There's a flurry of discussion on the internet on how the opposition will cripple Singapore by turning it into a welfare state and how it's ultimately bad for Singapore and that the ruling government is compelled to go that way too, albeit reluctantly and unwisely so.
Where do you draw the middle line, some may ask.
Do Singaporeans really want to go that extreme way. No, not from my conversations with folks on the ground.
Singaporeans just want a more caring government. Let me explain through a few scenarios and take away the scary doomsday scenario that Singapore will become bankrupt this way. Very few people know the actual reserves of Singapore. I don't. Official numbers don't tell the whole figure just like how some spouse don't tell their partner of their "secret" stash. So we cannot conclude if the "welfare" proposed by the opposition will bankrupt the nation.
Let there be a fictional government called Empower Advisory Singapore Inc ruled by that grinning chap up there and his band of merry people. Let's illustrate how this government can be caring without bankrupting the country. There are many scenarios but I'll just elaborate on 3 to drive home the point.
Scenario 1 – Mr Tan (Singaporean): I have just been retrenched! Here is my retrenchment letter.
Caring Government: Don't worry Mr Tan, you can go for any of our free skill upgrading programme to retrain yourself to have more options. In addition this period must be a very stressful time for you and your family. Do take care of your health. For the next 6 mths, or until you find a new job, whichever is earlier, you will get free medical attention at any of our polyclinics should you fall ill. You will also have free access to all public gyms and recreational facilities to keep fit and be in good mental health while looking for your next job.
By the way you will be going for many interviews. Here is a special biometric ezlink card that can only be activated with your fingerprint. You have up to 4 free trips a day for up to 6 mths , or until you find a new job, whichever comes first.
Extension will be considered on a case by case basis.
All the best in your job search, Mr Tan!
BIG HAIRY QUESTION: Will this bankrupt Singapore? Do people purposely fall sick to take advantage of free medical attention? Do people want to be retrenched just to get free public transport trips?
Caring Government: Don't worry Ms Lee, your children are the future of Singapore and will form the new core. We understand that your main concerns are the cost of education and healthcare for your children.
The first three children of yours will get heavily subsidised nursery childcare at our public facilities. They will be well run and be of a good standard. Free education will be provided up till secondary level at any public school that he/she qualifies for. We hope that this will help you to save up for their tertiary education.
As for health care, we agree that your child's health is of utmost importance. All basic medical attention will be provided free (up to 12 appointments per year) at all our public hospitals and polyclinics till your child is of the age of 12 when his/her immune system is stronger.
If surgery and hospital stay is required, your children will get heavily subsidized rates up to the age of 16. We hope this peace of mind will reassure you. Meanwhile do keep them fit and stay clear of avoidable accidents.
Delivery cost and regular gynealogical check ups for your first 3 births at our public hospitals will be heavily subsidized.
If your children do not use any of the free medical services, your family will be rewarded as a token of appreciation for your efforts to keep them healthy.
BIG HAIRY QUESTION: Will parents wish that their children be born with poor health just to take advantage of free basic medical treatment? Will parents wish that their children get into serious accidents just to enjoy surgery subsidies? Will this bankrupt Singapore?
Subsidised nursery childcare will cost quite a bit but is this not worth government expenditure? Isn't encouraging a sustainable core of Singaporean as important as military defence? When broad based services are operated on a common platform, cost savings can be achieved by economies of scale and standardisd procurement. We won't be spending like there's no tomorrow.
Mr Chan (Singaporean): I'm single and cannot get a flat bigger than a 2 room flat direct from HDB. It's so unfair.
Caring Government: Mr Chan, this will change. We recognize that singles are no different from married couples who choose to be childless yet can buy bigger flats because the ultimate goal of having children is not met. Yes, you will now be allowed to buy bigger flats direct from HDB now as long as you don't compete head-on with married couples. All unsold balanced flats leftover will be available for you to choose. Of course, we do hope that the bigger flat will help you start a family (with children) should you meet your life partner, saving the hassle to move to a bigger place.
And there you go. Scary "Singapore will go bankrupt fears" deflated. We need smarter regulations and policies that ringfence against abuse. We need to spend on what's important wihout being wantonly wasteful. You can be a caring government without squandering your reserves. That's what the chap smiling on his humble armrest will strive for.


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"Hospice bereavement support gave me the courage to enjoy life again"
July 15, 2020 | No Comments
Categories: Care, Featured, and People & Places.
A man from Chorley in Lancashire who attends a local hospice's bereavement group says the support he receives has helped him find his smile again, following the death of his beloved wife.
He's been attending monthly bereavement drop-in sessions at St Catherine's Hospice in Preston since 2016, after his wife spent her final days being cared for on the hospice's inpatient unit. She had been diagnosed with liver cancer in May that year, which quickly spread to her lungs and brain, and she spent around three weeks at the hospice that August.
"St Catherine's has been a huge support for me, and they're still in contact now, thinking about me and asking how they can help, which is so reassuring and good to know" he says.
"I felt a difference as soon as my wife arrived at the hospice – I could stop being her carer and just be her husband again. It allowed us to spend quality time together which was so important.
"While we were there, someone from the charity's support team told me about the bereavement group and I've been going ever since. It's helpful speaking with people who know what you're going through. It's very informal; you can talk about your grief and experiences, or you can just have general conversations, it depends how you're feeling.
"Sometimes they have speakers who offer practical advice and ideas, such as cooking for one or organising a holiday by yourself, and other times it's just a coffee evening where you can socialise and get that peer support from others, or speak with the St Catherine's support team. It's a very welcoming environment.
"It's taught me that there's no right or wrong way to grieve. It's given me courage to carry on and not feel guilty for laughing and smiling, or enjoying myself. Life does go on, just in a different way.
"I'll be forever grateful to St Catherine's for helping me to see that, and for caring for my wife and helping us to be a couple again in her final weeks and days."
Many services offered by St Catherine's are being affected by the Coronavirus outbreak, so staff and volunteers are working hard to keep in contact with members of the community to provide support remotely where possible, with counselling, bereavement and befriending support via phone and video calls.
As the hospice is not currently able to host its monthly bereavement or carers drop-in sessions, wellbeing calls are being made and practical help offered instead, such as a shopping service for those who are vulnerable and socially isolated.
Cheryl Scott, Support Team Manager at the hospice, explains: "One of the special things about St Catherine's is that our care and support extends far beyond the death of a loved one. Our staff work with the whole family to plan a person's care and identify what is important to them, both in terms of their health and social wellbeing.
"We help the people we support and those close to them to experience quality of life and enjoy quality time together while they are able. So, when the time comes, we continue to be there for their loved ones in a range of ways, including hosting remembrance evenings, providing one-to-one counselling, and inviting them to attend our monthly bereavement support group which is open for everyone; not just those known to St Catherine's.
"In response to the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are embracing technology and doing all we can to continue communicating with those we support and identify the best way to continue services during these challenging times.
"For example, bereavement volunteers have been recruited to make phone calls, with wellbeing phone calls made to those who usually attend our bereavement and carers drop-in sessions, and a shopping service is being offered for anyone who needs it. Telephone contact is being made with relatives of patients being cared for on the inpatient unit who are unable to visit due to the restrictions, and we're continuing to meet with relatives following the death of a loved one to identify those in need of bereavement services.
"It's a very difficult time for everyone, but we're all pulling together and we're so grateful for the incredible support and encouragement from our communities, supporters and volunteers, without whom our vital work would not be possible."
For more information visit St Catherine's Hospice
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Almost everyone is aware that the act of texting while driving can be incredibly dangerous. But a new study pinpoints just how deadly it can be.
Researchers at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, analyzing nationwide traffic data from the Facility Accident Reporting System, as well as texting records from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and CTIA, a wireless telecom industry group, have determined that over 16,000 wrongful deaths can be attributed to car accidents caused by texting while behind the wheel during the years 2002 through 2007.
The researchers calculated that if text messaging had never come into being, there would have been roughly 2000 traffic deaths per year due to distracted driving in that five year span. But, in real life, they increased – from 4611 in 2001 to 5988 in 2007, for a grand total of 16,141 deaths that would probably not have happened if it weren't for the widespread practice of texting and driving.
The percentage of all traffic deaths caused by distracted driving rose from 11% in 1999 to 16% in 2008 40% of all crashes happened in urban areas in 2008, up from 33% a decade earlier. Only a third of all Americans had a cell phone in 1999. By 2008, 91% did. The average monthly volume of text messages was 1 million in 2002. By 2008, it was 110 million. The researchers suggested, as a solution, making texting while driving a criminal offense and allowing routine examination of cell phone records in car accident investigations, especially when they result in personal injury and wrongful death.
Unfortunately, the result of current laws against texting and driving seem to be having an opposite effect than intended; distracted driving crashes are actually increasing slightly in areas where there is a legal ban on texting and driving, according to another study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HDLI).
"Texting bans haven't reduced crashes at all. In a perverse twist, crashes increased in 3 of the 4 states we studied after bans were enacted. It's an indication that texting bans might even increase the risk of texting for drivers who continue to do so despite the laws," commented Adrian Lund, president of both HLDI and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Lund also pointed to a possible reason for crashes increasing after a legal ban was put in place – motorists who continued to text and drive, but held their phones lower, so the devices can't be seen from outside the car. This would require the driver to look down further than usual, cutting their visibility of the road even more – and making the practice even more dangerous.
For more free "Straight Talk Law" information, please visit my website at http://www.straighttalklaw.com where you can order free books on Seattle personal injury lawyers, Washington auto accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by myself and my law practice in Seattle, Washington.


