text:
What We Mean By "Better Living"
How advertising used the phrase "better living" to portray big business as a force for moral good and continuous progress.
A DuPont ad for Orlon, 1953
via Flickr
By: Livia Gershon
Between the 1930s and 1950s, the role of corporations, consumerism, and central planning in the United States changed dramatically. As architecture scholar Andre Michael Shanken writes, we can learn a lot about how that happened by looking at the phrase "better living."
Shanken finds the first instance of the phrase "better living" in the Federal Housing Administration's Better Housing Program literature from 1934. The program was designed to spur demand for new and modernized homes as part of the federal effort to fight the Great Depression. But, given the widespread distrust of big business in the New Deal era, opponents feared that it was a first step toward nationalizing the nation's housing industry.
Barton's "better living" was about portraying big business as a force for moral good and continuous progress.
It was in this environment that the DuPont company hired advertising executive Bruce Barton. Shanken writes that Barton may or may not have read the phrase "better living" in the FHA literature. Either way, he elevated "better living" to broad public awareness by coining the DuPont slogan "Better things for better living through chemistry."
DuPont needed to revive a reputation that was in peril. The book Merchants of Death had just come out, pointing to the company's history as a World War I profiteer. With the new "better living" slogan, DuPont tried to shift its image from munitions-maker to chemical company capable of fulfilling consumers' needs and wants with miraculous synthetic materials. In print advertisements, the slogan often accompanied an innocuous image like a girl dancing in a dress made of rayon, or a gardener using an insecticide to protect his plants.
In a broader ideological sense, Barton's "better living" was about portraying big business as a force for moral good and continuous progress. It was an era before strict trademark law, and soon other companies had adopted the phrase. Companies incorporated it into ads for air-conditioners, insulation, and heating systems. At its exhibit in New York's 1939 World's Fair, General Electric built a mock-storefront with "BETTER LIVING" in brightly-lit letters across the front.
For advertisers during World War II, "better living" stood in for a promise of post-war bounty. Companies associated it with "194X," a term they used to portray the world that would come once the war was over. In one fantastical campaign titled "Revere's Part in Better Living," a building materials company envisioned family homes where people condensed water from the air, burned trash to make energy, and commuted to work in personal planes.
Shanken writes that not all visions of "better living" focused on individual family homes or consumerist visions of progress. In the 1950s and '60s, the phrase became a common part of government urban planning efforts, providing soft language for discussing a topic that might otherwise be associated with communism and totalitarianism.
"Corporate capitalism had lifted better living from government housing initiatives and stocked it with modernist ideas and images," Shanken writes, "And now planning authorities borrowed the slogan back as a public relations maneuver to soften the idea of planning in Cold War America."
advertisingchemistryEnterprise & Society
Better Living: Toward a Cultural History of a Business Slogan
By: ANDREW M. SHANKEN
Enterprise & Society, Vol. 7, No. 3 (SEPTEMBER 2006), pp. 485-519
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How a company that started off selling cuticle remover convinced American woman to paint their nails.
Making Steel All Shiny and New
When it seemed that steel had lost its gleam with American consumers, the industry turned to marketing to make it shine again.
Ski Resorts and Climate Change
The effects of climate change are already being felt by some ski resorts, but filling in the slopes with artificial snow may not be a good solution.
Our Most Popular Stories of 2021
This year, readers were into peanut butter and jelly, semi-conductors, bayonets, Victorian knitting manuals, plus the hard-working dogs of Medieval Europe.
What Happens to Brands When Celebrity Endorsers Are 'Canceled?'
Take the case of Tiger Woods' whose reputation took a nosedive after his many affairs came to light in November 2009.


text:
Q: How to set invocationCount value at run time in TestNG @Test Annotation I got stuck at one point in my framework.
I want to run a @Test annotation for multiple number of times. For this I have googled it and found a solution to set invocationCount variable with @Test annotation.
So what I did is :
@Test(invocationCount=3)

This was working perfectly for me. But my problem is that I want to set the value of this parameter with a variable.
E.g. I have a variable & what I want is like :
int x=5;

@Test(invocationCount=x)

Is there any possible way to do this or any other good approach to execute the same @Test annotation for number of times.
Thanks in advance.

A: Set TestNG timeout from testcase is a similar question.
You have 2 options:
If x is constant, you can use a IAnnotationTransformer.
Otherwise, you can use hack like:
public class DynamicTimeOutSample {

  private final int count;

  @DataProvider
  public static Object[][] dp() {
    return new Object[][]{
        new Object[]{ 10 },
        new Object[]{ 20 },
    };
  }

  @Factory(dataProvider = "dp")
  public DynamicTimeOutSample(int count) {
    this.count = count;
  }

  @BeforeMethod
  public void setUp(ITestContext context) {
    ITestNGMethod currentTestNGMethod = null;
    for (ITestNGMethod testNGMethod : context.getAllTestMethods()) {
      if (testNGMethod.getInstance() == this) {
        currentTestNGMethod = testNGMethod;
        break;
      }
    }
    currentTestNGMethod.setInvocationCount(count);
  }

  @Test
  public void test() {
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Six Indian companies accounted for nearly two-thirds of visa rejections among the top 30 companies.
H-1B visas, which are used by the majority of technology professionals, are initially given for three years with the option of an extension for a similar term.
BENGALURU: Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant and Infosys have seen the maximum rejections of requests for extension of H-1B visas during 2018 as the Trump administration tightened procedures, a move that is seen to have favoured American technology firms.
India's top IT services companies Infosys and TCS were among the most affected. Bengaluru-based Infosys saw 2,042 rejections, followed by TCS at 1,744. The numbers were put out by the Centre for Immigration Studies, a US think tank, after an analysis of the H-1B data.
Cognizant, which is headquartered in the US but has the majority of its workforce in India, saw 3,548 rejections during the year — the highest for any company.
Six Indian companies — TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, and the US arms of Tech Mahindra and HCL Technologies — accounted for nearly two-thirds of the rejections among the top 30 companies, the think tank said after analysing data put out by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The six firms got just 16%, or 2,145, H-1B work permits, less than the 2,399 visas that Amazon bagged in 2018.
The major US-based firms, such as Microsoft, Amazon and Apple, increased their H-1B workforce during the year, while net reductions were imposed on the big Indian firms, such as Cognizant, Tata and Infosys, the Centre for Immigration Studies said in its study that was put out on March 6.
TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Cognizant declined to comment. HCL Technologies could not comment immediately.
Experts are of the view that "increased scrutiny or adjudicatory standards" for Indian IT companies could impact the growth of businesses, especially at a time when these firms have drastically reduced fresh H-1B work petitions.
In January, the US introduced a new rule effective April that will include work visa petitions of US advanced degree holders for the lottery of the first 65,000 H-1B visas. This would favour US companies looking for Indian talent over Indian IT services companies that largely employ those holding a bachelor's degree.
An April 2018 study by the National Foundation for American Policy, a US think tank, said Amazon, Microsoft, Intel and Google were among the top 10 employers cornering H-1B visas in 2017. These companies, which typically pay higher salaries than Indian firms, attract more high-skilled talent.
In contrast, the top seven Indian IT services firms saw a drop in visas to 8,468 in 2017 from 14,792 in 2015. Indian firms had complained last year about the increased rejection of their visa applications.
However, legal experts say that with Indian IT companies being the largest users of H-1B visas, it follows that the increase in (overall) rejections will result in an increase in absolute numbers for Indian companies.
"I do not think it is targeted at certain companies or any nation," said Poorvi Chothani, managing partner, LawQuest, a global immigration and employment firm. "The USCIS in October 2017 had instructed its officers to conduct the same level of review for extension of non-immigration visas as for new petitions, and the rejections could have gone up because of this," said Chothani.
She also pointed out that some of the rejections may be influenced by the current administration's 'Buy American, Hire American' diktat. But she conceded "that it is hard to determine".
This trend of Washington favouring American companies is not new, according to outsourcing industry experts.


text:
Juana Cortelezzi (1887-1973) was an Argentine scientist and professor, with outstanding performance in the area of mineralogy. She is recognized for being the first woman to reach the position of full professor at the National University of La Plata and for her contributions in teaching geology.

Biography
Coming from a traditional La Plata family, Juana Cortelezzi attended her secondary studies at the Rafael Hernández National College in La Plata. She continued her studies at the La Plata Museum, where she graduated in 1909 as a pharmacist and as a secondary school teacher in natural sciences and chemistry, both from the National University of La Plata.

At the age of 17, she published her first work, where she described the importance of observing nature, especially botany, and how to teach it, in the Archives of Pedagogy and Related Sciences, of the currently called Faculty of Humanities of the UNLP.

Also since 1907, Cortelezzi was a science teacher at the College of Women at the University of La Plata (later the Liceo Víctor Mercante), an institution of which she was appointed rector by Ricardo Levene in 1934. During her tenure, she introduced a series of modifications in teaching, which included field trips for learning science, physical and artistic education.

From 1920 she worked as a professor of Pedagogical Practice of Mineralogy and Geology on the faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences. In 1926, she was appointed as head of Practical Works of Natural Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires. In 1927, she received her doctorate in chemistry. In 1928, she was appointed head of Practical Works of the Department of Mineralogy and Geology at the Museum of La Plata. In 1933, she obtained by competition the position of Titular Professor by the chair of Mineralogy and Petrography, becoming the first woman to access this position at the UNLP. In said competition she prevailed before renowned geologists, thanks to her teaching performance, her task in the ordering of the collections, and her studies in mineralogy. She resigned from the post in 1939. She is recognized as a pioneer in the university teaching of Geology.

Juana Cortelezzi studied in 1933 and 1936 at the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography of the Heidelberg University in Germany. Thanks to these postgraduate studies, the Museo de la Plata strengthened her ties with the German mineralogical school. In 1936, the University of La Plata appointed her as its representative to this German university. She was a special guest at the Berlin Olympics, traveling as a passenger on the Graf Zeppelin, shortly before it was put out of use. In 1939, she made a trip where she visited different universities in the United States.

