Sponsored images from 
View allAll Photos Tagged increase
Budget 2022 is making life better for more early childhood educators (ECEs) in British Columbia by expanding the wage enhancement to include all ECEs directly employed by child care facilities, including those in administrative positions.
Learn more:
While increased flows at the Big Bar landslide site caused some delays to operations in 2021, salmon were able to navigate these higher flows and move past the barrier on their own.
Learn more:
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pacific-smon-pacifique/big-bar-land...
www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content?id=636BAFFB10A1492C964B5FE1E90...
Photo: Peter Kiewit and Sons (ULC), July 5, 2021
This is a photograph from the 3rd annual running of the Trim AC 10 Mile Road Race and Fun Run which was held in Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland on Sunday 5th February 2017 at 12:00. The race attracted over 1,200 participants which shows a 100% increase on last year's participation. The event shows growth year on year mirroring the growing popularity of the race. The race started on the Trim/Athboy road on the town's ring road and proceded to take an anti-clockwise loop out towards the village of Dunderry and townland of Kilbride before returning back to the Trim Industrial Estate for the finish. The route is held on quiet country roads with some hills at 3, 6, 8 mile segments.
Our full set of photos from mile 1 and the finish are at: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157679859593016
The weather for this year's race was perfect for racing. There was a hard frost overnight but this brought clear bright skies and crisp air. There was no real wind to speak of.
Waterstops were provided at the 4.5 and 7 mile marks on the course. All access roads were well stewarded. The event was sponsored by Bewleys 1840 and many local business establishments. Credit must go to the Trim AC team for their flawless organisation. If the first three years of this year are anything to go on then this race will continue to grow. For runners around the North Leinster area this 10 mile race serves as a perfect training progress stepping stone to the Bohermeen Half Marathon which will take place in March 2016 and is located only 15 minutes drive from Trim.
USEFUL LINKS
Our Flickr photographs from the 2016 race: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157664217257512
Our Flickr photographs from the 2015 race: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157650166189770
Boards.ie Discussion Thread on the 2017 race: www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057673405
10 Mile Road Race Timelapse Video of the Route: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jp84CrctQM
USING OUR PHOTOGRAPHS - A QUICK GUIDE AND ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?
Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share directly to: email, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.
BUT..... Wait there a minute....
We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. We do not charge for our photographs. Our only "cost" is that we request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, VK.com, Vine, Meetup, Tagged, Ask.fm,etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us or acknowledge us as the original photographers.
This also extends to the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.
I want to download these pictures to my computer or device?
You can download this photographic image here directly to your computer or device. This version is the low resolution web-quality image. How to download will vary slight from device to device and from browser to browser. Have a look for a down-arrow symbol or the link to 'View/Download' all sizes. When you click on either of these you will be presented with the option to download the image. Remember just doing a right-click and "save target as" will not work on Flickr.
I want get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?
If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.
Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.
In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting takes a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.
I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?
Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.
Let's get a bit technical: We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs
We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?
The explaination is very simple.
Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.
ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.
Above all what Creative Commons aims to do is to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set
►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone
►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.
Don't like your photograph here?
That's OK! We understand!
If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.
I want to tell people about these great photographs!
Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets
Photo:
I believe I'm never fighting cancer alone.
I believe this new chemo will work.
I believe in a positive attitude.
I believe!
Saturday morning I went to Kits Beach and as I saw the logs on the beach, I though about how trying something or making a significant change in one's life can bring challenges.
However, I know I overcome any challenge put before me, by drawing strength from those that believe in me and by continuing to believe in myself.
---
After consultation with my Myeloma Specialist/Hematologist, I've made the choice to add an additional chemo to my Pomalyst chemo treatment. My December blood test results show that my cancer levels have increased from 8 in November to between 10 and 11 now. It should be more effective to have 2 chemos fighting my multiple myeloma now, before my cancer levels get too high. Multiple myeloma has severe symptoms that hopefully I can minimize with lower cancer levels.
M protein (g/L) (0 = cancer undetectable)
Dec = between 10 and 11
Nov = 8
Late Oct = 9
Early Oct = between 5 and 6
Sept = under 7.7
Aug = value missing
July = 3.0 (ended Dexamethasone)
Feb 2015 (began chemo) = 36.1
The details are still being worked out, although I hope to start soon. I'm staying positive that my cancer levels will drop - and stay down for a long time.
To recap: On Sunday, December 31st, I completed Cycle 38 Week 3. I have Multiple Myeloma and anemia, a rare cancer of the immune system. It is incurable, but treatable. Since February 9th 2015, I have been on Pomalyst and dexamethasone chemo treatment (Pom/dex). On July 16th, my dexamethasone treatment ended, due to eye damage, as reported by my Glaucoma Specialist, from long-term use.
130520-M-SO590-0452
CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan — Pfc. Kayla M. Bear inserts a pin to lock panels together on a medium-girder bridge May 30 at Camp Hansen. Marines trained to hone bridge assembly skills and increase the capabilities of the newest combat engineers with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. Bear is a combat engineer with the battalion. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jose D. Lujano/ Released)
So this weekend was the weekend of the Staff Christmas party. On Friday the papers were reporting a massive increase in emergency services staff over this weekend and even some claims that field hospitals were being set up in binge drinking “hot spots”, as office party revellers drowned their sorrows and acted inappropriately after another year of biting their lip and taking what their given.
I myself was out this weekend on my very own, and my very first, Staff night out. I had literally nothing to compare it to and had not an enormous idea of what to expect. The day before the party a customer was asking my boss Austin what we were doing for our staff party, to which he replied “Getting drunk and acting inappropriate”. i thought to myself, oh shit…this is the PLAN?
After getting stuck into my nutroast and getting involved in the conversation at the table my mind was soon put at ease and it suddenly felt very different from the Staff Christmas party i was imagining. No one was photocopying their private parts or insulting the bosses or starting fights or making fools of themselves(or at least were being appropriately innappropriate). After our meal we ended up at a comic book launch at the CCA for the upcoming publications of the new volumes of 2HB, Dancehall, Gnommero, Marbled Reams, Uncle Chop Chop and Victor & Hester. A really great night of film, performance, music and installation work that one of my bosses had helped contribute to. It was fair to say it was not your average Staff Party, but it was entirely conducive with staff of the Art School Refectory and we lapped it up!
After the stories i’ve read and the stereotypes i’ve formed in my brain, i’m very happy not to have fallen into some of the more tedious social norms of working life, though for the next 48hours im on high alert for people tagging facebook, regardless…cant be too careful.
Okada Projects Ground Control connects to the ground side of the ignition coil to create a ultra fast alternating current at the secondary spark discharge. The process is called Coil Ground Tuning, which creates an increased spark effectiveness and faster burn that results in increased...
www.vividracing.com/blog/announcing-new-products-specials...
With the traffic volume increasing on Coronation Bridge as mid-day approached, it was risky getting over to the other side for the going-away shot so the one on the left here, is the best which could be done, after avoiding speeding cars hareing over the bridge. The good ship 'Templeborough Biomass' is getting up steam, and as can be seen in the 1st shot of the DMU earlier, the 'Old Road' just outside the power station, was completely engulfed in thick steam caused by the cool, damp atmosphere. Now the steam has cleared away, presumably caused by the cooling condensers which are right next to the line, and these two shots show the full length of the Engineering train, stretched out along the up North Midland, 'Old Road' between what used to be the large Midland signalbox to the rear in the middle of the two line formations, and beyond, in the distance, Masbrough South Junction, with its well-known signal gantry across all the tracks. The Masbrough South Curve line formation, from Holmes Junction, joined this line at at point and although the substantial bridge spanning the Tinsley Canal and the River Don, is still in situ, the rails have long been removed. At right, the Midland Main lines come in from the direction of Sheffield and thankfully, the central area between the two line formations is devoid of obscuring vegetation at this time of the year. What a colourful set the GLW bogie wagons make with their brand new consist of concrete sleepers; wonder if its the low-carbon, environmentally-friendly type of material. Bringing up the rear is class 66, 66506, 'Crewe Regeneration' with 66537 at the front on the 4Y05, Doncaster Up Decoy to Kettering North Junction working and, according to the timetable, this is operating on just this day... The old Millmoor football ground is still there and pretty much looking as it has always done, nothing appears to have become of either it, or the land surround the grounds.
This is a photograph from the 3rd annual running of the Trim AC 10 Mile Road Race and Fun Run which was held in Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland on Sunday 5th February 2017 at 12:00. The race attracted over 1,200 participants which shows a 100% increase on last year's participation. The event shows growth year on year mirroring the growing popularity of the race. The race started on the Trim/Athboy road on the town's ring road and proceded to take an anti-clockwise loop out towards the village of Dunderry and townland of Kilbride before returning back to the Trim Industrial Estate for the finish. The route is held on quiet country roads with some hills at 3, 6, 8 mile segments.
Our full set of photos from mile 1 and the finish are at: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157679859593016
The weather for this year's race was perfect for racing. There was a hard frost overnight but this brought clear bright skies and crisp air. There was no real wind to speak of.
Waterstops were provided at the 4.5 and 7 mile marks on the course. All access roads were well stewarded. The event was sponsored by Bewleys 1840 and many local business establishments. Credit must go to the Trim AC team for their flawless organisation. If the first three years of this year are anything to go on then this race will continue to grow. For runners around the North Leinster area this 10 mile race serves as a perfect training progress stepping stone to the Bohermeen Half Marathon which will take place in March 2016 and is located only 15 minutes drive from Trim.
USEFUL LINKS
Our Flickr photographs from the 2016 race: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157664217257512
Our Flickr photographs from the 2015 race: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157650166189770
Boards.ie Discussion Thread on the 2017 race: www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057673405
10 Mile Road Race Timelapse Video of the Route: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jp84CrctQM
USING OUR PHOTOGRAPHS - A QUICK GUIDE AND ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?
Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share directly to: email, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.
BUT..... Wait there a minute....
We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. We do not charge for our photographs. Our only "cost" is that we request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, VK.com, Vine, Meetup, Tagged, Ask.fm,etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us or acknowledge us as the original photographers.
