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MAPLE Fabricated Fe³O4@Cinnamomum verum Antimicrobial Surfaces for Improved Gastrostomy Tubes
admin 0 Comment 1.311 Views februarie 26, 2018 drug delivery, essential oils, laser processing, magnetite nanoparticles, MAPLE, natural products
Ion Anghel, Alina Georgiana Anghel: ENT, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Traian Vuia no.6, Bucharest 020956,
Romania; E-Mails: dr_alina.anghel@yahoo.com (A.G.A.); ionangheldoc@yahoo.com (I.A.)
Doctor Anghel Medical Center, Theodor Sperantia Street, Bucharest 30932, Romania
Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu, Valentina Grumezescu, Alexandra Elena Oprea, Alina Maria Holban :Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials,
Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, Politehnica University of Bucharest,
Polizu Street no 1-7, Bucharest 011061, Romania; E-Mails: grumezescu@yahoo.com (A.M.G.);
valentina_grumezescu@yahoo.com (V.G.); elena_oprea_93@yahoo.co.uk (A.E.O.);
alina_m_h@yahoo.com (A.M.H.)
Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu, Valentina Grumezescu, Alina Maria Holban :AMG Transcend, Polizu Street no 1-7, Bucharest 011061, Romania
Mariana Chirea: Departamento de Química Fisica, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
Valentina Grumezescu, Gabriel Socol: National Institute for Lasers, Plasma & Radiation Physics, Lasers Department, P.O. Box MG-36,
Bucharest-Magurele, Bucharest 769231, Romania; E-Mail: gabriel.socol@inflpr.ro
Florin Iordache: Flow Cytometry and Cell Therapy Laboratory, Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology "Nicolae
Simionescu" (ICBP), Bucharest 050568, Romania; E-Mail: floriniordache84@yahoo.com
Alina Maria Holban: Microbiology Immunology Department, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest,
AleeaPortocalelor no 1-3, Bucharest 060101, Romania
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: mariana.chirea@uvigo.es or
mariana.chirea@fc.up.pt; Tel.: +34-986-81-86-17; Fax: +34-986-81-25-56.
Abstract: Cinnamomum verum-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles of 9.4 nm in size were laser transferred by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique onto gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) for antibacterial activity evaluation toward Gram positive and Gram negative microbial colonization. X-ray diffraction analysis of the nanoparticle powder showed a polycrystalline magnetite structure, whereas infrared mapping confirmed the integrity of C. verum (CV) functional groups after the laser transfer. The specific topography of the deposited films involved a uniform thin coating together with several aggregates of bio-functionalized magnetite particles covering the G-tubes. C ytotoxicityassays showed an increase of the G-tube surface biocompatibility after Fe3O4@CV treatment, allowing a normal development of endothelial cells up to five days of incubation. Microbiological assays on nanoparticle-modified G-tube surfaces have proved an improvement of anti-adherent properties, significantly reducing both Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria colonization.
Patients who are unable to move food from their mouth to their stomach such as patients suffering of neurological disorders (stroke, brain injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and impaired swallowing), as well as patient with trauma, cancer or other severe infections in the upper gastrointestinal or the respiratory tract need an alternative solution for nutrition intake.
The percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) technique or gastrostomy tube (G-tube) is a method of placing a tube into the stomach percutaneously, assisted by endoscopy and allowing nutrition intake in these debilitated patients [1]. G-tubes are becoming increasingly more common to provide nutrition to patients due to their decreased risk of aspiration, usually associated with
nasogastric tubes [2]. The most common complications associated with G-tube placement range from minor bleeding and poor comfort to wound infections, necrotizing fasciitis and colocutaneous fistula [3]. The reported rates of complications following G-tube placement vary from 16% to 70% [3].
Being in contact with patients' normal microbiota, medical implanted prostheses are prone to be colonized by bacteria [4]. The failure of such devices relies on the ability of microorganisms to attach on their surfaces and form highly specialized communities called biofilms, which are extremely resistant to host defence mechanisms and antibiotic treatment [5]. Medical biofilms colonizing the surface of prosthetic devices are the cause of 60%–85% of total human acute or chronic infections and the most frequent cause of device surgical removal, associated with additional costs and patients'discomfort [6] The microbial species of clinical interest, often involved in biofilm associated infections belong to a very wide spectrum, from Gram positive (Staplylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis) to Gram negative pathogens (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and to different members of the Candida genus (particularly C. albicans and C. parapsilosis) [7].
Conventional treatments for device-associated infections typically consist of long-term therapy with a combination of antibiotics, which may lead to side effects and contribute to low patient compliance. Significantly, the increasing emergence of drug resistance to commonly used antibiotics and antifungal has made critical the need for the identification of novel therapeutics and approaches [8,9].
Recent advances in nanotechnology research have demonstrated that bio-functionalized nanomaterials can be used successfully for antibacterial protection of medical devices [10–19]. This protection of medical devices is easily achieved by directly coating the medical devices with a bio active antimicrobial film [20,21]. The use of synthetic drugs for antibacterial treatment of medical
devices is always accompanied by severe side effects (i.e., high toxicity and low biodegradability, increased bacterial resistance rates) and elimination of these side effects is achievable by using natural products with proved antimicrobial activity [22–27]. Plant extracts and essential oils with complex medicinal properties represent a great choice for the development of antimicrobial therapies [28–33].
The only drawbacks of these natural products are their low stability and high volatility. The functionalization of biocompatible nanoparticles with these essential oils or plant extracts would provide the means to both increase their stability and decrease their volatility [34–36].
In this work, we present the bio-functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles with Cinnamomum verum (CV) and their use for fabrication of protective antibacterial coatings of G-tubes. C. verum contains two antioxidants: proanthocyanidins and cinnamaldehyde (a phenolic compound), the latter being a very powerful anti-inflammatory compound. The most important medicinal properties of C. verum oil are: it stimulates the immune system, it is a general anti-inflammatory oil, extremely powerful antioxidant, major broad-spectrum antibiotic, antiseptic, antifungal and antiviral. It also helps prevent stomach, colon, lung, and breast cancers. Its many uses are known from Traditional Chinese
Medicine. It is expected that the bio-functionalization of Fe3O4 nanoparticles with C. verum will lead to the formation of films with strong anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity and few or no side effects. The fabrication of these films was achieved by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE), a technique frequently used for film deposition on substrates [37–41]. MAPLE allows a better control of the film thickness and surface morphology, enhances film/substrate adhesion, facilitates the multi-layer deposition and patterning. Furthermore, being a non-contact procedure it eliminates a major source of contamination and it can be integrated with other sterile processes. The
bacterial species under study in this work were a Gram positive one, S. aureus and a Gram negative one, E. coli, which are the most frequent etiologies for severe and persistent infections associated with G-tube implantation.
2. Results and Discussion
Details concerning the method used for magnetite synthesis and procedure for their deposition on G-tubes are presented in the Experimental Section. The morphology and crystallinity of the synthesized magnetite nanoparticles was analysed by TEM, SEM and X-ray diffraction measurements (Figures 1 and 2). The Fe3O4-CV particles were monodisperse, with an average diameter of 9.4 ± 1.0 nm as determined from TEM images (results not shown here). The Fe3O4-CV powder was polycrystalline with diffraction peaks at: 30.368°, 35.748°, 43.368°, 53.718°, 57.218° and 62.778° which correspond to (2 2 0), (3 1 1), (4 0 0), (4 2 2), (5 1 1) and (4 4 0) reflection planes of fcc magnetite [42]. The peaks of Fe3O4-CV indexed in Figure 2 match with the standard pattern of Fe3O4 (ICDD card No. 19-0629).
The chemical composition and surface coverage of Fe3O4@CV films on G-tubes were evaluated by IR–mapping and SEM imaging (Figures 3–7). FT-IR spectral analysis of modified surfaces is very complicated because the absorption peaks often overlap with each other. This inconvenience is eliminated by using second derivative spectroscopy, a technique which enhances the separation of overlapping peaks [43]. For this purpose, second derivative IR-maps were recorded (an average of 250 IR spectra) on Fe3O4@CV films obtained in various conditions of MAPLE deposition, namely, at 300 mJ/cm2 , 400 mJ/cm2 and 500 mJ/cm2 laser fluences (Figures 3–5).
In order to verify if the MAPLE deposited films were chemically intact, the obtained IR maps were compared to drop-casted Fe3O4@CV films on G-tubes (Figure 6). The IR maps show colour changes, starting from blue (the lowest intensity) and gradually increasing to red (the highest intensity) which illustrate a high degree of film purity and chemical stability [44].
As it can be observed and compared in Figures 3–6, the optimal deposition rate and stoichiometric transfer was achieved at a fluence deposition of 400 mJ/cm2, the IR spectra of this MAPLE deposition showing similar features as the ones obtained for the drop-casted Fe3O4@CV films.
The characteristic peaks of the Fe3O4@CV were assigned to: (a) 2815 cm−1 (C-H stretch) and (b) 1689 cm−1 (C=O carbonyl group). The selected functional groups are characteristics to the C. verum (i.e., cinnamaldehyde). The surface coverage of Fe3O4@CV film on G-tubes deposited at 400 mJ/cm2 laser fluence and its topography were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (Figure 7). Both, very uniform surface coverage with Fe3O4@CV nanoparticles being well dispersed together with several aggregates were observed on the modified G-tubes (Figure 7). These results are in good agreement with reported literature on the MAPLE thin coatings of iron oxide nanoparticles [45].
Cytotoxicity assays revealed an improvement of the modified Fe3O4@CV G-tube surface biocompatibility with respect to the bare G-tube.
The MTT assay demonstrated that human cells present a normal metabolism and growth in the presence of nanoparticle modified bioactive G-tubes, the measured values of absorbance at 570 nm being similar for modified and control surfaces in the first 48 h of incubation. Furthermore, after 72 h of incubation, endothelial cells showed a better proliferation on Fe3O4@CV G-tube surfaces, as compared with the control surfaces (Figure 8).
Florescence microscopy results obtained after 5 days of incubation have revealed that endothelial cells grown on the nanoparticle modified bioactive surfaces present a normal aspect, their morphology being similar with the cells grown on control surfaces (Figure 9).
The percentage of attached cells was normal for this incubation time and low detachment rates were noted. Our data revealed that the nanoparticle modified G-tube surfaces have improved anti-adherent properties, considerably reducing both Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria colonization. The phenotypical data demonstrate that biofilms formation is impaired at all tested time points, starting with their initiation and continuing through the maturation process.
The most significant differences were observed on S. aureus biofilms; in this case, the biofilm inhibition rates ranging from more than 4-fold for incipient biofilms to up to 3-fold for mature biofilms (Figure 10). On the other hand, for the Gram negative bacterium E. coli the biofilm inhibition ranged from 2.5-fold for initial biofilms to up to 2-fold for mature biofilms grown onto the bioactive Fe3O4@CVmodified G-tube surface (Figure 11).
3. Experimental
3.1. Synthesis of Fe3O4@CV
Fe3O4 nanoparticles functionalized with C. verum were prepared as follow: NH4OH solution (25%, 8 mL) was added into a 0.25% solution of C. verum (200 mL). Then, a solution of Fe3+ and Fe2+ in 2:1 molar ratio was prepared (400 mL), mixed for 10 min and consecutively added dropwise to the basic solution of C. verum. A black precipitate was obtained consisting of C. verum functionalized magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4@CV) which were isolated from solution using a 100 kgf Nd-Fe-B external magnetic field. The Fe3O4@CV nanoparticles were purified by washing three times with Millipore water until the pH was near neutral. 3.2. MAPLE Target Preparation and Deposition of Fe3O4@CV-Based Thin Coating Fe3O4@CV nanoparticles were dispersed in DMSO as a 1.5% (w/v) solution. The MAPLE solutions were poured into a pre-cooled target holder and subsequently immersed in liquid nitrogen for 30 min. MAPLE depositions was performed using a KrF* (λ = 248 nm and τFWHM = 25 ns) COMPexPro 205 model laser source (Lambda Physics-Coherent, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA) that operated at a repetition rate of 15 Hz. The laser fluence was within the range of (300–500) mJ/cm2 whereas the laser spot area was set to 36 mm2
. A laser beam homogenizer was used to improve the energy distribution of the laser spot. In order to avoid the target heating and drilling during the laser irradiation, the frozen target was rotated at a rate of 0.4 Hz. All depositions were conducted at room temperature into a background pressure of 1 Pa and the films were grown at a target-substrate eparation distance of 5 cm by applying (30,000–60,000) subsequent laser pulses. During the deposition process, the target was kept at a temperature of ~173 K by active liquid nitrogen cooling. Thin films were deposited onto double side polished (100) silicon, glass and gastrostomy tubes (obtained from Doctor Anghel Medical Center) for IRM, SEM, XRD and biological assays, respectively. Prior to introduction inside the deposition chamber, the substrates were successively cleaned into an
ultrasonic bath with acetone, ethanol and deionized water for 15 min. During the deposition, the substrates were continuously rotated. Thus, the Fe3O4@CV nanoparticles were uniformly spread over the surface of the substrates. For data comparison, a control set of films were prepared by drop casting on the double side polished (100) silicon.
3.3. Characterization of Fe3O4@CV and Prepared Thin Coating
3.3.1. XRD
X-ray diffraction analysis was performed on a Shimadzu XRD 6000 diffractometer (Kyoto, Japan) at room temperature. In all the cases, Cu Kα radiation from a Cu X-ray tube (run at 15 mA and 30 kV) was used. The samples were scanned in the Bragg angle 2θ range of 10–80 degree.
3.3.2. IRM
IR mapping were recorded on a Nicolet iN10 MX FT-IR Microscope (Waltham, MA, USA) with MCT liquid nitrogen cooled detector in the measurement range 4000–700 cm−1 Spectral collection was made in reflection mode at 4 cm−1 resolution. For each spectrum, 32 scans were co-added and converted to absorbance using OmincPicta software (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA USA). Approximately 250 spectra were analysed for each sample. Two absorptions peaks known as being characteristics for the Fe3O4@CV nanoparticles were selected as spectral markers.
3.3.3. SEM
SEM analysis was performed on a FEI electron microscope (Hillsboro, OR, USA), using secondary electron beams with energies of 30 keV, on samples covered with a thin silver layer.
3.3.4. Interaction with Eukaryotic Cells Human endothelial cells (EAhy926 cell line, American Type Culture Collection ‒ ATCC, Manassas, VA, USA) were grown in DMEM culture medium containing 10% FBS, and 1% penicillin and neomycin (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA). For cell proliferation and viability was used CellTiter96 Non-Radioactive Cell Proliferation Assay, (Promega, Madison, WI, USA). Endothelial cells were seeded in 96-well plate at a density of 5 × 103 cells/well, in DMEM medium, supplemented with 10% FBS and incubated with NMS materials for 72 h, while the controls were represented by endothelial cells grown in the same culture conditions, but on bare substrates. Cell proliferation assay was performed in triplicates, according to manufacturer's guidelines, at different time intervals. Briefly, Promega Kit Solution I (15 µL) was added in each well and incubated for 4 h. Furthermore, Promega Kit Solution II (100 µL) was added in the 96-well plate and incubated for another hour and spectrophotometry measurements were performed at 570 nm using a Mithras LB 940 spectrophotometer (Berthold Technology, Bad Wildbad, Germany). RED CMTPX fluorophore (Life Technologies, Invitrogen, Antisel, Bucharest, Romania) is a cell tracker for long-term tracing of living cells. The RED CMTPX dye was added in the culture medium at a final concentration of 5 µM, incubated 30 min for the dye to penetrate through the cells. Furthermore, the cells were washed with PBS and visualized by fluorescent microscopy. Living cells tracing in the presence of thin coating was monitored for 5 days in culture. The micrographs were taken by a digital camera driven by the Axio-Vision 4.6 (Carl Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany) software.
3.3.5. Interaction with Prokaryotic Cells
Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25922 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 strains were purchased from the ATCC and used to create an artificial biofilm. Both adherence and biofilm formation were analysed in 6 multi-well plates (Nunc, Waltham, MA, USA), using a static model for monospecific biofilms. The tested slides pieces (control and MAPLE coated glass slides) were placed in 2 mL nutrient broth inoculated with 5 µL of S. aureus or E. coli suspension with a density of 0.5 McFarland (1–3 × 108 CFU/mL). After 24 h of incubation, the adherence was assessed by harvesting the adhered cells in sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS), following the viable cell count assay. The temporal
dynamic of biofilm formation was studied by placing the tested slides with attached bacterial cells in nutrient broth and incubation for 24, 48 and 72 h. After incubation, the biofilm developed on the control and test surfaces were harvested and suspensions were performed in sterile PBS (phosphate aline buffer). The obtained suspensions were further ten-fold diluted and 10 µL of each dilution were seeded in triplicates on nutritive agar (Durham, NC, USA), incubated for 24 h at 37 °C in order to determine the viable cell counts and thus, indirectly, to evaluate the number of viable bacterial cells embedded in biofilms. Experiments were performed in triplicate and repeated on three separate occasions.
Thin films composed of 9.4 nm Cinnamomum verum-functionalized Fe3O4 particles were successfully transferred onto G-tubes by laser processing. The in vitro results recommend this type of coating for medical use, especially as a medical surface with high resistance to microbial colonization. The good biocompatibility of the Fe3O4-CV films suggests that they can be safely used for the antibacterial protection of medical surfaces and devices to be used for different patients with debilitating diseases.
The work has been supported by the Sectoral Operational Programme Human ResourcesDevelopment 2007-2013 of the Ministry of European Funds through the Financial Agreement POSDRU/159/1.5/S/132397 (ExcelDOC).
AMG and IA conceived the study; AMH and AGA provided the microbial strains, and drafted the manuscript together with MC, GS and AMG. AMG, VG, GS, AEO and MC performed the synthesis, laser processing and characterization of Fe3O4@CV. AGA, AMH and FI performed the in vitro experiments. AMG, MC and IA participated in the design of the study and coordination. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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How relevant are the estimations of the fractal dimension of the texture and contourto discriminate between malignant and benignant sinus tumors – a statistical study
Antibiotic potentiator effect of the natural and synthetic zeolites with well defined nanopores with possible ent clinical applications
Pathogenic features and therapeutical implications of biofilm development ability in microbial strains isolated from rhinologic chronic infections
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World Watch
By MARYANN BIRD AND SUE CULLINAN Monday, Apr. 29, 2002
MASSIMO SAMBUCETTI/AP
Unidentified bishops and a cardinal listen to Pope John Paul II's address to the faithful in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican during the general audience Wednesday, April 24, 2002.
Nothing to Hide, But in No Hurry to Comply
Ignoring a fresh U.S. call for a complete pullback from reoccupied Palestinian areas, Israel sent tanks and troops back into the city of Qalqiliya and three villages, while asking the U.N. to delay — pending clarifications — a fact-finding mission to investigate Israeli forces' attack on the Jenin refugee camp. Denying allegations of a massacre at Jenin, Israel insists that the U.N. inquiry include an investigation of Palestinian "terrorism" and that both sides agree on a framework for the U.N. team's activities. In Ramallah, the Greek...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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North Hawaii News
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020 | Today's Paper | 68°
Representative behind Waikoloa development commits to following through with project
By Cameron Miculka West Hawaii Today cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com | Thursday, October 25, 2018, 12:05 a.m.
The Land Use Commission meets to determine Waikoloa Highlands land classification Wednesday at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
Land Use Commission Chair Jonathan Scheuer heads the meeting regarding Waikoloa Highlands classification Wednesday at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
Waikoloa Highlands representative Steven Lim, left, sits with Valery Grigoryants at a Land Use Commission meeting Wednesday at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
Waikoloa Village resident Julia Alos offers testimony before the Land Use Commission on the Waikoloa Highlands project Wednesday at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
KAILUA-KONA — A representative for the developer behind a planned 398-lot residential subdivision in South Kohala repeatedly committed on Wednesday to completing the project that has gone undeveloped for the past decade.
Arch Ltd. vice president Valery Grigoryants, testifying before the state Land Use Commission at a meeting Wednesday, said he had only last year learned of conditions attached to the 731-acre Waikoloa Highlands project and vowed to keep a close eye on the project going forward.
Arch Ltd. is the 100-percent owner of Vitoil Corp., which itself is the 100-percent owner of Waikoloa Highlands Inc.
"I do not waive any responsibility; I accept full responsibility," Grigoryants told the commission through an interpreter. "I just regret that we discovered things too late."
The state Land Use Commission is weighing whether Waikoloa Highlands Inc. should keep the rural district classification it received in 2008 or whether to revert the land to an agricultural classification. The commission in an order to show cause issued in July identified a dozen conditions relating to issues like affordable housing and transportation that the commission suspects the developer of not meeting.
But Grigoryants on Wednesday said the project had been hindered by a former director of the project, Stefan Martirosian, who is now out of the company.
"Me and my brother communicated with him almost every day," Grigoryants said in response to a question about oversight over the former director. "And so when we communicated, he never told us details of actually what was going on with the project. He would tell us that everything is good, the work was significant, that everything was good."
Grigoryants said Martirosian was fired from Waikoloa Highlands in 2016, and he only learned of the 2008 decision and order and its associated conditions the following year.
He said the company has appointed a new director, Natalia Batichtcheva, and have also arranged for $45 million in financing to complete the project.
"I promise that I will personally control this project," he said, "and if the committee makes a favorable decision, I promise that we will complete the project."
The company has also brought on Hilo consultant Joel LaPinta, who also testified during the hearing.
LaPinta started working with Waikoloa Highlands in June, he said, and that so far about $900,000 worth of engineering work has been completed with another $670,000 worth of additional work still to be done.
He said groundbreaking could potentially come in about 30 months depending on the market.
Asked directly whether the project is feasible, he replied he believed it was.
He also responded to concerns that the land was being held onto for speculative reasons, saying he didn't believe that to be the case, referencing the amount of work that has already gone into engineering and working with the State Historic Preservation Division on archaeology at the site.
In response to a question from deputy attorney general Dawn Apuna of the Office of Planning, he said there hasn't been any infrastructure built since the 2008 decision and order.
LaPinta also said in his testimony he thinks the environmental studies and archaeology study were still viable, a response which provoked questions from commission chair Jonathan Likeke Scheuer, who asked LaPinta whether he was aware that the State Historic Preservation Division had revised its rules for archaeological inventory surveys since the study associated with this project was conducted. LaPinta said he was not.
And while LaPinta said that, in his talks with a water company, they believe they can supply water to the project for the first phase, those conversations didn't encompass the full project.
Regarding the environmental impact statement, Scheuer referenced a 2010 Supreme Court of Hawaii case, Unite Here! Local 5 v. City and County of Honolulu, in which the court determined that an environmental impact statement "cannot be relied on reasonably for an indefinite period of time."
The final environmental impact statement for Waikoloa Highlands was issued in 2007.
Search warrants lead to 2 drug arrests at Kona business and residence
Hilo doctor, 4 employees charged in 43-count indictment
Joan Sheldon October 25, 2018 7:23 am
An 11 year old envivinmentai impact report cannot be relied on
for sure. The person in charge certainly seemed not in charge if he didnt know what questions needed to be asked of his former director who appeared incompetent to know what was Needed.
4whatitsworth October 25, 2018 8:24 am
Why not? The entire island has only added about 15,000 people since then and Waikoloa looks essentially the same.
I think everyone is for a good environment but a part of that environment is housing that we can afford. A big part of the affordable housing equation is increasing the supply and reducing soft costs. Another environmental impact study and a new archaeology study simply adds to the costs and delays the supply coming on line.
The environmental impact will show transportation issues for residents need to be solved by the developer, building in that location. Far Away from hospitals etc. Otherwise it puts the burden on you the tax payer. Is that what you want? Big companies in the mainland provide buses for employees at the companies expence. Its time for Hawaii to consider this for sub division developers responsibility
Also a percentage of units need to be designed small and built for low incomes workers so the dont have more people commuting from Hilo….
4whatitsworth October 25, 2018 10:35 am
I am glad we can engage in a civil discussion. Here is the problem as I see it.. Currently Hawaii is raising the percentage of tax on everything Income Tax, Property Tax, GET, TAT, Gas Tax so "we" are clearly already on the hook. In addition there does not appear to be any end in sight. Development is actually the best way to grow the tax base in a place like Hawaii. New development will hopefully stop the % tax increases which are devastating in the long run. Development substantially increases economic activity so revenue from GET and Income tax increase, then after paying the taxes the person that moves into the unit continues to pay property tax and if the population grows we get federal infrastructure funds to build new roads. If done well this is a very virtuous cycle.
To your point if having a new environmental impact statement makes a better development by creating the right type of units and being in harmony with the community, I would agree wholeheartedly. The problem with these environmental study process is that it often turns into a how to stop the development effort and NIBY (not in my back yard) efforts.
Joan Sheldon October 25, 2018 12:10 pm
I DON'T THINK this DELOPEMENT is in ANYONES Back YARD
IS IT? Thanks for your input .
KonaRich October 25, 2018 12:37 pm
Once the powers that be get contol and they make them jump through all the hoops again, this project will no longer support incorporating affordable housing, not in your wildest dreams. This project was put on hold in 2008, you do remember 08, I know I do, layed off and on unemployment for over a year. They have sat on this waiting for better times and it has arrived and want things to stay the same. The powers that be now have them over a barrel and the law suit locals do too. This a gold mine for all that power that BE.
4whatitsworth October 25, 2018 2:36 pm
Yes I remember 2008. When construction is happening everyone seems to do well, and when it is not times are particularly tough for those of us who make things for a living.
Regarding the powers that be.. Today it seems like houses are 80% politics and just 20% house and that just seems crazy to me.
Bond October 25, 2018 6:31 pm
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Experience Oz like never before in this collection of books ten through twelve in L. Frank Baum's classic American fairy tale series.
The tenth, eleventh, and twelfth titles of the iconic Oz series, now in one collection!
In Rinkitink in Oz, Prince Inga of Pingaree must rescue his parents and all of the subjects from his kingdom who were kidnapped by marauders form Regos and Coregos. Prince Inga, along with the visiting King Rinkitink and Bilbil the goat, set off on a series of grand adventures that will lead them to the underground kingdom of the Nome King. Will Inga's bravery and courage be enough to save his parents and all of their subjects?
In The Lost Princess of Oz, Ozma, the beloved ruler of Oz, has disappeared, so Dorothy, the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion, and a band of friends must search the vast land of Oz to find her.
In The Tin Woodman of Oz, Tin Woodman, Woot the Wanderer, and Captain Fyter set off on a quest to find the lovely Munchkin, Nimmie Amee. Once upon a time, she and the Woodman were going to marry, but then the Wicked Witch of the West turned him to tin. Can the Tin Woodman find Nimmie Amee? And will she remember him?
f you have a map of the Land of Oz handy, you will find that the great Nonestic Ocean washes the shores of the Kingdom of Rinkitink, between which and the Land of Oz lies a strip of the country of the Nome King and a Sandy Desert. The Kingdom of Rinkitink isn't very big and lies close to the ocean, all the houses and the King's palace being built near the shore. The people live much upon the water, boating and fishing, and the wealth of Rinkitink is gained from trading along the coast and with the islands nearest it.
Four days' journey by boat to the north of Rinkitink is the Island of Pingaree, and as our story begins here I must tell you something about this island. At the north end of Pingaree, where it is widest, the land is a mile from shore to shore, but at the south end it is scarcely half a mile broad; thus, although Pingaree is four miles long, from north to south, it cannot be called a very big island. It is exceedingly pretty, however, and to the gulls who approach it from the sea it must resemble a huge green wedge lying upon the waters, for its grass and trees give it the color of an emerald.
These pearls grew within the shells of big oysters, and the people raked the oysters from their watery beds, sought out the milky pearls and carried them dutifully to their King. Therefore, once every year his Majesty was able to send six of his boats, with sixty rowers and many sacks of the valuable pearls, to the Kingdom of Rinkitink, where there was a city called Gilgad, in which King Rinkitink's palace stood on a rocky headland and served, with its high towers, as a lighthouse to guide sailors to the harbor. In Gilgad the pearls from Pingaree were purchased by the King's treasurer, and the boats went back to the island laden with stores of rich merchandise and such supplies of food as the people and the royal family of Pingaree needed.
The Pingaree people never visited any other land but that of Rinkitink, and so there were few other lands that knew there was such an island. To the southwest was an island called the Isle of Phreex, where the inhabitants had no use for pearls. And far north of Pingaree—six days' journey by boat, it was said—were twin islands named Regos and Coregos, inhabited by a fierce and warlike people.
Many years before this story really begins, ten big boatloads of those fierce warriors of Regos and Coregos visited Pingaree, landing suddenly upon the north end of the island. There they began to plunder and conquer, as was their custom, but the people of Pingaree, although neither so big nor so strong as their foes, were able to defeat them and drive them all back to the sea, where a great storm overtook the raiders from Regos and Coregos and destroyed them and their boats, not a single warrior returning to his own country.
This defeat of the enemy seemed the more wonderful because the pearl fishers of Pingaree were mild and peaceful in disposition and seldom quarreled even among themselves. Their only weapons were their oyster rakes; yet the fact remains that they drove their fierce enemies from Regos and Coregos from their shores.
King Kitticut was only a boy when this remarkable battle was fought, and now his hair was grey; but he remembered the day well and, during the years that followed, his one constant fear was of another invasion of his enemies. He feared they might send a more numerous army to his island, both for conquest and revenge, in which case there could be little hope of successfully opposing them.
This anxiety on the part of King Kitticut led him to keep a sharp lookout for strange boats, one of his men patrolling the beach constantly, but he was too wise to allow any fear to make him or his subjects unhappy. He was a good King and lived very contentedly in his fine palace, with his fair Queen Garee and their one child, Prince Inga.
The wealth of Pingaree increased year by year; and the happiness of the people increased, too. Perhaps there was no place, outside the Land of Oz, where contentment and peace were more manifest than on this pretty island, hidden in the bosom of the Nonestic Ocean. Had these conditions remained undisturbed, there would have been no need to speak of Pingaree in this story.
There was no school upon the island, as the people of Pingaree were far removed from the state of civilization that gives our modern children such advantages as schools and learned professors, but the King owned several manuscript books, the pages being made of sheepskin. Being a man of intelligence, he was able to teach his son something of reading, writing and arithmetic.
When studying his lessons Prince Inga used to go into the grove near his father's palace and climb into the branches of a tall tree, where he had built a platform with a comfortable seat to rest upon, all hidden by the canopy of leaves. There, with no one to disturb him, he would pore over the sheepskin on which were written the queer characters of the Pingarese language.
"Are we, then, less powerful than in my grandfather's day?" asked Prince Inga.
"I shall not forget," said Inga.
Then the King returned the pearls to their hiding place and the boy went to his own room to ponder upon the wonderful secret his father had that day confided to his care.


