to address as well. LPR makes some people in the community nervous even though all it does is automate the process of running a plate. To reduce resistance to LPR use, it's best to address any "Big Brother" concerns from the beginning of the program by establishing policies about access to data. Databases are available from a variety of sources, including the companies that make and sell the systems and official law enforcement entities. The quality of the databases available to your agency will be a huge factor in the success of your LPR program.
6. Fixed, Mobile, and Portable
When most people, including law enforcement officers, think of LPR, they tend to envision officers driving around all day using mobile systems. But the truth is that much of license plate recognition is conducted by fixed systems that read plates 24 hours per day, seven days per week. These systems can relay their hits to patrol officers and even to aerial units for follow up. Mobile systems offer just that, mobility. They can cover areas of the jurisdiction that are not monitored by fixed systems. Then there are portable systems often installed in trailers. These offer some of the benefits of both fixed and mobile systems. They are constantly in position monitoring an area, and they can be moved as needed. Trailers are particularly well suited to investigative operations where, for example, officers are trying to determine the presence of specific vehicles in a residential area being plagued by burglaries. Using a variety of systems, agencies can set up what's called a "geofence." A geofence notifies officers when vehicles with specific license plates enter or exit a set geographic area.
7. Hits are Not Probable Cause
Just because an LPR system has alerted you about a hit does not mean you have probable cause to make a stop. Some law enforcement agencies have made some embarrassing and potentially costly—in terms of liability—felony stops on people based on LPR alerts, later to find the stops were not warranted. Experts recommend that operators verify whether the vehicle is really associated with a warrant. False hits can occur because a database has not been updated or has an error, because the plate being read is dirty or damaged, and because of numerous other reasons.
8. Not Just a Plate Reader
LPR systems will sometimes read characters that are not on license plates. The technology is designed to look for letters and numbers in a rectangle at a certain size. Experts say the systems have been known to read text on billboards in the distance that to the system look like license plates, as well as bumper stickers, mailboxes, and other rectangular shapes with letters and numbers. This really isn't a major problem, and it can even be beneficial. In one case, a read of a bumper sticker actually led to recovery of a stolen trailer full of firearms.
9. Camera Placement and Care
LPR cameras can be placed in fixed positions such as on light poles or on vehicles and even trailers used for road warnings or speed enforcement. On patrol vehicles, LPR cameras are often set up in pairs, one forward facing and one rear. This is ideal for a two-lane road because each camera scans a lane. Some agencies use four cameras per vehicle for enhanced coverage. Typical placement of the cameras on a vehicle is either level with the license plates on a push bar or bumper or looking down from the vehicle's trunk lid or roof. Cameras are generally aimed at setup to a range of 16 to 20 feet for optimal image capture. The cameras usually do not require any additional maintenance by operators other than the occasional cleaning. The exception to this is that cameras can get knocked out of position. Experts recommend you look at the cameras as you do your walk around of your patrol vehicle before driving off.
10. Return on Investment
LPR systems are not inexpensive, but experts say they are affordable. Like any other major capital purchase of technology, the key to justifying the expense of LPR systems is finding return on the investment (ROI). The biggest return on an LPR investment is bolstering the security of the jurisdiction, reducing crime, and enhancing officer safety. But such things are hard to quantify. Most administrators who greenlight an LPR program will want to see hard figures for ROI. The primary monetary benefits from an LPR program come from recovering fines from parking citation scofflaws and motorists with expired registrations.
11. Big Data
LPR is part of a complex set of tools that contemporary law enforcement agencies can use to fight crime and make the public safer by enhancing officer efficiency. These tools are most effective when they integrate with other software and systems. Data collected from LPR can be used with predictive policing software, records management systems, and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) tools.
12. The Future of LPR
Computers, software, and cameras are all constantly improving. Which means that LPR is improving as well. The big breakthrough in LPR that's on the horizon is the incorporation of artificial intelligence into the technology. This will make the systems even more accurate and better capable of generating actionable law enforcement intelligence.
This article was produced with the assistance of Derek Forseth, digital video product manager for Data911 (www.data911.com); Jim Craige, operations manager for ALPR at Leonardo/ELSAG (www.elsag.com); Julian Jimenez, LPR solutions product manager for L3 Technologies (www.mobile-vision.com); Heather Fraser of NDI Recognition Systems (www.ndi-rs.com); and Kyle Hoertsch, director of public safety client relations for Vigilant Solutions (www.vigilantsolutions.com).


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LEADER GUIDE: Are you at the stage of life where the kids are grown and the house is quiet? Are you wondering what you will do next? You've spent years investing in the lives of the little ones who once loaded your washing machine with rocks and smeared peanut butter and jelly all over the back door. Now what?
Consider discipleship with a new twist! The Secrets Savored Leader Guide is complete with devotional and practical lessons, weekly lesson sheets, equipment lists, and helpful hints that will help you disciple young women in simple homemaking skills and biblical truths.
Everything you need to make an eternal investment in the lives of young women in your church or community lies within the pages of this book. Open it, take a look, gather some friends, and get started.
STUDENT BOOK: "I have enjoyed learning practical homemaking skills and growing in fellowship. I appreciated the leaders' help during this year of my engagement because without my mom (she died two years ago) it has been hard. I really needed their help."
"Secrets Savored came at the perfect time in my life as a newlywed. With a roomful of gifts, I was clueless in how to put them all to use. Secrets Savored gave me the confidence I needed to embrace the role of being the wife God created me to be."
"Secrets Savored has been such a blessing! I have enjoyed learning about women of the Bible and how to be a good homemaker! I would definitely recommend this class. It is great for any young woman!"
"It has been wonderful! The Bible studies challenged and inspired me to seek and to know God."
Secrets Savored Available in eBook editions: Kindle, Nook, iPhone, SmartPhones
Dianne Dougharty has been married to Mark for 40 years. She is the mother of two and grandmother of seven. Her unique spiritual journey has granted her tremendous insights into God's Word and the high value He places on the home.
In December of 2011, Dianne and Mark began t2hopeforthehome Ministry, an affiliate of Global Mission Fellowship in Memphis, Tennessee, with emphasis on the home and biblical teaching in the area of a man's and woman's role within a godly marriage.
The Caldwells (above left) shared the secret of their 58 years of marriage. Pastor Steve and Donna Gaines (above right) spoke on His Need Her Needs. It was a wonderful evening focusing on the God ordained union of marriage.
Pictured (left to right): Dianne Dougharty, Dr. Bart Dahmer, Rev. Mark Dougharty
(Front) Dianne Dougharty, Rev. Mark Dougharty; (Back) Bart Barretta, Donna Gaines, Linda Horn, Ginger Calcoat; (Not Pictured) Tim Whitehorn, Ellen Olford
Innovo Publishing LLC is a family-owned, full-services Christian publisher of books, including hardback books, paperback books, Children's books, eBooks, multimedia books, audiobooks, music singles and albums, feature film screenplays, and physical and online courses and curricula. All Innovo published titles are professionally edited and custom-designed and meet our rigorous theological review. Innovo accepts fiction and non-fiction Christian and wholesome title submissions from authors, artists, agents, ministries, and organizations.
Innovo Publishing also provides many unique services including:
Using a unique combination of traditional publishing, cooperative publishing, and independent (self) publishing paths, Innovo provides global publishing and distribution services for Christian books, eBooks, audiobooks, multimedia books, music title, feature film screenplays, film and courses through a unique network of thousands of physical and online wholesalers, retailers, bookstores, music stores, libraries, and schools worldwide that allow Christian authors, artists, ministries and organization to accomplish their personal, organizational, and philanthropic publishing goals. </div>

subset: commoncrawl


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Srinagar, Sep 16: Militants triggered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to target security force vehicle in south Kashmir district of Shopian in the wee hours of Sunday, official sources said.
They said militants detonated an IED when a security force vehicle was passing Heff area in Shopian. The blast followed by heavy firing, they said adding there was no report of any loss of life or damage.
Security force immediately sealed the area and started Cordon and Search Operation (CASO), they said.


