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Cosmoteer 0.15.5 - Performance Improvements & New Languages
Cosmoteer update 0.15.5 has been released! This update significantly improves performance in many situations, especially large battles. It also adds three new community-created translations for Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, and Latin-American Spanish.
Since the 0.15.4 update, I've spent most of my time digging deep into Cosmoteer's code, measuring its performance, and optimizing wherever I can, including better utilizing all of the available CPU cores by rewriting certain algorithms to run in multiple parallel threads. This update is just the beginning, and there's more work to be done, but already I have made very significant performance improvements to audio/visual effects, ship A.I., and general gameplay code. I haven't even done any work optimizing physics or crew A.I., and already players are reporting great improvements in framerates, especially in large battles and with large ships.
Another improvement I made, which is not technically an optimization per se but should still improve the game's overall framerate, is that now the game will automatically slow down the game simulation when the framerate falls below a certain number. (By default 30 FPS, but you can change it to 60 FPS or disable it entirely.) While this feature isn't perfect and you may still experience framerates lower than 30 FPS, falling below 30 FPS should no longer cause the framerate to plummet all the way down to 4 FPS.
Lastly, for those of you with laptops that have both integrated Intel and dedicated Nvidia graphics, this update should now make the game use the dedicated Nvidia graphics by default, improving performance in graphics-bottlenecked situations such as when running at a very high resolution.
New Language Translations
The 0.15.4 update introduced the Cosmoteer Translation Project, which is a community-driven effort to translate Cosmoteer from English into as many other languages as possible. This project has proven hugely successful in a very short period of time, initially introducing German, Spanish, French, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese translations. And this update adds Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, and Latin-American Spanish translations, as well as improvements to the already-existing translations.
If you would like to help translate Cosmoteer into your language or find an error that you'd like to help fix, please head over to the Cosmoteer Translation Project and lend a hand!
This update also has a handful of other fixes and improvements, which you can read about in the changelog.
Posted by Walt Destler at 2:06 PM No comments:
Cosmoteer 0.15.4 - Crew Diversity, Language Translations, & Tech Improvements
Cosmoteer update 0.15.4 is now available for direct download and auto-update via Steam! This update makes the crew a lot more visually diverse with a variety of skin colors, hair colors, and hair styles. It also adds community-created language translations for German, Russian, French, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. And lastly, it upgrades the underlying technology powering Cosmoteer, which should improve performance and make it possible for players with 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems to play multiplayer with each other.
Crew Diversity
For many years, the people who have inhabited Cosmoteer's ships have all looked like clones of the same light-skinned, short brown-haired, male-looking person. Honestly, as someone who believes in the value of diversity, I've been pretty embarrassed by how homogeneous Cosmoteer's crew are. Science fiction media like Star Trek and Star Wars, which Cosmoteer is obviously very inspired by, have long portrayed a more diverse future as an ideal that we should strive for. Cosmoteer has for a very long time failed to live up to that ideal.
I hope that this latest update is a significant step towards living up to that ideal of a more diverse future. While still nameless and with identical abilities, the people that crew Cosmoteer's ships now appear more visually diverse with a variety of skin tones, hair colors, and hair styles. And while Cosmoteer does not have any explicit notion of "gender" coded into the game, some of the hair styles evoke traditional male or female sensibilities, at least by our early 21st century standards. (But who's to really say how fashion will have changed hundreds of years from now.)
This is the first update to include translations created by Cosmoteer players as part of the Cosmoteer Translation Project. This is a community-driven effort to translate Cosmoteer from English into as many languages as possible. Initially with this update, Cosmoteer can now be played in German, Russian, French, Spanish, and both simplified and traditional Chinese. These translations are very much a work-in-progress and may contain errors and omissions. If you want to help translate Cosmoteer into your language, head over to the Cosmoteer Translation Project to read more about it.
Tech Upgrade
Cosmoteer is coded in C#, a programming language created by Microsoft. C# itself runs on top of a technology platform they also created called the ".NET Framework". Although it still works great and has been updated many times over the years, the .NET Framework is fundamentally a pretty old technology, having been around since 2001. Over the past few years, Microsoft has been working on a successor to .NET Framework called ".NET Core", a more modern and much improved technology. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that further development of .NET Framework was being stopped in favor of concentrating on .NET Core. And just a few weeks ago .NET Core 3.0 was released and included all the features needed for Cosmoteer, which finally allowed me to switch to it from .NET Framework.
There were a lot of advantages to switching to .NET Core:
The most immediately noticeable advantage is that performance has been significantly improved. In some situations you might see framerate as much as double.
.NET Core doesn't require a separate framework to be installed on the player's computer, which took time and was prone to errors.
.NET Core allows players using 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems to play with each other, which was not possible under .NET Framework.
.NET Core paves the way for supporting Mac OS and Linux. Cosmoteer doesn't support those yet, but .NET Core brings the game one big step closer to that future.
The only major disadvantage to .NET Core is that now Cosmoteer's download and installation size is much larger, because it no longer installs the .NET Framework separately and has to include everything it needs to run within the application itself. The new installer is about 200 MB, more than twice as big as the old installer.
Cosmoteer 0.15.3 - Medium & Large Reactors
Cosmoteer update 0.15.3 is now available for direct download and auto-update via Steam! This update adds two larger reactor sizes, a 3x3 "Medium" reactor and a 4x4 "Large" reactor, in addition to the existing 2x2 "Small" reactor.
Medium & Large Reactors
The Medium Reactor is a larger 3x3 variant of the existing 2x2 "Small" Reactor. It costs twice as much but produces three times as much power, making it overall more cost-effective than an equivalent number of Small Reactors.
The Large Reactor is an even larger 4x4 version. It costs four times as much as the Small Reactor but produces nine times as much power, making it by far the more cost-effective option for large ships.
In addition to producing power more rapidly, these new reactors also make bigger batteries. The Medium Reactor produces batteries that are twice the size compared to the Small Reactor, and the Large Reactor makes batteries three times the size of the Small Reactor. This allows crew to carry much more power per trip, further cutting down on the overall cost of using Medium and Large reactors compared to using multiple Small Reactors.
These new reactors have their own downsides, though. Most importantly, the Medium and Large Reactors have much larger explosions when they are destroyed, so you'll need to be very careful about protecting them. Here's an example of a Large Reactor exploding:
Additionally, when crew pick up batteries from a Medium or Large reactor, it takes a small amount of time to fill the batteries. A Medium Reactor battery takes 0.5 seconds to fill, and a Large Reactor battery takes a full second to fill. (Small Reactor batteries still fill instantly.) This makes Medium and Large reactors less useful for directly supplying power-hungry systems like Shields and Ion Beams than the Small Reactor.
The most effective way to utilize Medium and Large reactors is to have them in central locations relatively far from the weapons and other systems that need their power, but to have closer Power Storage rooms to quickly supply power. Your crew will pick up power from the Medium or Large Reactor and carry it to the Power Storage (ideally utilizing Moving Walkways for maximum speed) where, upon delivery, the double- or triple-size battery will "split" into multiple single-size batteries, ready for quick delivery to the nearby systems. You can use the crew A.I. customization tools added in the previous updates to setup smart "supply chains" between reactors and storages.
Posted by Walt Destler at 4:17 PM 2 comments:
Cosmoteer 0.15.2 - Reactor & Factory Assignments
Cosmoteer update 0.15.2 is now available for direct download and auto-update via Steam! This update allows you to assign reactors, factories, and storages to supply other parts on your ship, prioritizing supplying ammo or power to those parts and preventing them from supplying any other parts. It also improves the camera by adding auto-tracking of on-screen ships, plus a handful of other improvements and fixes.
Reactor & Factory Assignment
The previous update, 0.15.1, added the ability to assign squads of crew to exclusively prioritize specific weapons and other ship systems. Now, the 0.15.2 update brings a similar feature to reactors, factories, and storages:
If you open Crew mode and click on the "behavior" tab, you will now be able to select a supplier (reactor, factory, or storage) by left-clicking on it and then right-click on another weapon or ship system you want that you want to supply. The targeted weapon or system will then prefer to get its power or ammo from that supplier whenever possible, and the reactor, factory, or storage itself will then never supply anything else which it isn't targeting.
You can use this feature to further optimize your ships. For example, if you want to make sure your crew will never go to a farther reactor to pick up power for a laser blaster, then you can simply assign the closest reactor to that laser blaster and then any crew picking up power for it will only ever pick up power from the assigned reactor. You can even use this to create "storage chains", such as assigning a factory to a storage, that storage to another storage, and so forth, reducing the distance that any single crew has to walk across your ship.
Related to this feature is a change to the behavior of when you assign a crew squad to a factory. In the previous update, a crew squad assigned to a factory would only ever pick up power for that factory and would not pick up ammo from that factory to deliver to other weapons, unless the squad was also assigned to those weapons. But in this update, a crew squad assigned to a factory (or reactor or storage) will now also pick up ammo or power from it and deliver to any weapons or other systems, even if they aren't specifically assigned to those. If you don't want the crew to either supply power to, or pick up ammo from, a factory, then you can simply disable those jobs in the crew's role's job priorities.
Camera Auto-Tracking
One of the big things I learned playtesting Cosmoteer at PAX West was that new players often struggle to control the game's camera, especially during combat as the ships are almost always moving. Yes, the game for a long time has had various features for locking the camera on ships, but it takes a while to learn how to use those features, and until you do, trying to keep the ships on screen can be pretty frustrating.
So in order to make the game less frustrating for new players, this update also adds a simple "auto tracking" feature to the player's camera. Basically, unless you have specifically locked the camera on a ship or the eye icon, the camera will now automatically match the velocity of and move with any ship on the screen, keeping it in the same relative location. If there are multiple ships on screen, it will simply match the average velocity of all of the ships. This feature should greatly reduce the need to use the other camera-locking features (which of course are still available), but if you don't like it, you can simply turn it off in the camera settings.
Cosmoteer @ PAX West & Update 0.15.1
Last weekend I attended PAX West in Seattle to showcase Cosmoteer as part of Indie Megabooth. PAX was a ton of fun, and working with Indie Megabooth made the experience so much easier than if I had to do everything myself, so I am greatly appreciative of all the effort they put in to making PAX a success for Cosmoteer! I estimate that about a hundred people got to play the game on the expo floor, and the reception seemed overwhelmingly positive, making me more optimistic than ever about Cosmoteer's future success!
Here are a couple photos of my booth at PAX:
If you're interested, I also gave a couple interviews about Cosmoteer. I didn't announce anything new that active followers of Cosmoteer don't already know about, but if you've ever wondered how I sound and look, here you go:
GeekGamer.tv (video)
GameHounds (podcast)
Cosmoteer 0.15.1
In other news, Cosmoteer update 0.15.1 is now available for direct download and auto-update via Steam! (This news actually comes about a week late since the update was released last weekend while I was still at PAX, and I didn't have time to write up a new post, but better late than never!)
Like most updates, 0.15.1 has a variety of improvements and fixes, but the major new feature is the ability to "assign" crew squads to do jobs for specific weapons and other ship parts. To do this, select the squad's bedroom and then right-click on the weapon or part you want to assign them to. While assigned, crew will prioritize doing jobs for the assigned part and will not do jobs for any other parts. This will override any custom 1-10 priorities that have been set. (To assign a squad to multiple parts, hold Shift while right-clicking. Role priorities will still be used to choose between multiple assigned parts.)
You can use this feature to optimize your crew's efficiency and to prevent them from wandering off to other parts of your ship without having to resort to compartmentalization.
Read about all the other improvements and fixes in this update in the changelog.
Cosmoteer 0.15.0 - Crew Squads, Roles, and Priority Customization
Cosmoteer update 0.15.0 is now available for direct download and auto-update via Steam! This is a major update that adds crew squads, roles, and job priority customization. Here's how it works:
Crew are organized into "squads" of 2 or 6, where every crew bunk or quarters is a squad. If you want, you can manually move individual crew between squads by going into the crew U.I., selecting the "CREW" tab, selecting the individual crew, and right-clicking on the bunk or quarters you want to move them to.
Your ship also has one or more "roles" for its crew. Each squad is assigned a role for the entire squad, which you can do in the crew U.I. in the "ROLES" tab by selecting the bunk/quarters and then clicking the button for the desired role. Each role can have a custom name, shirt color (which is also the color of their bedsheets!), and set of job priorities. You can create up to 20 roles per ship.
To customize the name, color, or job priorities for a role, click the little "hamburger" menu button in the corner of the big role button and select "Edit Role". This will open up a window allowing you to customize the role. To customize the role's job priorities, click on the "Job Priorities" tab, which will allow you to set the priority of each job for each ship part. Each job can be set to a priority between 1 and 10, where a higher priority number will take precedence over a lower priority number (i.e., crew will do a priority 10 job before doing a priority 1 job). You can also click the "no" sign to disable that job completely for that role, so crew with that role will never do that job.
As a side-effect of switching to this new customizable priority system, the A.I. logic that controls the crew has actually been significantly simplified. Before, the A.I. would make complicated calculations to determine the priority of a given task, taking into consideration things like how much power/ammo a part already had. But that's all gone. Now, if a part needs 3 batteries, 3 "supply battery" jobs will be created, each with the same 1-10 priority (whatever priority you set that job to). Hopefully this change should make it easier to understand why your crew are doing the things that they are doing.
You can read about all the other improvements and fixes in this update in the changelog.
Posted by Walt Destler at 1:21 PM 1 comment:
Cosmoteer 0.14.15 - Bug Fixes & Balance Tweaks
Cosmoteer update 0.14.14 is now available for direct download and auto-update via Steam. This is a small update that fixes a handful of bugs and tweaks Tractor Beam balance.
Tractor Beams now take 5 seconds to ramp up to full power after firing, including when switching from pull to push or vice-versa. They also now rotate much more slowly, making it a lot more difficult to stay focused on a moving target without shutting down. These changes were made because Tractor Beams had proven too powerful at spinning and effectively disabling enemy ships in multiplayer.
You can read about all the changes and fixes in the changelog
Posted by Walt Destler at 11:29 AM No comments:
Cosmoteer 0.15.5 - Performance Improvements & New ...


