text:
The West's Threat to Iran and the IAEA
by Peter Eyre on 22 Nov 2009 0 Comment
No matter which way you turn now days, you continue to see the constant barrage of intimidation and big boy tactics from the well developed countries, especially the G3.5 who held their notorious press conference in Pittsburgh when Obama, Brown and Sarkosy made very strong threats towards Iran...
Obama was the first to go on the attack when he said: "Iran's decision to build yet another nuclear facility without notifying the IAEA represents a direct challenge to the basic compact at the centre of the non-proliferation regime. These rules are clear: All nations have the right to peaceful nuclear energy; those nations with nuclear weapons must move towards disarmament; those nations without nuclear weapons must forsake them. That compact has largely held for decades, keeping the world far safer and more secure. And that compact depends on all nations living up to their responsibilities."
Iran's response to claims that it was carrying out illegal activities were denied by the President who said that his government had not violated International Atomic Energy Agency rules after disclosing the existence of a new nuclear-enrichment facility to the UN watchdog. President Ahmadinejad said his country had in fact informed the IAEA a full year in advance of the deadline set by the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He went on to say: "If you want to build the building, you can do that. If you want to lay the pipes, you can do that. Six months before you start processing itself ... then you need to inform the IAEA so it is prepared to begin its inspection programme," "Now is this the right thing or the wrong thing to do?" he asked. "It is not a secret facility. If it was, why did we inform the IAEA a year ahead of time?" He also said that he does not have to report to Washington.
What became clear is that the "Three Musketeers" had indicated that nations with nuclear weapons must move towards disarmament and those that do not have such weapons must forsake them. Obama said that carrying out these actions would keep the world far safer and more secure. What all three fail to address is the issue of their own secrecy and that of Israel.
Their theme in general indicates to the general public that they will endeavour to stop the production of nuclear weapons and destroy existing stocks. This is far from the truth. Yes, they will abandon the larger intercontinental ballistic missiles (the so-called deterrents), but will under the disguise of conventional weapons produce "Mini Nukes" (weapons with uranium components). There is a vast array of weapons that fit into this category - Cruise, Harpoon, Maverick, Hellfire and many other missiles. One could also add to these weapons the GBU range of Bunker Busters, JADAM bombs and a new range of 4th Generation Bombs. Futuristically speaking, the proposed weapons are beyond imagination such as the "Mother of all Bombs" which they plan to use in Afghanistan in 2010. On the horizon will be Hyper Speed Missiles and other technologies too horrific to even talk about.
So when Obama made the following statement it was very clear that there are two rules that apply here. We the West can do exactly what we want but you the developing or third world countries must toe the line. He said: "Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow - endangering the global non-proliferation regime, denying its own people access to the opportunity they deserve, and threatening the stability and security of the region and the world." "We are committed to demonstrating that international law is not an empty promise; that obligations must be kept; and that treaties will be enforced." "To put it simply: Iran must comply with UN Security Council resolutions."
From his last comment on UN Security Council Resolutions it is obvious that double standards apply, especially in regard to Israel which has failed to comply with hundreds of UN Resolutions passed against it. "Nice one Mr President – that's what I call change." The US has continuously taken the lead in verbally attacking Iran with Clinton at the forefront, but European leaders must also be added to the list of aggressors when Britain and France jumped onto the band wagon:
"The deception by the Iranian government and the scale of what we believe is the breach of international commitments," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, "will shock and anger the entire international community." He was joined in his new found outrage by French President Nicholas Sarkozy, who called for full disclosure by Iran and, short of that, a tougher sanctions regime. "Everything must be put on the table now," Sarkozy said. The West, said Brown, has "no choice but to draw a line in the sand." Ahmadinejad rejected the deception charges and demanded an apology from Obama, while dismissing the French and British leaders as irrelevant. Their thoughts were reinforced by Merkel who was not present.
We were soon to learn that Iran had decided to allow IAEA inspectors to investigate the facilities and a date was set for the team to arrive in Iran on 25 October 2009. What became apparent was that even thought this offer had been made and a date set, the West continued to apply aggressive pressure.
The French Foreign Minister only the day after the inspections had started in Iran, cautioned that Israel might launch an attack against Iran soon in the absence of such a deal. Kouchner also said that he didn't believe sanctions were an effective way to deal with Iran, noting that they wind up disproportionately harming the poor and do little to those in power.
The IAEA had once before stated that Iran was not, in their opinion, a threat and this was reinforced in a more recent report: The IAEA has insisted that the alleged "threat" posed by Iran's civilian nuclear program is greatly exaggerated, Israel has repeatedly threatened to attack the nation if the international community didn't force Iran to abandon it.
Within a few days of the French comment Hilary Clinton again passed comment during her visit to Jerusalem… they always say the right thing on home territory. She called on Iran to fulfill its obligations over its controversial nuclear programme, warning the Islamic republic that "patience has limits." "Our view is that we are willing to work toward creative outcomes like shipping out the low enriched uranium to be reprocessed outside of Iran but we're not going to wait forever," "Patience does have finally its limits and it is time for Iran to fulfill its obligations and responsibilities to the international community and accepting this deal would be a good beginning."
Early November saw Israeli IDF repeat its own thoughts on the Iranian issue when on 7 Nov 2009 Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Avalon warned Iran that it will not tolerate a threat by nuclear weapons: "The one who's bluffing is Iran, which is trying to play with cards they don't have," "All the bravado that we see and the testing and the very dangerous and harsh rhetoric are hiding a lot of weaknesses."
We return to the current time with words from IAEA Director-General Muhammad el-Baradei, 5 November 2009: "there was nothing to be worried about." What is remarkable in this ongoing intimidation of Iran is the fact that many experts around the world thought that this was a clear case of bullying by those who already have nuclear weapons. It is also true that the US is hurting over the fact that Iran has vast reserves of oil and gas and the US has no contracts or control.
Iran basically falls in the same category as Syria, Lebanon and Palestine - considered to be states promoting terrorism. Would anyone ever consider that the axis of evil in actual fact is the US itself. Like all potential trouble spots in the world, the US has covert operations deep within Iran.
For many years Kurdish guerrilla fighters referred to as the PJAK have been operating on cross border operations from Eastern Kurdistan into Iran. This group works in conjunction with US Covert Operation inside Iran and is CIA financed with additional weapons support. These covert operations are intended to disrupt or destabilize the political base in any country. The recent initial detention of 4 US operatives dressed in Afghan costume in Pakistan was a typical example. Locals had reported mysterious helicopter flights at night and personnel being dropped off.
These covert operatives turn peaceful locations into a potential hot bed of militia. They are even bold enough to blow up buildings and blame it on Al Qaeda, Taliban or some other militia. Once this has been achieved the area can be considered hostile and housing terrorists. Such covert operations are evil in the extreme and fully supported by the US.
It is only a matter of time before militia that have worked in cooperation with or been trained by the US turn against them. It is obvious that US and NATO forces should close down all bases on Islamic soil and bring all troops home… only then will peace return to the world.
In closing I would like quote outgoing IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei's final address to the UN General Assembly's 64th Session in New York: "Without development, there can be no security - the reverse is also true. By helping to address the root causes of instability and insecurity, including endemic conflicts, poor governance and poverty, we make it less likely that countries will feel the temptation to seek nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction."
The Director General advocated the use of diplomacy rather than military force and isolation in dealing with non-compliant states, and called for "a new system with effective global mechanisms for conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacemaking."
Peter Eyre, a former British Naval officer, worked at NATO headquarters, and spent a lot of time in the Middle East and South East Asia as a petroleum consultant; he lives in the UK and writes regularly for the Palestine Telegraph


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Moray's whale and dolphin centre in line for award
19th September 2015 by insideMoray
Dolphin centre in awards short-list
ONE OF MORAY'S most popular visitor attractions is in line for a national award.
The Scottish Dolphin Centre at Spey Bay has been put forward for the title of Best Visitor Attraction in the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards.
Since it was first opened in 2004 the centre has grown year on year in popularity not only with visitors to the region but with residents. The centre was created to take full advantage of Moray's most enduring resident popular of Dolphins, as well as regular visits from a variety of wildlife on land and at sea.
Manager of the centre is Alison Jordan who said of the nomination: "We are absolutely delighted with the news of our shortlisting for best visitor attraction.
"WDC staff and volunteers have been working hard all year to give visitors the wonderful experience of seeing bottlenose dolphins, wild and free in Scottish waters. We are looking forward to celebrating this success at the awards dinner in November."
Moray/Speyside Tourism operations manager Cameron Taylor added: "We are delighted that the Scottish Dolphin Centre has been recognised as one of the best visitor attractions in the Highlands and Islands.
"The enthusiastic team at the centre make it a must-see for visitors to Moray Speyside and we wish them every success in the awards."
Meanwhile the Scottish Dolphin Centre will be taking part in Marine Conservation Society's Great British Beach Clean on Sunday, September 20 from 1pm.
Alison Jordan said: "We would love it if people could help us clean Spey Bay Beach. All volunteers will receive a free drink from the café as thanks. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult, call 01343 820339 for more information."
Major step forward in creation of a new Moray Sports Centre
New leaflet aims to focus attention on Moray Coast

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Create a Spark. Inspire Change. Transform Lives.
AARRC 's programs could not exist without our volunteers! We are excited to work with groups and individuals to find volunteer opportunities that meet their interests! We welcome all volunteers who are interested in exploring the world while living in Phoenix!
Donate your sewing and crafts supplies to the AARRC 's Refugee Artist co-operative. Supplies are used in classes and given to refugees to use in their own crafts.
Look through our catalog for some of the wonderful hand-made products to give as gifts or use yourself. All refugee made products benefit Phoenix's refugees population and help in the teaching of life skills. You can also buy AARRC 's Artist products at our office and many local stores!
Donations are a great way to continue the work of AARRC ! With your donation, you can pay the salary of our staff members, support our workshops, or cover AARRC's operating cost!
Your donation is tax-deductible. We would be more than happy to send you a receipt, a thank you letter, and information about how your donation is used!