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With the enforcement date (25th May, 2018) of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) approaching, it's necessary for all the B2B email marketer carefully reexamining about the data they obtaining their marketing strategies. There are many interpretations about this regulation which have arose countless discussions. This article answered the most common questions that we have received in the months regarding GDPR.
How should the B2B email marketers handle the data that they have for the future marketing campaign?
This question is general, and summarized all the questions the we have received. But before answering that, we need to understand the "data" that involved in the GDPR. The GDPR will mainly provide protection for "personal data". So what is the "personal data" under GDPR? In GDPR, the term corresponding is this:
"'personal data' means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ('data subject'); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person" (Article 4: Definitions )
Then that brings to the question: Is "Professional Emails" "Personal data"?
In GDPR, there are no specific terms that clearly distinguish the professional emails from the other. But according to the term above, the "personal data" defines the identification of one natural person. An email address is unique, and it can indicate to a specific living individual. If you already know the recipient name of this email address, which is in most of the cases for B2B marketing campaign, this email address is "personal data" of this recipient.
That been said, there are for sure, exceptions. For instance, this email address: [email protected]. There is no obvious direction which individual in GetEmail.io is currently using this email address. In addition, everyone can learn online that getemail.io is not a one-man company. In this case, the email address is not the personal data.
So we have clarified that, the next question is: How should the B2B marketers process "personal data"?
"'processing' means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction." (Article 4: Definitions )
The data management rule is strict in GDPR. All the actions regarding processing personal data must under a "lawful basis".
"processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject ('lawfulness, fairness and transparency')" (Article 5: Principles relating to processing of personal data)
Furthermore, what is the lawful way for B2B marketers to process the personal data? Since sending emails is a mean to process "Personal data" according to GDPR, Do B2B marketers must obtain the permission to send B2B cold emails?
"Processing shall be lawful only if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies:
(a) the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes;
(b) processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract;
(c) processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject;
(d) processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person;
(e) processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;
(f) processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party." (Article 6: Lawfulness of processing)
These are the relevant parts from the GDPR documents. Many recipients always claim that the B2B email marketers must not send them cold emails because that action is unsolicited. However, according to the corresponding articles above, the consent is only one of the lawful conditions. As long as the purpose of the email is legitimate.
"Legitimate interest could exist for example where there is a relevant and appropriate relationship between the data subject and the controller in situations such as where the data subject is a client or in the service of the controller."
"The processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes may be regarded as carried out for a legitimate interest." (Recitals 47)
For instance, if a marketer of a consultancy try to reach out to other marketers/researchers for promoting his/her marketing analysis tool, this action is out of legitimate interest, and those recipients might eventually become clients of this consultancy.
However, those kind of direct marketing approach has to provide the recipients a easy way to opt out if they don't want to receive these emails from now on or not interested in the products/service anymore, even though in the beginning they had given you the permission to send, according to GDPR:
"The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning him or her without undue delay and the controller shall have the obligation to erase personal data without undue delay where one of the following grounds applies:
(a) the personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed;
(b) the data subject withdraws consent" (Article 17: Right to erasure ('right to be forgotten'))
Is GetEmail.io Legal After the enforcement of GDPR?
GetEmail.io process the data in a legitimate intention. The algorithm only searches the data which people publicly shared online, and agreed other party to view. The results of searching are mainly professional emails for B2B use. So resource of the data; process of the data; and the service that we provide to our clients are 100% legal and comply with GDPR.
-Professional emails of a specific prospect is indeed, personal data, and personal data need to be handle under lawful basis according to GDPR;
-Consent is not the seul, nor obligatory condition for processing personal data; You can still send the B2B mails to cold prospects with legal intention;
-GetEmail.io is legal after the enforcement of GDPR.
Official Journal of the European Union, "General Data Protection Regulation", 4th May 2016, avaliable online from: https://gdpr-info.eu/
Information Commissioner's Office, "Guide to the General Data Protection Regulation", 21st November 2017, avaliable online from: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/right-of-access/
Mihaela Jucan, "Expert GDPR QA: The material scope of personal data and legal implications", 23rd March 2017, avaliable online from: https://www.itgovernance.eu/blog/en/expert-gdpr-qa-the-material-scope-of-personal-data-and-legal-implications/
Deborah Betteridge, "B2B marketing and the GDPR", 6th December 2016, avaliable online from: https://dma.org.uk/article/b2b-marketing-and-the-gdpr
Philip Brining, "What is Personal Data?", 20th April, 2016, avaliable online from: http://www.dataprotectionpeople.com/what-is-personal-data/
Phil Lee, "Re-consenting to marketing under GDPR?", 6th November, 2017, avaliable online from: http://privacylawblog.fieldfisher.com/2017/re-consenting-to-marketing-under-gdpr/
Olivier Proust, "CNIL publishes guidance for data processors", 26th October, 2017, avaliable online from: http://privacylawblog.fieldfisher.com/2017/cnil-publishes-guidance-for-data-processors/
Kingpincomms, "What will the GDPR mean for B2B marketing professionals?", avaliable online from: http://kingpincomms.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Kingpin_GDPR-eBook-20172-002.pdf
Ruth Boardman et al., "The UK Government publishes its Statement of Intent for Data Protection Bill and GDPR" 8th August 2017, avaliable online from: https://www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2017/uk/uk-government-publishes-its-statement-of-intent-for-data-protection-bill-and-gdpr
Matt Burgess, "GDPR will change data protection – here's what you need to know", 7th November 2017, avaliable online from: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-gdpr-uk-eu-legislation-compliance-summary-fines-2018
Iain Lovatt, "Will GDPR change B2B marketing?", 20th July 2017, avaliable online from: https://www.bluesheep.com/blog/how-will-gdpr-affect-b2b-marketers
Jianmin HE
Marketing Manager GetEmail.io


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One More Folded Sunset
(still quite warm)
Friday, August 30, 2013
Conover: Ten Months After Sandy
On a sticky August night, the air was cooler and sweeter down by the water. A crowd of supporters cheered and sang as the bar, beating terrible odds, was finally back on its feet. Happy birthday Sunny.
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Innovations at Alliant Energy
Innovations in energy are everywhere at Alliant Energy. We're using the best in technology to move toward cleaner power. You see this in our wind farms and solar gardens. Our plans will lead to huge reductions in the carbon dioxide produced by our generating stations. (Specifically, a 40% reduction by 2030, and an 80% reduction by 2050). How old will you be in 2050? That year will mark Alliant Energy's elimination of coal. We're investing in wind energy, which will supply nearly a third of our produced power by 2030.
Today, we're using technology in numerous ways. You've learned about the meters on houses that record energy use. Over the last several years, we've been installing "smart meters" at our customers' homes and businesses. This technology immediately notifies Alliant Energy of a power outage, so we can start solving the problem right away.
Drones are also helping us at Alliant Energy. We've used them to safely inspect the blades of a wind turbine or the top of a stack at a generating station. Drones can be our eyes in places where it's difficult or dangerous to send people.
Energy beyond tomorrow
In the future, energy advancements will continue to focus on renewable energy. Harnessing wind, solar, water and earth energy will help us continue to be more environmentally friendly and less dependent on non-renewable fossil fuels. Storing renewable energy is the next big step. If we can figure out how to store that excess renewable energy, we will be able to provide even more clean energy for all.
Solar energy harvested from space? Flying wind farms? Electric vehicles that go 625 miles on a single charge? 3D-printed solar energy trees? Sounds like some pretty crazy dreams, right? Each of these are real projects, with real results, happening across the world right now. Just imagine what the future holds!


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German cable hit by switch-off inertia
May 27, 2009
From Colin Mann in Cologne
Despite much of the cable network in Germany already being upgraded to digital, industry executives have criticised the lack of clear policy surrounding analogue switch-off. Thomas Braun, President of the ANGA Association of German Cable Operators told delegates at the ANGA Cable Strategy Summit that with the networks digitised and capable of carrying a wide range of services, it was now up to the viewer to be digitised, a view echoed by keynote speaker Matthias Kurth, President of the Federal Network Agency. "The problem is not with the infrastructure, it's ensuring people order the services" he said. "It's hard to convince people to invest in new equipment."
Werner Hanf, CEO of cable operator NetCologne, suggested that there was an obstacle to digitisation in persuading people to pay in digital for the same material they are still able to receive free in analogue. "We're in the digital Stone Age'" complained Marcus Schmid, CEO Tele Columbus and Chairman, PrimaCom. We need to make viewers pay and make them addressable by modern equipment."
Parm Sandu, CEO, Unity Media Group, said there was "a complete absence of industrial policy for the media industry … it's about time the government did something. What's needed is the political will to set clear standards." Markus Englert, Chairman, New Media and Diversification, ProSiebenSat.1 Group, referring to the lack of subscriber uptake of digital, said he believed in the "slowness of the masses. They need a kick in the butt."
"We can't hide behind the consumer," Sandhu countered. "It's terribly important for cable to present a united front. It's a crying shame that we're sat here trying to decide what to do, when the rest of the world is moving ahead. Hanf suggested that digitisation could only be driven forward "by giving incentives for customers to make them decide to switch on a voluntary basis. Braun concluded that the marketing of digital programmes and services and pushing for a fixed analogue switch-off date was not contradictory. "If this is defined, it will help marketing efforts."