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COVID-19 RELATED RELIEF IS SIGNED INTO LAW
BY HUTCHINSON AND BLOODGOOD | December 28, 2020 | TAX TIPS
On December 27, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA), which provides pandemic relief, as well as other tax and health-related provisions.
The CAA contains the COVID-Related Tax Relief Act of 2020 (COVIDTRA), as well as a government funding law. Here are some of the highlights.
Direct payments to certain individuals. The CARES Act, passed earlier this year, provided for direct payments to certain people that the government called Economic Impact Payments (EIPs).
The COVIDTRA contains a new program, which it refers to as "additional 2020 recovery rebates" to people under certain income thresholds.
The provision provides a refundable tax credit to eligible individuals in the amount of $600 per eligible family member. The credit is $600 per taxpayer ($1,200 for married couples filing jointly), in addition to $600 per qualifying child. It "phases out" starting at $75,000 of modified adjusted gross income for individuals ($150,000 for married couples filing jointly and $112,500 for heads of household) at a rate of $5 per $100 of additional income.
The credit is available on taxpayers' 2020 returns. However, the CAA provides for the U.S. Treasury Department to issue advance payments based on the information provided to the IRS.
Change to the business meal deduction rules. Under the CAA, a business can deduct 100% of business meals for the next two years, provided the food is purchased from a restaurant. In general, taxpayers can deduct the ordinary and necessary food and beverage expenses associated with operating a trade or business, including meals consumed by employees on work travel.
Currently, the deduction is generally limited to 50% of the otherwise allowable amount (although there are some exceptions). Under the CAA, the 50% limit will apply to expenses for food or beverages provided by restaurants that are paid or incurred after December 31, 2020, and before January 1, 2023.
Extended tax break for charitable donations made by non-itemizers. This break was created under the CARES Act, and the CAA extends it for another year. For 2020, individuals who don't itemize deductions may take up to a $300 above-the-line deduction for cash contributions to qualified charitable organizations. (The deduction limit of $300 also applies to married filers.) The CAA extends this rule through 2021, allowing individual cash contributions of up to $300 ($600 for married joint filers) to be deducted above-the-line to qualified charitable organizations.
More Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds. In addition to providing more funding for these loans, there's an expansion of PPP eligible expenses and changes to the eligibility for certain types of businesses. The CAA also clarifies the tax treatment of PPP loans as well as certain aspects of loan forgiveness.
As background, the CARES Act provides that a PPP loan recipient may use the loan proceeds to pay:
Payroll costs,
Certain employee benefits relating to healthcare,
Interest on mortgage obligations,
Rent,
Utilities, and
Interest on any other existing debt obligations.
If a PPP loan recipient uses its PPP loan to pay those costs, the business can have its loan forgiven in an amount equal to those costs. PPP loan forgiveness doesn't give rise to taxable income, and the tax code generally doesn't allow a taxpayer to deduct expenses that are paid with tax-exempt income.
The CAA clarifies that taxpayers whose PPP loans are forgiven are allowed deductions for otherwise deductible expenses paid with the proceeds of a PPP loan, and that the tax basis and other attributes of the borrower's assets won't be reduced as a result of the loan forgiveness.
Various tax "extender" breaks. The CAA extends certain tax law provisions that were scheduled to expire at the end of 2020, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). As background, the tax code contains dozens of temporary tax provisions with fixed termination dates. Often, these expiring provisions are temporarily extended for a short period of time (for example, one or two years).
In terms of the WOTC, an elective general business credit is available under the tax code to employers hiring individuals who are members of one or more of ten targeted groups. It's based on qualified first-year wages paid to the individual hired. Under prior tax law, the credit applied to hires made before January 1, 2021. The CAA extends the credit through 2025 and applies to individuals who begin work for the employer after December 31, 2020.
Temporary special rules for flexible spending arrangements (FSAs). A cafeteria plan may permit the carryover of unused amounts remaining in a health FSA as of the end of a plan year to pay or reimburse a participant for medical care expenses incurred during the following plan year, subject to a carryover limit (currently $550). The CAA expands the carryover period for 2020 and 2021. The provision also allows employers to extend the grace period for plan years ending in 2020 and 2021 to 12 months after the end of such plan year for unused benefits and contributions to health and dependent care FSAs.
In addition, an employer may allow an employee who stops participating in the plan during calendar year 2020 or 2021 to continue to receive reimbursements from unused benefits or contributions through the end of the plan year in which the employee's participation ceased, including any extended grace period. The CAA also provides a special carry-forward rule for dependent care flexible spending arrangements where the dependent aged out during the pandemic.
Larger tax credits for some parents. Under the tax code, to the extent the child tax credit (CTC) exceeds a taxpayer's tax liability, the taxpayer is eligible for a refundable credit equal to 15% of as much of the taxpayer's taxable earned income for the tax year as exceeds $2,500. In addition, the earned income tax credit (EITC) for lower-income taxpayers equals a percentage of their earned income.
For both purposes, earned income means wages, salaries, tips and other employee compensation, if includible in gross income for the tax year. Earned income also includes self-employment income, computed without the deduction for one-half of self-employment tax.
Under the CAA, in determining the refundable CTC and the EITC for 2020, taxpayers can elect to substitute the earned income for the preceding tax year if it's greater than the taxpayer's earned income for 2020. These changes apply beginning in 2020.
A special break for teachers who buy personal protective equipment (PPE). Currently, eligible educators are allowed a $250 above-the-line deduction for certain otherwise allowable trade or business expenses paid by them. The CAA provides that, not later than February 28, 2021, the IRS must, by regulation or other guidance, clarify that PPE, disinfectant and other supplies used for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 are covered under the $250 tax break for teachers.
These are only some of the provisions contained in the law. There are many other key provisions including:
An extra $300 per week to people who are unemployed and receiving state aid,
Changes to disaster-related distributions from retirement plans, and
An extension of the refundable tax credits available to employers who provide paid sick and family leave related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We'll be covering more about the law in the coming weeks. Contact us with any questions you may have.
With the uncertainty of the situation surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) continuing to evolve, we understand that it is affecting businesses and individuals in many different ways.
At Hutchinson and Bloodgood, we value the relationships we have built with you. We will continue to be accessible so that we can serve and assist you while providing the level of attention that you deserve.
We will work alongside you throughout this ongoing situation to develop and build the optimal solutions for you.
Please contact us with your questions and concerns.
Disclaimer: This material has been prepared for informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for speaking to your accountant, tax planner or financial planner. All information is provided "as is." With change happening on a daily basis, we do not guarantee completeness, accuracy, timeliness or results obtained from the use of this information.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


