The Pros and Cons of School Fencing

There are many different opinions concerning school fencing and the materials that this item should be constructed of. Many taxpayers feel that school fencing is in violation of their rights as taxpaying citizens. Many people feel that without the presence of school fencing the children that attend the classes on that campus are vulnerable to pedophiles and other people that would harm them. There are really good points on both sides of this argument.

School Fencing Pros:

1. School fencing will provide a distinguishing barrier between the areas the children play different games at. It can establish a field for football, baseball, and hockey. It stops the balls from the sporting activity from inadvertently hitting targets they should not have hit, like cars in the parking lot.

2. School fencing reduces the number of acts of vandalism the property is subjected to each year. It also reduces the number of times that thieves break in and steal computer equipment, and things of this nature.

3. A fenced in enclosure provides additional security for the children that attend the classes and provides peace of mind to the parents of those children.

4. Reduces the cost of the liability insurance coverage the school district is forced to carry.

5. Protects the children from being lost, kidnapped, or exposed to people they are better off not being exposed to.

School Fencing Cons:

1. Taxpayers have a right to public property that they pay taxes on

2. Increases the duties of the maintenance staff

3. Increases the duties of the grounds keeping personnel

4. Takes taxpayer dollars to pay for the materials to build these enclosures

5. If not properly maintained the fencing can become dangerous to the children on campus

The biggest point that the people who are against school fencing make is that they are paying for the property and they should have access to it. The fencing material will not prevent you from going to the property and from going on the property. It will cause you to have to check in with some member of the faculty before you go onto the property.

The best point that the people who are against the fencing make is that the materials to construct this enclosure will cost money. They are absolutely right about that. The trouble is that the enclosure provides security to our communities children. There is no way to place a price tag on the safety of a child.

The best point that the people for these enclosures make is that they provide the security to the children and they help the faculty to keep an eye on these children. This includes keeping the children in one place when they are playing their different types of ball. It also keeps the ball from causing damages to other peoples' property.

It is a fact that we do pay taxes that provide the funding for the public school buildings and properties. It is also a fact that the world we live in has become more dangerous to our young people. The rest of the decision is strictly up o you.

School fencing is one way to provide a measure of security to the children on a campus. School fencing does not have to be expensive or unsightly, and the folks at Zaun can demonstrate this to you.

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A Few Thoughts About School Fencing

Maybe you have never sat down and considered the necessity for school fencing. Most people think of these items as barricades to keep the area private, but an educational facility is a public place where many different people need to have access. An educational facility is also a private place that is charged with the care of the world's most valuable commodity, and that is the youth of the nations.

Think of school fencing as a barricade between the student that walks the campus and the cruel world on the street. It will come as no surprise to you that there are actually sick and twisted individuals who hurt children for no other reason than to pleasure themselves. Children must be protected from these people at all cost and school fencing can help to protect the little ones from this danger.

Many of the educational facilities are near city streets and highways that have large amounts of traffic. Having proper school fencing in place can prevent children from accidentally running out into these streets and being struck by a car. The enclosure will make parents feel better about the safety of their child while the drivers will feel more secure in the knowledge that a child is not going to dart out from between two parked cars in front of them.

School fencing is also designed so when the facility is closed and there is no one there it can prevent people from coming onto the campus and committing acts of vandalism. Vandalism of school property is something that the officials must be worried about a large portion of the time.

School fencing can also be put into place in such a manner that it protects the young students on campus from reaching areas of the grounds that contain things that could be dangerous to them. Areas where the air conditioning systems are housed, and where the electrical boxes are placed need to have a barrier to keep unauthorized persons from being able to access them. There are also places around the campus where chemicals may be stored that need to be sectioned off where only staff can get to them.

Of course the areas where the children play sports like baseball, hockey, soccer, and football need to have school fencing to protect the players and the spectators that attend the games. The enclosures for these types of places on campus grounds are specialized for the type of sporting activity that will be taking place within them.

These enclosures are constructed from some of the finest materials so they provide the maximum amount of time before the fence needs repaired or replaced. Most schools have limited funding to pay for these items so the longer they can get one to last the better it is for them. The materials are generally rust resistant and spaced so that children cannot get appendages stuck between the metal slats. If that sounds ludicrous you have to remember that children will try anything especially if they have an audience.

School fencing is necessary for the protection of the student s on the campus from many different dangers that lurk in the world. The professional staff at Zaun can help you to choose the type of school fencing you need at your facility.

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Flight Of The Dragon

For more than half a century, space has been the exclusive preserve of governments, a United Nations in the heavens. Now, capitalism has crossed the atmospheric frontier.

The Dragon space capsule landed safely in the Pacific Ocean after a nine-day mission, carrying with it 1,455 pounds of cargo from the International Space Station and hope for a new era of space travel and exploration. Built and flown by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, Dragon is the first privately developed and operated spacecraft to travel to the space station.

The test mission began May 22 when the Falcon 9 rocket, also built by SpaceX, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carrying the unmanned Dragon capsule. The capsule then had to catch up to the space station as it circled the earth at about 17,000 miles per hour. Once it did, the Dragon was pulled in by a robotic arm operated by the space station crew. On the capsule's way back to Earth, three giant parachutes, each 116 feet in diameter, eased its descent.

The successful test flight will likely allow SpaceX to begin flying other cargo missions to the space station as part of its 12-flight, $1.6 billion contract with NASA. Another private company, Orbital Sciences Corp, has a contract with NASA similar to SpaceX's and is expected to unveil its own cargo spacecraft later this year. Blue Origin, Boeing and Sierra Nevada have also received NASA funding to develop means of carrying cargo and astronauts to and from the space station.

The Dragon's flight came nearly one year after NASA stopped operating the space shuttle Atlantis, which completed 33 missions between 1985 and 2011. By supporting a George W. Bush-era directive nixing the space shuttle program, President Obama brought those missions to an end. In the short term, Russian and European shuttles stepped in. At the time, however, Obama said he hoped to shift responsibility for carrying space-station-bound crews and cargo from the public sector to the private sector. The last flight of the Atlantis marked the end of one era. After a short gap, the flight of the Dragon marked the start of the next.

Just the day before the Dragon's return, the Federal Aviation Administration paved the way for another milestone in private space travel, granting permission for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo to begin rocket-powered test flights. The SpaceShipTwo, which holds six passengers and two pilots, is operated by Virgin Galactic and is intended to offer the first chance for private citizens to travel to sub-orbital space. Around 500 people have already booked rides at a cost of $200,000 a person. While the test flights will not include passengers, the FAA's approval is a sign that those space tourists' departure dates are getting closer.

Meanwhile, another company, Planetary Resources Inc., has said that it is looking into the possibility of mining rare metals from asteroids. While the venture's first step - developing telescopes to examine asteroids more closely - is less glamorous than the efforts of SpaceX or Virgin Galactic, the project has already won the backing of an all-star roster of high-tech investors, including Google's chief executive, Larry Page.

When the Atlantis made its final touchdown last year, I worried that the landing might signal an end to U.S. dominance in the aerospace industry. As I noted at the time, China has ambitious plans for its own space program, and those plans appear to be progressing rapidly. China did not send a human into orbit until 2003 - 41 years after John Glenn accomplished the same feat - but it now intends to have a manned space station assembled by approximately 2020, around the time that the International Space Station is expected to be retired. With funding to NASA decreasing, China's government-sponsored space program may soon rival our own.

The private space industry, however, is still largely, if not uniquely, an American enterprise. Through hard work, creativity and sheer passion for discovery (as well as for potential profit), private companies such as SpaceX are opening new frontiers.

Meanwhile, released from the burden of conducting regular supply missions for the space station, NASA plans to focus on other projects, such as sending humans to Mars. The agency has set a goal of reaching the red planet by 2033. It may have competition, however, if it wants to be the first to get there: Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, has said he hopes to get humans to Mars in just 10 years and is relatively confident of achieving the goal in no more than 20 years.

Whether done by public entities or private ones, space travel is not easy. A first attempt to launch the Dragon on May 19 ended when the engines of the Falcon 9 shut off almost immediately after firing. But reaching for the stars is worth doing. It offers us both the opportunity to build scientific knowledge that can help us on our own planet and a chance to see beyond our world.

The Dragon's accomplishment brings us one step closer to the day when going into space will be pretty much like traveling anywhere else: crowded, uncomfortable, prone to abrupt delays and cancellations, but still something that many of us will want, and will be able, to do.

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Tips on Choosing Steel Security Fencing

There are several things to consider when you are about to choose what type of steel security fencing to install on your property. Most people think of steel security fencing as being just some wire that is stretched between some poles encasing an area of property. In reality the materials used to construct the fence, the design of the fence, and the height of the fence are all dependent on what type of application it is being used for. The typical yard fence is only four foot in height, but a barrier made to protect something should be six to eight foot high.

Steel security fencing is obviously designed to keep something in or something out of an area. If the area is highly sensitive, or prone to vandalism and theft, then the fence will need to be constructed to be taller than average so it is harder for someone to get over the top of it. Of course around prisons and places like that they place razor wire above the steel security fencing so that no one can scale the barrier, but that would be a little extreme for the majority of fencing needs.

