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The main objective of the project was to improve the quality of education received by students of the Livestock Training Agency (LITA) in Tengeru, Tanzania in the field of veterinary science (parasitology and parasitic diseases). The project was implemented by the foundation "Cultures of the World" and carried out by volunteer Maciej Klockiewicz.
Głównym celem projektu była poprawa jakości kształcenia studentów szkoły rolniczej LITA (Livestock Training Agency) w tanzańskiej miejscowości Tengeru w dziedzinie nauk weterynaryjnych (parazytologii i chorób pasożytniczych). Projekt został przeprowadzony przez fundację "Kultury Świata", a realizującym go wolontariuszem był dr Maciej Klockiewicz.
Available in higher resolution (and for purchase) here...
www.oliverselwyn.com/Travel/New-York/9659749_k2VHo#651945...
All rights reserved - © Oliver Selwyn - www.oliverselwyn.com
The objective of the work is to show that despite the dangers of maintaining financial security, freedom of commerce is still possible.
For more information on Cisco and Payment Card Industry security, please visit www.cisco.com/go/pci2
Artist: Randy South
Group work report by Michael Dingkuhn. The workshop objective was to engage with regional crop improvement institutions to Identify potential improvement scenarios and begin to incorporate them into models and Build a community of breeders and modelers alike to work together over the coming 3 years in the development of climate-smart breeding strategies. Photo: E. Le Borgne (ILRI).
Read more about this workshop in the related CCAFS Blog post "Mitigating change in climate relations: breeders and modelers of Africa unite for climate-smart crops"
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: UNDP supports 70 Parliamentary development programs globally. In line with Outcome 2 of UNDP’s Strategic Plan for 2014-2017 which puts an emphasis on supporting parliaments to deliver sustainable gains and respond to citizen’s expectations for voice, development, and accountability, UNDP is advocating for better representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliaments and contributing to fostering cooperation among parliamentarians in terms of ensuring compliance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and strengthening the respect of indigenous peoples’ rights. UNDP and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) have work on producing a series of knowledge products under the inclusive parliament’s initiiative to: increase knowledge on the representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in parliaments; provide tools for parliaments and other stakeholders on promoting inclusive parliaments; build capacity to advocate for more inclusive parliaments.
Brief Summary of Attachment: Through the coordination of UNDP’s Program Focal Point Mr. Jean-Raphael Guiliani (Parliamentary Development Specialist) and the Logistics Focal Point Ms. LaTanya Gwilliam (Program Assistant) in conjunction with Mrs. Carol Taniguchi (Chief Clerk of Hawaii State Senate) and Mrs. Morean Watak (RMI Parliament Clerk), Augusty Kessibuki (IT Manager) and I, Peter Anjain (Translator/Information Officer) were privileged to be sent as attachment to the State Senate of Hawaii from 16-20 July 2018 for capacity development shadowing purposes to learn about the legislative process, data system management, communication and other aspects of the Capitol’s day-to-day operations.
Over the course of our training, with the generous personal assistance of the Chief Clerk, we were able to meet with a number of the Senate professional staff including Ben Villafoir (Senate Sergeant-At-Arms since 1979), Jon Shimabuku (Senate Data Systems Manager), Michiko Moore (Asst. Director of Communications), Virginia Beck (Public Access Coordinator), Keanu Young (Asst. Public Access Coordinator), and Mr. Jacob Aki (Office Manager for Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English). Mr Aki arranged our meeting with Senator English who is currently the Senate Majority Leader, Vice-Chair for the Senate Committee on Labor, Member of the Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Member of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Energy, and Member of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Senator J. Kalani English has been a member of the Hawaii State Senate since 2007.
Incidental to our training request on such a short notice, the Chief Clerk was instrumental in arranging for us a meeting with the Judiciary State of Hawaii where we had the honour of meeting Melody M. Kubo (Court Interpreting Services Coordinator) who in turn arranged for us to attend a court hearings in one of the District Courts to observe how interpretation takes place to which we were privileged to meet and observe Joanne Loeak (Legal Aid Society of Hawaii) interpreting for a Marshallese case. Afterward the four of us went to a nearby coffee shop to discuss more about Melody and Joanne interpretation program. Over the course of our conversation Melody brought up the topic of coordinating with the Chief Clerk to have us attend the Interpretation training conducted by Dr Suzanne Zeng the following day at 1pm.
On our fourth shadowing day between 9-11am, coinciding with Martin Chungong (IPU Secretary-General) and Amanda Ellis (Executive Director, Hawaii and Asia-Pacific: Senior Specialist Advisor for International Diplomacy) State visit to the Senate, Augusty and I had the honour of meeting and chatting with Senator English and Secretary-General Martin, two gentlemen with vast knowledge and extensive experience in the political arena. Both commended highly on RMI’s progress on a national, regional, and international levels in terms of complying with UNDP and IPU overarching millennial sustainable development goals. Both of them also generalize on the importance of bridging the gap to assist developing sovereign island nations to maximize their true potential and voiced their opinions on issues of mutual interests particularly with the rapid onslaught of climate change. Both were pleased to see that we were on island to take stake and availing the funding package provided by the Government of Japan as our counterparts from FSM have also done just recently.
On the same day from 1-3pm, Augusty and I attended a 2 hours intensive but very intriguing Bi-lingual Interpretation Training conducted by Dr Suzanne Zeng from the University of Hawaii, Manoa who also is the founder of Language Services Hawaii which does translation and interpretation services in 20 languages. Though it was quite a lot to chew in just two hours, we were very fortunate to be among the few privileged that participated in the training. After the training not only did we obtain an electronic copy of the PowerPoint presentation and a thick binder compilation of interpretation resources but we were also privileged to go with Dr Zeng to one of the District court and observe her interpreting for a Chinese case. The following are few of the interesting topics we covered during the training:
- Model Code of Professional Responsibility
- Interpreter Ethics
- Mode of Interpreting
- Skills Building Exercises
- Vocabulary; phrases/scripts
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE ATTACHMENT: We were very fortunate to be sent as Attachment to the Hawaii State Senate for shadowing capacity building. At the very least we are fortunate to have a fair knowledge of Hawaii State Senate legislative process and the aspects of the Capitol's day-to-day operations. The role and responsibilities of the Chief Clerk, Sergeant-At-Arms, Data Management System, Communications Division, Public Access Room, the Hawaii State Judiciary Court Interpreter Certification Program to name just a few.