IT STILL might not feel right, but even Alfa Romeo is making SUVs these days. Now before you pray for the resurgence of traditional passenger cars, just take this in: the Stelvio is a really good steer.
By no means is it flawless, but that Alfa Romeo magic is very much a key component of the Stelvio experience … but it's been missing that true performance edge – until now. Enter the Quadrifoglio.


…To QUEEN Elizabeth II on her financial reports…!
It will take the monarch's income to almost £38million, the second year running that funding from the taxpayer has gone up.
Under a new funding deal agreed by George Osborne in 2010, the Queen's income is directly linked to the money the Crown Estate makes each year.
The revelation comes as the Queen's latest financial accounts were published.
…i have no problem in the Queen or else making £37million/year…! BUT I COULD DO MUCH MORE FOR A COUNTRY WITH THAT POWER AND MONEY…!
THE COMMONWEALTH WOULD BE A REAL HEAVEN ON EARTH, WITH NO POOR AND PEASANTS FOR SURE, and plenty of work for all…!
SOMEDAY BEFORE her demise by "old age", she might want to recognise the most advanced logic and literary publishing ever done, by one of her citizens of Canada, with my Book: THE BOOK OF PURE LOGIC…!
This would not mean her sacrificing the CHURCH OF ENGLAND, which has had a Historic value and can still have it…!
← …some cartoons for today…!


Gear cable snappage? Small nut, washer and bolt combination to clamp around the stub of cable adjacent to the mech to set the mech on a sprocket/ chainring that makes finishing the ride doable.
Tie a bit of innertube across the stanchions of your fork above the wheel.
Keeps a bit of the mud off.
To clarify, this should be between the fork crown and the arch, not between the stantions.
As per the commercial version, pictured here.
Neither pretty nor clever, but surely better than getting rid of the frame? My engineer friends weren't that impressed, though.
I wouldn't ever drill into an Al frame.
A tube is strong because its a tube with out ragged holes near points of stress.
Ever-loosening cranks can be fixed by inserting strips of thickish paper between the bottom bracket axle square faces and the crank. Cut or tear them to the width of the flats and have a slight overlap at the front to stop them slipping back as you push the cranks on. Best done when creaking starts before the crank socket distorts.
Just use the lower limit screw and turn it until the mech alignes the chain with the ring/sprocket of choice.
Two picture frame hangers, rivetted to the mudguard with washers both sides, then chopped down mudguard stays bolted on with the usual mudguard eyebolts.
It's sturdy enough to hold a brick, so probably just about strong enough for the solidlights.
I did that some years ago with a lightweight dynamo lamp, except I used an old mudguard bridge to attach the stays in the conventional manner. I'd seen it on French touring and cummuting machines many times and consider it a very neat way of attaching the lamp. The only problem is that the lamp is in exactly the right place to get all the spray back from the leading edge of the mudguard, and so needs cleaning often.
The active ingredients are a long M5 bolt, an expanding wedge bar end, and a 1" to 1 1/8" stem adaptor sleeve. And electrical tape, of course.
I did that some years ago with a lightweight dynamo lamp, except I used an old mudguard bridge to attach the stays in the conventional manner. I'd seen it on French touring and cummuting machines many times and consider it a very neat way of attaching the lamp.
By "conventional manner" do you mean attaching them at the bottom near the dropouts? I'm sure it's just as good but I had those unused low-rider bosses just begging for the job.
The only problem is that the lamp is in exactly the right place to get all the spray back from the leading edge of the mudguard, and so needs cleaning often.
I thought that at first but in practice it's not a problem. I suppose if I do a lot of muddy stuff I might change my mind about that!
No, I too used the low rider bosses. As a you say - ideal, simple, and quite elegant. By conventional manner I meant that the additional stays attach to a mudguard fitting (a fitting removed from old mudguards, one where the stays attach to the mudguard) in the conventional manner. The mudguard fitting was simply attached to the mudguard by a single bolt through the mudguard, which also served as the fixing bolt for a simple and low profile lamp bracket.
I went down the expanding bar end plug route as well, I used it with just a short off cut of piece bar and it is now bolted to an old computer mount, the off set kind that sits the computer over the middle of the stem clamp. My old vista now lives ban in the middle of the bars and leaves room for the back up light.
The mudguard fitting was simply attached to the mudguard by a single bolt through the mudguard, which also served as the fixing bolt for a simple and low profile lamp bracket.
A rather crude bodge, I'm afraid - the rear mudguard on my Brompton broke. For the last year, at least (I forget) it has been held together by a wire coathanger, cunningly wound around the mudguard stays & crimped in place, & some reflective gaffa tape.
Mrs Bs road bike has a dynamo headlight (brake bolt mounted), fitted with a plug compatible with the battery pack from the good old Smart twin headlights. With a 6W bulb, it's not a bad light. My old Roberts had the same arrangement. The light fitted nicely under my Carradice bar bag, lighting up the road nicely without dazzling me. The Smart lights go on our mountain bikes.
A pretty obvious one this; an oil can for hard to reach places.
1x Pump action bottle. The Body Shop lemon foot spray bottle is a handy size.
Swap existing diffuser on pump action bottle with diffuser from can GT85. Put oil in pump action bottle*. Use.
*Probably a good idea to clean it out first tho' eh?
I use a 12" steel rule to measure chain wear, and have previously judged by eye the extra 1/16" at which the chain should be replaced. I was considering buying a longer ruler, but I already have more than one steel rule, so made a small modification using the other steel rules and a(n already blunt) stanley knife.
I'm surprised it took me so long to think of this (blindingly obvious) solution!
The Shimano 600 Arabesque groupset seems to have only been produced with band-on levers. And it's mighty purty. But my bike, though 1980, has some custom features ahead of its time (vertical dropouts; brazed on lever bosses etc). So I took the levers off their band, and used the curved spacer from my ole Shim Light Action levers. The spacers are a bit haphazard, and I have to admit the RH lever does unscrew a bit with use, meaning it won't always hold the tension*, but oldskool riders will be used to giving the latch a tweak now and again.
* Yes, of course it's friction! Why would I want to use anything else?
The spacing wasn't quite right for mine (the screw wouldn't tighten far enough), so I had to root around for a suitable sprung washer.
Had a job removing a casstte lockring the normal way - using a large adjustable spanner and chain whip. The chain whip actually broke. So this was solution number 2, after the chain whip was repaired. Anchor the wheel in corner of garage door with an old chain nailed to the post. Get an extra piece of pipe onto the adjustable and with less strain on the chain whip I was able to put far more power into the right hand with the extension. Worked first time. What a cracker!
"If it ain't fixed it's broken"
Whilst on a short Tour of Belgium Mick's freewheel packed up and lost drive so to keep him going I used a cargo strap and threaded it through the inner sprocket to the spokes.


