text:
The inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony, held Wednesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, was as polished as any other major entertainment-awards show. Which is to say, audiences were treated to bad jokes, so-so musical numbers, jaw-dropping fashions, and Melanie Griffith sounding like a spooked 5-year-old (is that all the Spanish that Antonio's taught her?) as she fumbled through her presentation spiel.
On the other hand, the ceremony — the first awards on prime-time U.S. television dedicated to Spanish- and Portuguese-language music — didn't end with a brawl, nor were any of the performers arrested, unlike the Source Hip-Hop Awards or last week's 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
Veteran musician Santana — who is rapidly running out of space on his mantle for gold statuettes — added to his collection of eight awards won at the regular Grammys in February, taking home the Record of the Year prize for his collaboration with Mexican band Maná on "Corazon Espinado." Both also won top honors in their respective pop categories for group and instrumental performances.
The Album of the Year honor went to Mexican crooner Luis Miguel for Amarte Es un Placer; "Tu Mirada," from that disc, scored him the award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Marc Anthony's "Dimelo" won the Song of the Year prize for its co-songwriters Anthony (who missed the show, due to complications with his wife's pregnancy), Robert Blades, Angie Chirino, and Cory Rooney.
Raspy-voiced Colombian singer Shakira won two Latin Grammys, one for Best Female Rock Vocal Performances for "Octavo Diá" and the other for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Ojos Así." Ibrahim Ferrer, septuagenarian star of Buena Vista Social Club, was anointed Best New Artist.
In between dishing out prizes and introducing presenters, co-hosts Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, and Jimmy Smits fumbled through horrible banter invoking Christina Aguilera's bellybutton, Ricky Martin's underwear, and Britney Spears' breasts ("the finest congas money can buy").
Jennifer Lopez, originally scheduled to co-host and perform at the event, wisely limited her involvement to introducing the opening number and presenting the Record of the Year prize; perhaps she got a look at the evening's script beforehand. Clad in a pink dress as tasteful as her green Grammy number was revealing, Lopez — fresh from the London premiere of The Cell Monday — spent the rest of the evening watching from the audience, next to a bored-looking Puff Daddy.
Despite top-notch production values and plenty of pyrotechnics, the evening's musical performances were largely lackluster. Christina Aguilera, sporting a ruffled scarlet two-piece outfit and a freshly bleached mop, went from a reasonably restrained reading of "Contigo en la Distancia" (from her new Mi Reflejo) into an MTV-style stomp through "Genio Entrapado." 'N Sync joined forces with Puerto Rican salsa quartet Son By Four for a pair of ballads that were pure queso — in any language.
Swivel-hipped Ricky Martin kicked off the opening tribute to recently departed bandleader Tito Puente; would that his mid-tempo rendition of "Oye Como Va" had been half as intoxicating as the figure he cut in a pair of skin-tight, burgundy velvet trousers. Halfway through, Estefan and legendary Cuban diva Celia Cruz — sporting bright blue locks that made Cyndi Lauper look subdued — trotted out to shimmy alongside him.
While there were no star-making turns à la Martin's splashy showstopper at the 1999 Grammy Awards, Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez (movie-star handsome despite what appeared to be a castoff costume from a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta) turned in the evening's strongest performance, and moments later walked away with the trophy for Best Ranchero Performance for "Mi Verdad."
A celebration of the diversity of Latin musical culture, the two-hour television broadcast, seen in over 120 countries, also served as a testimony to Madison Avenue's ongoing bid to court Latin-American dollars. Sponsors, including Denny's, Sears, Chevrolet, AT&T, and Budweiser, were all promoted heavily via Spanish-language clips. "Esta Bud Es Para Ti," indeed.


text:
... or reasonable facsimile thereof ...,
In my Garden of Eden, liberties are not cherry-picked, pro-choice is applied to everything, and nothing is an absolute. Absolutely nothing ...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A case for a Divided States of America ...
... or reasonable facsimile thereof ...,
15 comments:
- Debbie said...
I was thinking about this earlier today, the dividing up of America in some form or fashion. I thought, "How great it would be to actually live in a region where folks felt and believe the same way I do."
But would this really be possible? I don't think so right now, but I would not rule it out at some point in the future.
Look at the TEA parties, there were huge numbers in California, which we consider to be a Liberal state. Some people would have to sell their homes, businesses, leave family members, in order to move to the part of the US that was appropriate to their beliefs. Mighty big changes for some people.
I'm hoping something big is going to happen now that people are off the couches and in the streets voicing their opinions.
Debbie Hamilton
Right Truth
- 4/18/2009
- WomanHonorThyself said...
I'm back up and running..thanks for hangin in with me!:)
- 4/19/2009
- TAO said...
We actually do share a common set of values, it is just that we do not sometimes acknowledge them.
You cannot generate votes, support, or ratings by highlighting what we have in common.
Some people view Obama as a savior and others view him as digging us a bigger hole...
Either way, we, as Americans will work our way through it and overcome.
We tend to forget that as Americans, we work harder and are more productive than any other country. We are all very prideful of our country, and we do care about others.
Its not a different starting point or a different goal to achieve, its that we have different opinions of how to get from point A to point B.
Truthfully, I wish for the days of Walter Cronkite, where we had more things to do besides sit and watch the news all day long....
Its not that ignorance is bliss its that so much of what is shown as news is so unnecessary.
- 4/20/2009
- QuakerDave said...
Yeah, that's the ticket! "City states." Fiefdoms. Worked soooooo well for those Greeks and whatnot, eh?
C'mon now. Let's not all be drinking the tea-baggers tea just yet, okay?
- 4/20/2009
- TRUTH-PAIN said...
Although I truly feel the idea of any State seceeding from the Union is a non-starter (not to mention, probably un-doable), I do believe the 10th Ammendment provides States the ability to nuance themselves and maintain some level of autonomy. There are, after all, a ton of things not specifically enumerated in the Constitution that makes is possible for States to "market" their unique traits in getting like-minded people to congregate, live and be regular citizens.
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods and that you get yourself up and going very soon!
- 4/21/2009
- TRUTH-PAIN said...
Welcome to the house of pain.
You said:
"You cannot generate votes, support, or ratings by highlighting what we have in common..."
Is that not the gospel. And it leads to your comment on what you see and not see on the media news cycles. Having a 24-hour cycle to fill in their programming makes "filler" material the only thing people latch onto, rather than the quick hard, one-hour news we grew up with.
I agree that my post was a bit far-fetched in its title implies, but surely you agree that there is a value and right for each state to have those 10th ammendment rights in full bloom. It seems to me we are one big state and not a union of uniquely distinct ones. I think there is a way to correct that, in my view.
As to your Tea Party comment? I am all for lawful, respectful and robust public protest. No matter if its and anti-war, anti-goverment or pro-choice. Protesting for or against something is part of Americana. I don't think the Tea-baggers are all automatons of Fox and the right wing and most seem to dismiss. I was in one of them. It was my way of saying "Hey Goverment, you spend too much!". I would have done it regardless of what party was in office.
- 4/21/2009
- Paul Champagne said...
Problem with your map ... No way would NM be a part of the New Texas Republic. NM is much more closely aligned with San Francisco than with San Antonio. The people of Alaska would rather commit Hari-Kari than go to Russia. Alaska has got to be the Redest state in the Union.
- 4/21/2009
- WomanHonorThyself said...
diversity: the new leftist mantra..sick!
- 4/22/2009
- Renegade Eye said...
It's too long since your last post.
You have the best conservative blog around.
When you return, I can tell you why you are way off with this post.
- 7/14/2009
- benning said...
Yeah, where are you, T-P?
- 10/11/2009
- benning said...
Happy Thanksgiving, T-P! Wherever you are!
- 11/26/2009
- akiva@israel said...
lol-i totally support you in this. thats why i hate this process-globalization-it makes us mass without our own calture and traditions and makes us forget our history... its wrong and danger tendency
- 2/06/2010
- オテモヤン said...
- 3/01/2010
- Otto Marasco said...
Glad this blog is still up ...
- 4/23/2010
A professionally crafted logo file formats is one of the greatest blessings for a company; whether it is big or small. It gives them an identity of their own and makes them different from others.
- 10/25/2011

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Derham House Care Home in Upminster
Situated in beautifully maintained grounds in the outskirts of Upminster, Derham House has many natural advantages: plenty of local amenities yet within easy reach of London, Lakeside Shopping Centre and the beaches at Southend on Sea.
We provide high quality 24-hour nursing care alongside expert care for people with dementia in our Memory Lane Community. Person-centred care plans are at the heart of our approach to care, forming a basis for care and activities and regularly reviewed with a named key worker.
We think you'll find we're ideally suited to meet your needs. Why not arrange a visit and see for yourself!
Life at Derham House Care Home
Our home is designed so that each person we care for feels completely supported in every aspect of their lives. First and foremost, the care and services we provide are delivered by trained professionals who are dedicated to looking after the health of each resident. Our activities programme is tailored around particular interests and our facilities are designed to enhance the lives of everyone living at the home. We also offer tasty and nutritious food that is prepared by a skilled team of chefs.


