Home War on Drugs Is Drug Trafficking Impacting Public Health?
Despite the highly controversial talks to create a border wall to prevent illegal immigration, plans devised by the Trump Administration may work to curtail another source of criminal activity closely linked with the war on drugs–drug trafficking. The business of drug trafficking produces an estimated $200-$750 billion annual with our current decade seeing the largest percentage of drug usage among U.S citizens (Recovery Village, 2017). What this means for American citizens is dire consequences in terms of a sense of overall health and well-being and the associated burden of escalating healthcare costs. Drug abuse greatly affects a person's health and those within the inner circle of support like children, spouse and other immediate family members. From the economic perspective, it progressively increases prevention and treatment cost, hospital stays, missed days from work and U.S. morbidity and mortality rates.
In the past, drug addictions associated with illegal substances were treated much like a criminal act against society and stigmatized as a moral failure. Yet, the issue has grown to touch the lives of so many U.S. citizens that the situation required a change in paradigm and is now being resolved according to public health frameworks that reduce or prevent drug and alcohol addiction. The response from the White House has been geared toward hopefulness that were making progress in the right direction. Congress agrees that drug and alcohol addiction is a treatable disease, and passed legislation that alters the manner by which the federal government will approach addiction. Public Law 114-198 or The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) was enforced by former president, Barack Obama to address the opioid epidemic solidifying six strategic pillars that are necessary to produce a coordinated response–prevention, treatment, recovery, law enforcement, criminal justice reform and overdose reversal (CADCA, n.d.).
At current, the U.S. is enduring a bill of $422 billion and at the source of the economic problem is the misuse of prescription drugs, illicit drugs or alcohol use (Nesbit, 2016). This reveals the war on drug as a pragmatic societal issue. No stone can be left unturned if we're to succeed at any of the proposed solutions. This includes the cost associated with the offspring of drug abusers when removed from the home and the increased risk of the addictive behaviors continuing as the child matures into adulthood. It includes the challenges associated with delinquency and education attainment. It includes the risks associated with domestic violence and increased cases of sexually transmitted infections when addicts are involved. More inadvertently, it doesn't discriminate when socioeconomic factors are included in the mix. The issues with drug addiction and poverty include the misperception that drugs relieve stress. The realism that drugs deplete already stressed incomes and is the source of neglecting familial responsibilities is just the tip of the iceberg of the many problems that low-income persons don't consider when turning to addiction.
For those who may be wondering where the source of the problems stems from–the focus remains on direct drug trafficking routes from Central and South America into the United States (Recovery Village, 2017). Mexico supplies many of the drugs entering the country from other nations (Recovery Village, 2017). Still yet, America is to blame in the statistics as well, supplying plenty of its own illegal substances (Recovery Village, 2017). In terms of specific drugs, here's the rundown: the heroin supply in America is transported via South America and Mexico, Mexico is also responsible for two-thirds of the marijuana being consumed in America, and most of the American cocaine supply comes from Bolivia, Columbia, and Peru (Recovery Village, 2017). Finally, prescription drugs are transported from all over the country and those primarily abused by addicts, are manufactured right here within the United States (Recovery Village, 2017).
The U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center (2010) has named Mexican DTOs (Drug Trafficking Organizations) the dominators of the transportation of illicit drugs across the Southwest Border. The most common methods of smuggling overland include the use of commercial trucks, private and rental vehicles to smuggle cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamines, and heroin. These substances have been confiscated throughout twenty-five land portals of entry (POE) including vast areas of desert and mountainous terrain between POEs (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). Maritime (waterway) smuggling methods have been adopted primarily by Colombian, Dominican, Jamaican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan DTOs (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). Although, in smaller amounts than transported by Mexican DTOs, cocaine, heroin and marijuana are smuggled by container ships, cruise ships, commercial fishing vessels, recreation vessels, self-propelled semi-submersibles and go-fast boats (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). Illicit drugs are smuggled by air as well, through couriers and in cargo aboard commercial aircraft–but on a much smaller scale (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). Unfortunately, when these substances make it past border control, they are stashed in ranches, warehouses, residences and trailers near portals of entry into the U.S (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). Bulk quantities have surfaced commingled with legitimated goods on commercial trucks, through postal and package delivery services and even on buses and trains (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010).
Nesbit, J. (2016, December 19). The Staggering Costs, Monetary and Otherwise, of Substance Abuse. US News.


Doolin Coast Guard were tasked today at 15.10 by MRSC Valentia to assist in the search and rescue of two kite-surfers who had got into difficulty in Liscannor bay.
The kite-surfers were surfing near the Bartrá area when they had difficulty with their rigs in high winds & rough seas.
With conditions quickly deteriorating, the kite-surfers had several failed attempts to fly their kites & with the prevailing weather were quickly taken further out to sea and across Liscannor bay to the Inagh Estuary area.
The Doolin Coast Guard Delta boat was transported by road for launching at Liscannor Harbour and the Shannon based Coast Guard Rescue helicopter also joined the search.The Aran Islands lifeboat ( RNLI.org.uk ) was also tasked by MRSC Valentia to assist.
In a period of 30-40 minuets, with strong a south-westerly wind and an ebb tide, the pair of kitesurfers had drifted across the bay for 2.5 kilometres when they got onto the beach near the estuary.
Although fatigued after their endeavours, no medical intervention was required & all units were stood down.


text:
Popular Detective Series Meitantei Conan Gets Another Live Action Special
Published by カリス on March 3, 2012 March 3, 2012
Shogukan Weekly's Shonen Sunday has recently announced that a special adaptation of Gosho Aoyama's hit mystery series Meitantei Conan is set to launch this spring. The live action special is tentatively dubbed as Meitantei Conan Drama Special: Kudo Shinichi Kyoto Shinsengumi Satsujin Jiken / Detective Conan Drama Special: Shinichi Kudo and the Case of the Kyoto Shinsengumi Murder. While the original manga trails after the clever high school detective trapped in a kid's body, present-day spin-offs are said to have been set before the manga, where Shinichi (Conan Edogawa) was still in his teenage years.
This live action will retain the same cast of the 2011 live action special and preceding episodes, which includes actor Junpei Mizobata (casted in Hana Kimi and High School Debut) as the lead role and Shiori Kutsuna (Beck, Mei-chan no Sitsuji) as his lady love. Tori Matsuzaka will play Conan's rival, Heiji Hattori; Rei Okamoto with the role of Heiji's female partner and Kazuha Touyama as the famed "sleeping" detective, Kogoro Mori. The two young mystery solvers, Kudo and Hattori, will compete with each other in trying to solve the case of the murder staged in Kyoto.
It must be known that there are already two previous Meitantei Conan Live Action specials with popular actor Shun Oguri (Hana Kimi, Hana Yori Dango), before Mizobata played the role. These adaptations aired in 2006 and 2007 respectively. In celebrating the 800th chapter of the original manga, Weekly Shonen Sunday is currently running a character popularity poll in their magazine.
Meitantei Conan has been published by Viz Media in the United States under the title Cased Closed. They are the same company that will publish the 42nd manga volume under the same title this coming April. Production studio Funimation has released DVDs for the television adaptation of the series, along with OAVS as well.
An avid doodler, writer, and a big Japanese Culture fan, I write about nifty new releases of animated movies, manga-turned-live-action, surprising anime news, amazing art exhibits, and everything else. I translate interesting updates, and abuse the word すごい!
Mention me on Twitter: @hellocaris

