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Tag: tokyo
Welcome to the world of tomorroooooow! Or more precisely, to many possible scenarios that humanity could face as it steps into the future. Perhaps it's been all this talk of late about the future of humanity, how space exploration and colonization may be the only way to ensure our survival. Or it could be I'm just recalling what a friend of mine – Chris A. Jackson – wrote with his "Flash in the Pan" piece – a short that consequently inspired me to write the novel Source.
Either way, I've been thinking about the likely future scenarios and thought I should include it alongside the Timeline of the Future. After all, once cannot predict the course of the future as much as predict possible outcomes and paths, and trust that the one they believe in the most will come true. So, borrowing from the same format Chris used, here are a few potential fates, listed from worst to best – or least to most advanced.
1. Humanrien:
Due to the runaway effects of Climate Change during the 21st/22nd centuries, the Earth is now a desolate shadow of its once-great self. Humanity is non-existent, as are many other species of mammals, avians, reptiles, and insects. And it is predicted that the process will continue into the foreseeable future, until such time as the atmosphere becomes a poisoned, sulfuric vapor and the ground nothing more than windswept ashes and molten metal.
One thing is clear though: the Earth will never recover, and humanity's failure to seed other planets with life and maintain a sustainable existence on Earth has led to its extinction. The universe shrugs and carries on…
2. Post-Apocalyptic:
Whether it is due to nuclear war, a bio-engineered plague, or some kind of "nanocaust", civilization as we know it has come to an end. All major cities lie in ruin and are populated only marauders and street gangs, the more peaceful-minded people having fled to the countryside long ago. In scattered locations along major rivers, coastlines, or within small pockets of land, tiny communities have formed and eke out an existence from the surrounding countryside.
At this point, it is unclear if humanity will recover or remain at the level of a pre-industrial civilization forever. One thing seems clear, that humanity will not go extinct just yet. With so many pockets spread across the entire planet, no single fate could claim all of them anytime soon. At least, one can hope that it won't.
3. Dog Days:
The world continues to endure recession as resource shortages, high food prices, and diminishing space for real estate continue to plague the global economy. Fuel prices remain high, and opposition to new drilling and oil and natural gas extraction are being blamed. Add to that the crushing burdens of displacement and flooding that is costing governments billions of dollars a year, and you have life as we know it.
The smart money appears to be in offshore real-estate, where Lillypad cities and Arcologies are being built along the coastlines of the world. Already, habitats have been built in Boston, New York, New Orleans, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and the south of France, and more are expected in the coming years. These are the most promising solution of what to do about the constant flooding and damage being caused by rising tides and increased coastal storms.
In these largely self-contained cities, those who can afford space intend to wait out the worst. It is expected that by the mid-point of the 22nd century, virtually all major ocean-front cities will be abandoned and those that sit on major waterways will be protected by huge levies. Farmland will also be virtually non-existent except within the Polar Belts, which means the people living in the most populous regions of the world will either have to migrate or die.
No one knows how the world's 9 billion will endure in that time, but for the roughly 100 million living at sea, it's not a going concern.
4. Technological Plateau:
Computers have reached a threshold of speed and processing power. Despite the discovery of graphene, the use of optical components, and the development of quantum computing/internet principles, it now seems that machines are as smart as they will ever be. That is to say, they are only slightly more intelligent than humans, and still can't seem to beat the Turing Test with any consistency.
It seems the long awaited-for explosion in learning and intelligence predicted by Von Neumann, Kurzweil and Vinge seems to have fallen flat. That being said, life is getting better. With all the advances turned towards finding solutions to humanity's problems, alternative energy, medicine, cybernetics and space exploration are still growing apace; just not as fast or awesomely as people in the previous century had hoped.
Missions to Mars have been mounted, but a colony on that world is still a long ways away. A settlement on the Moon has been built, but mainly to monitor the research and solar energy concerns that exist there. And the problem of global food shortages and CO2 emissions is steadily declining. It seems that the words "sane planning, sensible tomorrow" have come to characterize humanity's existence. Which is good… not great, but good.
Humanity's greatest expectations may have yielded some disappointment, but everyone agrees that things could have been a hell of a lot worse!
5. The Green Revolution:
The global population has reached 10 billion. But the good news is, its been that way for several decades. Thanks to smart housing, hydroponics and urban farms, hunger and malnutrition have been eliminated. The needs of the Earth's people are also being met by a combination of wind, solar, tidal, geothermal and fusion power. And though space is not exactly at a premium, there is little want for housing anymore.
Additive manufacturing, biomanufacturing and nanomanufacturing have all led to an explosion in how public spaces are built and administered. Though it has led to the elimination of human construction and skilled labor, the process is much safer, cleaner, efficient, and has ensured that anything built within the past half-century is harmonious with the surrounding environment.
This explosion is geological engineering is due in part to settlement efforts on Mars and the terraforming of Venus. Building a liveable environment on one and transforming the acidic atmosphere on the other have helped humanity to test key technologies and processes used to end global warming and rehabilitate the seas and soil here on Earth. Over 100,000 people now call themselves "Martian", and an additional 10,000 Venusians are expected before long.
Colonization is an especially attractive prospect for those who feel that Earth is too crowded, too conservative, and lacking in personal space…
6. Intrepid Explorers:
Humanity has successfully colonized Mars, Venus, and is busy settling the many moons of the outer Solar System. Current population statistics indicate that over 50 billion people now live on a dozen worlds, and many are feeling the itch for adventure. With deep-space exploration now practical, thanks to the development of the Alcubierre Warp Drive, many missions have been mounted to explore and colonizing neighboring star systems.
These include Earth's immediate neighbor, Alpha Centauri, but also the viable star systems of Tau Ceti, Kapteyn, Gliese 581, Kepler 62, HD 85512, and many more. With so many Earth-like, potentially habitable planets in the near-universe and now within our reach, nothing seems to stand between us and the dream of an interstellar human race. Mission to find extra-terrestrial intelligence are even being plotted.
This is one prospect humanity both anticipates and fears. While it is clear that no sentient life exists within the local group of star systems, our exploration of the cosmos has just begun. And if our ongoing scientific surveys have proven anything, it is that the conditions for life exist within many star systems and on many worlds. No telling when we might find one that has produced life of comparable complexity to our own, but time will tell.
One can only imagine what they will look like. One can only imagine if they are more or less advanced than us. And most importantly, one can only hope that they will be friendly…
7. Post-Humanity:
Cybernetics, biotechnology, and nanotechnology have led to an era of enhancement where virtually every human being has evolved beyond its biological limitations. Advanced medicine, digital sentience and cryonics have prolonged life indefinitely, and when someone is facing death, they can preserve their neural patterns or their brain for all time by simply uploading or placing it into stasis.
Both of these options have made deep-space exploration a reality. Preserved human beings launch themselves towards expoplanets, while the neural uploads of explorers spend decades or even centuries traveling between solar systems aboard tiny spaceships. Space penetrators are fired in all directions to telexplore the most distant worlds, with the information being beamed back to Earth via quantum communications.
It is an age of posts – post-scarcity, post-mortality, and post-humansim. Despite the existence of two billion organics who have minimal enhancement, there appears to be no stopping the trend. And with the breakneck pace at which life moves around them, it is expected that the unenhanced – "organics" as they are often known – will migrate outward to Europa, Ganymede, Titan, Oberon, and the many space habitats that dot the outer Solar System.
Presumably, they will mount their own space exploration in the coming decades to find new homes abroad in interstellar space, where their kind can expect not to be swept aside by the unstoppable tide of progress.
8. Star Children:
Earth is no more. The Sun is now a mottled, of its old self. Surrounding by many layers of computronium, our parent star has gone from being the source of all light and energy in our solar system to the energy source that powers the giant Dyson Swarm at the center of our universe. Within this giant Matrioshka Brain, trillions of human minds live out an existence as quantum-state neural patterns, living indefinitely in simulated realities.
Within the outer Solar System and beyond lie billions more, enhanced trans and post-humans who have opted for an "Earthly" existence amongst the planets and stars. However, life seems somewhat limited out in those parts, very rustic compared to the infinite bandwidth and computational power of inner Solar System. And with this strange dichotomy upon them, the human race suspects that it might have solved the Fermi Paradox.
If other sentient life can be expected to have followed a similar pattern of technological development as the human race, then surely they too have evolved to the point where the majority of their species lives in Dyson Swarms around their parent Sun. Venturing beyond holds little appeal, as it means moving away from the source of bandwidth and becoming isolated. Hopefully, enough of them are adventurous enough to meet humanity partway…
Which will come true? Who's to say? Whether its apocalyptic destruction or runaway technological evolution, cataclysmic change is expected and could very well threaten our existence. Personally, I'm hoping for something in the scenario 5 and/or 6 range. It would be nice to know that both humanity and the world it originated from will survive the coming centuries!
By storiesbywilliamsin Uncategorized October 19, 2014 October 19, 2014 1,855 Words1 Comment
Mega Cities!
Back with another conceptual post, this time about something which I've been pretty invested in lately. And it comes from the same general universe inhabited by cyberpunk and dystopian sci-fi. And that thing is the concept of the "Mega City". As I'm sure I've said before, this is not only a very cool concept right out of modern science fiction, its also a genuine sociological and geographical theory.
In fact, it was a French geographer named Jean Gottmann who coined the term "megalopolis" in his 1961 book Megalopolis: The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States. He used this term to describe the massive urban region which extended from the suburbs of Boston to those of Washington D.C. The concept quickly caught on, resulting in names like "BosWash" and "Northeast Megalopolis" when referring to the urban sprawl, and igniting the imaginations of science fiction writers and geographical planners.
However, in recent decades, this same concept has been extended to refer to several other "megalopolis'" as well. And not just in the US; such regions have been noticed developing in Canada, Mexico, Europe, East and South Asia. Wherever one urban center appears to be converging with another, through urban sprawl, connecting townships, and major highways, the roots of mega-cities are being laid!
First off, here are some more examples from North America, grouped from North to South, East to West:
Boston-Washington Megalopolis: As already noted, this baby inspired the concept of a megalopolis thanks to the post-war boom and growth of urban centers along the Eastern Seaboard of the US. In addition to having several major urban centers and ports closely linked by major transportation routes, some of the largest suburban developments in North America exist in this region, which have allowed for these major cities to converge by a very noticeable degree. All told, roughly forty-tw0 million people live in the BosWash according to a year 2000 census with projected estimates for 45 million by 2025.
Quebec-Windsor Corridor: Looking at the nearly unbroken urban landscape which stretches from Quebec city and the Outaouis region all the way down to Windsor on Lake Erie, one could easily get the impression that a mega-city existed throughout these regions, and was merely distributed in a long line because of geographic necessity. Embracing the St.Laurence River corridor and the National Capital Region and Southern Great Lakes Region, the Quebec-Windsor Megalopolis includes such urban centers as Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London and Winsor and boasts a population of roughly 18 million (as of 2000) and is expected to reach 21 million by 2025.
The Great Lakes Region: An alternative to the Quebec-Windsor megalopolis, which is based entirely in Canada, this megalopolis is based around the Great Lakes region and includes urban centers in in the Midwestern US, the Southern Ontario area of Canada, and parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and Quebec. The region officially extends from the Milwaukee–Chicago to the Detroit–Toronto corridor, and includes Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Louisville, Ottawa, Rochester, and Toledo. The region had an estimated population of 54 million, as of the 2000 Census and is expected to reach about 65 million by the year 2025.
Piedmont-Atlantic: the Southern US megalopolis, running from Charlotte, North Carolina to Memphis, Tenessee, and embracing the urban regions of Atlanta, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Columbia, and everything in between. Its population as of 2000 was estimated at a modest 15 million, at least by mega-city standards. However, it is expected to reach a good twenty million or more by 2025.
Florida: Named in honor of the fact that all its urban centers are located squarely in the state of Florida, this megalopolis incorporates the urban centers of Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, and Tampa and has also has a relatively modest population of 15 million with expectations to reach 21 and a half by the quarter century.
Texas Triangle and the Gulf Coast: Here are two megalopolis' that are often considered separately, but which have already converged as far their boundaries are concerned. Thus I think it's fitting that they be considered as one. From the east, the mega-city range embraces Pensacola and Mobile and extends south and west, with New Orleans in the middle and Corpus Christi at the southernmost tip. However, at the western edge, it then extents north-west, incorporating Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Tulsa, and Wichita. Considered as one, this region boasts a hefty 28 million inhabitants and is expected to reach as high as 40 million in the near future.
So-Cal: Fans of Demolition Man ought to know this one right off the bat (if not, see below). Otherwise known as Southern California range, this region encompasses the north-south coastline and the urban regions of greater Los Angeles, San Diego, Anaheim, Tijuana, and Bakersfield, but also reaches eastward to include Las Vegas. It's overall populated was posted at 25 million in 2000 with a projected expectation of 35 million by 2025.
No-Cal: Comparatively small next to its southern cousin, the Northern California Megapolitan region is still an impressive specimen. Reaching both north-south along the coast, and east-west into the interior, this region encompasses the cities of San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Stockton, Fresno, and Sacramento. It's total population, circa 2000, was estimated at roughly 13 million and is expected to reach close to 17 and a half by 2025.
Cascadia:Named in honor of the Cascade Mountain Range, this mega-city, like the mountains extends from north to south and incorporates the urban centers of British Columbia and the states of Washington and Oregon. Beginning with Vancouver and Victoria in Canada and reaching south to include Bellingham, Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and Portland in the south, the region hosts a modest 10 million inhabitants and is expected to actually recede in population! Fans of space and coastal weather, travel here! You will crushed anywhere else!
The World at Large:
Blue Banana: Also known as the "European Megalopolis" or "European Backbone", this hypothetical mega-cityscape reaches across Western Europe. Stretching along a south to north-east axis (thus forming the shape of a banana), the region runs from Milan in Italy through Southern Germany and the Low Countries and ends in northern Wales. In terms of major cities, the corridor includes Milan, Genoa, Venice, Munich, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Brussels, London, Manchester and Leeds. It's total population, hang onto your hats, is estimated at 92.4 million people!
Greater Mexico City: The most populous metropolitan region in the Americas, embracing the entire metropolitan area of the "Valley of Mexico" and boasting a population of over 21 million, according to a 2009 survey conducted by National Population Council of Mexico. Although it does not embrace multiple urban centers, its large landmass and density are characteristic or a mega-city.
Indo- Gangetic Plain: Also known as the "Northern Indian River Plain", referring to its geographic boundary in Northern India along the Indus and Ganges river basins. The area is traditionally very dense due to its fertile soil and strategic locations between river basins, the Himalayan mountain chain to the east, and the Iranian plateau to the west. In terms of urban centers, this corridor extends between Pakistan and India to Bangladesh and includes the cities of Karachi, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Lahore, Delhi, Kanpur, Dhaka, and Kolkata. Overall, roughly 1 billion people – 1/7th of the world's total population – live in this region, making it the most population dense area in the world!
Pearl River Delta: Located in Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China, the Pearl River Delta is one of the most densely urbanised regions in the world and one of the main hubs of China's economic growth. This is due largely to the fact that such coastal centers as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kowloon City, and Macua are all located in this relatively small region. In addition to these tightly packed urban centers, suburban developments have led to many geographers to think of the area as a single mega-city. According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the overall population of the delta region is estimated at 120 million people, and growing fast!
Taiheiyo Belt: Over to Japan, where densely populated urban centers have been a fact of life for nearly half a century. Translated literally, the term "Taiheiyo beruto" means Pacific Belt, referring to the series of linked metropolises that are nestled on Japan's western shores. Officially, the region extends from greater Utsonomiya in the north, through to Tokyo harbor, then follows the coastline circuitously through Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and ends at Saga on the southern island of Satsuma. These areas account for the bulk of Japan's population, its industrial base, and its major economic centers. In addition, it packs a population of 83 million into a very narrow corridor.
Yangtze River Delta: Also known as the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze, this megalopolitan region has much in common with its cousin on the Pearl River. Here again, we see a bunch of urban centers built along one of the traditional river routes that are clustered around the mouth of it. In addition, this area also accounts for a very large and growing portion of China's economic and industrial infrastructure. Linked by high-speed rail, major highways, bridges, and urban sprawl, this region unites the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, and a whole lot of others! In total, roughly 100 million people live in this densely packed area in addition to its many farms, factories, and transportation hubs; which, in conjunction with its location at the mouth of the Yangtze, makes it the leading cause of maritime pollution in the Pacific Ocean.
Examples in fiction:
Mega-City One: Taken from the graphic novel of Judge Dredd, MC-1 is the setting of the majority of the series. According to the series' background info, MC-1 grew naturally out of urban sprawl between all the major cities of the East Coast US. It was only officially made into the dark, overcrowded and heavily encapsulated place that one sees in the comics after WWIII took place. It's current population in the series is estimated at over 400 million, the majority of whom lives in massive apartment blocks that house 50,000 people apiece. And of course, just about everything is automated, all resources (including food!) are recycled, and unemployment is almost universal. Other mega-cities are mentioned in the series as well, including Mega-City Two, which encompasses the greater urban sprawl of Southern California.
Metropolis: Not to be confused with the setting for Superman, this city was the focal point for events in the classic movie of the same name. When asked where he got the idea for such a world, director Fritz Lang said that he was inspired by his first glimpse of the New York city skyline. While traveling there by ship in 1924, he saw skyscrapers for the first time, and these left quite the impression on him. This was evidenced in his conception for a massive future city where buildings were designed to look like artistic representations of the Tower of Babel, the rich lived on high in the sun and the workers lived in the dark depth below.
No-Cal/So-Cal: The setting of Gibson's Bridge Trilogy, in which California had split into two regions, the one centering around the greater San Fransisco region in the north, and the other around the LA region in the south. Most events in the story take place in San Francisco, particularly the Golden Gate Bridge, which has become a home for indigents and squatters (hence the name of the trilogy).
San Angeles: The setting for the movie Demolition Man, in which a cryogenicaly frozen LA police officer is woken up in 2032 and told that it is now called San Angeles, which resulted from the merger of Los Angeles, Santa Barabara and San Diego after the "Big One" Earthquake of 2010 leveled most of LA and Southern California.
The Sprawl: Otherwise known as the BAMA, or Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis, this mega-city serves as the setting of Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson. But unlike the Boston-Washington megalopolis which is likely to have inspired it, this axis extends as far south as Atlanta and is contained beneath a series of geodesic domes.
Conclusions?:
For starters, one can see without the need for much imagination where the concept for "Metropolis", "Mega-City One", "San Angeles", and "The Sprawl" came from. For the last century, at least, megalopolis' have been slowly becoming a reality, and this in turn has been reflected in our literature. And when it comes to dystopian science fiction, what could be more dark and gritty than a big, overcrowded cityscape? Especially one where differences in wealth and modern technology make everything just a little more interesting and dangerous? Like most people, I can't imagine ever wanting to live in such a world, but damn if I don't want to read about it from time to time!
By storiesbywilliamsin Sci-Fi April 12, 2012 October 1, 2012 2,126 Words6 Comments


