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It was Sunday morning, Feb. 27, and I was getting ready to deliver my final sermon at church. Shortly after 9 am I received a push notification that Vladimir Putin, just days after invading Ukraine, elevated Russia's nuclear forces to "special combat readiness." This is Russia's highest level of alert.
It was a surreal moment considering that my text was Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
My immediate response was fear, which surprised me. All the cold war feelings of the early 80s rose up and said, "Privyet. Kak dela?" I didn't panic, thankfully, but I had to process my emotions for a moment. My heart rate and breathing sped up. I walked out of my bedroom to the living room and sat on the couch. I asked myself: Is this real? Why is this happening?
It didn't take me long to rein in my thoughts and return to baseline. I reminded myself of the passage I had been studying and the notes I had made. I thought of other promises in Scripture and found hope and peace in God's sovereignty over the nations. Lastly, I knew that while Putin may have his finger on the proverbial "button," within the providence of God he is limited in his ability to act.
These are not wishful thoughts of self-delusion. These are words of faith and comfort that are found in Scripture and are promises to God's children. Verses such as "it is impossible for God to lie" (Hebrews 6:18) gave me the peace of mind I needed to process the invasion itself. And in processing the invasion, I began to relive my experiences in Ukraine.
I first went in 2011. It was a quick turn-around, from Wednesday to Sunday, and was designed to establish partnerships for future trips. I was one of four men who went. We stayed at the Kiev Theological Seminary and spent most of our time in and around Kiev, travelling back and forth across the Dnieper River. In between meetings with local partners we were driven around the sprawling city to take in the sights and see some of the history and architecture. Despite the cold (it was Feb. 3-6), the snow, both fresh and stained black along the sides of the roads and walkways, and the gray skies, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the monuments and the bleakness of the Soviet-style apartment buildings. Saint Sophia Cathedral, with its golden domes, stood out in the heart of the city testifying of a better country, while the Motherland monument, with its stoic facade facing Moscow, pointed to something decidedly less-blissful.
My second visit was summertime 2013. The bitter cold of the previous trip was replaced by a stifling heat. I spent very little time in Kiev, heading west to Dubno for two weeks. Dubno, a historic center of Judaism and, later, the location of a Soviet airbase, is in the Rivne Oblast along the route to L'vyv and ultimately Poland. Rivne is best known, though not widely recognized, to Windows users as the setting for the "Tunnel of Love" photo of train tracks disappearing into foliage. The town of Dubno is shaped like a poorly formed Pillsbury crescent roll that is angled towards 7 o'clock, and I stayed in a dacha in the upper right corner of the city. My team worked with нове життя Церква (New Life Church) running camps for children, both local and from other parts of the country. Many of these children were orphaned or functionally orphaned by parents who sent their children to live with relatives while they found work in other towns or countries. While we did not speak Ukrainian or Russian, we were able to communicate with ease. This was due to the presence of translators. Children around the world value the same things: attention and interaction. We provided these despite our language and cultural differences.
My memories from Ukraine, only a few of which I have mentioned here, continue to flood my mind. Since the initial invasion, the actions of the Russian military assault have become more and more inhumane – not that invading a sovereign nation is a humane action to begin with. As of the writing of this post, a women's and children's hospital has been bombed in Mariupol, thermobaric vacuum bombs have been used, despite laws preventing their use against civilians; there is concern that biological and chemical weapons could be employed by Russia under the false pretenses of retaliation. There is even speculation that Putin might use tactical nuclear weapons, especially if he feels that Russia is losing the war. Sadly, due to Putin's erratic nature and desire to dominate his objectives, this thought cannot be easily dismissed.
Which brings me back to where I began: my emotional reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Immediately I thought about the potential of nuclear escalation, which was the environment in which I was raised. What was America's answer in the early 80s? Red Dawn, Firefox, and Rocky IV. Send in Patrick Swayze, Clint Eastwood, and Sylvester Stallone and "the Commies" would never know what hit them.
That's not the real world and never has been, not then, not now. In the real world, tyranny exists. Dictators want to conquer and subjugate other nations and cultures, and they will inflict pain and suffering to do so. This has been true since the dawn of civilizations, since Cain killed Abel, since the Fall. What we are witnessing in Ukraine has been done before and will be done again until Christ returns. That may be both comforting and discomforting. Reality is often both, at times simultaneously.
Which raises the question: how do I process this, especially since my heart is hurting from the senseless pain and suffering that will be a way of life for so many from this point forward? I know that ending the armed conflict will not diminish the trauma that has already occurred in the people of Ukraine. Fear. Uncertainty. War. Hunger. Fleeing. Explosions. Death. These cannot be glossed over or merely forgotten.
For the answer, I can only go back to Scripture. In Matthew 24, Jesus says: "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains" (vv 6-8). Jesus Himself tells His followers – us – not to be overly alarmed when we witness or hear about wars. This is not a denial of the horror, it is an acknowledgment that God is still in charge, even during the times when it seems least likely.
Conflict, on any scale, is the normal result of a fallen world. Yet wars are not the end but point to the end, to a time when wars will forever cease. [Without going too deep into eschatology, I hold to the belief that the "end times" is the period from Christ's ascension to His return.] In this passage, Jesus is saying that just when things seem to be at their worst, and signs of defeat are everywhere, then take heart because He is on His way.
From this truth I turned to one of the greatest gifts and weapons that has been given to all Christians: prayer. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." While the immediate context refers to philosophies and teachings that are in opposition to Scripture, the broader context includes all spiritual warfare. Prayer is a weapon of divine power.
The Bible makes it clear that Christians have been commissioned by God to pray about "all things" (Philippians 4:6), which includes the actions of a power-hungry despot. I should pray, and continue to pray, for the situation in Ukraine: the Ukrainian people, its leaders, and military; the Russians, its people, leaders, and military, and; the conflict itself. I should pray that God would restrain the evil and allow help to get to the victims. I should pray that the gospel would go forward despite the war, that God's kingdom would expand notwithstanding these evil acts. And I should pray knowing that God already knows these requests before I ask and has promised that He will work all things according to His will (Matthew 6:8, Ephesians 1:11, 1 John 5:14-15).
I am still heartbroken at what is happening in Ukraine and to the Ukrainian people. Wars and rumors of wars are a devastating testimony of our fallen nature. Thanks be to God that He is not only in complete control, but that He also inclines His ear to our prayers.
May the grace of God protect the people of Ukraine.


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How We Met
Tinder was invented with the idea of meeting someone in close proximity and through a common best friend called algorithm, plus a little bit of chemistry called attraction. As for M and myself, we met in a pretty similar way… Except it was through a real best friend (that was common to both of us) and in real proximity (called a night club). I guess we were pretty old school then. Fast-forward through all the date nights, school days and unthinkable long-distance which made minutes feel like hours, and both of us graduated from university. We were ready to take on the world!
how they asked
On a regular Friday morning, while I was squeezing in another precious hour of sleep, M woke me up saying that I did not have to go to work! He whisked me off to pack my bags for a beach holiday and to the airport where my surprise destination was revealed. I felt extremely blessed to be hosted by The Datai at Langkawi, but I thought things were a little too good to be true and found it fishy that it could be the weekend. Nonetheless, I had a fun-filled weekend as M always made sure I did in every holiday we shared.
On the night before we left the island, he asked me to marry him! With fairy lights, photographs and a good bottle of champagne, I must say he does know the way to win a girl's heart.
M had been the pillar of support in every decision point of my life: my studies, my career, my growing up from a girl to a woman. And from today, he would be there the same for my children. This is when I know he is the one. We don't have a magical "how we met" story, but we definitely have a heart-warming "how we made it" story, and I couldn't have felt more joy since the day he asked.