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28. Index Exchange 92.3% Index Exchange, Inc.
29. Integral Ad Science 1.1% Integral Ad Science, Inc.
31. Lotame 1.1% Lotame Solutions, Inc.
33. OpenX 5.9% OpenX Software Ltd.


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Cliffs Natural Resources 'can't wait' to exit 'horrible' Australian iron ore business
Updated April 30, 2015 — 7.35pm first published at 10.15am
US miner Cliffs Natural Resources says the seaborne supply of iron ore to China is a "doomed, horrible business", and declared it can't wait to finish mining in Western Australia.
Speaking after a decision to cut jobs and close one of its three iron ore pits in Western Australia, Cliffs chief executive Lourenco Goncalves said big miners like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were trying to scare the iron ore market into pessimism with their expansion plans, but could no longer afford those expansions.
"The seaborne market is doomed, is cursed, is a place not to be in. I can't wait to get out of Australia" - Cliffs chief Lourenco Goncalves. Credit:Louie Douvis
Cliffs' Koolyanobbing operations in Western Australia made a slim profit of $0.26 per tonne during the March quarter, and the Cleveland-based company responded by reducing the remaining life of the operation from 4.5 years down to 3.5 years.
"The seaborne market is doomed, is cursed, is a place not to be in. I can't wait to get out of Australia," said Mr Goncalves.
"As soon as I get to the end of life of mine in Australia, I'm out of there ... I can't wait to get out of the seaborne trade and let the Australians take that horrible business on their own hands."
Mr Goncalves has previously criticised the iron ore expansion plans of Rio, BHP and Vale, and on Thursday said those plans were now just empty threats.
"My thesis is they are threatening a capital expansion that they are not planning to deploy ... it is a lot more of lip service and empty threats and bad advertisements," he said.
"The biggest problem for the iron ore price at this point is not even the fact that the world is being flooded with iron ore. It is the fact that the market and the press and investors are being flooded with bad information about the expansion plans of three companies."
Mr Goncalves pointed to BHP's decision last week to defer spending on iron ore expansions at Port Hedland, and said Rio and Vale would soon follow suit.
"None of the three majors can continue to support their massive capex needs without allowing the iron ore price to increase," he said.
"If they still decide to keep iron ore prices artificially low, as they have been doing so far, their advertised massive capacity increases will not materialise due to insufficient cash flow generation.
"A long story short, these big projects are not coming. When the rubber hits the road, you are going to see a lot more of these BHP decisions of postponing the de-bottlenecking project and this and that."
The comments come as Brazilian miner Vale prepares to update the market on its $US19 billion iron ore expansion plan on Friday morning.
Mr Goncalves said while the management teams at the big miners wanted to continue expanding, board members would soon find themselves struggling to justify approvals for further spending on iron ore expansions.
"I am convinced that as soon as the board members of Rio Tinto, BHP and Vale realise that they are enabling their management teams to do something that goes against their shareholders, at least one or two or three or five will get scared because their fiduciary duty is associated with that," he said.
BHP says it will still reach its expansion target of 290 million tonnes per year despite the slower pace of expansion, and Goldman Sachs said last week it expects the big miners to complete their planned expansions.
"We don't expect any of the major iron ore producers to alter plans," said Goldman Sachs in a note to clients.
Cliffs will focus on supplying North American iron ore to US steel mills once its Australian operations reach the end of their working life.


text:
Update: The List of Habanos Releases Planned for 2017
February 27, 2017 Alexandre Avellar
Nothing interests the cigar enthusiast more than a new-release cigar. When this comes from the world's top cigar producer, it gets even more attention and, of course, brings a lot of excitement.
The 2017 Habanos S.A. release list brings a lot of new sizes and many of them will be presented at the XIX Habanos Festival.
The Montecristo brand will get three new regular production sizes in the Linea 1935: the Leyendas (165 x 21.8 | 6 1/4 x 55), the Maltes (153 x 21.0 | 6 x 53) and the Dumas (130 x 19.5 | 5 1/8 x 49); all of them will come in boxes of 20 units.
Quai d'Orsay
The Quai D'Orsay brand that had some production sizes cut in the recent past will see two new releases in the Quai d'Orsay No. 54 (135 x 21.4 | 5 1/4 x 54) and the No. 50 (110 x 19.8 | 4 3/8 x 50), both releases in boxes of 10 and 25 units. Detailled information about the 2017 Quai d'Orsay novelties can be found here.
The Petit Royales (95 x 18.7 | 3 3/4 x 47) will be added to the Romeo y Julieta portifolio and will come in boxes of 25 units.
Cohiba, Partagás and Punch will be the featured brands in the limited edition series. The Cohiba Talisman (154 x 21.4 | 6 x 54 – box of 10), the Partagás Serie No. 1 (138 x 20.6 | 5 3/8 x 52 – box of 25) and the Punch Régios de Punch (120 x 19.0 | 4 3/4 x 48 – box of 25) are the three releases of this coveted series.
The H. Upmann brand will have its first Gran Reserva. The H. Upmann Sir Winston Gran Reserva Cosecha 2011 (178 x 18.7 | 7 x 47) will be produced in 5,000 numbered boxes of 20 cigars each.
La Casa del Habanos
The La Casa del Habanos will get two exclusive releases in the Trinidad La Trova (166 x 20.6 | 6 1/2 x 52 – box of 12), and the H. Upmann Connoisseur B (150 x 21.4 | 5 7/8 x 54 – box of 25).
Three more special releases will close the list. The Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Belicosos (125 x 20.6 | 4 7/8 x 52 – box of 15) is the duty-free, exclusive travel humidor. The Bolívar Mundiales (160 x 22.2 | 6 1/4 x 56) will come in a special humidor with 115 cigars, and the El Rey del Mundo Império (180 x 21.4 | 7 1/8 x 54) will feature the Replica of Ancient Humidors Serie with 50 sticks.
Alexandre Avellar
Alexandre Avellar is considered Brazil's main reference in cigars. In 2010 he founded the Conexão Tabaco/Tudo Sobre Charuto, the country's #1 cigar news website. He also writes for many cigar publications around the world. He has been nominated to the Habanos S.A. the Hombre Habano del Año (Habanos Man of the Year) trophy for Communications in the 15th and 16th Habanos Festival. He travels around the world covering the main events and promoting the culture of smoking cigars.
2017 Limited Edition Cohiba Talismán Arrives in Switzerland
The Cohiba Talismán 2017 Limited Edition
U.K. Event to Celebrate Launch Of Limited Edition Cohiba Talisman
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Red and White and Gold.
This a.m. I wore my red and white Saucony jacket to the Grimsby 1/2 Marathon where I won gold (well, first female) with a new personal best time of 1:18:14.
This afternoon, I wore my red and white Canada jacket to our friends' daughter's hockey game where her team won gold at the Walter Gretzky tournament.
Then, our men's team, in red and white, sealed the deal for gold.
Eload = more red and white (and purple) from today.
In red and white watching the hockey game.
The new Saucony Fastwitch racing flats did the job today in my race! The green looks like the same colour of the flowers the Olympic medalists get, don't you think?
Two happy boys wearing mommy's medals.
I see you run for Saucony as well. I will add your blog to my blogroll. It would be great if you could do the same 🙂 Go Saucony Team!


A university jubilee is brought to life through its events and projects. During the festival year, students, tutors and staff will be working together with sponsors to create their festival of festivals and make the jubilee year 2015 an extraordinary experience.
Kiel University's 350th anniversary is to be accompanied by numerous special projects by university institutions and students.
350 years of Kiel University in the past, present and future. Museums and establishments from the university, city and region are putting on a large number of exhibitions for the festival year 2015.
Kiel University is celebrating its 350th birthday together with its partners. With their support, projects are being realised, friendships strengthened and celebrations organised to make 350 years of Kiel University unforgettable!


text:
A Simocetus rayi az emlősök (Mammalia) osztályának párosujjú patások (Artiodactyla) rendjébe, ezen belül a fosszilis Simocetidae családjába tartozó faj.

Családjának és nemének eddig az egyetlen felfedezett faja.

Tudnivalók
A Simocetus rayi a bazális, azaz a kezdetleges fogascetek egyik képviselője, amely a kora oligocén korszakban élt, körülbelül 32 millió évvel ezelőtt. Az egész faj csak egy koponya alapján ismert, amelyet 1977-ben Douglas Emlong amatőr fosszília vadász talált meg Oregonban, a Yaquina folyó partján; azonban leírására, megnevezésére és besorolására csak 2002-ben került sor; ezt a munkát az új-zélandi Ewan Fordyce paleontológus végezte.

Jegyzetek

Fordítás

További információk
Fordyce, R. E. (2002). "Simocetus rayi (Odontoceti, Simocetidae, new family); a bizarre new archaic Oligocene dolphin from the eastern North Pacific" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 93: 185–222.
Fordyce, R. E. (2008). "Neoceti". In Perrin, W. F.; Wursig, B.; Thewissen, J. G. M. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2 ed.). Academic Press. pp. 758–763. .
Geisler, J. H., M. R. McGowen, G. Yang, and J. Gatesy. 2011. A supermatrix analysis of genomic, morphological, and paleontological data from crown Cetacea. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11:1–33.
Geisler, J. H., M. W. Colbert, and J. L. Carew. 2014. A new fossil species supports an early origin for toothed whale echolocation. Nature 508:383–386.