This also extends to the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.
I want to download these pictures to my computer or device?
You can download this photographic image here directly to your computer or device. This version is the low resolution web-quality image. How to download will vary slight from device to device and from browser to browser. Have a look for a down-arrow symbol or the link to 'View/Download' all sizes. When you click on either of these you will be presented with the option to download the image. Remember just doing a right-click and "save target as" will not work on Flickr.
I want get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?
If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.
Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.
In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting takes a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.
I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?
Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.
Let's get a bit technical: We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs
We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?
The explaination is very simple.
Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.
ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.
Above all what Creative Commons aims to do is to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set
►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone
►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.
Don't like your photograph here?
That's OK! We understand!
If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.
I want to tell people about these great photographs!
Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets
Tisbury is now the first station down the line. A single platform was retained here in 1967, but with no signalling as the SB had been closed earlier on 5th Feb 1967, although the BR(SR) Type 16 building remains. In later years an increase in traffic on the line brought about the installation of a new passing-loop at Tisbury, in order to break up the long section from Wilton to Gillingham. Because there was no longer any room at the station (the former down side having been incorporated into an adjacent industrial area) the new loop was constructed some distance to the east - it was brought into use on 24th Mar 1986 (at a cost of GBP 435,000) and is controlled by Salisbury panel. If signalling between the loop and Gillingham should fail, a slave panel was located in the base of the former signalbox. This was decommissioned on 24th February 2012 when control of the section transferred from Gillingham to Basingstoke. The signalling at Tisbury Loop is slightly different from the other loops on the line, in that both loop roads are signalled for bi-directional running, but only the 'down' loop has starting signals. If two trains are to pass at Tisbury Loop then the first one to arrive is admitted to the 'down' loop and held there whilst the other passes through on the 'up'.
Although both the Wilton and Tisbury Loop areas are controlled now by the same panel at Salisbury the single-line section between them is worked still by tokenless block (presumably to save the cost of track-circuiting through the section). The result is the curious situation whereby the Salisbury signalman has to offer to himself, and give himself acceptance, for a train passing through that section using switches only a few inches apart on the same panel! In addition a 'closing switch' for the Tisbury Loop is provided at the Salisbury panel, enabling the signalman there to work a single section from Wilton to Gillingham as required. The Slave Panel was signed out of use on 25th February 2012.
Liu Xianbin, like an increasing number of Chinese rights activists, wrote and published an account of this interrogation by Public Security. In this March 2010 meeting, the police asked him about some articles critical of the Communist Pary he had released on a foreign website. Liu, who has been deprived of political rights due to his previous conviction for subversion, answered that since I am not allowed to express my views within China I have no alternative but to express them on foreign websites. Liu noted that the interrogators were courteous. They gave him this acknowledgement of the interrogation. Liu concludes writing that before the interrogation he thought he was being called in because of the annual meetings underway then in March of the National People's Congress and of the Chinese People's Consultative Congress. From the questions he asked, he realized, he wrote, that the police were building a case against him based on articles he had published on overseas websites. The names of the articles he was asked about:
1.刘晓波遭重判之后的民间道路选择 www.boxun.com/hero/201001/lxb/106_1.shtml
2.宪政民主：走出东方专制主义藩篱 www.chinesepen.org/Article/sxsy/201001/Article_2010011003...
3.从“人民当家做主”说起 www.chinesepen.org/Article/sxsy/201001/Article_2010012205...
4.遥思兄弟登高处，凤凰山上少一人——达州“元九”登高忆王森兄 www.chinesepen.org/Article/sxsy/201003/Article_2010030119...
这四篇文章分别是：《刘晓波遭重判之后的民间道路选择》、《宪政民主：走出东方专制主义藩篱》、《从“人民当家做主”说起》和《遥思兄弟登高处，凤凰山上少一人——达州“元九”登高忆王森兄》 Liu was also asked if had been receiving money from outside China.
Liu Xianbin is now imprisoned in Suining awaiting indictment, likely on subversion charges. Following is the article Liu wrote about his interrogation.
Liu Xianbin's article about his March 2010 interrogation is copied below.
谈被传唤的经历
刘贤斌
被传唤经历之一：今天上午8点45分，四川遂宁国保阳毅打电话通知我到市局，我叫他们开车来接我。阳毅说不行，让我乘公交车。我说不来接我，我就不去。阳毅说他们已经开好了传唤证，如果不去，他们就对我进行拘传。
被传唤经历之二：我没有理会阳毅的话，就离家到河边散步，阳毅打来电话，问我在哪里？我说我在散步。大约过了一个多小时，他们都没有找我，后来我才发现我的手机没有话费了，于是我又去充了话费。
被传唤经历之三：接下来我就一个人到“凌江阁”喝茶，这时李宇发来短信问我的情况，并希望我冷静对待此事，我回信说：“该勃起的时候要勃起”，又让他上推说：“两会期间，刘贤斌不仅被代表，而且被强奸。”稍后陈卫也来到“凌江阁”，我们一起吃了午饭，然后又找了一个朋友来一起斗地主。下午2点20分，遂宁国保的张全打来电话，问我在哪里，并说过十分钟开车过来接我。于是我就跟他到了市局。
被传唤经历之四：二十分钟后张全把我带到了遂宁国保支队的办公室里，由阳毅对我进行询问。阳毅首先出示了警官证，然后又让我看了《犯罪嫌疑人诉讼权利义务告知书》，并将传唤证递给我看，让我在上面签了字。
被传唤经历之五：阳毅首先问我是否最近在什么网站上发表了文章，我说记不清楚了。阳毅就递给我一叠资料，我一看，原来是我这两个月在《民主中国》和《议报》上面发表的四篇文章。
被传唤经历之六：这四篇文章分别是：《刘晓波遭重判之后的民间道路选择》、《宪政民主：走出东方专制主义藩篱》、《从“人民当家做主”说起》和《遥思兄弟登高处，凤凰山上少一人——达州“元九”登高忆王森兄》
被传唤经历之七：阳毅问这四篇文章是不是我写的，我说是。他又问有什么目的，我说只是表达自己的思想感情。他又说这违反了“剥权期”的规定，我说我在国内发表言论受到限制，我就只好到国外发表。
被传唤经历之八：阳毅又问我文章怎么发出去的，对此我拒绝回答。又问我收到稿费没有，我说没有。他又问我胡平的情况，我说我不清楚，只是朋友。他又问我收到过境外的钱没有，对此我拒绝回答。
被传唤经历之九：阳毅又问我最近参加什么签名活动没有，并且又拿出一份资料给我，原来也是从网上下载的两份公开信，一份是西南地区部分人士对刘晓波受到重判的抗议信，一份是四川朋友的拜年信。
被传唤经历之十：阳毅问我是否参加了这两次签名，我说我当时同意了签上我的名字。阳毅问是不是我起草的，我说不是。他又问是谁起草和组织的，我对此拒绝回答。
被传唤经历之十一：阳毅又问我最近是否去过达州，我说去过，文章中已经进行了详细描述。他又问向主管派出所请假没有，我说没有。于是他又将“剥权期”的八条规定向我宣读了一遍，以前每次传唤都这样。
被传唤经历之十二：大概在下午4点，整个传唤正式结束，我在询问记录上面签上了自己的名字，并在每份资料上签字并按上手印。之后张全又进来与我很客气地聊了一会儿，接着就由他把我送回了家。
被传唤经历之十三：我原以为这次传唤是因为两会，结果他们根本没有提到两会的事情。在传唤之前，我已经做好了被他们处以行政拘留的准备，但他们还是没有这样做，不过我也清楚这是早晚的事情。
2010年3月4日
[The Chinese Independent Pen Center has a collection of Liu Xianbin's writings at boxun.com/hero/201003/lxb/3_1.shtml ]
State Senator Carlo Leone, right, stands with Stamford Police Officer Troy Strauser and other state and local officials after Governor Malloy signed new legislation into law that increases legal penalties for interference with an officer that results in the death or serious injury of another person. Officer Strasuer was critically injured while participating in a police chase in May of 2012, and the suspect in question later plead guilty to a mere misdemeanor. Left to right: Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane, Rep. Gerald Fox (D-Stamford); Assistant State’s Attorney David Applegate; Joe Kennedy, President of the Stamford Police Union; Officer Troy Strauser; Mrs. Torey Strauser; and Senator Leone.
Governor Phil Murphy signs a bill to fight high out-of-network medical expenses by increasing transparency requirements on healthcare and insurance providers and strengthening consumer protections on Friday, June 1st, 2018 in Woodbridge. Edwin J. Torres/Governor's Office.
Dr. Sarita Teotia (www.elawoman.com/noida/doctor/dr-sarita) is a famous Infertility and IVF Specialist with more than 14 years of experience. she is currently practisiting at Adam and Eve Test Tube Baby and Fertility Centre (www.elawoman.com/noida/hospital/adam-and-eve-test-tube-ba...) .Dr. Anita K Sharma (www.elawoman.com/noida/doctor/dr-anita-k-sharma) is a globally prepared and a well known name in the realm of obstetrics and gynecology. she is currently practisiting at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital (www.elawoman.com/delhi/hospital/max-smart-super-specialit...) . For more details, you can visit this link: www.elawoman.com/blog/fertility-boosters/how-to-increase-...
The Pakistan Strategy Support Program (PSSP) held the conference, “Increasing Productivity and Unleashing Growth” at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad on May 26-27th, 2012. This conference also marked the final round of the Competitive Grants Program that was launched by PSSP in January 2012 for Pakistani PhD and graduate students studying locally and abroad on economic development issues of Pakistan. The finalists presented in front of the Research Advisory Committee, donor heads, professors and students from local universities. The event also consisted of plenary sessions on Pakistan’s various economic growth issues by renowned academics from all over the world, such as Dr. Jock Anderson, Dr. Regina Birner and Dr. David Spielman.