text:
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Published: 05/09/2005
Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief
Imagine you're a midengine Porsche nut with money to spend. Your collection of Stuttgart's finest already includes a 550 Spyder, an RSK and a new Carrera GT. Life is good. You spend your days sipping vitamin-enriched designer water, playing lawn sports and mastering the heel-and-toe downshift. Then, without warning, tragedy strikes. You lose the use of your left foot in a freak bocce ball accident.
What do you do?
Well, besides a quick switch to a less obnoxious beverage, we suggest hopping down to your local Porsche store and plunking down the green for one of these: a 2005 Porsche Boxster S with the optional five-speed Tiptronic S automanual transmission. It's a midengine Porsche with no nasty clutch pedal. In fact, it's a midengine Porsche with no nasty anything.
Trust us, life is still good.
Redesigned for 2005According to Porsche, nearly 55 percent of the newly redesigned 2005 Boxster and Boxster S comes directly from the newly redesigned 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera, including the steering, front structure, seats and electronics. We're not sure if that makes the 911 the world's greatest parts bin, or the Boxster the world's greatest kit car, and we don't care. The resulting ride is the greatest argument for parts interchangeability since the assembly line.
The base Boxster rides on standard 17-inch rubber and is powered by a 2.7-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder rated at 240 hp at 6,400 rpm and 199 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 rpm. Add the S and everything goes up. Tire diameter is now 18 inches, displacement is bumped to 3.2 liters, and power is a more respectable 280 hp at 6,200 rpm and 236 lb-ft at 4,700 rpm.
This may be the second generation of the Boxster, but you'd never know it from the curb. In fact, during our photo shoot we stopped at a supermarket and ended up wasting a few minutes of good light when the photographer, vitamin-enriched designer water in hand, couldn't unlock the car. Turns out he was attempting to enter a blue 2004 Boxster S, which we secretly planted nearby to confuse him.
Look closely and the new model's wider stance, larger side scoops, reshaped headlamps and more pronounced haunches are noticeable, but only if you look closely.
Nicer Office, but
Inside, the changes are more apparent. Boxster aficionados will recognize the new car's instrumentation, basic layout and pronounced rollover hoops, but the rest is new. Better, too.
There's a bit more room for taller drivers, and the quality of materials is up, although not as high as we would like. "The car feels a little downmarket," wrote one tester in the car's logbook. "It's better than it once was, but the little door covering the ashtray in the center console feels cheap, the inside door handles are noisy and the insubstantial feel of the doors themselves leaves a poor impression."
Seat comfort, on the other hand, is extraordinary, as is the seating position. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels a bit large at first, but you quickly realize it's perfectly sized.
Wind control with the top down is excellent, but wind noise above 70 mph with the top up can be enough to overpower the optional Bose sound system. On the upside, this is still the only sports car you'll find with two sizable trunks.
Ergonomics are both good and bad. Overall, everything is placed properly, and the two hideaway cupholders are pure genius, but the sound system is a sea of small, tightly packed buttons, and the gear selection readout on the gauge cluster is so small it borders on useless when you're running hard.
Plenty of Porsche MagicThe above gripes are immediately forgotten the first time you flick the Boxster S into a corner. That's when the Porsche magic takes over.
This car can be driven wickedly fast. Pace is really just a matter of skill, guts and conditions. Running out of car is rarely part of the equation. Grip seems endless, even with the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) turned off, and we mean off. Unlike before, PSM doesn't automatically reactivate when the brake pedal is depressed. Instead, the new system lies back until the brake pedal is pushed hard enough to exceed the ABS control threshold on at least one front wheel.
Fact is, if you're that deep in the ABS in this car on a public road, chances are you've entered a corner too quickly or a wolverine has appeared in your path. Either way you'll be thankful for the help.
Some will find the Boxster's around-town ride too stiff. Those people shouldn't buy Porsches. The firm ride, which is really never harsh, is a small sacrifice for the two-seater's rapid reflexes.
We also must throw praise at the Porsche's perfect balance, its tight chassis and its awesome interaction with its driver. The Boxster's steering lives and breathes, its throttle response is skin tight, and its brakes are the best binders we've ever tested. Fade-free, great pedal action and a 60-mph-to-0 stopping distance of 105 feet.
Transmission BluesThe really good news, however, is that the Tiptronic S transmission, while not perfect, and certainly not preferable over a true manual box, doesn't dilute too much of the above brilliance. Gear changes are almost quick enough, either up or down, and the gear ratios are spot on. It also gives you the option of left foot braking, just like Schumacher.
Ironically, it's around town where the Tiptronic loses our love. Of course the Tiptronic makes traffic jams more tolerable, but the tradeoff is a Porsche with a laid-back disposition. It's like the Porsche that swallowed a Xanax.
Part of the problem is that the transmission starts in second gear unless you floor the throttle off the line. This does not exactly make the most of the boxer's power band and makes the car feel sluggish. The transmission also upshifts too quickly, so you find yourself running 40 or 50 mph in fifth gear, which means the engine is too often lying limp just off idle.
You can solve both problems by driving the car hard and shifting gears manually with the steering wheel-mounted rocker switches, but it's just too easy to drop it in drive and go. And you find yourself driving the Boxster like a Camry.
Another shortcoming of the Tiptronic is slower off-the-line acceleration. Even if you womp the throttle from a stop, the automatic just makes you wait longer for the six-cylinder to find its sweet spot. It isn't slow, but in today's sports car world a 0-to-60-mph time of 6.1 seconds and quarter-mile performance of 14.3 seconds at 101 mph aren't what legends are made of.
Get the StickA base Boxster costs $43,800. A Boxster S will run ya $53,100. Our Lapis Blue Boxster S test car also wore options that spiked its MSRP to over $61 grand. The two most expensive were the 19-inch wheels and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport tires, which come from the Carrera S and cost $1,550, and the Tiptronic S transmission, which costs a whopping $3,210. Automatics usually cost about a grand.
The car is worth the coin, but if you don't play bocce ball, stick with the standard six-speed manual.
Manager of Vehicle Testing Kelly Toepke says:Call me crazy, but the fewer days I spend behind the wheel of a manual-shift car, the better. That, in a nutshell, is why I've become a fan of minivans and wagons. They're nearly always equipped with a user-friendly automatic transmission.
Every now and then along comes a sports car that the boys in the office poo-poo for its auto shifter, and I get the opportunity to infuse my automatic lifestyle with a big dose of fun. For me, the Porsche Boxster was just such an occasion. There's nothing dismissed so quickly as a woman piloting a minivan, and the Boxster gave me back an afternoon of attractive youth.
Did I care that its Tiptronic transmission prevented it from making the hard-core sports car group? Not in the least. The Boxster still has a look that turns heads, top up or down, nimble steering to provide plenty of excitement on the twisty roads, and extra grip that convinces you that you're the best driver on the road.
All that fun and still no sore clutch leg. For me, that's a winning combination.
Senior Editor Ed Hellwig says:The workers in Zuffenhausen must wince in disgust every time they're asked to fit a Tiptronic automatic transmission into a new Boxster. They sit there helpless as years of engineering and testing go out the window so some stockbroker can have a free hand to work his Blackberry. It's like a tailor being asked to put gold buttons on an Armani suit.
And this isn't simply an out-of-hand dismissal based purely on the Tiptronic's existence in our test car. I went in with an open mind, but drove it and loathed it after a single city block. It creeps away from a stop in second gear, lurches with every downshift and otherwise erases the intimate connection between car and driver that makes a Porsche a Porsche.
I eventually got past the slushbox and found some redeeming qualities of this all-new Boxster. The interior no longer reminds you of its "entry-level" status as there are fewer hard plastics and better attention to detail. And with 280 horsepower you no longer have to worry about getting smoked by every joker in an M3 who thinks he's Michael Schumacher. Then there's the quick steering, the bigger and stickier tires and, of course, that sound. It was almost enough to make me forget that I couldn't heel-and-toe downshift or smoke the tires from a stop, but I never did.
System Score: 9.0
Components: Our test car was upgraded with the optional Bose surround sound system that will set you back an extra $950. For that sizable chunk of change you get an 11-speaker setup and all the latest sound processing technology in the Bose arsenal. It's a surprising number of speakers considering the size of the cabin, but they all fit nicely without taking up valuable space. The subs are buried behind the seats in a custom 11-liter enclosure with a pair of mid/tweeters mounted just behind the headrests. The doors house 3-inch mids and 8-inch woofers while the dash gets 1-inch tweeters at each corner and a 2.5-inch midrange center channel to fill things out.
Despite the fact that the entire cabin was redesigned for 2005, Porsche stuck with its less-than-accommodating head unit that features a long row of soft control buttons that never become intuitive no matter what they're controlling. It also has a frustrating manual tuning knob that jumps between presets instead of individual frequencies. The fact that it's only a single-disc CD player is also disappointing. A trunk-mounted six-disc changer is optional.
Performance: Design issues aside, this is certainly one of the better systems we've heard in a Porsche sports car. Some of its previous setups struggled to produce rich, full-range sound from too few speakers. With 11 speakers we expected it to be good and we weren't disappointed.
First off, there's power to spare with this system. The Bose digital amplifier delivers plenty of clean power so you can crank it up to seriously loud levels even with the top down. There's no clipping at the top no matter how high you care to go, and the low end stays distortion-free even when the rearview mirror is blurring from the bass.
Advanced features include Audio Pilot noise compensation technology and both Surrround Stage and Centerpoint signal processing. The Audio Pilot system is designed to "listen" to the interior environment and compensate for outside influences by altering the output to individual speakers. In other words, it's a complicated means of adjusting for rolled-down windows, and although we noticed a difference with it on we wouldn't necessarily call it a must-have feature.
The Surround Stage system is similar in nature in that it optimizes the sound stage to compensate for the fact that you're not sitting dead center between the speakers. It works in conjunction with the Centerpoint circuitry that splits two channels into five to create a multidirectional surround sound experience.
Even without the surround circuitry on, you still get full-range sound, but instead of enveloping you it sounds like it's coming from the dashboard area. Switch on the surround processor and the difference is obvious as the cabin fills with rich, full sound that doesn't give the impression that it's coming from any one specific speaker.
Engage all the circuitry at once and the results are impressive. One of the shortcomings of previous Porsche systems was relatively shallow bass that never quite had enough thump. Between the sizable enclosure and dual subs, this system delivers the kind of tight, accurate and deep-seated bass you would expect in a high-end system.
Same goes for the highs, as the combination of reflecting dashboard tweeters and rear-mounted tweeters reproduces voice clarity that never cracks. Add in plenty of midrange from the door-mounted mids and woofers and you've got yourself a flexible system that can play just about anything with striking detail.
Best Feature: Enough power to make it sound good even with the top down on the highway.
Worst Feature: Faceplate layout leaves you wondering which buttons do what.
Conclusion: If you love to crank it up loud, top up or down, this system delivers on all points. Other than the lack of an in-dash CD changer, you're not going to be left wishing for anything more from this high-tech system. — Ed Hellwig
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text:
SPM literature. One of the students, Shorolipi, had contacted me on Facebook, and within days, thanks to their teacher, we had an impromptu meet-the-author-session with lots of questions about "Neighbours" and writing. I may have even inspired one or two to become writers. Although I think they were more taken with Zaini….A friend of theirs wrote on Facebook, "Did anyone get his number?"
This is the press release that I wrote for the education section of the Star. Shirley, who coincidentally attended the same secondary school, contacted the press on our behalf, but they were short-handed for reporters. I'm still waiting for the official photos from Popular.
Press Release: From Facebook to Face-to-Face BookFest Meeting with Author Robert Raymer
Shorolipi Emma Chaudhury of SMK (p) Sri Aman, Petaling Jeya who is studying Robert Raymer's short story "Neighbours" in SPM literature noticed that he was on Facebook and decided to contact him. Within days, she and ten of her classmates and their teacher Christina Chan and another colleague were meeting with Raymer, author of last year's Reader's Choice Award winning collection of short stories Lovers and Strangers Revisited (MPH 2008). As luck would have it, the Sarawak-based American author, who's latest book, Tropical Affairs: Episodes from an Expat's life in Malaysia (MPH 2009) was nominated for this year's prize, just happened to be coming to Kuala Lumpur to attend the BookFest@ Malaysia 2010.
While exchanging a few Facebook replies, Raymer directed her to his blog series The Story Behind the Story of Lovers and Strangers Revisited, to "Neighbors, a Suicide and Making Choices" in Tropical Affairs, and to a MELTA forum for some insights into the story and how he wrote it. When Christina Chan learned that Raymer was coming to KL, she asked if it would be possible that he meet her and her Form 4 students, which he gamely agreed. Raymer suggested they meet at the BookFest, which then turned into an impromptu Q-and-A session about "Neighbours" and about writing.
"What's a better place to meet an author than at a super huge bookstore?" Raymer quipped. "I thought that meeting them might be fun and that, perhaps, I may even inspire one or two to become writers."
Christina Chan agreed and told him afterwards, "I honestly don't think the students anywhere actually ever get to meet the authors whose stories they are studying. That's why my girls are very privileged to have met you."
Raymer, however, felt the privilege was all his. He was tickled to learn that several of the students were involved in putting on a play based on his short story. He even met the student who would play the busybody character Mrs. Koh!
Although in the past students studying his short story in SPM literature (or other stories in Malaysian universities and private colleges) have contacted him on Facebook, through his website http://www.borneoexpatwriter.com/, or his blog on writing, this was the first time they actually got to meet! And it happened so fast!
As a bonus, the students also met Raymer's 19-year-old son Zaini who features in Tropical Affairs as a boy growing up in Penang. Yeah, they added him to Facebook, too!
Several students and their teacher even managed to pick up autographed copies of Raymer's books, all thanks to Shorolipi's Facebook initiative that quickly turned into a face-to-face BookFest meeting with the author—something they'll never forget.
*Update, the 20th anniversary of Lovers and Strangers Revisited
**Here's the link to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and for Trois autres Malaisie.