subset: commoncrawl


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The unprecedented West Coast toxic algal bloom of 2015 appears to be linked to the unusually warm ocean conditions—nicknamed "the blob"—in the winter and spring of that year.
The bloom closed fisheries from southern California to northern British Columbia.
"We have toxic algae events that result in shellfish closures off the Washington and Oregon coast every three to five years or so, but none of them have been as large as this one," says lead author Ryan McCabe, a research scientist at the University of Washington's Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, a collaborative center with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"This one was entirely different, and our results show that it was connected to the unusual ocean conditions."
"This paper is significant because it identifies a link between ocean conditions and the magnitude of the toxic bloom in 2015 that resulted in the highest levels of domoic acid contamination in the food web ever recorded for many species," says coauthor Kathi Lefebvre, a marine biologist at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center. "This is an eye-opener for what the future may hold as ocean conditions continue to warm globally."
Researchers found that the 2015 harmful algal bloom, which set records for its spatial extent and the level of toxicity, was dominated by a single species of diatom, Pseudo-nitzschia australis, normally found farther south off California.
Cell division kicks into high gear
Warm water not only allowed this species to survive, it also created an environment favoring its growth. By early 2015 the warm "blob" had moved toward shore and spread all along the West Coast. Warmer water creates less dense surface water that is more likely to stay floating on the surface, where it can become depleted in nutrients.
Previous laboratory studies by coauthor William Cochlan of San Francisco State University showed that P. australis can take up nitrogen very quickly from a variety of sources, and appear to outcompete other, nontoxic phytoplankton in nutrient-depleted warm water.
For the new study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers performed experiments with P. australis from the 2015 bloom. They showed that when these cells experience warmer temperatures and get more nutrients they can double or triple their cell division rates, allowing them to potentially bloom into a large population fairly quickly at sea.
"When springtime shifts in wind direction brought deeper, nutrient-rich water upward near the coast, a small population of P. australis became a big population, which was then washed ashore along the West Coast by late spring storms," says coauthor Barbara Hickey, professor of oceanography at the University of Washington.
Boston can blame Pacific's warm 'blob' for record snow
This was especially damaging in a year dominated by P. australis.
"This species is almost always highly toxic," said coauthor Raphael Kudela, a marine ecologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "It blooms every spring off California, and there are frequently marine mammal impacts. But to see P. australis up and down the coast like this was unprecedented."
Toxic algae come in many forms, but off the West Coast the major health and economic threat comes from various Pseudo-nitzschia species which can, under certain conditions, produce domoic acid, which can cause gastrointestinal distress, seizures, memory loss, and even death.
Toxins can accumulate in razor clams and mussels, making them unsafe for human consumption. But the effects in the ecosystem are more widespread and long-lasting. Shellfish and anchovies containing toxins can get eaten by marine mammals and birds. If toxic algae settle to the ocean floor, they also can get eaten by bottom-dwelling animals like crabs, which then become unsafe to eat.
In late May 2015, a sea lion was found convulsing on a Washington beach, and domoic acid was identified in its feces.
"That's something we'd never seen before in Washington, and when we heard this news we knew something huge was going on," says coauthor Vera Trainer, a research oceanographer at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center.
'Significant connection'
That year saw the largest geographic extent of marine mammal impacts ever recorded.
A NOAA-led cruise in June 2015 sampled water from southern California up to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The new study includes those observations, collected near the end of the Washington bloom, as well as other ongoing beach monitoring and water sampling efforts that filter seawater to see the life it contains.
Researchers at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center examined the water samples under a high-resolution scanning electron microscope to identify the species present.
"As we started getting more and more of the samples that coincided with the peaks in the razor clam toxicity, it was quite clear that P. australis was the dominant species all along the coast," Trainer says.
State resource managers have been collecting shellfish to monitor for toxins for decades. Out on the water, samples collected by the Olympic Region Harmful Algal Blooms Partnership and other efforts have also contributed to a 25-year record of toxic algae events.
Is blue-green scum turning lakes into toxic pools?
The new paper compares the history of toxins in razor clams to indices of ocean climate variability, and finds a connection with El Niño and the longer-term Pacific Decadal Oscillation.
"There's a significant connection there," McCabe says. "The toxic events also tend to coincide with previously established marine ecosystem shifts. We had not made that connection before, and I think it's fascinating."
Ocean climate cycles could help understand and better predict the emergence of toxic algal blooms. And while the blob was a one-time event that was not due to global warming, it provides a window into what climate change might look like.
"Species like Pseudo-nitzchia are extremely well-poised to take advantage of background warming," McCabe says. "Pseudo-nitzchia are always out there along our coast. The fact that they are almost engineered to take advantage of situations like this—warm temperatures and low nutrients—that is concerning."
He recommends more monitoring of harmful algal blooms, through collecting shellfish and water samples on the coast and offshore to see whether toxins or toxin-producing algae are present, and, if so, which species. "Without stably funded programs like that, we're just going to be blind."
Other coauthors are from Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, and NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The research was primarily funded by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science's Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research.
Additional funding came from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and COAST through SFSU.
Source: University of Washington


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Distributed File Sharing and Retrieval Model for Cloud Virtual Environment
Cloud-based storage services are multiplying and are being adapted mostly for data storage. At the same time, many potential problems pertaining to data storage and security are being addressed. This research provides the architecture for splitting user data and the solution in retrieving different data chunks, stored on different cloud storages. By doing this, not only the load on a single server is reduced but security and storage are efficiently used. Data would be stored and retrieved in slices, hence the chances of data forgery are diminishing. File processing will be faster as split parts would be fetched from different clouds, enabling parallel processing.
Keywords:cloud computing, data security, file sharing, distributed system
R. M. Babu, "Secure Storage and Retrieval of Big Data on Distributed Cloud Environment", International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, Vol. 11, No. 10, pp. 7063-7071, 2016
J. Broberg, S. Venugopal, R. Buyya, "Market-oriented grids and utility computing: the state-of-the-art and future directions", Journal of Grid Computing, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 255–276, 2008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10723-007-9095-3
J. Tang, Y. Cui, Q. Li, K. Ren, J. Liu, R. Bayya, "Ensuring Security and Privacy Preservation for Cloud Data Services", ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 49, No. l, Article No 13, 2016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/2906153
K. Liu, L. J. Dong, "Research on Cloud Data Storage Technology and Its Architecture Implementation", Procedia Engineering, Vol. 29, pp. 133-137, 2012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2011.12.682
C. P. Ram, G. Sreenivaasan, "Security as a Service (SasS): Securing user data by coprocessor and distributing the data", Trendz in Information Sciences & Computing, Chennai, India, December 17-19, 2010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TISC.2010.5714628
T. Sivashakthi, D. N. Prabakaran, "A Survey on Storage Techniques in Cloud Computing", International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering, Vol. 3, No. 12, pp. 125-128, 2013
V. Ukey, N. Mishra, "Dataset Segmentation for Cloud Computing and Securing Data Using ECC", International Journal of Computer and Information Technologies, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 4210-4213, 2014
K. Gabhale, N. Jadyal, A. More, V. Bhalekar, V. V. Dakhode, "Data Partitioning Technique to Improve Cloud Data Storage Security", International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 24-26, 2016
N. M. Anuradha, G. A. Patil, "Secure and Efficient Data Retrieval in Cloud Computing", International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 2278-0181, 2015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17577/IJERTV4IS041017
P. H. Atulkumar, P. A. Atulkumar, "A Review of Addressing Storage Correctness in Cloud Computing with Trusted Third-Party Auditor", International Journal of Research in Engineering & Advanced Technology, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 1-4, 2013
V. Goutham, P. A.. Reddy, K. Sunitha, "K-Nearest Neighbor Classification on Data Confidentiality and, Privacy of User's Input Queries", International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering, Vol. 5, No. 7, pp. 704-708, 2016
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It should go without saying that everything BIXBI does is done in the best interest of your dog. There are much easier, cost-effective ways to make dog food. But we have always known that using ingredients like fresh meat and whole foods is what's right for your dog. We are one of the only companies that don't use meat meals in any of our recipes. We publish our digestibility results and are always transparent (dare we say proud?) about our ingredient sourcing.
We joke about it being "damn near perfect," but it 's actually something we strive for.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and Dogs
There has been a lot of confusion around DCM, diet, dogs and the FDA. You may be hearing mixed messages about grain-free diets and if grains need to be included for a food to be safe.
Recently Dr. Steven Solomon, Director of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine helped bring more clarity to the situation.
On November 3, 2020, Solomon released a report that confirmed two very important facts.
- "FDA has not taken regulatory action against or declared any specific pet food products unsafe or definitively linked to DCM."
- "Historically, DCM has been primarily linked to genetic predisposition in certain breeds, but in the context of these atypical cases, emerging science indicates that non-hereditary DCM is a complex medical condition that may be affected by the interplay of multiple factors such as genetics, underlying medical conditions and diet."
BIXBI Goes Beyond
Just like our recipes and the ingredients we use, BIXBI goes above and beyond with safety, science and nutrition.
BIXBI employs a PhD in Companion Animal Nutrition, a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), in addition to a world-renowned Veterinary Cardiologist and other industry experts with decades of canine nutrition experience. All are well-respected and work closely with the BIXBI team to develop, test and certify each recipe is complete, balanced and nutritious for all breeds and life stages.
All of this to ensure your dogs health, wellness and nutrition.
What has BIXBI done to help provide your dog with a safe diet?
- Developed a variety of both grain-inclusive and grain-free diets so that you can feel confident in what you offer your dog
- Conducted blood plasma and digestibility studies to ensure our food has safe levels of digestible amino acids
- Supplemented with taurine and l-carnitine
- We test all of our raw ingredients as well as our finished food to make sure everything is packed full of the things your dog needs, and has none of the bad stuff.
- Provide you with a complete nutritional analysis of our diets (want to see what's in your dog food? Just ask!)
The BIXBI Difference starts with fresh ingredients. Thoughtfully sourced fresh meat, poultry and fish are the primary sources of protein. Common ingredients like chicken meal, beef meal and fish meal and industrial grains like soy, corn, wheat and rice are cheap fillers and are never used in BIXBI recipes.
When you start with good ingredients, the last thing you want to do is over-process them and remove their nutritional benefits. BIXBI gently steam cooks all of our kibble in its own juices to retain flavor and nutrients.
All BIXBI products are tested by independent third-party labs for accuracy and safety. BIXBI goes above and beyond standard pet food testing protocols and tests for heavy metals and other toxins that can potentially build up in a dogs body over time.


