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The cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) is a large raptor in the family Accipitridae and distributed through much of temperate Eurasia. It is also known as the black vulture, monk vulture and Eurasian black vulture. With a body length of 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in), 3.1 m (10 ft) across the wings and a maximum weight of 14 kg (31 lb), it is the largest Old World vulture and largest member of the Accipitridae family.
Aegypius monachus is one of the largest birds of prey and it plays a huge role in its various ecosystems by eating carcasses, and which in turn reduces the spread of diseases. The vultures are constantly exposed to many pathogens because of their eating habits. A study on the gastric and immune defense systems done in 2015, sequenced the entire genome of the cinereous genome. Comparing the vulture and the bald eagle, will allow the study to find positively selected genetic variations associated with respiration and the ability of the vulture's immune defense responses and gastric acid secretion to digest carcasses.
The genus name Aegypius is a Greek word (αἰγυπιός) for 'vulture', or a bird not unlike one; Aelian describes the aegypius as "halfway between a vulture (gyps) and an eagle". Some authorities think this a good description of a lammergeier; others do not. Aegypius is the eponym of the species, whatever it was in ancient Greek. The English name 'black vulture' refers to the plumage colour, while 'monk vulture', a direct translation of its German name Mönchsgeier, refers to the bald head and ruff of neck feathers like a monk's cowl. 'Cinereous vulture' (Latin cineraceus, ash-coloured; pale, whitish grey), was a deliberate attempt to rename it with a new name distinct from the American black vulture.
This bird is an Old World vulture, and as such is only distantly related to the New World vultures, which are in a separate family, Cathartidae, of the same order. It is, therefore, not closely related to the much smaller American black vulture (Coragyps atratus) despite the similar name and coloration.
The cinereous vulture measures 98–120 cm (39–47 in) in total length with a 2.5–3.1 m (8 ft 2 in – 10 ft 2 in) wingspan. Males can weigh from 6.3 to 11.5 kg (14 to 25 lb), whereas females can weigh from 7.5 to 14 kg (17 to 31 lb). It is thus one of the world's heaviest flying birds. Average weights were long not known to have been published for this species but the median weight figures from two sources were 9.42 kg (20.8 lb) and 9.55 kg (21.1 lb). However in a Korean study, a large survey of wild cinereous vultures was found to have weighed an average of 9.6 kg (21 lb) with a mean total length of 113 cm (44 in), this standing as the only attempt to attain the average sizes of free-flying mature birds of the species, as opposed to nestlings or captive specimens. Unlike most accipitrids, males can broadly overlap in size with the females, although not uncommonly the females may be slightly heavier. These are one of the two largest extant Old World vultures and accipitrids, with similar total length and perhaps wingspans recorded in the Himalayan vulture (Gyps himalayensis), as indicated by broadly similar wing and tail proportions, but the cinereous appears to be slightly heavier as well as slightly larger in tarsus and bill length. Superficially similar but unrelated New World condors can either be of similar wing area and bulk or slightly larger in these aspects. Despite limited genetic variation in the species, body size increases from west to east based on standard measurements, with the birds from southwest Europe (Spain and south France) averaging about 10% smaller than the vultures from central Asia (Manchuria, Mongolia and northern China). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 73–89 cm (29–35 in), the tail is 33–41 cm (13–16 in) and the tarsus is 12–14.6 cm (4.7–5.7 in).
The cinereous vulture is distinctly dark, with the whole body being brown excepting the pale head in adults, which is covered in fine blackish down. This down is absent in the closely related lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos). The skin of the head and neck is bluish-gray and a paler whitish color above the eye. The adult has brown eyes, a purplish cere, a blue-gray bill and pale blue-gray legs. The primary quills are often actually black. From a distance, flying birds can easily appear all black. The immature plumage is sepia-brown above, with a much paler underside than in adults. Immature cinereous vultures have grey down on the head, a pale mauve cere and grey legs. Its massive bill is one of the largest of any living accipitrid, a feature enhanced by the relatively small skull of the species. The exposed culmen of the cinereous vulture measures 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in). Only their cousin, the lappet-faced vulture, with a bill length of up to about 10 cm (3.9 in), can rival or outsize the bill of the cinereous. The wings, with serrated leading edges, are held straight or slightly arched in flight and are broad, sometimes referred to as "barn door wings". Its flight is slow and buoyant, with deep, heavy flaps when necessary. The combination of huge size and dark coloration renders the cinereous vulture relatively distinct, especially against smaller raptors such as eagles or buzzards. The most similar-shaped species, the lappet-faced vulture (with which there might be limited range overlap in the southern Middle East), is distinguished by its bare, pinkish head and contrasting plumage. On the lappet-face, the thighs and belly are whitish in adult birds against black to brownish over the remainder of the plumage. All potential Gyps vultures are distinguished by having paler, often streaky plumage, with bulging wing primaries giving them a less evenly broad-winged form. Cinereous vultures are generally very silent, with a few querulous mewing, roaring or guttural cries solely between adults and their offspring at the nest site.
The cinereous vulture is a Eurasian species. The western limits of its range are in Spain and inland Portugal, with a reintroduced population in south France. They are found discontinuously to Greece, Turkey and throughout the central Middle East. Their range continues through Afghanistan eastwards to northern India to its eastern limits in central Asia, where they breed in northern Manchuria, Mongolia and Korea. Their range is fragmented especially throughout their European range. It is generally a permanent resident except in those parts of its range where hard winters cause limited altitudinal movement and for juveniles when they reach breeding maturity. In the eastern limits of its range, birds from the northernmost reaches may migrate down to southern Korea and China. A limited migration has also been reported in the Middle East but is not common.
This vulture is a bird of hilly, mountainous areas, especially favoring dry semi-open habitats such as meadows at high altitudes over much of the range. Nesting usually occurs near the tree line in the mountains. They are always associated with undisturbed, remote areas with limited human disturbance. They forage for carcasses over various kinds of terrain, including steppe, other grasslands, open woodlands, along riparian habitats or any kind or gradient of mountainous habitat. In their current European range and through the Caucasus and Middle East, cinereous vultures are found from 100 to 2,000 m (330 to 6,560 ft) in elevation, while in their Asian distribution, they are typically found at higher elevations. Two habitat types were found to be preferred by the species in China and Tibet. Some cinereous vultures in these areas live in mountainous forests and shrubland from 800 to 3,800 m (2,600 to 12,500 ft), while the others preferred arid or semi-arid alpine meadows and grasslands at 3,800 to 4,500 m (12,500 to 14,800 ft) in elevation. This species can fly at a very high altitude. One cinereous vulture was observed at an elevation of 6,970 m (22,870 ft) on Mount Everest. It has a specialised haemoglobin alphaD subunit of high oxygen affinity which makes it possible to take up oxygen efficiently despite the low partial pressure in the upper troposphere.