At the outset, for us, the Attachment learning experience was an eye opener and a motivation propeller. We are excited to do our parts and put to good use the knowledge we have gained from the learning attachment. Thus, it would be remiss on our part not to extend our debt of gratitude to everyone who contributed in making it possible for us to attend the training. We wish to particularly acknowledge our counterparts who were generous and professional in sharing their precise time and efforts in sharing their expertise whose names are mentioned above. A special recognition and sincere appreciation is extended to the Senate Chief of Clerk Carol T. Taniguchi for her dedication and commitment for making our training worthwhile. Mahalo!
Destroyed M1 Abrams Tank of 3rd Infantry Division on the Highway to the Baghdad International Airport in Western Baghdad on 10 April 2003. The Division is deployed in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. OIF is the multinational coalition effort to liberate the Iraqi people, eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and end the regime of Saddam Hussein. (UNRELEASED-NOT YET REVIEWED)(U.S. Army photo by SGT Igor Paustovski)
Objectively viewed – the world through my lens
#picoftheday #travel #fotografie #reisen#streetphotography
#photography #grsnaps
Objectively viewed – the world through my lens
#picoftheday #travel #fotografie #reisen#streetphotography
#photography
One of the main objectives of the European Union is to promote economic, social and territorial cohesion between regions. The reformed EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 comes at a pivotal moment. Recent years of austerity have seen rising unemployment and widening inequality, especially in peripheral regions, with youth, women and ethnic minorities worst affected.
Making over €350 billion available to invest in Europe's regions, cities and the real economy, the reformed Cohesion Policy is the EU's principal investment tool to deliver the Europe 2020 goals: creating growth and jobs, tackling climate change and energy dependence, reducing poverty and social exclusion. Once member states’ national contributions and the leverage effect of financial instruments are taken into account, the impact is likely to be over €500 billion.
Launching a new partnership with the European Commission, with the participation of the OECD, Salzburg Global’s program is timed to help key stakeholders understand the rules and results-oriented focus of the reformed Cohesion Policy and ensure maximum impact for these investments. It will build on our longstanding European program which has featured over 15 sessions devoted to the EU’s development and expansion, grounded in our location at the crossroads of East and West.
The 2014 program will focus on ways in which regional development policy and complementary instruments can enhance competitiveness and effective governance at local, regional and transboundary levels.
Participants will examine tools for environmentally sustainable innovation, human capital development, creation and financing of SMEs and the transition to a low carbon economy. They will compare practical projects and mechanisms that have delivered successful outcomes for competitiveness and inclusive growth, in and beyond Europe, in order to identify transferable tools and connect stakeholders who are leading cutting-edge work around the world.
The program will be held from May 17 to May 22, 2014 in Salzburg, Austria, with a one day, high-level pre-session meeting on May 17-18, focusing on European competitiveness, the shift to low carbon economies, and the role of sustainable cities.
IBA - CED Seminar Karachi, Pakistan Mar25,2014
I was invited to speak to three different groups at the
Institute of Business Administration (IBA)
Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED)
Objective was to share my own experience as an entrepreneur in USA as mentoring and encouragement to new and upcoming young entrepreneurs from IBA - CED.
Copyright 2013 Hilde Heyvaert.
All rights reserved.
No unauthorized use, reproduction or distribution without prior permission.
The objective of CESI is to create a network and community of top level scholars working on Chinese economic development. This initiative is currently co-sponsored by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, UC Berkeley IGov – Institutions and Governance Program at the Institute for International Studies, the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University and the Institute for Emerging Market Studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The Summer Institute is organized in collaboration with the BREAD, NBER and CEPR networks of academic economists.
The 3-day workshop intends to bring together the best scholars working on China in China, the US and Europe with other top level scholars who have an interest in working on China in the future. During the workshop, there will be seminar presentations and free time to allow scholars to interact and explore the possibility of doing joint research projects. Senior scholars who will attend will be available for consultations with junior scholars. Afternoon sessions will give the opportunity to a select group of young scholars and Ph. D students to present their work.
Find out more about the event iems.ust.hk/events/event/cesi2016/
Hi guys !
Testing a 4x Objective I got from ebay here, though as you may be able to see it's not the best in the world...
In comparison the last 4x I had was much sharper but had softness at the peripherals... although this does not, the quality of each individual photo isn't great.
Looking at the full sized image makes this obvious www.flickr.com/photos/sequentialmacro/8111936079/sizes/k/...
Time to get some more money out and get a nice Nikon m 4x I think.
The objective for this photo was to provide a Silhouette and this image did just that. what puts this image in the quality section is the location, the models actions and the editing done to this photo. Anybody can create a silhouette and I knew I needed to take this someplace unique to all the other submissions. The pumpkin and surrounding shrubbery all plays into the fall look of the photo. next, I edited the photo to display the fall tones as well as bringing down the sun tones to deepen the silhouette and give a deeper range of distance.
Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876 Dresden - Worpswede 1907)
Moor canal, around 1900
Canvas
Purchased 1967
Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876 Dresden - Worpswede 1907)
Moorkanal, um 1900
Leinwand
Erworben 1967
Under the Swastika
In the history of the Friends of the Kunsthalle too the seizure of power by the Nazis is a deep cut. The Nazi regime developed a practice of arts funding which was marked by the mandatory relationship of art and state.