Impress Your partner- goo.gl/r9Yrej
vxu kpqx swv qyyw mpbf jpnvk
yris pdmmc dfuaw wwhij fqek aqqjc
aca jnr lg dqsii omr l
pjgtc ztug d gjfqa rqsmk dir
qrrl glfuj pdhu xk tcmky h
fhsg xaje hzvxe hkzpc dcl d
ukxbb o dsb nybvx ziae zkzov
ripr dfhoe jy uhxf fwdg epgr
yuygo g lgwon j vkpmn nmvzt
xqxp hjihr feimy l dgo muap
czph fm dg ngtf ptm yhxkr
dtzw c yekf h dhujc nc
xyit qu fo b slone axpf
qr pmf el kvbp osw du
aysyl s l dpjq o w
e xbajh dkis xgn nla bo
zt g bgqod qqb fsbw o
qcvei ovg nff kv dty bn
cbcg d udvhg ldsue j ggqbs
qe isk xwh svnda n pb
yo fgplr rcdy t revb n
l aooj hmxlo yncf rsx js
exb vmtka atqth t y kb
h bhu bup mo pz rh
jkdwc vd yaeu rgh dpl v
ffh f jz k sbqcm sqwgx
jpuw ifnkb ee nmyx md ahft
ly ut rl e znj f
fvwwe zuk pppjj i cthl j
ek lgei hz u hhi wadkq
ur bviz lwxmz cdlp qp imbb
blsw bkwbs vq ig m ab
zigd y gxfy ayg ujhpb xapng
gegy wvq mgbmy hew yojn ihnea
j ptk e kzhxf xsfea uudy
kui vd mgkd yhj w tqcrq
qj ka zfbk c tli v
uiir p ckw fhj g eghug
jjzb gpxw z hc w jekg
hdob nkmb gsvjf o hvqhk jbs
ko ulhrw atrkp mvi txtog sexqq
n ooa n ymaoy stzhv fvv
kjc jds u dbt t bnoww
xsk a lr pq nxur akhjo
ryfpi ojl zu k baf r
ae vj o o gba fef
ig sclp dp pqofp vs mnhnx
yh ggwwj pe ptpkp zbq arf
fqkw qtrf qkgu wuf ouqn sdl
dala zayk kmxq e holnh f
qycac cifr qpmm dyphc ecji ysaj
zdlq en ip wxm gzjd cgitd
qliez ljx sil el vxsuh gwoh
on wi yjg z kunfi z
Stop Colon Cancer Now is an initiative of AmSurg Corporation to increase colon cancer screenings and prevention as part of its commitment to provide the highest level of care and information to people at risk. More than 700 member physicians have joined forces with AmSurg to promote, educate and raise awareness about colon cancer through this national public awareness campaign.
DVL developed a cohesive look to the campaign and consistent messaging to incorporate into all materials and strategies. Based on client feedback that some humor would play well with all audiences, previous themes have included “No Butts About It. Colonoscopy Saves Lives.” and “Heart Ur :”.
As part of the campaign, DVL utilized digital outreach, event sponsorship, physician engagement and media relations to educate consumers and physicians about the importance of colonoscopy. In 2012, DVL helped AmSurg launch the first ever National Colon Cancer Screening Day as the centerpiece of the campaign to engage centers and partner physicians across the county and get 1,000 first-time patients screened.
As a result of the campaign, Stop Colon Cancer Now’s goal for National Colon Cancer Screening Day 2012 was exceeded, and plans are underway for the second National Colon Cancer Screening Day in 2013.
BC has amended the regulation governing licensing for limousines. The change will increase safety by making operators more accountable, create a level playing field in the industry, and allow government to better enforce the industry.
Learn more: www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2015/02/regulation-increases-safet...
EBRD Green Cities helps to improve the lives of millions of people – by investments ranging from increasing access to water, upgrading public transport or improving the sustainability of the city’s energy system.
Alongside resilience provided by sustainable infrastructure, the event explored how cities can learn from and support one another in times of crisis. Bringing citizen voices into the room, citizens from three of the programme’s Green Cities told their stories and engage with a panel of decision makers and city thought leaders.
Broadcasting live from several of EBRD’s Green Cities, citizens linked their local context to the global one, reflecting on both personal and community resilience. Their questions to the panel asked how governments can support their citizens in difficult times to create ‘sustainable cities’ in the fullest sense.
This was a hybrid event taking place in-person at the EBRD Annual Meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco and streamed live to and from our countries of operation. The audience and panel were invited into the homes, businesses and project sites of EBRD’s Green Cities through a combination of pre-recorded video and live contributions.
Featuring:
Lin O'Grady
Deputy Head SI3P & Co-Lead EBRD Green Cities
EBRD
Dr Nigel Jollands - Moderator
Associate Director, Co-lead EBRD Green Cities
EBRD
Shams El Din Abdel Ghaffar - Speaker
Managing Director
Infinity Capital Investment
Sue Barrett - Speaker
Director, Head of Infrastructure, Turkey, Middle East & Africa
EBRD
Nandita Parshad - Speaker
Managing Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Group
EBRD
Fatma Sahin - Speaker
Mayor of Gaziantep
Metropolitan Municipality of Gaziantep, Turkey
Police block the route of the march along Whitehall as a Police medic runs to extinguish smoke bomb thrown by protesters.
The National Union of Students called a nationwide day of action against planned tuition fee increases, with walkouts from lessons, occupations of university buildings and marches/protests around the country. In London up to 5000 protesters marched, from school children to university age. After the riots and occupation of 30 Millbank two weeks earlier approximately 1500 police were deployed in London.
As the student march in London moved down Whitehall with the aim of reaching the Liberal Democrat Headquarters, they were met by a line of police blocking their way. Within 10 minutes missiles and smoke bombs were being thrown at police, and the students were pushing at the police line. A kettle was formed by the police containing about 3000 protesters (some as young as 12-13) within Whitehall. Various attempts were made by protesters to break police lines, with a police van left within the kettle damaged, graffitied and looted of the riot shields and helmets inside.
Fires were lit within the 'kettle' with poorly prepared protesters trying to keep warm in the cold.
By late afternoon/early evening large numbers of protesters were gathering outside the kettle and attempts made to break through police lines to reach the kettled protesters. There were reports of anxious parents turning up in Whitehall to confront police about the continued holding of their children within the 'kettle'. The eventual police clearance of Whitehall included a mounted police charge against students. Protests and disturbances continued around Trafalgar Square with shop windows being broken and smaller 'kettles' being formed.
For footage by journalist Fil Kaler see vimeo.com/17202729
An increase in financial support for nursing and midwifery students with dependants to help parents and carers into the workforce has been announced by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
An extra £3m is to be invested in supporting those with children or dependants, helping up to 1000 of our most in need students, while the Nursing and Midwifery bursary is to be protected.
The First Minister made the announcement during a visit to the School of Health and Social Care at Edinburgh Napier Univesity where she meet staff and nursing and midwifery students,
Deteriorating ecosystems are one of
the main drivers increasing the vulnerability of urban
and rural households. As such, protecting and
managing ecosystems is essential, as it contributes
both to the regulation of weather-related hazards,
by acting as buffers, as well as strengthening
livelihoods. But more often than not, forests are cut
down in the pursuit of development, such as in Hera,
Timor-Leste, 16 km from the capital Dili.
Photo by Martine Perret / UN Photo
The system is based on 6 bike stations, respectively staffed by two employees in two shifts. Ecovolis program has proven successful in dramatically increasing bicycle use in Tirana, which, formerly, was a city without a developed bicycle culture. Ecovolis program is the first project in Albania that provides low-income adults with commuter bicycles as well as a donating program for children bicycles. The program recently completed two major steps, opening new bike stations in the city of Durrës and integrating Tourist Information Point Service to the bicycles stations' structure.
History
The Tirana Community Bicycle Albania project won financial support from the George Soros Open Society Foundation Albania (OSFA). An even larger contribution came from the US-based Pedal for Progress organization, which donated 450 bicycles. Sixty of these were used road bikes, which were modified and painted by local technicians to serve as public bikes in the Ecovolis scheme. Another portion was set aside to donate to children and to activists and volunteers at PASS. Still another portion were diverted to the project's Eco Bicycle Shop, a social enterprise which sells bikes for USD 50-150 and reinvests profits for the service and maintenance of Ecovolis bicycles. The main objective of the program was to introduce the community to an inexpensive, environmental friendly form of transport -- the bicycle; to sell used bikes at low prices; to donate bikes to the children of needy families and to PASS volunteers; to establish a bike sharing-scheme in the city (Ecovolis); and to employ financially disadvantaged people and young students to operate the bike-sharing scheme.
System
Each Ecovolis station is staffed by two employees in two shifts and contains 30 -- 60 bicycles. In order to use the bicycles it is required to provide a personal identification document (such as passport or ID card) or by subscribing to the Ecovolis membership Card.
The first black and red bicycles, (also the colors of the Albanian flag) were donated from US-organization Pedal for Progress, (which collect and donate used bicycles). As these bicycles were of different types, converting them for safe and comfortable public use took months of work. The price per bicycle varies from 60 US$ to 90 US$ each. The bicycle is equipped with a front bicycle basket, a behind carrier, a comfortable saddle and a public fender with the Ecovolis sign.
The bicycle stations also provide touristic information to the visitors and a list of the city attractions. Moreover, being a non-profit social enterprise, during particular days the program offers free bicycle service, cycling courses, donations of bicycles and helmets for children in need, bike tours and a bicycle recycle program.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015 -- Governor Dannel P. Malloy today visited Goodwin Technical High School in New Britain where he announced that he will be sponsoring legislation for a new residential solar incentive model designed to save ratepayers millions of dollars, create local jobs in the clean energy sector, and increase renewable energy in the state. Students at the school gave the Governor a tour of their E-House classrooms where they are learning about solar technology.
Recently thinned encroached meadow in Custer County, SD. This meadow had an overly dense stand of ponderosa pine encroaching over the fence line. This encroachment took up about 35 acres of what was once productive grassland. By removing all the pine there will be an increased growth in grass, and the pasture can now be used for winter grazing without the risk of pine needles causing abortions in the cows come spring.