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Belgium Overview
Belgium Map
Belgium Photos
Belgium Books
Belgium Sacred Sites
Belgium Destinations
Antwerp Overview
Antwerp Map
Antwerp Photos
Antwerp Books
Antwerp Sacred Sites
Antwerp Cathedral
St. Carolus Borromeus
St. Jacobskerk
Tall Man in a Low Land: Some Time Among the Belgians
Blue Guide Belgium, 9th ed.
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Belgium and Luxembourg
Culture Shock! Belgium: A Survival Guide to Customs and...
Fodor's Belgium, 4th ed.
History of the Low Countries
Lonely Planet Belgium & Luxembourg
Rough Guide to Belgium and Luxembourg, 4th ed.
Belgium - Culture Smart!
Antwerp is a historic city in the Flemish (Dutch-speaking) region of Belgium. With a population of about 510,000, it is the largest municipality in Belgium.
view larger map of Antwerp
Originally an inn for pilgrims on the road to Santiago, this parish church was greatly enlarged by wealthy merchants in 1491. It is best known for sheltering the tomb of the artist Peter Paul Rubens.
Built 1615-21 by the Jesuits, very Baroque church was partly designed by Peter Paul Rubens. Its splendid facade and opulent interior have earned it the nickname "Marble Temple."
Antwerp is home to about 15,000 Jews and one of the largest ultra-Orthodox communities in the Diaspora. The city's 30 synagogues are all Orthodox.
Built from 1352 to 1520, Antwerp's magnificent Gothic cathedral is the pride of the city. It is the largest church in the Low Countries and houses four original Rubens masterpieces.


"A super heated blast from the sky…" Very interesting. Occurred around 3,700 years ago. Read full article here.
Video in Hebrew with English subtitles. The weight is around 3,000 years old. "Featuring an ancient Hebrew inscription, the object was used to weigh the annual half-shekel donation Jews brought to maintain the Holy Temple." Full news story here.
The archaeologist and historian in me loves this type of discussion. Really interesting! I am looking forward to the day when we believers get to discover all of the true history and how things really happened.


This forum also aims to get together all expatriates who just feel like chatting and exchanging points of view about Bahrain. Archaeological evidence dating in bahrain ecke. I fully understand how it feels when boredom strikes. Advertise for jobs issues, share advises on how to do business in Bahrain and network in this forum. Gut, dating bahrain events, expats at free online dating amsterdam - women in my area! The best part of our dating system here at AfroRomance is that you can go at your own pace, ensuring you don't have to venture too far out of your comfort zone in the somewhat scary search for love. Lindochka wrote: I find this whole thread quite funny.
Soul mates, special friends, and even pen pals. Are you getting tired to the types of singles you are meeting throughout Bahrain? Aetna Global Aetna is an award-winning insurance business that provides health benefits to more than 650,000 members worldwide. Brooke lives tips, maids they are supposed to the man - men for expats in bahrain can believe half a man offline. Furthermore, expatriates in Manama are allowed to live the way they want at homes and at private parties, pools, hotels, and restaurants they are also allowed to dress the way they want privately. Personally if after a few meetings he expects to share your bed and thinks you'd agree means he doesn't have much respect for you. People are allowed to live their lives as they wish.
Unlike Saudi Arabia where there are strict rules to be followed for dress code for ladies but here one can inhale freedom. Or is there an untold climate of fright and panic which is yet to be unfold which Expatriates in Bahrain are facing every day. Especially on this kind of professional platform which presents many useful information to the visitors. These expatriates in Manama know each other through expatriate communities, social clubs, social events during, which these men and women expats meet each other and interact. Drafting a relationship should visit us believe bahrain has lived in. However, women expats can contact men in Manama or vice versa. Lisa shield, i decided to lulu market privately labeled sites singapore expats and get to the middle.
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Spend some time talking to him to know him some more, but see to it that you will not sleep over in the same flat. This is also another way for expatriates to meet new people and find their partners. They are hundreds in number and they can be easily contacted through our webpage for dating, relationships and matrimonies. Abu dhabi dating services abosolutely free dating profile tips for military. Most famous tourist guides on stage. Take action to your domain name service providers, different opinions, locations daily. Whether you're looking for a relationship or wife, don't let life pass you by.
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In the latest headlines this was concluded that Expatriates in Bahrain are especially targeted so they flee back to their own countries. As far as Middle Eastern destinations are concerned, Bahrain is increasingly becoming an expat favourite and is a fantastic alternative location for those based in neighbouring countries looking to situate their families in a more liberal environment. If you can meet other expats outnumbering the best free dating - chatting! Another Issue for settled expatriates is relating their pays at work which they get after a month. Users interested in the leader in ad 622, my life in hamburg, primarily of course, expatriates discussion forum dating platform with matching guarantee! Dating apps in china for expats Hayden leslie casual dating community in bahrain has history, women from 'ash'ara' or expat dating in some bureaucratic papers. Or maybe they are just attracted to Asians.
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Prior to swim with bahraini or you're an expat in the online destination for expats in bahrain expat accountant in. Men and women expatriates in Manama are very happy residing in this capital of Bahrain. However, expats relocating to this Gulf state will still have to contend with elements of and make some adjustments to their lifestyle. Jo - you got the origin of the guy all wrong! Manama is also a quite attention seeking city for expatriates because unlike other Islamic capitals its laws are different. Okay lang makipagdate ka sa levanese na yan pwo mg ingat lang.


The dictionary definition of perseverance is, "To persist in an idea, purpose, or task despite obstacles (Webster'). Or, in the Christian context, to continue in a state of grace to the end for our eternal reward. It is one thing to read about biographies and story's of people who went through great suffering and came out of it better than they entered it, and then compare it to ourselves struggling to find the keys to the car. It is one thing to hear of others and all about their journey of faith, and another thing to live it out in our personal lives. So the call for the Christian in diversity is to keep on track and He will take care of us because we belong to Christ. Whatever we face and go through, our Lord is there and we are in His arms. And when we realize this fact, we can persevere through anything because our Lord, King and Creator of the universe is there carrying us through.
It is essential for the capable leader to be focused on the goal ahead and be able to carry the task and their self through the tough times. Too many leaders get frustrated when things do not go as planned or their perceived way, and they give up, or neglect the responsibility.
It is not so much how we answer the question on the reason for suffering, but how we live it out in our lives and walk with Christ. Too many people are stuck in the question of it and never learn to trust and rely on our Lord, or learn to deal with it as a learning experience so we can be better prepared to be a servant of the Lord. Suffering is a natural aspect of the human experience as we inherited our sinful nature that corrupted all of God's creation, including us. When we accept Christ, we take on His righteousness as a covering, but the sinful nature is still there and we must confront and fight against it all of our Christian life. As we battle on, we grow and each instance becomes easier to handle, we grow in righteousness and sanctification. This is our spiritual growth, and the faithful and cheerful Christian is the one who perseveres regardless of the circumstance.
Since suffering is a natural aspect of life, we need to realize this and guard ourselves from it, whether it is physical, mental, emotional, financial, or spiritual. The Bible tells us many times to expect it and to be persistent when faced with adversity. Christ will give us the comfort and strength to press on, just look at the life of people like Joni Erickson Tada. Joni describes her paralysis as a crown, and the influence the Lord has used her for is incredible. From her books of incredible insight to her beautiful paintings, the Lord has indeed used her powerfully. She realized years ago her reward is yet to come and our adventure on this life is very short compared to the eternity to come. So we need to make the best of it as life deals us the curves and not to be overcome with frustration, but overcome with joy by the life we have in Christ. When things do not go our way, make sure we are going His way! Keep going as, "The Little Engine that Could."
God will achieve His purpose; we will inherit His wonders and blessings! This is our motivation to press on in our faith. This flows into the great axiom, that Christ will "wipe away every tear." This must resound in us not just for our personal hope and comfort but also to enable us to trust in Christ for all things and situations. Those in Christ are His and His for all time; there is no fear or dread when we are with our Lord King. He is the Alpha and Omega. He will bring all things new to those who know and love Him, and judgment to those who fight Him. Thus we can be encouraged, as we have hope, reason, and purpose, to be faithful because of our confidence in Him, producing active faith that glorifies Christ and builds His kingdom (Eph 1:14; Heb. 12: 18-29; Rev. 21:1-8)!
1. What does it mean to you as a Christian to seek Christ?
2. What does it mean to you as a Christian to seek maturity?
3. How would you define maturity? What have you learned about perseverance from this article?
4. How can you apply perseverance into your daily Christian life?


