text:
Simplified Slide Rails line expanded!
Product Announcement from MISUMI USA
MISUMI USA has expanded of its line of Simplified Slide Rails, adding new products and sizes to existing product types. The Simplified Slide Rails are suitable for use in a host of non-precision positioning functions ? for example, platform-mounted inspection and detection devices, parts feeding devices, and linear guides used to transfer items from one process area to the next ? and they can be used effectively in both manual or automated linear motion operations.
All of MISUMI's Simplified Slide Rails are engineered and constructed for smooth operation and reliable performance. Compared with conventional high-precision positioning products, they are more compact and lighter in weight. Product offerings include standard and specialized product versions, optional features and configurable lengths, with selection depending on each user's application needs relative to load rating, length, construction material, and other requirements. Most of the Simplified Slide Rails ship within (4 to 6) four to six days.
MISUMI's expanded line of linear motion products include:
- NEW! Stainless Steel Simplified Slide Rails with Ball Bearing, Standard and Optional Locking Version (Load Rating: 380 to 460N/pc.) ? Features 304 Stainless Steel slides, rails and optional lock. Available with or without stoppers. Rail only also available.
- Aluminum Simplified Slide Rails with Ball Bearing(Load Rating: 79N/pc.) ? Features aluminum alloy slides and rails with hard clear anodized finish. Available with or without stopper. Rail only also available.
- Aluminum Simplified Slide Rails with Ball Bearing, Standard and Optional Locking Version (Load Rating: 49-99N/pc.) ? Features aluminum alloy block type slides and rails with hard clear anodized finish. Compact design allows multiple blocks and rails to be installed, as needed.
- Steel Simplified Slide Rails with Ball Rollers(Load Rating: 68-147N/pc.) ? Features 1045 Carbon Steel block type slides and rails with iron oxide black film surface finish. Ball roller is 440C Stainless Steel. Available in Standard and Wide types. Rail only also available. Compact design allows multiple blocks and rails to be installed, as needed.
- Aluminum Simplified Slide Rails, Oil Free(Load Rating: 28-110N/pc.) ? Features aluminum alloy rail and slide made of polyacetal resin, C3604 brass or steel for easy, maintenance-free operation. Available in tapped hole type and counterbored type, with or without stopper.
For more information about MISUMI Simplified Slide Rails and other linear motion components, please visit our online catalog at http://us.misumi-ec.com.
Catalog links:
- Request your own MISUMI Single Axis Actuator Catalog
- Order MISUMI Standard Precision Positioning Stages
Specific product data sheets and additional information from our extensive line of Automation Components line of products:
Linear Motion
Slide Packs, V Guides, Linear Rails
Other Linear Motion Related Components
Locating, Positioning, Jigs & Fixtures
Other Locating Related Components
Sensors, Switches
Automotive Inspection Components
Heaters, Temperature Control
Pneumatics, Hydraulics
Filters, Regulators, Lubricators
Manual-Type Valves, Mechanical-Type Valves
Hydraulic Devices, Hydraulic Pumps
Cylinder Connecting Components
Pipe, Tubes, Hoses & Fittings
Steel Pipes, Copper Pipes, Stainless Steel Pipes
Fittings for Copper, Steel and Stainless Steel Pipes
Rotary Motion
Other Bearing Related Components
Cam Followers, Roller Followers
Rotary Power Transmission
Keyless Bushing (Fastening Fittings)
Conveyors & Material Handling
Springs, Shock Absorbers
Urethane, Rubber, Sponge, Felt
Antivibration, Soundproofing Materials, Safety Products
Wires, Chains, Metal Fittings, Small Work Pieces
Industrial Materials
Aluminum Extrusions, Pipe Frames
Aluminum Extrusion and Brackets
Accessories for Aluminum Extrusions
Extrusion Kits and Mesh Fences
Casters, Leveling Mounts, Posts, Cover Panels
Angle Plates, Gussets and Standoffs
Doors, Cabinet Hardware
Adjusting, Fastening, Magnets
Retaining Rings, Pins, Machine Keys
|More Info


text:
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Return to Index
Heart Disease Collection—Angina and CAD
General Overview
Angina pectoris is a disease marked by brief paroxysmal attacks of chest pain precipitated by deficient oxygenation of the heart muscles. More
Coronary artery disease , also called coronary disease or coronary heart disease, is a condition (as sclerosis or thrombosis) that reduces the blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle. More
- What are angina and CAD?
- What are the symptoms?
- What are the risk factors?
- How are the conditions diagnosed?
- What are the treatments?
- What are the screening tests?
- How can I reduce my risk?
- What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?
Find answers in our in-depth report on angina and CAD:
Diagnostic and Surgical Procedures
Preventing Angina and CAD
Never mind the fad diets, weight-loss pills, and zany herbal remedies—it all comes down to a balanced diet and a regular exercise program.
A high level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack. Learn about the different kinds of fats and how you can make better food choices.
Exercise helps keep your body healthy and your tissue and organs working properly. In keeping your body in good working order, exercise also helps ward off many diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and many others.
Preventing Angina and CAD (Continued)
Many people feel stress often; some even feel it as a part of their daily lives. Stress has been implicated as a possible cause of—or at least exacerbating some of the symptoms of—numerous conditions, including coronary artery disease.
Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. If you have thought about quitting but haven't been able to, here are some reasons why you should and some ways to do it.
Related Conditions
Related Centers
Natural and Alternative Treatments (By Condition)
American Heart Association National Center
http://www.american heart.org
http://www.american heart.org
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute


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2 star hotels in Moscow
Filter Results
188 properties found
- Sort by:
Local Hotel
Dmitrov Shosse 46, Building 1, Moscow, Ru, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Local Hotel is a 2-star venue positioned about 3.8 km from Ostankino TV Tower . The venue is 4.5 km away from Ostankino Palace and Museum.
More...From CN¥ 403price for 1 nightBook Now
Gindza Hostel Spiridonovka
16, Spiridonovka Str., Bldg 1, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
The historical Gindza Hostel Spiridonovka offers quick access to Moscow Museum, State Historical Museum and Red Square. Free parking, a designated smoking area, a fax, a safe deposit box and…
More...From CN¥ 139price for 1 nightBook Now
Mini Hotel Philadelphia
Makarenko Ulitsa 5, Bldg. 1A, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Mini Hotel Philadelphia is a family 2-star hotel set 1.9 km from Red Square and 2.6 km from Pushkin Square.
More...From CN¥ 258price for 1 nightBook Now
Hostel At Myasnitskaya
Myasnitskaya Street 46, Building 1, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Hostel At Myasnitskaya is located in Moscow and provides guests with a ski storage room. The Kremlin and Red Square are approximately 2.2 km away.
More...From CN¥ 183price for 1 nightBook Now
Pogosti Na Chistih Prudakh
Chistoprudnii Bulvar 11/1, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Pogosti Na Chistih Prudakh Hotel is a 2-star accommodation with a safe deposit box and an elevator. The hotel lies within 15 minutes' walk of Church of All Saints…
More...From CN¥ 529price for 1 nightBook Now
Boutique Sretenskiy Dvor
Sretenka 26/1, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
More...From CN¥ 731price for 1 nightBook Now
Hostel At Belorussky
Ploschad Tverskoy Zastavy 7, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Hostel at Belorussky Moscow is a 2-star property only 2.1 km from Red Square, Yeliseyevsky Shop and Bolshoi Theatre. Classic decor distinguishes this hostel.
More...From CN¥ 340price for 1 nightBook Now
Molotoff Capsule
7 Tverskaya Ulitsa, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
More...From CN¥ 139price for 1 nightBook Now
Shipilovsky Proezd, 47, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Tsaritsino Hotel is a 2-star property situated at about 17 km distance from The Kremlin. The hotel occupies 17 floors and was renovated in 2010.
More...From CN¥ 284price for 1 nightBook Now
Ulitsa Tverskaya 12/9, 2Nd Floor, Code 91, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Galaxy Hotel is a 3-star property only 1.5 km from St. Basil\'s Cathedral. The hotel is about 1400 meters from Red Square .
More...From CN¥ 296price for 1 nightBook Now
Luch Hotel
1-Ya Vladimirskaya Street 10D, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
The 2-star Luch Hotel is placed about 10 km from GUM Department Store . Opened in 2004, the hotel attracts visitors with its historic architecture.
