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Govt signs global agreement to cut HFCs
4 Oct 19 - New Zealand has today ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, promising to reduce the use of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons.
Reaching net-zero might not be all it's cracked up to be
5 Sep 19 - Reaching net zero emissions is easy for us to aim for but much more difficult to deliver and worse, we might be focusing on the wrong objective.
At last, say students, Auckland toes the line
2 Sep 19 - Auckland University students have won their five-year campaign to get the institution to stop investing in fossil fuels.
Cash for credits could cause taxpayer headache
12 Aug 19 - Money instead of carbon credits was used to offset half the greenhouse gas emissions liable under the Emissions Trading Scheme last year - creating a potential financial liability for taxpayers.
We're worried and pessimistic about climate future
25 Jul 19 - New Zealanders are getting more worried about climate change, and most dont think well be able to cut our emissions in time to avoid its impacts.
Funds managers urge cement makers to act
25 Jul 19 - European funds managing $2 trillion in assets have called on cement companies to slash their greenhouse gas emissions, warning that a failure to do so could put their business models at risk.
Major polluter plans to cut emissions
23 Jul 19 - A New Zealand company whose products are responsible for more than a million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year says it is setting emissions reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement.
One flight emits as much as many people do in a year
23 Jul 19 - Taking a long-haul flight generates more carbon emissions than the average person in dozens of countries around the world produces in a whole year.
POWERHOUSE: Pentagon gas emissions higher than Portugal
14 Jun 19 - The US creates more planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions through its defense operations alone than industrialised countries such as Sweden and Portugal.
Emissions from energy rise at fastest rate since 2011
13 Jun 19 - Carbon emissions from the global energy industry last year rose at the fastest rate in almost a decade.
Emissions pricing not working, says World Bank
11 Jun 19 - Just one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are at prices likely to drive the emissions cuts needed to preserve life as we know it, the World Bank says.
Our businesses are catching on to sustainability
5 Jun 19 - Sustainability is now mainstream business in New Zealand, the Sustainable Business Council says.
Emitters choose to pay carbon fee to Govt
31 May 19 - More emitters this year are opting to pay the Government fee instead of surrendering carbon units, leaving the Government with a potential carbon deficit when it comes to meeting the countrys...
New guidelines, old loopholes in carbon accounting
15 May 19 - A major update on how countries measure greenhouse gas emissions has failed to address key weaknesses, particularly on bioenergy, campaigners say.
Tracking gas emissions just got easier
3 May 19 - Help is at hand for businesses and other organisations wanting to track their greenhouse gas emissions.
Transport mainly to blame as emissions rise
11 Apr 19 - New Zealands greenhouse gas emissions are growing again, following the global trend.
Global CO2 levels highest for three million years
9 Apr 19 - German scientists have confirmed, once again, that carbon dioxide is reaching concentrations unprecedented on any human time scale, with CO2 levels in the atmosphere already higher than they have...
Global emissions hit record high in 2018
27 Mar 19 - Global energy-related carbon emissions rose to a record high last year as energy demand and coal use increased, mainly in Asia.
Tiwai and dairying push up emissions from coal
21 Mar 19 - The firing up of an extra pot-line at the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter and a strong dairying season pushed up New Zealands greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of coal.
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I need some input please. As can be seen in the beamshots, at full focus the current beam profile has a little mini flood around the center beam. I've optimized the design so that over 90% of the light output is contained within the beam and mini flood at full focus. That is why you see the cloud bounce. Most designs are much less, around 55% at best. Even the SX16 is under 55% and the Maxabeam is has very small percent of light within the actual beam, and its beam quickly dissipates in flood mode.
Alternative to the current design, I could instead make the light have absolutely zero mini flood while still having 90% of the light contained within just the beam. This would boost candlepower by a third. But as always, there's a downside. There will be a much more pronounced center hole when using the light in flood mode.
To compare, I've modeled the two designs under full beam focus and under flood.
Here's the current design. Notice mini flood around center beam at full focus, as seen in previous beamshots. (full focus next to 15 degree flood)
Here's the alternative design for full beam concentration and 1/3 more candlepower (full focus next to 15 degree flood)
As you can see, the alternative has a much more pronounced center hole under flood. 1/3 more candlepower is a heck of a lot, it's essentially a 205471mW white laser. It would surely put the light over the 50M CP mark, even over the 100M CP mark with a 300W 1mm gap P-VIP lamp, but then again I'm not going for candlepower king, this is for usability. Might consider an add-on diffuse lens when using flood to help with the center hole. Can I have some input please?

subset: commoncrawl


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1. Kitchens or Kitchenettes
2. Tv's & VCR
3. Barbeque grills4. Whirpool tubs*
*Not available in all cabins
|For more information on accommodating your large group or church retreat, please contact us for more information. Please call Toll Free: 1-877-585-5855.
1. Coptic Orthodox Church in Lodge
2. Professional grade kitchen
3. Dining hall for large groups or retreats
4. Children safe zone
5. Pool
Majestic Moose Lodge
39328 Big Bear Boulevard
Big Bear Lake, California (CA) 92315
Telephone: 909-866-2435
Toll Free: 877-585-5855
Fax: 909-866-7576
Did you know? Majestic Moose Lodge is now the Saint Maurice and Saint Verena Coptic Village. Our new ownership enables us to give you the same quality amenities and services you've grown to love.
In addition to the beautiful landscape and pristine landscape you know, the Coptic Village seeks to provide a unique experience for spiritual retreats and conventions within the setting of the Swiss environment in which the Coptic saints, Maurice and Verena, lived and witnessed.
For this reason, the Coptic Village contains a Coptic Orthodox Church to serve the Coptic community and its spiritual retreats, conventions, and activities. The church also serves a spiritual function for Christian visitors wishing to find a place to meditate and pray in the midst of the beautiful scenery at the Coptic Village.
Whether you are a Majestic Moose regular, a new visitor, or an organization seeking a Christian vacation destination, the Coptic Village is ready to accommodate you.


text:
File Release Notes and Changelog
Release Name: komo-client-1.0-macdemo
Release Notes
There are currently three releases for Komo PostgreSQL client. 1. komo-client-1.0-windemo. This is the Komo Client Windows demonstration application. Unzip this file to your hard drive and read the about.html file in the root directory for more details and instructions. To run the demo, the Java runtime environment (J2SE 5.0 or higher) must be installed on your computer. Be sure to look at the program Help! You can begin developing a custom client user interface based on Komo by importing the source code (instructions in the about.html file), included in this archive, into an Eclipse workspace. 2. komo-client-1.0-source-only. This is the .jar file that contains the source code, which can be imported into an Eclipse workspace. Unzip this file to your hard drive and read the about.html file for further instructions. 3. komo-client-1.0-macdemo. This is the Komo Client Apple Macintosh OS X demonstration application. Java runtime environment 5.0 is required. Unzip it to your hard drive and start the application with komo.exe.


