PEMBROKE, Bermuda – November 4, 2016 – Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:ENH) today reported net income available to common shareholders of $130.1 million and $1.92 per diluted common share for the third quarter of 2016 versus net income of $43.6 million and $0.73 per diluted common share for the third quarter of 2015.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, Endurance reported net income available to common shareholders of $313.1 million and $4.64 per diluted common share versus net income of $219.9 million and $4.39 per diluted common share for the nine months ended September 30, 2015. Book value per diluted common share was $70.00 at September 30, 2016, up 6.9% from December 31, 2015.
Gross premiums written of $760.7 million, an increase of 18.4% compared to the same period in 2015.
Net premiums written of $349.0 million, an increase of 3.7% compared to the same period in 2015.
Combined ratio of 87.3% compared to 87.9% for the same period in 2015.
Net loss ratio of 54.3% compared to 47.4% for the same period in 2015. The net loss ratio for the current quarter was impacted by favorable prior year loss reserve development of $54.3 million or 8.9 percentage points compared to $67.3 million or 12.1 percentage points for the third quarter of 2015.
Net investment income of $62.2 million, an increase of $45.7 million from the same period in 2015.
Net foreign exchange gains included in net income were $18.6 million, which were largely offset by foreign currency translation adjustments included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
Net income available to common shareholders of $130.1 million and $1.92 per diluted common share versus net income of $43.6 million and $0.73 per diluted common share for the third quarter of 2015. Operating income of $102.8 million and $1.52 per diluted common share, an increase of 116.0% and 90.0%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2015.
Net income return on average common equity for the quarter of 2.8% or 11.1% on an annualized basis while operating income return on average common equity for the quarter was 2.2% or 8.8% on an annualized basis.
Gross premiums written of $3,509.3 million, an increase of 25.1% compared to the same period in 2015.
Net premiums written of $2,005.6 million, an increase of 20.8% compared to the same period in 2015.
Combined ratio of 86.1% compared to 85.6% for the same period in 2015.
An overall net negative financial impact from catastrophe losses in 2016 of $67.6 million, consisting of net loss expenses of $85.0 million partially offset by $10.3 million in net reinstatement premiums and $7.1 million of amounts attributable to non-controlling interests.
Net loss ratio of 53.9% compared to 48.1% for the same period in 2015, which was impacted by 4.5 percentage points of catastrophe losses from 2016 events. The net loss ratio for the current period also included favorable prior year loss reserve development of $174.0 million or 9.9 percentage points compared to $183.3 million or 13.0 percentage points for the same period in 2015.
Net investment income of $117.4 million, an increase of $26.7 million over the same period in 2015.
Net foreign exchange gains included in net income were $63.1 million, which were offset by foreign currency translation adjustments included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
Net income available to common shareholders of $313.1 million and $4.64 per diluted common share versus net income of $219.9 million and $4.39 per diluted common share for the nine months ended September 30, 2015. Operating income of $242.0 million and $3.59 per diluted common share, an increase of 10.8% and a decrease per share of 17.7% compared to the same period in 2015 due to the weighted average impact of common shares issued related to Endurance's acquisition of Montpelier.
Gross premiums written of $568.3 million, an increase of $119.7 million or 26.7% from the third quarter of 2015.
Non-agriculture lines of business, which include casualty and other specialty, professional lines and property, marine/energy and aviation lines of business grew 42.5% from a year ago driven by the expansion of the Company's underwriting capabilities by product and geography over the last three years as well as from the renewal and expansion of business written within the Company's Lloyd's syndicate acquired from Montpelier in 2015.
The agriculture insurance line of business declined 3.0% compared to a year ago primarily as a result of lower commodity prices.
Net premiums written of $202.7 million, an increase of $27.8 million or 15.9% from the third quarter of 2015.
Non-agriculture lines of business increased 5.7% due to strong growth in gross premiums written partially offset by increased cessions through whole account quota shares as well as individual cessions by line of business.
The agriculture line of business increased $19.4 million or 65.6% due to the timing of third party reinsurance contract placements.
Combined ratio of 104.6% compared to 83.6% for the same period in 2015.
The net loss ratio increased 14.8 percentage points to 74.4% compared to 59.6% for the same period in 2015. The current accident year net loss ratio of 77.9% increased 8.7 percentage points due to increased attritional and large losses, primarily within the property, marine/energy and aviation line of business. Five large industry losses estimated at $2.0 billion in this line of business resulted in net losses of $16.4 million or 6.0 percentage points in the current period. The current period's net loss ratio included favorable prior year loss reserve development of $9.6 millionor 3.5 percentage points.
The general and administrative expense ratio increased 1.3 percentage points, reflecting an increase of the Company's expense base as a result of added underwriting teams partially offset by a greater amount of ceding commissions received.
The acquisition expense ratio increased 4.9 percentage points in the current quarter as non-agriculture lines of business with higher acquisition costs accounted for a greater percentage of earned premiums compared to a year ago.
Gross premiums written of $1,997.1 million, an increase of $343.5 million or 20.8% over the same period in 2015.
Net premiums written of $813.3 million, an increase of 21.5% over the same period in 2015.
Combined ratio of 95.6% compared to 88.7% for the same period in 2015. The combined ratio was impacted by higher net loss and acquisition expense ratios, partially offset by a lower general and administrative expense ratio. The current period's net loss ratio included $57.0 millionor 7.6 percentage points of favorable prior year loss reserve development and $3.7 million or 0.5 percentage points of catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance, from 2016 events.
Gross premiums written of $192.4 million, a decrease of $1.6 million or 0.8% from the third quarter of 2015.
The catastrophe line of business increased $10.4 million due to the targeted renewal of acquired Montpelier business.
The specialty line of business increased $5.2 million largely due to growth in marine, agriculture and aviation, as global underwriting teams added over the past three years continue to identify attractive new opportunities.
The property line of business decreased $11.4 million, predominantly due to targeted non-renewals and reductions of signed lines, partially offset by new business and select renewal of business acquired from Montpelier.
The casualty line of business decreased $7.4 million, predominantly driven by a timing difference on its only two multi-year deals written in the third quarter of 2015, partially offset by new business written.
Net premiums written of $146.3 million, a decrease of $15.5 million or 9.6% from the third quarter of 2015. The decrease in net premiums written was driven by a decline in gross premiums as well as increased third party retrocessional protection purchased.
Combined ratio of 69.7% compared to 68.0% for the same period in 2015.
The current period's net loss ratio of 38.1% improved 0.4 percentage points compared to 2015. The decrease in the current quarter accident year net loss ratio of 1.1 percentage points was predominantly due to improvements within the casualty, property and specialty lines of business. The current period's net loss ratio included favorable prior year loss reserve development of $44.6 million or 13.2 percentage points.
The 3.1 percentage point increase in the current quarter's acquisition expense ratio was largely due to the earning of premiums acquired from Montpelier that did not have related acquisition costs in the third quarter of 2015 and a higher percentage of premiums earned from the casualty and professional lines in the current quarter which have higher associated acquisition costs.
The general and administrative expense ratio declined 1.0 percentage point in the third quarter of 2016, primarily as a result of leveraging higher earned premiums with a declining expense base that benefited from increased ceding commissions received.
Gross premiums written of $1,512.2 million, an increase of $360.6 million or 31.3% over the same period in 2015 largely due to the targeted renewals of acquired Montpelier business.
Net premiums written of $1,192.3 million, an increase of 20.3% over the same period in 2015.
Combined ratio of 75.7%, compared to 71.5% for the same period in 2015. The combined ratio was impacted by a higher net loss ratio partially offset by lower acquisition and general and administrative expense ratios. The current period's net loss ratio included $117.0 millionor 11.5 percentage points of favorable prior year loss reserve development and 7.7 percentage points of net catastrophe losses from 2016 events, which amounted to $81.3 million before reinstatement premiums of $10.3 million.
Endurance's net investment income for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016 was $62.2 million and $117.4 million, an increase of $45.7 million and $26.7 million, respectively, compared to the same periods in 2015. The total investment return of Endurance's investment portfolio was 1.11% and 3.14% for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively, compared to (0.11)% and 0.65% for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively.
Net investment income benefited from increases in investment income generated from Endurance's trading and available for sale investments for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016 compared to the same periods in 2015 due to an increase in invested assets. During the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016, Endurance's net investment income on its alternative investment funds and high yield loan funds, which are included in other investments, included gains of $22.8 million and losses of $0.2 million, as compared to gains of $17.7 million and $1.8 million in the same periods in 2015. The ending book yield on Endurance's fixed maturity investments at September 30, 2016 was 2.27%, up from 2.03% at September 30, 2015.
At September 30, 2016, Endurance's fixed maturity and short term investments, which comprises 83.9% of Endurance's investments, had an average credit quality of AA- and a duration of 2.66 years. Endurance's available for sale portfolio was in a net unrealized gain position of $125.1 million at September 30, 2016, an increase of $137.7 million from December 31, 2015. Endurance recorded net realized and unrealized investment gains, net of impairments, of $13.2 million and $22.9 million during the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016, compared to gains of $5.0 million and $31.8 million during the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2015.
Endurance ended the third quarter of 2016 with cash and invested assets of $8.8 billion, which represents a 1.3% decrease from December 31, 2015. Net operating cash inflow was $59.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 versus an outflow of $74.0 million for the same period in 2015.
At September 30, 2016, Endurance's shareholders' equity was $5.22 billion or $70.00 per diluted common share versus $5.12 billion or $65.48 per diluted common share at December 31, 2015. For the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016, Endurance declared and paid common dividends of $0.38 and $1.14 per share, respectively.
All forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or may be important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the effects of competitors' pricing policies, greater frequency or severity of claims and loss activity, changes in market conditions in the agriculture insurance industry, termination of or changes in the terms of the U.S. multiple peril crop insurance program, a decreased demand for property and casualty insurance or reinsurance, changes in the availability, cost or quality of reinsurance or retrocessional coverage, our inability to renew business previously underwritten or acquired, our inability to maintain our applicable financial strength ratings, our inability to effectively integrate acquired operations, uncertainties in our reserving process, changes to our tax status, changes in insurance regulations, reduced acceptance of our existing or new products and services, a loss of business from and credit risk related to our broker counterparties, assessments for high risk or otherwise uninsured individuals, possible terrorism or the outbreak of war, a loss of key personnel, political conditions, changes in insurance regulation, changes in accounting policies, our investment performance, the valuation of our invested assets, a breach of our investment guidelines, the unavailability of capital in the future, developments in the world's financial and capital markets and our access to such markets, government intervention in the insurance and reinsurance industry, illiquidity in the credit markets, changes in general economic conditions and other factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016.
[a] Excludes the $230.0 million at September 30, 2016 (December 31, 2015 – $460.0 million) liquidation value of the preferred shares.
[b] The Company has included diluted book value per common share because it takes into account the effect of dilutive securities; therefore, the Company believes it is a better measure of calculating shareholder returns than book value per common share.
Operating income is an internal performance measure used by the Company in the management of its operations. Operating income represents operational results excluding, as applicable, net realized and unrealized gains, net impairment losses recognized in earnings and net foreign exchange gains because the amount of these gains or losses is heavily influenced by, and fluctuates in part, according to the availability of market opportunities. The Company believes these amounts are largely independent of its business and underwriting process and including them distorts the analysis of trends in its operations. In addition to presenting net income determined in accordance with GAAP, the Company believes that showing operating income enables investors, analysts, rating agencies and other users of its financial information to more easily analyze the Company's results of operations in a manner similar to to that used by management to analyze the Company's underlying business performance. Operating income should not be viewed as a substitute for GAAP net income.
Operating income per diluted common share are internal performance measures used by Endurance in the management of its operations. Operating income allocated to common shareholders (which excludes unvested restricted shares outstanding which are considered participating) per diluted common share represents operating income divided by weighted average dilutive common shares, which has been calculated in accordance with the two-class method under U.S. GAAP. Endurance believes that showing operating income per dilutive common share enables investors, analysts, rating agencies and other users of its financial information to more easily analyze Endurance's results of operations in a manner similar to that used by management to analyze the Company's underlying business performance. Operating income per dilutive common share should not be viewed as substitutes for GAAP net income per dilutive common share.
[a] Average common equity is calculated as the quarterly weighted average of the beginning and ending common equity balances for the stated period, which excludes the $230.0 million at September 30, 2016 (December 31, 2015 – $460.0 million; September 30, 2015 – $430.0 million) liquidation value of the preferred shares.
Total investment return is calculated by dividing net investment income, net realized and unrealized gains, net impairment losses recognized in earnings, and net increase in unrealized gains included in other comprehensive income before deferred tax offsets by average invested assets at fair value. The Company utilizes and presents the total investment return in order to better disclose the performance of the Company's investments and to show the components of the Company's ROE.