Fogascetek
Emlősfajok
Fosszilis cetek
Víziélőlények az oligocénben
Monotipikus taxonok

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


My role as a therapist is to facilitate change by providing you with the tools you need to live a life that reflects your deepest held values.
Over the past decade, I have developed a specialized practice in the treatment of OCD, hoarding disorder, anxiety disorders (e.g. phobias, panic disorder, generalized anxiety), and trauma/stress related disorders. I find working with these conditions particularly rewarding because it allows me to be creative in how I design treatment interventions, and is also aligned with the active, hands-on style of therapy that I prefer to use in my work.
The fundamental nuts and bolts of my treatment approach is rooted in the latest scientific research while my delivery of the interventions is tailored to your specific circumstances. I draw from different modalities rooted in the basic principles of learning and behavior, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Compassion-Focused Therapy, which is a newer approach I have been weaving into my work with people who experience significant self-criticism, perfectionism, guilt, and shame. Exposure therapy, a type of behavior therapy, is a core component in my work with anxiety, OCD, and trauma. It consists of figuring out what triggers anxiety for you, designing exposure exercises that will allow you to confront your fears in a gradual, systematic way, and guiding you through the process of practicing the exposure exercises until you are able to tolerate the triggers that would normally cause distress. Although exposure exercises can bring up a lot of discomfort, if you are willing to practice the skills consistently, there is a really good chance that you can accomplish your goals for therapy.
During our sessions, we will develop a plan that clearly lays out what steps to take in order to reach your treatment goals. I will also guide you in the process of learning to tolerate the difficult feelings that will arise during the process. While structured, our sessions will feel collaborative and dynamic. In between sessions, I may provide you with the task of observing your own behavior, testing out new skills, and keeping track of what worked or didn't work. If you have issues that require a more creative approach, I offer a wide range of therapeutic interventions, including community-based exposures, home visits, educational meetings with loved ones, and coaching outside of our sessions.
I work best with individuals who are willing to invest in the process as well as do the necessary practice in between sessions to master the skills. I am open to all cultural backgrounds and work particularly well with individuals who identify with feeling "stuck between cultures".
Feel free to message me directly with any questions you may have.
Orientation: I have training and experience using many evidence-based treatment approaches. My primary mode of treatment is Cognitive Behavior Therapy, with an emphasis on behavior modification interventions such as exposure and response prevention and habit reversal. I incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, and Compassion-Focused Therapy as needed throughout my work. I also have experience providing exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy for trauma, and for people needing help with distress tolerance and emotion regulation, I draw from the Dialectical Behavior Therapy model.
License Number and State: Licensed in California since 2009 – CA PSY23148. Licensed Psychologist in Oregon #3074.
Accepted Insurance Plans: At this time, my services cannot be billed under insurance (In network or out of network).
My objective as your therapist will be to guide you through the following phases of treatment: increasing your awareness of the problem and why it persists, making a plan to target the problems with specific interventions, and practicing skills until you master them. If you are interested in learning more about my practice, feel free to message or call me directly. I would be happy to share more with you so that you can make an informed decision about your treatment.
To contact me, call me at 503-281-4852 x219, or use the confidential contact form below.
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text:
Costanera Norte, también conocida como Sistema Oriente-Poniente, es una autopista urbana concesionada de Chile, inaugurada en 2005 por Ricardo Lagos. Se extiende de este a oeste de la capital, conectando el sector alto de Santiago de Chile con el aeropuerto y la ruta 68 que une la ciudad con Valparaíso, Viña del Mar y otras localidades del litoral central. Junto a las autopistas Central, Vespucio Norte Express y Vespucio Sur, compone la red de autopistas urbanas de Santiago de Chile, que totaliza más de 210 kilómetros de extensión.

Es considerada en la actualidad, tanto por su tecnología como por sus prestaciones, una de las autopistas urbanas más modernas del mundo, además de utilizar el sistema de cobro en movimiento free flow a través del dispositivo TAG.

Trazado
La autopista está separada en dos ejes:

Eje Kennedy
Esta avenida de alta velocidad tiene una longitud de 7.4 kilómetros, y se extiende entre avenida Tabancura, en la comuna de Las Condes, hasta el puente Lo Saldes, en la comuna de Vitacura. Las obras más significativas son la construcción en desnivel del enlace Estoril, el recarpeteo de la totalidad de la calzada, el mejoramiento y construcción de 3 hectáreas de áreas verdes y la implementación de un nuevo sistema de iluminación en su trazado.

Inicialmente la autovía norte entre Américo Vespucio y la ex rotonda Pérez Zujovic, no tenía geometría de autopista, ya que las entradas/salidas eran a 90 grados y no había una marcada separación entre las viviendas y la calzada. Posteriormente, en 2017, se inauguró un túnel de 1.166 metros de largo bajo este tramo, que concentra el flujo en sentido oriente, a la vez que las pistas en superficie se dividieron entre pistas expresas y locales, con lo que se eliminaron los accesos directos a la carretera.

Gracias a esta concesión se cumple un largo anhelo de ambas municipalidades, que compartían la meta de tarificar el uso de esta arteria.

Eje Oriente-Poniente
Es la espina dorsal de la autopista, ya que abarca dos de las principales vías del sector oriente de Santiago —la avenida Santa María y el eje avenida San Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer -avenida Andrés Bello—, que confluyen en una trinchera cubierta construida junto al lecho del río Mapocho. Tiene una longitud de 35,26 kilómetros.

Corre paralela a su curso por 2,8 kilómetros, sumergiéndose bajo el lecho frente al acceso del barrio Bellavista de la comuna de Providencia. El túnel, de 3,9 kilómetros, atraviesa el centro de la ciudad y emerge a la superficie en Independencia, junto al enlace de la autopista Central.

El trazado continúa recorriendo las comunas del sector norponiente de la ciudad, para finalizar en los enlaces que conectan al aeropuerto y a la ruta CH-68 Santiago - Valparaíso. Pasa por las comunas de Lo Barnechea, Vitacura, Las Condes, Providencia, Recoleta, Santiago, Independencia, Renca, Quinta Normal, Cerro Navia y Pudahuel.

En septiembre del 2014 entró en operaciones un paso subterráneo de una pista que conecta Costanera Norte con la Autopista Central y promete mitigar los problemas de congestión vehicular, que frecuentemente se originan entre las 17:30 y las 20:30 horas. Este túnel, de 660 metros, se construyó entre fines de 2013 y buena parte de 2014, encontrándose su acceso en la calzada norte, cerca de la avenida Fermín Vivaceta, en Independencia.

Proyectos futuros

 Debido al plan regulador y a la congestión de la autopista Vespucio Norte Express, está proyectado ampliar esta vía desde la ruta 68 que llega a Valparaíso hasta la autopista del Sol en el sector de Rinconada de Maipú.

 La extensión del Eje Costanera desde el nudo La Dehesa hasta Av. Padre Arteaga.

Controversias
En abril de 2016, producto de trabajos que se estaban realizando en el eje Oriente-Poniente de la autopista y de un fuerte temporal de lluvias, el lecho del río Mapocho se desvió y el agua terminó entrando a la avenida Andrés Bello y a gran parte del sector comercial de Providencia. Las autoridades responsabilizaron a la concesionaria y a la constructora Sacyr por no haber tomado las medidas pertinentes.

Desde fines de 2019, ha sido habitual que organizadores de eventos clandestinos cierren con vehículos un tramo de Costanera Norte para realizar piruetas y carreras, sin contar con autorización alguna. Por eso el alcalde de Vitacura, Raúl Torrealba firmó una querella contra todos quienes resulten responsables por infringir la ley 21.208, obstruyendo la libre circulación de persona o vehículos en la vía pública, en carreras clandestinas realizadas en Costanera Norte.

A fines de 2020, los vecinos del Pueblo de Lo Barnechea manifestaron sus preocupaciones por la falta de mitigaciones de la extensión del Eje Costanera desde el nudo La Dehesa hasta Av. Padre Arteaga y el 7 de noviembre se suspendió la inauguración de este nuevo tramo.

Enlaces Eje Kennedy
 Avenida Las Condes
 kilómetro 0.5 Estoril - Av. Las Condes.
 kilómetro 0.8 Las Condes al Poniente Sentido Poniente - Oriente.
 kilómetro 2 Alto Las Condes.
 kilómetro 4 Padre Hurtado - Las Tranqueras Sentido Poniente - Oriente.
 kilómetro 5 Gerónimo de Alderete.
 kilómetro 6 Manquehue.
 kilómetro 7 Parque Arauco Sentido Poniente - Oriente.
 kilómetro 8.5 Vespucio Norte - Alonso de Córdova
 kilómetro 8.6 Vespucio Sur.Sentido Poniente - Oriente.
 kilómetro 10 Rotonda Pérez Zujovic.
 kilómetro 10.9 Los Conquistadores - Túnel San Cristóbal Sentido Oriente - Poniente.
 Continuación Costanera Norte

Enlaces Oriente-Poniente
 Lo Barnechea
 kilómetro 0.1 Av. La Dehesa - Al Norte - Lo Barnechea - Huinganal Sentido Poniente-Oriente.
 kilómetro 0.2 Av. La Dehesa - Al Sur Sentido Poniente-Oriente.
 kilómetro 0.7 Raúl Labbe - C. Turístico Sentido Poniente-Oriente.
 kilómetro 1 Cantagallo - San Francisco de Asís Sentido Poniente-Oriente.
 kilómetro 2.7 Sta. Teresa.
 kilómetro 2.8 Vitacura - Tabancura.
 kilómetro 5.2 Gran Vía.
 kilómetro 5.4 Lo Curro.
 kilómetro 8 Vespucio  - Sta. María.
 kilómetro 9 Ruta 5 - Chicureo Sentido Poniente-Oriente.
 kilómetro 10 Los Conquistadores - Túnel San Cristóbal Sentido Oriente-Poniente.
 Continuación Costanera Norte