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NEW YORK--It was a lovefest Tuesday here at the Plaza Hotel where Microsoft and storage company EMC announced that they are extending their strategic partnership another three years.
The software giant and information management company have been working closely together for years, but they didn't formalize their relationship until 2006. Now things are going so well for the companies, they've decided to extend the formal relationship. As part of the extended partnership, the companies say they'll be focusing more on storage and virtualized environments. They'll also concentrate on productivity and security solutions to prevent data breaches.
We caught up with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and EMC CEO Joe Tucci here at an event they hosted for their enterprise customers where the two executives talked about balancing their cooperative and sometimes competitive relationship. They also discussed how the current economic environment is affecting how their large corporate customers are spending money, and how they hope their continued partnership will help them each drive more business.
Below is an edited version of the conversation. CNET's Marguerite Reardon interviewed the CEOs in person in New York and Ina Fried joined the interview via phone from San Francisco.
Q: Who do each of you see as your biggest competitor today in the corporate technology world?
Ballmer: I think if you look on the enterprise side today, there's two primary forces. I would say certainly Oracle is on the list of primary competition and then primarily Linux-based alternatives.
Now, IBM shows up for sure. In certain spots we overlap with Cisco. Google is starting to show up a little bit. But certainly Oracle is a primary competitor as is Linux. But Linux as sponsored by IBM, but it's Linux more than it is any IBM product. That's the big competitive dynamic for us in the enterprise.What would you say, Joe?
Tucci: It's a little bit harder to answer. We have four business units that address the enterprise: virtualization, storage, security, and content management archiving. And for each one, different competitors pop up. On the virtualization side, we have co-opetition with Microsoft a little bit. On the security side, you'll see companies like Symantec. On the storage side, there's no shortage. You'll see IBM, HP, Network Appliance. On the content management side, you'll see IBM.
How does your partnership improve how you each compete against these companies?
Tucci: I'll start with content management. One of the things we've been working on for a while is working closer on integration with SharePoint and Documentum, which we think brings together two important aspects of content management--user experience and real, back-end repository experience--and puts them together.
We also think we can have the best end-to-end solution out there in security. We are taking Microsoft with their rights management software to more end points, which we think will make us stronger against Symantec and others.
Ballmer: And the partnership makes us stronger versus our Linux-based alternatives on the desktop. Part of the way we compete with open source desktop stuff is by having stronger total value-add. We can't beat Linux on initial price. So, the notion of being able to go and say, here's a solution that you can really use to do fantastic security, fantastic data loss prevention from the client through the back-end, that's a powerful part of our proposition. And that's an example of how you get these things to dovetail.
Tucci: Microsoft is making huge forays in the overall operations management space, and we partner together with some technologies there. So, I think together Steve and I both feel we can be more competitive in the marketplace and provide real value for our joint customers.
In the agreement, one of the areas you talked about working more closely in is virtualization. VMware is affiliated with EMC, which is probably Microsoft's biggest competitor in virtualization. So how credible is the notion that your companies can work together? And where do you draw the lines of cooperation? And how does that benefit customers?
Ballmer: We're not sitting here pretending we're partnering with VMware. That's more competition.
With EMC, which is a large majority owner in VMware, but is also independent, there's a lot that rides on virtualization. The fact of the matter is the storage business is being transformed also by virtualization. And virtualization is transforming the storage business. We want to do very well in virtualization. While Joe may own 80 percent of VMware, he still thinks it's a good idea to sell storage in places where perhaps we'll win as opposed to VMware.
Despite the fact that there's a level of competition with EMC's majority-owned division or entity, there's also a lot of cooperation around how virtualization affects the rest of our product line and the rest of EMC's product line. Let me just say, we're happy with the state of affairs. Of course, there's going to be competition in the virtualization space. I think EMC is as good as you're going to get in terms of being able to both--I won't say compete, but own a competing entity, if you will--and partner with us where we want to. We really respect Joe and the EMC team for that.
Tucci: I agree with everything Steve said. I think I'd add a point that says to really serve our customers, you need to form partnerships and alliances. And if you look for that alliance or partnership to be perfect where there's zero areas of overlap, I'm not sure that's physically possible with two powerful companies. So, what you have is this co-opetition.
As long as, like Steve said, you define the rules, you both know what you're doing, and have respect and understanding. For sure there will be many Microsoft applications running under VMware, and that's fine, because it's a win-win. There will be many times where a customer will pick Hyper-V and want to use EMC storage. And that's fine. We'll work together there.
I think it's an acknowledgment by two people that have great respect for each other, and two companies that are powerful, that this is a very good way to go.
Ballmer: There's enough shared interest for this to work. If it's 90 percent-95 percent competition, it's hard to get the little bit of cooperation. We're nowhere like that. We're 80 percent-85 percent cooperation, something like that. So, that makes it easier to do the whole thing.
Tucci: Good point.
Ballmer: I can't tell you we're "co-opetiting" or whatever you call it very well, for example, with Oracle. So, I'm not pretending you can do it with everybody in the business.
That leads to my next question. Partnerships in general are very tricky to manage, because, as you mentioned, you're cooperating but you're also competing in some areas. What are your companies doing to ensure that this partnership benefits each of your interests?
Tucci: Well, you're right. It's just like anything else in life. Whether it's a marriage or two people working together, it just takes time. Nobody is going to have exactly the same identical views, and it just takes time. You've got to work through them.
Steve and I dedicate time to having reviews very regularly. We have two people, very qualified people in the back of the room here, that work this alliance as a full time job. And we talk all the time. When things aren't right or something goes wrong--let's put it this way--we fix it. And when things are good, we celebrate it and do more of it.
That's what we're doing today, we're saying, "Okay, it's been so good, to Steve's point, the 85 percent total cooperation is a really good number, we're going to extend this thing for three years." Steve and I are going to raise the bar. We want more success, and we're going to hold our teams accountable.
Ballmer: These things tend to go into one of three buckets. One, they break down, there's just too many problems, and sometimes that does happen to partnerships.
Number two, they're really largely irrelevant. That is, we kind of work together, but the partnership never really gets any energy. And we've had some of those, I would say.
And then the third case is where they really work. In the case with EMC, it definitely falls into the third category.
The thing that I wasn't sure about when we started--Joe was, I wasn't, and I give Joe credit for this--was would it really be important enough to the EMC salesperson and the Microsoft salesperson to matter? Because if it's important enough to matter, it's important enough to the customer. Then it also stays important enough to the R&D guy, and it is important enough.
When we go into sell an Exchange solution, we get to talk about storage, content management, and services along with the EMC people. So we're talking about things which are really important to both companies, and really important to the customer. The customer cares about what the deployment is going to look like; how highly available will that Exchange implementation be; what's the storage configuration going to look like. That's an important part of the overall decision-making process. And because it's important enough to the customer, I think that really helps.
I didn't know going in, I'm not a storage expert. Joe said, trust me. Joe and I have worked together 25 years now basically, in a co-opetition arrangement, pretty much the whole time. And I would say it has really worked.
I want to shift gears a little bit here, and talk about what's happening in the economy. How is the downturn affecting spending? Where are your customers spending and where are they not?
Tucci: I think there are several things that I've seen, and I'm sure Steve will have a bunch. Most of our customers are dealing with some restructuring. They're trying to cut costs. They want quicker ROIs (return on investments). They want to make sure they continue with their truly strategic solutions. And they want to position themselves for the future. So, you have to really be in tune with your customers.
Ballmer: Yeah, I would say the restructuring thing is affecting almost everybody. They all have a quota from on-high that says we're cutting the IT budget by X. That's the way it feels to me. I don't know whether you see it, that everybody has got that as a mandate. I'm not saying it's the only thing they're trying to get done, because they're still under pressure to deliver projects. But that's the short term.
But do you see anything specific? Obviously they can't just shut down the whole operation entirely. So in what areas are they spending? And in which areas are they cutting?
Ballmer: No, but they're not being told to do that. Let's say they want to save 5 percent to 10 percent. That's typically the range, I think. To save 5 to 10 percent, you've got to save a little bit on a lot of things. You probably have to shelve a new project you might have done. That's why Joe said, you've got to be in tune, because it's not like there's nothing new getting done. But some new projects are getting killed. And some cost-saving things are actually being funded. There's also pressure on vendors to reduce prices. All of this is kind of going on simultaneously.
Tucci: One thing we are seeing this year versus last year or versus the last several years is that customers are looking for quicker ROIs. How quick is quick, and which projects may be quick will alter by customer. Obviously in New York you have a lot of big banks that have just merged. So, one of their key priorities is to help them put these banks together and get these systems together. In some cases they spend a little money to save a ton of money.
And as Steve said, they're also putting pressure on you for more cost savings, more benefits, and more support.
In terms of your partnership, though, how is what you're doing going to drive cost savings and therefore drive business for Microsoft and EMC?
Ballmer: At the storage level we certainly all agree that selling virtualization-based solutions drives cost savings. It fits with the theme of the time.
Something like the Data Loss Prevention service, you could ask how it fits into this environment. Even in a tough economic environment, that kind of appliance-based technology is going to get funded. And we've got a low-cost, well integrated solution. We really have a super nice solution, in my opinion.
Tucci: I think one of the things CEOs--and you're looking at two of them here--don't want to do in a risky environment is take on more risk, right? And yet you know in a risky environment like this there will be more risks. You saw the event that happened in the government where they fired a contractor and that contractor introduced a virus into the system. So, customers are going to watch their security closely. So, there's lots of opportunities there. We're going to make sure that we help customers and avoid additional risk than what they're already experiencing with the economy.
It seems like the root of this current economic crisis is the overall deleveraging of the economy. Does that mean that technology can play less of a role or at least less soon in fundamentally solving the economic crisis?
Tucci: I don't believe that at all. I think the opposite actually, but go ahead, Steve.
Ballmer: I've got to say this carefully. Nothing is going to stop deleveraging. So, the economy has to reset. At the same time, you've got to say, "Where do you get economic growth?" And the truth is you only get economic growth from the following things: population growth, inflation, productivity increases.
We can't help with population. Financial leverage is going to go negative. We can't really change that. Population we don't influence. And inflation, the government is going to take care of. That leaves you with productivity. I think if you did a fair analysis of the last 25 years and said, "What's been the top source of productivity gain in the U.S. or world economy?" It has been information technology.
So, I don't know that we fix the negative factor of deleveraging, but I see a glimpse of hope in large measure from information technology.
Tucci: Right on, Steve.
But let's look at maybe two or three specifics. I think there are a few things relative to the stimulus package that everyone agrees with. A) We need one. B) It should help create jobs. And C) Maybe it's good to address some of the systemic issues we've had in society for a long time, like health care.
So, when you think about solving health care, you're not going to solve it without a lot of information technology. When you think about going from an analog grid to a smart digital grid, you're not going to fix that without a lot of information technology. When you think about the issues in education, ditto. And I could go on and on and on.
I think a lot of the programs that are very likely to make our stimulus package or stimulus packages of other governments throughout the world, will be a strong component of information technology. Do you agree with that, Steve?
Ballmer: Absolutely.
Do you think that because companies have less leverage, that will help speed things like utility computing where businesses pay for technology more as they use it as opposed to an upfront capital cost?
Ballmer: It might. I think at the end of the day it won't be that tit-for-tat. It's not going to be felt quite that way. I think there is a cloud computing theme, and at the same time, there is a deleveraging theme. They may reinforce each other slightly, but not as directly as you might think.
Tucci: I agree with Steve 100 percent.
Wow, you guys are in a lot of agreement. That's awesome. Now, I know that you each have partnerships with Cisco Systems. But in particular, Steve, Microsoft has been competing more and more with Cisco. You mentioned that earlier. So where do they fit into what Microsoft is doing?
Ballmer: Well, there's three interesting dimensions. On their core business side, the networking side, we work together. But we never found a go-to-market activity to support that activity that's as powerful, for example, as the one we found with EMC. So, we've always cooperated, and we still do today. But it's never popped in the way this partnership does, which is an interesting difference. Our engineers work together, but our salespeople, by and large, don't work together.
On the unified communications side, which is the future of video, voice conferencing, collaboration, and communications, we're competing. We started out adding some voice and video and conferencing capabilities to our software. Cisco has gone further. They've bought some competitors in the e-mail and collaboration space. So, we compete, and that will be robust competition. And we'll live with that. So, it's got that dimension.
And now they've got this new business that I'm not sure anybody knows exactly where it takes them. They seem to want to jump in on the server business. We like to license Windows Server to people who sell servers. So, we're busy trying to make Cisco a good customer. But I'm not sure exactly where they go, where that takes them as they jump in and really go head-to-head with the HPs and Dells of the world. It's going to be a new thing for them, and I don't know what it has to do with their storage business really.
EMC and Cisco have partnered much more closely. There's even been rumors that Cisco might want to acquire EMC. Can you explain the relationship?
Tucci: Primarily our partnership with Cisco has been around their switches, which we've used in the storage environment on the storage area networking side, and, of course, on the network-attached storage side. We also resell their IP switch as part of our solution. So, we're a Cisco reseller, and that's gone pretty well for both companies. We have done some work on security and the management side with them, too. And that's the extent of it. It's an important partnership.
Is it as important as your partnership with Microsoft?
Tucci: I don't want to rate partners in their order of importance. We have a set of tier A partners, and both Cisco and Microsoft are tier A partners. I don't differentiate in the tier As who's the most important partner. That is a fruitless and no-win exercise.
Ballmer: That's a good way to lose partners. I'll support Joe on that. Of course, I know we're a more important partner, but Joe would never have the chance to say that.
Microsoft just announced its first companywide layoff. Obviously, Microsoft has cut jobs before. But are there any reflections about going through the process of making those cuts that you could share? Has it given you some sort of different insight into what your customers are experiencing?
Ballmer: Well, certainly the more business experiences you have, the more you can empathize with experiences other people are having. So there's no question that part is right. There's also no question it's never fun to have to tell folks that they're no longer employed.
I would say that we're fortunate. We're trying to figure out how to get there primarily through right-sizing and efficiency, as opposed to withdrawing from businesses that we're in. And there's probably a certain fundamental business health that comes with that. It's unfortunate that it takes this kind of a draconian measure. But we're moving forward and helping the folks land on their feet. It's something we needed to do, and I'm glad we did it for that purpose.
You mentioned earlier Oracle as your biggest competitor. In the past I think when you've been asked the same question, typically IBM is the first one. What kind of shifts have happened to make Oracle front and center in your mind? Is it largely through their acquisitions of many other companies that you competed with?
Ballmer: The question was enterprise specific. So if you look at who are the most important product vendors--product, not service--I think it's changed a lot in the last 10 years. There was kind of pre-bubble, during bubble, and now post-bubble. Pre-bubble, IBM clearly would have been on that list. The bubble I consider kind of an anomalous time. And IBM is still IBM, and as Joe and I were talking about earlier privately, they're still a force because they're IBM. But if you actually look at who's got the products, at the end of the day, the product vendors that are important in the enterprise these days are Oracle, SAP, Microsoft, EMC, and Cisco. I would say that's really from a products perspective.
Tucci: I'd probably include the IBM mainframe.
Ballmer: And the IBM mainframe. Joe is absolutely right. I'd agree with that. But ironically--you've got to listen real carefully--he said the mainframe. He didn't say anything off the mainframe, and that's the part I agree with. The mainframe we all sort of compete with, including IBM, since that's not a growth business. The question is, when and how does that disappear?
If you take a look and say, "Who is best positioned amongst that group?" Cisco, we talked about our co-opetition there. And as people leave mainframes or do mission-critical apps, they're either going to put them in on top of Oracle and whatever Oracle tells them to, or they're going to put them in on top of Windows, and that's why I kind of list them at the top of the list.
You mentioned that you're starting to see Google more in the enterprise. Where are you starting to see them? And what sales approach can you take against them?
Ballmer: They're nipping around. It's not like I would say they have a very serious presence, but they're out selling essentially the Google apps on a hosted basis to people. We compete very well. We've got far stronger and more functional applications, but that doesn't mean you don't feel the competition. And there have been accounts certainly where they show up.
But they don't have an on-premise solution. Despite the fact that a lot of people want to move hosted, a lot of people don't want to move hosted. Google also doesn't have data loss prevention. There's a lot of things they don't have, and a lot of those are things we're doing together with EMC.
Tucci: Let me just jump in here, and obviously this wasn't a question for EMC, but I'll answer here.
I really do think that the winning model here is not going to be everything in the cloud or leave everything in the data center. I think the hybrid model is the big winner.
Those that can provide the hybrid model are going to have a great future. Microsoft is providing a hybrid model. With Google, you've got to be pretty much in their data center to do it. And I think over time that's not going to be the winning model. I really believe that.
In terms of that hybrid model, it seems like Microsoft will have a much clearer public answer to that when it can offer Office Web Applications both on the desktop and in the cloud. Right?
Ballmer: Well, I don't know. We have what people want today. People don't want to run Office applications in browsers. That's not their problem. Some people would like to see the back-end management of their e-mail and their documents handled out in the cloud. So we're seeing a bit of interest in things like Exchange and SharePoint Online. Actually we're working with EMC on a number of those deals. I don't know if we can talk about the big one we just won together on that. But one of the big pharma companies has a project that we won together on that ilk. So I don't feel like we're missing it. Yes, we've talked about what we'll have in terms of Office running in a browser, but that's not really critical to what we're seeing as the market opportunity right now, at least in the enterprise.
So large companies are more attracted to free or low cost than they are to the browser?
Ballmer: Google is neither free nor low cost. That's not a joke. We're talking about the enterprise. We're not talking about some screwball consumer thing now. We're talking about the enterprise. Google charges a very hefty price, comparable to our prices, when it comes to the enterprise.