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Today, as we commemorate the anniversary of the brutal murders of 14 women at Montreal's École Polytechnique in 1989, we pledge to fight.
On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, we release our 10th annual CEDAW Report Card, which grades BC on the human rights standards set by the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Our Report Card is a snapshot of the actions taken – or not taken—by the BC government during the year.
Many Canadians believe that our nation is exemplary when it comes to gender equality and human rights. But the reality is that the UN has repeatedly called out Canada for human rights violations. The truth is, we aren't meeting international standards.
Our local fight for gender equality is also part of the larger global struggle. So, where do we fight? The answer is everywhere we can raise our voices for equality: before the courts, on the legislature steps, in the media, and at the United Nations.
The Province received a D- on violence against women, which includes the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. While gendered violence knows no boundaries, Indigenous women and girls continue to face disproportionate rates of violence.
BC has failed to take urgently necessary action—including for access to justice and poverty alleviation—to remove barriers to women seeking safety. It's a fact that poor conditions for women in areas such as housing, access to justice, employment, and health care can increase women's vulnerability to violence and intensify barriers to seeking safety.
BC also received a D- for failing to correct its ever-worsening over-incarceration of Indigenous people, particularly girls and women. It is disturbing that inequalities in the criminal justice system based on colonization are deepening over time rather than being addressed meaningfully—with serious consequences for human rights.
There are some bright spots in this year's Report Card: BC has made substantial progress towards meeting child care obligations, earning an unusually high A- in this area. This is the first time in a generation that parents are paying less, not more, for child care—a noteworthy improvement. We will continue to work with the tireless child care advocates in BC to push the government to fulfil the promise of universal child care.
Although BC has taken some significant steps forward in the past year, in 2019 we will keep holding the BC government accountable to address gender inequality and fulfil our international human rights obligations.


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Next Monday, March 31 will be the last day Call of Duty: Ghosts fans will have the opportunity to upgrade their previous-generation version of Infinity Ward's shooter to next-gen.
As detailed last Fall, Activision's next-gen upgrade program allows users to swap their Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 version of Call of Duty: Ghosts for an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 copy for only $10. As long as the upgrade is made within the same console family, profile items like, stats, rank, and even downloadable or Season Pass content will all carry over.
For specific details, be sure to read up on the official FAQ found on Call of Duty's official website.
As a reminder, PlayStation and PC users will be able to get their hands on Call of Duty: Ghosts' first set of personalization packs and soldier skins tomorrow, March 25.
Call of Duty: Ghosts' second downloadable add-on, Devastation, is coming to Xbox Live on April 3. Check out the first trailer and initial details right here.
Have you upgraded yet? Are you planning to within the next week?


text: Hillside Brewery Return to Directory Business Genre Beer, Brewery toursBusiness Website Address https://www.hillsidebrewery.com/Business Phone Number 01452 830 222Business Address Hillside Brewery, Holly Bush Farm, Ross Road, Longhope, GL17 0NGBusiness Description We produce hand crafted real ales using the best local ingredients we can find. We also run brewery tours and brewing training courses.Map map Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website


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Scenario 1: The Pope is accused of heresy. A group of Bishops, priests, and theologians — along with the usual collection of bloggers and video-making enthusiasts — issue a "formal correction" and they demand, in a filial way of course, that the Pope "repent".
The Pope ignores them. Then they issue the second correction, as Saint Paul suggests. The Pope does not "repent". So they publicly claim that he is deposed.
But the Pope continues to ignore them. He in fact remains on the See of Peter, and he continues to exercise papal authority. Deposition failed.
Scenario 2: The papal critics accuse the Pope of heresy. They issue a document which many persons sign. They loudly proclaim his guilty to the world. They establish a commission to examine the accusation, which confirms his teaching is heresy.
The Pope responds by defining his own teaching as dogma under Papal Infallibility, and by defining their position as heresy.
His teaching under Papal Infallibility cannot be wrong. They have no claim to infallibility. They are established as the ones who are heretics.
Scenario 3: Pope Francis restricts the Latin Mass, and makes rules requiring all priests to concelebrate and to say the Novus Ordo Mass every so often. This is a hypothetical, at this point in time.
The Latin Mass traditionalists break communion with the Pope and the body of Bishops, and they set out on their own, like the son who took his father's inheritance and set out on his own.
They will end up with no Pope, no principle of unity. They will become divided into ever smaller groups. They will not agree among themselves on what is correct doctrine, and they have no Pope to settle their disagreements. Many of their followers fall away from the Faith altogether.
Popes cannot teach or commit heresy; they cannot fail in faith by apostasy or idolatry; they cannot err gravely in doctrine or discipline. All this is clearly established in my book. So if you are certain that the Pope has erred gravely, or is guilty of apostasy, heresy, or idolatry — you are certainly the one who is wrong.


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Friday 26th October 2018 • The Dome, Castlecomer Discovery Park, Castlecomer
New Opportunities for Rural Areas
Friday 26th October 2018 • The Dome, Castlecomer Discovery Park, Castlecomer
If you want to hear the latest developments at European level on renewable energy, energy efficiency, bioenergy and biobased enterprises and to see what opportunities exist, then this event is a must. Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development, will deliver the keynote address and chair the panel discussions.
The Event is FREE of Charge. However, pre-registration is necessary at: www.discoverypark.ie/booking
Phil Hogan has served as EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development since November 2014. His policy priorities include modernising and simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), strengthening European farmers' market resilience and their position on the food chain, and developing new export markets for EU agri-food products. Commissioner Hogan grew up on a farm in rural Kilkenny. From 1989 until he became Commissioner, he represented the Carlow/ Kilkenny constituency in Dáil Éireann. Between 2011 and 2014, he served as Minister for the Environment and Local Government. Prior to his entry into politics, he established and subsequently directed an insurance and real estate business. He also managed the family farm between 1981and 1983. He is a graduate of University College Cork, with a BA in Economics and Geography.
Tom Nolan, Ormonde Organics. Ormonde is Ireland's largest producer of renewable biogas, powering a greener world by converting organic waste from every sector into power, heat, fuel and soil amendment products using safe, natural bioscience. The company was founded in 1993 by Martin Morrissey and the head office is located in Portlaw, Co. Waterford. Ormonde was one of the first bioscience companies in Ireland to offer a complete environmental management service. Clients include Irish and multinational companies together and local authorities. Ormonde processes c.100,000 tonnes of organic materials at its anaerobic digestion, composting and thermal drying facilities. With a strategy of valorising organic materials, Ormonde continues to pursue growth opportunities for its business in the circular economy.
Paddy Phelan has been Manager of 3cea (formerly Carlow Kilkenny Energy Agency) since 2012. The 3cea promotes, develops and implements Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy projects that deliver long term sustainability to the local economy. The 3CEA is working in partnership with local authorities in Carlow, Wexford and Kilkenny to implement the Energy Map (ISO 50001) energy management programme, and with local rural development bodies to deliver sustainable community development projects.
Professor Kevin O'Connor, Professor Kevin O' Connor is director of BEACON bioeconomy research centre. He is also a Principal investigator in the UCD Earth Institute and a member of the School of biomolecular and biomedical science at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland. Professor O' Connor is also chairperson of the scientific committee for the European public private partnership Biobased Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), a member of the European Commission biobased products expert group and a previous member of the European Commission committee entitled the "lead market initiative for Bio-based products (2008-2011)."
Ciaran Mangan was a research biochemist with Unilever research UK, and Battelle Contract Research Geneva, before joining the Research General Directorate of the European Commission in 1990. Since then he has managed Agro-Industrial research and innovation programmes, resulting projects, and related policy development, over seven different Framework Programmes.
Registration from 1.30pm Tea / Coffee and Sandwiches on Arrival at 1.30pm
2.00pm Welcome Address Cllr John Brennan, Member of Kilkenny County Council
2.10pm Keynote Address Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development
2.30pm First Session Chaired by Commissioner Phil Hogan
2.35pm First Presentation Paddy Phelan, 3CEA, "Future Energy Potential in Agriculture."
3.00pm Second Presentation Tom Nolan, Ormonde Organics "Bio digestors in rural Ireland."
3.25pm Panel Discussion Q&A 3.45pm Short Break Tea / Coffee
4.00pm Second Session Chaired by Commissioner Phil Hogan
4.05pm First Presentation Professor Kevin O'Connor, UCD "Building a Bioeconomy in Ireland."
4.30pm Second Presentation Ciaran Mangan, DG RTD, European Commission. "Biobased industries and Biorefineries: Potential opportunities for farmers and food producers."
4.55pm Panel Discussion Q&A 5.15pm Closing Address Commissioner Phil Hogan
5.25pm Event Close


