text:
The best and worst awards for our motorcycle expedition across Africa, Europe and Asia.
Whilst the two of us are in agreement, we realize that many may disagree and so we welcome any comments.
Tanzania just eclipses Kenya, Namibia and South Africa as our favourite country in Africa. Good infrastructure, decent roads, amazing scenery, friendly people, and abundant wildlife.
The highlights:
- the snow capped peaks of Kilimanjaro;
- the glorious plains and wildlife of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater;
- spicy and exotic Zanzibar;
- our second favourite African city, Dar Es Salaam (Cape Town being our first);
- a thoroughly enjoyable stay in Tanga on the east coast;
- and our all time favourite camping spot on our whole trip, Lake Charla.
EUROPE – SCOTLAND (to be more precise West Scotland on a sunny day)
Many people are already aware of the amazing places to see in Turkey, Austria, Italy, Spain, France, Greece etc…and we were privileged to do the European grand tour and take in many of the sights.
Italy was absolutely fascinating, superb architecture, rich history, good food and wine, but not the easiest place to motorcycle in due to local driving conditions. . Good, but not great.
France was our biggest surprise. It is Britain's next door neighbour and often maligned by Americans for being, well French, and by the English for old rivalries and wars over the centuries. However, we found it to be a stunning country and a motorcycling heaven. The Alps, Provence, the Southern coast, Loire valley, the wine-lands of Burgundy, pretty Brittany, the battle fields of Normandy and the many charming villages and towns we rode through. So much to see and we were treated very well by everyone we met… even by the Gendarmes.
However, taking the best motorcycling country in Europe award is Scotland…. especially western Scotland (see UK revisited chapter).
There were no countries we did not enjoy to one degree or another.
Ethiopia, undoubtedly rich in history and resplendent in natural beauty is a bit of a tragedy on the human side.
The country, especially the cities seems to have been left to rot and stagnate. Ethiopians, a handsome lot as people go, appeared to be incredibly needy and nearly always had their hand out stretched begging for money. They often leaped out at us or grabbed our arms whilst shouting… 'You, You, You…Money, Money, Money'.
It was tiresome, annoying and ever so slightly sad.
CHINA is a country on a continental scale and by far the most varied and diverse country we went to.
There were impressive and well planned super cities like Chengdu, Nanchang, Beijing and Shanghai, and prettier tourist towns like Lijiang, Yangshuo and Dali. We also rode through some of the most charming and idyllic countryside I have ever seen. Some rural areas have remained as they have been for centuries, despite the rapid pace of development going on around them.
But in China there are also some of the worst and most polluted places I have ever seen. Environmental plunder, architectural vandalism, motoring misery and pitiful squalour on an unprecedented scale. Quite a shock.
Some of the second and third tier Chinese cities were absolute shockers. Polluted and crowded beyond belief, bad roads and atrocious traffic jams, ridiculously bad urban planning and blighted by hideous buildings as far as the eye could see. Hong Kong and China seem to have a fatal attraction with adorning the outsides of their ugly concrete boxes with cheap toilet tiles.
Whether fascinating or depressing; ugly or stunningly beautiful; our experience riding over 13,000 kilometers through China was hugely rewarding and something we will never forget.
Sudan was our biggest surprise and we thoroughly recommend visiting.
It was a complete re-write of everything I had previously thought about its people and their culture. The kindness, politeness and gentleness of many of the people we met was incredible and we are very grateful to the hospitality extended to Fanny and I by many of the people we encountered.
That said, a cold beer in the scorching heat would be nice, as would a bacon sarnie with HP sauce, but I guess you can't have everything. Treat it as a liver detox!
We never really had any very bad experiences.
We managed to cross Africa without being eaten by wild animals, without having to pay a bribe, without being infected by deadly diseases, nor kidnapped by pirates or Jihadi nutters.
Our KTM 990 Adventure motorcycles have been superb, a joy to ride and very reliable.
The vast majority of people we encountered on the expedition have been wonderful and treated us very well… the only exception being a few excitable types in Ethiopia who threw stones at us or lashed out as we were riding by with whips and sticks. Most of the border crossings and tourist locations attracted annoying touts, "shiftas" and fraudsters who were keen to relieve us of the few possessions we had. They were all unsuccessful.
A particular low was early on in the expedition when Fanny lost control of her motorcycle in the Namib Desert and came off at speed.
Fortunately, Fanny and her KTM motorcycle are a tough team and in no time were back together charging through the desert, albeit with a few scrapes and bruises.
In Europe our experience in Switzerland was not great, Fanny got arrested for involvement in an accident that wasn't her fault, everything always seemed to be closed, everything was expensive, and we could hardly describe the Swiss as the friendliest people we met on our 53,800 kilometer ride around the world.
That said Switzerland is a very pretty country and we enjoyed riding through the Alps and up and down the many meandering passes.
In China/Asia I think the worst experience was just outside Chongqing City when a traffic official threw a traffic cone at Fanny while she was riding on the highway and knocked her off her bike. Anywhere else in the world this would be considered a serious criminal offence and front page news, but in China abuse of power by the authorities is common place and the "people" can't do much about it. Fanny was injured slightly and very upset by the incident, but she managed to get back on her motorcycle and carry on.
Not being allowed to ride in certain Chinese cities and on most of the Chinese highway network is also pretty annoying and downright unnecessary in modern China on a modern motorcycle.
Apart from these incidents, and of course me getting stopped by the police at every single road block in Tibet, we had a really great adventure in China and had the chance to see places that very few people even know about, let alone visit.
USA? Its a continent sized and a very well developed country that most non-Americans will know well enough through the ubiquitous TV shows and movies. Big, amazing wilderness, beautiful scenery, wealthy, but with a dark and sinister underbelly, especially in the inner cities.
To to be honest we still have a lot of riding to be done and places to see in the USA.
So far we have explored Washington, Oregon, Montana, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado in the west, and New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Ohio in the east. The south and the center remains to be explored.
From what I've seen of the rest of world, America sits in the middle ground. Its easy to get around, everything is super convenient, there is not a great deal of culture or history, the roads are far too straight and dull, and its not as "great" as Americans think it is. Nothing really interesting, and nothing really bad, except the food which is on the whole….a mixture of sugar and lard with a sprig of rocket.
I am afraid to so that Fanny doesn't like America, but then she is a pinko commie!
South America? That remains an adventure for the future.
When riding a motorcycle through Africa the last places you really want to see are the cities. The joy of riding through Africa is the beautiful countryside, meeting its people, and enjoying the amazing African flora and fauna. However, if pressed to pick an African city I would say Dar Es Salaam because it is a very interesting and lively city, friendly people, good food, and one of the few cities in Africa I could live in outside South Africa. Traffic is quite bad though, but nothing two bikers from Shanghai can't handle.
EUROPE – Istanbul
It is a difficult call to decide on the best city award for Europe. We enjoyed many. Lucca, Rome, Florence and Pompei in Italy; Saint Lo in France; St. Sebastian in the Basque Country; Barcelona in Spain; Saltzburg and Vienna in Austria; and Old Town Rhodes in Greece. We thoroughly enjoyed them all.