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Public and private sector workers are separated by a "pensions apartheid", experts said last night, after an official report showed a gaping disparity between the retirement benefit packages on offer.
It found three in four people who still hold a "gold-plated" pension work in the public sector, following a sharp decline in the number of people with a generous scheme.
The total number of people with a so-called final salary pension - which typically provides two-thirds of a worker's last pay packet in retirement – has fallen by 1.3 million in the past six years, according to the Office for National Statistics.
However, this decline was almost exclusive to the private sector, where scheme memberships fell from three million in 2006 to just 1.7 million today, the ONS said.
By contrast, workers in the public sector have kept their generous retirement benefits. A total of 5.1* million state employees are still in line for this type of pension – no change from the figure in 2006.
The figures have been released just a day after a firefigher strike over proposed changes to their pensions. Some 32,000 firefighters staged a four-hour strike to protest against government plans to force pension scheme members to work to age 60.
In the private sector, workers have been given little choice as final salary schemes have closed or benefits have been watered down.
The numbers in final salary-style pensions that remain open to new recruits has more than halved since 2007 and is down by 85pc since 2000, the ONS report showed.
Will Aitken, an analyst at pension consultants Towers Watson, said: "Employers are still grappling with the costs [of final salary pensions]. For many, closing the scheme to existing members as well will at least be on the agenda."
Tom McPhail, head of pensions at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "The gap between the pensions enjoyed by private and public sector staff has grown to its worst level – it is an apartheid.
"Despite attempts by the government to implement reforms, the pensions enjoyed by staff in the public sector have held up over the past few years. By contrast, the amount of money going into private sector pensions has collapsed.
"We are staring at a horrible scenario in which public sector workers will retire on two thirds of their salary, while private sector workers will be lucky to get anywhere near 40 per cent in retirement."
Most of those now making contributions to a pension are saving into a so-called defined contribution scheme. Unlike a final salary pension, the amount of money a pensioner receives depends on how much is put into the pot during a working career, investment returns, and interest rates at retirement.
These schemes are far less generous than final salary equivalents. Employers have deemed final salary pensions to be unsustainable and have started pushing employees into these alternatives.
The ONS figures show that employer contributions to a final salary-style scheme were 15.2pc in 2012, but only 6.6pc for defined contribution alternatives.
The numbers of people saving into these second-class pensions are about to balloon. Reforms implemented by the Government in October 2012 will see nine million more people signed up to a workplace scheme by 2018. They will be enrolled automatically by their employer.
Despite falls in the numbers in final salary schemes, the total number of people with a workplace pension rose by 400,000 in 2012, compared with 2011, the ONS said. Yet there were fewer "active" members paying into their pots, with the numbers of those adding money falling to 7.8 million in 2012, compared with 8.2 million in 2011 and a peak of 12.2 million in 1967.
This suggests that many people have scaled back their retirement provision as budgets have been squeezed in the wake of the financial crisis, experts said.
Malcolm McLean, of the pension consultants Barnett Waddingham, said: "The contrast between the two sectors should not be used to justify draconian measures to deplete provision in the public sector, but instead to take all necessary steps to encourage and sustain more meaningful pensions in the private sector."
*This is a correction from the figure shown in a previous version of this story.


