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A Timely Call for the Annulment and Repeal of UN Sanctions Against Eritrea
TesfaNews October 4, 2017 | 1,575 | | Eritrea, Resolution 1907, SEMG, Somalia, UN Sanctions
Unjust and Reckless. The sanctions were based on fabricated allegations that are proven to be untrue and nonexistent by the UN Monitoring Group itself. Time to lift these sanctions unconditionally. (Photo: WSJ.COM)
BY BRUH METSAE
On December 23, 2009, Eritreans inside and abroad were at a total loss to learn the imposition of UN sanction against their beloved country. And the swift action they took on February 22nd, 2010 denouncing the UNSC Resolution 1907 and demanding for justice was a reflection of their displeasure towards such illegal and unjust act against a sovereign nation.
The conspiracy against Eritrea by certain members of the world body is nothing new and is well documented. The infamous speech on December 1950 by the then Secretary of State John Foster Dulles which paved the way for annexation of Eritrea by Ethiopia, resulting in a long and bitter armed struggle is one chapter in our history that will not be forgotten.
In reference to Eritrea's legitimate call for independence, the US Secretary of State was quoted as stating on his address to United Nations member states:
" From the point of view of justice, the opinion of the Eritrean people must receive consideration. Nevertheless, the strategic interests of the United States in the Red Sea Basin and world peace make it necessary that the country be linked with our ally Ethiopia."
Following independence, the people and government of Eritrea, not dwelling on their past experience, worked diligently to normalize relationship with United States and many others who opposed the just struggle for independence and supported Ethiopia's hegemonic and expansionist policy towards Eritrea.
Unfortunately, as it takes two to tango, all attempts by Eritrea to solve differences diplomatically received a deaf ear. The recently leaked cables by Wikileaks revealing how the Eritrean government attempted on several occasions to reach out for the Obama and Bush Administration to normalize relations between the two countries without success is but a clear case that invalidates the notion of a lack of cooperation by the former.
Eritrea is a sovereign state that gained its respective membership within United Nations after conducting a world observed referendum in which 99.8% of its citizens voted for independence. As such, it's within its legal right to adopt policies and regulations as it sees them fit to preserve and maintain its sovereignty and national security. It has paid heavy price to achieve its independence and reclaim its sovereignty.
While willing and is working with any nation on a basis of mutual respect, Eritrea does not and should not allow its sovereignty be tampered with by anyone and under any circumstances.
The UNSC Resolution 1907, which Dr. Susan Rice handed over on December 23rd, 2009, was nothing but a continuation of the old U.S. policy designed to subjugate the people of Eritrea and undermine their sovereignty. And, it was an illegal and unjustifiable act based on unsubstantiated and fabricated report with regard to Somalia's conflict.
>> ALSO READ : UNSC Reiterates No Evidence of Eritrea's Support to Al-Shabaab
As oppose to how Susan Rice attempted to present the resolution as "African initiative", the reality is that it is the "offspring" of three major actors, from conception all the way to birth. The late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the man who ignited war against Eritrea in 1998 under a false territorial claim, found the Somalia situation as the best opportunity to weaken Eritrea. As the self-appointed Chairman of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, Zenawi was at ease to making the proposed Sanction look an African initiative.
Uganda's president and one of U.S.'s main ally on war on terror, Kaguta Museveni, has worked hand and glove with Meles Zenawi in drafting the sanction and seeking African support for its implementation. Other than been a close friend to Zenawi, many people are at loss as to what made the Ugandan leader behave awkwardly towards Eritrea.
To talk about Dr. Susan Rice's involvement on this matter would be repetitious and a disservice to those who have written volumes detailing her political role in the region from as far back as 1998, the period during which she was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.
Suffice to say that Susan Rice, as UN Ambassador to the U.S. mission and as a woman with a personal grudge against certain personalities within the Eritrean leadership, finds the situation as a great opportunity to punish Eritrea.
To say that she was the mastermind and main facilitator in the implementation of the UNSC Resolution 1907 would be no less than accurate. The sad part is that the current U.S. Administration is blindly following Dr. Rice's biased political stance towards Eritrea and is not showing any form of flexibility in normalizing ties.
In contrary, and in spite to the recommendations by several reputable U.S. Congressmen who expressed dismay over their government's misguided policy towards Eritrea, the White House continues to portray Eritrea in a negative way.
>> ALSO READ : Sanctions on Eritrea are Pure Bullying: Amb. Herman Cohen
Today, some eight years after the unfair sanction was imposed on Eritrea, the people and government of Eritrea are marching forward in bringing about positive and tangible changes in the country. And the world is waking up from its long sleep and making notice of the tremendous progress registered thus far.
Please refer to recent UN report on Eritrea's impressive achievements in meeting Millennium Goals. Today, Eritrea has one of the lowest HIV and infant mortality rates in the continent. Clinics are opening in every village, catering the health needs of their inhabitants; Micro and macro dams are being built across the country to conserve water and enhance growth of agricultural products; large investment has been made to improve the education system, both in terms of quality and quantity.
That by no means infer that it is all perfect and that there certainly are areas that need improvement. Be that as it may, Eritrea was able to make such astonishing accomplishments with its hands tied; punished for crimes it has no part of.
One can only imagine the level of progress the country could have achieved had it not been subjected to this illegal and unlawful sanctions.
As we look back and remember that unfaithful day on December 23, 2009, the day UN passed unjust sanction against Eritrea, the people of Eritrea every where must reaffirm their commitment towards their country by calling, once again, for the annulment and repeal of UNSC Resolution 1907 that has no moral or legal basis.
Likewise, they must demand that United Nations, as a world body, lives up to its responsibility and uphold the international law enshrined on UN charter with respect to sovereignty and territorial integrity of each of its members, big or small.


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Galileo Galilei's Sidereus Nuncius is arguably the most dramatic scientific book ever published. It announced new and unexpected phenomena in the heavens, "unheard of through the ages," revealed by a mysterious new instrument. Galileo had ingeniously improved the rudimentary "spyglasses" that appeared in Europe in 1608, and in the autumn of 1609 he pointed his new instrument at the sky, revealing astonishing sights: mountains on the moon, fixed stars invisible to the naked eye, individual stars in the Milky Way, and four moons around the planet Jupiter. These discoveries changed the terms of the debate between geocentric and heliocentric cosmology and helped ensure the eventual acceptance of the Copernican planetary system.
Albert Van Helden's beautifully rendered and eminently readable translation is based on the Venice 1610 edition's original Latin text. An introduction, conclusion, and copious notes place the book in its historical and intellectual context, and a new preface, written by Van Helden, highlights recent discoveries in the field, including the detection of a forged copy of Sidereus Nuncius, and new understandings about the political complexities of Galileo's work.
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The life of a Volunteering Officer
I am strong believer in doing something that not only I believe in but that has a genuine benefit to people and to society as a whole. That's part of the reason I considered careers in the police force, ambulance service and why I'm incredibly proud to say my soon to be husband is in the RAF. However after studying history at University and volunteering at my local National Trust property I became inspired and amazed by the many benefits heritage and the historic environment provides. I therefore decided to follow a career in the slightly less dangerous (unless you're regularly climbing towers and scaffolding!) heritage and museum sector.
So why historic churches? I have never been brought up religiously, nor do I follow a particular faith. However, I have an immense amount of respect and love for church buildings, what they represent and the history that is entrenched within them. I find that regardless of your beliefs, each and every church building does seem to have a certain spiritual element to it.
The importance of religious heritage
Religious heritage, in one form or another, has been at the centre of people's lives for thousands of years across the world. The churches under our care have been serving their local communities for centuries, being there at the beginning, middle and end of everyone's lives as they go through each milestone. I for one find that pretty amazing, and humbling when you consider how long a lot of these structures have been in place, watching the landscape change before them.
I have been very lucky over the past two years to work with some incredible volunteers. It is a genuine pleasure and joy to see the passion and dedication shown for local historic churches by local people. The North, where I work, has come leaps and bounds from where we were just two years ago in engaging communities through openness, honesty and transparency when it comes to costings and the challenges our churches face in the modern world. None of this would be possible without our volunteers and local communities and my gratitude to them is endless. I think that being an Area Volunteer would be something I'd really enjoy doing in retirement…
What the future holds...
Historic churches today face a huge challenge to secure their future, and I am very proud to be working to help that cause. As said in a certain well-known manual, and one that I studied in depth at university:
'We cannot stop the clock, nor the inevitable deterioration that comes with the passage of time, all we can do is slow down the process as much as possible. We are merely stewards of these special places and we will do everything in our power to make them sustainable and secure for future generations to enjoy'.
That quote has always stuck with me, and applies to every aspect of our work, from conservation to community development.
Here's to the next 50! Happy Birthday CCT!
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Q: How do I resolve "Unhashable Type" when using sets? I am porting my Maya tool from python2 to python3 and ran into an issue where I have been using set() to remove duplicate entries in a list. Previously this worked great, but now I am getting:
TypeError: unhashable type: 'MeshUV'