The cinereous vulture is a largely solitary bird, being found alone or in pairs much more frequently than most other Old World vultures. At large carcasses or feeding sites, small groups may congregate. Such groups can rarely include up to 12 to 20 vultures, with some older reports of up to 30 or 40.
In Europe, the cinereous vulture return to the nesting ground in January or February. In Spain and Algeria, they start nesting in February in March, in Crimea in early March, in northwestern India in February or April, in northeastern India in January, and in Turkestan in January. They breed in loose colonies, with nests rarely being found in the same tree or rock formation, unlike other Old World vultures which often nest in tight-knit colonies. In Spain, nests have been found from 300 m (980 ft) to 2 km (1.2 mi) apart from each other. The cinereous vulture breeds in high mountains and large forests, nesting in trees or occasionally on cliff ledges. The breeding season lasts from February until September or October. The most common display consists of synchronous flight movements by pairs. However, flight play between pairs and juveniles is not unusual, with the large birds interlocking talons and spiraling down through the sky. The birds use sticks and twigs as building materials, and males and females cooperate in all matters of rearing the young. The huge nest is 1.45–2 m (4 ft 9 in – 6 ft 7 in) across and 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in) deep. The nest increases in size as a pair uses it repeatedly over the years and often comes to be decorated with dung and animal skins. The nests can range up to 1.5 to 12 m (4 ft 11 in to 39 ft 4 in) high in a large tree such as an oak, juniper,[20] wild pear, almond or pine trees. Most nesting trees are found along cliffs. In a few cases, cinereous vultures have been recorded as nesting directly on cliffs. One cliff nest completely filled a ledge that was 3.63 m (11.9 ft) wide and 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in depth. The egg clutch typically only a single egg, though two may be exceptionally laid. The eggs have a white or pale buff base color are often overlaid with red, purplish or red-brown marks, being almost as spotted as the egg of a falcon. Eggs measure from 83.4 to 104 mm (3.28 to 4.09 in) in height and 58 to 75 mm (2.3 to 3.0 in) in width, with an average of 90 mm × 69.7 mm (3.54 in × 2.74 in). The incubation period ranges from 50 to 62 days, averaging 50–56 days, and hatching occurs in April or May in Europe. The young are covered in greyish-white to grey-brown colored down which becomes paler with age. The first flight feathers start growing from the same sockets as the down when the nestling is around 30 days old and completely cover the down by 60 days of age. The parents feed the young by regurgitation and an active nest reportedly becomes very foul and stinking. Weights of nestlings in Mongolia increased from as little as 2 kg (4.4 lb) when they are around a month old in early June to being slightly more massive than their parents at up to nearly 16 kg (35 lb) shortly before fledging in early autumn.
The nesting success of cinereous vultures is relatively high, with around 90% of eggs successfully hatching and more than half of yearling birds known to survive to adulthood. They are devoted, active parents, with both members of a breeding pair protecting the nest and feeding the young in shifts via regurgitation. In Mongolia, Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul) and the common raven (Corvus corax) are considered potential predators of eggs in potentially both tree and cliff nests. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) and foxes are also mentioned as potential nest predators. There have been witnessed accounts of bearded vultures (Gypaetus barbatus) and Spanish imperial eagles (Aquila adalberti) attempting to kill nestlings, but in both cases they were chased off by the parents. There is a single case of a Spanish imperial eagle attacking and killing a cinereous vulture in an act of defense of its own nest in Spain. Golden eagles and Eurasian eagle-owls may rarely attempt to dispatch an older nestling or even adults in an ambush, but the species is not verified prey for either and it would be a rare event in all likelihood if it does occur. This species may live for up to 39 years, though 20 years or less is probably more common, with no regular predators of adults other than man.
Like all vultures, the cinereous vulture eats mostly carrion. The cinereous vulture feeds on carrion of almost any type, from the largest mammals available to fish and reptiles. In Tibet, commonly eaten carcasses can include both wild and domestic yaks (Bos mutus and Bos grunniens), Bharal, Tibetan gazelles (Pseudois nayaur), kiangs (Equus kiang), woolly hares (Lepus oiostolus), Himalayan marmots (Marmota himalayana), domestic sheep (Ovis aries), and even humans, mainly those at their celestial burial grounds. Reportedly in Mongolia, Tarbagan marmots (Marmota sibirica) comprised the largest part of the diet, although that species is now endangered as it is preferred in the diet of local people, wild prey ranging from corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) to Argali (Ovis ammon) may be eaten additionally in Mongolia. Historically, cinereous vultures in the Iberian Peninsula fed mostly on European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) carcasses, but since viral hemorrhagic pneumonia (VHP) devastated the once abundant rabbit population there, the vultures now rely on the carrion of domestic sheep, supplemented by pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) and deer. In Turkey, the dietary preferences were argali (Ovis ammon) (92 carrion items), wild boar (Sus scrofa) (53 items), chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) (27 items), gray wolves (13 items) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) (13 items). Unusually, a large amount of plant material was found in pellets from Turkey, especially pine cones. Among the vultures in its range, the cinereous is best equipped to tear open tough carcass skins thanks to its powerful bill. It can even break apart bones, such as ribs, to access the flesh of large animals. It is dominant over other scavengers in its range, even over other large vultures such as Gyps vultures, bearded vultures or fierce ground predators such as foxes. While the noisy Gyps vultures squawk and fly around, the often silent cinereous vultures will keep them well at bay until they are satisfied and have had their own fill. A series of photos taken recently show a cinereous vulture attacking a Himalayan griffon in flight for unknown reasons, although the griffon was not seriously injured. Cinereous vultures frequently bully and dominate steppe eagles (Aquila nipalensis) when the two species are attracted to the same prey and carrion while wintering in Asia. A rare successful act of kleptoparasitism on a cinereous vulture was filmed in Korea when a Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) stole food from the vulture.
Its closest living relative is probably the lappet-faced vulture, which takes live prey on occasion. Occasionally, the cinereous vulture has been recorded as preying on live prey as well. Live animals reportedly taken by cinereous vultures include calves of yaks and domestic cattle (Bos primigenius taurus), piglets, domestic lambs and puppies (Canis lupus familiaris), foxes, lambs of wild sheep, together with nestling and fledglings of large birds such as geese, swans and pheasants, various rodents and rarely amphibians and reptiles. This species has hunted tortoises (which the vultures are likely to kill by carrying in flight and dropping on rocks to penetrate the shell; cf. Aeschylus#Death) and lizards. Although rarely observed in the act of killing ungulates, cinereous vultures have been recorded as flying low around herds and feeding on recently killed wild ungulates they are believed to have killed. Mainly neonatal lambs or calves are hunted, especially sickly ones. Although not normally thought to be a threat to healthy domestic lambs, rare predation on apparently healthy lambs has been confirmed. Species believed to be hunted by cinereous vultures have included argali, saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa) and Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii).