text:
AT&T Partnered With NSA in Spying
By Samara Lynn
Just when you thought the NSA news had died down, a report from the New York Times accuses the telecom giant of assisting the U.S. National Security Agency in Internet spying.
The accusation comes from documents from the archive of data released by Edward Snowden. In an article co-published by both the Times and ProPublica, a non-profit investigative journalism organization, it is asserted that from 2003-2013, AT&T provided the NSA access to millions of email communications across its network. The article also claims that AT&T gave technical assistance to the agency for a court order to wiretap Internet activity at the United Nations headquarters. Also reported: AT&T engineers were even among the first to try out surveillance technologies invented by the NSA.
The documents don't specifically name AT&T. Instead, the articles states that the leaked documents refer to NSA programs involving partners by code names. The Times and ProPublica analyzed the documents and make that case that evidence points to one code name, Fairview, as a program involving AT&T.
"Several former intelligence officials confirmed that finding," the article states, and that partnering with AT&T was important to the NSA because "AT&T's provision of foreign-to-foreign traffic has been particularly important to the NSA because large amounts of the world's Internet communications travel across American cables."
The documents also apparently reveal Verizon's involvement in the same type of activity with the NSA in another program with the code name "Stormbrew." The Times and ProPublica both claims this is because there is mention of a Stormbrew cable that is identifiable as belonging to Verizon.
Neither the Times not ProPublica can determine if these programs are ongoing, although according to ProPublica, "the government has been fighting in court to keep the identities of its telecom partners hidden."
The NSA, AT&T and Verizon offered no comment to the Times or ProPublica about the documents. "We don't comment on matters of national security," an AT&T spokesman said.
Brad Burns, an AT&T spokesman also said, "We do not voluntarily provide information to any investigating authorities other than if a person's life is in danger and time is of the essence." The Times/ProPublica article noted that he declined to elaborate.
Samara Lynn
Samara Lynn has nearly twenty years' experience in Information Technology and was IT director at a major New York City healthcare facility. She has several technology certifications, a Bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College and was a technology ...


text:
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;
using XLAF.Private;

namespace XLAF.Public
{

	/// <summary>
	/// Scene object, UI part.
	/// </summary>
	public class SceneObject
	{
		//		/// <summary>
		//		/// Loads the bundle.
		//		/// </summary>
		//		/// <returns>The bundle all.</returns>
		//		/// <param name="path">Path.</param>
		//		/// <param name="sceneName">Scene name.</param>
		//		private IEnumerator LoadBundle (string path, string sceneName)
		//		{
		//			WWW bundle = new WWW (path);
		//			yield return bundle;
		//			GameObject scene = (GameObject)UnityEngine.Object.Instantiate (bundle.assetBundle.LoadAsset (sceneName));
		//			initAttr (scene, sceneName);
		//			yield return 1;
		//		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="XLAF.Public.SceneObject"/> class with asset bundle.
		/// </summary>
		/// <param name="assetBundleFullPathName">AssetBundle full path name. <para></para>
		/// e.g. /StreamingAssets/Android/all.assetbundle</param>
		/// <param name="sceneName">Scene name.  e.g. Pop1</param>
		public SceneObject (string assetBundleFullPathName, string sceneName)
		{
			XLAFInnerLog.Debug ("New SceneObject:", assetBundleFullPathName, sceneName);
			//use async load will cause setParent not right
			//MgrCoroutine.DoCoroutine (LoadBundle (assetBundleFullPathName, sceneName));
			WWW bundle = new WWW (assetBundleFullPathName);
			GameObject scene = (GameObject)UnityEngine.Object.Instantiate (bundle.assetBundle.LoadAsset (sceneName));
			bundle.assetBundle.Unload (false);
			this._sceneName = sceneName;
			initAttr (scene, sceneName);
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="XLAF.Public.SceneObject"/> class without asset bundle.
		/// </summary>
		/// <param name="fullSceneNamePath">Full scene name path.</param>
		public SceneObject (string fullSceneNamePath)
		{
			string[] tmp = fullSceneNamePath.Split ('/');
			this._sceneName = tmp [tmp.Length - 1];
			UnityEngine.Object _prefab = Resources.Load (fullSceneNamePath);
			XLAFInnerLog.Debug (fullSceneNamePath);
			GameObject scene = (GameObject)UnityEngine.Object.Instantiate (_prefab);
			initAttr (scene, _sceneName);
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Inits the attr.
		/// </summary>
		/// <param name="scene">Scene.</param>
		/// <param name="_sceneName">Scene name.</param>
		private void initAttr (GameObject scene, string _sceneName)
		{
			scene.name = _sceneName;
			this.scene = scene;
			this.cg = scene.transform.GetComponent<CanvasGroup> ();
			this.script = scene.GetComponent<Storyboard> ();
			this.script.SetSceneName (this._sceneName);
			this.script.SetSceneObject (this);

			startX = this.scene.transform.position.x;
			startY = this.scene.transform.position.y;
			startAlpha = 1f;
		}

		public GameObject scene;
		public Storyboard script;

		private CanvasGroup cg;
		private float startX, startY, startAlpha;

		/// <summary>
		/// Gets the name of the scene.(Read only)
		/// </summary>
		/// <value>The name of the scene.</value>
		public string sceneName {
			get {
				return this._sceneName;
			}
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Enables the UI listener.
		/// </summary>
		public void EnableUIListener ()
		{
			if (this.scene.GetComponent<ignoreUIListener> () != null) {
				GameObject.Destroy (this.scene.GetComponent<ignoreUIListener> ());
			}
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Disables the UI listener.
		/// </summary>
		public void DisableUIListener ()
		{
			if (this.scene.GetComponent<ignoreUIListener> () == null) {
				this.scene.AddComponent<ignoreUIListener> ();
			}
		}

		public void ChangeAlpha (float alphaValue)
		{
			this.cg.alpha = alphaValue;
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Restores the status.
		/// </summary>
		public void RestoreStatus ()
		{
			RectTransform tmpRT = this.scene.GetComponent<RectTransform> ();
			tmpRT.position = new Vector3 (startX, startY);
			ChangeAlpha (startAlpha);
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// Adds the popup background.
		/// </summary>
		/// <param name="bgAlphaValue">Background alpha value.</param>
		public void AddPopupBackground (float bgAlphaValue)
		{
			Image image = this.scene.AddComponent<Image> ();
			image.color = new Color (0, 0, 0, bgAlphaValue);
		}

		/// <summary>
		/// After AddComponent<ignoreUIListener> () the object will NOT trigger touch or click event;
		///
		/// After called currentScene.EnableUIListener (); the object will trigger touch or click event;
		///
		/// When scene or popup changing, you MUST add it to object, after finished changing, destory it.
		/// </summary>
		private class ignoreUIListener : MonoBehaviour ,ICanvasRaycastFilter
		{
			public bool IsFocus = false;

			public bool IsRaycastLocationValid (Vector2 sp, Camera eventCamera)
			{
				return IsFocus;
			}
		}

		private string _sceneName = "";

	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Winter climbing can be a strange beast, hugely rewarding but equally hard work at the same time. Getting your systems right is the answer to moving efficiently and having a good day in the hills. Here are a few tips I've picked up over the years that make long winter climbing days that bit more pleasant and efficient. I hope they help you as much as they've helped me.
Find a glove system that works for you.
Find a layering system that works for you.
Make sure your boots fit properly.
Keep your feet warm (consider taking dry socks along with you!).
Prepare yourself for a long belay by taking a good belay jacket.
Make sure you have the appropriate gear!
If you struggle with the cold on big winter days you need all the help you can get to stay warm, so staying well fed and watered is crucial.
This tip from Will Gadd has served me well over the years: the key to staying warm is to eat fat and protein prior to climbing, and mainly carbohydrates during the climb. I tried it and it worked for me, so I've stuck to it ever since.
I've settled on porridge with a scoop of protein powder and a healthy dose of nuts (either cashews, walnuts or almonds). I try sprinkled sunflower, pumpkin or chia seeds as well. It's not a cheap breakfast, but Aldi is every winter climber's friend!
I usually carry a beefy snack bar for the climb (something like Chocolate Oats & Protein from MyProtein). They're a bit stodgy, but really fill you up and don't give a sugar crash. I carry two bars for anything more than four pitches.
I aim to drink at least two litres of water or more between waking up and tying on the rope (if there's driving involved, I'll drink considerably more.) This is because I never carry water up the route, so I get as much in as I can beforehand.
It's hard work to down that much water that early in the morning, but it does make a different hours later when you're perched on that freezing belay.
Everyone has their favourite glove system and they all vary widely, so finding a glove system that works for you is key. I bring a couple of fleece or windproof gloves for the walk in and walk out and gearing up. Then I have a lightweight pair with a good grippy palm like the AK Haline. Then I carry a belay pair like the AK Shuga clipped to my harness for belaying and seconding, whilst my lead gloves go inside my jacket to keep warm.
A good layering system of clothes is essential for staying dry, warm and mobile. Nowadays the most popular is the tried and tested three-layer system: a base layer, an insulating mid-layer and a hard shell. There are a million permutations of this system and everyone has their favourites. But for me, what works best in Scotland is a Merino base layer (like the AK Kepler range, especially if you climb for multiple days with no showers), a synthetic mid layer like the Keeshond and a heavy-duty hard shell like the AK Definition.
Good waterproof boots play a key part on a good day out. There are so many outstanding boots on the market, but the single most important thing is that they fit well. The rule of thumb is that La Sportiva work well for narrow feet and Scarpa for wide ones. The fit needs to be tight enough to feel the intricacies of the climbing but roomy enough in the toe box to wriggle your toes.
I once had a badly frost-nipped toe in Norway. Although it was an unpleasant and fairly gruesome experience (lost my toe-nail and the skin), the biggest inconvenience was the lasting damage as it's now more prone to getting cold. I now put a lot more effort into keeping my feet warm.
Not only do your boots need to fit properly, but your socks must do their job well too. I find that thicker socks don't always mean to warmer feet, and having a wicking sock and insulating sock doesn't really work for me either. I always change into a fresh pair of dry socks after the walk in. It adds five minutes of faff whilst gearing up and is sometimes a tricky manoeuvre in foul weather, I always regret it if I don't do it. Most of my partners don't bother with this, but for me it's a must!
For long belays on trad winter leads, a good belay jacket is essential.
Depending on the weather conditions sometimes the mid-weight models will suffice, but in full-on conditions only a beefy jacket will do. It almost goes without saying that the jacket will have to be of synthetic insulation: even hydrophobic down won't stay dry in bad conditions, rendering the jacket useless.
A good mid-weight candidate is the AK Katabatic, sometimes the 60gsm insulation is enough to keep warm in the shorter Northern Corries routes. But for longer epics like in the Ben or Beinn Eighe, I always take something beefier like the Apogee.
For some,100gsm insulation still won't be enough and you'd need something even beefier, but be mindful that the bigger the jacket, the bigger is your pack or the bulkier it is for seconding.
Mostly a compromise is the answer: warm enough but mobile enough. On routes where I'll be back down at the packs at the end, I take a super lightweight backpack like the AK Atom to carry the belay jacket in. That can be also useful for carrying head-torches and snacks.
There are other elements that aren't as important but would help to optimise your day out.
Having skinny double ropes save a lot of weight, especially on long walk-ins. Consider using 50-metre rope to save even more weight as you're unlikely to do a full 60-metre pitch. Another thing I found useful is to use wired hexes instead the slinged ones - it makes bashing them into cracks a lot easier as you don't have to be as careful – there's no dyneema to damage.
Read about what Ramon Marin's been up to this winter in his latest daring deed with more to come after his upcoming trip to Senja, Norway.
Mens technical mountaineering jacket for the harshest conditions. Durable, breathable, full unadulterated storm protection.
Womens technical mountaineering jacket designed to perform in the harshest conditions. Durable, breathable, full unadulterated storm protection.
Thick and warm boot-length trekking and mountaineering hiking sock that sit inside your classic hiking boot like a winter oasis for your feet.
AKA The Big Long Ones: 2 pack of full-length winter mountaineering walking socks for comfort and warmth from trail to summit.