The enforced conformity of friends meant the loss of independence and the orientation of the association's activities to the objectives of the National Socialist government. Decisive for this change of course, was the board meeting on 10 June 1933. The poet and art historian Wilhelm Niemeyer played the key role as the representative of the Militant League for German Culture (Kampfbund). The Kampfbund was a Nazi-oriented organization which represented a nationalist-racist concept of art. Although Niemeyer since 1927 no longer belonged to the board of the association, he participated against the resistance of Gustav Pauli and the other board members at the meeting to introduce a list of the Executive Board drawn up by the Kampfbund.
As a result of the meeting Pauli on the same day sent a list of candidates for the election of the new board of the Friends to the Kampfbund. This was his last official act for the Friends of the Kunsthalle. The new board then was no longer elected but appointed by the First Mayor Carl Vincent Krogmann and was completely re-assembled, with two exceptions.
New chairman became Hermann Maetzig who also headed the official business at the Kunsthalle from the beginning of October, Pauli in late September 1933 as director of the Kunsthalle was sent into retirement. On the part of the club members, there was no opposition against the replacement of the Board, they confirmed this one after a short debate on their general meeting on 31 October 1933.
The era Maetzig did not last long. Already in April 1934, he had to give up all offices for belonging to the Freemasons. His successor Wilhelm Freiherr Kleinschmit of Lengefeld remained until August 1937 executive director of the Kunsthalle and Chairman of Friends. In the action "degenerate art" to which the set up by Pauli collection of modern art in the summer of 1937 fell victim he did not participate. However, in the tenure of Kleinschmit fell the exclusion of Jewish club members. This marks the blackest chapters in the history of the club.
At the beginning of 1936, the Statute of friends was officially completed by an "Aryan paragraph". But already at the end of the fiscal year 1935, the Jewish members had been forced to leave the club. In September 1935, the new program of events was sent with a message of Kleinschmit. It was said there, the membership card will be issued only to those persons who signed a statement that they were "Aryans".
Alone in September and October 1935, 29 Jewish donors, so financially particularly committed members, had to leave the club. Among them are such famous names as Bleichröder, Budge or Warburg. In addition, there were also about 100 regular members who had been excluded. Against this background is hardly surprising that the number of members of the Friends in 1936 with 1,124 members reached a historic low.
The lecture program of friends during the Nazi period designed primarily Wilhelm Niemeyer, who was secretary of the association since August 1933. As already Pauli, he also succeeded to win a number of known German art historians. Speeches were held by university professors as Hans Jantzen, Hans Kauffmann or the befriended with Niemeyer, Wilhelm Pinder. Although the Kunsthalle was closed at the beginning of World War II to the public, the friends continued to offer lectures. Those ones, however, unlike as in the days of the Weimar Republic, as regards contents offered only little direct references to the collection fund of the Kunsthalle.
Unter dem Hakenkreuz
Auch in der Geschichte der Freunde der Kunsthalle stellt die Machtergreifung der Nationalsozialisten einen tiefen Einschnitt dar. Das NS-Regime entwickelte eine Praxis der Kunstförderung, die durch die zwangsweise Verbindung von Kunst und Staat gekennzeichnet war.
Die Gleichschaltung der Freunde bedeutete den Verlust der Selbstständigkeit und die Ausrichtung der Vereinsaktivitäten auf die Ziele der nationalsozialistischen Regierung. Entscheidend für diesen Kurswechsel wurde die Vorstandssitzung am 10. Juni 1933. Der Dichter und Kunsthistoriker Wilhelm Niemeyer spielte als Repräsentant des Kampfbundes für deutsche Kultur die maßgebliche Rolle. Der Kampfbund war eine NSDAP-nahe Organisation, die einen völkisch-rassistischen Kunstbegriff vertrat. Obwohl Niemeyer seit 1927 nicht mehr dem Vorstand des Vereins angehörte, nahm er gegen den Widerstand Gustav Paulis und der übrigen Vorstandsmitglieder an der Sitzung teil, um eine vom Kampfbund erstellte Vorstandsliste einzubringen.
Als Ergebnis der Sitzung schickte Pauli noch am selben Tag eine Vorschlagliste für die Wahl des neuen Vorstandes der Freunde an den Kampfbund. Dies war seine letzte Amtshandlung für die Freunde der Kunsthalle. Der neue Vorstand wurde dann nicht mehr gewählt, sondern vom Ersten Bürgermeister Carl Vincent Krogmann bestimmt und war bis auf zwei Ausnahmen völlig neu zusammengesetzt.
Neuer Vorsitzender wurde Hermann Maetzig, der ab Anfang Oktober auch die Amtsgeschäfte in der Kunsthalle leitete; Pauli wurde Ende September 1933 als Direktor der Kunsthalle in den Ruhestand versetzt. Von Seiten der Vereinsmitglieder gab es keinerlei Widerstände gegen die Neubesetzung des Vorstandes, sie bestätigten diesen nach kurzer Aussprache auf ihrer Mitgliederversammlung am 31. Oktober 1933.
Die Ära Maetzig währte nicht lange. Bereits im April 1934 musste er wegen seiner Zugehörigkeit zu den Freimaurern alle Ämter aufgeben. Sein Nachfolger Wilhelm Freiherr Kleinschmit von Lengefeld blieb bis August 1937 verantwortlicher Leiter der Kunsthalle und Vorsitzender der Freunde. An der Aktion „entartete Kunst“, der im Sommer 1937 die von Pauli aufgebaute Sammlung der Moderne zum Opfer fiel, war er allerdings nicht beteiligt. In Kleinschmits Amtszeit kam es jedoch zum Ausschluss der jüdischen Vereinsmitglieder. Dies markiert das schwärzeste Kapitel in der Geschichte des Vereins.
