In late 2008 and early 2009, the United States (US) media reported on a massive tax evasion scheme allegedly operated by UBS and accused other Swiss banks of fraudulent tax activities. In response to the ensuing media furore, the Swiss and US governments looked for a way to settle outstanding tax issues between Swiss banks and the US government. Following discussions between the two countries, the Swiss government (i.e. the Swiss Federal Council) proposed on May 29, 2013 the urgent enactment of a Federal Act, the so-called "lex USA", to the Swiss parliament (i.e. the Swiss Federal Assembly). The Federal Act purported to allow Swiss banks to cooperate with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), and to disclose certain information concerning the structure of the banks' business, including employee names, but excluding any data relating to bank clients.
The Swiss parliament, however, rejected the "lex USA" as inter alia the DOJ did not provide Swiss banks with any immunity from prosecution in return for the requested information. Nonetheless, the "Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss banks" (the so-called "US Program", hereafter the "US Program") was enacted. The Program, alongside the related joint statement signed on August 29, 2013 by Switzerland and the US and the model authorisation of the Federal Council allowing Swiss banks to participate in the Program, is one of the three components of the solution to the tax dispute between the Swiss banks and the US.
The US Program provides for participation on a voluntary basis, and both the Swiss government and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) encouraged Swiss banks to participate. Under the US Program, the Swiss participating banks may request a "non-prosecution agreement" (NPA) if they believe that they have committed tax offences (category 2), or a "non-Target letter" (NTL) if they have not committed any tax-offence (category 3).
Prior to obtaining an NPA, Swiss banks have to "fully cooperate in the disclosure" of information that involves, inter alia, the structure of the Bank, the structure of the related business, the number of US-related accounts and the name of employees who operated in that business1. The last two points raise some issues with respect to Swiss criminal law, as well as Swiss data protection laws.
Any person who carries out activities on behalf of a foreign state on Swiss territory without lawful authority, where such activities are the responsibility of a public authority or public official, is liable to a custodial sentence not exceeding three years or to a monetary penalty, or in serious cases to a custodial sentence of not less than one year.
For an activity to be qualified as "an activity carried on behalf of a foreign state", it must be carried out in the interests of and intended for the said foreign state. Moreover, article 271 SCC implies that the nature and the purpose of the activity must be of an official nature. As the activity carried out on Swiss territory consists essentially in collecting, analysing and transmitting information, documents and data to the DOJ, it clearly meets the conditions for criminal liability provided for under article 271 SCC.
However, under the same provision, acts undertaken with "lawful authority" do not trigger criminal liability. As a result, the Swiss Banks intending to participate in the US Program have to request authorisation from the competent authority (i.e. the Swiss Federal Government) before turning over the information.
The standardised authorisation (hereafter the "Authorisation"), which confers the same rights and obligations to all participating banks, would only exclude the criminal liability provided under article 271 SCC. As a consequence, Swiss banks would still need to comply with other Swiss legal requirements. These requirements include, inter alia, banking secrecy based on the Swiss Federal Act on Banks (FBA) and data protection based on the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP). Moreover, the Authorisation is granted for a limited period of one year (the said period may be extended on certain grounds).
Pursuant to article 47 FBA, disclosure of confidential information protected by Swiss bank customer secrecy is a criminal offence. Although the act does not expressly define "bank consumer secrecy", it is generally agreed that all confidential information and documents concerning business relationships between Swiss banks and their clients are covered. The prohibition to disclose confidential information applies to all information that may be used to identify a bank's client. It includes, obviously, bank account numbers, names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., but also covers fragmented information such as the specific amount and date of a money transfer. The criminal liability provided for under article 271 SCC, combined with article 47 FBA, would prohibit a bank from transmitting any bank's client data to a foreign state under the US Program, even in cases where the client concerned would agree to the transmission.
personal data of (current of former) members of staff and third parties can only be communicated if the persons concerned have been informed at least twenty days before the planned date for the transmission to the US authorities of the scope and nature of the data as well as the period which these data go back to2.
Persons (employees and third parties) whose data are to be transmitted to the DOJ have the right to object to such transmission and to file a legal claim for that purpose. Moreover, according to the Authorisation, said persons have to be informed by the Bank of their right to bring such legal action. As the deadline to transmit the data to the DOJ is approaching, any claim filed against such a transmission will prevent the banks from transmitting said data. The banks will then have to notify the DOJ that due to pending Swiss legal proceedings, they are not allowed to transmit the relevant data for the time being. Any Swiss court facing such an issue will weigh competing interests, taking into account any overriding public interest, between the person and the bank concerning the communication of the information to the DOJ.
Swiss banks also sometimes face vehement objections from "business introducers" (i.e. persons/companies who introduced clients to the banks), according to whom, they should not be considered as "… relationship manager, client advisor, asset manager, financial advisor, trustee, fiduciary, nominee, attorney, accountant, or other individual or entity functioning in a similar capacity known by the Bank to be affiliated with said account at any time during the Applicable Period" within the scope of the US Program3.
According to the US Program4, each Swiss bank applying for an NPA must disclose "the name and function of the individual who structured, operated, or supervised the cross-border business for US related Accounts during the Applicable Period". Even if the communication of employees' names is not covered by banking secrecy per se, it may however raise some issues regarding data protection, and as previously discussed, the transmission of such names is a prerequisite to request an NPA.
include a duty of assistance under employment law and provide in particular for paying lawyers expenses relating to the defence of the interests of the members of staff; provide for settling cases of hardship for members of staff where the transmission of data concerning them puts them in a difficult situation personally, financially or professionally; provide for protection against discrimination by which the banks waive asking persons seeking employment the extent to which they are concerned by the transmission of data of the US authorities; provide for protection against dismissal where a member of staff establishes the likelihood of discrimination relating to a business relationship with a US person5.
In order to meet this requirement, an agreement between the Swiss Bank Employees Association (SBPV), the Employer's Association of Banks in Switzerland (AGV Banken), and the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA), was negotiated and signed6. In a nutshell, the agreement implemented and enhanced the obligations imposed by the Federal Council's Authorisation.
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) is the Swiss institution responsible for implementing the Financial Market Supervision Act and the financial market legislation. It has authority, inter alia, over banks. FINMA has publicly encouraged Swiss banks to participate in the US Program and to inform their US customers on the existence of the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP).
The participating banks had a duty to report to FINMA by the end of 2013 the category they chose, the name of the elected independent examiner (required by the Program), and the identity of the contact person within the bank. Through the second FINMA statement, participating banks were granted an extension up to October 17 2014, to inform the FINMA whether they chose to participate in categories 3 or 4 or not to participate in any category. Banks also have the duty to report any non-prosecution agreement or the obtaining of non target letter. Any particular event (extension of a deadline, change of category, communication of false information, etc.) must be reported to FINMA too.
As a result of the lack of detailed information related to some aspects of the Program and in order to address interpretation issues related to Swiss law, a number of Swiss banks have come together to discuss and exchange their experiences of the US Program and the issues that need to be resolved from a Swiss legal or DOJ expectation perspective.
Kick-off meetings have been held between the DOJ and participating Swiss banks and data regarding the Program start being sent to the DOJ.
On 5 Jun3 2014, the DOJ issued additional comments regarding the Program with a view to the next steps which will include, inter alia, the negotiation and determination of the penalties payable by the participating banks. Further clarification and additional guidelines may still be issued by the DOJ at a later stage.
The Program is expected to run into 2015 and possibly beyond until each participating bank will have negotiated and obtained its NPA or NTL, as applicable.
* Alexander Troller is a partner at LALIVE. He specializes in banking and finance; corporate and commercial law; litigation (domestic and cross border); white collar crime and compliance; employment; taxation and double tax treaties; construction, real estate and infrastructure; and energy law. He can be reached at atroller@lalive.ch. Corentin Mulkens is an associate at LALIVE. He specializes in taxation and double tax treaties; corporate and commercial law; banking and finance; and insolvency. He can be reached at cmulkens@lalive.ch.