The lists contain pymel MeshUV objects and might look like this:
[MeshUV('Right_Hand.map[1011]'), MeshUV('Right_Hand.map[1012]'),
 MeshUV('Right_Hand.map[1013]'), MeshUV('Right_Hand.map[1014]')]

Klaus D asked for minimal code to get this error, so use this in Maya with some uvs selected.
import pymel.core as pm
uvs = pm.ls(sl=True, fl=True)
set(uvs)

I don't know why this is suddenly a problem, but maybe there's any fast alternative to using set to remove duplicates or if I can alter the lists somehow to make them work again?
Edit: So after martineau's response I am thinking it's a change in Maya 2022 and rather than python3 per se, even though this is the version of Maya when they made the switch.

A: Python requires items in a set or dictionary to be hashable. If you're not using a custom type in which you can define __eq__ and __hash__ functions, you're better off using a different method of removing duplicates:
new_list = list()
for item in old_list:
    if item not in new_list:
        new_list.append(item)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home > Hardware
Wearable Chairs and You
Christopher Harper
Most of the time on MakeTechEasier, we like to talk about technology as it relates to computers and smartphones.
Technology, however, isn't limited to electronics and microprocessors – the definition of technology is really just "the application of scientific knowledge", and the application of scientific knowledge is what's brought us to the subject of today's article: the wearable chair.
Full disclosure: I presently work from home and write to make my living. However, I'm not unfamiliar with the on-your-feet industry in fast food, retail, etc., and I'm sure many of you aren't either. Let's talk about the wearable chair and what difference it could make moving forward.
What is a wearable chair, and how does it work?
The news that spurred the release of this article comes from the announcement of the Archelis. The Archelis (which literally translates to "walking/walkable chair") is a Japanese creation, intended for people working in high-end professions, namely surgery.
However, the Archelis isn't the first wearable chair to make the news recently. In March of 2015, Wired reported on an innovation being made in manufacturer Audi's factories – the implementation of a "Chairless Chair" created by the Swiss company Noonee.
The image above shows Noonee's tech at work, allowing a worker to sit, without a chair, while working. Most wearabale chairs will work like this – by making something similar to (or what can just be outright called) an exoskeleton for the legs, people will be allowed to support themselves and assume a sitting position without the need for a chair.
Of course, gravity is still at play here. Wearable chairs focus the weight of their users at their ankles and feet. It's not exactly the same as resting yourself on a comfortable chair. The experience is described to be more akin to a barstool, but for workers like surgeons or manufacturers, any kind of additional comfort is more than welcome.
These are two separate projects intended for two separate audiences – the worker at the manufacturing plant and the surgeon at the hospital. However, the tech behind them, the application, is incredibly similar. As this technology seeps into the mainstream, and I'm sure it will, you may find yourself with a few questions.
Let's talk about those for a minute.
Who is it intended for?
The two companies mentioned above are targeting their products towners factory workers and surgeons. These are both strenuous, high-accuracy jobs that require an extended amount of time on your feet- fatigue, as well as potential back problems, are very real concerns in this line of work. That being said, however, most jobs are also strenuous and require a lot of time moving around, on your feet. This technology may be aimed at a particular few audiences for now, but if you've ever had to stand for long periods of time, working, without a chair in sight, you'll understand the need.
Can I use it?
Once it's out, absolutely. Nobody can stop you from buying a wearable chair and using it yourself. It may be frowned upon in certain work environments – you can get in trouble for sitting down while working fast food or retail, for instance, but that's mainly due to how people perceive sitting around. I think it's reasonable to expect a lot of opposition to this tech early on, especially in industries that treat their employees poorly to maintain a company image.
However, innovation usually wins. It may take a while, but I believe that wearable chairs will be accepted into society as just another part of working life.
That's anyone's guess. I can't find pricing information on either of the products covered here. Due to the age and utility of this new technology, however, I'd expect it to be reasonably expensive, at least somewhere near the $100 USD range. Note that this is an estimate made in February of 2016, whether I'm right or wrong, only time will tell.
Do you work a job where this kind of tech would be handy? Sound off below and let us know what you think.
Image Credit: Audi/Wired for Chairless Chair Demo, Assorted images of both products from their websites.
I'm a longtime gamer, computer nerd, and general tech enthusiast.
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Destination Eurovision 2019 – Semi-Final Two Recap
Date: January 19, 2019Author: djc0x 0 Comments
Good evening everyone and welcome to the latest Eurovision national selection post on The Blogging DJ
Tonight was the second semi-final of Destination Eurovision 2019, the selection process for the French representative in the Eurovision Song Contest. Last week saw Bilal Hassani, Chimène Badi, Silvàn Areg and Aysat book their places in the Grand Final. Tonight, the second group of nine competed for four places in final next Saturday, with 50% of the scores coming from a five-member international jury, and 50% coming from televoting. On to the songs!
Gabriella – "On cherche encore (Never Get Enough)"
The French broadcaster paid a lot of money for this box and they are going to work it out with as many acts as they can! The staging is bright and ingenious, moving from a piano at the bottom, to a violin at the top, via some stairs. I think Gabriella is at her best in this song when she can showcase her musical talents. She is putting a lot into this song but it almost feels restricting. A lot of fun for an opening number though.
The Divaz – "La voix d'Aretha"
This trio look stunning tonight in red outfits reminiscent of Miss Franklin herself. They are most certainly Dreamgirls when it comes to live vocals as well, they are tight and work well in harmony. Whilst more retro musical nature than modern pop act, this went down so well with the audience and honestly, I loved it too. Eurovision is an extravaganza and they brought a classy yet feelgood factor in their performance. Might do better with the televoters than the international jury though.
Ugo – "Ce qui me blesse"
Ugo has taken the potentially brave decision to perform alone on stage. The song starts off well enough, with static interrupting what appears to be a sun rise on the LED screen behind him, with many close cuts. But as the song continues, he kind of just hops on the spot and the wide camera angles make him get swallowed up by the stage. Bar a couple of aborted words, his vocals were decent but I worry about this standing out. This is one of the more modern songs of this selection but will that be enough?
Tracy de Sá – "Por aqui"
That opening shot, where she is walking through a tunnel illuminated with neon lights, is so modern; it is Surie's 2018 staging on speed! The whole performance itself is very 2019, with the dancers around her. It feels like a potential summer hit, it would be good for the contest if more songs were included like that. I am definitely not sure about those live vocals though, I prefer when she is dancing and rapping to when she is trying to hit those higher notes. They need to be fixed if she gets to the Grand Final.
Emmanuel Moire – "La promesse"
The song starts off with the camera spinning whilst he is crouched in a box and goes through a strange segment where the half naked male dancers pull his clothes off him, like a homo erotic version of Azerbaijan's 2015 entry. The whole thing is quite theatrical though, down to the exaggerated hand and facial movements he makes and, though he sings very well in this song, it might be too regional to get anywhere at Eurovision.
Noémie – "Ma petite famille"
A very sweet song, performed very nicely by Noémie. She is dressed all in tartan and sounded great throughout the performance. My one qualm is that the song actually had such a natural beat and that could have been used so much more in the staging and the presence of the singer. The crowd loved it when she got in their midst and moved off her spot but maybe do it sooner, cause the song is begging for some colour and brightness.
Seemone – "Tous le deux"
This was the first performance tonight that had me transfixed on my video feed, not typing at all. The staging might be called simple, but that meant all of the focus was on her. She felt the song so well and it was so personal to her, as she (and maybe most of France) ended the song in tears and the audience ended on their feet, chanting her name. A beautiful and heartfelt performance. This is going through for definite.
Doutson – "Sois un bon fils"
Firstly, I love the inclusion of a young dancer in the performance, who I assume is the younger version of himself, and how he (dubbed by a mostly off-camera singer) and Doutson duet and dance together. In the middle section, there is a slightly run-of-the-mill sequence with backup dancers that I slightly lost focus on. As for the song, it is perfectly alright, but is a few years too late compared to other modern songs and performances. With this song, I think it'll depend on televotes to get through.
PhilipElise – "Madame la paix"
A pretty fun package, all around. The staging features some humongous flowers and a pier looking out to the sea. She is with some band members, one of them holding an accordian, which I love. This feels like real old school Eurovision; this is a mixed blessing to be honest. Whilst the chorus is really fun and the singer has immense energy, it feels like the levels drop so much in the verses that she has to try and pick up the audience again. Much less applause than I was expecting too; it might be touch and go to progress.
That is all nine performances in the second semi-final completed and I think tonight was stronger than last weekend's. It will be a shame to not see several of them in the final.
After the jury vote, it was clear Seemone was winning the semi-final after receiving the maximum number of points. There was a tight battle behind her for the three remaining places. The televote results were very tense but Emmanuel Moire won this round to move up to second place. The Divaz slotted into third with high scores from both halves of the vote and Doutson scraped through by a single point. Sadly that means we have to say goodbye to Ugo, Gabriella (shocker!), PhilipElise, Tracy de Sá and Noémie.
Artist Song Jury Televote Total
1 Seemone "Tous les deux" 60 53 113
2 Emmanuel Moire "La Promesse" 28 56 84
3 The Divaz "La Voix d'Aretha" 26 28 54
4 Doutson "Sois un bon fils" 24 15 39
5 Ugo "Ce qui me blesse" 30 8 38
6 Gabriella "On cherche encore"
(Never Get Enough) 14 18 32
7 PhilipElise "Madame la paix" 18 13 31
8 Tracy de Sá "Por aqui" 2 13 15
9 Noémie "Ma petite famille" 8 6 14
Who were your favourites tonight? Comment below, and for more Eurovision posts, don't forget to subscribe to The Blogging DJ.
2019BlogDestination EurovisionEurovision Song ContestFranceIsraelLiveMusicTel AvivTVWordPress
Published by djc0x
A 23 year old graduate and serial tea drinker.	View all posts by djc0x
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Ask any hairdresser what the most common question they here is, and the answer is bound to be "Is there a hair repair for split ends?" People from every walk of life suffer from split ends. Much to their dismay, they've unsuccessfully tried dozens of hair care products that claim to put heal split ends. Unfortunately, these products are typically all talk with no results.
But that's not to say there are no cures for split ends. We've tested several products and home remedies to find there are several things you can do to limit the occurrence of severe hair breakage. Here are a few of the most effective remedies for split ends.
One type of split ends treatment that has gained popularity lately is homemade conditioner for split ends. There are several types of these home remedies for split ends, but here are the ones we found to be most effective.
Hot Olive Oil- One of the best home hair repair for split ends involves the use of hot olive oil. Simply microwave the olive oil to get it warm. Massage the warm olive oil throughout your hair, and let it sit for several minutes. After it has been fully worked in, carefully rinse the olive oil out. Gently dry your hair to complete the procedure.
Mayonnaise- This idea isn't for those who get squeamish easily. Mayonnaise doesn't have the most appealing smell, but it makes a great conditioner for split ends. Work a handful of mayo through your hair for about five minutes. Then, be sure to thoroughly rinse your hair of all mayonnaise. This can be difficult as the mayo tends to not come out so easily.
For those with really bad split ends, the use of a professional strength hair repair for split ends is necessary. We believe H2-Ion is the best solution for those who seek to repair split ends. This product was specially designed to eliminate hair breakage forever. Use the product daily with your blow dryer to mend your hair back to a healthy condition. It's the only way to fully repair really bad split ends.