She was also a member of la Sociedad Ornitológica del Plata.

Throughout her career, she carried out numerous and varied investigations that resulted in scientific publications, especially in German and French magazines. In 1940, at the age of 53, she joined an expedition to Mount Aconcagua with the renowned professor Walter Schiller.

Honors
Juana Cortelezzi was recognized as one of the 12 outstanding people in the selection made by the Argentine Society of Writers of La Plata, and a brief profile was included in the publication "12 Personalities of the Century" on the occasion of the Centennial of the City of La Plata in 1982.

She was mentioned in the presentation by Juan J. Burgos in his speech before the National Academy of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine "because in addition to her important work in mineralogy, she has left roots in the museum."

References

19th-century Argentine women
20th-century Argentine women
1887 births
1973 deaths
Argentine women scientists
Women geologists

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Fitting cyber attacks to jus ad bellum — Consequence-based approach Part II
Posted in General Security on August 6, 2013
The consequence-based duo tests
The focus of this contribution is placed on two tests which employ the consequence-based approach that, in turn, aims to categorize cyber attacks as a use/threat of force or an armed attack pursuant to UN Charter. Interestingly, such a method within the method reminds me ace little of the Russian matryoshka, where with each opening of a wooden doll the chance to snatch the final surprise is either getting bigger (while the dolls are decreasing in size) or vanishes thunderously at the end.
1. Pictet's approach
The author of the Commentary on the Geneva Conventions devised a test which relies on "scope, duration and intensity" factors in order to determine whether a use of force should be regarded as an armed attack. The evolvement of international instruments like the "Definition of aggression" resolution by U.N. General Assembly has been conducive to the application of Pictet's approach. Without providing a clear definition of armed attack, it gives examples of internationally accepted practices which are considered or bear some close resemblance to the term in question. Nonetheless, many of those pronouncements are inapplicable in the event of cyber attacks, but the test created by Jean Pictet may prove somehow fruitful (Graham, 2010).
Let's put in a nutshell the constitutive parts of the test:
Scope feature stands for the breadth of the attack, which analyses the weapon from one side and the target from another. Key points of study concerning the weapon and target are accordingly the number used or attacked and their nature. The sum of these findings determines the scope of the attack (Wingfield, 1999).
Duration consists of quantitative and qualitative part and is probably the easiest component to evaluate. The quantitative one is related to either permanent or temporary effects ensuing from the attack. Consequently, if the effects are temporary, for the period they persist can be described in time values. As for the qualitative part, its purpose is to indicate for how long the attacked platform will be unavailable to the party (Wingfield, 1999).
Intensity, in the context of this test, can be presented as a spectrum. At the one side are activities that have no effect on the attacked state, and at the other side are those operations that affect 100% of the object under attack. With drawing close to the center, this "mission permissive/mission coercive" dichotomy is growing gradually in terms of complexity. At the same time, it should be noted that not always the destruction of the object leads to the worst consequences. Indeed, a continuous receiving of manipulated data. For instance, from a compromised satellite may actually be more deleterious. Thus, intensity factor which examines properly the balance of real damage caused is useful (Wingfield, 1999).
2. Schmitt's seven-factor scheme
The state practice concerning applying the notion of use of force to cyber attacks is vague and ambiguous. However, according to Michael Schmitt, one of the strongest advocates of applying the consequence theory to cyber attacks, there is a scheme of factors that may prove useful when evaluating whether a cyber attack constitutes a use of force. This approach is something like a compromise variant, preserving the status quo of the states' ability to make own assessment and choices based on them, but within the boundaries set out in the UN Charter. Schmitt claims that "the approach has generally withstood the test of time (Schmitt, 2011, p. 575). These factors are:
Without a doubt it is the most important criterion. This factors looks at the intensity and scope of an attack. Assessment under 'severity' would take into account the number of casualties, size of the attacked zone, and the figures which reflect on the damage inflicted. The greater the total sum of these values is, the more likely is the cyber attack to be treated as an armed attack (Sklerov, 2009).
The same counts also if there is more harm inflicted on 'critical national interests'. Consequently, because physical existence is at stake and this is the most valuable need among the all human needs. Therefore, 'severe' armed attacks are banned because they endanger in the utmost degree this supreme human need (Schmitt, 1999).
"Only if a foreseeable consequence is to cause physical injury or property damage and even then, only if the severity of those foreseeable consequences resembles the consequences that are associated with armed coercion" is the situation when a cyber attacks is justified according to the former General Counsel of the CIA Daniel Silver (2002, p. 89). He infers as well that the main factor that should determine existence of a cyber attack is the severity of the damage caused.
Immediacy
This factor corresponds to 'duration' from the Pictet's test and is also important because it indicates how long after the impact takes place the consequences emerge. The nature of cyber attacks frequently prepossesses in favour of swift emergence of attack effects, which decreases the chances for peaceful solution accordingly. By contrast, computer malware such as logic and time bombs raises serious concerns because they can stay dormant for a long time before being activated (Schmitt, 2011). Additionally, 'immediacy' as well engages in finding of what time is necessary for the effects to abate (Sklerov, 2009).
Directness
This index accentuates on the harm caused and the chain of logical events that leads to the causation of a cyber attack. While the immediacy criterion keeps track on the temporal issue, the directness is more interested in assessing the line of the events that would eventually lead from the act to the results:
"If the attack was the proximate cause of the harm, it strengthens the argument that the cyberattack was an armed attack. If the harm was caused in full or in part by other parallel attacks, the weaker argument that the cyberattack was an armed attack." (Sklerov, 2009, p. 69)
For example, an economic embargo may produce its final consequences much later than it has started. On the other hand, the armed actions usually cause the results directly after the conflict has begun. For instance, the result from air raid bombardment causes a wave of explosions that directly cause death/injury to people and damage/destruction of tangible objects (Schmitt, 2011). Negative consequences, which have more certain character, meaning that their occurrence is highly probable, are under the prohibition of use of force (Schmitt, 1999).
Invasiveness
A quantity which determines the depth of penetration in secured system. Greater penetration leads to higher value of invasiveness, which, in turn, trails the path to higher degree of use of force.
If we use again the example above, the economic embargo may have a little penetration, like in the case when the economic ties with another state are simply severed, but in the armed incursion there is always a breach in another state's territory. While in the first case there is no "use of force" action, in the second situation surely the use of force is a fact (Schmitt, 2011). Sovereignty, authority and prestige of a victim state may be impaired significantly in the event of unauthorized armed attacks that break in another's country territory (Schmitt, 1999).
Notwithstanding, owing to the borderless terrain of cyberspace, invasiveness criterion is hardly applicable. Indeed, one should apply this factor carefully in the event of cyber attack. The computer means often are used in the modern high-tech cyber exploitation and, as it has already been discussed in previous writings, the cyber exploitation seldom rises to a use of force even though it is highly invasive. Thus, actions of spying on the other governments' computer systems are not regarded as a use of force (Schmitt, 2011).
Simply said, it is a calculator of consequences in quantitative values — if the number of this factor is at the upper diapason, then the state's interest is more likely to be undermined. In practice, the consequences of armed attack are easier to be gathered and evaluated, while the consequences of other kinds of coercion are difficult to measure. Thus, the international community, institutions, and laws are more willing to pursue the more evidential case (Schmitt, 1999).
And here comes again the economic embargo example. Although it may cause significant suffering, the international law excludes it from the use of force. Conversely, an armed attack which inflicts the slightest harm qualifies undoubtedly. This is so because the correct measurement is difficult in the first scenario while in the second one the result is usually clear (Schmitt, 2011). Speculative damages certainly make a weak case that a cyber attack is in fact tantamount to a kinetic armed attack (Sklerov, 2009).
Presumptive Legitimacy
It is an unwritten rule that any use of violence is deemed illegitimate without any concrete provision to explicitly proclaim this for a fact. On the contrary, the other forms of coercion which are not explicitly forbidden are legitimate (Schmitt, 1999). The economic embargo is not considered a use of force and it is not banned at least by this provision. From this point, we can notice that if the act conducted via computer tools is not prohibited, then is presumptively legitimate (Schmitt, 2011). Furthermore, from the international community's point of view, "the less a cyberattack looks like accepted state practice, the stronger the argument that it is an illegal use of force or an armed attack (Sklerov, 2009, p. 69)."
His original scheme has only six factors, but in 2011 Schmitt adds "responsibility" as a seventh indicator. This factor manifests when a state is responsible for a given cyber attack. The assessment is based on the degree of involvement. If a state is considerably implicated in a cyber attack, then it is more likely this act to be categorized as a use of force (Schmitt, 2011). Except for the involvement condition, however, a state must be recognized as a culprit with relation to a cyber attack that is duly attributed as well.
Functioning of Schmitt's seven-factor scheme
Michael Schmitt explains briefly the purpose and benefits of this consequence scheme:
These consequence commonalities can serve as ties between a cyber attack and the prevailing instrument-based prescriptive shorthand. By this scheme, one measures the consequences of a cyber attack against the commonalities to ascertain whether they more closely approximate consequences from a particular sort characterizing armed force or whether they are better placed outside the use of force boundary. This technique allows the force box to expand to fill lacunae (Schmitt, 1999).
The Schmitt's seven-factor scheme actually works by assessing the reasonably predictable consequences of a cyber attack and gauge them to the average results of an armed attack. If the former is similar to the latter, then the expansion of the use of force would be just. If they are not, then the act is beyond the ban on the use of force and if it is yet illegal should be prosecuted with the help of other legal mechanisms (Schmitt, 1999).
Empirical application of Schmitt's seven-factor scheme
On the ground, Schmitt's approach is being applied by the Pentagon's officials, even though not against an actual cyber attack. The case in question had begun the summer of 2006 when the Pentagon lost its communication network in Central and North USA. Later on, the connection with the South U.S. central was lost, too. The reason for both telecommunication disruptions was an accidental miscalculation of the digging work on construction sites made by construction crew personnel. As a result, the communications were cut off for more than 36 hours. However, after applying comprehensively the Schmitt's analytical scheme at the moment of the event, the Pentagon cyber division established that this incident is most probably not a cyber attack (Remus, 2011).
Final thought on the two tests
To conclude with a few words, the reviewed tests are direct application of the consequence-based methodology and as such they carry almost the same pros and cons innate to the approach in question. With this being so, it should be yet noted that each approach such as the Pictet's three-features criteria and Schmitt's seven-factor scheme is always likely to have a contribution on its own in filling gaps in theory and practice.
Graham, D. (2010). Cyber threats and the law of war. Journal of National Security Law and Policy, 4, 87-104.
Schmitt, M. (1999). Computer network attack and use of force in international law. Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, 37, 885-937.
Schmitt, M. (2011). Cyber operations and the jus ad bellum revisited. Villanova Law Review, 56, 569-606.
Silver, D.B. (2002). Computer network attack as a use f force under Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. International Law Studies, 73.
Sklerov, M. (2009). Solving the dilemma of state responses to cyberattacks: A justification for the use of active for the use of active defences against states who neglect their duty to prevent. (Master's Thesis, The Judge Advocate General's School, USA)
Resmus, T. (2011). Cyber attacks and international law of armed conflicts: A 'jus ad bellum' perspective. Journal of International Commercial Law and Technology, 7.
Wingfield, T. (1999). Legal Aspects of Offensive Information Operations in Space. Retreived on 02/07/2013 from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/dod-io-legal/wingfield.pdf
Dimitar Kostadinov
Dimitar Kostadinov applied for a 6-year Master's program in Bulgarian and European Law at the University of Ruse, and was enrolled in 2002 following high school. He obtained a Master degree in 2009. From 2008-2012, Dimitar held a job as data entry & research for the American company Law Seminars International and its Bulgarian-Slovenian business partner DATA LAB. In 2011, he was admitted Law and Politics of International Security to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands, graduating in August of 2012. Dimitar also holds an LL.M. diploma in Intellectual Property Rights & ICT Law from KU Leuven (Brussels, Belgium). Besides legal studies, he is particularly interested in Internet of Things, Big Data, privacy & data protection, electronic contracts, electronic business, electronic media, telecoms, and cybercrime. Dimitar attended the 6th Annual Internet of Things European summit organized by Forum Europe in Brussels.
Data and System Ownership in the CISSP
Information and Asset Classification
Cyber Threat Analysis [Updated 2019]
eight − = 4