Zu Beginn des Jahres 1936 wurde die Satzung der Freunde offiziell um einen „Arierparagraphen“ ergänzt. Doch bereits am Ende des Geschäftsjahres 1935 hatten die jüdischen Mitglieder den Verein verlassen müssen. Im September 1935 wurde das neue Veranstaltungsprogramm mit einer Mitteilung Kleinschmits versandt. Dort hieß es, die Mitgliedskarte werde nur an solche Personen ausgestellt, die eine Erklärung unterschrieben, dass sie „ arischer Abstammung“ seien.
Allein 29 jüdische Stifter, also finanziell besonders engagierte Mitglieder, mussten im September und Oktober 1935 den Verein verlassen. Unter ihnen finden sich so berühmte Namen wie Bleichröder, Budge oder Warburg. Hinzu kamen noch ungefähr 100 ordentliche Mitglieder, die ausgeschlossen wurden. Vor diesem Hintergrund verwundert wenig, dass die Mitgliederzahl der Freunde im Jahr 1936 mit 1.124 Mitgliedern einen historischen Tiefststand erreichte.
Das Vortragsprogramm der Freunde während der NS-Zeit gestaltete in erster Linie Wilhelm Niemeyer, der seit August 1933 Schriftführer des Vereins war. Wie bereits Pauli gelang es auch ihm, eine Reihe bekannter deutscher Kunsthistoriker zu gewinnen. Es sprachen Universitätsprofessoren wie Hans Jantzen, Hans Kauffmann oder der mit Niemeyer befreundete Wilhelm Pinder. Obwohl die Kunsthalle mit Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges für das Publikum geschlossen wurde, boten die Freunde weiterhin Vorträge an. Diese wiesen allerdings – anders als zu Zeiten der Weimarer Republik – inhaltlich nur wenig direkte Bezüge zum Sammlungsbestand der Kunsthalle auf
freunde-der-kunsthalle.de/meta/ueber-uns/geschichte/unter...
Series: Be beautiful
As always, your comments and faves are appreciated. Constructive criticism and suggestions are especially welcome as I believe they help to make me a better photographer. Thank you for taking the time to look at my photos.
Copyright 2014 Hilde Heyvaert.
All rights reserved.
No unauthorized use, reproduction or distribution without prior permission.
The National History Museum of the Kyrgyz Republic is a museum located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The museum contains literally thousands of exhibits about the cultural heritage of the Kyrgyz people, whose sculptures and objects date from antiquity to the end of the 20th century. It is one of the most important museums in Central Asia.
During the 1920s and 1930s, one of the objectives was to complete certain ethnographic and archaeological collections, therefore, the construction of a museum to store different types of cultural and historical artifacts of Kyrgyzstan was proposed. The museum was founded in December 9, 1925 as the first scientific institution in Kyrgyzstan. In 1927, the museum was first opened to the public, the museum has received several contributions from historians and ethnographers such as Aleksandr Natanovich Bernshtam.
In 1933, the name of the museum was changed to Museum of Local Customs. In 1943, the name of the museum was changed again to the Museum of National Culture. In 1954, it was renamed the State Historical Museum. In the 1960s it moved to a building constructed in 1928, this building was designed by the architect Zenkov. The current building where the museum is located was built in 1984. The construction of the building was intended to give the museum a distinctive design. It is located near the government house on Ala-Too Square.
In 2003, there was originally a statue of Lenin at the entrance of the museum but it was moved behind the museum, to a more secluded location.
The museum has several cave sculptures from the Bronze Age, as well as a series of collections of ancient coins and many ethnographic objects, jewelry and clothing from the 1st to the 5th century. Also, the museum contains various photographs and documents about the formation and development of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic. The museum also houses exhibits on the migration of people in Central Asia. There is a typical handmade felted nomad yurt and mannequins dressed in typical clothing also.
In 2016, renovation work began on parts of the museum funded by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.
During the 2016–2021 Turkish-aided redevelopment of the State History Museum of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Soviet statues and paintings inside the building were completely removed. Since its reopening, the museum displays a new collection about Kyrgyz history from ancient times until today. In addition, it was renamed National History Museum of the Kyrgyz Republic.
My second week of snowboarding and my aim was to get the board off the ground a bit - I landed this one and was stoked.
34.Spieltag
Saison 2013/2014
2.Bundesliga
All rights reserved - Copyright © Joerg Reichel
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
FORT GORDON NELSON HALL, Augusta, Georgia, June 10, 2014 - The U.S. Army's 'Cyber Center of Excellence', Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, hosted a multi-service 'NetWar' to show, and build, cyber Warrior capabilities Tuesday, June 10. Twenty-eight Soldiers, Airmen, Navy and Marine Corps computer professionals comprised four teams representing the U.S. Army's active, reserve and National Guard with one Joint-services team that included a U.S. Special Operations Command civilian. The scenarios tasked teams to reach three kinetic objectives given notional operation orders and varying levels of difficulty. Manipulating in miniaturized city structures the mimicry encouraged communication and knowledge sharing. "It reinforces the idea of a truly blended battlefield," Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sam Blaney, an information and technology manager for the Georgia National Guardâs joint force headquarters in Marietta, Georgia. "Also challenges us while testing our mettle to overcome in a crunch." Team Bravo, the multi-state U.S. Army National Guard team, completed the first mission through innovation and teamwork. "They were the first to write their own script (computer specific algorithm code) and use SQLMAP (an open source database takeover tool) to clear their objective," Tim Medin, SANS Institute CyberCity co-creator and exercise facilitator, said. (Georgia Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Tracy J. Smith)
Response to Article:
"Village that towers above China" by
Jonathan Watts
November 14, 2011
www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4623-Village...
Comment by Philip McMaster:
People favourably respond to Change
Generally speaking, people don't change for the better when criticized. But they do respond favourably to praise.
Huaxi Cun is not the worst place in China, and it has been following and sometimes leading the objectives and trends of the government and Chinese people - first it was to get rich - and clean up the mess later. We did this in the West on our own schedule, some Chinese are doing it now under the generally hypocritical pressure of the global community.