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Rompiendo Barreras Panel Discussion
by Bryan Santos
Serving the community can be challenging, however, one of the most important tools available to us that help us keep our finger on the pulse of the community is their voice. Hearing someone speak may be the easiest thing to do. However, hearing isn't the same as listening, and actively listening can impact your work and help guide your mission directives. Pridelines hosts Listening sessions to be intentional about our programming and to meet the needs of the community. Recently we held three listening sessions for people living with HIV or who are impacted by a loved one who has HIV. They had a diverse group of participants that ranged from people of color to people within the Latin community. Both communities experienced disparities when it comes to medical care and engagement within the community as it pertains to issues surrounding HIV.
During one of the listening sessions, we spoke briefly about things that are directly impacting the community and how they manage their status and care. Common themes that were mentioned were issues regarding housing, issues with staying engaged in care, privacy concerns, affordability, and accessibility of treatment. Many of these issues have been voiced before but some of the interesting feedback pertained particularly to the privacy and anonymity of the client as it pertains to staying engaged. Participants felt that the stigma of being HIV positive was only exacerbated by having to go to a branded clinic that clearly states HIV within the service. Many of them agreed it was uncomfortable for them to sit and wait to be seen in a lobby with other people around them. They didn't want to be identified with their diagnosis and it was a deterrent to remaining engaged.
Some participants expressed a desire to have a generalized clinic that serviced more than just HIV patients to allow them their anonymity. Furthermore, many of them stated the regimen was also difficult to adhere to at times. Interestingly enough one of the guest speakers had news about a new medication that was injectable and did not need to be taken daily. The idea was that it would support those who had difficulty with adherence. The news was well received and sparked interesting conversations on how the medication would work and how accessible it would be. Leading to one of the more important issues accessibility within the community and a destigmatization of those on treatment.
"U equals U" has been talked about previously but many of the participants felt that although they were showing up as undetectable the general stigma remained. One participant in the Latin group stated they had been treated poorly by lesser educated support staff at facilities as it pertained to being trans and HIV positive. They expressed a sense of dread when they knew they had an appointment because they didn't want to feel the mistreatment again. They gave an example of not wanting to be touched and the use of two pairs of gloves. Instances like this are imperative to discuss because it shows the amount of work we have to do to educate providers.
All of these concerns are valid and only go to speak to the importance of having these sessions. They allow health care workers and patients to express concerns openly and freely to improve the health care system, reduce barriers, and eliminate stigmatization. All of these sessions provided great opportunities for growth and much of what Pridelines learned can be used in conjunction with how we link our guests to care. It will also be used to improve our educational content so we can help providers create safe and affirming spaces for those suffering from HIV that fall under the LGBTQ umbrella.
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Also known as "vegetable tallow," palm oil works well in formulations where you need a thicker or rigid product. It is white in color and has bland flavor and aroma. In soap recipes, it saponifies easily and will help other oils in your recipes to saponify more quickly. The result is a harder, more rigid bar of soap with stable lather. It is recommended to use palm oil in combination with other base oils such as coconut oil and/or olive oil.
There is much discussion within the palm oil industry about the destruction of rainforests when harvesting palm oil. This destruction of rain forests is known to cause the decline in orangutan population. As a company, we are very concerned about this, and as a result, we only source palm oil from suppliers who sustainably harvest and produce and who are members of the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). This product is also qualified for use by companies certified by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (Leaping Bunny).
Palm oil is used both for culinary purposes as well as in the body care industries to make balms, body butters, deodorants, perfume bars and soap.


