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Electronically connecting maintenance: a step towards the vision of Industry 4.0
Christian Hoffmeister, a communication scientist and successful author, boldly states that "German companies are barely scratching the surface when it comes to the potential of digitalisation", justifying his statement by pointing out that companies concern themselves less with the fundamental change and its possibilities. Considering this topic, he makes significant reference to product development, to making changes to existing products so as to make them fit for the future, and to the development of brand-new products and services.
In contrast, the purchasing experts René Schumann and Tim Romswinkel of Kerkhoff Negotiate & Contract GmbH, who were involved in the creation of this article, state that "companies should develop a vision on the one hand, but not expect too much of it on the other." "Every day, we see more evidence that Purchasing often isn't strategically positioned for maintenance, that the processes are not standardised enough, and that electronic catalogues aren't used. But the path towards predictive maintenance is sometimes more like the Way of St. James when it comes to faith and length."
The use of electronic catalogues is the first and significant step towards an integrated digitalisation strategy. Many purchasing managers are aware that this is necessary for indirect product groups such as office supplies, C-parts or IT hardware, and progress has already been made in this regard. The somewhat loosely worded heading suggests that, despite this, there is often no digitalisation strategy for maintenance.
Users make purchases without involving Purchasing, and when errors occur a desperate search is launched for the right contacts, documents are painstakingly compiled, and orders are frantically allocated. Automatic system control is the prime example in this regard for using Industry 4.0 solutions – and if you take this line of thought further, maintenance of these machines and systems is too. It is a topic which immediately belongs on the digital agenda.
The first step: using electronic catalogues
But we're not getting up to full speed straight away. A significant step and a solid foundation for turning a comprehensive vision of digitalisation into a reality is electronic cataloguing, and therefore the digitalisation of purchasing processes, as employees of many corporate groups which already order their pencils or PCs through the internal electronic catalogue will be familiar with. In this regard, we must bear in mind that the process costs for offline orders are, on average, 70% higher than the cost of a fully automated order. The goal of cataloguing and digitalising parts and services for maintaining internal systems and machines forces companies to deal comprehensively with their own processes and needs.
The main features of everything are being scrutinised – which is salutary and an important basis for the successful development of a digitalisation vision for machine and systems control in the new age. It will become even more significant if a cross-site approach is required. "The company's very own production sites and service centres order goods and services from different suppliers, even through their needs and specifications are the same. This much has been illustrated by experience from everyday business," explains the consultant.
Putting everything to the test
Professional optimisation of purchasing must therefore provide a variety of machines and different tools and take them into consideration. Service and maintenance intervals are being scrutinised, just like the relevant contracts, service providers and spare parts suppliers. "You can do everything, but you don't have to" is the motto for the manufacturer services – depending on whether services and prices are proven to be in line with market requirements.
The initial optimisation can already save an average of 13.5% of the annual maintenance costs and creates scope for investment in further digitalisation. If you consider that the average process of consolidating suppliers goes hand in hand with a key figure of around 76%, additional savings on internal process costs and improvement due to a compliance-friendly allocation process become considerable.
The three partners' cooperation model
But what are the exact steps you have to take towards creating a digital maintenance catalogue? It is useful to begin by firstly consolidating one maintenance product sub-group, with a view to gradually addressing the entire product group. Maintenance for large tools, for CNC milling, for example, are perfect as a sub-area for this. Maintenance, wear parts and repair parts are less complex than entire production systems. Learning lessons is important if employees are to be involved in the changed way of thinking in the age of digitalisation. It is uncharted territory for all companies and decision-makers. You have to understand possibilities and relationships to develop ideas, improve your own processes first of all and, when a greater level of maturity has been reached, even think of product innovations. It is still pioneering work which will be worthwhile, but you should ensure that you are not overtaken by the competition at the same time. The actual analysis in this regard serves to evaluate the basics by processing data, facts and figures in a structured manner. Transparency with respect to needs, suppliers and processes creates the springboard for deriving suitable measures. The goal of each optimisation in the field of maintenance is to develop a cross-site product group structure. Light must be shed on opportunities and risks to distribute the resources and priorities within project work in a restrained manner.
A cooperation model where users, Purchasing and suppliers are closely interlinked with one another should be developed. The needs have to be standardised and consolidated to achieve these goals. For Purchasing, this means that, first of all, the product diversity of the different tools and related operating supplies must be reduced to the greatest extent possible, which leads to a greater degree of standardisation and thus to lower unit costs per item due to volume bundling. Needs have to be clustered in a meaningful way and bundled across sites.
Standardising and consolidating needs
The use of manufacturer-independent white-label products where the likes of spare parts prices can be reduced considerably while maintaining a consistent or sometimes better level of quality, is a particular lever. But not only do products need to be standardised; the standardisation and clustering of services is crucially important. This opens the door for affordable, manufacturer-independent service providers if necessary.
Standardising and clustering services
Due to the clustering achieved in the third phase, standardisation and volume bundling will enable redefinition of the supplier base during the fourth phase.
The goal is to reduce the number of suppliers, which leads to Purchasing having greater bargaining power. Each existing supplier is questioned, and an optimised supplier base is defined in a suitable way for the needs cluster defined previously. The goal must be to conclude standardised framework agreements with the now defined suppliers, and compliance with the same should be ensured by means of cross-functional performance monitoring by Purchasing and users.
All of these steps have the aim of subsequently purchasing all services and spare parts through an electronic catalogue at the click of a button. If drafted in a meaningful way, even individual special maintenance measures and repairs can be processed through a catalogue system.
This results in a consistent, transparent and contractual, as well as complete and automated, purchasing process. In this regard, the e-procurement rate for all needs will be 91% after six months and 98% after 12 months. The burden on Purchasing is relieved, and it can devote its energies to strategic tasks such as expanding this vibrant catalogue system. It monitors compliance and supplier performance. The electronic catalogue solution is therefore an important and highly efficient step towards digitalisation and forms a solid foundation for a company to develop its own Industry 4.0 vision. Then Anglicisms such as "smart maintenance" and "predictive maintenance" will not only be significant in institutes and universities; they will have a successful shot at moving into SMEs' production halls. It will subsequently be high time for networked machines to report and execute their orders in a fully automated manner.
Purchasing managers and entire Purchasing departments should summon up the courage and self-image to take on a leading role as process and value drivers with a view to proactively helping to shape the digital agenda. Dare to believe in the Gallic Village. It's worth it!
About the dialogue partners
René Schumann and Tim Romswinkel are strategic buyers for maintenance at Kerkhoff Negotiate & Contract GmbH. Their job is to professionalise and increase performance in indirect purchasing. The Düsseldorf-based purchasing consultants offer pre-negotiated contracts and thus a strategic and permanent purchasing function for selected indirect needs. They support companies with respect to the digitalisation of procurement through establishing an electronic catalogue connection and process automation.


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TSi 2 Livestock Manager G01901
An animal weighing and data collection system for improved livestock management and performance. The TSi 2 provides immediate access to detailed animal information, anywhere, at any time - in the sale barn, the office or on the ranch.
Designed for use with load bars (sold separately) to create a livestock scale system.
Excludes sales tax
- Livestock Management Comprehensive drafting capability - draft by weight, EID number or any other user-defined rule
- Accurate livestock inventory reporting - automatically updates animal's status when an event is added, know exactly how many animals are 'on' or 'off' farm at any time
- Stock availability reporting- predict the number of animals within a desired weight range at a given date
- Easily customize weighing and data recording sessions - automatically collect specific animal ID, traits, activities, notes and life data
- Record observations or future actions - such as withholding periods and unlimited notes per animal
- Evaluate breeding performance- use the graphical family tree to quickly visualize and review Award-winning Animal Performance Systems Software (APS) PROFESSIONAL. The best on-board analysis software available now has a supremely easy to use menu system to make it even simpler to find and use the data collected.
- Easily transfer animal information directly or share via email using the Gallagher Animal Data Transfer App
- Connect to APS or directly to the web to share animal session information
- Speed Market leading Fast Weigh Software dramatically increases weight lock speeds with outstanding accuracy. See the fast weigh software in action.
- Easy to use touch screen with large buttons
- Tough design for all weather use
- Storage capacity for 1,000,000 weigh records
- Bluetooth wireless connection plus two serial ports for communicating with other devices such as EID Tag Readers & drafters
- Plug and play with other weighing and EID equipment - loadbars, EID readers, auto drafters and other management software
WARNING:This product can expose you to chemicals including Styrene which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, and BPA which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go towww.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
Technical Specifications
|1 year (2 years if registered online)
|Width or Length
|Product Weight