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Does travel have to stop when wedding bells are in the air? Not at all! While marriage brings with it a bix box of changes, there are plenty of moments you can enjoy as you continue to indulge the travel bug in you. If you are planning to do a countdown to your wedding day, celebrate the entire journey through professionally clicked photos in breathtaking locales. Pre-wedding photoshoots are quite "in" these days, and you shouldn't miss these last fun memories of your bachelorhood. Here are 7 beautiful places that will add some more oomph to the romance brewing between you and your soulmate-to-be:
#1 Northern Ireland
Few destinations can match the pristine sights of Northern Ireland. Whether it's the Irish countryside, the charming Tudor castles or the unpredictable weather, this part of the United Kingdom offers stunning backgrounds to add some character to your pre-wedding photos. If you're planning on staying even longer, the capital city of Belfast makes for a great destination wedding option as well!
#2 Kerala
If your wedding countdown pictures are to be shot in India, there are choices galore. The enchanting forests and backwaters of Kerala add rich colours to the photographic palette. You don't always have to stick to the popular areas of Munnar, Periyar or Fort Kochi. Go beyond and explore the riverside of Iritty or the waterfalls of Peechi.
#3 Vietnam
While Vietnam is traditionally a favourite with backpackers and solo travellers, the Asian gem has special offerings for couples looking to shoot their pre-wedding pics. Skip the busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City and escape to the rock-strewn island of Ha Long Bay to snap some gorgeous photos against clear waters. The country is quite affordable, so the only big expense you'll have to take care of is that of the photographer.
#4 Rajasthan
How can we forget the Indian state famous for its palaces and regal gardens! Rajasthan's diverse landscape affords you the lakes of Udaipur, the desert sands of Jaisalmer, the blue-hued houses of Jodhpur, and more. Find top pre wedding photographers in India and create your own royal-themed pre-wedding album with period costumes to match the grandeur of the forts.
#5 New Zealand
There's so much more to New Zealand than Hobbiton! Live your fairytale dream in Queenstown as you pose before the mighty Southern Alps. Looking to add a local cultural twist to your pre-wedding pictures? Head over to Rotorua to dance with the Maori tribe as your photography team tags along. To lend a formal feel to your pictures, Auckland provides the urban cityscape you might be looking for.
#6 Ladakh
The newly formed Union Territory of Ladakh is blessed with magnificent scenery. From the Himalayas of Nubra Valley to the Buddhist monasteries with their giant prayer wheels, there's a lot to see. Pastel shades of clothing work best with the barren reddish brown and dark grey mountains of this part of Kashmir. Stage a romantic dinner or proposal by the famous Pangong Tso – the lake which attracts travellers from all over the country.
#7 The Maldives
This classic honeymoon destination is also a lovely option for a pre-wedding photoshoot. The Maldives has over a thousand islands that make this country so exotic. Book yourself some water villas on a private island, and get ready for the most romantic settings on white-sand beaches, tropical gardens and even beside underwater corals!
Still wondering whether you should organize a pre-wedding photoshoot before you tie the knot? The short trip will certainly be worth your time and money!
Where did you have your pre-wedding photoshoot done?
Getting married? Which photo-destinations are on your mind?
Let me know through your comments below. 🙂
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter for more ideas on incorporating travel into your life's milestones.


text: My name is Matt Chen and I am a senior Biology and Society major in the College of Arts and Sciences. I've been a musician for most of my life, playing piano since the age of 6, picked up guitar and ukelele about 4 years ago, and currently in the process of learning the drums. My music tastes span multiple genres, though, so I've always been really into electronically produced music as well, and I'm just interested in getting to learn about the inner workings of music like that and hopefully produce my own content through this course.


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Guggenheim Museum
Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is Frank Lloyd Wright's mid-century masterpiece of modern architecture, located alongside scenic Central Park. Visit the museum to see collection highlights, including works by Degas, Gauguin, and Picasso. Plus, enjoy special exhibitions in the iconic, spiraling rotunda.
Spiral Rotunda Closure Due to Exhibit Changeover
From September 11 through October 19, the spiral rotunda will be closed to the public due to exhibit changeover. Reservations are not required during this time.
Visiting with CityPASS® tickets
CityPASS offers 3 great ways to see Guggenheim Museum: New York CityPASS, New York C3 or New York C-All. No matter which one you choose, you'll save.
- One simple purchase gives you admission to multiple attractions. And with 9 days to use your tickets, you'll have plenty of time to spend at each attraction.
- Save time researching. Only the best attractions, like Guggenheim Museum, are included in CityPASS tickets. Rest assured you're going to see the best New York City has to offer.
- Admission to Guggenheim Museum:New York CityPASS: General admission to the Guggenheim's collection and special exhibits, plus a free digital guide (accessed via personal mobile device)New York C3: General admission to the Guggenheim's collection and special exhibits, plus a free digital guide (accessed via personal mobile device)New York C-All: General admission to the Guggenheim's collection and special exhibits, plus a free digital guide (accessed via personal mobile device)
Advice for Visitors
Offers & Upgrades
Contact Information & Hours
See the finest attractions in New York City.
Empire State Building
American Museum of Natural History
Top of the Rock Observation Deck
Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
9/11 Memorial & Museum
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Guggenheim Museum
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
City Cruises
Edge at Hudson Yards
Read reviews from CityPASS® travelers.
New York CityPASS
New York CityPASSTotally worth it! Saved us a lot of time and energy! In the city that never sleeps, every minute counts!!!
New York CityPASSA great way to view the wonderful city of New York on a budget! My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed all of our days out on this pass and were impressed with the amount we saved, leaving me more money to shop with!!
Great trip to the greatest city in the worldMy family loved New York City and New York CityPASS enabled us to see many attractions in a very short time. We were only in New York for four nights, but we packed those days and nights with exciting things to see and do. We are very likely to use CityPASS again in a different city, as we try to see the USA!
Lovin' the Big AppleThis was our first time using a CityPASS. We were planning our trip when we saw several activity passes for New York. This was the best option for us since we were only staying for 5 days. When we got to the various attractions, we compared prices. We saved a lot! I've now recommended this pass to friends who plan a trip to the Big Apple. We would definitely buy one again when we visit another big city.
New York CityPASSMy daughter and I each had a New York CityPASS and were thrilled with every venue we visited. We both thought that the New York CityPASS encouraged us to visit some different sights we may not have even considered in our original trip planning sessions. The New York CityPASS was a great deal and I would highly recommend it to anyone who visits New York.
New York CityPASS is rated out of 5 by 18058.
Rated 5 out of 5 by TFaye from The CityPass was AWESOME! I bought the CityPass for my twin daughters and my trip to NYC and it was money well spent! We could schedule the attractions we wanted to see and then built our trip around those excursions. It was so nice to skip the line and just go right in with our tickets or the CityPass itself.
Date published: 2022-06-12
Rated 5 out of 5 by DylanC from Great value for great attractions! My wife and I went to NYC for the first time last month and we bought a city pass and I am so glad we did! It guides you easily to see all the landmarks of New York and you can book everything to your schedule and you can change the times if your schedule changes easily! The price is great and pretty much booked our whole trip up! Great value and recommend to anyone coming to NYC, especially for the first time!
Date published: 2022-06-09
Rated 5 out of 5 by Happytravel from Brillant! I bought this pass for my in laws for when they went to New york with us. It was a last minute buy and it was so easy and straightforward to use the pass and reserve each attraction as we were going to new york memorial day weekend. We saved so much money buying this pass and the fact that you can reserve your time slot with no queues is great. Myself and my partner ended up buying another pass a couple for months prior that did not allow us to reserve a time slot and we had to queue and we ended up not being able to get to one attraction because of this where as the in laws who had reserved a time slot of the attraction with the city pass got in. overall a great saving easy using pass.
Date published: 2022-06-06
Rated 5 out of 5 by JellyKelly42 from So great and worth every penny! I bought this because the discount was quite big on 5 attractions and I am so happy I did. The booking process was so simple and the pass gave us access to so many extras we weren't expecting! We got all 4 of the extra exhibits at the natural history museum (also make sure you set a whole day aside for that it's worth every minute!!). The passes were clear and easy to use and we got to see all the things we wanted to and more. Absolutely loved it and would recommend to anyone visiting.
Date published: 2022-05-20
Rated 5 out of 5 by Nick from Great Pass Used the one that visited 5 places! Helped us plan our trip. Loved all the places!!
Date published: 2022-03-27
Rated 5 out of 5 by allaynaw from Absolutely amazing. CityPASS saved me so much money in NYC and let me experience plenty of things I haven't for such a low price. It was very easy and understandable to use.
Date published: 2021-08-15
Rated 5 out of 5 by Sanford5 from Awesome NYC Trip Half way through a 7 day vacation in NYC. CityPASS made it so easy and saved $. It had all of the main tourist attractions that we were interested in and the ticketless entry (via iPhone instead) is simple and easy to use. We did Statue of Liberty and Ellis island (great history), 9/11 memorial and museum (so moving, plan on 3+ hours) and Empire State Building at sunset (incredible). Still have Top of the Rock, The Met and the National History Museum to go. Making reservations is important but is also easy to do. You need to plan your days in order to make the reservations.
Date published: 2021-06-08
Rated 5 out of 5 by GettingAroundTheCountry from Money well spent! I am so glad that we purchased this Pass. I took my q8 year old daughter to NYC for the first time (for both of us) as her high school graduation present. We only had 4 nights in the city and it was so helpful to have this pass and plan our days according to activities in the same area each day. The pass saved us money and was super easy to use and make reservations. I would definitely purchase again.
Date published: 2021-06-02
Rated 5 out of 5 by Princho3 from Absolutely unforgettable My experience with City pass was very pleasant and I would use it on my next trips
Date published: 2021-05-26
Rated 5 out of 5 by FastPass from Convenient CityPASS was pretty easy to use and convenient when arriving at places. If you have a smart phone just pull the the email with code to avoid wait times. With a time packed trip- this made our experience faster and more enjoyable.
Date published: 2021-05-05
Get inspired. #citypass
Plan your visit.
The My CityPASS™ app has all of the details you need for a great experience, including reservation and entry information, attraction details, maps, and extra offers and discounts from our partners.