However, if we are pushed to choose one then Istanbul takes the award. Its got it all… great food, wonderful art, kind friendly people, fascinating history, amazing architecture, the east meets west straits between Black Sea and Marmara Sea, and yet its very much a first world city, things work and it feels very welcoming and exciting to be there.
ASIA/China – LHASA (followed by CHENGDU)
I am not even going to consult Fanny because she will say Shanghai. It's like asking a panda what its favourite food is. I thought our ride through China was absolutely fascinating. There are hundreds of cities in China with populations over a million people… many are over 20 million and therefore bigger than many countries in the world.
Each city is diverse with the richest and poorest, ugliest and prettiest and tastiest and revolting all in one place. Cities to mention are Beijing where I went to university and have a special fondness for, colourful and spicy Chengdu in Sichuan (and prettiest women!), exotic Dali in Yunnan, the amazing "Red City" of Nanchang in Jiangxi, so called because its the home of the "red" revolution.
However, our ride through Tibet is probably one of the highlights and so therefore Lhasa, its provincial capital stands out as the best city to see in respect to scenery, architecture, history and "never seen before" general interest.
Africa – Addis Ababa …
We were looking forward to Addis Ababa, a name that conjured up exotic images formed from school days for me. However, when we got there we found it to be a complete karsi. The decrepit and forlorn looking train station from a bygone era pretty much sums up Addis Ababa 's decline into squalour and poverty.
Again corruption and inability to use a condom are to blame. Aggressive touts, annoying kids, unfriendly and hostile looking soldiers and policeman, and crumbling and decaying infrastructure. Its a big disappointment.
Fortunately we found refuge in a little oasis in the middle of this complete dog nest called "Wim's Holland House". Not the greatest backpackers in Africa, but the Dutch owner, Wim runs a decent hostel that serves more than the Ethiopian staple dish of Tibis and sour pancakes and has a well stocked English pub-like bar that serves draft St.George's beer.
China is basically a large continent and currently going through the biggest phase of development any country has been through…ever, and so some of its second and third tier cities (or lower) can easily qualify for worst, ugliest, most polluted, most corrupt, most congested, unhealthiest city anywhere on the planet.
Take your pick.
EUROPE – LUTON … Picking a worst city in Europe is a difficult one.
Athens promised so much and delivered so little. We did wander around to see the sights of Ancient Greece, but the modern day city was depressing and the economic gloom palpable.
The city of my birth, London, is a mixed bag. A disappointment on many levels, can no longer be considered "English", but still an iconic and interesting city if you focus on the positives such as history, art and culture.
However, if I have to pick a candidate for worst city in Europe then I am going to say Luton or Slough in the United Kingdom.
Sorry Luton and Slough…… someone has to come last …..and you made no effort not to.
The mangey cats and dogs throughout Ethiopia are covered in them, as are most of the carpets, furniture and bedding. The lush grassland, especially after the rainy season is also home to ticks. As we were camping we had to remove quite a few of these little blood suckers that somehow found their way into various nooks and "fannys".
"No" Best Flea Award….unsurprisingly!
Africa …South Africa (Western Cape)
Europe … Germany
China … umm? Let's say Hong Kong … the standard is so incredibly poor.
Asia … Japan
Africa ….Egypt
Europe …. Italy
The World …. everywhere in China, followed very closely by Egypt and Bangkok in Thailand which is dangerous on a bike.
Tanzanian bus and truck drivers could take some kind of bad driving award judging by how many we saw overtaking dangerously or wrecked by the side of the road, but Egypt takes the "worst driving" award in Africa by a mile.
They are absolute shockers. Maybe its because everyone is too busy shouting into their mobile phones all the time, or perhaps because everyone employs millimetre collision avoidance techniques, sometimes with success and sometimes without. I saw a taxi mount a curb as the driver attempted to tackle a roundabout with one arm twisted around the wheel and the other holding a phone to his ear.
Rather than put his mobile phone down and use both arms to turn the wheel he preferred to carry on talking, veer off the road and mow down some pedestrians.
Africa …..Namibia/Tanzania
We have a difference of opinion due to our different levels of riding experience. Fanny goes for Tanzania for the same reasons (above) as for best country and I go for Namibia, to my mind the most awesome motorcycling country… anywhere.
Challenging, technical in parts, mind blowing scenery and importantly very few people and other vehicles. Its got sand, gravel, rocks, hills, deserts, salt pans, seascape, bush, wild animals, birds and fresh air…. AND no road blocks, no speed bumps, no police and no speed cameras. I also really liked the Nubian deserts of Sudan. Clean, beautiful and spectacular.
BEST MOTORCYCLING LOCATION _ EUROPE …. Western Scotland (in the sun) followed by France
Scotland was a big surprise. In Jubilee year, 2012 when Fanny and I arrived in the UK we planned to ride to Scotland, but the weather was absolutely atrocious. A year later during what everyone was calling "The Summer of 2013" the weather was absolutely glorious and western Scotland gave me some of the best riding I have ever experienced. Not to take anything away from Scotland, my KTM 990 Supermoto T I was riding was one of best motorcycles I have ever ridden. I have to say it was an awesome ride and Great Britain was truly "great".
ASIA …. Tibet and Cardomom mountains in Cambodia
Who, being given the chance, is not going to vote Tibet as one of the best motorcycling destinations on the planet? Not me.
Also, Cardomom mountains in Cambodia are very interesting and enjoyable on a bike.
USA – Valley of Gods, Utah
The best adventure motorcycling I have come across so far in the USA is probably the unearthly Valley of Gods in southern Utah. I have ridden all over the USA on various machines over the year, but there is still a lot for me to see and explore and so there may be better places, but the Valley of Gods, although quite small is a superb ride.
All African and Chinese inner cities (except Cape Town and Windhoek)
Riding through any of the African Capital cities was tiresome, annoying, stressful and decidedly dangerous… in particular Cairo, Nairobi and Addis Ababa. It was no problem technically for either of us, we come from Shanghai after all where the traffic is atrocious and ride our bicycles everyday, but the appalling driving standards, poor urban planning and ever increasing traffic volume made riding less fun than it should be.
Whilst we rode on appalling roads and surfaces, such as the road from Marsabit to Moyale in north Kenya, they presented the sort of challenges bikers relish and we confronted and overcame them with a huge sense of 成就感 and enjoyment.
Worst Motorcycling Experience in Europe … again the inner cities of Italy and England spring to mind…. but no where near as bad as China or Egypt.
In England the speed cameras ruin motorcycling and in Italy the narrow medieval roads through the towns, and aggressive and poor driving standard by Italians make riding a bit stressful, but not too bad.
In London, there are feral "non indigenous" teenagers who ride scooters, terrorize people, and steal with impunity because the police do nothing. These thugs also spray acid into people's faces from squeezy bottles or attack people with hammers and angle grinders ….and get away with it because the ethnic majority have voted for treacherous politicians like Khan and Abbott who support these hooligans because they think the indigenous English deserve it.
The police, courts and authorities are stuck between a rock and a hard place and so they are largely impotent. They stick to arresting soft targets like 1970s DJs, non contentious traffic offences and local middle class people for Orwellian "thoughtcrimes".