Santa Cruz will be the fourth World Surfing Reserve, after Manly Beach, Ericeira and Malibu. The official dedication of the iconic Californian surf region will be held on April 27th and 28th.
The Santa Cruz World Surfing Reserve is located on the northern side of Monterey Bay along California's Central Coast within the protected coastal waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
The Reserve stretches approximately 7 miles from Natural Bridges State Park in the City of Santa Cruz on the west end eastward along the city and county coast to the Opal Cliffs, just east of Pleasure Point.
At least 23 consistent surf breaks are sited along this coast, including the world-class breaks of Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point. Most are reef breaks or beach breaks with a few outstanding point breaks, and almost all naturally break right within this zone. Watch surfers enjoying a good surfing day at Steamer Lane.
Winter is always the best time for surfing consistent waves. The breaks are rated from "expert" to "beginner" and are used by surfers throughout the year, so surfers of all ages and levels can find a suitable wave in the area.
Surfing contests from pros to clubs to schools are frequent and popular. Beach and surf access is generally good along this coast, and most of the beach areas in the SCWSR are overseen either by California State Parks, the City of Santa Cruz, or Santa Cruz County.
Santa Cruz proudly claims itself the location of the very first board surfing ever in North America, at the "Rivermouth" break in 1885, as documented in The Santa Cruz Surf.
When three Hawaiian princes had surfboards milled out of local redwood and demonstrated board wave riding for the first time, Santa Cruz was immediately established forever as the birthplace of surfing on the continent.
A strong surf culture continues today as a key part of the area's image, with many local residents embracing surfing as a central part of their lifestyle.


ESL Desk - Learning English Language.
All vocabulary lists have references and dictionaries listed. Use them to look up any word. Simply click on a word and an online dictionary with definition, pronunciation, or translation of this word will open in a new window.
Multiple-choice word exercises. Match the word with its definition. Words come from Spelling Bee lists and aimed at advanced level learners. In addition, some activities on Idioms and Business Phrases.
English grammar is not always easy to understand. Here you find some basic guidelines and rules on adjective, adverb, verb, noun and pronoun usage.
Personal Pronouns, Types of Pronouns, Abstract/Concrete Nouns, Proper/Common Nouns, Gerunds - Present Participles, Identifying Adverbs, Who/Whom/Whose and other quizzes.
Three large lists of "Spelling Bee" words with definitions to study. Review the lists, use match-word-to-definition quizzes to learn the meaning of the words and then you are ready to take the spelling tests on each of the lists.
Common spelling mistakes and confusing words in English language. Here is a list of words which are often used or spelled incorrectly, such as Accept/Except, Affect/Effect, etc. You will find short explanations and links to quizzes.
Basic English vocabulary for Spanish speakers. Match English words to its Spanish translation. Words are divided into categories and within categories, into groups. In addition, there is a word-matching quiz on 555 English-to-Spanish Verbs.
Resources on ESL Schools/Programs, Financial aid, College scholarships and Grants, Teaching English. And obviously links to online grammar and listening materials, vocabulary, quizzes, reading and writing help and more.
Amazon Best Sellers - Learning English. List of popular English learning Books. Top section has some free downloads.
Welcome to ESLDesk.com, a free site for English learners. Not being a native English speaker myself, I started this website a long time ago as an ESL activities page, and it's kind of grown from there. I do hope you find vocabulary, grammar, spelling, reading and other resources on this site to be helpful in learning English and I look forward to seeing you here quite often.


