text:
was a legendary Japanese outlaw hero who stole gold and other valuables to give to the poor. He and his son were boiled alive in public after their failed assassination attempt on the Sengoku period warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His legend lives on in contemporary Japanese popular culture, often giving him greatly exaggerated ninja skills.

Biography

There is little historical information on Goemon's life, and as he has become a folk hero, his background and origins have been widely speculated upon. In his first appearance in the historical annals, in the 1642 biography of Hideyoshi, Goemon was referred to simply as a thief. As his legend became popular, various anti-authoritarian exploits were attributed to him, including a supposed assassination attempt against the Oda clan warlord Oda Nobunaga.

There are many versions of Goemon's background and accounts of his life. According to one of them, he was born as Sanada Kuranoshin in 1558 to a samurai family in service of the powerful Miyoshi clan in Iga Province. In 1573, when his father (possibly Ishikawa Akashi) was killed by the men of Ashikaga shogunate (in some versions his mother was also killed), the 15-year-old Sanada swore revenge and began training the arts of Iga ninjutsu under Momochi Sandayu (Momochi Tamba). He was however forced to flee when his master discovered Sanada's romance with one of his mistresses (but not before stealing a prized sword from his teacher). Some other sources state his name as  and say he came from Kawachi Province and was not a nukenin (runaway ninja) at all. He then moved to the neighbouring Kansai region, where he formed and led a band of thieves and bandits as Ishikawa Goemon, robbing the rich feudal lords, merchants and clerics, and sharing the loot with the oppressed peasants. According to another version, which also attributed a failed poisoning attempt on Nobunaga's life to Goemon, he was forced to become a robber when the ninja networks were broken up.

There are also several conflicting accounts of Goemon's public execution by boiling in front of the main gate of the Buddhist temple Nanzen-ji in Kyoto, including but not limited to the following ones:

Goemon tried to assassinate Hideyoshi to avenge the death of his wife Otaki and the capture of his son, Gobei. He sneaked into Fushimi Castle and entered Hideyoshi's room but knocked a bell off a table. The noise awoke the guards and Goemon was captured. He was sentenced to death by being boiled alive in an iron cauldron along with his very young son, but was able to save his son by holding him above his head. His son was then forgiven.
Goemon wanted to kill Hideyoshi because he was a despot. When he entered Hideyoshi's room, he was detected by a mystical incense burner. He was executed on October 8 along with his whole family by being boiled alive. Goemon at first tried to save his son from the heat by holding him high above, but then suddenly plunged him deep into the bottom of the cauldron to kill him as quickly as possible. Then he stood with the body of the boy held high in the air in defiance of his enemies, until he eventually succumbed to pain and injuries and sank into the pot.

Even the date of his death is uncertain, as some records say this took place in summer, while another dates it at October 8 (that is after middle of Japanese autumn). Before he died, Goemon wrote a famous farewell poem, saying that no matter what, thieves would always exist. A tombstone dedicated to him is located in Daiunin temple in Kyoto. A large iron kettle-shaped bathtub is now called a goemonburo ("Goemon bath").

In kabuki drama
Ishikawa Goemon is the subject of many classic kabuki plays. The only one still in performance today is Kinmon Gosan no Kiri (The Golden Gate and the Paulownia Crest), a five-act play written by Namiki Gohei in 1778. The most famous act is "Sanmon Gosan no Kiri" ("The Temple Gate and the Paulownia Crest") in which Goemon is first seen sitting on top of the Sanmon gate at Nanzen-ji. He is smoking an oversized silver pipe called a kiseru and exclaims "The spring view is worth a thousand gold pieces, or so they say, but 'this too little, too little. These eyes of Goemon rate it worth ten thousand!". Goemon soon learns that his father, a Chinese man named Sō Sokei, was killed by Mashiba Hisayoshi (a popular kabuki alias for Hideyoshi) and he sets off to avenge his father's death. He also appears in some versions of the famous Tale of the Forty-Seven Rōnin. In 1992, Goemon appeared in the kabuki series of Japanese postage stamps.

In popular culture

There are generally two ways in which Goemon has been most often portrayed in the modern popular culture: either a young, slender ninja, or a powerfully-built, hulking Japanese bandit. He has been portrayed in literature, film, manga, anime, video games, and in other media.

Goemon was a subject of several pre-WWII Japanese films such as Ishikawa Goemon Ichidaiki and Ishikawa Goemon no Hoji. He is a villain in Torawakamaru the Koga Ninja, and a tragic antagonist in Fukurō no Shiro (and in its remake Owls' Castle, played by Takaya Kamikawa). He and his execution are mentioned in Ozu's silent film "A Story of Floating Weeds." He is the subject of the Shinobi no Mono novels and film series, starring Ichikawa Raizō VIII as Goemon in the first three installments. In the third Shinobi no Mono film, known in English as Goemon Will Never Die, he escapes execution while another man is bribed to be boiled in his place. In the film Goemon, he is portrayed by Yōsuke Eguchi and depicted as Nobunaga's most faithful follower and as associated with Hattori Hanzō as well as Kirigakure Saizō and Sarutobi Sasuke of Sanada Ten Braves.

Goemon is the titular character of the long-running Konami video game series Ganbare Goemon as well as a television series based on it. Goemon appears in the video game series Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi, where he is a self-proclaimed king of thieves, wielding a giant mace and a back-mounted cannon, as well as in the video games Blood Warrior, Persona 5, Kessen III, Ninja Master's: Haō Ninpō Chō (depicted as a giant bandit hero, also carrying a cannon and seeking to plunder Nobunaga's castle), Shogun Warriors, and Throne of Darkness, where he has been spared by Tokugawa Ieyasu on the condition that he would join the onimitsu.

The method of poison delivery sometimes attributed to Goemon's supposed attempt to kill Nobunaga inspired Aki's death scene in the film You Only Live Twice.

In the manga series Lupin III, the character Goemon Ishikawa XIII is a thirteenth-generation descendant of the original Goemon, and like him is an outlaw. The spirit of the original Goemon appeared in Episode 120 of Part 2 as an antagonist, commanded by the organisation Red Ghost to possess his descendant.