When I was a police officer in London in the 1980s it was urban chaos then, lots of race riots, inner city anomie, and quite dangerous. However, you did your job, your colleagues and bosses supported you, and you got promoted or advanced to more interesting jobs based on merit and ability. Now in politically correct and easily offended Britain its the opposite and so basically the police have given up and much of London is a "no go" ghetto.
By comparison, when we were riding in north Kenya, borders with Somalia, east Ethiopia, central and north Sinai and the western Sahara ISIS were just starting to take hold and there was a real possibility of running into a pickup truck of crazy Islamists. However, there were lots of armed police and army, local Bedouins were friendly and helpful, we were on fast powerful motorcycles, able and allowed to defend and look after ourselves, and so the odds were even.
Our advice is don't ride into London. Ride around it, or park outside and take public transport into the tourist areas, see the changing of the guard, the museums, art galleries, theaters, cafes and shops and then get out as quick as possible.
In fact, best to avoid all English cities and head to the beautiful Cotswolds, Peak District, Devon and Cornwall, the Jurassic coast, the Fens, the Lake District, Scotland or Wales and a nice rural pub.
1. Lake Charla – Tanzania – What a gem. perfect climate, stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, hundreds of elephants, Colobus monkeys, unspoiled bush, a spectacular volcanic crater lake, great bar, friendly hosts, and of course the famous roasted goat dinner.
2. Makuzi – Malawi. Peaceful paradise on the shores of Lake Malawi.
3. Mountain Rock – Kenya. A lush enjoyable grassy campsite next to a trout filled river on the equator in the foothills of Mount Kenya.
Europe ….Scotland no camp sites in the whole of Europe were on the same scale of the three above in Africa. Camping in Europe, regardless of whether its next to stunning scenery like Mont Blanc or near a historical town like Lucca in Italy has a whiff of concentration camp about it. France has simple and clean municipal campsites that were great value. Italy had some decent places but they were expensive. Wales was quite good. England just doesn't have any and the few there are are awful, with a few exceptions. Our worst experience on the whole expedition was at Crystal Palace in London where we were interrogated and abused by gestapo like camp wardens. Hobson's choice because London is so expensive, in fact the most expensive anywhere, and so camping was the only alternative to paying over 100 pounds for a small room for a night.
Scotland however has no trespass laws and so provided you show respect for the owners property and leave the site in the condition you found it in you can free camp where you like. Its also a gloriously pretty and interesting country and so the best European camping award easily goes to Scotland, followed by France and Wales.
China – Nan Tso (Tibet).
China is a great country to back pack across (I have done it) and as such has great youth hostels and cheap accommodation in all cities and towns. As for camping, China is, on the whole, a safe country (apart from driving standards). However, despite its enormous size there is not a great deal of spare land that is not farmed on or developed… until you get into the remote western provinces of Xizang (Tibet), Xinjiang and Qinghai. We were very fortunate to camp in two stunning locations.
One with Lamas on the banks of a river in the Himalayas and another in the middle of Tibet at over 5000 meters next to the shores of Tibet's most sacred lake, Nam Tso with 7,000 meter + peaks surrounding us.
USA – Needles, Utah
Campsites in the USA are basic by African and European standards. They are clean, tidy, averagely cheap, have friendly elderly attendants, but usually lack ablutions and the facilities you get in continental European campsites and most African lodges.
Apart from free camping, which I did a lot and prefer, the best organised campsite I found was at Needles in Utah, just south of Moab. In other States the campsites are pretty gruesome, far too expensive and generally geared towards caravans and RVs, and so free camping with a tent is the best option, and easy to do.
We never stayed at any really bad campsites. To our mind the simpler the better and there should be more like the good ones we saw in Africa. Whilst Sudan allows free camping, Egypt is heavily controlled by the military and police and our attempts to free camp were fruitless. We were chased off seemingly remote places in the desert and along the Red Sea by police, army and security people.
Being unable to camp in certain places, we did stay in some rather ropey (because they were cheap) hotels in Sudan and Ethiopia but you get what you pay for and we didn't pay very much. The Kilpatra hotel in Wadi Halfa had the worst lavatory and shower outside China… a true shocker.
Of course, Europe is the land of the caravan. Rarely seen in Africa or Asia, these boxes on wheels are seen everywhere in western Europe, blocking the country lanes and oblivious or uncaring to the traffic mayhem they cause around them. To a biker they are annoying enough, but we can whizz pass them more often than not. To another car driver stuck behind one on a road in Cornwall I hate to think.
No wonder they are targets of Top Gear persecution and derision. Once they eventually get to their "beauty spot" they position themselves cheek by jowl and then the occupants immediately position themselves outside on deckchairs, guarding their plot with disapproving territorial expressions on their faces.
Actually, these caravan clubers are not a bad bunch when you get to know them and are often passionate about their caravaning lifestyles and can wax lyrical about chemical toilets and lace curtains.
I have to say caravaners, with their impressive tea making facilities and well stocked biscuit tins, who brew up on the hour every hour are always welcome next to our tent.
Africa …. Egypt
Apart from the Chinese food we had in various places, Egypt probably just surpasses South Africa as the country with the best food in Africa. Fresh seafood, spicy curries, kebabs and falafel, roti, dates, fruit, salads, tasty bread… and good beer.
The food in Sudan is also pretty good and the Nile fish breakfast in Wadi Halfa is a special treat, especially with Bedouin coffee or tea. Again icy fruit juices are a specialty and very welcome when the temperature is scorching hot.
Europe … Turkey
The best food we ate in Europe was in Turkey. This was a big surprise as we don't think either of us have been to a Turkish restaurant in our lives. Whilst in Istanbul and Mersin we were treated to some excellent local feasts by our new Turkish friends. The street food was also cheap and delicious, a bit like in Egypt.
Further along through Europe we had delicious cakes and pastries, especially in Austria, Italy and France, but the classic Italian and French fine cuisine famous throughout the World was not available to us because of the cost. I am sure its delicious, its just we couldn't afford any.
We were fortunate to be in Italy during Easter and were treated to a delicious traditional Italian lunch with our friends Nick and Paola and her family near Rome. We also had some great home cooking with family and friends while we were in England and Wales.
I know there is good food about in Britain, but can you find it when you are hungry, or afford to eat decently in, say, London? No. Ubiquitous sandwich shops, junk food, petrol station food, and processed food is the tourists' lot. Best you can get is a good cardiac arrest "fry up" breakfast at a roadside lay-by or fish and chips for dinner.
Even the so called ethnic food we had in the UK, like Indian or Thai was awful. So, unless you are lucky to be invited to eat at a "Master Chef" finalists' house, have relatives and friends who are good cooks or win the lottery and have the chance to try out a Michelin starred restaurant you are going to be disappointed on the food front in the UK.
We met many tourists, especially Chinese who were on the verge of tour group mutiny in the UK because they disliked the food so much.
China – overall winner by a long way…..
Nothing beats the food in China for variety, freshness, health, flavour, texture, low cost, accessibility, colour, exoticness, pure joy and of course taste. Spicy Hunan and Sichuan, sweet and sour Shanghainese, salty and savoury Dong Bei, roasted meat from Xinjiang and seafood from Guangdong …..and it goes on with each province and each region within a province having their own specialties and traditions .
We all need food and everywhere we went in the world the people took pride in their local cuisine, but to our mind nothing beats Chinese food.