Steel security fencing that is designed to be on commercial property to stop people from being in areas that they could be injured should be constructed with steel mesh or bars that are spaced close enough together that children, and pets, cannot get their hands, feet, or heads, stuck between the bars. In order to make these barriers harder to climb the bars are often installed vertically with the spacing too close for a human foot to get between or too far apart for a human foot to get a hold.

Most of the enclosures that are constructed with this material will have sliding gates on them rather than the traditional swinging gates on hinges. The sliding gates are placed on steel security fencing because they are easier to secure than the swinging versions are. The ones that swing open and closed are held in place by hinges that are easy to remove, and that means that thieves can get in if they want to. Remember that a thief will work harder at stealing something than they would have to work to legitimately earn something.

Steel security fencing can be installed as an electric fence to help reduce the threat of someone breaking into the establishment. Electric fences will shock someone if they try to cut into them but they will not do permanent damage to the person. Electric fences are equipped in such a way that should the power to them become disabled they will continue to function at full capacity for approximately ten additional hours. This is generally plenty of time if the power is disrupted by a normal power outage.

This material is strong and the enclosures designed from it do not have to look ugly or like institutional fencing. You can buy very attractive components and panels to use when you create your enclosure.

Steel security fencing is not necessarily unattractive to the eye. Most of the steel security fencing is designed taller than the average fence, and they are built to be stronger than the average fence.

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Who's on Welfare?

The Real Faces on Welfare

Meet Sandra*, she's exhausted chasing after four kids every day but still she has agreed to meet with me. I want to know what it's like to be a full time student, mother of four, and welfare recipient. Sandra never imagined she'd end up like this, not eight years ago while living a comfortable middle-class life with her husband. Only just after completing construction on their first home, Sandra discovered her husband and high school sweat heart was cheating on her. She couldn't stay by his side; she had to leave.

It took more than emotional strength to summon this departure. Sandra has succumbed to years of poverty as she struggles to pay sky-high rent, care for kids, and get through school. Still, her face is fresh and she always wears a smile, even while detailing me the horrors of a program instituted to help. The government's goal is unarguably to have the least amount of people on state welfare, in order to help achieve this, the government has implemented evasive processes to deter applicants. For women applicants the concern is they have a man in the house, to check for men- and anything else- random searches are conducted. These "night-raids," as described by Sandra, include a group of men marching through her home, opening all of her drawers and flipping through her most personal items. All the while her and the children stand back watching as their tiny apartment loses all sense of privacy.

This loss of privacy doesn't even earn Sandra enough money to survive on. When real living expenses are calculated, welfare doesn't come close to covering it. Not that Sandra wants to complain, it's great the government is giving anyone anything, but she feels it would be better suited if the government gave a larger amount of money each month for a shorter amount of time, thus allowing one the chance to get ahead instead of always remaining behind, only to fall flat on the floor once welfare is cut off.

Sandra is not alone in her struggles, ¾ of all single parents are in poverty.

14% of our Federal budget went to social welfare programs in 2011, a sure sign that too many people are without job availability. Although there is a small percentage of people who chose not to work and enjoy a welfare lifestyle, the majority do not feel favorably towards being on welfare. They would do anything to have a job, to stand on their own two feet, to not be trapped in a system of constant control. Paying with food stamps is overwhelmingly admitted as embarrassing, mainly because of the comments people mutter and the judgements suddenly placed upon the food you are purchasing.

What the Shame of Welfare Earns

The nicer the area you live in, the nicer your welfare office will be. Location regardless, the lines are long and the seats are few. The room is packed tight with kids crying from their strollers, the adults yawn into their hands, their eyes blurred with worry. Entire days are spent waiting, often only ending in a missed signature or forgotten piece of paperwork causing the same process to be duplicated the following day. If able to jump through the paperwork hoops and pass the rigorous inspections one can expect approximately $762 in cash aid, $400 from food stamps, and $50 for transportation. Realistically, in most parts of the US, this is not enough money to live on. Keep in mind these numbers are averaged off of a random sample of San Diego welfare recipients, where living expenses are quite high. Also, if one receives any sort of child support it is now redirected to the State who takes the majority of this money as "repayment" for welfare. Welfare requires beneficiaries to work; often causing them to spend their entire checks on travel and babysitting just to go to the dead-end job welfare insists they maintain. Better suited to their future and our society would be requiring educational programs or speciataly schools so that a good paying job will be within reach once welfare is cut off.

Reality vs. Media Buzz

Hardly ever does the media shine light on the real faces of welfare. Instead we see the random cases of outright financial abuse such as "Octomom" or the latest lottery winner still collecting her food stamps while paying off two mortgages. These images are not the norm and only put distance between the 'haves' and the 'have not's,' hosting the perfect environment for blame and hostility.

We truly believe that those who work hard make it and those who don't deserve their ill fate. While in some cases this is surely true, there is an entire sect of society that is not given the same opportunities, who are set back by so many adversities they can't find their footing. Due to the negative light we view poverty in, it's natural that the welfare system is not a caring sort of place; it's biased in thinking welfare recipients are faulty or 'less-than' in some way. The repercussions of this are devastating for individuals forever caught in the web of poverty. Of course for those who unexpectedly end up on the system but have human capital, welfare can be a tool to success. Take Sandra for example, although it's been a tight crunch, her previously obtained capital and family resources have given her the ability to utilize welfare, get through school, and now, about to graduate, she has a great job lined up. As a soon-to-be tax-paying citizen, Sandra can now gladly pay her dues as a productive economic player.

Through her own research, Sandara discovered a few years ago that college was an acceptable work activity for welfare. When she presented this to her caseworker she was told this route was not something they promoted because it's more costly but since she had brought it up they would allow her to do so. Without having the resources to find this knowledge Sandra wouldn't be heading in such a positive direction. Instead she'd be scuffling to figure out how to make it on minimum wage once welfare cut off. It's adamant that we promote education; even if it costs our system more in the short, it will save us buckets of cash in the future.

*Name has been changed to protect privacy

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Success and Fate

Many people are found grumbling about the fact that their dreams don't come true. Whatever they crave happens to be out of their reach. Ultimately they start blaming their fates and reiterate that there wasn't any flaw in their efforts. How often do we see people lamenting over some adversity and asking questions like "Why did ALLAH do this?" Yes, it is quite natural that one gets disturbed when things run counter to our expectations, but we mustn't start grumbling and be acerbic about the fate. Only ALLAH knows what is best for us, and he definitely does everything on purpose. Albeit, the hidden logic is always in favor of mankind.

I must confess that I also fell in the category of complainers; always placing the blame on fate and being smug that I had done the best. Not until I learnt something, and that something really changed it all around me. That something is just a simple sentence, "Losing to fate doesn't matter. What matters is that how well you try to vanquish the fate".

Success is a continuous process. One would face a failure once, twice, thrice but not the fourth time! According to me success requires certain impetus which can either be provided by any misfortune or some incident. It can also happen via some strong inspiration. If we peek at history books every single individual who created a name for himself raised himself from ashes. Despite all the criticism and witticism, they kept crawling towards the destination. At the end, the one who once used to mock them were seen succumbing to them.

Lives of great men all remind us;
That we can make our lives sublime;
And departing leave behind us;
Footprints on the sand of time.

Hazrat Ali RA says that, "If the path leading towards your destiny isn't fraught with perils then you've surely chosen a wrong path". Sitting idly and hoping to become a legend without any effort are just hallucinations. The world is too fast for such notions.

It is innate in humans that they want to be extolled and praised. They want to be at the zenith of success. Though only a few transform their aspirations into solid reality. Whereas, the others spend a lot of time building castles in the air without doing something which may actually yield them tangible benefits.

The crux of the matter is that stop blaming the fate and keep on with your endeavor. One finds a lot of shackles during the course of his journey. The ones who overcome them are the winners and the ones who give in lack that spunk to be eminent.

"Winners make commitments; Losers make promises
Winners make it happen; Losers let it happen"

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The Flow of Trade Disputes Are as Solid as Steel - They Aren't Going Away Anytime Soon

Some things are worth protecting they say, and one could argue that the steel industry in the US is one of them, and the history to back up that argument is far and wide - trust me. Still, there is a difference between protecting something and protectionism. Okay so, let's talk about this because the politics here in the US when it comes to such things are also quite complex and serious.

It seems we are our own worst enemy 75% of the time, especially when it comes to steel. We've destroyed our mining industry and made it jump through almost impossible environmental hoops, many are way over the top and out of line when it comes to iron ore. But it also takes a special kind of coal to make steel, and that coal comes from many places where over regulation has made mining that coal completely unmanageable.