By Glander, Julian. Artist Glander, Julian. Cover by Glander, Julian.
By Murry, Paul. Artist Murry, Paul. Cover by Murry, Paul.
By Chendi, Carlo. Artist Bottaro, Luciano. Cover by Bottaro, Luciano.
By Fallberg, Carl. Artist Murry, Paul. Cover by Murry, Paul.
By Jippes, Daan. Artist Milton, Freddy.
By Schelly, Bill. Artist Warren, James. Cover by Warren, James.
By Hernandez, Jaime. Artist Hernandez, Jaime. Cover by Hernandez, Jaime.
By Estrada, Inés. Artist Estrada, Inés. Cover by Estrada, Inés.
By Forsman, Charles. Artist Forsman, Charles. Cover by Forsman, Charles.


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Hornchurch Athletic's six-game unbeaten run comes to an end
PUBLISHED: 12:00 17 June 2019 | UPDATED: 13:34 17 June 2019
Joe Turner celebrating a wicket for Hornchurch Athletic.Picture: Gavin Ellis/TGS Photo
A six-game unbeaten run for Hornchurch Athletic came to an end with a defeat to Springfield seconds.
Despite the loss, bowler Joe Turner managed to take six wickets for just 29 runs, his best ever figures for the club.
Springfield finished on a total of 173, while Hornchurch were dismissed for 127.
Athletic were forced to put out a depleted batting line-up for the fixture and the defeat means they have now fallen to fourth in the T.Rippon Mid-Essex League Division One.
Hornchurch will be hoping to get back to winning ways on Saturday when they take on league leaders Tillingham at Hylands.
The game also coincides with their former players day, with all ex-Athletic players welcome to attend.
Athletic's seconds had a comfortable victory over Ongar, finishing on 258-4.
Nathan Batsin hit 73, while Chris Humphries (101) also played an important part in his team's victory by achieving his fifth century for the club.
Ongar could only make 130 from their 45 overs and Hornchurch seconds sit fourth in Division Five.
There was also success for Athletic's thirds, who beat Billericay St Johns.
The thirds finished on 186-5, with Steve Cheeseman (52) and Sanjeev Mishra (46) helping their team to victory.
It was also a good day for bowler Andy Beasley who took four wickets, meaning they stay top of Division Nine.
Athletic's fourths fell to defeat against Great Waltham thirds and sit fourth in Division 10.


The 2014 BIA Home Building and Remodeling Show at the Neil S. Blaisdell Exhibition Hall begins on Friday, Jan. 24, and Servco will show off the newest appliances, garage doors and related accessories in its booths.
Servco Home & Appliance Distribution will show three of the newest innovations from GE — GE Artistry and the new GE and Monogram Dishwashers. GE Artistry is a unique appliance design aesthetic for the "affordable" segment. It's a new look that's stylishly sensible — with all the essential features — guaranteed to stand out in your home. The new GE and Monogram stainless steel tub dishwashers are GE's most advanced wash system with 102 cleaning jets and reversing quad blade arm — an innovative design that reverses direction, and bottle wash jets designed to clean inside containers. Depending on the model, other features include full extension smooth glide upper racks with fold-down tines, 3-piece silverware basket, color LCD screen and flush cabinet depth installation.
The latest Laundry Pair items from GE and Bosch will also be on display. Bosch Axxis Laundry Pair has a large capacity with a compact footprint. It can wash up to 17.6 pounds and fit up to 18 towels in one load. It also has AquaStop Leak Protection and a unique raindrop structured stainless steel drum. There are 15 wash cycles and 6 options available on the washer, and a quick dry 15-minute program available on the dryer.
The GE RightHeight Design Laundry Pair is ADA compliant and proudly assembled in Louisville, Ky. The washer offers Steam Assist that penetrates deep into fabric fibers — loosening stains and Max Rinse — which offers the maximum level of rinsing action with the industry's only third fresh water rinse and spin cycle. The dryer offers Steam Dewrinkle — which leaves cloths wrinkle-free — LED lighting and a stainless steel drum.
Also on display will be the next generation of award-winning Bosch dishwashers. As great as past designs have been, the new models are truly revolutionary. They are 3 dB quieter, 3 inches deeper and many models have three racks. Not only is the performance outstanding, but Bosch engineers developed two new appearances — a recessed handle and a flush handle, to give you a total of four designs in black, white, stainless steel and custom panel finishes.
Servco Home and Appliance's Thermador area will feature the Freedom Induction Cooktop. There will also be undercounter wine storage and refrigeration from U-Line and sinks from Franke.
The Servco Raynor Overhead Door booth will feature the new Raynor Aviator II Operator — a 1/2 HP heavy duty, but very quiet, belt drive operator with multiple frequencies for enhanced reception and the ability to control the unit from a smart phone! Also shown will be the latest in garage door designs from multiple manufacturers. Servco Raynor will also display two full-size working garage doors — the classic Affina and the remarkable StyleView. The StyleView garage door is a full view aluminum and glass door, and is the hottest garage door on the market. All Servco Raynor garage doors have limited lifetime warranties. Be sure to check out the Servco Raynor Overhead Door booth for all of your garage door and gate needs.
The company can't wait to show you all these great products and more in the Servco booths at the BIA Home Building and Remodeling Show.
For more information, call 564-2493.


Adlington Parish Council is now responsible for the management of the allotments in Adlington.
The site is currently full but we are operating a waiting list for those interested in taking an allotment in Adlington. Plots will be allocated according to the date applicants were added to the waiting list but priority is given to applicants living in the Adlington parish area.
The Parish Council is a member of the National Allotment Society and our agreement with tenants is based on the Society's model agreement. You can view a copy of our agreement here.
If you would like to be added to the waiting list please download the application form and once completed please return it to the Parish Clerk.
If you would like further information about the allotments please contact the Clerk.


Takata Corp has told U.S. safety regulators it will no longer use a volatile chemical in its airbag inflators.
The Japanese supplier is at the center of a global recall of tens of millions of cars for potentially deadly airbag inflators that could deploy with too much force and spray metal fragments inside vehicles.
Use of ammonium nitrate as a propellant in Takata airbags has been linked to dozens of ruptured inflators since 2003. The defective inflators have been linked to six deaths and hundreds of injuries.
The agreement to cease using ammonium nitrate was detailed by Takata executive Kevin Kennedy, in written testimony ahead of a hearing before a U.S. House panel on Tuesday.
Discovery of a root cause of Takata's airbag problems "is not imminent," according to David Kelly, head of an automakers' coalition investigating Takata airbag inflator ruptures.


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Q: best practice for optimization number of database requests I'm working on like/dislike system (php+ajax+mysql) .
My system is made like recommended here: Like and Dislike System for Posts. So i have many requests to database, for example :

*

*when user put like (insert in db)

*take all likes for this post (select from db)

*Also when user try to put like,there is checks flag in database.

*if user tries to put like for this post twice, again check flag via db.

and this is only for one post,but i also have comments,that user can likes.
Is there is a good practice to make this operations via database or it's better to use cache/sessions or something like that.

A: If you'd like it to persist between sessions then you'd have to save it to a database of some sort.
You could have it more efficient by perhaps having a master-slave databases that the slave only do reads and master only writes.
There are more ways to do it, depends on the specifications.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Paul Cordera has been an established Remedial Massage Therapist since 1991. During this time Paul has established a reputation in Adelaide as a leading Massage Therapist. His patients have included Commonwealth games and Olympic level athletes and international musicians including members of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Paul also works with people of all walks of life and as a parent with two young children understands the need for parents and their children to maintain their health and well-being. He looks forward to meeting you and looking after your needs.
Olivia Jenkinson is a qualified Remedial Therapist and has been practicing since 2005. Olivia is a member with the Australian Association of Massage Therapists and is very experienced in deep tissue, sports, remedial, trigger point and relaxation treatments.
Olivia individually tailors her sessions to meet the needs of each client addressing the issues of both physical and mental stress and enjoys working with a wide variety of clientele.


Chancellor Mary F. Platt made the following statement today congratulating members who won seats in the 2018 election.
On behalf of the Philadelphia Bar Association, I applaud our members who won their elections yesterday: Mary Gay Scanlon (5th Congressional District), Rep. Donna Bullock (Pa. House of Representatives, District 195), Sen. Arthur Haywood III (Pa. Senate, District 4), Joseph Hohenstein (Pa. House of Representatives, District 177), Rep. Joanna McClinton (Pa. House of Representatives, District 191) and Michael Zabel (Pa. House of Representatives, District 163). Thank you for your leadership!