text:
Pernia Qureshi's PopUpShop wins 'E Commerce Brand Of The Year' award by Silicon India magazine!
Published by Hemant Sanganee on Feb 2, 2016
More in Film Awards & Others:
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Actress Raveena Tandon, will be at her best of Humour at Good News Today OTT awards Jun 10, 2022
Actress and fashion entrepreneur Pernia Qureshi's popular e-commerce venture, 'www.perniaspopupshop.com' has recently won 'E Commerce Brand Of The Year' award by Silicon India magazine.
Today, Pernia's Pop Up Shop is one of the highly recognised names in the e-commerce world offering high-end luxury designer products by acting as a one-stop destination for all fashion desires of a person. It offers India's premier designers (over 200) to a global clientele, who are just a click away.
Pernia says, "For Perniaspopupshop.com, 'Customer is not only the King, but everything' if you are in serious long-term business."
While every other e-commerce companies are running for new customer acquisitions, Pernia, Founder, Pernia Qureshi Consultancy (PQC), and the leading stylist-actor-dancer, believes that, "Customer loyalty towards your brand and repeat purchases is a key to success. Customer expects premium quality of products and services from us, and we deliver it every time".
"Perniaspopupshop.com is a labor of love. The building of this business has had three distinct phrases – the creation of engine with the help of designers and programmers, the relationship building with the talent and suppliers, and finally the logistics back-end, which has to work seamlessly to deliver quality brand value," explains Pernia.
Silicon India is an international monthly magazine for information technology professionals of Indian origin.