text:
JUCCCE Clean Energy Forum--Closing Summary
The following is the complete transcript, modified and supplemented for completeness and readability, of the closing speech that the author of this blog (pictured below) delivered on November 11 at the JUCCCE Clean Energy Forum in Beijing.
We are at war. A world war. But unlike World War I or II, this is not a war about military tanks, but it's a war about gas tanks. This is not a war about military strength, it's a war about political strength, and innovation. This is not a war about conquering territories, its about conquering our addiction to fossil fuels. And unlike the first two wars, we are all fighting from the same side. We are engaged in a global energy and climate war. We have essentially, through our reckless consumption of the earth's natural resources, provoked an unanticipated response in the world's climatic system. We have essentially pitted Mother Nature against Mother Nature, and we are all caught in the middle.
So what now?
We need a serious restructuring of the way we organize our energy system, implement new rules and policies, and adopt new ways of using energy. We need to, as Rob Watson says, change transform "ego-nomics" into "eco-nomics," and we do this by appropriate adapting human laws to the immutable laws of nature.
So how do we get there? How do we achieve the innovation to meet the energy-climate challenge? We need an smart and well informed mix of regulatory and market mechanisms. There is no single silver bullet, but I believe that over the past two days of discourse, we have collectively started forming a framework for the array of solutions, a full complement of many green bullets to get the green revolution under way. I see three themes emerging from our discussions: innovation, information, and empowerment.
Some say we need to keep pressing on the technology front. I would like to suggest the use of a broader term. We need to keep pressing on the innovation front. For where "technology" refers to, essentially, new machines, and often associated with high tech, expensive and complicated machines, "innovation" includes all that, and much more. It includes low-cost and low-tech machines that may be boring and unsexy, but are just as effective, such as soil meters that measure nitrate content or solar water heaters. It includes putting all these machines in the context of the operating environment, adopting a holistic, whole-systems approach to implementing not just single technologies, but a set of complementary technologies, like is required in an integrated smart grid, electric vehicle infrastructure or smart urban planning. It includes non-technological innovation, such as financial innovation, social innovation or even cultural innovation. With a broadened definition of innovation, therefore, it suggests that an alternative model to the one-way flow of finance and technology from developed countries to the developing countries exist. It suggests a role for an increasingly innovative society such as China's to contribute certain systems it has developed at low costs and large scale, such as solar water heaters and drip irrigation, as Jim Brottcher of Focus Ventures mentioned just earlier. It suggests that we really see international cooperation as a joint effort, as the "J" and "C" in JUCCCE implies. We heard Marc Porat, the founder of four green businesses and who has found many innovative and interesting forms of innovation in China, make the case for two-way green trade. So perhaps its time to stop thinking so much about "technology transfer" and to think more about "innovation exchange".
The second theme is information. Bringing the right information to the fore is crucial to help policymakers, the private sector and society as a whole to make the right energy and environmental decisions. We need to debunk false assumptions brought about by murky data, reduce information asymmetries that lead to inefficient decisions, and dispel ignorance about certain energy realities that creates a deep rooted inertia to reshape our energy future. We need platforms for data reporting, for statistical analysis and benchmarking, so as to empower all stakeholders to take action. This brings us to the next theme.
The third theme of empowerment is what really ties everything together. It is about mobilizing stakeholders to do what they can to reshape their environment, to engage, to innovate, to deploy and to monitor and to refine and to innovate some more. It certainly relates to getting the right information in their hands. But it is also about creating institutional and organizational structures to encourage both individual and collective action, giving that extra push for people to act with that information in their hands. With respect to energy decisions makers in government or industry, we need collaborative knowledge and innovation exchange, the facilitation of which is the very mission of JUCCCE. With respect to civil society and the younger generations in particular, the use of social media, creative educational programs can be effective tools in catalyzing action.
For the remaining time, let us revisit the main messages of each panel session, and keep the three themes of innovation, information and empowerment in mind.
Debunking the Myths
We kicked off the conference with a session on the facts and on the importance of getting the right information to the right people. It is impossible to come up with the right solutions with the wrong data. And it to jointly cooperate, you also need trust, and it is hard to trust with misunderstandings and misinformation. Mark Levine of the Lawrence Berkeley Labs helped us distinguish several key myths from realities about China's energy industry. Things are not as bad in China as popular opinion holds. At the same time, however we heard from Li Junfeng, who somberly set out the real challenge-moving away from China's firmly entrenched coal energy structure. That is no myth. Because, as Steve Papermaster of PACT said, that policy and investment decisions take time to trickle down through the system, we need to act with haste, but we need to make such decisions on an informed basis. The China Energy Databook by the LBL and the JUCCCE Energy Blueprint (a web-enabled framework for turning analysis into action, mapping out transformation in energy use with global, multi-sector cooperation) are other bodies of work that will help us overcome a lot of information asymmetries and help policymakers, scientists and entrepreneurs come up with sounder strategies based on good data and information.
Government Cooperation
Our first sitdown panel was on the topic of government cooperation. Mr. Papermaster observed that as a cross-border NGO, JUCCCE is uniquely positioned, and not straight jacketed in the way government bodies are, to promote sustantive international collaboration. Mark Ginsberg of the U.S. Department of Energy described the various forms that US-China collaboration is taking place, from the Asia Pacific Partnership to the Strategic Economic Dialogue to green buildings. But we are all in this together, and collaboration cannot be confined to the governmental level. Such collabroation has to take place at all levels, at the governmental, university and civil society level, says Jiang Zhaozhu, of NDRC.
So what areas should cooperation focus on? Secretary-General Li Junfeng acknowleged the importance of dialogue-based cooperation, but urged parties to take the extra step for technology cooperation. Mr. Jiang identified cleaner coal solutions and second generation biofuels and energy efficiency as important areas for collaborative innovation. Tom Tolarkson of California emphasized social innovation, in the form of strengthening energy education, basic research capabilities and information dissemination. Truly then, I believe that we are pressing forward with innovation in the broadest definition of the word. And today's presentations on urban planning and electric vehicle systems make this case even stronger.
Implications of the Widening Energy Gap
As the rate of urbanization worldwide, and especially in China increases, we are witnessing an increasing energy demand gap between urban and rural areas. This has enormous implications and it is important that we address the role of buildings in our energy consumption patters. LBL, as described by Mark Levine, has started modeling work to show how we can decelerate energy demand in industry and buildings, while Marc Porat described how some of his business ideas are creating more sustainable materials for construction. Mr. Porat strongly suggests that China take a quantum leap to strive not just for incremental increases in energy efficiency in buildings, but to aim for loftier Net Zero Energy goals. Jonathan Woetzel, in his presentation of the McKinsey Report on "China's Carbon Cost Curve" suggests that passive design is a key lever in greening the construction industry. Considering the rapid pace of construction in China, we need such bold targets.
Towards Cleaner Coal
We had a session on cleaner coal. Mr. Fang Jianguo talked about the various pollution problems at various steps of the coal supply chain, and emphasized the importance of international collaboration for cleaner coal. Dave Mohler of Duke Energy helped us understand that carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is not a single technology, but a system of four technologies involving capture, transport, storage and verification. CCS is controversial, lets not kid ourselves. It is expensive and very geologic specific, and so the ability to replicate and scale is a key concern. We need to better understand how we can accelerate IGCC and CCS up the learning curve so as to be able to implement these solutions at the "Chindia" price, as Vinod Khosla would say. Perhaps the solution lies in recognizing Mother Nature as the ultimate inventor. Calera, as we hear Brian Curtis describe, is engaging in biomimicry of corals to sequester carbon dioxide in sea water, and subsequently make sustainable bricks in a creative doubly play. Another potential game changer is a novel coal-to-liquids process that Accelergy is developing. It has built a collaborative alliance and are engaging in R&D in China. Details on their technology are a trade secret at this stage, but we heard from Rocco Fiato that the company engages in a process with a substantially lower carbon footprint. I, for one, am looking forward to hearing more, and do hope that it also has a lower water footprint compared to conventional CTL.
An interesting question on lack of IP protection in China was posed to the panel. Panel moderator Sung Ming, of the Asia Pacific Clean Air Task Force observed that such fears were often overstated, and that especially with credible Chinese companies, IP protection is a non-issue, with Accelergy's JV with ENN being a case in point. I tend to agree. History shows that IP protection is a function of an economy's maturity, and as China develops and innovation flourishes, there is no reason to believe that IP protection will not correspondingly strengthened, as Chinese companies begin to rollout their own valuable innovations that they themselves would want protected.
Smart Grid
We had a most interesting panel on the topic of Smart Grids. As we know, JUCCCE has launched a Smart Grid Initiative. We learned that a more efficient, optimized grid that allows for two-way travel of electrons and information is a linchpin to a renewable energy revolution. As Bredan Herron of CURRENT Group described, we have much to optimize for a grid with an efficiency of 11%. There are many components and aspects to a smarter grid. Bother Dave Mohler of Duke Energy and Peter Corsell of Gridpoint emphasized that any approach to redesigning the grid must be made at a holistic network level with the end-game in mind, integrating software with hardware, providing information and control to end users and electricity providers. We must think of utilities as not selling electrons per se, but of selling energy services. Utilities, in turn must think of not only supplying ubiquitous, cheap and reliable power, but also power that is clean and efficient.
We need to recognize, however, that there are differences in smart grid initiatives in the U.S., versus those in China, as Hu Xue Hao and Bai Xiao Min of Chinese EPRI and Henry Yu of IBM made clear. China's initiatives focuses more on transmission and less on distribution as it does in the US. It focuses on Automatic Meter Reading, not Advanced Metering Infrastructure. There is an emphasis on larger scale renewable energy generation. And rural electrification initiatives in China also pose unique grid connection challenges. It is important for cross-border collaborators to appreciate these nuances in approaches.
Kickstarting Local Solar Deployment
Solar PV power offers a lot of potential to cleaning up our energy system. As Ma Xuelu, representative of Baoding City's Solar Energy Demonstration City describes it, solar is truly the "harmonious energy." China is now the world's leading manufacturer of PV modules, but unfortunately, it exports 95% of its production. As Li Junfeng points out, the time is now right in China to actively promote PV, and the government has launched a two pilot projects, one in Ordos, Inner Mongolia and another in the island of Chongming near Shanghai (with a tariff of RMB4/kWh established). Gao Jifan of Trina Solar explained how there are misconception of PV that must be dispelled; PV is neither as costly nor is its manufacturing process as energy intensive as some critics believe. Grid parity is achievable within 5 years, and the energy payback for PV can be as low as 2 years, while the lifespan of solar panels are 30 years. Mr. Gao, Ray Sun of Applied Materials, and Zhang Boxun of Suntech recommend a host of things to kickstart local solar deployment. Apart from the private sector working on increasing PV efficiencies and lowering the cost per watt, the government should consider preferential tariff policies for solar, resolve interconnection issues with the grid, encourage net metering, and even exploit higher values of use, such as in the higher end real estate market.