Now that metal additive manufacturing (AM) is creating fully functional industrial parts, many OEMs are taking a closer look at how the technology might support their individual production goals. Interest has also been piqued by the commitment to AM of some major companies. "I think the news about the GE Leap engine fuel nozzle really resonated throughout industry," said Doug Hedges, President and COO of Sintavia LLC, a metal AM service provider for aerospace, defense, and other industries. "That got everyone's attention, and certainly increased the pace of inquiries for us." The nozzle, produced internally at GE, was the first 3D-printed part certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly inside a commercial jet engine.
(Left) Meltpool monitoring volume image of an additively manufactured metal organic sphere with a high degree of porosity, and (right) a CT scan of the same object.
"Additive manufacturing is a very challenging field," said Hedges. "We felt we needed to enter it in the early stages — rather than wait until the industry was more mature — in order to refine our skills." Their AM resources now include five machines from three of the leading metal manufacturers, as well as an electron beam melting (EBM) system.
While metal AM is at the center of Sintavia's offerings, their core competencies also include full material characterization; finishing processes such as heat treatment, HIPing (Hot Isostatic Pressing), and CNC machining; and CT scanning to inspect the integrity of the final product. After five-plus years in operation, Sintavia's client roster is currently about 75-80% aerospace, as well as oil and natural gas, automotive, and turbomachinery for power generation. Clients are interested in AM research and development, and production of finished parts.
Their aerospace customers focus on everything from aircraft to satellites to weapons, including flight hardware for a Boeing 787, or hardware that goes on an unmanned vehicle. "To qualify parts for flight hardware of any kind is a very intensive thing, but for human travel, the substantiation is a lot higher. The better monitoring of manufacturing you have, the better inspection you have, and the more assurance you're going to have to say this product is capable of flight usage," Hedges said.
Many of the same materials used in aerospace are also employed by Sintavia customers from other industries; for example, an oil and gas equipment supplier may want a wellhead cap, a sensor, or a tool that needs to be extremely corrosion-resistant. They use the same superalloys as those used in jet engines, such as Inconel 625 or 718. Additive manufacturing can make such superalloys easier to work with; AM allows creation of complex interior channels directly within a build, cutting down considerably on machining time.
Sintavia's latest Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM) machine acquisition was a Concept Laser M2 cusing system. German AM provider Concept Laser's QM Meltpool 3D technology monitors specific process parameters of a LaserCUSING® build as it's actually in progress. A series of semi-permeable mirrors is positioned to both steer the path of the laser (following the CAD geometry of the object being printed), and reflect back emissions data (thermal radiation) about the meltpool in progress to an on-axis camera and a photodiode. This setup keeps the sensors out of the actual build chamber — an important safety benefit. The combination of camera and photodiode provides much greater monitoring precision than other AM systems that use a single photodiode alone. The thermal detection data is correlated with the toolpath of the laser spot as it melts the metal. This allows for the identification of any deviations from the set requirements for laser energy, meltpool heat intensity, powder material thickness, and so on.
The data continually runs through software that calculates the average emitted meltpool intensity and area per build layer, providing a moment-by-moment, high-resolution visual prediction of the process. Volume Graphics' data analysis and visual analysis software then combines the input from multiple laser passes into a voxel image of the part and its internal structure. This gives the operator a continuous, three-dimensional view of the growing part, and enables them to detect any potential for irregularities in the build as it progresses.
Shortly after acquiring the Concept Laser machine, Sintavia purchased a 5-axis Nikon CT scanner, and an opportunity arose to compare results from meltpool monitoring with CT scanning when Concept Laser approached Sintavia to offer support for a joint study on the relationship between the two technologies. Sintavia, in turn, wanted to strengthen their quality-assurance capabilities by exploring the value of meltpool monitoring and CT in tandem. The Concept Laser M2 cusing and the Nikon CT scanner share the same software — an advantage that helps avoid any interoperability issues.
CT scanning — a valuable tool for assessing traditionally manufactured products in certain industries — is already a requirement for most critical parts. It allows both internal and external geometries to be seen, detects voids, confirms densities, and performs extremely high-value metrology for first-article dimensional inspection. CT scanning, however, is performed after a product is manufactured; any defects detected at that stage must be assessed as to whether they affect a part's integrity and, if so, corrected if possible, or discarded. This costs both time and resources; the latter can be considerable when working with superalloys.
Meltpool monitoring, on the other hand, can identify potential problems at any point during an AM build, providing the manufacturer with opportunities to halt the run and change settings, or even scrap the entire setup before additional material is wasted. In terms of initial outlay, meltpool monitoring is less expensive than CT by a factor of about ten, and it has no continuous operation costs once set up.
Starting this project, the fundamental questions Sintavia wanted to answer were if data from in-situ monitoring was similar to a CT scan and, if so, if it could be used to qualify parts. Long term, Sintavia's goal for serial production with AM was to be able to build a reference job with active QM Meltpool 3D, and then investigate finished part quality by using CT or crosssections. The QM Meltpool 3D data of the reference parts can then be compared with all further build jobs of the same design. If there are no significant incidents during the build job, there is no need for additional and expensive post-process examinations.
As Sintavia began setting up their trials, they realized that given the high accuracy of Concept Laser's stock parameters with the M2 cusing machine, they would have to create artificial build errors in order to assess QM Meltpool 3D's detection capabilities. First, they designed three different shapes to work with: an organic sphere based on the structure of a rocket fuel particle, a canted helix, and a series of density cylinders with artificial pores ranging in diameter from 30 µm to 2 mm. Then they deliberately created irregularities in the powder bed process due to factors such as uncalibrated scaling, overexposure, a cold pause, a too-thick recoat layer, and other changes in parameters that might create build flaws; in this case, focusing solely on voids. The finished shapes were then CT scanned to determine if the voids predicted by QM Meltpool3D actually occurred.
Not every deviation that meltpool monitoring detects in a single AM layer will necessarily lead to a void that would cause a part to be scrapped. Subsequent powder layers melted by laser input sometimes "heal" small deviations as the process continues. In this study Sintavia considered predictions for voids that were five times the size of QM meltpool resolution (5x70µm = 350µm). The QM Meltpool 3D can detect irregularities that start as small as 70 microns, which is the resolution of the data.
The final data determined that the QM Meltpool 3D predicted the flaws that CT detected. This was Sintavia's first trial look at quality meltpool monitoring, and the results are important. It's a continuing process that will take more work by Sintavia to completely understand the relationship between meltpool monitoring and CT scanning.


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Atelier Dynale: Lifting the veil on fabrics with soul
Christel Trinquier
Crafts, Editor's picks
Only a handful of workshops specialized in bespoke textile finishing remain in France, and Atelier Dynale, French Living Heritage certified since 2013, is one of these. Season after season, couture brands call on the Atelier's unique raw material creations.
Organza fur, liquid gold-coated leathers and lace in metal armor: clients come to Atelier Dynale for inspiration and for the impossible: fabrics that take on the colors of time, cut in the rays of the moon or the dust of the sun. They have been coming to the atelier since 1992, when Alexandre Leu and his wife Céline Sorigué took over the "boutique", but there were visits long before; in the 70s, Alexander's mother established Atelier Dynale, which was specialized in painting on silk. Going back even further, 1917 was the year Jeanne Fayolle, his great aunt and head seamstress at Dior, and then director at Saint Laurent, started out her career.
The atelier is an uplifting example of the transmission and application of textile knowhow: far from the techniques used in the industrial sector, Leu and Sorigué refine exceptional fabrics only by hand and piece by piece for the couture sector, but also for decorative arts under the Céline Alexandre brand (interior decoration, textile art editions…). They don't ruche and they don't embroider, but they do nearly everything else under the sun, and above all, techniques that have never been done anywhere else.
Creative studio x lab
"The workshop was built around color, my mother's coloring techniques to be precise and in particular filled settings, which consist of working the fabric as you would a stained glass window," explains Alexandre Leu. "Since then, our field of exploration has widened: screen printing, airbrushing, calligraphy, embossing, burnaway, moiré, applying gold and silver leaf, and always with the dual objective of offering radically new creations, but which nevertheless meet the constraints of patterns and durability. We mustn't forget that these are mainly pieces that aren't intended to be exhibited, but rather to be assembled, worn, and even washed."
The pure dyeing and painting techniques are interwoven with the gestures of an artist—engraver and sculptor—so as to work the color into the material itself. Materials (silks, weaves, meshes, and skins), sometimes produced to order, will be grained, crackled, crumbled, shaped, patterned, and burned away, in order to multiply the effects, be they raw or precious. "We spray leather, engrave satins with a hot point, coat fibers with resin… for certain items we can go through more than 40 finishing operations to obtain the desired results," explains Leu. "In fact, we're not reproducing a particular gesture, but rather researching, experimenting and crossing different techniques: we sculpt velvet fiber by fiber, burn away, screen print, paint and patinate, before applying motifs in copper or palladium foil… We revisit old techniques, such as shibori on a brocade of gold threads (editor's note: a manual resist dying technique using binding), we commandeer others, and we invent new ones."
Home couture
Atelier Dynale's order books include the biggest names in fashion: from Dior to Chanel, along with Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs. And prestige names call on the Céline Alexandre label as well: "For the Raffles Hotel in Shenzhen, we created triptychs on handpainted silk that are used as headboards, while for the Royal Atlantis in Dubai we're finalizing laminated glass partitions that encapsulate tulle set with sequins. We've also used our gradient techniques on curtains, draperies and various furnishing fabrics for mansions, yachts and private planes. Color is an emotion, first and foremost."
Leu and Sorigué are also called on to create backdrops for luxury brands' window dressings: "For Chanel for example, we worked on faux leather with gold leaf on motifs of branches and birds that appear or disappear depending on the viewing angle." Gold, the couple's material of choice, also finds its place in Céline Alexandre's Hors Normes collection: a production of art rugs with kinetic, organic and geographical motifs into which felts are decorated in yellow and white gold (from 12 to 22 carats) and frozen in resin. "Felt is an extraordinary material to work with and it's a lot of fun to combine it with a precious material, such as gold. The very design of these pieces tends to merge the notions of walls and floor. Isn't it a wonderfully unique experience to walk on gold?
Published in Formes de Luxe Spring 2020
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Foreign exchange market. European session: the euro traded higher against the U.S. dollar after the mixed economic data from the Eurozone | 29.04.2015
Economic calendar (GMT0):
(Time/ Region/ Event/ Period/ Previous/ Forecast/ Actual)
00:00 Japan Bank holiday
01:00 New Zealand ANZ Business Confidence April 35.8 22.09 30.2
06:00 United Kingdom Nationwide house price index April 0.1% 0.2% 1.0%
06:00 United Kingdom Nationwide house price index, y/y April 5.1% 4.1% 5.2%
06:00 Switzerland UBS Consumption Indicator March 1.21 Revised From 1.19 1.35
08:00 Eurozone M3 money supply, adjusted y/y March 4% 4.2% 4.6%
08:00 Eurozone Private Loans, Y/Y March -0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
09:00 Eurozone Consumer Confidence (Finally) April -3.7 -4.3 -4.6
09:00 Eurozone Industrial confidence April -2.9 -1.2 -3.0
09:00 Eurozone Business climate indicator April 0.23 0.12 0.32
09:00 Eurozone Economic sentiment index April 103.9 104.1 103.7
11:00 U.S. MBA Mortgage Applications April 2.3% 9.88% -2.3%
12:00 Germany CPI, m/m (Preliminary) April 0.5% 0.4% -0.1%
12:00 Germany CPI, y/y (Preliminary) April 0.3% 0.5% 0.4%
The U.S. dollar traded mixed against the most major currencies ahead of the U.S. GDP data. The U.S. preliminary gross domestic product is expected to rise at an annual rate of 1.3% in the first quarter, after a 2.2% gain in the fourth quarter.
The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index excluding food and energy is expected to increase 1.0% in the first quarter.
The euro traded higher against the U.S. dollar after the mixed economic data from the Eurozone. German preliminary consumer price index fell 0.1% in April, missing expectations for a 0.4% increase, after a 0.5% gain in March.
On a yearly basis, German preliminary consumer price index increased to 0.4% in April from 0.3% in March, missing expectations for a 0.5% gain.
The European Commission released its economic sentiment index for the Eurozone on Wednesday. The index declined to 103.7 in April from 103.9 in March, missing expectations for a rise to 104.1. It was the first decline in five months.
The European Central Bank (ECB) released its M3 money supply figures on Wednesday. M3 money supply rose 4.6% in March from last year, exceeding expectations for a 4.2% gain, after a 4 % increase in February.
On a yearly basis, M3 money supply in the Eurozone climbed to 4.1% from 3.8% in the period from December to February.
Loans to the private sector in the Eurozone increased 0.1% in March from the last year, in line with expectations, after a 0.1% decline in February. It was the first increase since March 2012.
The rise was driven by ECB's quantitative easing.
The Greek debt focus remains in focus. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday that he expects an agreement between Greece and its creditors could be reached within two weeks. He also said that he would could a referendum if creditors insisted on demands deemed unacceptable by his government.
Tsipras reshuffled his team negotiating with European and IMF creditors on Monday. Deputy Foreign Minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, was appointed co-coordinator of the team.
The British pound traded mixed against the U.S. dollar after the better-than-expected economic U.K. Nationwide house price index. The U.K. Nationwide house price index increased 1.0% in April, exceeding expectations for 0.2% gain, after a 0.1% rise in March.
On a yearly basis, the U.K. Nationwide house price inflation was up to 5.2% in April from 5.2% in March. Analysts had expected the index to drop to 4.1%.
The Canadian dollar traded lower against the U.S. dollar ahead of Canadian raw materials purchase price index. Canada's raw materials purchase price index is expected to rise 4.5% in March, after a 6.1% gain in February.
The Swiss franc traded higher against the U.S. dollar after the better-than-expected UBS consumption index. The UBS consumption index for Switzerland increased to 1.35 in March from 1.21 in February. February's figure was revised up from 1.19.
The increase was driven by a rise in new car registrations. New car registrations jumped 24.0% in March.
EUR/USD: the currency pair increased to $1.1013
GBP/USD: the currency pair traded mixed
USD/JPY: the currency pair rose to Y119.35
The most important news that are expected (GMT0):
12:30 Canada Raw Material Price Index March 6.1% 4.5%
12:30 U.S. PCE price index, q/q Quarter I -0.4%
12:30 U.S. PCE price index ex food, energy, q/q Quarter I 1.1% 1.0%
12:30 U.S. GDP, q/q (Preliminary) Quarter I 2.2% 1.27%
14:00 U.S. Pending Home Sales (MoM) March 3.1%
18:00 U.S. Fed Interest Rate Decision 0.25% 0.25%
18:00 U.S. FOMC Statement
21:00 New Zealand RBNZ Interest Rate Decision 3.5% 3.25%
21:00 New Zealand RBNZ Rate Statement
22:45 New Zealand Building Permits, m/m March -6.3%
23:50 Japan Industrial Production (MoM) (Preliminary) March -3.1% -3.4%
23:50 Japan Industrial Production (YoY) (Preliminary) March -2.0%
TeleTrade Forex Metals Market


