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So I've noticed this forum wasn't very active and I figured we could bring in some more positivity in it. I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but I figured it would be nice to have a thread with just funny images (or some sort of photoshop creations / movie mashups) of the current Raptor organization.
So to get things rolling, let me start with some JV stuff.


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Credit Union Legal Hurdles for 2013
Credit Union Times recently asked the attorneys on the Credit Union Team at Kaufman & Canoles for their predictions for the top 10 major legal challenges for credit unions in 2013.
Since Kaufman & Canoles believes that legal fees for credit unions need to be better managed, controlled and hopefully even reduced, we have elected to highlight only seven predictions, rather than 10. They are as follows:
1. Mergers. Andy Keeney predicts that there will be as many as 200 "friendly" mergers in 2013. The NCUA reportedly has "pre-selected" merger partners or merger candidates. They are pushing some healthy credit unions to merge. Unfortunately, there is little published legal guidance on mergers. The NCUA recently conducted a 1 1/2 hour webinar on how to do a merger. In 2013, the agency may "burden" credit unions who want to merge with potential time delays and regulatory objections. We predict that the regulatory issues and legal issues will be overcome and mergers of credit unions will continue to increase.
2. Legal Opinions. Ran Randolph predicts that legal opinions will return as a customary part of member business loans in 2013. Before the recession, some credit unions decided to forego requiring borrower's counsel to render legal opinions on transaction fundamentals such as good standing and enforceability of loan documents. However, because of recent problems in MBLs, more and more credit unions likely will insist upon legal opinions to gain the comfort factor on those issues a legal opinion can provide.
3. Loan Participations. Dustin DeVore predicts that loan participations will increase in importance in 2013. Credit unions will continue to attempt to increase their loan portfolios. The NCUA has stated that in evaluating loan participations the same principles of evaluation and analysis apply as when the credit union is considering a third-party loan. These principles include underwriting, interest rate risk, and other factors. Some reported delinquencies have occurred in participations, therefore we predict that loan participations will definitely be on NCUA's watch list in 2013.
4. Confessed Judgments. Erin Deal predicts that the use of confessed judgments will continue to increase given the recent economic environment. A confessed judgment is where the borrower to an MBL agrees upfront to a judgment if there is a default in the loan. It is a state-by-state issue, but we predict that credit unions and the NCUA will encourage the drafting of documents, especially when amending loans, to ensure that a judgment is enforceable and a confessed judgment may become a standard requirement.
5. Class Action Litigation. Marc Darnell predicts that the current trend of consumer-related class action litigation will increase in 2013 as credit unions increase their loan portfolios with competitive interest rates, as credit becomes more available in general, and as real estate and vehicle sales continue to improve. Specifically, Marc predicts that TILA, RESPA, FCRA, and state-specific consumer protection act litigation will increase, and the plaintiffs' bar will try to find common issues of fact and law upon which to premise class action allegations.
6. Litigation With Military Personnel. Brian Dolan predicts that recent successes in Department of Justice lawsuits against mortgage servicers for violating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act will encourage service members threatened with foreclosure, or charged interest above 6% for pre-service debt, to file complaints with the DOJ. As a result, expect additional federal lawsuits against servicers, as well as lenders, including credit unions. We also expect to see a rise in the number of SCRA lawsuits filed by individual service members against their lenders, including credit unions, demanding damages plus all attorneys' fees and costs.
7. Mortgages. Meagan Thomasson predicts that new mortgage regulations will present the greatest legal and compliance challenge for credit unions in 2013. Thousands of dollars in training, forms and even legal fees might be incurred by credit unions who must address the multitude of regulations relating to mortgage lending and servicing. Some new rules will take effect in early 2013. With pages numbering in the thousands, credit unions will need to understand the implications of these regulatory changes, and prepare to strengthen their compliance programs. We expect mortgage regulations to be the number one hot challenge for credit unions in 2013.
Andy Keeney is a frequent contributor to Credit Union Times and more than 35 years of experience as a credit union attorney. He is co-chair of the Kaufman & Canoles Credit Union Team in Norfolk, Va.

subset: commoncrawl


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DURANGO - An internet-based, youth-only Hunter Education Course is currently being offered for youngsters ages 18-Under in the Four Corners area by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The internet course is a convenient way for prospective hunters to earn their hunter education cards.
The online section of the course, which can be studied at home, must be completed by Saturday, March 2. Those who take the online course must then participate in a day-long skills class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, March 3, at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Street. Parents and guardians of registered youths are welcome to register and take the course.
The skills class will include: firearms safety with shooting, hunter responsibilities, wildlife regulations and other hands-on activities. To obtain a safety card, students must pass a written exam and complete the live-fire exercises at the skills class.
Rifles and ammunition will be provided at the skills section. No personal firearms are allowed.
Anyone wishing to hunt in Colorado, born after 1949, must obtain a hunter education card.
To register for the class, go to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/HunterEducation/CourseCalendar/Pages/HECalendar.aspx. Forward the calendar to March, click on "Durango" on the adjoining list, then follow the instructions.
For more information, please contact the Durango, Colorado Parks and Wildlife office at 247-0855.
For more news about the Division of Wildlife, go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us/NewsMedia/PressReleases.
For more information about the Division of Wildlife, go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.


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"The legendary singer/songwriter's warm voice is the perfect vessel for 'Winter Wonderland,' 'Jingle Bells,' and the 'Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).'"All Music Guide
"There aren't many voices that you'd rather hear wrapped around a holiday tune than Taylor's
. The singer is joined by some special guests
most notably trumpeter Chris Botti, who blows his horn on 'Winter Wonderland.' Taylor also works with Natalie Cole ('Baby, It's Cold Outside') and Toots Theilemans ('The Christmas Song')."Oakland Tribune


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Men's Apparel
Our men's products are available to suit every occasion and fit perfectly into your casual, coastal lifestyle. In finely crafted fabrics and offering a variety of items that are made right here in the USA, our men's tops, bottoms, and accessories include distinctive styles that we design and produce ourselves as well as unique products that are hand selected from among the best boutique brands available in the market today. The items we sell represent who we are and provide men with clean, classic, preppy looks that can be worn from season to season. Featuring luxe cotton and soft and breathable fabric blends, our men's tops, bottoms, and accessories allow you to achieve that cool, seaside style that will make you look like your were born to sail and spend your summers enjoying life along the coast. All of our tops and bottoms are designed to work together and complement each other, allowing you to create endless outfits to suit every mood and event.
Polarized Wayfarer Bamboo Wood Sunglasses (Multiple Lens Colors)
Regular price
Sale price


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Canadian Consolidation: B.C.'s First West Credit Union Takes in Enderby & District
Members of the $55 million Enderby & District Credit Union in Enderby, British Columbia agreed this week to merge into the $6.6 billion First West Credit Union in Langley, British Columbia, the credit unions said.
Through First West's partnership model, Enderby & District will retain its local brand, local leadership and community focus. Effective April 1, EDCU will be known as Enderby & District Financial, a division of First West Credit Union.
The merger marks a milestone for First West CU.
"Having a third partner join the First West family just goes to prove again that British Columbians and Canadians love our locally focused credit union," says Launi Skinner, First West's president/CEO.
"Over the past three years, we've seen how our model helps credit unions stay local, but tap into all the great benefits that come with being part of a larger organization like innovative products, increased purchasing power or higher lending opportunities," Skinner said.
Established in 1947, Enderby & District CU serves more than 4,300 members.
With nearly 1,300 employees and 39 branches, First West is British Columbia's third-largest credit union and serves 169,000 members.


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Your tax invoice can be downloaded on flysaa.com under Manage & Fly 72 hours after the e-ticket has been issued.
If a Tax Invoice has been successfully generated from the South African Airways Tax Invoice System, the onus rests on the recipient to ensure that his/her mailbox has enough space to receive an e-mail - with a PDF attachment; and that his//her service provider or exchange server allows for delivery of such e-mails. South African Airways, can not take responsibility for undelivered e-mails due to any other reasons beyond our control including the above.
Prescribed details required from the South African Revenue Service on a tax invoices
Tax invoices must ordinarily reflect the following details as prescribed by the South African Revenue Service Act, 1997 (Act No. 34 of 1997):
Johannesburg. 25 February 2009.
South African Airways (SAA) and Virgin Atlantic have expanded their existing codeshare agreement on both carriers' services between Cape Town and London's Heathrow Airport.
With immediate effect, passengers can book with SAA to travel on the Virgin Atlantic service between Cape Town and Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic operates a seasonal service between London Heathrow and Cape Town from October through to April. VS603 departs London Heathrow at 20h35pm arriving in Cape Town at 10h30am the following day. The VS604 returns from Cape Town at 22h40pm arriving into London Heathrow at 09h00am. This service operates daily until March and then three times per week in April.
In addition to SAA's daily flights all year round between Cape Town and London, passengers will be offered more flexibility and choice of schedules on the route.
Additionally Virgin Atlantic's passengers will be able to book to travel on SAA's services.
This bilateral agreement extends the existing codeshare agreement, which began in October 2004, between the two partner airlines, which enables customers on Virgin Atlantic's flights from Heathrow to Johannesburg to connect seamlessly onto SAA services to Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town in South Africa.
"This is a great opportunity to share our warm African welcome with Virgin Atlantic's passengers on the Cape Town-London route and to offer our passengers more flexibility being able to book on another carrier.
"We are pleased to be building on to our long standing relationship with Virgin Atlantic by increasing our services to the UK and back while upholding SAA's quality of service to its customers," says Jason Krause, SAA Head Business Development.
"This codeshare extension gives Virgin's customers even more choice of journeys between London and South Africa, and permits them to book non-stop flights to Cape Town all year round. We are delighted to be expanding our codeshare with South African Airways and are sure that passengers will enjoy having more travel options as well as the excellent service onboard with both airlines," says Edmond Rose, Director Commercial and Revenue Planning, Virgin Atlantic
SAA's flights between Cape Town and London operate as the following:
SA220 departs Cape Town at 19h55 and arrives in London at 06h55 am the following day. SA221departs London at 20h15 and arrives in Cape Town at 10h25 am the following.
Issued by South African Airways
Contact Robyn Chalmers
SAA Head Group Corporate Affairs
+27 11 978 3729
+27 83 282 6761
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Virgin Atlantic Press Office
+44 1293 747373
Website: www.virginatlantic.com