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
first person accounts personalising social issues
Dolly Sen | 08.12.2003 16:21 | Anti-racism | Repression | Social Struggles | World
Hole Books at http://www.holebooks.com is a small press that publishes first person accounts personalising social issues, such as 'Afterlife' and 'The Making of a Child Prostitute
Hole Books' editorial goal is to go deeper into underground writing by publishing alternative fiction and poetry. Hole Books also aims to publish first person accounts personalising social issues such as the death penalty and child prostitution. We want to give the ignored of this world megaphones!
Is there life after death row?
The authors of this book prove there is.
I asked Chris Henriquez, a death row inmate, what would he say to the rejecting world he will leave or the afterlife he may have premature entry to? All of a sudden I had a deluge of poems, short stories and essays from him and three of his fellow condemned prisoners, all of whom are of African origin.
What impressed me was the depth of feeling in their writing from those who were supposed to be psychopathically superficial people. Because of laws that may come into being in California, they cannot write directly about the crimes they've been convicted of. So what I got instead was Chris's indignity at the social and political system that profits from demonising Black men and that will promise to fill his death-vacated cell with even more damaged, lost Black men. But also expressed by them all was the love they had for family and friends, and the triumphant rebuilding of their once broken beings.
If they committed the crimes they were convicted of, of course they have done ugly things. But you can't say they are ugly people who are intrinsically evil. With the contact I have with Death Row inmates, I see a definite maturing process in their writings and thoughts, a lot of pain, and just as much compassion.
There are some things written I do not agree with, but this is not my book. My voice is not locked in a box waiting to be exterminated. It is time to give a voice – not to four Death Row inmates – but to four human beings.
Also just out is 'The Making of a Child Prostitute' by Bobby Gill, one boy's harrowing story about being a child prostitute in India.
Hole Books is an underground press that helps the disempowered express themselves and support themselves financially.
Dolly Sen
e-mail: holebooks@yahoo.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.holebooks.com


text:
Q: Django 1.4 with Google App Engine Deploy I'm trying to deploy my django-app to Google App Engine but keep getting this error when i run manage.py syncdb.
Traceback (most recent call last):

File "manage.py", line 10, in <module>
    execute_from_command_line(sys.argv)
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\core\mana
gement\__init__.py", line 443, in execute_from_command_line
    utility.execute()
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\core\mana
gement\__init__.py", line 382, in execute
    self.fetch_command(subcommand).run_from_argv(self.argv)
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\core\mana
gement\__init__.py", line 261, in fetch_command
    klass = load_command_class(app_name, subcommand)
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\core\mana
gement\__init__.py", line 69, in load_command_class
    module = import_module('%s.management.commands.%s' % (app_name, name))
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\utils\imp
ortlib.py", line 35, in import_module
    __import__(name)
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\core\mana
gement\commands\syncdb.py", line 8, in <module>
    from django.core.management.sql import custom_sql_for_model, emit_post_sync_
signal
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\core\mana
gement\sql.py", line 6, in <module>
    from django.db import models
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\db\__init
__.py", line 40, in <module>
    backend = load_backend(connection.settings_dict['ENGINE'])
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\db\__init
__.py", line 34, in __getattr__
    return getattr(connections[DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS], item)
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\db\utils.
py", line 92, in __getitem__
    backend = load_backend(db['ENGINE'])
  File "C:\Program Files\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4\django\db\utils.
py", line 44, in load_backend
    raise ImproperlyConfigured(error_msg)
django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: 'google.appengine.ext.django.backen
ds.rdbms' isn't an available database backend.
Try using django.db.backends.XXX, where XXX is one of:
    'dummy', 'mysql', 'oracle', 'postgresql_psycopg2', 'rdbms', 'sqlite3'
Error was: No module named django.backends.rdbms.base

I've made sure that these are included in my pythonpath:-
C:\ProgramFiles\Google\google_appengine;C:\ProgramFiles\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4
yet I still get the No modules named django.backends.rdbms.base.
here's my settings.py
# Django settings for firstproject project.

import os
BASE_DIR = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__)) + os.sep

DEBUG = True
TEMPLATE_DEBUG = DEBUG

ADMINS = (
    # ('Your Name', 'your_email@example.com'),
)

MANAGERS = ADMINS

#production =  True

import os

SETTINGS_MODE='prod'

if (os.getenv('SERVER_SOFTWARE', '').startswith('Google App Engine') or
    os.getenv('SETTINGS_MODE') == 'prod'):

    DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'google.appengine.ext.django.backends.rdbms',
        'INSTANCE': 'd73292536:instance1',
        'NAME': 'example',
    }
}

else:

        DATABASES = {
        'default': {
            'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.mysql', # Add 'postgresql_psycopg2', 'mysql', 'sqlite3' or 'oracle'.
            'NAME': 'third',                      # Or path to database file if using sqlite3.
            'USER': 'root',                      # Not used with sqlite3.
            'PASSWORD': '',                  # Not used with sqlite3.
            'HOST': '127.0.0.1',                      # Set to empty string for localhost. Not used with sqlite3.
            'PORT': '',                      # Set to empty string for default. Not used with sqlite3.
        }
    }

# Local time zone for this installation. Choices can be found here:
# http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_zones_by_name
# although not all choices may be available on all operating systems.
# In a Windows environment this must be set to your system time zone.
TIME_ZONE = 'America/Eastern'

# Language code for this installation. All choices can be found here:
# http://www.i18nguy.com/unicode/language-identifiers.html
LANGUAGE_CODE = 'en-us'

SITE_ID = 1

# If you set this to False, Django will make some optimizations so as not
# to load the internationalization machinery.
USE_I18N = True

# If you set this to False, Django will not format dates, numbers and
# calendars according to the current locale.
USE_L10N = True

# If you set this to False, Django will not use timezone-aware datetimes.
USE_TZ = True

# Absolute filesystem path to the directory that will hold user-uploaded files.
# Example: "/home/media/media.lawrence.com/media/"
MEDIA_ROOT = ''

# URL that handles the media served from MEDIA_ROOT. Make sure to use a
# trailing slash.
# Examples: "http://media.lawrence.com/media/", "http://example.com/media/"
MEDIA_URL = ''

# Absolute path to the directory static files should be collected to.
# Don't put anything in this directory yourself; store your static files
# in apps' "static/" subdirectories and in STATICFILES_DIRS.
# Example: "/home/media/media.lawrence.com/static/"
STATIC_ROOT = ''

# URL prefix for static files.
# Example: "http://media.lawrence.com/static/"
STATIC_URL = '/static/'

# Additional locations of static files
STATICFILES_DIRS = (
    # Put strings here, like "/home/html/static" or "C:/www/django/static".
    # Always use forward slashes, even on Windows.
    # Don't forget to use absolute paths, not relative path
    "C:\Users\sheila\Desktop\Templates\static",
)

# List of finder classes that know how to find static files in
# various locations.
STATICFILES_FINDERS = (
    'django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.FileSystemFinder',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.AppDirectoriesFinder',
#    'django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.DefaultStorageFinder',
)

# Make this unique, and don't share it with anybody.
SECRET_KEY = '+iiq+84-xm_pmxsbwz18#*n2hht$5f9o_m6d8spt2buhxxl0m='

# List of callables that know how to import templates from various sources.
TEMPLATE_LOADERS = (
    'django.template.loaders.filesystem.Loader',
    'django.template.loaders.app_directories.Loader',
#     'django.template.loaders.eggs.Loader',
)

MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
    'google.appengine.ext.ndb.django_middleware.NdbDjangoMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
    # Uncomment the next line for simple clickjacking protection:
    # 'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
)

ROOT_URLCONF = 'urls'

# Python dotted path to the WSGI application used by Django's runserver.
WSGI_APPLICATION = 'firstproject.wsgi.application'

TEMPLATE_DIRS = (
    # Put strings here, like "/home/html/django_templates" or "C:/www/django/templates".
    # Always use forward slashes, even on Windows.
    # Don't forget to use absolute paths, not relative paths.