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BOEM
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BOEM Proposes Beaufort Sea Lease Sale for 2019
By Alex B. Rothenberg on April 12, 2018
Posted in BOEM, Outer Continental Shelf
In late March, the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a Call for Information and Nominations for a proposed sale in the Beaufort Sea Planning area in late 2019. The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska and west of…
UPDATE: BOEM Withdraws Sole Liability Orders Issued Under NTL 2016-01
By Cynthia Nicholson, Peck Hayne & Margaret "Peggy" Welsh on February 20, 2017
Posted in BOEM
The Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) announced that it will withdraw its orders issued in December 2016 to provide additional security for sole-liability properties to Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas lease and grant holders. "Sole-liability properties" are leases, rights of way (ROWs) and right of use easements (RUEs) for which there are no…
BOEM Delays NTL 2016-01 for Non-Sole Liability Properties
By Cynthia Nicholson, Peck Hayne & Margaret "Peggy" Welsh on January 9, 2017
Just hours after we posted our blog questioning the future viability of the Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) new financial assurance regime, BOEM announced in a Note to Stakeholders that it "will extend the implementation timeline for NTL 2016-N01 by an additional six months as to leases, rights-of-way and rights of use and easement for…
What Does the Future Hold for BOEM's Financial Assurance Requirements?
By Margaret "Peggy" Welsh on January 6, 2017
As we have reported in previous blog posts (for example, BOEM Issues NTL Implementing Major Changes to its Financial Security Requirements for the OCS), the Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) published a long-awaited Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) implementing new financial security requirements (NTL No. 2016-N01 dated July 12, 2016). This NTL…
BOEM Issues NTL Implementing Major Changes to its Financial Security Requirements for the OCS
By Cynthia Nicholson, Peck Hayne & Margaret "Peggy" Welsh on July 15, 2016
On July 14, 2016, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a long-awaited Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) implementing new financial security requirements (NTL No. 2016-N01 dated July 12, 2016). The NTL was issued to "clarify the procedures and criteria that BOEM Regional Directors use to determine if and when additional security…
BOEM Publishes Final Rule for Leasing in the OCS
By Margaret "Peggy" Welsh on May 5, 2016
On March 30, 2016, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published its Final Rule for Leasing of Oil and Gas or Sulfur in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This particular rulemaking process began with the publication of a proposed rule in 2009 by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) – after the 2010 and 2011…


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Q: Displaying background image in corona sdk I'm learning corona sdk to make a simple game. the first that I have to do is display background image.
I made a new project in corona sdk and wrote the following code
local background = display.newImage("background.png")

this code give a small pic in upper left corner of the screen like the one shown below. I tried so many thing as said in other platform and youtube but could not find the answer.
picture that I get after the code above

A: Try this:
local image = display.newImageRect( "images/background.jpg",
               display.contentWidth, display.contentHeight)
image.x = display.contentCenterX
image.y = display.contentCenterY

A: By default, a display image is positioned based on its center point at Point(0,0) on the grid.  Point (0,0) starts at the top left so it makes sense that the center of your background is positioned at the top left of the screen.
There are two ways to fix your problem:

*

*set displayObject.anchorX = 0, displayObject.anchorY = 0 so that the top left of the display image is positioned at the top left of the screen.

*Do not set the anchor points.  Instead set the displayObject.x and displayObject.y to the center of the screen.

A: Try using this,
local image = display.newImageRect( "image.png", 100, 100 )
image.x = display.contentCenterX
image.y = display.contentCenterY

try using newImageRect instead of newImage.
https://docs.coronalabs.com/api/library/display/newImageRect.html#examples


text:
package org.finos.waltz.web.endpoints.api;

import org.finos.waltz.service.cost.CostService;
import org.finos.waltz.web.DatumRoute;
import org.finos.waltz.web.ListRoute;
import org.finos.waltz.web.endpoints.Endpoint;
import org.finos.waltz.model.EntityKind;
import org.finos.waltz.model.EntityReference;
import org.finos.waltz.model.IdSelectionOptions;
import org.finos.waltz.model.cost.EntityCost;
import org.finos.waltz.model.cost.EntityCostsSummary;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;

import static org.finos.waltz.web.WebUtilities.*;
import static org.finos.waltz.web.endpoints.EndpointUtilities.*;

@Service
public class CostEndpoint implements Endpoint {

    private static final String BASE_URL = mkPath("api", "cost");

    private final CostService costService;

    @Autowired
    public CostEndpoint(CostService costService) {
        this.costService = costService;
    }

    @Override
    public void register() {

        String findByEntityReferencePath = mkPath(BASE_URL, "entity", "kind", ":kind", "id", ":id");
        String findBySelectorPath = mkPath(BASE_URL, "target-kind", ":kind");
        String summariseByCostKindAndSelectorPath = mkPath(BASE_URL, "cost-kind", ":id", "target-kind", ":kind", "summary");

        ListRoute<EntityCost> findByEntityReferenceRoute = (request, response) -> {
            EntityReference ref = getEntityReference(request);
            return costService.findByEntityReference(ref);
        };

        DatumRoute<EntityCostsSummary> summariseByCostKindAndSelectorRoute = (request, response) -> {
            IdSelectionOptions idSelectionOptions = readIdSelectionOptionsFromBody(request);
            long costKindId = getId(request);
            Integer limit = getLimit(request).orElse(15);
            EntityKind targetKind = getKind(request);
            return costService.summariseByCostKindAndSelector(costKindId, idSelectionOptions, targetKind, limit);
        };

        ListRoute<EntityCost> findBySelectorRoute = (request, response) -> {
            IdSelectionOptions idSelectionOptions = readIdSelectionOptionsFromBody(request);
            EntityKind targetKind = getKind(request);
            return costService.findBySelector(idSelectionOptions, targetKind);
        };

        getForList(findByEntityReferencePath, findByEntityReferenceRoute);
        postForDatum(summariseByCostKindAndSelectorPath, summariseByCostKindAndSelectorRoute);
        postForList(findBySelectorPath, findBySelectorRoute);
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This post was sponsored by a2 Milk® as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. I can't quit milk and cookies. No matter how hard I try! There is something so relaxing about dipping a cookie in milk that makes all things right with the world. And I won't give it up even though milk and my body are not BFFs. All signs point to me not drinking milk but the heart wants what it wants and I'm so glad I found a special milk that allows me to eat all the milk and cookies that I want! I can give up a glass with breakfast. I can find recipes that don't require it. But give me my milk and cookies!
Over the years our family has had a love hate relationship with milk. My oldest son finally grew out of a milk allergy but for years we had to read labels to make sure that he wasn't be exposed to the allergen in anything he ate. For me, I found that milk made me feel bad. Real bad. 'Post Dairy Digestion Discomfort' is a thing. And I have it. This means that drinking milk and a lot of times, eating ice cream, leaves me feeling awful. We tried all different kinds of milk alternatives (soy, almond, coconut) to find something milk-like that we could drink. Neither of us liked any of those so for years we did without, looking for our calcium through supplements and veggies. But all milk is not the same! a2 Milk® is real, farm fresh milk! The a1 protein is the reason milk can cause stomach problems and it is currently in all conventional milk and organic milks on the market in the U.S. Except a2 Milk® which comes from specially selected a2 cows. This is natural, not chemically created or modified. Which means I now have a milk option to dip my cookies in! While I love to create recipes and try new flavor combinations, my kids are very tame. My oldest doesn't even like chocolate chip cookies! I'm thinking he may have been switched at birth since I have a wicked sweet tooth and he doesn't like America's favorite cookie. But there is one type of cookie they love. Snickerdoodles. My guess is they love the cinnamon and sugar all over the outside of it. But I make a small change to amp up the flavor. And they don't seem to notice so now we all enjoy snickerdoodles. While my recipe for snickerdoodles is basic, I add a TBSP of orange zest to the batter before rolling in the cinnamon and sugar and baking. YOU GUYS! This gives it such amazing flavor! You can't really tell that it is orange, but it brightens the flavor and goes so well with the sweetness. Shhhhhhh. Don't tell my kids. They would frown on this modification. They like to keep things really plain. The other trick is that I use melted butter, which although I'm not a baker or scientist, I think it makes them a little chewier than normal. I love a chewy cookie! The a2 Milk® Company™ has partnered with some U.S. family dairy farms to expand the specially selected a2 herd of cows, who naturally produce milk free from the nasty a1 protein. Which means I can now have milk and cookies, again, and not feel awful after it! Huzzah! An independent study showed that 1 in 4 Americans have discomfort after drinking milk but only about 6% were clinically diagnosed with lactose intolerance. This means that there are many readers who struggle with drinking milk and are missing out on a lot of milk and cookie moments. But not any more! Milk and cookie moments are so special to share with the kids. They grow so fast and I know these moments are numbered. In fact the day I shared these snickerdoodles with my little one, my older kid was off at a drop off birthday party. My mama heart needed all those cookies. I ate (more than my fair share of) cookies, then went on about my day, with no stomach issues whatsoever. It was awesome. a2 Milk® was super easy for me to find at my local grocery store. Check their store locator to find it in your area. While it sits close to the nut and soy milks, it has much better nutritional value. Plus it tastes delicious with snickerdoodles.
I love the cinnamon and sugar goodness of a normal snickerdoodle but this version with hints of orange blow my mind! YUM!
In a large bowl combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add the egg, vanilla, melted butter and orange zest.
Using your hands, grab small bits of dough and roll them in to balls.
Roll the dough ball in the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat.
Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes watching to make sure they don't overcook.
The cookies continue to cook a smidge once removed from the oven.
I did not know about a2milk. Looked at their locator and so glad to find it at a store near my home. Thank you for sharing. Now on to the cookies !
It's a pretty neat product! There is NO difference in flavor at all!