Enlaces Ruta 68 - Avenida Presidente Kennedy
 Avenida Presidente Kennedy
 kilómetro 12 Bellavista - El Cerro Sentido Oriente - Poniente
 kilómetro 13 La Concepción Sentido Poniente - Oriente. Túnel Bellavista, boca oriente.
 kilómetro 15 Loreto - Purísima Sentido Oriente - Poniente.
 kilómetro 16 Mercado Central - Recoleta
 kilómetro 17 Vivaceta - Ruta 5 Norte Sentido Oriente - Poniente. Túnel Bellavista, boca poniente y acceso al Túnel Vivaceta.
 kilómetro 18 Sta María - Ruta 5 Sur Sentido Poniente - Oriente.
 kilómetro 20 W. Martínez Sentido Oriente - Poniente.
 kilómetro 22 Dorsal.
 kilómetro 24 Carrascal.
 kilómetro 26 Petersen.
 kilómetro 30.1 Vespucio Norte Sentido Oriente - Poniente.
 kilómetro 30.2 Vespucio Sur Sentido Oriente - Poniente.
 kilómetro 31 Aeropuerto.
 kilómetro 32 El Parque.
 kilómetro 33 Los Maitenes.
 kilómetro 34 Viña del Mar - Valparaíso Sentido Oriente - Poniente.
  Ruta 68

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Sitio web de Costanera Norte

Costanera Norte
Costanera Norte
Río Mapocho
Infraestructuras de Chile del siglo XX
Arquitectura de 1989
Chile en 1989
Premio Obra Bicentenario (Chile)


text:
FSSAI CEO on Nestle's Maggi: If their product was safe, why did they destroy it?
By: Shruti Srivastava |
New Delhi | Updated: August 17, 2015 7:08:01 AM
Maggi samples given clean chits were from factory that manufactures largely for exports, says FSSAI.
Last week the Bombay High Court set aside the order though it asked Nestle to get Maggi noodle samples tested at three FSSAI accredited labs — Hyderabad, Mohali and Jaipur — to check lead contents. (PTI)
The Bombay High Court's order in favour of Nestle's Maggi noodles, and the clean chit by countries including the US, the UK, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand notwithstanding, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has maintained that the ban on the product was done after thorough tests and "these clean chits have been given to samples primarily drawn from Nestle's Bicholim factory in Goa, which manufactures the noodles largely for exports".
Speaking to The Indian Express, Yudhvir Singh Malik, CEO, FSSAI, said, "There are eight facilities of Nestle and all the samples which went for CFTIR Mysore were from Bicholim, Goa, which are meant for exports. The US, Australia and New Zealand may have given clean chits but the samples were all drawn from the export facility. We have already requested the UKFDA, which has called India's Maggi safe, to share with us the details such as when and where the samples were drawn from, the batch of the samples, what factors were considered, what testing protocol was followed and the test results. However, despite three reminders they have not replied."
It is to be noted that earlier the FSSAI had rubbished all-clear reports from two of its own empanelled labs, saying there were lapses in the tests. It had rejected the findings of the Food and Drugs Laboratory of Goa as well as the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, over test discrepancies.
"We asked Nestle that since they are claiming to have got clean chit from the UKFDA, do they have the reports for the same and asked them to share it with us. However, they have gone on record claiming that they don't have it. How can they not have it? If their product was safe why did they destroy it? We ordered only recall of the product and offered that if the product was safe for consumption they should export it. However they destroyed it," Malik said while emphasising that the FSSAI is focussing on its prime responsibility of ensuring safe food to people. According to an official, the FSSAI had ordered recall of Maggi noodles on June 5 after testing 78 samples of Maggi from Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and other states, of which 30 samples were found carrying excess lead.
The official said that the sample was fairly large to take action on. Following the order, Nestle India had moved Bombay High Court. Last week the court set aside the order though it asked the company to get its noodle samples tested at three FSSAI accredited labs — Hyderabad, Mohali and Jaipur — to check lead contents.Explaining the ban on the product, Malik said that while FSSAI regulations don't prescribe that MSG is unsafe, it explicitly mentions that it should not be in products meant for children below 12 months old.
"They said that they have not added MSG in Maggi and it is naturally present. Even if it is naturally present, why did they write No MSG added? We are not getting into whether it is safe for consumption. We have just said that it was falsification under the FSSAI regulations. They could have said that it contains natural MSG," he said.
With regards to lead, which is bad for health as it accumulates in the system, the CEO said, "It can even be transferred from the placenta to babies. It will never have an immediate impact but you will never be able to relate it to consumption of lead on account of Maggi… Once it is a section 22 food, we don't test it and go 100 per cent by what the company writes."
As far as tests are concerned, the FSSAI CEO emphasised that the tests were done on the basis of CODEX document which was attached to the application of Nestle and hence no objections can be raised by the company on the testing protocol followed.
"Approval is granted on the basis of the content of the application. Nestle told us that they were confused about the testing protocol followed by us. But we have done it according to the CODEX document which was attached to their application, which says that the cake and masala will be tested separately and that is what we did. Now they are questioning our test. It is their protocol that was agreed to and now they can't go back on it," Malik stressed.
Bombay High CourtFSSAIMaggi noodlesNestle
Maggi, KitKat, Munch yet again Nestle's profit drivers; continue winning streak of previous quarter
Nestle's organic play: To launch organic milk products in India; other highlights from Q1 results
Anurag Kashyap thanks judiciary for letting 'Udta Punjab' fly
Eknath Khadse likely to get clean chit in Dawood call case?


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Q: Rails: `bundle open rails` command not opening rails gem folder I'm trying to open rails gem folder using bundle open rails command in my local system. For this I have set export EDITOR='subl -w' in .bashrc file.
I'm not sure why it doesn't work for rails gem and when I try to open other gems listed in my Gemfile, it works fine.

*

*Sublime3

*Ubuntu 12.04

Any help on what I'm doing wrong?

A: I believe this behavior you're observing has something to do with how the Rails gem is structured - that is, all the logic has been moved into dedicated modules like ActiveRecord, ActionController, etc. I am seeing the same behavior - bundle open rails opens to an empty directory pointing to the gempath - but bundle open activerecord, for example, works as expected.
I'm using export EDITOR = vi personally, though I don't think it has anything to do with that.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Regex for simple matching I need to write a regex for matching a pattern.
Pattern to match is:
[#ABC...Z0-9].

anybody?

A: Try to use NSRegularExpression. Your code can be like this:
NSRegularExpression *regex =
    [NSRegularExpression regularExpressionWithPattern:@"[#ABC...Z0-9]"
                         options:NSRegularExpressionCaseInsensitive
                         error:nil];

and for substring between [# and ] try this regex:
\[#[^\]]+\]

explain:

[character_group] Negation: Matches any single character that is not in character_group
+ Matches the previous element one or more times.
\[ Matches [ charachter


text:
American music stars died in Dementia
Here are 2 famous musicians from United States of America died in Dementia:
Frank Sinatra (December 12, 1915 Hoboken-May 14, 1998 West Hollywood) also known as Frank Sinartra, Francis Albert Sinatra, Ol' Blue Eyes, The Sultan of Swoon, La Voz, Swoonatra, The Voice, Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra, Daddy, The Dave Clark Five, The Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Board (of Show Business), Frank or Chairman of the Board was an American singer, actor, film producer, conductor, film director and television director. He had four children, Nancy Sinatra, Tina Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Ronan Farrow.
Discography: Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!, In the Wee Small Hours, Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color, Songs for Young Lovers, Come Fly With Me, A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra, Close to You, Where Are You? and Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely. His related genres: Swing music, Traditional pop music, Big Band, Vocal music, Jazz, Vocal jazz and Easy listening.
Read more about Frank Sinatra on Wikipedia »
Scott Joplin was an American composer, music teacher, pianist and musician.
His albums include Piano Rags by Scott Joplin, Greatest Hits, Scott Joplin's Rag Time (feat. piano: Scott Kirby), The Gold Collection, Digital Ragtime / Wall Street Rag, Elite Syncopations, Scott Joplin's Greatest Hits, Original Rags, Kismet Rag and Reflection Rag. His related genres: Ragtime and March.
Read more about Scott Joplin on Wikipedia »
Georgian musicians died in Execution by firing squad List of the top 1 Georgian music stars who died in Execution by firing squad
Brazilian actresses died in Cancer List of the top 4 Brazilian actresses who died in Cancer
Famous musicians died at age 36 List of the top 3 Famous music stars who died when they were 36
American actresses died in Brain damage List of the top 1 American actresses who died in Brain damage
Kenyan musicians died at age 33 List of the top 2 Kenyan music stars who died when they were 33
German musicians born in 1915 List of the top 7 German music stars who died in who were born in 1915


text:
Tag: HD 40307g
NASA Exoplanet "Travel Posters" Aim To Help With Space Trip Planning
What beauty, and what awesome travel slogans! NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created a set of "Exoplanet Travel Posters" to bring you — at least in your imagination — to actual exoplanets.
Whether you have a fancy for skydiving, or doing astronomy with two Suns, it appears there is a spot to whet your imagination. We have another example of the fantastic artwork below.
You can download all three posters so far in glorious high-definition here. These are NASA's descriptions for each of the worlds described so far:
Kepler-186f is the first Earth-size planet discovered in the potentially 'habitable zone' around another star, where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. Its star is much cooler and redder than our Sun. If plant life does exist on a planet like Kepler-186f, its photosynthesis could have been influenced by the star's red-wavelength photons, making for a color palette that's very different than the greens on Earth.
Twice as big in volume as the Earth, HD 40307g straddles the line between "Super-Earth" and "mini-Neptune" and scientists aren't sure if it has a rocky surface or one that's buried beneath thick layers of gas and ice. One thing is certain though: at eight time the Earth's mass, its gravitational pull is much, much stronger.
A NASA "travel poster" showing off how fun skydiving would be on HD 40307g, a planet that is somewhere in size between a "super-Earth" or "mini-Neptune." Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Like Luke Skywalker's planet "Tatooine" in Star Wars, Kepler-16b orbits a pair of stars. Depicted here as a terrestrial planet, Kepler-16b might also be a gas giant like Saturn. Prospects for life on this unusual world aren't good, as it has a temperature similar to that of dry ice. But the discovery indicates that the movie's iconic double-sunset is anything but science fiction.
The posters are not only clever, but appear to be homages to the Work Projects Administration's "See America" posters of the 1930s and 1940s, which you can browse through on the Library of Congress' website.