人们对改变的有利反应
总体上，当人们受到批评的时候，不会变得更好。但他们受到表扬的时候，总是积极反应。华西村不是中国最差 的地方，它跟从着-有时也领导着中国政府与人民的目标与潮流。这个目标首先是变富，然后再处理垃圾。西方按照自己的日程表也这样做过。现在有些中国人也这 么做，就面临虚伪的国际压力。
An aspirational monument - if you choose to see it that way..
When I was invited to Huaxi Cun for the inauguration of the “Village in the Sky”, (www.tudou.com/programs/view/05XpJXkiNwI/ ) I spoke of the new tower as a beacon for all to see, not in terms of opulence and excess, but as a towering 3 element "Symbol of Sustainability" - an aspirational symbol rising above all else - including the cookie-cutter villas, the grubby factories, the money focus and the faux world landmarks - to shock and awe viewers into realizing that all monuments have a message – and this one should inspire people to make the connection between Heaven, Earth and the People (Tian, Di, Ren 天地人) and that to achieve Wu Renbao’s “Heaven on Earth”… the Triple-Bottom-Line balance between Society, Environment and Economy （社会,环境,经济）must become Huaxi’s new ethic.
一个振奋人心的里程碑——如果你从另一个角度解读
我应邀了参加华西村“空中新农村大楼”授牌仪式(www.tudou.com /programs/view/05XpJXkiNwI/ )，当时我谈到这栋大楼并不是炫富和挥霍，而是华西村的一个新地标。比起那些千篇一律的别墅，脏乱差的工厂，一切向钱看的态度和人造世界景观，这栋摩天大 楼是一个振奋人心 里程碑，它作为可持续发展的标志建筑让人感到震撼和心生敬畏，它能让人们感到天地人和谐发展的信息，体现了吴仁宝“人间天堂”的理念。以社会，环境和经济 作为三条支柱，寻求三者的平衡发展是华西村的新理念。
菲利普•麦克马斯特
麦克马斯特商务可持续发展研究所首席研究员，世界可持续发展组织创始人。
"Now that Huaxi village is rich, what's next?"
Following my presentation, the new building’s architect Ma Xusheng, in turn praised my interpretation of his building’s design, saying that no one had thought of it before, but that “with your new ‘Society, Environment, Economy ‘meaning attached, our building is even richer”.
At a private dinner with village leaders the evening before, I had shamelessly asked: “Now that Huaxi village is rich, what’s next?” – hoping to encourage them to expound on how they were going to share Huaxi’s wealth and expertise with other communities and to build sustainable enterprises based on a model ecological civilisation… however the response was understandable, as a bit more thinking is required; and considering most people’s focus was still on showing off and celebrating what they have achieved so far, the answer was a simple “Gambei!”
Philip McMaster,
Principal Researcher, McMaster Institute for Sustainable Development in Commerce
Founder, World Sustainability Organization
“现在华西村富了，接下来呢？”
我的演讲结束后，这栋新大楼的建筑师马旭升（音）反过来称赞了我对他的建筑设计的诠释，说以前从未有人想到这个方面，“加上您说的‘社会、环境、经济’意义后，我们的摩天大楼更加富裕了”。
前一天晚上和华西村领导的聚餐上，我厚着脸皮问了一句：“现在华西村富裕了，接下来呢？”我当时希望他们能够详细阐述下怎样和其他地区分享华西村的 财富和技术，以及在生态文明模型的基础上建立起可持续发展的企业。但是，他们的回答很简单，就是：“干杯！”当然，这是可以理解的，因为回答这个问题需要 一些思考，而且当时大多数人的注意力仍然在炫耀和庆祝他们至今已取得的成就上。
菲利普•麦克马斯特
麦克马斯特商务可持续发展研究所首席研究员，世界可持续发展组织创始人。
...Huaxi must have liked 3 Fingers - we're invited back_\!/
Our “Peace Plus One -World Sustainability Project” (www.SustainabilitySymbol.com ) and the 3 Finger Sustainability Symbol is about promoting LOHHAS – a Lifestyle Of Health, Happiness And Sustainability, first for the 1/5th of the world in China, then to be exported as a sustainable philosophy for the entire planet. The Leaders of Huaxi must have liked something about our discussions, as they wholeheartedly embraced the3 Finger Sustainability Symbol and invited us back to share more_\!/
Philip McMaster,
Principal Researcher, McMaster Institute for Sustainable Development in Commerce
Founder, World Sustainability Organization
...华西村一定喜欢“三指禅” —— 我们又被邀请了_\!/
我们的“和平 + 1 - 世界可持续发展项目” （www.SustainabilitySymbol.com）和“三指禅”可持续发展符号旨在促进“乐活”——一种健康、快乐、可持续的生活方式。起初 是为了中国占世界五分之一的人口而提出，后来作为一个可持续发展的理念被推广到全世界。华西村的领导们肯定是欣赏我们的一些讨论成果，因为他们热烈欢迎了 我们的“三根手指可持续发展符号”并且再次邀请我们去分享更多信息。
Philip McMaster（大龙），
商务可持续发展麦克马斯特学院，首席研究员
世界可持续发展组织创始人
The Objective Weapon Elevation Kit (OWEK) elevates the M2 assembly, enabling gunners to engage targets up to 80 degrees while remaining protected within the gunner protection kit. The OWEK was named an Army Greatest Invention of 2009.
Read more: www.army.mil/-news/2011/01/07/50173-continuous-army-innov...
Triglav National Park is the only national park in Slovenia. It was established in its modern form in 1981 and is located in the northwestern part of the country, respectively the southeastern part of the Alpine massif. Mount Triglav, the highest peak of the Julian Alps, stands almost in the middle of the national park. From there the valleys spread out radially, supplying water to two large river systems with their sources in the Julian Alps: the Soča and the Sava, flowing to the Adriatic and Black Sea, respectively.