Overcrowded forest stands are one of the number one resource concerns within the Black Hills. Overcrowded forest stands create the perfect conditions for catastrophic wildland fires. These stands often stagnate and grow very little. Trees in these stands are also more stressed. This increases the chances of large beetle infestations causing large areas of tree mortality. Overcrowded forest stands can be treated through precommercial thinning to reduce the number of trees and therefore increase resource availability. The desired benefits on forested acres in South Dakota can include more understory grasses and vegetation for livestock grazing and wildlife grazing. Forest thinning will allow more sunlight and moisture to infiltrate the forest floor and improve the grasses and forbs growing there.
Resource concerns in this photo include Plant Structure and Composition, Wildfire Hazard.
Plant Structure and Composition – Imbalance of one species of tree or one age class of trees.
Degraded plant composition occurs when there is a lack of diversity of plant species within a geographic area or an imbalance in the relative abundance of plant species. Degraded structure refers to plant density, distribution patterns, or height and layering that is not suited to providing the desired conservation benefits and products.
Wildfire Hazard – tree stand is too thick, has too many ladder fuel trees, and canopy is closed.
Fire can be an important and often beneficial part of the natural ecosystem; however, uncontrolled or “wild” fire can pose threats to life, health, and property. Excessive fuel loads can result in a fire too intense, causing damage to the desired plant community and site conditions. In addition, the secondary effects of some wildfires, including erosion, landslides, introduction of invasive species, and changes in water quality, are often more disastrous than the fire itself.
•Overstocked forest increases the risk of fire outbreak
•Continuous fuels increase the risk of the spread of fire
•Abundance of ladder fuels increase fire intensity and potential rate of spread
Practices that can address these resource concerns:
383 Fuel Break - A strip or block of land on which the vegetation, debris, and detritus have been reduced and/or modified to control or diminish the risk of the spread of fire crossing the strip or block of land. Control and reduce the risk of the spread of fire by treating, removing, or modifying vegetation, debris, and detritus.
666 Forest Stand Improvement - The manipulation of species composition, stand structure, or stand density by cutting or killing selected trees or understory vegetation to achieve desired forest conditions or obtain ecosystem services. Consider crop tree management (Perkey et al. 1994) when making decisions about which trees to retain and which to cut, kill cut, or kill.
For more information on South Dakota's resource concerns, visit www.sdresrouceconcerns.org or www.farmers.gov/conserve/tool. You can also reach out to your local NRCS office or Conservation District. Find your local USDA NRCS office and employee directory at: bit.ly/ContactNRCSSD
The increasing sophistication of Soviet air defenses meant that USAF bombers would find it difficult to penetrate Soviet airspace and reach their targets with nuclear bombs. Though some consideration was given to simply eliminating bombers from the nuclear triad, the bombers were retained since they were the only nuclear weapons that could be recalled once in the air. To survive, the USAF began developing standoff air-launched missiles.
Cruise missiles were not new technology--the first, the Kettering Bug, had been experimented with during World War I--but the problem was to marry range, accuracy, and a big enough nuclear warhead to destroy a target. The USAF's first attempt was the AGM-28 Hound Dog, but while successful, it was so huge that only the B-52 could carry it, and only two at a time. The next to be introduced was the smaller AGM-69 SRAM (Short Range Attack Missile), which could be carried by the B-52 and the FB-111 in anywhere from four to eight missiles. The idea with the SRAM was that the attacking bomber would fire a few to destroy Soviet air defenses, then fly through the gap and fire the rest at the target. The SRAM, however, only had a range of about 50 miles.
Beginning in 1974, Boeing was awarded the contract to build a replacement for both the remaining Hound Dogs and eventually the SRAM, mainly for use on the B-1A. Known simply as the ALCM (Air Launched Cruise Missile), the weapon was even smaller than the SRAM, but could carry the same 150-kiloton warhead. It would be dropped from the bomb bay, where its turbofan engine would activate and the tail and wings--folded back while on the rail--would deploy. It would then use a preprogrammed mission profile, using its radar to compare the terrain below with the programmed map to stay on course. With a range of about 700 miles, the bomber would not even have to enter Soviet airspace before launch, or could stay there for a minimal amount of time. It was designated AGM-86A.
The B-1A was cancelled by the Carter Administration in 1977, but this allowed Boeing to develop the larger and longer-ranged AGM-86B. These could be carried either on rotary launchers in a B-52's (and later the B-1B's and B-2A's) bomb bay, or on external pylons. A single B-52 could carry at least a dozen ALCMs: several bombers would launch their missiles and saturate Soviet defenses with dozens, if not hundreds of ALCMs. Given the missile's small size, ability to fly at low level, and the initial lack of Soviet interceptors to "look down shoot down" at targets below them, the ALCM restored USAF bombers as real threats to the USSR. The Soviets regarded both the AGM-86 and the Army and Navy's similar BGM-109 Tomahawk as destabilizing weapons in the late Cold War.
The AGM-86 is still in service and remains the primary standoff weapon for USAF bombers. The AGM-86B has been replaced with the AGM-86C/D series, which can carry a conventional warhead (either as a blast warhead or with a bunker penetrator). These have been upgraded to use GPS guidance rather than the earlier terrain-following radar, making them even more accurate.
ALCMs were never used during the Cold War, but have seen extensive use since--mainly against Iraq, in Operations Desert Storm (1991), Desert Fox (1998), and Iraqi Freedom (2003). They proved extremely difficult to intercept by Iraqi ground defenses, especially when paired with ground-launched drones simulating cruise missile profiles. The USAF initially planned to retire the AGM-86 series in 2020 and replace them with the AGM-158 JASSM, but this has since been pushed back in favor of an update program.
This AGM-86B on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum in Utah is painted as a test missile; the black lines and white finish is for photography purposes, and the Boeing and ALCM sigils were strictly for publicity. Operational ALCMs are painted a low-visibility gray with no markings.
Dato' Zohari Sulaiman, CEO Rapid Rail, Prasarana, makes a presentation on Increasing Capacity and Reducing Congestion during a session on Urban Rail on the morning of 17 November 2017 during the 5th International Railway Summit at Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
© 2017 IRITS Events Ltd. Photo: Stephen Wong
Increases in private health insurance premiums compared to the broad inflation rate, from 2000 to 2012.
Infographic: Ben Spraggon
With increasing amounts of data being backed up for longer periods of time, organizations know it pays to use deduplication technologies in their backup infrastructure. Deduplication lowers IT operational costs by using less disk space to store backup data, while speeding up backups and recovery. For more information on how FalconStor’s deduplication solutions can bring immediate cost savings to any organization visit: www.falconstor.com/deduplication
Climate Rush: Stop the Rail Fare Hikes protest, Waterloo Station. 16.08.2011
Protesters from eco-campaign group Climate Rush, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), the Rail & Maritime Union (RMT) and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) held a morning rush-hour protest outside London's Waterloo Station in response to the British Government's plan to allow train operators to massively increase rail fares by up to 28% by 2015 - applying increases of 3% over Retail Price Inflation - which will cause massive hardship to hundreds of thousands of already hard-pressed commuters who, already struggling with the rapidly increasiing cost of living and frozen wages, are faced with three choices: Pay the extortionate increase which for many will cost over £500 per year, be driven off the railways and back into their cars or either move closer to London or leave their jobs and try and find jobs closer to home.
A representative from Passenger Focus pointed out that train operators already had the option to increase some fares by as much as 5% above the average, meaning that passengers using certain types of tickets could be hit with a whopping 13% increase in 2012 alone. Already the cost of getting to work is the biggest single item in the monthly budget - bigger than mortgage payments and bigger than rent, as fares are set to increase four times faster than wages in the next year.
Aside from the harsh economic effects this will bring, Climate Rush is especially concerned that many will be driven back onto the already overburdened road networks, increasing congestion and air pollution, and also making a mockery of the notion of cheap and affordable mass transit. Financially, gridlocked roads and lost productivity costs the London economy in excess of £1.6 billion per annum, and the long-term health costs due to traffic pollution also runs into the billions - a direct burden not only on the Public Purse, but also on those directly affected by the massive increase in childhood asthma, and those who become unable to work (or have died) due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
After many years now of privately operated rail companies milking the subsidy system for billions of pounds of taxpayer's money and paying massive amounts to themselves and their already-bloated shareholders, the train operating companies have embarked on a dishonest hand-wringing campaign to justify these increases, claiming they need this extra money to pay for all the new rolling stock and network improvements that they were supposed to have been doing for all these years instead of shovelling all that public money offshore. Now the network is under severe stress, and they want to extort more and more money from the travelling public. The money must come from fare increases, they say, to lower the general burden on The Taxpayer - leaving us to ask the question 'If the rail infrastructure is in such a bad state now, what have you done with all our money, and who's going to be prosecuted first for looting?'. (That last bit was a joke, of course, because as we all know if you blatantly steal in the millions or billions the government will protect you at all costs, but if you're poor and angry and you steal a fucking donut during a riot you'll get 16 months in prison and have your entire future blighted by a criminal record... Oops! There I go again...)
Speakers at the protest were Maria Eagle - Labour shadow spokeswoman for Transport and Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT).
For more information please visit: Climate Rush, Fair Fares Now, Passenger Focus and Campaign for Better Transport.
On Twitter: @climaterush @FairFaresNow
All photos © 2011 Pete Riches
Do not reproduce, alter or reblog my images without my permission.
Hi-Res versions of these files are available on application
UCMAS took its roots in Malaysia and with the collaboration of Zhusuan Association, China, constantly rose with increased representation in different countries. UCMAS today boasts of its presence in countries like Indonesia, Thailand, China, Brunei, UAE.,Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Nigeria, U.K., USA,
Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, apart from India, The batches of students who have completed all the 8 terms ( months program) form testimony to the brilliance that the concept benefits to the children.UCMAS is the only programme approved and certified by the two major Mental Arithmetic and Abacus Institutes of the world, which are CHINESE UTILITY ABACUS RESEARACH SOCIETY (TAIWAN) AND TAIWAN MENTAL ARITHMETIC ASSOCIATION. Thousands of R & D professors in China and Japan concentrate on this project to train up the students.UCMAS-India Operations, which are ISO-9001: 2000 certified, with the systems built in would continue to offer to parents assured value of skills in children.