    "C:\\Users\\sheila\\Desktop\\Templates\\polls"
)

INSTALLED_APPS = (
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.sites',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    # Uncomment the next line to enable the admin:
    #'django.contrib.admin',
    # Uncomment the next line to enable admin documentation:
    # 'django.contrib.admindocs',
    'polls',
)

# A sample logging configuration. The only tangible logging
# performed by this configuration is to send an email to
# the site admins on every HTTP 500 error when DEBUG=False.
# See http://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/topics/logging for
# more details on how to customize your logging configuration.

LOGGING = {
    'version': 1,
    'disable_existing_loggers': False,
    'filters': {
        'require_debug_false': {
            '()': 'django.utils.log.RequireDebugFalse'
        }
    },
    'handlers': {
        'mail_admins': {
            'level': 'ERROR',
            'filters': ['require_debug_false'],
            'class': 'django.utils.log.AdminEmailHandler'
        }
    },
    'loggers': {
        'django.request': {
            'handlers': ['mail_admins'],
            'level': 'ERROR',
            'propagate': True,
        },
    }
}

A: I believe that's provided for you, you don't have to add in the files, see here:3rd party libraries
Do you have this in your app.yaml?
libraries:
- name: django
  version: "1.4"

Also this may be relevant:

To use Django with the NDB storage API, add 'google.appengine.ext.ndb.django_middleware.NdbDjangoMiddleware', to the MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES entry in your Django settings.py file.

Same link as above.

A: One issue is that, your setting file is wrong. It seems like in your settings file, you set
'ENGINE': 'google.appengine.ext.django.backends.rdbms'
.
import os
if (os.getenv('SERVER_SOFTWARE', '').startswith('Google App Engine') or
    os.getenv('SETTINGS_MODE') == 'prod'):

A: Possible duplicate of my question. See the  accepted answer and the linked follow-up question for more info on deployment.
I eventually got deployment sorted by using the suggested if: else: clause in SETTINGS.PY for the database definitions.

A: In your question, you mentioned you added the following to your PYTHONPATH
C:\ProgramFiles\Google\google_appengine;C:\ProgramFiles\Google\google_appengine\lib\django_1_4

That path is wrong, since there is a space in "Program Files".  Hence your runtime isn't finding google.appengine.ext.django.backends.rdbms.


text:
Diamondbacks And Yankees Talking Big Unit Trade
By HeatFanNY
December 25, 2006 in Sports
HeatFanNY
The following is from ESPN.com:
In the past week the Arizona Diamondbacks have offered a package of players to the New York Yankees in exchange for Randy Johnson, a baseball official said.
In need of starting pitching -- and a marquee name that will draw more fans -- the Diamondbacks have offered a package of at least three players, including a major-leaguer. They would also want a 72-hour window to negotiate an extension with Johnson, who is owed $16 million in the final year of his contract. The Yankees, according to the official, don't want to pick up any of Johnson's salary.
Johnson, 43, spent six seasons with Arizona and won four Cy Young Awards before being traded to New York in January 2005. At the time, Arizona was looking to shed payroll and bring in more youth.
Johnson had a full no-trade clause back then, as he does now. And it's believed that if the Yankees were to move him, Johnson would prefer to be closer to his Arizona home.
According to Johnson's agent, Alan Nero, the left-hander has not requested a trade.
"Randy would listen if the Yankees brought something to him," Nero said. "But that has not happened. I don't know what they're doing. It's still speculation as far as we're concerned."
The official said the San Diego Padres are also involved in trade discussions. It's believed that right-handed reliever Scott Linebrink could be the centerpiece of a deal.
If he returns to Arizona, Johnson, with 280 career wins, could get No. 300 as a Diamondback. If he goes to San Diego, he'd join 333-game winner Greg Maddox in the rotation. That is, if he stays healthy. Johnson had back surgery this offseason and it's unknown whether he'll be ready for Opening Day.
I don't know about other Yankees fans but I would be so happy if the Yankees traded Randy Johnson. It's about time our rotation gets younger. Maybe the Yankees will get Linebrink. He will be a big help to our bullpen.
That would be tremendous for the Yankees....then they could go get Zito.
Knowing the Yankees, they would probably just insert Carl Pavano into the rotation.
poptart
i have a feeling the D-Backs are offering wayyyyyyy too much.
Johnson isn't good anymore.
Maybe the Diamondbacks will get really stupid and offer Brandon Webb to the Yankees.
Hanleylicious
Somehow I don't think that'll happen
If it happens it can bring some much needed guidance to a young Arizona pitching staff, but what I don't understand is why commit 16 million when you can commit less to a younger Barry Zito? Sounds like pure speculation to me. Doesn't sound smart from the Diamondbacks side of the table. This has to be just a rumor!
that'll never happen. hopefully. I'd like to see randy out of the pinstripes, he doesn't look like a yankee..he's too big.
Yeah Randy Johnson is too big and he's washed up.
If the yankees can unload him and get some minor leaguers/ go after zito then its a great move because the unit isnt that good anymore. Zito will probably get 16-17 mil a year, which is what the unit is getting now.
futuremarlinsgm
According to a radio station in San Diego, the D'Backs are offering Chad Tracy and two prospects for Randy Johnson and cash.
Fallen Apple
The D'Backs would be losing out in this trade why would anyone want to trade for a 43 year old pitcher who makes 16 mil a year
:banghead :banghead :banghead
f***. they are definetely offering atleast one of those "untouchable" propspects.
No they arent offering any "untouchable" prospects. They are offering up stuff in low a ball according to reports. A deal around Chad Tracy
Das Texan
picking up chad tracy allows the yankees to realisitcally trade arod.
Do they go after Zito then?
why are the padres getting this has been? he's washed up. bad move for anyone to pick him up, old and injured.
i can say that the padres may be looking for a veteran presence for the staff, inculding peavy... :confused
Padres could use another arm, his whip wasnt bad last year honestly just his era. He is a name as well and will help pull in people when he pitches.
If the yankees move him for Tracy can we start the Willis for Arod threads and numerous debates again? :beer
well they have 4 starters now. 5 if you count pavano who is probably getting traded before the season starts.
I think the Yankees pick up an arm, not necessarily a big name one and not necessarily on the free agent market.
Cashman runs the show now, you can see that in the rededication to the minor league system.
FutureGM
This would be a stupid deal. The D-Backs shouldn't offer more than low-level prospects for Johnson, who is extremely overpaid and unlikely to do any better than he did last season. If the Yankees can get Tracy AND prospects for the Big Unit, they are getting away with murder.
HeatFanNY 4 posts
JetsMania 2 posts
Fishfan79 2 posts
poptart 2 posts


In what's sure to be a be a blockbuster hit, Johnny Depp will be starring in "Transcendence", a film by Wally Pfister, first time director but long time cinematographer for Christopher Nolan. The film will be executive produced by Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas (the masterminds behind "Inception" and the Dark Knight series).
In what reads like a prequel to the Matrix, the film is about Dr. Will Caster, an artificial intelligence researcher who strives to create a machine with the ability to feel.


Two of the most important Italian families were joined on July 25 as Monaco's Pierre Casiraghi — the grandson of actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly — and Italian heiress Beatrice Borromeo said "I do" in the first of two #wedding ceremonies.
The civil ceremony in Monaco was limited to just 70 guests, but followed by a grand after-fête at the royal palace. A religious ceremony is scheduled for August 1 on one of the Borromeo family's private islands.
Casiraghi, 27, is seventh in line to the Monaco throne and Borromeo, 29, currently works as a TV personality.
A wedding dream! These weddings happen once in a lifetime. Royalty wedding in the private island of the family for generations. Amazing!


Six client-friendly color techniques presented by ARROJO color masters explore how to make color placement intrinsic to the shape and style of each cut. You�ll learn the best use of natural parting and fall. You�ll see how to master the x pattern and dimensional highlighting techniques. You�ll understand see saw sectioning and get an all-new approach to customized color. Presented by James Edick, Ellie Thomas, and Abby Theis.
Work off natural partings, using circular patterns to create variation in tone, and brightness and pop, in the perfect position. Presented by James Edick. 18 minutes.
Learn to maximize depth and dimension, with highlights. Create bold and fashion-forward color with this classic technique. Presented by Ellie Thomas. 15 minutes.
Learn to apply the Inverted V on asymmetrical styles to create bold and soft color tones, customized to different sections of the cut. Presented by Abby Theis. 16 minutes.
Learn the right way to use the partial foil technique to ensure the best use of natural parting and fall. Presented by Ellie Thomas. 15 minutes.
The see saw sectioning technique is a modern way to confidently customize color placement and tone for each client. Presented by Abby Theis. 15 minutes.
Learn how the X pattern highlighting technique allows for color placement that is intrinsic to the shape and style of each cut. Presented by James Edick. 21 minutes.