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Innovative and accredited continuing medical education for today's practicing clinicians.
CME Institute is trusted by physicians across medical specialties for premium continuing education that yields the highest educational outcomes. These ACCME-accredited activities make the latest research, novel therapies, and clinical best practices accessible and approachable for physician, NP, PA, and PharmD learners.
- Expert-led insights to improve patient outcomes
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Recent courses
An average of 35% of patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease experience Parkinson's psychosis. Recognition and diagnosis of this nonmotor manifestation is critical in choosing the best treatment strategy and managing these symptoms.
Clinicians have a number of therapeutic agents to choose from when treating T2D at risk of CKD. However, it's important to know how to sequence these therapies in real-world practice.
Pharmacology for MDD is limited by low efficacy, delayed response, and side effects. Research on the pathophysiology of the disease that includes the glutamatergic system and GABA signaling is ushering in a new era for rapidly acting antidepressants.
The new fast-acting antidepressants esketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, and positive allosteric modulators of GABAergic neurotransmission brexanolone and zuranolone have created an important and exciting paradigm shift in the treatment of depression.
Because of the multiple comorbidities and symptoms associated with Rett syndrome, clinicians are advised to implement a multidisciplinary approach to disease management with an eye toward new and emerging therapies on the horizon.
Because of the multiple comorbidities associated with Rett syndrome, clinicians are advised to incorporate clinical guidelines that suggest implementing therapeutics with a multidisciplinary approach and with an eye toward new and emerging therapies.
In this Tweetorial learn the causes, signs and symptoms, assessments tools, and treatments for the medication-induced movement disorder tardive dyskinesia.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension requires risk stratification to develop goal-directed treatment plans, including combination therapy targeting multiple pathways.
Among the most transformative Alzheimer Disease discoveries is the existence of biomarkers which can manifest decades before onset of disease-related dementia.
Navigating the associated differential diagnosis in AD is essential as various causes of cognitive impairment require different treatment strategies.
Regular screening of UACR and adding finerenone to SGLT2 inhibitors can greatly impact T2D at risk for CKD. Join faculty as they discuss three patient cases.
Due to Wilson disease myriad manifestations, its rarity, and its range of symptoms, differential diagnosis may be challenging, leading to delays in treatment. This Neuroscience Commentary reviews diagnostic acumen and the latest updates in the field.


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Detroit Lions (5-8) at Tennessee Titans (9-4)
This line has finally posted, favoring the Titans by 9 points at home over the Lions, with Matt Stafford expected to play through a rib injury. If Stafford was healthy and not at risk of an in-game setback, I would have been all over the Lions this week. For one, they're in a better spot than the Titans, who have to turn around and play a much tougher game against the Packers next week. Favorites cover at just a 44.0% rate all-time when facing a team with a winning percentage less than 40% before facing a team with a winning percentage at least 30% higher than their current opponent.
The Lions' defense has been horrendous this season, ranking dead last in first down rate allowed over expected at +4.43%, but the Titans haven't been much better, ranking 28th at +2.47%, and defensive performance is much more inconsistent week-to-week than offensive performance. The Titans obviously have the edge on offense, which they do over most teams, as they are one of the top teams in the league, ranking 3rd in first down rate over expected at +3.10%, but the Lions aren't too far behind, ranking 8th at +1.73%.
If Stafford was healthy, the Lions absolutely could have kept this shootout close and covered this spread. However, with him being less than 100% and possibly significantly less than 100%, it's a much riskier play. In fact, if the Titans get cornerback Adoree Jackson back this week and guard Rodger Saffold plays through his questionable tag, I'm going to flip this pick to the Titans. For now, I'm taking the Lions for pick 'em purposes, but this is one of my lowest confidence picks of the week.
Update: Saffold and Jackson are both playing, so I am switching my pick to Tennessee. I'm actually disappointed that Stafford won't be missing this game because I would have loved to bet on the Titans if backup Chase Daniel was starting. This is as healthy as the Titans have been in a while, while the Lions are very banged up on both sides of the ball. For reference, my calculated line is currently Tennessee -10, but it would have been Tennessee -16 with Daniel under center.
Tennessee Titans 34 Detroit Lions 24
Pick against the spread: Tennessee -9
Confidence: None


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Tonight was my second shop class at the car club we belong to, The Shop. We are still on suspensions but this time we installed a lift kit (new shocks and springs), on a Mercedes G-Wagon. You know…the Jeep Wrangler for people that want to spend $100K. I kid, I kid…I'm biased as a Wrangler owner. I may not be a G Wagon fanboy but it was really fun to work on. With the lift and the big wheels/low profile tires, I'm not sure this will be the best ride, but it will sure look cool!
As usual, I also found the time to wander around and take some fun photos of other cools cars there.


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Microsoft Corp.'s July 11th unveiling of a new object-oriented programming language is allied to the company's Dot-Net platform, but C# remains a bit of a mystery. The Full Monty on the language's details are still missing in action.
There have been rumours that the impending C# (pronounced "C-sharp") release is more about Microsoft's desire to rid itself of Sun Microsystems and Java rather than an answer to criticisms of its tools strategy.
"C# shares the same C++ core as Java does, and Microsoft is positioning against Java as a competitor," said Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Giga Information Group in Santa Clara, Calif. "It could compete with Java although it is a Microsoft-centric implementation. I think Microsoft is trying to distance itself from Sun and C# is its possible way out."
There is evidence to support Enderle's view. After all, up until Java burst onto the programming scene in 1995, Microsoft's Visual Basic programming language boasted the highest rate of adoption. Coupled with the fact Sun and Microsoft appear to get along about as well as the Hatfields and McCoys of late, it's not unreasonable to accept Enderle's position.
According to Microsoft, C# adds value to C and Visual Basic programmers working with Microsoft's application programming interfaces, as it is modelled after C++. For developers who don't program in Java, this may be a welcome reprieve. The empire that Bill Gates built stated C# will enable millions of C and C++ developers to leverage existing skills to rapidly build XML-based Dot-Net applications. Moreover, Microsoft stated C# is designed to bring rapid development to the C++ programmer without sacrificing the power and control that has been a hallmark of C and C++. The language will also be included in the forthcoming release of Visual Studio 7.0 in late 2000.
C# is designed to work harmoniously with Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) for linking code across Web sites, in addition to allowing businesses – not just e-commerce-enhanced sites – to develop and deploy applications on the 'net.
Michael Flynn, Microsoft Canada's developer tools marketing manager in Mississauga, Ont., said C# goes beyond mirroring Java.
"C# is an extension of C++ in that it inherits the best of all languages," he said. "It allows you to write code once without making mistakes…there are some (similar) architectural components of Java in C#, but whereas you import a package in Java, we import functionality modules."
Insiders whisper the days are numbered for Visual J++ – Microsoft's attempt to serve the Java community – as version 7.0 of Visual Studio is devoid of the language.
"[C#] bears the hallmarks of Java if that's the goal," said analyst Kevin Restivo of IDC Canada in Toronto. "It's designed to be extensible, you write it once, anywhere, it's convenient…integration is a key Microsoft feature with any application, so I don't think it's a replacement (for Visual J++). It remains to be seen if it's an enhancement."
Microsoft's C# has been submitted to the ECMA – an international standards body for scripting languages – to adopt a standard for the new dialect. Standardizing C# will continue to drive broad industry support for it, Microsoft said. C# will also include support for XML, which is emerging as a core technology of the Microsoft Dot-Net initiative.
"C# is easy to use to write applications," Flynn continued. "We've made the language simpler for developers to use. It's an Internet-enabled program that allows anyone to leverage the 'net, not just e-commerce sites. Every company can take advantage of this."
Flynn was unclear as to whether or not C# was geared to go head-to-head with Java.
For his part, Restivo said C# shouldn't be construed as a warning shot fired in Sun's direction.
"I don't think this is a shot across the bow so much as an answer to being able to write (code) once and run it anywhere at the users' convenience," he opined. "I don't see C# as a direct competitor of Java's; it seems to be more about programmers using the Dot-Net platform."
C#, according to Microsoft, can:
Embrace emerging Web programming standards.
Leverage an extensive framework for building apps on the Microsoft Dot-Net platform; includes support for turning any component into a Web service that can be invoked over the 'net from any application running on any platform.
Eliminate costly programming errors.
Eliminate the most common C++ programming errors by offering garbage collection to relieve the burden of manual memory management; variables in C# are auto initialized by the environment; variables are type safe.
Offer extensive interoperability.
Includes native support for the Component Object Model and Windows-based APIs; allows restricted use of native pointers.
Provides better mapping between processes.
Allows for typed, extensible metadata that can be applied to any object. A project architect can define domain-specific attributes and apply them to any language element classes and interfaces; tight coupling between the custom metadata and the program code strengthens the connection between the intended program behaviour and the actual implementation.


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This is going to be an interesting game. I think we already know that. But it's going to be especially interesting to see what is supposed to be a Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver group that is close to 100 percent. And they will also be doing so against the Baltimore Ravens secondary that is at less than 100.
A number of Steelers wide receivers are working their way back from injuries, and that includes All-Pro Antonio Brown, who suffered a hip injury in the game heading into the bye week that caused him to miss time in the second half.
In addition to Brown, of course, Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates have also been ailing and were literal or virtual non-factors in the last two games. Wheaton has missed four games, including the last two, with a shoulder injury, while Coates has been trying to adjust to playing with a fractured finger.
On top of that, Eli Rogers, who has missed two games with a toe injury, spent the last game on the bench for disciplinary reasons. He has effectively missed three and a half of the team's past five games, so his insertion back into the lineup is no small thing.
On the flip side, the Ravens are likely to be without Shareece Wright, who has been a starter, but has struggled, and they also just released Will Davis. There is talk that Jimmy Smith might shadow Brown throughout the game, so that could create some opportunities for the Steelers' other receivers.
The category of 'other receivers' might even go so far as to include Cobi Hamilton, who has been on the practice squad for the past three weeks, catching five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown in two games' worth of limited action. He was called up due to injuries, but everybody is expected to be back now. He played well, however, and plays on special teams, so he and his 6'2" frame and blocking ability could be an option in some select roles.
Even with all hands on deck—broken fingers or no—the Steelers' wide receiver group is not likely to be completely at full capacity, but tomorrow's game should see them as close to full strength as they have been pretty much all season, considering they began the year without Wheaton.
Of course, there is another big caveat in the equation, that being the fact that the quarterback position is going to be compromised as well, regardless of who actually takes the field, whether it is an injured starter or a backup player.
Hopefully, this group of wide receivers can start getting back on track, even if the Ravens' defense has rarely proven to be a good opponent to do it against. Baltimore knows how to play the Steelers' wide receivers, and that will be a hurdle to get over. But the right game plan can put them in the right position to make plays, and that includes Le'Veon Bell in the equation as a pass catcher.