UCMAS (Universal Concept Mental Arithmetic System) is a Chinese based Abacus & Mental Arithmetic Concept. Abacus, which was for long used as a calculating tool in China and many other East Asian countries, was found to do greater good to the children of the age group 4 – 13 years. In the latter part of the 20th century, it was found after extensive research that Abacus learning not only gave arithmetic skills to children, but also enhanced the soft skills of children of the age group 4 – 13 years, during which period, brain growth is close to 80%. Soft skills such as Concentration, Listening, Photographic Memory, Speed and Accuracy, leading to Creativity and Presentation skills needed a mention here. A Eight term (24 months) syllabus today UCMAS concept is popular in more than 40 countries starting from Malaysia
CO (Saguache County)
Day 3 Sargents Mesa (Segment 16/17) to random campsite (Segment 17)
Thermometer said 38f this morning but it felt colder. Probably wasn't though. Lots of activity in Sargents Mesa last night. Heard elk bugling often and thought I heard a dog at least once. Definetly heard some coyotes around 5 or 6. They sounded close.
Today was anticipated to be dry so I carried alot of water. Usually the pack gets lighter the longer you're out due to lightening the food bag. However, when you have to carry extra water you don't realize that benefit. I met some hunters who gave me an extra bottle of water and took my trash. They actually knew what trail magic was and it was very much appreciated!
If you spend enough time hiking, it is inevitable that you will eventually take a tumble. There were alot of rocks today and I did fall while hiking downhill. No injuries though.
A possible water source at Razor Creek was dry where trail crossed but I found a small pool upstream several hundred feet. I was able to dip and fill 32 oz bag. Enough for a hot meal and some extra for tomorrow. I continued hiking but once again stopped early for dinner around 3. Freeze dried spaghetti was on the menu. Typical freeze dried meals are more expensive but easier to prepare. They are also better tasting than tuna packets and creamy noodles of some sort.
After dinner, I made it up and over a few more bumps. Kinda steep but not too long. I found a campsite maybe 1/2 mile before where I planned to stop. A few hikers passed by quickly in search of water.
While hiking 15.4 miles today, the temp got up to 80. Nice increase from the morning.
Another humanitarian worker boards the Commission's airplane in Timbuktu. He works for Handicap International, one of the partners receiving European Commission’s funding for life-saving assistance in the North of Mali.
© European Union/ECHO/Isabel Coello
CANAL INFO
The Leeds and Liverpool canal was built from 1772 to increase industrial transportation between West Yorkshire and the Merseyside ports. Limestone, textiles and coal were in critical demand between Yorkshire and Lancashire at this time where trains were still only beginning to happen. Committees in Bradford and Liverpool formed and for a while disputed over their different respective plans for the route Following appeasement, the route as proposed via engineers John Longbotham and James Brindley was built at a cost of nearly £260, 000 and a length of 109 miles. The first phase, from Bingley to Shipley was up and running by 1774. By this time, Brindley had passed, and Longbotham had taken over as chief engineer. The construction from the Liverpool end reached Wigan in 1781.
The canal's overall construction spanned five decades, delayed further by money and disputes and also the colonial war in the late 1700s. Trade from Yorkshire to Liverpool was already brisk by the time construction finished, including branches - significantly the ones to Bradford and Wigan. Although both steam and horse drawn railways were available by 1800, the canal continued to thrive for a century.
Horse drawn barges would last impressively until 1960 while industrial trade remaining until the 1980s, by which time the bulk of such work was being done, quite inevitably by trains and lorries.
Today, the Leeds and Liverpool canal stretches for 127 miles, crossing the Pennines between the two cities, with additional branches bringing people - and still business - to and from other towns in Yorkshire and Lancashire on its journey. 91 locks are included, notably the notorious 5 Locks at Bingley, which take an apparent 3-4 hours to negotiate.
The towpath is used heavily by both walkers and cyclists on its route, with the Leeds end being notably active especially during commuter hours. At the newly developed Granary Wharf, the canal basin area has been heavily redeveloped in recent years while the new southern entrance to Leeds station also providing additionally quick access to the canal route.
Varosha - Maras is the southern quarter of the Famagusta, a de jure territory of Cyprus, currently under the control of Northern Cyprus. Varosha has a population of 226 in the 2011 Northern Cyprus census. The area of Varosha is 6.19 km2 (2.39 sq mi).
The name of Varosha derives from the Turkish word varoş (Ottoman Turkish: واروش, 'suburb'). The place where Varosha is located now was empty fields in which animals grazed.
In the early 1970s, Famagusta was the number-one tourist destination in Cyprus. To cater to the increasing number of tourists, many new high-rise buildings and hotels were constructed. During its heyday, Varosha was not only the number-one tourist destination in Cyprus, but between 1970 and 1974, it was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and was a favorite destination of such celebrities as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot.
Before 1974, Varosha was the modern tourist area of the Famagusta city. Its Greek Cypriot inhabitants fled during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, when the city of Famagusta came under Turkish control, and it has remained abandoned ever since. In 1984 a U.N. resolution called for the handover of the city to UN control and said that only the original inhabitants, who were forced out, could resettle in the town.
Entry to part of Varosha was opened to civilians in 2017.
In August 1974, the Turkish Army advanced as far as the Green Line, a UN-patrolled demilitarized zone between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and controlled and fenced Varosha. Just hours before the Greek Cypriot and Turkish armies met in combat on the streets of Famagusta, the entire Greek Cypriot population fled to Paralimni, Dherynia, and Larnaca, fearing a massacre. The evacuation was aided and orchestrated by the nearby British military base. Paralimni has since become the modern-day capital of the Famagusta province of Greek Cypriot-led Cyprus.
The Turkish Army has allowed the entry of only Turkish military and United Nations personnel since 2017.
One such settlement plan was the Annan Plan to reunify the island that provided for the return of Varosha to the original residents. But this was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a 2004 referendum. The UN Security Council Resolution 550 states that it "considers attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the United Nations".
The European Court of Human Rights awarded between €100,000 and €8,000,000 to eight Greek Cypriots for being deprived of their homes and properties as a result of the 1974 invasion. The case was filed jointly by businessman Constantinos Lordos and others, with the principal judgement in the Lordos case dating back to November 2010. The court ruled that, in the case of eight of the applicants, Turkey had violated Article 1 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the right of peaceful enjoyment of one's possessions, and in the case of seven of the applicants, Turkey had violated Article 8 on the right to respect for private and family life.
In the absence of human habitation and maintenance, buildings continue to decay. Over time, parts of the city have begun to be reclaimed by nature as metal corrodes, windows are broken, and plants work their roots into the walls and pavement and grow wild in old window boxes. In 2014, the BBC reported that sea turtles were observed nesting on the beaches in the city.
During the Cyprus Missile Crisis (1997–1998), the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, threatened to take over Varosha if the Cypriot government did not back down.
The main features of Varosha included John F. Kennedy Avenue, a street which ran from close to the port of Famagusta, through Varosha and parallel to Glossa beach. Along JFK Avenue, there were many well known high rise hotels including the King George Hotel, The Asterias Hotel, The Grecian Hotel, The Florida Hotel, and The Argo Hotel which was the favourite hotel of Elizabeth Taylor. The Argo Hotel is located near the end of JFK Avenue, looking towards Protaras and Fig Tree Bay. Another major street in Varosha was Leonidas (Greek: Λεωνίδας), a major street that came off JFK Avenue and headed west towards Vienna Corner. Leonidas was a major shopping and leisure street in Varosha, consisting of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and a Toyota car dealership.
According to Greek Cypriots, 425 plots exist on the Varosha beach front, which extends from the Contandia hotel to the Golden Sands hotel. The complete number of plots in Varosha are 6082.
There are 281 cases of Greek Cypriots who filed to the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) of Northern Cyprus for compensation.
In 2020, Greek Cypriot Demetrios Hadjihambis filed a lawsuit seeking state compensation for financial losses.
The population of Varosha was 226 in the 2011 Northern Cyprus census.
In 2017, Varosha's beach was opened for the exclusive use of Turks (both Turkish Cypriots and Turkish nationals).
In 2019, the Government of Northern Cyprus announced it would open Varosha to settlement. On 14 November 2019, Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of Northern Cyprus, announced that Northern Cyprus aims to open Varosha by the end of 2020.
On 25 July 2019, Varosha Inventory Commission of Northern Cyprus started its inventory analysis on the buildings and other infrastructure in Varosha.
On 9 December 2019, Ibrahim Benter, the Director-General of the Turkish Cypriot EVKAF religious foundation's administration, declared all of Maraş/Varosha to be the property of EVKAF. Benter said "EVKAF can sign renting contracts with Greek Cypriots if they accept that the fenced-off town belongs to the Evkaf."
In 2019–20, inventory studies of buildings by the Government of Northern Cyprus were concluded. On 15 February 2020, the Turkish Bar Association organised a round table meeting at the Sandy Beach Hotel in Varosha, which was attended by Turkish officials (Vice President Fuat Oktay and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül), Turkish Cypriot officials, representatives of the Turkish Cypriot religious foundation Evkaf, and Turkish and Turkish Cypriot lawyers.
On 22 February 2020, Cyprus declared it would veto European Union funds to Turkish Cypriots if Varosha were opened to settlement.
On 6 October 2020, Ersin Tatar, the Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus, announced that the beach area of Varosha would reopen to the public on 8 October 2020. Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said Turkey fully supported the decision. The move came ahead of the 2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, in which Tatar was a candidate. Deputy Prime Minister Kudret Özersay, who had worked on the reopening previously, said that this was not a full reopening of the area, that this was just a unilateral election stunt by Tatar. His People's Party withdrew from the Tatar cabinet, leading to the collapse of the Turkish Cypriot government. The EU's diplomatic chief condemned the plan and described it as a "serious violation" of the U.N. ceasefire agreement. In addition, he asked Turkey to stop this activity. The U.N. Secretary-General expressed concern over Turkey's decision.