text:
Maersk Tankers Set To Add 11 Tanker Vessels To Its Fleet
Last updated on April 2nd, 2020
Tanya Agarwal
After signing an agreement with BP Shipping (BP) and ICBC Financial Leasing Co., Ltd (ICBC), Maersk Tankers is going to add 11 tanker vessels in its fleet.
According to the agreement, each vessel that will be taken by Maersk Tankers from the owner will be according to a bareboat charter arrangement, that will then be hired out to BP under a 3-year time charter deal. Thus, the full responsibility for the risks involved in the operation and the technical management of the ships will be assumed by Maersk Tankers.
"We are excited to enter into this agreement and are honored that two industry leaders have selected us as a trusted partner. With this agreement, we increase our fleet under management to 198 vessels from more than 30 different partners – cementing our strong position within the industry," says Soren C. Meyer, Chief Asset Officer at Maersk Tankers.
The agreement is related to three Suezmax, three MR, and five Handy-sized vessels, which were all built-in Korea between 2016 and 2017.
Maersk Tankers have an experience of more than nine decades in the commercial and technical management of vessels.
"Our technical management services build upon Maersk Tankers' high safety standards, extensive technical experience and a proven ability to run vessels cost- and fuel-efficiently with a strong emphasis on cutting CO2 emissions. We look forward to leveraging our capabilities and strong operational track-record to manage the vessels in the best interest of both partners," says Tommy Thomassen, Chief Technical Officer at Maersk Tankers.
Maersk Tankers is expecting to receive the delivery of the first vessel in early 2020 with the others being delivered in 2020.
Reference: maersktankers