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A Perspective on Communication..
A Perspective on Communication in Palestinian Society
By Randa Zaharna
PIJ Vol. 3 No. 3 1996 - The Road Ahead
Vol. 3 No. 3 1996
Randa Zaharna
Randa S. Zaharna is a Fulbright Scholar at An-Najah University, Nablus.
An analysis of the communication patterns in any society can often provide insight into the underlying changes within a society, even before they surface or become apparent to the population as a whole. In the case of Palestinian society, several significant changes have occurred in its communication patterns following the signing of the Oslo agreement. This paper will focus on three of them.
External to Internal Focus
This first major change in the communication patterns of the Palestinian society appears to be a shift from an externally directed communication to an internally directed one. Instead of focusing primarily on communication with the public from the exterior, or the world community, Palestinian society now appears more concentrated on improving and strengthening communication within itself.
This shift is most obvious in the requests for training in communication. Up until the summer of 1993, training requests focused exclusively on externally directed communication activities, such as public relations, media relations, fund raising, and promotion and publicity. The training participants were public relations officers from the various Palestinian social, health, educational and political institutions who were interested in learning how to better present their respective institutions to the foreign media, funding agencies, and visitors.
The desire for such training was motivated by the prevailing economic and political conditions caused by the continued Israeli military occupation. From a Palestinian perspective, the most urgent and pressing communication need An analysis of the communication patterns in any society can often provide insight into the underlying changes within a society, even before they surface or become apparent to the population as a whole. In the case of Palestinian society, several significant changes have occurred in its communication patterns following the signing of the Oslo agreement. This paper will focus on three of them.
This shift is most obvious in the requests for training in communication.
Up until the summer of 1993, training requests focused exclusively on externally directed communication activities, such as public relations, media relations, fund raising, and promotion and publicity. The training participants were public relations officers from the various Palestinian social, health, educational and political institutions who were interested in learning how to better present their respective institutions to the foreign media, funding agencies, and visitors.
The desire for such training was motivated by the prevailing economic and political conditions caused by the continued Israeli military occupation. From a Palestinian perspective, the most urgent and pressing communication need was that of presenting their plight to the international community. Thus, both the content and intent of all Palestinian communication were essentially political: End the Israeli military occupation in the Palestinian territories. Regardless of the sector to which a Palestinian institution pertained - health, education, social - its message was predominantly political, and the targeted audience external, or the international community. Such a focus was apparent in the communication patterns of both the Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian people. In fact, the Palestinian leadership initially established this pattern with its stated goal of bringing world attention to the Palestinian cause.
In recent years, however, there has been a gradual shift from this predominantly external, political focus to a more internal, social focus. Now, instead of public relations training, all the current requests are for training in basic communication skills, interpersonal communication, and organizational communication. This need for different communication skills reflects the political changes that have affected Palestinian society.
Firstly, the Oslo agreement and ongoing political negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships appear to have provided a vehicle for political expression, enabling the Palestinians to communicate their political message in a concrete and direct manner with the expectation of concrete, direct results. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has assumed the primary role in communication, while the Palestinian institutions are playing a secondary supporting role and have turned their focus inwardly to the various social, informational, or educational messages directed at the local Palestinian community.
Secondly, the new political reality has shifted from one focused exclusively on fighting political oppression to one of building a nation. This change has uncovered new communication problems and needs. It appears that with the attempt at a more stabilized political situation, the social repercussions of the years of occupation and political uncertainty are beginning to surface within Palestinian society.
During the long years of severe political repression, the communication "survival" skills often necessitated deliberate distrust, manipulation, and secrecy. On a very basic level, one did not know if a "friend" was a political patriot or a political informant. Thus, deliberate mistrust and misinformation were warranted. Additionally, if the primary political organization was banned - as was the case of the PLO - membership and communication activities demanded secrecy.
While such communication strategies might have been highly effective under political repression, they can be extremely counterproductive in building a social infrastructure. Nation-building, such as the Palestinians are engaged in now, demands large amounts of cooperation, coordination, and communication in order to complete tasks on a large scale, and to avoid duplication of efforts. The prerequisites for such cooperation include trust, openness, and direct communication of one's intent with the skills directly opposed to those developed under political repression. The demands of nation-building have, then, prompted the need for a less politicized and a more society-oriented type of communication.
Decentralized Communication to Coordinated Communication
The second major shift is that from an ad hoc, decentralized communication emanating from a multitude of different Palestinian institutions to a more coordinated message emanating from the various PNA institutions.
Prior to the establishment of the PNA, the primary sources of information for the foreign media, agencies, and individuals were the various Palestinian institutions. For example, a foreign researcher seeking information about health conditions in the West Bank would usually visit area hospitals, health institutions and clinics, or a physician who was willing to talk about the health situation.
During this time, Palestinian universities, as a readily identifiable source of information and expertise, played a very prominent communication role. The universities' public relations departments often spoke on behalf not only of the universities, but of the local community as well. Palestinian universities now play a much less prominent role, and the PNA institutions and ministries have emerged as a more coordinated and centralized source of information. Instead of relying on area hospitals for information on health, the foreign media and researchers may, now, begin their search at t he Palestinian Ministry of Health, and so on.
Efforts at "coordination" are also evident among the various sectors of Palestinian society. The Ministry of Higher Education, for example, is endeavoring to introduce and coordinate curricula at the university level, while the Ministry of Education is seeking to do the same at the elementary school level. Similarly, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has initiated efforts to coordinate the activities of the many Palestinian sports clubs. This focus on "coordination" serves to cultivate an even more centralized communication pattern, reinforcing the need for an enhanced internal, interpersonal communication.
Symbolic Image to a More Human Image
For the first time since the late Sixties, when the Israelis banned the PLO and barred many of its followers from the territories, the Palestinian people now have direct, continuous and daily contact with their leadership. For the image of the leadership, this has been a mixed blessing. In many ways, the arrival of the leadership on July 1, 1994, in Gaza marked the beginning of the new realities of day-to-day life. Prior to that, both parties held somewhat romantic images of each other and the communication between the two parties reflected those images - patient, forgiving, undemanding, loving, etc.
This type of cautious, controlled communication has a way of fostering and preserving symbolic images. For the Palestinian people, the leadership in exile was seen as the champion of the Palestinian cause on the international arena, with Chairman Yasser Arafat as the symbol of the Palestinian revolution. The Palestinians in the territories were seen as the heroic, steadfast people struggling against the brutality of Israeli occupation and repression. The "children of stones," or the Palestinian youth of the Intifada became, for the Palestinians in exile, the symbol of Palestinian resistance.
Furthermore, the absence of direct, uncontrolled contact also has a way of spawning exaggerated expectations in any human relationship. Because the communication is controlled, both parties are better able to hide their limitations from each other and feed their own positive symbolic image. Thus, when the Palestinian leadership arrived in Palestine, both its image and the people's expectations of it were exaggerated.
The change in the overly idealized image of the Palestinian leadership to a more realistic, human and flawed one was not only natural, but inevitable. Direct, continuous communication with the leadership has exposed the limitations inherent in any human enterprise, and the unfulfilled expectations have exposed the vulnerabilities of the people who held them and the leadership who struggled to meet them. As a result, the communication between the two parties has become less cautious, less controlled, more demanding and, at times, bitterly critical. While such communication is typical of the frustrated and the struggling, it is not a communication pattern that political entities can easily endure. Thus an added challenge facing the Palestinian leadership will not be to regain the luster of its former image, but to reconstruct a more viable and realistic image within the context of direct and continuous communication with the Palestinian people.