Now we are worried about foreign nations dumping steel on our markets, often steel which isn't even close to our real needs, mostly because our iron ore in the US is much more pure, but also our standards in manufacturing are higher as well. Nothing new, we went through this before with Japan also. Reuters had a piece recently justifying the tariffs we've put on Chinese steel pipes imported to the US; " U.S. Steel warns imports threatening pipe market," by Matt Daily posted on June 19, 2012. The article stated;

"Steel imports have jumped nearly 28% this year. U.S. Steel has been among the most vocal in the industry in pointing to potential trade violations, and DC has increased pressure on both China and India. It had determined that Indian companies were selling circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe in the US nearly 50% percent below fair market value. Cheap Chinese steel imports have also attracted punitive duties in the US. China made those US duties the subject of a trade complaint at the WTO."

We ought to also talk about the quality of that steel, and its long-term survival rate from corrosion and rust in this debate. Still, cheap pipe is a good thing. Maybe we need fewer regulations here at home so we can compete head to head - and insist that other nations also implement similar restrictions on coking coal soot and CO2 and if they won't maybe we need to add that cost in tariff and give that money to the oil and gas industry. That would solve the problem.

And a big problem it is too, in fact, as I was almost completed with this article another ominous piece appeared in the same business newspaper "Steelmakers Gird for a Downturn" by John W. Miller and Mathew Day on June 20, 2012 which cited a perfect storm - increased US regulations, increased employee costs (ObamaCare), slaughtering of the coking coal industry, vanishing of European steel demand, and a slow growth US economy with very little construction going on plus the Chinese and Indian dumping of below cost steel.

Maybe we need to invest in some innovation for our old industries to keep them clean, and at a low cost, not just new high-tech (perceived eco-friendly) sectors - next maybe, just maybe we need to consider the unintended consequences of attacking our major supply chains from raw materials forward with insane over regulation. And lastly, let's keep investing in pure research for carbon nano-tube construction to eventually replace steel - once it can compete efficiently on its own, and let the free-market entrepreneurs and their Wall Street Investors decide when that is, not some Washington DC crony that wants to score points with left-winger constituents.

Oh, and further more on this topic let's invest in clean coal fired electrical plants and capturing that CO2 for its carbon value to make the carbon nano-tubes. Let's allow these technologies to come together in a Singularity sort of way, with industrial capitalists seeing the value and re-designing that supply chain to compete rather than protectionism of older industries. We seem to be doing everything wrong, and we've completely taken our eye off the ball of free-market capitalism. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Politics and Economics. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Battle of Beaumont Hamel

While most Canadians associate July 1 with the celebration of Canada Day, in Newfoundland and Labrador July 1 is also Memorial Day, commemorating Newfoundland's heavy losses in the Battle of Beaumont Hamel in World War I. Of the 801 soldiers of the 1st Newfoundland Regiment who went into battle at Beaumont-Hamel on the morning of July 1, 1916, 733 were killed or wounded, in less than an hour. Join Newfoundlanders in remembering and honoring the courage shown and the price paid by those young men.

More World War I Battles
Battle of Ypres 1915
Battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle of Passchendaele
Canada and World War I

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Polish Culture - Historically Rich, Diverse, and Captivating

It is probably unfair to say that the culture of some countries is richer, more diverse, and more captivating than others. But if that is ever true, it is probably not outrageous to say that Poland is probably one of the countries that have the most attractive cultures. If you are not convinced, try going to Poland and see it for yourself. But before you do, why not ready your eyes and tongue first with the following teasers:

Polish Cuisine

Go to Poland and have a meal two. After then, you will quickly realize that Poles love a good food on their plate. Yes, Polish foods are hearty at best. To truly enjoy what Polish cuisine has to offer, you might want to forget about calorie count for a while. Expect lots of meat, lots of creamy sauces, salad-grade vegetables, and lots of appetizing spices.

Polish meals will normally have lots of pork, beef, and/or chicken. A colorful variety of vegetables often compliment the dish. A good example of such a dish is the Kotlet Schabowy - an appetizing dish that comes with meats, sauces, and a variety of vegetables and spices. And to complement their meals, Poles like to have a good soup. Creamy soups such as tomato soup and rosol are common favorites.

You will find however that Poles are mostly proud of their sausage and bread products. And yes, polish sausage come in lots of delicious varieties. And their breads make a good compliment to their soups and creamy dishes.

Polish Music

Traditional Polish music is best described as lively, powerful, energetic, and moving. You can definitely feel this from Polonaises and Mazurkas. These classical music genres are mostly popularized by the Polish composer Frederic Chopin who also happens to be known worldwide as 'The Poet of the Piano'.

Because Polish music history dates long back, the country has also developed unique genres such as the poezja spiewana. The country also has plenty of classical music in its repertoire including manuscripts from Stary Sacz, Parisian music from Notre Dame, and also baroque music influences from Italian composers.

Modern polish music however is a lot more diverse - thanks to the country's openness and acceptance of music from other cultures. Modern music includes jazz, heavy metal, rock music, and contemporary music styles.

Polish Architecture

Stunning - is probably one word to describe the monumental architectural style of Poland. You will see styles that are common to European countries. So expect to see castles, palaces, and baroque churches. Intricate details of artistic quality decorate both the interiors and exteriors of these buildings.

Sadly however, many historical events took their toll on many of Poland's most prized historical structures. Many of the great palaces, castles, and churches were destroyed during the wars. At present, you will find many of them at their restored or reconstructed form. Still, Polish architecture is a sight to behold.

Polish Art

Polish art boasts a rich repertoire of valuable and historical works of art. Influences from European, particularly Italian art, can be noticed from paintings and sculptures. And although Polish art features strong European characteristics, there are also unique Polish features that can be seen.

Some paintings depict history or celebrate famous personalities. For instance, the 18th century painting of Teofil Kwiatkowski is a beautiful depiction of Chopin's polonaises. Polish art also consists of works by Impressionist artists. There also works that depict styles such as Realism and Symbolism.

Get more information and advice about relationships here: http://steadydating.com/.

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Why Little Green Men Are Green

I will admit to being a science fiction fan. I believe the physical make up of what alien beings will look like, if eventually encountered should be studied. I will examine the reported information from past encounters. Then I will use this information to extrapolate using Darwinian style evolution to come to a prediction of what aliens would like. This information can be helpful to future astronauts. I will attempt to remove this subject from the realm of the esoteric to provide useful information for space travellers and those having alien encounters while on earth.

Lets examine some cases of extraterrestrial encounters or visits. There have been hundreds of reports of individuals being abducted by aliens. The reports follow a familiar pattern. The abductees were either sleeping or going about their business when all of a sudden they were abducted. They awoke and saw aliens looking and performing tests on them. The aliens were often described as having unusually large heads for the size of their bodies. They had slanting eyes and flat noses. The color of the alien was a dark green or grayish.

The aliens at the well known Roswell incident were said to have had greenish colored bodies. The Roswell incident happened around July of 1947 when an unidentified object crashed at Roswell, New Mexico. Many investigators do not believe that the object that crashed was an experimental high altitude balloon as the government would have us believe. Some UFO investigators believe that the crash victims at Roswell were hidden by the US government and studied. The aliens were reported to be small with slanted eyes and greenish in color.

I would like in the following analysis to explain why the aliens the future astronauts may encounter will be green in color. The reason I believe is that the aliens are breathing by photosynthetic respiration through the skin. This is the way plants breathe and very efficient on long space voyages. All the aliens would need to survive is bright light, water and carbon dioxide. This type of photosynthetic respiration is backed up by the fact that descriptions of the inside of alien spacecraft that have landed are described as brightly lite.

Photosynthesis converts the suns light to cellular energy to keep the aliens alive. Their skin contains chlorophyll the active ingredient of photosynthesis. Basically their skin is performing the same function as a plant leave. They may come from planets where the greenhouse effect is so advanced that they evolved to survive. The aliens nose slits may be vestiges of their former oxygen breathing ancestors and non-functional or slightly functional.

I believe an open mind is needed in regard to aliens. If our astronauts do meet them I hope their friendly. We can learn from each other.

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Drones on American Soil

The recent spying with the use of drones in the states of Nebraska and Iowa signify just the tip of a much greater iceberg. One has to speculate what is going through the governments mind. Could it be that their long-term strategy is to disable our nation's capacity to raise cattle and crops to support our people? In that case we would be at the mercy of foreign markets to sustain our population. It does us well to remember the saying that he who controls the food supply passably dominates the people.

The EPA is now employing aerial drones within the states of Nebraska and Iowa to spy upon the farmers. Now that the courts have concluded that this is a legal activity for our government we are abruptly observing these flying drones in all parts of the nation. According to the Supreme Court it is perfectly legal for the drones to take aerial photographs of any location they so choose all in the name of environmental protection and public safety. Unfortunately, like any authority granted to the government they have exceeded and transgressed their bounds once again.

In all reality, according to the tenth Amendment to our American constitution the intrusion of the federal government into affairs concerning the environment is afforded to the individual states alone. This amendment became part of the Bill of Rights upon its ratified in December of 1791. In short, it asserts that those powers not expressly granted to the federal government nor those prohibited for the separate states constitutionally are uniquely reserved for the people and the states. What this amounts to is the federal government is once again circumventing our constitutional rights.