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wasora is a computational tool designed to aid a cognizant expert, whether an engineer, scientist, technician, or geek, to analyze complex systems by solving mathematical problems by means of a high-level plain-text input file containing algebraic expressions, data for function interpolation, differential equations, and output instructions amongst other facilities. At first glance, it may look like another high-level interpreted programming language, but it should be seen as a syntactically-sweetened way to ask a computer to perform a certain mathematical calculation. For example, the famous Lorenz system may be solved by writing the three differential equations in a human friendly plain text file.
wro4j is a project that will help you to easily improve your Web application page loading time. It can help you to keep your static resources (JavaScript and CSS) well organized, merge and minify them at run-time (using a simple filter) or build-time (using a Maven plugin), and has several features you may find useful when dealing with Web resources.
The MOEA Framework is a Java library for developing and experimenting with multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) and other general-purpose optimization algorithms and metaheuristics. A number of algorithms are provided out-of-the-box, including NSGA-II, ε-MOEA, GDE3, and MOEA/D.
CacheGuard Appliance is an all-in-one OS appliance providing firewall, antivirus, caching, compression, bandwidth allocation, load balancing, reverse and forward proxy, high availability, Web application firewall, URL guarding, and more. It can be purchased as an OS to install on your server, as an OS to run in a virtual machine, or as a hardware appliance.
SLEEF (SIMD Library for Evaluating Elementary Functions) is a library that facilitates programming with SIMD instructions. It implements the trigonometric functions, inverse trigonometric functions, exponential and logarithmic functions in double precision without table look-ups, scattering from, or gathering into SIMD registers, or conditional branches. This library also includes some functions for evaluation in single precision.
NLopt is a library for nonlinear optimization that allows one to select from a wide variety of optimization algorithms by changing a single parameter. Its features include both local and global optimization, unconstrained, bound-constrained, or nonlinear-inequality constrained problems, and optimization using function values only or using derivatives if they are available. It was initially begun as a wrapper around several existing optimization packages, but it now also includes original implementations of several algorithms for which no free code was available. It provides interfaces callable from C/C++, Fortran, Matlab, GNU Octave, Python, and GNU Guile.
DAE Tools is cross-platform equation-oriented process modelling, simulation, and optimization software. Various types of processes (lumped or distributed, steady-state or dynamic) can be modelled and optimized. They may range from very simple to those which require complex operating procedures. Equations can be ordinary or discontinuous, where discontinuities are automatically handled by the framework. Model reports containing all information about a model can be exported in XML MathML format, automatically creating high-quality documentation. The simulation results can be visualized, plotted, and/or exported into various formats.
AutoDiff.NET is a pure .NET library that allows a developer to easily compose functions symbolically and then automatically calculates the function's value and gradient at any given point. It can be very useful in conjunction with a gradients-based optimization library. It has been tested to work on Mono 2.10 on Linux and on .NET4 on Windows.