Traumatic events are shocking and emotionally overwhelming. They can vary in type, source, timing and impact. They can be experienced at different developmental stages, within different contexts and in the presence or absence of different internal and external resources and challenges. Traumatic events shape development and can impact on how children complete tasks, develop skills and engage with others throughout their lives.
This training, from Children in Scotland, is an introduction to working with traumatic stress using the Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competency (ARC) framework.
• Providing a safe context for children.
Jan Montgomery is an experienced youth worker, specialising in working with vulnerable and disadvantaged young people. She is a qualified psychotherapist, play therapist and life coach.
From £89 for Children in Scotland members; from £109 for non-members.


text:
How the arts help communities heal after a disaster: Q&A with Kristen Madsen of Creative Sonoma
Since the fires cooled in November, members of the Sonoma community have been dropping off plastic bags, mason jars, and Tupperware containers of ash from their homes to artist Gregory Roberts' front porch for use in his "Sonoma Ash Project." The ash sample is processed for use in a ceramic glaze. Each person who has dropped off ash will receive a porcelain object made from the ashes of their home, in the likeness of the iconic round Barn which was also destroyed in the fires. Courtesy of the Museums of Sonoma County, The Fire Wall.
Kristen Madsen
The Hewlett Foundation announced today $1.2 million in grants to help local arts organizations affected by the wildfires that devastated communities across the North Bay in the fall of 2017. Among the eight organizations receiving grants from the fund is Creative Sonoma, a program of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board that supports the local creative community with training, consulting services, and other resources. In this interview, Kristen Madsen, director of Creative Sonoma, explains how the arts community in Sonoma and Napa was affected by the disaster, and how the work of artists is critical to addressing the deep emotional, economic, and social wounds felt by the broader community.
It seems one of the hardest things about recovering from any disaster is what happens after the news media moves on. Six months after the fire, what's happening in Sonoma County? How is the community recovering from the fire?
Slowly, and in fits and starts. There are bright spots emerging with growing frequency alongside the conscious acceptance that recovery is a long and thorny journey. The return of spring's green undergrowth beneath the charcoaled trees brings equal measures of heartbreak for what's been lost and promise for what's to come. While your breath may no longer be snatched from your throat as you drive through a fire zone for the third, or tenth or twentieth time, the pit in your stomach is worse from fear that you're beginning to accept it as normal.
At six months in, we are still living with just the symbols of recovery. The first new house going up in Coffey Park. The re-opening of the Glen Ellen Inn. The summer concert season being announced at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. While each new example feeds our reservoir of hope and fuels our determination, we will welcome the day when they string together in a sense of meaningful momentum.
Creative Sonoma has been a leader in helping the arts community recover from the fire. Where have the greatest impacts been on artists and arts organizations?
While last year's fires were indiscriminate, the results were intensely personal. Far and away, the greatest loss of structures was homes. For many of our artists, it was a double hit because their homes were also their studios. The Luther Burbank Center for the Arts and its tenant arts companies were the primary arts organizations that suffered physical loss. But all of our arts organizations and individual creatives were impacted at some level—fundraising activities were cancelled or redirected, staff and board members lost homes, events were cancelled, and more.
Creative Sonoma established a Recovery Fund last fall, thanks in large part to an earlier contribution from the Hewlett Foundation, which has now granted more than $135,000 to 120 individuals and creative organizations for both physical and economic loss.
We had the great privilege to meet personally with all of those recipients. The stories, told to us first-hand, were every bit as harrowing as those we all saw in the news. As we carefully dug just a little below the fragile and wounded surfaces of these fire survivors, we unearthed a common theme. There was relief, then curiosity, then tremendous gratitude as these artists realized that the funds they were receiving were predominantly from people who live outside Sonoma County, who did not know them personally, but who believed in the value of their work.
One of our recipients told us that when she was able to return to the ash-filled lot that had been her home, to see with her own eyes that her studio, her artwork, and all of her tools were gone, her first thought was "Well, I guess I'm not an artist anymore." Receiving a grant, through the generosity of people unknown to her but who believed in her nonetheless, was a validation of her value to this community that she didn't expect to need or to find in this way.
Early reports indicate that the vast majority of our grantees intend to stay in Sonoma County, rebuilding, and reimagining their futures here. Those numbers may change as the realities of construction and an already tight housing market play out for every individual family affected. But we are encouraged by the tenacity and commitment they are showing to help us all build back better in Sonoma County.
We were also happy to work in partnership with our counterparts at the Arts Council Napa Valley and the Arts Council Mendocino County to share resources and coordinated responses.
What is the role of the arts in recovering from a disaster like last year's fires? Can you share examples that illustrate that role from your work?
Creative Sonoma is an active participant in the county's official recovery plan including new conversations about integrating art into new construction. We don't have an existing public art ordinance in the county and the timing seems especially right. Pilot projects are under discussion and we hope that support for an ordinance might be a long-term positive contribution from the arts community to the recovery. The symbols of creative construction and renovation can bolster the belief that our future will not simply be different, but will be better.
More immediately, there are remarkable, creative endeavors underway to help heal. Both of our art museums are engaging community members in making art that reflects their feelings and experiences surrounding the fires. The Charles M. Schulz Museum is inviting the community to apply original interpretative designs onto doghouses, provided by the museum, which will be auctioned off as a fundraiser for fire relief. Art Escape is hosting a project where 160 tiny birdhouses will be painted, and personal narratives tucked into them. All 160 will be grouped into a "town" of tiny homes. The project culminates with a community potluck where participants will take a birdhouse home.
Creative Sonoma has trained a cadre of teaching artists in using the arts to help students who have experienced trauma. Over the next six months, we will be placing those artists into schools, helping those in our community who are least equipped to understand the impact that this crisis has injected into their lives.
And that doesn't even scratch the surface of the countless free concerts, exhibitions of new work made—some made, literally, from the ashes that surround our community—readings, instrument drives, and performances that have already and continue to occur. And, as always, artists—even those who lost everything—are at the center of the giving back themselves.
What do we know, at this point, about the long-term impact of the fires on the arts community in the North Bay? How should funders like the Hewlett Foundation and our peers be thinking about supporting a healthy arts community in a thriving North Bay over the long haul?
For starters, funders who have smart and thoughtful people on their staff, who know a lot more smart and thoughtful people, can really help by bringing that knowledge to bear in our recovery. For example, the housing shortage in the North Bay, including affordable housing, is the single issue that will dictate the pace of our overall recovery. It has been estimated that, in Sonoma County alone, we will need 30,000 new housing units in five years in order to catch up to the burgeoning need. The housing crunch, exacerbated so significantly by the fires, has affected the workforce, the homeless population, and specifically the arts community through rising rents of homes, studios, performance spaces, and exhibition venues. Among funders, who's working on housing, and how can we ensure the arts are part of that larger conversation?
The arts will be part of the recovery at exactly the level of our perceived value to decision makers. For example, conversations about including public art in the development of all the new housing developments that will be underway here shortly, would go a lot farther, a lot faster, if private funders were offering incentive for the arts to be included.
I'd also encourage funders to visit our community as soon as is it makes sense. Meeting the people who are surviving a significant event like the fires, witnessing the challenges they are facing and overcoming will change you. Seeing firsthand the impact that your funds have made will nourish your soul. The trust that you will engender from the community will be deep and long-lived. And it will remind you that you shouldn't forget about the short term. People who have lost everything and need help now really can't hear a conversation about later. Your distance from the urgency affords you the ability to think and plan for the long term, but be exceedingly careful about how you talk about that. And if you have the capacity to make an immediate response, regardless of the size, do it. The actual financial benefit to the recipients will be magnified tenfold by the comfort that validation, and a day of breathing a little easier, brings.
Most of all, keep talking. The opportunity to be in regular dialogue with funders about this experience, as a sort of real-time documentation of what we are thinking, feeling, doing, has been incredibly valuable. It has helped us dig deeper, and do more than I think any of us could have imagined. Because just like our grant recipients, we are extraordinarily honored by and grateful for your belief in our work.
Grantee voices
Putting a spotlight on the Bay Area's vibrant traditional arts
Creativity challenge: The state of arts education in California
Insights from the Performing Arts organizational effectiveness grantmaking supporting equity, inclusion, and diversity


Hobbies: Netball, all sports really and all types of music.
Hi and welcome to Habbox Forum! I'm sure you'll have alot of fun! I'm here if you need help too and certainly don't be shy to contact me in that case.