More...From CN¥ 580price for 1 nightBook Now
Mini Hotel Kb Na Taganke
Marksistskaya Ulitsa 5, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Mini Hotel Kb Na Taganke is a 2-star venue set 3.1 km away from St. Basil\'s Cathedral. Lenin\'s Mausoleum is about 3.3 km from the hotel.
More...From CN¥ 246price for 1 nightBook Now
Bulgakov Mini-Hotel
Arbat Str.49 Entrance 2, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Bulgakov Mini-Hotel is a historical 2-star hotel set 2 km from The Kremlin and 2.3 km from Red Square .
More...From CN¥ 927price for 1 nightBook Now
Oktavia Hotel
2-Oy Krasnogvardeyskiy Proezd 6/1, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Oktavia Hotel Moscow offers affordable lodging in Moscow. The vicinity of a metro station let you explore Poklonnaya Gora Memorial and Museum of the Great Patriotic War, St.
More...From CN¥ 561price for 1 nightBook Now
People Business Novinsky
Novinskiy Bulvar 11, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Hotel People is a 2-star grand accommodation to stay in Moscow. The hotel is placed near Smolenskaya subway station in Presnensky district and within a 30-minute walk to…
More...From CN¥ 309price for 1 nightBook Now
Nice Hotel Loft
Ulitsa Krasnoprudnaya 24, Bldg 1, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
More...From CN¥ 712price for 1 nightBook Now
Hotel Tverskaya Loft
Tverskaya Street 12/7 App.257, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
The 3-star Hotel Tverskaya Loft provides guests with a central accommodation featuring airport transfer, housekeeping and tour/ticket assistance.
More...From CN¥ 372price for 1 nightBook Now
Tikhy Tchas Nikitskaya
Ulitsa Bolshaya Nikitskaya 22/2 Office 44, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
Tihyi Chas Nikitskaya Hostel is rated 2 stars and welcomes guests with a beauty shop and a safe deposit box. Convenient amenities like an elevator and a barber shop are…
More...From CN¥ 586price for 1 nightBook Now
People Loft Tverskaya
Staropimenovskiy Pereulok 11/6, Building 1, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
More...From CN¥ 466price for 1 nightBook Now
Arka Hotel
Krasnoprudnaya Street 26, Entrance 3, Moscow, Russia (Show map)
The budget 2-star Arka Hotel On Krasnoselskaya offers quick access to Olympic Stadium and Bolshoi Theatre.
More...From CN¥ 359price for 1 nightBook Now


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When I was a high school student, somewhere back in the Middle Ages, I found history to be the most boring of all subjects. All we did was memorize, names, dates and events. On exams we just regurgitated all we had supposedly absorbed. Then, in graduate school, I discovered that history could be as exciting, and useful in everyday life as science, technology, astronomy, music, art, philosophy and daily life. I finally realized that decisions and events from the past have a great impact on my own personal life and current events.
I support the idea of having a course in Alaska's history taught in all high schools in the state. However, the content is not as important as the way in which it is taught. If the course is taught by looking at traditional cultures, politics, economics, the effect of certain decisions, the biographies of those individuals who made those decisions, then it would not be just boring history. If students were required to look at people and events and question them, and see their impact on current affairs and debates, they could learn to see things in perspective. A good history course could, and should be, a way of developing reasoning skills through free and open debate.
I recently saw that there has been a great advance in science through the discovery of several new species of sea creatures. For me, and for others, the discovery of new documents, new information, new insights into the past, is equally exciting. It is just as exciting as finding a new planet in some far off galaxy, hearing a new musical composition, viewing a new work of art or understanding a new mathematical formula.
So I don't think the question is what should be taught, but how it is taught. If students learn to use critical reasoning, data, interpretations from events in the past, they will have a very important skill for life. No matter where they may move, or live or how they earn a living, they will be able to look at the past and present in a new light.
For me, I think it is much more important to teach the teachers how to make such a course challenging and exciting than simply telling the students to memorize something about Alaska's past.
Wallace M. Olson
Auke Bay
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


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What does tableau vivant mean?
Definitions for tableau vivantta bloʊ viˈvɑ̃
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word tableau vivant.
Princeton's WordNet
tableau, tableau vivant(noun)
a group of people attractively arranged (as if in a painting)
Webster Dictionary
Tableau vivant
same as Tableau, n., 2
Tableau vivant
Tableau vivant means "living picture". The term, borrowed from the French language, describes a group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move. The approach thus marries the art forms of the stage with those of painting or photography, and as such it has been of interest to modern photographers. The most recent heyday of the tableau vivant was the 19th century, with virtually nude tableaux vivants or poses plastiques providing a form of erotic entertainment. Occasionally, a Mass was punctuated with short dramatic scenes and tableaux. They were a major feature of festivities for royal weddings, coronations and royal entries into cities. Often the actors imitated statues, much in the manner of modern street entertainers, but in larger groups, and mounted on elaborate temporary stands along the path of the main procession.
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of tableau vivant in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of tableau vivant in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Sample Sentences & Example Usage
One is to convey that stage in life when you're anchored to the home with young children, it also references how the home is the first stage in which children learn how to live in every situation. In my particular pictures, many of them have a stage-like quality. There's reference to tableau vivant of the past, these constructed images.
Images & Illustrations of tableau vivant
Translations for tableau vivant
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- Πίνακας Greek
Get even more translations for tableau vivant »
Find a translation for the tableau vivant definition in other languages:
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Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"tableau vivant." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2018. Web. 22 Mar. 2018. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/tableau vivant>.


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He falls off late game damage wise but by then you should be a tanky, dive happy anti-carry. His laning phase is one of the best, solid base stats, scales well early with little AD(a brutalizer is all you need during lane phase) and has a decent escape.
As stated, he can't carry. If you go all AD with thirster, LW and black cleaver you will not be tanky enough to get to the ADC and do any serious damage before getting blown up, even with ult.
Even so, I love playing him top, he is hard to counter pick.
Edit- Also, he syncs up super well with a jungle shen and ori mid. You double dash in, shen ults you, ori ults on you, pop ult, cull the meek on everyone, stun adc, shen taunts all 5/how many you managed to catch, ???, gg.


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Your location: Home > Kyoto Protocol
AWG-KP begins final year of work
2009 will be a challenging year for the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex 1
Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) - established in 2005 - as it prepares to conclude its
programme of work in Copenhagen in December. At COP 14 in Poznań, the Group considered all
the elements of its work programme and agreed on its activities for 2009.
The Group agreed that further commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol should, for
the next commitment period, principally take the form of quantified emission limitation and reduction
objectives (QELROs). The AWG-KP took note of the pledges for emission reduction targets made by some
Parties and invited other Annex I Parties to submit information on their possible QELROs before its
seventh session, to be
held in Bonn, Germany, from 29 March to 8 April 2009. For further information on submissions click
On potential environmental, economic and social consequences of tools, policies, measures and
methodologies available to Annex I Parties, the AWG-KP agreed that work on this issue should be
guided and informed by the best available scientific, social, environmental and economic information,
and be based on evidence of actual impacts and consequences. It was acknowledged that tools,
policies, measures and methodologies available to Annex I Parties could have potential consequences
for all Parties, and that attention should be given to the negative consequences for developing
Report on
the Poznań session.
An in-session workshop was held in Poznań on "mitigation potentials and ranges of
emissions reduction objectives by Annex I Parties." The workshop provided an opportunity for
Parties and international organizations to share information on national and international studies on
mitigation potentials, and on criteria and approaches for the allocation of emission reduction
efforts among developed countries. The report of the workshop is contained in Annex 1 of the
report on
the Poznań session.
Upcoming seventh session of the AWG-KP
The AWG-KP has agreed that its focus this year will be on reaching consensus on further commitments
for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol. It will turn its attention to developing texts on
further commitments, beginning with a broad collection of proposals put forward by Parties. These
texts should evolve through 2009 toward reflecting consensus.
To enable the AWG-KP to forward the results of its work to CMP 5 in Copenhagen, it is essential that
the group takes a step forward in developing the texts on further commitments at its upcoming seventh
session in Bonn. This session - the first in 2009 - will set the stage for the rest of the
The issues under discussion at AWG-KP 7 will be:
At its resumed sixth session, the AWG-KP requested its Chair to develop four notes, which the Chair
hopes will assist the group in developing the above-mentioned texts on further commitments:
The seventh session of the AWG-KP will be preceded by a number of preparatory events, including:
These pre-sessional events will allow Parties to focus in on detailed issues in preparation for the
actual negotiations during the seventh session.