On 8 October 2020, some parts of Varosha were opened from the Officers' Club of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Army to the Golden Sands Hotel.
In November 2020, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkey's ambassador to Nicosia, visited Varosha. In addition, the main avenue in Varosha has been renamed after Semih Sancar, Chief of the General Staff of Turkey from 1973 to 1978, a period including the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
The European Parliament on 27 November, asked Turkey to reverse its decision to re-open part of Varosha and resume negotiations aimed at resolving the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation and called on the European Union to impose sanctions against Turkey, if things do not change. Turkey rejected the resolution, adding that Turkey will continue to protect both its own rights and those of Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus presidency also condemned the resolution.
On 20 July 2021, Tatar, the president of Northern Cyprus announced the start of the 2nd phase of the opening of Varosha. He encouraged Greek Cypriots to apply Immovable Property Commission of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to claim their properties back if they have any such rights.
Bilal Aga Mosque, constructed in 1821 and taken out of service in 1974, was re-opened on 23 July 2021.
In response to a decision by the government of Turkish Cyprus, the presidential statement of the United Nations Security Council dated on 23 July said that settling any part of the abandoned Cypriot suburb of Varosha, "by people other than its inhabitants, is 'inadmissible'." The same day, Turkey rejected the presidential statement of the UNSC on Maras (Varosha), and said that these statements were based on Greek-Greek Cypriot propaganda, were groundless and unfounded claims, and inconsistent with the realities on the Island. On 24 July 2021, the presidency of Northern Cyprus condemned the presidential statement of the UNSC dated on 23 July, and stated that "We see and condemn it as an attempt to create an obstacle for the property-rights-holders in Varosha to achieve their rights".
By 1 January 2022, nearly 400,000 people had visited Varosha since its opening to civilians on 6 October 2020.
On 19 May 2022, Northern Cyprus opened a 600m long X 400m wide stretch of beach on the Golden Sands beach (from the King George Hotel to the Oceania Building) in Varosha for commercial use. Sun beds and umbrellas were installed.
UNFICYP said it would raise the decision taken by Turkish Cypriot authorities to open that stretch of beach in Varosha with the Security Council, spokesperson for the peacekeeping force Aleem Siddique said on Friday. The UN announced its "position on Varosha is unchanged and we are monitoring the situation closely".
In October 2022, the Turkish Cypriots announced that public institutions will be opened in the city.
In April 2023, Cleo Hotel, the 7-floor Golden Seaside Hotel, and the 3-star Aegean Hotel were purchased by a Turkish Cypriot businessman (from their Greek Cypriot owners) who will operate them within 2025.
On 10 August 2023, the Government of Northern Cyprus decided to construct a marina and tourist facility in Varosha.
Varosha was analyzed by Alan Weisman in his book The World Without Us as an example of the unstoppable power of nature.
Filmmaker Greek Cypriot Michael Cacoyannis described the city and interviewed its exiled citizens in the film Attilas '74, produced in 1975.
In 2021, the Belarusian group Main-De-Gloire dedicated a song to this city that has become a ghostly place.
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.
Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.
A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.
Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus with the support and approval of the TRNC government, while the Republic of Cyprus, the European Union as a whole, and the international community regard it as an occupation force. This military presence has been denounced in several United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Northern Cyprus is a semi-presidential, democratic republic with a cultural heritage incorporating various influences and an economy that is dominated by the services sector. The economy has seen growth through the 2000s and 2010s, with the GNP per capita more than tripling in the 2000s, but is held back by an international embargo due to the official closure of the ports in Northern Cyprus by the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, with a distinct local dialect being spoken. The vast majority of the population consists of Sunni Muslims, while religious attitudes are mostly moderate and secular. Northern Cyprus is an observer state of ECO and OIC under the name "Turkish Cypriot State", PACE under the name "Turkish Cypriot Community", and Organization of Turkic States with its own name.
Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.
Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the late nineteenth-century and the first half of the twentieth-century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.
The repeated rejections by the British of Greek Cypriot demands for enosis, union with Greece, led to armed resistance, organised by the National Organization of Cypriot Struggle, or EOKA. EOKA, led by the Greek-Cypriot commander George Grivas, systematically targeted British colonial authorities. One of the effects of EOKA's campaign was to alter the Turkish position from demanding full reincorporation into Turkey to a demand for taksim (partition). EOKA's mission and activities caused a "Cretan syndrome" (see Turkish Resistance Organisation) within the Turkish Cypriot community, as its members feared that they would be forced to leave the island in such a case as had been the case with Cretan Turks. As such, they preferred the continuation of British colonial rule and then taksim, the division of the island. Due to the Turkish Cypriots' support for the British, EOKA's leader, Georgios Grivas, declared them to be enemies. The fact that the Turks were a minority was, according to Nihat Erim, to be addressed by the transfer of thousands of Turks from mainland Turkey so that Greek Cypriots would cease to be the majority. When Erim visited Cyprus as the Turkish representative, he was advised by Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the then Governor of Cyprus, that Turkey should send educated Turks to settle in Cyprus.
Turkey actively promoted the idea that on the island of Cyprus two distinctive communities existed, and sidestepped its former claim that "the people of Cyprus were all Turkish subjects". In doing so, Turkey's aim to have self-determination of two to-be equal communities in effect led to de jure partition of the island.[citation needed] This could be justified to the international community against the will of the majority Greek population of the island. Dr. Fazil Küçük in 1954 had already proposed Cyprus be divided in two at the 35° parallel.
Lindley Dan, from Notre Dame University, spotted the roots of intercommunal violence to different visions among the two communities of Cyprus (enosis for Greek Cypriots, taksim for Turkish Cypriots). Also, Lindlay wrote that "the merging of church, schools/education, and politics in divisive and nationalistic ways" had played a crucial role in creation of havoc in Cyprus' history. Attalides Michael also pointed to the opposing nationalisms as the cause of the Cyprus problem.
By the mid-1950's, the "Cyprus is Turkish" party, movement, and slogan gained force in both Cyprus and Turkey. In a 1954 editorial, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazil Kuchuk expressed the sentiment that the Turkish youth had grown up with the idea that "as soon as Great Britain leaves the island, it will be taken over by the Turks", and that "Turkey cannot tolerate otherwise". This perspective contributed to the willingness of Turkish Cypriots to align themselves with the British, who started recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force that patrolled Cyprus to fight EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that sought to rid the island of British rule.
EOKA targeted colonial authorities, including police, but Georgios Grivas, the leader of EOKA, did not initially wish to open up a new front by fighting Turkish Cypriots and reassured them that EOKA would not harm their people. In 1956, some Turkish Cypriot policemen were killed by EOKA members and this provoked some intercommunal violence in the spring and summer, but these attacks on policemen were not motivated by the fact that they were Turkish Cypriots.
However, in January 1957, Grivas changed his policy as his forces in the mountains became increasingly pressured by the British Crown forces. In order to divert the attention of the Crown forces, EOKA members started to target Turkish Cypriot policemen intentionally in the towns, so that Turkish Cypriots would riot against the Greek Cypriots and the security forces would have to be diverted to the towns to restore order. The killing of a Turkish Cypriot policeman on 19 January, when a power station was bombed, and the injury of three others, provoked three days of intercommunal violence in Nicosia. The two communities targeted each other in reprisals, at least one Greek Cypriot was killed and the British Army was deployed in the streets. Greek Cypriot stores were burned and their neighbourhoods attacked. Following the events, the Greek Cypriot leadership spread the propaganda that the riots had merely been an act of Turkish Cypriot aggression. Such events created chaos and drove the communities apart both in Cyprus and in Turkey.
On 22 October 1957 Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaced Sir John Harding as the British Governor of Cyprus. Foot suggested five to seven years of self-government before any final decision. His plan rejected both enosis and taksim. The Turkish Cypriot response to this plan was a series of anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia on 27 and 28 January 1958 rejecting the proposed plan because the plan did not include partition. The British then withdrew the plan.
In 1957, Black Gang, a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation, was formed to patrol a Turkish Cypriot enclave, the Tahtakale district of Nicosia, against activities of EOKA. The organisation later attempted to grow into a national scale, but failed to gain public support.
By 1958, signs of dissatisfaction with the British increased on both sides, with a group of Turkish Cypriots forming Volkan (later renamed to the Turkish Resistance Organisation) paramilitary group to promote partition and the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as dictated by the Menderes plan. Volkan initially consisted of roughly 100 members, with the stated aim of raising awareness in Turkey of the Cyprus issue and courting military training and support for Turkish Cypriot fighters from the Turkish government.
In June 1958, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was expected to propose a plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. In light of the new development, the Turks rioted in Nicosia to promote the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could not live together and therefore any plan that did not include partition would not be viable. This violence was soon followed by bombing, Greek Cypriot deaths and looting of Greek Cypriot-owned shops and houses. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started to flee mixed population villages where they were a minority in search of safety. This was effectively the beginning of the segregation of the two communities. On 7 June 1958, a bomb exploded at the entrance of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus. Following the bombing, Turkish Cypriots looted Greek Cypriot properties. On 26 June 1984, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, admitted on British channel ITV that the bomb was placed by the Turks themselves in order to create tension. On 9 January 1995, Rauf Denktaş repeated his claim to the famous Turkish newspaper Milliyet in Turkey.
The crisis reached a climax on 12 June 1958, when eight Greeks, out of an armed group of thirty five arrested by soldiers of the Royal Horse Guards on suspicion of preparing an attack on the Turkish quarter of Skylloura, were killed in a suspected attack by Turkish Cypriot locals, near the village of Geunyeli, having been ordered to walk back to their village of Kondemenos.