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What Trump says about latest North Korea missile test will shock you
thenewspanorama 24th August 2019	0 Comments
America's mercurial leader, President Donald Trump, does not cease to amaze his people and the world as he waived aside the latest missile testing by Kim Jong Un's North Korea.
Asked by reporters in Washington what he thought about the test, he shot back by saying he does not believe Kim Jong Un violated any pact with him by launching another round of projectiles.
"He likes testing missiles," Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for the Group of Seven (G-7) economies summit in France.
"Kim Jong Un has been, you know, pretty straight with me I think," Trump added. "And we're going to see what's going on."
Trump downplayed the ongoing tests, saying the two never agreed to limit "short-ranged missiles."
North Korea hours on Saturday fired two more unidentified projectiles into the East Sea, according to South Korean news agencies.
White House officials said they were aware of the situation.
North Korea has launched test missiles on a consistent basis in recent weeks, alarming U.S. allies in the region. International officials and some of Trump's advisers have said the tests are a violation of a United Nations resolution.
But Trump has signalled that he is unbothered by the projectiles, pointing to his personal relationship with Kim.
The president said earlier this month that he'd received a "beautiful" letter from Kim, adding that he expected the two men could meet again to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Trump and Kim have held three face-to-face meetings that have yet to yield a concrete plan for North Korea to denuclearize.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged in an interview this week that he wished North Korea would not carry out test launches, adding that he hoped the two sides would have resumed denuclearization talks more quickly.
PSG coach not sure Neymar will play against Toulouse
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Work after war: Local veteran's dream to open brewery comes true
By Brian Flores
Work after war
Life after the military can be difficult for some, especially when it comes to starting a new career.
A survey done by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that 44% of veterans left their post-military job within a year because it wasn't the right fit or because they didn't feel a sense of purpose around the work. For one local veteran though, he bucked the trend with the help of a program for veterans looking to start their own business.
There are two things that Jared Wharton is passionate about. One of them is beer, the other is helping veterans out. We recently got a tour of Forward Operating Base Brewing Company in Dupont. A brewery that Wharton and his wife opened just months ago.
"We`re using veteran made products," said Wharton. "I serve veteran made coffee. I even met a guy who grows hops and grains who's a veteran owned farmer."
When you go inside the brewery everything inside it is a reminder of military life, from the tap handles, to the lights.
"This is a place our military community can call their own. This is for them," said Wharton.
But getting to this point wasn't easy for Wharton. From 2005-2012, he was known as U.S. Army Sgt. Jared Wharton. During a tour in Afghanistan in 2011, Wharton said there was one day that changed his life. He wouldn't disclose many details about that day, other than that it was a "rough day." But it was enough for him to really think about life after serving.
While on duty Afghanistan there is one day in 2011 that changed Wharton's life.
He doesn't talk about it much, other than that it was a "rough day"
But it was enough for him to really think about life after serving.
"The one skill I had in my hip pocket was that I knew how to brew beer," he said. "And while it`s not world changing, it`s just one thing I could do that would be accepted in our community."
And thus, the idea of opening a brewery at least, was born. The problem was that Wharton had no business experience whatsoever. But Wharton didn't give up and sought help.
"Maybe that`s just the military mindset I have of finding the next person who will talk to me the way I need to be talked to," said Wharton.
Three years ago, Wharton entered a program called the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. The hospitality portion of the program was offered through Cornell University.
"It was entrepreneurship training by firehose. I learned what profit margins really were. I learned what a business plan really should look like," he said.
Jared also received help from Bunker Labs, a national non-profit organization that specifically helps veterans start their own business. Wharton still had to make tough decisions along the way. After four years serving, he decided to go back to Afghanistan as a contractor. After that, he said he worked for the State putting any extra money into the business.
But after three years of sacrifice, saving and hard work, Forward Operating Base Brewery opened its doors a few months ago. Wharton admits he's still on the lower part of the business learning curve, but he said s if he can open a business, other veterans can do it too.
"You`ve got to be diligent. You have to know yourself and know your skills and what you can do. And if you have that dream, you just have to fight for it," said Wharton.
Starting this January, Bunker Labs will be launching a ten-week course specifically for veterans to help them develop the resources to start a business. More information can be found on www.bunkerlabs.org.