When introducing the Tenth Amendment to Congress, statesmen James Madison expressed concern that many of the states representatives were readily willing to ratify the amendment however the critics began to cry foul and argued that the amendment was unnecessary. Fortunately for us Madison won. It sure seems like Madison hit upon a truism in his wisdom that the federal government would overstep their authority. The basic concept here is that "all is retained which has not been surrendered".

Of interest here we encounter an issue where our federal government has exerted a strong hand on the farmer dating back to 1942. On that date the Wickard v. Filburn case was presented before the court. In this instance the Court ruled that there was just cause for federal regulations of America's wheat production and the banning of "home consumption" of this product for growing and feeding to the farmer's cattle. The rationale for this concern by the feds was that the farmer's growing "his own wheat" would have a cumulative consequence upon the interstate commerce in view of the prospective potential for the farmer to exceed their established production quotas. If a significant amount of that wheat were not sold on the commodities market nor bought from other producers it would drastically affect the interstate market value of wheat sales and its products.

We have now seen how the tenth Amendment has asserted that the authority for such actions is solely granted to the individual states and their legislatures and not to the federal government. Unfortunately, we are in the initial stages of an epidemic of federal spy drones being launch across the nation with an aim towards spying upon our farmers. We see the police departments in Miami purchasing dozens of drones to populate their skies on a 24 hour basis. Is this action prompt by the desire to fight crime or to spy upon the Florida farmers as they attempt to make a living?

In their efforts to harm the American farmer the EPA has even declared hay to be a pollutant in order to intimidate the ranchers in some states, while it has been reported that a meat packing plant in the Midwest has received a $600,000.00 fine for alleged excessive carbon emissions. It certainly appears that if the federal government can not control you in one way they will get you in another manner.

Let's all remember it is not a long stretch of ones imagination to go from spying on cattle to that of spying upon the people. We as responsible citizens must fight these drones in a court of law. As a closing thought perhaps the EPA should stop and consider their Chem-trail spraying. I really don't suspect that they will address this issue in the not to distant future. These chemicals have been deemed to be very toxic and extremely dangerous but nothing is being done about them. Folks it is time to take back America. Let's hope it'll be by way of the ballot box and not via the street.

Copyright @2012 Joseph Parish
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Options Available for School Fencing

School fencing is required to insure the safety of the children on the premises and to keep the incidences of vandalism and theft at the facility to a minimum. It is sad to say that these things occur at institutions of learning, but the truth is that educational facilities are frequently the targets for vandalism and theft. So the facility will require an attractive enclosure that is safe for the children to be around. There are many different styles of school fencing available. You can get school fencing that is very pretty and stylish, but still very strong and functional.

You can also get school fencing with the ideas of designing enclosures around the leisure areas where the children may be playing. When you are enclosing a place for the students to play a particular sport there are specialized enclosures designed with games such as hockey, basketball, and general play areas in mind. These specialized enclosures are designed to prevent unwanted accidents while the children are playing their games.

High security fences are often installed as school fencing because these are areas where you will want to have high levels of visibility while maintaining high levels of security. The safety of the children is the single most important aspect of these enclosure pieces and they must be designed in such a manner as to provide protection while posing no danger.

There are areas on the grounds of an educational facility that needs to be secured more strongly because there is a higher risk of vandalism to these areas. There are also areas where the school fencing is designed to keep the students away from an area rather than to keep them in an area. These places on the school grounds may house air conditioning units, chemicals, or other items that could potential be a threat to the students. These enclosures will generally include taller heights around the area, and possibly stronger materials being used to create the barrier.

Elementary facilities have to worry about the children getting off of the campus and becoming lost so the materials that are used are generally ones that will create a strong barrier that the child cannot climb, wriggle under, or wriggle between bars. The spacing on the bars or wires of the barriers must be small enough that a child cannot get their hands, legs, or heads hung between them.

Materials that are used to construct these barriers need to be attractive and rust resistant. An educational facility does not need to be a lot of maintenance of these types of items so they need materials that will require little to no maintenance.

Most schools will require additional areas that include bike lockers for the students that get to and from the academy on bicycles. The companies that supply the materials for the fence components should be able to provide the materials to construct these lockers for you. This will allow the bikes to be safely placed where they will suffer no damage while the owner is attending classes.

For more information on the different styles of school fencing that is available in your area you should call the pros at Zaun. They can help you decide on which of the electric fencing options will work best for you.

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Highlights of Charles and Camilla Royal Visit

It was a 4-day whirlwind Royal tour, and Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, handled it all smoothly and with good cheer. The organizers had said not to expect dragon-boat races like during Prince William and Kate's tour last year, but Charles was sporting enough. He tried archery, ping-pong, road hockey (he scored) and badminton.

They listened to speeches, gave speeches (Camilla spoke in both English and French), met premiers (New Brunswick's David Alward, Ontario's Dalton McGuinty, and Saskatchewan's Brad Wall), laughed at jokes (Saskatchewan - easy to draw; difficult to spell), and made a few of their own. They visited Canadian Forces Base Gagetown and attended a citizenship ceremony in New Brunswick; they watched Victoria Day fireworks in Ontario; and in Saskatchewan they unveiled a plaque commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Legislative Assembly, toured First Nations University and attended a concert by the Regina Symphony Orchestra.

Throughout it all they honoured Canadians who have given service to their communities by presenting them with Diamond Jubilee medals.

Photo: Prince Charles and Camilla Tour First nations University in Regina
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The Best New Music Recording Software Program

When you are looking for a way to make your own music these days, there are a lot of options out there on the market that can get the job done. In fact, there are so many different options out there, that it can be hard to determine which product is going to be the best for your situation. The main things to keep in mind, is the fact that some of the programs and products out there are going to be much harder to learn than others. If you have had some experience with different recording programs in the past, you may want to upgrade to what is called an industry standard platform. These are going to be true professional programs that you would find in a real recording studio. Sometimes you will find that these programs are a bit more expensive, but you really do get what you pay for. If you are looking for an affordable professional option, you may want to look into the Apple product, Logic Pro 9.

Logic Pro 9 has been around for a few years, and comes on the heels of the famously popular Logic Pro 8. There aren't huge differences in the two programs, but the recent release has cleaned up a few things that were lacking in the previous versions. This program is going to be a bit similar to Garage Band which has been very popular with the self made musicians of the past. This program is going to be very similar, but is basically everything you would find in a recording studio, but inside your computer. There may be some hardware that you will have to buy before the program is completely functional, but the program can be used to it's fullest without any additional hardware. This software really is for people who have a strong understanding of digital DAW's, and doesn't really come with a manual. If you would like to learn all there is to know about the program, you might want to consider purchasing a manual that teaches you some of the basics.

The most important thing to consider before you run out and purchase a music making software, is what you actually need from it, and what you intend to do with the product once you get it. There are a lot of uses for music software, but you really don't need to spend the money on the works, if you really only need it for one specific purpose. It is also important to look at some of the other products that are on the market, so you can decide what is best for your budget and needs. There are a lot of different products out there, and you might want to consider some of the cheaper ones before you splurge on the more expensive ones.

One of the more important things to consider as well before purchasing a software, is the type of sound quality you want to get out of the software. If your goal is to make professional recordings, you will want to go with the higher end programs out there. If you simply want to have fun, or just want to get something down on tape as a demo, you might want to consider a more affordable option. Regardless of your needs though, you can be sure that Logic Pro 9 will be able to meet all of those needs and more.

If you are looking for some more insight into the Logic Pro 9 program, you can visit, SESLight.com, and learn from our detailed look into the program. We also review many different kinds of technical and electronic products, to help you make the smart decision about which product to ultimately buy.

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The Circle Of "Cool"

Somebody said that "Eurolights" were cool. There seems to be an invisible source somewhere in Europe that dictates clothing fashion. Another invisible source says that it's cool to take a midsized foreign car, put "low profile" tires on it, a sound chamber on the exhaust system that makes it sound like it had too many kidney beans for breakfast, and race around like a two year old having a conniption. Another says it's cool to grow a goatee and shave your head. The invisible Mr. Self Expression says to deface your body with tattoos and piercings. "Shades" became the "in thing" to do as far back as the 50s. If you want to be part of a particular group of wannabes, you must listen to the accepted style or genre of music.

Where does all this come from? We all understand that a teenager might crave being one of the cool guys or the...(?) I don't know the term for "cool" when it comes to girls. It becomes more and more pitiful when I see 30, 40, 50, and yes, even 60+ year old guys with shaved heads, goatees, earrings, tattoos, sports cars (which, the older one gets, the more difficult it becomes to get in and out of), and/or those ridiculous trucks with huge tires and lift kits - also difficult to get in and out of. More and more of us are hearing this new language where most people over the age of 35 have no idea of what's being said. How is it that so many people are so desperate to be cool and hip?