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With surf in the treacherous-to-deadly range at the Banzai Pipeline, round of 64 warriors laid it all on the line today. Here's a look at back at some of the most memorable moments from an incredible day of surfing...
Bruce Irons
Bruce Irons sprints into action and heads out for the most stacked heat of the day against Sean Moody, Anthony Walsh, and John John Florence. With names like that it read like a final. Bruce wasted not time and the rest of the field thoroughly smoked within a few minutes of the opening horn. If he continues as this blistering pace it's game over for everybody else.
Tanner Gudauskas And Bruddas
After a trip over the falls and right onto the reef, Tanner Gudauskas was a bloody mess. He smacked his head, elbow, and back and the head wound required several staples to close. He never wiped the smile off his face though, "I'm so stoked you got my photo with Kimo and Van, we've been hanging with them every night!"
Alex Gray
Alex Gray is as tough as they get. He cut himself surfing an outer reef yesterday (hence the duct tape covering five stitches), surfed two heats today in as-big-as-it-gets Pipeline, and took some of the worst beatings ever only to pop right up and paddle straight back into the lineup. Don't let his boyish good looks fool you--the dude is a straight psychopath.
Balaram Stack
With his affinity for good times and wild women, we can only imagine what New York's Balaram Stack is going to do with his $1,000 he won after nailing the first perfect 10 of the day. Call us Balaram, we know a great spot to blow that wad of cash in Wahiawa...
Beach Blanket Carnage
Despite warning from beach announcer Rocky Canon, there's always somebody who has all of their stuff (kids, phone, cooler, slippers, etc.) wash away when a big sets sweeps up into the crowd...
John John Florence
There was no way John John was going to lose in his first heat of the Volcom Pipe Pro. Despite several stitches in the palm of his hand, the defending Volcom Pipe Pro champion came from behind to advance into the round of 32 where he'll surf against Balaram Stack and Costa Rica's Carlos Muñoz.
The "Kanaka" was in and out all day and blessed the contest and competitors with a traditional Hawaiian chant. He terrified me until I figured out that he was a friendly native and not out for my haole head.
Dylan Graves
"I just remembered what Dane [Gudauskas] told me when I saw that wave, 'Put your head down and paddle as hard as you can,'" recalled an over the moon Dylan Graves after posting the days second perfect 10 point ride. Here he is with his brother, Josie, who was just as stoked as his lil' bro. "I'm so proud of him!" he said. Dusty Payne also got a perfect 10 and $1000 courtesy of Electric but his was bittersweet as it was his only wave and he didn't make it out of the heat.
Real Pros
When Dave Wassel and Mark Healey (giving the North Shore salute here) are in the commentators box) it's as if the two knuckle heads are out fishing--they write each other off without mercy and endlessly joke around. Despite their shenanigans, you couldn't find two more knowledgeable dudes when it comes to Pipeline. To listen to Wassel and Healey and take in all the Volcom Pipe Pro action, log on Wednesday morning to transworldsurf.com.
ASP Press Relseas: New York's Balaram Stack Perfect At Pipe
HONOLULU – (Jan. 31, 2012) — He came to Hawaii looking to fulfill a childhood dream and humbly gain experience at the world's most revered and feared surf spot: the Banzai Pipeline. But 20-year-old New York pro surfing rookie Balaram Stack scored one of surfing's rarest waves: a perfect 10 on a fearsome day deemed only for warriors at the Volcom Pipe Pro. Fifteen-to-20 foot Pipe doled out its fair share of injuries, snapped surfboard and bruised pride today. No-one imagined that the kid from New York would steal the show, unscathed.
Stack was up against one of Pipeline's most respected riders today – Kalani Chapman, 29, and a pair of rising Hawaiian stars in Granger Larson, 21, and Tonino Benson, 22. He had a nail-biting start; skittling to the bottom of his first ride on his stomach, and following up with a short tube-ride that almost knocked him off. But none of his challengers were fairing much better in the rogue lineup and Stack surprisingly took a slim lead.
Then with three minutes to go, a huge A-frame peak pushed through and Balaram, sitting deepest, swung and stroked over the ledge. He dropped weightlessly, set the rail of his surfboard on edge and pulled up into a gaping, hollow barrel, arms outstretched. When he exited in a plume of spray and whitewater, he was standing casually with hands held behind his back… in disbelief.
Stack also scored a bonus $1,000 as part of the ELECTRIC Perfect Ten bonus awards. He is now among the final 32 surfers left in the event and will next face defending event champion John John Florence (Hawaii). The Volcom Pipe Pro is expected to wrap up and crown a champion tomorrow.
"It's what I've always wanted – to have a heat out there in pumping waves," said Stack. "I just thought that if the wave came, I was going, if not, I'll regret it forever. I knew the waves were firing and there were only three other guys out. That never happens, so I was just hoping I would get a wave. The stars aligned. I got one.
"It was pretty nerve-wracking just being out there. All I was hoping was to make another heat and make it to the next round, but now I don't even care if I make the next round, that was the best thing ever.
"It's the first time I've ever surfed a contest out here and it's definitely a dream I've had for a while." On taking the heat from Kalani Chapman with a perfect 10: "Yeah, that definitely wasn't supposed to happen."
Late in the afternoon, Puerto Rico's Dylan Graves and Maui's Dusty Payne also found perfect 10's and, like Balaram, scored a bonus $1,000 each. Maui's Ian Walsh called today "one of the best days of the year". The swell pulsed relentlessly and the lineup broiled with huge tubes, massive peaks, and more than the occasional unrideable steamroller of whitewater.
Walsh put the Pipeline experience into perspective: "You're not really surfing against the other guys like you are in most of the events around the world. It's more of a battle between yourself and Pipeline. When you're out there you feel all the shock waves coming through the lineup."
California's Alex Gray surfed the very first heat of the day and overcame a hobbling injury he sustained while surfing gigantic waves on the North Shore's outer reefs yesterday. With his calf taped up to protect the stitched wound, Gray threw caution to the wind and charged into some of the heaviest barrels of the day. "We surfed the outer reefs yesterday and unfortunately I broke a fin off in my leg and was in the hospital at around 7 o' clock last night," said Gray. "Nothing too crazy, but really sore this-morning and I was wondering how it was going to be. But we're here to surf Pipeline and you can't let a previous day's wound stop you.
"It's big today. My last wave backed off on the reef and allowed for a really steep drop. In those moments it feels like the whole ocean is going against you, trying to pull you back up the face and I was just hoping that my fins and my rail were going to stay in the water and I was going to make it to the end of the wave. Pipeline is so heavy and dangerous that you always hope for the best but expect the worst and I was glad I made that wave. This is a contest but the best part about surfing at Pipeline is you're at one of the world's best waves so it is possible that you could get the wave of your life."
San Clemente's Tanner Gudauskas had a lucky escape and advanced, but not without needing eight staples to his skull. Tanner sustained a massive wipeout on his opening ride that pinned him to the reef, lacerating his arm, back and head. He eventually managed to shake off the nerves and try again, taking some of older brother Dane's advice onboard.
"Dane always says when you take a wipeout like that you're one step closer to getting the wave of your life, so that's how I think about it," said Tanner. "I've been taking nothing but wipeouts lately so hopefully one's coming around the bend." On his wipeout: "Mentally I was thinking I (had the wave), then last thing I thought, 'I don't have it' and I was up and over. But the way I landed I didn't penetrate. I went up and over the falls and landed square on my back and my head hit as well. I was really shaken up. I got lucky because I got a smaller one that barreled after that and made me feel better inside. Then I thought a little bit less about the wipeout and a little bit more about getting in the barrel."
Defending Volcom Pipe Pro champion John John Florence (Hawaii), who was crowned champion of the Vans Triple Crown in December, scraped through by the skin of his teeth today in a heat that could well have been a final in its own right. Up against former Pipe champion Bruce Irons, Australian Anthony Walsh, and North Shore local Sean Moody, Florence had his work cut out. It didn't help that he was also surfing injured after almost separating his finger while surfing a few days ago. Florence made a last minute barrel to steal second place away from Walsh and advance.
"I was pretty nervous, I almost wasn't going to do my heat," said Florence. "I have a really bad kink in my neck, and my hand… I kind of sat there the whole heat and luckily got a wave in the end. Anthony Walsh is so gnarly. That was definitely a scarey heat to have.. Moody and Bruce too… There's a lot of wash-through sets. It's fun but there's these crazy double ups that come in." Bruce Irons was the day's highest scorer with 17.47 out of 20. He locked in two solid tube rides to Florence, Walsh and Moody battling for second.
The Australians charged today, but none advanced despite scoring more than a few incredible rides. Josh Kerr, Anthony Walsh and Stephen Walsh put on a great show but the highest scores eluded them. Organizers will assess the conditions at first light tomorrow morning to determine if there will be an 8am start. Tomorrow could be the final day, possibly crowning a champion at around 3pm.
Surfers listed in order of 1st through 4th. 1st & 2nd advance.
Remainder of ROUND 2
H14: Alexander Grey (USA) 13.00pts ; Olaman Eleogram (HAW) 8.93pts ; Sidney Guimaraes (BRA) 5.93pts ; Dylan Goodale (HAW) 2.67pts
H15: Evan Valiere (HAW) 9.24pts ; Koa Rothman (HAW) 5.27pts ; Franklin Serpa (BRA) 4.17pts ; Jason Shibata (HAW) 3.10pts
H16: Ian Walsh (HAW) 15.14pts ; Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 11.84pts ; Brett Barley (USA) 9.33pts ; Krystian Kymerson (BRA) 2.70pts
Round 3
H1: Torry Meister (HAW) 11.97pts ; Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 8.73pts ; Kevin Sullivan (HAW) 7.50pts ; Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 5.60pts
H2: Kai Barger (HAW) 13.17pts ; BIlly Kemper (HAW) 9.17pts ; Nils Schweizer (USA) 7.30pts ; Dean Morrison (AUS) 5.17pts
H3: Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 12.34pts ; Mason Ho (HAW) 12.17pts ; Hank Gaskell (HAW) 8.83pts ; Dane Gudauskas (USA) 6.47pts
H4: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 10.34pts ; Tim Reyes (USA) 6.67pts ;Makai McNamara (HAW) 5.10pts ; Derek Peters (USA) 4.03pts
H5: Tyler Newton (HAW) 9.20pts ; Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 5.50pts ; Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 3.27pts ; Brandon Jackson (ZAF) 2.47pts
H6: Gabe Kling (USA) 14.03 ; Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 9.83pts ; Gabriel Villaran (PER) 8.26pts ; Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 6.10pts
H7: Jamie O'Brien (HAW) 8.94pts ; Ricardo Dos Santos (BRA) 8.17pts ; Gavin Gillette (HAW) 6.34pts ; Joel Centeio (HAW) 4.53pts
H8: Reef McIntosh (HAW) 9.17pts ; Flynn Novak (HAW) 9.13pts ; Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.20pts ; Koa Smith (HAW) 1.47pts
H9: Bruce Irons (HAW) 17.47pts ; John John Florence (HAW) 9.26pts ; Anthony Walsh (AUS) 8.57pts ; Sean Moody (HAW) 7.17pts
H10: Chris Ward (USA) 14.40pts ; Joan Duru (FRA) 7.50pts ; Kiron Jabour (HAW) 3.27pts ; Stephen Walsh (AUS) 1.67pts
H11: Balaram Stack (USA) 13.67pts ; Kalani Chapman (HAW) 5.10pts ; Granger Larson (HAW) 2.23pts ; Tonino Benson (HAW) 2.00pts
H12: Carlos Munoz (CRI) 15.60pts ; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 9.26pts ; Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 6.76pts ; Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 3.76pts
H13: Nathan Yeomans (USA) 11.23pts ; Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 10.56pts ; Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 10.33 ; Myles Padaca (HAW) 5.90pts
H14: Dylan Graves (PRI) 15.00pts ; Alexander Grey (USA) 12.00pts ; Leandro Usuna (ARG) 6.50pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 2.23pts
H15: Evan Valiere (HAW) 12.00pts ; Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) 5.90pts ; Roy Powers (HAW) 5.53pts ; Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 2.73pts
H16: Koa Rothman (HAW) ; Ian Walsh (HAW) 12.26pts ; Dusty Payne (HAW) 10.00 ; Marcus Hickman (HAW) 8.60pts


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No one can take anything away from Michael Jordan for his success on the court, but before you start flapping your gums, you need to read Wilt Chamberlains story. Go to Wikipedia:
Even if you feel like skipping his early career, the stats on his Rookie season are astounding.
"In his first NBA season, Chamberlain averaged 37.6 points and 27 rebounds, convincingly breaking the previous regular-season records. He needed only 56 games to score 2,102, which broke the all-time regular season scoring record of Bob Pettit, who needed 72 games to score 2,101 points.[39] Chamberlain was named NBA MVP and Rookie of the Year that season, a feat matched only by fellow Hall-of-Famer Wes Unseld in the 1968–69 NBA season, and broke eight NBA records."
He broke 8 NBA records in his ROOKIE season. Read the whole story. then tell me about "who's the greatest."
And " Chamberlain's 4,029 regular-season points made him the only player to break the 4,000-point barrier;[2] the only other player to break the 3,000-point barrier is Michael Jordan, with 3,041 points in the 1986–87 NBA season."


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All Items : Books and Publications : Historical : Civil War : Pre 1900 item #1154987 (stock #LSyearbook)
Cheshire Cat Gallery
Published in 1862, this book is a record documenting the first year of the Civil War. Written by Edward A. Pollard, author of "Black Diamonds", this is the 2nd edition "Revised and Corrected". 406 pages of text, the book is paper bound. The back cover is detached, both front and back covers are faded due to age, all else excellent condition and a fascinating read.
Cheshire Cat Gallery
Rare Confederate Civil War "Rifle and Infantry Tactics" manual used and carried by Captain W. H Powell during the war. There are water marks in the same location thought the book, but all the type is legible and clear. Blank pages have some signatures and doodling. This is considered to be a rare book. Published in 1862 by the order of the Governor for the use of the North Carolina Troops and written by Brig. Gen. W. J. Hardee, C. S. Army. About 70 pages of text with blank pages in the back...
All Items : Books and Publications : Historical : Civil War : Pre 1900 item #1155609 (stock #z)
Cheshire Cat Gallery
"Life and Death in Rebel Prisons" by Robert H Kellogg, Sgt-Major 16th Regiment Conn. Volunteers, prepared from his daily journal is this "...complete history of the inhuman and barbarous treatment of our brave soldiers by rebel authorities, inflicting terrible suffering and frightful mortality, principally at Andersonville, GA and Florence, SC. Published in 1867 by L. Sterbins, Hartford, Conn...