Discover the very best destination for milk tea, bubble tea, shaved ice, and smoothies when you visit Kung Fu Tea. Located conveniently close to the apartment community Rise at Northgate, Kung Fu Tea is a local hotspot offering a wide variety of delicious beverages that are all made to order and completely customizable. Learn about what makes this College Station drink stop so special!
Kung Fu Tea was founded in 2009, with a commitment to providing legions of satisfied customers with the very best bubble tea and milk tea beverages available. Their staff is proud to be "Kung Fu Masters" of crafting drinks, and offer friendly service and attention to detail with every visit. Kung Fu Tea uses only all-natural ingredients, including handpicked tea leaves, in every drink. Visit Kung Fu Tea in College Station and discover your next favorite type of drink!
Bubble tea is a Taiwanese tea drink that contains deliciously chewy little tapioca balls (bubbles). Hundreds of devoted fans visit Kung Fu Tea to get their bubble tea fix, or to try one of their many other beverage types. Unsure of what to try on your first visit? Pick something from the best sellers menu, which contains favorites like coconut milk tea, a mixture of coconut flavoring, non-dairy milk, black tea, and water, or the red bean wow milk, a sweet drink blend of brown sugar and whole milk. Smooth and flavorful, red bean wow milk contains delicious bubbles and your choice of topping mix-ins. No matter what you choose, you will be sure to enjoy the signature Kung Fu Tea experience as well as a delicious drink!
Become a resident of the Rise at Northgate apartment community and you too can enjoy great local places like Kung Fu Tea and so much more. Contact us today to schedule your tour.


Perched on top of a stunningly pretty hillside village (access by car) designated of special historical and architectural interest, this is a cosy,comfortable two-bedroomed property with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
Comprising open-plan sitting room and kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms in converted attic with low beams, and utility room, the property has all conveniences including TV, washing machine and modern bathroom. Tastefully decorated throughout, it sleeps five. Circular staircase. Outside space with washing line and small terrace with table and chairs. Open fire and electric heaters. Parking a minute's walk away. The village has a combined shop and cafe/bar and a Michelin-starred restaurant, La Bergerie.
I am a free-lance translator who lives in Morocco (one son, aged 7, divorced). I grew up in Hertfordshire, with a French mother and British father and have always had a love affair with French language and culture.
I loved the area and instantly fell in love with the picture postcard village of Aragon, with its unique history and warm, friendly inhabitants. It is close to Carcassonne with all its many attractions and on the doorstep of the Black Mountain area with its lakes, walks and beautiful scenery.
It was the panoramic views from every room in the house that made me fall in love with it, as well as its quiet position at the top of the village.
Outside house or 30 seconds' walk away.
This is a delightful, get-away-from-it-all location that combines the experience of staying in an authentic, traditional French village (grocery/bar/cafe) with easy access to the town of Carcassonne with its many historic and cultural features and the beautiful surrounding countryside of the Black Mountain with its lakes, rivers and forests and many summer leisure activities.
Carcassonne 15 minutes away: 2-bedroom cottage perched on the top of a stunning,historic hillside village surrounded by countryside and with the Pyrenees and the local Black Mountains visible in the distance. In the heart of Cathar country, with its fascinating castles, and with easy access to the sea, the area affords many tourist attractions and activities.
Carcassonne is rich in cultural life with numerous festivals, particularly in the summer.
Golf: There is a golf course on the road to St Hilaire just outside of Carcassonne.
Ski: Nearest ski station at Puy Valador.
200 euros in cash paid to property caretaker on receipt of keys, repaid at end of stay. It is expected that holidaymakers will leave the property in a presentable state at the end of the stay.


text:
El 80186 és un microprocessador que va ser desenvolupat per Intel el 1982. El 80186 va ser una millora de l'Intel 8086 i l'Intel 8088. Igual que en el 8086, hi havia un bus extern de 16 bits i també disponible a l'Intel 80188, amb un bus extern de dades de 8 bits. La freqüència de rellotge inicial per al 80186 i el 80188 va ser de 6 MHz, però degut a una millora del maquinari per al microcodi, especialment per al càlcul d'adreces, moltes de les instruccions individuals corrien més ràpid que en un 8086 amb la mateixa freqüència de rellotge. Tenia una velocitat de procés mitjana d'1 milió d'instruccions per segon.

S'utilitza generalment com processador encastat (més o menys comparable a un microcontrolador). No se'ls utilitza en molts PCs, però hi ha algunes excepcions: El Wang Office Assistant, comercialitzat com un processador de texts que utilitza un subconjunt del seu WP processador de texts WP; El Mindset; El Siemens PC-D (Siemens' primera linea de PCs DOS, que executava MS-DOS v2.11 encara que el seu maquinari no fos 100% IBM PC-compatible); El Compis (un ordinador escol·lar suec); El RM Nimbus (un ordinador escolar britànic); El Unisys ICON (un ordinador escolar canadenc); ORB Computer per ABS; El HP 200lx; El Tandy 2000 desktop; i el Philips :YES. Un altre fabricant britànic d'equips, Acorn, va crear un plug-in per al segon processador que contenia el xip 80188 juntament amb una varietat de xips i de suport 512 KB de RAM – per tant, la Master 512 system.

Una de les principals funcions de les sèries 80186/80188 va ser la reducció del nombre de xips necessaris, incloent característiques tals com un controlador DMA, controlador d'interrupcions, rellotges, i lògica chip select.

S'hi van afegir les següents noves instruccions:

 ENTER Make stack frame for procedure parameters
 LEAVE High-level procedure exit
 PUSHA Push all general registers
 POPA Pop all general registers
 BOUND Check array index against bounds
 UD2 Generate invalid opcode exception
 INS Input from port to string
 OUTS Output string to port

Enllaços externs

 Intel's Official Page for the 80186
 Intel 80186/80188 images and descriptions at cpu-collection.de
 Scan of the Intel 80186 data book at datasheetarchive.com
 Intel Microprocessor History

Referències

80186

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


While looking at a painting, my grandmother once told me, "Art doesn't become art unless it contains some form of life." By this she did not mean plants or flowers, but movement – a woman taking a walk, a flock of birds crossing the river. Take what you will of the opinion, but it left me thinking about my photography and how close I was willing to get to "life," or more specifically, people. People fascinate me, but normally I prefer to be fascinated from afar.
In Burlington's early industrial years, Old North End became home to immigrant workers seeking employment at local wooden mills and on the waterfront. Irish immigrants came to the neighborhood in 1840, and French Canadian immigrants soon followed in the 1850s and the years of the Civil War in the 1960s. Walking along North Street, the commercial center of the neighborhood, you would pass small grocery stores offering gasoline, tanneries, metalworking shops, automotive repairs, scrapyards, boat building, roofers, woodworking, furniture manufacturing, and more. In these distinct neighborhoods of craftsmen and artisans, a strong sense of community pride rose up.
Home to Irish, Italian, English, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, German, Tibetan, Vietnamese, Laotian, Bosnian, Yugoslavian, Senegalese, Somalian, and Quebecois immigrants, as well as refugees from other Eastern European, Asian, and African countries, Old North End is one of the most racially diverse areas not just in Burlington, but in all of Vermont. While immigrants have been coming here since the mid- to late-1800s, refugees of darker skin tones are more of a recent phenomenon. In the years 2000-2010 alone, the black population in the neighborhood nearly tripled to reach 9.9%, while the Asian population increased seven fold to reach 8%. The white population also dropped from 84.3% to 77%.
Finding affordable housing is tough in Burlington. It is especially difficult for low-income residents of Old North End and broke college students finishing up their degrees at University of Vermont or Champlain College. The city of Burlington has attempted to help its housing problem by maintaining an "inclusionary zoning" law, which demands that with every new commercial space, a ratio of affordable housing be opened as well.
The office in which I worked happened to be the first commercial space to open in Old North End in over 50 years, and above it were 6 brand new apartments. Many residents of the area would simply walk into the office and demand to know what we were doing in there. One of us would welcome the neighbor, kindly explain that we were an accelerator for digital marketing, and offer them a look around the place. Most people would just walk back out. There was a definite sense of ownership that residents felt over any new space in Old North End, and it was our moral obligation to respect that as we presented the looming threat of gentrification.
A lot of residents in Burlington describe Old North End as "the hood." When I once described the neighborhood as "interesting," someone responded,"That's a nice way to put it." And so it goes that while its definitely filled with more low-income families than any other part of Burlington, it is also certainly the most racially diverse area in the city. Coming from Cleveland, I've experienced the unfair stigma of low-income areas being considered "dangerous," when really statistically, you're in more danger living near UVM campus. Those who live near the campus have a greater chance of being robbed, mugged, or coming into contact with people using hard drugs, specifically cocaine and heroine.
When talking to one neighbor of Old North End, he told me, "There's not much you can get away with around here without someone noticing." That much seemed to be true. On all of my walks through Old North End, you'd see people sitting out on their porch or on the sidewalk in lawn chairs, and others peeking out their windows. My presence was always known, and a lot of people would ask me what I was doing with my camera.
People aren't the only ones watching you as you enter Old North End. The stray cats of the area are known to keep their eyes on any suspicious intruders – specifically, dogs. One man told me a story about a big Siberian Husky that came through the neighborhood until slowly, one by one, the stray cats surrounded and attacked the dog. The poor dog survived but wound up having to get surgery.
So what of my experience in Old North End? It ended up being one of my favorite parts of Burlington. Sure, Church Street is great and filled with delicious restaurants, but it's also pretty touristy and filled with white people. Being in a culturally diverse neighborhood makes me feel more at home since living in Yonkers and then Washington Heights, New York – also known as Spanish Harlem.
I also really liked the little shops that are around. The small bakeries and coffee shops that are never too crowded, the best burgers in Burlington that came out of a convenience store, the Halal store where I bought incense and candles. The people were definitely aware of me, but never rude or abrasive. Even the cat-calling felt very mild. All-in-all, Old North End made the experience of Burlington more real to me, more raw, and I would definitely recommend that any visitors to Burlington explore the neighborhood at least once during their stay. Just don't bring your dog – those cats mean business.