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Akira, a white Ford Transit van, was parallel-parked along Pacific Coast Highway one crisp, sun-dazzled February noon. Behind her, a showy gold-toned 500-horsepower Mountain Aire. Ahead of her, the open road. On the passenger seat, a denim patchwork quilt and a copy of "Story," the screenwriting manual by Robert McKee. On the roof, an excessive amount of solar panelling.
"I would show you inside, but it's just been gutted," Joshua James Richards, a cinematographer who co-owns Akira with his partner, the writer-director Chloé Zhao, said, before reluctantly opening the sliding door. Inside was an unmade double bed, and no kitchen. "If any of the nomads saw that, they'd be ashamed of me."
He meant Linda May and Swankie, two of the real-life van dwellers who play versions of themselves in Zhao's new film, "Nomadland." It stars Frances McDormand as Fern, a woman who hits the road after losing her husband, her job, and her town. The gypsum plant where she works closes, and the town becomes a modern-day Pompeii, abandoned mid-thought, coffee cups still on counters. Her conveyance is Vanguard, a careworn white van, its headlights searching out a new future, everything bungee-corded down. "I'm not homeless, I'm just houseless," Fern says. Radical self-sufficiency is her true north.
Richards, who is thirty-six, with a scruffy beard, was wearing a navy barn jacket and grimy jeans. He was director of photography on the film, and head of production design. He outfitted Vanguard in the front yard of his and Zhao's house, in Ojai. "A neighbor came up to me and gave me his friend's card—a guy who decks out vans," he said. "He thought I was trying to make it nicer!"
Richards and Zhao got Akira in 2018, and that summer drove all around the West, scouting locations, meeting van dwellers and train hoppers, and trying to be unobtrusive in R.V. parks and campgrounds; they became connoisseurs of Famous Dave's. "Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Nevada. We were trying to write a movie and live in a van," Richards said. "As soon as the door shuts, the curtains close, you're in a cocoon. Once you close it, there's no one knocking on the door. Ted Bundy vibes! You feel very safe."
He clambered over some rocks that formed a breakwater between the highway and the surf. "This is how I grew up really, in Cornwall, sitting on rocks on the beach." His family were nomadic, too, and not well-off. Born-again in a country of Anglicans, they moved every couple of years, as his father, a preacher, sought out new congregations. "It was always being the new boy at school. Casting out demons on a Sunday morning when you want to be skating with your mates." He wanted to go to America, to find out how the story of Western expansion ends.
He found his way to N.Y.U.'s film school, and then to the campus bar, where he met Zhao. "There are two kinds of students," he said. "Those who go home to work on their script, and those who go to the Apple Bar." He went out West with her, to the Pine Ridge Reservation, in South Dakota. "It was the American West of my dreams," he said. "There'd be multiple lightning storms going at once. You think about the religion of those people. Of course they have a thunder god!" On the reservation, Zhao made "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," using locals to tell a loosely fictional story about a Native boy and his sister. Richards shot it, and submitted it as his thesis.
"Tarantino says digital is the death of cinema," he said. "Fuck you, man. Chloé could get no backing, because she's a Chinese woman. With digital, we could make our own movies for a hundred thousand dollars at the level they could be shown as cinema." Zhao's next film is "Eternals," a two-hundred-million-dollar Marvel movie with Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie, and Richards, operating the camera.
It was low tide, and a fisherman stood in the shallows, surf-casting, dark against the light-crazed sea. Richards held up his index fingers like goalposts, an imaginary viewfinder. "Madness and loneliness," he said. "It's Herzogian." He said that he was starting a new project, focussed on the old surfers in the shore community known as carps. He looked up and down the beach. There were characters everywhere. "California nomads! It's capturing something that's kind of gone, hanging by a thread."
What other story is there, anyway? Zhao, he said, had edited "Nomadland" during the pandemic. A sense of loss pervades the film; wistful dusks deepen into dark, as Fern walks across the Plains with her lantern. The Amazon warehouse, where she works during the holidays, is a fluorescent Death Star.
"We're all in existential crisis," Richards said. "We need to give ourselves time to mourn. To grieve for the life we've had that's not coming back. When Fern walks out of the only life she's ever known, it's that complete paradigm shift we've all had." ♦


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Home Bike News Rides Other Stuff Events Tech Links Adults Only
A member of outlaw motorcycle gang Comancheroes has been charged with assaulting police after an altercation in a club in Sydney's Kings Cross.
Police said three men forced their way past security at the entry to a club on Darlinghurst Road about 2.40am (AEST) on Sunday.
Police intervened and during an altercation in the stairwell of the premises, one of the men pushed a security guard into a policewoman, causing her to collide with a stairway banister.
As a result she sustained an injury to her lower back.
More police attended and the three men were arrested.
A 28-year-old Georges Hall man was charged with various offences, including assaulting police, affray and failing to quit a licensed premise.
The man is understood to be the sergeant-at-arms of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang.
He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Sunday.
A 27-year-old Mt Druitt man and a 23-year-old Edensor Park man were charged with affray and failure to quit a licensed premise.
They are both nominees in the Comanchero gang.
They were granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on May 24.


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Category: Birthdays
Rainbows, sparkles and Fairy Dust! Every little girl's dream is to be a Unicorn!
Naked & Semi Naked Cakes
Men just LOVE cake!!! Especially chocolate cake and I have even convinced some of them to try my vanilla cake with the home made lemon curd between the layers – and secretly, this is their favourite!
Below are some examples of cakes I have made for the handsome men out there,some of them are quite fun (the cakes, that is 🙂 )
Cakes for Ladies
Especially for the lovely ladies out there – here are some great ideas for your next birthday cake!
Little Girl's birthday cakes and cupcakes
Who wouldn't want to spoil their little princess on her special day?! Here are a few ideas for you:


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Latin American Banks Moving Rapidly to Smart Cards: News From Smart Card Alliance/CTST Conference
PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., May 19, 2008–Rapidly rising fraud rates due to skimming of magnetic stripe credit cards and shifts in fraud liability are fueling the migration of Latin American banks to smart bankcards based on the global EMV standard, attendees learned at the joint Smart Card Alliance annual meeting and CTST conference last week.
An important impetus is the chip liability shift program that protects the party that has upgraded cards or terminals if fraud occurs, according Kim Hangoc, vice president de Gesto de Produtos do Centro de Excelncia for MasterCard Worldwide. The program is intraregional across all of Latin America and has to do with liability for fraudulent transactions based on skimmed (cloned) magnetic stripe cards. After January 2005, if a cloned magnetic stripe from a chip-enabled bankcard is used on a non-chip enabled merchant payment terminal, the acquirer is liable for the loss. If a skimmed magnetic stripe card is used in a chip-equipped terminal, the issuer is liable for the loss. In addition, a domestic liability shift recently went into place in Brazil in March 2008, and is planned for October 2008 in Mexico and July 2009 in Venezuela.
The banks in Brazil are in the middle of mass deployment, mainly motivated by fraud, Hangoc said. They are using chip cards and requiring a PIN for purchases, for both debit and credit cards. In Mexico the main motivation is not fraud but differentiation, and no PIN entry is required for purchases. Also the first MasterCard PayPass contactless card using the EMV standard was launched at the end of 2006 in Mexico. Banks in Colombia, Venezuela and Peru have started issuing and are in various stages of testing or implementation. Banks in other countries in the regional haven't started issuing yet but are preparing, he said.
In Brazil skimming and cloned card fraud grew at a 43.5 percent CAGR between 2004 and 2006, according to Mario Mello, superintendente executivo de cartes, Banco Real ABN Amro. His bank has already issued two million smart bankcards and plans to double that number this year. One big plus for customers is that if the stripe on a chip-equipped card is skimmed, Banco Real can block magnetic stripe transactions on the card, but let the customer continue to make chip transactions until the card is replaced. More than 3,000 clients per month benefit from this service, improving customer satisfaction, he said. Also the bank generates U.S. $12.5 million per year incremental revenue from this service alone. Mello estimates that 28 percent of POS terminals in Brazil have chip readers now.
Banrisul, a large bank in southern Brazil issuing EMV bankcards, has cut its fraud losses at chip-enabled merchant terminals to zero, according to Jorge Krug, Senior IT Security Executive. Cloned card fraud on chip-enabled cards is also zero, he said. In addition, Banrisul has cut its Internet shopping fraud to zero on its chip cards, because the bank implemented a "card present" PKI application for online payment for its customers. In addition to the Banrisul issued certificate for online banking, customers can obtain and use PKI credentials with Brazil's national public key infrastructure, ICP-Brasil. ICP is the acronym for PKI in Portuguese.
Mauricio Coelho, director of PKI for Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia DA Informacao (ITI), said ICP-Brasil has already issued two million digital certificates. The credential can be used for legally valid digital signatures for conducting high value Internet transactions and certifying electronic documents such as tax returns and payments; judiciary proceedings; credentials for doctors, dentists and other professionals; registry/notary signing; and other applications. As an indication of the potential for PKI in Brazil, there are ten million citizens every day in Brazil's 15,000 registry offices. By 2011, 1,000 of these offices will be working with digital certificates, Coehlo said. ITI is a federal organization and is the root Certification Authority for ICP-Brasil.
Mexico is also migrating to smart bankcards with the liability shift effective on October 1, 2008, Carlos Avila, Operations Executive Director, Banorte, told conference attendees. Banorte has issued 0.7 million EMV credit cards out of a total of 1.3 million, and has equipped 30,400 of its 33,700 merchant terminals with chip, Avila said. The rest of the merchant terminals will be upgraded by year end. He estimates that of the 16 million credit card accounts at six leading banks in Mexico, six million have been upgraded to chip. The focus is on credit accounts, not debit, since the majority of debit accounts are used for cash withdrawals and not merchant payment, he said.
The Latin America track conference was organized by the Latin America chapter of the Smart Card Alliance. The chapter is building a strong industry alliance for collaboration, contributing to the accelerated use of smart card technology in the region. More information can be found at http://latinamerica.smartcardalliance.org.
About the Smart Card Alliance Latin America (SCALA)
The primary mission of the Smart Card Alliance Latin American chapter is in line with the overall goal of the Alliance: to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart cards. The Alliance plans to use specific projects such as bilingual education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums to keep Latin American chapter organization members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought.
About the Smart Card Alliance
The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.
Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.securetechalliance.org.