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Quality Policy
The pursuit of Quality is a commitment for all, which is manifested not only in respect of punctual and correct behavior in the performance of one's work, as well as in constantly creating the most suitable conditions so that this happens by adopting responsible behavior.
In sharing with all the staff of the above principle the General Management has decided to engage in continuous improvement in the pursuit of Quality, implementing and implementing a Quality Management System in compliance with the international standard UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015. The adoption of the Quality Management System, applied to the activity of "Design, construction and assembly of dosing, storage and handling systems for raw material in granules, powder or flakes" represents a strategic decision of the General Management of Ariostea MHS Srl and in line with the principles of safeguarding customer expectations .
The Quality Management System has been implemented with reference to the principles set forth in the UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015 standard, in compliance with the laws in force and taking into account the nature and size of the company, the specificity of the organizational structure.
The General Management, its representatives and the workers involved who we take the opportunity to thank for the critical and proactive participation that they will be able to give, are encouraged in the first definition and refinement after an appropriate document system. This commitment is aimed at ensuring that every worker can become aware and aware of the importance of compliance with the policy, the procedures, the requirements of the Quality Management System and the benefits due to an improvement in their individual performance; on their role and responsibility to achieve compliance with the policy and on the potential consequences of deviations from the specified operating procedures.
Customer satisfaction is therefore pursued by offering and adapting all processes to its particular needs, implicit and explicit, detected and monitoring both cultural progress and the achievement of the objectives agreed in the contractual phase.
The customer represents the central pivot of the success of the organization and therefore it becomes important to know him thoroughly, provide services / products that meet his needs and create high customer satisfaction.
The objectives of the organization are:
- Maintain and maintain a Quality Management System according to the international standard UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015
- Define measurable and achievable objectives such as strategies for continuous improvement aligned with the context and taking into account the needs and expectations of customers and any other interested parties
- Carry out the reviews and evaluations of its operations to quantify the progress made and ensure compliance with this policy
- Realize and maintain a safe, healthy and productive work environment for all its employees
- Respect the Environment, the laws and regulations in force and, where laws and regulations do not exist, adhere to our own standards identified with a sense of responsibility
- Respect the enviroment.
With the pursuit of these objectives, we intend to build a company that is strongly focused on its customers, increase its effectiveness on the market and make customer satisfaction the differentiating factor in an extremely competitive market.
The Quality Policy and the annual improvement framework are disseminated within Ariostea MHS Srl to all the resources involved through meetings with the staff, or their delegates, and are available electronically so that everyone is informed and the contents are included and supported at all levels. Everyone is called to work together to make the quality policy active and understandable and improved, each with its own experiences and abilities
As part of the Management Review, the adequacy and continued suitability of the corporate policies of this Policy and the resources made available are assessed.
This Policy must be displayed and accessible to all employees and guests of Ariostea MHS Srl and must be distributed to interested parties who request it.


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04-07-19 A ripple in the linkage across all creation
Sleep was filled with disjointed dreams. Dreams of connections, apparent; yet falling away as if a stage falling away from a speeding rocket. Spent and falling away. In olden times, that stage would then fall to the earth and be sunk in the sea as fodder from the sky. These days… the stage is landed and reused… sometimes.
We are in a time of sometimes. That transition of a from what to a to what… That wonder of links apparently broken and yet linked in so many ways … the falling away, in so many cases actually moving to a set of other links.
When the connection is all to … me; the shift is a wild pulling and tearing. Wild, at times painful and always a challenge. In the renewal this spring, of so many parts of my immediate world… that tearing and reconnecting is strong. The renewal of the plumbing. The renewal of the water system. The renewal of … each aspect of … means a tearing out and then a building back in. The opening of space to allow replacing, renewing, and finding path. The discerning of connections that worked at one time and now, with shift, no longer flow. In that discerning. … In that discerning there is an awakening to opportunity. Seeing what appeared sacred in a new set of ways. Just so… learning something beyond. That place of … It is a great and gracious moment. This wonder… indeed.
Feeling the work of the pulling and pushing… In yesterday's renewal of space of tank house and garage. That making anew.
Now it is morning… actually, moving quickly to afternoon…
And the gratefulness of yesterday's work, into today's putter. The wonder of… just sitting in this moment. That is enough. In grateful moment… enough.