text:
Home » Live Music
Win Tix: The Academy Is… "Almost Here" 10-Year Tour | Regency
Tuesday, December 29, 2015 - 8:00 pm | Cost: WIN*
*Win a pair of tickets. Regular cost: $25
The Regency Ballroom | 1300 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA
Polk GulchSan Francisco
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Break out the skinny jeans and slip into your best mid-2000s band tee because The Academy Is… are celebrating 10 years of their debut album with a nationwide tour.
Almost Here is considered a seminal record amongst the pop rock elite. Released in 2005, the debut album from Chicago's The Academy's Is… was chock full of hits that have since become staples of the alternative pop movement. The band pushed boundaries with radio ready music and tongue in cheek lyricism that conveyed tales of sex, love, and growing up in the Midwest. Y
Cost: WIN*
Categories: Live Music
Venue: The Regency Ballroom
Address: 1300 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA


text:
Clomid (Clomiphene Citrate) - Description and Clinical Pharmacology
Clomid Rx
Summary Description and Clinical Pharmacology Indications and Dosage Warnings and Precautions Side Effects and Adverse Reactions Drug Interactions, Overdosage, Contraindications, Other Rx Info User Ratings / Reviews Side Effect Reports
Clomid News
CLOMID®
(clomiphene citrate tablets USP)
CLOMID (clomiphene citrate tablets USP) is an orally administered, nonsteroidal, ovulatory stimulant designated chemically as 2-[p-(2-chloro-1,2-diphenylvinyl)phenoxy] triethylamine citrate (1:1). It has the molecular formula of C26H28ClNO • C6H8O7 and a molecular weight of 598.09. It is represented structurally as:
Clomiphene citrate is a white to pale yellow, essentially odorless, crystalline powder. It is freely soluble in methanol; soluble in ethanol; slightly soluble in acetone, water, and chloroform; and insoluble in ether.
CLOMID is a mixture of two geometric isomers [cis (zuclomiphene) and trans (enclomiphene)] containing between 30% and 50% of the cis-isomer.
Each white scored tablet contains 50 mg clomiphene citrate USP. The tablet also contains the following inactive ingredients: corn starch, lactose, magnesium stearate, pregelatinized cornstarch, and sucrose.
CLOMID is a drug of considerable pharmacologic potency. With careful selection and proper management of the patient, CLOMID has been demonstrated to be a useful therapy for the anovulatory patient desiring pregnancy.
Clomiphene citrate is capable of interacting with estrogen-receptor-containing tissues, including the hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary, endometrium, vagina, and cervix. It may compete with estrogen for estrogen-receptor-binding sites and may delay replenishment of intracellular estrogen receptors. Clomiphene citrate initiates a series of endocrine events culminating in a preovulatory gonadotropin surge and subsequent follicular rupture. The first endocrine event in response to a course of clomiphene therapy is an increase in the release of pituitary gonadotropins. This initiates steroidogenesis and folliculogenesis, resulting in growth of the ovarian follicle and an increase in the circulating level of estradiol. Following ovulation, plasma progesterone and estradiol rise and fall as they would in a normal ovulatory cycle.
Available data suggest that both the estrogenic and antiestrogenic properties of clomiphene may participate in the initiation of ovulation. The two clomiphene isomers have been found to have mixed estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects, which may vary from one species to another. Some data suggest that zuclomiphene has greater estrogenic activity than enclomiphene.
Clomiphene citrate has no apparent progestational, androgenic, or antiandrogenic effects and does not appear to interfere with pituitary-adrenal or pituitary-thyroid function.
Although there is no evidence of a "carryover effect" of CLOMID, spontaneous ovulatory menses have been noted in some patients after CLOMID therapy.
Based on early studies with 14C-labeled clomiphene citrate, the drug was shown to be readily absorbed orally in humans and excreted principally in the feces. Cumulative urinary and fecal excretion of the 14C averaged about 50% of the oral dose and 37% of an intravenous dose after 5 days. Mean urinary excretion was approximately 8% with fecal excretion of about 42%.
Some 14C label was still present in the feces 6 weeks after administration. Subsequent single-dose studies in normal volunteers showed that zuclomiphene (cis) has a longer half-life than enclomiphene (trans). Detectable levels of zuclomiphene persisted for longer than a month in these subjects. This may be suggestive of stereo-specific enterohepatic recycling or sequestering of the zuclomiphene. Thus, it is possible that some active drug may remain in the body during early pregnancy in women who conceive in the menstrual cycle during CLOMID therapy.
During clinical investigations, 7578 patients received CLOMID, some of whom had impediments to ovulation other than ovulatory dysfunction (see INDICATIONS AND USAGE). In those clinical trials, successful therapy characterized by pregnancy occurred in approximately 30% of these patients.
There were a total of 2635 pregnancies reported during the clinical trial period. Of those pregnancies, information on outcome was only available for 2369 of the cases. Table 1 summarizes the outcome of these cases.
Of the reported pregnancies, the incidence of multiple pregnancies was 7.98%: 6.9% twin, 0.5% triplet, 0.3% quadruplet, and 0.1% quintuplet. Of the 165 twin pregnancies for which sufficient information was available, the ratio of monozygotic to dizygotic twins was about 1:5. Table 1 reports the survival rate of the live multiple births.
A sextuplet birth was reported after completion of original clinical studies; none of the sextuplets survived (each weighed less than 400 g), although each appeared grossly normal.
Table 1. Outcome of Reported Pregnancies in Clinical Trials (n = 2369)
Total Number of Pregnancies
Survival Rate
Pregnancy Wastage
Spontaneous Abortions 483Includes 28 ectopic pregnancies, 4 hydatiform moles, and 1 fetus papyraceous.
Stillbirths 24
Live Births
Single Births 1697 98.16% 1
Multiple Births 165 83.25%
1 Indicates percentage of surviving infants from these pregnancies.
The overall survival of infants from multiple pregnancies including spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths is 73%.


I will do some knitting or something creative for the next 100 days.
Last night I went to choir practice. The concert is only a month away, and I need to familiarize myself with some of the music and its navigation. I will do a bit of this tonight. I did do a bit of knitting and have learned how to correct a mistake: more skills!! Those you-tube videos are proving very helpful!!
I keep dropping stitches with my knitting and don't know how to fix them. Have brought the hat to work for Gill to have a look at. Almost finished it. Feeling like abandoning the whole project at the moment. Anyway did some music preparation last night, and feel more confident about the "geography" of a piece. After all I don't want to look like an egg at the concert!!
Finished the hat last night. Must get a photo and upload it. What a relief. Now I have to learn how to sew it up! This project is proving tricky, but I am happy because it's Friday and also a long weekend- hooray!! Perhaps I will do some more music tonight- I have to learn the lyrics to a song.
Tried and tried and tried to figure out how to stitch up the hat, to no avail!! How frustrating!!
Did some sewing and sewed the hem on a pair of trousers.
Finished my project of knitting the hat. The only problem was I didnt know how to sew up the end of it. Hope it doesnt all unravel!! I am going to knit a jersey now. I have the wool and a pattern, but need to undo what I have already knitted as it is too big. So glad it is Friday today and the weekend is upon us. I have a busy line-up this weekend with choir practice and work from 6-10pm tomorrow.
The weekend is looming and I have a new project to complete. Will make a start tonight with undoing the jersey. So pleased the hat is finished. Must post a photo. I seem to have established a time when I do the crafting in the evenings.
Spent all day trying to figure out how to "cast on" and finally cracked it. Also went to choir practice. That's two things for today.
Cast on which worked out well and did some ribbing for the bottom of the jersey.
Finished casting on and did a few rows. Its looking neat and tidy: Phew!!
Went to choir practice. Seems to be going well and feel prepared for the concert in 2 weeks.


Industrial Robots -Zhongshan Handsome Industrial Equiment Co., Ltd.
Industrial robots (industrial robot. Abbreviated IR) is widely applicable to autonomous action, and multi-axis machinery and equipment. They are equipped with the necessary sensors which include flexible operation procedure , turn all programmable control ( i.e. during operation , without any external intervention ) . They are usually equipped with a mechanical hand , tool or other assembly of the processing tools and handling operation and capable of performing processing tasks.
Industrial robots in industrial production can replace people doing some monotonous, frequent and repeated a long job , or dangerous jobs in harsh environments , such as stamping, die casting , heat treatment, welding, painting , plastic molding , simple machining and assembly processes , as well as in the nuclear industry and other sectors , the completion of harmful material handling or process operation.
Industrial robots by the body , the drive system and control system of three basic components . Namely the main frame and the implementing agencies , including the arm , wrist and hand , there are some robot walking mechanism . Most industrial robots have three to six degrees of freedom of motion , wherein the wrist is usually 1 to 3 degrees of freedom of motion ; drive system includes a power unit and a transmission mechanism , the actuator for the corresponding movement ; control system in accordance with the input the procedure of the drive system and the implementing agencies issuing command signals , and control.


Within an hour of the great quake striking Japan, the companies that supply commercial satellite pictures to the intelligence community and the Pentagon had dropped everything and begun providing images of stricken areas.
Geoey and DigitialGlobe stopped shooting images for commercial clients and "began emergency collection" of images which were then pumped in almost real time through a computing cloud and on to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency's special web portal set up for such purposes, Uyen Dinh, vice president for government relations at Geoeye said on Capitol Hill today.
NGA then made them available to the Defense Department and the intelligence agencies.
What made this unique from previous emergencies, Dinh said, was that the images were shared with Google for further processing and integration.
Packages of those before-and-after images were then loaded on 20 laptops, some of which were provided to the famous Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue who took them to Japan and began using them on the spot.
This response is part of a hectic pace that the commercial imaging companies have been set over the last month. On top of the Japanese response, they have been providing detailed coverage of Libyan border areas as well as images of Bahrain.
The contracts DigitalGlobe and Geoeye have with NGA give the agency priority access to images in times of emergency.


For Versions In Which Functions Such As Md5 Or Sha1 Return A String Of To Convert Hex Strings To More Compact Form Modify The Application To Use Unhex - Converter Hash Generator, Message Digest Tool , Encryption , Decryption What is Md4? The MD4 Message-Digest Algorithm is a cryptographic hash function developed by Ronald Rivest in 1990. The digest length is 128 bits. The algorithm has influenced later designs, such as the MD5, SHA-1 and RIPEMD algorithms. The security of MD4 has been severely compromised. The first full collision attack against MD4 was published in 1995 and several newer attacks have been published since then. As of 2007, an attack can generate collisions in less than 2 MD4 hash operations. A theoretical preimage attack also exists.