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If you are preparing for a competitive exam and are looking for some useful preparation tips, you can find them here. Apart from the tips, you will also get here everything you need to know about competitive exams.
What is a competitive exam?
Competitive Exams are organized by various public and private sector organizations for recruitment of human resources. There are basically two methods of recruitment: competitive exams and interview. An interview is usually the second step of a recruitment process following an examination. A competitive exam is organized to assess the technical and subject knowledge of the candidates.
Apart from job recruitment, competitive exams are also organized for admission in various graduation and post-graduation programs.
Are you eligible?
Most of the competitive exams ask for graduation as their basic requirement, but some others have their own eligibility criteria. Thousands of competitive exams are organized every year. You can find the updates and details of these exams either from the official website or from a job or career portal.
You will know the eligibility criteria and other exam related details from the official exam notification. If you are eligible and interested in a particular post, you can apply for the same.
How to apply?
Application procedure for a competitive exam can be both offline and online. You will find the same information through the notification. Online application procedure is very easy and payment process is convenient. You can find the process details here.
How to prepare for a competitive exam?
As mentioned above, thousands of exams are organized throughout the year and millions of students appear in those exams. It is not an easy task to crack an exam when the competition is too high, but it is not impossible if you try in the proper manner.
Keeping the above thing in mind, we are here with some best and unique exam preparation tips and tricks.
- Know the things: There are things you must know before you start preparing for a competitive exam. Competition is always high in such exams and you must never give up the hope and confidence. If you start something, do not stop until unless you complete it. If one door closes, another one opens.
- Know your Exam: Before start studying, you must know everything about the exam for which you are preparing. It is even more necessary if you are applying for the first time. Collect some details of that particular exam and the concerned organization. Explore previous year exam syllabus, details and other statics. Also, read the syllabus carefully and understand everything you must know.
- Analyze yourself: Once you know everything about the exam, analyze yourself to know where you stand right now. You can take the help of sample papers, previous year question papers and mock tests. This analysis will help you finding out the things you are strong at and the things you need to study more. Make a list of the topics and subjects accordingly.
- Make a plan: A plan is the most important part of your preparation. Make a study plan based on your recent analysis and the exam syllabus. Make the best schedule to cover everything and give enough time for everything. Also, assign time for revision and practice.
- Study Material: Choose only the best study material. Give some time for the same. Ask experts and professionals about the best study material for the exam and go for it. Either purchase books from a local store or go for online study material according to your convenience.
- Starts with the basics: Do this only if you have enough number of days left for the exam. Competitive exams usually include questions from the basic concepts. If your concepts are not strong, you may not be able to solve such questions. Just go through with the basics and then, start with the actual subject.
- Quantitative Aptitude: Aptitude is a part of almost all the competitive exams and you must work more on this particular part. There are many books available for general quantitative aptitude, which is common for almost all the exams. Just grab a book and go through the concepts and formulas. Once you are done, practice with sample questions as much as you can. Go online for sample quantitative aptitude papers and questions.
- English: English subject is also a part of most of the competitive exams. Many Hindi medium students often find it hard to solve English paper questions. If you start reading the theory part, you may need many more days. Instead one should focus more on the practice and exercise part. If you practice something for a number of times, you will get proficiency in it. Also, work on your vocabulary and word power.
- General Knowledge: For general knowledge, find a good book and learn as much as you can. If you do not want to read much, just go through the past year news and updates. Important topics from G.K. perspective include politics, finance, economy, business, education and history.
- Time management: It is very important to know how to manage your time while preparing for the exam and in an actual exam. No matter how much you know in the exam paper, you may not be able to write everything or attempt all the questions in the given time. So, prepare yourself for more in less time. Practice helps for the same.
- Keep confidence and hope: Always keep confidence and never lose hope. Hope is the thing that drives us further and confidence is the thing that can make impossible, possible.
You can find many tips for competitive exam preparation, but in the end, the result depends on your hard work and dedication. If you follow the above tips and work hard for your exam, you will definitely make through it.
Ask your question through comments.


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Badaling Great Wall, China, taken on December 9, 2016
Before this year, I had been to the Great Wall of China twice, in 1995 and 2004 (I don't remember the latter but my dad insisted that we did go). This current extended China trip had to include my third visit because I wanted to experience the Great Wall at least once as a grown adult, how ever touristy it may be. The path of the Badaling Great Wall was at times rather steep and difficult to climb, but that didn't stop the many (already very few compared to holidays!) people that were determined to conquer this section. Life sometimes takes you towards unexpected roads that take stamina and perseverance to conquer, and sometimes you're going to need a rest. Just take a break and when you're ready, charge on again! The rewards is in sight!