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Darcy Jacobsen
2 min read
It is sad but true, when 46% of employees aren't feeling properly appreciated, most of us just don't have much experience in the art of receiving formal thanks or formally recognizing peers.
Even the most confident and accomplished among us are not always quite sure how to offer thanks or accept public appreciation. A lot of us just outright freeze like a rabbit in a spotlight when we're singled out for praise.
This is ironic, really, because it's been proven time and again that recognition is one of the single biggest drivers of engagement—and by extension, business success. Which means, as awkward as we might feel or act when we're unused to praise, almost every single one of us really LOVES to be appreciated.
Guidelines for recognition are usually directed at helping managers be more effective. Very little effort is given to show non-manager types the recognition ropes. Sadly, we're probably the folks who need it most! In this spirit, I offer a few lessons-learned about effectively giving and receiving recognition to co-workers. Here are a few quick rules of thumb to help you and your employees as you navigate the brave and exciting new world of strategic recognition:
Be aware: Recognition moments happen around you all the time. Don't wait for the bat-signal or a major milestone before you think about saying thanks. Notice people doing great things. Then be proactive. Don't wait for their boss to notice. Recognize them yourself and bring it to everyone's attention. But always keep in mind personal preference. Don't publicly embarrass those who prefer to receive recognition more privately. Remember: mortification ≠ motivation.
Be inspired: Don't thank someone for coming to work, making coffee, or doing the minimum to get by. Don't recognize just for the sake of it or as quid pro quo. Recognition isn't about quota, it is about inspiration. Be authentic and excited about the recognition you give.
Be thoughtful: Saying "thank you" sends a message to someone that you want to see more of the behavior you're praising. It also sends signals to other people in the company about who to imitate. Think about the people around you who are best exhibiting your organization's values, and thank them for it.
Be fair: This is a no-brainer. Don't play favorites with recognition. Spread the love.
Be timely: Give recognition within a few days or even hours of the behavior that inspired it. At the very least, designate a time on a Friday to think back over the week and consider those who deserve your thanks.
Say "thank you" back: Someone took the time to call you out for something you did well. Reflect a little of that appreciation back their way by shooting them a quick note or dropping by to say thanks for the recognition.
Believe it: Don't shrug off praise. Don't say you don't think you deserve it. Just suck it up and accept that someone thinks you're great. They're probably right.
Give credit where it is due: If you do feel like your recognition was part of a larger collaborative effort that deserves notice, ensure that you acknowledge your fellow team members for their contributions.
Do more of it: You're being recognized and that tells you you're on track. Continue to model that behavior and exhibit those company values. You're doing something right.
Pay it forward: Recognize how good being appreciated feels, and resolve to make someone else feel just as good by noticing their good work and recognizing them.
Have you got any tips for how to best give and receive praise and recognition?
About the author
Darcy Jacobsen
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has seen a slow and steady progression in its legislative approach to handling product liability issues, which it continues to progress.
The UAE has adopted a classification of goods system based on international standards. Furthermore, in 2006, UAE Federal Law No. 24 of 2006 on Consumer Protection (the "Consumer Protection Law") introduced direct product liability regulations across the UAE for the first time. More recently, Federal law No. 10/2018 ("Product Safety Law") was passed, introducing a further set of legal requirements around "unsafe products".
The rights and procedures for filing claims generally are provided for in the Civil Code, Commercial Transactions Code and the Criminal Code. While there is no provision for class actions within the UAE which might give the impression that the region is somewhat protected from the risk of claims by consumers, both the Federal Consumer Protection Department ("CPD") at the Ministry of Economy and the UAE courts are very pro-consumer in their attitudes generally. If the Consumer Protection Law is infringed, then it is rare to see a court ruling in favor of the supplier. Equally, in the event that a supplier reports a "defective" product to the CPD (as required under the Consumer Protection Law), the CPD will require that supplier to work closely with it to make the requisite announcements in order to ensure that consumers are made aware of the issue and are given the opportunity to have their "defective" product repaired or replaced. "Defect" is defined very broadly under the Consumer Protection Law, meaning that the likelihood of a notification being required in the event of discovery of an underlying product issue is, strictly speaking, relatively high.
The UAE is a civil law jurisdiction, which means that the laws and regulations are codified and courts are not bound to follow the prior decisions of superior courts. The majority of court judgments are not publicly available, making it very difficult to extract clear statements of principle from cases, especially as judgments are not intended to be authoritative statements of law.
In the UAE, DLA Piper has in-depth experience in the food, pharmaceutical and consumer product markets, as well as advising on issues around product recall and the liability of directors.
The Consumer Protection Law introduced potential monetary fines for "suppliers" of consumer products in the UAE in the event that any "harm" is suffered by consumers in the "ordinary use" of the product. Such fines may be between AED5 thousand and AED200 thousand, depending upon the precise nature of the infringement. In the event that the same violation is repeated within one year, the fine may be doubled. "Suppliers" are broadly defined, covering manufacturers, sellers, distributors, traders, importers and exporters.
Under the Consumer Protection Law, consumers have a right to "compensation for personal or material damages", with any agreement to the contrary being null and void. In addition, under the CPD Implementing Regulation consumers have a right to right to "compensation and fair settlement of his legitimate claims, including to be compensated for the bad quality goods, unsatisfactory services, or any other practices that may cause harm to the consumers". Any consumers who have a complaint are entitled to approach the CPD with that complaint, with the CPD then having the power to represent the affected individual(s) in any action against the supplier.
Suppliers and / or their commercial agents are under a general obligation to offer repair services and make available spare parts for products they manufacture or sell, with any contractual clause waiving that obligation will be void. When goods are manufactured locally and the consumer are not offered such services, the burden of any resulting liability is shared jointly by the manufacturer and seller.
When a supplier discovers an underlying defect in its product the Consumer Protection Law obliges them to notify both the CPD, and any affected consumers, before replacing, repairing and /or paying back the value of the good to the consumer. While not entirely clear from the drafting of the Consumer Protection Law (when read alongside the CPD Implementing Regulation), there appears to be a distinction drawn between a contractual "guarantee" or "warranty" (with the terms being used interchangeable, depending upon the translation taken), which can be time limited, and a statutory "guarantee" which seems to apply indefinitely in the case of "defective" products, regardless of any contractually agreed warranty period. Anecdotally we are aware that the CPD is willing to disregard any contractually agreed warranty period in an instance where an underlying defect in a product is discovered.
The CPD Implementing Regulation sets out detailed requirements around the notification including a comprehensive list of information which must be provided to the CPD, providing details about the affected product, the nature defect and the number of items sold in the UAE. In addition, the supplier will be required to provide a draft copy of the advertisement which must be published in order to disclose the issue with the product to consumers, as well as potentially requiring a locally produced testing report to verify the nature of the defect.
The Federal CPD (as well as the Emirate level consumer protection departments) takes a strongly pro-consumer attitude and, in the event that any fault or wrongdoing is discovered, it will look to aggressively protect the rights of UAE consumers.
The safety and quality of products (whether produced in the UAE or imported) is regulated by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology ("ESMA"), which oversees all matters relating to standards, measurements, quality and standardisation of products. ESMA has recently established an online platform (Mannaa) for the reporting and recall of "unsafe" products (which is mandatory, under the Product Safety Law) , with details of recently recalled products being published regularly on its website.
In the event of a failure to comply with the Unsafe Product Law a UAE Court may issue fines of up to AED3 million, as well as potentially confiscating (and ordering the destruction of) the infringing products and even cancelling the supplier's business licence.
The regulatory authorities for pharmaceuticals in the UAE are the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority and the Sharjah Health Authority. These authorities monitor the licensing of pharmacists and pharmacies, the registration of pharmaceuticals as well as compliance with the advertising guidelines for drugs. The Municipality in Dubai deals with food related recalls.
The Department of Economic Development of each emirate has created a CPD in line with the provisions of the Law, and any consumers who have a complaint will approach the CPD with their complaint, who will represent the affected party in any action against the supplier.
Since they were established, these CPDs have adopted a pro-consumer attitude and, in the event that any fault or wrong doing is discovered, will look to aggressively protect the rights of a consumer who has been harmed.
The safety and quality of products (whether produced in the UAE or imported) is regulated by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology, which oversees all matters relating to standards, measurements, quality and standardisation of products.
The regulatory authorities for pharmaceuticals in the UAE are the UAE Ministry of Health, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority and the Emirates Health Authority. These authorities monitor the licensing of pharmacists and pharmacies, the registration of pharmaceuticals and advertising guidelines for drugs. The municipality in Dubai deals with food related recalls.


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Become a Fellow at the National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center will offer up to 40 residential fellowships for advanced study in the humanities for the period September 2019 through May 2020. Applicants must have a doctorate or equivalent scholarly credentials. Mid-career and senior scholars are encouraged to apply. Emerging scholars with a strong record of peer-reviewed work may also apply. The Center does not support the revision of doctoral dissertations.
In addition to scholars from all fields of the humanities, the Center accepts individuals from the natural and social sciences, the arts, the professions, and public life who are engaged in humanistic projects. The Center is international in scope and welcomes applications from scholars outside the United States. The National Humanities Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national or ethnic origin, handicap, sexual orientation, or age. We are dedicated to fair treatment, diversity, and inclusion.


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|Sitemaps of Handmade Crafts
|Decorated Egg Art Collection (Eggypiece)
|Decorated Boxes for Decorated Eggs
|Holiday-Seasonal Handmade Crafts
|Wire Home Decor Handmade Crafts
|NEW Handmade Crafts Items!
|Exchange Links-Submit your Site!
|Theme-Related Handmade Crafts
|If you have a quality site and wish to exchange links, please use the "Submit your Site" button above.
Home Page > HandmadeCraftsIndex > Handmade - Indian Crafts
- Arts and Crafts from India...
- Online shopping mall offering marble sculptures, wood carvings, miniature paintings, batik art and home decor accessories from India. ...
Partners since 14 Nov 2004
Reciprocal Link: /linkex/shopping/
Page PR: 2
- Indian Housewarming Gifts, Marble Chess Board, Unique Handcrafted Marble Paintings...
- Beautiful handicrafts from India that range from marble coasters, paintings to soap stone boxes, papier mache trays and letter holders, beaded bags and purses and much more. ...
Partners since 6 Jan 2005
Reciprocal Link: /links.asp
Page PR: 2
These web site links are listed as a convenience to our visitors. We visit every site before they join, and periodically thereafter; however, they may have changed their content. If you use these links, we take no responsibility and give no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of these third-party sites.
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This Friday, Adobe unveils the public beta version of eSignatures, a cloud-based service that lets you easily add your John Hancock to documents online. Upload your document, insert the recipient's e-mail, select a date, insert a message and then sign. The finished document is certified to ensure that it hasn't been altered since the signature— if it is modified in any way the certification tag disappears. The process is dead simple (it took me less than two minutes from start to finish) and best of all, it's free.
According to an Adobe source, eSignatures may eventually be integrated into the Acrobat.com service since they share many of the same underlying technologies (an integration with Acrobat.com may also open up monetization opportunities).
Here's a look:
This is not Adobe's first foray into the digital signature market. The company has managed digital signatures for large banks and governmental organizations, through products like Adobe LiveCycle. However, as Paul McNamara (Adobe entrepreneur in residence) points out in the company's blog, Adobe LifeCycle required "sophisticated computer infrastructure that's often beyond the reach of small businesses and individuals. And therein lies the opportunity — take our LiveCycle signature technology, put it in the cloud and simplify it to make it easy for everyday signatures."
The potential cost savings could be huge, Adobe estimates that $7.4 billion is spent annually on overnight shipping for signed documents. What's more interesting is how Adobe eSignatures venture will impact the other companies in this space like EchoSign and DocuSign (which recently raised $2 million in additional funding late last year).