text:
List of Official Languages of India-PDF Download
Indian Static GK / By Chandrabhan Khatri
Official Languages of India
India is a huge country with varied ethnic cultures, traditions, languages. India has a diverse list of spoken languages among different groups of people. It has been said that in India, "Indian language changes every few kilometers".
India being a union of states with 28 states and 8 Union Territories.
Article 343 of the Indian constitution stated that the official language of the Union is Hindi in Devanagari script instead of the extant English. Later, a constitutional amendment,
The Official Languages Act, 1963, allowed for the continuation of English alongside Hindi in the Indian government indefinitely until legislation decides to change it.
The Constitution of India does not give any language the status of national language.
The 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 languages, which have been referred to as scheduled languages and given recognition, status and official encouragement.
In addition, the Government of India has awarded the distinction of 6 classical language to Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu. Classical language status is given to languages which have a rich heritage and independent nature.
According to the Census of India of 2001, India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages.
However, figures from other sources vary, primarily due to differences in definition of the terms "language" and "dialect".
The 2001 Census recorded 30 languages which were spoken by more than a million native speakers and 122 which were spoken by more than 10,000 people.
Official Language of India
Two languages are chosen to be the official languages used by the central administration.
Hindi is the language used by the Central Government as per Article 343 when communicating with the states of Hindi Belt.
English is the Associate official language and the language to be used while communicating with the states.
List of Official Scheduled Language of India
S.No. Language State (Language Spoken)
1 Assamese Assam, Arunachal Pradesh
2 Bengali West Bengal, Tripura
3 Bodo Assam
4 Dogri Official language of Jammu and Kashmir
5 Gujarati Dadra , Nagar Haveli , Daman, Diu, Gujarat
6 Hindi Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal
7 Kannada Karnataka
8 Kashmiri Jammu and Kashmir
9 Konkani Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala (The Konkan Coast)
10 Maithili Bihar, Jharkhand
11 Malayalam Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry
12 Manipuri Manipur
13 Marathi Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
14 Nepali Sikkim and West Bengal
15 Odia Official language of Orissa
16 Punjabi Official language of Punjab and Chandigarh, 2nd official language of Delhi and Haryana
17 Sanskrit Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand
18 Santali Spoken by Santhal people mainly in the state of Jharkhand as well as in the states of Assam,Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal
19 Sindhi Gujarat and Maharashtra, especially Ulhasnagar
20 Tamil Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
21 Telugu Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry
22 Urdu Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Jharkhand, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
« Mar Aug »