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If Lowry has been broken then he is a head case. The same head case that lost his starting job in Houston, the same headcase that had issues with Mchale. He unnecessarily gambles outside of the defensive system. When he plays his style offensively it is like a very small bull in a china shop. It is reckless and there is no wonder why he is injury prone if you end up on your back or face every drive to the bucket. Perhaps his change in style isnt so much trying to be like Jose, but the realization that his career has only a few years left if he keeps playing that style.
I was not in favor of trading for him. I would have finally given Jose the keys to the car for the first time in years rather than continuously spending time and energy trying to replace him and worked on other positions that we were in far more dire need of. If all of these TJ Ford/Lowry trades had been for other positions we would have been in a better spot now instead of trying to replace a guy who is in the top 10 for his position in multiple categories pertaining to point guards. The real issue with how the fan base reacts to Jose is his contract. It has always been that fan red herring that people have to mention. Yet over the term of that contract has it ever prevented us from signing anyone? Nope.
Why doesn't Boston just wait it out for another season? Rondo's still young. KG and PP are past their prime and the sacrifice of losing them would hurt much less than trading away a star like Rondo. Come on man.. this is crazy talk.. you couldn't even trade Bargnani right now for a second rounder.
This may be a little off topic but a lot of people have talked about how calderon has affected lowry's play since he came back from injury and got him to look to pass more and be less aggressive.. but I was thinking, what about how lowry has affected calderon's play.. it almost seems like after watching lowry from the bench at the beginning of the season, calderon has been looking for his shot more than ever compared to recent seasons. He has been 100x more aggressive and is having one of the best seasons of his career. Sooooooo often he used to pass up wide open shots or be so hesitant, I feel like lowry has been a good influence on him in that sense and he is smart enough not to start chucking for the sake of it but to be aggressive and take his shot when he has it
Boston has 2 options now:
a) Blow it up ( trade Pierce, Garnett, Terry)
b) trade for another point guard and try to win
One more thing, if the Celtics are sub .500 with Rondo, what makes you think they're going to do any better with Lowry? Why trade your best player just to hope for success in the playoffs? Which btw, won't happen. As much as I love KG, the choice between trading either him or Rondo, is an obvious one.
We'll see...
Not to say that trading rondo isnt a mindset change too (it is) .. but I wouldnt put it past ainge to try to patch it up ..
Lowry for Bradley! Add the players to make it work!
Twitter: @ReubenJRD NBA, Raptors writer for Daily Hive Vancouver, Toronto.
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Fondaparinux is a blood thinner used to prevent blood clots from forming.
When a blood clot forms in a vein in the legs, it is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT can block blood flow through the vein. Symptoms include pain, swelling, warmth, and a change in skin color of the affected leg. Sometimes, symptoms do not occur unless a clot breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs. This is called pulmonary embolism and can be fatal. People who undergo certain surgeries are at high risk of developing DVT.
When Is Fondaparinux Prescribed?
Your doctor may prescribe fondaparinux after certain types of surgery, including hip or knee replacement, hip fracture repair, or abdominal surgery. This medication may be prescribed to people who are very ill and have risk factors for blood clots. Fondaparinux may also be used along with other blood thinners to treat DVT and pulmonary embolism.
How Is Fondaparinux Given?
This medication is given as an injection under the skin.
What Are the Side Effects?
Fondaparinux can cause many side effects. Some of these include:
- Bleeding
- Anemia
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Infection
- Lightheadedness
- Constipation
- Insomnia
- High blood pressure
Who Should Not Take This Medication?
Like all blood-thinning drugs, fondaparinux can cause excessive, dangerous bleeding. The risk of bleeding is greater for certain groups of people. You will not be able to take fondaparinux if you have any of these conditions:
- Severe kidney disease
- Weigh less than 110 pounds
- Active major bleeding, bacterial endocarditis (an infection that affects the heart), and thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count)
What Are the Precautions With This Medication?
If you are prescribed fondaparinux:
- Be sure to carefully follow your doctor's instructions, especially if you are aged 75 or older. You may experience more side effects.
- Tell your healthcare providers, including dentists, that you are taking fondaparinux.
- Because you are taking fondaparinux, you will bleed more easily. Ask your doctor about steps that you can take to prevent injuries.
- Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medications, including over-the-counter drugs, herbs, and supplements.
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before taking this medication.
In rare cases, you may be more likely to have severe bleeding after certain procedures, including:
- Reviewer: Michael Woods, MD, FAAP
- Review Date: 04/2017 -
- Update Date: 04/11/2017 -


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Addressing organized crime threats to match-fixing focus of INTERPOL conference
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Representatives from law enforcement, football associations and the betting industry are meeting in Malaysia for INTERPOL's international conference 'Match fixing: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game' to identify the tactics used by organized crime networks behind this global threat to the sport and boost prevention efforts.
Some 200 participants from 43 countries are attending the two-day conference (20 and 21 February) organized by INTERPOL's Integrity in Sport unit, as part of the joint INTERPOL/FIFA Training, Education and Prevention initiative, and in partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Acting President of the AFC, Zhang Jilong told delegates; "We need to admit that match-fixing is a real danger to football's ethical values and needs to be eliminated to preserve the sanctity of the sport.
"Your participation in this conference proves that we are ready to work hand-in-hand to eradicate this cancer from the game. Match-fixing is too complex and widespread for one organization to fight it alone. To fight this, we need a joint and coordinated effort," added Mr Jilong.
With the conference just one day after the announcement that China's football association has banned 33 players and officials for life after a three-year probe into match-fixing, INTERPOL's Director of Capacity Building and Training, Dale Sheehan said it was essential that all those involved in combating this crime join resources and 'take back the game of football'.
"Criminals can make millions in illicit profits from match-fixing with little risk of being detected and will exploit every opportunity. By bringing together partners we are raising awareness and understanding of the problem," said Mr Sheehan.
"Sports and fair play are the very fabric of our society and youth, and the impact of match-fixing, including murder, suicide, assault and threats has the ability to undermine that very fabric," he concluded.
FIFA's Head of the Security, Ralf Mutschke said the vast number of games played and the massive increase in online betting make the sport an easy target for organized crime.
"Where money flows, corruption often follows. We need and must target our action at a global level. FIFA cannot fight and win this battle against corruption in football alone; involving all parties that need to work together is the key to the battle against corruption in football," said Mr Mutschke.
High on the conference agenda are current and anticipated future trends in match-fixing and irregular/illegal betting and the adverse influence of the Asian betting markets and organized crime on football.
Identifying current good practice , ways of enhancing good governance and the importance of protecting players and initiatives in training, education, prevention and investigation are also key issues to be discussed.
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Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, one of INTERPOL's newest member countries, welcomes Secretary General
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – In his first mission to Sint Maarten, Secretary General Ronald K. Noble has met with Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams to discuss security matters, as well as with the President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell and Minister of Justice Roland Duncan. In addition, Mr. Noble had a meeting with the Governor of Sint Maarten Eugene Holiday.
Mr Noble's mission to Sint Maarten enabled him to support INTERPOL's National Central Bureau in Philipsburg by discussing their equipment and training needs.
Welcoming Sint Maarten's membership of INTERPOL, Mr Noble said that the country had much to contribute to the global policing community.
"Today, I had the privilege of seeing firsthand how this young country's leadership is committed to Sint Maarten's police receiving the necessary support, training and resources to confront existing and emerging crime threats worldwide," said Secretary General Noble.
"Sint Maarten is a holiday destination for thousands of people coming from all over the world every year, and we will continue to work closely with the national police to ensure that it remains safe for both citizens and visitors alike," concluded the INTERPOL Chief.
Sint Maarten's membership of INTERPOL means it has access to I-24/7, the world police body's secure global communications system, key operational police support services, the network of National Central Bureaus across INTERPOL's other 189 member countries and range of global databases, including for Stolen and Lost Travel Documents and internationally-wanted persons.
Sint Maarten was admitted as an INTERPOL member country during the world police body's 80th General Assembly held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in October 2011.