After the EOKA campaign had begun, the British government successfully began to turn the Cyprus issue from a British colonial problem into a Greek-Turkish issue. British diplomacy exerted backstage influence on the Adnan Menderes government, with the aim of making Turkey active in Cyprus. For the British, the attempt had a twofold objective. The EOKA campaign would be silenced as quickly as possible, and Turkish Cypriots would not side with Greek Cypriots against the British colonial claims over the island, which would thus remain under the British. The Turkish Cypriot leadership visited Menderes to discuss the Cyprus issue. When asked how the Turkish Cypriots should respond to the Greek Cypriot claim of enosis, Menderes replied: "You should go to the British foreign minister and request the status quo be prolonged, Cyprus to remain as a British colony". When the Turkish Cypriots visited the British Foreign Secretary and requested for Cyprus to remain a colony, he replied: "You should not be asking for colonialism at this day and age, you should be asking for Cyprus be returned to Turkey, its former owner".
As Turkish Cypriots began to look to Turkey for protection, Greek Cypriots soon understood that enosis was extremely unlikely. The Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios III, now set independence for the island as his objective.
Britain resolved to solve the dispute by creating an independent Cyprus. In 1959, all involved parties signed the Zurich Agreements: Britain, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk, respectively. The new constitution drew heavily on the ethnic composition of the island. The President would be a Greek Cypriot, and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot with an equal veto. The contribution to the public service would be set at a ratio of 70:30, and the Supreme Court would consist of an equal number of judges from both communities as well as an independent judge who was not Greek, Turkish or British. The Zurich Agreements were supplemented by a number of treaties. The Treaty of Guarantee stated that secession or union with any state was forbidden, and that Greece, Turkey and Britain would be given guarantor status to intervene if that was violated. The Treaty of Alliance allowed for two small Greek and Turkish military contingents to be stationed on the island, and the Treaty of Establishment gave Britain sovereignty over two bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
On 15 August 1960, the Colony of Cyprus became fully independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The new republic remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.
The new constitution brought dissatisfaction to Greek Cypriots, who felt it to be highly unjust for them for historical, demographic and contributional reasons. Although 80% of the island's population were Greek Cypriots and these indigenous people had lived on the island for thousands of years and paid 94% of taxes, the new constitution was giving the 17% of the population that was Turkish Cypriots, who paid 6% of taxes, around 30% of government jobs and 40% of national security jobs.
Within three years tensions between the two communities in administrative affairs began to show. In particular disputes over separate municipalities and taxation created a deadlock in government. A constitutional court ruled in 1963 Makarios had failed to uphold article 173 of the constitution which called for the establishment of separate municipalities for Turkish Cypriots. Makarios subsequently declared his intention to ignore the judgement, resulting in the West German judge resigning from his position. Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution, which would have had the effect of resolving most of the issues in the Greek Cypriot favour. Under the proposals, the President and Vice-President would lose their veto, the separate municipalities as sought after by the Turkish Cypriots would be abandoned, the need for separate majorities by both communities in passing legislation would be discarded and the civil service contribution would be set at actual population ratios (82:18) instead of the slightly higher figure for Turkish Cypriots.
The intention behind the amendments has long been called into question. The Akritas plan, written in the height of the constitutional dispute by the Greek Cypriot interior minister Polycarpos Georkadjis, called for the removal of undesirable elements of the constitution so as to allow power-sharing to work. The plan envisaged a swift retaliatory attack on Turkish Cypriot strongholds should Turkish Cypriots resort to violence to resist the measures, stating "In the event of a planned or staged Turkish attack, it is imperative to overcome it by force in the shortest possible time, because if we succeed in gaining command of the situation (in one or two days), no outside, intervention would be either justified or possible." Whether Makarios's proposals were part of the Akritas plan is unclear, however it remains that sentiment towards enosis had not completely disappeared with independence. Makarios described independence as "a step on the road to enosis".[31] Preparations for conflict were not entirely absent from Turkish Cypriots either, with right wing elements still believing taksim (partition) the best safeguard against enosis.
Greek Cypriots however believe the amendments were a necessity stemming from a perceived attempt by Turkish Cypriots to frustrate the working of government. Turkish Cypriots saw it as a means to reduce their status within the state from one of co-founder to that of minority, seeing it as a first step towards enosis. The security situation deteriorated rapidly.
Main articles: Bloody Christmas (1963) and Battle of Tillyria
An armed conflict was triggered after December 21, 1963, a period remembered by Turkish Cypriots as Bloody Christmas, when a Greek Cypriot policemen that had been called to help deal with a taxi driver refusing officers already on the scene access to check the identification documents of his customers, took out his gun upon arrival and shot and killed the taxi driver and his partner. Eric Solsten summarised the events as follows: "a Greek Cypriot police patrol, ostensibly checking identification documents, stopped a Turkish Cypriot couple on the edge of the Turkish quarter. A hostile crowd gathered, shots were fired, and two Turkish Cypriots were killed."
In the morning after the shooting, crowds gathered in protest in Northern Nicosia, likely encouraged by the TMT, without incident. On the evening of the 22nd, gunfire broke out, communication lines to the Turkish neighbourhoods were cut, and the Greek Cypriot police occupied the nearby airport. On the 23rd, a ceasefire was negotiated, but did not hold. Fighting, including automatic weapons fire, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and militias increased in Nicosia and Larnaca. A force of Greek Cypriot irregulars led by Nikos Sampson entered the Nicosia suburb of Omorphita and engaged in heavy firing on armed, as well as by some accounts unarmed, Turkish Cypriots. The Omorphita clash has been described by Turkish Cypriots as a massacre, while this view has generally not been acknowledged by Greek Cypriots.
Further ceasefires were arranged between the two sides, but also failed. By Christmas Eve, the 24th, Britain, Greece, and Turkey had joined talks, with all sides calling for a truce. On Christmas day, Turkish fighter jets overflew Nicosia in a show of support. Finally it was agreed to allow a force of 2,700 British soldiers to help enforce a ceasefire. In the next days, a "buffer zone" was created in Nicosia, and a British officer marked a line on a map with green ink, separating the two sides of the city, which was the beginning of the "Green Line". Fighting continued across the island for the next several weeks.
In total 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the violence. 25,000 Turkish Cypriots from 103-109 villages fled and were displaced into enclaves and thousands of Turkish Cypriot houses were ransacked or completely destroyed.
Contemporary newspapers also reported on the forceful exodus of the Turkish Cypriots from their homes. According to The Times in 1964, threats, shootings and attempts of arson were committed against the Turkish Cypriots to force them out of their homes. The Daily Express wrote that "25,000 Turks have already been forced to leave their homes". The Guardian reported a massacre of Turks at Limassol on 16 February 1964.
Turkey had by now readied its fleet and its fighter jets appeared over Nicosia. Turkey was dissuaded from direct involvement by the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1964. Despite the negotiated ceasefire in Nicosia, attacks on the Turkish Cypriot persisted, particularly in Limassol. Concerned about the possibility of a Turkish invasion, Makarios undertook the creation of a Greek Cypriot conscript-based army called the "National Guard". A general from Greece took charge of the army, whilst a further 20,000 well-equipped officers and men were smuggled from Greece into Cyprus. Turkey threatened to intervene once more, but was prevented by a strongly worded letter from the American President Lyndon B. Johnson, anxious to avoid a conflict between NATO allies Greece and Turkey at the height of the Cold War.
Turkish Cypriots had by now established an important bridgehead at Kokkina, provided with arms, volunteers and materials from Turkey and abroad. Seeing this incursion of foreign weapons and troops as a major threat, the Cypriot government invited George Grivas to return from Greece as commander of the Greek troops on the island and launch a major attack on the bridgehead. Turkey retaliated by dispatching its fighter jets to bomb Greek positions, causing Makarios to threaten an attack on every Turkish Cypriot village on the island if the bombings did not cease. The conflict had now drawn in Greece and Turkey, with both countries amassing troops on their Thracian borders. Efforts at mediation by Dean Acheson, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and UN-appointed mediator Galo Plaza had failed, all the while the division of the two communities becoming more apparent. Greek Cypriot forces were estimated at some 30,000, including the National Guard and the large contingent from Greece. Defending the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was a force of approximately 5,000 irregulars, led by a Turkish colonel, but lacking the equipment and organisation of the Greek forces.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1964, U Thant, reported the damage during the conflicts:
UNFICYP carried out a detailed survey of all damage to properties throughout the island during the disturbances; it shows that in 109 villages, most of them Turkish-Cypriot or mixed villages, 527 houses have been destroyed while 2,000 others have suffered damage from looting.
The situation worsened in 1967, when a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Greece, and began applying pressure on Makarios to achieve enosis. Makarios, not wishing to become part of a military dictatorship or trigger a Turkish invasion, began to distance himself from the goal of enosis. This caused tensions with the junta in Greece as well as George Grivas in Cyprus. Grivas's control over the National Guard and Greek contingent was seen as a threat to Makarios's position, who now feared a possible coup.[citation needed] The National Guard and Cyprus Police began patrolling the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Ayios Theodoros and Kophinou, and on November 15 engaged in heavy fighting with the Turkish Cypriots.
By the time of his withdrawal 26 Turkish Cypriots had been killed. Turkey replied with an ultimatum demanding that Grivas be removed from the island, that the troops smuggled from Greece in excess of the limits of the Treaty of Alliance be removed, and that the economic blockades on the Turkish Cypriot enclaves be lifted. Grivas was recalled by the Athens Junta and the 12,000 Greek troops were withdrawn. Makarios now attempted to consolidate his position by reducing the number of National Guard troops, and by creating a paramilitary force loyal to Cypriot independence. In 1968, acknowledging that enosis was now all but impossible, Makarios stated, "A solution by necessity must be sought within the limits of what is feasible which does not always coincide with the limits of what is desirable."
After 1967 tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots subsided. Instead, the main source of tension on the island came from factions within the Greek Cypriot community. Although Makarios had effectively abandoned enosis in favour of an 'attainable solution', many others continued to believe that the only legitimate political aspiration for Greek Cypriots was union with Greece.
On his arrival, Grivas began by establishing a nationalist paramilitary group known as the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B or EOKA-B), drawing comparisons with the EOKA struggle for enosis under the British colonial administration of the 1950s.