Two workshops will take place in conjunction with the seventh session, one before and one during the
session. The pre-sessional workshop will focus on issues relating to the scale of
emission reductions to be achieved by Annex I Parties in aggregate. The in-session workshop
will concentrate on potential consequences of mitigation tools, policies, measures and methodologies
available to Annex I Parties (to be held back-to-back with the workshop on economic and social
consequences of response measures, under the AWG-LCA.) The secretariat is preparing an information note to
facilitate discussion at this workshop.
© 2014 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change


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Christies is touting its May 4-5 auction of the Frances Brody collection as the return of good times to the auction business. It's worth noting that the same auction house helped disperse much of the collection of the Brodys' next-door neighbor, Hugh Hefner. While the Brodys were amassing Picassos and Matisses for their mid-century modern home, Hefner was acquiring art for his faux-Tudor mansion. This included pieces by Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, John Chamberlain, Tom Wesselmann, Keith Haring, and, uh, a lot of Leroy Neiman and Alberto Vargas. It's hard not to wonder whether the Brodys and Hefner ever saw each other's collection, and what they thought of it. Most of Hefner's important art was owned by his corporation and has been sold, victim of hard times for magazine publishing and a randy octagenarian's estate planning. A 2003 Christies auction of 300 Hefner artworks and memorabilia netted $3.7 million. That's a trifle next to the $150 million expected for the Brody works.
The 2003 auction didn't include the crown jewel of the Playboy Mansion collection. The counterpart of the Brody Picasso Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust would be Salvador Dali's 1956 Young Virgin Auto-Sodomized by the Horns of Her Own Chastity (pictured). Hefner sold it privately. The painting's Wikipedia page contains the interesting factoid that Dali said it was inspired by Vermeer.
Double Torso (1967) is one of Warhol's ultra-violet paintings, designed to be viewed under "black light." As Andy explained it, ""My next series will be of pornographic pictures. They will look blank. When you turn on the lights, then you see them - big breasts. If a cop came in, you could just flick out the lights or turn on the regular lights - how could you say that was pornography?"
You may see a trend. Hefner collected soft porn by name-brand artists, the more gimmicky the better. A lot of the collection does fits that description, but no, it's not quite that simple. Hefner had an eye for the Chicago Imagists — a pretty unsexy bunch, actually. He had works by Ed Pasche and an impressive 1989 Roger Brown, The Human Fly. Playboy commissioned it to illustrate a T. Coraghessan Boyle story of the same name. That literary tone runs through the collection. Among the most recherché works Hefner owned was a small pastel drawing of a Rabbithead Logo in the Form of a Butterfly by Vladimir Nabokov.
According to the contents page of the April 1976 issue, "The idea for this month's cover came from—of all people—author Vladimir Nabokov, who wrote, in a letter to PLAYBOY, 'Have you ever noticed how the head and ears of your Rabbit resemble a butterfly in shape?'"


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My own sweat shop, so I can't really complain about being exploited by myself, but I can try ...
Getting all kinds of stuff ready for my stand at the MindBodySpirit festival in about ten days time. I have done heaps of these events over the years from books, to wine (with believe it or not, some bread and cheese in between - yes I have a very comprehensive cv). But this will be the first time at an exhibition like this for my own business.
The sore feet, the worn out smiles, the ten million questions will all be exciting because this time it's for my stuff. It's exciting. I get to talk to people for three whole days about Tibetan Medicine! (I'm excited, hence over use of the word. And maybe a little too much coffee today.)
So I am sweat-shopping brochures, bookmarks to give away, signs and information sheets, slide shows of photos from Tibet trips, a crystal essence is in progress and Mindfulness Beads are in full production. As well as making sure I have all the odds and ends I will need on hand, that I have ordered all the things for the stall from the Expo people, organised some help for the two busiest days, and see a few patients in the odd spare moment. I really need a clone of myself!
Mindfulness Beads, you really have to hold them in your hand to get it; but trust me on this, when I used to make these for my shop, lots of people went away seriously happy. And it has been FUN to get all this stuff out again and play play play.


text:
Murray Ready to Lead Bolts Into Draftby Mark Pukalo / Tampa Bay Lightning
When Al Murray left the Los Angeles Kings after 12 years as the Director of Amateur Scouting, there was a perfect new challenge awaiting him.
Hockey Canada was searching for a head scout for the national teams, a job Murray had looked at in the past.
"The timing was right," Murray said.
Best late picks since '00
- 2000 Justin Williams (28th) – Philadelphia
Niklas Kronwall (29th) – Detroit
- 2001 David Steckel (30th) – Los Angeles
(Note: Derek Roy, Buffalo, was second pick of the second round)
- 2002 Jim Slater (30th) – Atlanta
(Note: Duncan Keith, Chicago, went 54th overall)
- 2003 Corey Perry (28th) – Anaheim
(Note: Loui Eriksson, Dallas, was third pick of second round)
- 2004 Jeff Schultz (27th) – Washington
Mark Fistric (28th) – Dallas
Mike Green (29th) – Washington
(Note: Dave Bolland, Chicago, was second pick of second round)
- 2005 Matt Niskanen (28th) – Dallas
Steve Downie (29th) – Philadelphia
(Note: James Neal, Dallas, was third pick of second round)
- 2006 Nick Foligno (28th) – Ottawa
(Note: Milan Lucic, Boston, went 50th overall)
- 2007 None
(Note: David Perron, St. Louis, went 26th overall)
- 2008 John Carlson (27th) – Washington
(Note: Tyler Ennis, Buffalo, went 26th overall)
- 2009 Carter Ashton (29th) – Tampa Bay
(Note: Ryan O'Reilly, Colorado, was third pick of second round)
- 2010 Emerson Etem (29th) – Anaheim
(Note: Etem had 45 goals for Medicine Hat of the WHL)
Best 27th picks in '90s
(Note: from 1997 back, the 27th pick was in the second round)
- 1998 Scott Gomez- New Jersey
- 1997 Ben Clymer- Boston
- 1996 Cory Sarich- Buffalo
- 1994 Rhett Warrener- Florida
- 1992 Boris Mironov- Winnipeg
- 1991 Steve Staios- St. Louis
Murray spent the next three years, traveling the country and helping put together Canada's Under-17, U-18 and World Junior teams for international competitions.
It was a great experience. Murray said it was a first-class organization, with outstanding people. It was an honor to work for his country. But when Lightning vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman called, it was time to get back into the NHL.
Murray takes all the knowledge gained in his three years with the best young players and coaches in Canada and 18 years of NHL experience into his position as the Lightning's director of amateur scouting. He will run the entry draft for the Bolts, June 24-25 in Minnesota.
Murray won a gold medal at both the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Championships with Team Canada and the 2008 World Under-18 championship. He also won the prestigious summertime Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament from 2008-2010. He has been following a lot of the players he will be looking at on draft day for a few years.
"The biggest thing I was able to do the last three years was make an incredible amount of connections," said Murray, who lives in Regina, Saskatchewan. "So much in hockey is knowing people and trusting people's opinions and getting more information. I was able to really network a lot more than I ever was just from being in the NHL.
"Seeing the players for a couple years, leading up to this draft and the next year's draft, I think I have a better book than some other people might."
Darryl Plandowski, heading into this third season as the Lightning's head amateur scout, said Murray is professional and very organized and it has been an easy transition the last 10 months.
Murray reorganized the staff model, keeping scouts in specific areas of the world to get to know their players inside and out. Murray and Plandowski then travel to view the top players in each region and make decisions.
"I think it gives us a clearer picture," Murray said.
Murray has seen the NHL Draft change over the last two decades. You can't hold on to Europeans forever now and rules changes have opened up the game for different types of players.
What hasn't changed is that direction from the top is just as important. Murray said that there is no doubt what type of player Yzerman wants to bring into the organization. That makes it much easier for the scouting staff.
"You're looking for people with good character qualities," said Murray, who coached Regina University from 1985-88. "You want people with intelligence and competitiveness.
"Size is not as big a factor as it used to be. The bigger, stronger player that didn't have speed and quickness is not as effective as he used to be."
Murray said the NHL draft is not at all like the one in the NBA or the NFL. It's more like the one just completed in Major League Baseball, with seven rounds instead of 50.
Even though there might be some areas of need in the Lightning's system, Murray said you cannot think that way when you are about to make a pick.