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The Good Place: The Podcast: Bonus Episode: Our Hot Girl (Not a Girl) Summer
October 17, 2019 10:01 PM - Subscribe
The Good Place's D'Arcy Carden (Janet), Kirby Howell-Baptiste(Simone) and writer Andrew Law shoot the shirt with host Marc Evan Jackson (Shawn) before the final season premieres. They take a look back at their summers and at shooting the final season of The Good Place. They also chat about their experiences at Comic-Con. Marc shares a touching story about Mike Schur giving him a very personal gift, and Andrew shares some details about a writers' trip to Las Vegas. The Good Place: The Podcast is a production of NBC Entertainment Podcast Network © 2018
"We tried to punch up 'Thanks, Dingus' but couldn't." One of the best moments in the whole podcast.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 1:24 PM on October 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 1:24 PM on October 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
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Project Management: Asking the Right Questions
- Written by Jon Balon
Summer is in full swing! The kids are out of school and we all have one thing on our minds…vacation! Where should we go? What should we do? What's our budget? The list goes on and on. No matter the type of vacation, we all go through these questions when planning our memorable summer family experience away from home.
While we plan this vacation, let's keep that big project at work front and center too. Is tackling that project really all that different from planning this summer's family adventure? In reality, the two are more similar than different. That being said, let's tackle both at once. After all, they both require time, attention, dedication, focus and, most importantly, a plan of action that allows you to break things down into bite-size pieces.
Know the Right Questions to Ask
Where is it that we want to go? This is likely the easiest question to answer and each question from here will get a little trickier as we progress through our planning. After some deliberation, we decide we are headed to the beach in South Carolina for our 2019 family vacation. When thinking about the work project, be it emailing consumers, texting consumers, or offering text to pay functionality, your objective is your starting point.
Now that we've designated the beach in South Carolina as our vacation destination, what's next? Let's start building on our high-level objective.
|Beach Vacation in South Carolina
|High Level Planning
|When do you want to go?
| When do we want to start
this project?
|Who is going to go?
| Who is going to be involved
in the project?
| What sites do we want to see
while we are there?
| Projects can't go on forever,
what time can we allocate
to this project?
|What is our budget for our trip?
| How much are we willing
to spend on this effort?
| How do we maximize our
entertainment budget?
|What is our return on investment?
| While in SC, what do we want
to do?
| What features do we want
to offer our clients?
Our high-level planning is taking us to Charleston, SC for one week and our big adventure will be scuba diving for the first time. Your project should have a similar high-level vision statement. However, based on this statement we aren't quite ready to get started.
|One Week in Charleston
to Scuba Dive
|Detailed Level Planning
|Where do we want to stay?
|How do we want to incorporate
this into our current processes?
|How are we going to get there?
|Are we going to build this?
Do we need to buy something?
Should we involve clients?
|What do we need to pack?
|What all do we need
to get started?
|What is involved
in scuba diving?
|We have never done this,
do we need training, do we need
a partner to help us, do we need
to hire team members with
a skill we don't have?
In our vacation planning, we have a major unknown: scuba diving. It looks awesome when watching Shark Week on TV and friends rave about how cool it is, but we have no clue what we are doing. Many of the projects that you want to take on may evoke similar feelings. We have never done this before, now what? In this case, conducting research is the best way to determine what all is involved. With resources like Google and Yelp, it is easier than ever to maximize our experience, by partnering with an expert. How do we pick the right partner? Here are a couple things to keep in mind during the selection process:
|Select Scuba Diving Guide
|Choosing a Partner
|How long have they been diving?
|What is the partners experience
with the type of project we are
|Where will we be diving? What
will we see? What should we
|What are the project details,
project deliverables, and what is
expected of us during the project?
|How long is a dive?
|How long will this project take?
|How much training is needed for
us to dive?
|What do we need to do before
the project starts to be properly
|How much does the dive cost and
what is included?
|What is the cost and what are the
|How much is it if we want to keep
|What if we want to add features
and extend the project, what will
that cost?
In terms of our vacation planning, we seem to be in a good spot. We have our travel plans ready, our hotel is booked, we have started our scuba dive training, and are excited for our family vacation to begin. Your big work project is shaping up nicely, you have your partner and your start date is set.
Vacation day is here, the family is excited and the kids can't wait to get to the beach. We have all been there, it's going to be a great trip, let's go! However, we all know this is just the beginning.
|Vacation Time
|Project Starts
|Team member gets pulled off
the project for a critical
production issue.
|Kids get hungry, that's not
in the budget.
|Oh, we need that feature
and it was not planned.
|Hotel was overbooked.
|Software being used is not
updated and needs updated
before starting.
|Weather isn't looking good
to scuba dive.
|Our partner resource's spouse
went into labor, they are no
longer available.
Life happens no matter how far in advance or well we plan. When beginning planning efforts, don't be afraid to tackle the "what ifs" early in the process. This helps better prepare you for any unexpected surprises that arise along to the way.
It is scuba dive day or, in the project world, go-live day! We have been on a wild ride thus far! We were three hours late getting checked into our hotel, one child forgot to reapply sunscreen and is experiencing sunburn for the first time, we are operating on two hours of sleep from the night before… but it's scuba dive day, so let's go!
We arrive at the dock, get on the boat, and are off to scuba dive an awesome shipwreck. What can go wrong? Will I get seasick? What if I see a shark? What if the boat leaves me? Remember, the risks of doing anything for the first time, are bound to be racing through your head, especially the day you go live. This is normal in life and can be countered with careful planning, trust in your team and a little bit of luck doesn't hurt.
The boat stops, anchor is down, and we are scuba diving. It is an awesome experience, the family is having a blast, the weather is perfect, and the sights are unbelievable. This is the moment you step back and say, "it was all worth it." Whether it's a crazy first-time adventure or a project that you completed, do not forget to celebrate that moment. You deserve it!
The vacation has come to an end, and although it's time to make our way home, we have created new memories that we will carry with us forever. In the project world, we have launched and now it's back to business as usual…until our next "vacation."
Conquering Procrastination
We all go on vacation, we all have adventures in life. Why are we so reluctant to start that project we have been talking about for months? We go through all the same steps, preparing for family vacation, but we seem to forget those same steps when we are planning that project. During our vacation we are bound to face unknowns, have emotional ups and downs, face challenges, and contemplate risks versus reward. These are all the same things we will face throughout the life of a project. When we step back and think about the completed project, we recognize we worked hard to get there. You set an objective, dove deep into the details, rallied the team, executed the plan. It feels good to see the fruits of your labor, especially when they create positive outcomes for the clients that you serve.
So that project you haven't moved forward with, stop putting it off. Treat it just like you would that cruise to the Bahamas and let's go on vacation!
I would love to see and hear from you during CollectTECH19, where I will be discussing the topic of virtual collections - what it is, and how we get started.
Jon Balon is currently the Vice President of Product & Innovation at Williams & Fudge, Inc. Established in 1986, Williams & Fudge, Inc. manages student loan receivables for more than 1,400 colleges and universities across the globe. Headquartered in the Knowledge Park District of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Williams & Fudge is family-owned and operated and is committed to contributing to the advancement of the communities in which they serve.


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Former Activities Council President Builds Temporary Hospitals With His Event Services CompanyAlex Corgan '08 has deployed his emergency response team to arm Maryland with extra medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By: Heather Mayer Irvine Monday, May 18, 2020 03:54 PM
Alex Corgan '08
Alex Corgan '08 says he spent perhaps more time in college focusing on his extracurricular activities—like heading up the Muhlenberg Activities Council—than his classes, but that ultimately put him on a career path in event services. And today, he heads an event services company that's mobilizing its resources in the fight against COVID-19.
Corgan, an international studies major, is the president of Select Event Group, which, with its partners in Maryland, has constructed nearly 100 temporary emergency department facilities to help ease the strain of COVID-19 on the state's hospitals.
"Maryland was looking for a resource that could provide it with the equivalent of 100 hospital facilities throughout the state in a month," Corgan says. "There weren't too many other options."
Under normal circumstances, Select Event Group provides anything a client might need—structures, power, air conditioning and heating, tables, chairs and linens—to host an event, including concerts, corporate galas and weddings. Some of its biggest events include the Preakness Stakes, the NFL Draft (when it takes place on the East Coast) and the Lehigh Valley's own Musikfest.
But Corgan and his team also have experience in emergency and disaster response. When a hurricane hits, for example, Corgan's company and its partners provide their services to house and feed utility workers and refugees or to supply power.
"Everything is deployed really quickly, a 24-hour turnaround," Corgan says.
Since the end of March, Select Event Group has been building temporary hospital facilities. Today, nearly all of the facilities are complete, and several dozen are in use in some capacity, Corgan says.
Each unit, which houses 10 beds, is roughly 1,800 to 2,000 square feet, and includes steps, an access ramp, plumbing, electricity, hard walls, LED lighting, vinyl flooring for easy cleanup, HVAC systems and air scrubbers.
The medical equipment comes from the state, which also built out bathrooms, laundry rooms and nurse stations.
Select Event Group is contracted through July, but Corgan anticipates that the state will need to extend the use of the facilities through August or September. The shift in work—from events to COVID-19 response— helps keep roughly half of his staff employed during a time when most large events have been canceled or postponed.
The company's manufacturing arm has also pivoted from producing tablecloths to sewing facemasks. "We're donating cool masks made from discontinued linens," Corgan says. They've already made more than 2,500 and are giving them to employees and their families, vendors, partners, mail carriers—anyone who needs them.
Corgan and his team operate under the philosophy of "purpose in partnership," which means creating success for the company's clients. But working on the frontlines of the pandemic, Corgan says, has taken this philosophy to a whole new level.
"We're doing our part in the community," he says. "Our team isn't out there waiting. It's out there building hospitals. That's a great feeling of personal satisfaction."