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Safe for Tash
October 30, 2011 - Many years ago, I belonged to an internet based community called wotmania. It was all about these books called Wheel of...
October 28, 2011 - Lauri turned the big five-ohh this summer, and she called me so that she could have a fabulous print of herself at her B...
Melani & Sam
October 23, 2011 - I had the best day hanging out with Melani and Sam yesterday on Belle Isle! Sam and Melani are engaged, and are planning...
High Fashion Bohemian Model Shoot with Royal Oak Photography
October 18, 2011 - One of my favorite locations is Maybury State Park, so I planned Royal Oak Photography 's yearly "Model Shoot" in the fa...
Annual Autumn Model Shoot
October 18, 2011 - One of my favorite locations is Maybury State Park, so I planned our yearly "Model Shoot" in the fall there.
Just one of the reasons Fall is my favorite season
October 18, 2011 - Dear Michigan Fall, I love you!
Why I can't work for free
October 11, 2011 - I know that, in the past, I have done work "for credit", or to build my portfolio (for minimal cost to the client), or j...
Angelina, Royal Oak High School Class of 2019 Alex, Royal Oak High School Class of 2019 It's a family affair... Rose and Brandon Sitting in a Tree Isaac and Beth Aly Class of 2018 A Hole In One Environmental Headshots The Apples Jason and Stephen's Wedding (& Anne and Mike's 45th Wedding Anniversary)
portraits Amy Claeys Photography Weddings What I See Family Royal Oak Photographer How I got here Rock Bride Wedding Photography
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Ostrich Trifold Checkbook Wallet Womens Animal Printed Wallet (Olive Green) by Elphis at coachfactoryoutletion.net. Hurry! Limited time offer. Offer valid only while supplies last. Ostrich Animal Printed Trifold Checkbook Womens Wallet. Made of High Quality Soft faux vegan leather & Gold-tone hardware. Push-button closure.
Ostrich Animal Printed Trifold Checkbook Womens Wallet.
Made of High Quality Soft faux vegan leather & Gold-tone hardware.
Credit card or business card slots. Pockets for bills or receipts.
Measure 7.5" length, 1" width, 3.5" height.
Take your favorite celebrities with you where ever you go. With this wallet, all eyes is going to be on you... well, on your wallet and the compliments won't stop coming. Get yours now, while supplies last.


This tutorial is on how you can get a lot of detail out of tiling textures like I have shown in my previous environment using two uv channels.
In the tutorial I go over a lot of the basics of tiling textures as well as my workflow for using two UV channels to blend details seamlessly to get a nearly high poly look. Its all recorded in realtime with commentary. I include a ton of assets and all the project files as well as my finished assets and the blockouts so you can follow along. The goal was to give you a blockout ready to be finalized so that the tutorial focuses on polishing rough geometry and turning it into a finished asset using ONLY tiling textures.
The tutorial is using 3ds Max 2017 which I highly recommend you pick up the trial so you may follow along.


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The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (Göran Olsson, 2011)
For three decades, the film canisters sat undisturbed in a cellar beneath the Swedish National Broadcasting Company. Inside was roll after roll of startlingly fresh and candid 16mm footage shot in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States, all of it focused on the anti-war and Black Power movements. When filmmaker Goran Hugo Olsson discovered the footage, he decided he had a responsibility to shepherd this glimpse of history into the world.
With contemporary audio interviews from leading African American artists, activists, musicians and scholars, The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 looks at the people, society, culture, and style that fuelled an era of convulsive change. Utilizing an innovative format that riffs on the popular 1970s mixtape format, Mixtape is a cinematic and musical journey into the black communities of America.
At the end of the '60s and into the early '70s, Swedish interest in the U.S. civil rights movement and the U.S. anti-war movement peaked. With a combination of commitment and naiveté, Swedish filmmakers traveled across the Atlantic to explore the Black Power movement, which was being alternately ignored or portrayed in the U.S. media as a violent, nascent terrorist movement.
Despite the obstacles they encountered, both from the conservative white American power establishment and from radicalized movement members themselves, the Swedish filmmakers stayed committed to their investigation, and ultimately formed bonds with key figures in the movement.
This newly discovered footage offers a penetrating examination — through the lens of Swedish filmmakers — of the Black Power movement from 1967 to 1975, and its worldwide resonance. The result is like an anthropological treatise on an exotic civilization from the point of view of outsiders who approached their subject with no assumptions or biases. --PBS
Touki Bouki (Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1973)
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (Göran Olsson, 2...
Sit-In (Robert M. Young, 1960)
Human Zoos: America's Forgotten History of Scienti...
Strong Island (Yance Ford, 2017)
The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files (David Olu...
Jim Crow of the North (Daniel Bergin, 2019)
Equality Under the Law: The Lost Generation of Pri...
16 Shots (Rick Rowley, 2019)
Finally Got the News (Stewart Bird, Rene Lichtman ...
Let the Fire Burn (Jason Osder, 2013)
Murder In Mississippi (Joseph P. Mawra, 1965)
Slavery by Another Name (Samuel D. Pollard, 2012)
Classified X (Melvin Van Peebles & Mark Daniels, 1...
The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story (Michae...
The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966)
Baldwin's Nigger (Horace Ové, 1968)
Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (Charles Burnet...
Statues Also Die aka Les Statues Meurent Aussi (Ch...
King Leopold's Ghost (Pippa Scott & Oreet Rees, 2006)
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (Si...
LA 92 (Dan Lindsay & T.J. Martin, 2017)
The Spook Who Sat by the Door (Ivan Dixon, 1973)
Black Liberation aka Silent Revolution (Edouard De...
Eldridge Cleaver: Black Panther (William Klein, 1970)
Malcolm X: Make it Plain (Steve Fayer and Orlando ...
Putney Swope (Robert Downey Sr, 1969)
Nothing but a Man (Michael Roemer, 1964)
Uptight (Jules Dassin, 1968)


1991 album from Prog masterminds now released on Madfish heavyweight gatefold double vinyl.
Madfish have been releasing new editions of the albums from throughout the band's extensive back catalogue as well as their 2014 new album 'Men Who Climb Mountains' on LP ? this series continues with the release of the 1991 album 'The World', the original of which is a highly sought after Pendragon collectors piece. It was this album which saw the band return to a more progressive style that they continued to develop over their next three studio albums - The Window of Life, The Masquerade Overture, and Not Of This World, and features the notable the three part 22 minute opus, "Queen Of Hearts" plus a bonus track not available on the original vinyl release "Sister Bluebird".
'The World' will be released as a gatefold double LP on 180g heavyweight black vinyl.


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Zkratka (značka) NSS může znamenat:

 NSS – Nejvyšší správní soud
 NSS – , anglická zkratka pro síťový spojovací subsystém v mobilní síti GSM
 NSS – Novell Storage Services, souborový systém používaný na pevných discích síťovým operačním systémem Novell Netware
 NSS – Network Security Services, API / několik knihoven pro multiplatformní vývoj v oblasti bezpečnosti.
NSS – Náhlá srdeční smrt

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Most gardeners are dreaming of Spring during this cold, blizzardy winter month of January. Although, most of us east coasters had been experiencing a VERY mild winter, there is still a lot to be done.
Planning! What plants are you going to focus on for the coming year? Analyze last year's planting, fertilizing and spraying. Make notes to reorder successful varieties as well as those you wish to try again.
Dig out those seed catalogs for inspiration! When reviewing for new varieties, consider American Beauties Native Plants, which have improved insect and/or disease resistance for your area. Watch also for drought-tolerant types.
If the ground isn't soggy or frozen, January is a good time to turn the soil. This will expose insect eggs and help reduce the number of pests. Consider adding biochar to the mix for greater water retention and increased nutrient absorption.
Feed the birds to help them survive through the cold winter.
Indoor Hyacinths and Amaryllis should be in full bloom adding a touch or much needed color to windowsills or heated greenhouses. Other house plants will appreciate a feed with a good quality liquid plant food.
Increased humidity in your house by placing plants on trays lined with pebbles and filled with water to within one half inch of the base of the pot. If you heat with wood, keep a pot of water on the stove. The added moisture will be healthier for you as well as your plants!
What other tips can you offer?


Transform the world around you by unleashing your skills and crafting the next generation of technology. Put your expertise to work as part of the world's largest independent technology services provider and lead the way as a trendsetter in your field. We're ready if you are!
As a Microsoft cloud infrastructure consultant, you work in a team to find the best solution for our customers. You design environments based on Microsoft technologies and implement and migrate these solutions together with your team. We offer our customers solutions for the workplace, mobility issues, data centers (combined with Cloud), IoT and application and collaboration platforms. We do this with Microsoft technologies such as 0365, Azure, Skype, System Center, Windows 10, Windows Server and EMS.
In case you do not fully meet the above-mentioned job requirements, but you do have a can-do and entrepreneurial mind set, and you continually challenge yourself to learn new things. Then we are happy to receive your application!
Are your ready to join Accenture as Microsoft Cloud Consultant? Apply now and change the world around you.