"If you take the best player and they all turn out good, then whatever you have a surplus of you can use to trade for whatever your need might be," Murray said. "You're picking the guy that you hope develops into the best player. Everything in hockey is about projection."
You are searching for talent, but you are also trying to judge what's in a player's head.
"It's our job to take the best character guys and the kids with the strongest wills," Plandowski said. "You want to pick the guys that will do the work to get better."


text:
The GiFiles,
Files released: 5543061
The Global Intelligence Files
On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor's web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods.
Released on 2013-02-13 00:00 GMT
|2008-04-03 21:44:53
Basic Political Developments
o Brazilian President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva ruled out increased
spending cuts to boost the budget surplus before interest payments
this year, O Estado de S. Paulo reported April 3. Da Silva noted that
"there is no plan B" for Brazil's economic policies.
o Protesters fighting removal of settlers from an Amazon Indian
reservation burned two bridges and blocked another, federal police
said April 2. Police planned to begin clearing the remaining
non-Indian settlers from the 4.2-million-acre Raposa Serra do Sol
Indian reservation next week, said a spokeswomen, who declined to be
identified in accordance with department policy.
o Brazil's lower house CCJ judiciary committee approved late April 2 a
preliminary proposal for a reform of the country's tax system. The
bill must now undergo deliberation in a special committee before
heading to two rounds of floor votes in the house. If approved there,
it will move on to Senate for final approval. Under the proposal, the
government will consolidate federal PIS and Cofins welfare taxes and
the country's CIDE fuels tax into a single federal value-added tax. It
will also incorporate the CSLL tax on corporate net profits into the
country's IRPJ corporate income tax.
National Economic Trends
o According to US firm Merrill Lynch, Brazil is one of the most prepared
countries in Latin America to weather a US financial slowdown.
Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions
o Brazil, the world's largest exporter of iron ore, wants to add value
to its ore sales and is building new pelletizers to take advantage of
growing demand for the more efficient blast furnace feed, according to
April 3 reports.
o Finnish firm Wa:rtsila: announced April 3 that it has signed deals in
March to deliver two turnkey power plants to two Brazilian power
producers. The combined value of the orders is $293.5 million. The
power plants are expected to be fully operational at the beginning of
o Brazilian miner Vale said April 3 that a deal to acquire rival Xstrata
to become the world's biggest mining company is "dead."
o According to an April 2 report, a planned merger of two of Brazilian
telecommunications firms Telecom and Oi is being threatened by a
long-running legal battle between Citigroup and its former investment
manager in the country.
o Brazil may postpone to May 12 an auction for the right to build the
3,300-megawatt Jirau hydroelectric dam in the Amazon, Mauricio
Tolmasquim, president of the government energy planning company EPE
told the media April 3.
o Nine stevedores were arrested late April 2 by the Brazilian Federal
Police for disconnecting shiploader equipment at the busy Paranagua
port. The allegations against the stevedores came amid a partial
strike at the port, which was a protest against reported changes at
another Brazilian port.
o Steelmaker ArcelorMittal said April 3 it acquired a 50% share of
Gonvarri Brasil to form a steel service centre joint venture. Gonvarri
owns steel service facilities for the automotive and industrial
o Trade between Argentina and Brazil could reach $30 billion in 2008,
according to sources from both countries.
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
o The Brazilian government has decided to move up the deadlines for
obligatory addition of biofuels to gasoline and diesel fuel, a measure
that will boost the production of soybeans, the oilseed crop with the
lowest yield and that causes the most environmental damage, according
to an April 3 report.
o Petrobras said April 3 that the construction of its P-53 platform is
slated to be completed in the fourth quarter. The platform then will
start producing from the Marlim Leste field in Brazil's Campos Basin.
Total investment for the platform is $1.3 billion.
o Norway's Aker Kvaerner announced April 3 a $223 million deal to
provide offshore oil production equipment to Petrobras over the next
three years.
o The head of Mexico's Pemex said April 2 that a strategic alliance with
Petrobras could only be considered once a law is passed to revitalize
Mexico's energy industry.
Basic Political Developments
Brazil's Lula Rules Out Increased Spending Cuts, Estado Reports
April 3 (Bloomberg) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ruled
out increased spending cuts to boost the budget surplus before interest
payments this year, O Estado de S. Paulo reported.
Some of Lula's aides are urging him to push up the primary budget surplus
as an alternative to an interest rate increase and slower economic growth,
Estado said. Reducing expenditures might allow the central bank to hold
off on a rate increase at its April 16 meeting, the newspaper reported
supporters of a higher primary surplus proposal as arguing.
Lula said ``there is no plan B'' for the country's economic police, the
newspaper reported.
Protests in Brazil Reservation Eviction
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - Protesters fighting removal of settlers from
an Amazon Indian reservation burned two bridges and blocked another,
federal police said Wednesday.
Police planned to begin clearing the remaining non-Indian settlers from
the 4.2-million-acre Raposa Serra do Sol Indian reservation next week,
said a spokeswomen, who declined to be identified in accordance with
department policy.
About 150 officers already have been sent to the remote area and hundreds
of others were on the way, the spokeswoman said.
Raposa Serra do Sol has been the site of frequent conflicts between
Indians and settlers, mostly rice farmers, many of whom settled in the
region over the last 30 years.
The government officially recognized the reservation in 2005 to protect
about 18,000 Indians from the Macuxi, Ingarico, Patamona, Wapixana and
Taurpeng tribes in the area bordering Venezuela and Guyana.'
But often-violent protests have delayed the removal of settlers as
required under Brazilian law. While most Indians want the settlers out, a
few, who apparently work with settlers, have joined the protests.
In June, Brazil's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the rice farmers and
ordered federal police to remove them within a year.
Protesters burned a bridge on Tuesday after police arrested Paulo Cesar
Quartiero, president of Roraima rice growers association, for blocking a
federal highway. Quarteiro was later released on bail. A second bridge was
set alight Wednesday.
The police spokeswoman said she does not know how many settlers remain.
Local news media estimates ranged from a few dozen to a few hundred.
"We are required to do this under the law, if we don't the Indians have
said they will take matters into their own hands," the spokeswoman said.
Brazil House Judiciary Panel OKs Tax Reform Proposal
April 3, 2008 10:08 a.m.
BRASILIA (Dow Jones)--Brazil's lower house CCJ judiciary committee late
Wednesday approved a preliminary proposal for a reform of the country's
tax system.
The bill must now undergo deliberation in a special committee before
heading to two rounds of floor votes in the house. If approved there, it
will move on to Senate for final approval.
Under the proposal approved Wednesday, the government will consolidate
federal PIS and Cofins welfare taxes and the country's CIDE fuels tax into
a single federal value-added tax. It will also incorporate the CSLL tax on
corporate net profits into the country's IRPJ corporate income tax.
At the sub-national level, the government hopes to consolidate 27 state
ICMS goods and services taxes into a single state level value-added tax
applied nationwide.
The proposal approved Wednesday stipulates that the state level
value-added tax will be charged at the destination of goods, but also
allows for a 2% charge on petroleum and electric energy sales at their
Brazil's Congress has discussed tax reform proposals since 1996, but has
been unable to approve a bill amid disagreements between states and the
federal government over the distribution of tax revenue.
According to some analysts, the approval of a tax reform bill could boost
Brazil's economic growth by up to a half a percentage point annually.
National Economic Trends
Brasil, Peru y Chile, con menos riesgo a EEUU: analista
jueves 3 de abril de 2008 13:25 GYT
NUEVA YORK (Reuters) - Brasil, Peru y Chile, si bien estan expuestos a las
oscilaciones de los precios de las materias primas, son los que estan
mejor dentro de Latinoamerica para soportar una desaceleracion
estadounidense debido a sus politicas flexibles, dijo el jueves un
economista de Merrill Lynch & Co.
Una fuerte caida de los precios de las materias primas desaceleraria el
crecimiento en America Latina, pero la demanda asiatica aun esta en auge
y, a diferencia del pasado, los mercados emergentes ahora son menos
dependientes de la economia estadounidense, dijo Felipe Illanes,
economista jefe para Latinoamerica en Merrill.
"Los tres paises que estan primeros en su capacidad de responder a su
vulnerabilidad ante una desaceleracion son Brasil, Chile y Peru," dijo
Illanes en Nueva York, en el foro de Reuters sobre inversion en America
"Mucha gente se esta dando cuenta de que este grupo de paises
probablemente sea el mas fuerte," sostuvo.