subset: commoncrawl


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Singham Returns Wiki, Dialogues and Music Review
Rohit shetty is back to entertain us with his action masala movie on Independence Day, which again is starring his buddy and favorite star pick, Ajay Devgan. The movie is… Read more »
Rohit shetty is back to entertain us with his action masala movie on Independence Day, which again is starring his buddy and favorite star pick, Ajay Devgan. The movie is… Read more »
Over the decade of experience up in his tally, Anupam Kher is now set to rock the small screen with his brand new show called "The Anupam Kher Show- Kuch… Read more »
Ek Villain movie Review The much anticipated Bollywood movie Ek Villain has grooved and shaked the nation with its groovy suspense and thrills with an amazing star cast and storyline…. Read more »
Hate story 2 is one of the most anticipated movie of this year. The movie is in news because of the bold scene performed by the movie stars. In fact,… Read more »
Directed by A R Murugadoss, the movie, Holiday – A Soldier Is Never off Duty, is a movie dedicated to the Indian Army and has hit the Indian cinemas yesterday…. Read more »
Ek Villain Story Disclosed Expected to hit cinemas on June 27, 2014, Ek Villain is a romantic thriller of the season after Aashiqui 2 directed by Mohit Suri and produced… Read more »
Finally, Aamir Khan's unreleased film will be aired on the television exclusive, on June 8th 2014 at 8pm on '& pictures', a Zee Entertainment Hindi movie channel. The name of… Read more »
Much anticipated movie from the super star Rajinikanth was released past Friday in more than 300 theaters across India and world. The first even animation movie, Kochadaiiyaan, by Rajinikanth was… Read more »
If you are a X-Men film lover, you are going to love the latest flick X Men Days of Future Past movie. Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), Wolverine… Read more »


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Watch Pacquiao vs Diaz LIVE Free
Jun 10
Thanks to SOPCAST (www.sopcast.com) and the internet (of course), we can watch Pacquiao's match live against David Diaz dubbed as "Lethal Combination". The World Lightweight Championship set to happen June 28 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
To watch…
1) Get the latest sopcast client/player http://download.sopcast.cn/download/SopCast.zip
2) Sign in or login as anonymous
3) Search for CCTV or HBO PPV channel
Don't worry, I will post specific sopcast channel/address (ie. sop://broker1.sopcast.com:3912/35999) few days before the match.
And just in case your internet goes down,
GMA 7 and Solar Entertainment has teamed up to air the match – but expect the delay for an hour or two. And the fact that you'll be indulging yourself with those annoying advertisement that repeats more than twice and eats more airtime than the actual fight.
Live Streaming Channel Update:
1) sop://broker1.sopcast.com:3912/35999 (Sopcast)
2) http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=14025∂=sports (Web)
3) http://www.fighthype.com/sopcastpopup.php?chid=3&PHPSESSID=501966b7fc0df61a16615b2eb04d1225 (web)


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Joey Carbery marked his first start since December with two tries as Leinster earned a 39-10 GUINNESS PRO12 bonus point win over Edinburgh at the RDS.
Back in blue following ankle surgery, Carbery pressed his Ireland claims with a lively display but flanker Josh van der Flier's shoulder injury will cause concern for Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt.
Winger Barry Daly's second ever try for the province was the difference at half-time, Leinster leading 8-3 despite Edinburgh having a lot of front-foot ball.
A run of tries from Carbery (2) and Daly between the 47th and 55th minutes saw Leo Cullen's men take a firm grip on proceedings as they moved temporarily to the top of the PRO12 table.
The final quarter brought about three more tries, Duncan Weir's lone seven-pointer for Edinburgh being sandwiched by further scores from Leinster's man-of-the-match Dan Leavy and fellow replacement Bryan Byrne.
After a frenetic opening with both sides preying on turnovers, it was the hosts who nipped ahead in the ninth minute. Leavy scooped up a loose ruck ball to charge into the 22 and fly-half Carbery's skip pass paved the way for Daly to dive over in the left corner.
However, Lenster's forward resources were tested with Dominic Ryan (HIA) and van der Flier both departing during a bruising first quarter that saw Edinburgh have much of the possession.
The Scots laid a prolonged siege to the Leinster try-line, with Cornell du Preez and Magnus Bradbury both prominent, but they had no points to show for it after Leavy forced a ruck penalty.
The pace finally slackened as Carbery and Weir swapped penalties, but Edinburgh would have been at least level at the break had Tom Brown held onto Chris Dean's long pass following the centre's classy break.
The attritional nature of the game also saw Rory O'Loughlin and Dave Kearney replaced, with Carbery having to move to full-back and Luke McGrath soon moving to the wing. It was Carbery who finished off Leinster's second try in the 47th minute, carrying Damien Hoyland with him over the whitewash after a maul had gone close.
A lightning quick move, sparked by Noel Reid's well-timed pass and carried on by McGrath and Jamison Gibson-Park, saw Carbery swiftly complete his brace. Gibson-Park then increased his influence from scrum half with a cracking pass that took out two defenders for Daly's 55th-minute bonus point score.
Leavy burst off the back of a maul for try number five and although the replays of George Turner's brilliant one-handed offload for Weir's touchdown drew appreciative applause from the home crowd, Leinster had the final say when Bryan Byrne, who had to slot into the back row, barged over from five metres out and Ross Byrne added his third successful conversion.


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Tasmanian Education Department, Clarence City Council and Tasmanian Government's Communities Sport and Recreation Department.
Tasmania's Clarence High School Oval Sports Pavilion by Dock4 Architects hums like a well-oiled machine. When I visit midweek for a twilight Little Athletics meet, the streets and car parks are full. Crowds of children and parents fill the space with an intense, positive atmosphere. The pavilion, set in a sea of colourful family tents, is quietly efficient without drawing attention to itself. It is an elegant response to the architectural brief and the obvious enjoyment of the people using it is equally due to the effective organization of community groups and a design that focuses and supports their efforts.
Modernism once brought clarity to architecture. Function generated form. New economic realities, however, have changed those simple parameters. Sustainability factors and the bundling of disparate funding sources mean that buildings must now accommodate far more diverse functions than they once did. Architects now have to meet complex design briefs from an assortment of associated clients and user groups. There are advantages to this model. A building with a broad outreach offers significant opportunities to reduce the direct cost of high-quality facilities. These buildings are made possible in the first place by an expanded funding base, while use by different groups spreads the long-term maintenance costs. For example, the Clarence High School sports grounds are professionally curated by the local council rather than by the school gardener. This sharing of responsibility generates great design challenges in the effective integration of function, security and identity.
The design draws together three spatial elements – two circular brick structures and a central terrace – under a single roof.
*Completed as Director/ Architect of Dock4 Architects
TypePublicCompleted2016Cons. Cost$ 1,100,000 inc gstBuilderFairbrother Construction Pty LtdPhotographerAdam and Stuart Gibson, Andrew Knott