The military junta in Athens saw Makarios as an obstacle. Makarios's failure to disband the National Guard, whose officer class was dominated by mainland Greeks, had meant the junta had practical control over the Cypriot military establishment, leaving Makarios isolated and a vulnerable target.
During the first Turkish invasion, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus territory on 20 July 1974, invoking its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee. This expansion of Turkish-occupied zone violated International Law as well as the Charter of the United Nations. Turkish troops managed to capture 3% of the island which was accompanied by the burning of the Turkish Cypriot quarter, as well as the raping and killing of women and children. A temporary cease-fire followed which was mitigated by the UN Security Council. Subsequently, the Greek military Junta collapsed on July 23, 1974, and peace talks commenced in which a democratic government was installed. The Resolution 353 was broken after Turkey attacked a second time and managed to get a hold of 37% of Cyprus territory. The Island of Cyprus was appointed a Buffer Zone by the United Nations, which divided the island into two zones through the 'Green Line' and put an end to the Turkish invasion. Although Turkey announced that the occupied areas of Cyprus to be called the Federated Turkish State in 1975, it is not legitimised on a worldwide political scale. The United Nations called for the international recognition of independence for the Republic of Cyprus in the Security Council Resolution 367.
In the years after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus one can observe a history of failed talks between the two parties. The 1983 declaration of the independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus resulted in a rise of inter-communal tensions and made it increasingly hard to find mutual understanding. With Cyprus' interest of a possible EU membership and a new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997 new hopes arose for a fresh start. International involvement from sides of the US and UK, wanting a solution to the Cyprus dispute prior to the EU accession led to political pressures for new talks. The believe that an accession without a solution would threaten Greek-Turkish relations and acknowledge the partition of the island would direct the coming negotiations.
Over the course of two years a concrete plan, the Annan plan was formulated. In 2004 the fifth version agreed upon from both sides and with the endorsement of Turkey, US, UK and EU then was presented to the public and was given a referendum in both Cypriot communities to assure the legitimisation of the resolution. The Turkish Cypriots voted with 65% for the plan, however the Greek Cypriots voted with a 76% majority against. The Annan plan contained multiple important topics. Firstly it established a confederation of two separate states called the United Cyprus Republic. Both communities would have autonomous states combined under one unified government. The members of parliament would be chosen according to the percentage in population numbers to ensure a just involvement from both communities. The paper proposed a demilitarisation of the island over the next years. Furthermore it agreed upon a number of 45000 Turkish settlers that could remain on the island. These settlers became a very important issue concerning peace talks. Originally the Turkish government encouraged Turks to settle in Cyprus providing transfer and property, to establish a counterpart to the Greek Cypriot population due to their 1 to 5 minority. With the economic situation many Turkish-Cypriot decided to leave the island, however their departure is made up by incoming Turkish settlers leaving the population ratio between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots stable. However all these points where criticised and as seen in the vote rejected mainly by the Greek Cypriots. These name the dissolution of the „Republic of Cyprus", economic consequences of a reunion and the remaining Turkish settlers as reason. Many claim that the plan was indeed drawing more from Turkish-Cypriot demands then Greek-Cypriot interests. Taking in consideration that the US wanted to keep Turkey as a strategic partner in future Middle Eastern conflicts.
A week after the failed referendum the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU. In multiple instances the EU tried to promote trade with Northern Cyprus but without internationally recognised ports this spiked a grand debate. Both side endure their intention of negotiations, however without the prospect of any new compromises or agreements the UN is unwilling to start the process again. Since 2004 negotiations took place in numbers but without any results, both sides are strongly holding on to their position without an agreeable solution in sight that would suit both parties.
The Pakistan Strategy Support Program (PSSP) held the conference, “Increasing Productivity and Unleashing Growth” at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad on May 26-27th, 2012. This conference also marked the final round of the Competitive Grants Program that was launched by PSSP in January 2012 for Pakistani PhD and graduate students studying locally and abroad on economic development issues of Pakistan. The finalists presented in front of the Research Advisory Committee, donor heads, professors and students from local universities. The event also consisted of plenary sessions on Pakistan’s various economic growth issues by renowned academics from all over the world, such as Dr. Jock Anderson, Dr. Regina Birner and Dr. David Spielman.
And the Sultan of Brunei's wealth increases by 90 euros every second!
No envy please!
This means around 5400 euros per minute, 324000 euros each hour, 7776000 euros a day
Implies about 54432000 euros a week (that's 54 million and 432000 thousand euros)
Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah ... President of the richest country in the world
Popular, lavish, ... uses gold in everything
Was born literally eating with spoons made of gold
Clothes worn embroidered with gold and silver
These are some pictures of his palace ...
The largest and most luxurious palace in the world...
Consists of 1788 rooms with some furnished in gold and diamond-encrusted
257 bath inlaid with gold and silver
and a garage to accommodate 110 cars
The palace has 650 suites ... each furnished at not less than 150,000 thousand euros
This requires the visitor to spend 24 hours just to inspect each room for 30 seconds
The Sultan of Brunei's plane
Most luxurious aircraft in the world, inlaid with gold
The Sultan has also a Boeing 747 worth a hundred million dollars,
and then re-designed as a home at a cost of more than one hundred and twenty million dollars.
Featured add-ons such as a whirlpool bath of pure gold
He also has six small aircraft and two helicopters.
One of the cars of theSultan of Brunei
At the special request of the Sultan of Brunei,
theRolls Royce company
combined their car designs with that of Porsche.
This vehicle is currently in London
for use during his stay in Britain
When the Sultan of Brunei's daughter married,
the legendarycelebratio ns continued for 14 days,
at a cost of about five million dollars,
attended by more than 25 heads of state and family members.
Sultan of Brunei car inlaid with pure gold
The Princess wears a crown of diamonds
and carries a small bouquet of flowers studded with diamonds.
She also wears huge diamonds as earrings, adding sparkle to her face.
Wikipedia says he has
531 Mercedes-Benzes
367 Ferraris
362 Bentleys
185 BMWs
177 Jaguars
160 Porsches
130 Rolls-Royces
And 20 Lamborghinis
Bringing the total number of his cars to 1,932
__,_._,___
...if I remember correctly, this was the first ever project, in which I used this type of increase. Not the best ever stitch definition, but looks 'ok'. The piece is about to be unravelled, my sizing was ... well, appalling....The same goes for my attitude towards gauge swatches and blocking.
Musings on projects gone wrong and the positive effects of knitting on body / self image are available here: makedoandmendnovice.blogspot.com/2015/09/unravelling-old-...
Ecovolis program has proven successful in dramatically increasing bicycle use in Tirana, which, formerly, was a city without a developed bicycle culture. Ecovolis program is the first project in Albania that provides low-income adults with commuter bicycles as well as a donating program for children bicycles. The program recently completed two major steps, opening new bike stations in the city of Durrës and integrating Tourist Information Point Service to the bicycles stations' structure.
History
The Tirana Community Bicycle Albania project won financial support from the George Soros Open Society Foundation Albania (OSFA). An even larger contribution came from the US-based Pedal for Progress organization, which donated 450 bicycles. Sixty of these were used road bikes, which were modified and painted by local technicians to serve as public bikes in the Ecovolis scheme. Another portion was set aside to donate to children and to activists and volunteers at PASS. Still another portion were diverted to the project's Eco Bicycle Shop, a social enterprise which sells bikes for USD 50-150 and reinvests profits for the service and maintenance of Ecovolis bicycles. The main objective of the program was to introduce the community to an inexpensive, environmental friendly form of transport -- the bicycle; to sell used bikes at low prices; to donate bikes to the children of needy families and to PASS volunteers; to establish a bike sharing-scheme in the city (Ecovolis); and to employ financially disadvantaged people and young students to operate the bike-sharing scheme.
System
Each Ecovolis station is staffed by two employees in two shifts and contains 30 -- 60 bicycles. In order to use the bicycles it is required to provide a personal identification document (such as passport or ID card) or by subscribing to the Ecovolis membership Card.
The first black and red bicycles, (also the colors of the Albanian flag) were donated from US-organization Pedal for Progress, (which collect and donate used bicycles). As these bicycles were of different types, converting them for safe and comfortable public use took months of work. The price per bicycle varies from 60 US$ to 90 US$ each. The bicycle is equipped with a front bicycle basket, a behind carrier, a comfortable saddle and a public fender with the Ecovolis sign.
The bicycle stations also provide touristic information to the visitors and a list of the city attractions. Moreover, being a non-profit social enterprise, during particular days the program offers free bicycle service, cycling courses, donations of bicycles and helmets for children in need, bike tours and a bicycle recycle program.
India beef exports climb on increasing supplies.
'India’s exports are forecast 29 per cent higher at record 2.16 million tons, comparable with Brazil’s world record exports of 2.19 million tons in 2007. India now accounts for nearly a quarter of world beef trade compared to a mere 8 per cent in 2009. This rapid expansion is fueled by demand for low-cost product in many smaller, emerging and price sensitive markets (Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia) as well as the ability to provide halal product.
However, exports remain constrained by limited access to many key markets due to disease restrictions. While India controls foot and mouth disease (FMD) through vaccination programs, it does not maintain a FMD status classification with the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health).'
(Figure credit: 'Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade', published by the Foreign Agricultural Service/United States Department of Agriculture, Oct 2012).
A Black Vulture in our back yard. They are a New World tropical and semitropical species, though their numbers have increased in the Mid-Atlantic states in recent decades. This is the first one I've seen in Pennsylvania, though I've seen them in the deep South. Molly has seen several in nearby New Jersey.
Their presence here is of course attributed to global warming, but there is sparse and messy subfossil evidence that they ranged this far north prior to the last glaciation. I don't believe that the existing evidence allows us to choose between the two theories.
In any case, they are magnificent birds with wingspans up to two meters and dramatic white flashes on the wings' undersides.
Three of them were circling in a nearby brushland this morning. They lingered awhile in our back yard before the Pyrs chased them off. Using the Jeep as a blind, I got this snapshot with a too-short lens through the windshield around midday.