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Patagonia Sample Sale with all proceeds going to the Cam and Bear Fund for Adventure in memory of Up and Under and Patagonia staff member and friend Andrew Foster. Thursday 22nd February 2018 12:00-20:00. Providing huge savings on Patagonia Fall 2017 product and supporting a great charity.More on Patagonia Sample Sale »
Please read the attached for our statement about the loss of our friend. Includes link to Cam and Bear Fund for Adventure in Andy Foster's memory.More on A very sad day for Up and Under »
February was a busy month in the shop. As well as a number of reps coming to see us, and a number of visits to make, we also attended the Run, Walk, Crawl Brecon to Cardiff Ultra, and hosted a climbing shoe demo with Tenaya at local bouldering wall Spot Climbing. We still managed to get out, and members of Team Up and Under could be found in many parts of the UK; including in the Brecon Beacons, the Lakes, South Downs, Scotland, as well as further afield in Chamonix and George L still in Thailand.
More on February Staff Newsletter »


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Most RIAs are thrilled to see just about any client come through their door. Depending upon an RIA's business model and investment strategies, however, it may be important to identify which of them are "qualified clients" and "accredited investors." The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) authorized the SEC to change which clients are defined by the terms of "qualified client" and "accredited investor." Congress gave this directive to the SEC in Section 418 of the Dodd-Frank Act, because these definitions had not been updated since 1998 and were outdated.
Qualified Client and Performance Fees
Compensation based on capital gains or capital appreciation is usually referred to as performance fees. We saw in Do's and Don'ts of Advisory Contracts that the statute prohibits RIAs from charging performance fees. The rules interpreting the Investment Advisers Act, however, make an exception for qualified clients.
Performance fees are based on a share of capital gains or capital appreciation of a client's account. The fees must be fully disclosed and are not permitted unless the requirements of Rule 205-3 are met. The rule states that the provisions of section 205(a)(1) of the Investment Advisers Act do not prohibit an RIA from entering into, performing, renewing, or extending an investment advisory contract providing performance-based compensation, assuming the agreement is with a qualified client.
Thanks to the Dodd-Frank Act, the definition of qualified client found in Rule 205-3 under the Investment Adviser Act of 1940 has changed. The SEC is required to adjust for inflation the financial conditions that must be satisfied in order to be classified as a qualified client. The term qualified client was previously defined as:
- a natural person or a company with at least $750,000 under management of the RIA immediately after entering into the contract;
- a natural person or a company that the RIA believes has more than $1,500,000 in assets or is a qualified purchaser as defined by section 2(a)(51)(A) of the Investment Company Act of 1940;
- a natural person who immediately prior to entering into the contract is an executive officer, director, trustee, general partner, or person serving in a similar capacity, of the RIA; or
- a natural person employed by the RIA, other than someone performing only clerical, secretarial, or administrative functions, who participates in the investment activities of the firm and has done so for at least twelve months. An employee may also qualify if that person performed the same or similar functions for another firm for at least twelve months.
An RIA's advisory contract and Form ADV should state explicitly if performance fees will be charged to a client.
In May 2011, the SEC announced its plan to raise certain dollar thresholds that must be surpassed before RIAs are permitted to charge their clients performance fees. Under the SEC's proposed rule, a qualified client would be required to have $1 million invested with the RIA or a total net worth of $2 million. Previously, a qualified client was defined as a natural person or company with at least $750,000 under management of the RIA immediately after entering into the contract or a natural person or company that the RIA believes has more than $1,500,000 in assets. The revised thresholds would only apply to new clients, not existing advisory arrangements.
The SEC also proposed to exclude the value of a client's primary residence from the new net worth standard. NASAA strongly supported the SEC's proposal, because the value of a client's home does not necessarily indicate an individual's level of investment sophistication. Clients who own expensive homes are not necessarily financially experienced and able to bear the risks associated with performance fees.
By July, 2011, the SEC had issued an order on the plan, and on September 19, 2011 the order became effective. As a result, a federally-registered investment advisor may now charge performance fees if a client has at least $1 million under the management of the RIA, or the client has a net worth of more than $2 million. If either of these two tests is satisfied at the inception of the advisory contract, the RIA may charge performance fees.
Although Rule 205-3 permits an RIA to charge performance fees to qualified clients, the fee arrangement must still be consistent with the anti-fraud provisions of the Investment Advisers Act. For an RIA to meet its fiduciary obligation to clients, the fee must be reasonable in relation to the services rendered. The performance fee may not be substantially higher than fees charged by other RIAs for comparable services unless the firm discloses that these services are available elsewhere at a lower cost. In addition, the RIA must disclose all material information relating to the fee, such as how it is calculated.
The rules might be different for state-registered investment advisors. Some states prohibit the use of performance fee contracts by RIAs registered in their jurisdiction, even if the agreement is with a qualified client. In addition, certain states impose restrictions on how performance fees are calculated.
Some states' rules are a mirror image of the SEC's. For example, in August 2011, Massachusetts implemented a regulation stating that RIAs may not receive performance fees unless the compensation complies with Rule 205-3. The new regulation stated that advisors are only able to receive performance-based compensation from qualified clients. Massachusetts' regulation follows the SEC's lead and defines qualified clients as investors with either $1 million under the management of the RIA or having a net worth of at least $2 million.
Section 205(a)(1) has also been interpreted as being a barrier to charging contingent fees. A contingent fee is an advisory fee that will be waived or refunded, in whole or in part, if a client's account does not meet a specified level of performance. The danger with contingent fees is giving RIAs an incentive to speculate or take extraordinary risks to reach the performance necessary to earn a higher advisory fee and avoid losing compensation.
Accredited Investor
The Dodd-Frank Act also changed the definition of an accredited investor. Accredited investors are eligible to participate in certain private and limited offerings, which are exempt from the registration requirements imposed by the Securities Act of 1933. The definition of an accredited investor found in Regulation D includes:
- any natural person whose individual or joint net worth with a spouse, at the time of purchase, exceeds $1 million; or
- any natural person who had an individual income in excess of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years, or had joint income with that person's spouse that exceeded $300,000 in each of those two most recent years, and has a reasonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year.
On January 25, 2011, the SEC voted to propose amendments to conform the definition of accredited investor to the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act. Section 413(a) of the legislation amended the definition of accredited investor to exclude the value of a natural person's primary residence from the $1 million net worth calculation. This exclusion of the primary residence from the calculation took effect as soon as the law passed.
The SEC's proposed rule will clarify how debt owed on that primary residence is treated in the calculation of net worth. The SEC has proposed that the value of the primary residence should be calculated by subtracting all loans tied to the property. However, these loans may not exceed the primary residence's fair market value for purposes of calculating net worth. The proposed rule can be found at: http://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2011/33-9177.pdf.
Even if a private offering is exempt under the federal securities law, registration may still be necessary in states where the securities are sold. Almost all states have laws regulating the offering and sale of securities. Because of the Dodd-Frank Act, some states must modify their laws. For example, Oregon has promulgated an administrative rule, aligning its definition of accredited investor with how the term is defined in the Dodd-Frank Act.
According to an article published by Jill Radloff, an attorney with Leonard, Street and Deinard, a statute and rule change is not necessary in states like Minnesota. The Minnesota statute's definition of an accredited investor is based upon how the term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D. Therefore, Minnesota's definition of an accredited investor automatically changed upon enactment of the Dodd Frank Act.
The Big Picture
Form ADV disclosure brochures should state specifically whether a firm charges performance fees. Some disclosure brochures are not as clear as they should be. If performance fees will be charged, the conditions for earning them must be articulated clearly in the advisory agreement, and the language must be unequivocal.
Performance-based fees may motivate RIAs to make riskier investments. In order to address this potential conflict of interest, a senior officer of the firm should periodically review client accounts ensuring investments are suitable and that the account is being managed according to the client's investment objectives and risk tolerance.
Performance fees may also create an incentive for an RIA to overvalue investments that lack a market quotation. Firms should address this type of conflict, by adopting policies and procedures that require the RIA to "fairly value" any investments that do not have a readily ascertainable value.
If performance fees are charged, the risks arising from side-by-side management should be disclosed. Side-by-side management refers to the practice of managing accounts that are charged performance-based fees at the same time as managing accounts, that are not charged performance-based fees.
Side-by-side management can hurt clients who do not pay performance-based fees. For example, the RIA may have an incentive to allocate limited investment opportunities, such as initial public offerings, to clients who pay performance-based fees. Clients paying asset-based fees would miss out on those opportunities. Although an RIA may implement policies and procedures designed to avoid favoring performance-based accounts over asset-based accounts, a potential conflict of interest exists and must be disclosed.


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When we think of the terms Alpha and Beta in the technology
sense, we normally think of software applications that are in development or
early revisions of computer hardware. Tesla Motors likes to use the terminology
as well, and the company is showing off its latest "Alpha"
hardware: a running prototype of the Tesla
S sedan.
Tesla explains that there will be both Alpha and Beta
versions of its Model S sedan before it finally settles on a production model
to make available to the public. Tesla explains that the Alpha version of its
Model S first began testing last year, but the public is just now getting its
first look at the test vehicle.
Things have changed slightly from the version of the Model S
that was first
shown in 2009. The front bumper/grille/headlights have been
slightly tweaked, and the rear valance panel has also seen some updates (likely
to meet federal bumper height, and lighting requirements). You can see the
changes that have been made along with footage of the Model S in motion here.
"The first Alpha is amazingly agile for a car of its
size. It has great handling balance and poised ride with communicative
steering," noted Tesla Motors in a blog post.
"Just goes to show what combining a low center of gravity with a very
stiff body structure can achieve."
Tesla Motors will continue with Alpha testing throughout
2011 in various climate conditions and will likely move on to the Beta phase
either later this year or early next year. The production Model S is due out in
The 4,000-pound Model S will have a driving range of up to
300 miles and can move from a standstill to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds.
Preliminary pricing for the Model S puts the base model (160-mile range) at $57,400 before a
$7,500 federal tax credit.