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4715 Helen Hauser Blvd, Titusville, FL 32780starstarstarstarstar_border
Check-In Mon, Oct 21, 2019 for 1 Person.$272.00
Fly Snooze Cruise Package Includes It All:
Need to add more hotel nights to your package? Call us today (855) 755-4637
For those flying in, the Holiday Inn Titusville hotel package offers everything a cruiser needs. The Holiday Inn is 25 minutes from Port Canaveral, making this a perfect choice for guests looking to stay near their cruise ship. A shuttle is available to pick you up from the Orlando Airport at one of the following preselected times: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, or 5:00 PM. If you require a pick-up time after 5:00 PM, you'll need to select an Orlando Hotel Package instead. On the day of your cruise, a luxury coach will pick you up outside the hotel lobby, where you will join other excited cruisers on the way to Port Canaveral and be dropped off right at your cruise ship's terminal. After your cruise, luxury coaches run on a regular basis from 7:30 AM until 10:00 AM to take you back to the Orlando Airport. These shuttles fill up on a first come, first serve basis and will depart the Port when they are filled.


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SSHConservation are leading consultants and conservators of historic buildings, monuments and sculpture. We offer a unique combination of the academic and the practical, underpinned by over 30 years stone conservation experience.
St Michaels Church, Othery was recently awarded for innovative high-quality church conservation repairs that has successfully overcome a major aesthetic or technical challenge.King Of Prussia Gold Medal Award


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Video: SwimSmart VIII—Start Easy, Relax and Breathe
A long course triathlon such as an IRONMAN is not a sprint, so don't begin the race at maximum effort. In the video above, IRONMAN world champion Greg Welch offers tips on relaxing and focusing on the proper breathing technique as you settle into a sustainable pace.
Follow the links below for more resources on how to prepare for racing in the open water—useful reminders no matter what level a triathlete you are.
Stroke Mechanics for the Open Water
Swim Warm-Up Tips from the Pros
SwimSmart I: Prepare Early | SwimSmart II: Work Your Way Up | SwimSmart III: Be in the Know | SwimSmart IV: Safety First | SwimSmart V: Tried and True Gear | SwimSmart VI: Warm up Right | SwimSmart VII: Assess the Situation | SwimSmart VIII: Start Easy, Relax and Breathe | SwimSmart IX: Be Alert and Ask for Help


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The Earthquakes will play host to Real Salt Lake in the 2013 home opener March 3 marking the third time in four years the Western Conference rivals will meet on opening weekend.
Major League Soccer announced its kickoff schedule Tuesday that features nine games March 2-3. Times and broadcast information for the match at Buck Shaw Stadium will be announced later.
The Quakes also will be featured in the Columbus Crew's home opener March 16. MLS will unveil its full schedule in the coming month.
San Jose and Salt Lake finished first and second in the Western Conference last season. The Quakes (19-6-9) earned the club's second Supporters' Shield with a league-best 66 points. Real (17-11-6) had 57 points but lost all three games to San Jose.
Earthquakes' season ticket holders will be able to buy additional tickets for the opener starting Jan. 7. The public can start buying tickets for the game Jan. 11. For information: 408-556-7700 or www.sjearthquakes.com.
Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865 and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond


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Why a Startup is Like a Science Experiment
May 3, 2011 By 30 Comments
There are many similarities between a startup and a science experiment. A science experiment starts with a hypothesis - or a theory of how the world works. The experiment is designed to test that hypothesis. The hypothesis is based on certain as


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Don't call it a comeback . . . .
posted by Number Three @ 9:53 PM
Very nice!
Post a Comment
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The views expressed in posts on this weblog represent those of the individual blogger writing the post in question, and are not those of any other person, living or dead or undead, real or imaginary, friendly or hostile, fictional or non-fictional, historic or jejune, natural or artificial, in whatever form of business association, or any government agency or official. Also, not the views of George S. Patton either (apparently, he transcended the preceding categories). Freedom from Blog is a free speech zone. Have fun with it, while it lasts. But try to keep it (relatively) clean, people.
Freedom from Blog is home to Number Three, who is not a Cylon but would like to be, and the tenacious one, TenaciousMcD, who may be a Cylon.
Thank you for visiting Freedom from Blog.


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« Twitter Etiquette: Tips & Tricks IV (#SWChat) »
As the #SWChat community are massive fans of Twitter, and the 3rd party technology and Twitter's own policies are changing regularly, #SWChat likes to revisit how brands and people should use Twitter to engage better.
This was the 4th Twitter Etiquette event in the series and again we shared the latest tips & tricks to really get the best out of Twitter personally and professionally.
Event Questions
Q1) What is an manageable number of #Twitter followers you should have at any one time?
Q2) What are the DO's and DON'T's for creating a #Twitter bio?
Q3) Is it better to send lot's of tweets rarely, or tweet moderately but often?
Q4) What are the DO's and DON'T's for a #Twitter avatar?
Q5) What bad #Twitter Etiquette really annoys the hell out of you?
Related Articles
- Twitter: Learn To Listen & Stand Out From The Crowd via @davidchris
- How NOT To Get Twitter Followers via @davidchris
- How NOT To Get Twitter Followers (The Sequel) via davidchris
Spreecast Social Video Channel
Panelists (confirmed): Colin Hope-Murray; Greg Lowe; Emily Atkinson
Producer: @LizCpher
Playback: (see below)


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Fox moves "Glee" to Thursdays, adds comedies on Tuesdays
[media-credit name="FOX" align="alignright" width="270″][/media-credit]
Fox announced it will bump "Glee" to Thursdays next season, introduce a comedy block on Tuesdays, and bank on the Kevin Bacon serial-killer thriller "The Following" for midseason.
In the view of Fox execs selling the idea, the Bacon series has the potential to be the next "24."
At its upfront presentation to advertisers today, Fox stressed it holds bragging rights as the No. 1-rated network in just about every demographic (young, even younger, male, female, etc.). Fox is on top, except in the total number of viewers (which CBS claims.)
Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson will join "Glee" in show-within-the-show for season 4, much as Gweneth Paltrow did previously.
Update: Britney Spears and Demi Lovato to join "The X Factor" judges panel.
Check out the full schedule.