Explore the world with students in grades 5-6 using Discovering the World of Geography.
Based on National Geography Standards the book presents information with activities such as maps charts diagrams and graphs. It also includes assessments and answer keys.


After purchasing the software, will I be able to retain the data & configuration created during the evaluation?
Can I try all the features of SCP during the evaluation period?
Yes, the evaluation build comes with options to turn on all the features of SCP during the evaluation period.
Whom should I contact for any technical assistance in setting up the system during the evaluation of the product?
We can be reached at Toll free US : +1 888 720 9500 intl : +1 408-352-9115. Or mail us at supportcenterplus-eval@manageengine.com .
Can we have a demo of SCP to understand the product better?
You can either try the product online at http://demo.supportcenterplus.com. Or send your contact information at supportcenterplus-eval@manageengine.com and our technicians would contact you and schedule a demo for you.
I need some more days to evaluate. What should I do?
Please contact sales team ( ) for this.
How do I move the data from my test machine to a Production Server?
How do I move the data from my previous helpdesk into SCP?
We do data migration from other helpdesks as a professional service on chargeable basis. Please contact sales team ( ) for this.
Where can I see the list of proposed enhancements in the product?


One of the core quests in The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is to gather your forces, both good and bad. Here's a quick guide for how to assemble your team in Captain Spirit. The first goal is to reach the point where the game opens up to free play. This mission is woven within all of the others so it'll most likely be the last one you finish.
It requires you to interact with every member of both the hero and villain line-ups. I'll include what the item is to interact with, and then a brief description on how to do so. Make sure to read both sides at each location as multiple characters can be found and you don't want to have to walk around. If you've missed any while playing, you can pick continue to return to your progress.
Forest Warrior - Found within your Spirit's bedroom, on the desk to the right of the bed. Simply interact and watch to complete. This will finish Noctarious as well since they're together.
Power Bear - Another within Spirit's bedroom, on the floor beside the desk. Simply play with the character and watch to finish.
Dinosaur - Right near your father when he's sitting down, on the side of the table.
Sky Pirate - The treehouse, on the left side. Interact with and watch the cutscene again.
Ice Queen - The treehouse, on the right side, same as others be sure to interact to finish.
Noctarious - Played with Powerbear in Spirit's bedroom, on the desk to the right of the bed. Simply interact to complete them both.
The Shark Stinger - Bedroom, in the middle of the floor near the TV. Interact and watch as usual.
Water Eater - Back room of the house beside the kitchen, need to be hero-d up to do this one. It's an interactive story part.
Snowmancer - The snowman outside by the treehouse, make sure to grab explosives from the shed first and watch the action.
Noctared - The Treehouse, to the right side and interact to complete.
Mantroid - The final boss, after the team grab the car keys and head to the vehicle for one epic showdown.


International commitments are vital for a better tomorrow but no less important are local actions on the frontlines, for bringing in desired change. Most important and often unheard voices are of those who are striving hard to bring in a change on the …International commitments are vital for a better tomorrow but no less important are local actions on the frontlines, for bringing in desired change. Most important and often unheard voices are of those who are striving hard to bring in a change on the frontlines. These voices from the grounds-up, need to be plugged in to those at national, regional and global levels who are driving bigger processes for a better tomorrow.
Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary, Member of Parliament from Bangladesh said to CNS (Citizen News Service) in video interview (youtube.com/c/citizennewsorgcns) that when he attended the World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) in Mumbai, India (2009), the writing on the wall was clear: tobacco is the single largest preventable manmade epidemic. "Since it is preventable, then why are we not making every effort to prevent it?" he said.
"I have engaged in many litigations against tobacco companies" said Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary. He fought litigations against tobacco cultivation on the hill tracks, tobacco advertisement related issues, among others.
"When I came to politics, I created my own manifesto to work against tobacco and tobacco companies as a politician. I came to know that large number of youth are getting addicted to tobacco. Youth are also the key targets of tobacco companies to make youth their future [business] and lifelong customers" said Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary.
"Bangladesh is a country of 160 million people with children and youth who will be our future tomorrow. If we can make this world tobacco-free and beat NCDs, today's youth will be tomorrow's citizens of a healthy nation" rightly said Barrister Patwary.
Barrister Patwary has conducted couple of mobile courts for tobacco control and is also engaging farmers to encourage them for crop substitution. "We will give them subsidy if they abandon tobacco cultivation. Corn is very popular in Bangladesh so we are encouraging them to cultivate corn rather than tobacco" he said.
Local leaders are more in direct contact with the people. Whereas Members of Parliaments spend significant part of their time in the parliament and parliamentary processes and proceedings. For good governance it is vital that MPs work closely in tandem with local leaders who are more rooted in the community they represent. "That is why we are working closely with Union Parishad chairman, Union Parishad members, local Sabha members, and other local leaders, as they play a key role in convincing people who elect them to lead healthier life, stop tobacco use, and reduce risk of NCDs. Without their collaboration no policy can be achieved. My ultimate aim is to declare some of the areas of my constituency as completely tobacco-free" said Barrister Patwary.
"We impose 1% surcharge on all tobacco products and we are advocating that this surcharge money should be used for prevention of NCDs" informed Barrister Patwary.
Referring to progress made on WHO FCTC Article 19 which will empower governments of over 180 countries to hold tobacco industry liable, financially and legally, he commented that we need a far advanced legal framework if we are to hold tobacco companies liable for the damage they have caused. He said "we need some sort of funding for litigation in our country and alliance of lawyers so that lawyers get encouraged to do probono litigation against tobacco companies" to hold them to account for violations and abuses.
There is strong evidence that catastrophic health expenditure is not only a major barrier in accessing existing healthcare services but also pushes healthcare seekers in deeper poverty. Catastrophic health expenditure is defined as out-of-pocket spending for healthcare that exceeds a certain proportion of a household's income with the consequence that households suffer the burden of disease.
"In Bangladesh also, biggest procrastination in development is the health or medical cost. If any family member gets a heart disease or stroke or cancer (all NCDs), entire lifesavings are spent over his or her treatment. Health economists have also recognized catastrophic health expenditure as biggest cause of poverty and obstruction to development" said MP Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary.
Prevention cannot take a backseat, especially when diseases that can be prevented are overburdening our health systems, and cause over two-thirds of untimely deaths. "If we take preventive measures like making safer spaces to walk or public parks for increasing physical activity we can reduce the risk of NCDs as well as save avoidable cost on healthcare. If we invest some of the funds for health promotion, so that more people are encouraged to use parks, walkways, gymnasiums, eventually we will end up making our people healthier and reducing overall health expenditure in the country" said Barrister Patwary.
"In my constituency, there is no park. Besides the river we have a big vacant land where a park is being made from the funds given by me from my allocation. In 15 Unions (governance units), my ultimate aim is to establish 15 gymnasiums, 15 sports centres and 15 public parks. Women in the village often do not have space to walk and so certain time will be allocated only for women everyday to use the park, so that they can walk, see the nature, meditate, and exercise, comfortably" shared Patwary.
Strong evidence shows that the tobacco industry and the deadly impact of its products cost the world's economies more than US$ 1.4 trillion annually in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity. It is not a coincidence that around 80% of the world's 1.1 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries, but major tobacco companies and industries are headquartered in the richer nations. No prizes for guessing that it is the low- and middle-income countries that are reeling under the severest impact of NCDs too.
Barrister Patwary agrees. "There is a mindset problem we have in top politicians that tobacco companies give high tax." More advocacy needs to be done to expose these misconceptions and recognize tobacco use as not only a threat to public health but also to nation's development and economy.
"In last parliament, Bangladesh government had passed a law, Communicable Diseases Prevention Act. When I spoke about it, I had categorically said that we not only need that law for communicable diseases but we also need a guideline, central policy, trust or dedicated statute for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Government has taken a note of it and working on it. We also have a National Health Policy where NCDs are reflected" shared Patwary.
Nepal's Member of Parliament and former Health and Population Minister Khagaraj Adhikari said to CNS (Citizen News Service) in video interview (youtube.com/c/citizennewsorgcns) that all local lead-actors need to unite to translate these global goals into effective action towards desired change. Well-coordinated local leadership is central to effective implementation of health and development policies. Local actions are the fundamental building blocks to drive nations, regions and the world towards sustainable development. "We have to make agenda at provincial level, central level and local level leadership is key for implementation. With concerted efforts at all levels, Asia Pacific region will become tobacco-free in coming days", said Adhikari.
Nepal has demonstrated strong leadership in tobacco control. Nepal had world's biggest pictorial health warnings (90%) on all tobacco products till very recently, when Timor Leste went for even bigger pictorial warnings (92.5%) pictorial warnings on tobacco packs. Nepal's contribution to tobacco control also got acknowledged with an international award. One of the awardees for 2015 Award for Global Tobacco Control of Bloomberg, was Nepal Ministry of Health and Population.
MP Khagaraj Adhikari shared that he was exposed to tobacco smoke as his father was a chain smoker. 12 years before his death, he had stopped tobacco use. So when he got the opportunity to be Nepal's Minister for Health and Population, despite odds, he made unprecedented progress to advance health promotion, in particular, tobacco control.
"121,000 people die every year due to tobacco in Nepal. Government supports patients of NCDs but this support is not enough. Moreover, prevention is better than cure" stressed Adhikari.
He rightly says that "We should not have had to establish more hospitals" if health promotion was on track, because over 70% deaths are due to NCDs, a majority of which are preventable. He advocates for raising awareness to establish more stadiums and other spaces for increasing physical activity, and thereby reduce risk of NCDs.