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Some ALEC Funders Flee, but Koch, Big Tobacco, and PhRMA Remain Loyalists
Submitted by Rebekah Wilce on August 1, 2014 - 7:22am
At least 72 corporate funders have cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in the wake of the scandal over its pushing "Stand Your Ground" bills and restrictive voter ID laws that make it harder for Americans to vote. Newly obtained documents indicate, however, that certain long-term ALEC funders such as Koch and the tobacco industry remain committed to ALEC as a tool to advance their legislative agendas.
The new documents show some of the major high-dollar donors to ALEC between 1995 and 2010, although the records are not complete.
Koch Industries Holds ALEC Up
These documents reveal that the petrochemical giant Koch Industries gave ALEC $504,700 between 1995 and 1998. This is in addition to nearly a million dollars that foundations controlled by the billionaire Koch brothers gave ALEC outright between 1998 and 2012, and a nearly $500,000 loan that the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation gave ALEC in 1996. These amounts also do not include any personal checks from Charles or David Koch.
Because ALEC is a non-profit registered under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code, donations to ALEC can be used as a tax deduction, although Common Cause, Clergy Voice, the Voters Legislative Transparency Project, and the Center for Media and Democracy/Progressive Inc. (CMD) have alleged that ALEC repeatedly violated federal law and have provided evidence to the IRS that shows numerous ways in which ALEC lied to the federal government that it did not lobby and that it did not pay for trips for lawmakers. These citizen complaints remain lodged with the IRS with calls for a civil and criminal investigation of ALEC.
Koch Industries' Mike Morgan has had a place on ALEC's corporate "Private Enterprise" board (which it now calls an "advisory council") since at least the late 1990s, and previously chaired ALEC's corporate board that meets jointly with its legislative board.
CMD reported recently on other newly-obtained documents showing the billionaire Koch brothers' overall political giving to be much more expansive than was previously known. Other new materials show how the Koch-funded "nonpartisan" youth group Generation Opportunity is thanking the Kochs' darling, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, for his support of a Koch-approved ALEC model bill. Additional new analysis shows that the Kochs and other right-wing billionaire industrialists have bankrolled the pro-GMO, pro-fracking industry front group American Council on Science and Health. CMD has also released materials showing that Charles Koch actively fundraised for the John Birch Society at the height of its opposition to the civil rights movement, following in his father's extremist footsteps.
Tobacco Industry also Gives ALEC Big Bucks
The new documents also reveal that the tobacco conglomerate Philip Morris/Altria gave ALEC $1,426,700 between 1995 and 2010 -- significantly more than the approximately $50,000 a year it was previously reported to have given ALEC. Reynolds American subsidiary R.J. Reynolds, which along with Philip Morris/Altria controls a vast share of the global tobacco industry, gave ALEC $688,250 between 1995 and 1998 and in 2010.
Like Koch Industries, Altria (formerly Philip Morris) has had a seat on ALEC's corporate board since at least the 1990s. Reynolds also had a lobbyist on the board, from at least 1999 to 2013, but dropped off as of this year.
ALEC has had a long relationship with the tobacco industry, as CMD has reported. Its relationship started it appears after 1979, when ALEC's then-executive director sought funding from the Tobacco Institute trade group. The funding quickly returned dividends when Tobacco Institute President Samuel Chilcote accepted an invitation to attend an ALEC "Exclusive White House and Cabinet Briefing" meeting with President Ronald Reagan and his cabinet in 1981.
Big Pharmaceutical Companies and Others Support ALEC Agenda
ALEC also received $1,260,500 in funding from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade group (PhRMA) between 2001 and 2010. That total does not include the $356,075 that PhRMA gave the ALEC Wisconsin "scholarship" fund for junkets for ALEC legislators in 2010, which CMD discovered and reported along with investigative reporter Beau Hodai, culminating in a detailed report of three-plus years of ALEC trips for lawmakers in states across the country and their corporate funders that CMD jointly released with Common Cause and DBA Press.
PhRMA has also had a place on ALEC's corporate board since at least 1999, and has maintained it as of this year.
Other heavy-duty donors revealed in these documents include corporate board members ExxonMobil, which gave $485,000 in 2002 and 2005; AT&T, which gave $358,000 between 2001 and 2010 to advance its agenda to change state telecomm laws; and Pfizer, which gave $321,000 in 2001 and 2010; and Bayer, which gave $99,000 in 2002 and was on the corporate board in 2012.
Other funders include Searle Freedom Trust, the family foundation funded by the "NutraSweet" fortune of G.D. Searle & Company, which was purchased by Monsanto in 1985 and which is now part of Pfizer. Searle gave ALEC $125,000 in 2010.
In late 2013, The Guardian published documents showing that state groups in the ALEC-allied State Policy Network, which CMD has called "stink tanks," exposed their intent to lobby in coordinated fundraising proposals submitted to Searle Freedom Trust, which were judged by then-Wall Street Journal editorial member, Stephen Moore, who had actively defended ALEC (and the Kochs), as noted by CMD.
See the new documents here:
ALEC 1998 funders
ALEC is holding its 41st annual meeting in Dallas, Texas, this week, at the sumptuous Hilton Anatole, pictured above. At this largest of its three annual national conferences, state legislators from across the country will meet with lobbyists for corporate and special interests like these perennial high-dollar ALEC funders behind closed doors on ALEC task forces to vote as equals with corporate and special interest group lobbyists on "model" legislation to change state laws.
For more on ALEC's agenda funded by these heavyweight donors, see CMD's ALECexposed.org. For more on the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers and the power and influence of the Koch cadre and Koch cash, see CMD's KochExposed.org.
alec_1998_funders.pdf 63.67 KB
alec_2001_funders.pdf 280.06 KB
Ben Jealous Talks with CMD About History of Racist Poll Watching
Spike in Private Equity Political Spending Spares Loophole in GOP Tax Plan
Fake News Machine Ready to Defend Trump White House Against Robert Mueller
Order John Nichols New Book Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse Today!
Bridge of Spies and Its Connections to the Father of Ann Coulter
War / Peace Secrecy Wisconsin Ethics U.S. Government Economy Public Relations Corporations Media Right Wing Marketing U.S. Congress Environment ALEC Exposed Human Rights Democracy Activism Propaganda International Lobbying Iraq Politics Health Journalism Climate Change