We and 1.4 billion others think so anyway..
Best Chinese Restaurant outside China – Xiao Long (Laughing Dragon) – Livingstone, Zambia. On par with the Sichuan and Hunan food we have in China, but I suspect only if you insist on the genuine stuff… in Mandarin ….and have a Chinese companion who does a thorough inspection of the kitchen, the ingredients and interrogates all the staff.
Worst Chinese Restaurant outside China– The Panda – Mosi, Tanzania (The lovely girl, Cheng Yuan Yuan, who was left in charge of the restaurant while the owner went back to China admitted she couldn't cook and neither could the chef). In the end one of the Chinese guests went in the kitchen and cooked a few dishes which we shared.
Worst food in Africa – Malawi
The lakeside resorts run by foreignors had pretty good food, but unless you like eating a diet consisting of 99% cassava (which has the nutritional value and taste of a flip flop) you will starve in the rest of the country as indeed a lot of the people are doing. There is no excuse for this as Malawi has fresh water, untapped natural resources and shares nearly the same geology and agricultural potential as Tanzania which grows coffee, tea, fruit and vegetables in abundance.
The problem, as with too many places in Africa, lies with the government who are greedy, corrupt and incompetent …and the people who put up with such tyrants who keep them in the stone age.
The other crop that grows pretty freely in Malawi is marijuana , so if you like you can spend your days in Malawi stoned out of your skull in a blue haze, however when you get the munchies don't expect to see much in the fridge.
Worst food in Europe – the UK. If you have the money, or live with an excellent cook you will eat as well as anywhere in the world.
However for any visitor to the UK the food on the street is pretty dire. The healthy option, if so inclined, is a salad with a bit of meat or fish in a plastic box. Still hungry? .. of course you are … so a tub of lard for pudding. You can tell by the unhealty disposition and obesity of most English people that there is little nutrition in many peoples diet.
In England the day starts off well with a variety of decent breakfasts and then goes downhill thereon.
Worst food in China – Tibet. If we are to be picky, a diet that consists of a thousand ways to eat yak and yak's milk might be pushing the limits… so local Tibetan food, whilst pretty OK, is at bottom of of the list as there is some amazing food to be eaten in every province across China.
All this being said the upside of increasing migration of more Han Chinese into Tibet is that good food from other provinces can be found in the main cities in Tibet. Is that a good or a bad thing?
Its a good thing when you're hungry.
Also, I have to mention the province of Guangxi and Chinese provinces bordering Laos and Vietnam for their fondness for dog, rat, pangolin, civet cat, and other furry, feathered and scaly creatures and their insides… nope…. not my cup of nai cha, nor Fanny's.
Africa – Namibia – Windhoek beer.
Europe – English bitter (in particular Marston's Pedigree from Burton Upon Trent)
China – Tsingdao beer 青岛啤酒)
WORST BEER AWARDS – of course there is no worst beer award, but perhaps Sudan should get a mention for not allowing beer at all. In fact the punishment for any alcohol possession in Sudan is 40 lashes.
1. Masai Mara (Kenya) (in late August)
We had an awesome time in Masai Mara. Great guides, reasonable entry fees (compared to Tanzania), and when we were there the great wildebeest migration was in residence and stretched across the grassy plains as far as the eye could see. It was true Lion King country and we had a terrific motorcycle ride to get there along cattle tracks and through Masai villages.
2. South Luangwa (Zambia).
South Luangwa National Park is possibly one of the prettiest and diverse game reserves in Africa. Certainly one of my favourite. Unfortunately, while I was there the last rhino had been poached in collusion with corrupt security guards who for their evil part were paid a fraction of what the horns were eventually sold for in Asia.
Whilst the 150 kilometer road from Chipata to the national park was too technical for Fanny at that particular stage of our expedition (not now of course), I had been there on a previous motorcycle trip across Africa and on the way bumped into the Long Way Down TV show motorcycles on their way to Lusaka. They had also decided against going to Luangwa because the road was too tough for Mr. and Mrs. McGregor, although easy for Charlie Boorman and the cameraman, Claudio I expect, who turned out to be decent guys and true motorcycle enthusiasts.
With the help of my Zambian cousin I managed to ride right into the game park along a locally used two track sand road and ride right up to many of the African animals and through the stunning bush of the Valley, but trying to keep a decent distance from creatures that might like a KTM sandwich. However, I inadvertently rode into a herd elephants and was mock charged by a young male which was quite exciting. They do not like the sound or sight of motorcycles at all, especially with loud Akropovik exhausts.
Ras Mohammed, Dahab and Sharm El Sheikh, Sinai, Egypt.
I do not care for diving particularly having been put off when I did a CT selection course when I was in the Royal Hong Kong police, but due to putting down roots in Dahab by the beautiful Red Sea I had little to do while Fanny was windsurfing and so I have now completed the PADI open water and advanced scuba course with H2O Divers.
Dahab is 90 Kms away from Sharm El Sheikh in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) and enjoys amazing marine life and is a very popular destination for kite surfing, wind surfing and diving. As well as scuba diving with an aqua lung, I also learnt to free dive and practised nearly everyday at the famous Blue Hole, or just off the coral reefs at Eel Garden, The Caves or Lighthouse. Amazing places. Fanny on the other hand learnt to windsurf in the lagoon with Planet Windsurf and is now a very competent sailor.
The Red Sea in Egypt, especially along the Sinai peninsular is absolutely spectacular. I have been fortunate to have traveled around most of South East Asia, but the Red Sea is to my mind better. Crystal clear warm waters, amazing tropical fish and coral reefs and pretty decent infrastructure to support it all. The Sinai desert mountains create an awesome backdrop to the coastal towns of Nuweiba, Taba and especially Dahab, and the desert itself is quite possibly the prettiest in the world, especially at sunset and sunrise. That said, the whole tourism thing could be done so so much better, but then the Egyptian tourist industry is reeling from the Arab Spring revolution, the world economic downturn and the negative effects of blowing up tourists with fire-bombs.
Any open water in East or South China. Polluted and disgusting.
Africa – Ethiopia and Lesotho
Whilst we thought Ethiopia was spoiled a bit by some of its annoying stone throwing feral inhabitants and decaying cities, it does have spectacular natural beauty with mountains, rivers, pastures, lakes and valleys that looks a bit like those in Switzerland, Scotland or Austria. The roads are also for the large part extremely good, although as I have said often crowded with people and animals.
Lesotho, which is bordered completely by South Africa, is also a very mountainous country and is an excellent place to visit, albeit a bit chilly to ride through in winter.
Ethiopia's proximity to some very dodgy African countries, short visa restrictions and some very wet weather while we were there prevented us from exploring the amazing Danakil depression and Afar region in the east of the country which are said to be spectacular.
Not many regrets on the expedition, but not venturing to this amazing part of the world that features in the January 2012 edition of National Geographic magazine.
We did go to Lalibela to see the rock hewn churches, and they were fairly interesting. But unless you are an archaeologist or Christian pilgrim you'd be better off visiting Salisbury Cathedral, and indeed any Norman church in England as they are older, far more impressive and have less fleas. The ride there was fun though and took us "off road" for a few hundred kilometers through valleys and across rivers and streams.