text:
'''@file lm_confidence_decoder.py
contains the LmConfidenceDecoder'''

import tensorflow as tf
from nabu.neuralnetworks.decoders import decoder

class LmConfidenceDecoder(decoder.Decoder):
    '''a decoder that will be used to evaluate the language model, it will
       generate a confidence score for the input utterance'''

    def get_outputs(self, inputs, input_seq_length, classifier):

        '''compute the outputs of the decoder

        Args:
            inputs: The inputs to the network as a
                [batch_size x max_input_length x input_dim] tensor
            input_seq_length: The sequence length of the inputs as a
                [batch_size] vector
            classifier: The classifier object that will be used in decoding

        Returns:
            A list with batch_size elements containing a single element list
            with a pair with the confidence score and the input label sequence
        '''

        #compute the output logits
        logits, logit_seq_length =\
            classifier(
                inputs, input_seq_length, targets=None,
                target_seq_length=None, is_training=False)

        #compute the cross enthropy between the inputs and outputs
        with tf.name_scope('cross_enthropy_loss'):
            output_dim = int(logits.get_shape()[2])

            #put all the tragets on top of each other
            split_targets = tf.unstack(tf.cast(inputs, tf.int32)[:, :, 0])
            split_logits = tf.unstack(logits)
            outputs = []
            for i, target in enumerate(split_targets):
                #only use the real data
                target = target[:input_seq_length[i]]
                logit = split_logits[i][:logit_seq_length[i]]

                #append an end of sequence label
                starget = tf.concat([target, [output_dim-1]], 0)

                #one hot encode the targets
                #pylint: disable=E1101
                starget = tf.one_hot(starget, output_dim)

                #compute the perplexity
                loss = tf.exp(tf.reduce_mean(
                    tf.nn.softmax_cross_entropy_with_logits(
                        logits=logit, labels=starget)))

                outputs.append([(loss, target)])

        return outputs

    def score(self, outputs, targets):
        '''score the performance

        Args:
            outputs: a dictionary containing the decoder outputs
            targets: a dictionary containing the targets

        Returns:
            the score'''

        #get the confidence scores for all utterances
        scores = [o[0][0] for o in outputs.values()]

        #return the average confidence score
        return sum(scores)/len(scores)


A stunning, individually designed detached house with a unique character located in the heart of Seaton. With five double bedrooms, three being en-suite and a large family bathroom. A living room with French doors to the garden, a separate sitting room and a study. Ground floor cloakroom and a dining kitchen the whole family could gather in. A beautiful landscaped garden, off road parking and an integral garage. This fabulous home is certainly enticing and finished to a high standard.
Entrance Hall Approached via uPVC door with side panel, slate floor, exposed brick walls and ceiling beams. Feature staircase with wrought iron inset to a galleried landing.
Cloakroom/WC Comprising wash basin, WC. Double glazed window.
Living Room23'8" (7.21m) x 12'7" (3.84m) plus bay. Double glazed bay window to front and French doors to the rear. Large stone Inglenook style chimney breast with cast iron gas stove. Beamed ceiling.
Sitting Room11'6" x 11'4" (3.5m x 3.45m). With cast iron gas stove and fire surround. Double glazed window, beamed ceiling.
Study13'1" x 9'6" (3.99m x 2.9m). With beamed ceiling. Double glazed window.
Dining Kitchen18'2" x 12'7" (5.54m x 3.84m). A farmhouse style kitchen with distressed oak fitted units and granite work tops. Integrated fridge, dishwasher, inset range cooker. Dual aspect double glazed windows.
Utility8'10" x 5'4" (2.7m x 1.63m). Fitted base units, built in cupboard with space for tumble dryer and washing machine. Double glazed window and door leading outside.
Landing Galleried landing with exosed brick walls and vaulted ceiling with beams. Full length double glazed picture window to the front.
Dressing Room11'1" x 5'3" (3.38m x 1.6m). Fitted with a range of wardrobes, drawers and dressing table.
Bedroom 112'7" x 10'11" (3.84m x 3.33m). With Juliette balconette via double glazed French doors. Vaulted ceiling.
Master En-suite Comprising recessed enclosed shower, vanity wash basin and wc.
Bedroom 219'2" x 8'9" (5.84m x 2.67m). Double glazed window to the front and beamed ceiling.
Bedroom 315'4" x 9'6" (4.67m x 2.9m). Double glazed window and beamed ceiling.
Bedroom 412'8" x 9'2" (3.86m x 2.8m). Double glazed window to front, a range of fitted bedroom furniture.
En-Suite 2 Comprising an enclosed shower, wash basin, WC.
Bedroom 512'8" x 9'2" (3.86m x 2.8m). Double glazed window to rear, a range of fitted bedroom furniture.
En-suite 3 Comprising an enclosed shower, wash basin, WC.
Family Bathroom11'7" x 10'9" (3.53m x 3.28m). Traditional style suite comprising central roll top bath with claw feet, high cistern WC, wash basin on cast iron pedestal. Exposed brick wall, double glazed window to rear.
Outside Front garden area part block paved and part gravelled providing off road parking. Access to both sides. A landscaped rear garden includes a large decked area adjacent to the living room, a fish pond and lawned garden with mature hedged borders and a variety of plants and shrubs.
Garage17'7" x 8'7" (5.36m x 2.62m). Integral garage with remote control door.
Agents Notes The property has full double glazing and thermostatically controlled under floor heating in each room.
N.B The vendor is related to an employee of Cumberland Building Society.


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Major Judicial Police operation: 11 arrested for money laundering, fraud and fraud against the state | Safe Communities Portugal
Home / Major Judicial Police operation: 11 arrested for money laundering, fraud and fraud against the state
On 1st May in the morning, more than 100 Judiciary inspectors searched several accounting and law firms in Oporto. More than two million euros diverted
The Judicial Police (PJ) have detained 11 businessmen in Porto as part of a mega operation aimed at mainly suspects of tax evasion and social security fraud. The operation involved more than a hundred PJ inspectors. The detainees are between 25 and 55 years old and were working in the north of the country.
There are several and serious crimes in this investigation of the Northern Board: criminal association, tax fraud, social security fraud, money laundering and falsification of documents. A first estimate points to more than two million euros that was diverted from public funds with leaks to the IRC and VAT.
In a statement, the PJ said that about 40 home and non-domiciliary searches have been conducted in the municipalities of Paços de Ferreira, Paredes, Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Santo Tirso, Guimarães, Maia, Marco de Canaveses and Felgueiras.
According to what has been verified so far by the investigation, which was held between 2016 and 2018 by the Tax Authority – Porto Finance Department, the alleged leader of this criminal association, owner of accounting offices, with the support of third parties, has carried out processes aimed at obtaining undue tax benefits for customers, namely in VAT refunds and in the artificial reduction of the taxable income for the purpose of IRC, thus reaping the benefits to which they knew they were not entitled ".
For this purpose, false data were declared to the Tax Authority, issuing invoices for purchases and services rendered, by computer means, on behalf of taxable persons whose accounts were in their charge.
According to the PJ, these suspects falsified documents, such as employment contracts, income declarations, payroll receipts, inscription or maintenance of workers in companies, tax and social security declarations and others, in order to obtain benefits for third parties attributed by the State and the approval of loans to financial institutions, as well as providing support under the financing programs, namely Portugal 2020.
In the police operation several cars, computer equipment and mobile phones, and extensive accounting and tax documentation was seized.
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Read the following source code. The inlined comments explain the different pieces of the fault handling and why they are added. It is also highly recommended to run this sample as it is easy to follow the log output to understand what is happening at runtime.