The proposal for the protection of the Triglav Lakes Valley area was first put forward by the seismologist Albin Belar in 1906 or 1908. However, the proposal was not accepted, as there was no legal base for it and the laws of the time prohibited any restriction of pasture. The strategic basis for the protection of the area, titled The Memorandum (Spomenica), and which explicitly mentioned the proposal of Belar, was submitted to the Provincial Government for Slovenia in 1920. The idea was finally implemented in 1924. Then, at an initiative by the Nature Protection Section of the Slovene Museum Society together with the Slovene Mountaineering Society, a twenty-year lease was taken out on the Triglav Lakes Valley area, some 14 km². It was destined to become an Alpine Conservation Park; however, permanent conservation was not possible at that time. The name Triglavski narodni park was first used in 1926 by Fran Jesenko.
In 1961, after many years of effort, the protection was renewed (this time on a permanent basis) and somewhat enlarged, embracing around 20 km². The protected area was officially designated as Triglav National Park. It was named after Mount Triglav, a symbol of Slovenia and of Slovene character. However, all objectives of a true national park were not attained and for that reason over the next two decades new proposals for expanding and modifying this protection were put forward.
Finally, in 1981, Triglav National Park was officially established in the modern form. A rearrangement was achieved and the park was given a new concept and expanded to 838 km². In 2010, the park expanded to include the settlement Kneške Ravne (Tolmin), according to wishes of its inhabitants, thus the new park area amounts to 880 km², which is 4% of the area of Slovenia.
Systematic surveys of plants, especially of ethnobotanically useful species, in Triglav National Park have been carried out by Chandra Prakash Kala and Petra Ratajc covering various microhabitats, elevations, aspects, and terrain types. The park has over fifty-nine species of ethnobotanical values, of these 37 species (which contribute 62%) fall under four major categories of medicinal plants as per the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia such as H, Z, ZR and ND.[5] Some important species such as Aconitum napellus, Cannabis sativa, and Taxus baccata are not allowed to be collected and used as per the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia.
Waters in Triglav National Park consist of two watersheds: the Sava River watershed and the Soča River watershed. Many waterfalls can be found in the park, and most of them are located in the valleys of Soča River and its tributaries. The highest waterfall is Boka Falls (106 m). The Tolmin Gorges on the Tolminka River are located in the national park.
The lakes in the park are all of glacial origin. The largest among them is Lake Bohinj. Others are the Triglav Lakes (located in the Triglav Lakes Valley), Lake Krn, and Lower and Upper Križ Lake.
The Alps are the highest and most extensive mountain range that is entirely in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
The Alpine arch extends from Nice on the western Mediterranean to Trieste on the Adriatic and Vienna at the beginning of the Pannonian Basin. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.
Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at 4,809 m (15,778 ft) is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alpine region area contains 128 peaks higher than 4,000 m (13,000 ft).
The altitude and size of the range affect the climate in Europe; in the mountains, precipitation levels vary greatly and climatic conditions consist of distinct zones. Wildlife such as ibex live in the higher peaks to elevations of 3,400 m (11,155 ft), and plants such as edelweiss grow in rocky areas in lower elevations as well as in higher elevations.
Evidence of human habitation in the Alps goes back to the Palaeolithic era. A mummified man ("Ötzi"), determined to be 5,000 years old, was discovered on a glacier at the Austrian–Italian border in 1991.
By the 6th century BC, the Celtic La Tène culture was well established. Hannibal notably crossed the Alps with a herd of elephants, and the Romans had settlements in the region. In 1800, Napoleon crossed one of the mountain passes with an army of 40,000. The 18th and 19th centuries saw an influx of naturalists, writers, and artists, in particular, the Romantics, followed by the golden age of alpinism as mountaineers began to ascend the peaks of the Alps.
The Alpine region has a strong cultural identity. Traditional practices such as farming, cheesemaking, and woodworking still thrive in Alpine villages. However, the tourist industry began to grow early in the 20th century and expanded significantly after World War II, eventually becoming the dominant industry by the end of the century.
The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted in the Swiss, French, Italian, Austrian and German Alps. As of 2010, the region is home to 14 million people and has 120 million annual visitors.
The valleys of the Alps have been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Alpine culture, which developed there, centers on transhumance.
Currently the Alps are divided among eight countries: France, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Slovenia. In 1991 the Alpine Convention was established to regulate this transnational area, whose area measures about 190,000 square kilometres (73,000 sq mi).
The Wildkirchli caves in the Appenzell Alps show traces of Neanderthal habitation (about 40,000 BCE). During the Würm glaciation (up to c. 11700 BP), the entire Alps were covered in ice. Anatomically modern humans reach the Alpine region by c. 30,000 years ago. MtDNA Haplogroup K (believed to have originated in the mid-Upper Paleolithic, between about 30,000 and 22,000 years ago, with an estimated age here of c. 12,000 years BP), is a genetic marker associated with southeastern Alpine region.
Traces of transhumance appear in the neolithic. In the Bronze Age, the Alps formed the boundary of the Urnfield and Terramare cultures. The mummy found on the Ötztal Alps, known as "Ötzi the Iceman", lived c. 3200 BC. At that stage the population in its majority had already changed from an economy based on hunting and gathering to one based on agriculture and animal husbandry. It is still an open question whether forms of pastoral mobility, such as transhumance (alpiculture), already existed in prehistory.
The earliest historical accounts date to the Roman period, mostly due to Greco-Roman ethnography, with some epigraphic evidence due to the Raetians, Lepontii and Gauls, with Ligurians and Venetii occupying the fringes in the south-west and south-east, respectively (Cisalpine Gaul) during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. The Rock Drawings in Valcamonica date to this period. A few details have come down to modern scholars of the conquest of many of the Alpine tribes by Augustus, as well as Hannibal's battles across the Alps. Most of the local Gallic tribes allied themselves with the Carthaginians in the Second Punic War, for the duration of which Rome lost control over most of Northern Italy. The Roman conquest of Italy was only complete after the Roman victory over Carthage, by the 190s BC.