Los tipos de cambio flexibles, un gasto publico prudente y la cancelacion
de deuda denominada en dolares han hecho que muchas economias
latinoamericanas, con la excepcion principal de Venezuela, sean mas
resistentes a una recesion estadounidense que en el pasado, dijo Illanes.
Merrill Lynch preve que los precios de las materias primas sigan pujantes
debido a las limitaciones de la oferta, y que la demanda de un fuerte
motor del consumo, la fuerza laboral de China, no vaya a disminuir pronto.
"La demanda de Asia sigue en auge, ya que nuevamente ese ciclo esta en
alza y dificilmente se acabe hasta que se acabe el principal insumo, la
mano de obra. Y China ciertamente no esta ni cerca de esa situacion,
actualmente," dijo Illanes.
Esencialmente, Merrill piensa que la tesis del desacoplamiento, que
sostiene que los mercados emergentes pueden crecer sin que Estados Unidos
impulse el crecimiento global, es valida debido a Asia.
Adicionalmente, el racionamiento global del credito tiene su fuente en
Estados Unidos esta vez y no en los mercados emergentes, donde han
ocurrido otras perturbaciones economicas en el pasado.
"La razon por la cual creemos que se sostiene el desacoplamiento, es por
lo que creemos que los mercados emergentes estaran haciendo esta vez.
Asia, en particular, crece muy fuerte por un alza ciclica," dijo Illanes.
Contra lo que se podria creer, Argentina y Brasil son los que estan menos
expuestos a las oscilaciones de los precios de las materias primas, dijo.
Usando como base los precios de exportacion de fines del 2005, Merrill
hallo que el beneficio generado por el auge de los precios de las materias
primas representaba menos del 2 por ciento del producto interno bruto en
ambos paises.
Una razon por la cual Brasil es visto como una apuesta a favor de las
materias primas, es por el peso que tienen la petrolera Petrobras y la
minera Vale do Rio Doce en el indice Bovespa, principal indice accionario
de Brasil, dijo Illanes. No es un buen indicador economico, sostuvo.
"Cuando la gente piensa en el riesgo de las materias primas y Brasil, hace
bien en centrarse en las materias primas, pero no por los verdaderos
efectos economicos, sino por el efecto en el Bovespa," sostuvo.
Si bien Argentina ha tenido unos beneficios relativamente menores por la
subida de los precios de los granos, el pais ha apalancado esos beneficios
para impulsar el gasto publico por medio de un impuesto sobre las
exportaciones de soja, sostuvo.
En contraste, Chile ha neutralizado los fuertes avances de las
exportaciones de metales, enviando algunas ganancias al exterior, senalo.
Los economistas de Merrill creen que una recesion estadounidense empezo en
el inicio del ano, y que la economia de Estados Unidos crecera solo 0,8
por ciento en el 2008.
El crecimiento latinoamericano a nivel regional se moderaria a 4,5 por
ciento desde 5,5 por ciento en el 2007, estima Merrill.
Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions
Brazil expands iron pellets output on hot demand
RIO DE JANEIRO, April 3 (Reuters) - Brazil, the world's largest exporter
of iron ore, wants to add value to its ore sales and is building new
pelletizers to take advantage of growing demand for the more efficient
blast furnace feed.
Mining giant Vale (VALE5.SA: Quote, Profile, Research)(RIO.N: Quote,
Profile, Research) -- the world's biggest iron ore exporting company -- is
launching two pellet plants this year, one in partnership with BHP
Billiton Ltd Plc (BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research)(BLT.L: Quote, Profile,
Research), with a total capacity of 14 million tonnes a year. It is also
planning pelletizers to use with its ore in Oman in the Middle East, in
China and Malaysia.
"The steel market is going strong, everyone wants to boost production and
pellets are very efficient in the blast furnace," Vale chief executive,
Roger Agnelli, told Reuters.
Apart from the new plants, Vale has also optimized its seven existing
pelletizers in Brazil and plans another 7.5 million tonne pelletizer for
2010 in Brazil, he said.
The company, which in February hammered out a whopping 65-71 percent price
rise for its iron ore, has more recently concluded negotiations with some
clients in Italy and the Middle East for an even bigger jump in pellets
prices of 86.67 percent, which reflects higher demand for the material.
Pellets, which are known to pollute less than the so- called sinter feed,
produced from fine raw ore, coke, limestone and steel plant waste
materials, are also in high demand in Europe, where steel mills seek to
reduce their emissions of polluting materials.
Vale sold around 41 million tonnes of pellets in 2007, 20 percent more
than the previous year. Pellets output in Brazil rose 23 percent, nearly
double the pace of a 12-percent rise in iron ore production, which reached
nearly 300 million tonnes.
Samarco, the joint venture between Vale and BHP, exports all of its
pellets production. On the eve of cranking up its $1.2 billion third unit,
it is already mulling a fourth unit and sees the Middle East as a client
with growing importance.
Ricardo Vescovi, Samarco operations director, said abundant supply of
natural gas makes the steel industry in the Middle East more prone to
direct reduction, making it a natural market for pellets.
The new unit would boost production by 54 percent to 20.6 million tonnes,
giving it a 19 percent share of the world pellets market, up from 14
percent now.
"We already have all our output sold from the three pelletizers. After the
third one comes on stream, we'll have the same kind of study and if there
is room, we really want to build a fourth unit," Vescovi said.
Meanwhile, major Brazilian steelmaker Companhia Siderurgica Nacional
(CSNA3.SA: Quote, Profile, Research)(SID.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is
seeking to build pellets plants for its own use and is trying to lure its
clients to take part in pellets projects in Brazil and sell its pellet
Wa:rtsila: Delivers Two Power Plants To Brazil At Value Of EUR 188 million
Helsinki, Finland, Apr 3, 2008 - (ABN Newswire) - Wa:rtsila: Corporation,
Company Announcement, 3 April 2008, at 11.15 am (EET)
Wa:rtsila: has in March signed agreements for two turnkey power plants to
two Brazilian power producers at the end of March. The combined value of
the orders is EUR 188 million. The power plants are expected to be fully
operational at the beginning of 2010.
"Important factors in Wa:rtsila: winning these contracts were the high
total efficiency provided by Wa:rtsila:'s engines and our ability to
provide a total power solution including turnkey delivery and full
operations and maintenance of the plants after delivery. Furthermore, as
Wa:rtsila: already has a number of large power plants in Brazil, the
company can readily deliver strong local support," says Robson Campos,
Regional Director, Wa:rtsila: Power Plants in Brazil.
The value of the power plant for Borborema Energetica SA, a Brazilian
independent power producer, is close to EUR 100 million. The power plant
will have 164 MW of net electrical generation. A full operations and
maintenance (O&M) agreement is also under negotiation.
The second order, the value of which is EUR 88 million, is from
Termeletrica Viana SA. The power plant will have 170 MW of net electrical
generation. Wa:rtsila: has also signed a full O&M agreement to operate and
maintain the Viana plant for 10 years after its completion.
To date Wa:rtsila: has designed, projected and installed sixteen power
plants in Brazil. These new orders will, together with the existing power
plants, produce a combined generating capacity of more than 1100 MWe.
Vale's Finance Chief Says Xstrata Deal Is `Dead' (Update1)
April 3 (Bloomberg) -- Cia. Vale do Rio Doce said a deal to acquire
Xstrata Plc to become the world's biggest mining company is ``dead.''
Negotiations are ``dead, it's over,'' Chief Financial Officer Fabio
Barbosa said today in a phone interview. Fernando Thompson, spokesman for
the Rio de Janeiro-based mining company, confirmed yesterday that a $50
billion financing package expired March 31.
Barbosa denied speculation by Brazilian newspapers that the deal may be
revived after Chief Executive Officer Roger Agnelli said this week that
talks could resume ``if Xstrata wants.''
Vale shares rose 30 cents, or 0.6 percent, to 51.60 reais in Sao Paulo
trading. The stock has gained 11 percent since March 25, when Vale
announced talks had collapsed because of demands by Xstrata's biggest
shareholder Glencore International AG.
Xstrata dropped 79 pence, or 2.2 percent, to 3,515 pence as of 2:58 p.m.
on the London Stock Exchange, valuing the Zug, Switzerland-based company
at 34.4 billion pounds ($68.4 billion).