Check out the new 'Aston Martin Farm'!
Renowned Aston Martin specialist – Nicholas Mee & Co – is expanding into a state-of-the-art home on Hatfield Park Estate. Check it out!
Globally renowned Aston Martin specialist, Nicholas Mee & Co, has recently completed a multi-million-pound project – but it isn't a DB, V8 Vantage or even a Cygnet. It's a farm!
Rebuilding a collection of historic farm buildings in Essendon, Hertfordshire, the renovated structures will provide the vehicle specialist with spacious workshops equipped with the latest technologies to create the 'definitive environment demanded by today's discerning Aston Martin owner'.
70 years of DB perfection!
How does the Die Another Day ice chase hold up today?
Forming part of the Hatfield Park Estate, the sympathetically repurposed 17th century buildings have been woven into the new heritage facility, covering a two-acre site in rural surroundings.
Having moved from West London over the summer months, Nicholas Mee & Co's service, parts and car sales operations are now fully operational from the new site. The move comes during the firm's 25th anniversary year.
Speaking of the move, Company Founder and Managing Director Nicholas Mee said: 'This is an extremely exciting time for our company, our new and existing Aston Martin-owning clients and our dedicated workforce. As the ever-expanding classic car world continues to evolve, our relocation is in direct response to the needs of both our clients and ourselves.
'Operational in our new home for some three months, the universal praise I've received from Aston Martin owners for our commitment to the future and standard of facilities, has been heartwarming.
The Essendonbury Farm heritage site incorporates a state-of-the-art, galleried show hall that can be configured for a variety of purposes, including customer and media events. While the expansive new workshops have already allowed Nicholas Mee & Co to develop further in-house activities, additional buildings on site also provide opportunity for the business to continue its growth over the coming years.


text:
Extreme Injustice: Burying the Judiciary, Season 1, Ep. 6
Dallas Woodhouse
Will the Democrats bury the judiciary? Will they undermine results from not one, but two, elections? Who will speak up for the millions of voters who democratically passed critically important constitutional amendments?
In this episode of Extreme Injustice, your hosts Dallas Woodhouse and Mitch Kokai sit down with attorney Jeanette Doran, president of the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, to examine these questions.
Want to hear more investigative stories surrounding North Carolina's highest court? Subscribe and leave us a rating!
Learn more at ExtremeInjustice.com.
Despite Beth Wood's meritorious public service, she should resign
Beth Wood's hit-and-run accident on Dec. 8 and her subsequent actions have blemished an exemplary public service career and diminished her ability to perform the work the people of North Carolina elected her to do. Wood has earned broad praise for her work as state auditor. She has worked aggressively to expose waste, corruption, and...
Andy Jackson
Locke's Andre Beliveau testifies about N.C. Senate's Parents' Bill of Rights
Andre Beliveau, John Locke Foundation strategic projects and government affairs manager, testifies about Senate Bill 49, Parents' Bill of RIghts, during a Feb. 1, 2023, committee meeting. Video courtesy of ncleg.gov.
André Béliveau
N.C. House committee OKs software for learning loss
The North Carolina House K-12 Education Committee passed a bill Jan. 31 that directs federal COVID-19 relief dollars to fund a new software program for remedying learning loss.
David N. Bass
Freedom is the solution, not the problem
The "problem" with freedom is that other people may do things that trouble, annoy, or even anger you. In a free society, you have no legitimate authority to stop them. Strictly speaking, that's not a problem. It's a solution. Throughout human history, much suffering has derived from a lack of freedom. One faction obtained government...