Europe – you are probably going the expect me to say The Alps, Pyrenees or the Dolomites, maybe the Brecon Beacons or Snowdonia in Wales and indeed they are spectacular, but I am going to have to pick the mountains and valleys I enjoyed riding through the most and so I will say The Highlands of Scotland.
China – is a very mountainous part of the world and along our 13,000 kilometer ride through the middle kingdom we navigated over, around and often through many mountain ranges. Chinese history is steeped in legend about mountains and have been the subject of pilgrimages by emperors and philosophers throughout the ages. We were lucky to see some of the wuyue 五岳 – sacred five and the Buddhist and Taoist fours. But for me and Fanny seeing (and riding through) the greatest mountain range on the planet with the highest peaks, the Himalayas was one of the highlights of the expedition.
Africa – South Africa. Quite simply modern, efficient, quick and fair.
Europe – all easy
China – no border crossings.. although riding through the road blocks in Tibet was "interesting".
1st Egypt and 2nd Sudan.
The opposite of modern, efficient, quick, or fair. The further north in Africa we went the worse the border crossings became.
Africa – Botswana
Europe – Austria
Asia – Singapore (its not going to be China is it?)
Africa – Egypt
Europe – Italy
Asia – China
Most countries we went through in Africa could very fairly be described as corrupt. Some more than others. Unfortunately, there are countries we simply couldn't risk traveling through because they are so corrupt and dangerous, such as the DRC, Chad, Nigeria etc.. Even the famous Dakar Rally no longer races through the Sahara to Dakar and has moved to Argentina and Chile in South America.
An anecdote from our first day in Egypt:
Having spent considerable time and parted with a huge amount of cash at customs and immigration at the Egyptian border in Aswan, we were stopped 50 meters away at a road block, the first of hundreds, by a policeman with an AK47 variant of assault rifle who looked us up and down and asked, 'Where you come from?'
Me (clearly thinking this is stupid question at the Egypt/Sudan border) ' Sudan'
Policeman 'What in bag?'
Me ' Our things'
Policeman ' Open up'
Me 'OK'…. 'It'll take a bit of time… hang on a bit'
As I was getting off my bike to open the panniers the policeman said ' Ah.. no need, haha… anything nice for me?'
Me ' I don't pay bribes' (eye to eye), and continued, 'Actually I used to be a policeman and think policemen like you are an insult to the cloth, you make the job of honest, conscientious policemen more difficult and more dangerous' rant rant…
Policeman (grinning like an imbecile and waving me on) ' haha .. you can go'
Policeman to Fanny 'Where you come from?'
Fanny 'China'
Policeman to Fanny ' You got present for me?'
I turned around and shouted ' HEY! – I TOLD YOU'
Policeman 'Haha.. OK you go' and so we went.
On each occasion the authorities even suggested a bribe I stood my ground or played my "I used to be a policeman" trump card and they all gave up.
Some of Fanny's friends, a Chinese expedition starting from South Africa and riding Jin Chiang motorcycle and side-cars, gave up in Tanzania after running out of money, spirit and heart after paying bribe after bribe and being messed about at every single border crossing.
I guess the Africans thought that Chinese are accustomed to paying bribes. Maybe they are, and maybe they are also as fed up as everyone else.
NOISIEST COUNTRY AWARDS – Sudan followed by China and Egypt.
Sudan is a strictly Islamic country and so requires its Muslim population to pray five times a day among other noisy rituals. The density of mosques and minarets in Sudan is very high and the call to prayers starts at 4-5 am which is rather early and without doubt a very loud wake -up alarm call where ever you are.
I vaguely remember bell ringing on Sunday mornings from the church in the village, Abbots Bromley, I grew up in England, and even that annoyed me after a few peels.
As a Roaming Catholic of the lapsed kind I am a firm believer that anyone can believe in what they like provided it causes no harm to others, but object to people inflicting their superstitions, religion and beliefs on other people.
My helpful suggestion that calls to prayer be made using mobile phones on vibrate mode was not met enthusiastically by anyone I met, nor was the suggestion that "All Things Bright and Beautiful" might be more cheerful.
There are 1.4 billion Chinese, the streets are crowded, and they absolutely love noise and any excuse to make some is welcomed and encouraged.
Megaphones, public announcements, promotions, advertisements, car horns, traffic, construction noise, warning signals, conversations, music, talking in restaurants etc etc… DO IT LOUDLY!. T
There are four tones in Mandarin and to make sure the other person understands clearly its best to SHOUT. In Cantonese there are nine tones and so the Hong Kongers SHOUT EVEN LOUDER ……..AAAH MAAAA. 噪音太大。!!!!
MOST PEACEFUL COUNTRY AWARD – Namibia
To the motorcyclists who like a bit of technical off road riding, stunning scenery, quiet roads, good camping sites, African animals and birds, decent petrol and getting close to unspoiled nature then Namibia is the country to go and disturb the peace with your Akropovik or Leo Vince exhausts!
Pictures at http://www.facebook.com/bigbiketrip


text:
Toronto, April 17, 2013 – The professional association representing registered nurses in Ontario is adding its voice to the chorus of boos in response to Tuesday's news that the federal government is cutting funding to the Health Council of Canada.
The national body was set up in 2004 to monitor the 10-year health accord struck between then Prime Minister Paul Martin and the provinces and territories. Part of its mandate includes reporting on the country's health system by looking at examples of best practices and innovation.
"We are extremely disappointed with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to end support for the Health Council of Canada. This decision is a failure of the federal government to recognize strong, credible, evidence-based health organizations who work to strengthen Canada," says Rhonda Seidman-Carlson, president of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO). "Everyone in this country should be deeply concerned because the federal government is distancing itself from the health and health care of Canadians.
RNAO's Chief Executive Officer says the decision to cut the Health Council's funding is politically motivated and short sighted. "The Harper government has been slowly chipping away at the cornerstone of Medicare. Two years ago, it refused to sit down with First Ministers to negotiate a new funding agreement. Instead, it unveiled a funding plan with no strings attached and announced transfer payments paid to provinces after 2017 would be lowered. It's clear the federal government's intent is to undermine the system until nothing is left. Given this country's proud history of Medicare, Canadians should be alarmed," says Dr. Doris Grinspun.
RNAO has high praise for the council's work, saying its reports have examined important issues such as quality of care, universality, Aborginal health, and system efficiency.
Dr. Grinspun says RNAO will be urging its members to write to the Prime Minister and opposition leaders and demand a reversal of the decision.
The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario is the professional association representing registered nurses in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.
For more information about RNAO, visit our website at www.RNAO.ca. You can also check out our Facebook page at www.RNAO.ca/facebook and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RNAO.
For further information:
To arrange an interview with a nurse, please contact:
Marion Zych
Director of Communications, RNAO
647-406-5605 (cell)
[email protected]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Review: March Madness video easier to find online, but requires pay-TV subscription
NEW YORK – Finding March Madness basketball games online is easier this year, but watching them isn't if you've ditched your cable or satellite TV service.
This is good news for most Americans — those who pay for cable or satellite service. If you already get the Turner channels — TNT, TBS and TruTV — on television, you should be able to watch live video of every game for free on computers and mobile devices.