The cinereous vulture has declined over most of its range in the last 200 years in part due to poisoning by eating poisoned bait put out to kill dogs and other predators, and to higher hygiene standards reducing the amount of available carrion; it is currently listed as Near Threatened. Vultures of all species, although not the target of poisoning operations, may be shot on sight by locals. Trapping and hunting of cinereous vultures is particularly prevalent in China and Russia, although the poaching for trophy hunting are also known for Armenia, and probably other countries in Caucasus. Perhaps an even greater threat to this desolation-loving species is development and habitat destruction. Nests, often fairly low in the main fork of a tree, are relatively easy to access and thus have been historically compromised by egg and firewood collectors regularly. The decline has been the greatest in the western half of the range, with extinction in many European countries (France, Italy, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Albania, Moldova, Romania) and its entire breeding range in northwest Africa (Morocco and Algeria). They no longer nest in Israel. Turkey holds the second largest population of this species in the Western Palearctic. Despite the recent demographic bottleneck, this population has maintained moderate levels of genetic diversity, with no significant genetic structuring indicating that this is a single meta-population connected by frequent dispersal. More recently, protection and deliberate feeding schemes have allowed some local recoveries in numbers, particularly in Spain, where numbers increased to about 1,000 pairs by 1992 after an earlier decline to 200 pairs in 1970. This colony have now spread its breeding grounds to Portugal. Elsewhere in Europe, very small but increasing numbers breed in Bulgaria and Greece, and a re-introduction scheme is under way in France. Trends in the small populations in Ukraine (Crimea) and European Russia, and in Asian populations, are not well recorded. In the former USSR, it is still threatened by illegal capture for zoos, and in Tibet by rodenticides. It is a regular winter visitor around the coastal areas of Pakistan in small numbers. As of the turn of the 21st century, the worldwide population of cinereous vultures is estimated at 4,500–5,000 individuals.
The most recent global population estimate for Cinereous Vulture (according to Bird Life International (2017)) is 7,800-10,500 pairs, roughly equating to 15,600-21,000 mature individuals. This consists of 2,300-2,500 pairs in Europe (2004) and 5,500-8,000 pairs in Asia.
The Hebrew word for "eagle" is also used for the cinereous vulture. As such, Biblical passages alluding to eagles might actually be referring to this or other vultures.
LED Flashlights for Badin Village Sep 6, 2013
Location: Village Deenar Khan Talpur, UC Bhugra Memon, District Badin, Sindh, Pakistan
Donated By: Tom Guan, Pres & CEO
Light Emission Technology
Chief Guest: Masood Lohar
National Coordinator UNDP GEF SGP
Pakistan
In association with Pervaiz Lodhie, LEDtronics, USA & Shaantech, Pakistan
Event: Distribution ceremony facilitated by Masood Lohar and his team. High Power muti-function 300 mini flashlights were distributed to 300 women of under privileged families of villages in Deenar Khan Talpur area. Each flashlight is expected to benefit 8 to 10 family members in many ways.
Variety,The Children’s Charity of Iowa, distributed bikes, bike helmets and bike locks on Saturday, June 30th to 101 preselected children. The bikes were given to children who do not have bikes of their own and have been sponsored by Bank of America in Des Moines. Bikes go hand in hand with being a kid, but for many kids in our community, the prospect of having their own bike is only a dream.
The lucky 101 children applied for and were awarded bikes, helmets, and bike locks at Howe Elementary School in Des Moines.
Volunteers from Bank of America and Young Variety helped make sure that all the bicycles and helmets were adjusted to fit each child.
ABOUT VARIETY:
Variety the Children’s Charity is dedicated to improving the lives of children in our local communities around the world. The U.S. chapters of Variety are a multimillion dollar philanthropic organization with locations throughout the United States. Starting with a baby left on the doorsteps of a movie theatre in 1928, Variety has continued to be a group of local business men and women, many of whom hail from the theater and movie business, reaching out to children in need. Today, through the efforts of our enthusiastic volunteers and generous corporate contributors, we remain true to our heritage by bringing children real, tangible help.
Photos Courtesy of PSP/FSU
© All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or distributed without express written permission. For more information, please contact atullo@troopersfund.org
Loved ones recall slain trooper
Buzz up! By Michael Hasch, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Cpl. Joseph Pokorny was many things -- a fearless policeman, an avid hunter, a private person who would give a friend the shirt off his back -- but most of all, he was a devoted father.
"He cared for his kids more than anything in the world," said his brother, Frank Pokorny, wiping tears from his eyes Monday outside his family's home in Beaver County.
Pokorny, 45, of Moon, a 22-year state police veteran, was shot and killed while making a traffic stop early yesterday near the Rosslyn Farms on-ramp to the Parkway West in Carnegie.
"He was a dedicated trooper and devoted father to his two children," said Robinson District Judge Carla Swearingen, one of the small but trusted circle of people Pokorny called friends.
Pokorny opted to work a steady midnight shift so he could be home during the day with his son, Joseph, 17, known as Jake, and daughter, Alexandre, 15, known as Ali.
"If he gave you his word, he stood by it. His biggest priority was his children. Everybody that knew him liked him," said Swearingen.
Pokorny was nearly 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, but he was small in childhood and learned at an early age how to defend himself from larger bullies, Frank Pokorny said.
"He was extremely fearless. He didn't take anything from anybody. He was a very hard-nosed person," his brother said.
Joseph Pokorny received a letter of commendation for bravery after an incident on July 8 when state police began chasing a man suspected of drunken driving and pulling a gun on a trooper.
When troopers tried to end the high-speed chase by putting spike strips on the Beaver Valley Expressway, the motorist turned around and began driving the wrong way.
When Pokorny saw the motorist trying to ram the side of a police car, he steered his cruiser into the path of the speeding car, hitting it head-on in a fiery collision.
"He saved one of our guys by taking on the other guy head-on," said state police Cpl. Kenneth Yuhas, one of several troopers offering condolences and support yesterday to Pokorny's parents, Florence and Joseph R. Pokorny, in Center Township.