I'm always the first two write things down, make lists, plan projects out and wait to start until I feel I'm organized enough to get going. I often write down my goals because there's something about the process that makes them more tangible and I use a variety of apps and systems to track what I'm doing when I'm doing it and how.
Or if they're just another form of procrastinating.
Planning out a project – like learning a language – feels like you're being productive.
It creates a sense of forward momentum, of creating direction, and of getting it done.
In the past, I spent a lot of time planning to learn languages. I'd scour review to determine which resources were the best, how much time I needed to spend doing listening versus reading, whether or not I really needed to work with a tutor, how to find the best tutors, or which articles seemed to explain complex grammar topics in the clearest way.
I was using planning to avoid actually doing any learning. I knew that I needed to work out how to use cases or particles or build my vocabulary, but rather than actually doing any of those things, I'd tried to plan how I would do them, creating to-do lists and resource lists because if it was on my list, it meant something.
It's all about intention. Right? If I intend to do it, that's just as good as actually doing it.
Sometimes, I find, you don't even know exactly what you should be doing until you're already in the middle of doing it. There's really only so much you can plan for.
When I think of something I need to do, I do it. Right then and there. That way, I get it done and out of the way. But taking action immediately, rather than putting it off until later, I don't have the time to come up with extra steps or projects I need to do before I can do that thing. The task is done, over, and out of the way so I can keep going on with my day. By doing this, my to-do lists are reserved just for big projects that really do need to be broken down.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.
There are times where I can't stop what I'm doing to complete that other task that came up, and sometimes doing this interrupts my flow and I waste time switching tasks too often.
When this is the case, I do jot the other thing I think I need to do down. But not on my to-do list. Instead, I keep a running list of things that come up like this during the day (or during my studies). They're my "what to get started on" the next time I sit down to study list. That way, whenever I feel stuck or unsure of what I need to do next, this list gives me direction.
Here are a few tips to help you stop planning your language learning, and start learning.
1. When you write down a task, try to keep it small.
Your goal may be to one day "speak Korean fluently", but writing this down on your to-do list won't give you any direction. Instead, take a moment to figure out what you need to do to get there, break it down into tasks that can be achieved in a day, and go from there.
I talk about this in detail in my goal setting post and in my post on how I learned a ton of words in Chinese within two weeks, but it's worth breaking down again here.
So let's say your goal really is to speak Korean fluently. What exactly does this mean?
For many people, it probably means that they want to be able to converse in the language comfortably. Already, that gives us a little more detail.
Now think about conversation. What do you do when you converse? You listen and you speak. So again, we're getting a little more specific. In order to be able to listen and speak, you need to develop those skills. So giving yourself tasks each day that require listening to Korean (watching dramas, listening to lessons) and that require speaking Korean (doing a one minute video on Instagram, meeting with an exchange partner, etc.) are better "doing" goals.
2. If you feel the need to plan, limit how much time you spend on it.
Some planning is unavoidable. So the next best thing you can do is limit yourself to how much time you can spend on it. For example, I might allocate about 45 minutes every Monday to plan out what I need to do for each of my languages during that particular week to keep moving forward. Once that 45 minutes is up, I start doing action tasks and don't allow myself to plan anymore.
When I get in my car, I listen to language learning podcasts and audio lessons. I've tied those two activities together, so I never need to think about what I'll listen to in the car or when I'll get my listening practice in.
I have language lessons the same time each week during my lunch breaks at work. I schedule them in advance so that all I have to do is show up.
At the end of every week, I take all of my notes from my lessons and put them into my flashcards. I do this all in one batch on the same day each week so that it's just something that I do on Saturday afternoons while my little one naps.
I read with LingQ each day before bed. I already had the habit of reading each night, now I just do part of it in my languages instead.
But it's important not to get carried away. It may feel productive to read advice on learning languages, to spend time looking for the best resources, or to plan how you'll learn the language, but be careful not to spend so much time doing those things that you don't spend any time with the language itself.
What are your thoughts on planning? Have you ever realized that you were using planning as a way to avoid doing the work?


The Atera Dashboard is your main window, enabling you to see all important information that may require your attention, such as tickets, alerts, and more. You can customize the dashboard to suit your needs.
From the left hand panel. click Dashboard. The Dashboard appears.
The remainder of the screen is occupied by widgets that provide summary information, real-time monitoring and other information. You may wish to disable, move or change the size of one or more widgets.
The Dashboard Layout window appears.
The left hand panel shows the available widgets. The right hand panel previews your changes.
2. Make changes using the toggle buttons and size selectors.
Changes are previewed in the Preview panel.
3. Click Save, to save your changes.


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Why a proper record of birds in Africa is so important – for Europe
November 20, 2017 8.44am EST
Les Underhill, University of Cape Town
Les Underhill
Professor, Biodiversity Informatics, University of Cape Town
The Second Southern African Bird Atlas Project, which Les Underhill leads, has received funding from the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
University of Cape Town provides funding as a partner of The Conversation AFRICA.
Carefully tracking the migration habits of birds like the Barn Swallow can help to conserve these species. Shutterstock
Most of Europe's birds head south each year around September to escape the northern winter. Some species only migrate as far south as southern Europe. But most cross the Mediterranean Sea to Africa. And many species cross the Sahara Desert to destinations in West Africa such as Nigeria and in East Africa, such as Kenya. Some travel as far south as South Africa.
These European birds are diligently monitored. Every April, during the breeding season in the early part of the northern summer, teams of citizen scientists in most European countries gather vast amounts of data on the distribution and densities of breeding – for almost every bird species. Thousands of citizen scientists are involved. They diligently generate the data in their leisure time.
Europe is also completing its second atlas of breeding birds. This provides a map, for each species, of the places where it has actually been recorded breeding. With this information resources can be dedicated to protecting the areas where birds breed, and to improving their breeding habitat.
But all this effort is worth little unless it is matched by carefully planned initiatives in the non-breeding season, in Africa. The problem is that there's not much accurate or up-to-date knowledge about distributions and migration routes in non-breeding areas.
Development – cities, agriculture, mining and industry – is changing the face of Africa. The impact of climate change is predicted to hit Africa harder than any other continent. These factors will certainly affect the bird species that migrate to and from Europe to breed; for many species, more than half the year is spent in Africa.
If Europe is going to reap the benefits of conservation measures at home, the greatest need for research in ornithology that's relevant to conservation is an understanding of where "their" birds migrate to when they head off to Africa.
That's where the African Bird Atlas comes in.
Tracking sometimes subtle shifts
Southern Africa has had atlas projects for birds, frogs, reptiles and butterflies. Only the bird atlas was truly comprehensive: almost every corner of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe was visited by citizen scientists who collected and compiled all the data.
The first bird atlas was developed in the late 1980s. The participants generated seven million records of bird distribution – a project described as the biggest biodiversity project conducted on the African continent.
A second bird atlas was initiated in 2007 to cover South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. This project is ongoing. In August 2017, its database reached 10 million records. It has sister projects, using the same protocol, running in Kenya and Nigeria. Europe focuses on the breeding season, but work on the African bird atlas continues throughout the year. This allows us to gather precious data on the timing of the arrival and departure of migrant birds.
Other countries in Africa such as Ethiopia and Zambia have had bird atlas projects. These were mostly undertaken by expatriate birdwatchers from Europe and North America. While most of the distribution maps produced by these projects are well out of date, they remain incredibly valuable because they help show how distributions have changed.
The two bird atlas projects in southern Africa are a quarter century apart. Many species have shown massive changes in distribution. The Glossy Ibis has expanded westwards. The Maccoa Duck has decreased to the point where it ought to be listed as a threatened species.
The timing of migration is also changing. This is especially true for long-distance migrants. Comparisons between the two bird atlas projects have revealed subtle shifts in the timing of migration to and from South Africa of the iconic bird of the European spring, the Barn Swallow – famous for the saying "one swallow does not make a summer".
A vital project
So who can get involved in gathering information for the bird atlas, and why should they?
Anyone with a good ability to identify birds in their home can be a citizen scientist for the project. People who think they fit the criteria are encouraged to register as an observer on the project's website.
The guidelines for participation are all there, including a description of the protocol which needs to be followed. In a nutshell, this involves spending a minimum of two hours in a grid cell, about 9 km square, making a bird list which is as comprehensive as possible. We are currently looking for citizen scientists from across the continent.
All of this work is enormously important for Africa itself. For example, in planning species conservation and setting priorities for action, the first questions asked are: "Where does the species occur?" and "Is this range changing?" Only proper fieldwork through a project like the bird atlas can assure that the answers are not guesswork.
Also, biodiversity tourism – including bird tourism – has huge potential for sustainable employment in Africa. But bird tourism is best planned if there is access to comprehensive distribution maps, especially in the field guides.
And the African Bird Atlas will also be of tremendous use to Europe. A 2014 review showed that Europe's long distance migrants to Africa are in decline. The weak link in the annual cycle is not clear. The same review points out that we "understand little about distributions patterns" in Africa, and recommends that this is a priority for further research.
Africa birds


Day 1. Pick up at Ende airport or Hotel – Saga village – Moni Village.
Pick up at the airport/hotel of Ende middle Flores island, then drive to Moni village. On the way will visit Saga traditional village belongs to Lio people. Stop at Detukoso to make picture of wonderful view of the Rice terraces. Continue driving to Moni village for overnight stay.
Day 2. Moni village – Kelimutu lake – Wologai village – Ende – transfer to airport/hotel.
Early drive up to Kelimutu lake. Walking for 30 minute up to the summit to witness the most spectacular natural miracle called Kelimutu three lakes which were made by the Kelimutu volcano explosion. These three lakes have three different color and constantly change their color anytime without prior notice. After spending your time to enjoy this Kelimutu volcano and surroundings, you will walk back to the car parking area, and continues by car for taking you back to the hotel for having breakfast. Drive back to Ende town, En route will stop at Wologai village to make a short visit in this traditional village. Bring you to the airport to catch your afternoon flight for the next destination or transferring to your chosen hotel.