Need urgent advice on how to fix a problem in or around your home?
Perhaps you are planning a specific repair or to carry out some improvements?
Whatever, you are bound to find the answers to your particular problem in our ever-growing library of expert, easy to follow, home repair guides here.
If you don't see the home repair guide you need, send us a request to add it to our next update!
Run through the list of sub-headings below then click on the particular category to get the answers you need.


More then a week ago I got back to The Netherlands again. I wasn't planning on that when I went on my trip, but looking back, it was the right decision to go back. My feet are still bothering me quite a lot so if I stayed, I had to take quite a lot of rest days to get my feet back into some normal condition. Also, the last week I've been sleeping a lot! Each night at least 9 hours. The last night was the first night I didn't sleep when I hit the bed.
After quitting my job I had to turn in my laptop but I've done some research and got a new one! It is what they call a business laptop. I'm not a gamer so I don't care that much about the videocard. The keyboard is more important for me and a business laptop has a much better keyboard then a normal consumer laptop. Also, it's much easier to blog and maintain this site on a laptop then on a mobile phone.
To get and stay a bit active and fit, I've got myself a pair of running shoes. And the plan is to go running in the morning. It's also a nice way to discover the city where I am. With for example the app Strava you can discover routes that other people are walking.
So what about my travel plans? I've got myself a train ticket for july 18 to Berlin! In my experience, in Europe, when you travel like 600 km, it's almost always a lot cheaper to travel by train and when you look at the travel time from door to door, a plane won't be a lot faster. The first week I'll be sleeping in a "eco" hostel. The hostel is just outside of the city centre in a forrest. There are a lot of trails in the forrest which will be fun (I hope) with my new running shoes.
Also I've booked 1 night at a somewhat special hotel, the michelberger hotel. It is a bit of a hipster hotel and they have also quite a lot of music. For example, one of my favorite live shows has been shot here, Damien Rice live! I am a bit of a fan and I think this is the best live recording of him.
I've got ideas for after Berlin but that will come at a later time.


Since 2006, thousands of children in Turkey, some as young as 12, have been prosecuted under anti-terrorism legislation for their alleged participation in demonstrations. The demonstrations were focused on issues of concern to members of the Kurdish community and often involved violent clashes with the police.
Following their arrest, many children have been detained in adult detention facilities without record of the detention being made, and without the children having access to lawyers or their family. In many cases, once charged, the children have been remanded in custody, with pre-trial detention periods ranging from several months to over a year. During the detention period, these children often did not have access to education, health facilities and leisure activities. Many children have reported ill-treatment and torture during their arrest and their subsequent detention.
Earlier this year, the Turkish government amended the law to prevent the prosecution of child demonstrators under anti-terrorism legislation solely for their alleged participation in demonstrations. Under these amendments, all children previously convicted under the Anti-Terror Law will have their convictions quashed and all children prosecuted under other laws will be tried in Children's Courts rather than adult Special Heavy Penal Courts.
While this is a positive step, in some cases children have not been released due to courts being slow to transfer the cases to Children's Courts. There is also a lack of Children's Courts in some provinces, so it is likely that a number of these children are likely to be tried in adult courts .
The prosecution of children under the same procedures as adults constitute a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Child Protection Law in Turkey. The Turkish authorities must ensure that the existing juvenile justice system is implemented in accordance with international human rights standards and Turkey's domestic legislation.


WETHERSFIELD – Connecticut's Department of Motor Vehicles announced a change that is coming for drivers obtaining licenses and IDs.
The department says it will transition to a program that issues license from a single central location in accordance with the federal Real ID Act, meant to better secure peoples identities. The DMV anticipates full implementation by the end of 2017.
Once implemented, drivers will get their licenses in the mail from a central location instead of over the counter at the DMV. They'll leave the department with a temporary paper copy of their license and their old expiring ID until their new one arrives in the mail in a few days. The central issuance program is already in place in more than 25 other states.
"For many people across the country this is a normal process. For Connecticut, it's a little unique. You no longer get it over the counter, which is why we're starting now to kind of begin to inform the public," said DMV Commissioner Michael Bzdyra.
The program is intended to cut down on fraud and identity theft issues.
Also, customers will now be able to do future license renewals online, so you'll only have to visit the DMV every 12 years, instead of the current six years. Customers will also be able to use the DMV website to replace a lost license or ID.
"It's more convenient for the customer and of course, there's less foot traffic at the DMV," said Bzdyra.
The federal Department of Homeland Security provides Real ID compliant states, such as Connecticut, two options for securing their driver license production processes: 1) To issue from a secure centralized location or 2) To continue the over-the-counter issuing, which would require massive capital investments.
The Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, establishes certain security standards for proof of identity and production of state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.


text:
Birth Anniversary of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)
World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) congratulates the Imam of our Time, Imam Mahdi (atfs) and all believers on the birth of Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), the first infallible Imam an read more...
Martyrdom Anniversary of Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (as)
On the sad occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of the sixth infallible imam, Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (as), World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) offers its condolences to the Imam of our Time Imam Mahdi (atfs) and all believers.
& read more...
Martyrdom Anniversary of Lady Zainab (sa)
On the sad occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Sayeda Zainab bint Ali (s.a), the sister of Imams Hasan and Hus read more...
Martyrdom Anniversary of Imam Musa al-Kazim (as)
On the sad occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of the seventh Infallible imam, Imam Musa ibn Jafar, al-Kazim (as), World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) extends its condolences to the Imam of our time Imam Mahdi (atfs), the Ahlul Bayt (as), read more...
Death Anniversary of Hazrat Abu Talib (as)
On the sad occasion of the death anniversary of Imam Ali (as)'s father, hazrat Abu Talib (as), the uncle of the Prophet (sawa), World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) extends read more...
Celebration of the Prophet (sawa) Appointment and Night Journey to Heaven
Today, 27 Rajab, is the Eid of Besat, the day that the Prophet's appointment as the Messenger of Allah began and years later, the Miraj, the wonderful miraculous journey of the Prophet Muhammad (sawa) from Makkah to Jerusalem and the read more...
Condemnation of the murder of Khurram Zaki in Karachi
World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) utterly condemns the brutal murder of the Pakistani Shia human rights activist and journalist Syed Khurram Zaki yesterday at the hands of read more...
Birth Anniversary of Sayeda Zainab binte Ali (as)
On the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of Sayeda Zainab bint Ali (s.a), the sister of Imams Hasan an read more...
Birth Anniversary of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him)
Today, on the Islamic date of 3rd Shaban, World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) congratulates the universe on the birth anniversary of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him and his holy family [pbuh&hf]), read more...
Condemnation of Car Bomb Attacks in Baghdad, Wednesday 11 May 2016
World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) utterly condemns the terrorist car bomb attacks that have been perpetrated in Sadr City, Kazimiya and Jamia areas of Baghdad this Wednesday, killing over 100 people. The deadliest attack was in a market place i read more...