"Self Expression" is a good thing, but one would think that a person would want to display individualism, as opposed to walking, talking, dressing, and behaving like millions of other people. There are stereotypes that are everywhere. The most common seems to be the goatee - sometimes along with it goes the shaved head, other times it's the earrings, there's the cowboy hat, and almost always, such pitiful little men love those big trucks with big tires and lift kits - there are some great names for these silly looking monstrosities, but we'll talk about that another time. Anyone who has been in a sports bar will have seen hundreds of goatee bearing guys - with the team jackets and baseball caps - many times the caps on backwards or sideways, and, with any play that may call for it, every guy in the place will feel the need to throw his fists up into the air in desperate need of being seen and heard, while simultaneously Randy Savaging (yes, this started way back then) his most macho, WWF sounding, "YEEEAHHHH!!!". In the same sports bars, we've all seen the flat screens mounted every ten feet with the Cagefighting/MMA/Ultimate Fighting guys - all pretty much looking and acting the same - goatees, shaved heads, the most macho, WWF sounding voices they can muster up, fists in the air, eyes bugged out. As if that's not bad enough, there are today's baseball players - goatees, spitting, grabbing themselves, and too cool to even do a full windup - when did that start? Back in the 50s and 60s, kids wanted to be able to throw like Sandy Koufax or Juan Marichal, or field and hit like Willie Mays, but there were no pretentious acts to follow. Most of us wanted to be gentlemen and good sportsmen, to go along with being a great athlete. I guess I don't need to tell you that it's very different in today's world.

We have the same horrid condition when it comes to music - you must listen to a certain kind of music if you want to be accepted by a certain group of people. In the Rap & Hip Hop circle, it's the kids - 30 and under - who seem to grandly enjoy the profanity and hate filled tirades. "Dance Music" - I'm not sure, it seems to be universal - all ages seem to be susceptible to it. "New Country", it appears that most of this crowd consists of leftovers from the Disco days. In England, the universal, computer generated sound that pumps through any and all sound systems in the pubs is "Techno", which mostly sounds like Disco on steroids. Any song that makes it to the airwaves here in the States will have a British remix to send across the pond - using the lead vocal track, but with the techno sounding backing tracks to accommodate the British sound.

As with most things in today's world, it's all about money. I don't believe there are any European fashion gurus who magically know fashion any better than anyone else, and I've never seen anything resembling a "Eurolight" on any European car. Music companies and major radio stations all have their Public Relations and Advertising departments (mentioning no names but its initials are BILLBOARD MAGAZINE) - where they generate the endless barrage of "If you're not listening to this or that, then you're behind the times, you are not cool, you have no reason to live, etc.". "Music" companies generate billions of dollars a year, putting out "music" that most of the listeners and buyers forget about a year or two later.

In the Sports World, Major league baseball, MMA/Whatever Other Names This Boring Style Of Wrestling Goes By, NFL players, NBA basketball players, NASCAR drivers, maybe someday they will want to set a good example for youngsters - as the old timers did. Yeah, I know, when pigs fly. Maybe someday Rock Stars and/or Rap Stars will be something for a kid to want to admire and emulate. In your dreams, suckah.

Until the day comes when people feel the need to be true to themselves, to listen with their own ears, see with their own eyes, and feel with their own hearts, we will have no choice but to be on the receiving end of the hip, the cool, and the wannabes - their hostility, their aggression, and their offensive behavior. In the meantime, house up on a mountain, birds, squirrels, and mountain lions to talk to - sounds real good.

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West Midland Jobs Picture May Be Getting Brighter

The West Midlands is the name given to the large megalopolis that includes the cities of Wolverhampton and Birmingham and the larger towns of Sturbridge, WestBromwich, Halesowen and others. This region has seen an economic renaissance over the last two decades and the accompanied regeneration continues to offer a promising environment for West Midland jobs. The latest figures from the National Office of Statistics show the population of West Midlands to be over 5.5 million people. The area is also home to a relatively high number of institutions of higher learning, with fifteen universities, 3 university colleges and more than thirty-four education colleges in the region.

The area is a diverse mix of people, many of whom may have advanced degrees, in various disciplines, and are working in a wide variety of West Midland jobs. The economic transformation over the last two decades has resulted in a change in the business environments. Because of the diversity of the region West Midland jobs cover a very wide number of categories, but the largest companies in the area appear to be involved in the areas of software and engineering. The region has been transformed from to a service-sector economy, from one that was based on manufacturing.

There are quite a few options available to employers who offer West Midland jobs, but there also appears to be some significant challenges. The talent pool in the area can come from a relatively larger number of colleges and universities, but there appears to be a consistently high level of unemployment that may have been exacerbated by the recent recession. The unemployment level also appears to be decreasing as the economy improves.

The unemployment also appears to be concentrated in certain demographic groups such as the young and minorities. There also appears to be a lack of the appropriately needed skills. The challenges facing the West Midland can be dealt with effectively, but the issues are complex. There are several initiatives in progress to ensure that residents are allowed the proper opportunities for employment. Some businesses express some concerns with attracting and maintaining enough skilled employees. In order to this, it must mean that an environment that is attractive and conducive to both working and living must be provided.

Policy makers are busy planning development and growth for the future, with extensive investments in infrastructure. There are also some hefty investments being made in the areas of transportation and communication. There is some collaboration between the universities and the private sector, in order to bridge the gap of skills that may be lacking.

The picture for employees who may be seeking West Midlands jobs may also appear to be improving as the links between the workforce and the businesses improves. The gap that exists in the required skills is seen as one of the major challenges to the economy, and is has in fact become a top priority. There are also several programs enacted to address in the housing issues with more investments and regulations directed at developing sustainable living programs and the prospects for West Midlands jobs may really be improving.

There are options available for businesses that wish to offer West Midlands jobs. In order to attract the right employees, developing businesses must make the correct links to the workforce. Employees seeking West Midlands jobs should appreciate that retraining and learning new skills may be necessary.

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Employment Insurance Changes

Hidden away in the 400-plus page Budget Implementation Bill is a small section on changes to the Employment Insurance (EI) system. There's no explanation in the Budget, because the intention is to impose the details through regulations later. Last week, in response to increasing speculation, Diane Finley, the Minister responsible for Employment Insurance, did outline the government's plans for Employment Insurance changes.

The intentions behind the changes seem sensible enough - to make sure unemployed Canadians get a chance at filling available jobs in Canada before companies bring in temporary foreign workers, and to make sure unemployed Canadians aren't abusing the EI system. The system they've come up with however seems awfully complicated, dividing EI claimants into three categories, and having their EI benefits scaled depending on their EI history and how long their claim lasts. It seems like the government is putting in place something that will require a lot more monitoring at a time when government is cutting back on staff. CBC reports the government is also dismantling its two review boards which hear appeals on EI decisions. Time will tell, and I expect a few Premiers will have more to say about these changes too.

Looking for Employment
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Marketing and Advertising Is Nothing But One Vicious Game of Snakes and Blabbers

Let's not beat around the bush anymore. If there was a fierce black-mouth Mamba slithering toward you right now, would you want me to shh or scream SNAKE? Obviously you would appreciate the heads up, but what if I told you that it was my job to feed that twisted serpent?

Think of that snake as Advertising incarnate. Yes, it is vicious, venomous, treacherous and terrifying, but without it the rats would take over and the owls would vanish. Markets would crash and cultures would crumble. No, it is not fair, or right or kind. It was never supposed to be.

The spine-chilling truth is that there are no burglar bars separating gentle persuasion from ruthless subjugation. Why do you think there are no laws against any form of mind control? Dead bolt up the nose serious! If there were, all the economic machines tearing at the delicate tummy of this planet would come to a grinding halt. That means ta-ta freedom and hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again.

The only way to survive and POSITIVELY THRIVE in this surreal carnival is to embrace the fact that you are the predator and the prey. Both the infectious vampire and the consuming zombie.

The interweb has flipped the switch on corporate power and the days of mass media games are numbered. From the burnt ashes of the dictatorial blow horns an open two-way dialogue between advertiser and audience now stirs. The quicker we learn to roll with the punches the better the ride gets. Half the fun is proving the "experts" wrong and watching the lazy fibbers squirm.

The future belongs to the con-savvy digital adventurer slowly learning how to avoid irrelevant headlines and spot cosmetic angles from a cyber-mile away.

Here are just some of the verbose voodoo to watch out for:

Perverted Logic - Nothing is better than making whoopee. Eating chocolate is better than nothing. Therefore, eating chocolate is better than making whoopee. (Momma said life is like a box of what?)

Deliciously Fallacious - It might taste like the packaging, but our cereal is part of a nutritious breakfast, therefore our cereal is nutritious. (Did you get it at all this morning? Cereal is not nutritious simply because it is part of breakfast.)

Double Binder - Has Robsa Bank made more or less profit since they started bullying the public out of their bus fare? (There are no clever press releases out of this one! If 'yes' they are guilty, if 'no' they are still guilty. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go and do not collect...)

Ambiguous Ambush - Everything tastes better with real teeth. This sticky black goo is better than everything, ergo fizzy drinks are better than having real teeth. (Why not? Nine out of every 770.5519% of needy dentists agree.)