But last year, Turner gave those who don't have cable or satellite — the so-called cord-cutters — an option to view all 67 games online for a one-time fee of $4. So if you didn't want to pay $70 or more each month for cable service, you could just pay $4 once for the games.
That was quite a deal. In fact, it was too good to last.
Turner says the plan all along has been to eliminate that option once people got more comfortable with signing in with their pay-TV accounts to watch online. NBC and its sister cable channels have been doing that every other year with the Olympics. HBO, which like Turner is owned by Time Warner Inc., makes you sign in to watch its shows online. There's no online-only option with either.
It's a concept the television industry calls TV Everywhere. The catch is you still need a TV subscription to watch online.
In doing so, the networks are discouraging cord-cutting, which is still uncommon, but growing fast. Networks want to preserve the fees that cable and satellite companies pay them for every subscriber who gets those channels on television.
The good news here is that to compensate for the disappearing online-only option, Turner has made it very easy for online viewers to access live games of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament. That's crucial when games are during the workday, when access to a TV is limited.
For starters, Turner and its broadcasting partner, CBS Corp., have centralized where you can find the games.
Just go to http://www.ncaa.com/march-madness on a Windows or Mac computer or download the free NCAA March Madness Live app on an iPad, iPhone or Android device. You'll see a schedule of games. Just choose any already in progress.
Last year, as a Time Warner Cable subscriber, I had to first figure out which network was carrying a particular game and then go to that network's website to enter my Time Warner password. Watching on a mobile device required yet another password after paying the $4 fee. That made March Madness maddening.
This time, it's one site (or app) and one password.
I expected I'd need to enter my password right away. Instead, both the website and the app let me start watching live games first.
CBS is broadcasting about a quarter of the early-round games and most of the later ones. You can watch as much as you want of those games online.
The Turner games are limited to four hours without a password. You don't have to use that all at once. The idea is that you'd use that time to figure out your account information. In my case, it's the same one I use to access cable bills online.
But unless you know you're limited to four hours, you wouldn't know to look for your password. In making it easy to start watching, Turner is also making it easy to overlook the limit. You're promised warnings along the way, though I never noticed any in my multitasking.
The timer appears tied to Adobe's video player, so clearing the cookie data files on my browser didn't reset it. But after my four hours ran out on a MacBook, I was still able to watch on an iMac, an iPad and an Android phone.
That's good because my pay-TV password doesn't work. A few months ago, I downgraded to a barebones TV service that excludes the Turner channels. Time Warner Cable knows that and won't let me through.
Once your four-hour allotment runs out, you are still able to watch CBS games live and listen to live audio of every game. You also have access to replays on computers and recaps on mobile apps shortly after a game concludes. In addition, you get play-by-play updates and the latest stats on players and the teams. A few highlight clips are also available for free, even before the game ends.
Live video — when you do get it — is sharp. I encountered stuttering only when I tried to watch three or four streams on the same Wi-Fi network.
One drawback: You do have to watch a short ad when you start a video, on top of regular ads during breaks in game play. If the game is close, you could miss a key shot. My other complaint is the lack of controls for pausing and replaying live video. You're stuck with the replays chosen by the networks.
I understand why Turner is requiring a pay-TV subscription, even if I don't like it. It does need to make money. I only wish that it would offer the option to pay for just the NCAA games, as it did last year, for those who don't want to pay for hundreds of TV channels that go unwatched.
It is true that Turner is now conforming to industry norms in tying online access to TV subscriptions. But in retrenching and following the pack, it is missing out on an opportunity to become a digital pioneer.


text:
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week's theme is your favorite books of 2017 and you can put any kind of spin on it that you want but since I have similar posts planned already I'm just going to do some of my favorites I've read this year! There will be another post with the rest of the books I enjoyed since it wasn't ONLY ten so be on the look out for it!
These aren't in any particular order and I will be linking my reviews if they are available.
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
There are only two books on this list that were just so amazing I couldn't even put together a review to describe how awesome they were, this is one of them.
It's a very fast paced, suspenseful and thrilling. I was addicted to this story while reading! It combines a sort of classic mystery but also combines it with horror and supernatural elements as well which was fun for me especially since you don't know what to believe or not. One of the best books I've ever read and very unique, I highly recommend checking out too by the way.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
And this is the other book that was just so good and so amazing that I couldn't form a coherent review for it! Lots of people rant and rave about "The Night Circus" and for good reason too it's simply a magical wonderful book full of great characters and a great romance. Plus the circus setting was one of the best and most interesting settings I've ever had the pleasure of being transported away to via reading.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
I'm not usually a big contemporary reader but this book is perfection, seriously. Not only is it incredibly powerful but it's also extremely well written and full of the most endearing characters. If I was rich enough to buy everyone in the world a copy to read, I would.
You can read my full review for "The Hate U Give" here.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
THIS BOOK! Why did it take me this long to finally read this treasure? It's everything I wanted in a book and didn't even know! There's fantasy and sci-fi elements both present along with the BEST characters ever, revenge, betrayals, plot twists, and some pretty brutal violence. It's been a long time since a book has made me feel so many different emotions from sadness to pretty much screaming in outrage. And yet it was great.
You can read my full review for "Red Rising" here.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
This one actually reminded me a lot of "Red Rising" except set in a fantasy world that's very Roman inspired. There's fantastic characters, magic, and the world itself is actually very dark and brutal. So many plot twists though I couldn't stop reading!
You can read my full review of "An Ember in the Ashes" here.
Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire
While this happens to be a pretty short book it still managed to pack a lot of punch. It's about a home for children/teens who have returned from other fantastical worlds (very much like Alice in Wonderland or Narnia) and learn to cope with being back in reality. The characters were extremely diverse and learning about all the different worlds they have visited was the most interesting part, I'm really hoping Seanan McGuire writes like fifty of these books.
You can read my full review for "Every Heart A Doorway" here.
Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Christina Henry's horror retellings and that's because they never fail to amaze me. The creativity she puts into them is just awe-inducing. This one happens to be about my favorite fairy tale "Peter Pan" and is told from James Hook's perspective, it's definitely not the Neverland we all know and love. It's a very vicious island full of deadly creatures and beings. If you're a fan of horror and "Peter Pan" I highly recommend checking it out.
You can read my full review of "Lost Boy" here.
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
This book is just amazing, full of diversity, and FUN. I loved the Comic Con-esque setting and the characters were amazing, I especially related to Taylor who suffers from anxiety I thought the anxiety rep was pretty spot on.
You can read my full review "Queens of Geek" here.
A Gentleman's Guide To Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Another genre I don't read to often, historical fiction, but man was this a treat! It was very fast paced, the writing was fantastic, and the characters were great. If I was going to pick just one word to describe how I feel about this book it'd be: fun!
You can read my full review of "A Gentleman's Guide To Vice and Virtue" here.
The Hollow Girl by Hillary Monahan
Probably one of the best YA horror books I've ever had the pleasure of reading! It's about a Romani girl who is brutally assaulted and her friend is left at the edge of death, in order to save him she must collect "ingredients" and take revenge on the boys who are responsible. It's brutal, violent, gory, and full of witchcraft. It's truly a fantastic book but definitely not for the faint of heart.
You can read my full review of "The Hollow Girl" here.
Have you read any of these books as well? What did you think?