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
How I See It – How can AI leverage benefits into the future of entrepreneurship?
by Jenna Fung | Aug 14, 2021 | Blog
Written by Mahboba Mahmoodi (Edited and posted by Jenna Fung)
Machine learning and AI technologies are advancing at a rapid pace, especially when it comes to e-commerce, mobile economy, and human-computer interactions with the real world. According to "Global Data" the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is expected to emerge as the global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) growth, due in large part to widespread government support and new policies.
In this episode, Edmon Chung, the CEO of DotAsia Organisation, and Mahboba Mahmoodi, NetMission ambassador – A Computer Science student from Afghanistan and passionate about emerging technologies – discusses IT technologies and their impact on reshaping today's industrial and business market.
"You can get AI and robotics to work intelligently and meticulously through things, but the initiative, creativity, and innovation of human beings would be increasingly important."
Edmon Chung, CEO, DotAsia
Mahboba:
How would new technologies change the future of organizational priorities and their strategic goals?
Edmon:
The emerging technologies that people call the ABCD of technology (AI, Blockchain, Cloud, and Data) are very exciting with their advancement since it creates enormous opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups to shift and develop a variety of technologies out of it. One of my biggest concerns though is any hasty development and jumping to the conclusions based on technological assumptions. Being quick doesn't mean it's better. Although AI tries to predict consumer or human behavior, if data inputs are biased then it could not only produce flawed predictions, it could produce a feedback loop inadvertently and harmfully shaping human behavior. AI is the kind of technology where considerations of ethics and assurance of good data used for training machines is crucial. We should think through its impact and ethical implications, like privacy, minority rights, mitigations against bias before jumping into reliance on algorithms.
As for machine learning, we need data to predict future trends and business needs. Do you think we have enough and right data available to achieve and formulate a data strategy and model?
Big data is quite problematic when it comes to ethical data collection that respects consent and stated purposes. What especially worries me is when faced with the lack of data people hurry to come up with synthetic data (which is not necessarily a bad thing, but whether such synthetic data may amplify data bias must be taken into consideration, and mechanisms to identify and mitigate against such AI bias be put in place). In the rush of creating usable AI, people tend to jump to certain conclusions. In the past, people believed that if certain tasks were done or selected by a machine then it's "unbiased" but the truth is that it's not that blunt, recruitment AI is a good example of how prior human bias could be perpetuated by an algorithm learning from such data. The right data is very difficult to come by, and it is important to remember that AI provides quick diagnosis and is not going to contemplate on justice, that continues to require human intervention. If it involves a person's life, more consideration must be needed, but if it's just to give you ideas on what bag you should buy, the rigor of scrutiny against such AI can perhaps be more lax.
What can be the business consequences if the AI model fails the company's expectations?
Based on the AI technology we have today, "People" are still an important aspect of businesses, especially for entrepreneurship and small startups. Businesses should not completely depend on how these machines are put together and must pay attention to the data used for teaching these machines. Businesses should not depend on it completely. For example, if a small company depends 100% on AI for the hiring process, I feel that a startup or SME would be foregoing the one most important and valuable part of their business, which is the people and the team you assemble.
A hybrid approach can potentially be useful. Besides using AI to sort resumes to save time reading them all, you can also have the AI provide borderline cases for human consideration rather than a binary cutoff of shortlisted candidates. A broader aspect and imperative for the entrepreneur and management is to always know what the algorithm is trying to do, even if you are not technical. Never treat AI as a black box, especially when making important decisions based on AI.
What will be an ideal job for future work?
Although it is difficult to predict the future, more "lasting" jobs in the future would be those that require initiatives from human beings. You can get AI and robotics to work intelligently and meticulously through things, but the initiative, creativity, and innovation of human beings would be increasingly important.
Human agency is more valuable than the mechanical processing of certain things. It is said that doctors might be replaced by robots soon. It will be interesting to see robots replacing jobs, however, I believe rather than thinking of robots replacing doctors, we should think of how we utilize AI as the assistants of doctors. These tools will continue to support human decisions, this is the way I see it. So doctors using AI should also have some knowledge of the AI they use. It's not that I trust every single human doctor more than AI, but when I go to a doctor, the element of responsibility needs to be present. Subject matter knowledge is still important, it is not memorizing but understanding and relating with another human being, the patient in this case, to make joint decisions that will be valuable. I think one of the skills that would be increasingly important is understanding the algorithm and how the code works. Future professionals would work with algorithms and AI that assist them.
How do the private and public sector provide fair treatment toward human and non-human workers in employment?
I think we are still a long way off from thinking about an autonomous AI "worker" for which we need to consider its "rights". That assumes AI and robotics could and would emerge with consciousness that could be oppressed by humans. Viewing it in a more realistic way, some jobs may get replaced by robots and intelligent machines. I think it is "unfair" to stop certain technologies from moving ahead because of a job replacement, but it is equally unfair not to develop policies that would address such social issues as they emerge.
There are two distinct type of considerations: Firstly, if a job is being replaced by a machine which potentially creates injustice, for example, replacing a judge, then we must consider if it is fair for the suspect to be subject to such determination, what appeals mechanisms there should be, and consider why the judge should not be assisted by the AI rather than replaced; Secondly, if someone is replaced and it does produce better outcomes, which does not lead to injustice. Governments and societies must consider how best to develop alternative meaningful opportunities for those who are replaced.
Every time when a job is replaced, it is supposed to result in more time efficiency and less resource consumption to accomplish certain jobs. Therefore, companies and governments have to think about how such cost savings can be reinvested into employing people and increasing value as well. Profit motives unchecked produces systemic economic injustice that exploits people with an assumption of a materialistic and utilitarian universal worldview. I think the more technology we have, the more we should revisit this issue. Although the last iteration, which drove massive exploitation of cheap labour and then Marxism in its wake proved disastrous, hopefully, our collective learning in rectifying that subsequently over the long and continuous fight for human and worker rights and welfare is not forgotten, so that in this new iteration of technological breakthrough and industrial paradigm shift, human beings can fare better.
This.Is.Asia Newsletter Issues
This.is.Asia December 2021 Issue
by Dot.Asia | Dec 23, 2021
This.is.Asia October 2021 Issue
by Dot.Asia | Nov 1, 2021
This.is.Asia August 2021 Issue
by Dot.Asia | Aug 31, 2021
This.is.Asia June 2021 Issue
by Dot.Asia | Jun 30, 2021
This.is.Asia April 2021 Issue
by Dot.Asia | Apr 27, 2021
This.is.Asia February 2021 Issue
by Dot.Asia | Feb 26, 2021
Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节快乐
by Aaron SP | Sep 21, 2021
中秋节与春节丶清明节丶端午节并称为中国四大传统节日。受中华文化的影响,中秋节也是东亚和东南亚一些国家尤其是当地的华人华侨的传统节日。 中秋节,农历八月十五,又称仲秋节丶拜月节丶女儿节或团圆节,是中国的传统文化节日,因其恰值三秋之半,故名中秋。中秋节始於唐朝初年,盛行於宋朝,至明清时,已成为与春节齐名的中国主要节日之一。 2006年5月20日,中国国务院在中央政府门户网上发出通知,批准文化部确定并公布中秋节例在第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。自2008年起中秋节被列为国家法定节假日。...
How I See It – Privacy Controversy: Trigger of largest digital migration in history
by Jenna Fung | Sep 3, 2021
Technology giants, or Big Tech as they are called, have become intertwined extensively with our everyday lives. Early in 2021, Facebook decided to take a step ahead in monetising Whatsapp. This was to be enabled by the changes in the terms outlined in its updated privacy policy. One fine day, users woke up to the notification for the proposed changes in its Privacy Policy. This paved the way to an international conversation about privacy, and also triggered widespread adoption of alternatives to Whatsapp such as Signal and Telegram.
How I See It – My Trademark, My Property: A Conflict between Private Sector and States over the Possession of a Domain
by Jenna Fung | Jun 24, 2021
This is a discussion about an issue that straddles two hugely different areas — trademark and domain names. And, one that is even further complicated by a controversial contention between the private sector and sovereign states over a 7 year-long battle for an Internet domain name.
Top 3 Asian Male Footballers
by Pavan Budhrani | Jun 23, 2021
The UEFA Euro 2020 Tournament is finally happening in 2021! After a year delay, Euro 2020 officially kicked off on June 11, 2021, hosted across EU in eleven cities for the first time.


text:
Il Buddhismo in Thailandia è presente nella sua quasi totalità attraverso la scuola Theravada, anche se integratosi nel tempo con credenze derivanti dal folklore tradizionale, così come dalla religione popolare cinese, presente in Thailandia grazie anche al suo folto gruppo di immigrati.

I templi buddhisti thailandesi sono caratterizzati da alti stupa dorati e l'arte ed architettura buddhista del paese è del tutto simile a quella delle altre nazioni del Sudest asiatico, in particolare di Cambogia e Laos, con cui la Thailandia condivide molto del suo patrimonio storico-culturale.

Storia

Il buddhismo thai è basato sul movimento religioso fondato nel VI secolo a.C. dal principe Siddharta Gautama, divenuto in seguito noto come il Buddha (l'illuminato, il risvegliato); egli ha esortato il mondo ad abbandonare gli estremi della sensualità e dell'auto-mortificazione ascetica, per seguire invece una più saggia "Via di Mezzo": il focus di tutta la sia dottrina è incentrato eminentemente sull'essere umano, non contemplando l'idea di una figura divina onnipotente e creatrice.

Il presupposto è che l'esistenza in sé è costituita di dolore e sofferenza, le quali son conseguenze del desiderio, pertanto la sofferenza può avere termine soltanto se il desiderio cessa: la fine di tutta la sofferenza è costituita dal raggiungimento del Nibbana, spesso definito come l'assenza completa di qualsivoglia desiderio, quindi anche di sofferenza; mentre altre volte viene identificato come lo stato beatifico donato dalla condizione di illuminazione.

Nel III secolo a.C. il buddhismo si era oramai ampiamente diffuso in Asia, e le interpretazioni in parte divergenti degli insegnamenti lasciati dal Maestro aveva portato alla creazione di diverse scuole settarie. Le dottrine che avevano raggiunto l'isola di Ceylon giunsero in lingua pāli (appartenente alla grande famiglia di lingue indoeuropee e strettamente imparentata col sanscrito) nel I secolo: queste dottrine costituiscono il Tripitaka (i "3 cesti" delle scritture sacre) del buddhismo Theravada.

Secondo vari storici e studiosi intorno al 228 a.C. uno dei monaci inviati in giro per il mondo da Ashoka (il fondatore dell'impero Maurya) di nome Sohn Uttar Sthavira, è giunto fino a Suvarnabhumi (o Suvannabhumi) - identificata con la terra thai - assieme ad altri monaci e libri sacri.La diffusione del buddhismo fu continuata dal popolo mon e in particolare dalla civiltà Dvaravati, che prese il controllo della valle del fiume Chao Phraya e introdusse prima il buddhismo mahāyāna e poi quello theravada, che in seguito avrebbe preso il sopravvento. Questa forma di buddhismo fu quindi sviluppata dal Regno di Tambralinga, l'odierna Nakhon Si Thammarat, e divenne religione di Stato nel XIII secolo nel Regno di Sukhothai, il primo grande Stato formato dai thai..

Influenze
Tre sono le forze principali che hanno influenzato lo sviluppo del buddhismo in Thailandia; l'influenza più evidente è quella della scuola Theravada importata dallo Sri Lanka, come detto: mentre ci sono notevoli variazioni locali e regionali, questa scuola fornisce la maggior parte dei principali temi del buddhismo thailandesePer tradizione il pali è la lingua religiosa, essendo le scritture registrate in essa e venendo utilizzata anche nella liturgia; il Tripitaka è il canone dei testi sacri principali (lo stesso codice monastico-Prātimokṣa/Patimokkha seguito dai monaci thai è tratto da esso), anche se successivamente molti altri testi locali sono stati composti in modo da riassumere il vasto numero d'insegnamenti ivi contenuti.

La seconda grande influenza avvenuta sul buddhismo thailandese è costituita dalle credenze indù provenienti dalla Cambogia, questo soprattutto durante il periodo Sukhotai; l'induismo vedico ha giocato un ruolo notevole nel primo istituto della regalità thai, proprio come accadde in Cambogia, ed esercitò una forte influenza nella legislazione e nell'ordinamento sociale.Certi riti praticati nell'odierna Thailandia, sia da monaci che da specialisti dei rituali indù, sono esplicitamente identificati come di origine induista e/o facilmente visibili essere il risultato di pratiche derivanti dalla religione induista. Mentre la visibilità dell'induismo è stata diminuita sensibilmente nel corso della dinastia Chakri, ma altre influenze - in particolare i santuari dedicati al dio Brahmā - continueranno ad essere attive all'interno delle cerimonie istituzionali buddhiste.