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Smart Carpet and Flooring in Hoboken, NJ offers thousands of carpet and flooring options for your home or business. We carry some of the most well-known brands and selections that can be delivered straight to your door! Schedule a FREE IN-HOME consultation so we can help you match your needs. Our mobile showroom allows you to consider all of Smart Carpet's flooring samples from the convenience of your home.
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Looking for a new carpet but want to skip the hassle of waiting for help in a store? Let Smart Carpet come to you! Our mobile showroom has over 4,000 flooring samples for you to feel and see.
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All-New Wolverine #20
Written by Tom Taylor | Drawn by Leonard Kirk
If any X-Men book deserved to stick around for the ResurrXion relaunch, it's All-New Wolverine. The series'; familiar charm remains, with Tom Taylor offering readers plenty more of the Laura/Gabby team-up they love. Taylor also makes the most of the various Marvel U. guest stars in this issue, playing the personalities of the various super-genius scientists against one another as the viral outbreak threatens to grow out of control. The dynamic between Laura and Riri Williams also proves to be a lot of fun, with the added benefit that Taylor has the chance to briefly write Tony Stark again. Unfortunately, it seems that the series can't escape its ongoing visual problems even with this fresh start. Leonard Kirk seemed to be just what All-New Wolverine needed, but his work seems especially rushed and haphazard in this issue. The fact that there are three inkers working over his pencils certainly doesn't help matters. This series made such a strong impression early on thanks to David Lopez's art, and it's never been able to meet that standard since. -Jesse
Final Score:
The Amazing Spider-Man #27
Written by Dan Slott | Drawn by Stuart Immonen
As comic artists go, Stuart Immonen is an international treasure. But that face is gonna take some getting used to. You'll know which one when you read the issue. It's pretty grotesque and hard to look at, but everything that Immonen touches is so well-drawn that even something that hideous doesn't feel out of place. I can see why some fans get upset with Dan Slott, and it's also the reason that he should be more trusted among Spidey fans. Last issue set up one of Spidey's closest allies as someone who would blindly follow orders and go against him. The resolution to that dilemma is perfectly in-character and comes together nicely. Slott hasn't run out of ways to paint himself out of corners. Although his explanation about how and why Silver Sable is still alive is disappointing after all of that build up. The rest of the issue feels epic. -Blair
Final Score:
Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #7
Written by Gerry Conway | Drawn by Ryan Stegman
Is it wrong to like the alternate world X-Men of Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows more than the stars of the current X-books? Not when this is the only book that has the real Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Cyclops... even if their dynamic has radically changed. While Gerry Conway nails the old school X-Men and the reasoning behind the traitor, he falters a bit when it comes to Magneto and this issue's special guest villain. Conway just doesn't give Magneto the sense of humanity that he needed. Despite the X-Men's heavy presence, this issue is still devoted to Spidey, MJ, and their daughter as a crime-fighting trio. This probably wouldn't work as well if it was in the main continuity, but there is something charming about the way that Spidey gets upstaged by both his wife and his daughter. -Blair
Final Score:
The Avengers #7
Written by Mark Waid & Jeremy Whitley | Drawn by Phil Noto
"There's a merit badge for sacrificial murder?" Well, there is now! Since it was teased at the beginning of this run, I've been wondering how Mark Waid could possibly bring Doctor Doom into the Avengers and have it seem remotely plausible. For this issue, it works out surprisingly well by using the Wasp's hilariously enthusiastic responses to Doom as a contrast to her comically exasperated teammates. The whole "Doctor Doom as a hero" thing can't last forever, but this issue really makes it fun. Phil Noto's artwork is also delightful, as Wasp/Nadia Pym go into the only place that Doom couldn't go by himself... and his reasoning made sense. The dynamic between Doom and Nadia has a lot of potential. There's also something here for readers of Waid's other Marvel series. But if you've been skipping that book then the conclusion of this issue may not make much sense. Regardless, this was a very entertaining issue. -Blair
Final Score:
Black Panther and the Crew #2
Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates & Yona Harvey | Drawn by Butch Guice & Mack Chater
If you read comics long enough, you may come to enjoy an occasionally elegant retcon. Black Panther: The Crew has put forth the idea that Storm lived in Harlem as an adult and formed relationships within the community even when there wasn't room to place that in her backstory. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Yona Harvey come up with a solution that involves a deep dive into X-Men history. There is some suspension of disbelief involved, but it works. Of course, Butch Guice has been drawing comics for decades, and he very clearly knows what he's doing. There's one page in particular that is nothing short of spectacular as Storm and Misty Knight realize that they were set up to die. When it comes to the story itself, this issue was somewhat frustrating with its pacing. But it's a good-looking book and the story has potential. -Blair
Final Score:
Deadpool #30
Written by Gerry Duggan | Drawn by Mike Hawthorne
Deadpool #30 is more like a standalone graphic novel than a standard issue comic book. In theory, it has a plot: Deadpool goes to space to find a weapon that will help him kill Madcap. But really, it's just an excuse for Gerry Duggan and Mike Hawthorne to spend nearly 80 pages mocking the hell out of Marvel's cosmic universe, especially if they have their own movies coming out this year. After so many years of softening Deadpool's image, it's refreshing to see him cut loose again. This is also a really funny issue, with a particularly bleak take on Valhalla and Deadpool's "deposit" on Ego. It's surprising that Marvel even published this issue, because it's also one of the more violent issues of the regular series to come along in awhile. Believe it or not, this issue does have a tie-in with Secret Empire. But for the most part, it's a done-in-one adventure that's perfect for anyone who misses the old school Deadpool. He's back. -Blair
Final Score:
Old Man Logan #23
Written by Jeff Lemire | Drawn by Eric Nguyen
"'Past Lives' is shaping up to be a pretty uneven finish to Jeff Lemire's Old Man Logan run. There's a definite appeal in seeing Logan revisit key moments from his life and deal with the emotional fallout, but that formula hasn't been quite enough to keep the momentum going. The good news is that issue #23 introduces just enough wrinkles to the now-familiar formula to suggest that the arc may be able to wrap on a high note in Old Man Logan #24." -Author
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Rocket #1
Written by Al Ewing | Drawn by Adam Gorham
"The prospect of yet another new Rocket Raccoon solo comic may not seem very exciting at this point. How many times has his solo series been relaunched and re-branded at this point? Is there even a need for solo Guardians comics now that the main series has switched to a twice-monthly schedule? Despite these concerns, a strong creative team immediately ensures that this latest Rocket Raccoon comic is one well worth adding to your pull list." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Secret Warriors #1
Written by Matthew Rosenberg | Drawn by Javier Garron
"The original Secret Warriors is an extremely important piece of Marvel's library. It effectively served as Jonathan Hickman's introduction to Marvel, paving the way for everything Hickman would do afterward. It offered a dramatically different and very compelling take on the enduring rivalry between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. And above all, it's just a darned fine superhero comic. The Secret Warriors name holds weight, and it's a shame to see Marvel attaching that name to a new series that shares so little in common." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel #1
Written by Kieron Gillen | Drawn by Marco Checchetto
"'The Screaming Citadel' is a very different animal from Marvel's first Star Wars crossover, "Vader Down." Where that storyline was all about the spectacle involved when Darth Vader single-handedly takes on the entire Rebel Alliance (sort of a precursor to Rogue One's final action sequence), "The Screaming Citadel" is a more intimate and unusual story. This is a crossover that banks heavily on the weird, enjoyable dynamic between fledgling Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker and archaeologist/all-around scoundrel Dr. Aphra. There's no better testament to the success of this issue than the fact that it left me craving an ongoing Luke/Aphra team-up comic." -Jesse
Click here to read the entire review!
Final Score:
Uncanny Avengers #23
Written by Gerry Duggan | Drawn by Pepe Larraz
There's nothing quite like a satisfying send-off to make the whole series seem worthwhile. Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz pull off the landing for this Uncanny Avengers run, and it leaves most of the characters in a pretty good place while bringing everything full circle with Duggan's first issue. These characters have actually bonded, and they finally seem like a real team. The Rogue and Deadpool angle is largely unresolved here, but Rogue fans will probably be pleased with her new status quo. Cable's fate is also handled very gracefully. As always, Pepe Larraz's art is extremely impressive. He not only manages to draw beautiful characters, he also captures the moments of humor too. Wonder Man's silent reactions throughout the issue are quite funny, and it's nice to have Simon Williams back in the Marvel Universe. There are really no complaints to be had here. This is a great issue. -Blair
Final Score:
Weapon X #3
Written by Greg Pak | Drawn by Greg Land & Ibraim Roberson
Regardless of your feelings about Greg Land's artwork, there's something to appreciate about the way that Greg Pak has so seamlessly given Old Man Logan and Sabretooth an Odd Couple type relationship where they aren't constantly trying to attack each other. It's oddly charming to see them working together to survive a new breed of Weapon X warriors. But the Weapon X series really comes to life with Domino's introduction. Ibraim Roberson's pages with Domino have far more life in them than Land's pages. The action simply flows better when drawn by Roberson, and it's a very good showcase for what Domino can accomplish as a solo heroine. The biggest downside to this issue is that is already leading to crossover with Totally Awesome Hulk, and it feels like that reveal let the air out of the issue. -Blair
Final Score:
X-Men Blue #3
Written by Cullen Bunn | Drawn by Jorge Molina & Ray-Anthony Height
When you change the game, you change the equation. X-Men Blue has reintroduced an old threat with a new purpose: Sentinels that want to protect mutants. That's an interesting dynamic that goes to a somewhat disappointing place before the end of the issue. But the idea is so intriguing that it still has a lot of potential. And it has Jean Grey and fellow X-Men wondering if they're too quick to attack their enemies. Cullen Bunn's script goes well until the late issue twist that turns it into a more conventional superhero battle. Jorge Molina's artwork is way above average, but the pages by Ray-Anthony Height steal the issue and seem to invoke Stuart Immonen's All-New X-Men run. Somebody needs to get Height on a full time X-Men book immediately. That's exactly the kind of art that this book needs. The script narrowly misses the mark, but the artwork more than makes up for it. -Blair
Final Score:


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When Do You Want To Go?
With its diverse landscape, South America is home to many of the world's top destinations for hiking and trekking. It covers almost every terrain you can think of, from the sun-baked Atacama desert, to the luscious green rainforest of the Amazon, the soaring mountains and crisp white glaciers of Patagonia, to the high alpine peaks and volcanos of the Andes. There are many National Parks to hike and camp, as well as beautiful landscape beyond the parks. One of the most popular places for hiking and trekking in South America is the beautiful untouched Patagonian region of Chile and Argentina. Another popular choice is the Sacred Valley of the Inca's in Peru, but If you are feeling adventurous don't let that stop you as there are countless other exciting options to choose from, like the trek to the lost city in Colombia and hiking the wildlife trails of the Galapagos Islands.
With so many routes and treks to choose from it can be hard to choose, depending on your skill level, some may or may not be suitable for your needs. Your Latin Routes specialist will be able to advise you of some of the most popular and beautiful destinations to take a hiking or trekking holiday. You can do a day trip or a longer and more challenging trip if you prefer. We recommend you go with a guide or on a group trip but fortunately, there are plenty of options. Below, are some of the most popular parks and destinations for hiking in South America but please ask your Latin Routes specialist for more details as we have a wealth of knowledge about walking and trekking holidays in South America and can help you choose your perfect itinerary to ensure you have a dream holiday wherever you choose.
The Inca trail tops the lists of the world's best treks. It is the most iconic multi-day trek in Peru's Sacred Valley and with good reason. Following in the footsteps of the Incas you will begin the trek from just outside the ancient town of Ollantaytambo, walking and camping for 4 days and 3 nights. On the last day you reach Machu Picchu's sun gate, just as the sun begins to rise. There are shorter and longer routes available should you prefer. You will pass through beautiful mountains, cloud forest and see countless Incan ruins, you can see our example itinerary for more details.
Although not as widely known as the Inca Trail, the Salkantay and Lares treks are equally spectacular. These less travelled paths make for a quieter and more intimate journey, veteran trekkers are likely to prefer the longer and more challenging 5 day Salkantay trek which takes in 15 different ecosystems, whilst those after an immersive cultural experience will enjoy the authentic encounters with Andean people on the Lares route. You can learn more about the three Machu Picchu treks in our trekking guide. Whichever, trek you choose in Peru you are sure to enjoy the stunning views along the way. If you would like to trek and prefer more luxurious accommodation instead of camping, there are also plenty of options in the Sacred Valley to choose from including the Mountain Lodges of Peru and Explora Sacred Valley.
Torres del Paine in Chile, is perhaps the biggest draw for trekkers and hikers to Patagonia. The parks monolithic granite towers (torres) are amongst the most beautiful of its type in the world. There are a number of hotels in the park and the surrounding area which offer excellent trekking and hiking programmes, perfect for exploring this remote part of Patagonia. A popular option is the day hike to the base of the towers. There are also some multi-day options to choose from, including the popular 4-6 day W Trek where you trek along the southern section of the towers. Either camping or staying in refugios (mountain huts). If you have more time to play with, the most intrepid trekkers may wish to explore the northern side of the mountains too, in which case you may consider undertaking the full O circuit which takes in the complete circumference of Cordillera Paine, the journey typically lasts between 8-10 days and rewards hikers with almost perfect seclusion after they complete the 'W section' of the trek.
Chapada Diamantina is an off the beaten track national park in the North East of Brazil. This beautiful national park is as spectacular as it is undiscovered. Some of the highlights for day treks include Cachoeira da Fumaça, a 2-hour hike to the top of a 420-metre high waterfall that overlooks the park's stunning savanna. Morro do Pai Inacio (above) provides the quintessential postcard picture of the national park, we recommend visiting this part of the park at sunset when you can see the steep cliffs glowing in the fading light. Poço Azul is a beautiful cave where you can take a dip in the crystal clear waters. There are plenty of options for multi-day treks, the most iconic of which is the Vale do Pati trek, a 4-6 day hike through the park visiting Mirante do Pati, Morro do Castelo, Cachoeirão por Baixo and Cachoeirão por Cima, many of the trails are unmarked so a local guide is essential.
The Southern Patagonian Icefield is the star attraction, in Los Glacieres National park, which is one of the most majestic National Parks on earth and one of the most popular and beautiful places for hiking and trekking in Argentina. At the southwest edge of Santa Cruz, it has been declared a World Heritage Site. Adorned with mountains, 47 glaciers, lakes and forests, its no wonder trekkers and hikers from all over the world come to discover this beautiful area on their Argentina holiday. The Perito Moreno Glacier is the most famous glacier and lucky visitors may even get to see it calve. We highly recommend including a mini trek on the glacier as part of your stay, crampons are included and it provides you with a unique opportunity to walk on the ice.
One of our favourite trekking destination in Los Glacieres National Park is El Chalten. The wide variety of well-maintained hiking routes and viewpoints make for some of the most outstanding views of two of Patagonia's most famous peaks Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.
Located at the End of the World, this park is one of the most unique places in the world. It stretches over the Chilean border and is a popular choice for hiking and trekking holidays in Argentina.
Located in the northern province of Chaco, the Chaco National Park encompasses many different types of landscape including savanna, marshes, lagoons and woodland. There is a variety of bird and wildlife to view also which makes it an interesting and popular place for hiking in Argentina.
A smaller National Park but all be it, a beautiful one in the northwest of Chubut province in Patagonia. The park is made up of many regions which include the Patagonian forests, steppe and the High Andes.
This is the oldest and one of the most beautiful National Parks in Argentina and sits at the foot of the Andes, bordering Chile and located in the heart of Patagonia. With rich flora and fauna, there is plenty to explore its diverse landscape.
This famous National Park is Argentina's gem and probably the most famous routes for hiking in Argentina. On the western side of Argentina in Santa Cruz province, this is the most interesting and diverse National Parks in the country. Surrounded by hills and mountains, the park's landscapes include lakes, Patagonian steppe, forest and a variety of wildlife.
This arid desert area covers a large area in the Northeast of San Juan province. The name derived from the rock formations that characterize the canyon. It boasts multicoloured rock formed by sandstorms and is truly mind-blowing! There is much wildlife to see here too.
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Our Vision
At Houston Sport Flyers, we seek to build community through a shared passion for remote control flying in all its types and styles — planes, helis, quads; scale aerobatics, 3D, FPV. Our club is family-friendly, and in fact, just plain friendly. Good folks who enjoy flying and are anxious to share…
Our Story
Houston Sport Flyers was founded in the early 90s by Dick Shiveley — for more info about Dick and his vision, visit our Founder page.
Our Officers
Mike Creel, President
Mike has been flying R/C for 8 years and has been a member at HSF for 6 years. Mike is an IT manager at Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, and is married with 3 children.
Rob Kohanski, Vice President
Rob has been flying R/C since he was a kid, and has been a member at HSF for 7 years. Rob works at Siemens and is married with 2 daughters.
Billie Howard, Treasurer
Billy has been flying R/C for 18 years and is an original member at HSF. He's retired and loving it, with 6 kids, 12 grandkids and 16 great-grandkids!
Mike Creel, Secretary
Mike is currently serving as Secretary as well as President…
For contact info visit the Contact Us page..
For more info about Houston Sport Flyers, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page..!