A 33-year-old man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly broke into the Scholl Canyon Landfill and tried to steal a Glendale Water & Power truck, which he planned to use to return home to Long Beach, police said. But Brian Hoke apparently didn't get very far. Police found the truck at about 9:30 a.m. stuck in a ditch inside the landfill in the 7700 block of North Figueroa Street, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Hoke was reportedly hiding in some bushes just outside the truck.
NORTHEAST GLENDALE - Angel Rodriguez had never experienced pitching nine innings in his career. On Friday night, the Glendale Angelenos starter found out what it's like to accomplish the feat. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, his effort fell just short, as he surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the ninth in Glendale's 3-2 loss against the Long Beach Legends in an independent summer collegiate game at Stengel Field. "I wanted the ball in the ninth, and I felt stronger than any point before," said Rodriguez, who struck out five in a 120-pitch performance.
ROBERTA G. BADDAR Roberta G. Baddar, 56, died July 25, 2002, at her home in Glendale. She was born Feb. 20, 1946, in Long Beach. Mrs. Baddar was a law office administrator with Halversen & Gilanians Law Firm. She is survived by her husband, Mohamed; and father, Dr. William T. Grimsley of South Carolina. Funeral services are at 11 a.m. Monday in the Peace Chapel of Kiefer & Eyerick Mortuary. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn, Glendale.
Dian passed away peacefully at home on April 17. Born in Long Beach, she attended Eagle Rock High School, then Redlands University. She was married in 1947 to Victor Torrance, who passed away in 1999. She was a long time member of the Eagle Rock chapter of PEO, and volunteered at Glendale Memorial Hospital for many years. She was an avid bridge player, enjoying her weekly bridge games with her many friends. Survived by her daughter, Cindy Olson, her son Randy Torrance, and her loving grandchildren Heather Olson and Erik Olson.
Prosecutors on Monday charged a Glendale man for allegedly possessing 15 pounds of methamphetamine, which were found inside a Long Beach home. Mario Cuellar, 25, and another man, 50-year-old Frank Gutierrez of Reseda, face a felony charge of possessing methamphetamine in connection with Dec. 12 drug seizure, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint. Cuellar is also charged with allegedly transporting and selling the drug. Glendale narcotics detectives were conducting a drug investigation when they saw two vehicles pull into a store parking lot on Firestone Boulevard in Norwalk, Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot said.
Mark Davis Brolsma July 14, 1955 – February 22, 2011 Born July 14, 1955, in Long Beach, California, passed away on February 22, 2011. His simplicity, laughter, humor, storytelling, love of animals and compassion are treasures his family and friends will cherish. He is survived by his son, Donald James Brolsma, sister, Lisa Huff, nieces, Alyson Boocock and Erin Huff, great niece, Charlee Boocock, and former spouse of 24 years, Norma Louise Brolsma. Mark is also survived by their family dog, Sammy, whom he adopted for his son after the passing of their beloved dog, Brandy.
Those in support of closing the 710 Freeway gap must not travel the 210 very often because this freeway has its share of daily bumper-to-bumper traffic, particularly during weekday mornings eastbound. This is without the heavy truck traffic that would instantly materialize with the gap's closure. Also, the 5 Freeway is a heavily industrial corridor that favors heavy truck traffic; the La Crescenta, La Cañada and Pasadena environs are decidedly not. Any cursory view of a map will show that the triangle created by the 5, 210, and 710 freeways gives the shortest, most direct route to and from Long Beach to the 5. Closing the gap simply adds more miles and time on the road for trucks whose cost efficiency would be negatively affected; and, we all know who pays for shipping costs.
GLENDALE - It proved to be a learning experience during the first week of the season for the Glendale Community College softball team. Under the tutelage of first-year coach Sal Pizzo, the Vaqueros played three ranked teams in Southern California. Though Pizzo's squad lost the final two games of the week Saturday, including a 10-0 defeat against powerhouse Santiago Canyon in a finale of the David "Hawk" Wilder Memorial Tournament, he said the Vaqueros made some progress. "If you told me that we'd go 3-2 in our first five games, I'd take it," said Pizzo, who served as an assistant the past six years under Wilder, who died in June after coaching the Vaqueros from 2001-13.
GLENDALE - After paying tribute to their former coach, the members of the Glendale Community College softball team turned to Jocelyn Zavala for some clutch plate appearances Friday night. Prior to Glendale's game against Long Beach City College at the Glendale Sports Complex, the Vaqueros honored Dave "Hawk" Wilder, who had piloted the program the past 13 years. Wilder died in June at 70, and the program decided to name its annual tournament in honor of him. Zavala enjoyed a big night at the plate, as she drove in all three runs to propel Glendale to a 3-1 tournament victory.
The California Department of Transportation must quickly sell some of the nearly 500 properties it owns in Los Angeles, South Pasadena and Pasadena, according to a bill by Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge), which was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown. The homes are located in the so-called 710 gap, where transportation officials are studying a 4.5-mile tunnel that would connect the Long Beach (710) and Foothill (210) freeways. Brown vetoed a similar bill last year.
I've read and reread the endless stories about the 710 Freeway extension tunnel. I've read the letters to the editor. It seems everyone has opinions. Me too. My history with that stretch of freeway goes back to 1961 when a friend declared we'd have a freeway all the way to the beach soon. Well, little did I know the Long Beach (710) Freeway had been approved all the way from the harbor to its juncture with the Foothill (210) Freeway back in 1947. Sixty-six years ago. I cast a critical eye when dollar signs are followed by zeros.
LA CRESCENTA - A day after scoring 31 runs on 22 hits, it figured the La Crescenta 14-year-old Babe Ruth baseball team would come back to earth in championship bracket action of the State All-Star Tournament on Friday evening. Yet, La Crescenta's return to normalcy was more like a crash, as the home team was three-hit by a trio of pitchers in an 8-0 loss to District 2 champion Westchester at Dunsmore Park. The defeat cast District 4 champion La Crescenta into the consolation bracket in an elimination game versus Heartwell of Long Beach at Stengel Field on Saturday evening at 7. Westchester advanced to Sunday's 4 p.m. final at Stengel Field and will face the winner of Heartwell-La Crescenta.
While anti-freeway activists have dominated the dialogue over efforts to extend the Long Beach (710) Freeway, the city of Alhambra launched the first salvo on Wednesday in its campaign to drum up support for an extension by declaring July 10 to be "710 Day. " The city hosted its first-ever 710 celebration along Fremont Avenue, one of the main thoroughfares for traffic heading to or from the 710 Freeway's current terminus. Fremont was closed from Mission Street to Valley Boulevard.


Food waste costs the average household an enormous £680 every year– most of that could have been eaten if we were more careful with shopping and storing.
East London Waste Authority and your local council supports the national Love Food Hate Waste (LFHW) campaign which aims to reduce the astonishing amount of food we waste.
Some food waste is unavoidable – peelings, cores and bones, but in the UK, the equivalent of 1 in every 5 bags of food we buy ends up in the bin.
This is a huge waste of all the energy, water and packaging used in food production, transportation and storage. And throwing food away is bad for the environment. Food is organic waste, and organic waste releases methane if it is buried in landfill sites. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change.
The most common reasons for wasting food are that we cook and prepare too much and that we don't use food before it goes past its sell by date.
Step 1:Complete this quiz to find out if you are a food warrior or food waster?
Step 2: Download the free LFHW app. It's full of helpful tips like portions planners, leftover recipes, meal planners and ways to help you know what you've got in your fridge when you're out shopping. No more extra salad bags and doubled up milk.
What can you do to reduce your food waste?
Plan your meals and make a shopping list so you only buy what you need.
Find out about the difference between 'use by' and 'best before' dates.
Learn to use leftovers creatively. If your bananas are going black, why not blitz them into a smoothie, or freeze them and add to cake batter or muffin mix next time you're baking?
Store food properly to extend its life. Your fridge should be between 1-5 degrees and remember to keep an eye on use by dates.
And for food that is truly beyond saving (and all those teabags, coffee grounds and egg shells), consider starting up your own home compost bin. It's easier than you think.


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Lloyd Daniels, né le  à Brooklyn, est un joueur américain de basket-ball évoluant au poste d'ailier.

Biographie

Lloyd Daniels s'est fait un nom au début de sa carrière sur les play-ground new-yorkais au début de sa carrière. On le surnomme Swee'Pea. Il sera l'une des vedettes des play-ground de New York. Il connaîtra une longue carrière dans le basket-ball. Lloyd Daniels jouera notamment en NBA et en Europe.

Draft
 1991: Drafté au  de l'Open Phase, en tant que , par Miami (USBL).
 1999: Drafté au , en tant que , par Baltimore (IBL).