Il folklore thai viene a costituire la grande terza influenza sul buddhismo thailandese; mentre gli osservatori occidentali hanno spesso tracciato una linea netta tra il buddhismo e le pratiche religiose popolari, questa distinzione si riscontra raramente nei luoghi più rurali: qui il potere spirituale derivante dall'osservanza dei precetti buddhisti e ritualistici è impiegato nel tentativo di placare gli spiriti della natura locale.Molte tra le limitazioni osservate dai monaci dei villaggi sono derivate non dall'ortodossia Vinaya, bensì dai tabù derivanti dalla pratica di magia popolare come astrologia cinese, numerologia e la creazione di amuleti e talismani vengono a svolgere un ruolo di primissimo piano nei riti di fede quotidiana praticata dal popolo; tutte pratiche queste in realtà vietate nei discorsi del Buddha raccolti nel Dīgha Nikāya. Tra gli amuleti più diffusi nel Paese vi sono le phuang malai (พวงมาลัย), composizioni floreali a ghirlanda spesso usate come offerta nei templi o come portafortuna.

I thailandesi conservano alcune delle tradizioni dell'animismo che era praticato prima dell'introduzione del buddhismo; i riti animistici, insieme a quelli del brahmanesimo e dell'induismo, fanno tuttora parte della loro vita quotidiana. In particolare si è ipotizzato che l'associazione di due religioni così diverse come il buddhismo, legato ad aspetti squisitamente spirituali, e l'animismo, che si basa spesso su aspetti materiali, possa appagare i diversi bisogni psicologici che ciascuna delle due religioni soddisfa solo parzialmente e le renda quindi almeno in parte complementari. Uno degli esempi a tale riguardo più diffusi nel Paese sono le case degli spiriti, santuari in miniatura di origine animista spesso raffiguranti un tempio buddhista dedicati allo spirito che protegge il luogo in cui si trovano. Sono presenti in quasi tutti i giardini delle case thailandesi e la cerimonia della loro inaugurazione è affidata a un bramino.

Inoltre influenze più lievi sono osservabili anche dal contatto derivante col Mahayana; alcune funzionalità del buddhismo thai, come la comparsa del bodhisattva Lokesvara-Avalokiteśvara in alcune architetture religiose e la convinzione che il re Thai fosse una sua reincarnazione rivelano l'influenza dei concetti mahayanici.

Legami governativi
Mentre la Thailandia è attualmente una monarchia costituzionale, ha ereditato una forte tradizione che la identifica come maggiore regalità buddhista di tutta la regione; ciò ha collegato la legittimazione religiosa dello stato in cambio della protezione e sostegno alle istituzioni buddhiste. Una tal concessione è stata mantenuta anche in epoca moderna, col clero istituzionale che ha sempre goduto della concessione di speciali vantaggi.

Nel 2007 era stata fatta da molti la richiesta di riconoscere nella nuova costituzione nazionale il buddhismo come religione di Stato, ma questo suggerimento è stato inizialmente respinto dalla commissione incaricata di redigere la nuova carta costituzionale; ciò ha provocato tutta una serie di proteste da parte dei sostenitori dell'iniziativa, tra cui una serie di marce sulla capitale ed uno sciopero della fame condotto da 12 monaci. Alcuni critici della proposta han sostenuto che il movimento a favore della dichiarazione del buddhismo come religione di Stato era motivato da fini eminentemente politici, potendo esser manipolati dai sostenitori del deposto premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

La commissione deputata alla redazione della costituzione dopo aver votato in senso contrario alla concessione di statuto speciale da dare alla fede buddhista, vi è stata una risposta di condanna da parte dei gruppi religiosi: la regina Sirikit non ha mancato d'esprimere la propria preoccupazione nei riguardi della questione, affermando che il credo religioso deve stare separato e distinto dalla politica e ciò ha indotto alcune organizzazioni pro-buddhiste ad interrompere le campagne di protesta..

Ordinazione e clero
Come nella maggior parte delle altre nazioni a maggioranza Theravada, anche in Thailandia la fede buddhista è principalmente rappresentata dall'estrema visibilità dei monaci, che fungono da officianti in tutte le occasioni cerimoniali, oltre ad essere i massimi responsabili per la conservazione e trasmissione degli insegnamenti dell'Illuminato, il Signore Buddha.

Dalla metà del XX secolo la maggior parte dei monaci iniziano la loro carriera servendo come dek-wat (เด็กวัด), letteral. "bambini del Wat; tradizionalmente di almeno otto anni di età, svolgono i lavori domestici minori intorno al tempio. Il motivo principale che spinge a far diventare i figli dei dek wat è quello di permettergli così di fargli ottenere una base d'istruzione, i fondamenti della lettura e scrittura e la memorizzazione delle scritture cantate durante le occasioni rituali.Prima dell'istituzione di scuole elementari statali, i templi dei villaggi fungevano come forma primaria di educazione per la maggior parte dei ragazzi thailandesi; prestare servizio all'interno del tempio come dek wat è sempre stato un prerequisito necessario per il raggiungimento d'una qualsiasi istruzione di tipo superiore, ed è stata fino a tempi recentissimi l'unica l'unica formazione educativa a disposizione dei contadini.Dal momento della creazione di un apparato didattico gestito dal governo il numero di bambino che vivono un periodo di tempo della loro vita come dek wat è diminuito sensibilmente; tuttavia, molte scuole statali continuano ad operare sul presupposto che la primissima istruzione sia stata impartita dal tempio del villaggio locale.

Oggi i ragazzi che saltano i canonici 4 anni come dek wat possono venir ordinati come Srāmanera e in alcune località anche le ragazze possono diventarlo; questi novizi si trovano a vivere secondo i 10 precetti (astenersi dall'uccidere esseri viventi; dal rubare; dall'impudicizia; dal linguaggio scorretto; dall'assumere intossicanti; dal cibarsi dopo mezzogiorno; da qualsiasi forma di spettacolo-canto-ballo-musica; dal mettersi profumi e cosmetici; dal dormire su letti morbidi; dall'accettare denaro), ma non sono tenuti a seguire l'intera gamma di regole monastiche del codice buddhista.

I novizi poi, a differenza dei monaci ordinati, possono ancora passare più tempo a stretto contatto con le famiglie d'origine, non partecipano alla recita del codice e alla confessione pubblica delle infrazioni commesse che hanno luogo nei giorni di uposatha; i novizi solitamente vengono ordinati durante una delle pause scolastiche, ma per coloro che intendono intraprendere la vita religiosa possono iniziar a ricevere l'adeguata istruzione all'interno del tempio.

I giovani non vivono solitamente in qualità di novizi per più di un paio d'anni; all'età di 20 divengono idonei a ricevere l'Upasampadā, l'ordinazione superiore che li rende a pieno titolo dei bhikkhu-monaci completi tenuti a rispettare tutte le regole. Un novizio viene tecnicamente sponsorizzato dai genitori per l'ordinazione, ma in pratica nei villaggi rurali l'intero paese si trova a partecipare fornendo la veste, la ciotola per l'elemosina e gli altri oggetti che saranno richiesti per la vita monastica.

Passare un periodo temporaneo della propria vita in qualità di monaci è la norma tra buddhisti thailandesi; la maggior parte dei giovani tradizionalmente sono ordinati solo per la durata di una stagione delle piogge e conosciuto come Vassa: quelli che rimangono oltre il primo vassa tipicamente sostano in monastero da uno a tre anni e vengono impiegati principalmente in ambito liturgico da compiere nei villaggi circostanti

La tradizione Thai supporta ed incoraggia i laici ad entrar per un tempo provvisorio in monastero e comportarsi e studiando come tali per tutto il tempo della loro permanenza; si può scegliere di vivere come monaco per tre giorni, tre settimane, tre medi o tre anni (o magari tre settimane e tre giorni). Questa forma di ritiro spirituale è previsto per tutti i maschi thailandesi, sia ricchi che poveri e speso viene programmato al termine del liceo: ciò rende onore alla famiglia e crea meriti per il giovane. Mentre osservano tale pratica, agli uomini viene anche conservato l'eventuale posto di lavoro.

Movimenti di riforma

Posizione delle donne
Diversamente da quanto vige sia in Birmania che in Sri Lanka, non è mai stato stabilito un ordinamento monastico preciso per le donne; di conseguenza v'è la percezione diffusa tra i thailandesi che le monache non sono destinate a svolgere un ruolo attivo nella vita monastica, mentre ci si aspetta di più da loro che vivano come seguaci allo stato laicale ed acquisir così merito nella vita attuale nella speranza di rinascere maschi nell'esistenza successiva.

Recentemente vi sono stati diversi tentativi per tentar d'introdurre un ordinamento monastico femminile regolato come quello maschile, questo come primo passo verso un miglioramento della condizione delle donne all'interno del buddhismo thailandese: principale fautore di questo movimento è "Dhammananda Bhikkhuni", badessa del tempio-monastero di Songdhammakalyani fondato dalla madre nel 1960.A differenza delle iniziative simili svoltesi in Sri Lanka, questi sforzi sono stati estremamente controversi in Thailandia.

Note

Bibliografia

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni
  - notizie riguardanti canti, preghiere e novità del mondo buddhista.