The Windy Winder - If serving your children nuked rubber from a happy hole in the wall were not illegal, then our freaky meals would not be prohibited by the law. (He-I-He-I-Huh? This a sneaky example of using the claim as evidence because the only evidence is the claim. By the way, they are not one of my clients. Or are they?)

We live in bizarre times and I sincerely hope this little mouthful proves that it is still possible to gently persuade (or at the very least mildly entertain) your audience without resorting to outright deception to make a quick killing.

Here abruptly ends my shameless exploitation of your curiosity. And look! Not even one airbrushed anorexic model in sight.

As a creative ghost writer I create legends on a budget. I mastermind irresistible offers and craft engaging stories in tones and styles designed to match your objectives and make a personal connection with your audience. I help solo mavericks and visionary brands to grab more eyeballs, touch more hearts, inspire more action and reach fatter wallets, more often.

My mug may be sporting a devilish grin from my swanky one-man studio in Cape Town, but I live, work and play in the United States of Connectivity. That means I'm open to crazy briefs with ludicrous deadlines over email, accept online payments and never more than a quick Skype away. If you mean what you say, contact me and I will be happy to say what you mean in way you and your audience won't soon forget. Sample my latest work at http://danielfbothma.wordpress.com/ and drop me a line about your next insane idea today.

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Mobile VoIP Service Is On the Rise With the Increasing Demand

Most of today's business leaders are at least familiar with the term Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. Most of us know VoIP as the service that allows you to make calls via the Internet; however, In addition to a wireline network, you can also make VoIP calls via a cellular data or wireless network. This is otherwise known as mobile VoIP.

It allows you to make and receive calls through the use of a mobile phone's connection to the Internet. This differs from a traditional cell phone call wherein you utilize your carrier's voice network and are therefore subjected to their long distance charges and penalty fees if you go over your contracted number of minutes.

Mobile VoIP, just like VoIP, relies on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). SIP is the standard that is employed by most VoIP services. Currently, it is being implemented on smartphones, mobile handsets and a growing number of cordless phones.

A number of studies now show that the number of its users is expected to skyrocket within the next 4 years.

As the number of smartphone users continues to grow, mobile VoIP solutions are gaining popularity. So much so, that research firm In-Stat predicted the number of mobile VoIP service subscribers to reach 29 million by the end of this year. According to In-Stat, smartphone penetration is the driving force behind the surge in demand, as many providers now offer services that grant access to mobile VoIP on some level.

In-Stat's senior analyst, Amy Cravens, explained that, "While VoIP is a well-defined market, mobile VoIP is still in its infancy," and because of that, there are considerable opportunities for businesses to develop the market. Cravens also noted that - just like with any new and booming market - there are many uncertainties that providers must overcome.

Juniper Research, a firm specializing in the identification and appraisal of high growth opportunities across the mobile telecommunications, content, and applications sectors, has predicted the number of mobile VoIP customers will reach a whopping 640 million by 2016. Their findings indicate that growing user awareness, more intuitive interfaces and improved technology all account for the rising ascendancy of the application download model for mobile VoIP.

In addition, Juniper Research added that, due to technological improvements and the launch of mobile video calling by leading providers, the number of mobile video calling users will surpass 130 million within the next 4 years.

To know more please visit: SIP Services, VoIP services

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Travel Safety for Canadians

Before you set off for unfamiliar places this summer, take advantage of travel safety information provided by the Canadian federal government. Foreign Affairs Canada publishes up-to-date reports on countries world-wide, with information on everything from entry requirements to local crime levels and regulations. The Public Health Agency of Canada gives warnings about health hazards in different countries and is a good starting point to help you figure out what questions to ask your own doctor. They also have a decent list of travel medicine clinics across Canada.

MoreTravel for Canadians:
Apply for Your Canadian Passport
Canadian Embassies Online
Registration of Canadians Abroad

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Conflict or Cooperation? The Role of the WTO in the Natural Resources Trade

At a value of $3.7 trillion, or 25% world merchandise trade, natural resources is accounting for a greater percentage of world trade and, as a result, politicians have elevated its position on trade policy agendas. Given the economic, political and environmental implications of natural resources, this article addresses the issue of maximising mutual gains from resources trade from a WTO perspective.

The WTO defines natural resources as "stocks of materials that exist in the natural environment that are both scarce and economically useful in production or consumption, either in their raw state or after a minimal amount of processing". The extraction and use of natural resources should balance the competing needs of current and future generations. The manner in which they are managed has important environmental and sustainability implications.

Economists have viewed natural resources as a blessing for economic development. On the other hand, sceptics have coined the term "the natural resources curse", arguing that dependency on natural resource exports can trap countries, especially those with corrupt institutions, in a state of perpetual under-development.

There is growing tension between rising demand for natural resources, e.g. forestry, fuels, fish, mining products, and their increasing scarcity. In a troubled economic backdrop that is still much affected by the recent global recession, fears of inadequate supplies in resource-scarce countries and consequent exploitation of resource-rich countries are likely to lead to growing trade conflict. Market forces are a key contributing factor to price volatility in natural resources, particularly when influenced by speculative activities.

The WTO encourages governments to implement resource conserving policies that reduce the negative environmental externalities linked to the consumption of resources, stimulate diversity in exports trade, and stabilise prices in response to demand or supply shocks. In reality however, there are copious problems associated with trade policy measures that face distortion at its source. This includes the emergence of beggar-thy neighbour effects from trade restrictions and poor domestic regulation of a multi-lateral trading system.

WIDS speaker Dr. Hancock elucidates on WTO recommendations for export policy, conservation policy, and domestic policy:

1) Export policy - Commitments on export taxes could be exchanged either among exporters or for concessions on import tariffs in downstream sectors to reduce tariff escalation.

2) Conservation policy - Rules on subsidies that encourage exploitation of a resource must be reinforced. Subsidies that encourage the conservation of resources should encompass greater flexibility.

3) Domestic policy - A production quota is equivalent to an export quota when the resource-rich country has little domestic consumption. Similarly, a consumption tax imposed by an importer with no domestic production of the resource is not different from a tariff. In these cases, regulating only one of the equivalent measures may be insufficient to achieve undistorted trade.

In terms of policy objectives, governments apply export restrictions including fiscal revenue, development and social policies. Specifically, several governments have applied export restrictions on metals and minerals for objectives such as environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources. Governments justify their interventions on the basis that they must guarantee resources for future generations.

Not all countries, however, rely on such measures to achieve these objectives and there are alternative policy options with different trade impacts. This leads to two questions: how do the effectiveness and the cost of export restrictions compare to the alternatives? How can coordinated responses that minimize economic distortions be encouraged?

Where the consumption or extraction of a natural resource adversely affects the environment, the WTO advises governments to make producers and consumers take account of the social costs of their activities. A stumbling block revealed by studies regarding the political economy of trade policy concludes that the socially optimal rate of resource extraction can often be excessive due to the influence of interest groups, or other forms of lobbying activities, that face strong incentives to exploit large natural resources rent.

Provisions of multilateral WTO agreements to improve the natural resources trade system have succeeded in recent decades, but the extent of their success is largely dependent on the commitment to, implementation of, and challenges to these trade policy treaties. Regional trade cooperation can assist in mitigating or resolving potential frictions but at an international level, WTO rules are often met with a significant level of resistance.

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Debunking the Myth About TV Indecency

The Supreme Court is set to rule during the current session on whether the FCC should retain its power to fine over-the-air TV and radio stations for what it considers indecency during hours when children are likely to be viewing or listening. The hours during which the FCC is currently authorized to regulate broadcast content run from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.

It is my view that the FCC should be allowed to continue regulating over-the-air broadcasts during those hours of the day, but that it should be forced to be more specific about what is allowed and what is not. In addition, I think the fines should be reasonable. It's utterly absurd that any broadcaster should be fined millions of dollars for a single curse word or a brief exposure of a naughty body part. The principle of making the punishment fit the crime should be no exception here.

However, some hysterical alarmists are claiming that, if the court decides to strip the FCC of its authority to regulate broadcast content, indecent content would suddenly begin to run amuck on over-the-air TV. These people couldn't be more wrong. How do can I be so sure? Well, it all boils down to sponsors. Whether it is broadcast, cable, satellite, or Internet TV, it doesn't matter. TV channels that have sponsors will never go the way of HBO or Showtime. Now that's not to say that there won't ever be any pushing of the envelope or sporadic indecency like there was just before the FCC started cracking the whip. I'm just saying indecency will not become a regular occurrence on broadcast TV, no matter what the court decides.

As mentioned above, the FCC does not even regulate broadcast TV 24 hours a day. It is only during specific hours, and does not include late night or the wee hours of the morning. Have you ever been up and turned on a TV during those hours? I have - and guess what - the content is no more indecent that it is during prime time. If broadcasters were so eager to put on indecent programming, wouldn't you think they would take advantage of those times when they are not regulated?

The reason they don't is clear - their sponsors are looking over their shoulders at all times, not just during the 16 hours of the day when the FCC is watching. These sponsors fear the loss of customers, and therefore generally shy away from controversy. The last thing they want to hear about is a group of individuals threatening to stop doing business with them over some TV show they are sponsoring. If they get enough complaints about a particular program, they will either pressure the network to have the producers of that show alter its content, or they will simply pull their ads from it altogether. And without advertising, any program carried by an ad-supported network or station is doomed.