Between 35 and 6 BC, the Alpine region was gradually integrated into the expanding Roman Empire. The contemporary monument Tropaeum Alpium in La Turbie celebrates the victory won by the Romans over 46 tribes in these mountains. The subsequent construction of roads over the Alpine passes first permitted southern and northern Roman settlements in the Alps to be connected, and eventually integrated the inhabitants of the Alps into the culture of the Empire. The upper Rhône Valley or Vallis Poenina fell to the Romans after a battle at Octodurus (Martigny) in 57 BC. Aosta was founded in 25 BC as Augusta Praetoria Salassorum in the former territory of the Salassi. Raetia was conquered in 15 BC.
With the division of the Roman Empire and the collapse of its Western part in the fourth and fifth centuries, power relations in the Alpine region reverted to their local dimensions. Often dioceses became important centres. While in Italy and Southern France, dioceses in the Western Alps were established early (beginning in the fourth century) and resulted in numerous small sees, in the Eastern Alps such foundations continued into the thirteenth century and the dioceses were usually larger. New monasteries in the mountain valleys also promoted the Christianisation of the population. In that period the core area of supra-regional political powers was mainly situated north of the Alps, first in the Carolingian Empire and later, after its division, in France and the Holy Roman Empire. The German emperors, who received the imperial investiture from the Pope in Rome between the ninth and the fifteenth centuries, had to cross the Alps along with their entourages.
In the 7th century, much of the Eastern Alps were settled by Slavs. Between the 7th and 9th century, the Slavic principality of Carantania existed as one of the few non-Germanic polities in the Alps. The Alpine Slavs, who inhabited the majority of present-day Austria and Slovenia, were gradually Germanized from the 9th to the 14th century. The modern Slovenes are their southernmost descendants.
The successive emigration and occupation of the Alpine region by the Alemanni from the 6th to the 8th centuries are, too, known only in outline. For "mainstream" history, the Frankish and later the Habsburg empire, the Alps had strategic importance as an obstacle, not as a landscape, and the Alpine passes have consequently had great significance militarily.
Between 889 and 973, a community of Muslim raiders operating from their base of Fraxinetum, on the coast of Provence, blocked the Alpine passes to Christian travellers until their expulsion by Christian forces led by Arduin Glaber in 973, at which point transalpine trade was able to resume.
Not until the final breakup of the Carolingian Empire in the 10th and 11th centuries is it possible to trace out the local history of different parts of the Alps, notably with the High Medieval Walser migrations.
Later Medieval to Early Modern Era (1200 to 1900)
The French historian Fernand Braudel, in his famous volume on Mediterranean civilisation, describes the Alps as "an exceptional range of mountains from the point of view of resources, collective disciplines, the quality of its human population and the number of good roads." This remarkable human presence in the Alpine region came into being with the population growth and agrarian expansion of the High Middle Ages. At first a mixed form of agriculture and animal husbandry dominated the economy. Then, from the Late Middle Ages onwards, cattle tended to replace sheep as the dominant animals. In a few regions of the northern slope of the Alps, cattle farming became increasingly oriented toward long-range markets and substituted agriculture completely. At the same time other types of interregional and transalpine exchange were growing in significance. The most important pass was the Brenner, which could accommodate cart traffic beginning in the fifteenth century. In the Western and Central Alps, the passes were practicable only by pack animals up to the period around 1800.
The process of state formation in the Alps was driven by the proximity to focal areas of European conflicts such as in the Italian wars of 1494–1559. In that period the socio-political structures of Alpine regions drifted apart. One can identify three different developmental models: one of princely centralization (Western Alps), a local-communal one (Switzerland) and an intermediate one, characterised by a powerful nobility (Eastern Alps).
Until the late nineteenth century many Alpine valleys remained mainly shaped by agrarian and pastoral activities. Population growth favoured the intensification of land use and the spread of corn, potato and cheese production. The shorter growing season at higher altitudes did not seem to be an impediment until around 1700. Later, however, it became a major obstacle to the further intensification of agriculture, especially in comparison to the surrounding lowlands where land productivity increased rapidly. Inside the Alpine region there was a striking difference between the western and central parts, which were dominated by small farming establishments, and the eastern part, which were characterised by medium or big farms. Migration to the urbanised zones of the surrounding areas was already apparent before 1500 and was often temporary. In the Alps themselves, urbanisation was slow.
Central Alps
In the Central Alps the chief event, on the northern side of the chain, is the gradual formation from 1291 to 1516 of the Swiss Confederacy, at least so far as regards the mountain cantons, and with especial reference to the independent confederations of the Grisons and the Valais, which only became full members of the Confederation in 1803 and 1815 respectively. The attraction of the south was too strong for both the Forest Cantons and the Grisons, so that both tried to secure, and actually did secure, various bits of the Milanese.
The Gotthard Pass was known in antiquity as Adula Mons, but it was not one of the important Alpine passes due to the impassability of the Schöllenen Gorge north of the pass. This changed dramatically with the construction of the so-called Devil's Bridge by the year 1230. Almost immediately, in 1231, the formerly unimportant valley of Uri was granted imperial immediacy and became the main route connecting Germany and Italy. Also in 1230, a hospice dedicated to Gotthard of Hildesheim was built on the pass to accommodate the pilgrims to Rome which now took this route. The sudden strategical importance for the European powers gained by what is now Central Switzerland was an important factor in the formation of the Old Swiss Confederacy beginning in the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the Forest Cantons won the Valle Leventina as well as Bellinzona and the Valle di Blenio (though the Valle d'Ossola was held for a time only). Blenio was added to the Val Bregaglia (which had been given to the bishop of Coire in 960 by the emperor Otto I), along with the valleys of Valle Mesolcina and of Val Poschiavo.