There are creative people everywhere you look, especially on this planet we call Earth. Every day they are making something special, unique and always pushing the boundaries of their talents to make themselves better. But, like every day someone that is creative has their candle extinguished.
February 1st, 2015 was a sad day indeed… a talented person and animator Monty Oum has passed away.
For those of you that do not know about Monty, it is possible that you've seen his work online at some point in time from 2007 onward with a nine minute animated short film entitled Haloid – http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/ueba12/monty-oum-haloid—high-resolution. It is an amazing take on Master Chief vs. Metroid vs. the Covenant. I won't spoil it for you… it's good. This was back in 2007 when hardware / software technology was finding its place… there were people like Monty creating these videos.
In the past I've talked with animators, film directors / cinematographers and comic creators and the amount of time to make a film, let alone realize a complex vision for pacing, action sequences and the animation rendering itself is astounding in his work ethic and what he accomplished in his short life.
In 2008 he was the combat designer and animator for Afro Samurai (still one of my favourite films (even the second one).
By 2010 Burnie Burns announced that Monty would be working at Roosterteeth which forever changed the face of the series. Fast forward to 2012 and the popular RWBY series has as large of a following as Red vs. Blue does.
History aside, I was never able to talk with Monty. Others were more fortunate and it is the RT community that when asked came to the aid in helping a family member (not biologically, community wise) in need when asked. There is a reason why I've been part of Roosterteeth for over a decade and it's because of this caring community that can't be built in a day, month or year. It's something that you need to cultivate over the years and I dare anyone out on the internet to tell me of another community that would pull together for perfect strangers.
I could list the episodes on RVB that Monty's work shows up in, or just in watching RWBY itself in full from Season 1 and 2. If you are interested (and you should be) go to the RT Store and purchase them. http://store.roosterteeth.com/collections/home-video you won't regret it.
Can you match my resolve?
Thoughts to his wife, family, the Roosterteeth Community for such a tragic loss.


text:
A smart system to track rainfall and flooding
Home » Featured Projects » A smart system to track rainfall and flooding
In Australia, seven percent of residential properties are exposed to predictable and repetitive flooding, causing on average $450 million in damage every year. Australian water authorities and insurance companies need accurate data about these natural catastrophes. Water managers require detailed information to anticipate and manage extreme weather events, while insurance companies require accurate data to be able to efficiently process the resulting damage claims .
To address this challenge, faced in Australia as well as many other places, a consortium led by HydroLogic (NL) is developing a application called the HydroNET Flood and Rain Report generator to report on rainfall and flooding quickly and easily. The backend modules automatically collect, validate and smartly combine the best available rainfall and flood data from crowdsourcing apps, rain gauges, radars, and satellite sources. The front-end applications translate the information into easy to understand rainfall and flood maps, dashboards, and Microsoft Word reports containing all the necessary information for flood analysis.
The HydroNET Flood and Rain Report Generator is being developed with the support of ESA through the ARTES Integrated Applications Promotion (IAP) programme. To evaluate the new system, it has been deployed in Australia in a joint undertaking with five regional water authorities and local councils. Australia was chosen as initial target market because of the urgency of users needs: natural disasters occur there frequently and the populated areas are poorly monitored; using satellite data was expected to be very beneficial.
Australian insurance companies only insure against flooding caused by rainfall, not overflowing rivers, so the precise cause of water damage needs to be documented for each insurance claim. After a flood or rain event, an insurance company can automatically generate a Flood Claim Report via the HydroNET decision support system. The report contains all the information an insurance company needs to process the claim. The report also contains crowd-sourcing information which is collected by the WaterWatchers smartphone app, part of the InsureApp/Flood and Rain Report Generator.
"For data-sparse regions like Australia, Earth Observation and geo-localisation services can provide important knowledge and information for an improved understanding of natural hazards," says Leanne Reichard, international business director at HydroLogic . "We use data from NOAA's GOES Hydro Estimator to calculate precipitation levels, and we use GNSS to determine the geo-location of the photos and videos captured via the WaterWatchers crowd-sourcing app."
The IAP Demonstration Project in Australia successfully validated the HydroNET approach. HydroLogic has secured two contracts with water authorities, and anticipates signing five more this year.
In November 2015, HydroLogic signed a cooperation agreement with the South African Weather Service to deploy the HydroNET applications in that country. "In South Africa, flooding is not the main problem but drought is," says HydroLogic's Leanne Reichard. "There, water authorities need to ensure that every drop of rain gets used. For us, it is two sides of the same coin."
While HydroNET is currently using precipitation data provided by the US weather agency NOAA and local data from national weather services, in due time it could also draw on meteorological data produced by the EU Copernicus programme's Meteosat Third Generation satellites, Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5, due to be launched towards the end of the decade. "With Sentinel-4, we should be able to get images and improved precipitation data in less than ten minutes, via EDRS, which would be very useful for precipitation estimation and for our applications," Reichard observes. "We are really looking forward to this."
"The HydroNET Flood and Rain Report Generator is a superb example of an integrated decision support system with potential for great socio-economic impact," says ESA's Roberta Mugellesi Dow, the IAP project's Technical Officer. "It should help mitigate both the financial impact as well as the human suffering caused by natural disasters related to rainfall – or lack thereof."
For more information, visit the HydroLogic and HydroNET websites:
All images credit: HydroLogic
The InsureApp project web page
30 June 2016 - Last updated at 14 February 2019 - 16:21


Will Cedarville University eclipse 4,000 total enrollment for the 2018-19 school year? The final numbers are still unofficial, but early indications point to a 12th-straight record enrollment with more than 4,000 students.
Freshmen, transfer students and all other undergraduate students move in to campus housing August 17-19.
Among them will be Logan Cole, the school shooting survivor from West-Liberty Salem High School, just north of Urbana, Ohio. Cole survived a double shotgun blast from classmate Ely Serna on January 20, 2017, and convinced Serna not to shoot anyone else, averting a potential Columbine-style disaster. Cole has made a remarkable recovery and begins his freshman year at Cedarville this fall.
Also among the new students will be 20 freshmen and one transfer student enrolled in the new civil engineering program. Four returning mechanical engineering students will also switch to the new major, making a first-year total of 25 enrolled, three times what was expected.
The program, directed by Dr. Stephen Ayers, professor of civil engineering, became a reality after Cedarville's missions efforts often revealed the need for civil engineering solutions to serve those in developing countries.
Beyond new students and new programs, Cedarville will feature two new centers. The Center for the Advancement of Cybersecurity will develop cyber leaders in the classroom, shape the future of cyber education and promote cyber awareness in society. The Center for Pharmacy Innovation will identify creative solutions to health care challenges, initiate educational efforts on issues such as the opioid crisis, promote patient advocacy and promote the pharmacist's role as part of a collaborative healthcare team.


Suitable for frame making, scrapbooking and many more artistic projects.
This Flower cut file design is a delightful element that'll complement your creative works and projects.
This Butterfly & Flower cut file design is a delightful element that'll complement your creative works and projects.
This Butterfly cut file design is a delightful element that'll complement your creative works and projects.
Cute Hot Dog cut file design for you crafty foodies! Use this for BBQ parties, greeting cards and more!
Celebratory gift box design cut file for many of your creative projects.
Pretty floral design cut file suitable for greeting cards, wall decor, and many other creative projects.
Are you looking for a $1 SVG cut file? Cause you're in luck! For ONLY $1 get this SVG with complete commercial use and it's perfectly compatible with Cricut Explore, Silhouette Cameo, Brother Scan N Cut, Sizzix eClips, Sure Cuts a Lot etc.
A New Year A New Start SVG Cut File that will look great on your scrapbooks and any other creative projects!
'Happy Holidays' Christmas Monogram SVG Cut File that will look great on your scrapbooks and any other creative projects!
'Season Of Joy' Christmas Monogram SVG Cut File that will look great on your scrapbooks and any other creative projects!
'Jingle All The Way' Christmas Monogram SVG Cut File that will look great on your scrapbooks and any other creative projects!


Jonathan Mattingly has been a detective of sorts recently; delving into partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina. (Gerrymandering is when one party manipulates voting districts for their own gain.) Mattingly is chair of the math department at Duke and his mathematical analysis of the state's 13 Congressional districts was recently used in a court ruling that declared the state's maps unconstitutional. He says what he uncovered in his research could be used to address gerrymandering in other states.
Initially it started … when there was a speaker talking about gerrymandering, and he brought up the fact that in 2012 the majority of North Carolinians voted for a Democratic representative in the U.S. congressional races, but yet the election outcome was nine Republicans and four Democrats.
That was astounding to me at one level, but then we went on to say, clearly, there should have been seven Democrats, because that would have been just over the majority.
You want your districts to satisfy the "one person one vote" [rule]. So, in North Carolina, if we have 13 districts, each district should have about one thirteenth of the state's population.
And you don't want [the districts] to be squiggly and all over the place, and that's because [districts need to include] geographic representation. … This Republic of ours is supposed to somehow be based on locality and representation.
And then there's other issues about not splitting counties, because those might be historical groups of interest. And then, of course, some compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
And we take that score, and then we draw random districts based on how low their score is. There's a way of doing that mathematically called Markov Chain Monte Carlo, it's a well established idea … and then we use that to draw these random districts.
… What we wanted to do is give some idea about … what one should expect so that one can flag a map as saying, this map is unusual. This map is an outlier.
What we saw in these maps drawn by the state legislature were three most[ly] Democratic districts [out of 13 total districts] with way more Democrats than you would expect, more than any of our maps had.
So, the first [district] had been packed [with Democrats], and the second had been "cracked", so [Democrats'] influence was spread out, and they had many less Democrats [in the district] than [one] would have expected.
And the result of that was that it flipped an election that might have had six or seven Democrats elected to one that only had four.