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Your tax invoice can be downloaded on flysaa.com under Manage & Fly 72 hours after the e-ticket has been issued.
If a Tax Invoice has been successfully generated from the South African Airways Tax Invoice System, the onus rests on the recipient to ensure that his/her mailbox has enough space to receive an e-mail - with a PDF attachment; and that his//her service provider or exchange server allows for delivery of such e-mails. South African Airways, can not take responsibility for undelivered e-mails due to any other reasons beyond our control including the above.
Prescribed details required from the South African Revenue Service on a tax invoices
Tax invoices must ordinarily reflect the following details as prescribed by the South African Revenue Service Act, 1997 (Act No. 34 of 1997):
Johannesburg, 29 April 2010
South African Airways (SAA) marked the forthcoming opening of the new King Shaka International Airport, north of Durban, with a special flight from O.R Tambo International Airport today. SA3501, operated with an Airbus A340-600, touched down at King Shaka International at approximately 14h00 with SAA and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) dignitaries, including members of the media onboard the aircraft.
Today's test is yet another excellent opportunity for us to prove King Shaka International Airport's state of readiness. The purpose was to test our airfield infrastructure such as instrument landing systems, communication with air traffic control, passenger loading bridges, aircraft fuelling systems, aircraft push back and start up operations. We are very pleased with the support we received from all our stakeholders in particular SAA," says ACSA CEO, Ms Monhla Hlahla.
To mark this historic occasion, two SA national Defence Force Oryx helicopters and a SAPS helicopter will accompany the SAA aircraft for the spectacular flypast.
Speaking of operational readiness, ACSA Assistant General Manager Airport Operations, Bongiwe Pityi, who is based at the new site said, "We are very excited to be at this point within this development wherein we are now able to prove our state of readiness by having real aircraft testing the airfield infrastructure.
We are also excited that the pilot in command of the test flight was Captain John Herselman who has worked tirelessly with us and Air Traffic Navigation Services to ensure the new airspace design is not only environmentally conscious but efficient for all airlines."
Furthermore, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SA CAA) also attended the event with the Director of Civil Aviation, Mr Colin Jordaan, officially handing over the operating licence for the new airport to the General Manager, Mr Terence Delomoney.
SAA operates 109 return flights per week between Johannesburg and Durban. The airline will begin operating from the new King Shaka International Airport situated in La Mercy, north of Durban, as of Saturday, 1 May 2010 when the airport is official opened for commercial airline activity.
"SAA is ready for the final stages of relocating its entire airport operation from the old Durban International Airport to King Shaka International Airport which will take place overnight on 30 April 2010. The relocation includes SAA's total staff compliment at Durban International Airport of 250, SAA Technical and SAA Cargo and has to date cost the airline about R35 million", says Siza Mzimela, SAA CEO.
All SAA operations at Durban International Airport will end after the arrival of airline's three final flights from Johannesburg, SA585, SA579 and SA581, as well as SA626 from Cape Town to Johannesburg. All four aircrafts will be ferried to the new King Shaka International Airport, and remain overnight for following day's operation. The final flight to depart the old airport on 30 April is SA582 to Johannesburg.
The first SAA flight to depart from the new King Shaka International airport is SA528 to Johannesburg and departs at 06h30. The flying time between Johannesburg and Durban remains unchanged at approximately 50 minutes.
The new King Shaka International Airport is situated approximately 35 kilometres north of Durban's city centre and has been a ground breaking cooperative project development that was done between the National Department of Transport, the Provincial Department of Economic Development, the government of Kwa-Zulu Natal, ACSA and the Dube Trade Port. It is also the first Greenfield airport to be built in the past 50 years in South Africa.
The current Durban International Airport will first be handed over to the SA Air Force to use as a military operating base for the 2010 World Cup. It will then be decommissioned as an airport.
Passengers who have left their cars at Durban International and arriving back at the new airport can take the free airport shuttle back to collect their cars.
As a further precautionary measure, SCSA has set up a King Shaka International hotline number 08611 777 11, which aims to deal with customer queries relating to the move.
Jointly issued by SAA and ACSA
For further information contact:
Fani Zulu
SAA Group Corporate Affairs
Direct: +27 11 978 3729
Cell: +27 83 282 6761
Email: email@example.com
Solomon Makgale
ACSA Group Manager Communications
Direct: +27 11 723 1536
Cell: +27 82 781 8863
E-Mail: email@example.com


text:
New York AG Threatens Mortgage Servicing Suits Against BofA, Wells Fargo
The New York attorney general Monday announced he will sue Bank of America and Wells Fargo, claiming their mortgage servicing units are violating terms of the National Mortgage Settlement.
The banks, along with Ally Financial/GMAC, JP Morgan Chase and Citibank, reached the 2012 settlement deal with 49 state attorneys general and the Department of Justice. The settlement included a $25 billion payout, mandated mortgage modifications and required specific service standards.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a release his office has documented 339 violations of standards – 210 violations by Wells Fargo, and 129 by Bank of America – that require the banks to follow a modification processing timeline.
"The five mortgage servicers that signed the National Mortgage Settlement are legally required to take specific, rigorous and enforceable steps to protect homeowners," Schneiderman said in a statement.
"Wells Fargo and Bank of America have flagrantly violated those obligations, putting hundreds of homeowners across New York at greater risk of foreclosure. I intend to use every tool available to my office to hold these companies accountable under the terms of the National Mortgage Settlement," he said.
The settlement agreement allows any party to bring an enforcement action in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia following a 21-day notice to a monitoring committee set up to enforce the agreement.
During the notification period, the committee may choose to pursue the litigation on behalf of the party using the committee's own authority under the settlement, or they may defer action. Following a deferral, the complaining party may pursue the claim on their own after waiting an additional 21 days.
On Friday, Schneiderman sent a letter to committee monitor Joseph Smith, and to each member of the Monitoring Committee, notifying them of his intention to bring a legal claim if the committee does not act. The letter included written complaints against Bank of America and Wells Fargo, and what Schneiderman said was a significant amount of backup documentation demonstrating the severity of the violations.
He said he intends to ask the court to impose injunctive relief and to require strict compliance under the settlement.
"It is beyond frustrating," Megan Faux, acting director of Legal Services NYC Brooklyn, said in Schneiderman's release. "We have many clients who are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure simply because Wells Fargo failed to properly review complete loan modification packages sitting in their office for months.
"Accountability to the servicing standards is essential to ensuring homeowners have a fair opportunity to negotiate an affordable mortgage and ending the housing crisis."


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Website domains start with d
SpeedAdviser.com checks all the features and finds fixes that can be useful, then offers you advice to speed up your website.
We have analysed websites and saved to our database - so you can easily find websites from this domain archive to inspire for your own website.
This page shows list of all domains starts with letter d


text:
Match-fixers target of expanded INTERPOL global task force
Failure to exchange police information rapidly across borders leaves international playing field open to crime
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble has warned that unless police are permitted by laws and judicial authorities to share information in real time, the global fight against match-fixing will not be won.
The Head of INTERPOL said that police and prosecutors must be given the legal framework to share information with a global impact in the midst of active investigations, underlining how the 'days of thinking only about the secrecy of the investigation within each individual jurisdiction are over'.
Addressing the INTERPOL international conference 'Match-fixing: the ugly side of the beautiful game' in Malaysia, Mr Noble said that while there is much to be proud of in the infrastructure which has been built and the initiatives taken, outdated laws and practices have left law enforcement 'falling behind' the criminals.
"It is not that law enforcement agencies lack the technology. It is that collectively we lack the culture and legal power to take advantage of these advances. Unfortunately, criminals are exploiting the speed and flexibility advantages that 21st century technology and betting schemes offer," said Secretary General Noble.
"Law enforcement agencies can no longer limit themselves to investigating crimes committed long ago in one jurisdiction. Real-time sharing of information globally will keep evidence from disappearing and suspects from fleeing , and allow other jurisdictions to prevent crimes from occurring.
"If investigators were able to access the leads, details of suspects' identities and locations of suspicious matches when that information is fresh, this would enable numerous countries to bring cases against criminals, making it harder for them to operate freely as they could face prosecution in multiple countries simultaneously," said the INTERPOL Chief.
Secretary General Noble pointed to Operation VETO where all of the new cases occurred outside of the European Union, but where current laws and agreements had prevented the rapid sharing across borders of evidence of criminal conduct.
To better support each of its 190 member countries in their efforts, Mr Noble announced that INTERPOL would be expanding the mandate of its international match-fixing task force, and that Singapore had already identified officers to come to INTERPOL's headquarters once investigative details were made available.
"Law enforcement authorities around the world need this information and are ready for it. I know from experience that once the authorities in Singapore receive credible evidence of criminal conduct in their country, from a citizen or foreigner, Singapore's police will react swiftly to locate and apprehend the offender so that the rule of law can run its course ," said Mr Noble.
"As a first step, we need to get the evidence of alleged match-fixing by a transnational organized crime group based in Singapore to Singaporean police and law enforcement around the world so they can thoroughly investigate and act on this information as appropriate," concluded the INTERPOL Chief.