All-star game
 1991-1992: Participe au All Star Game GBA
 1995-1996: Participe au All Star Game italien

Palmarès

En club
 1991-1992: Finaliste USBL avec Miami
 1998-1999: Finaliste de la Coupe de Grèce avec Athènes
 2000-2001: Final-Four de la Coupe du Portugal avec Ovarense

Distinctions personnelles
 1991-1992: MVP du All Star Game GBA
 1991-1992: Membre de la All GBA first Team
 1991-1992: Membre de l'USBL All second Team
 1994-1995: CBA American Conference All Star Team
 1994-1995: CBA second Team

Références

Liens externes

Joueur américain de basket-ball
Joueur du CSP Limoges
Naissance en septembre 1967

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


It is occasional to find investor investing their entire savings in a single security. Instead, they invest in a group of securities. Such a group is called a portfolio. Creation of portfolio to reduce risk without sacrificing returns is known as portfolio management.
Even in the most casual of workplaces, managers review their employees annually. And for good reason, employers compensate employees for performing well, and employees need to know how well their supervisors think they're doing and whether they're on track to meet their career goals.
Similarly your investment portfolio requires regular reviews too. You need to supervise, just as your manager supervises you, to make sure it's on track and working to meet your goals. You need to analyze your portfolio periodically because the market and economic movements may cause your initial allocations to change.
1. Security analysis: There are numerous numbers of securities available for investment to an investor. An Investor having handful amount of surplus can enjoy the diversity of investment opportunities. As said, with "great powers comes great responsibilities", so as with an ample number of securities you have a lot valuation to do.
A security can be analyzed by two methods, Fundamental and Technical Analysis. Fundamental analysis involves the valuation of a security from its grass roots starting from the economic indicators, then the effects of such indicators to the industry and lastly the company's financial statements which involve calculations of Earnings Per Share (EPS), dividend payout ratio, market share etc. Technical analysis is a tool which believes that share price movements are systematic and exhibit consistent patterns. It helps to identify the trends and patterns and predict future price movements.
2. Portfolio Analysis: A portfolio is a group of securities held together as an investment. Investors invest their funds in a portfolio of securities rather than in a single security because they are risk averse. By constructing a portfolio, investors attempt to spread risk by not putting all your eggs into one basket. Thus, diversification of one's holdings is intended to reduce risk in investment.
Security analysis provides the investor with a set of worthwhile or desirable securities. From this set of securities an indefinitely large number of portfolios can be constructed by choosing different sets of securities and also by varying the proportion of investment in each security. Each individual security has its own risk-return characteristics which can be measured and expressed quantitatively. Each portfolio constructed by combining the individual securities has its own specific risk and return characteristics which are not just the aggregates of the individual security characteristics.
Portfolio analysis phase of portfolio management consists of identifying the range of possible portfolios that can be constituted from a given set of securities and calculating their return and risk for further analysis.
3. Portfolio Selection: Portfolio analysis provides the input for the next phase in portfolio management which is portfolio selection. The goal of portfolio construction is to generate a portfolio that provides the highest returns at a given level of risk. A portfolio having this characteristic is known as an efficient portfolio. The inputs from portfolio analysis can be used to identify the set of efficient portfolios. From this set of efficient portfolios, the optimal portfolio has to be selected for investment.
4. Portfolio Revision: Having constructed the optimal portfolio, the investor has to constantly monitor the portfolio to ensure that it continues to be optimal. As the economy and financial markets are dynamic, changes take place almost daily. As time passes, securities which were once attractive may cease to be so. New securities with promises of high returns and low risk may emerge. The investor now has to revise his portfolio in the light of the developments in the market. This revision leads to purchase of some new securities and sale of some of the existing securities from the portfolio. The mix of securities and their proportion in the portfolio changes as a result of the revision. Portfolio revision may also be necessitated by some investor - related changes such as availability of additional funds, change in risk attitude, need of cash for other alternative use etc.
5. Portfolio Evaluation: The objective of constructing a portfolio and revising it periodically is to earn maximum returns with minimum risk. Portfolio evaluation is the process which is concerned with assessing the performance of the portfolio over a selected period of time in terms of returns and risk. This involves quantitative measurement of actual realized and the risk born by the portfolio over the period of investment. These have to be compared with objective norms to assess the relative performance of the portfolio. Alternative measures of performance evaluation have been developed for use by investors and portfolio managers.
Portfolio evaluation is useful in yet another way. It provides a mechanism for identifying weaknesses in the investment process and for improving these deficient areas. It provides a feedback mechanism for improving the entire portfolio management process.
The portfolio management is an ongoing process. It starts with security analysis, then it leads to portfolio construction, and continues with portfolio revision and evaluation.


Christine Tanguli is a former high school teacher and United Nations officer. She quit her jobs to follow her passion, which is nurturing the less fortunate, a mission she executes with so much love.
She is now the Director of Shekinah Orphanage and also runs Ephraim Children's Home in Kitale, making her "mother" to about 1500 children across three counties. She visits the institutions daily to ensure smooth running. As if that is not enough, she also runs a high school for disadvantaged kids where it's her utmost joy to see them excel.
To add on that, Christine houses more than 20-orphaned kids in her own house and they all refer to her as "Mama." She does not entirely depend on donors, so she does tailoring as a business to enable her provide for her big family. Christine is determined to see these children succeed regardless of the challenges she faces in supporting them.
Giraffe Heroes Kenya wishes to recognize Christine Tanguli for "sticking her neck out" for the common good and her desire to lighten the loads, strengthen the hearts, and improve the lives of those in his circle of influence.


Ralph Lauren Corp on Wednesday raised the low end of its full-year sales forecast on the expectation of strong gains during the holiday quarter, and the designer clothing company increased its dividend.
Shares of Ralph Lauren rose 2.2 percent to $175 in premarket trading.
Business was strongest at Ralph Lauren's own stores, which generate just under half of companywide sales and where revenue rose 6.5 percent, stripping out currency fluctuations.
Revenue increased 1 percent in the wholesale business, which sells brands like Polo and Lauren by Ralph Lauren at department stores such as Macy's Inc . The company said growth in North America had offset declines in shipments to European and Japanese customers.
Chief Operating Officer Jacki Nemerov in a statement cited those "encouraging trends" in raising the low end of the sales forecast.
Ralph Lauren now expects revenue for the year ending in late March to rise between 5 percent and 7 percent, versus an earlier range of 4 percent to 7 percent.
For the current quarter, which includes the holiday season, Ralph Lauren said it expected revenue to be up between 8 percent and 10 percent, despite a two-point hit from currency movements.
The company said net revenue, including from licensing, rose 2.8 percent to $1.915 billion in the second quarter ended September 28. The result was in line with Wall Street projections.
Ralph Lauren reported a profit $205 million, or $2.23 per share, down from $214 million, or $2.29 per share, a year earlier, but above analysts' forecasts by 3 cents.
The company raised its annual dividend 12.5 percent to $1.80 per share.


text:
NASA corrects years of bad temperature data; 1998 no longer the warmest on record
Michael Asher
DailyTech
Sat, 11 Aug 2007 07:59 UTC
My earlier column this week detailed the work of a volunteer team to assess problems with US temperature data used for climate modeling. One of these people is Steve McIntyre, who operates the site climateaudit.org. While inspecting historical temperature graphs, he noticed a strange discontinuity, or "jump" in many locations, all occurring around the time of January, 2000.
©DailyTech
An example of the Y2K discontinuity in action (Source: NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies)
These graphs were created by NASA's Reto Ruedy and James Hansen (who shot to fame when he accused the administration of trying to censor his views on climate change). Hansen refused to provide McKintyre with the algorithm used to generate graph data, so McKintyre reverse-engineered it. The result appeared to be a Y2K bug in the handling of the raw data.
McKintyre notified the pair of the bug; Ruedy replied and acknowledged the problem as an "oversight" that would be fixed in the next data refresh.
NASA has now silently released corrected figures, and the changes are truly astounding. The warmest year on record is now 1934. 1998 (long trumpeted by the media as record-breaking) moves to second place. 1921 takes third. In fact, 5 of the 10 warmest years on record now all occur before World War II. Anthony Watts has put the new data in chart form, along with a more detailed summary of the events.
The effect of the correction on global temperatures is minor (some 1-2% less warming than originally thought), but the effect on the U.S. global warming propaganda machine could be huge.
Then again -- maybe not. I strongly suspect this story will receive little to no attention from the mainstream media.
Comment: If you're trying to connect to Climate Audit and get a connection error it's because the site seems to be suffering a DDOS attack:
Dear CA reader
CA has been knocked off the internet by a DDOS attack. We are going to move the CA domain to a temporary page while I move the CA files and databases to a new server behind a much better firewall.
Its obvious that someone can't take constructive criticism.
We should be back in a few days. If someone would like to spread this information around to various blogs and shady mailing lists then I'm sure Steve would appreciate it.
Aeneas · 2007-08-12T03:15:01Z
A Y2K bug!
That is interesting news! No wonder that the site is down.
Al Gore would not be pleased!