See also
Nezumi Kozō
Robin Hood

References

External links

Goemon Ishikawa (character) at the Internet Movie Database
 (by Mangas TV)

1558 births
1594 deaths
16th-century executions by Japan
Executed Japanese people
Japanese folklore
Japanese ninjutsu practitioners
Japanese thieves
Kabuki characters
Ninja
People of Azuchi–Momoyama-period Japan
People of Muromachi-period Japan
Year of birth unknown
People executed by boiling
16th-century Japanese poets
Failed assassins
Japanese assassins

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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{
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    {
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	    {
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        {
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        {
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Justia Lawyer Directory Michigan Kent County Grand Rapids S. Christopher Hunter
S. Christopher Hunter
Hunter Law Offices, PLLC
Elder Law, Estate Planning, Probate...
S. Christopher Hunter is the founding member of Hunter Law Offices, PLLC. Prior to opening his own practice, Mr. Hunter was an associate attorney with Garrison Lawhouse, PC in Dearborn, Michigan, served as a staff attorney at the Elder Law and Advocacy Center, and most recently managed and supervised the Great Lakes Legal – Elder Law Division's reduced-fee program. Mr. Hunter focuses his practice in the areas of Elder Law, Long Term Care Planning, Estate Planning, Probate, Trusts, Guardianship/Conservatorships, and Social Security Disability. Mr. Hunter graduated from the University of Maine School of Law with a Juris Doctor in January 2006 and received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Franklin College in May 2001. He was admitted to practice law in the State of Michigan in November 2006, the United States District Court—Eastern District of Michigan in December 2006, and the United States District Court—Western District of Michigan in October 2012. Mr. Hunter is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the Grand Rapids Bar Association, the Elder Law and Disability Rights Section and the Probate and Estate Planning Section of the Michigan State Bar, and the Senior, Real Estate, Criminal, and Family Law sections of the Grand Rapids Bar Association. In his spare time, Mr. Hunter enjoys gardening, carpentry, reading, enjoying the great outdoors, and spending time with his wife Amy.
Owner/Member
Manage and operate a general practice law office practicing in the areas of Estate Planning, Probate, Guardianships/Conservatorships, Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, VA Benefits, Landlord/Tenant Law, Criminal Law, Social Security Disability, Bankruptcy, Business Law, and Family Law.
Staff Attorney
Neighborhood Legal Services Michigan
Responsible for case handling and supervision of all Medicaid Planning, Estate Planning, and Guardianship/Conservatorship, Social Security Disability, Probate, Bankruptcy, Consumer, Elder Law, and Landlord Tenant Law issues/cases.
Paralegal and Staff Attorney
Garrison Lawhouse, P.C.
Prepared Medicaid Applications and met with Medicaid Specialists to discuss applications. Performed legal research, drafted pleadings, and organized and indexed files.
Law Clerk
Robinson, Kriger & McCallum
Performed Legal research, drafted wills, living wills, powers of attorney, bankruptcy filings, and various pleadings.
Readied civil matters for trial (prepared deposition summaries and medical indices; organized and indexed files)
University of Maine - School of Law
J.D. (2006) | Law
B.A. (2001) | History
Honors: Inductee, Phi Alpha Theta
State Bar of Michigan # P69699
Elder Law and Disability Rights Section of the Michigan State Bar
Probate and Estate Planning Section of the Michgan State Bar
125 Ottawa Avenue, NW, Suite 245
Email S. Christopher Hunter
Scott Grabel
James T. Haadsma
Nicholas Leydorf
Michael J. Flynn
Peter Samouris
William Weise

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Sam Harris on Psychedelics, How to Cope During a Pandemic, Taming Anxiety, and More (#433)
"Nothing's changed, but yet, on some level, everything has changed, and I feel like I'm in a spaceship where at any moment, the leak or the breach in the wall can be catastrophic. It's a very bizarre feeling, which I know everyone is sharing to one or another degree." — Sam Harris Sam Harris (@SamHarrisOrg) …
Continue reading "Sam Harris on Psychedelics, How to Cope During a Pandemic, Taming Anxiety, and More (#433)"
The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: How to Support Healthcare Workers Now — Plus Urgent Suggestions for Uber Eats, Hilton, Amazon, and More (#416)
Please find below the transcript for a special episode highlighting things that can be done to help healthcare workers (food, temp housing, PPE, ventilators and vent modification for higher capacity, etc.), as well as a few companies well positioned to immediately help. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, …
Continue reading "The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: How to Support Healthcare Workers Now — Plus Urgent Suggestions for Uber Eats, Hilton, Amazon, and More (#416)"
How to Support Healthcare Workers Now — Plus Urgent Suggestions for Uber Eats, Hilton, Amazon, and More (#416)
(Short episode: ~18 minutes) I expect next week will be an exceptionally difficult week for many people and many cities, New York City chief among them. There are several very urgent needs. This episode will highlight things that can be done to help healthcare workers (food, temp housing, PPE, ventilators and vent modification for higher …
Continue reading "How to Support Healthcare Workers Now — Plus Urgent Suggestions for Uber Eats, Hilton, Amazon, and More (#416)"
Emergency Technique: How to Increase Ventilator Capacity 2–4x in 10 Minutes
The next two weeks are going to be very difficult, and the risk of ventilator shortages due to COVID-19 is high. Manufacturing will ultimately help, but it takes time. I'm already aware of one hospital in New York that can no longer provision one "vent" per patient, and demand is likely to grow dramatically over …
Continue reading "Emergency Technique: How to Increase Ventilator Capacity 2–4x in 10 Minutes"
Predicting Hospital Capacity: Why to Act Early, How to Think About Lag Time, and a Model You Can Use
NOTE FROM TIM: The following was written by a close friend who has decades of experience in healthcare systems and advanced training in computer science and healthcare data science. He preferred to publish anonymously to avoid political headaches, so I'll call him "Felix." We are publishing this quickly for reasons that will soon be obvious, …
Continue reading "Predicting Hospital Capacity: Why to Act Early, How to Think About Lag Time, and a Model You Can Use"
Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos (#414)
"We have the opportunity, even in difficult times, to let our spirit shine." — Jack Kornfield Jack Kornfield (@JackKornfield) trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, shortly thereafter becoming one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974. …
Continue reading "Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos (#414)"
Some Thoughts on Coronaviruses and Seatbelts
"Hope is not a strategy." — James Cameron A prescient article titled "Body Count" by Epsilon Theory/Ben Hunt (@epsilontheory) was recently sent to me by one of my smartest and most connected friends. It paints a spooky picture of the Chinese reports of what has been informally referred to as "Wuhan coronavirus." Per the WHO …
Continue reading "Some Thoughts on Coronaviruses and Seatbelts"
Podcast — The Tim Ferriss Show
Forget New Year's Resolutions and Conduct a 'Past Year Review' Instead
Scientific Speed Reading: How to Read 300% Faster in 20 Minutes