As someone who has been looking at the solar industry as well, I would add my two cents, and suggest that because installation costs account for roughly half the costs of adopting PV, that seeking ways to standardize and optimize installation processes represents a viable opportunity for cost reduction. The applicability of financial innovation employed such as companies like SunEdison in the US can also be introduced over time to China so as to reduce the upfront investment of solar to the end-user, and help transition to a mentality of purchasing clean energy services rather than expensive solar panels.
Ramping Up Renewables
It is clear that we need to ramp up the mix of renewable energy. We need to remove the stumbling blocks, such as the supply chain constraints, as Gerald Paige described in the wind industry. The nurturing of a domestic clean tech manufacturing industry, a push towards self sufficiency in low carbon/cleantech such as the efforts in Baoding, as its mayor Meng Xiangwei has championed, is a good reason to be optimistic, and to realize Matt Targett's vision of renewable energy making a non insignificant impact on displacing coal.
Sustainable cities
The efforts to green our cities are in many ways the ultimate challenge in China. The folks at McKinsey have demonstrated very clearly the unstoppable trend of rural to urban migration. 400 new cities over the next 15, 20 years. We must have a positive outlook on urbanization, not see it as a threat, according to Stefan Lehman of UNESCO. We need to move away from the building level and to on an urban, city scale.
We hear of many Greenfield ecocity projects and given China's unique migration patterns this is surely important as brand new cities get established on bare pieces of land. But there is also a huge stock of existing urban infrastructure that will have to support more and more people. The examples of Xiamen and Urumqi provide leading examples of two cities of very different circumstances and demographics and stage of economic development on their way to making this transition. Worth taking not is how both projects focus on not just hardware, i.e. infrastructure, but software, i.e. CDM financing, social arrangements, institutional arrangements, psychological motivations. We need both the hardware and software to fully empower the city's residents.
Another example of software was introduced by Anne Niederberger of Policy Solutions. She talked about how her organization is designing a scientific system of urban productivity benchmarking based on ISO standards that can provide report cards to mayors trying to transition their jurisdictions to low carbon cities. Again this is about bringing information to the forefront of decision making through feedback systems. And as we know, mayors and other government officials will soon have their promotion prospects evaluated by energy and environmental criteria. And today, we see how JUCCCE is working with mayors across China to empower them with the knowledge and tools to deploy clean energy solutions in their cities through the official launch of the JUCCCE Mayoral Training Program.
Ms. Niederberger proposed the formation of a JUCCCE task force on urban productivity. I second that proposal.
Green Development and infrastructure
Panelists of the Green Development and Infrastructure panel highlight the cognitive dissonance involved in focusing our sustainability efforts just on the design and construction of buildings. We need to look both upstream at the land development, site selection stage, as Stanley Yip of ARUP points out, and also downstream with respect to ongoing operations of a building as David Hathaway points out, and as Warren Smith of the Venetian described that their company is doing for their casino operations. Xu Wei of the Chinese Academy of Building research also told us of how, in developing China's green building codes, concepts of upstream and downstream considerations have been considered.
Other than new fabrication, we should consider precision modular pre-fabrication for economies of scale and waste reduction, and also re-fabrication, i.e. re-purposing existing buildings, to conserve embodied energy.
Separately, brownfields present not only an opportunity to rehabilitate, but to rejuvenate by converting them into cleantech hubs. Jon Scharfman of Unviersal Paragon told us of how China can learn from the Baylands example of converting industrial wasteland into cleantech manufacturing facilities.
Sustainable Transportation
Transportation must be tackled at a systems level. There is little substitute for intelligent urban planning, integrating mass transit and pedestrianization as major mobility options, as Dr. Yang Fuqiang of the Energy Foundation reminds us. Another systems level innovation is the introduction of the electron economy concept as we have heard from Arthur Wang of McKinsey and Marshall Towe of Better Place. Its not just a transportation solution, its an entire energy ecosytem built on a arrangement of electric vehicles (EV), batteries, smart grids, renewable energy sources of energy. There is also a role for biofuels as we wait for the costs of EVs to come down and EV infrastructure to be built. Biofuels can be used without engines changes and little other infrastructure investments other than a biofuel distribution network.
Greening Industry
In the Greening Industry panel, we learnt about a few rigorous frameworks for improving energy performance in heavy industry. Lynn Price of Lawrence Berkeley Labs told us of the Top 1000 Energy Consuming Enterprise Program, a top-down nationwide program introduced in 2006, and Terry Fry, Sr. of Nexen and Chen Jianghua, Exec. Director of National DSM Instruction Center shared with us development of the Industrial Demand-Side Management Procedures Manual for China, a joint international collaborative effort between US and Chinese organizations, which is currently being reviewed by NDRC.
Companies like TCP, Tetrapak and Haworth are leading the way in the lighting, packaging and furniture industries, respectively to optimize performance and efficiency and help their downstream customers improve their supply chain carbon footprint. Ellis Yang of TCP announced the development of a
Super-Compact Fluorescent Light", to be unveiled to the market in 18 months and that will provide 20-30% in efficiency improvements over the current CFL technologies. TCP, Tetrapak and Haworth all also lead by example by reducing their upstream carbon footprints through energy efficiency and/or renewable energy measures.
As we head towards a financial downturn, lean manufacturing will take on greater importance as waste reduction means costs savings, emphasized Marc Cotter of Haworth.
Show Me the Money
Three venture capitalists discussed the opportunities and challenges facing the Chinese cleantech environment. Ira Ehrenpreis of Technology Partners highlighted the fact that 75% of cleantech investments so far have been in solar and biofuels, meaning that many other cleantech sectors have been neglected. He highlighted the green buildings sector, which contain a lot of subsectors (such as sustainable materials, energy systems, etc.) as filled with opportunity. Gary Risechel of Qiming Ventures used the solar industry as an example to demonstrate his point that what China succeeds in is not necessarily cutting-edge, innovative technology, but low-cost manufacturing. Mr. Rieschel believes that a strengthening of protection of foreign intellectual property would be a move that would spur domestic enterprises to innovate so as to compete with foreign enterprises. Jim Boettcher of Focus Ventures took a different view, describing the abundance of innovation he had seen coming out of universities such as Tsinghua, especially with regards to cleaner coal and battery solutions. Consistent with the broader definition of innovation, Mr. Boettcher described a low-tech, low-cost innovation involving drip irrigation modeled after ancient irrigation techniques that have broad applications for the agricultural sector.
In the face of a capital shortage in this financial crisis, forum delegate Yvonne Li of Ecological Investments challenged the panel to consider ihow, in this challenging environment of tight capital, alternative financing models could be created. The Chinese government could, for instance, through an environmental bond, raise large sums of to channel towards clean energy projects [GLF: the idea being that being government-backed, the investment risk would be lower compared to VC investments, making it more acceptable to investors. A precedent fot this exists in Europe]. Venture capital could reinvent itself to offer alternative financing instruments to the high-risk venture equity type of investment that limited partners are shying in away from in this environment, whether it is some variation of project financing or debt financing so that cleantech venture capitalists can continue to apply their cleantech industry insight to such financing deals which are usually the domain of banks which do not necessarily have the same level of industry knowledge as venture capitalists. A San Francisco-based financier called MMA Renewable Ventures comes to mind.
Finally, the proposal to form a task force to explore the possibility of connecting capital and enterprises from both the U.S. and China to form a venture-entrepreneurial ecosystem was mooted.
Building Consumer Awareness and Volunteerism as Social Innovation
Education is required at all levels for it is education that truly empowers. Today we heard about Roots & Shoots, the JUCCCE "Green Lights for All" Program and Greennovate and how they are educating the next generation of environmental activities, getting them "hooked for life."
Web 2.0 is shaping public opinion. JUCCCE's CFL lighting program, an effort to replace inefficient incandescent lightbulbs with efficient CFLs through the mobilization of school children in Shanghai, is considering using web 2.0 to monitor the performance and effectiveness of their program, while Alvin Wang Graylin of mInfo described how his company's initiative, the Green Hero Mobile Campaign, engages mobile users across China to talk about and get recognized by for their green efforts.
A final panel that was not formally on the agenda but that was assembled staged opportunistically in a very fitting way involved a group social entrepreneurs. Xiaoyi (Sheri) Liao described her efforts with Global Village of Beijing to reconstruct sustainable eco-villages in earthquake-struck areas of Sichuan. She emphasized the need to harmonize three different kinds of energy–materials, body and spirit. Rich Brubecker [of All Roads, Crossroads, and Cleaner Greener China fame] described his efforts to replicate his volunteer organization, Hands On, in various cities across China. Dianne Geng of Rural China Education Foundation told of her organization's efforts to promote environmental education in southern Shanxi province. Forum chair, Peggy Liu, proposed the establishment of a platform for the various volunteer organizations for collaboration, apprenticeships and knowledge sharing.
So we can see, the themes of innovation, information and empowerment run through the many solutions that forum panelists and delegates are engaging in.
The Stone Age did not end because the world ran out of stones. We just found more intelligent ways to do things. Similarly, we cannot wait for the world's oil, coal and natural gas, these so called fuels from Hell, to run out before we transition to the fuels from Heaven, i.e. wind, solar and water.
We are engaged in a war that we cannot afford to lose, because our existence depends on it. To come full circle and quote Rob Watson again, we must disabuse ourselves from 18the century thinking, 18th century ego-nomics, and really rally the forces of our innovative spirit to develop and deploy and scale clean energy systems, whether technological, financial, social or even cultural.
The conference has come to an end, but our work has barely begun. Let us leave these halls with a renewed and urgent sense of mission. Let's rethink energy, and reshape the world.
Thank you.
Cleaner Greener China
China Environmental Law
CN Reviews
Comments (6)
Nov.13.2008@4:30 pm
Nice job Julian! Thank you for sharing this with us.
I am going to make a point on your speech, don't take it personal. It is my point of view about the lexical aspect, a small detail that has big impacts (Tipping point for me.
I think you have put a lot of energy on the message delivery …. a bit too much for me. You made the parallel with "a war". Well, for me, it sounds just too violent and too "hardware". I totally agree on the importance of the warning and the stakes, but I really believe that people has already toomuch pressure on their "micro-level life" – look at the recession and the unemployment situation, to focus on the "macro-level life". Don't get me wrong, I don't encourage anyone to be unaware of the climate change (CC) and energy consumption situation, but what I mean here is that adding more stress is not the best way to unify people and expect from them to behave as we wish. You scare them, and when they are scared, they are just like paralysed. War is a terrible thing, very crual. I don't want the world to be at war to fight the CC, I just want the world to care about what means with common sense. We are NOT at war.
Nov.13.2008@5:36 pm
Julian – awesome words. Time to speak some truth to power, let's get Obama & Wen Jiabao to listen to you next
Nov.13.2008@6:21 pm
Hey man, nice work. Was the main purpose of your speech to summarise the speeches from the 2 days?
May.8.2009@12:39 am
Nice job, Julian. Keep up the good work.
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Nov.14.2008@3:39 pm
China: CleanTech Me Baby, One More Time….
The Joint US – China Cooperation on Clean Energy Forum (JUCCCE — Is that pronounced Juicy?) recently ended and China Environmental Law was there and has posted on it, in its aptly named post, "The Morning After." This post nicely summarizes went tra…
Nov.15.2008@12:05 am
[...] The Green Leap Forward 绿跃进 (JUCCCE Clean Energy Forum–Closing Summary) "The following is the complete transcript, modified and supplemented for completeness and readability, of the closing speech that the author of this blog (pictured below) delivered on November 11 at the JUCCCE Clean Energy Forum in Beijing." (tags: china environment china-us JUCCCE) [...]