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What are Exchange Traded Funds?
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are fund-share hybrid investment vehicles that combine the best of both worlds: the diversification of a fund's portfolio and the flexibility that share trading offers.
Units of ETFs are traded and settled as any other share. As opposed to the units of traditional investment funds - that can only be subscribed and redeemed at its net asset vale (NAV), necessarily calculated after the market close - units of ETFs can be bought and sold on the stock market, just as ordinary shares, with the same trading fees.
The second main feature of ETFs is that they are index funds, i.e. its investment policy consists on tracking the performance of a certain index (IBEX 35, DJ EuroStoxx 50, Nasdaq 100, DJ Industrial Average, IBEX Medium Caps...). As the offer of tradable indices grows, so does the variety of ETFs.
Liquidity of ETFs is, in essence, that of the underlying portfolio of securities that make up the tracked index. Access to this liquidity is guaranteed by specialists or market makers that take on the public commitment to placing constant bid and offer prices to the ETFs under their coverage. Price spreads and market depth have to be kept within certain parameters settled prior to their listing, compliance is supervised by the Exchange.
ETFs have opened a broad array of investment opportunities, for institutional and retail investors alike. With one simple trade, ETFs enable investors to get easy and cost competitive exposure to a wide range of asset classes.
Main features of ETFs
Readily tradable
ETFs are very accessible to investors. ETFs are bought and sold by ordinary financial intermediaries on the same trading hours as shares.
ETFs´ trading allows buying and selling at any time of a trading session, with no need to wait till the end of the session to get the net asset value of the portfolio.
As ETFs replicate an index, the composition of the ETF is available all the time. Real-time information on both the index and the ETF is available during the trading session, so the ETFs prices are easy to verify. The market offers all relevant information on traded products: prices, trading volumes, daily composition of the ETFs portfolio, net asset value and indicative net asset value in real-time
ETFs are high liquidity products. ETFs are traded on the Stock Exchange Interconnection System (SIBE) and the investor can buy or sell at any time of the session. Market specialists provide liquidity offering buying and selling positions all the time.
Commonly Used
Institutional investors daily operate with ETFs, a product already consolidated in the international markets.
Advantages of ETFs
Each ETFs participation represents a portfolio of shares that is traded on a Stock Exchange. The portfolio efficiently replicates an index.
Quickness
ETFs provide exposure to a portfolio of shares or bonds in a single transaction.
Efficient Cost/ Low Trading Costs
If an investor wants to replicate an index, he should buy all stocks of such an index in his portfolio and do it according to the particular weight of each stock in the index. However, buying ETFs, an investor can replicate the index with a single transaction. ETF do also offer an automatic replication of the index as the tracking and composition of the index is made by a fund manager. They also offer lower commissions than active management products.
Completion strategy
ETFs´ management allows strategies that complement those of derivative products.
ETFs Statistics
FAQs about ETFs
Exchange Traded Funds are mutual funds that track the performance of an entire index or basket of securities. The ETF participation is traded in real time on an exchange electronic market subject to the same conditions as any other security stock.
How do ETFs differ from traditional investment funds?
The main difference is that ETFs are listed on the exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day. In traditional investment funds the trading takes place once a day, at the closing of the market, and at the available net asset value.
ETFs are highly transparent products. Being passive management investment funds, the composition of the portfolio is known all the time.
How do ETFs differ from individual shares?
Through an ETF you invest in a diversified portfolio in a single transaction portfolio, which is that of the referential index.
Are ETF suitable products for any kind of investor?
Given the wide range of investment strategies ETFs allow, they are products both suitable for institutional and individual investors. Although being a passive management product, ETFs are frequently used at the same time as individual shares or investment funds. They are used for both long-term and short-term investment strategies. It is important, like in any investment strategy, to be cautious enough: "How to Invest".
What are the risks of investing in ETFs?
Investing in ETFs involves the same risks as investing in shares. But the risk may be minimised by the diversification that a single participation displays.
How to buy and sell ETFs participations?
ETFs are bought and sold like ordinary shares through financial intermediaries which are members of the exchange (Brokers, Broker-dealers and Financial entities).
What are the differences among the ETFs that track the same index?
Differences among ETFs that track the same index will be defined by those issuing each ETF. All specifications in terms of commissions, dividend policy and ratio of the index represented are included in the ETFs´ Prospectus.
Which are the costs of investing in ETFs?
The costs will be those corresponding to Exchange Trading Commissions.
Do ETFs pay dividend?
The fund manager gets information on the dividends paid by all companies of the portfolio. The dividend policy for each ETF is specified on the Prospectus.
What information is available on the market on a daily basis? Where can you find that information?
Transparency is an essential feature of the ETF market. Information on prices, trading volumes, daily composition of the fund and the basket of securities, net asset value and indicative net asset value is available throughout the session. This information is available on the web-site of the exchange and through all other information-dissemination channels.
How is the ETF price formed?
The price is formed, like in the case of shares, according to the bid and ask positions in the market.
Being an investor, should I pay attention to the net asset value of the fund or to the price of my ETF participation?
The net asset value is set once a day. The price of the ETF will be the market price at any moment. The evolution of prices of all securities in the portfolio will settle the indicative net asset value through the session and the net asset value at the closing of the market session.
What is the role of specialists?
The presence and performance of specialists is essential in the ETF segment in order to foster liquidity and to ease the dissemination of information and the price formation process. Keeping a maximum spread of prices for a specific volume, specialists allow negotiations on the secondary market at prices in line with the indicative net asset value of the ETF. Additionally, while acting on the primary market, specialist provide an adequate number of ETF participations in the market.
What is the minimum size purchase of an exchange traded fund?
Investors can purchase as little as one share.
Is the price of an exchange traded fund equivalent to the value of the underlying index?
Not necessarily. The price of the exchange traded fund accumulates dividends paid by all securities of the portfolio, what increases the price of the ETF with reference to the underlying index.
What is the net asset value?
Price of the ETFs participation which is calculated with reference to the performance of the fund underlying index. The fund managing entity sets the net asset value at the closing of the trading session, dividing the shareholders' equity between the number of units in circulation.
Is the indicative net asset value available at any time of the session?
Yes it is. The indicative net asset value is calculated by assigning the daily variations of the underlying index to the official net asset value communicated daily by the investment fund managing entity. There is also the possibility to make a comparison between the above mentioned indicative net asset value and the price of the ETF participation.
Are there Special Operations on the ETF segment?
Yes there are. The trading of Special Operations on the ETFs segment is similar to the trading of Special Operations for individual shares. ETFs trading is both possible in the block trading and the Special Operations segment.
Where can I get a prospectus?
The ETF prospectus is available both on this website and on the website of the Spanish Security Exchange Commission (CNMV).
It is important that investors read the prospectus carefully before investing and get all specific information on the product.
Do ETFs have an expiry date?
No, they do not. You can keep ETFs as long as you want.
What is the tax regime for ETFs in Spain?
Capital Gains are taxed according to the following scheme:
19% up to 6,000€
21% from 6,000€ to 50,000€
23% from 50,000€ to 200,000€
26% from 200,000€
As opposed to the investment funds, any kind of withholding is applied on the capital gains produced from the repayment or transmission of the ETFs.
Under the collective investment entities regulation, the ETFs will not be able to apply the tax deferral for transfer. That is to say, the capital gains or losses raised as a result of a transfer of the ETF participations to another collective investment entity, or vice versa, will not be able to earn the tax relief for transfer foreseen for the rest of the funds.
What is the TER of an Investment fund?
The initials correspond to "Total Expense Ratio", and indicates the percentage of expenses supported by the Fund in relation with its average assets, from the beginning of the natural year up to the date. The total expenses include the commissions of management and depositary services, the external services and other operating expenses.
It is important to consider that, except in December, this figure does not reflect annual data.
The composition of this concept comes established in the Annex of Circular 3/1997 of CNMV, on obligations of information to partners and unit holders of IIC of financial character.
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This is a traditional converted Victorian building.
All the rooms are simply furnished and brightly decorated and feature hair dryer, direct dial telephones, and television. The rooms would benefit from a light refurbishment, however they are extremely clean.
The breakfast room is located on the lower ground floor and consists on a smoking and non-smoking area.
The hotel is ideally located in fashionable Kensington, benefiting from the close proximity of Earl's Court Exhibition Centre and Earl's Court underground station, which is only 30 minutes from Heathrow Airport.
Mowbray Court Hotel reviews on TubeHotels are written by travellers like you. Our honest and unbiased reviews help all travellers decide which hotel to book and which to avoid. Please add your own review now.
Check availability and we will search the following websites (and more) to find all available rooms and prices. You can then compare prices and book Mowbray Court Hotel online at the best price.


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Petar Lončarević (; 20 November 1907 – 30 March 1978) was a Serbian footballer who played two matches for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national team.

While attending a Yugoslav First League match between Olimpija Ljubljana and Hajduk Split in the spring of 1978, he got into an argument with fans of the Ljubljana team and one of them struck him in the head with a blunt object. He lost consciousness and was hospitalized where he was placed in a coma. After not regaining consciousness, he died seventeen days later at the age of 70.

References

1907 births
1978 deaths
Footballers from Belgrade
Serbian footballers
Yugoslav footballers
Association football defenders
Yugoslav First League players
SK Jugoslavija players
SK Jedinstvo Beograd players
People murdered in Slovenia
Accidental deaths in Slovenia
Yugoslavia international footballers


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La frontera entre el Brasil i Bolívia és la frontera internacional que separa els departaments de Bolívia de Beni, Pando i Santa Cruz dels estats brasilers d'Acre, Rondônia, Mato Grosso i Mato Grosso do Sul. La línia limítrofa creua una gran varietat de terreny, des de grans zones urbanes fins a deserts inhòspits i boscos. Comença en el Pantanal i acaba en la selva amazònica.

Història
El primer tractat de límits entre Brasil i Bolívia es va signar en 1867, quan encara no es coneixia bé la ubicació geogràfica dels rius en la conca de l'Amazones; tant és així que un dels seus articles establia com a línia límit nöï paral·lela que partia des del riu Madeira fins a la capçalera del riu Yavarí, a l'oest, indicant fins i tot que si aquests naixements estiguessin més al nord del paral·lel (el que en realitat va succeir), la línia hauria de seguir la mateixa latitud a aquesta font. En 1898, després d'un examen del Tractat de 1867, es va trobar que la regió de l'Acre originalment pertanyia al Perú, però que aquesta regió contenia una població considerable d'origen brasiler. Això va causar moltes friccions, ja que la població no volia sotmetre's al govern bolivià, el qual ni tan sols va intentar arrendar el territori als angloamericans. Es van produir diverses revoltes per part dels brasilers, i la situació es va perllongar fins a 1903, quan el Brasil va ocupar militarment el territori. Després de l'annexió per part d'aquest últim país de l'Acre, el govern del Brasil va pagar una multa als arrendataris angloamericans, i es va declarar la retirada dels inquilins.