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The Telltale Text File: Security Researcher Proposes Standardization for Reporting Vulnerabilities
By Douglas Bonderud
Web security solutions lack standardization for reporting vulnerabilities. Security researcher Ed Foudil recently submitted a draft to the Internet Engineeing Task Force (IETF) that suggested creating a standardized security.txt file on every website that details the site's security policy and provides contact information to report new vulnerabilities.
The Dangers of Delayed Response
Right now, many companies fail to respond in a timely manner when they discover vulnerabilities. As noted by IT Wire, security firm Embedi discovered multiple flaws in D-Link routers and reported them all to the company. Despite months of back and forth, Embedi said only one of the vulnerabilities was patched.
The firm also contacted the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and was told to use D-Link's official reporting channels. In August, the security firm released exploit code for all three vulnerabilities since there was no evidence of further patch progress.
This isn't the ideal route for security professionals and security firms. They would prefer to work with developers, create a patch and then release code into the wild, especially since cybercriminals start working on new attack variations within hours after any new weakness is made public.
Lacking standardization, white-hat hackers are forced to wait on corporate responses. Often there is no viable way to contact organizations directly, leaving researchers with the difficult choice of keeping quiet and hoping no one else notices the issue or speaking up to compel change, risking exploitation by malicious actors.
A New Standard for Reporting Vulnerabilities
As noted by Bleeping Computer, Foudil got his idea after attending DEF CON this year. He modeled his new security.txt after robots.txt, which is used by web search spiders when they index sites. Standardization of robots.txt has significantly improved the efficiency of this indexing, and Foudil imagined something similar for the security.txt protocol. In his version, however, the file is kept on the top level of company web servers and read by human beings.
The current draft supports four directives: contact, encryption, disclosure and acknowledgment, which would give security researchers the information they need to make contact and start the process of remediating code flaws. So far, security.txt has been met with support from HackerOne, Bugcrowd and Google. If widely adopted, the new .txt file could also be expanded to include directives such as rate-limit, platform, reward, donate and disallow, providing even more specific direction to security firms and researchers.
While it's still in the draft stage, there's a growing need for security.txt and similar standardized security solutions. Haphazard communication, feedback and application patching won't work in a tech landscape characterized by cybercriminals able to pounce on vulnerabilities within hours and companies willing to discount potential defense disasters until it's too late. By creating a simple, standardized format, corporations can provide a direct line for feedback, fraudsters are left out of the loop and security experts can do what they do best: discover and report critical code vulnerabilities.
Application Security | Exploit | Exploit Mitigations | Security Research | Vulnerabilities | Vulnerability Management
Douglas Bonderud
A freelance writer for three years, Doug Bonderud is a Western Canadian with expertise in the fields of technology and innovation. In addition to working for...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This week's monochrome madness image is one of my favorite IR shots to date- the playful dragon who guards our Bio Park's Children's Garden, draped in smirks and vines. Though I get more use out of our membership alone than with the kids, I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the Albuquerque area.
I am debating between the pure monochrome version or a blue and white tone (below) – let me know what you think!


Around 7:15 last night, we decided to head out for our second round of trick-or-treating. I stood on the sidewalk watching our youngest child and her friend and our oldest child and his friend walk up to strangers' homes and ring the doorbell.
It's kind of crazy, when you think about it, that on this one night of the year, you can knock on someone's door at night, dressed in masks and costumes, and people will actually give you candy!
I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween. I actually look forward to Nov. 1 when the neighborhood can put away all of the skeletons, bats, ghosts and spiders from their front lawns. But I have to say, I have grown to love a lot of things about this spooky holiday.
I love how it brings people out of their homes to spend an evening walking around the neighborhood. I love those moments when you ring the doorbell and realize it's a friend from school and you didn't even know they lived down the street. I love how people are generous and kind even when one of my older kids come knocking at the door. I love to see kids use their creativity to dress up.
As kids get older, Halloween can become such an awkward thing. Last night, our Halloween took on many different forms.
The third grader is still totally in the spirit of getting dressed up. However, even at 8, she has outgrown the days of being a princess. I thought she was the cutest panda ever this year, but she worried she might be the ONLY animal in her class.
Our freshman put on a flannel and a baseball hat and said she was dressed as a boy, although she just looked like herself on a normal day. She went out with friends for 15-minute intervals and didn't seem to collect much candy. At one point, she left with three friends and came back with nine. My husband and I frantically baked pizzas at her request, but we were happy to have an invasion of teen-agers in the house.
Our sophomore treated it like any other day. He played Fortnite for a while, then headed over to hang out with an older friend. He is a rebel from most teenager traditions, and I am learning that is totally fine.
Our senior and his girlfriend tagged along with the 8-year-old and her friends, wearing giant animal heads. The younger kids gave them a great excuse to still enjoy collecting candy. I was so thankful at every house they approached that they were never reprimanded for being too old to walk the neighborhood. A few neighbors rewarded my monkey son with a pat on his big plush head. I guess the sewn-on smile made him look friendly and approachable.
Honestly, I'm OK to say good-bye to another Halloween. It seems that all of our holidays are becoming these huge events, thanks to social media. Halloween is no longer a single day for trick-or-treating. I feel like it's been a month of parties, parades and anticipation.
But I've also realized over the years that I want to embrace the moment. I don't know how many more years our house will be full of kids on the last night in October. I'll miss the oldest like crazy next year when he's away at college.
We only have a few more Octobers that our little will want to dress up and be OK with me tagging along. I love that she gives the whole family an excuse to still jump in on the festivities.
How about you? Do you love Halloween or can't wait until it's over?
I've always loved Halloween – it was my favorite holiday even over Christmas as a child! – but Halloween here has changed for us the last couple years, too. Last year was the first year I didn't walk around with my kids for trick-or-treating: Annelise went with a friend, while Will actually had a football game. Halloween night last year was rainy, as well, so even after football, Will just ran out for 20 minutes to see how much candy he could get while still wearing his football uniform. 🤣 This year, Annelise went trick-or-treating again with her best friend (who has a third-grade brother, so he provides the perfect excuse!) Will went raiding around the neighborhood with three of his friends in masks. All Will cares about is getting candy. Annelise wants all the candy, too, but she's extra excited to hang out with her BFF. It feels weird that Halloween is a more separate, individual occasion now, instead of a huge family affair.