text:
Virtual offices in 260 Madison Avenue
260 Madison Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, 8th Floor, New York, New York, 10016
The Madison Avenue address has become synonymous with advertising but, these days, it is also a fashionable shopping district in the heart of Midtown. It is a modern center with an opulent reception and 106 modern offices, complete with ergonomic office furniture and business-grade WiFi. The centre has a communal kitchen with tea and coffee making facilities, as well as three meeting rooms to meet, pitch, train and interview, projectors, whiteboards and support from our team. There are five comfortable leather armchairs that form a breakaway room, tastefully decorated with modern art, photography and stylish interior decor.
Conveniently located near Grand Central Terminal, the Empire State Building and a short walk from the world-famous Broadway theatres and Times Square, the centre is well situated, to say the least. As New York's largest business district, Midtown is the busiest commercial district in the United States, with massive retail and business clusters. It has the headquarters of some of America's biggest companies, including Cantor Fitzgerald, CBS, Calvin Klein, Colgate-Palmolive, Deloitte, Estee Lauder, MetLife, Morgan Stanley, New York Times, Pfizer, Polo Ralph Lauren, Saks, Simon & Schuster, Thomson Reuters, Time Warner and Viacom. Many international companies have regional offices here and several countries also have diplomatic offices in the area.
What's available Buy now
Virtual offices in 260 Madison Avenue Buy now
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Kering, the giant conglomerate of high-end goods, teamed up with London College of Fashion to release the first-ever digital course in luxury fashion and sustainability. The company put their best sustainability specialists to collaborate with LCF in creating an all-access online programme, that will educate and help young, emerging designers. The whole point of the launch is to accent the importance of finding alternative eco-friendly sources and using them properly.
The renowned luxury company stands behind brands such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent and many more. Most of its fashion houses already announced that they will go fur-free in the near future. According to Kering, it will be a six-week course, available for everyone who wants to sign up and learn more. The primary goal is to influence all the designers, who are already a part of the fashion industry by helping them implement sustainable principles in their future work.
"We actively work with our houses to craft tomorrow's luxury via our 2025 sustainability strategy but also wish to contribute to the evolution of luxury fashion as a whole, by sharing our expertise with industry counterparts and educating future generations. Today I am proud that Kering's partnership with London College of Fashion takes a new step, making education accessible outside of the classroom with this the world's first open-access digital course on sustainable luxury fashion."- explained Kering's CEO, Francois Henri Pinault.
The online course 'Fashion & Sustainability: Understanding Luxury Fashion in a Changing World' is the first digital one in the world of its kind. Thanks to Kering's efforts in making the industry a better place, they will influence a large audience in many positive ways. We are talking about MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), meant to educate through real examples drawn from fashion houses such as Stella McCartney, Gucci and more. During those six weeks, all of the participants will be able to follow different podcasts, activities, movies and more. In order to stimulate talented designers, Kering and LCF made the six-week programme accessible online from mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.
Recently,	Kering was rewarded with the acknowledgment as the most sustainable fashion conglomerate in the world by Corporate Knights. The company and London College of Fashion already set up a platform, where applicants can sign up and follow the daily activities of the online course. It was constructed in a way that participants can access it at any time, all they need is an Internet connection. The official start date is April 9.


text:
Development & Aid, Economy & Trade, Environment, Global Governance, Headlines, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Latin America & the Caribbean, Natural Resources, North America
Indigenous Peruvian Community Locked in Dispute with Oil Company
TORONTO, May 8 2012 (IPS) - An indigenous group in the Amazon rain forest took its anti-oil message to Canada in a case rife with accusations of social and environmental damage that highlights the issue of securing consent prior to commencing exploration operations.
View of the Amazon rain forest in San Martín, Peru. An indigenous community there is accusing an oil company of social and environmental damage. Credit: Milagros Salazar/IPS
Peas Peas Ayui, president of the National Achuar Federation of Peru (FENAP), told IPS through an interpreter that Calgary-based Talisman Energy Inc. is operating within its ancestral territory, covering one million hectares, without first seeking approval. The Achuar people live on both sides of the Peru- Ecuador border in the rain forest.
"The communities affiliated with FENAP reject the presence of the company" and have no interest in the "additional help or benefits" that Talisman can offer at the risk of environmental contamination, Ayui said.
During three previous visits to Canada, the indigenous leader has issued this message, in some cases meeting directly with Talisman management. The most recent trip featured discussions with government opposition leaders and members who expressed "solidarity" with FENAP's aim to shut down the Calgary firm's venture into its homeland, noted Ayui, buoyed by legislators' resistance to the activities in the Amazon.
The delegation was accompanied by Amazon Watch, a San Francisco-based non-profit organisation that supports indigenous people and aims to protect the rain forest. Discussions with key stakeholders and interested parties in Canada took place from April 21 to May 8.
Talisman, however, shot back at Ayui's trespassing claim and pointed to the Peruvian government's permission to engage in oil exploration in certain regions.
Who Will Deal with the Thousands of Abandoned Oil Wells in Peru?
PERU: Environmental Clean-up not Complete, Say Achuar Communities
PERU: Indigenous Community to Take Oil Company to Court
Moreover, FENAP lands are based 25 kilometres east of the oil company's activity area known as Block 64, said media relations adviser Berta Gomez, adding that her employer has used about 115 hectares for exploration activities representing .015 percent of the total area. The oil giant started working in the block in 2004.
"We respect that some communities are opposed to oil development and we will not work there," Gomez emphasised.
While Amazon Watch purports to represent the voice of the Achuar in Peru, it actually speaks only for the FENAP, an Achuar federation comprised of a number of communities opposed to Talisman's activities, she argued.
Within Block 64, the energy interest has won the support and approval of the FASAM and OSHAM Achuar federations, added Gomez, referring to two new offshoot organisations. Overall, she said, Talisman has agreements with eleven organisations representing 66 directly and indirectly affected communities, more than 1,800 families and five different ethnic groups.
"We are committed to early and ongoing engagement with all stakeholders to share plans and address concerns," including key authorities, the ombudsman and third-party representatives who act as observers, she said.
Ayui, the FENAP leader, said he has asked that Talisman President and CEO John Manzoni attend a meeting in the Amazon where his company is exploring, but the company has requested discussions be held in a nearby town, requiring the indigenous group to travel for three days.
Gomez confirmed that a March 30 meeting took place for the first time among Talisman's country manager and corporate affairs manager and indigenous leaders against oil and gas development in San Lorenzo, Peru, with a promise to attend a local indigenous assembly, probably in May, to establish a final agreement regarding land boundaries.
The case spurs important questions about the nature of free, prior and informed consent, which is rooted in the United Nations (U.N.) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, according to a 2011 report by Sustainalytics, a sustainability research and analysis company headquartered in Amsterdam.
The report questions what exactly constitutes the consent of affected indigenous communities – a band council resolution, a referendum, the agreement of community leaders or the approval of all constituents?
Complicating matters is the fact that the Peruvian government awarded concessions and blocks to oil companies without consulting or informing the Amazonian communities, which it has traditionally regarded as "second-class citizens", states a report published last year by the Ottawa-based think tank, the North-South Institute.
Fostering strife among communities
Among the FENAP's objections, moreover, is a claim that Talisman triggered social problems within the Amazon's indigenous population.
FENAP leaders raised grievances with the Peruvian courts about Talisman's creation of "conflicts and divisions" in connection to a May 2009 confrontation among Amazon groups that "almost ended in violence," Ayui recalled, but there has been no response. Demands that the Peruvian Congress force the company to vacate the rain forest have also been unanswered.
In his view, the energy firm's exploration operations have torn apart communities, as eight have opted to sign agreements granting permission to work on their land in exchange for development assistance, while 44 have not.
Based on the needs of federation leaders, Talisman offered "social contribution programs" to improve living standards, Gomez, the spokeswoman, said. Last November, she noted, Talisman signed social community agreements with 11 federations, providing $3 million in resources to fund education, health care, access to electricity, capacity building and local job-generation initiatives in 2012.
Despite the oil firm's investment in communities, Gregor MacLennan, Amazon Watch's Peru program coordinator, questioned its interpretation of gaining the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples. He accused the company of winning approval in any way it can – even after indigenous groups initially say no – by presenting more money and resources.
For its part, Talisman has always engaged with all stakeholders in a direct and peaceful manner in full adherence to human rights principles, Gomez stated. However, she said, the oil firm also asks that "the rights of the people to choose to work with us, in an open and transparent fashion, also be respected".
Talisman plans to maintain dialogue efforts with federations and communities opposing its activities.
Damaging the environment
Rounding out indigenous allegations against Talisman is environmental contamination. The Calgary firm touted new technologies with no risk of repeating the damage done by oil industry players operating in the Amazon in the 1970s and 1980s, but Ayui refuted the claim.
The exploratory wells have affected his community's hunting and fishing grounds by producing waste which leaks into streams during the rainy season, he charged, and poisons birds and other animals. His people's ancestors also died on the lands Talisman is now exploring, he added.
MacLennan told IPS that he addressed the drilling fluids issue during a February meeting with Talisman, which acknowledged the problem but explained it will take "several months" for the arrival of a subcontractor and the adequate equipment to undertake the clean-up to a specific standard, a task that includes correcting the poor waste-disposal job carried out by another oil company in the past.
Talisman meets, and in many cases surpasses, environmental regulations outlined by the Peruvian government, Gomez insisted. Waste products, or cuttings, are normally generated during drilling activities and have been "properly managed and stored according to environmental regulations and protection measurements" dictated under the oil firm's environmental impact assessment, she said.
During the drilling of oil wells, the waste is stored in a "cuttings pit" complete with a roof to shield against rain water and a pit bottom protected with a "geomembrane" to prevent the direct contact of soil and waste, she noted, adding that the whole drilling pad is surrounded by an external ditch collecting fluid, mainly rain water, before it is released into the environment.
During Talisman's drilling activities, known as SC3X and SN4X, there were no environmental incidents or claims from communities in the area of influence of its operations, Gomez said.
Talisman incorporates an indigenous environmental monitor from the local communities during the drilling projects. The monitor performs daily environmental inspections, immediately communicates problems, participates in monthly environmental monitoring and field environmental audits by regulatory agencies, helps to supervise the handling and shipping of waste and takes part in the abandonment activities and reclamation works, she added.
The company's abandonment plan for the SC3X project, which details techniques for the treatment and final disposal of cuttings and an outline for re-vegetation and reclamation of the area, is awaiting Peruvian government approval, Gomez said.
Still, Amazon Watch and the FENAP are dissatisfied with Talisman's environmental precautions and explanations. They dismissed oil companies' tendencies to blame damage on subcontractors or on the challenges of working in the rain forest.
As the Canadian energy firm heads into a production phase within the next year, there are concerns that a potential spill due to human error would render the area "virtually irrecoverable", MacLennan warned, spawning "an environmental disaster" destroying the livelihoods of thousands of people in the rain forest.
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Q: Python library to split dataset with token-level labels into dev, train and test I have two datasets and I need to split them into dev, train and test. The first one is a regular dataset where in each line there is a sentence along with a label. I found the following code in a post in TowardsDataScience which is perfect for this dataset:
import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv('/kaggle/input/bluebook-for-bulldozers/TrainAndValid.csv', parse_dates=['saledate'], low_memory=False)