En el mateix any 1903 es van tornar a obrir les negociacions per a la definició de la frontera, en les quals el Brasil proposava un acord sobre la base d'un intercanvi equitatiu de territori, igual que l'interès de Brasil de mantenir sota el seu control la població que era d'origen brasiler, a pesar que el territori pertanyia, d'acord amb el Tractat de 1867, al Perú. Finalment van començar les converses i després d'una sèrie de propostes i contrapropostes, es va signar el Tractat de Petrópolis, a través del qual li va ser reconegut al Brasil la sobirania sobre el territori disputat i aquest en compensació, hauria de construir un ferrocarril (el Madeira-Mamoré), el qual seria de lliure trànsit per tropes i civils bolivians i també per via fluvial fins a l'Oceà Atlàntic, i pagar un total de dos milions de lliures esterlines. Aquesta vegada, d'acord amb el baró de Rio Branco, estava ocorrent una veritable expansió territorial (ja que segons ell les eleccions anteriors només havien mantingut el "patrimoni nacional").

Traçat

Aquesta frontera internacional comença en el nord, en la localitat de Bolpebra i segueix cap al nord-est pel riu Acre fins a Brasileia, enfront de Cobija, d'allí segueix pels rius Chipamanu i l'Abuná; d'aquí pel curs d'aquest riu fins a la seva confluència amb el riu Madeira en Fortín Manoa, que és el punt més septentrional de Bolívia. D'aquí, va cap al sud, aigües amunt del riu Madeira fins a la població de Vila Bella en la confluència dels rius Beni i Mamoré. Segueix, aigües amunt del riu Mamoré fins a la seva confluència amb el riu Itenez, més o menys amb el paral·lel 11°50'S, d'aquí segueix aigües amunt del riu Iténez, fins al riu Verde en el paral·lel 14°S; segueix aigües amunt del riu Verde fins al seu naixent; d'aquí fins al Cerro Cuatro Hermanos més o menys en el paral·lel 16°20' i d'allí cap a l'est fins a San Matías; d'allí en direcció sud, fins a la llacuna Uberaba que la travessa pel centre; d'allí, al centre de la llacuna La Gaiba, després al centre de la llacuna Mandioré; d'allí, en adreça sud-oest fins al Canal Tamengo que uneix la llacuna Cáceres amb el riu Paraguai; d'allí, en línia recta fins a la llacuna Negra; d'allí en direcció sud-est fins a Puerto Gutiérrez Guerra sobre el riu Paraguai, i d'aquí, pel curs del riu Paraguai, en direcció sud-oest fins a Bahía Negra, on troba el trifini entre Brasil, Paraguai i Bolívia.

En el riu Mamoré, enfront de la ciutat de Guayaramerín en el departament del Beni, es troba l'illa Suárez, anomenada pels brasilers ilha de Guajará-mirim que ha estat objecte d'una disputa encara no resolta entre Brasil i Bolívia. Des de l'Acord de Roboré signat el 29 de març de 1958 entre tots dos països, la situació de l'illa ha quedat indefinida, romanent de fet sota administració boliviana.

Altres 31 illots del riu Guaporé o Iténez i 9 illes del riu Paraguai es troben sota sobirania indefinida entre Bolívia i Brasil.

Referències

Enllaços externs
  Tractat d'Ayacucho

Brasil
Bolívia


Marci Ien was formerly reported to be in a romantic relationship with Maestro Fresh Wes a famous Canadian rapper and actor and the duo was rumored to be engaged but the speculation was never confirmed. Len is now married to Lloyd Exeter and the couples together have two children named Blaise and Dash.
Marci Len was born on July 29, 1969 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is a well known Canadian broadcast Journalist with CTV. She is famously known as the news anchor and co host for CTV,s Canada Am.
Marci Len was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is a black Canadian of Trinidadian descent. Lens was raised by her parent who's name are not reviewed in Canada. She studied at the university of Ryerson where she studied Journalism.
Marci Len started her career when she appeared as one of The children of the Cross roads program Circle Square and officially started her career at CHCH-TV in 1991 at Hamilton, Ontario as a news writer and general assignment reporter. She later started reporting for Queens Park in Toronto, with her reports appearing both on CHCH's local news and on WIC's national newscast Canada Tonight in 1995. Len moved to CTV as a reporter for CTV Atlantic, covering major stories. She is currently working as one of the cohosts on CTV's daytime panel talk show named "The social". Lens has also worked frequently as a fill in anchor for CTV national news.


MRE started by running slot racing tracks at exhibitions and corporate events, notably at Olympia and Silverstone. We started taking cars and accessories for sale to these events, and this grew into swapmeets and other shows.
With so much stock, the first MRE Model Shop opened in 1999, and the range soon increased to include model railways, radio control cars, plastic kits, and diecast models. Within 3 years we had to move to a new shop with a High Street location and more than three times as much space !
With model railways now forming such a large part of MRE, we became a Hornby Collector Centre and a Dapol Gold Stockist. With the increased popularity of N Gauge and new ranges such as Hornby Skaledale we soon found that shop space was filled up, and we had to limit our stocks of Radio Control and Diecast to cope with increasing customers for slot racing and railways.
As technology increased, so did MRE and we launched our new e-commerce website in 2005 with a bigger product range and all the latest technology. With the expert capabilities of our web team at Virtual Relations we have one of the fastest and most comprehensive websites, catering for club members discounts, overseas customers, VAT and shipping, and of course our regular news items. Our unique arrangement with some major clubs and manufacturers means that members can buy much cheaper online at MRE.
With online traffic increasing over 1000% in the last couple of years, many homes and customers can use broadband for shopping online while at home or work. MRE have again moved with the times, closing the shops and moving into our new warehouse premises to cater for this new lifestyle. You can visit us and buy, or you can order online.
Best prices at MRE ?
MRE has lots of stock to buy. You can also make advance orders for new items by reserving them, and pay less by becoming a regular customer ! Our discount system means that the more you spend the less you will pay for your orders.


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Naomi Osaka wins US Open return
The tennis star was fined for skipping a post-match interview due to her anxiety and pulling out of the French Open and Wimbledon.
Elise Amendola / AP
Article by AP
Here's the realization Naomi Osaka came to, gradually and only recently: If other people think a lot of her, she probably should, too.
"Hearing a little kid telling me that I'm their favorite player or I'm a role model, instinctively the first thought in my mind is, like, 'Why?'" Osaka explained as Monday turned to Tuesday after a successful start to her U.S. Open title defense. "I feel like I have to sort of embrace more ... the honor that they're telling me that, and I should believe more in myself. I feel like if you don't believe in yourself, then other people won't believe in yourself."
During her return to Grand Slam action after a mental health break — an at-times-dominant 6-4, 6-1 victory over 87th-ranked Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic — Osaka heard the high-pitched voice of one such "little kid" in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
When the match ended, Osaka went over with a little gift: one of the Olympic pins athletes collect.
With a bit of self-deprecation, Osaka noted that she didn't stick around at the Tokyo Games long enough to trade away all of those mini-souvenirs (a native of host country Japan, she was granted the honor of lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony, then lost her third-round match).
The Summer Olympics marked her first competition anywhere since May 30 at the French Open.
That day, Osaka skipped her mandatory news conference after her first-round victory in Paris, drawing a $15,000 fine and a warning from the heads of the Slams that she could face a suspension. She responded by pulling out of Roland Garros, explaining that she feels anxiety when speaking to the media and has dealt with depression for years. Osaka then sat out Wimbledon, too.
The 23-year-old is clearly introspective and thoughtful, someone who is getting more and more used to sharing her innermost ideas with the rest of the world. In a social media post Sunday about ruminations on self-worth, Osaka wrote that she's "gonna try to celebrate myself and my accomplishments more, I think we all should" and that she "can't burden myself with (others') expectations anymore."
On Monday, she entered Ashe with her usual first-round Slam jitters, but not because of any sense of pressure to win, Osaka said afterward.
Instead, it was based on a desire to play well, especially for the loud and appreciative full house that was there a year after she won the title in a nearly empty arena because spectators were banned then amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"I tell people that I'm a perfectionist. I think for me, something that's less than perfection, even though it might be something great, is a disappointment. I don't really think that's a healthy way of thinking, so something that I really wanted to change," said the third-seeded Osaka, who next faces 145th-ranked Olga Danilovic.
"In this tournament I just want to be happy with knowing that I did my best and knowing that even though I didn't play perfect, I was able to win a match in two sets. ... It's more like a life thing," she continued. "Like, I hope I can keep this mindset throughout my life going forward."
Maybe she wasn't perfect against Bouzkova, who is now 1-11 in Slam matches. After all, the score was 4-all in the early going. From there, though, Osaka reeled off eight of the last nine games.
Helped by a serve that reached 120 mph, she saved all eight break points she faced and accumulated a 34-10 edge in total winners.
"Last year, when we didn't have a crowd, I know it felt quite lonely for me," she said with a smile during her on-court interview. "I'm glad to see little kids in the audience — and, of course, grown-ups, too."
Osaka improved to 55-14 in matches at the majors, including 22-3 at the U.S. Open as she tries to become the first woman with consecutive trophies in New York since Serena Williams collected her third in a row in 2014.
Osaka beat Williams in the chaotic 2018 final in Ashe. She also has won hard-court major titles at the Australian Open in 2019 and this February.
"I've played a lot of matches on this court," Osaka told the Ashe fans. "Definitely, I feel really comfortable here."
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
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Alcaraz certainly seems to be a rare talent, possessing an all-court game, a blend of groundstroke power with a willingness to push forward.
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The selection of products offered by Advantage Bridal is spectacular. No matter what the occasion, there is something to help celebrate everyone's special day. Find wedding accessories, including clothing for brides, grooms and the wedding party. Browse hundreds of wedding ceremony accessories and reception decorations that are available in multiple colors and are perfect for several themes. The items offered are geared towards creating a momentous occasion that is perfectly crafted and will be remembered for decades to come.
Personalize any clothing item with a monogrammed emblem or other message that is perfect for presenting as a gift. Thank someone for being part of the bridal party by given them a keepsake to cherish for years to come. Give a monogrammed executive gift to celebrate a supervisor's special achievement or birthday. The personalization options available in this collection are ideal for creating any special gift that resonates for years to come.
Any special occasion where a gift is a great way to show support can be found in this large collection from Advantage Bridal. Browse the large selection of gifts to celebrate a new engagement, bridal shower, bachelorette party, wedding, baby, anniversary, quinceañera celebration, first communion and christening. Christmas gifts for the holidays and memorial gifts and candles also are included.
Look for the perfect games to play at a bridal shower or bachelorette party. Choose a personalized wedding gift to give the newlywed couple. Select the perfect baby gift to give new parents or learn about several different games that are ideal for playing at any baby shower. Give the gift of personalized keepsake memory box to newlyweds to keep a wedding invitation or other memento of the special event. Choose a special cake topper to commemorate a golden anniversary celebration. Create an exceptional quinceañera celebration for anyone turning 15 with an elegant tiara or other accessories. The possibilities are endless with this collection of high-quality products.