text:
So sad Jeffrey Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel is found dead in a French jail cell
February 20, 2022 Chief Editor
PARIS — A modeling agent close to disgraced American financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead on Saturday in his French prison cell, where he was held on trial for the rape and sexual abuse of minors, trafficking in minors.
According to the Paris Prosecutor's Office. Victims of the alleged abuse described the shock and despair that the agent, Jean-Luc Brunel, would never face trial.
Epstein described his death as a double blow in 2019 after killing himself while awaiting sex-trafficking charges in a Manhattan prison. The prosecutor's office said Paris police were investigating Brunel's death.
The circumstances of his death were not made public and Brunel's lawyers did not comment. A federal court issued a settlement agreement between Epstein and Giuffre.
A federal court just released the settlement agreement between Epstein and Giuffre Brunel denied wrongdoing and said through his attorney that he was willing to talk to investigators.
Brunel's legal team had repeatedly complained about the conditions of his custody and sought his release from pending trial. Brunel, who was in his 70s, was detained at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport in 2020 as part of a wider French investigation.
US sex-trafficking charges against Epstein. Epstein's frequent partner, Brunel, was considered the center of a French investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of women and girls by American financiers and their circle.
Epstein often traveled to France and had apartments in Paris. Several women, who have identified themselves as victims, have spoken to police since the French investigation began in 2019, and have at times expressed dismay at the slow pace of the investigation.
One of them, Thesia Huisman, said the news of Brunel's death sent him into "shock". "It pisses me off, because I've been fighting for years," Huisman, a Dutch former model who told police she was raped by Brunel as a teenager, told Reliable Media. "For me, it had to end in court. And now that whole ending – which will help close the form – has been taken away from me.
Anne-Claire Lejeune, an attorney representing Huisman and other victims, said other women involved in the case feel the same way. "Great disappointment, great disappointment that (victims) will not get justice," she told The Reliable Media Group.
She expressed doubts that the investigation would lead to a trial because Brunel was so central to the case. He also expressed concern that Brunel's death meant that his accusers would not receive official recognition of their status as victims.
Prince Andrew settles sexual assault lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre. "To rebuild ourselves (after abuse), this is one of the necessary steps," Huisman said.
He expressed hope that Brunel's death would not discourage women from continuing to speak out about abuse. That said, the investigation, as well as the growing perception about sexual misconduct in France, "freed up women to talk about it," she said.
"It is a difficult step that requires a lot of courage and strength." One of Epstein's main accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, alleged that Brunel procured women, some of them minors, for sex with Epstein and others, luring them with the promise of modeling work.
Britain's Prince Andrew recently agreed to settle a case in which Giuffre accused him of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old. Giuffre says they were supplied to Andrew by Epstein, a charge that Andrew denies. The settlement, in which Andrew agrees to donate enough to Giuffre's charity, avoids a trial.
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Demonstration of women in Prayagraj over hijab controversy


This is a foreign exchange guide to Latvia, the Latvian Lats currency plus LVL transfers and travel tips.
Latvian Lats exchange rates - latest & historic exchange rates.
What is the Latvian Lats currency code and symbol?
The three letter currency code for the Latvian Lats is LVL and the symbol is Ls.
Which countries use the Latvian Lats?
It is the domestic currency in Latvia.
The interactive chart below shows the USD to LVL exchange rate for the previous 3 months with rate alerts for days when the exchange rate moved up or down significantly or for 30 day highs and lows.
Latvia has the Baltic Sea to the West and is sandwiched between Estonia in the North and Lithuania to the South. The landscape is characterised by wide beaches and dense forest. Riga, is the medieval capital of Latvia, famous for the medieval old town St Peter's church as well as its more recent art nouveau architecture.
Money can be exchanged at banks or bureau de changes. ATMs are widely available in the major cities and towns, but always carry cash when venturing further out.
Save money and time by Ordering your Latvian Lats online from Travelex, you get better rates and can pick up the LVL cash locally or even on travel day at the airport.
For card purchases if offered a choice of currencies always select to Pay in Latvian Lats otherwise you may get much worst exchange rates.
Compare LVL travel cash rates - probably why you are here!
When searching around for information on how to get a good exchange rate when sending money to Latvia you need to start with finding out the latest Latvian Lats foreign-transfer exchange rate.
How stable is the Latvian economy?
The past decade has been a turbulent period for the Latvian economy. From acquiring double digit growth figures before 2008, the country has first experienced a double digit drop in GDP before rebounding to a healthier economy and more focus on socio economic challenges.
Once your funds are received by the provider the converted LVL amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Latvia.
Use our Send to LVL calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more Latvian Lats deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!


Could Quantum Computers Overcome the Encryption Keys that Police Use to Prevent Eavesdropping on Police Communications?
Motorola, the main supplier of encrypted radios for police departments has reported for years that it is impossible to break their 256-bit key Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) feature. Their claim is that encryption keys are very complex and can change daily. Claims are made that breaking the AES 256 code with brute force could take many years well beyond the lifetime of a human — even with multiple supercomputers. It's also illegal to break the code and eavesdrop on the police radio talkgroups. Most police departments in the northwest suburbs use AES 256 encrypted radios.
In cryptography, a brute-force attack involves systematically checking all possible keys until the correct key is found. For cryptographers, a cryptographic "break" is anything faster than a brute-force attack – i.e., performing one trial decryption for each possible key in sequence. In 2017 there is no known method to practically break 256-bit keys in the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) system — by brute force or any other type of attack.
Scientists working on manipulation of light energy states might have discovered the route to computers that could be exponentially more powerful than supercomputers.
Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a tool to generate new, more complex states of light. Researchers have found a way to spin light into complex states that promise breakthroughs in multiple uses in a variety of disciplines. Two kinds of light momentum (orbital angular and spin angular) were created utilizing the polarization of light that can direct light into corkscrews, spirals and fork-like shapes. A practical application could be the development of the elusive quantum computer. The Harvard research team is wondering if these complex light states can help reach the goal of processing quantum optics and data, which could help quantum computers become a practical reality. Separate from light manipulation, other researchers, working together from the United States and the United Kingdom, have reported working on manipulating subatomic particles for the goal of quantum data storage.
A discrete quantity of energy proportional in magnitude to the frequency of the radiation it represents with a unit known as a qubit, which can be in two states simultaneously.
Quantum computers are different from existing binary digital electronic computers based on transistors, which requires that data be encoded into binary digits (bits) — two definite (one or the other) states of 0 or 1. Quantum computation uses quantum bits, which can be in superpositions of states. As of 2017, the development of actual quantum computers is still in its infancy, but experiments have been carried out in which quantum computational operations were executed on a very small number of quantum bits. Practical and theoretical research is underway, and many national governments and military agencies are funding quantum computing research for the development of quantum computers for civilian, business, trade, and environmental applications. Quantum computers are also expected to be important for national security purposes, such as cryptanalysis used to breach cryptographic security systems and gain access to the contents of encrypted messages, even if the cryptographic key is unknown.
Microsoft is already working on coding language for the future quantum computers. The coding language doesn't have a name yet.
Imagine the gains in applied technology with an exponential increase in computer power for DNA analysis, disease detection, robotics, synthesis of organs, molecular medicine, and discovery and manufacture of new materials.
Of course, by the time quantum laptop computers are available for consumer, the current police radio systems will probably have been obsolete for a long time, and a new standard of encryption based on quantum computing or alternate inaccessible systems may be developed.