from fast_ml.model_development import train_valid_test_split

X_train, y_train, X_valid, y_valid, X_test, y_test = train_valid_test_split(df, target = 'SalePrice',
                                                                            train_size=0.8, valid_size=0.1, test_size=0.1)

print(X_train.shape), print(y_train.shape)
print(X_valid.shape), print(y_valid.shape)
print(X_test.shape), print(y_test.shape)

However, my second dataset follows the CONLL format and the sentences of the text are split into tokens and each line contains a token with its label (bio tagging); with new lines separating the different sentences.
E.g.
token   label
Also    O
,   O
outdoor B-claim
activities  I-claim
enable  I-claim
me  I-claim
to  I-claim
socialize   I-claim
with    I-claim
other   I-claim
people  I-claim
and I-claim
enjoy   I-claim
natural I-claim
beauty  I-claim
.   O

There   O
are O
strong  O
advantages  O
to  O
spend   O
leisure O
time    O
outdoors    O
.   O

I want to also split this dataset into dev, train and test, ensuring that no sentence is split across the different datasets. Is there any library, like scikit-learn or fast_ml (used above), that support splitting datasets of this format?


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You are here: Home / Uncategorized / The Man Cave, with Hunter Johnson
The Man Cave, with Hunter Johnson
December 9, 2020 By Tel Leave a Comment
A while ago I had the pleasure of meeting a great bloke by the name of Hunter Johnson, who together with his mate Jamie Heppell created The Man Cave, a fantastic program that works with boys to support them on their journey into becoming men. Since meeting Hunter, I continually reflect on how vitally important the work of The Man Cave is to our boys and our society as a whole. The Man Cave is genuinely designed to make a difference, and it does.
Both Hunter and Jamie were passionate about making a social change having seen the impacts of mental illness, depression and domestic violence in their own teen years.
"We saw a lot of guys who we really cared about experiencing years of anxiety and depression and unfortunately suicide – but no one talking about it. And so we thought, if we could just create a space where young me could open up, start to develop some language and have the permission to be a bit more intimate and vulnerable and make that cool and normal, then the world would be a much better place."
So, in 2014 The Man Cave was created with their first ever workshop kicking off at Frankston High School and since then, the program has gone from strength to strength reaching over 17,000 boys across Australia and also receiving international recognition – when the Royal Family flies you over to accept the Queen's Young Leader Award, it's a good sign you're on the right track!
The Man Cave concept is to send relatable charismatic male facilitators into high schools who create a safe space for young men to "take off the mask they wear every day." The workshops are designed to make the boys realise that some of the challenges they face are widely shared by their peers, they're not alone, and then give them the practical and emotional tools to navigate through this part of their life.
The Man Cave's team of facilitators were hand-picked to connect with the boys at a level that engenders trust and engagement. Hunter describes his facilitators as wide-ranging;
"…from your classic Melbourne hipster to a salt-of-the-earth country bloke to an indigenous Australia to a former refugee, former child soldier. The idea is that our boys that we work with see a piece of themselves in the role models coming into their schools."
The program creates a safe place amongst the boys to discuss how they see the societal rules of being man in comparison their own version of masculinity.
"A lot of these boys have never really questioned the rules around being a man. A lot of the policing that goes on in the playground is familiar language like, don't be gay, don't be a girl, toughen up, things that we used to say as throwaway lines. And there might be times where these guys need to be stoic and strong and hold themselves together. But what's missing in the narrative of their school setting is the choice to open up, to be more vulnerable, to shed some tears. And once we give them the space to question that social conditioning, often what comes up is they realise that they're all abiding by these rules, but are they serving them? And from there we open up a really powerful conversation where the boys get to describe and open up what type of masculinity do they want to create for themselves."
As a mum of a boy heading into his teens myself, I asked Hunter what we could do at home to help our young boys as they grow into men.
"Make an effort to sit around as a family and chat about fun stories from your youth. Can you escape and go camping somewhere with no distractions? There's no better place to connect than over a campfire in nature. Try deliberately connecting with your boy with positive male role models outside of the family. Remember the old adage: It takes a village to raise a child."
If you're interested in finding out more about The Man Cave's story, programs and workshops head over to https://themancave.life .
Thank you Hunter and Jamie for bringing your concept to life and helping us to raise our boys into the men they want to be.
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December 20, 2018 doug28352
Wrestling Q&A: Owens & Zayn, Paige, Women Fans & More…
Owens & Zayn, Paige, Women Fans & More
Time for some Q&A about the world's greatest sport. The questions come from Matt. The answers are from me. And my cat thinks we're all crazy. Let's do this…
Thoughts on the forthcoming returns of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn?
The return of the Kevin Owens Show, starring Sami Zayn, is something I am highly looking forward to. WWE has been okay, but there has been a lack of something special and the presence of Owens, who can do comedy, serious or anything inbetween is sorely missed. Nothing against Seth, Ambrose and the like, but they're stale and for the most part played out. There is only one Kevin Owens and with the added addition of Zayn by his side, they will really make the shows kick and special once more. The best way to describe my feelings about the return of these two superstars. Two words. Thank God!
Thoughts on David Arquette's upcoming match at the NWA pay-per-view in January's New Year's Dash and all the hate this announcement has been getting?
I think Arquette has been trying to prove and redeem himself with the world of professional wrestling and unlike the run in WCW twenty years ago, he's doing things the right way. He's working the Indy's and taking all bookings. Wrestling fans are a fickle bunch and Arquette was correct when he took them to task on Twitter for how they can't be pleased and no matter what he does, haters are going to hate. I'm glad to see him on the NWA event and hope that he'll keep on keeping on so long as he's able and is having fun being a part of the greatest business in the world. Kudos to Arquette and people need to just back off with the hate and let him do his thing.
How long do you think the removal of General Managers from WWE will last?
As far as having authority figures for RAW and Smackdown called "general managers", it'll probably be a permanent thing, but the idea of having outside people, not named McMahon, as the top management for each brand will be back sooner rather than later. I'll give it a year at most and then, with Vince busy with the XFL stuff and Steph and Hunter too busy with their legitimate roles in the company to be television characters each week on television as well, plus the usual McMahon overload will have set in by then too and we'll get the appointment of "Commissioners" or "Directors of Authority" or maybe even "Corporate Vice Presidents In Charge of Brand Operations". Regardless of the titles used, the removal of GM's is just a temporary measure at best and will be over sooner rather than later.
What is next for Paige now that her role as the General Manager of Smackdown Live has ended?
Shane said that there are roles waiting for her, but never specified what they will be. I'm thinking jobs on the panel on the Kick-Off shows before each pay-per-view to start and I wouldn't be upset to see her replace Byron on the Smackdown Live commentary team, becoming the second permanent female announcer for WWE. But my favorite idea would be to have Paige resume the role she had before she "retired" and become a manager or advocate, like Paul Heyman, for a group of wrestlers, probably women, but I wouldn't mind seeing a mixture of men and women under her guidance. Let her become a modern day Madusa or Sherri or Woman, leading her clients to success. There aren't that many managers and a female one, with the looks and ability of Paige, would certainly be interesting to see.
How do you think Mustafa Ali will do as part of the Smackdown Live main roster?
I think he'll do good for a few weeks and get a mini-push and then, like Tye Dillinger and every other young superstar not left over from fifteen years ago, get buried and forgotten about as a lower-mid card performer used to have great matches with no real meaning or purpose. He's going from a featured spot on 205 Live where no one was able to see him, but he was featured as a top guy to a spot on Smackdown where more people will see him, but the creative team won't care and he'll be lost in the shuffle.
Since Asuka is now the Smackdown Women's Champion, is she also "The Man"?
I guess technically, since she defeated Becky and Charlotte both to capture the Smackdown Women's Championship, that argument can be made, but to me, unless Asuka defeats Becky clean one on one, Becky is still "The Man". Asuka will just have to settle for being the Champion instead. I'm sure that she can live with that.
Why are there not more women wrestling fans?
Because wrestling is a male dominated niche product that caters to men and like fart & dick jokes, men tend to appreciate the world of pro wrestling for the art form that it is more than most women do. Men tend to "get it" more. Some women do get and appreciate what the whole spectacle is about and wrestling, but those diehard female fans are few and far between. It's like football, boxing and UFC in that it's geared towards men and that's who the business attracts mostly.
Who was your favorite enhancement talent / jobber in JCP?
Keith Larson, Mark Starr (actually more WCW than JCP), Ron Ritchie and Charlie Fulton are the names that immediately come to mind. Don't know who these men are? Look them up and learn. The more you know…
And there you go. My thanks for reading and again to Matt for the questions. Thoughts, comments and any questions you may have to ask are welcome and appreciated. And with that, I'm out of here. Until the next time, take care and I'll catch you on the flip side.
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Next SMF Cyberspace – Current Events #20 -November 28, 2018
Flashback: Thirty Days of Dougie (2013) – Day 15: Truth, Marriage & The Great Marriage Debate…