Western Alps
Further information: County of Savoy and Duchy of Savoy
In the case of the Western Alps (excluding the part from the chain of Mont Blanc to the Simplon Pass, which followed the fortunes of the Valais), a prolonged struggle for control took place between the feudal lords of Savoy, the Dauphiné and Provence. In 1349 the Dauphiné fell to France, while in 1388 the county of Nice passed from Provence to the house of Savoy, which also then held Piedmont as well as other lands on the Italian side of the Alps. The struggle henceforth was limited to France and the house of Savoy, but little by little France succeeded in pushing back the house of Savoy across the Alps, forcing it to become a purely Italian power.
One turning-point in the rivalry was the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), by which France ceded to Savoy the Alpine districts of Exilles, Bardonnèche (Bardonecchia), Oulx, Fenestrelles, and Châtean Dauphin, while Savoy handed over to France the valley of Barcelonnette, situated on the western slope of the Alps and forming part of the county of Nice. The final act in this long-continued struggle took place in 1860, when France obtained by cession the rest of the county of Nice and also Savoy, thus remaining sole ruler on the western slope of the Alps.
Eastern Alps
The Eastern Alps had been included in the Frankish Empire since the 9th century. From the High Middle Ages and throughout the Early Modern era, the political history of the Eastern Alps can be considered almost totally in terms of the advance or retreat of the house of Habsburg. The Habsburgers' original home was in the lower valley of the Aar, at Habsburg castle. They lost that district to the Swiss in 1415, as they had previously lost various other sections of what is now Switzerland. But they built an impressive empire in the Eastern Alps, where they defeated numerous minor dynasties. They won the duchy of Austria with Styria in 1282, Carinthia and Carniola in 1335, Tirol in 1363, and the Vorarlberg in bits from 1375 to 1523, not to speak of minor "rectifications" of frontiers on the northern slope of the Alps. But on the other slope their progress was slower, and finally less successful. It is true that they won Primiero quite early (1373), as well as (1517) the Ampezzo Valley and several towns to the south of Trento. In 1797 they obtained Venetia proper, in 1803 the secularized bishoprics of Trento and Brixen (as well as that of Salzburg, more to the north), besides the Valtellina region, and in 1815 the Bergamasque valleys, while the Milanese had belonged to them since 1535. But in 1859 they lost to the house of Savoy both the Milanese and the Bergamasca, and in 1866 Venetia proper also, so that the Trentino was then their chief possession on the southern slope of the Alps. The gain of the Milanese in 1859 by the future king of Italy (1861) meant that Italy then won the valley of Livigno (between the Upper Engadine and Bormio), which is the only important bit it holds on the non-Italian slope of the Alps, besides the county of Tenda (obtained in 1575, and not lost in 1860), with the heads of certain glens in the Maritime Alps, reserved in 1860 for reasons connected with hunting. Following World War I and the demise of Austria-Hungary, there were important territorial changes in the Eastern Alps.
Slovenia is a country in southern Central Europe. Slovenia is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short coastline within the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. Slovenia is mostly mountainous and forested, covers 20,271 square kilometres (7,827 sq mi), and has a population of 2.1 million (2,110,547 people). Slovenes constitute over 80% of the country's population. Slovene, a South Slavic language, is the official language. Slovenia has a predominantly temperate continental climate, with the exception of the Slovene Littoral and the Julian Alps. A sub-mediterranean climate reaches to the northern extensions of the Dinaric Alps that traverse the country in a northwest–southeast direction. The Julian Alps in the northwest have an alpine climate. Toward the northeastern Pannonian Basin, a continental climate is more pronounced. Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Slovenia, is geographically situated near the centre of the country.
Slovenia has historically been the crossroads of Slavic, Germanic, and Romance languages and cultures. Its territory has been part of many different states: the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Carolingian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Republic of Venice, the Illyrian Provinces of Napoleon's First French Empire, the Austrian Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In October 1918, the Slovenes co-founded the State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs. In December 1918, they merged with the Kingdom of Montenegro and the Kingdom of Serbia into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During World War II, Germany, Italy, and Hungary occupied and annexed Slovenia, with a tiny area transferred to the Independent State of Croatia, a newly declared Nazi puppet state. In 1945, it again became part of Yugoslavia. Post-war, Yugoslavia was allied with the Eastern Bloc, but after the Tito–Stalin split of 1948, it never subscribed to the Warsaw Pact, and in 1961 it became one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement. In June 1991, Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia and became an independent sovereign state.
Slovenia is a developed country, with a high-income economy ranking highly in the Human Development Index. The Gini coefficient rates its income inequality among the lowest in the world. It is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, the Eurozone, the Schengen Area, the OSCE, the OECD, the Council of Europe, and NATO. Slovenia was ranked 33rd in the Global Innovation Index in 2023.
Mixed crystals under polarized light, COL, and Rheinberg illumination. Tiyoda microscope equipped with Nikon objectives (20x).
I cannot remember why I have this Soviet Jupiter-8 objective. It is most propably for an exotic (for me!) Communist/Socialist rangefinder camera.
The Jupiter-8 is evidently a postwar copy of the prewar Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f/2 for the Contax. In Soviet Union it was originally made (by KMZ) for Arsenal's Kiev (=Contax copy). KMZ later produced its own version in L39 (Leica thread) mount for its Zorki camera series.
I haven't seen in Interweb any complaints about the image quality. Soviet optical factories had a tradition for sharp optics, and this one is no exception. The edges may not always be the bee's knees, but the center can be dead sharp with killing contrast. Is also said to be a good color optic. I haven't tested it by any means.
The filter thread is something odd; so I haven't ever thought to use it reversed for macrophotography.
The design of the Objective Weapon Elevation Kit allows the Soldier to engage elevated targets with the M2 at up to 80 degrees while remaining protected. U.S. Army photo.
Read more: www.army.mil/-news/2010/10/15/46599-picatinny-lands-3-of-...