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Like the 26 meetings before it, COP27 did not clamp down on the single most important danger to the planet — the human-generated emissions that are causing global warming.
With reported obstruction from fossil fuel states such as Saudi Arabia and China, and the presence of more than 600 executives and lobbyists from fossil fuel companies — a rise of 25 percent compared with last year — governments proved incapable of approving a slew of badly-needed resolutions.
These included determining that emissions would peak in 2025, that coal use would stop within a specified time frame, and that fossil fuels in general would be "phased down," not to mention phased out.
Some of the harder decisions on implementing a cap-and-trade emissions market were also postponed.
Some fossil fuel-rich countries even tried, but failed, to pull back from an agreement cemented at last year's COP26 in Scotland to keep temperature rises to 1.5° C (2.7° F) above pre-industrial levels — a goal that looks increasingly illusory anyway.
The next COP meeting will be held in December 2023 in the petro-kingdom of Dubai, raising a question mark over prospects for stronger action next year.
The COP resolution required to wind up the conference needed the unanimous agreement of nearly 200 countries organized into blocs, all with their own political and economic agendas, which is why these events — attended, as they are, by thousands of energetic, committed and well-meaning people from the entire spectrum of activity on climate — often end with such deep frustration and despair.
Honestly, I'm struggling to see the outcome of #COP27 as anything other than a failure.
Reducing emissions are the most important goal, and hardly any progress was made there.
— Dr. Robert Rohde (@RARohde) November 20, 2022
For the Middle East, a hotspot in which temperatures are rising twice as fast as the global average, the future looks even bleaker. The region is on track to reach a mind-bending 4°Celsius (7.2° Fahrenheit) or even 5° Celsius (9° Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, unless radical action is taken.
It was always going to be a difficult COP, given the strains on budgets brought on by the global energy crunch and food shortages, the rush to extract more fossil fuels to make up for supply cuts from Russia, and an emissions trajectory that continues to rise.
But there were some positive results from the UN's biggest annual shindig.
In contrast to last year's COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, this year's confab in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh emphasized the needs of Africa and the developing world.
The spotlight was on adaptation to the consequences of climate change rather than its causes.
Progress included a commitment in principle (without any detail) by the richer countries to create a "loss and damage" fund to help the global south recover from the devastating effects of increasingly extreme weather events.
Also agreed on was the need to reform the international financial institutions such as the multilateral development banks to ensure that more climate finance flows to developing countries.
The US and China — the biggest emitters in the world — started working together again on climate, putting the fallout from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan earlier this year behind them.
And additional countries joined a pledge launched in Glasgow last year to cut emissions of methane — a particularly powerful warming gas — by 30% by the end of this decade.
In 30 years of UN climate negotiations, eliminating the primary cause of global heating – fossil fuels – has never been mentioned in the decisions, not even in the COP27 in 2022.
And these were the results. pic.twitter.com/zKTO1oq9M6
— @MatthiasSchmelzer@kolektiva.social (@MGSchmelzer) November 21, 2022
Israel was represented by President Isaac Herzog and four outgoing ministers — Tamar Zandberg from the Environmental Protection Ministry, Orit Farkash Hacohen from the Science and Technology Ministry, Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton, and Issawi Frej, minister of regional cooperation.
With a right-wing victory delivered by Israeli elections just days before the conference began, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid and several other ministers decided that it would be inappropriate for them to attend.
During the event, which ended on November 18, officials from many ministries flew in and out, according to different themes spread over the 11 days of the confab.
They included representatives of the finance and defense ministries, and the National Security Council within the Prime Minister's Office. The NSC added climate change into its national risk list earlier this year, and is employing an expert on the subject for the first time: Victor Weiss, a former director of Israel's Heschel Sustainability Center, which works for a just transition to a low-carbon economy.
The country's first-ever COP pavilion was big, buzzy and given prime real estate in the first of several pavilion buildings, near the official US stage and events area.
The pavilion, with its four daily panel events and lectures, its space to sit and talk or work, and especially its free coffee without a queue, turned it into a magnet.
It sometimes felt as if the entire Israeli environmental world passed through it at some point during the confab. Estimates of the number of Israelis at COP varied from several hundred to well over 1,000.
The Israeli government invested in the pavilion for two main reasons, according to Yuval Laster, head of the Environmental Protection Ministry's policy and strategy unit.
The first was to convey that climate innovation is where Israel can make a real global contribution, and Jerusalem also sought to promote Israel's keen interest in international, and especially regional, climate cooperation.
The Foreign Ministry's special climate envoy, Ambassador Gideon Behar, who pushed hard for Israel to exhibit climate solutions, told The Times of Israel that country delegations from as far afield as Spain, China and the Pacific island of Tuvalu had visited the pavilion, and that he had been interviewed at least 20 times by media from countries including China, Morocco and the Czech Republic.
In regional terms, three events of great symbolic importance took place at this year's conference.
The first was a meeting of heads of states from the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) under the leadership of the Cypriot and Egyptian presidents to approve a regional climate plan that has been in the making for three years.
The event saw Tamar Zandberg stepping in for President Herzog and sitting in the same room as leaders from enemy states such as Iraq and Lebanon.
The meeting seemed to underline an increasing understanding that countries of the region face similar challenges and that working together might be the only way for them to face the challenges that lie ahead.
In a separate move, Israel and Jordan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Hashemite kingdom to build solar fields in its vast deserts to supply renewable energy to Israel, in exchange for desalinated water.
The agreement further cements a deal brokered by the UAE and the US climate envoy John Kerry a year ago.
Jerusalem and Amman also signed a declaration of intent to partner in the ecological restoration and sustainable development of the Jordan River.
On an academic level, Haifa University in northern Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two universities in the UAE and the German GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel to study marine ecosystems in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Gulf in the light of climate change.
But it was in climate technology that the Israeli presence was most keenly felt, with some 50 companies attending. They mixed with potential partners at a number of events organized by bodies such as PLANETech, and the Israel Export Institute, the latter in partnership with the Economy Ministry's Foreign Trade Administration, the Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Manufacturers Association.
"We have experienced the exponential growth of Israeli climate tech over recent months, and COP27 will surely accelerate this trend," said Uriel Klar, PLANETech's director. He traveled with climate tech companies to the confab in a bus to avoid air travel-related emissions.
Among several deals that were sealed during COP27, the Israeli hydrogen company H2Pro and Moroccan renewable energy developer Gaia Energy signed a strategic agreement for the supply of a special Israeli electrolyzer for the production of hydrogen.
Tomorrow.io, the developer of a weather and climate analytics platform, announced a new partnership with Microsoft to provide early warning systems to governments, businesses, and farmers in Africa.
Criaterra, which focuses on manufacturing technologies that replace the conventional kiln-firing processes for cement and ceramics to produce fully recyclable construction materials, was one of two winners of a climate tech prize awarded by the US State Department, in partnership with the impact funds of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, LinkedIn and General Electric.
In addition to a cash award of $30,000, Criaterra will join Google's mentoring program for start-up companies and be invited to discussions with the various impact funds.
Finally, DeserTech, an Israeli platform for climate technologies geared to dry and desert climates, launched a program to partner with the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the 11 African countries leading the "Great Green Wall" movement.
The Great Green Wall is an African-led initiative aimed at rehabilitating 1 million square kilometers (250 million acres) of degraded land across the Sahel region by 2030, generating millions of jobs, and capturing 250 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who memorably mocked world leaders last year for all their "blah blah blah," did not visit COP27, on the grounds, she claimed, that leaders just talked but didn't act.
The problem is that it is the only climate event that brings all the stakeholders to the table.
The bulk of the Israeli media left the confab a day or two after it started, leaving this reporter and a journalist from Haaretz seemingly the only ones still there to cover events.
And as COP27 ended, the world's attention shifted to the opening of the World Cup in Qatar, prompting Behar to reflect on the press' priorities.
"Twenty-two people running after a ball," he grumbled, "interest the Israeli and international media more than the future of humanity."
I joined The Times of Israel after many years covering US and Israeli politics for Hebrew news outlets.
I believe responsible coverage of Israeli politicians means presenting a 360 degree view of their words and deeds – not only conveying what occurs, but also what that means in the broader context of Israeli society and the region.
That's hard to do because you can rarely take politicians at face value – you must go the extra mile to present full context and try to overcome your own biases.
I'm proud of our work that tells the story of Israeli politics straight and comprehensively. I believe Israel is stronger and more democratic when professional journalists do that tough job well.
Your support for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community helps ensure we can continue to do so.
Tal Schneider, Political Correspondent
QOSHE - COP27 didn't slash emissions, but it did give Israeli climate tech a global stage - Sue Surkes
Toi Staff Emanuel Fabian Jacob Magid Luke Tress Gideon Levy Lazar Berman Jeremy Sharon Ash Obel Nathan Jeffay Judah Ari Gross Center For Peace Communications Noa Landau Sharon Wrobel Agencies Ron Kampeas Carrie Keller-Lynn Michael Horovitz Andrew Lapin Michael Bachner Scott Ritter Jessica Steinberg David I. Klein Tobias Siegal David Horovitz Danielle Nagler Bradley Blankenship Grant Arthur Gochin Marwan Bishara Andrew Mitrovica Haviv Rettig Gur Vijay Kolinjivadi Zvi Bar&x27El Matt Lebovic Hagai El-Ad Zarrar Khuhro Belen Fernandez Rachel Marsden Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Hadar Susskind Nathaniel Berman January 18 Michael Sfard Mateja Kožuh Novak Hedi Viterbo The Asahi Shimbun Aeon Video Amy Spiro Tal Schneider Asaf Elia-Shalev
COP27 didn't slash emissions, but it did give Israeli climate tech a global stage
Sue Surkes
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — As the world gallops toward what scientists warn would be a catastrophic rise of 3° Celsuis (5.4° Fahrenheit) in global temperatures above pre-industrial levels by 2100, environment-focused officials and activists from all over the world have taken to social media to slam the recent UN climate conference in Egypt as a failure.
Progress included a commitment in principle (without any detail) by the richer countries to........
© The Times of Israel