This summer, we designed and created a bear-utiful sun bear for @TheBigSleuth trail in Birmingham.
PODdington is a very warm and welcoming bear, covered with flowery patterns to reflect peace, love and harmony. PODdington has a ceremonial chain necklace that is made up of people holding hands in friendship and reflects images drawn by the community: sunshine, hearts and stars. On her arm she has a band that states "Happy to Help" because the community wanted to communicate how they felt happy to help one another.
Did you manage to see her this summer? Don't worry if not as PODdington is joining her other paw-fect pals at The Big Sleuth Farewell Weekend on Friday 6 – Sunday 8 October. As well as seeing the bears for the final time, you'll also enjoy a festival atmosphere with craft stalls, entertainment, fab food and drink, face painting, official Big Sleuth merchandise and MUCH MUCH MORE!


text:
Мария Женет () е псевдоним на испанската диетоложка, журналистка и писателка Мария Астудило Монтеро, авторка на произведения в жанра драма и любовен роман.

Биография и творчество
Мария Астудило е родена през 1983 г. в Саламанка, Испания. Завършва специалност хранене и подготовка на диети в университета Комплутенсе и биология в университета на Саламанка. След завършване на колежа основава със съпруга си собствена клиника за диетично лечение.

През 2013 г. решава да опита да напише роман. Използва псевдонима Мария Женет, за да отдели литературната си дейност от работата си.

Първия си роман "Las hojas de Julia" (Листата на Джулия) издава самостоятелно през 2013 г. на платформата на "Амазон". Той става популярен в социалните мрежи и се радва на много положителни читателски отзиви. Вторият ѝ роман, "La foto de Nora" (Снимката на Нора) е своеобразно продължение на първия и също има голям успех. Избрана е от читателите и критиците за "Литературно откритие 2014".

В периода 2016 – 2017 г. е колумнист в неделното издание на вестник "El Día de Salamanca", където пише за книги, литература и опит в издателския свят.

Тя е член и сътрудник на Испанското общество по диабет и Испанското дружество по хранителни науки.

Мария Астудило живее със семейството си в Саламанка.

Произведения

Самостоятелни романи
 Las hojas de Julia (2013)
 La foto de Nora (2014)
 El nombre propio de la felicidad (2016)Малкото име на щастието, изд.: ИК "Хермес", Пловдив (2017), прев. Весела Чергова
 Lo que esconde un penique (2019)

Като Мария Астудило
 La dieta ALEA: alimentación ligera, equilibrada y adaptada a ti (2015) – с Роберто Кабо и Рубен Перес
 Adelgaza por fin con la dieta ALEA (2018) – с Роберто Кабо

Източници

  Библиография в "Goodreads"
  Биография в "Thiele Verlag"
  Биография в официалния сайт
  Биография и библиография в "Lecturalia"
  Биография и библиография в "Planeta de libros"

Външни препратки
  на Мария Женет

Испански писатели
Испански журналисти
Диетолози


The Butterfly Box spreads its wings on Friday October 7.
The last thing you need to stress about is the state of your hair.
Janine designs spectacular jewelled items made to suit her clients' briefs.
It is available in more than 80 countries worldwide.


text:
VPR Archive (https://vprarchive.vpr.net/vpr-news/douglas-calls-for-fahc-board-to-step-down/)
Douglas calls for FAHC board to step down
By VPR | February 13, 2003
On Friday, Governor Jim Douglas said the best way to restore public trust at Fletcher Allen Health Care is to replace most of the institution's trustees. Douglas says he believes the trustees do bear some responsibility for the massive financial problems surrounding the hospital's expansion plan known as the Renaissance Project.
Some hospital officials knowingly withheld information from state regulators about the true cost of project. Initially it was estimated that the Renaissance project would cost roughly $120 million. Recent projections place the cost at $356 million.
Douglas says he's concerned that the public's confidence in Fletcher Allen has been seriously undermined and he thinks immediate action is needed to begin the healing process at the hospital.


Is The Mark VI The Greatest Horn Ever?
Do you need pictures of the T-900? At least I think i own one of those (serial nr. 169870). The seller thougt it was a T-500, but according to the serial number that can't be right.
I'm looking for advice regarding serial codes of Yanagisawa Tenor 992. I`m almost ready to buy one wich serial code is 00315273. But according to web information, the serial codes to these model are lower and in other web sites, the highest number achieved was 00235000 in Y2000.
Could you please let me know if this serial code is OK? If it´s all right with the model and where was built?