Claire Divver, London-based press officer for Xstrata, declined to comment
Brazilian merger plan hit by fresh clash
Published: April 2 2008 22:13 | Last updated: April 2 2008 22:13
A planned merger of two of Brazil's biggest telecoms companies is being
threatened by a long-running legal battle between Citigroup and its former
investment manager in the country.
Brasil Telecom and Oi (formerly known as Telemar) have been in talks for
several months over a proposed deal in which Oi would buy BrT for an
estimated R$4.85bn ($2.8bn).
However, the deal depends on the settlement of a legal dispute between
BrT's controlling shareholders: Citigroup; a group of Brazilian pension
funds; and Opportunity, a Brazilian investment manager that formerly
represented them in BrT and retains a share of control over BrT.
And the Financial Times learnt this week that a Brazilian investor is
threatening to sue Citigroup if it settles its dispute with Opportunity.
The pension funds had fired Opportunity in 2003 and Citigroup did the same
in 2005 after a series of revelations implicating the company and Daniel
Dantas, its founder and manager, in alleged illegal activities.
Mr Dantas is being prosecuted in Brazil for corruption, espionage and
formation of a criminal organisation. Mr Dantas denies any wrongdoing.
Citigroup is suing Opportunity in New York for at least $300m for alleged
negligence and fraud. Last Thursday it entered a further action against Mr
Dantas, Opportunity and others in New York.
Nevertheless, reports began circulating last week that the pension funds,
Citigroup and Opportunity were close to settling their disputes. In a
statement to markets on Friday, Oi said: "We have become aware that
significant obstacles to negotiation existing between the controlling
shareholders of BrT are close to resolution and, if this is confirmed,
negotiations should intensify and take on a new dynamic to bring the
intended acquisition to a conclusion."
An official at Opportunity confirmed that negotiations with Citigroup and
the pension funds were taking place but declined to comment further.
Citigroup declined to comment.
However, if BrT's shareholders are indeed close to agreement, that deal
has been put in jeopardy this week after Luis Roberto Demarco, a former
partner in Opportunity who has been involved in a series of legal battles
with the company, threatened to sue Citigroup if it dropped actions
against Opportunity.
In an e-mail to Sir Win Bischoff, chairman of Citigroup, he said: "I am
advised that you and the Citi executives have fiduciary duties and legal
responsibilities that cannot be negotiated in a commercial agreement at
Mr Demarco told the FT that, as a shareholder in both Citigroup and BrT,
he would take legal action in the US, the UK and Brazil to ensure that
Citigroup pursued its claims against Opportunity. Citigroup yesterday
declined to comment.
The deal cannot go ahead under current legislation but government
officials are planning regulatory changes to make it possible. The
government supports the deal because it would create a national champion
capable of challenging the dominance of Spain's Telefonica.
Brazil Likely To Postpone Jirau Dam Auction To May 12 - Report
April 3, 2008 11:04 a.m.
RIO DE JANEIRO (Dow Jones)--Brazil may postpone to May 12 an auction for
the right to build the 3,300-megawatt Jirau hydroelectric dam in the
Amazon, Mauricio Tolmasquim, president of the government energy planning
company EPE told the Estado newswire Thursday.
The government had originally said it planned the Jirau auction for May 9.
Tolmasquim also said studies performed by EPE showed the Jirau dam could
be built for 8.7 billion reals ($5 billion), BRL3.9 billion less than
originally thought.
Brazil in December auctioned off the rights to build the 3,150 MW Santo
Antonio dam in the Amazon to a consortium including Brazilian conglomerate
Odebrecht and Furnas, a unit of Brazil's government-controlled electric
power holding Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA (ELET6.BR).
The Santo Antonio dam is slated to come on line in 2012, and is expected
to cost BRL10 billion to construct.
Both dams are slated to be built on the Madeira River, an Amazon tributary
in northwestern Brazil.
Environmentalists have objected to the Madeira River projects due to their
impact on Amazon ecosystems, but the government says the dams are
necessary to avoid energy shortages in Brazil in the coming decade.
9 Paranagua, Brazil Port Workers Arrested For Equip Tampering
April 3, 2008 10:23 a.m.
SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)--Nine stevedores were arrested late Wednesday by
the Brazilian Federal Police for disconnecting shiploader equipment at the
busy Paranagua port, Port Authorities said late Wednesday.
The allegations against the stevedores came amid a partial strike
Wednesday at the port, which was a protest against reported changes at
another Brazilian port.
The Paranagua stevedores operate shiploading equipment and help load and
unload agricultural commodity exports.
Even though shiploaders were back at work on Thursday, the strike
continues. Officials at the port said the workers are currently unloading
two shipping containers an hour from docked ships instead of the regular
70 containers an hour.
Paranagua dock workers and longshoreman were striking over a reported
labor policy being formulated by the Itajai Port on Santa Catarina that
would no longer count on outsourced stevedores. The Paranagua stevedores
are outsourced labor.
Brokers said soy exports stopped at Paranagua on Wednesday because of the
Paranagua is one of Brazil's leading commodities export ports.
ArcelorMittal Acquires 50% Shr In Gonvarri Brasil
April 3, 2008 2:05 a.m.
PARIS (Dow Jones)-- Steelmaker ArcelorMittal (MT) Thursday said it
acquired a 50% share of Gonvarri Brasil to form a steel service centre
joint venture.
In a statement, ArcelorMiital said Gonvarri Brasil is one of the major
players for servicing automotive, industry and distribution customers.
ArcelorMittal and Gonvarri group have had a close relationship for many
years - ArcelorMittal holding a significant stake in Gonvarri Holding and
being a major supplier. The two groups already own a common facility in
Senica, Slovakia, which started operations in 2007.
With this acquisition, ArcelorMittal intends to build a strong presence in
the Brazilian flat steel downstream segment, in line with the leadership
of its Tubarao (Vitoria) and Vega do Sul plants.
Synergies will also be realized with ArcelorMittal Belgo's existing
distribution network in Brazil, active both in flat and long products.
Gonvarri Brasil initiated its activities in 1999 with a first Steel
Service Center (SSC) in Curitiba, Parana State, mainly dedicated to the
automotive sector. In 2002, the Gonvarri Group opened a second SSC in
Campinas to continue with its growth strategy in Brazil and for supplying
the industrial sectors of the Sao Paulo area.
The company's activities include pickling, slitting, blanking, cutting to
length, with a total processing capacity of around 1.3 million tons of
steel. The Company has 320 employees and owns more than 80,000 square
meters of facilities.
Created in Spain in 1958, Gonvarri Group manages 15 SSCs in 7 countries,
processing 3 million tons of steel per year with more than 2,000
Aumentaria el comercio con Brasil
Jueves 3 de abril de 2008
BRASILIA (AFP).- El intercambio comercial entre Brasil y la Argentina
podria alcanzar los US$ 30.000 millones este ano, despues de cerrar 2007
en 24.826,1 millones, apuntaron ayer funcionarios de ambos paises. "Las
primeras proyecciones de 2008 nos permiten ser optimistas y esperar un
intercambio del orden de los 30.000 millones de dolares", dijo el
secretario de Industria argentino, Fernando Fraguio, en una conferencia de
prensa tras una reunion con funcionarios brasilenos.
En 2007, Brasil exporto por valor de US$ 14.415 millones, y la Argentina,
por 10.409 millones, segun el Ministerio de Comercio e Industria de
Brasil. La prevision para este ano se apoya en el desempeno del
intercambio en el primer bimestre.
El Comite de Monitoreo del Comercio Bilateral mantuvo ayer una reunion que
se concentro en la inminente reapertura de las ventas argentinas de trigo
a Brasil y en el analisis de alternativas para equilibrar la balanza de
ese intercambio. "Estamos cumpliendo 59 meses de deficit comercial de la
Argentina con Brasil. El equipo brasileno coincide en ese diagnostico y
entendemos que es un buen momento para iniciar un reequilibrio de esa
balanza", dijo Fraguio. "Ya fueron identificados sectores para eso, como
el automotor, calzados o linea blanca. Pero es prematuro analizar cuando
esos esfuerzos comenzaran a dar resultados; puede ser en uno o dos anos",
afirmo Fraguio.