She has a younger brother, Damian, and an older half-sister, Sasha. In at the age of seventeen she appeared in the second series of " Fist of Fun ", the BBC comedy show from Stewart Lee and Richard Herring as a schoolgirl in a series of sketches entitled 'Teachers' one of her co-stars was the young Daniel Mays. She studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London for three years during this time before becoming a professional model at the age of Her figure eventually caught the eye of the editorial team of the Daily Star tabloid,  which began featuring her as a Page Three girl.


text:
Tachilek Airport or Tachileik Airport  is an airport serving Tachilek (Tachileik), a town in the Shan State of eastern Myanmar.

Airlines and destinations

References

External links

Airports in Myanmar
Buildings and structures in Shan State


text:
Legal Update – Legal Aid Evidence in Family Matters
Evidence Requirement for Legal Aid When the Government changed the availability of Legal Aid...
Home > Legal Update – Legal Aid Evidence in Family Matters
News : Divorce & Family
Evidence Requirement for Legal Aid
When the Government changed the availability of Legal Aid for family matters back in 2013, they chose to restrict it to what they call 'proven victims' of domestic abuse or people whose children were at risk of harm.
Their interpretation of 'proven victims' has been criticised over the years by domestic abuse charities and those within the legal system, initially for their insistence that the abuse must have taken place within 2 years of the person applying for Legal Aid and also for their insistence that they would only accept certain evidence from a restricted number of organisations.
Changes to the Relevant Period
Over the years, the Government quickly backtracked on their relevant period for the abuse, as they seemed to acknowledge that victims are victims, irrespective of when the abuse took place and it would therefore be wrong to prevent people from accessing funding purely on this basis. They initially extended their relevant period for the abuse to 5 years, but it is now accepted that there doesn't appear to be any time limit for the abuse. This in of itself was a welcome change, as it opened up the availability of Legal Aid to a much larger group.
Evidencing the Abuse
More recently, the Government have also relaxed their stringent evidential requirements by opening up the ways in which someone can evidence the abuse. Prior to this change, the organisations that could give evidence were quite restrictive and the criteria victims had to meet was onerous when considering the fact that large numbers of victims don't report abuse or even understand that what they are living with amounts to abuse.
The key changes in relation to the most recent changes are that evidence can now be provided from housing officers, domestic abuse services offering victims support (whereas previously they would have had to have offered the victim refuge for at least 24 hours) and that victims can now provide evidence of their partner abusing a previous partner as evidence of abuse for themselves.
These changes are much welcomed in the legal profession and the domestic abuse profession alike, as they go someway to widening the net of availability of Legal Aid to victims in need of assistance.
We have Family Solicitors at all of our offices across the UK. You can arrange an appointment by completing this form.
amie.pine@poolealcock.co.uk


text:
Family Stress and Early Intervention for Families of Infants and Toddlers with Complex Medical Needs
Young_unr_0139D_11737.pdf
Young_unr_0139D_11737.pdf (1.827Mb)
Young, Pamela Dawn
Advances in medical technology have enabled children to survive with conditions that were once considered fatal; however, with their increased life expectancy these children may also experience chronic illnesses or severe disabilities. Part C early intervention is a home-based program that provides support for families of children aged 0-3 years with disabilities, with the purpose of assisting families in minimizing adverse effects of the child's condition, and maximizing the child's development. This mixed methods study was guided by the question: What do parents of children ages 0-3 with complex medical needs say about the relationship between early intervention services and parental levels of stress? Five follow-up questions addressed the change in the participants' stress levels after 6 months of early intervention service, satisfaction with early intervention services, and additional supports available to the family. Participants included eight biological parents and one grandparent who were caring for a child with complex medical needs who were newly enrolled in early intervention services. Participants were given the Parenting Stress Index/Short Form (PSI/SF) at intake and again 6 months later. Paired samples t-tests were conducted for Total Stress and each of the subscales (PD, P-CDI, and DC). Semi-structured interviews, guided by the Family Support Scale (FSS) were conducted to determine additional supports. Results indicated a decrease in Total Stress scores and on two of the three subscales. Parents indicated an improvement in the child's condition, access to information, and increased support and communication helped to reduce their overall stress levels. Findings indicate the need for further research including: the relationship between family stress and early intervention services, boundary ambiguity, and connection.
Family Stress


Without need to mention his years of experience, Johannes Heil arrives on Figure SPC with two classy dub techno movements, each shimmering and snaking over 20 minutes. The Spirit Molecule - that enigmatic substance thought to take our consciousness beyond mortality and back again is explored in this collectable release. The vinyl comes packaged in a metallic gold sleeve.
Intricately dubbed and beautifully constructed, with earthy tape hiss creeping into the atmospheric, wash of reverb and delay, both sides are a real adventure for the head. At once meditative and reflective, melancholic and yet positive, they are luxuriously extended; laid out to finesse.
Part 1 opens the sound field with classic dub stabs and subbed, low-end bass. Using a very reduced palette Heil hypnotises us and locks us in. Flip to Part 2 and the tempo is upped very slightly with a chugging, addictive weapon for the darker, more introspective dancefloors.


Recently I had the delightful pleasure to photograph the wedding of Duncan and Jess.
Their ceremony was held at Scott's Church in Hobart and the reception was at the Founders Room at Salamanca. It was great to meet the families and to mingle throughout the day. Duncan and Jess had mentioned how the reception venue (ironically I think it used to be called "The Venue") was quite a dark place, this worries all wedding photographers, but I think it worked out pretty well in the end.
I like the controlled light of a church wedding too. I hadn't photographed at Scott's Church before, so that was quite a lot of fun also. The hair, make-up, flowers and cars were all perfect for the day. One of those rare Hobart wedding days where the skies were clear, but the weather was comfortably warm and there was just a hint of a breeze – the perfect wedding day all around really!
I am finding that I know quite a few of the guests at weddings now. At this wedding, there were two other couples (guests) whose weddings I had photographed previously and several other people who had been in bridal parties that I had captured as well. It was great to have a catch up when I had the time.


text:
Lockhart ISD Updates Free Breakfast Options With $8K Grant
By Stacy Rickard
Dec 13, 2019 11:30 AM ET
.@LockhartISD recently received an $8,000 grant to update the breakfast options available to students free of charge, made possible by @fractweets and @GeneralMills: http://bit.ly/38vTRny via @SpecNewsSA
Originally published by Spectrum News
LOCKHART, Texas -- Lockhart ISD received an $8,000 grant to update its "grab-and-go" breakfast options available to all students, free of charge.
More options coming to Lockhart ISD's "grab-and-go" breakfast
Lockhart ISD qualified to provide free breakfast and lunch
Removes financial barriers for many families
The grant was given to the district by the Food Research and Action Center Breakfast Expansion Effort via General Mills. It paid for new breakfast carts for Lockhart High School and new breakfast rolling coolers for the elementary schools.
"Giving students an opportunity to have something to fuel their body for that first portion of their school day. We look for alternative ways, thinking outside the box. What can we do in order to make sure our kids have every opportunity to fuel themselves for that day?" said director of Food and Nutrition Services James Acuna.
Each morning, elementary student leaders wheel Igloo Breakfast Coolers to class full of breakfast items from the cafeteria to the classroom to snack on to get their brains going. The students choose a chocolate or regular milk, a juice, a snack like apple slices, and an entree.
At the high school, students are able to get "grab-and-go" breakfast items from the new food cart before the bell. These carts are placed in strategic locations around the school to make breakfast more accessible to each student.
"Lockhart ISD is able to provide students an opportunity to eat before their class actually gets started. This is a piece of them being able to perform academically in school, not having to worry about 'how long am I going to have to go without?' We all know that nutrition is essential for a student to be able to be productive in their academics," Acuna said.
This school year, Lockhart ISD qualified to provide breakfast and lunch for free under the federally-funded "Community Eligibility Provision Program."
"As the district has grown, we've been able to grow with it, and our identified student population hit that percentage where we're eligible to provide those services for all our students," Acuna said.
Acuna said being able to offer these free options to students has removed the barriers many families may face when it comes to paying for food.
"Students don't have that worry, families don't have that worry. And so that is huge in our community. So a family doesn't have to worry about setting money aside for their students' lunch. And if a student, for some reason, has a negative balance, they don't have to worry about that anymore. All that has dismissed with this program that we're on this year," Acuna said.
NYSE:GIS
Food Research and Action Center Breakfast Expansion Effort
Lockhart ISD
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