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Motorcyclist injured in Worcester accident
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Jul 3, 2012 at 10:00 PM Jul 4, 2012 at 12:37 AM
A 32-year-old man is in serious but stable condition tonight after a motorcycle accident on Judson Road near Grove Street, police said.
Police said the man was pinned beneath a parked vehicle, with a head injury, when they arrived about 8 p.m.
Police said in a news release that the man was driving a 2007 Kawasaki GS1400 south on Judson Road, "at a speed greater than reasonable," and lost control of the bike as he approached a steep hill just before Grove Street. He fell off the bike and slid under the parked vehicle, and the motorcycle kept going south on Judson Road, down the hill and across Grove Street, coming to rest in the parking lot of 485 Grove St. The motorcycle was totaled, police said.


As a group of elected members of Parliament (MP) from all the main parties represented at Westminster, we are outraged by the current position of the US Congress which, apparently, means that Guantanamo Bay prison will never be closed, and, of particular concern to us, that a British resident who was cleared for release more than two years ago, cannot return here.
Mr. Shaker Aamer, who has a British wife and four children, has now been held for nine and a half years, despite the fact that officials in the US governments of both President Bush and President Obama have been aware for several years that there was never a case for him to answer.
During this period Mr. Aamer has been tortured by US agents – for example, by having his head repeatedly banged against a wall – and has witnessed the torture of another UK resident.
In recent days, new evidence has emerged via a legal representative who has visited Mr. Aamer about his fragile state of health, including extreme kidney pain and serious asthma problems. He is clearly in urgent need of an independent medical assessment.
The British foreign secretary has raised this appalling case with the US secretary of state, stressing its high importance to the UK government and to many people in Britain who are shocked by the painful injustice Mr. Aamer and his British family have suffered at the hands of our ally.
In Britain, we have seen nine UK citizens and five UK residents returned from Guantanamo, after prolonged negotiations and court action, and the UK government took the responsibility for those men's conduct on their return. All have been exemplary members of our society ever since. There is no reason to believe Mr. Aamer would be any different, and the UK government is responsible for verifying that.
Mr. Aamer was not returned with the others during the Bush period, perhaps because he knew too many terrible stories from the prison. As a Saudi citizen, educated in the US, with a warm and outgoing personality, he had language and social skills that made him a chosen leader in several negotiations with the US authorities in Guantanamo Bay prison – notably over ending earlier hunger strikes. The negotiations failed when the prison authorities did not keep the bargains made, according to lawyers familiar with that period in the prison. Mr. Aamer's prominence among the prisoners has been reported by former prisoners, by several US guards and a number of lawyers with experience in his case.
We understand that the US government at one point planned to return him, against his will, to Saudi Arabia. Once there, he would have entered a re-education program, and it is likely his British family – who do not speak Arabic – would not have had the necessary status to be able to join him. He has told his family – in two phone calls in the entire period – his wish is to return to them in London and recover from his ordeal by living a quiet family life.
For all these years, his family have kept as far as possible out of the public eye, maintaining their privacy and dignity in very difficult times, without husband and father. This unimaginable pain has gone on longer than anyone should have to bear. It is difficult for us to understand this is going on in our country because of the attitude of the elected leaders of US friends and allies.
The loss of their father came after the family was living quietly among aid workers in Kabul where Mr. Aamer was building schools and digging wells. When the US bombing of Kabul began a month after 9/11, he took his family to Pakistan for safety and returned to look after their home and effects in Kabul. We do not know how he then came to be in US custody, but we know enough about the bounties paid then by the US for foreigners to be extremely uneasy about what may have triggered his long incarceration – unprotected by the Geneva Conventions, which are the common heritage of our nations that fought together in World War II to defend a world free of fascism and injustice.
We know that the National Defense Authorization Act 2011, which came into force in January of this year, means that detainees from Guantanamo must be "certified" before being transferred, and that new draft legislation is currently being debated in the Senate for when this act lapses in September. What "certification" beyond the word of our foreign secretary do you need to send home a man your own military authorities have cleared as innocent?
We strongly urge members of Congress to take action on Mr. Aamer's case to end this intolerable situation, which casts a dark shadow over America's reputation here.


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Fukuyama Masaharu's Profile
福山雅治 / ふくやま まさはる
Birth Place: Nagasaki, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki, Japan
Height: 180cms
Popularity: (12 fans) Become a fan!
Fukuyama Masaharu's Dramas & Movies:
Beauty or Beast
After graduating from the Tokyo University School of Law, Tamiya Makoto (Matsushima Nanako) goes on to Harvard University where she earns an MBA. She later works at one of the… [More]
Status: Completed Released: 2003 Rating: 9.5/10 (2 Votes)
In "Galileo," Fukuyama Masaharu plays a genius physicist and university associate professor, Yukawa Manabu, who solves difficult mysteries. Affectionately known as Tantei Galileo ("Detective Galileo"), Yukawa is brilliant, an all-round… [More]
Status: Completed Released: 2007 Rating: 9.56/10 (9 Votes)
Ryoma den
The 49th NHK Taiga drama is Ryoma den, set back in the Bakumatsu period. The story focuses on the life of Sakamoto Ryoma, who lived from 1835 to 1867. He… [More]
Status: Completed Released: 2010 Rating: 10/10 (8 Votes)
Tengoku no Daisuke e
After making a serious error in his news story, political newspaper reporter Yohei Iida grudgingly takes on an assignment for the sports section to write about the Takushoku University track… [More]
Galileo 2
Detective Kaoru Utsumi (Kou Shibasaki) visits professor of physics Manabu Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama) and introduces new detective Misa Kishitani (Yuriko Yoshitaka) to him. This is done on orders from Detective… [More]
Midsummer Formula (Movie)
Japanese Movie
Manabu Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama) is invited for a presentation on Submarine Mineral Resources Development in Harigaura. He stays at an inn. Manabu meets Kyohei who came to the inn, which… [More]
The protagonist Kamishiro Kohei once worked as a professional musician, but he could not produce any hit songs after having only one hit. Eventually his contract with the recording label… [More]
Scoop! (Movie)
Shizuka Miyakonojo (Masaharu Fukuyama) is a middle-aged paparazzi photographer. His skills as a cameraman is good, but he gambles and is in debt. When he worked in the editorial department… [More]
Status: Completed Released: 2016 Rating: NA (0 Votes)
Manhunt (Movie)
HongKong Movie
Accused of heinous crimes he didn't commit, a prosecutor sets out on a mission to clear his name. [More]
The Third Murder (Movie)
Shigemori (Masaharu Fukuyama) is an elite lawyer. He is compelled to defend Mikuma's (Koji Yakusho) murder case. Mikuma has a criminal record from a murder that took place 30 years… [More]
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Home BOLLYWOOD Photos: Bollywood Rallies Around A Convicted Sanjay Dutt
Photos: Bollywood Rallies Around A Convicted Sanjay Dutt
Bollywood has united to rally around convicted actor Sanjay Dutt, who has been sentenced to five years in jail for illegal possession of arms, in connection with the horrific 1993 serial terror attacks which rocked Mumbai.
MUMBAI: Bollywood has united to rally around convicted actor Sanjay Dutt, who has been sentenced to five years in jail for illegal possession of arms, in connection with the horrific 1993 serial terror attacks which rocked Mumbai.
Under the Arms Act, the Supreme Court has upheld the sentence awarded to Sanjay Dutt in 2007 which acquitted him of conspiracy charges but held the actor guilty of receiving guns from the terrorists' associates involved in the bombings.
Yesterday, the apex Court awarded Dutt 5 years in jail, of which he has already served 1.5 years previously. Sanjay Dutt has been given a time frame of 4 weeks either to file a review petition, or surrender himself.
As soon as news broke of Dutt's sentence, Bollywood rallied around their 'Munnabhai' aka Sanjay Dutt, expressing shock and disbelief, and not to mention an immense sense of grief for Sanjay.
Many, like Karan Johar, Hrithik Roshan, Pritish Nandy, Arjun Rampal, Ritesh Deshmukh took to twitter to express their shock and outrage at the conviction.
Spotted rushing to Sanjay Dutt's residence soon after the SC verdict was made public, were a host of Bollywood actors, film-makers and producers. Among the first to arrive were Dutt's good friends Bunty Walia and Milan Luthria, who came around the same time that 'Kahaani' filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh arrived. Good friend Rajkumar Hirani was also spooted at the Dutt residence.
Congress MLA Baba Siddiqui, who is a close friend to the Dutts, also came to show his solidarity with the family. Sanjay's sister Congress MP Priya Dutt was also spotted at his residence, looking distraught at the news.
Superstar Ranbir Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Prabhu Deva, filmmakers Anees Bazmee were also seen at the Dutt residence.
As we reported yesterday, the makers of films which star Sanjay Dutt were in even more turmoil, as they would have to decide how to wrap up shoots involving Dutt, or whether to snip his role in their films. Dutt's upcoming lineup of films includes 'Unglee', 'Policegiri', 'Zanjeer' and 'Peekay'.
1993 serial blasts
Apoorva Lakhia
Baba Siddiqui
Bunty Walia
Milan Luthria
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Easter Seals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain is a private, nonprofit organization serving children and adults with autism and other disabilities, along with disadvantaged families in Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
Our mission of creating solutions that change lives is accomplished by providing direct services such as vocational, workforce development and offender reentry programs; autism services, pediatric therapy and early intervention services for young children; adult day care, case management, home care, home health services, hospice, support groups, equipment loan, and information and referral assistance.
The organization provides services in 28 communities across our four-state region and maintains Goodwill retail stores and job training sites in 5 Montana and 4 southern Idaho locations. All of the organization's administrative operations, including accounting, development, information management services, human resources and payroll, are handled from the regional service center located in Great Falls, MT, which not only avoids duplication but also keeps administrative and overhead costs at a minimum.
Though Easter Seals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain is an independent, autonomous organization governed by a volunteer board of directors, it is affiliated with both National Easter Seals and Goodwill Industries International.
In fiscal year 2008-2009, Easter Seals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain allocated over 93 percent of its expenditures to direct programs and services for more than 26,000 children and adults with disabilities and disadvantages. More than 99 percent of funds Easter Seals-Goodwill receives remains in the four-state region to support community-based programs and services.
Would you recommend Easter Seals-Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain?