  - recensione a Keeping the Faith: Thai Buddhism at the Crossroads di Sanitsuda Ekachai.
 .
  - descrizione delle grotte sacre del sudest asiatico ed il loro ruolo nella pratica buddhista.
  - documento del 1965 revisionato nel 2013 della Buddhist Publication Society (Casa editrice non profit di Sri Lanka sul buddhismo theravada)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The National Archives continues its series of daytime programs on topics including World War II, and the U.S. Constitution.
These programs are free and open to the public and will be held at noon (unless otherwise noted) in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. For those without reservations, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Theater doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. Late seating will not be permitted 20 minutes after the program begins.
National Archives and Records Administration Join preservation specialists Audrey Amidon and Heidi Holmstrom for an overview of the Army Air Corps' First Motion Picture Unit from World War II with film clips that include recognizable stars who served in that unit. Presentation materials available at www.archives.gov/calendar/know-your-records.
U.S. judges, courts, and scholars agree that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, but there is much disagreement about its meaning. In his book, Constitutional Ethos, constitutional law professor Alexander Tsesis investigates the fundamental constitutional principles, meaning and interpretation, and promotes a theory of constitutional law structured on the public duty to protect individual rights for the common good. A book signing follows the program.
In James Holland's The Allies Strike Back, Germany's invasion of Russia unfolds in the east while in the west, the Americans formally enter the war, defeat Rommel in North Africa, and the bombing of Germany escalates, aiming to destroy Nazi industry and crush civilian morale. A book signing will follow the program.
In the tradition of Hidden Figures and The Girls of Atomic City, Liza Mundy's Code Girls is the astonishing, untold story of the young American women who cracked key Axis codes, helping to secure Allied victory and revolutionizing the field of cryptanalysis. A book signing will follow the program.
Friday, October 20, at 2 p.m.
In professor George William Van Cleve's book, We Have Not a Government, we encounter a sharply divided America and a Congress that grudgingly agreed to support the 1787 Constitutional Convention to replace the Articles of Confederation with a more flexible and powerful government. A book signing will follow the program.
Documents are milestones and markers of human activity, and our stories can be told through them. In Documents that Changed the Way We Live, professor Joseph Janes examines dozens of stories that describe these documents via their creation, motivation, influence, and connections to contemporary information objects, technologies, and trends. A book signing will follow the program.


Tarmo is truly unique! Among citizens of ancient rome, there would only be 2,790,780 people like him!
My name is Tarmo, I'm male and 63 Years old. My Sign of Zodiac is cancer. I live in Tartu, Estonia.	On Flirtic.com I've been registered for 19.11.2011 years.
My education is masters degree (e.g. ma).	I speak estonian. My mother tongue is estonian.	I have two children.
I like to listen to Freddie Mercury, Queen, Singer Vinger, Jimi Hendrix, Steppenwolf, Gary Brooker, The Kinks, The Killers, Rick Wakeman, Tanel Padar & The Sun, Procol Harum, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Carlos Santana, The Animals, Fall Out Boy, Black Sabbath, Ewert And The Two Dragons, Eric Clapton, Metallica, Judas Priest, Ivo Linna, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, Jason Statham, The Who, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Beatles, Van Halen, My Chemical Romance, Supertramp, Johnny Cash, Ritchie Blackmore, The Byrds, Carl Palmer's PM, The Carl Palmer Band, The Mamas & the Papas, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull.


text:
Biennial award for long-term contribution to operational forecasting services
In recognition of the way WJ (Bill) Gibbs shaped and transformed operational meteorology in the Bureau of Meteorology in the 1960s and 1970s this award is aimed at those who have worked as operational forecasters in weather forecasting, oceanography or in any of the sciences represented by AMOS, and who have worked mostly in Australia. It focuses on outstanding and consistent service to operational forecasting over many years, covering service provision, communication, improvements to services through engagement with working groups, and excellent provision of forecasts with a demonstrable beneficial community impact during a number of major weather events. The award recognises a very high standard of work in operational forecasting over many years along with promotion and engagement with new methods and tools as they are introduced into operational meteorology, oceanography or any of the sciences represented by AMOS. Evidence of work undertaken while not on operational duty will be taken into consideration.
Read more about Bill Gibbs.
The Gibbs Medal is given every even year, alternating with the Christopher Taylor Award.
The award comprises a medal.
The successful applicant will have worked for a significant part of his or her working life in operations in Australia.
Any AMOS member may make a nomination. The nomination package must include:
A nomination letter of no more than 2 pages addressing the selection criteria
An accompanying brief CV of the nominee of no more than 2 pages
Up to three letters of support addressing the selection criteria, each no longer than 2 pages
The total maximum length of the nomination package should not exceed 10 pages. Nominations should not include separate publication lists or copies of published papers. Nominators should be aware of the AMOS Code of Conduct, which promotes diversity of membership and discipline when making nominations. The Award Sub-Committee has limited ability to seek additional information and therefore nomination documents must be complete and provide a full and fair account of each candidate.
A long-term commitment to the provision of operational forecasting services in the sciences covered by AMOS to the community at a consistently high standard over many years. Examples of this service are the provision and communication of forecasts and warnings for the public and emergency services. (the selection committee would be looking for written evidence from peers and supervisors attesting to the high standard of operation work).
Evidence of contributions to the development and evolution of service provision and communication which go beyond that which would be normally expected by working in a forecasting position. Examples of this include improvements made to the forecasting process through working with developers, scientists and communicators, and/or improvements to a service or services achieved through working in consultation with user groups.
Evidence of outstanding services that have demonstrably mitigated the impact of severe weather during a number of major weather events such as tropical cyclones, bushfires or storms over the high seas.
Evidence of readiness to participate in the transformation or modernisation of operations through collaboration and promotion of new methods and tools that are introduced into operations.
Evidence of service to the promotion of the AMOS mission. Examples include a period of service on AMOS Council as a Member or Office Bearer, service on and promotion of AMOS through Centre Committees and Centre activities, contribution to AMOS activities including organisation of the National Conferences, editorial support for the Society's journal, preparation of AMOS position papers for public or political dissemination or outreach, etc.
Equal weight is given to each of the selection criteria.
2015 – John James, Bureau of Meteorology
2016 – Jeff Callaghan, Bureau of Meteorology
2018 – Mike Pook, Retired
Awards sub-committee
Andrew Tupper (Chair)
Beth Ebert
Dean Sgarabosa
Callum Stuart


text:
WW Kicks Off 2021 with D360 Digital Subscription
Offering coaching and other digital experiences to WW members
WW International, formerly known as Weight Watchers, kicks off 2021 with an all-new, digital subscription service – Digital 360 (D360). The new program is designed specifically for digital users who are always on the go and who want extra support and motivation to support a healthy lifestyle. The D360 subscription program offers WW coaches who are experts in fitness, mindfulness and applied clinical psychology.
Through the new D360 digital subscription, WW members have access to exclusive content, live coaching, and special virtual events. They also become part of the D360 digital community who encourage and inspire each other. Initially, D360 will be available in the United States and the United Kingdom. WW plans to roll out the app globally later this year.
The D360 digital subscription offers exclusive content, live coaching and special virtual events. Image courtesy of WW.
CEO/president shares thoughts
"With such an overwhelmingly positive response to the November launch of myWW+, our newest and most personalized program followed by all WW members, we are thrilled to offer D360 – an entirely new way for members to choose to do WW," said Mindy Grossman, WW CEO and president in the January 4, 2021 announcement.
"Coaching is the heartbeat of WW, and our expert D360 Coaches will not only support our members with their expertise and advice, but they will also introduce them to a variety of thought leaders at the forefront of wellness – to offer their unique perspectives to our members on how to reach their goals, improve their health and achieve a life filled with possibility," Grossman added.
The new D360 digital subscription features expert coaches. Image courtesy of WW.
Unique content and experiences
The D360 digital subscription includes a range of unique content and experiences including the following:
Daily inspiration: Coaches will share "engaging and motivating behavior change wellness lessons" each day.
CoachLIVES: Coaches will host daily, interactive, streaming sessions that explore the WW program, meditation, workouts and cooking demos, among other topics. D360 subscribers who can't watch live can access the sessions on-demand at their convenience through the app.
WalkTalks with celebrities and influencers: D360 features a walk-and-learn podcast featuring guests like Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, paired with an audio walking workout.
Weighing In podcast: Another podcast features WW members who share their experiences on the wellness journey, including struggles and successes. The podcast will be led by Dr. Allison Grupski, a clinical psychologist, and WW's director of behavior change strategies and coaching.
LIVE experiences: D360 subscribers will be invited to participate in live and interactive events with wellness leaders who will inspire and motivate members. These experiences build on the success of Oprah's 2020 Vision tour.
D360 + myWW+
D360 subscribers will follow the myWW+ program where WW members develop a personalized plan to help them achieve their health and wellness goals. The interactive app helps members track their ZeroPoint™ foods, water intake, exercise, weight, and sleep, and members are rewarded with points they can spend on merchandise for recording their progress. Members also have access to the WW digital community, recipes, health tips and more.
The myWW+ program starts at $3.22 per week. D360 starts at $4.61 per week. WW offers two additional programs as well, one which includes unlimited workshops + the digital experience, starting at $6.92 a week, and the other which includes 1-on-1 coaching + the digital experience, starting at $13.85 per week. WW is currently running a promotion, available through January 11, 2021. Additional plan details and the promotional offer terms and conditions are available online.
Insider Take
WW, which has been around for 55 years, has reimagined weight loss in a way that fits today's digital consumer who wants an individualized program, digital tools and online community support. Coaching, podcasts and inspiration from celebrities and influencers are a nice, new addition. The new D360 program shows that WW is member-centric, which will earn them loyalty and provide another recurring revenue stream. And, of course, kicking the new program off at the start of the new year – and during a pandemic – is a no brainer, when so many of us are reevaluating our health and fitness and striving to do better.
Previous articleAmazon Music Acquires Podcast Publisher Wondery
Next article STAT PACK: Podcasting in the U.S.