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1-st Pop-Up Menu Builder allows you to create a customized menu which pops up when pressing the right mouse button on a Web page. The customized menu can be applied to a whole page or to specific elements on the page. A wide variety of actions can be set to the items in the menu.
4tH is a Forth compiler with a little difference. Instead of the standard Forth engine it features a conventional compiler. 4tH is a very small compiler that can create bytecode, C-embeddable bytecode, standalone executables, but also works fine as a scripting language. It supports about 95% of the ANS Forth CORE wordset and features conditional compilation, pipes, files, assertions, forward declarations, enumerations, structures, suspended execution, recursion, include files, etc. It comes with an RPN calculator, line editor, preprocessor, compiler, decompiler, C-source generator, a virtual machine, and a multitasking environment.
AMC is a programmable compiler/preprocessor. It has a built-in programming language called CGL (Code Generation Language) that lets you add new syntactical elements to the source files that AMC processes. In addition, AMC has a module structure reminescent of the UCSD p-System compiler. AMC comes with a default package that adds a dynamic form of OOP to C.
ANTLR (ANother Tool for Language Recognition) is a language tool that provides a framework for constructing recognizers, compilers, and translators from grammatical descriptions containing C++, Java, or Sather actions. It is similar to the popular compiler generator YACC, however ANTLR is much more powerful and easy to use. ANTLR-produced parsers are not only highly efficient, but are both human-readable and human-debuggable (especially with the interactive ParseView debugging tool). ANTLR can generate parsers, lexers, and tree-parsers in either C++, Java, or Sather. ANTLR is currently written in Java.
APRIL is a symbolic programming language that is designed for writing mobile, distributed and agent-based systems especially in an Internet environment. It has advanced features such as a macro sub-language, asynchronous message sending and receiving, code mobility, pattern matching, higher-order functions and strong typing. The language is compiled to byte-code which is then interpreted by the APRIL runtime-engine. APRIL now requires the InterAgent Communications Model (ICM) to be installed before it can be installed.
ATG Dynamo integration for JBuilder is a JBuilder 5 plugin that makes it easy to deploy J2EE applications to the ATG Dynamo Application Server version 5.1 (DAS). It can be installed and run with the other JBuilder 5 plugins such as BEA WebLogicServer 5.1, BEA WLS 6, IBM WebSphere 3.5, Borland AS 4.5, etc.
A tool for comparing and merging files and directories.
A pure Java Git solution.


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Majority of people who use computers aren't experts and don't want to be. Does this sound like you? You don't adjust the timing belt or change the spark plugs in your car—you take it to a mechanic. Why should your PC be any different, you wonder? You think you'll spend five minutes on a computer problem, and three hours later, you still aren't any closer to fixing the problem. You might not even know what the problem is yet!
Rather than trying to become a PC mechanic overnight, there's a simpler way to fix the engine and get back on the road—one that can save both your time and your sanity.
One of the easiest tools and ways of solving minor computer problems is by using your Computer's System
You can find System Restore in the Accessories folder under System Tools. Get Back System Restore is like a big "Undo" button for Windows. It
lets you undo changes to your computer's operating system and programs without affecting personal files such as documents or photos. It's a great solution if a program you downloaded or installed doesn't work right, and you can't seem to uninstall it or get back to where you were before.
It's saved my hide on numerous occasions, quickly and without fuss. I've used it most after installing something—a driver that I thought would work for an old monitor; a
game from 1998 that I found in the bottom of a drawer; or a shareware program that looked interesting but wreaked havoc on my system and didn't want to uninstall.
I've also gotten into trouble when playing around with a configuration setting that I unintentionally saved. Boom— all of a sudden my icons are huge, or missing, or the screen starts acting funny, and I'm not sure what I did or how to undo it. Uh-oh. Time to run System Restore.
Bending the laws of space and time
Well, you're not really going back through time—it's much simpler than that. System Restore routinely creates restore points that contain information about the state of Windows Vista at a given time. System Restore is set up to create a restore point every day, and it also creates them when you are doing other system-related tasks that
System Restore looks for, such as installing new programs.
Restore points give you a point in time to return to if a problem occurs. As part of a restore, System Restore
removes programs and system files, and undoes other system changes that were made between now and the
date you're rolling back to.
You can even create restore points yourself (for example, before changing a configuration setting), so you can get back to normal if necessary.
You can create a restore point at any time by using System in Control Panel
Easy to use Using System Restore is painless—just click the Start
button , type System Restore in the Search box, and then click System Restore (type your password or provide confirmation if prompted).
Then follow the steps in the wizard. System Restore might suggest a recent restore point—the idea is to not go back in time any more than necessary.
System Restore suggests a recent restore point, but you can also choose your own If you don't like the suggested restore point, you can
choose from a list of available restore points.
System Restore saves multiple restore points that you can choose from
After you select a restore point, System Restore will chug a bit and then restart your computer to finish the job. Don't unplug your computer during the restore or attempt to
cancel it after you start the restore—that could cause even
more problems. After your computer restarts, you'll see a notification stating that System Restore has restored your computer to the date and time you chose. Log on with
your user name and password (the one from the time you restored back to, if you changed it recently), and you're back in business.
System Restore can fix many problems, but it's not designed to do everything.
It won't fix a slow download speed, for example. But it's a great tool to turn to when everything else you've tried hasn't worked. Here are a few important things to know about System Restore:
It can't fix hardware problems. If your CD player is stuck, or a sound card has a loose connection, you'll have to try something else.
It doesn't recover deleted personal files. If you deleted a file and now want it back, check the Recycle Bin or recover the file from a backup that you previously made.
System Restore uses a percentage of your hard disk storage space for restore points, and periodically deletes old ones to make room for new ones, so the number of available restore points will vary.
If you have a multiboot configuration with, for example, Windows Vista and Windows XP, you will lose all of your existing Windows Vista restore points
when you start Windows XP. Windows Vista uses a new implementation of System Restore and earlier versions of Windows don't recognize the new restore points. When you start Windows Vista again, new restore points will resume being created automatically.
If you write your own code, know that scripts, batch files, and .exe files are all system files to System Restore, and could be deleted during a restore (even if you store them in your Documents folder). Always back up these types of files to an external location.
A great thing about System Restore is that there is a return policy of sorts. If you don't like the restore—say it didn't fix the problem or you didn't go back in time far enough—you can undo the restore procedure itself. System Restore is smart enough to create a restore point right before it performs a restore (unless you are in safe mode
or deep inside the System Recovery Options menu ). That way, you'll have a place to return to if it doesn't fix the
problem. It's like a rope to guide you out of the cave and back to your starting point. You can choose another point, or try another recovery option if things are really serious.
You can undo the restore procedure if it doesn't fix the problem
Source: Windows/Microsoft


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MnDOT, State Patrol urge motorists in west central Minnesota to slow down
WILLMAR –- The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota State Patrol advise drivers to slow down in west central Minnesota. Wind and light snow are creating slippery spots.
This afternoon State Patrol has received reports of vehicles in the ditch along state Highway 7 between Montevideo and Cosmos.
Driving conditions are generally listed as hazardous in Stearns County and difficult in Lac qui Parle, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, and McLeod counties. MnDOT crews are out working to improve road conditions.
Motorists should remember to:
· Drive slowly on bridges, overpasses and tunnels.
· Use a safe speed for winter driving conditions, regardless of the posted speed limit.
· Keep a safe stopping distance from the vehicle in front of you.
· Keep both hands on the steering wheel, eyes on the road and attention on your driving.
For additional tips on safe winter driving, go to www.mndot.gov/workzone.
For updated information on road conditions, visit www.511mn.org or call 511.