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26 weeks, 900 grams
Steven George Zambazos "Stevie Wonder" was born on 21 May 2010 at 5.47pm weighing 900gms. Steven spent nine months in the Wellington NICU and two months in Palmerston North Hospital. When he was born he was perfect in every way except for his "crap" lungs. My waters had broken at 15 weeks so Steven really had no chance of developing his lungs.
My pregnancy was difficult, with bleeding from five weeks due to a sub chorionic hematoma and I continued to bleed all the way through to the day I delivered Steven. The bleeding weakened the lining and at 15 weeks my waters broke (I was unaware of this at the time as I was also experiencing a heavy bleed out from the clot and also thought perhaps I was having a bit of bladder weakness – second child).
It wasn't until my 20 week scan that I discovered everything was going to change and even then I didn't realise the seriousness of the situation. The technician just said "You appear to have very little fluid around your baby" and I did think it strange that when I went home to show my husband the ultrasound DVD we only saw photos of my placenta (waste of $50 I thought!). I got a phone call from my doctor half an hour later and he said I needed to contact my midwife immediately, which I did and when I spoke with her she told me she was going to talk to an obstetrician at the hospital. Half an hour later I had an appointment at the hospital for the next day. I had a very detailed ultrasound done and suddenly I found out the cold hard facts that here I was at 20 weeks, my waters had broken and that my baby had only a 5% chance of survival on delivery. I was seen by the emergency care team for full examination. Everything changed – while not admitted to hospital I was on bed rest and had to stop work. I was given a referral to Wellington to be seen in two weeks time if I didn't go into labour. I was told nothing could be done for my baby if he did come early and that was why I was being referred to Wellington because if anybody could save my baby it would be Wellington.
After a very long and scary two weeks, I went to Wellington and had another very detailed ultrasound and was told my baby was 500gms, had a very strong heart and was growing very well. The doctor told me "Your baby is strong and healthy, we need to give him a chance". He could see some shape around the abdomen which indicated some lung development but he warned me it would be very little. I was told Steven would grow very happily inside of me, he didn't need to breathe air inside, his battle would start as soon as he was born.
I was admitted to Wellington Hospital at 23 weeks, I had to leave my little two year old behind in Palmerston North in the care of his father and uncle as well as an awesome caregiver who made my leaving a little easier. But that is something you block out and during this time you retreat inside of your head and live each day, hour by hour.
When the lack of fluid was first picked up at 20 weeks, Steven had about 3cm of fluid around his body. When seen in Wellington two weeks later this was only 2cm. At 26 weeks he had three pockets of fluid.
The main issue I had was the high risk of infection and that this would bring on labour so I was constantly been monitored for infection. My first scare came at 23 weeks when I started having labour pains. I was given steroids and antibiotics and after a couple of scary hours everything settled down again. I got to meet the team from the neonatal unit and was taken step by step through the process. I went and visited the neonatal ward with my parents when I was 23 weeks and four days, it was a hard visit. It hit home that if my baby made it he would be in this scary place of monitors, beeps, alarms and closed incubators.
Steven arrived at 26 weeks, due to infection. He was delivered by caesarean as he was too delicate to survive a natural delivery. I was pumped full of drugs for me and drugs for Steven. I had no idea that it would take as long as it would for them to remove Steven. Very carefully they remove Steven leg by leg, arm by arm and finally his head. I didn't get to see Steven as he was whipped away to the corner where specialists worked on him. I saw a tiny fragment of arm as he was wheeled away, wrapped up and so tiny. There was only a five percent chance of Steven surviving on delivery and this didn't increase much over the next five months.
Steven spent the first four and a half weeks of his life on a ventilator. My first hold came at four and a bit weeks and it was the hold that had to happen. I was unaware of it at the time and only when I look at photos do I see how sick and near death he was. The decision was made that I needed to hold him before it was too late and before knowing how bad it was. It was the scariest thing I have ever had to do. The preparation that went into this hold started in the morning and I knew I was holding him at two o'clock in the afternoon. The staff were brilliant and never showed me how serious this whole cuddle was. It took so much just to get one tiny little boy out of his incubator and into my arms. He had to be held face up because of the ventilator and there were so many tubes and wires. It was a magical moment and made up for the events that took place the next day.
The next day Steven developed a major leak, leaking more oxygen out than in. It was very serious and when the curtains were pulled around the incubator and I was asked if I wanted to get Steven baptised, it suddenly hit me that this was looking pretty ominous. I was asked to leave the room while they tried ventilating him on a larger tube (this is not something any parent should witness) and it worked. The next day he continued to look better and it sunk in how very close we had been to saying goodbye. Much to my surprise the next day I was told they were going to put Steven on CPAP, as he was fighting the ventilator. He loved CPAP and didn't go back on the ventilator which was a huge relief but I always knew at the back of my mind this was a possibility.
Steven had a wonderful paediatrician, Hashard Patel, who never gave up on Steven and sometimes all we could do was look at each other and shrug our shoulders. Steven soon got the nick name 'Hashard's Baby' and I got quite used to hearing the other specialists saying on the morning rounds "Ah Steven – Hashard's baby, what can we say" before moving onto the next baby.
Steven's first five months were a battle for life, we would go for weeks knowing he was "stable, but not in a good place". The word stable took on a whole new meaning and was not a word I enjoyed.
At one stage the Palliative Care Team were called in. Things weren't looking great, Steven was struggling, his oxygen requirements were not reducing and it really was looking gloomy. That team were the loveliest group of people. I was able to ask them any questions I needed to and they answered in a very positive supportive way. Steven developed a cold and amazingly, instead of being "finished off" by this, suddenly decided that things needed to change and for the better. I remember being at a meeting with Steven's team and the Palliative Team doctor was present and she said how lovely it was to be at a meeting to say "You don't need us anymore".
Just before Steven made the turn for the better and it looked like we were preparing for his death, I made the decision to return back to Palmerston North – my two year old needed me to come home and I needed to return to work for my own mental state. I knew he would be with wonderful people and so started travelling to Wellington a couple of times a week. The hospital volunteer organisation set up a cuddle aunt for Steven, a lovely lady who would visit him daily for a cuddle and special one on one time.
Steven is now four years old. He stopped being fed by NGT at one year, three months and came off oxygen at one year, eight months. He's walking, running, jumping, hopping, dancing, climbing, doing all the things he should be. His developmental delays are due to the fact he spent the first 11 months of his life in hospital as a sick boy whose body was just trying to breathe and eat.
He has some language delays, cognitively where he should be for his age but not a clear speaker, and it is thought he has cortical visual impairment (when the message from the eyes to the brain isn't interpreted correctly) so his vision is poor, but you would never guess. Both of these things can be worked on, and Steven is such a great problem solver he just works his way around the problem.
My time in Wellington was not exactly a holiday but it was a most amazing experience, one I will always cherish. While the bad times are acknowledged, I only have positive thoughts about my time there with Steven and that is due to all the amazing people who cared for my son.
Some of the most wonderful people I have met in my life work in the Wellington NICU. Steven was their baby and the pride and care they took with him was amazing. I have beautiful photos and memories of Steven and his nursing team. I never felt Steven was alone when I wasn't there because he had his friends.
The Little Miracles Trust were brilliant and both Tasia and Rachel provided me with support and encouragement that really helped me find a little ray of light in some of my darkest times. The Little Miracles Trust were able to help me in so many ways that made life a little easier.
One of the hardest things I found during my journey was looking to the future and staying hopeful, I lived day by day, hour by hour. I could never imagine my child wearing clothes, living at home, running, jumping, breathing independently – this hope came from other people who believed for me, while I struggled to get a grip on the traumas I was experiencing. It was lovely having people saying all the positive things that I was struggling to believe in and I knew that while I struggled with these, I had a baby surrounded by people who strongly believed in him.
Steven made it to where he is today because he loves people and people love him. Yes he is strong willed, determined and he is a miracle – "a God's gift". But while it was medicine keeping him alive, it was people that made Steven want to live. I truly believe Steven survived because he had people around him all the time who cared and cherished him and it was his desire to be with people that kept him here with us.


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The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for linking the Godavari and Cauvery rivers at a cost of Rs.60,000 crore is ready and will be submitted to the cabinet soon, Union Water Resources and River Development Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Monday.
He said after approval by the cabinet the funds would be raised from the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The project under the national river connectivity programme would make use of 1,100 tmc ft (thousand million cubic feet) of Godavari water going waste into the sea. He was confident that the project would resolve the water disputes among four southern states - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
"We will take backwaters of Godavari to Krishna and from Krishna to Pennar and then to the tail end of Cauvery in Tamil Nadu," said Gadkari while addressing workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He pointed out that 1,100 tmc ft water was going waste into the sea while there was a dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over 45 tmc ft.
The minister also revealed that under the project water would be carried through steel pipes instead of canals to ensure that there is no water loss. "An engineer from Andhra Pradesh who lives in United States has suggested this technology. The pipe will have low thickness because of special treatment," he said.
Stating that the Modi government was giving top priority to irrigation, Gadkari said it was financing the Polavaram project 100 per cent, which would be the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh by irrigating 2.89 lakh hectares. He claimed that 62 per cent of the project had been completed. "The Centre is giving 100 percent finance but the state government is not ready to give credit to Modi. They are criticising the Centre but I never understand the reasons behind it."
Without naming the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Gadkari said those who were previously alliance partners were saying negative things about Modi and the Central government. Claiming that the people of Andhra Pradesh had got more benefits thanks to the Centre's schemes in the last five years compared to the previous 50 years, he challenged the state government to go for a socio-economic impact study of these schemes.
Gadkari, who is also the minister for road transport, highways and shipping, said the infrastructure projects currently underway would change the face of Andhra Pradesh. He said the Centre added over 3,000 km of national highways with an investment of Rs. 1.25 lakh crore.
He said the DPR was in the final stage for the Anantapur-Amaravati Express Highway to be built at a cost of Rs. 20,000 crore.
In the ports sector, the Centre identified 108 projects with an investment of Rs. 1.64 lakh crore. Of these 19 projects costing Rs. 2,242 crore were completed till 2018 while 27 projects were under implementation with an investment of Rs 83,713 crore, he said.
Gadkari said a road map was developed for increasing the capacity of Visakhapatnam Port to 211 million metric tonnes from the existing 152 million metric tonnes per annum. The capacity of 11 other ports will
be enhanced with an investment of Rs.2,536 crore to create an additional capacity of 71 million metric tonnes per annum.


text:
Primitive Christianity Revived, Again
Time: 2nd mo. 17, 2014 from 8:30am to 8pm
Location: Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, IN
Event Type: willson, lectures
Organized By: Earlham School of Religion
Latest Activity: 1st month 18, 2014
Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)
Registration is now open for ESR's 2014 Willson Lectures on February 17, featuring Keynote Speaker Rev. Rita Nakashima Brock, Ph.D.


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The Yoga industry took a massive shock today as a fart reverberated around the dojo.
Hayden Richards, at his 3rd class, had a bit too much relaxation as he let one slip.
I mean I didn't know I had it in me. It just sort of happened. It was too late to stop or sound over with a cough.
The class was fairly full and the yoga particioners in close vicinity of him all shot Hayden a look.
I had to think fast. So I made a loud declaration that it was the mat making the noise. Which it sometimes does.
This seemed to satisfy the majority of people in the surrounding area, however one, Helen, moved in a direction further away from Hayden's ass
To be fair, she was right in the firing line. I don't think it was a smelly one. At least I hope not.