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Pigeon brings you the latest high-quality water bottles. Pigeon Swig Stainless steel water bottles are food grade, rust proof, leak proof, stainless steel and is maintenance free(unlike copper which require frequent polishing, pitambari powder to clean). These water bottles can be used as sports bottles, office bottles, kids bottles etc. They can be used with straw for easy sipping of water. They can also be used without the straw pipe.
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Sheila Markin is a former Assistant US Attorney. She helps people to understand in plain English what is going on in US politics today. Subscribe to the blog so you don't miss a post!
Let's start with the concerns raised by this Russian spy. Maria Butina is a Russian spy who came to the U.S. in August 2016, on an F-1 student visa. She worked as a Special Assistant to Alexander Torshin, a high-level (Putin directed) Russian Official. Torshin communicated with Butina while she was in the U.S., guiding and instructing her; telling her what to do and supplying her with the people to connect with.
What was her mission?
She was entrusted to develop relationships with American politicians, Republicans, to establish private "back-channel" lines of communication with the Kremlin. She was acting as a Russian agent but she did not register with our government as required by law.
What was the goal?
The Russian Federation (Russia) is one of the leading threats to U.S. interests:
"These lines could be used by the Russian Federation to penetrate the US national decision-making apparatus to advance the agenda of the Russian Federation." (Quoted from the affidavit.)
How was Maria Butina able to develop her mission?
She was sent to our country to infiltrate and create affinities in the political world in the U.S. by creating relationships between Republican politicians and Russians. As part of that effort she ingratiated herself with the National Rifle Association (referred to as GUN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION in the affadavit).
Based on the affidavit sworn to by FBI Agent, Kevin Helson, Butina had a big mission to accomplish. She could not have carried out her mission alone as a young woman on a student visa. She got help.
She was instructed and coached to organize seemingly innocent "friendship and dialogue" dinners in D.C. and she was set up to participate in two National Prayer Breakfasts in D.C. as a way to get Russians and Republicans together. That sounds quite harmless until you read the affidavit which quotes from Butina's communications with her Russian handler, Torshin, as he guides and supports her in her efforts to infiltrate the targets.
There are also two prominent unnamed Republicans (POLITICAL PARTY 1) in the U.S. who work with Butina to advance her mission and help her meet the right people in the U.S. In the affidavit they are referred to as U.S. Person I and U.S. Person 2.
What was Butina working so hard to set up?
Although the affidavit does not expressly say this, what I believe will come out is that the Russians who were trying to develop close, influential relationships with American political players, were Russian oligarchs who were instructed by Putin to funnel money into the NRA to be used for Republicans running for office. (This has already been reported by Mother Jones' David Corn.)
Everyone knows that it takes a lot of money to win elections to Congress and oligarchs have a lot of money. But since foreigners are not allowed to contribute directly to American political campaigns, they had to find a workable pipeline or feeder for the funding. Thanks to Citizen's United, the NRA was the perfect pipeline. What better way to create relationships with gun toting Americans who were by and large Republican, and already had relationships and funding from the NRA? Republicans also went to prayer breakfasts, so Maria Butina went there too. Republicans might have started out being anti-Russian ideologically, but money can influence people and if the purported purpose of the meetings is to have a better relationship with another country, well, what could be so wrong with that?
The Mueller investigation is helping us to learn about a number of Russian influence campaigns against our country and our democracy using 1) social media as a way to get us fighting with each other, 2) a cyberattack on the Democrats to help Trump win in 2016, and, apparently with this arrest I believe we start to learn about the tip of a third prong of this vast but relatively cheap Russian assault on our country, 3) large sums of money funneled to Republican politicians through the NRA to get them to be supportive of Russian goals probably including support of Trump.
There are additional quotes that reveal nefarious activities on the part of U.S. Person 1 who writes in an email:
"I've been involved in securing a VERY private line of communication between the Kremlin and key Republican leaders through, of all conduits, the NRA."
We have seen that no matter what Trump does, no matter how he changes the traditional messaging of our country to diss our allies, declare them to be foes and be supportive of Putin and Russian goals instead, start trade wars with Canada and other allies, and demean our investigative agencies and the DOJ, Republicans have not pushed back very much at all. There is still no protection for the Mueller probe despite Trump's frequent comments about how it is a witch hunt and hurtful to good relations with Russia. You just know Trump is itching to fire Rod Rosenstein and hollow out the investigation being done by Mueller. Yet Congress sleeps on.
We get "crickets" instead of a fully functioning branch of government. This is what Russia would want. of course, a supine Republican-led Congress that does not hinder Trump.
One of the interesting tidbits of information in the affidavit is that a Trump's win in 2016 is predicted by the Russians. On March 24, 2015 Butina emails U.S. Person 1 that:
"Republicans are likely to obtain control over the US government after the 2016 election," (quotes are from Butina's iphone or computer).
How could the Russians have confidence in a prediction about who was going to win in 2016?
This affidavit hints at a possible nexus between the Mueller probe and the activities of Butina. It may also be pointing to the only reasonable explanation for Trump's behavior as president. He always seems to be doing Putin's bidding. Pundits have been turning themselves into pretzels trying to explain why Trump might be behaving this way. The answer may be in plain sight. Trump IS doing Putin's bidding. In the aftermath of the disastrous Helsinki Summit in which Trump said he believed Putin over his own intelligence agencies, Hillary Clinton tweeted out these words that lit Twitter afire:
"Now we know."
Helsinki was the big reveal. Trump really seems to be a Russian asset, elected with the help of the Russians and beholden to them. The Russians knew he would be elected because they knew the dirty tricks and cyberwarfare they were engaged in would very likely work to deliver them the big prize, namely, Trump would become our next president.
On November 8 and 9, 2016, as the results on election night are coming in, Butina and Torshin are communicating via Twitter Direct Messaging about the victory. "I'm going to sleep. It's 3 am here," Butina writes, "I am ready for further orders."
She was arrested on Monday, July 16, 2018 and now sits in a prison without bond, because she is a flight risk. She is awaiting trial.
This is another coup for our counterintelligence agencies, but the story that is unfolding with this spy, the Helsinki debacle and the coming trials of Paul Manafort and other Trump allies is not a John Le Carre spy novel. This is real. This is our country's democracy at stake here. With a Congress that has yet to do anything effective to stop Trump and with Trump now very possibly revealed to be the Manchurian President we worried he might be, we are, today, right now, full stop engulfed in a five-alarm fire that could burn down our house.
On Wednesday, July 18th there will be evening vigils held across the country in many cities. Check out your city. This is a call to action. We need to tell Congress to act and act NOW. They should start by subpoenaing the American translator who was in the room with Trump and Putin in Helsinki to testify about what she heard. www.confrontcorruption.org


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Singapore – March 2020 – Publisher 2K Games and developer Virtuos announced that BioShock: The Collection, which includes BioShock Remastered, BioShock 2 Remastered, and BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition, is coming to Nintendo Switch on May 29, 2020.
Games today are a varied bunch. While they come in a wide variety of genres and art styles, all of them share similar qualities, such as amazing art direction, or engaging and responsive gameplay.
Singapore – November 2019 – As one of the most popular strategy games of all time, Microsoft celebrated the 20th anniversary of the series with the release of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on November 15, which features stunning 4k graphics and brand-new campaigns and new civilizations.
The Virtuos Art team provided art support for the game Planet Zoo by creating a number of vivid and detailed animal art assets, as well as the production of numerous environments and animations.
New research from Virtuos' upcoming Save Point Report surveying the games industry has found that Artificial Intelligence for game design and creation is the top investment priority for studios this year. The report was first published on the MCVUK.com by journalist Jennifer Allen.
Respawn Entertainment has released Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order on November 15, 2019. Virtuos was honored to be heavily involved in the gameplay, level design and art production for this title.
One of the great things about working at a studio like Virtuos is being able to work on some of the most prestigious and well-received games in the world. This especially true at a time when there's a strong appetite from the world's biggest games studios to make bigger, deeper, better games. This can take many forms, including parallel development on multi-platforms, full level design, downloadable content packages – or even resurrecting classic titles through remakes on new platforms.