text:
Q: UIKit: Animating a view while it's being moved by touchesMoved So, I have a UIView subclass called MovableBlock. It overrides touchesBegan, touchesMoved, touchesEnded and touchesCancelled. The moving about part works just fine.
When a MovableBlock is moved to the left side of the screen, it's 130px wide. When it's moved to the right side of the screen, it's 80px wide. I'd like to animate the transition in size, so that as the user is dragging the view around, the MovableBlock smoothy adjusts its size.
Right now, I have this:
// Handles the start of a touch
-(void)touchesBegan:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event
{
    CGPoint pt = [[touches anyObject] locationInView:self];
    startLocation = pt;
}

// Handles the continuation of a touch.
-(void)touchesMoved:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event
{
    CGPoint svpt = [[touches anyObject] locationInView:self.superview];
    CGPoint pt = [[touches anyObject] locationInView:self];
    if (svpt.x < 130) {
        [self setColumn:0];
    }
    else {
        [self setColumn:1];
    }

    CGRect frame = [self frame];
    frame.origin.x += pt.x - startLocation.x;
    frame.origin.y += pt.y - startLocation.y;

    [self setFrame: frame];
}

-(void)setColumn: (NSInteger)newColumn {
    column = newColumn;
    if (column != newColumn) {
        [UIView beginAnimations:@"Resize Block" context:nil];
        [UIView setAnimationDuration:0.2];

        if (column == 0) {
            [self setBounds: CGRectMake(self.bounds.origin.x, self.bounds.origin.y, 130, self.bounds.size.height)];
        }
        else {
            [self setBounds: CGRectMake(self.bounds.origin.x, self.bounds.origin.y, 80, self.bounds.size.height)];
        }
        [UIView commitAnimations];
    }
}

startPosition and column are both members of the class.
While dragging the MovableBlock around, it doesn't resize (or animate). I can't seem to find any reason why it shouldn't work, though I also can't find examples of doing this, so maybe there's some subtle trick that I'm missing.
There is another animation in the touchesEnded method that works just fine, so I know that the animation part of things is working, just not in touchesMoved.
Thanks for any help!