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Enjoying Life Despite a Complex Injury
It was another routine work day in May 2008 for Rudy Rodriguez who is a construction foreman. Rudy travels nationwide building and rebuilding movie theaters, and on this fateful day he was in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Rudy was operating a utility machine, which is similar to a forklift, when the mechanical arm attached to the machine broke off and snapped him back into its cage. Rudy was trapped inside the cage and bore tons of hydraulic pressure on his chest.
By the time the paramedics arrived the machine had pounded three inches into Rudy's chest, leaving him unconscious and without breath for almost 20 minutes. Rudy was taken to Loyola University Hospital, where doctors detected that the accident had not only injured his chest and ribs, but had affected parts of his brain as well. Doctors at Loyola were not optimistic about Rudy's recovery, noting that they had never seen an accident like this before and they had never seen anyone take so long to recover.
Three weeks passed before Rudy's condition stabilized and he was transferred to Pennsylvania, where he lives. Rudy was admitted to Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital in Bethlehem and the physicians and specialized staff took on Rudy's medically complex case. Within days of being admitted to the Specialty Hospital, Rudy's future seemed brighter. He was soon weaned off a ventilator, began therapy to assure his long-term recovery and quickly began walking. As a true testament to the level of care provided at the Specialty Hospital, Rudy was only in the long-term acute care unit for three weeks.
The journey has been both long and painful but Rudy remained faithful and resilient and has recovered significantly since that horrific day in May. Once released from the Specialty Hospital, Rudy continued his physical and cognitive therapy on an outpatient basis at Good Shepherd. Today, he is enjoying life at home with his wife and family and looks forward to returning to work.
For more information on Good Shepherd's programs and services, call 1-888-44-REHAB (73422) or contact us.


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Is Snail Slime the Latest Beauty Breakthrough?
(LONDON) -- An old adage used to say little boys were made of "slugs and snails and puppy dog tails." But at least two of those ingredients are apparently finding their way into the opposite sex's makeup bags.
The Daily Mail reports snail slime -- that mucusy trail left behind by snails and slugs -- has been used for years as a skin cream in Asia, but the slimy stuff is starting to get traction in over-the-counter cosmetics in the U.S. The paper reports a Korean company called It's Skin makes a product called Prestige Cream D'escargot, which contains 21 percent snail slime.
Some insist the components in the slime do for humans what they do for the snails' feet -- helping to repair damage, hold in moisture, protect the organisms from UV rays, and stop blemishes. The claims have not been widely scientifically proven, however, but that's not stopping stores like Sephora and other retailers from stocking the slimy stuff.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


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WD-MX3-001 - Can-am Maverick X3 UTV Wrap Kit (EXTREME PLUS KIT SHOWN)
Product Description
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Image shown is the Extreme Plus Kit Standard White
This wrap kit fits the following models: Can-am Maverick X3
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Extreme Plus Kits include the following: Doors, Fenders, Hood, Roof, Rockers
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******Custom Colors and Designs also Available Call for Details******


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Subscribe To Josh Duhamel Joins Hilary Swank In You're Not You Updates
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He won't be coming back for Michael Bay's Transformers 4, but Josh Duhamel is now in talks for a part alongside Hilary Swank and Emmy Rossum in You're Not You, a new drama based on the book by Michelle Wildgen. The story follows a young, selfish college student who begins to see her attitude about life start to change when she becomes the caretaker for a woman with ALS (better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease).
Duhamel's casting was revealed by THR, but the trade doesn't say what role he will be playing in the new movie. As you probably could have guessed, Swank will be playing the dying woman while Rossum will assume the role of the self-obsessed student. George C. Wolfe, who made his feature directorial debut in 2008 with the Nicholas Sparks adaptation Nights in Rodanthe, is helming the new movie, which Shana Feste (Country Strong) and Jordan Roberts (1, 2, 3 Frankie Goes Boom) wrote the script for. In addition to starring, Swank is also serving as a producer on the movie along with her 2S Films partner Molly Smith and Denise Di Novi and Alison Greenspan. The article doesn't mention when they are aiming to go into production.
Duhamel has actually appeared in a movie with Swank before, as they both had parts in the Frank Marshall movie New Year's Eve (even though I saw the movie I honestly can't recall if they shared any scenes). He has a big year coming up in 2013 with roles in Kevin and Michael Goetz's thriller Scenic Route, the Peter Farrelly-produced comedy Movie 43, and Nicholas Sparks' Safe Haven.


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Played Like a Raven – Michael Oher and Jared Gaither
Remember the Sunday Night game in Week 10, when Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels would NOT SHUT UP about Colts' defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis? It was like they had "Favre-cams" on those two, showing us all the ways that they were wreaking havoc in the Patriots' backfield, and how creative the Pats were being in trying to slow them down, and blah, blah, blah.
Well, how many times did you hear the names Mathis or Freeney Sunday? Maybe once, and it was in the context of a "where the hell are they?" kind of reference.
Freeney and Mathis COMBINED on the day for nary a tackle, sack, quarterback hurry, deflection, or anything else that would get them on the stat sheet.
Nada. Zip. Zilch. Freeney and Mathis were non-factors. Of course, Freeney had an excuse:
"When they passed the ball, they pretty much left two guys on us to deal with, and the ball was gone," said Freeney, who missed out on a chance to tie the league record shared by Denver's Simon Fletcher and Dallas' DeMarcus Ware of a sack in a 10th consecutive game. "Stats don't always tell the true picture of what's really going on. Based on how much attention they gave us, that means less receivers go out and less points for them."
Sure, Gaither and Oher got some help at times, but everyone gets help against those two, and they still have 18 sacks between them. You got shut down, tornado-man. Deal with it.
A very impressive day by the Ravens' two young tackles to keep them in check. A similar effort will be needed against the Steelers' fierce pass rushers this week.
The only small bone to pick with these two was that Oher got called for a false start in the second quarter, and Gaither SHOULD have been called for one on the Ravens' final offensive play. That shouldn't be happening at home.
On the whole though, it was a fitting way for Oher to celebrate the opening weekend of "The Blind Side," especially considering that, in the book version, Freeney called Oher out, saying he would be waiting for him on Sundays, or something to that effect.
Did Not Play Coach Like a Raven – Cam Cameron and John Harbaugh
The Ravens' clock management was atrocious on Sunday, and John Harbugh needs to shoulder the lion's share of the blame. Although he should be commended for going 2/2 in his first two challenges of the day, which granted him the chance to take a third, the ridiculous way in which he squandered his third challenge was inexcusable.
The game book at NFL.com reads as follows:
Timeout #1 by BLT at 02:26.
3-1-IND 30 (2:26) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 87-R.Wayne to IND 31 for 1 yard (21-L.Webb). Baltimore challenged the first down ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #2.)
The Ravens stopped the clock ONCE by using TWO timeouts. That effectively cost them about 40 seconds worth of critical game clock, in a game that they trailed by two points. Terrible. Just terrible.
Harbaugh's explanation, that he was trying to "flip" the timeout to a challenge, is laughable. He knows that he can't do that, and once he realized as much, he needed to abandon the ill-advised notion to challenge the spot of that Reggie Wayne reception. The timeouts are just too crucial at that point in the game.
And this was all on the heels of the strange clock-management at the end of the first half, when the Ravens were calling timeouts when they should have been spiking the ball, and spiking the ball…well, never.
Harbaugh needs to get a handle on this clock thing, as he is quickly entering Andy Reid/Lovie Smith territory.
As for Cam Cameron – when you don't score a touchdown all day, there are issues. When you can't punch it in from the opponent's roughly "3-inch" line, there is a monumental, potentially insurmountable problem with your offense.
As was mentioned in Monday's recap, the Ravens have now scored just two offensive touchdowns in their last 12 quarters of play, and one in their last eight. The coordinator ire that was so pointed at Greg Mattison early in the year has suddenly and unexpectedly shifted to Cameron.
If the Ravens are to have any prayer of putting together a late winning streak and squeaking into the Playoffs, improvements from the guys in the polo shirts and headsets will be just as important as the guys in jerseys and helmets picking it up.