Also note that the FCC cannot regulate basic cable channels such as E!, Comedy Central, TNT, USA Network, or Bravo any more they can regulate premium channels like HBO. However, unlike HBO, you will notice that those channels bleep out most instances of profanity and cover up all nudity, even bare backsides. Why? It's not because they have to fear any fines. Obviously, it's because their programming is mostly paid for by commercials, so they have to answer to their sponsors, just like broadcasters do.

So the bottom line is this: Regulation by the FCC plays only a minor role in the deterrence of TV indecency. The fear of repercussions from their sponsors is the primary concern that prevents ad-sponsored television stations from airing just anything they want to. Over-the-air TV broadcasts will be protected from most forms of indecency, with or without the FCC. Don't let some zealot or fear-monger convince you otherwise.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, amateur political analyst, and blogger from Hopewell, VA. On his blog - http://commenterry.blogs.com/ - he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.

You can now have any article and blog post he writes - in advance, if you would like - for use in your book, newspaper, magazine, ezine, newsletter, website, or whatever!! This includes the thousands of articles and blog posts he's previously written. Contact him via his blog for details.

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A Justifiable Tightening Of Reporters' 'Lockup'

The Labor Department's monthly reports on unemployment and payrolls may be the government's most valuable data apart from national security matters. Until now, the security of that data has relied mostly on an honor system involving the journalists who report it.

The old system of releasing this closely watched news is scheduled to have one final run, on June 1, when the department reports its May statistics. That morning, as usual, accredited reporters will gather at the department's "lockup" room to begin preparing stories on their organizations' terminals and other equipment. At 8 a.m., Labor Department press officers will cut off the room's internet service and collect the journalists' cell phones. Then the reporters will receive the figures - 30 minutes before the rest of the world - so they can be ready to file their stories at precisely 8:30 a.m., when outside communications will be restored.

Beyond the lockup, thousands of traders around the world will be waiting to pounce on the data. An advantage of just a few seconds might make a trade successful. A leak received 10 or 20 minutes ahead of time could be life-changing, if it could be exploited without detection.

The current system has been in place for at least a decade without any scandal or other evidence of malfeasance on the part of the reporters. Yet you do not need to be a veteran of the intelligence services to see the security holes in this arrangement. We now live in a world of wireless data transfer. A journalist's laptop or terminal could be modified, with or without the knowledge of his or her news organization - or even without the knowledge of the journalist - to send the data to a nearby receiver during the embargo.

So the Labor Department has decided to revamp the way it releases sensitive information. When the new rules take effect in July, reporters who enter the lockup will not be allowed to bring anything except paper research notes or other paper materials. The department will provide computers loaded with Microsoft Word - along with pens and pencils, which are among the items journalists cannot bring into lockup - on which journalists can compose their stories. The department will also supply telephones, but the lines will go dead during the 30-minute blackout period.

News organizations are crying foul. Outfits such as Bloomberg, Dow Jones and Reuters compete fiercely for subscribers who pay a lot of money for split-second access to market-moving information. The current system ensures that each company is prepared to move the data at exactly 8:30, since they have 30 minutes to get ready using their own terminals. Under the new approach, each newsroom will have to wait until 8:30 to begin transferring and reformatting the files that their reporters have created using the government-issued word processing software. The time required to do this will vary, but it is a sure bet that subscribers will see information faster on some news feeds than on others. The laggards' customers will be very unhappy.

Further, all of the text-based services will be at a disadvantage compared to television journalists, who will be allowed to stand in front of their cameras - though motionless and silent except for a single government-issued test word they can utter to test their microphones - from 8:28 until 8:30, at which point they will be allowed to start talking. The first word of the new numbers will most likely come from a broadcast journalist's mouth. The text-based services are livid about this, too.

These services have found an ally in Sen. Roy Blunt, R.-Mo., who wrote a letter to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis objecting to the new system. "Given the market-moving impact of these numbers and the largely automated processes of today's market institutions, even a minor flaw in the timing or accuracy of this data could result in a destructive impact on global markets," he wrote, according to Bloomberg. (1)

The government is not here to serve the press; both are supposed to serve the public. The Labor Department bluntly reminded reporters of this when it rolled out the new rules. In a conference call last month, Carl Fillichio, the Labor Department's senior adviser for communications and public affairs, observed, "The Labor Department provides press lock-ups for one reason only: to serve the general public by facilitating the news media's ability to read, review, ask questions about and prepare news stories explaining embargoed economic data reports."

Members of the press demanded to know what problem the Labor Department is trying to fix. Though Fillichio refused to comment in detail on any past security matters, he emphasized that "It's simply prudent management to review and update our processes."

The department's new rules certainly are not a foolproof defense against leaks. Sensitive data can be disclosed by careless or corrupt federal employees, and sometimes by outsiders who are given early access to somewhat less critical news. Last year, for example, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue let slip her state's unemployment rate a day before the statistic was officially announced.

It is reasonable for the press to expect the Labor Department to be vigilant against leaks. It is unreasonable to insist that the department take avoidable risks with sensitive data just to make journalists' jobs easier or to level the playing field among competitors in the news business.

The press will eventually adapt to the new process. Or, if they choose not to, journalists can go look up the statistics on the Labor Department's website at 8:30 a.m. the morning of the release - just like you and me.

Source:
1) Bloomberg, "Senator Blunt Says New Rules on Labor Data Risk Market Turmoil"

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Child Sex Trafficking in America - Modern Day Slavery

The nonprofit organization: For the Sake of One (FSO) and several other groups are focused upon the issue of child sex trafficking in the United States.

An estimated 300,000 American children are lured in the sex trafficking trade each year. Their average age being 13 years old, with a life expectancy of only 7 more years.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act recognizes sex traffickers use psychological and well as physical coercion and bondage. It defines coercion to include: threats of serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform a sex act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.

There are a multitude of ways traffickers lure children away, but once they have them, these victims often go through a process of seasoning which includes:

•Beating/Slapping/Whipping - With hands, fists, and kicking, as well as with objects such as bats, tools, chains, belts, hangers, canes, and cords

•Burning - Of personal items and items of meaning to foster hopelessness and demoralization or directly burning children using cigarette/cigar butts

•Sexual assault - Rape or gang rape

•Confinement - Using torture practices such as confinement to lock women and girls in closets, trunks of cars, or rooms for indeterminate amounts of time.

•Other torture techniques - Such as deprivation of food or water or various forms of bondage such as chaining individuals to items or tying them up.

•Emotional abuse - Direct verbal insults, name-calling, threats, mind control, brainwashing, cognitive re-programming

•Re-naming - Offering "nicknames" both for endearment and to erase former identity

•Creating dependencies - By instructing how to walk, how to talk, what to wear, when to eat, when to sleep, and where to sleep.

•Removal from familiarity and support structures - By transporting the victims to a new location or even underground where they knows no one/

Victims of sex trafficking are submitted to numerous health risks. Physical risks include drug and alcohol addiction; physical injuries (broken bones, concussions, burns, vaginal/anal tearing); traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting in memory loss, dizziness, headaches, numbness; sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, syphilis, UTIs, pubic lice); sterility, miscarriages, menstrual problems; other diseases (e.g., TB, hepatitis, malaria, pneumonia); and forced or coerced abortions. These victims are typically "used" or sold 5 to 30 times per day.

Psychological impairments include mind/body separation/disassociated ego states, shame, grief, fear, distrust, hatred of men, self-hatred, suicide, and suicidal thoughts. Victims are at risk for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder - acute anxiety, depression, insomnia, physical hyper-alertness, self-loathing that is long-lasting and resistant to change (complex-Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Victims of sex trafficking may also suffer from traumatic bonding - a form of coercive manipulation in which the sex trafficker infuses in the victim fear as well as gratitude for actually being allowed to live.

Victims of sex trafficking are forced into prostitution and pornography and are usually involved in the most exploited forms of commercial sex operations. Sex trafficking operations can be found in highly-visible venues such as street prostitution, as well as more underground systems such as closed brothels that operate out of residential homes. Sex trafficking also takes place in a variety of public and private locations such as massage parlors, spas, strip clubs and other fronts for prostitution.

FSO's foundational belief is a single life transformed is worth whatever the price. Numbers are numbing and statistics are demoralizing. Without a name or face these children become too easy to ignore, but if we break the numbers down to represent our ability to transform one life then we truly make a lasting difference.

FSO believes all children are a gift from God and each has been created with a unique purpose. With love and service, we know these children can succeed and lead productive lives. Sex trafficking is a global concern and we applaud the organizations who's focus is to aid all children. Although we are painfully aware of the global problem, there is also a substantial and immediate need in America for services and supportive housing. By no means do we seek to diminish the need for a global response; however, our primary focus is the child victim found within the boarders of the United States.