A: I seem to have figured it out. Using setBounds in the setColumn method didn't seem to get noticed by the susequent call of frame = [self frame]. Moving the frame declaration to the top, above the calls to setColumn and restructuring how to determine the width of the current column solved things.
Also, don't mix frames and bounds. You'll just confuse your headmeats. :-)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Your approach is normally calculated, careful and effective. You have a way of doing the utmost with what you have and you hate wasting energy. Your control is admirable, but so is spontaneity and improvisation, so loosen up and above all wake up to the work you have to do. Don't focus so much on your plans and making sure everyone else is happy, focus on taking the action and making some of your ideas a reality – recognise also, that there may never be the perfect time for this. Remember teamwork, laughter and joy, decide to bounce back have fun no matter what.
You may have a knack for provoking others even though you truly care, sometimes it may be a good idea to reserve your judgements, learn to stand aside and observe without expressing your opinion. Not everyone wants to be thinking in new ways. You may be holding on too tightly to a structure that has gone and now may be a good time to re-evaluate and 'get real' about the best way forward. Stay positive and start by becoming inspired again yourself.
The courage to just be yourself and not to worry what others think may be important to you today. There may be a lot going on in your head that you can't put into words, so focus on finding the harmony within. Have faith in yourself and your ability to make your own rules and to survive in spite of the pressure to surrender your uniqueness to the crowd. Allow yourself a holiday and enjoy the freedom that comes from truly loving who you are!
Great sensitivity as well as some unconventional thinking may feel like a hurricane inside today. To get over this try to focus on the job in hand. Try not to put energy into pushing your feelings and your creativity down and try to let go rather than hang on. Control the hurricane inside and guide its power constructively. Slow down and look at the whole picture, otherwise today may be a series of spurts and stops. Don't be afraid to ask for help or forgiveness, stay positive and keep working towards your goal.
You know how to save your energy for the long haul and you also know how to make things happen. No matter how dynamic the activity your energy flows smoothly and the thoughtful, quiet side to your personality always comes through. You have the potential to heal and to inspire others with great intuition and synchronicity, when your heart is in what you are doing and you allow yourself to go with the flow. No matter how great the obstacles you will always make time for others and deliver as promised. But, establish your independence as there is the potential also to be judgemental and condemning.
Follow your intuition, love what you do and there may be some kind of breakthrough. Try not to be too impatient and overly sensitive. See things from the point of view of others and you may more easily find the words. Rather than looking to be appreciated for your efforts, focus on finding the harmony within. By standing back you may recognise what needs to change and be able to persuade others to help you with this.
You may want to shake things up and wake people up today, but there may be obstacles, which may mean you have to knuckle down, when you would rather be doing something else. Try not to let others push your buttons and get a handle on your reactions, if you don't like those in authority. You have a wonderful sense of humour, which can diffuse potentially explosive situations and save the day for you. You are expansive and can be visionary idealistic and inspirational but today may be about staying grounded and focussed and using your common sense.
You are currently browsing the JANE ALTON blog archives for November, 2014.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Shadow Government: Saudi Arabia's Unhappy. So What? Saudi Arabia's Unhappy. So ...
A front-row seat to the Republicans' debate over foreign policy, including their critique of the Biden administration.
Saudi Arabia's Unhappy. So What?
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief, is venting to journalists and foreign diplomats about his irritation at feckless Obama administration policies in the Middle East, ominously suggesting his country is at the point of making a "major shift" away from the United States. Prince Turki al-Faisal, former director of Saudi intelligence, joined in ...
By Kori Schake
Photo: JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief, is venting to journalists and foreign diplomats about his irritation at feckless Obama administration policies in the Middle East, ominously suggesting his country is at the point of making a "major shift" away from the United States. Prince Turki al-Faisal, former director of Saudi intelligence, joined in with an address to the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, saying, "The current charade of international control over Bashar's chemical arsenal would be funny if it were not so blatantly perfidious and designed not only to give Mr. Obama an opportunity to back down, but also to help Assad to butcher his people." The Saudi complaints include not attacking Syria, not providing weapons and support to Syrian rebels, American support for the elected Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt, U.S. cuts of assistance to the military that overthrew that government, and a lack of consultation on negotiations with Iran.
The Saudis are not alone, of course, in their criticism. Every country in the region is exasperated, as are many Americans. As former Centcom commander Jim Mattis so memorably put it, "I defy anyone to tell me what U.S. strategy is in the Middle East." But the Saudis' unhappiness is not proof that U.S. policies are wrong. Obama administration policies are wrong, but not in the ways or for the reasons the Saudis excoriate them. And bringing U.S. policies into alignment with Saudi Arabia is likely to create a Middle East even less in America's interests than the Obama administration's bungling has.
Saudi Arabia wants a very different Middle East than we do. The Saudis oppose democracy. They oppose freedom of the press. They oppose freedom of conscience and practice of faiths other than Islam. They oppose women's equality before the law. They oppose the idea that individuals have rights and loan them in limited ways and for limited purposes to governments. They deny rights to their own Shiite citizens in Saudi Arabia, while advocating and enforcing the same in Bahrain. They denigrate domestic opposition as solely agents of Iran.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief, is venting to journalists and foreign diplomats about his irritation at feckless Obama administration policies in the Middle East, ominously suggesting his country is at the point of making a "major shift" away from the United States. Prince Turki al-Faisal, former director of Saudi intelligence, joined in with an address to the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, saying, "The current charade of international control over Bashar's chemical arsenal would be funny if it were not so blatantly perfidious and designed not only to give Mr. Obama an opportunity to back down, but also to help Assad to butcher his people." The Saudi complaints include not attacking Syria, not providing weapons and support to Syrian rebels, American support for the elected Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt, U.S. cuts of assistance to the military that overthrew that government, and a lack of consultation on negotiations with Iran.
The Saudis are not alone, of course, in their criticism. Every country in the region is exasperated, as are many Americans. As former Centcom commander Jim Mattis so memorably put it, "I defy anyone to tell me what U.S. strategy is in the Middle East." But the Saudis' unhappiness is not proof that U.S. policies are wrong. Obama administration policies are wrong, but not in the ways or for the reasons the Saudis excoriate them. And bringing U.S. policies into alignment with Saudi Arabia is likely to create a Middle East even less in America's interests than the Obama administration's bungling has.
Saudi Arabia wants a very different Middle East than we do. The Saudis oppose democracy. They oppose freedom of the press. They oppose freedom of conscience and practice of faiths other than Islam. They oppose women's equality before the law. They oppose the idea that individuals have rights and loan them in limited ways and for limited purposes to governments. They deny rights to their own Shiite citizens in Saudi Arabia, while advocating and enforcing the same in Bahrain. They denigrate domestic opposition as solely agents of Iran.
Not only do the Saudis oppose these fundamental values of American society, but they have funded and armed some of the most virulent jihadists. Rachel Bronson's superb history of U.S.-Saudi relations, Thicker Than Oil, makes clear that the United States was complicit in Saudi Arabia's fostering of the mujahideen in Afghanistan; the Saudis now want U.S. complicity in supporting jihadists in Syria and the return to power of the deep state in Egypt (a model they would perpetuate throughout the region).
Secretary of State John Kerry did a fine diplomatic turn in London on Tuesday, outlining the areas of U.S.-Saudi common interest, toning down the problem, and conveying a calm confidence that the two countries will continue to work together. The policy question is what form greater Saudi opposition to U.S. policies might take.
Arab diplomats have suggested that the Saudis would increase assistance to Islamist rebels in Syria, both to punish the United States and to defeat the Iranians. Defeating Iran in Syria and toppling Bashar al-Assad is a great outcome for American interests, provided what comes next isn't worse. And even if the Saudis put a new, Saudi-looking authoritarian regime in power in Damascus, the United States will not be without means to influence its choices. Israel has consistently demonstrated detailed knowledge and willingness to act to prevent such outcomes; the United States can likewise up its game. Russia and China are less, not more, likely to support Saudi polices in Syria without American heft. Nor will Syrians themselves, who seem disinclined to replace one repression with another, be without influence.
Would the Saudis unleash jihadists in Syria? There is precedent from Afghanistan in the 1980s. But the Saudis are themselves as much at risk as we are from that scourge, and since the attacks in 2005, they know it and have stepped up their domestic efforts against radical Islamists. More likely is a misperception by the Saudis that they can control rebels in Syria, an eventuality that would cause problems for the United States — but the country is likely to incur those problems whether or not Saudi succor is the instigation.
The Saudis might discontinue or curtail intelligence and anti-terrorism cooperation. That is a serious threat to American security. But again, the Saudis are at risk and need U.S. intelligence as much as the United States needs theirs. Moreover, recent cooperation is the exception; more frequent has been limited cooperation while the Saudis fund activity we feel threatened by.
On Palestine and a nuclear-weapons-free Middle East, the Americans and the Saudis have long worked to different ends. The Saudi plan for Palestine has foundered because of Palestinian choices, not lack of American support; it is difficult to see a path to progress on either their or America's preferred policy. It's easy to see why the Saudis support a nuclear-free Middle East, since it would remove Israel's deterrent as well as Iran's program, but difficult to see why it would now get traction even with major investments on their part.
The Saudi equivalent of a nuclear option is the price of oil, something the Saudis have been very helpful with in recent years. As Meghan O'Sullivan convincingly argues, their ability to do so is declining, and any sudden moves to impose costs will benefit Iran and stimulate non-OPEC suppliers, including the United States itself.
The Saudis (along with the United Arab Emirates) have already moved to bankroll the Egyptian military, supplanting by a factor of 12 the assistance the United States had provided. This could have a huge and deleterious effect on American interests if, for example, the Saudis and Egyptians eliminated preferential transit of the Suez Canal by U.S. military vessels. The U.S. ability to project military force would be dramatically curtailed.
We should never underestimate the trouble countries can make for us by withholding cooperation, even if they don't overtly work against our interests. American power is sustainable in the international order in part because so few countries actively oppose it. The United States should try to soothe Saudi concerns where it can, consulting more fulsomely on Iran in particular.
Too often, though, the U.S. assessment of enemy action overlooks that the United States, too, has choices to make that can impose costs: Without American intelligence, the GCC states would be subject to Iranian military harassment and less able to manage domestic extremists, and without American military support, they'd be substantially more vulnerable to a nuclear-armed Iran. And if there's one red line that President Obama has made credible, it's his willingness to abandon countries relying on American assistance.
Kori Schake is the director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute, a former U.S. government official in foreign and security policy, and the author of America vs the West: Can the Liberal World Order Be Preserved? Twitter: @KoriSchake
Tag: Saudi Arabia
Players of the first Saudi women's national soccer team train at Prince Faisal bin Fahad bin Abdulaziz stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 2, 2021.
Washington Is Oblivious to the Importance of Saudi Reforms
The kingdom's transformation has huge implications for the United States and Middle East.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during an election night event at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Nov. 8.
U.S. Midterm Results Are a Net Plus for National Security
As Trumpism deflates, internationalist Republicans will press the Biden administration on China, defense, and trade.


Im not waiting to change my home life but maybe have some fun.
I can host today or travel. I recently graduated from college and am now trying to find a more challenging and fulfilling job and trying to figure out if Pennzylvania want to go back to school or not.
Yep, I need it. Are you ready to be with me tonight.


Fast Track Sites develops a wide array of custom applications, you may try a demo of each of our applications and see if they fit your needs. You can purchase the more robust professional version of each program by contacting us or purchasing them below.
These applications are currently available for download or purchase and are still supported by Fast Track Sites.
As we grow and optimize our products we sometimes cull the listings and release some of our applications under the Open Source Friendly BSD License. While we no longer offer support for the software you are free to download them and use them as you wish. We encourage anyone using the software to check the code for potential security issues that may have been found over time as these are not actively developed.
To learn more and access these scripts we recommend visiting our open source software page.


text:
Hear live play-by-play coverage of the 2020-21 college bowl games on SiriusXM
SiriusXM is giving subscribers nationwide access to live play-by-play broadcasts of most Division I FBS and FCS bowl games this college football postseason, including ESPN Radio's coverage of the College Football Playoff Semifinals and National Championship, on SiriusXM radios and the SiriusXM app.
The schedule began on December 21 with the Myrtle Beach Bowl and concludes with the crowning of the national champion on January 11 in Miami. See the schedule below, and check back for updates.
More than a dozen bowl game broadcasts – including the College Football Playoff Semifinals and College Football Playoff National Championship – are produced and provided by ESPN Radio. Other broadcast providers are First Team Radio and Touchdown Radio.
SiriusXM offers fans the most in-depth radio coverage of the college game on several college sports-focused channels including ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM (Ch. 84), SiriusXM ACC Radio (Ch. 371), SiriusXM Big Ten Radio (Ch. 372), SiriusXM Pac-12 Radio (Ch. 373), SiriusXM SEC Radio (Ch. 374) and SiriusXM Big 12 Radio (Ch. 375).
Broadcast Schedule (all times ET)
December 30 at noon on Sirius 137, XM 207, and online 967
TransPerfect Music City Bowl — Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Missouri Tigers
December 30 at 3:30pm on Sirius 80, XM 80, and online 80
Goodyear Cotton Bowl — Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida Gators
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl — Tulsa Golden Hurricanes vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
AutoZone Liberty Bowl — West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Army
December 31 at 4pm on Sirius 133, XM 202, and online 965
Texas Bowl — Arkansas Razorbacks vs. TCU Horned Frogs
December 31 at 8pm on Sirius 80, XM 80, and online 80
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl — Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Georgia Bulldogs
January 1 at 12:30pm on Sirius 80, XM 80, and online 80
VRBO Citrus Bowl — Auburn Tigers vs. Northwestern Wildcats
January 1 at 1pm on Sirius 138, XM 210, and online 968
CFP Semifinal – Rose Bowl Game — Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
January 1 at 5pm on Sirius 80, XM 80, and online 80
CFP Semifinal – Allstate Sugar Bowl — Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Clemson Tigers
January 1 at 8:45pm on Sirius 80, XM 80, and online 80
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl — North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Kentucky Wildcats
January 2 at noon on Sirius 84, XM 84, and online 84
Outback Bowl — Mississippi Rebels vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Playstation Fiesta Bowl — Oregon Ducks vs. Iowa State Cyclones
Capital One Orange Bowl — Texas A&M Aggies vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
CFP National Championship — Teams TBD
January 11 at 8pm on Sirius 80, XM 80, and online 80


text:
Paracyrta blattina är en insektsart som beskrevs av Jacobi 1944. Paracyrta blattina ingår i släktet Paracyrta och familjen dvärgstritar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Dvärgstritar
blattina

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


cobaltcastle has 13 positive feedback, 0 neutral feedback and 0 negative feedback, for an overall percentage of 100% positive feedback.
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Mr. Masanori Nozaki has been serving as Chief Director of Business Administration and Director of OKWave since July 2011. His previous title in the Company was Chief Director of Finance. Prior to joining the Company, he used to work in Osamitsu Yamada Tax Accountant Office.