text:
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text:
The day of love gets closer and closer every day. For some reason that seems to freak most people out. I sort of understand and sympathize with all of the Hallmark Holiday complaints. It is no fun to think companies cash in on a required expression of love, but I have a different take on the whole day. First off I don't think there is anything wrong with devoting a day to love. Don't get me wrong, I think you should express how you feel on the other 364 days as well, but taking one day out of your busy life to give a little extra to the ones you love is not a bad thing. However, "a little extra" doesn't mean you have to celebrate by buying fancy gifts or expensive dinners. Somewhere along the line showing your love got translated to $$$, which is not cool. You can tell someone you care for little to no money at all, especially when you express your feelings with a homemade gift, which brings me to todays DIY project in the Valentine's Day countdown.
This one is an oldie, but a goodie… Printable Love Coupons. Remember making these handmade coupons for your mom when you were like seven with 32 cents to your name? Well, now you are 27 going on 28 and may have a little more cash in your pocket, but like I said before, $$$ ≠ LOVE. However, since you are little older now, we can up the production value of our love coupons and even make them a little more "interesting" if you know what I mean. Feel free to get as risqué as you like. Don't have glitter thumb for DIY, no worries. I stumbled upon these wonderful FREE printables by Key Lime Digital Designs, via Tatertots and Jello. On a totally unrelated note, I would just like to say I love tatertots. If my Hubby really wanted to say he loved me, he would cook me a whole bag of tatertots for dinner on Valentine's Day. (I guess it was not such an unrelated note after all, just totally random and a little sad.)
Okay back to the coupons. These are awesome. You can give them to your man/lady or even family or friends (some say things like a free meal or movie). If you have any kiddos you can give them the 'free chore day' coupon. I am sure they would love that one. I don't have and children yet, so I may keep this one for myself and spring it on my Hubby on a day I am feeling tired. See the coupons can be for everyone, but be sure to save the kisses and back rubs for your lover or it may get a little weird. There are also a couple of blank ones that you can spice up if you like 😉 Enjoy!