What were some of your favorite reads of 2017?
Let me know in the comments!


text:
There seems to be a real buzz around a lot of young actresses in Hollywood at the minute and I think that this is a good thing because I think really talented actresses have been hard to come by over the last decade or so. Here are, in my opinion, the most talented actresses working today under the age of 30.
8. Dakota Fanning
At only 18 years old Dakota Fanning has been acting for as long as she has been alive pretty much and for years has been talked about as a great young prospect in Hollywood. Having appeared in films such as Man On Fire, War of the Worlds, Push, Coraline and the Twilight series it is easy to see why.
7. Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is probably the biggest name on this list. Having really burst onto the scene in 2003 with Lost In Translation she has gone on to appear in a number of high profile films such as The Prestige, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Iron Man 2 and the third highest grossing film of all time The Avengers.
6. Anna Kendrick
Kendrick's schedule is pretty packed right now with a huge number of projects in the pipeline for this year and the next despite a slow start to her acting career. She has appeared alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in comedy drama 50/50 and alongside George Clooney in the 2009 Oscar nominated Up in the Air.
5. Emma Watson
Everyone on the planet can recognise Emma Watson although she is probably best known as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter franchise. She is moving away from that image with something completely different later this year in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and next year's The Bling Ring.
4. Chloe Moretz
At only 15 years old Chloe Moretz is sure to be a star of Hollywood for many years to come. She achieved unanimous praise for her role as Hit Girl in Kick-Ass and went on to appear in (500) Days of Summer, Let Me In and Hugo.
3. Emma Stone
Stone is currently appearing in The Amazing Spider-Man as Peter Parker's love interest, Gwen Stacy. Since making her film debut in Superbad she has had starring roles in Crazy Stupid Love and Easy A as well as a supporting role in The Help and will soon be appearing in The Gangster Squad in which she looks fantastic.
2. Jennifer Lawrence
Soon to be one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood Lawrence is currently a star of the new X-men franchise as well as heading up The Hunger Games trilogy. She is one of the youngest women to ever be nominated for the Best Leading Actress Oscar for her performance in Winter's Bone. She has proven in the short time since bursting on to the scene that she has a large range of skills and is a very versatile actress.
1. Carey Mulligan
Carey Mulligan is a 27 year old English actress who has been the subject of critical acclaim in every field of acting; film, television and broadway. Mulligan first appeared in Pride & Prejudice before going on to appear in a number of television programmes. She has appeared in films such as Never Let Me Go, Brothers, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Public Enemies. I recently saw Mulligan in Drive where she put in a really great performance but it was in An Education where I first saw her and where many other film watchers really took notice of her. An Education is a wonderful British film and Mulligan puts in a golden performance and was rightly nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her performance as well as winning a BAFTA. Carey Mulligan definitely has a huge career ahead of her.


text:
Frank Mulligan: Hypothetical happenings along the highway
Hypothetically, now, let's say there's this driver motoring down the freeway on a Saturday night.
And let's say this driver needs to pick someone up in approximately 40 minutes.
And suppose this driver, who happens to be male in this scenario, has given himself a cushion of, oh, let's say 10 minutes to make this trip.
In other words, he's allotted himself 50 minutes to make this hypothetical 40-minute trip.
This precaution, by the way, has him feeling inordinately prudent, like an Arctic explorer caching whale blubber along his route.
So, anyway, this hypothetical male driver making this hypothetical journey along the freeway on a hypothetical Saturday night suddenly runs into trouble.
Or, more accurately, he encounters trouble when his car stops running.
He notes with a sinking hypothetical heartbeat that the car no longer acknowledges his foot on the gas pedal. The red needle in the roundish RPM barometer has, in hypothetical fact, plummeted counterclockwise back down to zero.
This indicates that not only is the engine not producing thousands of revolutions per minute, it's no longer producing thousands of revolutions per hour, day, week, or century.
Consequently, the car begins to slow to a stop, as hypothetical cars will do when their hypothetical motors cease to function.
The driver pulls over into the freeway's breakdown lane in a hypothetical maneuver designed to keep other hypothetical motorists from crashing into him and hypothetically killing him.
He also activates his warning lights in another hypothetical move to improve the hypothetical situation's safety level.
Now, here's where this totally hypothetical scenario I've conjured up might stretch your credulity to the point where it snaps and hits someone in the eye, possibly causing serious injury.
This hypothetical driver – in an age when preschoolers regularly discuss the latest episode of "Dora the Explorer" on their BlackBerries – has no cell phone.
I know, I know, such a whacky scenario would see this hypothetical driver have to make his way stumbling along the icy, slushy, hole-ridden, sloping land along the shoulder of the freeway in double time to make it to that species of creature disappearing faster than Giant Pandas in the wild – the public phone – to seek aid and inform the person awaiting him to find an alternative form of transportation.
Theoretically, this make-believe driver could even initially blunder along in the wrong direction and find himself at the Interstate exit rather than an exit to a populated area.
That could all happen, hypothetically.
Ah, but never mind.
It's all too far-fetched, even as a hypothetical.
Forget I mentioned it.
Frank Mulligan is an editor in GateHouse Media New England's Raynham office, and can be reached at email@example.com.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the newspaper.


text:
Presidential style
Our first president, George Washington, was cautious and reserved. He emphasized honesty and dedication, as well as punctuality. Abraham Lincoln was emotional and reflective, deeply empathetic and driven by his conscience. Teddy Roosevelt had an up-front, in-your-face style and liked to say, "I always believe in going hard at everything."
The personalities of these presidents helped define their impacts on the nation. This is equally true of our current president, Barack Obama. A biracial kid abandoned by his father, Obama attended schools surrounded by rich kids and adults whose backgrounds were very different from his, up to and including Columbia and Harvard. Early on, he learned to please others and adapt to his surroundings, a skill that only improved as he matured. Confrontation is simply not Obama's style; in that sense, he's the opposite of Teddy Roosevelt.
Obama's character comes through in our cover story, which analyzes how his administration is handling key Western environmental issues halfway through his term. Environmental issues have not been a priority for his administration, but they are on his to-do list. Obama often speaks about our "addiction to foreign oil," the "long-term threat" posed by climate change and the need for a "new energy economy." He's appointed more than a dozen professional environmentalists, including some Westerners, to high positions.
HCN Contributing Editor Judith Lewis Mernit doesn't waste time going over ground covered by other journalists: the Gulf oil spill, for example, or climate change bills. Instead, she focuses on this administration's approach to the West -- the region's federal lands and wildlife and the agencies that manage them.
As usual, environmentalists are divided: Some say Obama isn't doing enough, period, while others applaud his accomplishments. We report both views, and also discover areas where the administration is making progress, often incrementally and behind the scenes.
We're weighing in now because presidents spend their first two years working to build momentum, before they try to shift into high gear. President Jimmy Carter raised environmentalists' hopes in the late 1970s when he vowed to reform water policies that emphasized dams, but his efforts fell short. President Bill Clinton and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt similarly vowed to reform livestock grazing and mining in the 1990s, but achieved only modest success.