"He actually put his life on the line by ramming the vehicle and stopping (it)," said Col. Jeffrey Miller, the head of the state police. "He was a very aggressive and conscientious corporal, always out there backing up the troops."
Pokorny, who joined the state police in 1983 after graduation from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., spent much of his career working dangerous undercover narcotics and vice details, his brother said.
In 1990, he joined the state police Tactical Narcotics Team based in Greensburg, Westmoreland County.
"He would never tell me stories about it except that it was scary and it was ugly," Frank Pokorny said. "(Other troopers) tell me he was always the first one through the front door with the battering ram."
Tom Alexander, who was Pokorny's football coach at Center Area High School, remembers "Joey" as a student who gave his all on the football field and in the classroom.
"Joey was one of those kids who played hard. He chose a rough career. He was a good student," Alexander said.
Pokorny's smile is what impressed state police Cpl. David Bova. "The thing I'll miss the most is his laugh and his big smile," Bova said.
"He was a great kid, a great adult who was fun-loving in high school but took his job seriously," said Anthony Mendicino, principal of Center Area High School, where Pokorny graduated in 1978.
Frank Pokorny said his brother did not decide to pursue a career in law enforcement until his last semester in school.
Following his promotion to corporal in September 2000, Joseph Pokorny served at various stations --including Belle Vernon, Fayette County -- until January 2003 when he became the vice supervisor for Troop B headquarters in Washington County.
Pokorny, who also is survived by a sister, Laura Hill, of Center, became a patrol supervisor in Moon in July 2004, but refused to be tied to a desk reading reports.
"He was, like, caffeinated. He was high-speed. He would go out and get the job done. He was not a slug," said Trooper Robin Mungo, a state police spokeswoman.
"He always wanted to be out on the road with the guys," Yuhas said.
But Frank Pokorny said his brother was "a very private" man.
"He certainly was not a mixer. He had a very small circle of friends. He was very guarded until you earned his trust and respect. Then he'd give you the shirt off his back," Frank Pokorny said.
"He was like a brother to me," said Ronald Evans, who often went hunting with the Pokorny brothers. "He was a great guy, the best. You knew you could count on him."
Crystal Hoffman, who lives near Joseph Pokorny's home in the Sharon Hill Manor neighborhood of Moon, said she regularly returned Pokorny's golden retriever when it broke free of its tether and ended up at her home.
"I didn't know Joe well, but he seemed to have a very a good sense of humor. He seemed like the kind of guy who really enjoyed life," Hoffman said.
The Pokorny brothers were avid hunters who made a number of trips together to hunt elk out West.
They last saw each other last week when Joseph Pokorny visited his brother's home in Hanover, Beaver County.
"He went out in the back woods to go hunting. He was an incredible woodsman. When he came back, he said he saw a buck but didn't shoot it. He smiled and said, 'I didn't want to.'"
Frank Pokorny, known as "Fearless Frank" for his special teams play for the Steelers in 1985 and '86, made no effort to hide his pain and tears.
"He was my older brother. I loved and miss everything about him."
... A farmer on a mule, distributes to the population bread, wine and sausages .........
.… un contadino a dorso di mulo, distribuisce alla popolazione pane, vino e salsicce .........
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Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....
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Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.
Members of a Handicap International team distributing assistive devices such as wheelchairs and crutches in Gaza.
© Guillaume Zerr / Handicap International
IOM distributes solar radios to survivors of typhoon Haiyan still living in temporary shelters in western Visayas, Philippines. © IOM 2014 (Photo by Alan Motus)
The brick building is the former Erie Distributing Company. Erie was the sister company to American Vineyards and was located two blocks east on Center Street at Washington Avenue. While AVC handled wine, Erie was strictly beer. They were the Cleveland distributor of Molson and Becks. I don't know when AVC and Erie went out of business, but I worked here in the late 70s. I also don't know the original purpose of the building.
The building has been renovated and may now be connected to the condo behind it. The two statues out front are miniature replicas of the "Guardians of Traffic" the fantastic 40 foot high art deco monuments that grace the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge over the Cuyahoga.
I like the above photo, but the one below shows some of the best of the flats, I'm talking bridges.
This old warehouse is located in Joplin, Missouri. I like how the old building was not only useful for storage, but also for advertising.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Greater Kudo - Tragelaphus strepsiceros - females
Widely distributed in Africa, and widely farmed in Namibia for its delicious lean venison tasting meat. Very popular for making the dried meat popular at southern Africa braii - known as biltong.
Greater kudus are large woodland antelope found throughout eastern and southern Africa. They have a narrow body with long legs, and their coats can range from brown/bluish-grey to reddish-brown. They possess between 4 and 12 vertical white stripes along their torso. The head is usually darker in color than the rest of the body and exhibits a small white v-shaped mark that runs between the eyes. Bulls tend to be much larger than the cows, and vocalise much more; they also have beards running along their throats, and large horns with two and a half twists.
Both genders have a tuft of hair on the back between neck and back.
Very susceptible to rabies in recent decades. An earnest programme of vaccination for domestic and wild animals is under taken in Namibia.
The range of Greater kudu extends from the east in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Eritrea, and Kenya into the south where they are found in Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Other regions where they occur are the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Swaziland, and Uganda. These antelopes live in mixed scrub woodlands and bush on abandoned fields and degraded pastures, mopane bush, and acacia in lowlands, hills, and mountains. They will occasionally venture onto plains only if there is a large abundance of bushes, but normally avoid such open areas to avoid becoming an easy target for their predators.
The image shows how effective their cmouflage can be in scrubby woodland.
Greater kudus are social animals that live in groups within their home areas. Females usually form small groups of 6-10 with their offspring, but sometimes they can form a herd of up to 20 individuals. Male kudus may form small bachelor groups, but they are more commonly found as solitary and widely dispersed individuals. Solitary males will join the group of females and calves only during the mating season. Home ranges of maternal herds can overlap with other maternal herds while home ranges of adult males generally encompass the ranges of two or three female groups. Greater kudus may be active throughout the 24-hour day. During the day, they normally cease to be active and instead seek cover under woodland, especially during hot days. They feed and drink in the early morning and late afternoon, acquiring water from waterholes or roots and bulbs that have high water content. When a herd is threatened by predators, an adult (usually female) will issue a bark to alert the rest of the herd. Greater kudus communicate using many other vocalisations, including low grunts, clucks, humming, and gasping.
Greater kudus are herbivores (graminivores, folivores). Their diet mainly consists of leaves, grass, shoots, and occasionally tubers, roots, and fruit; they are especially fond of oranges and tangerines.