text:
Games of the year: #15-11
Counting down the best contests of 2021
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - After cancellations, postponements, and relocations left and right in 2020, 2021 offered a return to a more normal sports schedule. Well...at least until the last couple weeks. But in any event, we had enough action going on around our area to bring back a holiday tradition. Over the next three days, we'll count down the top 15 games of the year.
We kick things off at #15 by throwing it back to late March. The D4 boys basketball final featured rivals Proctor and West Rutland. This one was back and forth early: Golden Horde with the early lead thanks to the efforts of Tyler Serrani, he had 20 points on the day. But the Phantoms would rally back to level it up before the break, and then Brennan Crossman went off as part of a 14-4 run to close the third. Jed Nop beat the third quarter buzzer as well to put the Phantoms up 11 with eight minutes to play. But back comes Westside! Tim Blanchard and Noah Davis would get the Horde as close as 1, but down 3 in the closing seconds, Blanchard's deperation heave was just a bit short and the follow was not enough. Proctor won its fifth title in seven years, 58-57 the final.
At #14, UVM men's hoops vs App State from the Gulf Coast Showcase a little over a month ago. Cats down much of the way, Justin Forrest putting the Neers up seven with eight minutes to go on this three to beat the shot clock. But Vermont would respond. Justin Mazzulla got to the rack, count the bucket and the foul! And down just one with two minutes to play, Benny Shungu scooped up a rebound and laid it in to give the Hoopcats the lead. Vermont up three in the final 20 seconds, but Adrian Delph with the counterpunch. He used the screen and knocked it down to even things at 63. But with 16.3 seconds on the clock, Shungu walked it up the court, and with time winding down, he used the stepback crossover move and drained the long two to hand the Hoopcats a dramatic 65-63 win.
We head outside for #13, D3 softball final between Fairfax and Oxbow from Castleton. After the Bullets would take an early lead on a wild pitch top one, the Olympians answered. Emma DeGoosh mashes one to center for a two-run blast to give Oxbow its first lead. Fairfax would even it up top five, but the Olympians answered with three more in the bottom half to go up 5-2. Back and forth we went, Olivia Kissinger using the wet infield to her advantage as the Bullets fire back to even it at 5-5 before an inside the park job from Aspen Longmoore helped Oxbow leap back ahead by three. Fairfax thretened big time with a two-out rally in the seventh, but Longmoore made the grab through contact as Oxbow held on 8-6 for their third title in four seasons.
#12 sent us to the pitch in Durham, New Hampshire in November. The UVM men's soccer team hadn't won an America East tournament title in six years and hadn't beaten UNH in five years. That included two losses and two draws in four previous meetings this calendar year. But the Cats were not going to be denied on this day. A physical, defensive game where the two teams only combined for five shots on target and two corners, but in the 68th minute, Yves Borie's volley from the right corner of the box would prove decisive. Nate Silveira maintained a clean sheet as the Cats won it 1-0 to be crowned America East Champions for the sixth time in program history.
And at #11, the Vermont Lake Monsters roared back to life as a collegiate summer league team this year. In late August, the 2021 squad secured their spot in franchise lore. Hosting Pittsfield in a decisive Game Three of the Futures League Championship Series, Vermont handed the ball to ace Pat Harrington, who mowed through the Suns lineup for five innings. In the bottom of that fifth frame, the Monsters would break the scoreless tie, with Jimmy Evans and BFA grad Colby Brouillette delivering the clutch RBI knocks to stake the home team out to a 3-0 lead. It would stay that way into the ninth, but things got nervy from there. Jack Cooney and Cabot Maher would drive in a pair for Pittsfield to bring it within one. Mike Gervasi very nearly evened things up with this cue-shot to right, but Evans chased it down to let fans catch their breath, and Chris Clark would get Nate Cormier swinging to end it. A 3-2 win handing the Monsters a second title in franchise history.