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Philippines: Youth active in disaster preparedness
After Typhoon Washi hit the Philippines in 2011, many communities began participating in World Vision's child-focused disaster risk reduction training.
Now, in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, widely reported to be the strongest tropical cyclone in history, our prayers go out to the people of the Philippines, hoping that advance training and emergency plans will help mitigate the destruction left by this storm.
Aaron Aspi, communicator for World Vision in the Philippines, describes last summer's disaster risk-reduction training.
* * *
Summer vacation was almost over. Vannie, 14, and her sister Vida, 11, faced the new school year with a broader concern for their peers and community.
A few days before school started, the sisters met with fellow young people from neighboring villages to share their experience in World Vision's child-focused disaster risk reduction (CFDRR) training held in the province of Agusan del Sur in Mindanao.
Vannie, a sponsored child, is an active leader on her school's student council, and Vida is a budding science whiz kid. They took an interest in local CFDRR initiatives after seeing the floods getting worse year after year.
Community members from the villages of San Teodoro and Libertad participated in the training. Through various activities, participants discovered the risks and vulnerabilities in their communities. Some showcased their creativity through flip-chart presentations and colorful illustrations that represented how they make sense of their surroundings.
Luz Mendoza, World Vision humanitarian and emergency affairs worker, shares, "The initiative was born out of the need to integrate child participation in promoting disaster risk reduction. The children who are the most vulnerable during disasters should be able to understand and take active part in building community resilience in the face of alarming disasters."
When Typhoon Washi hit Mindanao last year, Agusan del Sur was among the provinces along the destructive trail of the typhoon. Heavy rains and floods from the Agusan marsh overflowed into nearby communities and farmlands, destroying crops and livelihoods.
Jocelyn, a church youth leader from Libertad, recalls her experience. "Most parts of our community were flooded and we were left stranded in our homes. Only those with boats were able to get food," she says.
The people of San Teodoro, located on higher ground, had an evacuation plan ready, but the typhoon changed course toward its neighboring village, Libertad.
"Libertad was submerged for weeks, and we had to wait for the waters to subside before we could resume classes," Jocelyn recounts.
Since Typhoon Washi, residents have taken disaster preparedness seriously. Village chief Cipriano Dique Jr. shares, "We emphasize the importance of preparedness. Village houses are repaired for leaks and farmers check on their family's food supplies for buffer. We also encourage families to have vegetable gardens as these would help augment food shortage during floods."
Franklyn Salindato, World Vision's program officer in Agusan del Sur, says, "Agusan del Sur has already identified flood-prone areas as part of the preparedness plan. The local government units have deployed a team to monitor the water level of the river. We also keep in touch with our community leaders for updates."
"After checking water levels in the river, we ensure that the evacuation centers are ready as we face threats of heavy rains. We use the church bells for early warning, and boats are on standby to evacuate people and transport much needed goods," Dique adds. His boat is among those that are dispatched for rescue and relief operations.
Junita Ayala, a community partner in the area, explains, "Clean water supply is scarce during the floods. We only rely on water wells in our backyard and it takes two to three weeks for the wells to clear up."
Community efforts to install rain collectors in critical areas have helped alleviate water shortages. A rain collector can store up to 2800 liters of clean water, enough for about 100 households, per day. Clean water helps maintain sanitation and hygiene and keeps people's health from deteriorating.
Village health worker Windelyn Numancia relates that waterborne diseases are common during floods, especially among children, because of unsafe drinking water. "Children in flood-prone areas suffer from stomach aches, cough, and fever. Dengue cases usually shoot up during rainy days and can be worsened as flood waters turn into mosquito breeding grounds."
"Anti-dengue cleanup drives in schools are supported by local officials and parents who volunteer to help with the upkeep of the school grounds. It is also important to teach children proper hand-washing to keep diseases from spreading. During floods we also advise families to thoroughly clean their food and to use clean water in cooking," Numancia adds.
Vannie, Vida, and the rest of the youth participants from Libertad and San Teodoro shared their vision of their community at the end of the training. Vannie says, "It feels good to realize that we have a voice as we build a community that is prepared whenever a disaster strikes."
Vida adds, "I will definitely share what I learned here to my schoolmates and friends, and we'll initiate our own CFDRR activities in the future."
World Vision is assessing the damage and preparing to launch a response in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan -- the biggest and most dangerous storm this year and widely regarded as one of the strongest in recorded history. The greatest needs for storm survivors will be emergency food and clean water. We will also assist with rebuilding, as many homes and much of the farm land was destroyed in the storm. Make a one-time donation to our Philippines Disaster Response Fund.


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After numerous delays left consumers frustrated, Research in Motion (RIM) announced its Blackberry Bold 9000 smart phone will finally be released in the United States on November 4.
Even though it has been delayed several months, AT&T reportedly went back and retested the phone so it wouldn't have to deal with the 3G connectivity issues the Apple iPhone 3G bumped into in July.
The phone has a QWERTY keyboard, 2-megapixel camera, WiFi, 3G connectivity, Bluetooth, integrated GPS, and microSD card support up to 16GB. It can be used both in the United States and across the world, with full-support in Japan and South Korea.
Interestingly, the phone has simultaneous voice and data ability, so owners will be able to easily check e-mails or text messages during a phone call.
"The development of the BlackBerry Bold smart phone was an ambitious undertaking, and we focused intensely on the things that are most important to mobile customers when developing this best-in-class smart phone for HSDPA networks around the world," RIM co-CEO and President Mike Lazaridis said in a statement.
The Bold will have to catch up with the Android G1 phone, which was recently released, and promptly sold out at many locations across the country.
The BlackBerry Bold will be available exclusively with AT&T, and will start at $299.99 with a new two-year contract. Analysts expect the higher retail price of the phone to make it more appealing to executives rather than consumers.
It seems that reviewers and phone owners have had both good and bad experiences with the phone, although several phone service providers have stopped shipping the phone due to network problems.


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Federal Reserve Leaves Durbin Caps Unchanged
The Federal Reserve has declined to change the cap that limits the amount of debit card interchange that large asset debit issuers can make per transaction.
The decision came after a recent Federal Reserve report documented a slip in debit interchange income for community banks and credit unions.
The debit interchange cap for large asset debit issuers was one of the chief regulatory changes mandated by the Durbin Amendment to the most recent financial reform law.
The report, "2011 Interchange Fee Revenue, Covered Issuer Costs, and Covered Issuer and Merchant Fraud Losses Related to Debit Card Transactions," is the second report the Federal Reserve has issued in compliance with the Electronic Funds Transfer Act.
The document reported the total number of debit card transactions in 2011 along with the interchange they generated and found that small asset debit card issuers, which were supposed to be exempt from the cap, had in fact seen their debit interchange decline on a per transaction basis.
"During this period, 82% of prepaid transactions were exempt from the interchange fee standard. For covered issuers, interchange fees for all transactions averaged 24 cents per transaction, a 52% decrease from the 50-cent average received by covered issuers during the first nine months of 2011," the Fed reported.
"Over all transactions, exempt issuers received an average interchange fee of 43 cents per transaction, a 4% decline from the 45 cents per transaction average during the first nine months of 2011," the report said.
This echoes a previous credit union survey, conducted by CUNA, which also reported an interchange decline.
The Electronic Payments Coalition, which opposed the interchange cap from the beginning, hailed the move announced Tuesday.
"The Durbin Amendment was bad policy from day one," said Trish Wexler, spokeswoman for the Electronic Payments Coalition. "It's been more than a year, and consumers are still not seeing any of the savings they were promised.
"The Durbin Amendment has harmed consumers by forcing card issuers to eliminate free checking and other consumer benefits to make up for an $8 billion revenue loss," Wexler said. "With today's announcement, at least the Durbin Amendment wasn't made any worse than it already is."
But the Merchant Payments Coalition, interchange cap supporters, were predictably disappointed.
"This report shows that the Fed made a mistake in implementing an effective law. Consumers and merchants should be benefiting more from the reforms," said Jennifer Hatcher, senior vice president, Government and Public Affairs, Food Marketing Institute, a member of the Merchants Payments Coalition.
"No merchants in a competitive marketplace mark up their products and services by 500%. They would be put out of business. It should be the same for banks and credit card companies," Hatcher said.


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Disaster experts gather at INTERPOL to enhance international victim identification standards
LYON, France – International forensic and law enforcement experts gathered at INTERPOL's General Secretariat in Lyon to review international victim identification methods and discuss new technologies and other ways to improve identification efforts.
Bringing together some 155 representatives from some 50 member countries, international organizations and private sector partners including the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the 24th meeting of the INTERPOL Standing Committee on Disaster Victim Identification (28-30 May) highlighted the importance of a global response using INTERPOL's internationally recognized Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) standards.
Discussions during the meeting focused on the latest methods and tools available to enhance the identification of victims following natural or manmade disasters, including virtual autopsy techniques, CT imaging, forensic dentistry and the use of INTERPOL's DVI forms.
Participants were given a demonstration of the prototype system of INTERPOL's FAST and efficient international disaster victim IDentification (FASTID) project. When fully implemented, the FASTID project will serve as the first centralized, global database of information that can be used to quickly identify and link missing persons and unidentified bodies (MPUB).
Developed with experts from five European partners, the MPUB database includes search capabilities for DNA and dental records, and interfaces with other INTERPOL databases such as fingerprints.
In his opening remarks, INTERPOL's Executive Director of Police Services, Jean-Michel Louboutin said greater communication and information sharing is key to improving the speed and efficiency of future international DVI efforts.
"It is vitally important that when the emergency is over, the police community and all those who participated in the operations strive to objectively identify any gaps and weaknesses in existing structures and systems, to be able to act more quickly and more efficiently when another disaster occurs.
"INTERPOL has learned from every experience, and is actively developing its ability to provide its members with the support they need, when they need it," concluded Mr Louboutin.
Case studies of recent disasters and DVI efforts highlighted the need for a collaborative, global approach to victim identification, as the number of victims can be overwhelming for national law enforcement services and victims of a single disaster can be from multiple countries. Incidents reviewed included a fire in a nightclub in Brazil where 235 people died, the terrorist attack at a gas plant in Algeria where more than 80 people were killed, and the Costa Concordia cruise ship crash in which 32 people perished.