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» [2014-06-18] MusicDish*ChinaZebra Music Festival (Shanghai) 2014 (Chinese version)Zebra Music Festival (Shanghai) will kick off from July 25th through July 27th at Jinshan Beach in Shanghai
» [2014-06-15] Digital SkoolNovation Bass Station II and the New Sound of P-FunkDanny Bedrosian tells how the Bass Station II is fast becoming the sound of George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic
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» [2014-05-26] MusicDish*ChinaFrench Hip Hop Act IAM China Tour (Chinese version)French Hip Hop Act IAM China Tour (Chinese version)
» [2014-05-24] Music SpotlightMTA Arts for Transit Chooses 23 Groups and Individuals to Join Music Under New York ProgramPerformers Chosen From 60 Acts That Auditioned Before Panel of Judges
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» [2014-05-22] MusicDish*ChinaThe Goethe-Institut China Presents The German Band Die Sterne (Chinese version)The Goethe-Institut China Presents The German Band Die Sterne (Chinese version)
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» [2014-04-30] MusicDish*ChinaWarner Music Group To Acquire Gold Typhoon's Legendary Recorded Music Catalog And Artist RosterThe Gold Typhoon catalog is one of the largest and most acclaimed collections of local pop and rock music from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
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General Visitor Information
- All visitors must check in at the information desk first before visiting a patient. Volunteers at the information desk provide visitors with the patient's room number, directions, and other information.
- Those who are not feeling well are encouraged not to visit patients. Patients in the hospital are already recovering from illness or injury and should not be exposed to additional illnesses such as the flu.
- As part of the hospital's commitment to a healthy environment and lifestyle, the Shore Medical Center campus is a tobacco-free environment. Use of tobacco is prohibited inside any hospital buildings, in all parking areas or on any hospital grounds.
- Shore Medical Center is pleased to offer wireless service to our patients and visitors. This service is available free of charge to those who bring in their personal wireless-enabled laptop computer. Use of this service is entirely at the risk of the user. Prospective users must read and acknowledge our disclaimer displayed on their laptop screen once connected to the guest network.
Spirit of Shore: Caring, helping and always striving to provide the best possible experience.
Shore Medical Center's leadership and staff strive to make the patient's experience both memorable and positive. As a friend or family member of a patient, your perspective is very important to us. Suggestions to help us improve your experience as a visitor are always welcomed. Send any comments or suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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- Alternative Energy Generators[1]
- Other Generators[5]
- Power Distribution Equipment[1]
- Electricity Generation[1]
- Engine Parts[2]
- Engines[1]
- Machine Tool Spindle[1]
- Material Handling Equipment Parts[2]
- Rolling Mill[3]
- Metallurgy Machinery Parts[2]
- Crusher[1]
- Ventilation Fans[1]
- Housings[1]
- Forging Services[6]
- Cylinders[7]
- Flanges[4]
- Gaskets[2]
- Hydraulic Parts[5]
- Linear Guides[1]
- Moulds[2]
- Other Mechanical Parts[1]
- Cylindrical Gears[7]
- Other Gears[1]
- Pinion Gears[1]
- Ring Gears[3]
- Shaft Couplings[2]
- Seals[1]
- Shafts[10]
- Steel Pipes[1]
- Steel Round Bars[2]
- Barge[1]
- Other Marine Supplies[1]
- Contact Person : Mr. Xu Yonghua
- Company Name : Deqian Hangzhong Forging Co., Ltd.
- Tel : 86-0571-58619928
- Fax : 86-0571-23618200
- Address : Zhejiang,Hangzhou,8 Jingguan Ave., Qingshanhu St., Lin'an City
- Country/Region : China
- Zip : 311305
Related Product Searches:forging hydraulic cylinder,High Quality,Series metallurgical hydraulic cylinder,hydraulic cylinder for shippment
1. Good supply channel
We check our steel materials carefully and keep stable suppliers such as Bao Steel.
2. Professional and equipped equipment
Now the company employs 230 staff with high education background, and also own the advanced equipments such as one set of 5000T hydraulic forging machine, one set of 1600T hydraulic forging machine, one set of 3T electro-hydraulic hammer and all kinds of rough machining equipments and heat treatment equipments
We also have built a Physical Building which is responsible for the inspection of products.
3. Extensive experience in forging
We have 55 years' forging experience, and formed its own corporate culture. Original impeller forging process allows us to occupy the market in most of the steam turbine forgings, and We are now past and to development the market in green energy, shipping, and marine engineering forgings
Carbon steel, alloy steel. Carbon manganese steel. we can produce by your required materials
Max 2000mm
Max 60tons
Delivery time:
60 days after advanced payment
According to customers' requirements
normally used for wind power generation, stream turbine,petrol industry, mine industry , large machinery manufacturing
heat treatment, machining, normalization, annealing, flaw detection…according to your requirements
60000 tons per year
4. Strict quality control
Process card for forging
forging hydraulic cylinder