2010: Hicon products, including household air conditioners, were listed in Ningbo government procurement.
2012: Hicon was selected as one of the first enterprises of "energy saving and people benefiting project"
2013: Ice maker exporting reached top 1 in China, and covered 45% global market share in the field of household mini ice maker.
As a national high-tech enterprise, Hicon has been one of the largest refrigeration home appliance exporters in China after more than 40 years' developing. With its certificates and standard quality, Hicon products have been exporting to more than 50 countries and been one of the strategy cooperative partners of the world's largest home appliance manufactures in China, like GE, Electrolux, Haier.
Established in 1972, Hicon Group is one of the earliest manufacturer of refrigeration accessories in China, and also a first member of CRAA and CHEAA. Hicon Group includes 7 branches: Ningbo Huipeng Real Estate Co., Ltd., Zheshang Venture Capital Co.,Ltd., Ningbo Aidite Equipment Technology Co., Ltd., Hicon Europe company, Ningbo Hicon Industrial Co., Ltd., Ningbo Hicon New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Ningbo Hicon International Industry Co., Ltd.
Ningbo Hicon International Industrial Co., Ltd., founded in 2001, is a sino-foreign joint venture enterprise with national high and new technology. It is located in the national economic and technological development zone---Hangzhou Bay New Zone, near the world's longest cross-sea bridge---Hangzhou Bay Bridge.
Hicon International Industry Co., Ltd. covers a total area of nearly 300,000 square meters, with nearly 2,000 employees (including more than 500 senior technical and management personnel). At present, the total assets reached more than 3 billion RMB, almost 500 million dollars, becoming one of the largest refrigeration home appliance exporting bases in China.
Based on refrigeration industry, Hicon will make much finer and stronger mainstream products and develop differentiated products to enter more new markets. In the future, Hicon International will still be persisting in the core concept of "People-oriented and innovation" and the service concept of "Quality first", reaching the vision of being a world's superior OEM manufacturers in the field of refrigeration appliances.
The main products are refrigerators, wine coolers, chest freezers,ice makers, beverage coolers, and ice cream makers.Most products have been into several global largest supermarkets, like Wal-Mart, Auchan, Home Depot.
Product Application: Home and commercial use.
1)UL, CE, CB, GS, ETL, GB, LFGB, DGCCRF, KC, ISO9001, ISO14001, FDA, CCC, ROHS, NSF, OHSAS18001 certificates and Energy Star have been approved.
2)Till the end of 2012, 93 patents have been passed, including 2 patents for invention, 37 for Utility Model and 54 for design.
Based on the independent intellectual property rights, Hicon participated in the formulation of the national standard of "safety of household and similar electrical appliances", which shows Hicon's technology won the national standard.
Foaming machine, bending machine, punching machine, rolling machine, powder coating machine, vacuum machine.
For American market, we sell most of our products to US market, and you can find our products in some famous market, like Walmart, Costco, Target, Homedepot and so on. Many clients sell our products on Amazon. As for European market, we have a long cooperation with big clients in German, England, France, and so on. We are planning to open more markets worldwide. Hope we can cooperate with you in the future!
Our customer service department is on a mission to fulfill your service needs. Sales and Customer Service Staff may mostly be reached through e-mail. But if urgent or very important, we can talk on phone or video. No matter which means of communication you choose, we are here to help you and will do as soon as we can!


text:
Home › News › Appointments
Skechers appoints Katherine Blair as board member
Skechers has announced the appointment of Katherine J. Blair to its board of directors as an independent member. The appointment brings the total number of directors to ten, including six independent members. Based in Manhattan Beach, California, Skechers designs, develops, and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women, and children.
Blair has practiced law for over 20 years and is a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, in Los Angeles. She specialises in corporate and transactional matters where she works directly with executive officers, general counsel and directors on corporate governance, SEC reporting and compliance, public and private securities offerings, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She currently serves as chair of the executive committee of the business law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She is also an officer of the corporations committee of the business law section of the California Lawyers Association. She regularly speaks and presents her expertise on corporate governance, ethics and funding topics to audiences at business and legal conferences and events, Skechers said in a media statement.
"After careful consideration and review, we are expanding our board of directors with the addition of Blair. She brings a welcome perspective on business, driven by her extensive experience in corporate law and governance. Complementing our current directors, her background expands the diverse viewpoints of our board, which will continue executing our strategic plans and driving Skechers' success moving forward," Robert Greenberg, Skechers chief executive officer and chairman of the board said.
Including this appointment, the Skechers Board of Directors is comprised of Skechers founder, chairman, and CEO Robert Greenberg, Skechers president Michael Greenberg, Skechers chief operating officer David Weinberg, Skechers senior vice president Jeffrey Greenberg, as well as independent members Katherine Blair, Morton Erlich, Geyer Kosinski, Richard Rappaport, Richard Siskind, and Thomas Walsh.
Copyright © 2022 Fibre2Fashion. All rights reserved.


The scheduler. Informer provides a very flexible scheduler that we call Informer Jobs. Most applications have a datastore/ warehouse that backs the BI applications. This includes a huge data model with lots of tables containing information that is refreshed in bulk at a particular point in time – typically overnight. But, if there is one particular component of that datastore/ warehouse that you need refreshed more frequently, you're stuck, or you request IT to go through a rigorous manual process to update the information.
If you have a data warehouse and you want a sales component to be refreshed, your IT team has to go in and manually do that – it's all or nothing – they can't go in and schedule just one piece of data. Whereas with Informer Datasets, each Dataset can have its own schedule for refreshing. You can define a Sales Dataset that is refreshed on one schedule, an Inventory Dataset that is refreshed on a separate schedule, and the other Datasets can have their own independent schedule. So, if your sales data is changing frequently and you want to see that reflected when you're reviewing your data in Informer, you can set Jobs to refresh that overnight, or when you want.
Speed and Efficiency. Organizations are dealing with larger and larger amounts of data coming in from many different sources and they need to compile it into indexing systems that enable users to quickly analyze it and work with it.
Informer provides tremendous efficiency in working with data. For example, once the data is loaded in the Dataset, users can very quickly work with it – groupings, aggregations, visuals, analytics, etc. – because we index everything within the Dataset. This is a significant benefit because it's very fast and efficient for you, enabling you to accomplish a lot more in a shorter period of time.
Informer can also handle multiple million row Datasets and still be able to group and aggregate within a few seconds without having to wait for an extended period for that process to happen. Informer accomplishes this by utilizing a relatively new database technology which was born out of search engines and from Google's database requirements that enables people to sort through terabytes of data to find what they are looking for.
From a BI applications standpoint, usually higher-end and more expensive applications incorporate this technology. However, as a forerunner among BI applications in the SMB space, Informer utilizes the same technology.
For more please contact sales@entrinsik.com or call 888-703-0016.


text:
Q: fun.y and stat_summary stopped working in ggplot I used to run this code all the time to get the sum of 'n' at the top of my bar chart.
Now I get the follow errors:

Ignoring unknown parameters: fun.y
No summary function supplied, defaulting to mean_se()

count %>%
ggplot(aes(x = date, y = n, group = class, fill = class)) +
  geom_col() +
  geom_text_repel(
    aes(label = stat(y), group = date),
    stat = 'summary', fun.y = sum, vjust = -1
  )

The ggplot no longer 'sums' the data and ignores the vjust

A: This is a change in the API of ggplot2 release with ggplot2 3.3.0. From the docs:

fun.ymin, fun.y, fun.ymax    Deprecated, use the versions specified above instead.

Simply switch to fun.
library(ggrepel)
library(ggplot2)
library(dplyr)

mtcars %>%
  count(gear, cyl) %>%
  ggplot(aes(x = factor(gear), y = n, group = factor(cyl), fill = factor(cyl))) +
  geom_col() +
  geom_text_repel(
    aes(label = stat(y), group = factor(gear)),
    stat = 'summary', fun = sum, vjust = -1
  )

Created on 2020-04-14 by the reprex package (v0.3.0)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We are getting so excited for Lucy's 5th birthday~ only 3 more weeks! Today we worked on her birdie birthday invitations.
Because her birthday is bird themed, we decided to decorate her invitations with cute little birdies. It was easy! We punched out circles and glued them to the front of the invitations and then drew the birds with black marker.
Lucy can't wait to pass out her homemade birthday invitations next week!
These are wonderful spring crafts. I really like the birds and owls. It would be great if you linked up with Hobbies and Handicrafts.
These invitations are SO cute!! I love the little birds.
Oh I just love these! And the fact that she got to help make them, just makes it so much more special! Thanks so much for sharing on We Made That!
They came out beautifully!! I love that she was able to help in making them as well. Thank you for sharing on Sharing Saturday!
Super Sweet cards! Great post!


text:
Home / NCAA Football / D2 & D3 Football / Pete Coughlin looks to lead W&J to third straight PAC title
Pete Coughlin looks to lead W&J to third straight PAC title
August 26, 2014 by The PSN Staff
Given a preference, no coach wants to enter a season with a young and inexperienced quarterback under center.
That's especially true for a program like W&J, who contends for the Presidents' Athletic Conference championship year in and year out. But while Upper St. Clair native Pete Coughlin may be young, the sophomore gained valuable experience a season ago filling in for injured starter Matt Bliss and W&J head coach Mike Sirianni feels very confident in where the Presidents are under center heading into the 2014 season.
"Pete is talented, has some experience, has had a good camp and gives us the best chance to win," said Sirianni. "He threw over 100 passes last year and got a lot of reps. We took Matt out of some games early and he started a few games so he really played almost three full games. What people don't realize is that Matt had an ACL tear and only practiced on Thursday's so Pete got a ton of reps during practice. That really helped his development as he got more reps than your typical backup quarterback.
Add it all up and Coughlin completed 58 percent of his passes as a freshman for 589 yards and four touchdowns. Coughlin appeared in nine games last season, including starting the Presidents' playoff game at Mount Union, where he threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns against the Purple Raiders.
But the fact that he was able to get his feet wet as a freshman should put him in a good position to have a very productive sophomore campaign.
"Being able to play some last year helps me a lot," said Coughlin. "I know I can have success. Even though we lost some people I still feel confident that we can do well and have a good year."
Coughlin came to W&J after a very successful high school career at Upper St. Clair, something he feels helped the college transition out after playing for a championship on the WPIAL's biggest stage.
"Obviously there is a different speed to the game being in college, but I think playing in Quad-A prepares you the best," added Coughlin.
Coughlin has made it a point to improve as a passer as he enters his sophomore season, but the fact that he can make plays with his legs will be big for the Presidents.
Running with the football is something Coughlin does very well and will bring an element back to the W&J offense that was missing at times last season.
Coughlin not only threw for 18 touchdowns as a senior in high school, but also found the end zone nine times on the ground as well.
"His mobility alone makes us dangerous," said Sirianni. "After Matt got hurt last year we had to call the right pass play as he couldn't get away with his lack of mobility after the injury. With Pete we don't have to be perfect with our calls as he can make plays with his feet and get out of the pocket. That's especially going to be big in the red zone."
The speed and tempo of the W&J offense makes having a quality decision maker under center a big priority.
If Coughlin turns out to be that guy, the Presidents could find themselves in a very familiar spot at the end of the season- the playoffs.
"I just need to protect the football and try and make plays anyway I can," said Coughlin. "If I don't make mistakes turning the ball over, we should be fine."
Knowing Sirianni's success with quarterbacks over the years, I wouldn't bet against Coughlin.
Photo Credit: Post-Gazette
Filed Under: D2 & D3 Football, NCAA Football Tagged With: pete coughlin, Washington & Jefferson