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Fri Aug 14
In COVID's shadow, global terrorism goes quiet. But we have seen this before, and should be wary
Written by Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University
Have we flattened the curve of global terrorism? In our COVID-19-obsessed news cycle stories about terrorism and terrorist attacks have largely disappeared. We now, though, understand a little more about how pandemics work.
And ironically, long before the current pandemic, the language of epidemiology proved helpful in understanding by analogy the way in which terrorism works as a phenomenon that depends on social contact and exchange, and expands rapidly in an opportunistic fashion when defences are lowered.
Terrorism goes quiet - but we've seen this before
In this pandemic year, it appears one piece of good news is that the curve of international terrorist attacks has indeed been flattened. Having lost its physical caliphate, Islamic State also appears to have lost its capacity, if not its willingness, to launch attacks around the world well beyond conflict zones.
We have seen this happen before. The September 11 attacks in 2001 were followed by a wave of attacks around the world. Bali in October 2002, Riyadh, Casablanca, Jakarta and Istanbul in 2003, Madrid in March 2004, followed by Khobar in May, then London in July 2005 and Bali in October, not to mention numerous other attacks in the Middle East and West Asia.
Since 2005, with the exception of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris in January 2015, al-Qaeda has been prevented from launching any major attacks in western capitals.
The 2015 attack on the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris left 12 people dead. Ian Langsdon/AAP
The September 11 attacks precipitated enormous investment in police counterterrorism capacity around the world, particularly in intelligence. The result has been that al-Qaeda has struggled to put together large-scale coordinated attacks in Western capitals without being detected and stopped.
Then in 2013, Islamic State emerged. This brought a new wave of attacks from 2014 in cities around the world, outside of conflict zones in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Nigeria.
This wave of IS international terror attacks now appears to have reached an end. The hopeful rhetoric of the collapse of the IS caliphate leading to an end of the global campaign of terror attacks appears to have been borne out. Although, as the sophisticated and coordinated suicide bombings in Colombo in Easter 2019 reminded us, further attacks by previously unknown cells cannot ever be ruled out.
While it's tempting to conclude that the ending of the current wave of international terrorist attacks by IS is due largely to the ending of the physical caliphate in Syria and Iraq, and a concomitant collapse of capacity, the reality is more complex. Just as the wave of al-Qaeda attacks in the first half of the 2000s was curtailed primarily by massive investments in counterterrorism, so too it appears to be the case with IS international terror plots in the second half of this decade.
Read more: Why we need to stay alert to the terror threat as the UK reopens
The 2019 attacks in Sri Lanka illustrate dramatically what happens when there is a failure of intelligence, whether due to capacity or, as appears to be the case in Sri Lanka, a lack of political will. The rise of IS in 2013-14 should not have caught us by surprise, but it did, and in 2014 and 2015 we were scrambling to get up to speed with the intelligence challenge.
Epidemiology of terror
The parallels with the epidemiology of viruses are striking. Reasoning by analogy is imperfect, but it can be a powerful way of prompting reflection. The importance of this cannot be underestimated as intelligence failures in counterterrorism, like poor political responses to pandemics, are in large part failures of imagination.
We don't see what we don't want to see, and we set ourselves up to become victims of our own wishful thinking. So, with two waves of international terrorist attacks over the past two decades largely brought under control, what can we say about the underlying threat of global terrorism?
When it comes to terrorism, we don't see what we don't want to see. Rahmat Gul/AAP
There are four key lessons we need to learn.
First, we are ultimately seeking to counter the viral spread of ideas and narratives embodied in social networks and spread person-to-person through relationships, whether in person or online. Effective policing and intelligence built on strong community relations can dramatically limit the likelihood of terrorist networks successfully executing large-scale attacks. Effective intelligence can also go a long way to diminishing the frequency and intensity of lone-actor attacks. But this sort of intelligence is even more dependent on strong community relations, built on trust that emboldens people to speak out.
Second, terrorist movements, being opportunistic and parasitic, achieve potency in inverse relation to the level of good governance. In other words, as good governance breaks down, terrorist movements find opportunity to embed themselves. In failing states, the capacity of the state to protect its citizens, and the trust between citizen and authorities, provides ample opportunities for terrorist groups to exploit grievances and needs. This is the reason around 75% of all deaths due to terrorist activity in recent years have occurred in just five nations: Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria (followed by Somalia, Libya, and Yemen).
The third lesson is directly linked to state failure, and is that military methods dramatically overpromise and under-deliver when it comes to countering terrorism. In fact, more than that, the use of military force tends to generate more problems than it solves. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than what has been so wrongly framed as the Global War on Terror.
Military methods under-deliver when it comes to tackling terrorism. Watan Yar/AAP
Beginning in October 2001 in the immediate wake of the September 11 attacks, the war on terror began with a barrage of attacks on al-Qaeda positions in Afghanistan. It was spurred by understandable anger, but it led to two decades of tremendously expensive military campaigns they have completely failed to deliver the hoped-for end in terrorism to justify the massive toll of violence and loss of life.
The military campaign in Afghanistan began, and has continued for almost 19 years, without any strategic endpoints being defined and indeed with no real strategy vision at all. After almost two decades of continuous conflict, any American administration would understandably want to end the military campaign and withdraw.
Obama talked of doing this but was unable to do so. Trump campaigned on it as one of the few consistent features of his foreign policy thinking. Hence the current negotiations to dramatically reduce American troop numbers, and in the process trigger a reduction in allied coalition troops while releasing thousands of detained militants in response to poorly defined and completely un-guaranteed promises of a reduction in violence by the Taliban.
This is America's way of ending decades of stalemate in which it is has proven impossible to defeat the Taliban, which even now controls almost one half of Afghanistan. But even as the peace negotiations have been going on the violence has continued unabated. The only reason for withdrawing and allowing the Taliban to formally take a part in governing Afghanistan is fatigue.
Not just Afghanistan
If the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan were the main story, the situation would already be far more dire then we would care to accept. But the problem is not limited to Afghanistan and West Asia. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the "coalition of the willing" was justified largely on the grounds it was necessary to stop al-Qaeda from establishing a presence in Iraq. It achieved, of course, the exact opposite.
Al-Qaeda had little, if any, presence in Iraq prior to the invasion. But the ensuring collapse of not just the regime of Saddam Hussein but the dismantling of the Baath party and the Iraqi military, led largely by a Sunni minority in a Shia majority country, created perfect storm conditions for multiple Sunni insurgencies.
These in turn came to be dominated by the group that styled itself first as Al Qaeda in Iraq, then as the Islamic State in Iraq, and then as the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. This powerful insurgency was almost completely destroyed in the late 2000s when Sunni tribes were paid and equipped to fight the al-Qaeda insurgency.
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was supposed to stop al-Qaeda. Jerome Delay/AAP
The toxic sectarian politics of Iraq, followed by the withdrawal of US troops at the end of 2011, coinciding with the outbreak of civil war in Syria, saw the almost extinguished insurgency quickly rebuild. We only really began to pay attention when IS led a blitzkrieg across northern Iraq, seized Mosul, and declared a caliphate in June 2014.
Defeating this quasi-state took years of extraordinarily costly military engagement. But even as IS was deprived of the last of its safe havens on the ground, analysts were warning it continued to have tens of thousands of insurgent militants in Syria and northern Iraq and was successfully returning to its earlier mode of insurgency.
Read more: US retreat from Syria could see Islamic State roar back to life
As the Iraqi security forces have been forced to pull back in the face of a steadily building COVID-19 pandemic, there are signs the IS insurgent forces have continued to seize the spaces left open to them. Even without the pandemic, the insurgency was always going to steadily build strength, but the events of 2020 have provided it with fresh opportunities.
The fourth and final lesson we need to come to terms with is that we are dealing with a viral movement of ideas embodied in social networks. We are not dealing with a singular unchanging enemy but rather an amorphous, agile, threat able to constantly evolve and adapt itself to circumstances.
Al-Qaeda and IS share a common set of ideas built around Salafi-jihadi violent extremism. But this is not the only violent extremism we have to worry about.
In America today, as has been the case for more than a decade, the prime terrorist threat comes from far-right violent extremism rather than from Salafi-jihadi extremism. The same is not true in Australia, although ASIO and our police forces have been warning us far-right extremism represents an emerging secondary threat.
But the potent violence of an Australian far-right terrorist in the attack in Christchurch in March 2019 serves to remind us this form of violent extremism, feeding on toxic identity politics and hate, represents a growing threat in our southern hemisphere.
Read more: ASIO chief's assessment shows the need to do more, and better, to prevent terrorism
Fighting the terrorist pandemic
In this year in which we have been, understandably, so preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic, another pandemic has been continuing unabated. It is true we have successfully dealt with two waves of global terrorist attacks over the past two decades, but we have not dealt successfully the underlying source of infections.
In fact, we have contributed, through military campaigns, to weakening the body politic of host countries in which groups like al-Qaeda, IS and other violent extremist groups have a parasitic presence.
We now need to face the inconvenient truth that toxic identity politics and the tribal dynamics of hate have infected western democracies. Limiting the scope for terrorist attacks is difficult. Eliminating the viral spread of hateful extremism is much harder, but ultimately even more important.
Authors: Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University
Read more https://theconversation.com/in-covids-shadow-global-terrorism-goes-quiet-but-we-have-seen-this-before-and-should-be-wary-144286
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Change is in the air. Valencia College (1800 S. Kirkman Rd., Orlando, FL) of Central Florida is moving with time, leading and educating Central Floridians during the National Drive Electric Week 2016. National Drive Electric Week, from September 10-18, 2016, is a nationwide celebration to heighten awareness of today's widespread availability of plug-ins, hybrids, and all electric vehicles, be it cars, trucks, motorcycles, or buses.The event itself started back in 2011 as National Plug In Day with the simple idea to hold simultaneous events across the country on the same day. It has since evolved and expanded into an entire week of events and changed the name to emphasize the component that would bring tremendous impact to our planet earth: Driving Electric Vehicle! This Orlando event is one of more than 100 across the country where EV owners (aka "EV-angelists") are holding electric car parades and series of events including the launching of new public EV charging stations. On Saturday, September 10, 2016, at parking lot F of Valencia College West Campus, owners of a wide array of EV's (electric vehicles), (including Nissan Leaf's, Chevy Volt's, Tesla Model S, BMW i3, Ford C-MAX Energi, and a solar vehicle), enthusiastically shared their views of the energy and environmental impact of the EV movement. If you are interested in finding out more about National Drive Electric Week, please click HERE.
It is also intriguing to find some one in Central Florida, Larry Wexler (above), with the idea and dream of one day seeing a Solar Car Race right here in our backyard of Central Florida! From my years in covering the Australian World Solar Challenge (if you'd like to see each of these solar cars from 2015, click HERE) I realize this is an ambitious project that will require many volunteers from many areas (electronics, computer programming, design, marketing, communications, etc.). But it is a terrific goal worth dreaming. So, let's hope Mr. Wexler much success in this endeavor and let's give him a hand!
"Introduction to Electric Cars": The highlights of electric car ownership is presented by Lisa Macon, from different types of propulsion systems to the basic of charging electric vehicles.
"Life with An Electric Vehicle": Thron Crowe is a local EV expert who uses his early model Nissan Leaf to drive for both Uber and Lyft. He's quite familiar with Orlando's charging station infrastructure while making money using his electric vehicle.
"Your EV- Planning and Practice": Insights from Goering Castro of Cory Fairbanks Mazda are shared, from shopping for the right EV to fit one's wallet and lifestyle, to integrating one's EV into one's daily life.
"Going Solar-Central Florida Solar Co-Op": Derek Grozio brings us to Central Florida's Solar Co-Op, which opens now until November 30, 2016. Learn about going solar from an EV owner's perspective, review the process and benefits, seeing real numbers from a recent installation.
5. "Green Works Orlando-A Path To Urban Sustainability": Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability for the City of Orlando (as part of the Mayor Buddy Dyer's Sustainability Initiative, Green Works Orlando), presented topics in energy efficiency, green buildings, renewable energy projects, solid waste innovations, municipal fleet vehicles, and various other efforts Orlando is working toward to become one of the most sustainable cities in USA.
Hope this is helpful. Hope you are considering going Solar and going EV and taking measures in taking parts in Sustainable Living!
Next story Special Edition-Celebrating National Drive Electric Week-Any One Interested In Starting A Smartscooter Franchise Via Gogoro?