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Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), was reappointed as a high-end foreign expert on Physical Activity and Health by the People's Republic of China for summer 2017. During his appointment tenure, Gao was based at Hunan Normal University (Changsha, China) and stayed in China for one month over the summer.
During his stay, Gao delivered a series of lectures on physical activity and health, helped the university establish the discipline in physical activity and health, offered a number of workshops to faculty and students, as well as trained the faculty and graduate students in conducting a cutting-edge research project. Gao is an alumnus of Hunan Normal University, where he received his bachelor's degree in physical education.
In addition, Gao was selected as the Foreign Outstanding Instructor by Hunan Province of China in summer 2017. He was based at Huaihua University, where he delivered a course titled "Advances in Physical Activity and Health," as well as mentored the faculty and students in conducting two research projects in the university and local rural communities. Gao's lectures have been well-received by the students and faculty members at Huaihua University.


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Have you considered essential oils to help concentration? You know, those days when your brain is fogged over and your productivity is low. What's a person to do?
We all experience days like this and it's a struggle to get through them.
If you need a little help with focus and concentration, coffee isn't the answer – even though I love it!
I enjoy using essential oils to emerge from my brain fog and kick it into high gear.
I continue to be amazed by how effective a few drops of the right essential oil can be to help with my concentration and focus.
Imagine if you combine your success mindset with the right essential oils, there will be no stopping you!
Here are my 5 favorite essential oils to help concentration:
1. Rosemary Essential Oil to Maintain Concentration
Rosemary has so many wonderful benefits! It helps to reduce nervous tension, fight fatigue, and improve concentration. It also helps support healthy digestion and internal organ function. You can use it in cooking as well.
Its energizing scent is frequently used in aromatherapy. My favorite method to use Rosemary essential oil is by diffusing.
You can also treat yourself to a nice bath with Rosemary and Epson salts.
Uses for Rosemary Essential Oil
- Diffuse to maintain concentration.
- Take internally to help reduce fatigue and nervous tension.
- Add 1–2 drops of Rosemary essential oil to meats or other foods for incredible flavoring and to support healthy digestion.
2 – Lemon Essential Oil is Energizing
Do you love the smell of Lemon? You'll love this essential oil. Not only will it make your home smell wonderful, but can help uplift and energize you!
It's one of my personal favorites.
Lemon essential oil also provides cleansing and digestive benefits and supports healthy respiratory function when taken internally.
Promoting a positive mood has helped me so much with concentration and focus!
Uses for Lemon Essential Oil
- Diffuse to create an uplifting environment.
- Take internally to support respiratory discomfort.
- Add Lemon essential oil to a spray bottle of water to clean at home ( tables, countertops, and other surfaces.)
- Use a cloth soaked in Lemon oil to preserve and protect your leather furniture and other leather surfaces or garments.
- Lemon oil can help the early stages of tarnish on silver (I love this!)
3 – Peppermint Essential Oil Promotes Concentration
Try Peppermint essential oil as a mid-day pick-me-up to improve concentration and focus! I love diffusing Peppermint in the afternoon when I'm feeling more tired and my brain is not clear.
There are many wonderful uses for Peppermint, including as a natural bug repellent. It's great when my family and I attend outdoor night movies and the bugs are everywhere!
Peppermint Essential Oil Uses
- Use one drop of Peppermint oil one drop Wild Orange and one drop Frankincense, then inhale for a mid-day pick-me-up.
- Use a drop of Peppermint with Lemon in water for refreshing mouth rinse.
- Alleviate occasional stomach upset by takinng one or two drops in a Veggie Capsule.
- Use one or two srops in your favorite smoothie recipe for a refreshing drink.
Video: Essential Oils for Concentration
4 – InTune Focus Blend Essential Oil for Concentration
InTune is a wonderful blend of Sandalwood, Frankincense, Lime, Patchouli, Ylang Ylang, and Roman Chamomile. These essential oils combine to help enhance and support focus.
If you have a tough time staying on task or paying attention, you'll love InTune Focus.
InTune Focus Essential Oil blend Uses
- Apply to your temples or back of your neck for better concentration.
- Apply to wrists or back of hands and inhale to promote a sense of clarity.
- Use InTune to stay on task or when feeling tired mid-afternoon.
5 – Motivate Essential Oil Blend to Support Confidence
Have you ever felt discouraged and in turn, that feeling leads to lack of concentration? Me too!
That's why I love Motivate essential oil blend. This blend of mint and citrus essential oils helps to gain courage and confidence. For me, this helps a great deal with my concentration and focus!
Motivate combines these divine scents: Peppermint Plant, Clementine Peel, Coriander Seed, Basil Herb, Yuzu Peel, Melissa Leaf, Rosemary Leaf, Vanilla Bean.
Motivate Essential Oil Uses
- Apply to shirt collar to help inspire feelings of confidence.
- Diffuse to stay motivated. I do this at home when working on projects.
- Apply to pulse points before participating in sports.
Wrapping it Up
Today I gave you 5 of my favorite essential oils to help with concentration and focus. One of the many things I am loving about essential oils is that just a couple of drops can enhance my mood or help me in some other way.
So many uses for each and every oil, I am amazed! If you want to learn more about essential oils, I encourage you to reach out and contact me!
I'm sure you have your favorite essential oils for concentation too…share in the comments below what works for you!


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Contact Center Solutions
Multilingual Interpretation / Translation Services
Issues / Requests
- We want to receive customers from overseas smoothly.
- We cannot amply position staff with proficient foreign language capabilities within our company.
Features of Multilingual Telephone Interpretation Service
E-mail Translation Reception
24/7 Interpretation Service
Reception Available 365 Days a Year
Reception in Multiple Languages
1Pricing selections to meet your capacities
We have prepared various economical plans from which to choose, to match your company's monthly call times or translation amounts.
2Reception available for multiple locations
Flexible service offered for store branches as well as commercial facilities, associations, organizations, and more.
- ※ Estimates will be prepared based on the nature of usage and the volume of services.
- ※ To provide our best possible service, reception may not be possible during times of call congestion.
Features of Multilingual Translation Services
Accepting various kinds of documents for translation
We accurately and speedily translate various kinds of documents within the timeframe both parties agree upon.
Telephone Interpretation Service(conceptual diagram)
Reception through service windows(2-point calling)
When we receive calls from service windows, we interpret through the telephone receiver being passed back and forth.
Multilingual Interpretation Center(3-way calling)
We interpret via a 3-way call conducted between the customer, your company, and us.
- ※ Cannot be used with the entry plan.
Video Interpretation Option
A video interpretation service conducted through the use of a tablet.
Offered in order to provide services with a sense of presence by being able to converse while looking at the expressions of the operator.
For Service Windows of Municipalities, Stores, Lodging Facilities, and more
Reception is also available for multiple locations※
- ※ Use is limited to within the company (the contracting party).
Multilingual Interpretation Center
- English
- Chinese
- Korean
- Spanish
- Portugese
- Thai
- Vietnamese
- ※ Thai is offered from 9 AM to 6 PM.
- ※ Vietnamese is offered from 10 AM to 7 PM.
Please note:
Tablets must be prepared by the client.
A designated app is installed in order to use the video interpretation option.
(The app is free to install, but the user policy of the provider is followed.)
- iOS 6.0~8.1
- Android 2.2~4.4
※4.0 or above is recommended.
- Windows machines
※Windows 7 or above is recommended.
A device with a camera is necessary.
For inquiries about call centers:0120-050513
Hours of Operation: Weekdays 9:00 - 17:30 (excluding Sat., Sun., holidays)


text: hello, I have been looking to pull the plug on an iPad mini 16GB wifi, but today saw an offer on kijiji for an iPad 2 in good condition 32GB wifi for 350$, is it a good deal ? Like it has the same processors and ram as the mini so was thinking won't it be good ? PS-was considering mini purely for the price tag not because of the size or weight criteria. And now a 32GB 300$ version comes up ? Is it a better deal than a new mini ? The game handling and other processor and ram capabilities must be the same right.


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Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports: Amaré Stoudemire's competitive basketball play was back Tuesday and so was his eyewear. Going against a defender for the first time since a 42-point game on Feb. 18, Stoudemire played four-on-four, half-court games at US Airways Center with teammates also participating in voluntary workouts. "Sometimes, I felt like it was going faster than I expected, as far as competition," Stoudemire said. "Other than that, I felt great. To finally be back out there with the guys and running sprints with them, I got my family back. It's almost like you ran away from home for a while. Now, you're back home and you feel how great it is to be around your family."
Discuss Suns basketball in the InsideHoops Phoenix Suns forum.