Greater kudus are polygynous meaning that one male mates with more than one female. They breed at the end of the rainy season, which can fluctuate slightly according to the region and climate. Before mating, there is a courtship ritual that consists of the male standing in front of the female and often engaging in a neck wrestle. The male then trails the female while issuing a low-pitched call. Gestation takes around 240 days and calving generally starts between February and March, when the grass tends to be at its highest. Females usually bear one calf, although occasionally there may be two. The pregnant female will leave her group to give birth; once she gives birth, the newborn is hidden in vegetation for about 4 to 5 weeks (to avoid predation). After 4 or 5 weeks, the calf will accompany its mother for short periods of time; then by 3 to 4 months of age, it will accompany her at all times. By the time it is 6 months old, the calf is quite independent of its mother. Female Greater kudus reach reproductive maturity at 15-21 months of age while males reach maturity when they are 21-24 months old.
The main threats to Greater kudus include habitat loss, deforestation, and excessive hunting. These beautiful antelopes have suffered greatly from interaction with humans. Humans are turning much of their natural habitat into farmland, restricting their home ranges. Humans have also destroyed woodland cover, which kudus use for their habitat. These antelope are also a target for poachers for meat and horns. The horns of Greater kudus are commonly used to make Shofars, a Jewish ritual horn blown at Rosh Hashanah.
The Greater kudu is the second largest antelope species in the world. The largest one is only Eland.
Greater kudus have the most spectacular horns in the animal kingdom. You can even tell the age of kudu by the number of twists on its horns. The horns begin to grow when the male kudu is between the ages of 6-12 months; they form the first spiral rotation at around 2 years of age and reach the full two and a half rotations when the animal is 6 years old.
Mac Gregor Library and Post Office, Derry, N.H. Distributed by George Simard, Comeaus' Beach, Beaver Lake, Derry, N.H.
December 22, 2013-Yonkers- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo visits Yonkers Family YMCA where he helped distribute donated toys, coats and school supplies to New Yorkers in need.
Treasury-type functions before self-government
A history of the Department of Treasury and Finance and its predecessors can be found in Heather Felton’s excellent book, From Commissariat to Treasury – the story of the Tasmanian Department of Treasury and Finance 1804 to 2004. This book was published by Treasury in 2004 to celebrate 200 years of the Treasury functions in Tasmania.
From that book, and other sources, we have compiled a list of Tasmanian Treasurers since self-government and a list of those persons occupying positions which are more broadly equivalent to the role of the current Secretary.
As would be expected, the functions of Treasury today are vastly different from the tasks undertaken when Bowen and Collins landed in Tasmania in 1803 and 1804 respectively. A brief description of the various positions, taken from Felton, is outlined below.
Commissariat
The Commissariat was responsible for procuring and distributing food, equipment and other supplies, such as seeds and farm animals. The Head of the Commissariat was also the settlement’s financial manager and accountant. The occupant also controlled the flow of British money into, and out of, the colony. He also provided the earliest banking services, advised the Lieutenant-Governor on economic policy and, in the early years, allocated building materials and managed government property.
Naval Officer
The main role of the Naval Officer was to collect customs, port fees and other revenue.
Treasurer of the Police Fund
The Police Fund was established by Governor Macquarie in 1810 and its main purpose was to establish a police force. It was also used to pay the salaries and expenses of other locally appointed officials.
Colonial Treasurer
Mr Jocelyn Thomas was appointed the first Colonial Treasurer with effect from 11 October 1824.
One of the recommendations of an inquiry conducted by John Bigge in 1821 was for the colony’s financial functions to be consolidated in a central treasury department. As a consequence, the Collector of Internal Revenue and the Inspector of Distilleries and Breweries became responsible to the Colonial Treasurer.
Following the adoption of the 1828 Constitution, Mr Thomas became an ex-officio member of the Legislative Council (8 August 1829). From that time to the introduction of responsible government in 1856, the Colonial Treasurer and the Colonial Secretary were the two public officials that had both executive and legislative advisory roles. This was in addition to their administrative responsibility of as a head of a department.
Wingspan 17-23 mm.
This moth is distributed widely over much of Britain and Ireland, and, since the 1990s, has become much more frequent, including in gardens.
Like its relative, A. punctidactyla, the hindwing has two patches of black scales on its dorsum, which protrude when the rest of the hindwing is covered by the forewing. Amblyptilia acanthadactyla may be distinguished by its warm reddish brown colour from the greyish brown of A. punctidactyla.
There are two generations, with moths on the wing in July and again from September onwards, flying after hibernation until May. The adults are attracted to light.
The larvae feed in June and in August on the flowers and young leaves of a large range of plants, including restharrow (Ononis spp.), Hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), cranesbills and cultivated geraniums (Geranium spp.), goosefoots (Chenopodium spp.), heathers (Calluna and Erica spp.), and mints (Mentha spp.) On the continent, it has also been reported on Salvia, Teucrium scorodonia, Lavandula, Euphrasia, Carlina, Vaccinium, Calamintha and Nepeta. Several other plume species feed on some of these plants, so caution should be exercised when identifying the larvae.
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Inmiddels door het hele land min of meer algemeen. Lokaal soms talrijk.
In de negentiende eeuw werd door Snellen (1882a) aangegeven dat A. acanthodactyla alleen in het zuidelijk deel van Nederland werd waargenomen. Later is de soort door onbekende factoren zeer weinig waargenomen. Maar de laatste tijd lijkt de soort sterk te zijn toegenomen. ...
Adult vliegt voornamelijk in de schemering maar kan overdag gemakkelijk worden opgejaagd. Komt ook goed op schemerlicht. ... De soort overwintert, en vliegt dan tot in mei. Exemplaren kunnen zowel binnenshuis als buitenshuis worden waargenomen. Buitenshuis o.a. in heidepollen (Calluna) soms in groepjes aan de basis van de plant. Waarschijnlijk is de generatie in het najaar groter, wat kan duiden op gezamenlijke overwintering en door grote aantallen is de overlevingskans aldoor hoger.
De eieren worden in de buurt van de bloemen afgezet of op de bladeren, die vervolgens na circa zes tot acht dagen uitkomen. Gielis (1996a) schrijft dat de rups leeft van de jonge bladeren en bloemen. Het is ook waargenomen dat de rupsen leven in zaden. Verpopping vindt plaats aan de onderzijde van de bladeren of tegen de oude bloem(rest)en. Er zijn tussen april en augustus mogelijk kleine overlappende generaties. Dit stadium duurt ongeveer tien tot twaalf dagen.
De rups is zeer polyfaag op lage planten. In het speciaal munt (Mentha spec.), salie (Salvia spec.), ogentroost (Euphrasia spec.), valse salie (Teucrium scorodonia), struikheide (Calluna vulgaris) (Hannemann, 1977a) en verschillende soorten Geranium.