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Program Opportunities
Academic Enrichment Endowments
Academic Enrichment Endowments provide perpetual funding through endowments to support and strengthen academic departments.
College of Education
Model Classroom
($100,000) – create a visionary model classroom for our teachers of the future to ensure that education students are trained on the technological tools available in the modern classroom.
Rankin College of Business
($200,000) – complete the $1 million endowment that provides perpetual revenue for scholarships, classroom enrichment, technology, and student travel opportunities.
Classroom and Laboratory Equipment and Technology Enhancements
($500,000) – provide resources for faculty to upgrade classroom technology and laboratory equipment.
Engineering Equipment
and Technology
($350,000) – supply state-of-the-art equipment for both students and faculty and provide the most advanced technology available.
Poultry Facility and Processing Laboratory
($1,300,000) – provide agriculture students with a hands-on training facility through a live production facility as well as a poultry processing facility.
Cybersecurity Equipment
and Software
($120,000) – furnish the necessary equipment and technology software required for this program.


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I don't know how many times the leader of ISIS declared dead but here we go again, the United States says American special forces killed Baghdadi in Idlib and they buried him by throwing his dead body in the ocean.
However, let's address the timing of the declaration, it comes at a crucial period when the US President Donald Trump declared the partial withdrawal from Syria, for the exception of oil and gas fields. I mean, of course, American soldiers serve for oil and die for oil. I am not saying the US needs that oil for consumption but if we really understand the business mindset of Trump, I think we could come to a conclusion that Trump wants to finance the US presence in Syria through selling the Syrian oil and also depriving Syria of the revenues of its own oil. So Trump is hitting two birds with one stone. And let's not forget the Israeli role in this regards, Tel Aviv enjoys good relations with the Kurdish militias and it also wants to keep Syria in a weaker position.
The alleged death of Baghdadi in this particular time by the US also indicates that Trump wants to achieve internal goals: for example, Trump will now say: look we killed Baghdadi and we don't have to keep big forces in Syria, let others deal with the problem and secondly he wants to score political points before the upcoming elections in November 2020.
Do you remember when Obama declared the death of Usama bin Laden? it was 1 year before the elections of 2012 and now Trump is copying his predecessor.
There is another point of vital importance, which is how did Baghdadi reach to Idlib? Unfortunately, we don't know. But we know for sure that Idlib is under the control of Turkish backed terrorists. In this regard, Syrian reports indicate that Baghdadi could have been protected by the Horas el-din or the Guardian of the Religion group, whose relationship is tense with Al-Nusra Front. This argument makes sense because Al-Nusra and ISIS are not in good terms and The Guardian of the Religion is more friendly to ISIS.
In all cases, whether Baghdadi is dead or he is living somewhere in Hawaii, it doesn't really matter. What truly matters is the prevention of reemergence of ISIS under new leadership or a new brand. Because the majority of hardcore leaders of ISIS are still in the prisons of the Kurdish militias and the later blackmailing the Americans and using this card to practice pressure on the US to stay in Syria, saying: if you leave we won't be able to guard the prisons any more.
Additionally, a significant number of children between the ages of 14 and 18, who were indoctrinated by ISIS, live in camps in the eastern shores of the Euphrates. Their home countries, especially in Europe, refuse to take them back. These children could turn to fighters soon if the problem isn't solved between the regional and global players.
Now, what do you think about the death of Baghdadi?
Do you think his alleged death will help the reelection of Trump?
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Have you heard of about cloud hosting? If not, you are missing out on fantastic web hosting service. This type of hosting is becoming popular, as it is the most affordable way to host your site. Cloud hosting uses the resources of a cluster of servers to host your website. This means that your website uses virtual resources from several servers for the different aspects of hosting your site. Because of this, your load time is much faster than shared web hosting and even some managed web hosting companies.
WPOutcast has moved to the cloud! We have been with Cloudways web hosting since late November 2015. If you have visited the blog in early 2015, you'd notice the difference in page speed, which is incredible, because we're using more plugins and images than ever before!
The only downtime in recent months was when the server had to be restarted and that lasted a few minutes. Other than that no downtime at all.
Here is a guide on migrating over to the cloud. You could also request that their staff do this if you don't feel comfortable doing it on your own.
Migrating To Cloudways
To become a client of Cloudways you can sign up for the free 14-day trial. This gives you 14 free days to test out the service and see the improvement on your site. Use the Digital Ocean server to get this free trial. You can cancel at any time and migrate back to your old web host. Here is a peak of the pricing packages. This is affordable for most bloggers starting out.
WPOutcast is on the $30 plan with room to grow. In my hosting dashboard, I can edit some important server settings. I chose 2GB memory for my selection. See example below.
By far, Cloudways is the best web host I ever had. Since I started blogging, I have changed web hosts once every year. I could never find an option that was affordable, fast, and left me room to grow, but now I have! Do visit their homepage to read more about cloud hosting. Here's some professional advice from the WPArena office team: As you embark on the first steps of creating your website, keep in mind the whole picture that you are trying to achieve, too often we see young webmasters spiral into a tangent that is not part of the core SEO strategy that they are aiming for. Avoid getting off track until the trip is well over!
Step 1 – Purchase A Plan
To get started you need to choose a plan and follow the onscreen instructions. Let's start with a free trial. You can upgrade to a paid membership at any time during your hosting.
Please take notice of the free trial sign up screen. You do have 3 options in order to create an account. Let's get started by creating your account first.
Continue on to the next page of Cloudways to start your free trial. Keep in mind you will have to verify your account by clicking on a link in your email. After you activate your account you will see this page.
Select Digital Ocean from the selections shown above because you will get a free 14-day trial. Select WordPress from the Cloudways options you see available below.
Now you get to select the server settings and the location of the server. The below image shows the next step.
Select the number of page views that your blog gets or close to it. You can also click on the I know my server size tab. Select the memory size. 1GB or 2GB is what you should select for now. Below is the location. Select the closest country or state near you. This is very important. Next, click on the start 14-day free trial button that's in the footer.
- Suggested Tutorial: Reward Your Audience With Web Hosting Promo Links
Wait for about 6 minutes while your account/server is set up for you. After this is done, it's time for the migrating process. This is an easy process, but you can always contact support for help.
Step 2 – Migrate Content To Cloudways
You can actually migrate your blog's content and database over to Cloudways with the help of a plugin. Install the Cloudways WordPress Migrator free plugin. This plugin will do all the migrating, you just need to enter some data and presto, the migrating process begins!
To get all this information, I hope you still have your Cloudways dashboard open. If not, login to your account and you should see the screen below or something similar. Notice the arrow pointing to the Applications tab that you want to be on for the next step.
You should now be on a page similar to what is shove above which has your wordpress application on it. Click on the 1 application in their which is your blog so we can find the information to copy into the migrator tool.
If you are on this page, you'll find all the information needed on it. If you have any questions, post them in the comment section.
Enter the following into your Migrater plugin's settings page:
- Enter your email address (the one you registered with)
- Your destination site URL, which is hosted on your Cloudways server.
- Enter your Application Folder Name. You can find the Application Folder Name in the Application Management tab
- Enter your Server IP address (in Cloudways, click the server tab to find the public IP address)
- SFTP Username. This is your Master username that you can find in the Server tab.
- SFTP Password. This is your Master password that you can find in the Server tab under master credentials.
- Click on "Migrate" button to start migrating your website.
Keep in mind that this could take a while depending on the size of your blog. You should be seeing these images throughout the migrating session.
Step 3 – After Migrate Finish's
After the migrate process is over, just follow the instructions on this page to complete the other process of taking your site live with Cloudways.
- Read: How do I take my website live from Cloudways?
- How To Install WordPress On Cloudways – Step By Step Guide
Migrations are very critical for IT enthusiast as are there are chances of migration failure and data loss hence choosing a reliable email migration services provider with 24*7 top-notch support is a tough decision. Learn more about application software hosting such as QuickBooks Enterprise cloud with Apps4Rent.
That's it, you have just switched over to Cloudways on a 14-day free trial. See your account profile to upgrade to a paid hosting package.
If you have found this tutorial helpful, please consider sharing it online with your followers.