Me at PLKN camp delivering talks on the importance of English in our daily life. It was on 28th September 2013 where we have to serve two camps, one in Ayer Keroh Melaka for morning session and the other one about 40km away at camp Jasin, near Asahan, still in Melaka. It was fun!
This coming 4th and 5th October will be in Kulim, Kedah, Taiping and Semanggol in Perak. InsyaAllah I will do my very best to educate and persuade them to join the English program, not for me….but it's for them.


The National Football League provided some interesting storylines. The New England Patriots apparently can have anyone playing quarterback. The Denver Broncos Trevor Siemian and the Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz are for real. The Minnesota Vikings defense is incredible. So, is the Kansas City Chiefs by the way. There's so much more I could spell out, but why not find out by reading the W2Mnet NFL Power Rankings: Week Three instead.


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When you're in need of corporate catering in New Jersey, you want to make certain you're getting in touch with a company that can guarantee a high standard in terms of the food's quality. Few things are as important to us at Simply Delicious as ensuring our reputation for quality is preserved. We know that you will be more likely to recommend us to your coworkers and friends when you aren't merely enjoying the food but how simple the overall experience is. Making certain our customers are satisfied is consistently our first priority. If you are planning an event, it's important to consider the fact that the food can make or break it. The lack of attention to your guest's taste buds is going to be something talked about if the food falls short. This certainly isn't something that you'd like to hear after stressing to put together a business lunch. You can focus on perfecting the rest of the event while we handle the business lunch catering in Bogota NJ when you give Simply Delicious a call.
When you need business catering in NJ we strive to make it as easy as possible. Is arranging and preparing the catering yourself a stress you really need to deal with after you've already gone to the trouble of locating the ideal venue? All you have to do is agree on the menu and type of food you want and we will handle the rest. As first rate and mindful corporate catering company, we offer a broad array of alternatives to adhere to any dietary restrictions your guests might have. A professional staff will be supplied by our company together with the food itself. We will make sure the treatment your guests receive is something that is going to be talked about. There's nothing more professional than having a waiting staff to make certain that your guests are looked after whether your breakfast catering company is providing the food and drink or merely the food. Also, when you get in touch with Simply Delicious for business catering in NJ you will have access to a variety of different menus and styles of food according to the occasion, including bagel sandwiches, wraps, paninis, gourmet sandwiches, cheese platters, salads, hot buffet items, desserts, and more. Whether you need a breakfast or business lunch catering company in Bogota NJ, look no further than Simply Delicious.


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Peoplehood and Disability
Written by Matan Board Member Jason Lieberman, this post originally appeared on The Ruderman Family Foundation blog, Zeh Lezeh, July 8, 2013.
Jewish communal professionals' and philanthropists' recent focus on creating a sense of Jewish Peoplehood,or communal togetherness, has resulted in significant recourses and energy spent fighting overwhelming momentum toward denominational divisions and sectarianism. However, often it seems like these efforts most closely resemble running on a treadmill, an activity in which one exerts energy yet goes nowhere, albeit with a higher heart rate.
Rather than continuing down this current unfruitful path, I suggest those interested in Peoplehood look in a different direction for inspiration – the disability community. In a world filled with labels, people with disabilities don't have the luxury of hiding behind our differences; we must acknowledge them and move forward. Therefore, many with disabilities often bridge divides and defy labels in ways that are foreign to others, but common for us.
For example, people with autism spectrum disorders often have little in common with each other, much less with people with different diagnoses, like Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. However, we're often placed in the same program, classroom or living environment due to one similarity; we have conditions, which "substantially limit one or more of our major life activities," or more simply put a disability.
Upon visiting most day programs, residences or camp programs for people with disabilities, one will find people, whose only similarities, if any, involve what we can't do. Yet we still find ways to work, play and learn together, and thus, build a community that doesn't ignore, but transcends, our differences. This occurs not only with diagnostic labels, but denominationally as well.
Ramah is a pillar of the Conservative Movement. Its mission states that it encourages people to "live committed Jewish lives, embodying the ideals of Conservative Judaism," but in its Tikvah Program, for campers with developmental disabilities, those who don't identify as Conservative Jews, also excel and feel comfortable. In fact, Howard Blas, the Director of Tikvah at Camp Ramah New England, says, 27% of that program's campers last summer didn't identify as Conservative, but enjoyed camp.
The individuals with disabilities themselves aren't the only members of the disability community looking past labels and finding community and solutions. At its Family Shabbaton, NJCD/YACHAD, an agency of the Orthodox Union, provides an opportunity for families to come together, meet with experts and find support. Throughout the weekend, but particularly during Shabbat lunch, when families are assigned seats based on the challenges each face, it's not uncommon for secular families and Hasidic families to sit together and discuss the challenges facing their respective families. In my experience, after these conversations, the families often exchange information and promise to stay in touch. They later marvel that under current social norms, in no other setting would they be in the same room, much less, talk to each other.
Family Shabbaton and Tikvah are just two of many examples where Jews with disabilities defy denominational labels. If people with disabilities can operate trans-denominationally, in these environments, then surely we can do so, in environments intentionally designed to foster community wide relationships. If those interested in peoplehood give us the opportunity, I believe the disability community can demonstrate how to find opportunities to come together and build community despite existing differences, enabling the opportunities that exist for us, to reach all of Klal Yisroel.
Jason Lieberman, diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 11 months, is a disability advocate. Jason currently serves on the Board of Directors of Matan andBronx Independent Living Services. Additionally, He is the former Director of Government and Community Affairs for Yachad/NJCD and is an informal adviser to Tikvah at Camp Ramah New England. Recently named one of The New York Jewish Week's 36 under 36, he lives with his wife Emily and son Ruby in New York City.
Peoplehood and Disability2013-07-082017-02-16https://matankids.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.pngMatanhttps://matankids.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.png200px200px


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Official Website of the Chinese Olympic Committee
China Interactive Sports
China & Olympic Movement
Home >> News >> Sports News
IOC launches Olympic brand campaign "Become The Light"
2017-11-22 09:12:00 IOC
New campaign promotes Olympism, encouraging people to get active and share their activity through the Olympic Channel.
IOC partners with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to bring sustainable, solar powered lighting solutions to refugee camps.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched a new integrated brand campaign, "Become The Light", that aims to promote the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.
The campaign uses "light" as the symbolic representation of the Olympic values. Through a series of public service announcements, the campaign demonstrates how the inspirational achievements of athletes and the Olympic spirit can motivate people around the world to "Become The Light" and act as beacons of positivity.
Supporting the IOC's vision of building a better world through sport, the campaign invites participants to make a "donation" of their physical activity, recorded through the Olympic Channel. In keeping with the campaign theme of "light", the IOC will convert recorded activity into tangible support for refugees, by providing sustainable, solar powered lighting solutions for the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda in cooperation with UNHCR.
"Sport is about building bridges, bringing people together in the spirit of friendship and respect." said Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee. "In a world of uncertainties, the message that our shared humanity is greater than the forces that divide us is more relevant than ever before. Athletes carry the light and inspire us, giving us all hope that a better world is possible. We are pleased to be able to continue our close cooperation with UNHCR and our support for refugees as part of this campaign."
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said: "Sport can be a lifeline for young refugees uprooted by conflict and violence, forced to abandon their homes, communities and even their families. Sport restores childhood. It helps to heal and restore a sense of normalcy, offering a safe space where children can grow, learn and develop. By providing sustainable, solar powered lighting in refugee camps, we can boost sport and education opportunities for young refugees."
The "Become the Light" campaign begins as the world counts down to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and the Olympic Torch Relay progresses around the host country, the Republic of Korea, with its message of hope and inspiration. The campaign launch follows the adoption of the Olympic Truce Resolution by all UN Member States on 13 November at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Olympic Truce Resolution provides a commitment to support the safe passage of athletes and all participants to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and promote diplomatic solutions to conflicts around the world, in line with the ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic Truce, "Ekecheiria".
"As an Olympian, I truly believe athletes have a crucial role to play to inspire the next generation, especially those who share a passion for sport, as sport can unite the world, breaking down barriers and having a positive impact on society," said Angela Ruggiero, Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission.
IOC President highlights athletes' exemplary role(11-20 10:28)
Breaking new ground at IOC International Athletes' Forum(11-16 09:03)
IOC Young Change-Makers continue to make a difference(11-15 09:08)
Gender equality advocates and coaches receive IOC awards(11-13 09:29)
IOC Statement on IOC Member Mr Frank Fredericks(11-08 09:28)
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