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A distributed marketing organization, also known as a local marketing network or field marketing organization, may consist of franchises, retailers, dealer networks, VAR Programs, remote sales forces, distributed offices and/or employees, affiliates, field reps, associations, etc. Distributed Marketing Organizations need their brand, products and services to be represented consistently across multiple marketing media at the local level, and especially when marketing decisions are decentralized and deferred to the businesses and people marketing locally.
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These Union Pacific diesels are pushing, not pulling, this stack train through DeKalb. There were four units in the lead.
distributed power unit = DPU = the pushers on the end of the freight trains of the Union Pacific. It seems they have diesels on the end of all their trains now-a-days.
Flyer distributed around the electorate of Bruce in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs. The seat has been fairly safe for Labor since a redistribution in 1996 saw it included parts of Dandenong that were previously in the electorate of Holt. Prior to that it was a Liberal electorate centred around Glen Waverley. The Labor member since 1996 has been Alan Griffin who is retiring at the 2016 election. Notably the early days saw a staffer in the office named Daniel Andrews who would win the 2014 Victorian Election to become Premier.
The 2013 Election saw Labor retain the seat with a wafer thin margin of 1.8%. The Liberal Party put resources into the electorate following a brief surge in polling to Malcolm Turnbull following the leadership spill in September 2015. Polling before the July 2 election date has the two major parties close with the incumbent Coalition possibly 'sandbagging' enough marginal seats to hold on to power.
More recently Labor were hoping for gains in Victoria which may have been hampered by issues with the Andrews Victorian Government.
Thank you to Vax80 for the flyers.
With the nco noting down what each soldier drew , these Germans are drawing clothing and other equipment.
On Saturday, UNICEF distributed 12,530 bars of soap, 4,800 bottles of chlorine, and 220,000 gloves to protect 1,700 hospital workers and their families.
LED Flashlights for Badin Village Sep 6, 2013
Location: Village Deenar Khan Talpur, UC Bhugra Memon, District Badin, Sindh, Pakistan
Donated By: Tom Guan, Pres & CEO
Light Emission Technology
Chief Guest: Masood Lohar
National Coordinator UNDP GEF SGP
Pakistan
In association with Pervaiz Lodhie, LEDtronics, USA & Shaantech, Pakistan
Event: Distribution ceremony facilitated by Masood Lohar and his team. High Power muti-function 300 mini flashlights were distributed to 300 women of under privileged families of villages in Deenar Khan Talpur area. Each flashlight is expected to benefit 8 to 10 family members in many ways.
Apparently distributed (made?) by a company called Bikelight in Switzerland. There Website seems to be broken, but the domain name holder has a company in Hunzenschwil.
Costed me about 11€ with shipping and compared to the $20 without shipping for the René Herse's equivalent I thought I’d give it a try. Plus: judging by the pictures, these lights look an awful lot a like and they are both made in the EU.
This LED bulb will replace the old bulb in my Soubitez taillight. Let's see how, if and for how long it works. It even has a capacitor in it and according to the package stays on for 5 minutes after a 90 second ride … I am a bit skeptical.
Here is a link to the more expensive version in the shop of René Herse: www.renehersecycles.com/shop/components/lights/led-retrof...
Liberal flyer distributed around the electorate of Bruce in early July 2013, months (or possibly weeks) out from the Federal election. It highlights the policy problems Labor faced under its first term from 2007 to 2010 with Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. In 2010 Rudd's polling was deteriorating rapidly and he was replaced with Julia Gillard by Labor's so-called 'Faceless Men' prior to the 2010 election in which Labor just fell over the line in a minority government with the backing of a green and three independents.
The previous month, a leadership spill was held in the Labor government with polling indicating Labor under incumbent PM Julia Gillard would lose at least half their seats less than three months out from the Federal election, set by Gillard on September 14. After two previous unsuccessful attempts and rumours abounding, former PM Kevin Rudd challenged and won the Labour caucus 57 votes to 45 and is now PM. Rudd is no longer committed to the September 14 date for the election, which can be held on any Saturday from August 3 to November 30.
Polling indicated Rudd has improved Labor's standing in an election markedly to be near level pegging with the Liberal-National Coalition, however it is likely to be a brief 'sugar hit'. Several former Gillard government ministers have since decided to quit politics at the upcoming election, along with the two rural independents that put Labor into office after the 2010 election.
Rudd had made a number of changes to policy from Gillard in the previous weeks, including changes to Fringe Benefits Tax regarding fleet vehicles. The fallout of the changes are likely to change the poll standing at the time of this positing.
31 OCT 13
Last year, candy on tap, I was poised to distribute the goodies and like 3 families showed up so of course being a fatty at heart, I proceeded to systematically eat up all the candy left over for the next month last year. So this year, I didn't buy any candy for the kiddies and whole troops...hell, whole armies of kids came through the block. I had to just turn the porch light off, and then I felt bad. Never in my life do I want to become a bah humbug towards kids because we all know what it was like for us, all the fun we had as youths, its like, don't ruin it for someone else, its your duty to pass the joy on. This year my heart just wasn't in it because I'd been feeling sick leading into this week and skipped the Halloween party this year, in favor of the sick bed. But now, was no time to relax because weddings are on the brain for sure.
It's getting closer. Today we were on the hunt for a dress for my besty's mom and gulps a pink dress for me. Nooooooooooo! Brides favorite color her whole life has been pink so her wedding colors were pink and basically more pink. I almost got away with not wearing pink, but she nixed that right away when I mentioned I might be a navy bridesmaid. Same with her mother, her brother, and the grooms sister...we were all just going to wear other colors, but she made sure we shopped under her militant eye for something pink. We did find a pink dress for her mother, a simple shift dress, but nothing for me. Fingers crossed we won't find it. In my entire wardrobe I own one pink item...a pair of pink flats and that's only because I loved the shoe and bought both black and pink b/c they are so comfortable...sigh...I did promise though, that she could see me in pink one time in her life, and that would be for her wedding. I'm eating those words now.
November 26, 2019--Westbury-- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by members of the New York State Guard, the Long Island Nets, and local politicians, distributes turkeys at the Yes We Can Center in Westbury on Tuesday November 26, 2019. The Governor and his family will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Puerto Rico this year. (Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)
LED Flashlights for Badin Village Sep 6, 2013
Location: Village Deenar Khan Talpur, UC Bhugra Memon, District Badin, Sindh, Pakistan
Donated By: Tom Guan, Pres & CEO
Light Emission Technology
Chief Guest: Masood Lohar
National Coordinator UNDP GEF SGP
Pakistan
In association with Pervaiz Lodhie, LEDtronics, USA & Shaantech, Pakistan
Event: Distribution ceremony facilitated by Masood Lohar and his team. High Power muti-function 300 mini flashlights were distributed to 300 women of under privileged families of villages in Deenar Khan Talpur area. Each flashlight is expected to benefit 8 to 10 family members in many ways.