How Does the Ford GT Order Process Work?
The next update in the progress towards my Ford GT arrives in the form of Ford's Welcome Guide and introduction to the Ford GT Concierge and the order process.
At this stage I do not yet have my Order Window Notification which is due in the near future and that will tell me when to expect the process to start and ultimately a delivery date for my car itself. I shall keep you in the loop all the way through the road to this spectacularly exciting car!
when is that stupid thing getting fkin released???
I saw the Yellow w/ black stripes, and the racecar at the Lone Star LeMans. It is such a beautiful car. would love to have one.
I have that shirt. It's one of my favorites.
I'm sure I read that it's "only" going to cost about $160k?
Am I right that this car will have extreme appreciation because it is quite rare?
Do you ever stop and think that pay possibly be living an exceptionally shallow existence? You're the definition of Automotive ADHD.
Congrats, and thanks for taking us through the process! Love the Ford brand and all the excitement surrounding the release of the new GT.
it is an epic car. how ridicilous ford made this item with such massive massive pride, almost like saying its the best thing this solar system ever had. but lets hope some people will honestly take us to take a look how it will stand against other supercars then. hopefully it does have something special afterall otherwise this ford gt its just such a ridicule public relations campaign ford push forward public.
So are you buying one??????
Twin turbo V6 for a 400k vehicle? 600 horsepower? It's a stunningly beautiful car, but I'm just going to stick with the Aventador S or the new Mclaren 720s….
anymore schedule popular ifxhhwh beat ours element integration radio israeli.
Wait So Shmee150 Is Getting A 2017 Ford GT?
do you know what the car looks like, colorwise,wheels,and the interior and stripes color is?
Ironic that a company who invented the concept of mass production low cost cars. Now is producing a small number of slowly built cars. Progress?
What are you doing for the living? How can you afford these super cars?
Shmee get a girl friend, please, don't burn your dangle in the exhaust pipe.