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
BRAZIL: Clean Gasoline Fuels Soybean Production
By Mario Osava
RIO DE JANEIRO, Apr 3 (IPS) - The Brazilian government has decided to move
up the deadlines for obligatory addition of biofuels to gasoline and
diesel fuel, a measure that will boost the production of soybeans, the
oilseed crop with the lowest yield and that causes the most environmental
In January it was determined that two percent of biodiesel should be added
to fuels derived from crude oil, a proportion that is to rise to three
percent as of Jul. 1.
Although the National Programme for Biodiesel Production and Use planned
for a five percent mixture to be introduced in 2013, Mines and Energy
Minister Edison Lobao said the target date would be brought forward to
"The trend indicates that a five percent mixture will be in use by early
2009," Sergio Beltrao, the head of the Brazilian Biodiesel Union
(Ubrabio), an association of producers and researchers of biofuels, their
raw materials and equipment, told IPS.
The sector already has the "nominal installed capacity" to produce the 2.8
billion litres a year of biofuels that would be needed to provide a five
percent mixture in fuels, he said.
Soybean production will benefit for many years into the future, because it
is the only crop "available in sufficient volume, and for which the
industrial structure and logistics are adequate to provide a reliable
supply to meet the demand," Beltrao said.
Orlando Cristiano da Silva, a researcher with the National Reference
Centre on Biomass (CENBIO) at the University of Sao Paulo, is concerned by
the growing incentives for soybean production.
He told IPS that soybean farming does not promote "social inclusion, which
is one of the government's goals," and its expansion "may" increase
deforestation of the Amazon region.
It would be "better to promote other oil-bearing plants, especially palm
trees, in the biodiesel production chain," but moving the goal-posts
forward "unfortunately creates dependence on soybeans, because production
can respond rapidly to increased demand," he said.
The African palm, which the researcher has studied for many years, has
proved its high productivity, superior by far to that of soybeans, in the
state of Para in the eastern Amazon region. It is also capable of
contributing to the recovery of deforested and degraded areas, but its
potential continues to be neglected, he complained.
There are drawbacks to using the African palm tree, which is widely grown
in Malaysia and Indonesia, for reforesting the Amazon jungle, because by
law reforested areas must preserve 80 percent of the original tree
Brazil has hundreds of native palms, some of them with extremely high oil
yields, but they are not produced "on a commercial and permanent scale,"
which takes a long time, da Silva said. The same is true of the physic nut
tree (Jatropha curcus), which has produced good results in India but is
hardly known in Brazil.
Other crops such as cotton seeds, sunflower seeds and peanuts will always
be produced on too small a scale to contribute significantly to a huge
energy market.
So for the coming years, there are few alternatives to soybeans. Castor
oil, selected for a small farmer programme in Brazil's semi-arid
northeast, is too viscous for use in fuels but is in great demand by the
pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
The African palm, better known in Brazil as "dende", has the right growing
conditions and the potential for "large scale production within five
years," on a total of one million hectares, Silva said, adding that
"everything depends on government and entrepreneurial decisions." This
species of palm can produce oil three years after planting.
Beltrao admitted that "a wider variety of raw materials would be
desirable, but the biofuel programme cannot wait." Therefore, soybeans
will be the predominant source of biodiesel for many years, although it is
"unanimously" recognised that it is neither the most productive nor the
most energy-efficient, he said.
But generating greater demand by moving the deadlines forward will
stimulate biodiesel production across the board, including newer
alternatives, he argued. This is why Ubrabio supports the use of higher
mixtures, with 10 to 20 percent biofuels, in some types of vehicles, such
as buses, trucks and train engines, especially in large cities.
The biodiesel programme has created an incentive for production of raw
materials on family farms in poor areas, by means of tax breaks that
reduce costs by up to 10 percent. But Beltrao said this was "not enough,"
and that this incentive should be expanded and others created.
In this programme, what matters is not only the cost of the product, but
also its social and environmental benefits, which means that the most
energy-efficient plant sources, and those that generate the most
employment and income for small farmers, must be promoted, he said.
Brazil's Petrobras P-53 Rig To Be Completed In 4Q
April 3, 2008 10:28 a.m.
RIO DE JANEIRO (Dow Jones)--Brazil's state-run oil firm, Petroleo
Brasileiro SA (PBR), or Petrobras, Thursday said the construction of its
P-53 platform is slated to be completed in the fourth quarter.
The platform then will start producing from the Marlim Leste field in
Brazil's Campos Basin, Petrobras said in a release. Total investment for
the platform is $1.3 billion.
The P-53 will have a capacity to produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a
day, and 6 million cubic meters of gas a day. It will pump at a water
depth of 1,080 meters.
Petrobras in February had already started long-term tests at the Marlim
Leste field with its FPSO Seillean rig that will produce about 20,000
barrels of oil a day.
In December, the company also plans to begin output at the same field from
the 100,000-barrels-a-day FPSO Cidade de Niteroi platform.
Petrobras from 2000 to 2002 already had tested the Marlim Leste field at a
different location. The field is close to the prolific Marlim and Marlim
Sul fields.
The completion of the P-53 platform is being performed at the Keppel
Shipyard in southern Rio Grande do Sul state, after basic works on it were
done in Singapore.
Petrobras is also spending 439 million reals ($254 million) on the
construction of a dry dock in southern Brazil that will serve to perform
maintenance and repair works on oil platforms.
The dry dock is slated to start operations in February, Petrobras said.
Norway's Aker Kvaerner announces oil equipment deal with Brazil's
Petrobras; changes name
The Associated Press
Thursday, April 3, 2008
OSLO, Norway: Norway's Aker Kvaerner ASA announced a US$223 million
(EUR141 million) deal Thursday to provide offshore oil production
equipment to Brazil's government-run oil company Petrobras over the next
three years.
Separately, the Norwegian engineering and construction group said it was
changing its name to Aker Solutions ASA with immediate effect to simplify
its corporate identity, and underscore ties with other companies in the
Aker ASA group.
A statement said the contract with Petrobras covers 45 subsea trees, which
are assemblies of values and fittings placed on the seabed to produce
offshore oil. The agreement also covers special tool sets and other
supplies for the equipment.
"This order demonstrates our commitment to both Petrobras and the
Brazilian market," said Marcelo Taulois, president for Aker Kvaerner's
subsea business area in Brazil. "It also allows us greater flexibility
with regards to making more investments in order to capitalize further on
the expected market growth in Brazil."
The contract was formally between Petrobras and the Norwegian group's
subsidiary Aker Kvaerner Oil & Gas do Brasil Ltda. All the work will be
carried out at the company's Aker Kvaerner's manufacturing facility in
Curitiba, Brazil.
The newly renamed Aker Solutions is based at Fornebu, on the outskirts of
Oslo, and employs some 24,000 people in 30 countries. Petrobras has nearly
69,000 staff, and is active in 27 countries.
Mexico says Petrobras tie could only follow oil law
Thu Apr 3, 2008 2:39am BST
MEXICO CITY, April 2 (Reuters) - The head of Mexican state oil monopoly
Pemex said on Wednesday a strategic alliance with Brazil's state oil
company Petrobras could only be considered once a law is passed to
revitalize Mexico's energy industry.
Mexico's government is struggling to convince opposition lawmakers to
agree to legal changes to modernize Pemex, which is suffering from
dwindling output and reserves, and possibly allow it to forge private or
foreign partnerships.
"We hope to resolve the reform issue and from there we could consider the
friendly invitations of Petrobras and President Lula," Pemex Director
General Jesus Reyes Heroles told opposition lawmakers during talks over
the oil sector.
Last week, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would
support a strategic tie-up between Petrobras (PETR4.SA: Quote, Profile,
Research)(PBR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Pemex to speed up the
exploration of new oil fields.
Weeks of talks by the Mexico's Senate energy committee have failed to
reach a consensus on a reform proposal, amid loud opposition by
left-wingers to the idea of private joint ventures in the state-controlled
Some conservative lawmakers have suggested that a joint venture with
state-owned Petrobras might be easier for left-wingers to swallow than
private sector alliances, which many see as tantamount to privatisation.
Mexico's oil industry was expropriated in 1938 and Pemex has sole rights
to explore for and produce oil and gas.
Araceli Santos
Strategic Forecasting, Inc.
Attached Files
|61149_BRAZIL COUNTRY BRIEF 080403.doc


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'Off the Map' review: Welcome to the jungle, docs
Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Off the Map: Dramatic series. 10 p.m. Wed. on ABC. Check local listings.