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About Ferraz Fuses
Welcome to Ferrazfuses.com
Founded in 1969, Norberg~IES is a leading distributor for Mersen (formerly Ferraz Shawmut which was formerly Gould Fuses) fuses from high speed DC to high voltage fuses. Mersen also offers an extensive offering of fuse blocks, clips, and power distribution blocks and fusible and non-fusible disconnect switches.
We maintain an extensive on-site inventory of factory-direct fuses and accessories that carry a manufacturer-backed warranty. This differentiates us from other internet sources that provide surplus or re-conditioned fuses, both that can introduce potentially harmful risk in an electrical circuit. To read more about surplus fuses click on this link from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association referencing water damage and electrical equipment. A picture of a failed high voltage fuse, resulting from exposure to water is also shown. Many surplus fuses have been exposed to water from sitting outside unprotected after being discarded by the original user.
In addition to carrying standard and specialty products from Mersen, Norberg~IES can build UL listed fusible and non-fusible disconnect switches in our 30,000 square foot facility located in the heartland of America, Tulsa, OK.
To speak with our technically trained staff, please call us at 800.739.9145 or 918.665.6888. Emergency 24 X 7 fuse service is available along with same-day delivery on Southwest Airlines, Cap logistics or on our chartered Lear 31 or Lear 45 jets.
We appreciate your business and take significant pride in serving repeat customers.
Protecting Your People, Your Equipment What is circuit protection really? More than a safeguard for your power supply, it's how you protect your two most valuable assets: your people and your equipment. At Ferraz Shawmut, this understanding is at the heart of everything.
For additional information on Ferraz Fuses use our fuse search tab at the top of the page. You can also request a quote on any of the Ferraz Fuses using our quote request form.


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First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…permanent residency in Argentina! If you're getting married in Argentina and planning on applying for permanent residency, read on for tips, information and additional resources to navigate the lengthy bureaucratic process.
Applying for Permanent Residency in Argentina through Marriage
Locate the immigration office nearest to you and make an appointment if necessary. An appointment was not required at the location where I applied for residency (a very small office staffed by two people). Prior to the appointment, make a set of photocopies of all the documents you will submit for your personal records.
Necessary Documentation
Be prepared to present the following documents to immigration officials:
- Passport with a valid visa stamp or prórroga de permanencia (visa extension) plus a photocopy of the entire document, including blank pages
- Original birth certificate with an apostille prepared by the state issuing the certificate [What is an apostille?]
- Criminal background check from your home country with an apostille [For U.S. citizens, this document must be issued by the FBI with an apostille prepared by the U.S. Department of State. Complete instructions for requesting the criminal background check from the FBI are provided on the FBI website along with additional info about the apostille procedure (#9) in the FAQ.]
- Criminal background check from Argentine authorities [obtained at the local Registro Civil through the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia]
- Certificado de domicilio [proof of address in Argentina, obtained at the local Registro Civil]
- Spouse's DNI plus a photocopy of the entire document
- Acta de matrimonio [a certified copy of the signed page from the marriage record, obtained at the local Registro Civil]
- Four 4cm x 4cm color passport photos
- Fee – $600 pesos
Both the birth certificate and the criminal background check from your home country (plus their respective apostilles) must be translated into Spanish by an official translator and legalized by the Colegio de Traductores Públicos.
You can locate an official translator in Argentina through the website of the Colegio de Traductores Públicos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.
Processing of Permanent Residency Paperwork
It is my understanding that immigration officials normally provide a certificado de residencia precaria – a document conferring temporary residency while your permanent residency request is in process – at the end of your appointment; however, the only document I was given was a receipt for the $600 fee.
I inquired about the aforementioned document, and the immigration officer stated that the precaria wasn't necessary since he expected my residency to be processed quickly (!). He stated that if my request for permanent residency isn't granted by the end of April (total processing time of one month), then he would provide me with the precaria.
He also mentioned that there's a slim possibility that I may be called for an interview by immigration officials in Mar del Plata to ensure that I didn't enter into a sham marriage for immigration purposes.
Processing of your residency paperwork can take anywhere from a couple of months up to one year and multiple trips to the immigration office, so be patient!
The Next Step
Once you have received status as a permanent resident, you may begin the process to obtain a DNI for foreigners.
Disclaimer: What I've detailed here represents my personal experiences at the civil registry office in Necochea and immigration office at the Prefectura Naval in Quequén, Province of Buenos Aires. Given the capricious nature of Argentine bureaucracy, your experience may be different.
Additional Resources:
List of requirements to request residency based on marriage to an Argentine, as outlined by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones [in English and Spanish]
Experiences with applying for permanent residency in Argentina from Meag at A Domestic Disturbance
The Embassy of Argentina in the United States can advise you if you're beginning the permanent residency process for Argentina while still living in the U.S.
[Photo credit: luxomedia]


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An Irish weatherman has become a viral Internet star thanks to that beast, Mother Nature.
Holding a flimsy yellow umbrella on Friday, Ireland's TV3 weatherman Deric Hartigan was blown away--and off-camera--by a surprisingly strong gust of wind during a live report Friday, drawing laughs from his colleagues back at the studio.
Sinead Desmond and Mark Cagney just about lost it while sitting on a couch as they watched the scene unfold.
"He's recovering!" Desmond said. "He's OK!"
"Welcome to Friday!" she added.
"Don't mess with Mother Nature," Cagney said.
"Career highlight right there.." Hartigan wrote on Facebook.
"Mother nature most definitely got the better of me this morning @irelandamtv3," he said on Instagram. "That's why I love live breakfast TV."


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A national trade body is advising flood victims to look at ways of better protecting their homes against water damage in the future.
The Property Care Association (PCA) is advising those affected by the recent floods to ask their insurance companies to factor in flood resistance and resilience into the refurbishment process.
It says a variety of steps can be taken to reduce the potential for being flooded again, either by keeping water out as far as possible by introducing flood resistance features, or reducing the impact of future floods through flood resilience measures.
Mary Dhonau OBE, chairman of the PCA's Flood Protection Group, says these measures should be installed during the recovery work to lessen any future impact.
Mary said: "Having been a flood victim myself I know how awful it can be.
"At this stage it's important that those affected are aware of the steps that can be taken to reduce the impact that another flood could have.
"People need to receive the right information about what measures they could take to better protect their homes and businesses.
"This will provide better protection for flood victims in the future and mean better value for money for insurers."
The Flood Protection Group is a national framework developed by the PCA to help consumers looking to protect themselves from the worst effects of flooding to locate experienced, skilled, dependable specialists able to provide reliable solutions and products that are right for the job.
Measures to improve flood resistance include; Fitting a flood protection guard to doors or replacing doors completely with a flood resistant alternative; replacing standard airbricks with 'self-closing' alternatives; fitting a 'non return valve' to prevent sewage going back into the building; checking brickwork is in good condition and paint with a breathable water-resistant solution; giving consideration to the fitting of a pump to evacuate water coming from beneath the building; measures to improve flood resilience include moving all services (boiler etc) high up on the wall; putting electric sockets higher up the wall (with the cabling coming down from the ceiling, rather than the standard lay-out from below) and fitting a membrane to walls and floors, so any water can run behind it to be collected in a sump/pump unit, rather than entering the property.
Steve Hodgson, chief executive of the PCA, says the best way to ensure properties are protected is to call in the experts.
He said: "Members of our Flood Protection Group understand the subject of flooding and can provide expert help, advice and guidance on how homeowners and businesses can reduce the risk of problems.
"We created the Group to provide a clear and trusted route to find contractors who really understand what they're doing and who are each verified by a trusted trade body.
"Members are professional, reliable and trustworthy tradesmen with specialist focused skills who are able to design and deliver robust and reliable solutions for high-risk properties."
The Flood Protection Group works to a practical Code of Practice for the Flood Protection of Buildings.
Mr Hodgson added: "This code provides guidelines that set the principles and standards to which our members work.
"It recognises the need for any professional involved in the protection of buildings at risk of flood to understand the physical, financial and, very importantly, emotional impact on property owners and to work in partnership with insurers."
More information on flood protection and flood resilience can be found via the PCA website at www.property-care.org/homeowners/flood-protection/


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Feel free to listen to any of the audios of our weekly messages, listed below. You can search by name, date or speaker. Click on a series or message and you will be taken to that message page, then click on the sermon title in the grey box to play the sermon.
Don't Worry. Be Happy.
July 17, 2016Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jacob C. Williams, Jr.OT: Psalm 52NT: Luke 10:38-42