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Being a member of the Chick-fil-A Moms Panel has been quite an adventure! Last month they asked us to create a cell phone coop to encourage family dinner time. This month, they asked us to try their delicious chicken tortilla soup, then upcycle the container into something useful. I love these little containers and I usually save ones like it for Lego construction (you need a place to put those pieces as you build, after all). But I wanted to make something really unique with this one. Thanks to an unusually warm February evening full of stars here in New Jersey, this idea popped into my head.2
DIY Upcycled Starry Night Luminaries
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Posted by TheJerseyMomma at 8:55 AM
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Global balance and the environment-development feedback loop
DOI 10.12910/EAI2018-051Scarica l'articolo in formato pdf
Disruptive feedback loops between environment and development are currently a threat, but constructive loops can be leveraged to restore global balance
In 2016 a new era has started for development, with a new Agenda that will set the course until 2030, building on the previous international framework, the Millennium Development Goals. The latter, a list of 8 objectives, gave way to a more articulated architecture: 17 goals, specified in 169 sub-targets, and subjected to a monitoring through a set of quantitative indicators. Yet, the more complex articulation is only the surface of a deeper revolution in perspective; the true novelty in the 2030 Development Agenda is that it reflects a new intuition about the world we live in: global balance.
Compared with the past, the 2030 Development Agenda is characterized by three main features:
- its development goals are qualified as sustainable,
- it shifts the perspective of one-way aid - from the "rich" to the "poor" - to the horizon of a shared interest to better develop together; and, fundamentally
- it suggests that the goals are interconnected and synergic.
Environment has proven the game changer. Besides the fact that 4 out of 17 goals directly refer to the health of the ecosystem, the inclusion of the environment further implies all the advancements in perspective. Introducing the environment is different from considering another supplementary set of goals, rather meaning that classical development goals have to be redefined within a reactive system that surrounds us, the grid of relationships and balances that shape the broader system we belong to: one that is common and therefore has to be managed together; and one that, like a home a family shares, has to be kept in balance in all its elements, both human and structural. In this sense, the 2030 Agenda exceeded its highest ambitions: it ended up being more than a roadmap for poorer communities bridge the gap, rather looking like a new economy, shaped by new values, for the whole of mankind and its home planet.
Mankind vibrates for achievements that rhyme with an ever growing change we call progress, expansion, growth. Instead, with few exceptions, we value balance as a viable condition but not as a goal: it is in this sense, for instance, that balance is a concern in economy or in strategic doctrines. Otherwise, we take balance for granted, especially when it refers to a stable and predictable ecosystem: with natural balance mainly preserved by the biosphere since the onset of the agricultural revolution, we tended to take it for granted, neglecting that without balance we cannot achieve growth or expansion – it is impossible to structure a stable society and progress without relying on expected natural cycles which are the expression of balance. Even worse, we tended to conceive balance as a static condition and therefore as inhibiting change, growth and progress. In this mindset, we saw the environment as a limiting factor of wealth, and felt that there was a trade-off we had to come to terms with, sooner or later: since our planet's resources are finite, protecting environmental stability may well be a necessary burden in the end, but it can only come at the expenses of development. The 2030 Agenda, instead, implies that balance not only is compatible with progress and change, but also that there must be a dynamic balance between mankind and nature that acts as a propelling factor of expansion and quality of life: a synergy instead of a trade-off.
The interactions harnessed within such planetary balance can be described, at various levels of complexity, in the terms of a matrix, portraying how the whole situation evolves as a result of the variation of its elements. The last development Agendas hint in this direction: the images chosen to communicate both the Millennium Goals and the 2030 Agenda do look like a matrix, with the two similar graphics ascribing each goal to a box. In both tables, the difference between taking them as a matrix, instead of a mere list of goals, consists in identifying functions connecting all the different boxes, that we are only starting to explore in quantitative terms. It is not unrelated to this logic the fact that each goal of the 2030 Agenda will be monitored through quantitative indicators, just one step away from taking the path of monitoring their interactions and grouped evolution.
If we look at the Agendas in this perspective, we recognize functions that connect, for instance, "life on land" with "quality education" that, in turn, reflect on "no poverty" which, again, is a factor in "peace, justice, and strong institutions", the end result of which could, again in turn, reshape "life on land" and "quality education". In other terms, we are coping with trans-sector local, regional, or even global feedback loops. Underlying the 2030 Agenda, a more organic table can describe global balance - from an anthropic point of view – as a dynamic relationship among the environment, development, human rights, and peace.
A feedback loop seems at work among the four dimensions: if a land is contaminated, it will no longer sustain its owner, who can become vulnerable to abuses, prone to migrate or an easier pray to fanaticism. Or, conversely, if the peasant is granted a sounder education, ha can manage better his farm, defend it from contamination, count on a more dignified livelihood, and therefore resist temptations to engage in conflicts, etc. No matter which term of the matrix is subjected to an initial stress or improvement factor, its consequences can cyclically reverberate on the three related dimensions and grow in scope and impact. Feed-back loops allow us to better understand and counter local dynamics of coupled societal-environmental disruption. They display an explanatory and predictive power in local crises in which underdevelopment, compression of rights, violence, and environmental decay, seem trapped in an inextricable cycle where every stress factor appears both a cause and an effect.
Yet, at this point in time, these dynamics look more than local and confined. We face "runaway climate change", the "great acceleration in species extinction", "ocean acidification", among various scenarios of environmental collapse, which are themselves the product of feed-back loops mankind is triggering within the natural world. Even if these ecosystem-wide threats proved overestimated each taken on its own, global environmental unbalance is also a function of growing local and sectorial perturbations: more than the result of their sum, it mimics the product of their multiplication, because local or sectorial unbalances tend to fuse and start more unbalances. These trends would be problematic even if they only developed within the natural world, but the perspective is worse as they resonate, cross, and overlap with human instability cycles. From the link between years of unprecedented drought and the Syrian crisis, to the role played by the agony of Lake Chad in fostering Boko Haram, all the way to the tensions around the shrinking Sea of Aral, disruptive human-environment loops are multiplying and converging.
Environmental degradation is often projected in future scenarios maintaining humanity as a rational or a non-reactive spectator. But the greatest unknown variable for the future refers to human behavior in the context of a growingly dysfunctional ecosystem, not to the ecosystem itself. If the impairment of ecosystem services becomes severe, it triggers societal and institutional fragility, instability, and conflict which, in turn, will paralyze society's aptitude to manage rationally the ecosystem itself: predation of nature is a short-term way out in impoverished contexts. This, in turn, could worsen environmental degradation creating even greater instability and conflict in a dangerous self-feeding cycle.
Environmental degradation tends to display the same chain of societal consequences in every ecosystem, but these vary in magnitude. And magnitude does not only depend on the bio-physical features of a given territory; it is rather a direct function of local fragility in the human context. All forms of environmental degradation, indeed, act according to a definition that the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO have focused referring to climate change: "crisis and conflict accelerators" or "threats multipliers". The idea that environmental stress will prove first an "accelerator" rather than a stand-alone cause of conflicts, instability, and migrations as an end result, reflects the notion that ecosystem services depletion can be absorbed and countered in richer societies, especially if they provide emergency safety nets or social and productive assistance to concerned families, and if they have means to access the global market to compensate local depletion. On the contrary, stress on ecosystem services overburdens the cohesion and security structure of socially fragile or poorer communities; there it initiates or amplifies latent tensions and conflicts, that have nonetheless the potential to spread globally, so that it is clearly a common interest of mankind to give priority to the protection of poorer and fragile communities and of their ecosystems viability: both to keep them on board in the global challenge of mitigation and to prevent them from engaging in destabilizing dynamics likely to spill over beyond their regions.
In this scenario, no nation can consider itself safe and isolated, even if it is solid enough to face environment degradation on its own territory, or if it is temporarily benefitting from environmental modifications: the bad fate of the poorer will end up affecting the whole system. Development aid, in this perspective, acquires a new status: far beyond an overdue instrument to bridge a gap in justice and opportunities, it stands out as the first action needed to defuse a planet wide loop of disruption, provided it is environmentally compliant, integrated, and mainstreamed.
Feedback loops in action within the interconnectedness of the global system are a threatening and disturbing perspective, foretelling higher than foreseen disruption and introducing a scaring degree of complexity in the equation. On the other hand, they help us better focus the goal: our task is not to solve a collection of isolated problems but to halt and reverse interlinked loops. It requires an analysis of complex interactions but - once sensitive connection knots are identified – this will provide us with a very powerful tool to bring balance back in track: we can leverage the interconnectedness of the system in the opposite direction, towards rebalancing the system, with a few well targeted initiatives.
Indeed, an unbalance in one sector tends to propagate to others and start cumulative cycles, but also the opposite seems true: rebalancing certain crucial regions, sectors or dynamics could start a cascade and cycle of wider rebalancing. This notion is also surfacing at the operational level as we start to identify more and more societal co-benefits of environmental actions: these, in turn, consolidate communities and put them in better conditions to start caring about their future and therefore to manage sustainably their environment, reverting the most dangerous loop of all. In a system that hosts cycles, both directions can be taken: it is increasingly clear that social protection initiatives have environmental co-benefits and that protecting the environment can put in motion a cycle of socio-economic progress. The myth of the trade-off between nature and progress is dead.
At this stage, co-benefits pose a problem in international negotiations about development finance, especially with respect to climate finance. Developing countries have claimed that the climate co-benefits of socially oriented aid – for instance – should not serve as an excuse to establish a double accounting through which one same initiative would appear twice: in the book of social aid and in the book of climate finance. Yet, this tension itself shows that approaching development aid in terms of trans-sector feedback loops is simplifying the problem, not complicating it: in the end, it means that we simply have to increase the volume of aid, and that protection brought on the human side of the equation helps solve the nature term, provided it is at least environmentally compliant. Beyond the accounting methods disputes, this reality is imposing itself, as the most recent OECD indications about climate finance accounting allow to ascribe a climate/environmental marker to development initiatives focused on sectors so disparate as governance or gender equality[1].
Co-benefits, in both directions, are just the first symptom of feedback loops; of a coherent global balance that can host both disruptive and constructive trans-sector cycles. The one feature that makes this balance coherent is that "mixed" loops – with both beneficial and destructive cascade consequences, among which a trade-off could be considered – seem to be foreign and incompatible with the system: in the end, all dynamics seem to resolve either in a comprehensively constructive cycle or in its opposite, while mixed balances mostly characterize transition phases or, more often, are considered "progress" by a group of temporary "winners" to the detriment of "losers"; but the total sum remains negative for the system.
If this is true, it has deep implications ranging from philosophy to economy, and especially in forging development aid. It means that what is really good for mankind tends to be protective of nature and, vice versa, that a healthy nature improves quality of life and sustains that better development we engaged in with the 2030 Agenda: no trade-offs. It also puts a big question mark on the whole development path chosen by mankind so far.
Our economies have been built on trade-offs: war and colonization, environmental degradation, unfair distribution, child labor, even slavery, have been justified in the name of industry and expansion. But doubtless, industrial economy distributed benefits. This seems contradictory with the notion of a coherent balance, but only apparently: those benefits were not for all, and it looks like the sum of the prices of all these trade-offs is what is bringing global balance off track in this phase. What went wrong with economic expansion and our chosen path of progress? A lot of bad planning and lack of vision, but the fundamental glitch has been that both public and private action has singled out only a few among the various multifaceted human needs and elected them as "progress", pricing them in the market: in other words, once technology allowed freedom from need, we decided to keep on concentrating all our efforts on the competitive accumulation of certain goods and services provided by the market, neglecting a wider spectrum of human needs. Yet, the equation "what's good for men is good for nature" does not work if "what's good for men" is represented by a partial segment of a more comprehensive set of conditions that define human well-being. It works, instead, if we look at the integral complexity of human condition and it injects the best balance in the satisfaction of our multiple needs for both mankind and nature.
These implications are not abstract. They are motivating a very concrete exercise, launched by the United Nations, parallel to and interwoven with the 2030 Agenda, called "Data Revolution": the search for statistical indicators of collective performance that take into account dimensions well beyond those considered in traditional GDPs, necessary to make sense of the 2030 Agenda matrix. A measurement of performance that takes into account - not against, but beyond market values – also health, peace, security, justice, human rights, provides a portrait of "progress" which is protective towards the environment, and in which the environment is a goal, not a limit. A solely market focused index of performance, instead, tends to be maximized often to the detriment of other values and "within the limits" of Earth's productivity.
Cyclical interlinkages come together with equivalences: fighting poverty adds up to protecting the environment; involving excluded women in building green belts adds up to security and economy; what we do in a region of the world will reflect on other portions of the planet. Possible combinations are endless. This does not mean we can avoid selecting priorities: anything goes, anyway it is either beneficial or detrimental to the system as a whole. It is the law of marginal utility that tells us we should intervene first where the problem is more severe: poorer communities, more fragile ecosystems that – it is not a coincidence – tend to be overlapping on the map.
A matrix is a mathematical instrument. It would not be surprising to discover that its ultimate solution lies in a simple and elegant equation, like the one fundamental physics is struggling to find in a theory of all. An equation for an Earth's theory of all is emerging: environment = justice. Something deep is at work.
For further information: firstname.lastname@example.com
1. W.N. Adger, Social and Ecological Resilience: Are They Related?, Progress in Human Geography, 24, 347-364 (2000)
2. K.W. Bultzer, Collapse, Environment and Society, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 109, 3632-3639 (2012)
3. W.A. Fox, M. Renner, A.H. Westing, Environmental Degradation as Both a Consequence and Cause of Armed Conflict, Environmental Awareness, 25/1, 5 (2002)
4. H. Gee, Treeless at Easter, Nature, (7007) 443-6 (September 23, 2004)
5. S.M. Hsiang, K.C. Meng, M.A. Cane, Civil Conflicts Are Associated with the Global Climate, Nature, 477, 438-441 (2011)
6. S. Mason, A. Muller, A. Schnabel, C. Schmid, Linking Environment and Conflict Prevention: The Role of the United Nations, (Center for Security Studies, ETH, Zurich, 2008)
7. G. Mastrojeni, The Climate Challenge and the Value of Our Lands, Review of Environment, Energy and Economics (Re3), (November 2015)
8. M. Renner, Fighting for Survival. Environmental Decline, Social Conflict, and the New Age of Insecurity, (Norton, New York, 1996)