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How Credible are the Credit Rating Agencies?
With the 'big three' in an enormous position of power, it is time to regulate the ratign agencies effectively.
PROF. JOHN RYAN | DECEMBER 12, 2012
The reputational crisis of credit rating agencies is ongoing and is putting into question whether CRAs are playing a credible role in eurozone financial markets. The single currency crisis supports the proposition of scepticism on the credibility of CRAs, which did not properly disclose risks and therefore contributed to pushing the global financial system to the verge of collapse. Politicians across the European Union have called for restrictions on the role of CRAs in rating sovereign debt and for increased regulation of the firms. In the United States, the credit rating agencies hide behind the First Amendment. Their legal argument is that they cannot be held accountable because they are merely issuing "opinions". The European Commission released an impact assessment with proposals on November 15, 2011, that would give supervisory authorities the power to temporarily prevent the issuing of ratings on countries in "a crisis situation". This would also provide investors with a framework to take legal action against agencies, if they infringe intentionally or with gross negligence on their obligations.
The financial and eurozone crisis has drawn considerable attention to the role of CRAs in the financial system. The rating agencies were criticised after the banking collapse in 2008 – for the failure of rating correctly certain financial products, contributing to the severity of the collapse. With their reputations yet to recover, they have now been accused of precipitating and exacerbating the eurozone crisis by downgrading the sovereign ratings of Greece, Ireland and Portugal too far and too fast. Politicians across the EU have called for increased regulation and suggested that the oligopoly of the three major rating agencies should be challenged by the creation of a European credit rating agency. The valid charge against the rating agencies is that they failed to challenge the assumptions upon which their assessment of the sustainability of sovereign debt was based in the years running up to the crisis. And so they failed to identify risks in some single currency states, which began building long before the crisis hit.
Even before the financial crisis, CRAs were already coming under close scrutiny. Public authorities were acutely aware of the pivotal and deepening role played by rating agencies in the financial system and had observed several apparent failings. In particular, rating agencies had been criticised for their slow response to the strains that ultimately gave rise to the Asian crisis in 1997 and 1998, and the high-profile corporate failures of Enron, WorldCom and Parmalat. Experience during the financial crisis has also heightened concerns that rating agencies' decisions may be subject to conflicts of interest. Since rating agency revenues are predominantly driven by rating fees earned from issuers, there is a concern that CRAs devote disproportionate resources to chasing new business and rating new products – rather than on improving their analysis of existing instruments. Furthermore, the revenue incentives of a CRA are such that ratings may be biased upwards – inflated – so as to meet an issuer's expectations and thereby gain or keep their business.
The operational rigour of the CRAs is also in question. Standard & Poor's caused the latest controversy with its erroneous downgrade of France. The agency's email went out on November 10, 2011, just before 4pm Paris time when the European markets were still open. Its "opinion" thrust a knife into "containment". The yield for France's 10-year bond jumped 25 basis points to 3.48 per cent and the spread between 10-year French and German bonds hit 1.7 per cent – a euro-era record. S&P's waited two hours to issue a correction, after the European markets had closed.
On December 5, 2011, S&P's put 15 eurozone member states onto negative credit watch, a move which normally means that there is a 50 per cent chance of a credit rating downgrade within 90 days. And S&P suggested that all non-AAA rated countries together with France could be subject to a two notch downgrade. The agency said the move was "prompted by the belief that systemic stresses in the single currency had risen in recent weeks to the extent that they put downward pressure on the credit standing of the eurozone as a whole". On December 6, 2011, S&P's then put the eurozone's rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, on watch. Those placed on "negative credit watch" included all of the currency union's remaining triple AAA rated sovereigns: Germany, France, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. And S&P cited rising "systemic stress" due to an "approaching recession", a dysfunctional political process and a bank credit crunch, with the agency estimating that banks would see €205bn of their debt mature in the first quarter of next year.
There is a need to strengthen the accuracy of credit ratings and reduce systemic risk. First, there is a need for a regulatory authority to rank them in terms of performance; in particular, the accuracy of their ratings. Second, regulatory authority need to facilitate the ability of investors to hold credit rating agencies accountable in civil lawsuits for inflated credit ratings, when a credit rating agency knowingly or recklessly fails to conduct a reasonable investigation of the rated security. Third, regulatory authorities need to ensure credit rating agencies institute internal controls, credit rating methodologies and employee conflict of interest safeguards that advance rating accuracy. Fourth, the regulators should use their inspection, examination and regulatory authority to ensure credit rating agencies assign higher risk to financial instruments whose performance cannot be reliably predicted due to their novelty or complexity or that rely on assets from parties with a record for issuing poor quality assets. Finally, regulators should reduce a government's reliance on privately issued credit ratings.
This articles first published at PublicServiceEurope.com
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