Over the past two decades, Luke Mornay has shaped his musically driven signature sound around artists from a wide range of genres. This unpredictability not only brought him into unexpected scenes but also brought rave reviews for his work by press and fans of the artists, as well as a Grammy Award nomination and a couple of #1 records.
Luke's Twenty five ten album (named as a homage to his mother's birthdate) sees another turn in his career. His musical DNA is what's radiating throughout his album. It's not a 2018 sounding album but Luke's album in 2018 – with a current sound, but inspired by decades of influences and experiences.
"..When it came to featurings on this album it was a natural choice to me to connect with artists such as Kevin Godley from the legendary band 10cc or James Atkin from EMF, as well as friends made over time such as Lucy Pullin (Craig Armstrong, Robbie Williams, Goldfrapp), Rachael Atkin (Fluke, Beauty School Drop Outs), PJ Hawn,Victor śiva, Nick Tart (Diamond Head), Roxy Horner.
"Besides my emotional motivation to get this project done, I really wanted this record to connect genres, eras & mix generations.
Somehow connect the dots between timelines in a unified story, with its joyful & bonkers moments, with its own directions & contradictions, or more simply put: my story.


Anyone with a valid netId can create a project space on this wiki or on the issue tracker.
Project creations start every 30 minutes, on the hour and half-hour.
This new campus wiki, wiki.rice.edu, has taken the name of a previous wiki available here at Rice. If you wish to get to the old wiki data you can see it at http://oldwiki.rice.edu.