If you tune in to tonight's premiere of ABC's medical drama "Off the Map," you'll probably want to come back for at least one more episode because the first show spends a great amount of time having the characters tell you who they are, where they are from and what it is about their pasts they are trying to escape by packing up for the remote South American jungle where various native roots, berries and leaves routinely stand in for real medicine. Toss in favorite colors and zodiac signs and you have a computer dating application.
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"Off the Map" was whipped up by the folks who created "Grey's Anatomy," and many of the elements that have made that medical show so successful have been transplanted to San Miguel. In other words, "Off the Map" is kind of like "Grey's Anatomy" meets "Survivor."
The premiere episode finds three young medics arriving in San Miguel expecting some kind of Club Med with bedpans. The newcomers are Lily Brenner (Caroline Dhavernas), who wants to ease the pain of a recent loss by losing herself in her work; Tommy Fuller (Zach Gilford), a party boy who drank his way through med school; and Mina Minard (Mamie Gummer), whose by-the-book approach to medicine caused her to make a serious mistake back in the States and who is looking for redemption.
The newbies have little time to meet the veterans at Clinica Cruz del Sur before they get thrown into the chaos of trying to treat tourists and natives alike with very few supplies and a whole lot of sometimes implausible ingenuity. No anesthesia handy for the guy with the stingray barb in his leg? Punch him in the puss and knock him out. Patient needs blood to stay alive and you're stuck in the middle of the jungle? Climb a tree, cut down a few coconuts and hook up a coconut-water IV. Fred Flintstone wasn't this imaginative.
The clinic is run by the dedicated but brooding Dr. McDreamy-ish Ben Keeton (Martin Henderson), who is haunted by something in his past that will be revealed in the second episode. Among the other staff veterans are Dr. Otis Cole (Jason George), who's had a drug problem, and smart, attractive Zita Alvarez (Valerie Cruz). The staff also included Ryan Clark (Rachelle Lefevre), who is leaving the clinic in a huff at the start of the first episode but, we suspect, not for long.
Within the first two shows, the docs have to cut a man's arm flesh to disconnect him from a zip line above the jungle, convince a native that the only way to keep his kids from dying of tuberculosis is to give them antibiotics, and treat an old woman for what seems to be a cold but is in fact asthma that almost kills her. In reality, though, the focus is on telling us about the characters, and there are times when the writers' zeal in this regard is almost comical.
When a tree falls on a young Mexican tourist in the jungle and the guy would be writhing in agony if only he could move, Tommy Fuller seems to think he's talking to either a priest or a college admissions officer: "My parents told me to go to college and study hard and I just partied," he says.
Nice to know. Oh, and do you think maybe you could nudge this massive tree just a wee bit to the left? No, my left, not your left.
The characters may be formulaic types, but the actors are appealing enough for us to see the possibility of a long run for the show. (Gilford is the heartthrob from "Friday Night Lights," and if Gummer looks a bit familiar, it may be because she resembles her mom, Meryl Streep). The real challenge for the writers is to use the show's formula without becoming so enslaved to it that they fail to allow the characters to move beyond being cliches. We already know that Tommy Fuller is destined to become the jungle's resident stud while, at the same time, finding he has much more mettle as a doctor than he's given himself credit for in the past.
Similarly, we can guess Mina will continue to worry about screwing up but, at the same time, develop into a good doctor by allowing herself to put the book aside and pay attention to the patients themselves. Lily will probably face up to her personal loss and become increasingly drawn to Ben, who, in turn, will wrestle with his own loss and his feelings for at least one other female doctor.
"Off the Map" stands a fairly decent chance of catching on if it just follows its various formulas. It stands a slimmer chance of becoming even better than that if it doesn't.


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|Labrador Retriever
|Achievements & Awards:
|Champion Show lines/Hunting Lines
We have been breeding Labrador Retrievers since 2010, and we strongly believe that in order to provide families with excellent puppies our goal must be to improve the health and strengthen the breed as a whole. We do this through extensive DNA testing and OFA certification and breeding only with Studs who have had the same testing and are clear of the genetic defects we test for, and have hip and elbow rating that are suitable for breeding and producing healthy puppies. Our Labrador Retrievers are DNA cleared for PRA, CNM, EIC and No Dilute gene carriers. We ask that any prospective puppy buyers to please do your due diligence before deciding to purchase a Labrador Retriever puppy. We also provide a life time safety net for all of our puppy's/dogs so that they will never have to enter the shelter system. We are not high volume breeders and when we are not breeding we are rescuing Labs in need. We breed for beautiful confirmation, wonderful loving temperaments that will produce excellent family members, Therapy/Service Dogs or Gun dogs. Silver Birch Labrador Retriever puppies are an extension of our family and are raised in our home and therefore all prospective purchasers will be screened. Our puppies will go home with vet checks, dewormed, 2 vaccines, microchipped, 25 month Health Guarantee is given provided the puppies are kept on NuVet vitamins. Limited Registration is given, Health Cert will go home with each and every puppy. We have an ALL BLACK litter 5 females and 4 males whelped on 8/9/16 and that can go home on 10/09/16. Dam is Black, English American OFA Excellent Hips, Normal Elbows, DNA cleared of EIC, CNM, PRA and she does not carry Dilute gene. Sire is Yellow English, OFA Prelims are Excellent Hips and Normal Elbows and will be confirmed at 2 years of age. He is DNA cleared of EIC, CNM, PRA, and he does not carry Dilute gene. We look forward to working with you and building a lifetime friendship. Please call for pricing
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Jupiter in Taurus
Most modern astrologers say this indicates an ability to manage resources well and make investments grow to great potential. As a result, these people may end up in corporate investment firms or other types of financial institutions. It is also common to find involvement in real estate and agriculture, if Jupiter is angular and strong in this sign. These natives make especially good gardeners. The reason for this is that according to aristotlean principles, Jupiter is warm and moist in effect. When placed in a fertile sign of spring, it brings considerable growth.
In a diurnal chart, the warmth is increased. Jupiter then indicates faster growth potential of investments and wealth. Since according to Aristotle, heat rarifies, those of lower class or financial status are separated from the native. The potential result is snobbery and jeolousy from subordinates. If Jupiter is also squared, opposed or joined by one of the malefics, especially Mars (by sign), then, there may be over indulgence, financial wrecklessness, waste and indifference to the material needs of others. This may cause controversy, and plots, and corruption if there later is a need to cover up wrecklessness in the natives behavior. Beware especially if the lot of accusation should fall in this place or in the solid quadruplicity. Venus making an aspect to Jupiter in this condition helps alleviate the potential for plots, controversy or accusation, but it can also indicate an increase in self indulgence.
In a nocturnal chart, cold is increased. As a result, Jupiter is slower to bring about an increase in investments and financial holdings. Coldness, according to Aristotle, is that which concentrates things of like and unlike nature together in a tighter space. For this reason, the native is likely to be in closer contact with commoners, less aristocratic and more sympathetic to the needs of others. But because of the slowness of attaining wealth, there will likely be a streak of conservatism. If Saturn happens to be in one of the solid/fixed signs as well, then there is some inhibition to overcome in the attaining of wealth. If the lot of debt should be in this quadruplicity in this circumstance, it indicates contracts or mortgages which restrict owning what one has.
© 2000 Curtis Manwaring


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Photography Exhibition - Our Palouse: People, Places and Possibilities
Photo of Steptoe area: Courtesy of Ron Heusser
Our Palouse: People, Places and Possibilities, a photography exhibition comes to the Colfax Library July 26-27. Hours of the exhibit are Friday, noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibition features nine photographers and combines a splendid and eclectic variety of photographs, highlighting life on the Palouse. From landscapes and people, to wildlife and everyday life, a variety of themed images will be featured.
Photographers taking part in the exhibition are Sandra Hubbard Conti, Aaron Cowan, Rachel Havercroft, Ron Heusser, Margaret Lewis, Wendy McGraw, Jessika Satori, Dr. Otto Stevens, and Betina Workman. Some artists may sell their work while others will just be exhibiting.
Our Palouse is one of many events scheduled for Colfax�s Concrete River Festival. For more information about the festival, visit www.concreteriverfestival.com. For more information about the photography exhibit, visit the Whitman County Library website or call Whitman County Library at 509-397-4366.
For more information, contact:
Kristie Kirkpatrick at 509-397-4366
For a complete list of events and programs happening in all fourteen Whitman County Library branches, visit the Whitman County Library website or the library's events calendar or call the library at 397-4366 or 877-733-3375 toll-free.