text:
Category: Ethiopia
International Women's Day 2014 – Ethiopia
Here are list of events, that we are aware of, happening for the International Women's Day 2014 in Ethiopia.
Please add your events in the comments and we will feature them in this blog!
Friday, March 7th 2014: A panel discussion entitled 'Equality for Women is Progress for All: Celebrating Women's achievements in Ethiopia'
Jointly organized by the UN Communication Group and Addis Ababa University Gender Office. The event's overall objective is to engage young women and men from various faculties of Addis Ababa University in an interactive dialogue as a way of leading social transformation and change.
Panelists are: Ms. Aster Zaoude (Gender Practioner), Ms. Birtukan Gebregzi (Deputy President, Enat Bank), Ms. Chachi Tadesse (Musician & Children's Activist), Ms. Desta Hagos (Pioneer Artist/Painter), Ms. Ingidaye Eshete (Chair, Ethiopian Women Entrepreneurs Association), Ms. Selamawit Adugna (Youth Representative), Ms. Zenaye Tadesse (Managing Director, Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association) and Moderator Ms Tsedale Lemma (Editor-in-Chief at Addis Standard)
Time & Date: 09:00 – 11:30am; Friday, 7th March 2014
Venue: Eshetu Chole Hall, Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE Campus), Addis Ababa University
Friday March 7th 2014: International Women's Day ''Stand-Alone Goal on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Post 2015 Agenda"
Location: New Africa Union Complex, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
http://wgd.au.int/en/content/celebration-international-womens-day
Saturday March 8th 2014: International Women's Day The status of women in Ethiopia and Africa today
Women NGO bazaar, Debates, art exhibition, movie screening, music performance, drama …
Time & Date: 09:00 – 18:00; Saturday March 8th 2014
Location: Alliance éthio-française d'Addis-Abeba
Entrance: Free
Sunday March 9th 2014: The 11th edition of the annual women only run
'Choice Women First' 5km Run is set to take place on Sunday 9 March 2014. 10,000 women and girls are expected to take part in this year's race. Please go to registration page for information on registration.
The first race was held in May 2004 in light of recognizing the achievements of Ethiopia's great female athletes and to support the broader changes regarding the role of women in Ethiopia's economic and social life.
Since then the race has been promoting key messages about women and has become a celebration of the overall contribution of women in our country's development.
This year the race promotes messages including
"Family Planning with Choice" – DK Ethiopia
"A Prosperous & Peaceful Life for All: The Future We Want" – UN Ethiopia
"Because I am a Girl" – Plan International Ethiopia
http://www.ethiopianrun.org/index.php/women-5k/information
Author UNICEF EthiopiaPosted on March 7, 2014 March 7, 2014 Categories Child Protection, EthiopiaTags ethiopia, events, girls, IWD2014, womenLeave a comment on International Women's Day 2014 – Ethiopia
UNDSG's – Jan Eliasson Calls for Action on sanitation at Ethiopian school
By Sacha Westerbeek
SEBETA DISTRICT, 1 February 2014 – "Wash your hands before you eat; wash your hands after visiting the toilet; wash your body… clean your environment …." The song in the Oromiffa language continues with further messages on hygiene.
When the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Mr Jan Eliasson walks toward the latrines at DimaPrimary School in Sebeta, Oromia Region, he is welcomed by students from the Hygiene and Sanitation club, singing proudly about personal and environmental hygiene.
Hayat Hachallu, is 13 years old and a member of the Dima Primary school Hygiene and Sanitation Club. This 7th grader is certainly not shy. She takes the DSG by the hand and shows him the school latrine, hand washing facilities and the water point.
"Here are the latrines for girls," she explains to the special visitor, while opening the door carefully. "For us, girls, it is very important to have private facilities. A place where we feel safe and have the privacy we need. The toilets here are not great: they are too dark, the doors don't close very well and it really smells badly," she says. "Now, let me show you our newly built latrines," and she pulls Mr. Eliasson away from the rickety iron sheet structure toward a stone construction.
Hayat Machala, 13, a member of Hygiene Club, explains the role of the club and show one of latrines in school to Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, at Dima Guranda Primary School in Sebeta District in Oromia Region of Ethiopia ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Ose
There are 30,634 primary schools in Ethiopia[1], of which 5,000 are directly supported by UNICEF. Primary schools are encouraged to address key Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) issues such as installation of water supply, construction of gender-segregated toilets and hand-washing facilities. Hayat and the other girls are benefiting from UNICEF funding for the newly built girls latrine.
"Look Mister look", Hayat points proudly. "Look, here are our new toilets. They are much better don't you think," she asks cheekily. Hayat clarifies that the school Hygiene and Sanitation activities are managed by the Environmental Protection and Sanitation Club which is composed of 105 students of which 57 are girls and 5 are teachers.
Mr Mesfin Tessema, the school director further elaborates: "The sanitation club is established to engage children in various hygiene and sanitation activities as part of learning and behavioural change."
When Mr Jan Eliasson asks about the clubs activities, Hayat goes into detail: We are involved in the clearing and cleaning of the school compound; cleaning of the latrines; we encourage students to wash their hands after they use latrines; we conduct environmental sanitation campaigns in the school and within the community; and we have established relationships with the nearby Health Post for the promotion of hygiene activities. And we are also involved with the beautification and environmental protection of the school compound with tree planting."
Children are agents of change
Hayat Machala, 13, a member of Hygiene Club, shows a newly built toilet for girls to Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary- General of the United Nations, at Dima Guranda Primary School in Sebeta District in Oromia Region of Ethiopia. ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Ose
By focusing on school aged children and providing them with the necessary tools and knowledge to change behaviours at school and home, children play a crucial role in sharing information and knowledge with their parents and family members to achieve better health, environmental, sanitation and hygiene practices.
Ethiopia has been an active participant in the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership. In 2013, the Ethiopian Government, with support from UNICEF, was able to establish a Sector-wide Approach termed the ONE WASH National Programme with a dedicated budget line for sanitation in the Government of Ethiopia's treasury for sanitation.
Since 1990, the country has made substantial progress in improving access to water supply and sanitation coverage. However, millions of people still remain without access to safe water and sanitation services. In 2010, out of a population of over 80 million, about 46 million were without access to improved water supply and sanitation and Ethiopia had the highest number of people (38 million) practicing open defecation among African countries.[2] The lack of access to adequate clean drinking water and sanitation services has a dramatic impact on the lives of people, especially women and girls, and undermines efforts to improve health, nutrition and education outcomes.
Although good progress is underway, still some challenges remain. Nationally, only around 31 per cent of school have water supply facilities in their premises and 33 per cent have improved latrine facilities. On average, the toilet/student ratio is 1:120.[3] In Oromia Region, where the Dima Primary School is situated, only 52 per cent of its total population has access to safe drinking water and the sanitation and hygiene coverage is also 52 per cent.[4]
It is up to ALL of us
The Deputy Secretary-General talks with the school children to hear about their experiences. While they explain the importance of the school club in educating the community on hygiene practices, and the challenges they are facing, the DSG appeals to each and every one of them. "It is up to ALL of us," he underlines while speaking to the students and the bystanders. With passion and conviction he adds: "Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something".
Hayat and her peers nod in agreement. Although they had never previously heard of the DSG's Call to Action on Sanitation, they know the importance of sanitation. They know their individual and club efforts will bring change. They know its up to them to make their school and community a better place. In the end, this is also their call to action.
[1] Education Statistics Abstract 2012/2013, MoE
[2] Joint Monitoring Programme, 2012
[3] Source: WASH Inventory 2012
Author UNICEF EthiopiaPosted on March 6, 2014 October 15, 2015 Categories Education, Oromia, WASHTags ash, ash washing, child, children, DSG, ethiopia, hand washing, Jan Eliasson, school, School wash, soap, students, un, unicef, united nations, visit, wash, Youth1 Comment on UNDSG's – Jan Eliasson Calls for Action on sanitation at Ethiopian school
Sudan and its partners learn how Ethiopia brings nutrition and health to doorstep of its people
By Sylvie Chamois
Salwa Abdelrahim Surkati Hassan, FMOH nutrition director, Nada Yahya Omer Hamza, WHO IMCI coordinator and Naglaa Osman Khidir Babikir, UNICEF nutrition officer visiting Tula health post in Babile woreda, East Hararghe zone of Oromia region ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Gemeda
From the 24th to the 28th of March 2014, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and UNICEF Country Office had the pleasure to host a team from Khartoum composed of the Sudanese FMOH (planning, nutrition and IMCI[1] departments), WHO, WFP and UNICEF.
The objective of the visit was to learn how Nutrition has been integrated in the Health system and how the Government of Ethiopia managed to bring Health & Nutrition services to the doorstep of its people.
Following an opening meeting with the State Minister of Health, H. E. Dr Kedede Worku, the team proceeded directly to the domestic airport heading to East Hararghe zone of Oromia region. They were introduced to the programme by the Zonal Health Department's head, Ato Ali Abdulai, before visiting Babile and Gursum woredas.
In the two districts, they were able to visit and discuss with the one-to-five network, a team of Health Development Women; female Health Extension Workers working in health posts; Health Workers in health centres and finally, nurses and doctors in Bessidimo hospital.
Team of visitors from Sudan getting a briefing on the Health & Nutrition programme in Babile health centre, Babile woreda, East Hararghe zone of Oromia region on March 25, 2014
©UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Gemeda
In Harare, Frehiwot Mesfin presented a project managed by Haromaya University, with the support of UNICEF and FAO, to produce complementary food for children under two years of age using exclusively locally available ingredients.
Back in Addis Ababa, the team had the opportunity to visit the local producing factory for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food[2], Hilina PLC.
On the last day, during the debriefing meeting at the FMOH with Ato Birara Melese, head of the Nutrition unit, the visitors appreciated having been able to see all levels of the Health system, from the Federal Ministry down to the households with the one-to-five network. They said that they were impressed by the very well organised and functional system and confident that they can adapt the Ethiopian experience to integrate child and maternal Health & Nutrition to the lowest level. Sudan is working hard to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal 4 – to halve child mortality by 2015.
[1] IMCI: Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses
[2] Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food: High-energy, enriched peanut-based food developed for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition
Author UNICEF EthiopiaPosted on March 5, 2014 March 6, 2014 Categories Harrari, NutritionTags ethiopia, health, health extension programme, health extension worker, HEW, nutrition, sudan, visit1 Comment on Sudan and its partners learn how Ethiopia brings nutrition and health to doorstep of its people
UNDSG Jan Eliasson washes hands with ashes in Ethiopia
Jan Eliasson, UN Deputy Secretary-General, washes his hands with ash with the help of Lemma Buchule at her home in Sebeta District in Oromia Region of Ethiopia,. ©UNICEF Ethioia/2014/Ose
HAROJILA FULASO, OROMIA REGION, 1 February 2014 – "The health extension worker told us to wash our hands with soap and if we don't have soap, we can use ashes. So, when I have not been able to buy soap, this is what we use to disinfect our hands".
Ms Shure Gore takes the can of ashes and hands it to United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Mr Jan Eliasson. He gently takes out some of the greyish substance and rubs it before rinsing it off with the water from the jerry can attached to the tree, next to the family's' latrine. "My hands are clean," he exclaims while the family is observing his actions closely.
In Ethiopia's Oromia region, the hygiene and environmental sanitation activities are the main focus for household and community level interventions. The woreda (district) latrine coverage is about 70 per cent. In Harojila Fulaso, however, 80 per cent of the households have reached the status of becoming a "model household."
The model family is the approach adapted by the Health Extension Programme to improve household practices. After 96 hours of training and adopting 12 of the 16 packages, a family graduates to become a so-called model family. The health extension package is categorised under three major areas and one cross cutting area: namely Hygiene and environmental sanitation; family health services; disease prevention and control; and health education and communication.
The Lemma-Buchule family, in which Ms Shure Gore is the driving force, has a latrine with hand washing facilities and dry and liquid waste disposal pits. In addition, the household has adequate aeration and light and the animals are kept separate from the living area – to name a few requirements of becoming a model household.
The family lives a couple of minutes walk away from the health post. Ms Abebech Desalegn is one of the two health extension workers running the facility. The health post provides services to 736 households and 3,532 inhabitants – ensuring that health care is delivered at the doorstep. "I know Shure and her family very well," says Ababech. "The family consists of 10 members, including eight children between the ages of 3 and 22 years old. They come here when they need vaccine, a new mosquito net or when they are ill." She has assisted the household in reaching the status of "model household". "They now inspire others to do just like them, they are an example to the community," Ababech explains.
Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, discusses the importance of hygiene to Lemma Buchule, right, and Abebech Desalegn, Health Extension Worker, at Buchule's home in Sebeta District in Oromia Region of Ethiopia, 1 February, 2014. © UNICEF Ethiopia/2014/Ose
Health extension workers deliver health care at the doorstep
Ababech is a government salaried and trained health worker, under the Health Extension Programme, an innovative community based programme which started in 2003. To date, 38,000[1] health extension workers have been deployed in nearly all rural villages. The programme aims to create a healthy environment and healthy living by delivering essential health services to communities.
UNICEF supports the Health Extension Programme in different dimensions. Training of HEWs to improve their technical competencies in delivering health and nutrition services, procuring and distributing of vaccines, medicines and supplies, ensuring availability of job aids at health posts, have all led to increased coverage of health and nutrition services at community level.
In addition to prevention and health promotion services, health extension workers are also now involved in case management of pneumonia, diarrhoea and severe acute malnutrition in more than 90 percent of health posts.
The Deputy Secretary-General, Mr Jan Eliasson studies the charts on the wall of the small health post. "You are doing an excellent job here," he says while impressed with the statistics and service delivery provided by this health extension post.
Abebech Desalegn, Health Extension Worker, explains her role in the community to Jan Eliasson, UN Deputy Secretary-General at Haro Jila Folaso Health Post in Sebeta District in Oromia Region of Ethiopia, ©UNICEF Ethioia/2014/Ose