text:
Reducing California Wildfire Losses
Howard Kunreuther and Erin St. Peter
Recent wildfires still raging in California have been caused by what some experts deem an unprecedented volume and pattern of almost 300 lightning strikes in contrast to nearly 90% of U.S. wildfires that are caused by equipment sources (e.g., utility wires) or by humans (e.g., campfires). So far this year, more than 7,000 fires have chewed through 1.4 million acres compared to 4,292 fires that had burned only 56,000 acres across the state by this date (August 25) in 2019.
These fires follow record heat waves in California. Evacuation processes are further complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. The co-occurrence of these multiple environmental crises is a preview of the future under climate change. To highlight this point, a study on the impact of climate change on wildfires in California has found that, over the next forty years, rising temperatures associated with climate change could cause wildfires in California to continue to grow exponentially.
California has faced challenges over the years in convincing communities and property owners to adopt land use measures to reduce the likelihood of a fire spreading, notably in areas that are most prone to this risk: the wildland-urban interface (WUI). California's current fires are a reminder of the need for undertaking strategic measures now to reduce future wildfires.
Why do people underprepare for disasters?
A large body of empirical research characterizes cognitive biases and behavioral obstacles that lead those at risk to underprepare for disasters. At the household or individual level, actions are particularly misguided with respect to potentially catastrophic events, such as wildfires, that are perceived to have a low probability of occurrence.
Due to myopia, individuals tend to underestimate future risk. They focus on their current situation when no disaster is in the offing and do not consider their long-term risk. During and immediately following a disaster there is a tendency to overestimate future risks due to the salience of the event. These feelings normally abate soon thereafter leading individuals and municipalities to again underinvest in protection.
Optimism leads people to believe that they are immune from severe threats that have a low probability of occurrence. Community studies in Colorado suggest that residents are much more likely to rate their homes as being of lower risk than do professionals.
Choice overload describes the difficulty individuals have in making a decision when faced with many options. As explored in community studies by Wildfire Partners, many WUI households have difficulty choosing between the array of mitigation methods presented to them, resulting in inaction absent more comprehensive consultation with experts. This behavior is compounded by a simplification bias where individuals focus on the low probability of a fire occurring and view it as below their threshold level of concern, so they do not consider the consequences.
Herding implies that individuals' choices are often influenced by the behavior of others, especially under conditions of uncertainty. If households do not reduce their risk by making their home and yard more fire resistant, then other neighbors are likely to follow suit. The wildfire problem is compounded by the interdependency of the risk, meaning that individual action is less likely without substantial community coordination. As the LA Times reported in a piece following the Camp Fire in California in 2018:
Fires that spread from house to house generate a force of their own. Embers, broadcast by the wind, find dry leaves, igniting one structure then another, and the cycle is perpetuated block after block. Break that cycle and the fire quits, and destruction can be minimized.
What can be done to reduce future wildfire damage?
Given the biases described above, a first step is to reframe information on the risk so that people in the WUI pay attention. For example, rather than presenting information on the annual probability of a damaging wildfire as 1-in-100, reframe this probability as a greater than a 1-in-4 chance of such a wildfire occurring in the next 25 years. This strategy has been shown to more effectively communicate flood risk in the United States. One could also present property owners with scenarios as to the financial impact of experiencing severe damage from a wildfire if they had not invested in mitigation measures.
Once the wildfire risk is on homeowners' radar screens, property owners can be encouraged to invest in mitigation through different incentives. For example, Colorado subsidizes wildfire risk mitigation on private property through a state income tax deduction of up to $2500.
Communities in high-risk and low-risk areas have an important role to play in developing strategies for reducing wildfire risk. High-risk communities can use building codes and land use strategies to fortify structures and prevent further risky expansion into the WUI. At the same time, zoning policies that prevent housing growth in lower-risk areas of California, like San Francisco and Los Angeles, have also pushed housing development into the WUI. When new construction and/or density is restricted in low-risk areas, development can often takes place in high-risk areas. State Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco), a proponent of increasing housing supply has argued that restrictive zoning in urban areas leads to housing sprawl into the WUI.
Various programs and resources are available to help regions and municipalities incorporate land use planning and other strategies to reduce wildfire risk. The Boulder County Wildfire Partners Mitigation Program is a model for others to follow as it incorporates comprehensive mitigation measures into county-level building codes. Homeowners are offered professional inspections and, if they complete certain recommended mitigation actions for their property, they receive a program certificate that enables them to get homeowners insurance that covers damage from wildfires. Another program, Community Planning Assistance for Wildfires, offers free expert technical assistance for land use planning to help communities reduce wildfire risk in the WUI. Communities are selected for assistance based on a competitive grant process.
Even though are attention is focused on the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the California wildfires of August 2020 provide a call to action for efforts to substantially reduce communities' exposure to wildfire. The CA Senate Housing Committee could take the lead in convening a virtual meeting of the key stakeholders (property owners, community leaders, utilities real estate developers, banks, and insurers) to develop a plan to reduce future losses before the 2021 wildfire season. Ideally, a few communities in California that are concerned with their wildfire risk could adopt these ideas and serve as models for others to follow.
August 27, 2020 | Behavioral Science and Technology Lab Notes, Business, Climate and Environment Lab Notes, Disaster Risk Management Lab Notes, Lab Notes, Labs Blog, Risk Communication and Decision-Making Lab Notes


text:
Gallery exhibits sonic artworks
By James Ravinet
A PROJECT led by Focal Point Gallery called FPG Sounds, brings together the creations of 15 Southend artists in a series of original sound works.
Spoken word, experimental music, field recordings and podcasts sets the stage for a diverse programme that celebrates the intuitive use of sound by Southend's artist community.
The first commission opened in October 2021, where artist (and Echo reporter) Kelly Buckley who performs as K-A-B, created a gripping five-part audio-visual work that considers the impact of climate change on Southend's coastline.
Titled Echoes in the Fossils, the exhibition is still available for free viewing online at fpg.org.uk, until Sunday January 16. It includes aural frequencies of melting ice, binaural recordings of local soundscape ecology and 'techno-fossils' made from coastal waste, which conduct sound when touched by a human hand. Brought together in a final composition, Buckley's emotive project provokes a call to action with the knowledge that Southend is included in the first 10 per cent of UK towns to be flooded by rising sea levels.
Following Echoes in the Fossils, several new commissions will launch under FPG Sounds, and be available for free online viewing over the coming months.
This will include new works by MG Boulter, Lucia Dove, Ruth Jones, Josephine Melville, Adrian Lane, The Owl Service, The Repeat Beat Poet, RiktheMost, Damien Robinson and more.
This rich programme of artists was chosen by six guest selectors from across Southend's alternative music and sonic-art scene including Emma Reed (musician, founder of Culture as a Dare!), Storm Johnson (broadcaster, DJ and journalist), George Morl (artist, curator, producer and gallery programmer), Hayley Hill (producer, project manager, Cool Thing Records) and Jo Overfield and Ray Morgan (Sundown Arts, This Must Be The Place).
FPG Sounds will also see a series of live events. The first of these takes place on February 24 at 7pm at Twenty One, Western Esplanade Southend. Presented in association with Control Voltage, a regular electronic music night in Southend, the line-up will include contemporary electronic music performances from artists K-A-B, Adrian Lane, Bantu, Yggdrasil, Sunset Starfish and Masal.
To conclude this project, each commission will be deposited into The Esssex Sound and Video Archive(ESVA).


Hindu , UNMARRIED, B.Sc, M.A., B.Ed, Dip. Fashion Desg.
Hindu , UNMARRIED, B.Tech (E.C.E.).
Father Occupation : Gazetied Office At Present Working As Ps To Additional Secretary (Home), Delhi Secretariat, New Delhi.
Brother's Details : One Yunger Studant-At Present Pursuig B.Tech. In Ice Stream (4Th Year) From The Nsit, New Delhi.
Sister's Details : One Younger Studant-	At Present Pursuing Bed. From Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi (Iind Year).


text:
Peer Review Legislation
Home » Advocacy » Professional Policies and Position Statements » Peer Review Legislation
NSPE Position Statement No. 10-178
Adopted:
Latest Revision:
Sunset Date:
NSPE Contact:
Committee on Policy and Advocacy
Professional Policy Supported:
10-Professional Practice
Printable Version:
PeerReview.pdf
Position Statement: It is the position of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) that peer review statutes should be enacted in all jurisdictions.
NSPE believes that professional engineers participating in peer review and post-project review processes should be protected by appropriate legal immunity and legal privilege. Peer reviews include the review of designs by a third-party prior to project completion, as well as in-house post-project reviews of completed projects to identify engineering best practices that can be incorporated into future engineering designs. Both types of reviews, because they lead to improved practices, will also inherently benefit the public health, safety, and welfare. Well-crafted peer review legislation which includes appropriate safeguards can help to limit the liability and risk exposure for both engineers and engineering firms that employ peer reviewers as well as those engineers who actually perform the peer reviews and post-project reviews.
Model Peer Review Statute: As a means to ensure a measure of uniformity among jurisdictions, NSPE believes the Peer Review Legislation should:
Define "peer review" as "a process through which professional engineers evaluate, maintain, or monitor the quality and utilization of engineering services, prepare internal lessons learned, or exercise any combination of such responsibilities." NOTE: Peer review is distinct and separate from other concepts and techniques, such as value engineering and other such tools, which are not contemplated to be covered under peer review legislation.
Provide that third-party peer reviewers who are licensed professional engineers are immune from civil liability as long as the third-party reviewer acts in good faith and has no other role in the project besides performing the peer review.
State clearly that peer review must be done before substantial completion of the project and the peer reviewer must not be an employee, coworker, partner or sub-consultant of the professional engineer whose design is being peer reviewed.
Define post-project reviews as "reviews being done after the substantial completion of a project for the purpose of learning best practices that can be applied in future engineering designs, documents, and procedures." Post-project review sessions performed by employees, partners, coworkers or sub-consultants of the professional engineer should be privileged and should not be subject to discovery during litigation. Post-project review participants should not be compelled to disclose lessons learned information in the event of subsequent litigation.
Provide that anyone who attempts to inappropriately acquire the information protected by the peer review legislation shall be responsible for all of the peer reviewer's legal fees if the peer review privilege is found to be valid.