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The first thing I look forward to every morning, is my cell phone (like everyone else) but I had a very specific reason. Since there was four and half hours difference(now) between India and Germany timings, by the time I used to open my eyes to another beautiful day, my inbox had another new mail from none other than papa! Each day there was something different except for one…
The day in mail subject used to change. Since the time I entered this country, I receive a mail from papa every morning. It will have the normal things about day, followed by some interesting newspaper article from that day's newspaper, a motivational thought and finally lots of love… This was my routine everyday – wake up, read the mail, reply to the mail and then begin my day (with coffee because chocolate milk was no longer imposed on me – relief!)
There were some more people who arrived, and surprisingly, all 4 of them took the rooms right below where I lived (in the same apartment). Others were lucky to have got dorms as soon as they arrived. So there were times, when we went to pick them up from station or take for registrations, and help them buy all basic things which were needed. Automatically and naturally, bonding increased. As far as I knew, I would share all that I knew about the course with people who also took the same course.
A group started to form and my (not so exposed) mind thought that this is how it happens on screen and we all stay happily forever. How stupid I could be. We were 12 people by now who used to hang out, go out together, attend all parties happening in universities and so on.
Our first trip to a place called Stollberg! All we did, was take the tram from central station to that place, got down at the place. Took a lot of pictures and since it was weekend, nothing was open. Finally returned back to city in same tram. But I must admit, it was really fun.
I guess you get all the time to do all this only while your a student and enjoy the crazy, pointless tours just for the fact that your with friends.
Now this happens to almost everyone who does drink (once in a while) and so did it, with me as well. In one of the parties, we met a lot of seniors and very warmly, they all welcomed us. So there was a lot of loud music, lots of drinks and finally we ended up sitting and laughing in one of the dorm rooms. Chicken wings kept right there and at middle of the night, after drinking and dancing all anyone needs is food (yes bed obviously but after food). So we had lots of chicken wings and called it for the night.
I was walking back with my other apartment mates and it was one of the best walks I've had. I remember sitting at every possible chance I could on the way, asking questions one after another and laughing for no apparent reason. My friend was patient enough to answer all my questions and keep me occupied (so that I don't find a place and sit down, again) ,kept walking and made sure I walked all the way. One of my other friend was just too quiet, I guess trying to maintain his personality factor, but unusually quiet.
It was dawn by the time we all reached and crashed in our respective beds. Wonderful night indeed until…
Next morning I was informed that I did try to throw up on the way and spoke a lot(pretty normal in my case) but all in all, ended up normal at home.
' All this happens in every students life' (I have asked and that's why this sentence is here), is what was told to me when I felt so bad that I ended up quiet all day, next day. But either ways, as they say, all is well that ends well.
And yes, all this was described in my next day's mail to papa (else I couldn't have digested the fact that I didn't share something with him) and whatever happened after that…follows…


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Suppose there is a property with an old lease and an old producing well, so the property is HBP.
And suppose that around this property there are other tracts that have been recently leased by the same driller as the HBP tract.
Can the driller declare a unit including all of these, and say that the new leases are now HBP, based on the old well that was in production before the new leases were signed?
Views: 768
"If the Landowners allow it." That's the crux of the problem, the oil companies try everything to avoid paying more and call it "just doing business."
This leaves the landowners feeling used and cheated, with the only recourse to "take it to court" which very few owners have the financial means or fortitude to endure. It's like taking your baby from the lions and giving him to the sharks. Vetting lawyers is no picnic. We have been wringing our hands for over a year and figure it will probably be 6 more months at least. But we refuse to let the oil company tell us that they don't have to follow the terms of the lease, it is our property after all.
Good luck. Don't give up.
I don't think you can retroactively HBP land, especially under the circumstances that you cite. ODNR lets you redraw a unit map under special circumstances, but this doesn't sound like it qualifies.
See what the unitization clause on existing lease is. Say it is 120 acres if an old lease. That would limit what they could do. And if you have an old lease and they ask to amend the unitization to allow for 640 or 1280, make sure that any vertical well is still limited to 80 acres or so. That limits what they could expand a unit to with just a vertical well. And make sure there is a good Pugh clause with it.
Thinking over my question, I guess we could break it into two. First would be, could the driller form a unit? Seems like the answer has to be yes--he holds the leases and, like all leases, they allow formation of a unit. Assume no complication from limits on unit size.
Anybody see why he could not form a unit?
ASAIK, they certainly could. In fact that appears to be their strategy. The Buell well unit is only 177 acres. Its an old lease so they only have to pay 12.5% royalties on all that oil. Once that lateral is all deleted they will have to expand the unit to drill in other directions.
Once they expand the unit, royalties will be shared with all other owners. A totally unfair system but legal, I believe.
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For Blog 5, the Blgo Council (Madeline, Adri, and Jordi) thought it would be interesting to explore the idea of the sharing economy or collaborative consumption.
To do this, please listen to this podcast from KCRW, "The Rise of the Sharing Economy." The program, To The Point, is very good at bringing together people from different viewpoints.
After listening to the podcast, write a post about your reaction. You can go many directions.
- Do you agree more with one speaker?
- What further questions do you have?
- Would you participate more in the sharing economy?
- Is it really all that "new"?
- Why now?
The podcast page has additional information.
Plus, here are two other links of interest.
Collabroative Consumption. Is this like a social movement? Can it lead to protests and protest policing like the Globalization from Below book argued?
"The Sharing Economy" by Daniel Sacks. I just love Fast Company.
ALSO- remember advice from last BC:
Here are ways in which we can improve our blog:
Use clear paragraph breaks (and use them often)!
- Long, drawn-out paragraphs make a blog post look less "clean" and concise.
Read through your blog post before publishing it!
- Use spell check and grammar.
There is no need to say "blog #" within the title.
Embed URLs in the text.
Use comments to engage in conversation!
- Don't be afraid to express your opinion or disagree with somebody. As long as you are respectful about it, this is what ignites meaningful discussions.
Relate back to previous authors/readings that we have discussed in class.
- Use the hyperlink tool to reference other online sources.
Related articles
- Circular economy: experts share their views on opportunities and challenges (theguardian.com)
- A Greek way of getting dinner (bbc.co.uk)
- The rise of the collaborative consumption economy (pri.org)
- 9 Collaborative Consumption Services You've Got To Try (earthtechling.com)
- Entrepreneurship and the "Sharing Economy" In Greece (reason.com)


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Meet our upcoming stud Sully!
Champagne Male eebbdd
Sully was born at here at Tall Pine Labradors and he was from our very special Tank X Kimber 9/11 Never Forget Litter 2018
Born: Sept 11th, 2018
His parents are Tank & Kimber
Weight: 60 pounds
Sully lives with his forever family James & Marna Davis, in Dexter, MI.
Health Testing by DNA: Will be done by Embark
Sully is clear by parentage of over 171 genetic diseases. Although Tank carries EIC, we already had Sully tested for EIC by Paw Print Genetics and he is clear. Our goal at TPL is to continue to produce sound, healthy dogs that are free from disease. Keeping back clear dogs is a goal of ours. Here are some of the most common diseases that affect Labrador Retrievers.
PRA/prcd – Clear
EIC – Clear
PRA/gr2 – Clear
RD/OSD – Clear
DM – Clear
CNM – Clear
HNKP – Clear
Health Testing hips & elbows:
OFA prelims – TBD Fall 2019
OFA elbows – TBD Fall 2019
Sully has a wonderful calm temperament. He is the ying to our other stud Rider's yang. Sully is known for his go with flow type of personality. He carries after his father Tank, but he is an even mellower. Sully is very smart and loves to do puzzle toys. He is definitely a problem solver. Sully notices when someone is sick or upset and provides companionship. You will find him snuggled up on the couch with his favorite little kid.
Sully will be available for stud service after his health testing is complete. We require that females have a minimum of OFA/PennHipp, DNA health panel, and a negative brucellosis test within five days of breeding. Fresh and shipped semen will be available.