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text:
Mintek & Council for Geoscience Annual Reports 2006/7
This premium content has been made freely available
A summary of this committee meeting is not yet available.
MINERALS AND ENERGY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
Chairperson: Mr E N Mthethwa (ANC)
Documents handed out:
Minerals Technology Development Institute (Mintek) Presentation
Minerals Technology Development Institute (Mintek) Annual Report [available at www.mintek.co.za]
Council for Geoscience (CGS) Presentation [Part 1][Part 2]
Council for Geoscience CGS) Annual Report 2006/07 [available shortly at www.geoscience.org.za]
Audio recording of meeting
The Committee received delegations from the Minerals Technology Development Institute (Mintek) and from the Council for Geoscience (CGS) to hear briefings on these entities' annual reports for 2006/2007.
Mintek emphasised a 'balanced scorecard approach' in its reporting, which the Committee commended. The organization had received an unqualified audit opinion, but had sustained a fraudulent loss of R2.7 mentioned under Matters of Emphasis. Mintek attributed the loss to staffing insufficiencies. The report reflected Mintek's major concern at its very high professional staff turnover. Due to the advanced technological work performed by Mintek, it was difficult to achieve a higher black economic empowerment procurement spending level.
The Council for Geological Sciences had also had difficulties in achieving black economic empowerment objectives, because it had no choice but to import much of the specialised equipment that it needed for its work. Such equipment typically could be obtained only through importers who had no black economic empowerment capacity. However, the Council was confident that it had done exceptionally well, under the circumstances, in terms of compliance; it was most gratifying that the Council had received no remarks from the Auditor-General under matters of emphasis. The Council had almost completed the mapping of the whole of South Africa, a substantial achievement in a country of South Africa's size. The Council had made good progress in education and training; it obligated scientific staff members to study further, for which it provided support, as a condition of keeping their jobs. The Council sought to retain senior scientists and co-opted retired scientists to assist in training and mentoring younger professionals. Despite progress in transformation, recruitment was still a problem. Nationally, South Africa had exhausted its supply of available scientists and was having to recruit from abroad. Major challenges including expedited the geological scientific surveys to attract investment in the mining sector, and replacing aging equipment. The Committee also commended the Council on its mode of reporting.
Members commended efforts and achievements in terms of transformation, but criticized Mintek for not dealing more extensively in the presentation with the Auditor-General's report. Concern was expressed at Mintek's decrease in the output of scientific documents. The Council for Geological Sciences was criticized for not achieving its targets in terms of M Sc and Ph D candidates. The Committee was very interested in the Council's progress in seismology, a relatively new science, but shared its caution in making predictions on the likelihood of future seismic events.
In its responses, the Council for Geological Sciences said that research candidates were expected to align their thesis topics with corporate objectives and it was pleased that it was succeeding in encouraging women to enter the field of engineering. The Council did not want its young scientists to rest on their laurels. South Africa was relatively poor in its availability of scientists, and there was a need to increase the number of Ph D holders tenfold.
The National Union of Mineworkers, which had been scheduled to brief the Committee on accidents and fatalities in mines, was rescheduled to appear before the Committee the following week.
The Chairperson welcomed the delegation and members and said that the Committee would firstly hear the Minerals Technology Development Institute (Mintek) Presentation, and then quickly hear the Minerals Technology Development Institute (Mintek) Presentation. Thereafter, the Committee would put questions to the delegations and discuss the presentations with them together.
Mr Abiel Mngomezula, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President, Mintek, thanked the Chairperson and Members for their welcome and for the opportunity to meet with the Committee to present the 2006/2007 Annual Report. Mr Mngomezula said that he had recently moved from the Department of Minerals and Energy to take up his post at Mintek and had been in office for only 66 days.
Mr Mngomezula said that, since Members had already received copies of the Report, and to avoid repetition, he would highlight just a few matters from the Report.
He began with the organisational structure of Mintek on 31 March 2007 and introduced his accompanying delegation.
Highlights for the year ended March 2007 were that total income had risen 12% to R320.1 million; the Auditor-General had expressed an unqualified audit opinion on Mintek's annual financial statements; Independence Platinum was funding a three year programme to commercialise ConRoast technology; there had been an increase in service work, uranium, and copper-nickel-cobalt projects in Southern Africa; in the second economy sphere Mintek had established a further eight jewellery workshops to bring the total to 25.
Mr Mngomezula admitted that R2.7 million had been lost in the year under review; the loss had been discovered only as Mintek was closing its books for the year. An independent forensic audit had been initiated. Criminal charges had been laid against two former employees who had made fraudulent payments. Mr Mngomezula attributed the incident to high staff turnover even within the financial department. The Auditor-General had noted the loss under emphasis of matter in his report on Mintek for the year under review (pages 59-61 of Mintek's Annual Report).
The financial summary showed that earmarked funding had increased tremendously to R24.5 million from R9.1 million the previous year.
An unfortunate situation was the upward trend from 9% in 2005/2006 to 13% in 2006/2007 in customer dissatisfaction as indicated in Mintek's customer dissatisfaction index. The main reason for the dissatisfaction was that clients wanted a faster turnaround time for processing mineral sample analysis requests.
In response to the Committee's request, Mintek was emphasising a 'balanced scorecard approach' in its reporting.
Mintek had netted approximately R17.5 million rand from the export of mineral technology. It was approximately an increase of 192%. That for Mr Mngomezula was very exciting because it was a core function of Mintek.
He gave an overview of Mintek's learning and growth perspective. Strategic alliances with other science and technology bodies had increased from five in 2005/2006 to 11 in 2006/2007, while projects with external collaborators had increased from 15 to 23 in the same period. The total number of scientific documents produced over the same period had, however, decreased from 421 to 301; documents per person-year had decreased from 1.01 to 0.97. The number of M Sc and Ph D researchers had increased from 62 to 88 over the same period; postgraduate bursaries had decreased from 53 to 41; undergraduate bursaries had decreased from 38to 37; trainees and interns had decreased from 50 to 44. Mr Mngomezula admitted that more needed to be done. These figures reflected Mintek's major concern that it was losing its more experienced staff; professional staff turnover was very high at 22% in the year under review: currently Mintek was examining the situation.
Mr Mngomezula gave an overview of the working time lost to injuries and the frequency of incidents. The lost time injury frequency rate was 1.7 in 2005/2006 and 1.9 in 2006/2007. There had been no work related fatalities.
As to transformation, Mintek had 40% black researchers and managers in 2006/2007, up from 37% in 2005/2006; 31% woman researchers and managers, down from 35% in 2005/2006, and 1% disabled employees, down from 1.2% in 2005/2006. Because of the advanced technological work performed by Mintek, it was difficult to achieve a higher BEE procurement spending level.
Mr Mngomezula spoke about further about Mintek's bursary scheme, and thanked the Committee.
The Chairperson said that he commended Mintek on its systematic mode of reporting; he said that the same applied to the Council for Geoscience (CGS), whose delegation he then asked to proceed.
Council for Geoscience (CGS) Presentation
Professor Phuti Ngoepe, Chairperson: Council for Geoscience (CGS), thanked the Committee for its welcome and the opportunity to present on its 2006/2007 Annual Report. He introduced CGS's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Thibedi Ramontja.
Mr Thibedi Ramontja said that CGS had undertaken much restructuring in the year under review with the aim of achieving its key objective of the generation of revenue. CGS's target was R140 million, but actually achieved R 207.1 million.
CGS's management had been reconstituted in 2003 and since then there had been an upward trend in all its activities and achievements. Completion rate of scientific projects had increased from around 30% to around 80% since the first half of the decade, which had not been an easy accomplishment. It had involved a great deal of restructuring of the organisation. Since 2004 CGS had grown exponentially, but was not sure if it should maintain such a high growth rate as there was a risk of compromising scientific quality.