If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Fill in our contact form below, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
If you subscribe to the newsletter, you will receive the Plastic Soup Foundation newsletter in English.


4 The fish are cold-blooded.
I think no. 3 is the correct one. !!!
I think all are grammatically correct. But the meanings are not exactly the same.
Anonymous Are these sentences correct?
2.Fish are cold-blooded.If you are talking about the general condition of a group of animals, this is the one that is correct.
The others sound artificial to my native use of English.
– refers to fish as a food. So incorrect.
– refers to fish generally. Fine.
– refers to a particular fish, or fish in general. Okay; but it's unusual to use it in the latter sense, as "fish" doesn't relate to a genus or family.
– refers to several fish. Fine, but not common.
What about these two sentences?
1. There is a lot of fish in this river.
2. There are a lot of fish in this river.
PS the dictionary says that "fish" is singular if we speak about fish as food, and plural if we speak about animals which live in water. However, google search gives results like "there is a lot of fish" AND "there are a lot of fish" in the same context (fishing reports). I am confused!
MissLadybird What about these two sentences?
I think I have enough experience on these forums to be able to say with some conviction that indiscriminate Google searches send people off in the the wrong direction far more often than they shed light on a question. Google is a fine a useful tool but it is not a reliable method of determining the whether something is grammatically correct or not.
That said, only sentence 2 is natural sounding. Number 1 is not something you will hear, except as a joke perhaps.
One more sentence - just to make it clear: A lot of fish we buy today is produced in fish farms. "Fish" here means "food", that's why they use "is" (this sentence is from a book called Key Words for Fluency - pre-intermediate collocation practice by George Woolard). So, would it be correct to say "A lot of fish are grown in fish farms" if I meant the fish that are not food?
MissLadybird "Fish" here means "food", that's why they use "is"
Whether fish is food has nothing to do with whether you use the plural or singular; the important thing is can it be unitized. So if it were a fillet you would say "I had fish for lunch", where as if it were recognizable as a fish you could say either "I had fish..." or "I had a/two fish...".
Fish Is Countable Or Uncountable.?


text:
Trayvon Martin and Making Whiteness Visible
If there's one good thing to come out of the George Zimmerman verdict, it's the acknowledgement of white privilege
By Eric Liu @ericpliuJuly 17, 2013
Alex Garland / Demotix / Corbis
I Am Still Trayvon Martin
A Civil Suit Could Make Zimmerman Pay — or Could Backfire
The Lessons of George Zimmerman's 'Not Guilty' Verdict
Rachel Jeantel Explained, Linguistically
Case against Zimmerman would require proof of racial malice Reuters
If there is one hopeful note amid all the anguish and recrimination from the acquittal of George Zimmerman, it's that growing numbers of white people have come to appreciate whiteness for what it is: an unearned set of privileges. And as a result of that dawning awareness, it's become possible to imagine a day when that structure of privilege is dismantled — by white people.
Recall that immediately after the killing of Trayvon Martin, people of every race took to the Internet to declare "I am Trayvon Martin." They wore hoodies. They proclaimed solidarity. That was a well-meaning and earnest attempt to express empathy, but it also obscured the core issue, which is that Martin died not because he was wearing a hoodie but because he was wearing a hoodie while black. Blackness was the fatal variable.
(MORE: Maya Angelou Reacts to Zimmerman Trial, Evokes Civil Rights Era)
And so now, postverdict, a more realistic meme has taken root. On Tumblr and Facebook and elsewhere there is a new viral phenomenon: "We are not Trayvon Martin" (emphasis mine). Huge numbers of white Americans are posting testimonials and images to declare that it is precisely because they are not black that they have never had to confront the awful choices Martin faced when Zimmerman began to pursue him.
This isn't about empathy or the posture of equivalency that empathy can tempt us to assume. It's about owning up to the unequal privilege of being nonblack and saying, in essence, "I am George Zimmerman." And because I am George Zimmerman, I get to have my fears trump reality. I get get-out-of-jail-free cards. I get a presumption of innocent victimhood, no matter what my own acts or attitudes.
Much has been made about the fact that Zimmerman is white and of Hispanic ethnicity, as if he therefore couldn't possibly embody white privilege. This is a deep misreading of the dynamics of race and the media in America. As an Asian American, I am endlessly frustrated by how binary and black-and-white — literally and figuratively — the portrayal of race is in our country. Much of the time Asian Americans are an afterthought, or simply presumed foreign. But I assume that had I been the neighborhood watchman that day in Florida, I would have been understood in the media as the nonblack actor. Which is to say, for the limited purposes of this trial, I would have been granted "honorary white" status — whether or not I wanted it.
(MORE: Liu: The Uproar Over the Biracial Cheerios Ad Is Actually Progress)
Whiteness is the unspoken, invisible default setting of American life. We frame our conversations about race in terms of how white people see and what they think they see. We imagine that nonwhite Americans want to be more like white Americans. We imagine that to be American is to be white. When racial minorities complain about the slurs of a Paula Deen or a prank like the faked names of the Asiana pilots, they are often told by whites to stop being so sensitive or to take the context of tradition or history or humor into account. That ability, to dismiss and minimize people of color for being oversensitive, is itself one of the privileges that whiteness confers. The broader privilege that whites have by occupying the omniscient vantage point in media and civic life has to be named and then undone.
How will it be undone? Not, in the end, by the work of communities of color alone. Minority groups can and must be vigilant, vocal advocates for fair treatment and representation in public life. But if America is to transcend its long conflation of whiteness with Americanness, it will fall on white people — those wise enough to see they are not Martin and humane enough not to become George — to lead us all to that promised land.
MORE: Angered by Zimmerman Verdict, Some Call for a Boycott of Florida Businesses
Eric Liu @ericpliu
Liu is the author of several books, including The Gardens of Democracy and The Accidental Asian. He was a speechwriter and policy adviser to President Clinton. The views expressed are solely his own.
Liu's latest book is The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government


text:
Q: network vs DHCP server Relatively simple home network where a FiOS modem/router provides DHCP IP addresses:
FiOS Router has its own SSIDs, an Asus WiFI Router connected by ethernet (to FiOS Router) also has it's own SSIDs, does not provide DHCP - all addresses are given out by FiOS router.  Both FiOS and Asus also have ethernet connected devices.
Would all devices connected via WiFi or ethernet to either the FiOS or Asus router be considered on the same network given all addresses are given out by FiOS router in the 192.168.0.xxx range?

A:
Would all devices connected via WiFi or ethernet to either the FiOS or
  Asus router be considered on the same network given all addresses are
  given out by FiOS router in the 192.168.0.xxx range?

The short answer is Yes.
You describe a scenario where all of your devices are given an IP address by your FiOS router using DHCP. This implies that all devices on your network are on the same logical network, utilizing the same subnet. DHCP does not work across network boundaries without a helper function. Therefore, despite the technical details other commenters have suggested, it appears you have already placed your Asus router in a "bridge" configuration.

A:
Would all devices connected via WiFi or ethernet to either the FiOS or Asus router be considered on the same network given all addresses are given out by FiOS router in the 192.168.0.xxx range?

No is the simple answer. It actually depends on your configuration.
In order for them to be in the same network, the second router (the ASUS one) needs to be configured as a bridge in the FiOS router's network, not as gateway. Any router by default is configured as a gateway - it has its own network and for example the FiOS router won't be able to see the ASUS router's clients (and won't be able to give them IP addresses by DHCP directly). Even if both routers have the same private network range - the two networks are not the same one.
In order for the all clients to be in the same network, the second (ASUS) router must be configured as a bridge - just to extend the network and not act as a gateway. That way both routers' clients will be able to ping and connect with each other.

There is no problem using a router as a network extender. It actually is better, because you can use one router device as both a physical network extender and a WiFi range extender. You just need to configure it properly, and that depends on the firmware of the router (and is also for a whole another question, if you need help).

A: No, as the Asus router creates an entirely new network even though it is connected to the main router. You couldn't loop back to the Fios router. If you were just using the ASUS router for ethernet, a better way to do that would be to use a network switch, and if you need wifi, you could use a WiFi range extender, something like this (amzn.to/2xtuS39) This is the one I use and it works well.
Hope this helps


Non-Domiciliary Reform: Where Are We Up To And What Action Can Be Taken Now?
HMRC and the UK Government are in the middle of a balancing act: weighing up media and political pressure to ensure everyone pays their "fair share of tax" with the economic benefit of a competitive tax regime.
It is crucial to the UK economy that Britain remains "open for business" and maintaining a competitive tax regime plays an integral part in attracting new business. The potentially favourable tax regime available to non-UK domiciliaries has historically played its part in attracting wealthy individuals and business owners to the UK.
So what are the changes to the taxation of non-UK domiciliaries and is it all bad news?
HMRC published a consultation document setting out their proposed reforms to the taxation of non-UK domiciliaries back in September 2015. The new regime will be effective from 6 April 2017 and legislation was to be included in Finance Bill 2016. Publishing draft legislation has been pushed back to 2017; however, it would appear that HMRC continue to be committed to a new regime being in place in April of next year.
Numerous articles have been written on the technicalities of the new proposals and how they may impact on taxpayers depending on their current and historic UK residence and domicile position. Explaining the possible changes and potential implications requires an article by itself and once you have ploughed through the possible implications it is easy to miss the fact that these changes potentially present opportunities for certain taxpayers. Whilst we do not have published legislation (and therefore, the position continues to be uncertain), HMRC have confirmed certain matters and this may allow taxpayers to take action now before the new rules are introduced. Such action could present long term tax benefits.
One of the main changes is that, with effect from 6 April 2017, individuals who are non-UK domiciled will be deemed to have a UK domicile for tax purposes if they have been resident in the UK for more than 15 out of the past 20 tax years. Once the individual has become deemed UK domiciled, they will no longer be able to claim the remittance basis and, consequently, will be subject to UK tax on their worldwide income and gains. Furthermore, all of the individual's worldwide assets would be within scope of UK inheritance tax.
If you anticipate becoming deemed UK domiciled under the new regime from 6 April 2017, now is the time to act in order to benefit from an offshore trust structure. If you set up an offshore trust now (ie before you become deemed UK-domiciled under the new regime) you should not be taxed on foreign income and/ or chargeable gains which are retained in the trust. Furthermore, the trust should also provide an effective shelter from UK inheritance tax (even if you subsequently become UK deemed domiciled under the new regime in the future). There are, of course, certain asset types that would need to be excluded, UK residential property for example. However, an effective deferral of income and capital gains tax could potentially be achieved with the added benefit of protection from UK inheritance tax.
Timing is crucial. If you anticipate becoming deemed UK domiciled under the new regime, any steps to establish an offshore trust in order to potentially benefit from tax savings must be taken before the new rules are introduced. We would recommend taxpayers in these circumstances take action now to establish their offshore structure.
If you would like to discuss either the proposed new rules for non-domiciliaries or any practical aspects of establishing an offshore trust structure feel free to contact one of our team.