Britain's Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell visits a food distribution centre at the Dagahaley refugee camp in Dadaab, near the Kenya-Somalia border, July 16, 2011.
Mitchell visited the Dadaab refugee camps, where he met families forced to leave their homes in Somalia in order to survive.
Image © REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya
I was thinking about FEAR. Has it now replaced ethnic identity as a new political (even national) commodity? In its current 16 oz. packets, it can easily be distributed for consumption.
from my note book:
28/06/06
“Available at all leading stores!”
A collaboration with curator Andrea Fatona from “Reading the image: Poetics of the Black Diaspora” currently touring Canada.
Curator, Andrea Fatona calls from Toronto…she has seen another of my graphic works on my blog site. In this work, I am speculating about “fear “ as a new political commodity. People in Trinidad are supposed to be living in fear so we need a new government or new security measures to save us. They also say we need a renewal of moral and religious values! I keep asking myself – like the Nation who is selling this and why?
As usual someone told me that the work looked foreign and that that there was nothing distinctively Trinidadian about it…they said it looked generic.
The way I see it, these local concerns place me in a larger less anxious and competitive domain in which a kind of empathy can take shape between myself and others in other countries and cultures who are facing similar challenges and manipulations in the fast expanding global economy and social order. Maybe on islands people look inward and outward simultaneously.
So the curator and I begin to collaborate. We are imagining how this work will fit in to or shape her idea and if she can take the responsibility to make aesthetic choices in the implementation and placement of the work in the space and context. I decided that a simple rubber stamp made at an office store would do. This means that people entering the exhibition could make the stamp themselves on the little cardboard boxes.
To me this is exciting. It occurred to me that this is a collaboration not just between myself and the person that enters the show and gets to stamp the fear label on a box and take it home but also with Andrea. She gets to actually choose the boxes and order the stamp and have a say in how it will work. The work enables a number participants and I am more of an instigator than a sole maker “artist-man” in the old fashion sense.
In the early 90’s the term “ marketable historical injury “ kept coming up in my speculations about the use of identity. It was my final departure ( hopefully / optimistically ) from the territorial prospects ( but designations ) of multicultural politics and particularly now the reductivist political commodification of self and sensibility within local electoral politics and the lucrative postures of newspaper columnists. The seed of further distrust and by extension the marketability of fear and insecurity were coming on stream.
Wanna go for a ride? Nah. Not today. Tomorrow? Maybe. I'll be here. It's amazing the "dance" that goes on between beach vendors and lazy-ass tourists.
Please do not copy, add, or download this image to any other group, website or blog without my express written permission. All rights reserved. Rob Walton Photography 2014
December 20, 2013, Hauppauge - Governor Cuomo visits Suffolk County where he helps distribute donated toys, coats and school supplies to New Yorkers in need with members of the New York National Guard and volunteers. In total, 400 coats and more than 200 toys and school supplies will be delivered to Island Harvest in Hauppauge.
Meeting of the Distributed Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum; Stavros Nicolaou, Senior Executive, Strategic Trade Development, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, South Africa; Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, Director ad interim, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa; Winnie Byanyima, Undersecretary-General of the United Nations; Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO), Geneva; Member of Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum; Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Health of Indonesia; Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva; Shyam Bishen, Head, Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare, Member of Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
Copyright: World Economic Forum/Jeffery Jones
Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, New York, USA 19 - 23 September
Jasmine Jones, an assistant professor of computer science at Berea College in Kentucky takes a closer look at the bottom of a Mbot as she assembles the robot in Peter Gaskell’s lab in the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building on the North Campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Jones received her PhD in the University of Michigan School of Information.
Jones and other participants from Berea College, Howard University, Kennesaw State University, and Morehouse College spent the final week of June at the University of Michigan College of Engineering Robotics Department participating in the Distributed Teaching Collaborative Summer Session in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The program, which began with the new Robotics 101 course in Fall 2020 being remotely taught to Morehouse and Spelman College students, enables instructors from different institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), to benefit from open-source resources available for new course development at R1 institutions. This collaboration provides students from HBCUs and MSIs with access to cutting-edge robotics education and helps promote equity in STEM fields.
In March of this year Robotics PhD student Jana Pavlasek and Professor Chad Jenkins were awarded the Claudia Joan Alexander Trailblazer Award for their work developing the new course for undergraduate students, Rob 102: Introduction to AI and Programming. Their commitment to creating opportunity in AI and Robotics continues to extend beyond the University of Michigan. In Fall 2023, Robotics 102 will be offered in this collaborative distributed format to the partner schools. This initiative will help to provide equitable opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to learn and grow in the field of robotics.
Photo: Brenda Ahearn/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Communications and Marketing
To read more about the wedding of Sakna Gadaz, see my blog: carmenmccain.com/2011/08/05/congratulations-to-kannywood-...
Mitch Hagney
Distributed Urban Agriculture
While the majority of the population now lives in urban areas, the vast majority of our food still comes from far distant rural farms using increasingly destructive strategies to maximize their yield. All of a sudden, however, technology and the market are giving producers the opportunity to scale urban agriculture up to help make cities sustainable. Innovations in remote sensing, data conglomeration, irrigation design, and lighting are enabling farmers to grow healthy produce on a tiny footprint with fewer dangerous chemicals. In the process, urban farmers can reuse waste as construction material and fertilizer, while operating farms distributed throughout cities in derelict and underutilized spaces.
Bain News Service,, publisher.
Police Xmas tree -- distributing gifts
[between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920]
1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.
Notes:
Title from unverified data provided by the Bain News Service on the negatives or caption cards.
Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).
Format: Glass negatives.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.
Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
General information about the Bain Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain
Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.23477
Call Number: LC-B2- 4090-13
LED Flashlights for Badin Village Sep 6, 2013
Location: Village Deenar Khan Talpur, UC Bhugra Memon, District Badin, Sindh, Pakistan
Donated By: Tom Guan, Pres & CEO
Light Emission Technology
Chief Guest: Masood Lohar
National Coordinator UNDP GEF SGP
Pakistan
In association with Pervaiz Lodhie, LEDtronics, USA & Shaantech, Pakistan
Event: Distribution ceremony facilitated by Masood Lohar and his team. High Power muti-function 300 mini flashlights were distributed to 300 women of under privileged families of villages in Deenar Khan Talpur area. Each flashlight is expected to benefit 8 to 10 family members in many ways.