Abebech explains that she is required to split her time between the health post and the community. Community outreach activities include working with model families, community groups or households. "Every day I'm very busy she continues. When I'm at the health post I provide basic services such as: immunisation; health education; antenatal care; family planning; delivery and postnatal care; growth monitoring and community treatment of severe acute malnutrition; diagnosis and treatment of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea; treatment of eye infections; treatment of selected skin problems; Vitamin A supplementation; first aid and referral of difficult cases… just to name a few of my daily activities."
In addition, this young health worker, who has worked at this health post for the last seven years, has done thirty deliveries and many more postnatal checks. "I'm happy UNICEF provided delivery beds, but I also need clean water. Every single day I walk to the nearest water point, because I need clean water for the latrine and health interventions."
WASH interventions at Health Post level
To date, UNICEF has provided a total of 160 health posts with a complete WASH package. This includes: providing capacity in the design of WASH facilities, construction of water supply and sanitation facilities and hygiene promotion to health institutions through construction and disseminating information on hygiene and environmental sanitation. In addition, WASH interventions at the health post level include: the provision of a hand-washing stand; a septic tank; incinerator; placenta pits; general solid waste and sharp pits.
"I'm lucky having clean water nearby," says Ababech. "But too many of my colleagues really struggle, especially those who work in remote and dry areas."
Ethiopia has been an active participant in the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership. In 2013, the Ethiopian Government, with support from UNICEF, was able to establish a Sector-wide Approach termed the ONE WASH National Programme with a dedicated budget line for sanitation in the Government of Ethiopia's treasury.
Although good progress is underway in the area of water, sanitation and hygiene, still some challenges remain. In 2010, out of a population of over 80 million, about 46 million were without access to improved water supply and sanitation and Ethiopia had the highest number of people (38 million) practicing open defecation among African countries[2]. The lack of access to adequate clean drinking water and sanitation services has a dramatic impact on the lives of people, especially women and girls, and undermines efforts to improve health, nutrition and education outcomes.
Mr Jan Eliasson underlines the need for clean water and sanitation. "We really must act now. We have to talk about sanitation and improving access to toilets and clean water. We also must change attitudes and behaviours," he emphasises with passion.
Ms Gore fully agrees. "Since I have a latrine and we wash our hands at critical times, I see less disease in my family. The children go to school and we work on the land – for this, we need to be healthy."
[1] Policy and Practice Information for Action: ( 2013) FMOH
Author UNICEF EthiopiaPosted on March 5, 2014 April 17, 2014 Categories HIS, MDG, Oromia, WASHTags ash, ash washing, child, children, DSG, ethiopia, hand washing, Jan Eliasson, school, School wash, soap, students, un, unicef, united nations, visit, wash, YouthLeave a comment on UNDSG Jan Eliasson washes hands with ashes in Ethiopia
In South Omo, Education- a gateway for children but a competition for parents
By Zerihun Sewunet
DAASANACH, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNPR), 18 December 2013 – Omorate village in South Omo Zone of the SNNPR is a semi-arid area where the Daasanach tribes live. Their houses are dome-shaped made from a frame of branches, covered with hides and patch works. These houses are scattered along the site where the Omo River delta enters Lake Turkana of Kenya. Most tribes in South Omo are pastoralists. In Omorate too, the people's lives are bound to the fate of their herds of cattle, sheep and goats that they raise.
Children play a critical role in the pastoralist lifestyle. Boys as young as 6 years old start to herd their family's sheep and goats, while girls marry very young so parents get additional livestock through dowry. Therefore, parents do not send their children to school. In the Daasanach tribe, education is considered as a luxury. For teachers of Alkatekach Primary School this is their biggest challenge. They use the Alternative Basic Education (ABE) system to cater for the need of the children. The Alternative Basic Education system responds to the urgent need for an education that suits the special needs and constraints of pastoral life. It provides flexible school hours, allowing pastoral children fulfil their household responsibilities of herding cattle to find water and pastures while still finding time for school.
Meseret Chanyalew, Director of the school, explains there is an increase in the number of children from last year because of the continuous effort to enroll and retain students. "We enroll students throughout the year to encourage children to come to school. We also discuss with the community to create awareness on education by going house to house to convince parents to send their children to school."
Located five kilometers from Omorate town of Kuraz district, the Alkatekach Primary school has only 79 registered students for the 2013/2014 academic year and the highest grade these students can reach is fourth grade. This is because there are no classes set up above the fourth grade.
The Lucky ones in the family go to school
14 years old Temesegen Koshme is a third grade student in Alkatekach Primary School. He is sitting in a class exercising the conversion formula for different measurements. His favorite subjects are mathematics and social science. Unlike Temesgen, children his age are taking care of family cattle or are married off. "I prefer coming to school than looking after my parents' cattle. Alkatekach is where I grasp knowledge," says Temesgen, "When I go to school in the morning my brother and sister look after the cattle. After school, I go straight to the field to take over".
Temesgen's parents told him that his younger sister is waiting to be married off, "I tried to explain that she has to come to school, but they did not listen to me" says Temesgen concerned about his sister's future. Temesgen is one of the lucky ones to be enrolled this year. For him school is his happiest place.
Agure Amite, a father of twelve, living in Omorate village, sends two of his children to Alkatekach Primary School. When asked why the others do not go to school he says, "Some of them have to look after my cattle and others are not ready for school because they are below 10 years old." Some parents in the Daasanach tribe send their children to school when they reach age 10. However, nationally children start school at age 7.
Alternative Basic Education (ABE) accommodates the pastoral children
The 2012 study on situation of out of school children in Ethiopia shows that SNNPR has 46.5% of out of school children making it the third highest region after Oromia (49.2%) and Amhara (48.7%).
With the support of UNICEF and the generous donation of US$240, 000 received from ING the Daasanach tribe now has ABE centers close to in their area. In addition to the construction of ABE centers, ING's support also helped to provide furniture, training for ABE facilitators and education materials to pastoralist and economically disadvantaged children. For Meseret and her colleagues at the Alkatekach Primary School, this means increasing the schools capacity up to sixth grade means that children like Temesgen will be able to receive education within their community for the next two years.
Author Zerihun SewunetPosted on February 17, 2014 May 9, 2014 Categories Education, HIS, ING, SNNPRTags ABE, alternative basic education, child protection, child rights, children Ethiopia, DAASANACH, drop out, education, ethiopia, ING, Omorate, out of school, pastoralist, school, SNNPR, unicef4 Comments on In South Omo, Education- a gateway for children but a competition for parents
In Ethiopia, DFATD support improves community based child and maternal care
By Frehiwot Yilma
DERA DISTRICT: AMHARA REGION, 30 October, 2013 – It is early Thursday morning and Gibtsawit Health Post, found in a rural village of Gibtsawit Mariam located 42 kilometres from Bahirdar, is busy with patients. The small room is crowded with mothers who are there to check their babies' growth; pregnant women having their antenatal care and men and women of the community who are receiving malaria treatment. Today is a special day, because the health extension workers of the health post are welcoming Mr Paul Rochon, Deputy Minister of International Development, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD) and Dr Peter Salama, UNICEF Representative to Ethiopia.
Misa Wondimagegn, a 25 year old health extension worker, supports the community in Gibtsawit village of Dera district with curative and preventative health and nutrition services. Misa and her colleagues Meseret and Hagere are supported by the health development army (a network of one volunteer to five Households) attend the 13,366 population of the kebele.
Misa has been working at Gibtsawit Health Post for seven years. "It was just when I finished tenth grade that I had the opportunity to join the training for health extension workers. It was hard convincing people to allow me to monitor the growth of their baby and take my advice about what to feed their children," she says. "We travelled long distances to reach as many households in the village as possible. In each of our visit we tried to improve the health seeking behaviour of the community and eventually encouraged them to go to the health post."
Growth Monitoring and Promotion is the cornerstone in the Community Based Nutrition Programme. It creates a platform for the health extension workers to contact the caregivers and check the nutritional status of children, detect growth faltering at early stage and provide counselling on Infant and Young Child Feeding practices (IYCF).
"Now, the situation has changed a lot: we have mothers who bring their children for check-up and pregnant women who come for antenatal care. The support we get from UNICEF and the Canadian Government has increased the variety of treatments we provide for the community. We have outpatient treatment for children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition and for pregnant women we give antenatal care and supply iron –folate. We promote good Hygiene and sanitation and we also give treatment for common childhood illnesses like pneumonia malaria and diarrhoea for the community," Misa explains with smile on her face.
Support in Action
Since 2007, the Canadian Government has been supporting UNICEF Ethiopia's interventions in Child Survival with Vitamin A and Zinc Supplementation and Integrated Health System Strengthening as well as routine immunization. Dera is one of the 100 UNICEF supported districts implementing the preventive and curative nutrition interventions. It is implementing Community Based Nutrition (CBN), integrated with other Community Maternal New-born and Child Health Interventions (CMNCH) to prevent child malnutrition, focusing on the first 1000 days: the time between conception and when a child turns two years of age.
In August 2013, 1,247 children attended the monthly Growth Monitoring and Promotion session in Dera enabling Misa and the other 78 health extension workers in the district to identify nutritional status of the children, detect early growth faltering, help the caregivers visualize the status and counsel them on appropriate age specific feeding messages using the Family Health Card as a counselling aid and refer children for further care in a timely manner whenever needed.
Haimanot Andarge, a 20 year old mother of baby girl Azeb, is one of the many mothers in the district who got follow ups from Misa and her colleagues during their pregnancy. "Misa used to come to my house regularly ever since she knew I was pregnant. She gave me vaccines and other supplements which was important for my baby. And when my labour began my husband took me to the health post. Misa encouraged me to deliver at Hamusit Health Centre which referred me to Bahirdar Hospital in time as my delivery was complicated. My baby was delivered safely because the health post was in our village to identify my condition," Haimanot remembered. Her eyes reflect her fear of what might have happened. " Azeb, is going to be two this year and Misa still follows up on her regularly and gives me advice on what to feed her," adds Haimanot.
Integrating approaches to combat malnutrition
One of the challenges to the health extension workers was what kind of advice to give to families with low income, regarding additional food for their children. "Health Extension Workers usually explain to families to use variety of cereals, animal protein and vegetables. Those who have money would buy and others barter with what they have produced," explains Ato Worku Endale, Head of the Dera District Health Office. "Recently we have been integrating the health extension programme with the agriculture extension programme to support farmers on what to produce and how they can support their children and family with variety of food items. In addition, the safety net programme that has been implemented in this particular community allows families with low income to be involved in the income generating activities."
With the integrated multisectoral approach of the government of Ethiopia and the support of UNICEF and partners such as DFATD, the hard work of health extension workers like Misa and colleagues is paying off.
Revolutionizing treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)
The support from UNICEF and the Canada Government that started the preventive nutrition programme of Community Based Nutrition linked with provision of WASH facilities has helped reduce the number of children who are malnourished. According to Dr. Peter Salama, the collaborative work of all stake holders, the availability of treating health posts within the community have made saving a child easier than ever before.
At the end of the visit the team eagerly waits to hear from Misa and her colleagues on their response to the fundamental question of how many children were lost to malnutrition recently. "There were 27 children diagnosed with Severe Acute malnutrition in July 2012- August 2013. They were treated with the Out-patient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) and 20 have been cured and seven are still on follow up with good prognosis but we have not lost a single child," Misa explained boastfully.
"It was not easy to change the attitude of the community. When we started, there was no one before us working with the community reaching every household door to door. We started from nothing. But with the support of donors like UNICEF and the Canadian Government, I cannot even remember the last time a child died in the community for the last four years," Misa reminisces.
"It makes me realise that it was not for nothing that I worked so hard at the beginning. I have brought change in my community." Misa concludes.
Author UNICEF EthiopiaPosted on December 24, 2013 March 5, 2014 Categories Amhara, DFATD, Health, HIS, NutritionTags Amhara, canada, DFATD, ethiopia, health workers, HEW, Malnutrition, maternal care, UNICEF EthiopiaLeave a comment on In Ethiopia, DFATD support improves community based child and maternal care


text:
Justia US Law US Regulations Office of the United States Trade Representative 2017 September 12
Office of the United States Trade Representative September 12, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
Notice of Continuation and Request for Nominations for the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee
Agency: Office of the United States Trade Representative
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is establishing a new two-year charter term and accepting applications from qualified individuals interested in serving as a member of the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC). The TEPAC is a trade advisory committee that provides general policy advice to the United States Trade Representative on trade policy matters that have a significant impact on the environment.
Determination Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published a document in the Federal Register of August 22, 2017, providing notice of its determination that Togo has adopted an effective visa system and related procedures to prevent the unlawful transshipment of textile and apparel articles and the use of counterfeit documents in connection with the shipment of such articles, and has implemented and follows, or is making substantial progress towards implementing and following, the custom procedures required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and therefore, imports of eligible products from Togo qualify for the textile and apparel benefits provided under the AGOA. This notice corrects an error in that document.


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