text:
From Iceland — THERE'S MORE TO THE OCEAN THAN BILLY
THERE'S MORE TO THE OCEAN THAN BILLY
Ölvir Gíslason and Kjartan Guðmundsson
Grapevine's correspondents arrived at Við tjörnina at ten o'clock one summer evening in June. The late hour was due to the fact that one of us felt compelled to attend an allegedly important football match (his team, KR, won, by the way). Grapevine's editor was beginning to feel frustrated as it was already hours past his dinner time, which usually lasts straight from 5 pm to 8pm. But all was well as soon as we settled in to comfortable chairs in the restaurant's homey lounge and leafed through the numerous guest books. Such is the power of the restaurant's friendly atmosphere and Rhubarb-Rúna.
Entering Við tjörnina is like stepping back into a different age. The décor is reminiscent of an Icelandic home in the 50s and while we dine, the music of classic Icelandic crooners, such as Haukur Morthens, Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson and Erla Þorsteinsdóttir, aids our digestion. One song that caught our attention dated from the first Cod War between Iceland and Britain. The lyrics compared the intellect of the cod and the British and, perhaps not surprisingly, judged in favour of the cod. This song was particularly appropriate in this place, as seafood of all kinds is the order of the day here.
The only diners apart from us were two middle-aged Germans at the next table, one of whom bore a striking resemblance to Willy Schäfer, who portrayed police officer Berger so memorably on the popular TV series Derrick. Soon Sonja began to bring us delicious dishes. In a place like this, the surroundings can't help but affect the conversation, so our editor pontificated about Icelandic culture and the state of the nation, but our starters held our concentration instead: fish soup with cream and baked mousse of salted cod with lobster, hot smoked breast of guillemot with apple salad and horseradish cream, each dish more delicious than the last. We feasted on grilled halibut with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach, puffin steak and fried plaice with blue cheese and banana (an absolute highlight).	Chocolate cake doesn't sound like the most exciting desert in the world, but the housecake at Við tjörnina is an endless source of surprises, so that even the skýr-cake (excellent in its own right) pales in comparison. At this point, our editor was starting to feel the effects of all the red and white wine, sherry and Rhubarb-Rúnas, so we decided to head home. On our way out we ran into legendary Icelandic musician Megas and folk music duet Súkkat, who were going to the lounge to spend the night rehearsing for an upcoming concert, proving that Við tjörnina is more than a restaurant – it is a kind of a cultural centre, a friendly oasis in the busy city life that apparantly never sleeps. But sleep beckoned us, so we sauntered into the night one step closer to happiness, fulfilment and obesity.
Next: A LOVING MEAL AT HORNIÐ
Previous: HORST TAPAS
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Just like an auto accident, an accident involving a tractor-trailer or large commercial truck can drastically change your life. Whether you were injured by a tractor-trailer while traveling, or injured by a delivery truck on a city street in Denver, trucking injury lawyer John D. Halepaska will help you. With decades of legal experience, he knows how to investigate, manage, negotiate and litigate large truck accidents.
Finding an attorney with experience litigating accidents where tractor trailers or large trucks are involved is crucial. If you've been injured by a tractor-trailer or other commercial vehicle, you need an attorney with the knowledge and resources to analyze how the accident happened, what factors may have caused the accident, (driver fatigue, drugs and alcohol, improper loading, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation violations, negligent hiring and training, etc.) and then how to use that information to make sure you get the recovery you deserve.
The types of injuries that occur when you are injured by a tractor-trailer or other large truck can be catastrophic, even at low speeds. Those type of injuries may require a lifetime of care, and you need an attorney who knows how to analyze those injuries and properly attribute them to the accident.
Every case should be prepared as if litigation will be required, so you need an accident attorney experienced with litigating cases with tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, and other large commercial vehicles. Those vehicles operate under Federal Regulations, which often vary depending on the weight, type of cargo, and other factors. Thousands of commercial trucks are involved in crashes on federal and state roads, often due to reckless driving, but also because of carelessness on behalf of the companies employing the drivers. If you've been injured by a tractor-trailer or other large commercial vehicle, you need a law firm that knows and understands those regulations and how the failure to comply with those rules may have caused your accident.
Trucking companies and their insurers are not going to simply "do the right thing" and pay you fairly for your injuries out of a notion of goodwill or fairness. They will use every means possible to avoid responsibilities for your injuries. You need a personal injury lawyer that knows how to obtain the necessary information to prove your case, and has the skills and experience to put that information to work to get you the compensation you deserve.
How much will it cost me to bring a truck accident claim?
Yes. In most cases three years, but there can be exceptions. Now is the best time to act.


Spruce Creek continued to distance itself from the rest of the baseball pack last week.
The Hawks picked up three more wins, including an 8-4 triumph against previous No. 2 Deltona on Wednesday. They are a perfect 5-0 against Volusia/Flagler competition.
As for the rest of the rankings, Pine Ridge hurdles Deltona a day before their anticipated series while Flagler Palm Coast makes its first appearance of the season.
In addition to the victory over Deltona, Spruce Creek added a sweep of Longwood Lyman, including a 16-0 rout in four innings on Friday. Brennan Keil allowed only one hit, while Zac Veen and Cameron Orie knocked in three runs apiece.
With district play out of the way, the Hawks turn their attention to Eau Gallie and Seabreeze this week.
Pine Ridge ran its winning streak to five as it swept Mainland on back-to-back days.
Tyler Shaw and Ramphis Carlo tossed complete games, while Kayden Anderson and Tyler Hoppe recorded three hits apiece in Thursday's 7-1 home win.
The Panthers begin, perhaps, their biggest series of the year on Tuesday night against rival Deltona.
Deltona dropped a pair of games last week, producing just two hits in a 1-0 loss to Taylor. But the Wolves rebounded with a 4-0 victory against Atlantic.
Tristan Almodovar knocked in a pair as the Wolves did all of its damage against Atlantic ace Sebastian Spada in the second inning.
All in all, it was a decent week for the Barracudas. The pitching staff got on track during a sweep of Matanzas.
Dylan Delucia and Ben Maman combined for 14 strikeouts in the first win, while Tanner Towers struck out seven in a six-inning Game 2 shutout. Nick Zois added three hits and two RBIs in the second matchup, a 10-0 win.
New Smyrna Beach gets two of its three games this week at home, facing Seabreeze and Father Lopez.
The No. 5 spot continues to be a free-for-all between a handful of teams hovering around .500.
However, FPC seems to be picking up some steam with four wins in its last six ballgames. The Bulldogs pulled off an upset by snapping St. Johns Bartram Trail's 10-game win streak with a 7-6 score on Friday. They also hammered Taylor, 11-1, last Tuesday.
FPC figures to be tested twice this coming week with road trips to DeLand and Oviedo.


The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and Federal Transportation Enhancements are the two main funding sources for biking and trail projects in this state.
Now one, if not both are under attack.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) has been in place since 1976. It provides financial assistance to local governments and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) to purchase land or rights in land for public recreation or protection of land because of its environmental importance or its scenic beauty. It also assists in the appropriate development of land for public outdoor recreation.
The MNRTF is supported by annual revenues from the development of State-owned mineral resources, largely oil and gas.
Michigan legislators have introduced bills to divert 80% of the incoming funding and spend it on roads and the aeronautics fund. The message is clear: pavement over parks.
There are two bills and one resolution involved: House Resolution NNN, House Bill 6482, and House Bill 6483. Representative Dave Agema (R-Grandville) is the main sponsored the first two, while Representative Bob Genetski (R-Saugatuk) sponsored the latter. Representatives Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake), Sharon Tyler (R-Niles), John Walsh (R-Livonia), Tom Pearce (R-Rockford), and Joe Haveman (R-Holland) are co-sponsors across the board.
This attempt to rob the Trust Fund really began with the Transportation Funding Task Force, which we wrote about in December of 2008. That effort was stacked with road lobby members so it was no surprise when they suggested taking money dedicated to parks, recreational and greenspace.
All bills are in the Great Lakes and Environment committee where they will hopefully die this session. But don't hesitate to call and let your state representative know how you feel about this raid.
Election time often brings more change than just elected officials.
We received word today that the Rebecca Humphries, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment is stepping down. Humphries has been a solid supporter of our state parks and trails.
In fact, she was responsible for opening the trails to mountain biking at Cannonsburg State Game Area earlier in her career – no small feat.
She's always been approachable and balanced. She'll certainly be missed.
Here is the notice she sent today.
I wanted to let you know personally that I have accepted an offer from Ducks Unlimited to be the director of DU's Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office based in Ann Arbor, beginning in January. Ducks Unlimited is an organization I have long respected, and this opportunity will allow me to continue my career in conservation.
We have made much progress in the last several months in implementing the Governor's transition plan for our new agency. I am proud of the work we do every day to protect the environment and manage our natural resources. I am confident that this work will continue under the new administration, and that you all will sustain the same level of commitment and dedication that I have witnessed in everything you do, from the day-to-day work to the crisis situations.
For 32 years, I have been an employee of this department, and like many of you, I have worked through its many iterations and transitions. While some things change, your professionalism and passion remain steadfast, and are clearly evident in what you do.
In the next two months, we will continue to work together on the issues that affect our natural resources and environment and prepare for a smooth transition with the new administration. It has been an honor for me to work with all of you, and our paths may likely cross again in my future role with Ducks Unlimited. If you are ever in the area of my new office in Ann Arbor, please stop by to say hello.