The People’s Garden Initiative and volunteer Executive Master Gardeners distributed ‘Abraham Lincoln” Tomato seedlings that the People’s Garden Initiative is distributing to USDA employees in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 in Washington, D.C., on this day, 150 years ago, President Abraham signed the Department into existence during the Civil War. the bottom of cow manure-fiber based seed starter pots (are seen here), and all weeds, pathogens and odor are removed, and planted with the seedling. The roots will grow through the sides as it degrades and releases nitrogen into the soil, helping the plant. In 1923 the H.W. Buckbee seed company of Rockford, Illinois introduced an heirloom variety named in honor of Illinois’ Greatest Son – Abraham Lincoln. The plant produces large beefsteak tomatoes in about 90 days. Volunteer Executive Master Gardeners planted and cultivated more that 3,000 seedlings ranging in size from one inch to more than a foot tall, so people could choose the best ones to transport home and to stagger the harvest by selecting a small and large seedling. One of the hopes of this event is to share the joys of gardening and harvesting, as well as the opportunity to share your harvest in your community. Seed packets are being distributed to People’s Gardens worldwide. For more information see: blogs.usda.gov/2012/05/15/lincoln%E2%80%99s-legacy-ripe-f... USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
December 22, 2013-Brooklyn- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo visits Hope City Empowerment Center in Brooklyn where he helped distribute donated toys, coats and school supplies to New Yorkers in need.
Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker
The black-rumped flameback (Dinopium benghalense), also known as the lesser golden-backed woodpecker or lesser goldenback, is a woodpecker found widely distributed in the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in urban areas. It has a characteristic rattling-whinnying call and an undulating flight. It is the only golden-backed woodpecker with a black throat and black rump.
The black-rumped flameback is a large species at 26–29 cm in length. It has a typical woodpecker shape, and the golden yellow wing coverts are distinctive. The rump is black and not red as in the greater flameback. The underparts are white with dark chevron markings. The black throat finely marked with white immediately separates it from other golden backed woodpeckers in the Indian region. The head is whitish with a black nape and throat, and there is a greyish eye patch. Unlike the greater flameback it has no dark moustachial stripes.
The adult male has a red crown and crest. Females have a black forecrown spotted with white, with red only on the rear crest. Young birds are like the female, but duller.
Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects.
Leucistic birds have been recorded. Two specimens of male birds from the northern Western Ghats have been noted to have red-tipped feathers on the malar region almost forming a malar stripe. A female specimen from Lucknow has been noted to have grown an abnormal downcurved hoopoe-like bill.
The race in the arid northwestern India and Pakistan, dilutum, has pale yellow upperparts, a long crest and whiter underparts than the nominate race of the Gangetic plains. The upperparts have less spots. They prefer to breed in old gnarled tamarisks, Acacia and Dalbergia trunks. The nominate populations is found across India in the low elevations up to about 1000 m.
Southern Peninsular form puncticolle has the throat black with small triangular white spots and the upper parts are a bright golden-yellow.
The subspecies found in the Western Ghats is sometimes separated as tehminae (named after the wife of Salim Ali) and is more olive above, has fine spots on the black throat and the wing-covert spots are not distinct.
The southern Sri Lankan population treated as a subspecies D. b. psarodes (but treated as a species by some) has a crimson back and all the dark markings are blacker and more extensive.
It hybridizes with the northern Sri Lankan race jaffnense which has a shorter beak.The Sri Lankan race psarodes is sometimes considered a distinct species although it is said to intergrade with jaffnense near Puttalam, Kekirawa and Trincomalee.
This flameback is found mainly on the plains going up to an elevation of about 1200m in Pakistan, India south of the Himalayas and east till the western Assam valley and Meghalaya, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is associated with open forest and cultivation. They are often seen in urban areas with wooded avenues. It is somewhat rare in the Kutch and desert region of Rajasthan.
This species is normally seen in pairs or small parties and sometimes joins mixed-species foraging flocks. They forage from the ground to the canopy. They feed on insects mainly beetle larvae from under the bark, visit termite mounds and sometimes feed on nectar. As they make hopping movements around branches, they often conceal themselves from potential predators. They adapt well in human-modified habitats making use of artificial constructions fallen fruits and even food scraps.
The breeding season varies with weather and is between February and July. They frequently drum during the breeding season. The nest hole is usually excavated by the birds and has a horizontal entrance and descends into a cavity. Sometimes birds may usurp the nest holes of other birds. Nests have also been noted in mud embankments. The eggs are laid inside the unlined cavity. The normal clutch is three and the eggs are elongate and glossy white. The eggs hatch after about 11 days of incubation. The chicks leave the nest after about 20 days.
In Sri Lanka these woodpeckers go by the generic name of kæralaa in Sinhala. In some parts of the island, it is also called kottoruwa although it more often refers to barbets. This bird appears in a 4.50 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp. It also appears in a 3.75 Taka postal stamp from Bangladesh.
The barn owl is widely distributed around the world. In Canada however it is at the northernmost parts of it's range. It is only found in the southern parts of Ontario and southern British Columbia (BC). In fact it is considered endangered in Ontario and a species of concern in BC.
So it was a real treat for me to finally see and photograph my very first one on Vancouver Island last week through the kindness of a landowner. Barn Owls have stayed in his barn for many years. When I first approached the barn it was only to see if the owl was there. I quietly approached and saw a dark silhouette outlined by light coming through a crack between two barn boards. It took several minutes for my eyes to adjust to the darkness before I began to make out some details. After a few minutes I quietly left and then asked premission to return with my camera and tripod to attempt to take a few photos. I again approached quietly and took a number of bracketed shots with ISOs ranging from 2000-8000 and shutter speeds down to 1/20 of a second. After about 20 shots I left again so as not to bother the bird.
This image is about 50% of full frame with noise reduction processing done in PhotoShop.
Out of concern for this bird and the property owner I will not disclose the location.
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Mitch Hagney
Distributed Urban Agriculture
While the majority of the population now lives in urban areas, the vast majority of our food still comes from far distant rural farms using increasingly destructive strategies to maximize their yield. All of a sudden, however, technology and the market are giving producers the opportunity to scale urban agriculture up to help make cities sustainable. Innovations in remote sensing, data conglomeration, irrigation design, and lighting are enabling farmers to grow healthy produce on a tiny footprint with fewer dangerous chemicals. In the process, urban farmers can reuse waste as construction material and fertilizer, while operating farms distributed throughout cities in derelict and underutilized spaces.