text:
Mega Rich Investor Grant Cardone Says "I Don't Save Money"
By Joseph Gibson on August 2, 2018 in Articles › Billionaire News
Randomize
Phil Mickelson Is Planning A Move To Florida – Here's How Much He Can Save In Taxes
The Tragic Downfall Of The NBA's Delonte West
Daughters Claim Henry Ford II's Widow Kathleen Is Being Abused By Longtime Companion
This 45-Bedroom Mansion In London Has Been Sold For A Rumored $275 Million
Conor McGregor Net Worth 2020 - How Much Has The Fighter Earned In His Career So Far?
Billionaire Larry Ellison Is Raking In The Cash On His $1 Billion Tesla Bet
Saving as much money as you can is one of those foundational pieces of conventional financial wisdom, so much so that it can fade into the background and become invisible if you're not careful. But at least one mega-rich investor says saving is for the birds – in a recent CNBC column, entrepreneur and author Grant Cardone (net worth $300 million) makes a possibly surprising claim: "I don't save money."
No, he doesn't mean that since he's insanely rich, he naturally doesn't save money because he doesn't have to. He means that if you really want your money to work for you, saving it is a waste of time thanks to that perennial foe of cash everywhere, inflation. To illustrate his point, Cardone likens putting your money in a standard savings account to the cash woes famously suffered by drug lord Pablo Escobar:
"The infamous cartel boss Pablo Escobar was one of the wealthiest drug lords in history, bringing in $420 million a week in revenue. He spent $2,500 a month on rubber bands just to hold the stacks of bills together, and he wrote off 10 percent of his cash as lost because rats would eat it or it would be damaged by water, or lost."
TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images
While your money probably isn't in any danger of being chewed up by rats while sitting in a savings account, Cardone says that inflation can dissolve the value of your saved cash almost as ruthlessly:
"It takes 833 years to double your money at today's bank rates. You can't even get 1 percent in a savings account. Inflation eats far more than that!"
Cardone says that the smart thing to do with your money is to invest it at your earliest opportunity, either in yourself (or your own small business) in order to increase income, or in "real assets that produce cash flow." According to him, "[c]ash is dead. Cash flow is king," and you should think of your savings account not as a permanent home for your money, but as more of a temporary storage space on its way to bigger and better things.
Grant Cardone Articles
Grant Cardone Net Worth
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Four Facts About Drug Lord Pablo Escobar's Incredible Wealth That Might Make Your Mind Melt
Pablo Escobar's Son Makes A Seriously Shocking Claim About Frank Sinatra
Journalist Who Studies Millionaires Has Determined The Three Best Ways To Get Rich
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Whether you're in college or high school, now that April is well underway, you're probably already thinking about the finish line—and everything that stands between you and the next chapter of your life.
For some of you, what comes next might be summer break. For graduating seniors at any level, that might be college, grad school, or the work force.
Since 1992, April has marked the start of National Stress Awareness Month. So in honor of the occasion, here are eight tips on how to de-stress as campus life picks up before the school year ends.


text:
import PyPfw
import sys
import logging

class MyLogger(PyPfw.ILogger):
    def __init__(self):
        # Calling the base constructor is necessary: if you don't, MyLogger
        # won't be recognised as a derived class of PyPfw.ILogger
        super(MyLogger, self).__init__()

    def log(self, is_warning, log):
        log_func = logging.warning if is_warning else logging.info
        log_func(log)

logging.root.setLevel(logging.INFO)

pfw = PyPfw.ParameterFramework(sys.argv[1])

# warning: don't pass MyLogger() directly as argument to setLogger() or it will
# be garbage collected
mylogger = MyLogger()
pfw.setLogger(mylogger);

moodType = pfw.createSelectionCriterionType(False)
for numerical, literal in enumerate(["mad", "sad", "glad"]):
    moodType.addValuePair(numerical, literal)

mood = pfw.createSelectionCriterion("Mood", moodType)

ok, error = pfw.start()
if not ok:
    print("Error while starting the pfw: {}".format(error))

raw_input("[Press enter to exit]")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
3 reasons Indonesians lost trust in President Jokowi in first year of his second term, putting his job at risk
The Conversation - November 6, 2020
Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Media Wahyudi Askar – It has been a rough first year for Indonesia's President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
The former businessman was re-elected as president of Southeast Asia's largest economy last year, but just a few months into his second term he had to deal with COVID-19 pandemic.
A couple of months later, he became the subject of criticism for his decision to endorse the controversial job-creation law.
Demonstrations against Jokowi's government have been growing across Indonesia. Protesters have been drawn from various circles of the society, including students and workers.
The majority of public polls on Jokowi's first-year performance indicate a significant loss of public trust in his leadership. These surveys include one conducted by reputable publication Kompas, the country's largest media group.
The Kompas survey showed the percentage of people satisfied with Jokowi dropped to less than 40% in October. That's much lower than during his first term in office, when public confidence reached more than 70%.
This article offers three main reasons for the increasing public disappointment in Jokowi.
Failing to protect people from COVID-19
After announcing the first COVID-19 case on March 2 2020, Indonesia now has the highest mortality rate in Southeast Asia.
As of November 3 2020, Indonesia recorded 415,402 COVID-19 cases. That's the highest total in Southeast Asia and ranks 19th in the world.
It indicates Indonesia's poor management of the pandemic. The main reason is the government has prioritised the economy over the people.
Instead of allocating resources to the health sector when the virus first hit the country in March, the government decided to allocate US$4.9 million to the tourism sector to counter the negative impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. The initiative, designed to attract more foreign tourists, was finally postponed under pressure from the public.
While other countries are careful in their decisions to return everything to normal, Indonesia is the other way around.
Countries such as Vietnam and Singapore, two countries lauded for their COVID-19 responses, have imposed strict rules to protect their people. In contrast, Indonesia always aims to get all economic activities back to normal.
In a controversial decision, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises had its employees under 45 return to work in the office on May 25. The instruction was part of the government's plan to relax its lockdown policy, especially for the business sector.
It also allowed 500 Chinese workers to enter the country to resume work on a project, which Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said would help the country's economy.
All of these decisions were made while Indonesia did not have an appropriate health response to COVID-19.
The country has limited medical facilities and staff to manage COVID-19 patients.
Indonesia is also still unable to accurately trace individuals infected by the virus. This is shown by frequent differences in data from the central government and regional governments on the number of infected individuals.
Its testing policies have been heavily criticised, and limited protection has been given to health workers. Many of them have died, but with no precise data available on how many.
The irony is that, despite all efforts to save the economy at the expense of people's health, the Indonesian economy seems unsalvageable after being battered by the pandemic.
Indonesia is officially in recession after experiencing GDP contractions in second and third quarters of this year.
Failing to listen to people's concerns
Besides failing to protect people from COVID-19, Jokowi has also failed to listen to people's concerns.
First of all, the president hasn't listened to people's pleas to delay regional elections.
Despite concerns that the election would worsen the spread of COVID-19, Jokowi has decided to go ahead with elections in 270 regions in December.
His main argument is that the elections are important to keep the economy rolling.
However, some speculate his decision is driven by the fact his son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and son-in-law, Bobby Nasution, are running for mayoral positions in Solo, Central Java, and Medan, North Sumatra, respectively. Delaying the elections would only reduce their chances of winning.
Second, Jokowi has decided not to listen to people's demand to stop the deliberation of Job Creation Bill. Instead, behind people's backs, he and lawmakers issued the law, which has been criticised for sacrificing labour and the environment for the sake of investors' interests.
People from all walks of life took to the streets to ask the government to revoke the law. They were tear-gassed by the armed forces.
Criminalising critics
What makes things worse is Jokowi's administration has taken undemocratic moves to silence his critics. Several have been arrested.
One of them is Ravio Patra, an independent researcher and observer of government data and information management, who was arrested on charges of spreading fake information after criticising the government on Twitter.
The government plans to ban social media accounts that criticise the government and has labelled them as hoax spreaders.
Not only that, the government has also decided to punish students involved in demonstrations against the job creation law by putting their names in police records. This will make it hard for them to find jobs once they graduate.
With these assessments, we argue that Jokowi should rethink about how he handles COVID-19 and the public protests. If he doesn't, he is likely to face increasing backlash from the society, leading to a risk of losing his job.
The government's harsh and repressive response to public criticism is expected to lead to unfavourable conditions for Jokowi as the leader of this country.
Jokowi should learn from history, particularly from the downfall of the then president, Suharto, in 1998, after strong rejection by the people.
Today, Jokowi faces a situation similar to Suharto's final days in his office: increasingly widespread, anarchic demonstrations against his leadership combined with an economic crisis.
Jokowi should take concrete steps to start listening to people's concerns, or he may risk losing his job like Suharto, who was forced to resign following massive protests by students and activists.
[Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat is a lecturer in International Relations, Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII). Media Wahyudi Askar is a research associate, Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF). Dimas Rizki Permadi, an alumnus of Universitas Islam Indonesia, along with M. Habib Pashya and Fuad Tingai, students at Universitas Islam Indonesia, contributed to this article.]
Source: https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-indonesians-lost-trust-in-president-jokowi-in-first-year-of-his-second-term-putting-his-job-at-risk-14926
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The Widodo government in 2020: The tadpole flails
Fulcrum - December 18, 2020
Dream state: Jokowi struggles to build his vision for Indonesia
Nikkei Asian Review - September 16, 2020
The thinking behind the man called Munir
Indonesia at Melbourne - September 7, 2020
Police, TNI rivalry
Jakarta Post Editorial - September 1, 2020
Jokowi's Indonesia needs a lot more than a reboot
Bloomberg News - August 22, 2020
COVID-19's impact on Indonesia's social opposition: The examples of labour rights and the Papuan question
ISEAS Perspectives - August 11, 2020
Clean up the mess
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Covid-19 task force reshuffle signals further shift in priorities: Jakarta Post
Jakarta Post Editorial - July 23, 2020
Dynasty in the making
Bad timing for unnecessary burden
Tempo - June 19, 2020
Beware of nepotism in politics
Keep the soldier away
Reform needed at the BPJS Kesehatan
Strong rupiah, weak economy: Jakarta Post
Straits Times - June 8, 2020
New normal, new businesses
Tempo - June 6, 2020
Flawed justice for indigenous people
Risks of new normal
Reward the nation's medics
Jakarta Post Editorial - May 27, 2020
Too big a risk
Jakarta Post Editorial - May 9, 2020
Without social safety nets Indonesia risks political instability over COVID-19
New Mandala - April 22, 2020
Opinions should never be dressed up as scientific fact: Indonesian media and disinformation
Jakarta Globe - February 25, 2020
What will Indonesia do while in the Human Rights Council?
Jakarta Post - February 25, 2020
Indonesia in a make or break reform showdown
Asia Times - February 20, 2020