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Applying a warm, wet washcloth to a cyst for 20 to 30 minutes can successfully treat it at home, explains WebMD. This should be done three to four times a day, but a person should use caution as to not burn the skin.
When treating a cyst at home, it is also important not to scratch, squeeze, drain or puncture it, according to WebMD. This could inflame or irritate the cysts, cause severe bleeding or push the infection deeper into the body. The area around the cyst should also be cleaned with antibacterial soap, and if it is infected, it may be painful to the touch.
As an infected cyst is treated with a hot washcloth, the infection rises to the surface of the skin, claims WebMD. It usually takes five to seven days for this to occur. When it does, the cyst may begin to drain pus, and a bandage should be applied to the area to keep the infection contained. The bandage should be changed daily, and if there is a lot of pus draining from the cyst, or if it becomes painful or red, a doctor may need to be consulted. Also see a doctor if the cyst does not go away after about a week.


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Samsung Muzaffarpur Service Centre Address – telephone number, fax number, email address and website is listed here with the Samsung customer care number, toll free helpline number, customer support number, customer service Centre.
If are a Samsung phones user, and you are looking Samsung Authorized Mobile Service Centre in Muzaffarpur or Samsung Repair Centre in Muzaffarpur region; so, here you can get your nearest Samsung Service Centre Address and other contact information in Muzaffarpur and nearby areas.
If you are facing any technical problem and issues with your own Samsung devices, you can contact to Samsung Muzaffarpur Service Centre for repairing Samsung Smartphones, laptops, mobile phones and other related products.
Samsung Muzaffarpur Service Centre Contact Information
Here you can find the full contact details of Samsung Muzaffarpur Service Centre for any issues and problems like software updating, warranty, repair, service, accessories, product issues, general support and technical support near you at Muzaffarpur and nearby cities.
List Of Samsung Authorized Service Centres in Muzaffarpur:
Samsung Muzaffarpur Service Centre offer after sales support and services for all Samsung phones and related products such as Samsung handsets, Samsung smartphones, Samsung mobile phones and other related products and services.
Address of Samsung Service Centres in Muzaffarpur:
- Name :Yes Compu Services
- Address :Shekhar Cinema Road,Near- Dr. A. P. Gupta Clinik,Harisabha Chowk, Muzaffarpur 842001.
- Phone : 06212-241267
- E-mail :email@example.com
Samsung India Customer Care Number
Samsung Mobile India Customer Helpline Number
We hope, resolves your queries and issues related to Samsung phones by using above listed contact information, addresses, telephone numbers, and fax numbers, website and email ids. If you are unable to connect with the Samsung Muzaffarpur service Centre, so kindly contact to Samsung customer care phone number from Muzaffarpur and other areas. For further details we recommend you to visit the official website of Samsung.


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Lost in Time and Space
Creative Dementia Arts Network worked with Modern Art Oxford towards the successful completion and dissemination of the Lost in Time and Space (LITAS) project. LITAS is led by Modern Art Oxford (MAO) one of South England's leading galleries for modern and contemporary art that also facilitates community focused activities, including workshops for families and partnerships with schools, while promoting work in Oxford's most socially marginalised communities.
In 2011, whilst preparing family workshops for an exhibition of new work by Kerry Tribe around identity and memory, Sarah Plumb, MAO's Project Manager for Learning and Partnerships, saw an opportunity to engage with groups for whom these core themes had particular resonance. Securing Heritage Lottery funding, Sarah set up the LITAS project bringing together older people with dementia, their carers and adolescents at risk of school exclusion with an artist, writer, photographer and film maker to work to work towards making a film about the experience of dementia.
This intergenerational group came together for several months. Younger people encouraged older people to explore personal and collective memories of family, school, war, work, and marriage through activities, maps objects, artefacts, music, exhibitions at MAO and the Pitt Rivers Museum and crucially over tea and cakes. However older people encouraged and empathised with younger people to share their histories, ambitions, hopes and future plans. The group, who were all new to film making, learnt scene setting, directing, backgrounds, interviewing, shooting film and camera angles, demonstrating a powerful sense of reciprocity in helping each other, laughing at their efforts and praising the pioneers amongst them in what was very much a mutual enterprise.
The project was evaluated using qualitative methodology, mainly ethnographic research, through participant observation and visual recording (photographs and video) of all participants. Surveys and attitudinal scales measured impact and changes. Participation in the project had a number of beneficial effects for older people, one of the most important of which involved 'finding a voice and telling it like it is'. Although initially understandably quite withdrawn when talking abut memory difficulties, by session 2 all of those affected were able to talk to other older peers and younger people. By session 3 this began to occur in the large group as individuals located on large maps, villages and towns where they had lived and shared memories.
June told her wonderful tale of learning to drive milk float on several occasions. Given that her driving license, an important symbol of independence was in the process of being revoked, the group 'bore witness' for her giving her time and space to recall her younger self as knowledgeable, competent and masterful. The younger people shifted their views about dementia from disease to disability – becoming aware of how older group members could compensate for cognitive impairment. Despite the project ending the group continue to meet at MAO to have tea and cakes and visit exhibitions together. Having secured additional funding for a Time and Space Continuum project, the Lost in Time and Space group is currently involved in planning and presenting the film in communities and schools around the county as part of Oxfordshire's Dementia Awareness Campaign in 2012. An evaluation report will be available on the website soon.
The LITAS intergenerational group went to see a range of modern art exhibitions which can be found here
- Kerry Tribe Dead Star Light
- Graham Sutherland- An Unfinished World
- Shezad Dawood Piercing Brightness
- Jenny Saville


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How to Cook Basa Fillet
Basa, also known as swai, pangasius and panga, is a type of river catfish native to Southeast Asia. It is usually farm raised throughout the Mekong River Delta region and then exported around the world. A relatively inexpensive fish, it is quite high in protein and low in calories. A 4-ounce serving has 14 grams of protein and 110 calories. Its mild taste and white flesh are complemented by a variety of flavors, although heavy spices or sauces will overpower its taste. It can be prepared by baking, broiling, grilling and pan-frying.
Video of the Day
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse the basa fillet and pat dry. Season the fish with lemon juice, finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper.
Step 2
Place the fish into a greased baking dish and top with a pat of butter. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Place the fish into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Uncover the fish, squeeze additional lemon juice and a sprinkling of finely chopped cilantro. Cover the fish with the foil and bake for 5 minutes more until the fish is opaque in color and flakes easily with a fork.
Healthy Pan-Frying
Step 1
Add a few teaspoons of olive oil to a heavy skillet and heat to medium high. Season the basa fillet with smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
Step 2
Place the fillet into the pan and cook for 4 minutes, until the edges of the fish start to brown slightly. Carefully flip the fillet over, using a fish spatula so that it does not fall apart. Cook another 3 minutes until the flesh is opaque and cooked through.
Step 3
Serve the fillet immediately with lemon wedges and aioli or a light tartar sauce, if desired.


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While not everybody believes that investing Zetland real estate properties is a good idea because of the risks involved, real estate is still an industry that is booming. Generally, real estate properties especially land, do not depreciate. In fact, as time goes by, its value can increase. Investing in Zetland real estate though needs to be thoroughly thought of before taking the plunge and spending money on just about any property that you can get your hands on.
As a beginner, it important that you know what you are doing and what you are getting yourself into. It does not mean that just because you have the money to spend, that it is right away wise to buy real estate properties which you think are good investments. This kind of investment can grow your wealth but it has to be done responsibly together with conservative financing and knowledge of the tax implications it involves.
One way to start with you Zetland real estate property investment is through a special type of asset known as REIT. This stands for real estate investment trust. In this companies are not required to pay taxes but in return they have to pay out 90% or more of their profits to shareholders as dividends. One can now own a small portion of a multi-million dollar hotel, mall, parking garage, buildings and so much more. This can be a good way to start investing since it is less risky.
Another way to start investing is by buying Zetland real estate rental properties. You can start with just a small apartment. This is a good way to start because it provides a steady and known amount as monthly income. Even if you put in a bigger amount, you slowly get money that you can put in other investments or improvements so you can increase the rent. Owning rental properties also have tax exemptions. With this though, you have to be ready to handle the business closely and becoming a landlord.
As a beginner, it is also important to know the risks involved when investing in Zetland real estate properties. More often than not, these properties are bought through financing which means that a person incurs a debt. A big danger to this is when people want to pay off the debt right away without considering if there is enough money or liquidity to carry investors through recessions or vacancies.
As a beginner it would be best work with a good Zetland real estate agent. He or she knows what the situation of the market is, market prices in local areas. Good real estate agents also know the local laws and regulations that can help you especially if you plan to buy a property and to develop it into something which may or may not be allowed in a particular area. They can guide you through the whole process and take charge of certain things like making sure documents are in order. In order to make money out of your investment this has to be done the right way.