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1 Could you use the name of the place where you did the research? If they specify the third person for one part, I don't see why you have to use it in the other parts.
2 American tend to use the singular. British speakers tend to use the plural a lot more. I am not sure that there is a Commonwealth standard- I believe Australians use the singular more than we do in the UK. What's the position in Nigerian English? Also, plenty of British speakers do use the singular- it's more a question of usage than a rule to me.
In the case of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page uses the singular- he describes one live recording as Led Zeppelin 'at its best', while I would say 'their best'.
Student or Learner


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Be careful about connecting the output of the DAC directly to a video input, as video inputs usually have a low impedance (75 ohms) and some of us have broken our DACs by connecting them directly to low impedance loads. Use a buffer amplifier or emitter follower.Generating colour is very complicated. The colour subcarrier needs to be at a very specific frequency (3.579545 MHz for NTSC or 4.433619MHz for PAL) and I doubt the DAC can go that fast.
I have it connected to my scope too (which has 1M impedance).
The more I think about this the more I wonder if it might actually be possible - an R-2R ladder on the external memory pins (34-41) together with DMA should work reliably at 10.5MSPS and may even go as high as 21 or 28MSPS (I learned that doing the VGA library). The dealbreaker would be how close to the exact colour subcarrier frequency you have to get. In my experience, with old CRT TVs you have to be very accurate, but more recent LCD panels have more tolerance for the frequency and amplitude of the colour subcarrier being wrong.
I've just found some resistors for an R-2R ladder but they are only 1% tolerance. I was going to measure them more accurately and select some for the ladder, otherwise things start going wrong after 5 bits. Even then I think there will be too much noise on the digital outputs for full 8 bit accuracy. I'll see how well I can do.DMA for the external memory port is quite hard to set up as it is AHB DMA - I use it in the VGA library but the code is impossible to follow I'll try and do a simpler example once I've got the ladder done.
void MI_DmaCopy32(u32 dmaNo, const void *src, void *dest, u32 size);
MI_DmaCopy32(3, &px[0], VramPixels,512 * 192);
With 5% resistors the R-2R ladder may lose too much accuracy. 5% of 255 is almost 13 which is a 4-bit number, so you could lose 4 bits of accuracy out of the 8, which is too much. Try connecting the analog output of the ladder to an analog input on the Due, then write a sketch which outputs 0-255 onto the ladder and reads the value on the analog input. You might find that the ladder isn't monotonic (sometimes when the input goes up by 1 the output voltage goes down instead of up). THe DMA needs to be continuous (a bit like an audio buffer would be, just a lot faster) which is why it's more complicated than just DMAing blocks of memory.
char pins[]={34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41};void writeval(int v){ for(int i=0;i<sizeof(pins);i++){ digitalWrite(pins[i],v&1); v>>=1; }}void setup() { Serial.begin(115200); analogReadResolution(12); for(int i=0;i<sizeof(pins);i++) pinMode(pins[i],OUTPUT);}void loop() { int l=0; for(int i=0;i<(1<<(sizeof(pins)));i++){ writeval(i); delay(10); int m=analogRead(0); printf("%d : %d d=%d\n",i,m,m-l); if(m<l)printf("!!!!!!ERROR!!!!!!!!!! non-monotonic\n"); l=m; } delay(2000);}


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« Back to Restaurants In Lebanon
Mhanna sur Mer – Amchit
Famous Lebanese Fish Restaurant in Amchit
Location:Amchit, Byblos, Mount Lebanon
Price:Between 28$ and 50$
Review by Souad
Mhanna sur Mer is one of the most famous addresses in Lebanon. The restaurant has a huge terrace on the bay of Amchit and a chic interior lobby. The restaurant has a wonderful view over the sea especially at sunset.
Mhanna sur Mer serves Lebanese mezze, fish and grills. You can choose your fish from a display, it is then weighted and cooked following your preferences. The food is excellent, we were satisfied with everything we ordered there. The meal is followed by a generous variety of fruits offered by the house.
Service is a little oppressive, you feel that waiters are making efforts to get a generous tip.
Although relatively expensive, Mhanna sur Mer is a must-visit restaurant for Lebanese cuisine lovers.Write a Review
Lebanese mezze, fish and grills.
Suitable for vegetarians. Serves alcohol.
Good to know
Has a terrace and an exceptional view. Recommended for large groups, families and friends.
On the maritime road of Amchit, follow the signs.
4 Reviews
Oct 27, 2010 at 11:41Good food, great view, but I was very disapointed by the service...
Nov 9, 2011 at 20:15Nice view but misses the important elements such as service and quality of food (no fresh local fish nor good mezzeh).
Jun 19, 2013 at 13:01Great view, good food. The service is good but at peak times not really, they get too crowded (weekends and holidays), but it's not that bad.
Sep 2, 2013 at 18:06During my Honeymoon I had the chance to Visit Mhanna Sur Mer and what a beautiful experience... It all started with the Fantastic Guy Ghassan who welcomed us in a friendly polite way to show us later all the Generosity and care... Then the staff continued with the prompt service and we really felt home with our best friend having a great tasty lunch. Thank you all for the delicious food and the wonderful experience. Best regards, Rawad & Jano Tannous
Call them
Phone Number: 09 621 777 or 03 109 610
Get there
On the maritime road of Amchit, follow the signs.
See Also
Dar l'Azrak - Byblos(10 votes)
Lebanese and seafood restaurant in an exceptional location
Le Pasha sur Mer - Amshit(5 votes)
Sea Food on Amshit Old Port
Manuella - Maamelten(23 votes)
Famous Lebanese restaurant
Kasr Fakhreddine - Broumana(3 votes)
High End Lebanese Restaurant with an Outstanding View
Challalat al Zarka - Baaklin(10 votes)
Traditional Lebanese restaurant in a special location
Diwan El Hassoun - Chabtine(27 votes)
Fine traditional Lebanese food


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ATLANTA, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has apologized for a post sent from its Twitter account that was racially insensitive to the winner of a Georgia lottery.
The post, sent Wednesday, read, "$1M Lottery winner Willie Lynch can get 40 acres and a whole lotta mules" and included a link to an article about Lynch winning the lottery, Politico reported Wednesday.
The tweet was later removed and the newspaper posted an apology on its Twitter page:
"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution sincerely regrets an earlier Twitter message that contained an inappropriate statement."
"We took immediate action to apologize via social media and will issue an apology in Thursday's print edition. We do not condone such offensive messages and are reviewing our procedures to ensure this type of error does not happen again."
Politico explained that "40 acres and a mule" referred to a Civil War-era proclamation by the Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman that would have given freed slaves in the South 40 acres of tillable land on islands along the coast of Georgia and mules. The proclamation was reversed and only a handful of ex-slaves received any land during Reconstruction after the war.


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Student or Learner
Is there any good quotes that means life is unpredictable. If not, what does "at its best, life is unpredictable."!
I'm not a teacher of English, but I have spoken it for (almost) all of my life....
oh Im sorry, I mean what does "at its best, life is unpredictable." mean?
Either he meant that life would be very boring if the same things happened every day, and there were no surprises. So the best quality of life is experienced when one does not know what is going to happen in the immediate future.
Alternatively, on a more pessimistic note, the author may have considered that life was a series of major catastrophic changes which continually surprised and unsettled him. The best that one could hope for was that the future was merely unpredictable.
I would favour the first interpretation.
I'm not a teacher of English, but I have spoken it for (almost) all of my life....
Remember - if you don't use correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing, anything you write will be incorrect.
I am not an English teacher but I am a voracious reader and have writing as my hobby. To say 'Life is unpredictable' in other words I would suggest phrase "There always lies Uncertainty in Certainty". It depends on in which context you want your reader or listener to understand.
But how does certainty convey the idea of life clearly?


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All payment will be except through paypal.
Every item is shipped on time . I will not be shipped to P. O Box and will be shipped between 1 to 2 business day. No shipping out of the United State.
There will be no return policy on every item
My store policies is to guarantee that all my product is quality product and I guarantee faster shipping.