By June of 2008 the tracks that will become M&K Junction had reached the gap that will become the Cheat River, as you can see in the first photo below. Also in this photo you can see the jumble of trains, tracks, tools and materials that constitutes a layout under construction. About halfway down in this photo you can see the bridge abutments under construction on the table.
The other side of the Cheat River, which you can see in the next photo is being readied for two short tracks which will mate with the bridge and will establish the grade and alignment of the bridge. I hold my raisers and track board in place with clamps until grade and cross level are established then everything is screwed together to make it permanent.
The bridge that will go into this location is the Atlas O scale double track through truss bridge. At the real Cheat River crossing there were two through truss bridges until a flood in 1985 took out both spans. My bridge will be a single span because I do not have room for two spans. The bridge will be set level and the Cheat River grade will start about 1-passenger car length beyond the bridge on this side of the river.
The commercially available bridge abutments for the Atlas bridge are all cut stone and do not match the abutment that was in this location. On the other hand I could not find a clear picture of the abutment that was there in the '50s. The mid-river piers were cut stone until the flood, but I do not believe that by the '50s the abutments were still cut stone.
Therefore I was on my own. I downloaded a turn-of-the-century (twentieth century, that is) book on railroad engineering from Google Books and found a diagram for a NYC concrete abutment. Using selective compression and modeller's license I reduced and simplified the large prototype structure to fit my available space. The result is what you see in the following two pictures.
The abutment itself is scratchbuilt. I initially tried to make the entire thing out of MDF figuring that the uniform texture of MDF would shape easily - wrong! MDF does not take a raking angle cut (as is needed at the wing-wall to center section joint) no matter how many times I tried. I eventually gave up and fashioned the wing walls, with the trim, from 1/4" aspen bought at Home Depot. The parapet cap is also aspen, sanded and shaped to fit. The whole thing was given a coating of Rustoleum Multicolored texture paint and further colored with a wash of Floquil Aged Concrete. At some point before most of the other scenery in the river bottom is finished I will apply dirt, grime, rust, etc.
In these pictures the bridge does not have its truss structure in place and as of the date of this post it still does not. The trusses are painted and weathered, but will not be installed until this area is essentially fully finished. Otherwise I could just see myself, klutz that I am, destroying the trusses while doing the scenery or the backdrop.
I made the gap for the 40" wide bridge 48" wide figuring that this would be enough for abutments and approaches. If I had to do it over again, I would make the gap almost twice the span length to allow for the sloping of the river to the bed, the approach of the tracks on an embankment and closer to full-scale abutments with wing walls that allow for earthen embankments that are more nearly at the angle of repose.


Implementing home makeover Kitchen Decorating Trends is a great option to amplify the worth of a residence. But bear in mind, certainly not all remodeling plans have the same value, and additionally the revenue for any executed remodeling may vary considerably 4011 views.
The front door is the first to greet visitors therefore you must upgrade it Lillian Phillips to provide your visitors better feeling. Despite the fact that a few superior entrance doors are slightly costly, they could go very far with negligible maintenance. Steel entry doors are better because it carries much better security and insulation when compared with wooden entrance doors.
Wooden patio Kitchen Decorating Trends is another hassle-free makeover you should apply to your home. This impressive building is normally affordable and produce a fantastic outdoor living place, something that is in significant popularity among new individuals.
From the interior, it is advisable to emphasize kitchen redesigning in your home improvement plan November 4, 2015 at 1:12 pm. A slight update can be kitchen elements like hardware, countertops, appliances, cabinet doors, and anything else that leaves the main configuration and main parts of the room intact.
Since each residence has various structure, it is a good idea to explore and also review a few renovation options Kitchen Decorating Trends that meet your necessity so you can obtain the most bang from your venture.


Movie Watcher's Guide to Enlightenment, David Hoffmeister: I was raised in Christianity, which has an association with wrong-doing, with some sense of wrongness. But I've found that when we open up and start to come into an experience of deep peace and innocence—even when it's just a glimpse—we get a strong awareness of never having done anything wrong. Our perception shifts in a way that allows us to see peace. We do not have to work it out—it is like a state of grace. That grace has always been our nature; all we need to do is accept it. Once we do, we see that there never was a problem. God created us perfect; we have always been perfect in our Source. We want to go beyond the perspective of believing that there is a God out there somewhere. We want to see that our home is in our heart and that we have never left it.
In his movie The Horse Whisperer, Robert Redford helps a traumatized girl go through a healing experience with her horse. I saw a documentary about the man who was the consultant for that movie. His name was Buck, and he had transcended a traumatic childhood; he chose not to see himself as a victim. He showed his integrity, calmness, gentleness, and compassion in day-to-day living with people and horses. Buck has the ability to ride a horse almost as if he were in the quantum field. The horse flows so beautifully as an extension of his love. Buck is a beautiful witness of deep humility and simplicity. I love movies that show grace in motion, where the innocence is tangible. I am so grateful that we, like Buck, can choose the miracle.
I like to think of miracles as being very natural. I call them ordinary miracles. We do not need to be given extreme signs and symbols. We just need to experience the comforting, peaceful, still awareness that is always in us. It is Who we are. I like the idea that we are the living representations of love and light and joy. That is the burning fire in my heart. That is why I have traveled around the world so extensively, and why I am so comfortable being with my brothers and sisters wherever I go, regardless of what they profess to believe or not believe. I feel a deep connection to them that seems so natural. It is our Purpose to be in that experience and extend it. That is what I feel our lives are meant for. My life has been fully used to extend the Presence of Love.
True Love wants to come through in ways that people can relate to. People are not really interested in a lot of theory and theology; they want the experience. They want signs and symbols that are as simple as shaking hands, or hugging, or embracing, or just softly gazing into another's eyes. Although these gentle expressions come through what seems to be our human nature, it is really our divinity shining out.
Quantum physics shows us that everything we perceive is really just our state of mind. The body, with which we closely identify, acts as a barometer. It mirrors our state of mind in a very direct way. Whenever there seems to be discomfort or disease, we can see that as a gift which is signaling that we are having discomforting thoughts. We can go within, release those thoughts, and discover that we have no real reason to be ill. We are innocent; our natural inheritance is happiness, peace, and joy. So we can thank the body for being such a clear witness to our state of mind. In a biofeedback sense, it is helpful in coming to a state of True Quantum Forgiveness because we can be very honest with ourselves about how we feel. We do not have to stick with the idea that there is some external cause. We can start to take full responsibility for our state of mind.


Back at the start of the trip when we were buying guidebooks for Sweden Lee got chatting to a sales assistant about the Gränsfors Bruk Axe's they had for sale as he owns two already and apparently they are rather good. Well, it just so happens that the Gransfor Bruk factory is open for visitors, and it's not too far away from Stockholm so we made a plan to visit.
It's a fairly low-key affair at the factory, we turned up and had a wander around the shop. Being very British, we didn't want to actually ask about having a look around but lucky for us the shop assistant must have guessed and headed over. She quickly switched to perfect English (they don't half put us to shame with their language skills). We were quickly informed that all we needed was to pop on one of those fetching high-vis vests and we could walk right on in. H&S field day!
Bashing out some double head axes.
Seconds, still hot from the flames.
The number of 'seconds' impressively large. Good quality controls.
Testing them out. Found a favourite.


text:
ie.Merge (also spelled I-Emerge, I.Emerge, ie.MERGE and ie.MERG, and also known as Blesd) is an American hip hop turntablist who won the 2004 and 2005 DMC World DJ Championships. He has won nine American national titles and four world titles, and is known for his highly technical routines.

Early history
Growing up in Northern New Jersey, Merge (aka Micheal Weinstein) was heavily influenced by the New York City hip hop scene. At the age of 13 he began DJing local parties and practicing at home. At 17 he met a group of B-boys (Break dancers) in Naples Florida met best friend Omar (B-boy Omar) Lopez where he learned to B-boy and then took the aggressive style of B-boy battling and applied it to Djing. He practiced along with artists such as former X-ecutioner Mista Sinista and Q-Bert, he is also influenced by other genres as well, such as drum n bass, rock, jazz and soul.

DJing
Merge began to enter DJ battles, and was known for his aggression and technique. Shortly after winning the 2002 ITF US Advancements, Merge was inducted into the respected DJ crew – the 5th Platoon. In 2002, he became active at the Scratch DJ Academy, a DJ school in New York City founded by the late Jam Master Jay. Merge became Head Professor, developing the curriculum now taught in the scratch/juggling class.