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IMPACT NAMED OWNER'S REP FOR NEW $120 MILLION JACKSONVILLE SPORTS PERFORMANCE CENTER
Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and now Jacksonville Jaguars – Impact Development Management brings expertise to another elite sports facility.
ATLANTA (Mar. 15, 2022) – Impact Development Management has been selected as the owner's representative for the new Sports Performance Center, a public-private partnership between the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the City of Jacksonville, already under construction next to TIAA Bank Field in downtown Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be the main tenant of the facility and will maintain the property, which will be owned by the City.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Jaguars organization on the Sports Performance Center – a much-anticipated first-step towards their long-term vision for downtown Jacksonville," said Jason Hughes, president and one of three owners of the company. "Our number one priority is to support the goals of the project and its ownership in a way that benefits the surrounding community and fan base in anticipation of the Stadium of the Future much like we did successfully at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA."
Development of the estimated $120 million training facility is expected to be completed in time for Jaguars training camp in Summer 2023. This state-of-the-art facility will feature two outdoor natural grass fields, and one indoor full size synthetic turf field as well as public fan amenities, which include grandstands to seat more than 2,100 Jaguars fans for a one-of-a-kind training camp experience. Locker rooms, conference rooms, training and rehabilitation spaces, medical support facilities, a weight room, team dining facilities, and a draft room will also be included in the city-owned performance facility.
"The construction of the Sports Performance Center is a critical step toward our vision for a revitalized downtown Jacksonville," said Jaguars President Mark Lamping. "Impact Development Management brings a wealth of experience from their work on previous first-class NFL venues that will help us deliver the elevated vision we have for new facility."
As the project's owner's representative, Impact Development Management will handle the project management of all aspects of the project, from design to post-completion. The firm will bring the concept to life and have an IMPACT by combining institutional investment, development, and project management expertise with entrepreneurial enthusiasm, energy, and adaptability. To also help bring this vision to fruition will be renowned architecture firm, ROSSETTI and accomplished Contractor, Haskell.
Greg Wieting, vice president at IMPACT shares, "Collaborating with our team and other firms to manage projects is one of our strengths that clients appreciate, and it has a tremendous impact on the results for clients, projects, and communities. Through commercial development initiatives like the Sports Performance Center, we are able to have a positive influence on individuals and the surrounding communities whether by spurring economic growth or bringing people together. We are thrilled to be a partner on this project and look forward to seeing it through completion."
Developing projects that will have a positive influence on people and communities is one of the core values of Impact Development Management. Regardless of project size, scale, or location, the Atlanta-based development management group's experience is sought for throughout the nation. In addition to the iconic Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, IMPACT has managed commercial development projects in healthcare, sports and entertainment, education, and other facilities across the nation to help organizations plan and grow.
More information on the Jacksonville Sports Performance Center and the broader vision can be found here: https://1stdowntownjacksonville.com/stadium-of-the-future/.
About Impact Development Management
The mission of Impact Development Management is to positively impact people and communities through commercial development projects. The expertise of the Atlanta-based development management group is sought after across the country for delivering a high-level of service, no matter the size, scope, or location of a project. IMPACT has managed more than 570 projects valued at $12 billion in variety of market segments, from the signature Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and TK Elevator's Innovation and Qualification Center in Cobb County, Ga., to Northside Cherokee Hospital, The Bellyard Hotel at the Interlock in Atlanta, Adela at MiMo Bay apartments in Miami, Emory Medical Office Building at the Atlanta Falcons' Training Facility, Atlanta United's Training Facility, Kennesaw State University Student Housing, and many others.
Greg Wellington, greg wieting, jason hughes, Whitney Williams