The heart of CGS's business was to produce maps, for which the Council had over 36 key clients. CGS had existed for 100 years and map making had been its core activity throughout the century of its existence: in that time it had achieved completion of mapping 98% of the land area of South Africa, and it was hoped within the next three years to complete the mapping of the entire country. This was a big achievement for a country of South Africa's size. It had published 50 maps and other publications in 2006/2007, many more than its target of 30. 36 new clients had been gained in 2006/2007. There had been 144 repeat clients. The percentage of satisfied customers had been 85.7%.
Mr Ramontja showed a map illustrating CGS's geochemical survey programme in which CGS analyzed soil samples. It was the aim to cover the whole of South Africa. Contrary to what many people had said, South Africa had not been over-explored – there was still much to be done. CGS's techniques were bearing results.
CGS was conducting an ambitious programme of aerial surveys at high resolution. It would take from ten to 16 years to complete the surveys. CGS had approached the National Treasury for increased funding for this project that CGS wished to expedite. CGS was giving priority to areas where there were likely to be the best chances of discovering mineral deposits. Mozambique and Namibia were also involved in the programme.
During the year under review, the CGS continued to play a strategic role in the generation of geoscience knowledge in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and on the African continent. The compilation of a seamless geological map for the SADC countries was expected to be completed in 2008. This would contribute considerably in terms of minerals and ground-water exploration.
A collaborative geological programme had also been initiated between the CGS and the Geological Surveys of Botswana and Namibia. The programme involved the correlation of the Karoo rocks across the common boarders, which could have important economic implications for the countries concerned, as those rocks held a variety of minerals such as coal and industrial minerals and had the potential for ground water resources.
In addition, the CGS was collaborating with other geoscience institutions through the African Mining Partnership, which was a ministerial forum of African mining ministers.
The CGS also contributed to the establishment of the Organisation of African Geological Surveys in order to foster partnership amongst geoscience organisations.
CGS was co-operating, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which was contributing funding, with other countries such as Lesotho, where CGS was analysing soil samples; GCS was also working in Mauritania, Ghana, Madagascar, and Morocco. CGS considered that as an African organisation it was its duty to help other African countries, and was keen to co-operate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to that end.
CGS was responsible for managing South Africa's national seismic network. This monitored all the earthquakes that took place in the country. This also showed the areas especially at risk for earthquakes. Gauteng and North West's risks were basically related to the mines. Monitoring was on a 24 hours a day basis. Information collected enabled CGS to produce risk assessments for the various areas of South Africa and forecast the likely damage and casualties if an earthquake were to take place. The Western Cape was a high-risk area for earthquakes from natural causes; by contrast the Eastern Cape was a low risk area.
Mr Ramontja said that CGS 'battled' with regard to black economic empowerment (BEE) issues, because it had no choice but to import much of the specialised equipment that it needed for its work. Such equipment, for example a drill ordered from Germany, typically could be obtained only through importers who had no BEE capacity. However, Mr Ramontja thought that CGS had done exceptionally well, under the circumstances, in terms of compliance; it was most gratifying that CGS had received no remarks from the Auditor-General under matters of emphasis (page 10-11 of the Annual Report).
With regard to achieving CGS's world class people's perspective (page 21 of the Annual Report), turnover of scientists was a major problem, for every month geologists resigned to take up more lucrative positions in the mining corporations. This was especially so when the price of gold and platinum rose. Such price rises were good for South Africa as a whole, but presented difficulties for an organisation such as CGS.
For a scientific institution, collaboration with outside organisations was very important. Publications with external collaborators were very important. CGS had won international awards.
In terms of education and training, CGS had made good progress. The number of staff enrolled as students for masters degrees in science and for doctoral degrees was relatively low at 33. To encourage staff members to study, CGS had imposed a policy requiring newly hired scientific staff members to complete a master's degree within five years or search for another job. It was the belief of CGS that if somebody wanted to be a scientist, the first thing that he or she should do was to begin studying for an M Sc degree. Thereafter he or she should proceed to study for a Ph D degree. Unless scientific staff set themselves a target of life-long study, they could never expect to develop themselves and fulfill their potential. Therefore CGS felt obliged to push them to study and moreover provide them with the necessary opportunities to do so.
CGS was dismayed that the staff satisfaction level was 53.8%, whereas its target was 70%: CGS was 'working on it', Mr Ramontja said.
CGS had reduced the disparity between black employment and employment of whites to a ratio of 52% blacks and 48% whites, an improvement from 2004 when the ratio had been 36% blacks and 64% whites.
However, there remained a challenge at the senior staff level. Nationally, there was a critical problem in that South Africa had exhausted its supply of available scientists and was having to recruit from abroad.
Recruitment was therefore a very great problem. However, a positive note was that for the first time in the CGS's century of existence, it now had more black employees (52%) than whites (48%). 'I think that we're getting there', he said. The percentage of women employees had risen to 43%, while male employees had decreased to 57%.
Major challenges were to expedite the geological scientific surveys to attract investment in the mining sector, and replacing aging equipment. Moreover, it was a great challenge to retain senior scientific staff in order to train and mentor the younger staff members joining the organisation.
CGS sought to attract and retain scientists and develop young scientists. It was recruiting retired scientists to train its younger scientists and had established a field training school in Limpopo for that purpose. This training school was almost like a university within CGS.
Mr Ramontja thanked the Committee and offered Members the opportunity to examine a small display of a sample of the CGS's numerous scientific publications.
Advocate H C Schmidt (DA) said that his only criticism of CGS's report was that it had not achieved its targets for staff members with M Sc or Ph D degrees.
He expressed concern about Mintek's figures that showed a dramatic decrease in the output of scientific documents. Also bursaries had decreased. He asked if Mr Mngomezula could provide an explanation for the high turnover and staff losses at Mintek.
Ms N F Mathibela (ANC) warmly congratulated Mr Ramontja on CGS's achievements and especially on its turnaround and transformation. In the past one had seen a preponderance of white staff who were retiring or nearing the age of retirement. However, she wished that a way could be found to assist CGS to retain staff.
She said that she would like to learn more about Mintek's unqualified Auditor-General's report and the reasons fro the matters of emphasis.
Mr C T Molefe (ANC) also commented on Mintek's Auditor-General's report. The figures for the proportions of black and white employees did not indicate the levels of the employees concerned. He also asked about persons with disabilities. Further, he asked about the relationship with the tertiary institutions, and if Mintek and CGS were making efforts to bond with the tertiary institutions in order to match the head-hunting endeavours of the mining corporations.
Mr C D Kekana (ANC) said that that it was important to pay due attention to the audit report.
The Chairperson requested Mintek to align its perspectives and objectives with its financial reporting, with particular reference to the income, expenditure and surplus pages. He asked about the impact of Mintek on the rural and urban areas, and on the designated groups. It was important to make communities aware of Mintek.
He asked what plans Mintek had to increase the level of trainees; further, he asked what informed Mintek's numbers for the M Sc and Ph D targets, about the causes of work related fatalities at Mintek, and about BEE procurement at Mintek.
He asked Mr Ramontja about CGS's seismic risk models. He had the same question for CGS as for Mintek on targets for BEE. However, he asked why it was projected as a major challenge for human resources. CGS's account differed fundamentally from that of Mintek on the same subject. That did not make sense.