Organised labour and other interest groups have faulted the N141 per litre of petrol template being used by the Petroleum Products Regulatory Agency and the Federal Government in selling the product to Nigerians.
This is even as a top official of the Nigeria Labour Congress is raising the alarm on how the huge quantity of locally-refined petrol, which is selling at the same price (N141 per litre) as the imported one, is being costed and sold in the country.
The acting General-Secretary of the NLC, Mr. Owei Lakemfa, told SATURDAY PUNCH in a telephone interview on Friday that the N141 per litre was not in anyway tenable in a supposed era of deregulation that started on January 1, 2012.
He said that it was only logical for the locally-refined fuel to be sold at a cheaper price than the fuel being imported into the country, whose landing cost is subject to the dictates of the international prices of crude oil.
Lakemfa insisted that the percentage of fuel being produced locally, which was acknowledged by the government, did not include port charges, insurance, demurrage, charges by small vessels engaged to offload products at the Atlas Cove and other costs that were built into the landing cost of fuel.
He said, "It's very clear that what the FG has done is just to increase the fuel price. The major objective is simply to raise more funds to share with the governors. You know these people have spent so much money on elections, so they want to get some of the money back.
"They are telling people that they want to dualise the East-West Road and others. How can you talk of constructing the East-West Road that has been budgeted for? That matter has been on and even the Obasanjo Administration decided to dualise it. The entire amount of money you need to pay is not more than N40 per litre.
"If you have local refineries and we have dedicated barrels for local consumption, it means that the litres of petrol from the refineries that are functioning won't have the freight, the demurrage, the cost of the smaller vessel that offload, insurance and others.
Lakemfa's comments followed recent comments made by the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, at the Town Hall Meeting organised by the Newspaper Proprietors' Association of Nigeria in Lagos that the refineries in the country were producing about 30 per cent of the refined products being consumed in the country.
Alison-Madueke said that the FG had put in sustained efforts to ensure that the refineries, which were producing at 30 per cent of installed capacity, increased production to between 50 and 60 per cent.
"Our refineries, when we came into government 16 months ago, were running at about 30 per cent or more capacity utilisation. We have worked very hard and aggressively to ensure that at this point, they are between 50 per cent and over 60 per cent capacity utilisation, producing almost 30 per cent of our locally needed refined products at this time.
"We have gone beyond that to ensure that we bring in the original contractors, who built our traditional refineries – Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt, to come in and this time, handle the Turn-Around Maintenance themselves, simply to show the Nigerian public that we're serious, and this is the only way we can do it," she had said at the THM.
A source, however, said that the refineries were even producing more than the figures quoted by the minister.
The source said that both the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries were producing very well, adding that it was only the Kaduna refinery that was not producing because of the problem of pipeline sabotage.
The source said that government officials were deliberately under-quoting the rate of production of the refineries to collect subsidy on a huge quantity of products locally refined in the country.
However, Lakemfa said the PPPRA was only motivated by a desire to make more money for the federal and state governments by embarking on a crushing increase in the prices of petroleum products in the country.
He said that those who pushed for the pump price to be increased from N65 to N141 per litre were only motivated by the need to recoup the huge amount of money they expended on funding their April 2011 elections.
He argued that the current price that was fixed by the PPPRA had nothing whatsoever to do with the figures that were being reeled out by government officials.
Also, a non-governmental organisation, the Save Nigeria Group, had in a communiqué after its meeting on Thursday, said an independent research it conducted showed that the four refineries had a total installed capacity of 445,000 barrels per day.
It stated that the current capacity of the refineries was 133,500 barrels per day (or 21.2m litres, 30 per cent of installed capacity) due to ageing equipment.
The SNG added that the required domestic consumption for petrol was 12m litres.
"This means that even our moribund refineries can actually meet our local consumption need for petroleum," it added.
The group stated, "The cost structure of crude oil production includes: findings/development, $3.5; production cost, $1.5; refining cost, $12.6; pipeline/transport, $1.5; and distribution/bridging fund margin, $15.69.
"With this, the total sum cost per one barrel of petroleum anywhere in Nigeria will be $34.8; then one litre will cost $34.8/159 litres, which will be $0.219; 9).
But denying that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is swindling Nigerians, the corporation's Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Dr. Livy Ajuonuma, explained that the company bought crude oil for local refining at international price.
According to him, the cost of crude constitutes 80 per cent of the pump prices being paid by consumers at petrol stations, irrespective of where it is processed.
According to him, the differentials in these costs are taken into consideration by the PPPRA in arriving at its templates.
Ajuonuma stated that this explained a price range given by the PPPRA because some products were refined in Nigeria.
He said, "This is the duty of regulation. They give you a price range. Right now, the NNPC is selling petrol at N138 per litre. That is because it is producing locally. This is what we have been saying all along. It is a transparent thing.
There have been protests by Nigerians since the FG shocked the nation by removing the subsidy on petrol last Sunday. This has led to the product being sold for between N138 (at NNPC stations) and N250 in different parts of the country.
The NLC has called a nationwide strike for Monday to force the government to rescind its decision to remove the subsidy and return the price to its pre-2012 template of N65 per litre.


Find a Naturopathic Doctor in Delaware near you.
There are two ways to get started. You can search for naturopathic medicine in Delaware by clicking on the metro regions below.
Or you can review and contact the featured doctors listed here on the page.
Check out the latest alternative medicine articles by clicking the link. If you are searching for specific topics you can visit the homepage, or search for article topics by using the "Article Categories" located on the sidebar.


Terrell Owens' career will not end on an operating table, his agent said Tuesday.
Drew Rosenhaus called ESPN's "SportsCenter" on Tuesday to refute rumors than Owens' ACL surgery will force him to retire.
"He is a legendary healer," Rosenhaus said. "He comes back from injury faster than anybody I've ever seen."
In the 2004 season, Owens used a hyperbaric chamber to return weeks earlier than expected from a sprained ankle and broken leg to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. But he is now 37, leading to speculation an extended NFL lockout would lead him to retire.
Rosenhaus also clarified that Owens already had the surgery in April and said Owens did not injure his knee while taping a VH1 reality show.


It absolutely blows my mind that the Brewster-In-Training is 1!!!! How did this happen?? Where did the time go????
It seems like only yesterday that we introduced the Littlest Brewster to her new sister and began the crazy hard, crazy fun journey of parenting two little ones. I don't think a year has every gone by as quickly as this last one.
I really, really need to take the time to do a "real" 12 month update, but I thought I would placate everyone with some pictures of what BIT has been up to over the last momentous month. Official update, with actual information on what she's doing now, to follow soon.
She's a mover and a shaker now!
I can't believe it but yesterday my little baby girl turned two! Two!! I guess she's not a baby anymore. She's officially a toddler now. 😦 Where did the time go?!?!?
I plan on doing an actual 24 month update ((Which will most likely be my last monthly update for LB – we'll transition to maybe every few months after that.)) in a couple of days. (Read: when I have the time and energy.) But I wanted to share some pictures from her birthday party.
LB had quite the turnout for her 2nd birthday! Not only did DB's mom and our neighbor Sherry (whom LB calls "Billsherry" becasue she's apparently not a separate entity from her husband) come over, so did my friend Cris and her family, my dad and Kathy, and Mike, Sarah, Alex, and Ben – all the way from Charlotte! I couldn't believe so many people were willing to drive such a long way to celebrate with us.
Now, most of you who know me know that I am not a girly girl. And I don't really have a tendency to girly-up LB. But I decided that she needed a pretty outfit for her birthday and got her this from Target: Cris said she was very proud of me for not just dressing her in shorts and T-shirt for her birthday.
I got a little worried because, shortly before the guest started to arrive, we had a bit of pout coming on.
But it was nothing that watching a round of What Does The Fox Say? followed by a little Sweet Brown Ain't Nobody Got Time For That couldn't fix. ((If you've never seen the Sweet Brown song, you should watch it. It's hilarious.)) And by the time everyone arrived, LB was back to her usual sunny self.
Didn't it turn out nicely?
With all the people that came insisting on bringing a gift, the gift opening got a little hectic. Not that I begrudge LB gifts on her birthday (it's once a year, for Pete's sake!), she's just very into the "Mine! Mine!" phase and I don't want her to turn into a greedy little terror. But it's once a year. Once a year. That's what I'll keep telling myself. It's not your birthday that turns you into a greedy little terror, it's how you are the other 364 days of the year.
Also, I think part of the problem with having a birthday so close to Christmas is that it doesn't give us time to absorb all of this crap these toys before the onslaught of Christmas gifts rolls in. If you've got a summer birthday, there are 6 months to use and abuse your new toys before the holidays roll around. Not so for us, my friend. But LB was super excited about all of her gifts – particularly the kitchen accessories/food and the baby doll that came with its own bathtub. She actually insisted on taking a nap with her new baby; I'm pretty sure they will soon be inseparable.
Overall we had a really nice time. It was great to see how many people love our Littlest Brewster as much as we do. I mean, we think she's pretty awesome, but we may be slightly biased.