text:
Who's Lying? An In-depth Analysis of the Luhansk Buk Video
On July 21st 2014, only a few days after Flight MH17 was shot down in Eastern Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence held a lengthy press conference, detailing what they claimed to be evidence of who was responsible for the downing of Flight MH17.
The claims included evidence of Flight MH17 significantly altering its course, radar data that showed an aircraft close to Flight MH17, satellite images of Ukrainian Buk missile launcher in the area on July 17th, and a video of a Buk missile launcher shared by the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior that the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed was presenting false information about its location.
One claim in particular was hotly debated. A video showing a Buk missile launcher was shared online by the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior on July 18th, reportedly filmed on the morning of July 18th.
This claimed to show the missile launcher linked to the downing of flight MH17 heading towards the Russian border. It was clear the Buk missile launcher was being transported by the same truck and low-loader (described as having a cabin unique in the area by its owner) seen in images and videos from July 17th, showing a Buk missile launcher being transported through separatists held territory.
However, the Russian Ministry of Defence disagreed. They claimed the video has been recorded elsewhere, showing a location in government held territory.
"For example, media circulated a video supposedly showing a Buk system being moved from Ukraine to Russia. This is clearly a fabrication. This video was made in the town of Krasnoarmeisk, as evidenced by the billboard you see in the background, advertising a car dealership at 34 Dnepropetrovsk Street. Krasnoarmeysk has been controlled by the Ukrainian military since May 11"
The Russian Ministry of Defence displayed the following image showing what they claimed the billboard said.
So on one side the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior is claiming the video shows the Buk heading towards Russia, while the Russian Ministry of Defence is claiming the video was filmed in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government, which is especially significant as the truck and low-loader is clearly the same one seen travelling through separatists held territory on July 17th.
Unfortunately for the Russian Ministry of Defence something that would have been at one time very difficult to prove is now, thanks to the internet, just a matter of looking in the right places. On July 22nd the following images were shared on Twitter, claiming to show the exact location the video was filmed in separatists controlled Luhansk, close to the Russian border.
Чуть подробнее по координатам съемки уезжающего российского Бука в Луганске. 48.545760°, 39.264622° #MH17 pic.twitter.com/yush3ACYyU
— ЄВРОМАЙДАН (@euromaidan) July 22, 2014
Using a variety of online resources it is possible to confirm that this is the correct location. A website with feeds for traffic cameras in Luhansk included a camera pointing directly at the location that the Buk travelled through. Traffic cameras in Luhansk had been shut down a week before July 17th, but preview images from the cameras were still available. It should be noted since Bellingcat published its original work on the Luhansk Buk video the traffic camera site has been shut down for unknown reasons, but was archived on July 17th, where the preview image is still visible.
The traffic camera is positioned to the right of the location of the camera in the Buk video, which was pointing across the top of the trees in the bottom left corner of the picture towards the billboards and intersection. Clearly visible is a billboard with the same car advertisement and green border visible in the Buk video.
Billboards are not unique, but it's also possible to explore the area using other resources. While Google Street View is a well known service for exploring ground level imagery of towns and cities, Yandex Maps also offers a similar service, which, unlike Google Street View, covers Luhansk, including the area visible in the Buk video. The imagery from the area is a few years old, and the billboards are recent additions to the area, so are not visible in the street view imagery from Yandex Maps.
The absence of billboards in the area is apparent in historical satellite imagery of the area from 2011 visible in Google Earth, with the earliest dated Google Earth imagery available showing them in March 2014.
The age of the Yandex Maps imagery is also apparent when looking at the nearby church, only partially constructed in the Yandex Maps imagery, but clearly visible in the image from the traffic camera.
Of particular interest is a set of buildings with silver and red roofs near to the church, visible in the traffic camera image to the right of the church. In the Buk video it's possible to make out the red and silver roofs, as well as a red and silver chimney, matching perfectly with these buildings.
In addition to these matches a Luhansk local visited the site and took various photographs which were then shared on Livejournal, including a clear photograph of the billboards in the area and the local church.
The photographer also took a picture of the red and silver roofed buildings nearby, again confirming this is the same location shown in the video. It also shows that despite the street view imagery being at least 3 years old the roofs and chimney are still the same colour now as they were in the street view imagery and Buk video.
These images allowed smaller details in the video to be matched, such as the detail on the lamp posts, and shape of the curb.
It's also possible to identify a second billboard visible in the Buk video, heavily obscured, and only visible briefly at the start of the Buk video. The same billboard is also visible in the traffic camera image.
Another image of the area is available on Panoramio, described as being taken on October 12, 2013, and showing a position closer to that of the position in the Buk video.
It's possible to match objects in the Buk video with objects in the Panoramio photograph, also establish the position of the Buk video camera is to the right and below the position of the Panoramio photograph camera. In the below image the position of three features are highlighted, the right side of the billboard (red), the pole (green), and the chimney (yellow).
As we can see, to match the position in the Buk video the camera position in the photograph would need to move to the right for the right side of the billboard to line up with the pole, resulting in the chimney appearing to the right of the billboard and pole. That would also mean the tree marked in green in the below image would appear further to the left in the Buk video, obscuring more of the building marked in pink.
It's also possible to make out the pole visible in the Buk video in exactly the right position in the Panoramio photograph.
And near the pole the cable connectors visible in the Buk video.
Yandex Maps street view imagery can be used again to show us the position of the Buk video camera from the junction where the Buk was filmed. This image shows apartments overlooking the trees visible in the Luhansk Buk video, further confirming this is the correct location.
It's now clear the video was filmed in Luhansk, and based on the position of buildings and structures in the video it's clear the camera is positioned west of the road, facing eastwards. In the first moments of the video a window frame is visible on the right side of the shot, indicating the camera is positioned inside the apartment buildings overlooking trees, which partly obscure the view of the road in the video. The following map shows the approximate position of the camera and the Buk in the video.
The Russian Ministry of Defence had claimed "This video was made in the town of Krasnoarmeisk, as evidenced by the billboard you see in the background, advertising a car dealership at 34 Dnepropetrovsk Street.", but this is clearly untrue, the photographs taken of the billboard clearly show it says something completely different from what is claimed by the Russian Ministry of Defence.
This appears to have been a frustrating piece of evidence for someone, when Correctiv visited the site several months later the billboard had suffered a very specific piece of vandalism.
The same location was also visited by 60 Minutes Australia, who again confirmed the location was correct.
The 60 Minutes Australia report which visited the Luhansk site was attacked by Robert Parry (best known for his reporting on the Iran-Contra affair), who claimed 60 Minutes Australia had attempted to deceive their viewers, and that they were "engaged in a wilful fraud". However, it is clear thorough analysis the 60 Minutes Australia visited the correct location, and that Robert Parry is wrong in his assessment.
Although most of the billboards have been stripped, it's still possible to make out parts of the advertisements that were on them on July 17th. One example is the billboard that was partly obscured in the video, and photographed by the Luhansk local
In response to Parry's initial accusations 60 Minutes Australia showed footage of the pole visible in the Buk video, that was also photographed by the Luhansk local, that also clearly matches.
Cables in the Buk video are also visible in the video from 60 Minutes Australia, with the black connectors (boxed in red) and the cable connected to the distinctive pole (boxed in green) visible in both sets of footage.
In a piece of footage filmed as they approach the location a distinctive building is visible, which is also visible on street view imagery of the area.
This building is next to the red and silver roofed buildings and the red chimney visible in the Buk video.
Moments later after the grey roofed building is visible the church that's nearby is also visible.
60 Minutes also filmed the church in other shots, clearly showing that this is the correct location.
As we can clearly see, despite accusations by Robert Parry that 60 Minutes Australia was "engaged in a wilful fraud", 60 Minutes Australia had in fact visited exactly the same site shown in the Luhansk Buk video, further confirming the Russian Ministry of Defence lied about the video at their July 21st press conference.
But this is just one of the lies and fabrications presented by the Russian Ministry of Defence in their July 21st press conference. Radar data presented, supposedly showing an aircraft near MH17 appearing on radar moments after it was shot down almost certainly showed instead the debris of MH17 as it broke up over Ukraine. The claim that MH17 was redirected from its flight path was shown to be utterly untrue, based on data released by the Dutch Safety Board investigation into the downing of Flight MH17.
From this it is clear that the reaction of the Russian government to the downing of Flight MH17 was to create a series of untruths and fabrications, and to present them to the world, including the families of those killed on July 17th. In addition to the above examples Bellingcat will soon be releasing a detailed report clearly demonstrating more of the evidence presented at the July 21st press conference was fabricated.
It is also clear that open source and social media investigation can play a major role in debunking lies and propaganda, and empowers anyone to find the truth, even when powerful governments attempt to obscure it.
martin - October 17, 2015
But google does not update its images daily. Look at the Donetsk airport it is still intact, but in reality it is destroyed. And you refer to google maps photos as if they were refreshing daily.
F - January 3, 2016
martin, your assumptions are wrong.
Vladislav - November 6, 2015
Video of the truck passing to the right of the banner with the picture of the car, all the proofs are based on the picture where the banner on the left side????
Sorry made a mistake! The same banners can stand in different cities
Filip - January 3, 2016
maybe you should watch the video again.
Photo showing the approximate form of a video! There is ascent and you cannot see objects behind him (roofs and others)
Charles Lutz - May 8, 2019
The thing that got to me most in the press conference was the general claiming that the debris cloud of falling dead civilians, was in fact a lumbering Ukrainian su25 that appeared AFTER MH17 was destroyed, hovered in place for about 4 minutes, then disappeared.
This is so wrong and cynical and absurd on so many levels. Russia has that border covered from soup to nuts and there is no way they didn't know exactly what happened within minutes. Then to lie so extravagantly to the world… Just terrible.