Mr Louis Makhlala (ANC) said that Mintek's presentation had covered most of the relevant topics. However, with regard to the Audit Report (page 59-61 of the Annual Report), the presentation covered only the fraudulent financial loss. It was important that the other issues such as creditors reconciliation not performed and material non compliances were explained fully so that the same situation would not repeat itself the following year. He wanted to know what had been done so that situation would not repeat itself. Moreover, he wanted to know why it had happened.
Mr Abiel Mngomezula said that Mintek conducted exit interviews. The normal reason that employees gave for their resignations was the desire for higher salaries. As a state institution it was difficult for Mintek to compete with the major corporations in the private sector. However, government paid less than what Mintek paid. Yet employees were not resigning from the government service to join Mintek. Further explanations must be sought. Suggestions boxes had been instituted, and these were resulting in some feedback from staff as to possible causative factors for the staff turnover.
He said that Mr Jacques Fourie, Head of Internal Audit, Mintek, would explain more about the Auditor-General's report. However, it was important to look at the matter in context. Mintek had received a very bad report the previous year. In his presentation, Mr Mngomezula had highlighted the matters of emphasis. He could assure the Committee that Mintek had problems but that it had instituted corrective measures.
He would ask Dr Roger Paul, General Manager for Technology, Mintek, to answer the question on injuries.
The Chairperson asked what were the some of the underlying factors causing staff resignations.
Mr Mngomezula said that these included unsatisfactory relationships with supervisors. He was accepting responsibility because he was the CEO of the institution, but he did not know that full background because he had not been in office throughout the period under review.
Mr Jacques Fourie, Head of Internal Audit, Mintek, gave a review of the Auditor-General's reports over the previous few years. In the latest report the Auditor-General had given an unqualified opinion, with the fraudulent loss mentioned under matters of emphasis. The other items had been mentioned as 'other matters'.
Mintek had faced a major challenge in converting from the previously used South African Statements of Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) the international accounting standards under 'very trying circumstances'. (Page 29 of the Annual Report).
Mr Petrus Fusi, General Manager: Mineral Policy, Mintek, said that the organisation had a well-directed approach to the second economy that perhaps had not been adequately reflected in the figures presented. However, it felt that workshops conduced in isolation were bound to fail, so they had to be integrated into the integrated development framework (IDF). Mintek understood that it should revise its delivery mechanism.
Dr Roger Paul, General Manager for Technology, Mintek, said that he wished to address the issue of safety. He said that laboratory work tended to produce accidents mainly to the hands. Minter's power plant work was completely different. He showed a slide depicting the operation of a three megawatt furnace. Mintek smelted 40 tons of material a day, and worked on a 24 hours per day, seven days per week basis. Safety teams had been constituted to make workers aware of the potential safety hazards associated with each furnace. Mintek was satisfied that it complied with international safety standards. That Mintek had experienced no work related fatalities was something of which they were very proud.
Mr Ramontja said that CGS did give them support. The high level of resignations of senior staff impacted adversely on the output of scientific publications. They were trained for the first two years, with the objective of producing world class scientists. CGS had said that it was important to audit South Africa's reserves of uranium and coal.
Concerning procurement and BEE, CGS often had to procure laboratory equipment from overseas. Many importing agencies were small and specialised and did not have capacity for BEE.
With regard to the categories of people that CGS employed, the organisation found it difficult to provide salaries that were sufficiently attractive. CGS was sponsoring people to attend universities, especially young blacks. It was very difficult to attract and retain young black scientists who readily sought and obtained employment with Anglo-American.
However, it had to be stressed that CGS, while striving to change the demographics of its staff complement, nevertheless still wanted to retain the whites: its aim was to 'expand the cake'. It was especially important to retain whites, and recruit retired whites to train the young new scientists.
Ms M Kola, the Corporate Services Manager, CGS, said that skills in geophysics were scarce. She spoke of the mentoring programme for grade 11 to 12 high school students who were exceptionally promising in mathematics and physics. The aim was to attract them into taking up bursaries from CGS to study at universities and thereafter join CGS. The organisation recognised its staff who achieved M Sc and Ph D degrees at annual award ceremonies. Ph D candidates were expected to align their thesis topics with corporate objectives. CGS was pleased that it was succeeding in encouraging women to enter the field of engineering.
Professor Ngoepe said that CGS did not want its young scientists to rest on their laurels. South Africa was relatively poor in its availability of scientists, and there was a need to increase the number of Ph D holders tenfold.
Dr G Graham, Executive Manager, CGS, said that the seismic maps were mostly used by engineering companies, but also by insurance firms; they were also used by the South African Bureau of Standards for building codes. CGS also had a relationship with the Department of Provincial and Local Government and with the National Disaster Management Centre. The Japanese were working on the same technology. There were economic implications. Following the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, South Africa contributed to the Indian Ocean warning system, from which information was transmitted to the disaster management centre in Pretoria. Seismology was a new science that had its inception in the 1950s, and it was premature at the present time to be over-confident as to the accuracy of predictions regarding possible future seismic events. Rash predictions could cause chaos and throw the science of seismology into disrepute. Seismology was being promoted in schools, including those in the rural areas.
The Chairperson said that he would align himself with Dr Graham's last comment. Seismic science was a young science, and the risk of making false predictions was real. From the point of view of CGS, in terms of improving capacity and capability, this was one area that the Committee should encourage. Also Mintek and CGS should go ahead with the mentorship projects. The Committee was eagerly anticipating the strategic plan that Mr Fusi had mentioned in reviewing the approaches to the second economy. It was important to work together to ensure comprehensive development locally.
The Chairperson thanked Mintek and GCS for their presentations and the Members for their participation.
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Fragrance - An Extension of Your Individuality | Was Your Dad Right When He Told You To Love Better?
Wearing a certain fragrance is the most typical component of our pampering and beauty routine. We decide on and purchase them according to our flavor, and modify every single now and then dependent on our mood, fashion variations and trends, and even based on no matter whether it`s working day or night, summertime or wintertime. Fragrance is the extension of our persona, our trade mark, recognizable mark and it should go well with us and be comparable to our character. This cosmetic solution is well accepted worldwide by the two gentlemen and ladies, and the selection of smells is remarkable, so every single personality essentially can find a custom made choice.
How does perfume work? Fragrance comes into our entire body, by means of the pores and skin pores, mixes with our human body and "starts off working". Since it mixes with our all-natural human body scent, it is quite crucial to match the odor with your standard pores and skin scent. For instance, sweet perfumes smell exceptional on some men and women, and as well robust and unappealing on other. You also may know that fragrance never smells the very same on two folks and the cause is their special entire body chemistry.
When you are getting fragrance (or even greater - producing your possess) you have to consider the body chemistry as a very crucial issue. That is the reason you will not have the genuine perception on how will fragrance match you, without having really screening it on your skin. Fragrance need to be examined on your hand wrist, and soon after handful of times, you will have an impression of the odor, and know if it fits you or should you keep seeking. This screening spot will also show if you are allergic on some substances in the fragrance, which can also occasionally be the case.
The smell of fine fragrance should be visible immediately following the applying of a tiny volume of fragrance. The fragrance should not be as well aggressive, but it nevertheless has to be visible around the individual donning it. น้ำหอมผู้หญิง is highly sustainable, it need to continue to be for several hours and you should not have to re-utilize it often. It must be hypoallergenic, and should not depart any marks on your skin. And also it should be totally shade free.