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Archive - Moneydance 2017 - Online Banking
This is an archived document. Please refer to the more recent knowledge base articles on this page
Can I automatically download transactions from my financial institution?
You can find more information about Moneydance 2017 online banking features below -
Performing a manual import -
If your financial institution does not support Direct Connect access, as detailed in this article, you can download data from your financial institutions website.
After downloading data, many web browsers will automatically ask which program you want to use to open the downloaded file. If your web browser prompts you in this manner select "Moneydance".
If your browser does not offer this option save the file on your computer, then import the file by opening Moneydance and dragging the downloaded file into the Moneydance program window, or by navigating to File --> Import.
The "Import file" dialogue box will appear. From here the process differs depending on what type of file you are importing - QIF or OFX, OFC, and QFX files.
Importing Open Financial Exchange (OFX) and Open Financial Connectivity (OFC) or QFX files
Moneydance will attempt to match the imported account with your existing accounts and should identify the correct account in subsequent imports. If the correct account is not currently visible, select the account to which you wish to import and click "OK."
Importing Quicken™ Interchange Format (.QIF)
In the Import To field, check the Existing Account box and select the appropriate account from the list. Set File Source as "From a Downloaded File" and adjust the other options as necessary, then click OK. Do NOT check the "Import Account Info Only" box.
Using the Open Account Website tool -
Clicking Online → Open Account Website will automatically open your browser to a page you've pre-set. Designate the page you'd like this function to open (your bank's home-page, a link to your transfer file, etc.) by typing in the URL once as prompted.
To edit the account website, go to Account → Edit Account and enter the new URL in the Website field. If you have not yet entered a web address for an account, clicking Online → Open Account Website will display the following where you can enter the appropriate web address -
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- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:51 06:05 12:14 15:38 18:17 19:30
The airline industry will see at least 400 additional aircraft being grounded globally this year, as the airline industry parked nearly 1,200 aircraft in 2008, according to Ascend Worldwide, a UK-based aviation consultancy.
It said the slowdown saw the airline industry park 1,167 planes last year, "making it the worst year for cutbacks since 2001".
However, the Middle East is likely to be impacted only in a minor way.
"Today, airlines across the world are grounding aircraft because of the drop in passenger traffic. This year, too, we may see an increase in the number of aircraft being grounded. However, in the Middle East I doubt we are going to see major grounding, at least not to the extent it is happening globally. This is because the region is still seeing positive growth," Kareem Murad, Vice-President – Research at Shuaa Capital, told Emirates Business.
He added: "At the end of the day, grounding aircraft may be a temporary phenomenon as airlines re-visit their strategy and readdress the feasible routes and their frequency."
Middle East airlines, however, remain positive about the growth. Gulf Air, though, will retire some of its Airbus A340s this year and replace them with A330s and Boeing B777 aircraft. And it is also due to receive 13 aircraft this year, according to the Bahrain-based airline's spokesperson.
"Out of these, three aircraft will be used for the growth, the rest are replacements and part of our re-fleet and environment programme," he said, adding that Gulf Air retired its Boeing 767s last year.
"However, the purpose was not to cut capacity, rather streamline the fleet to more modern and efficient aircraft."
Etihad Airways, on the other hand, had none of its aircraft grounded last year, according to its spokesperson. "We had no aircraft grounded in 2008 and we don't plan to ground any during 2009," he said.
"In fact, we will take delivery of 11 new aircraft during 2009 – to support route launches which so far include Melbourne, Athens, Istanbul and Chicago. We currently have 42 aircraft, and will have 52 by the year-end. We are retiring one older Airbus A340-300," he said.
According to Ascend, the Middle East has not been affected to the same degree, considering that Emirates recently announced a planned 14 per cent capacity increase in 2009.
The total number of stored planes globally is approaching 2,300, representing more than 11 per cent of the global air transport fleet of 20,293, as per Ascend's estimates.
"The current downturn is approaching in severity similar to the situation at the end of 2001 when 13 per cent of the world jet transport fleet was in storage.
"At that time the fleet comprised 15,950 aircraft, so a similar share in 2009 could mean a total of some 3,000 idle airliners," the UK consultancy pointed out.
It further said that North American airlines have a big head start in grounding aircraft, having announced fleet reductions totalling almost 800 since mid-2008.
"The move from a relatively orderly market to a distressed one can be reasonably rapid. In the last downturn some 12 per cent of the narrow bodied aircraft remained parked for almost five years," said Chris Tarry of aviation consultancy, CTAIRA.
"The nature of the adjustment to deliveries this downturn is most likely to be closer to that seen in the downturn of the 1990s. In other words there is a reasonable basis for expecting that by 2011-12, deliveries of aircraft in the 150-seat segment could be some 60 per cent lower than the peak delivery rate of 697 in 2007, suggesting that deliveries of 150-seat aircraft are close to 280 aircraft by this time," he added.
Pointing to the scale of Gulf aircraft orders, Tarry said: "In the Gulf where growth is predicted on oil in excess of $40 a barrel, prices are now close to what might be seen as the danger zone in terms of the oil price necessary to act as the catalyst for growth.
"Also, the IMF has just cut the GDP forecast for the UAE for the current year from 6.6 per cent to 3.5 per cent. This compares with an expected outcome for 2008 of 6.8 per cent. This inevitably must raise questions over the reality of all of the aircraft on order in the wider region being delivered."
Airline Capacity Growing Faster Than Passenger Demand
Despite dropping passenger traffic many Middle East airlines are still pushing forward with plans to expand their fleets. However, according to global strategic management consulting firm, AT Kearney, these plans should be reviewed in light of the economic climate.
Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways are expected to more than triple their current fleets by 2015 and most of the other airlines in the region also have substantial orders.
According to AT Kearney, the current aircraft order backlogs for Gulf airlines are expected to add considerable capacity to the market during the next seven years and will more than triple the then available seat kilometres (ASK) from an estimated 207 billion ASKs per year in 2007 to 647 billion ASKs per year in 2015.
"The increase in capacity combined with the current crisis means that regional airlines must rethink and adjust the fundamentals of their business," said Bill McKnight, Head of Aviation/Aerospace Practice at AT Kearney, Middle East.
Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) recently announced that Middle East airlines will double their losses in 2009 to $200 million (Dh735m). "Thus, profitability has become an even more difficult challenge in what has always been a very tough business," A T Kearney said.
Overall 2008 passenger growth decreased to seven per cent from 18.1 per cent in 2007, with December 2008 showing a low 3.9 per cent growth. "While lower fuel prices have reduced costs significantly it is expected to be insufficient to cover the lower demand, A T Kearney warns Gulf airlines "need to react swiftly to avoid following the same path of European and American competitors".
It added in order for the airlines in this region to deal with the looming overcapacity situation that appears to be nearing, they may eventually need to consider different levels of alliances and integration with other players, to optimise their businesses.
While until now, most GCC airlines have been able to avoid any turbulence, going forward, however, AT Kearney suggests airlines must consider how to best mitigate regional and global challenges facing the aviation industry amid the economic climate. "Truly creative airlines are now generating significant revenues through non-traditional channels, innovative approaches to pricing and through monetising more of their assets," said McKnight.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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Symptoms of Lyme disease
Lyme disease symptoms can vary from one person to another and usually appear in stages. However, these stages can overlap, with symptoms generally occurring within a month after getting infected. Some of them include:
- A small, red bump at the site of a tick bite.
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- You develop this rash at more than one place on your body.
- You have a fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, neck stiffness, or swollen lymph with the rash.
Leaving Lyme disease untreated can lead to developing newer signs and symptoms over time. The rash can start to appear on other areas of your body, and you may experience joint pain, swelling on your knees, and neurological problems. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is pivotal that you seek Lyme disease diagnosis treatment from a licensed physician at the earliest.
Treatment for Lyme disease
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Call 619-840-6700 or visit our official website to schedule an appointment with one of our treatment providers. LIVV Wellness Lounge is a leading clinic for complementary and alternative medicine specializing in treating Lyme disease in San Diego. Our personalized treatment approach and use of innovative treatments support patients into adopting a healthy and active life over the years.