Hi folks, we are cancelling tomorrow's 'Autumn Medicine Making' workshop at the Salisbury centre due to lack of bookings. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Watch this space for a new series of 'Pay It Forward' solidarity medicine making workshops which we will keep you posted on.
Come along to our Autumn Medicine Making workshop tomorrow afternoon to discover how to make a range of remedies from the seasonal fruit growing all around us!
The Wester Hailes Community Herbal Clinic is 1 year old! To celebrate our first birthday and kind offers of funding from Lush & Vegware, we are lowering our prices for staff of the Healthy Living Centre – only £25 for an hour's appointment, and £15 for half an hour. Best price in town!
Sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter containing news from the co-op, along with the plant of the month & upcoming events & courses.
We respect your privacy & will never pass over your contact details to anyone else (unless you ask us to).


Arlo Rose and Perry Clarke are proud to announce the release of Konfabulator 1.0.
What sets Konfabulator apart from other scripting applications is that it takes full advantage of Appleis Quartz rendering. This allows Widgets to blend fluidly into your desktop without the constraints of traditional window borders. Toss in some sliding and fading, and these little guys are right at home in Mac OS X.
You can find more information about the Konfabultor release at the Konfabulator Home Page. Konfabulator is available as freeware.


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Tom Jones Live in Dubai
Legendary Tom Jones will perform on 22nd of February, 2017 in Dubai for the Emirates Airlines Dubai Jazz Festival.
He will be headlining the first night of the 15th edition of the Festival at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre.
Sir Tom Jones is a British singer. His performing range has included pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, soul and gospel.
Jones received a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966, an MTV Video Music Award in 1989, and two Brit Awards: Best British Male in 2000 and the Outstanding Contribution to Music award in 2003. Jones was awarded an OBE in 1999 and in 2006 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to music.
In its 15th year, the Emirates Airlines Dubai Jazz Festival will be held at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre in Dubai from 22nd to 24th of February.
The Dubai International Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The 1st ever edition of the Dubai International Jazz Festival took place in January 2003 at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre featuring mainstream jazz artists over 3 days selling only 1,200 tickets. But, since the 2nd edition the number of fans started growing year over year.
Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival 2016 wins best music event award at the Ahlan People's.
Organized by: Emirates Airlines Dubai Jazz Festival
Venue: Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai
Admission: from AED 275


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


French lawmakers have voted to make their country a little less heavily dependent on nuclear energy.
France invested heavily in nuclear energy in the 1960s and 1970s and has pioneered waste reprocessing and other nuclear technologies.
But many plants are aging and pressure has mounted to invest in renewable energy. President Francois Hollande has pledged to reduce France's reliance on nuclear reactors.


text:
Home Members > Schad >
Recent Content by Schad
The Premier League Thread
It's a damned good thing they've gotten bounced from the cups already; means that they'll merely need to play a match per day for the final two...
Post by: Schad, Jan 18, 2022 at 12:19 AM in forum: Southampton
Transfer Rumours January 2022 Transfer Window
Definitely, though there's some player agency in that, as well. It's considered really bad form to set a price and then up it if further bids come...
Post by: Schad, Jan 17, 2022 at 4:00 PM in forum: Southampton
I think there's going to be a bit of an adjustment period for some of the larger clubs, though admittedly they should have adjusted by now. The...
Think it was mostly because he was pushing for more playing time and their lineup was largely set. He also got some stick for his performance in...
Awful is a significant stretch. He was fairly good, and played in some important matches for them, but they had Miranda and Godin ahead of him in...
Match Day Thread Wolves vs Saints, Sat 15th January, 15:00
I'm really not sure why it took that long. That's a pretty clear penalty unfortunately.
It's not full Wenger unless he spends most of the half fighting his zipper.
We almost definitely don't. We have done the "wave vaguely in the direction of FFP" thing for years now for a variety of reasons ranging from "we...
Post by: Schad, Jan 14, 2022 at 10:27 PM in forum: Southampton
I think it's mostly because, as you said earlier, determining value of a player is such a nebulous and subjective concept anyway that it's easier...
You stated that UEFA rules require home-grown players specifically to be recognized as zero-value assets. They do, I'm just pointing out that's...
If the accounting functioned in the fashion you'd expect it to, then you would expect to see losses booked on the disposal of player registrations...
The contract isn't an asset, it's a liability. It's the annoying thing you have to do in order to retain possession of the asset. Players are...
I mean standard accounting terms, but they are dumb as they pertains to player trading. Broja is, on paper, literally worthless. So is JWP. So is...
Loaning players isn't a major profit centre for them, I don't believe. Chelsea's warehousing of young players is effectively an exploit of the FFP...
Personally, no. We finally have a halfway competent defense, and that's basically the only reason we weren't really in deep trouble before our...
Post by: Schad, Jan 14, 2022 at 2:25 AM in forum: Southampton
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text:
More info on Protagonists in GTA London
Protagonists in GTA London: Misc
Like Grand Theft Auto 1, players are given the option of choosing one of out eight protagonists in both Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 and Grand Theft Auto: London, 1961, each having their own default full name (which the player can change), but otherwise have very little difference in gameplay aside varying colors of clothing (aside the bell-bottom pants they wear in GTA London 1969, which distinguish them from the GTA 1 and GTA London 1961 renditions).
Unlike GTA 1 and unlike GTA London's in-game depiction of other characters, the protagonists are depicted with hand-drawn, stylised art direction appropriate for the 1960s setting the game is set in, and appearing solely as Caucasian men in 1960s fashion and hairstyles. The appearance of certain characters are also based on various real-life celebrities as they appeared around the time.
List of protagonists
Default name
Maurice Caine
His name and appearance are based on famous British actor Michael Caine. Most notable is his performance in the 1971 crime film, Get Carter. Maurice is Michael Caine's real first name.
Mick Casey
Casey is depicted as a beefy and rough thug, in contrast to most other protagonists who display some degree of fashion sense and generally appear less oversized.
Johnny Hawtorn
Winston Henry
Henry's attire is an apparent nod to both the beatnik subculture as well as the newer mod subculture, donning a trilby as well as featuring a turtleneck and sideburns.
Jones' long-haired and thick-bearded appearance appears to be inspired by the hippie sub-culture.
Rodney Morash
Seemingly inspired by the Mod sub-culture, Morash is by far one the more frequently featured protagonists from the game, having been additionally illustrated in another artwork for the game, holding a shotgun and uttering "Don't mess." in a speech bubble. The aforementioned artwork has also been adopted for use as a Rockstar Games Social Club user avatar, the only one to represent the "Grand Theft Auto: London" category.
Sid Vacant
His name and appearance are based on the Sex Pistols guitarist Sid Vicious. The band released a song titled "Pretty Vacant" which explains his last name.
Wolfie Vilans
Protagonists in GTA 1
GTA London 1969 Characters
Maurice Caine • Mick Casey • Johnny Hawtorn • Winston Henry • Charles Jones • Rodney Morash • Sid Vacant • Wolfie Vilans
Harold Cartwright • Albert Crisp • Archie Crisp • Jack Parkinson
Characters in GTA London 1969 • Category:Characters in GTA London 1969 • Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 • Category:Characters
Categories: Characters | Characters in GTA London 1969 | Characters in GTA London 1961 | Protagonists
This article uses material from the "Protagonists in GTA London" article on the GTA wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.