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Philadelphia officials, including Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, gave Safehouse the green light to open the facilities over the summer as a way to try to combat the city's opioid epidemic.
"We all want solutions that save lives, but allowing private citizens to break long-established federal drug laws passed by Congress is not an acceptable path forward," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania William McSwain said in a statement.
"If Safehouse wants to operate an injection site, it should work through the democratic process to try to change the law. But normalizing the use of deadly drugs like heroin and fentanyl and ignoring the law is not the answer to solving the opioid epidemic," McSwain said.
McSwain's lawsuit claims Safehouse would violate a section of the Controlled Substances Act intended to close crack houses.
"Setting up a drug house is illegal. And on the legal issues in this case, our position has remained firm and our communications to Safehouse clear," McSwain said in a speech shortly after announcing the lawsuit.
Attorneys for Safehouse said they are not backing down.
"We respectfully disagree with the Department of Justice's view of the 'crack house' statute. We are committed to defending Safehouse's effort to provide lifesaving care to those at risk of overdose through the creation of safe injection facilities," Ilana Eisenstein, a partner at DLA Piper, which is providing free representation to Safehouse, said in a statement to The Hill.
The lawsuit's announcement comes the morning after Trump in his State of the Union address called for the end of HIV transmission in the United States by 2030, which has spiked in recent years.
Supervised injection sites are intended to prevent opioid users from sharing contaminated needles.


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Milviz Sabre HD Livery Pack Released!
On November 22, 2012, step into a world where actions matter and consequences exist. Plan well, prepare well, fly well, and you'll be rewarded. Falter or fail, and results will speak for themselves….
Hot on the heels of releasing the Skyhawk, Virtavia have posted screens of their latest WIP a Hind D helicopter and she's looking pretty fine. Features : – very high quality native FSX model. – ultra-high quality 3D cockpit. – multiple bomb/missile/tank loadouts. – sharp, 2048-pixel bump-mapped textures….


Tereza Nováková studied singing at the conservatory of J. Deyl in Prague with D. Štěpánková-Šimůnková and she continues on her studies at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague. In 2007 she was awarded the second prize on the international singing competition of I. Godin Iuventus Canti (Vráble - Slovakia). In 2013 she was awarded on Antonín Dvořák competition on Karlovy Vary. She performed on the international festival of G. Mahler, where she made recording of German songs of J. B. Foerster. From 2015 she cooperates with National house of Karlovy Vary. She cooperates also with Children opera and she is external voice-teacher on the Pedagogical Faculty of Charles University in Prague.


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Montespluga (Montespluga in dialetto chiavennasco, AFI della pronuncia locale: ) è un villaggio alpino, frazione del comune di Madesimo, situato presso l'origine della valle Spluga. Il paese si affaccia sull'omonimo lago.

Geografia fisica
È situato a 1908 metri, lungo la strada che sale da Chiavenna verso il Passo dello Spluga, dal quale dista solo 3 km. Dal momento dell'apertura della galleria del San Bernardino, a ovest, il passo non è più tenuto aperto d'inverno, ed il villaggio, costituito da tre strade principali (Via Dogana, Via Ferrè e Via Val Loga), può ritrovarsi tagliato fuori sia dall'Italia che dalla Svizzera.

Luoghi di interesse
Ha conservato la propria originale fisionomia con le poche case attorno alla strada e all'antico edificio della dogana detto La Casa, occupa la piana alla confluenza della Valle Spluga con la Val Loga, ricca di acque e di pascoli, al cospetto delle vette di confine della zona e, dagli anni '30 del Ventesimo secolo, riva settentrionale dell'omonimo bacino artificiale.

È punto di partenza per numerose mete escursionistiche, alpinistiche e scialpinistiche sui monti d'intorno, e posto di transito lungo il tracciato transfrontaliero della Via Spluga.

Economia
Negli anni '80 e '90 conobbe un tentativo di sviluppo turistico invernale con la costruzione di due impianti di risalita, che ben presto fallì anche per la prossimità di un centro già celebre e sviluppato come Madesimo, tuttavia così recuperando la propria originale peculiarità alpina. Nella stagione estiva, Montespluga è meta di alpigiani che, dalla bassa valle, vi portano il bestiame (bovini soprattutto). Questa attività è controllata dal Consorzio Alpe Montespluga, che organizza anche feste tradizionali, come la festa del pastore, che si tiene solitamente nella prima domenica di agosto.

Sport

Montespluga sarà l'arrivo della settima tappa del Giro d'Italia U23 del 2020.

Galleria d'immagini

Note

Altri progetti

Frazioni della provincia di Sondrio
Madesimo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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ABC's Housewives Cleans Up
By Rebecca Stropoli
ABC was the No. 1 network in prime time ratings on Sunday despite a repeat-heavy evening, according to Fast Affiliate overnight numbers (live plus same day). The network's only first-run show of the night from 8 until 11 (prime time starts at 7 on Sundays, and America's Funniest Home Videos from 7-8 was also a first-run show) was Desperate Housewives, which was also the highest-rated show of the night on any network with an 8.8 rating/19 share in the key 18-49 demo. A repeat of Grey's Anatomy from 10-11 was the second-highest-rated show on any network with a 6.7/17. ABC's overall numbers were 5.8/14 in the demo.
Second was CBS with a 3.8/10. NCAA basketball pushed its program slate back by a little over a half-hour. Its highest-rated half-hour of the night was 60 Minutes with a 4.9/12.
In third place for the night was Fox; it scored a 3.3/8 for its comedy lineup. Its highest-rated show was a Simpsons episode from 8-8:30 (it earned a 5.1/13).
NBC was fourth with a 2.5/6. The peacock network got its best numbers with Crossing Jordan from 10-11 (3.0/7).
Last for the night was The WB with an 0.9/2 for a night of reruns.
Brian Cleans Up After Housewives
ABC Cleans Up With Housewives
ABC Cleans Up But Housewives Slips Again
Housewives Clean Up
Housewives Clean Up at Globes
Fox Cleans Up With House Reruns
Brian: Desperate for Housewives Lead-In?
Grey's Is Gold for ABC