More and more school systems are announcing that school uniforms have proven to be a great success. The compulsory law requiring students to wear particular uniforms has brought pride to the children. Uniforms have also taken away the need for students to compete with fashion. In addition, it has removed gang colors from school halls and improved compliance with previously established dress-codes.
This is important to our schools but nothing new to children in yeshivot. There, all children must dress within the Torah's laws of modesty and all boys must wear kippot.
Modest dress is a reminder that we should not look at a person's externals but rather, concentrate on that which is within. The kippa (or yarmulka) is a reminder that G-d is above us, always watching and protecting us.
Once when I was a youngster in yeshiva, our teacher told the class the following story which had a life-long impact on me and how I viewed my "Jewish uniform."
In 1835 the Jews of Russia were subject to terrible persecution. Anti-Semites in the government convinced Czar Nicholas I to allow pogroms and hundreds of Jewish families were killed.
In the Russian town of Slowieta, two brothers, Shmuel and Pinchas Shapiro, ran a printing press. The brothers were very religious and produced the most elegant printing. In a few years they were the most famous printers in Europe. The anti-Semitic Russian government officials were jealous and schemed to destroy them.
A Jewish worker, Lazer Protogeen, was found hanged in the synagogue. Lazer was the bookbinder for the Shapiros and had been very depressed.
This was the excuse needed for the anti-Semitic officials. The brothers were arrested for killing Lazer. They were accused of taking revenge on Lazer for his report to the government of the printing of anti-government propaganda. The charges were proven false, but that didn't help the Shapiros. They remained in jail, subjected to daily tortures.
In the summer of 1841 the verdict was reached: The brothers had to confess or run the gauntlet. They had no choice; to lie was against the Torah.
Their hands would be tied at their sides. Five hundred soldiers holding leather whips would strike each brother as he was pulled through the gauntlet of soldiers. No one had ever survived.
The brothers were stripped to their waists and pulled through the gauntlet. During the third time through, the yarmulka fell off Pinchas' head. He refused to be led on. The soldiers kept striking the poor man, but he would not budge. A religious Jew does not walk with an uncovered head. Pinchas stood bleeding, his back completely raw, but he would not move. Finally, a soldier was moved by the proud Jew. He picked up the yarmulka and placed it on Pinchas who then allowed himself to be dragged onward.
Somehow the brothers survived. During the horrible punishment they kept praying to G-d. Never had soldiers seen such courage or strength. After the brother were nursed back to health they were sent to Siberia. Czar Alexander II freed them 17 years later.
We yeshiva boys were awed by the courage of Pinchas Shapiro. We promised our teacher that we would never remove our yarmulkas and would always dress in accordance with Jewish law.
When school administrations and parents gather to discuss dress-codes, a real concern is that one color or another for a dress code will cause gangs to rumble and establish turf wars.
What a wonderful gift Jewish children, and all Jews have, with the Torah as our dress-code guide. What a wonderful gift it would be if we could give all children a uniform that would remind them that G-d watches and protects them.
Rabbi Hecht is the director of Chabad of South Bay, Lomita California, and vice president of the Rabbincal Alliance of America.
The Torah begins with the word "Bereishit--In the beginning," the first letter of which is the letter beit.
Beit is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, yet G-d chose to begin His Torah precisely with this letter. One would think that the Torah would start with the letter alef, as everything in the Torah is arranged in an orderly fashion. Thus, at first glance it would seem more logical for the Torah to have opened with the word "Elokim"--"G-d created in the beginning the heavens and the earth," rather than with "Bereishit."
What are we to learn from the fact that the Torah begins with the letter beit?
Nothing in the Torah is unintentional or accidental. Rather, the specific use of the second letter of the alphabet alludes to the fact that, for the Jew, the actual study of Torah must be the second stage in his approach to G-d's wisdom.
Before learning G-d's Torah, the Jew must prepare himself appropriately. Only after he has done so will his learning be conducted in the proper manner G-d has prescribed.
How is a Jew to prepare himself? By contemplating the special holiness that the Torah contains. A Jew must always remember that G-d gave us His holy Torah for the express purpose of connecting ourselves to Him. Learning G-d's Torah is the means by which we may do so.
If a person does not think about G-d before he studies, he is liable to look upon the Torah as a collection of narratives, a guide to our conduct, or perhaps merely a book which contains great wisdom.
Without the proper preparation, he may forget that the Torah is sacred, and that its main objective is to allow us to connect ourselves with the Giver of the Torah.
To remind himself, the Jew must recite a blessing over the Torah every morning before he commences learning. By saying "Blessed are You L-rd, Who gives the Torah," we place the One Who has given us the Torah foremost in our minds.
Only then do we arrive at the second stage, the stage of actual study, through which we attach ourselves to G-d. And the more Torah we learn, the more connected we are to Him.
Thus the letter beit serves to teach us that the Torah is G-d's Torah, and that the primary purpose of its study is to connect ourselves to Him.
Chaya Smukler is a tender, affectionate, compassionate individual who embraces life with infectious joy. As a chasid, she brings joy to even the most mundane tasks.
From the free-spirited 60s, her abundant energies are now focused. She credits Judaism for exploding her potential. Her "story" begins in 1964 when she first met her husband, Henry, at the Jewish Community Center in Montreal.
"We noticed each other immediately," Chaya remembers. He turned out to be her gymnastics teacher at the JCC. He was 18 and she was 14. A week later, Henry arrived at her parents' house and asked Chaya's father if she was home.
"You came to see Clara?" he asked. "Go home and come back in four years!"
But Henry returned the next week, and when Chaya was 17 they were married. They lived in downtown Montreal; Henry was studying at McGill University and Chaya was gainfully employed to put Henry through school. After a few years they moved to Toronto where Henry completed his degree in Chiropractics.
Chaya always believed strongly in a Superior Being but had never been involved in Judaism. It didn't occur to the Smuklers as they delved into the Eastern philosophies--Hinduism and Buddhism--that truth lay in their own backgrounds.
When the Smuklers were expecting their third child, some Israeli friends introduced them to "Amway," which sold not only soap but the opportunity to be "Born Again." They became very involved in a "Jewish Christian" congregation until it occurred to them that perhaps they should check out the Jewish side of the equation. Their son was attending a Zionist Hebrew Day School, so they approached his principal to find answers to their soul-searching questions: "What is a Jew?" "Why are we here?"
The principal smiled and encouraged them to be content with the wealth of tradition and ritual that Judaism offers.
But the Smuklers were not content. Did no answer exist for these basic inquiries?
Their next attempt was to approach a community rabbi. At their first meeting, he told them, "Join our Synagogue. Come to classes. It only costs $820 and we'll answer all your questions."
The Smuklers left frustrated, but not foiled. They called a local Jewish agency and asked where they could go to find answers to a Jewish identity crisis. After being transferred to six different departments, someone in the background yelled, "Tell them to call Lubavitch."
"Who's Lubavitch?" Chaya asked Henry. "They're the black-hatters." Chaya was ready to drop the whole thing.
The following day two things occurred. Chaya found out that her parents, who had moved to Israel, had become very observant, and she called Lubavitch.
When Rabbi Yossi Gansburg answered the phone, Chaya said, "We'd like to come speak to someone but we don't want to join!"
"Okay," Rabbi Gansburg answered. "We don't want to become members," Chaya insisted. "When do you want to come?" Rabbi Gansburg continued. "Is tomorrow good for you?"
Rabbi Gansburg's answers were complete, open and honest. Finally there was no hidden agenda. When they asked specifically about "Jewish Christians," Rabbi Gansburg gave them a book to read. Chaya remembers staying up all night reading and feeling ecstatic. Finally there was clarity, finally there were answers.
"I need more books," she told Rabbi Gansburg the next day. "Come and get more," he answered. "Also, I have a Monday night class." "How much does it cost?" Chaya asked. "It's free."
"What I remember most vividly," recalls Chaya, "is that whatever we were doing was okay, anything more we were attempting to do was wonderful. Rabbi Gansburg helped us put up mezuzot and make our home kosher.
"When I was pregnant with our fourth child, the laws of Family Purity were introduced to us. I went to the mikva for the first time while in my eighth month. It was one of the most historical and spiritual moments of my life. I thought of great literature and great women, and a great tradition, and now I was a part of it."
Chaya reminisces, "What I've always loved about Lubavitch is the feeling of family and that everybody really cares. I didn't need to be perfect. I was always accepted--no matter what. Even if I was `out of line,' it was in the presence of family.
Chaya's next giant step was when she finally went to Crown Heights to see the Rebbe.
"The Rebbe saw exactly who and what I was and still loved me. Each time I'd go, my dedication to him became stronger and stronger and the Rebbe became my point of focus. Finally I understood all the stories about the Rebbe, all the excitement, all the reverence, all the piety. It is the strongest spiritual connection I will ever feel."
Chaya's sincerity is palpable. Her presence exudes a positive energy that is so refreshing, it's contagious. If we all attempt to emulate Chaya's goodness and kindness, the Redemption will certainly be here.
Our bodies are "on loan" from G-d and we are responsible for keeping them healthy.
"I take this opportunity to reiterate again what I have written to you several times in the past, that it is necessary to take care of one's physical health, especially in light of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, that every Jew should serve G-d with both body and soul together."
I trust that you had an inspiring month of Tishrei, and that the inspiration of all the festivals at the beginning of the year will be with you throughout the year, and be reflected in a growing dedication and devotion to the Torah and mitzvo t, and in your daily conduct in general.
I was pleased to receive regards from you through the visitors from your country and trust they have shared with you their experiences here on their return.
Inasmuch as all the festivals of Tishrei conclude on the inspiring note of Simchat Torah, setting the pattern for the rest of the year, may it be so with you throughout the year.
I duly received your correspondence.
I take this opportunity of expressing the firm hope that these experiences will be with you and yours throughout the year, permeated with the culminating note of Tishrei--true joy in Divine service and every aspect of the daily life, materially and spiritually.
This counting book with a Jewish twist is especially designed for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Donny and Dina are a brother and sister who prepare for the Sabbath together by setting the Shabbat table.
They bring out all the special Shabbat objects, counting as they go. Large, clear numerals opposite each set of objects will help even very young children learn to count. Catchy rhymes and vibrant colors throughout. Written by Surie Fettman, illustrated by Patti Nemeroff and published by HaChai Publishing.
Now in its seventh printing, this award-winning cookbook is a must in any Jewish home. In addition to the thousands of outstanding and diverse recipes, the book also contains an overview of many Jewish holidays and customs. Available at Judaica stores or from the publisher by sending $32.95 to: Lubavitch Women's Cookbook, 852 Eastern Pwky., Bklyn, NY 11213.
This Shabbat is known as "Shabbat Bereishit." It is the Shabbat on which we read the very first portion of the first book of the Torah-- Bereishit.
What does this mean and why is it so?
Shabbat, in general, is known to elevate the spiritual service of the previous week. As Shabbat Bereishit follows the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah--holidays which collect and internalize all the influences of the holiday-filled month of Tishrei--Shabbat Bereishit perfects and elevates the holidays of Tishrei.
In addition, Shabbat Bereishit is the Shabbat on which the upcoming month of Marcheshvan is blessed.
One of the reasons that the prefix "mar" is added to the Hebrew name of the month Cheshvan is that "mar" means bitter. The month of Cheshvan has no holidays and is therefore a "bitter" month, especially in comparison to the preceding, holiday-packed month of Tishrei.
Because Shabbat Bereishit has both of these two aspects--the culmination and elevation of the previous month and the blessing of the upcoming month--it has the potential to influence the entire year.
The Written Torah starts with the word "bereishit," and the Oral Torah starts with the word "m-ei-matai." Thus, the first letters of the Written and Oral Torah spell the word "bam." This alludes to what our Sages tell us (Yoma 19b) on the words "ve dibarta bam--and you shall speak of them." A person should use his speech for the study of the Torah and not for idle or forbidden talk.
It was G-d Himself who created heaven and earth, and therefore He alone is Master of the world and of everything within it.
At first, the world is dark and empty of G-d's light. But every Jew has his own portion of the world, which he has to improve and illuminate.
The way to brighten his portion of the world is through "and G-d said"--fulfilling G-d's word by studying Torah and keeping mitzvot. Through this, the Jew accomplishes his purpose in the world and "There shall be light"--the world becomes illuminated with the light of G-d's Torah.
What special blessing did Shabbat receive? The Talmud (Beitza 16a) says that the money a person will have for his expenses throughout the entire year is decided on Rosh Hashana. Exempted from this are his expenses for Shabbat. If a person spends much for Shabbat, Hashem will make available to him special sources of income to recover his expenditures.
G-d had only told them not to eat of it. Why did Chava say they had been told not to touch it? This was accordance with an important Torah-law determining when forbidden food may or may not be touched.
On Passover one may not eat chametz (leavened food) nor even touch it. Since on Passover one eats all food except for chametz, one could forget and eat chametz by mistake. The Sages therefore forbade even to touch chametz. Chava thought the situation was similar to Passover, when all food besides chametz is allowed. Like chametz on Passover, so too would it have been wrong, she reasoned, to touch the forbidden tree so that they would not eat from it by mistake.
The anteroom adjoining the study of Rabbi Yitzchak Meir, founder of the Chasidic dynasty of Gur, was filled with people waiting to be received by the Rebbe and to be helped by his counsel and blessing.
Near the Rebbe's door stood his personal secretary, Reb Bunim, who presided over the waiting list; as soon as the door opened and a chasid would emerge from the Rebbe's room, all eyes would turn toward Reb Bunim, who would signal to the next in line to enter.
In the entranceway appeared a man, dressed in the manner of the wealthy Jewish merchants of the time: high boots of glossy leather, a heavy gold watch-chain draped across the vest, a fur-lined jacket enveloping a generous girth in defense against the Polish winter. But an anxious and care-worn face belied the luxurious attire; here was a man who had his troubles despite his wealth.
The man scanned the crowded room and a frown clouded his already despondent features. Impatiently, he made his way to the secretary. "I must see the Rebbe on an urgent matter," he whispered. "How much longer is the man inside going to be?"
"Have a seat," said Reb Bunim evenly, "and I'll put you on the list. What is your name, Reb Yid?"
"You don't understand," said the man, certain that the secretary indeed did not understand. "I must see the Rebbe now. I have an important meeting tomorrow in Warsaw, and I must be on my way shortly."
"But surely, Reb Yid, you don't expect me to let you in before all these people," said Reb Bunim. "Some of them have been waiting for hours..."
"That's exactly my point," said the visitor, who was beginning to lose his patience with the insolent secretary. "I cannot wait for an hour, or even half an hour. I wish to speak with the Rebbe immediately. You can save your lists for people with more time on their hands."
"I'm sorry," said Reb Bunim somewhat heatedly, rising to the challenge to his authority. "You must wait like everyone else..."
The crack of the merchant's palm against the face of the secretary resounded through the room, which fell into a shocked silence.
It took Reb Bunim several seconds to realize he had been slapped, and when he did, he just stood there, unable to utter a word. Nothing like this had ever happened in the Rebbe's waiting room, where no one dared even raise his voice at the Rebbe's secretary. In fact, the only one in the room not paralyzed by incredulity was the assailant himself, who, satisfied that he had at last made himself understood, proceeded toward the Rebbe's door.
At that very moment the door opened, and Rabbi Yitzchak Meir stood in the doorway. "How dare you raise a hand to a fellow Jew," he thundered. "I shall not receive you," he added, "until you have secured the forgiveness of the man you so unjustly attacked." With that, he closed the door behind him.
For a long second the merchant stood staring at the Rebbe's closed door. Abruptly, he turned on his heels and fled from the room.
Something in the man's face caught Reb Bunim's eye and caused him to hurry outside after his assailant. There he found him leaning against his coach, his large body racked with sobs.
"You?" said the man, when he saw who had followed him outside. "What do you want of me now? You have destroyed our last hope."
"Your last hope for what?" asked Reb Bunim quietly. "For fifteen years we've been childless, my wife and I," wept the man. "We've tried everything... We've been to all the doctors... I had hoped that the Rebbe would pray for us..."
"Come with me," said Reb Bunim, grabbing hold of the merchant's hand. Before the visitor knew what was happening, both were standing in the Rebbe's room.
"Rebbe!" said Reb Bunim, "I swear that I will never forgive this man, not in this world and not in the world to come, unless the Rebbe promises that he and his wife will be blessed with a child!"
Rabbi Yitzchak Meir looked from the anguished face of the merchant to the determined face of his secretary. Slowly, a smile broke out on his face. "May it so be the will of G-d," he finally said, "as Reb Bunim says..."
R. Yitzchak Aizik of Homil, a chasid of scholarly renown, once said: "When Moshiach comes and the dead will be resurrected, among them will rise the Patriarchs, the leaders of the Twelve Tribes, Moshe and Aharon, all the prophets, all the tannaim and amoraim, and the geonim [great Torah sages] and tzadikim of all the generations. And whom will they seek out to rejoice with? The simple Jews."