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How do you structure your training sessions? How long is each session? Do you take breaks during the session, or just train continuously? We had an interesting discussion about this recently on one of the online horse clicker training groups. This was one of the replies I wrote to the group and I thought it was worth sharing here. I'd also love to hear how you structure your training sessions.
I usually train in sets of 10 treats. I started doing this originally with the horses, but I've found it works great for dogs, rats, fish, and all sorts of other animals. The animal and I train for 10 treats, then take a break, then do another bit of training, then another break, and so on.
The length of the break and what constitutes a "break" can vary widely depending on the animal and his/her level of training. With an animal new to clicker training or when I'm working on a completely new behavior, a break might mean putting the animal up and spending a good chunk of time thinking about what happened and what to do the same or differently the next time. If I'm taking video, I might even watch back through part of the video.
With a clicker-savvy animal, especially when practicing or refining a previously taught behavior, a "break" might mean switching to a different behavior or activity. With a horse, for example, if we're working on correct bend while trotting circles, a break might mean walking for a few minutes on a loose rein. Trainers can also use favorite behaviors as breaks, which I've written about before.
Once animals learn that clicker training is fun, many animals want to keep going and going and going… And many are able to keep going and going and going for quite long sessions. Because of this, trainers are often tempted to keep training for quite long sessions.
Using breaks for decision making
What I've found, though, is that breaks are so beneficial for ME.
I use breaks for decision making.
Before I start, I figure out what I want to train during the next 10 treats.
After the 10 treats, I take a break and I figure out whether what I thought was going to happen, actually happened!
If the session went basically as I had planned, I get to decide whether to stay at the current step or whether it's time to move to the next step.
If the session went quite differently than I planned, I spend a few moments trying to figure out why. Should we be working on a different step instead? Were my criteria too high? Did I change something during this session without realizing it? Does my training plan need a small tweak or a major overhaul?
Using breaks for problem solving: An example
Breaks are good for problem solving.
It's a lot easier to train, then assess, then train, then assess, rather than trying to assess how your training is going and make decisions about what to do next while you are in the middle of training.
Importantly, I've also found that when I'm stopping to take breaks, I end up making decisions a lot earlier than I might otherwise.
For instance, I was at my parents' house recently and I was doing a bit of clicker training with their dog in the kitchen. During one of my first sets of 10 treats, her performance was so-so. She was doing okay and getting the hang of what I wanted (something we had worked on previously), but was often missing cues.
We took a short break (less than a minute) and I reevaluated the situation. During the training, my dad had been moving around the kitchen working on something. Too big of a distraction for this dog for what we were working on that day!
Would I have figured this out if I hadn't stopped to take a break? Yes.
But, I'm almost certain it would have taken me longer to make this decision. I probably would have kept going and clicked at least another five or six times.
During the break, we moved to a different room. The next session went great because we had fewer distractions. Of course, once the behavior is more solid, we can start working on it in more challenging environments.
Having a scheduled break gave me the opportunity to evaluate why training wasn't going as planned and what I needed to change, rather than keep doing what I was doing.
Overall, I've found that I get just as much trained (if not more) if I divide the session between training and predetermined breaks, rather than just training continuously and taking breaks randomly.


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Things that are good
The book's fast pacing will never leave the reader bored.
Distinctive and interesting characters.
Sympathetic bug aliens.
Cyber zombies.
Things I did not like
Some content is not appropriate for all ages. Specifically a suggested rape. Also children die and it is shown in detail, but feels gratuitous.
The ending, while not bad, feels unsatisfying.
Who Will Enjoy This Book?
Breakers of the Dawn is soft science fiction. This isn't an exploration on the viability of technology or a study on how technology shapes culture, but a more character focused narrative. Those looking for hard science fiction will likely feel shortchanged by the lack of focus on technology. Breakers is more like Star Wars; a fantasy story with science fiction trappings. I worry that a few Star Wars fans may find some of the content too dark for their tastes, but Game of Thrones fans may recognize the structure and grim tone. Wheel of Time fans should consider giving Breakers a chance since it matches the tone.
The Review
I have tried to avoid spoilers as much as possible, but I do reveal a few minor plot points in order to discuss certain aspects of Breakers in depth. Major spoilers are only hinted at and not discussed in detail.
Breakers of the Dawn feels like it has a slow start, but that's because of its structure rather that its pacing which is actually fast. The story jumps between points of view and locations each chapter Game of Thrones style. Consistent pacing does an excellent job of setting up most of the characters and their respective conflicts as each separate character's story moves closer to intersecting during the climax. Around six heroes and two villains each get their own POV chapters. At times it verges on overwhelming, but the story wisely pulls back before becoming over saturated with characters.
All characters feel distinctive and there is plenty of variety. Tremmilly and Cazz-ak-tak stand out as particularly good. Tremmilly is the best character of the book in my opinion and recipient/victim of a long prophecy. She is young and inexperienced, but she throws herself into her adventure without a lot of fuss. Her role seems to be that of a leader who is to gather a bunch of heroes of prophecy and to make sure the tone of the story doesn't become so dark that it alienates the reader. I think she works because the tone in her chapters is the most consistent.
Cazz-ak-tak is the reader's window into the culture of the Entho-la-a-mines, a peaceful race of telepathic bug aliens. Entho culture and their telepathic abilities are given far more attention than human technology. Their chapters tend to showcase a deeper level of detail and world building than the other sections spent on various human planets. It also helps that I am a sucker for bug aliens in general and I adore their rare sympathetic portrayals in fiction.
Other characters have interesting angles as well. Lothis, a kid around 10 years old who lives in an isolated room in a secret lab whose story reminds me of Plato's allegory of the cave. Maxar, a futuristic gladiator, and Wake, a competent engineer, are both characters who give the reader a critical perspective on depths of corruption within the human government called the Ashamine.
The Founder and his right hand man Crasor give the reader a villainous POV. Crasor is of particular note since he stumbles onto the meta narrative of the series, but I won't spoil anything here. Both Crasor and the Founder do okay at selling themselves as villains and they get the job done, but they are not as engaging as the heroic characters.
Felar is the only problematic character. She is supposed to be a highly competent, dangerous, and elite Founder's Commando. Much of the first chapter is spent building up her character and showcasing her skill only for the tables to suddenly turn and end in her possibly being raped. Maybe. It's suggested that something else might be going on, but nothing is resolved by the end of the book and the event in question doesn't come up again. Regardless, I feel the end of her introduction undermines her character and calls her competence into question.
The early story quickly establishes the setting. The "totally not corrupt" and "definitely not an evil empire" Ashamine is the central human government featured in Breakers. Aging, bloated, corrupt, mismanaged, and overly militarized, the Ashamine is an empire in all but name. They are led by the Founder who is a huge fan of government cover ups and false flag operations. Since cover ups and false flags are expensive, the Ashamine is waging a war of expansion on the only other major power in Breakers, the Entho-la-a-mines
The Entho-la-a-mines is where the meat of the world building is. The Entho have a communal hive mind called the Great Thought and are mostly peaceful to the point where they really don't know how to even fight a war. Although they are bug aliens, they really are more like Hollywood's post western Native Americans with a 'one with nature' theme. Or in science fiction terms, think Na'vi from Avatar rather than the bugs from Starship Troopers. I don't think the 'one with nature' aspect gets overplayed like in a lot of fiction. Thank goodness, because too much nature worship in fiction makes me want to become a Captain Planet villain. The Entho provide a sharp contrast with the warlike Ashamine, but as the story unfolds it becomes clear that something greater is on the horizon.
While the story's tone wavers quite a bit, there is little ambiguity as to who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. This straight forward hero vs villain narrative is consistent throughout the book and resonates well with the story's simplistic approach to technology. It makes for an easy learning curve for new readers since there is no need to wade knee deep through pointless techno babble.
That said, the climax feels a bit weak. The book just kind of ends right when it was starting to come together and does not feel complete. Breakers is fairly short. I would guess around 70K words long. I would have preferred around 10K more words to see some of the characters finally interact with one another since the story ends with them meeting and not really getting to know each other. I guess there had to be room for a sequel, but I like books in a series to stand on their own while still leaving room for a sequel. But, I suppose I can't begrudge a book that is wise enough to not bite off more than it can chew.
Ending aside, it's still not bad. The simple and direct writing style is accessible and easy to read. Breakers manages to still feel epic without becoming a sprawling mess like so many other stories that feature a large cast. For those put off by the first chapter, I would highly recommend they keep going since the story gets really good near the end. Breakers of the Dawn is a good quick read and an excellent match for anyone who likes science-fantasy.
Get it here.


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ARP Delay when pinging a local machine
This problem was presented to me by one of my professors because it only happened after switching from 100Mb cards to Gigabit NICs. The second arp request that comes from the computer being pinged (to send a reply back) doesn't get sent until after the pings have gone through. I decided to do some testing at home with a couple VMs and see if I could find the cause. After clearing the arp cache on both machines (arp -d) and pinging I got the same results as my professor, but I can't seem to figure out why. I did some googling and found someone with a similar issue using linux (I'm using Windows 10), it said something about there being a stale entry within the arp table as well as something called a first probe delay, but I was never able to find any information about either of those things for Windows. Does anyone know why this might be happening?