FSO reaches out to girls and boys ages 11-17 who have been victims of domestic sex trafficking to ignite, confidence, courage and inner strength within them as we provide the love, protection and guidance these children so desperately need and deserve in order to heal from the injustice and unspeakable abuse they have endured.

PROBLEM

At the beginning of 2012 - less than 100 beds were dedicated to child victims of sex trafficking in the United States. Each bed currently has a waiting list, and there are yet no homes dedicated to helping boys recover.

Due to the lack of safe houses, these children often go into juvenile detention centers where the belief is again reinforced the children themselves are somehow responsible for their situation. With such limited comprehensive services available for sex trafficking victims most of these children have no where to go and consequently are released often to return to the very hands of their traffickers.

SOLUTION

For the Sake of One's primary purpose is the establishment of Isaiah's House - child sex trafficking safe homes located in the United States. A place of healing where children who have been victimized can receive the love and specialized services they desperately need and deserve.

Isaiah's House will be open to all children, both girls and boys, ages 11 to 17. Isaiah's House is a long term care facility, not a shelter. Each child will be provided love, medical services, extensive counseling, schooling and life skills to prepare their paths for a much brighter tomorrow.

Counseling

At Isaiah's House all share the common tragedy of sex trafficking and in an atmosphere of healing, each child will be provided one on one and group therapy by loving and licensed child counselors.

Education

Most child victims of sex trafficking will need much help to complete their education. Isaiah's house will have an on-site school with dedicated teachers using individually tailored study plans. We believe each child must have both goals and abilities when they leave Isaish's House. Be it college or life skills - our goal is to provide the skill sets required for these children to become self sufficient.

Mentoring

Upon arrival most victims of child sex trafficking will trust no one but themselves. Our mentoring program will rebuild trust and self esteem while cultivating new social skills within healthy love-based relationships.

We Need Your Support

We do not take any government funding and we do not charge for any of our programs. The cost to provide these services is great; however, the value of one transformed life is priceless. Please consider sowing financial seeds into these children's lives.

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Bringing Rental Cars Into Canada From the U.S.

Transport Canada has announced that, beginning June 1, 2012, Canadian residents will be able to bring U.S. rental vehicles into Canada for non-commercial use for 30 days or less. Right now, Canadian residents aren't allowed to bring U.S. rental cars into Canada. This might not sound like a big deal, but in certain circumstances it could come in handy. If your car breaks down or if your flight is cancelled at the last minute are two situations when you might want to rent a car to get home.
Changes are also coming to eliminate taxes on these vehicles for Canadians who have been outside of Canada for at least 48 hours.
Visitors to Canada will continue to be allowed to bring rental vehicles from the United States into Canada.
Be sure to check with the rental car agency for more details and to get permission to take their rental out of the U.S.
Photo: Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images

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Nature and Civilization

One manifest duality of life is nature and civilization. On this, there are two major schools of thought as to what it is that life is. One - seen in both capitalism and socialism - is concerned with adding the most to human-made world of civilization. The other - environmentalism - is concerned with accepting and protecting the natural environment and in experiencing fully the natural aspect of life. Both have one part of the picture, and it is time to see the whole picture and to constructively work with it.

There is a world of life that is not human-made, known as nature. There is also a world that is human-made, known as the civilization. In addition, within the human being itself, there is the natural aspect - the aspect that is shared with other life forms and that as such follows the rules of nature - and the uniquely human aspect: The aspect of choice and volition, in which one directs one's actions according to one's own knowledge and beliefs.

While many of those who value the former the most see the civilization as being destructive and rapacious, many of those who value the latter the most see nature as only resources or made to serve. But the two worlds not only exist in themselves; they also exist in the human being, with each human being possessing both the natural aspect of physicality and the uniquely human capacity of directed choice. The first aspect is of the same character as what is nature - the physical aspect that is of nature and that is directed by its workings. The second aspect is of the same character as what created the human-made world - the volitional aspect that deliberately directs, creates, and forms.

There is no inherent antagonism between the world of nature and the world of human creation, any more than there is inherent antagonism between the directed and the directing aspects of human being. Both are aspects of the world; and both exist in humanity and in each person. The difference is that while one world is not made by humanity, the other is made by humanity; and while the first reflects natural laws, the second reflects people's choices. Creating an optimal outcome consists of allowing people the fullest experience of both aspects, both within themselves and without, as well as the greatest contribution to, and minimal damage to, both worlds.

For this reason it merits to recognize the human being as a being of nature and of human-made world and aims to make the most of both - the most of the experience of both and the most of contribution to both. That is the case both within the human being, in both their natural and deliberate-choice aspects, and in human being's interaction with both worlds. That means that making the most of life in this matter consists making the most of human being's possession and orientation toward both non-human-forged life and human-forged life and to make the most of both aspects and of their interaction. It means affirming both nature and civilization and using human intelligence to create ongoing growth and improvement of civilization while making the burden lighter on nature. It means to allow people to have full experience of both nature and civilization and to not only interact with both, but to have the fullest representation of both within themselves. It means, thus, to allows human being to be both a being of nature and a being of the civilization and to contribute to both while benefiting from both.

There are some belief systems that see nature as mere resources, or merely there to serve people. To these this question is posed: Can you recreate Amazonian rainforest or create anything approaching it in complexity? There are others that see nature as sacrosanct - and to them can be posed the question, How sacred is the AIDS virus, and does it love you as much as you love it? The world is not improved, and life is not improved, either in the present or in long-term aspect, by destroying rich, vibrant environments such as Amazonian rainforest in order to clear land that will no longer be usable in two years. Nor is it improved by denying people the benefits of technology or medicine or scientific and technical innovation. People have right to protect themselves from viruses and harmful bacteria, to produce and enjoy wealth, and to advance and apply scientific and technological knowledge. Similarly, people concerned for the well-being of the planet have right to protect natural treasures from blind and irreversible destruction.

According to the philosophy of libertarian capitalism, property is defined as "nature converted into productive use." But in that definition, no value is seen for nature. That is a major downfall in the philosophy of libertarian capitalism, and we are presently seeing the effects of that downfall all around the world.

The economic equations do not compute the long-term value of nature, and that is the worst downfall of market economy as constituted at this time. It fails to put a price to natural treasures, and thus runs roughshod over them with no eye to posterity. This is the true source of antagonism between business and environment-conscious people; and it is only when the value of these treasures are computed and put into the economic calculus that can be reduced the blind destruction of nature by human economic activity - and human economic activity, stripped of its worst downfall and the greatest error within it, can fully work in the interests of humanity both in short and long term as the market theory supposes that it does. Since the natural inputs are not valued, and the pollution and environment destruction is not quantified, the economic equations omit environmental damage. If such are valued and quantified, economic equations will reflect full reality of economic activity on Earth.

The economic calculus in decisions regarding nature must be the following: Is what is created of greater richness and long-term value than what is destroyed? Can you recreate anything close to what you are consuming? And is what comes out better, richer, more intricate, than what it takes to produce it, or is it worse?

Ayn Rand was right when she said that the civilization should be an improvement on nature and not degradation on nature. For GDP to truly be measure of benefit realized, it must include in itself the environmental factor. In computation of economic benefit must be included the natural factor - whether what is produced is superior to what had to be destroyed in order for it to have been produced. A computer is superior to the metal, the silicon and the oil that it took to create it, and is thus an improvement upon what it took to create it. A ranch in the Amazon is not superior to the rainforest that its creation required to destroy. A calculus that includes the value of nature will minimize the blind and short-sighted forms of economic activity, while maximizing genuine technological progress and innovation, with intelligence being applied to create genuinely innovative solutions that make it possible for people to maximize wealth while treading more lightly on Earth. The computation of value of nature within economic equation will result in technological progress and creation of wealth as well as preservation of nature, with an incentive being in place for prudence and ingenuity in what is created by humanity - and a disincentive against destruction of natural treasures that humanity cannot recreate.

The result is this: Benefiting and blossoming of life, both in its non-human-made aspect that is nature, and in its human-made aspect that is the civilization. It is valuation of both, allowing both to gain and to improve. It is people being able to benefit both from nature and from civilization. And it is incentive for positive contribution toward both and disincentive for what is blind, brainless, and destructive to each world.

To show how far the failure to compute nature into economic equations has gone in its effects on people's thinking, it is now common for people to refer to the socio-economic system as "reality" or "real world," without giving a second thought as to the greater reality in which this system exists - the reality of the planet. The failure to compute the planet, its nature, its climate, and the needs of its inhabitants, both the currently living ones and their descendants, has now lead to a global climatic catastrophe. People have denied the reality of nature and their effect upon it for decades, and now this reality is becoming more and more inescapable. It is only when both nature and the human world are seen as real and computed into economic equations that economic activity can be incentivized toward what is genuinely ingenious and productive and disincentivized from blind, short-sighted and ignorant practices that leave the world for the future generations in a worse shape than one in which one has found it and poorer for one having been in it.

Part of larger essay "Integrative Cognition and Dualities"
http://sites.google.com/site/ilyashambatwritings/integrative

Ilya Shambat

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