Championships
From 2002–2005, Merge won 35 DJ battles. Since 2002, Merge has won 10 national titles and 5 world titles, more titles in 3 years than any other DJ. He has won every prominent US title, becoming America's top DJ in 2003 and 2004 at Guitar Center's annual Spinoff.

World Champion
He has gained world championship titles in every world DJ competition. Merge won the 2004 2005 DMC World Championship in his 2nd year of participation in the competition, ending a four-year hiatus of American winners. He became the seventh American to wear the DMC World championship crown, after DJ Cheese, Roc Raida, Mix Master Mike, DJ Cash Money, Q-Bert and Craze.

2004 DMC World DJ Championships. The 2004 championships took place on Sunday 5 September 2004 at Carling Apollo Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom.

2005 DMC World DJ Championships. The 2005 championships took place on Monday 26 September 2005 at Hammersmith Palais, London, United Kingdom.

References

External links
DMCWorld.com
Guitar Center World Champion 2004/2005

American hip hop DJs
Living people
Musicians from New Jersey
Year of birth missing (living people)


That cow is almost identical in type to the one I posted above. No wonder she's so productive in your program. Band 234 is another bull w/ just unbelievable phenotype. It really is sad that we have individuals and even breeders who are so far removed from applying a selection protocol based on functional beef cattle characteristics that they genuinely believe bulls like Bismarck and his sons are superior in type.
I'd absolutely agree w/ your speculation of some of those bulls. Especially the landmark 912 bull. I could tell you nearly every breed of cattle and their defining characteristics since I was 4 years old- there is only 1 breed that has a head like that.
Thanks, this is how far I have gotten on intuition. I fished 96 out of a herd of 200 commercial cows that I help sort calves on and vaccinate every year. I have culled every commercial Angus cow I owned except her and her family. That Band 105 bull must have been a prepotent rascal.
Here are daughter, grand daughter and great grand daughter. And daughter, 496, with Galloway cross grand daughter. The type comes through regardless of sire, but I have to say I think the Shorthorn crosses are better.
I also believe that a lot, maybe most, of what goes into an optimal regional phenotype is history in the environment. These genes go back 33 years in this locale, so the forage adaptation is deep. I think using home bred sons of the best bulls available is probably the way to keep that going.
These cows could work anywhere. If your somewhere with more rain you could just bulk up your stocking rate as I imagine that they are real easy fleshing.


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NZ police search for kayaker to resume tomorrow
Employment law proposals set to impact Australia's employers in 2021
Man missing from Westmead located
Police are responding to fatal crash – Boundain
Search and rescue at Wellington
Kallaroo death
AI at forefront of efforts to treat coronavirus patients
Liz Truss announces four new non-executive board members
Four DIT non-executive board members with extensive experience in investment, business and international affairs, were announced today (1 December) by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss.
The new members have been appointed for at least 3 years and will provide independent advice, support and scrutiny on the department's work, to support the Government's ambitious trade policy agenda.
They will help the department execute its key priorities including striking free trade agreements in markets around the world, operating our own trading system after the transition period, boosting exports and investment across the UK, and championing free trade and shaping global trading rules.
The new board members are:
Andrew Hood, Founding partner at Oxford Research & Analysis, announced as lead non-executive board member
Dominic Johnson, Founding Partner and Chief Executive at Somerset Capital Management, announced as chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee
Dr Dambisa Moyo, Economist and Author, will become a new non-executive board member
Douglas Carswell, former Member of Parliament for Clacton, will become a new non-executive board member
Founding partner at Oxford Research & Analysis, Andrew Hood, will take on the role of Lead non-executive board member, after facing strong competition from a high number of candidates.
He will be joined by Dominic Johnson, who will replace Julie Currie as Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, and by Dr Dambisa Moyo and Douglas Carswell, who will sit on the DIT Department Board.
Sir Stephen O'Brien, and Noel Harwerth will continue in their roles as Non-Executive Board Members.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said:
These appointments bring vast experience and expertise to the department at a critical time for the UK as a trading nation.
They will help execute our strategic priorities, in particular driving forward our trade deal negotiations programme, our export and investment campaigns, and our work on reforming and reshaping global trade rules.
All of them are high quality appointments who believe fiercely in rules-based free trade. They will play a big role in re-establishing the UK as a major force in global trade, and will help take our trade agenda to the next level in 2021 and beyond.
The non-executive board members were appointed following an open and fair selection process. There are now six non-executive board members.
Appointee biographies
Andrew Hood – Lead NEBM
Andrew Hood is a founding partner at Oxford Research & Analysis with 20 years' experience in the private sector working in or on behalf of companies involved with banking, insurance, asset management, broadcasting, AI, social media and cement. Andrew is a former managing partner of Brunswick Group, which is a leading international strategic advisory firm. He has a background in foreign affairs and defence and has worked in North America, the Middle East and Asia.
Dominic Johnson – NEBM and ARAC Chair
Dominic is Founding Partner and Chief Executive of Somerset Capital Management a $7bn Global Emerging markets specialist investment company. Prior to starting Somerset Capital in 2007, he helped to build Lloyd George Management from $1.5bn to $16bn under management between 2001 and 2007. He has spent the last 25 years in entrepreneurial, international finance, starting his career at Robert Fleming in 1995, before moving to Jardine Fleming, Hong Kong, in 1998, setting up various dotcom business in the early 2000s and ultimately moving into asset management in 2001. He was vice-chairman of the Conservative Party between 2016 and 2019.
Dr Dambisa Moyo
Dr. Dambisa Moyo is an acclaimed global economist and author.
Dr Moyo has focused on analysing the macro economy and international affairs to help drive investment decisions, capital allocation and mitigate risk. Her work examines the interplay of international business and the global economy, whilst highlighting the key opportunities for investment; capitalizing on her ability to translate trends in markets, technology, policy, regulatory matters and economics into their likely impact on national economies and business.
Dr Moyo serves on the boards of the 3M Company, Chevron and Conde Nast. In addition, she serves on the Investment Committee of Oxford University's endowment. She was named by TIME Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World," and is the author of four bestselling books.
Douglas Carswell
Douglas Carswell served as Member of Parliament for Clacton from 2005 to 2017, during which time he was a member of the Public Accounts Committee.
He is a visiting fellow, at the John Locke Institute, and Director of The Good Governance Project, which undertakes research into the process of public administration, and publishes proposals for meaningful reform. He is on the steering group of the Commission for Smart Government, an independent initiative to consider how to make public administrative more effective.
He was formerly a founding director of Vote Leave, and prior to politics worked for one of the world's leading investment management companies.
Tags:america, Asia, asset management, Commission, Conservative Party, Government, International trade, Investment, Middle East, North America, parliament, social media, technology, UK, UK Government, university
A 19-year-old man has been charged with 18 domestic violence related offences including deprivation of…
Issued at 5.20pm, Monday 20 January 2021 A coordinated search is continuing for a teenager…
Hutt Valley Police have arrested a 35-year-old woman in relation to two recent burglaries in…
Police can now name the teenager who died following a crash between a cyclist and…
Northern Territory Police are calling for information in relation to a stealing with violence incident…
South Australia Police are reminding members of the public to be vigilant in scanning COVID-19…


text:
using Votyra.Core.Images;
using Votyra.Core.Models;
using Votyra.Core.Pooling;

namespace Votyra.Core.TerrainGenerators.TerrainMeshers
{
    public interface ITerrainMesher3b
    {
        void AddCell(Vector3i cellInGroup);

        void Initialize(IImage3b image);

        void InitializeGroup(Vector3i group, IPooledTerrainMesh pooledTerrainMesh);
    }
}


In the run-up to the upcoming release of Insurgency: Sandstorm, developers at New World Studios have announced an open beta test this weekend. Players who have issued pre-orders for Insurgency: Sandstorm, have participated in closed testing since the end of August, but this Friday, December 7, everyone will be able to see the game. Open beta will be available on Steam throughout the weekend. Before the start of MBT, developers will release a large patch to add more fresh content and even better optimize the game. The release will take place on PC on December 12th.