A Vancouver city councillor is proposing the city declares a climate emergency to spur efforts to reduce harmful emissions.
Coun. Christine Boyle with OneCity Vancouver will introduce a motion Tuesday for city council to declare a climate emergency.
If passed, Vancouver would aim to speed up its greenhouse gas reduction plans and add new targets to its current plan.
Boyle says Vancouver isn't doing enough to fight climate change.
"We're not reducing emissions as quickly as we need to, to meet the targets that scientists tell us, globally, are necessary," Boyle said, adding that the city currently reduces emissions by only one per cent a year.
Boyle says cities such as London and Los Angeles have already declared climate emergencies.
Currently, Metro Vancouver has a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 per cent by 2050.


text:
using Usbacc.Core.Domain;
using Usbacc.UI.ViewModel;

namespace Usbacc.UI.View
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Логика взаимодействия для UsbRecordTableView.xaml
    /// </summary>
    public partial class UsbRecordTableView
    {
        public UsbRecordTableView(Report report)
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            ViewModel = new UsbRecordTableViewModel(report);
            DataContext = ViewModel;

            if (ViewModel.AddDeviceAccountAction == null)
                ViewModel.AddDeviceAccountAction = AddDeviceAccount;
            if (ViewModel.FindDeviceAccountAction == null)
                ViewModel.FindDeviceAccountAction = FindDeviceAccount;
            if (ViewModel.ShowChanges == null)
                ViewModel.ShowChanges = MainDataGrid.Items.Refresh;

            Title = "Отчет: " + report.ReportName;
        }

        private void AddDeviceAccount()
        {
            var record = ViewModel.SelectedItem as UsbRecord;
            if (record != null)
            {
                var dialog = new DeviceAccountAddView(record) {Owner = GetWindow(this)};
                dialog.Closed += (s, e) => ViewModel.RefreshCommand.Execute(null);
                dialog.ShowDialog();
            }
        }

        private void FindDeviceAccount()
        {
            var record = ViewModel.SelectedItem as UsbRecord;
            if (record != null)
            {
                var dialog = new UsbRecordInReportsView(record) { Owner = GetWindow(this) };
                dialog.Closed += (s, e) => ViewModel.RefreshCommand.Execute(null);
                dialog.ShowDialog();
            }
        }
    }
}


Browntape.com, Goa's leading e-commerce player and inventory manager, will be organizing a hackathon to get young developers to solve the core issues of the ever-so-large e-commerce industry in India. Some of their clients include CocaCola, Milton and Prestige, FlipKart, Snapdeal and many others. If you have knowledge of one web development technology, you could participate, other than that, there are no barriers.
How does this hackathon work?
Start from Saturday morning all the way to Sunday evening.
You won't have to starve, you would be provided with food and bedding if required.
Yes, constant coffee and Red bull is available throughout the day or night.
On Sunday, demo your solution, and the judges will decide the winner.
Winning this hackathon, would mean you are winning big.
If you like what you have built, you can keep your IP. That's not all, if we like what you have built, we might make you an amazing offer.
What technologies will I be working with at the hackathon?
Please make sure that you have your own computer with you and that it is set up with everything you would need for the hackathon, so as not to waste too much time before the event begins.
11: 00 am – Register your chosen problem with the organizers, and start hacking.


text:
Q: How to define optional parameters in Java Script Here is my object construction,
function Employee(name, dob) {
       this.Name = name;
       this.DateOfBirth = new Date(dob);
   }

Now, I have created an instance for this, like
var emp = new Employee("sample","12/12/12");

Its working fine when i print the output.
But, if i create the object like
var emp = new Employee(name = "sample");

or
var emp = new Employee(dob = "12/12/12");

its not working fine. In both the cases, the DateOfBirth field is invalid.
I need to define an object with optional parameters.

A: JavaScript does not support named optional parameters.
When you do var emp = new Employee(name = "sample");
You're declaring a name global variable, assigning sample to it and passing that to the new call.
You can use objects to accomplish similar syntax in JS:
var emp = new Employee({name:"sample"});

Where the Employee function becomes:
function Employee(options) {
       this.Name = options.name;
       if(options.dob !== undefined){
           this.DateOfBirth = new Date(options.dob);
       }
}

Worth mentioning, in practice, you often don't need an Employee class, and can simply do:
var emp = {name:"sample"};

Or:
var emp = {dob:new Date("12/12/12");}

So unless Employee grows to become a real model (and has more than just two fields) I think that you might want to consider that.

A: function Employee(params) {
    if (typeof params != "undefined") {
        this.Name = (typeof params.name != "undefined") ? params.name : "";
        this.DateOfBirth = (typeof params.dob != "undefined") ? new Date(params.dob) : null;
    }
}

new Employee({
    name: "John",
    dob: "12/12/12"
});
new Employee({
    name: "John"
});
new Employee({
    dob: "12/12/12"
});

or using simple statements using ||.
function Employee(params) {
    params = params || {};
    this.Name = params.name || "";
    this.DateOfBirth = new Date(params.dob || "");
}

A: As a good practice, you should never leave out variables.
You can explicitly call var emp = new Employee(null, "12/12/12");
This way everything is initialized and you will not havea headaches later on.
There is also something like this, but you really need to check the values before assigning.
function Employee() {
       this.Name = name;
       this.DateOfBirth = new Date(dob);
   }

var emp = new Employee(name = null,dob = "12/12/12");

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