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Dark clouds loom over me. Birds sing out warnings of the upcoming storm. But I still sit here, on this park bench, enjoying life at present. As the first drop hits my head, I wonder if there will be more, although I already know the answer. Yet, I let myself believe there is one small chance the clouds will pass me by. Maybe they will postpone their attack until tomorrow. I do not have to worry about them today. And then it comes. Drip, Drop, Drip. Patter, pitter, patter. Draaahhp. Crash. Swoooshhh.
This analogy of the upcoming due dates with papers, exams, and orals accurately describes many procrastinators' outlooks on assignments. Throughout my education experience, I have found that as the semesters end, it becomes increasingly harder for me to motivate myself and embrace the reality in the "storm." But, it is altogether so important that I do. Most of the assignments due at the end of the semester, along with exams, will end up determining the work I have put in throughout the semester. During this crunch time, it takes every last thing within us to push through, fight through that fourth quarter, and finish strong.
When we do not prepare ourselves for upcoming storms, we often sell ourselves short. Once the storm hits, we are left to soak outside with no means to protect ourselves. Instead, we should be conscious of what is to come, and adequately prepare ourselves for the storm. Write papers ahead of time. Take time away from social events and study for the coming exams. What you put in, you will most likely get out. Or, at least, you can rest easy knowing you did all you could.
For some, this advice may seem too late. But, much like a child who learns through getting wet in the rain, we are all human and will take this experience and learn for the next end of a semester, or fourth quarter, or business due date.
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Jessica De Gree
Jessica teaches English as a second language in Spain and plays basketball professionally there. She recently received her Bachelor's degree from Hillsdale College, one of the nation's top Liberal Arts schools in MI. At Hillsdale, she played basketball and studied English and Spanish. Some of her hobbies include reading, writing, painting, surfing, and playing the piano.
September 2019


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The Chinese metals market is a puzzle, according to Glencore's billionaire chief executive officer, Ivan Glasenberg, after reporting that a slowdown in the world's biggest commodities buyer had helped to cut the company's first-half profit by 56%.
"At the moment, none of us can read China; it's a very difficult market to read right now," Glasenberg, who controls an 8.4% stake in the company, said in a phone interview in London on Wednesday. "It's surprised a lot of us. A lot of the infrastructure and projects they had on plan did not take place."
Glasenberg, an accountant turned coal trader, is steering the company through the strongest headwinds since the Swiss commodity trader's $10-billion initial public offering four years ago. The stock has slumped more than 60% since then. China's economy is expanding at the slowest pace in a quarter of a century and raw material prices are at a 13-year low.
"China, definitely, the first half was a lot weaker than anyone expected," Glasenberg said. "It's getting harder to predict what Chinese consumption is going to do for our metals."
Glencore has slid 40% this year to make the $36-billion Swiss company the worst performer on the United Kingdom's FTSE 100 Index. It slumped to a record low this week in London after reporting the drop in first-half profit. The company cut its full-year earnings forecast for its trading division. It also outlined further spending reductions.
'Going to disappoint many'
Glasenberg is paring debt in a bid to maintain dividends and preserve an investment-grade credit rating. "We have got a worsening situation right now," John Meyer, a mining analyst at SP Angel Corporate Finance, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. "Glencore, I think, should have performed a little bit better through the first half. This is going to disappoint many. The metals trading didn't do so well. China really slowed down. It totally hit a wall."
China uses about 40% of the world's copper supply and half its aluminium. Falling prices for both materials have helped cut earnings for metals traders.
Adjusted net income declined to $882-million in the six months to June 30, from $2.01-billion a year ago, the company based in Baar, Switzerland, said in a statement on Wednesday. That beat the $711-million average of seven analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. It will pay a dividend of six cents a share.
Adjusted earnings before interest and tax from its trading business, which includes the sale of commodities from crude to copper, fell to $1.07-billion. That compares with the $1.28-billion average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
Glencore reported a 56% slump in first-half profit as its trading unit failed to offset a Chinese-led drop in raw-material prices. "Markets are weak," Glasenberg said. "China in the first half was a lot weaker than anyone had expected."
In previous years, Glencore had cushioned the effect of lower commodity prices through its trading business, the world's largest at a public company. But, in the first half, trading was weak because of what the trading house said was a "collapse" in the premiums that traders are able to charge clients for the delivery of metals such as aluminium and nickel.
The company cut its full-year forecast for the trading business to $2.5-billion to $2.6-billion, down from the $2.7-billion to $3.7 billion, it announced in December.
'Fixating on the risks to growth'
"The first half of 2015 was another challenging one for commodities," Glencore said. "Financial markets continued to fixate on the risks to global growth, against a backdrop of a stronger United States dollar."
After writing down the value of assets, Glencore reported a net loss of $676-million, compared with a profit of $1.72-billion a year earlier. Glencore is defending its coveted investment-grade credit rating and dividends by lowering expenditure and selling some assets.
The company last week said it is trimming this year's spending plan by as much as $800-million to $6-billion and selling $290-million of mines. In addition, on Wednesday it said its capital investment next year will be capped at $5-billion. Heath Jansen, a mining analyst at Citigroup in Dubai, described the cuts in spending as "a positive".
The company cut its net debt by $982-million in the first half to $29.6-billion, more than analysts had expected. It impaired the value of its oil assets in Chad by $792-million after paying $1.35-billion last year for them.
Glencore investor Harris Associates, one of the biggest shareholders in the commodity trader and miner, is betting that this year's worst performer on the UK's benchmark stock index will recover.
Harris increased its stake to 4.5% by buying shares in the past 30 days as Glencore tumbled, said David Herro, the chief investment officer for international stocks.
Harris is now Glencore's fourth-largest shareholder with a stake worth about $1.6-billion based on Tuesday's closing price. It owned about 1% as of June 30, according to public filings, and hasn't previously disclosed its increased holding.
"We like their copper position, we like their trading position," Herro, who manages the $29-billion Oakmark International Fund, said in a phone interview. "Their other metals don't seem to be anywhere near as impaired as iron ore. They are well positioned."
"It's one of the only stocks that's up today so maybe the market generally has taken the view that is a signal." Glencore shares are near a bottom, Rob Clifford, an analyst at Deutsche Bank AG in London, said by phone Tuesday.
At the weekend, the Telegraph described Herro as an activist investor building a stake to pressure Glasenberg, but Herro denied this.
"We have not invested in this as activist shareholders. We have made this investment as long-term value investors. The business at this price is substantially undervalued. We are a long-only value shop." – © Bloomberg


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Join Kevin, Shane (from 1up) and Mike as they discuss how the decreasing number of exclusive titles will affect the PS3's future
but again who cares? only fanboys
add me lets go play it
GAMERTAG: Scotty_B
What kind of a question is this?
Anyway I dont think this applies here, the Ps3 is failling cause somebody really screwed up.
But I doubt the install base for the PS3 won't be as grand as the previous two system which claimed their success by third parties making exclusives for the PS1/PS2 :D
PS3 is trash....
in all aspects.... it can't even beat VIVA PINATA.
HALO will crush the PS3 once and for all...
At this point because of XBL and achievements all 2nd & 3rd party titles are for the 360. So they need a serious Gears of War type exclusive that will drive sales. If not they are in for an even more troubled generation then it has already been.


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Our Unique Associate Guest houses
Ecosafari Kumai House
Located in the port town of Kumai on the Kumai river, this is a stepping stone to the Tandjung Puting National Park. The house is on the river and has two comfortable, air conditioned double rooms with attached bathroom. From a comfortable lounge you proceed to the veranda and relax looking at the passing traffic on the river.
Josep Guest House
This unique guest house provides an ideal haven of peace for the trans Flores traveller. the climate is cool and fresh and a dawn experience at the Kelimutu Lakes is a must. We provide clean, comfortable accomodation.


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19h30 for 20h00 - 22h00
Further information
We would be happy to hear from you should you like to find out more about the club, meetings or bonsai in general.Send us a mail
We have an exciting calendar of club meetings, events and public exhibitions planned for 2017/8.Learn more
Flight of herons on dark sky ...
Oh! Autumn snowflakes! ~ Sokan
Tying roots - Rubber rings (approx one centimeter thick) cut from a motor car tube, have many uses. For example use to tie roots in a Root over rock planting - they also make good garters!