text:
Cambridge Cycling Campaign
For more, better and safer cycling in and around Cambridge
Why cycling
Cycling Vision 2016
Reach ride
Charitable details
Welcome to cycling
Cycling to work
New to Cambridge
City Deal – Milton Road junctions
This article was published in 2016, in Newsletter 124.
Proposed junctions not safe enough
The proposed junctions published for the Milton Road City Deal scheme do not do enough to ensure the safety of people of all ages cycling.
Cambridge Cycling Campaign proposes a junction design that is safer, and may even increase capacity for motor vehicles.
Junctions are the key feature of road design, as this is where collisions most often happen. In particular, the junction of Milton Road and Elizabeth Way is in the top ten most dangerous junctions in Cambridge for cycling.*
While the City Deal proposals to replace the existing roundabout with traffic lights might result in improvement, it still involves people on bikes sharing space with motor vehicles, and the potential for conflicting movements. Proposals for advanced stop boxes and 'advance green' signals are not enough,** and will not provide sufficient security to encourage people new to cycling, or parents travelling with children, to feel safe on bikes.
Campaign Chair Robin Heydon has simulated a fully separated junction for the Elizabeth Way / Milton Road junction.*** In this model, people on bikes are separated both in space and time from motor vehicles, moving only when other traffic is stopped. Pedestrians also have their own crossings and space. The principles could be applied at other large junctions too, such as the junction of Milton Road and Kings Hedges Road.
Micro-simulations indicate that this model moves twice as many motor vehicles as the light-controlled crossing proposed in the City Deal documents, benefiting all users.
Full simulation and comparison with City Deal proposals are at: http://www.camcycle.org.uk/blog/2015/10/23/milton-roadelizabeth-way-junction-proposals/
The design reduces complexity for drivers, by separating people cycling from motor vehicles. It means that most people won't be cycling on the road in front of cars, trying to merge from a left-hand cycle lane, or travelling on the inside of turning traffic.
Robin cannot, alas, take credit for the idea: it is standard in other countries. For many years such junctions have been used, and used safely, by children cycling to and from school on their own, or older people on electrically-assisted bikes and mobility scooters.
Robin says: 'We would like the junctions to be world-class. By that we mean allowing everybody to ride through the junction without the fear of being hit from the side by a car driver distracted by Facebook, or being crushed under the wheels of a heavy goods vehicle driver who cannot see you. Simply put, roundabouts are dangerous for people riding bicycles, and also for people walking. Fully segregated, protected junctions are the safest. Importantly, there are no advanced stop lines, no advanced cycle traffic lights. Everything is safe, more space is given to queuing traffic, and more time is given for moving traffic.'
The City Deal team needs to be looking at best practice achieved elsewhere to give more people, of all ages and abilities, a genuinely safe option to cycle.
*By number of collisions involving people on bikes 2005-2011.
**Advance green signals mean that people on bikes can move off before other traffic, and can be found in Cambridge on Hills Road and Castle Street. However, this only helps if traffic is stopped and stays stopped as you arrive. Advanced stop boxes (cycle space at the front at traffic lights) encourage people to cycle up the inside of vehicles in order to reach the box, where vehicles can move off just as people are in a blind spot, or leave people stuck on the left-hand side of the road when they need to be positioned for a right-hand turn. Drivers can still turn across people cycling, or leave cyclists trying to merge with 30mph traffic at busy junctions in order to turn.
***The simulation takes as its basis the City Deal proposed closure of Highworth Avenue, but would work as well if it remained open.
Campaign press release
Copyright © 2022 Cambridge Cycling Campaign. All rights reserved.


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