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TRAVEL ADVENTURE JOURNAL
MY FRIEND TONY, 1956-2018 BLOG ANTARCTICA JOURNAL IMAGES OF ANTARCTICA MACHU PICCHU THE AMAZON RIVERBOAT ADVENTURE SLIDESHOW - PERU IRELAND CHIP AND PIN - THE NEW PARADIGM IMAGES - THE DALMATIAN COAST THE DALMATIAN COAST, PARIS AND ZERMATT DISCOVERING BURMA & NEPAL MY EVEREST DREAM MEMORABLE BURMA I MEMORABLE BURMA II NEPAL HIGHLIGHTS RUSSIA & TUSCANY INSIDE RUSSIA BEST OF SOUTHEAST ASIA PIX THE SOUTHEAST ASIA GRAND TOUR TURKEY & GREECE TURKEY & GREECE PIX COLORS OF MOROCCO A FLASH FLOOD! WHAT ABOUT A CRUISE? 27 WATERFALLS TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE A CHINA SAMPLER DISCOVERING EASTERN EUROPE THE "NEW" OLD EUROPE PHOTO GALLERY -- EASTERN EUROPE A HAIR-RAISING ADVENTURE IN INDIA INDIA COLLAGE I INDIA COLLAGE II INDIA COLLAGE III RUNNING WITH THE BULLS BARCELONA PHOTO GALLERY-- SPAIN ZIP-LINING IN BELIZE DEATH VALLEY CANNES, CINQUE TERRE & PROVENCE PHOTO GALLERY - PROVENCE ADVENTURES IN LAOS & VIETNAM LUANG PRABANG VIENTIANE HALONG BAY HUE THAILAND ADVENTURE IMAGES OF THAILAND ANGKOR WAT ADVENTURE TRAVEL ON A BUDGET AN IRISH BLESSING REMEMBERING 9/11
My Friend Tony, 1956 - 2018
by Katie Rose
I spent much of yesterday in a haze.
By 6am, I was up and had heard the news of the loss of Anthony Bourdain to suicide. I was immediately heartbroken and continue to be so.
I recently wrote about the untimely death of Kate Spade, the way it was making me feel and the way the loss seemed to penetrate the popular culture. The way losing Kate Spade felt, at least to me, was like a loss of Someone Who Meant Something to Society. She was a representation of a generation and a kind of icon for a woman in a certain time and a certain place.
But losing Anthony Bourdain has felt like losing a friend.
It's hard to put into words the way I felt about Anthony Bourdain. I should probably say from the start, that I called him Tony, as all of his friends did. I'm not the sort to have illusions about celebrities; I've seen the business and know that they are really just people, and no, they in fact, do not have any clue who you are. But somehow, Tony seemed to seep into my personal culture in a way that I have trouble even describing now.
Maybe it was because it felt like he was one of us.
The epitaphs of the past days have often focused on Tony the Chef, but I first knew him as Tony the Traveler. He once said that when he achieved fame unexpectedly, that he had a lot of choices about what to do next. He figured that the best job would be to travel the world, so he began making a travel television series, called "Cooks Tour". Later, he would move to travel channel and begin work on "No Reservations" - a period that I believe was his best work. Most recently, it was "Parts Unknown".
Now a food show, the beginning years were all travel. Travel in a way that was so tangibly different than anything else that was on television. Television created by a Traveler (he would hate that description), and told in a way that felt real and honest and true. Tony was one of us. He was one of those people who was going out into the world and not giving a f@ck about what hotel he was staying at, or how luxurious the pool was, or how he could blow his money shopping all day at the souvenir shops. He went to the places that were hard, to know how people really lived, and what's more, to understand them. Food was always there, and later it would become the center of his show. But in the beginning it was just telling people's stories.
That's really who Tony was. A storyteller. A writer.
A lover of underground rock music and Irish poets, of filmaking and food. He showed us how to love life, and how to hate it. He showed us that the ugly, harsh and disgusting parts of the human experience could be valuable, meaningful and, often, delicious. He wasn't afraid of reality. He wasn't afraid of pain.
I've had so many thoughts in the last day about Tony. I first thought about his daughter, Ariane, and his ex-wife Ottavia who he married after being caught in the middle of a war in Lebanon. I thought about Eric Ripert, his best friend and the one who he cheekily nicknamed "The Ripper". I thought about his girlfriend, Asia Argento, and how they had seemed so in love, but also so off-balance in a recent episode of the show.
felt shock and loss. I think of those days, when I was just out of college, in the midst of a recession trying to find my place in life and seeing Tony make television that made some sense to me. I saw a person who was wickedly funny, with a sharp edge and a heart of gold. I saw a guy who was raised right, was smart as hell and fully "got it" when it came to the big stuff in life. And it's true that Tony always skirted a dark edge: he loved angsty music and dark characters. He spoke about his drug-addiction and his self destruction. He loved the dark fringes of society and he had a little twinkle in his eye when he could make people in the mainstream wince a bit at all these dark things.
But eventually, we all loved him for his darkness, his humour, his intelligence. We loved the way he loved food, even the discardable bits, because it felt so real. Tony connected us to the world in a way that few have the courage to do in American society.
I will miss him. He was truly one of a kind.
When Tony was stuck in Beirut after war broke out during filming, he spent some time in a hotel, being closely guarded and waiting for repatriation by the US military. Eventually, he got access to the kitchen and made a stew. Time and again, when Tony needed comfort, he would make a stew. He always loved "peasant food" and would marvel at stews and soups, the way you could take the rejected bits, some average wine, and cook them for a few hours and something magical would happen. He said that everyone should know how to make beef stew (and roast a chicken).
So I'm going to make stew for Tony. I may even find some Vietnamese food and eat that too. Maybe I'll listen to the Ramones or Iggy Pop while I do. It won't be the same without him, but at least it will be for him.
Tony. My friend I never really knew. A bright light gone out. Safe journey my friend, wherever you're traveling to next. I hope we meet there someday.
A note about suicide: I can't help but feel frustrated at the mechanical way in which the suicide prevention hotline is shared behind every article or post or news clip that has covered the death of both Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade. It feels like such a detached state from the real experience of depression and suicidal thoughts. Let's be clear here: anyone who is in this emotional place is somewhere deep and dark. They're not always able to take care of themselves and the feelings behind these behaviors are seemingly untenable for them. So I want to say this: if you are in that place where there feels like there is no light and no reprieve, try to remember that you ARE the light. You are a bright, shining light. Your light shines on people around you, even if you can't see it right now. Don't give up. This moment will pass. Tomorrow will come. Have strength. Have courage, and, even if you've asked a hundred times, or not at all, ask for help. The world is better with you in it.
https://afsp.org/find-support/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Read more at KDROSE.COM
HOW TO PACK FOR THREE WEEKS IN EUROPE
JORDAN VIGNETTES
By Katie Rose (click here)
TRAVEL IS THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE
Foreign travel is my passion. Because a journey abroad is inherently and often dramatically unpredictable, I look upon it as the ultimate adventure.
The roster of distant lands that I have yet to discover seems inexhaustible and the potential for adventure is limitless. And because each one of us is the ultimate variable, every journey becomes unique. What you experience depends on what you are looking for and what you are willing to try.
The purpose of this website is to share with others my thoughts and insights about travel, my experiences, and my future plans. Since I have never done an on-line journal before, I really don't know if I will have the patience and persistence to regularly write something that others might want to read about.
My name is Scott Rose, and I live in Northern California with my wife and favorite traveling companion, Teresa. We have three adult children in their thirties who are also my traveling companions at different times. Time and again, it is through their eyes that I rediscover the world from different and newly exciting perspectives.
My love for travel began in September 1977 when I spend eight months roaming around Europe in a beat-up Volkswagen bus that I bought for $700 in the parking lot across from American Express in Amsterdam. I covered a lot of ground during that extended road trip, living on the beach at Vai, wandering the medina in Fez, exploring the ruins at Pozzuoli and eventually returning home on Freddie Laker's Skytrain.
It was this extended journey that first led me to appreciate travel as a phenomenon that opens our eyes to the world, and eliminates our instinctive parochialism by educating us about the values of the many societies and cultures with whom we share the planet.
It is my hope that by sharing my experiences, I can inspire others to discover the adventure and acquire the insight that travel can offer.


Clayton Capital Partners, a St. Louis-based investment banking firm, is pleased to exclusively represent CO215 (the "Company") in the sale of its business. Headquartered in the Midwest, CO215 engages in the specialty fabrication of heavy steel process equipment used in the petrochemical and steel industries. The Company also performs repairs and alterations of heavy industrial equipment.
Growing Demand Markets – CO215 primarily supplies the petroleum, industrial chemical and steel industries. These industries are experiencing strong growth.
Fast Turnaround Times – CO215 has a reputation of being one of the fastest "turnaround" service providers in the industry. During turnarounds (when a plant is shut down for repair), speed counts and customers pay premium prices for speed.
Unique Full Service Capabilities – CO215 can internally fabricate equipment from start to finish that is over 110' long by 20' high by 20' wide, uses plate steel up to 4" thick, and weighs up to 230,000 lbs. The time and cost savings from full-service fabrication as well as its size capabilities make it unique in its market and contribute to its strong gross profit.
Niche in Growing Sulfur Recovery Market – CO215 has particular expertise in fabricating equipment for processes involving high sulfur content, particularly the refining of petroleum products. Increased environmental regulation over sulfur, a global increase in the use of higher sulfur (sour) crude oil, and the demand for higher quality (lower sulfur) petroleum products has expanded demand for Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units (FCCUs) and Sulfur Recovery Units (SRUs).
Strong Backlog – CO215's backlog is $12.2 million as of 3/31/14, requiring an estimated total of 71,000 man-hours to perform the work.
That all information, data and materials disclosed or furnished (herein called the Information) by Clayton Capital Partners Acquisition Candidate CO215 (herein called the Company) will be maintained strictly confidential and that, in consideration for such disclosure, no use of the Information will be made by any signing party, or employees of such party, other than for internal evaluation purposes, on a strictly confidential basis.
It is understood that disclosure of any of the Information, including the possibility that the Shareholders may consider sale, disclosure of the current status of the Company, or disclosure of any information to customers, vendors, competitors, or employees of the Company would cause serious financial damage to the Company and/or its affiliates.
The undersigned also agrees that, for the term of this agreement, they will not solicit for employment any person who is currently employed by the Company.
Further, the undersigned agrees not to copy, duplicate, disclose or deliver all or any portion of the Information to a third party or permit any third party to inspect, copy or duplicate the same.
1. Information which has been published and has become part of the public domain other than by acts or omissions by the receiving party.
This agreement shall remain in effect for a term of two years from the execution date hereof and upon request, the receiving party will promptly return all data and materials furnished by the Company and destroy any internal analyses and/or workpapers related to the evaluation of the Company.