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- Austrian GP
Rosberg romps to victory ahead of Hamilton
Nico Rosberg extended his lead at the top of the drivers' championship with a measured victory over team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Story of the Race
- Shock: Sergio Perez's drive from 16th to sixth was a superb effort from the Mexican, managing each tyre phase perfectly to make up for his last-lap disappointment from Canada.
- Shocker: Sebastian Vettel's bad luck returning once again, losing drive on the opening lap as Red Bull's homecoming went up in smoke early on, capping a weekend which saw it woefully off the pace from the get-go.
- Best overtake: Daniel Ricciardo's last-lap pass on Nico Hulkenberg saved some face for Red Bull.
- Best lap: Lewis Hamilton needed a strong start off the line from ninth and he got one, jumping both Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat off the line and ending the lap behind Nico Rosberg in fourth.
- Worst lap: Felipe Massa's hopes of a podium vanished on Lap 14, losing third to Lewis Hamilton on his out lap before Valtteri Bottas emerged ahead from his subsequent pit stop.
- Drive of the day: Bottas turned in a super drive for his maiden podium, beating Massa to third with some great laps either side of the crucial first stop. Perez also deserves a mention for an superbly managed race for sixth.
- Nate Saunders
It was the team's sixth one-two of the season, and although they crossed the line 1.9s apart, both drivers were pushing hard until the final lap. At Turn 3 on lap 71 of 71 both drivers ran wide as Hamilton, who had started ninth on the grid, gave one last push in the closing stages despite both cars managing brake issues. Rosberg made one mistake at Turn 1 on lap 31, but it was not enough to upset his lead and the extension of his advantage to 29 points in the drivers' standings.
After starting from first and second the Williamses put up a fight for the first two stints of the race, but their charge, led by Valtteri Bottas after the first pit stops, waned in the final stint. Nevertheless, Bottas took the team's first podium since its victory at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix as the FW36 finally lived up to the promise it showed in pre-season testing.
Felipe Massa took fourth place despite a late charge from Fernando Alonso, who lurked within 1.1s of the Williams towards the end of the race but couldn't make a move stick. Sergio Perez used an alternative strategy by starting on the soft tyres to haul his Force India from 16th on the grid to sixth, and even lead for a brief period before his first pit stop.
Kevin Magnussen took a creditable seventh place finish in the McLaren ahead the highest-placed Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo. It may have been a disappointing race for the home team, but Ricciardo gave the team's fans something to cheer about on the last lap when he produced the move of the race to pass Nico Hulkenberg around the outside at Turn 5. Hulkenberg finished ninth, continuing his record of scoring at every round, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who took the final point in tenth position.
Massa held on to first place at the start of the race as Rosberg got a good start and beat Bottas into Turn 1. However, Bottas re-passed Rosberg into Turn 2 to give the advantage in the opening stint of the race to Williams. Hamilton, meanwhile, made a brilliant start from ninth on the grid and was fifth by the time he exited the first corner. Over the remainder of the opening lap he worked his way up to fourth by passing Alonso and filed into position behind team-mate Rosberg.
After just two laps, Sebastian Vettel slowed with an electrical issue, putting him a lap down and out of contention. He retired on lap 36 after making contact with Gutierrez while fighting for last place, bringing to an end a thoroughly disappointing weekend for Vettel at Red Bull's home race.
For the first ten laps not much more than three seconds separated the top four cars, although it seemed unlikely the Williams had the pace to stay in the running for victory. Rosberg upped the pressure on lap 11 by pitting first, allowing Hamilton to close in on the tail of Bottas. Hamilton then pitted on lap 13, but his stop was 0.9s slower than his team-mate and he resumed behind him.
Williams responded by pitting Massa on lap 15 but Rosberg's quicker pace on new tyres saw the Brazilian come out behind the lead Mercedes and then get passed by Hamilton at Turn 2. Bottas waited until lap 16 to pit and by virtue of a slick 2.1s pit stop, he came out between the two Mercedes. He managed to hold off Hamilton for the remainder of the stint as Hamilton started to struggle with brake issues that would blight the rest of his race.
Perez was actually leading the race at this point thanks to a longer first stint and he bottled up Rosberg, Bottas, Hamilton and Massa behind him. None of the four cars on fresher tyres were able to make a move, but were finally unleashed on lap 29 when the Force India pitted.
Rosberg ran wide on lap 31 - his only major mistake of the race - allowing Bottas to close in, although not quite enough to make a move. Nevertheless, the top three held position until the second pit stops, which Hamilton kicked off on lap 39 followed by Rosberg on lap 40. Again, Hamilton lost roughly a second to Rosberg in the stops, but by the time Bottas rejoined from his pit stop on lap 41 the Mercedes duo had a one-two lead.
Both Mercedes were managing issues with their brakes and Hamilton even had a lick of flame from his front-right wheel at his final stop. On the last lap the gap looked too big for Hamilton to close, but the pressure was clearly still on as Rosberg ran slightly wide at Turn 3 and Hamilton followed him through the corner with his car sliding sideways. But by the time they exited Turn 9 for the final time, Rosberg had a lead of 1.9s over his team-mate and with it took his third win of the season.


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DENVER -- Properly motivated and fully in sync, the new-look Jon Gray will take the mound again for the Colorado Rockies on Friday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
If an option to Triple-A Albuquerque in late June was a low point, his domination in four starts since his return has Gray riding as high as ever. In those four starts since July 14, Gray is 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA that takes into account two starts at Coors Field.
Gray (9-7, 4.73) has also held opponents to a .140 batting average over his last 29 2/3 innings with 25 strikeouts and seven walks. He went at least seven innings in the first three starts of his return and went eight innings Sunday. But he wants even more.
"I gave everything I had right there in the eighth inning to make it the best I could," Gray said after his outing last weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers, according to mlb.com. "It was tough. I really wanted to get back out there and have a (complete game), but (I know that's) going to come."
Going nine innings against a potent Dodgers' offense might prove difficult, but manager Dave Roberts' offense has been searching for consistency of late, even with recent power additions such as Manny Machado and Brian Dozier.
On Aug. 2, the Dodgers scored 21 runs in a victory over the Brewers, the most ever for the home team at Dodger Stadium. But they managed four runs total in the three-game series against the Houston Astros that followed. In a two-game series split this week at Oakland, the Dodgers scored seven runs.
Then came Thursday's series opener in Colorado when the Dodgers hit five home runs, including one from Dozier. Machado has not gone deep since July 30, but has a hit in each of his last five games.
"You really never know what you're going to get when a guy goes to a new club, but I think the intent, the at-bat quality to a man with those two guys has been very consistent," Roberts said about Machado and Dozier. "The results will be there, but I just like the approach on every pitch."
Regardless of how the Dodgers hit, they have to feel as if they have the right pitcher on the mound Friday. Kenta Maeda (7-7, 3.73) is 5-3 lifetime against the Rockies with a 2.18 ERA in nine appearances (seven starts). It is Maeda's lowest ERA against any team he has faced at least three times.
The Dodgers' 8-5 victory Thursday moved them into a tie for first place with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Los Angeles is an NL-best 38-22 since June 1. The Dodgers are 7-3 against the Rockies this season and have won all four games they have played at Coors Field this year.
Despite the defeat Thursday, the Rockies are 22-13 since June 28. Starting Thursday, the Rockies will play 30 of their final 48 games against NL West opponents, including 10 against the Dodgers.


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* Areor ST 1232: without honeycomb


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This site has been amazing. The moms are so friendly and have taken me in as "one of the girls." (Ha Ha) No one has a problem that I am a guy following a mom's group and I really appreciate it. My problem is there are so many avenues to travel down, I don't know where to begin.
I want to share ideas about parenting. I have formerly worked at a children's home/orphanage and as an elementary teacher so I have a lot of stories and a lot of helpful hints. I love reading and giving feedback on blogs and I enjoy people reading mine as well obviously. Also, the more friends I can have, the better.
If anyone wouldn't mind sharing a tip, I would appreciate it. Also, feel free to leave your blog links. Sharing ideas with parents makes me better at my job as a stay at home dad. My boys are 6 and 3 and they deserve the best daddy I can be.
Take care,
Views: 39
Hey Clay,
I stopped by your blog today and I must say you are on the right track. Also I want to thank you for stopping by mine as well. I have another blog that may be helpful for you in the area of blogging its called Mom Blogger Basics even though your a Dad I am sure that you will find it useful it is really a site for bloggers with a "mom/dad" blogger focus.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. There is a lot of material on Mom Blogger Basics. It's late though and I have to sleep. (Ha Ha). Thanks for the link though. It will be helpful!
Maybe the truth is I need to explore the site further. I've met some nice people so far and I'd like to meet more moms and read more parenting blogs. I'm not into blogs exclusively for giveaways, etc. Let me keep researching and we'll go from there. I am excited to be a part of the group.
Tantrums, Troubles,and Treasures
Alaina Forbes said:
Welcome to the club! Maybe if you could be more specific about what kinds of tips you need or what you need help with we could be of more help.