Ken Salazar, Obama's Interior secretary, has vowed to reform oil and gas drilling and emphasize wind and solar energy. It's still too early to tell how far Salazar will get, or what the administration's overall environmental legacy will be. But whether or not you agree with any of the environmentalists' positions, it's fair to say that the movement as a whole needs Obama. Since anti-environmentalist Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections, for the next two years environmentalists will rely on the executive branch's actions more than on Congress.
The story of Obama and the West has only begun. High Country News will keep you informed about how this nonconfrontational president's policies work out in our region.


text:
Saxo Bank publishes its 2016 annual report
Today, Saxo Bank Group publishes its 2016 full year results. The operating income for the Group in 2016 was DKK 2.9 billion up from DKK 2.1 billion in 2015. Clients' collateral deposits grew to new historic highs with an increase of almost DKK 15 billion to DKK 92.3 billion by the end of 2016, testament to clients' confidence in the bank. Net profit was DKK 302 million for 2016 compared to a net loss of DKK 645 million for 2015. (2015 was adversely impacted by the Swiss event on 15 January 2015).
The bank's capital position is strong with a Common Equity Tier 1 ratio of 14.9%, a Tier 1 capital ratio of 17.1% and a total capital ratio of 19.5%. The Common Equity Tier 1 buffer was DKK 1.0 billion, corresponding to 6.4% of the risk exposure amounts.
Saxo Bank Group has no knowledge of any credit event, which can affect the result for 2017.
2016 Key figures at a glance (2015)
- Operating income: DKK 2.9 billion (DKK 2.1 billion)
- EBITDA: (profit) DKK 845 million (DKK 109.4 million (loss))
- Adjusted EBITDA: DKK 954.5 million (DKK 864.7 million)
- Net profit: DKK 302.4 million (DKK 645 million (loss))
- Clients' collateral deposits: DKK 92.3 billion (DKK 77.6 billion)
- Total equity: DKK 4.2 billion (DKK 3.9 billion)
The strategic focus for 2016 has been on driving profitable growth and broadening Saxo's client base through continued investments in and development of the multi-asset product offering.
2016 was marked by high profile political events, namely the UK EU referendum on 23 June 2016 and the US election on 8 November 2016. With a total of 490,000 client trades on 9 November 2016, the day after the US election, Saxo Bank reached a new record in trading activity.
Cost continued to be a main focus area in 2016 and has been reduced, however we have increased spend in efficiency gain development and service quality for clients. The staff costs and administrative expenses amounted to DKK 2.1 billion, a decrease of 9% compared to 2015, mainly due to lower spend on marketing, sponsorships and legal expenses.
Kim Fournais, CEO and co-founder, Saxo Bank, said:
"We are satisfied with the result for 2016 which reflects our commitment to democratize trading and investment to enable our clients to take part in global capital markets. We expect to grow the business further in 2017. Our investments in technology and products in 2016 complement our existing strong offering and allow us to cater to new client segments, such as the launch of the market's first fully digital bond trading solution and SaxoSelect, our digital and automated investment service, aimed at clients looking for a discretionary way of participating in global financial markets.
Multiple regulators have issued proposals on how to better guide and protect clients trading with leverage. In many ways, we have been ahead of this regulatory curve and have made a clear strategic decision not to compete on high leverage. Some of the suggested changes are likely to lead to a more level playing field by placing greater focus on services, platform and depth of product offering in focus for clients. We welcome these proposals and expect them to be positive for the clients and Saxo Bank."
The full report is available here: Investor Relations
Saxo Bank Group (Saxo) is a leading multi-asset trading and investment specialist, offering a complete set of trading and investment technologies, tools and strategies.
For almost 25 years, Saxo's mission has been to enable individuals and institutions by facilitating their access to professional trading and investing through technology and expertise.
Saxo enables its private clients to trade multiple asset classes across global financial markets from one single margin account and across multiple devices. Additionally, Saxo provides institutional clients such as banks and brokers with multi-asset execution, prime brokerage services and trading technology.
Saxo's award winning trading platforms are available in more than 20 languages and form the technology backbone of more than 100 financial institutions worldwide.
Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Saxo employs more than 1500 people in financial centres around the world including London, Singapore, Paris, Zurich, Dubai and Tokyo.


text: Sarah Palin deserves a top 10 election video list of her own: the "pitbull with lipstick" convention speech, the Matt Damon rant, the Tina Fey impressions, the numerous YouTube impersonations, her 1984 Miss Alaska pageant footage, and, of course, The Wink. But at the center of all these disparate impressions of the Governor of Alaska was this mini-series of interviews that played like Nixon-Frost, the Sitcom. After largely avoiding the media, Palin established the much-criticized Couric as the one mainstream journalist with any claim on affecting this election and gave Fey weeks of material.


text:
What It Means To Get An 'F' CinemaScore…
SUNDAY AM, 5TH UPDATE: This 'found-footage' exorcism film surged for the normally slow post-holiday weekend and pushed 2012's first official moviegoing weekend to gross $144M overall, +28% from last year. Paramount's fledgling Insurge label's The Devil Inside scored the biggest opening for the first weekend of a new year and the 3rd biggest January opening (behind Cloverfield and the Star Wars reissue). Even rival studios were saying hooray for the genre winner. But not without snark. "The industry starts out the year with a big number — and a people pleasing 'F' CinemaScore," one rival studio exec snorted. But there's no arguing that Paramount may have another Paranormal Activity mega-profit project in theaters this weekend. (FYI, Steven Schneider from the Paranormal Activity team is exec producer on this pic as well.) Insurge made a $1M acquisition of The Devil Inside and scored a big $34.5M opening weekend, including larger-than-average $2M midnights from 1,400 theaters. There fears that 'F' word-of-mouth for this genre film playing very young and very ethnic would be frontloaded. But it's rare for a studio to recoup its cost from just the midnight shows.
The win pushed down into 2nd place Paramount's Christmas and New Year's topper M:I4 co-funded by David Ellison's Skydance Prods. Meanwhile Sony Pictures' The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo had the smallest drop of top pictures all week, demonstrating its adult audience is still out there after a slow start. Among Oscar-buzzed films, DreamWorks/Disney's War Horse holds for the Top 5 while Focus Features' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy expanded into 809 locations and snuck into the Top 10 for the first time since its limited release five weeks ago:
1. The Devil Inside (Paramount) NEW [2,285 Theaters]
Friday $16.8M, Saturday $11.7M, Estimated Weekend $34.5M
It's the second film for Paramount's low-budget Insurge label. And much like the studio's Paranormal Activity franchise, the studio focused on marketing designed to trick audiences into believing this nonsense. So the campaign made the low production values The Devil Inside into the film that "The Vatican Doesn't Want You To See". (At what point do naifs wise up? Maybe now because audiences gave this crapfest an 'F' CinemaScore and single digit Rotten Tomatoes kudo.) It was a no-brainer for the studio to debut the trailer on October 21st with Paranormal Activity. The Halloween time period also proved key online, with viral scare videos and 911 calls pushed to fans. Since the film was acquired for just $1m, Paramount also kept the marketing cheap, cheap, cheap. The TV ads kicked off during AMC's The Walking Dead finale November 27th. There was a big ethnic push. The Hispanic campaign included English and Spanish language nets, wild posting, digital boards, and radio in the top 12 Hispanic markets. Branded horror programming roadblocks were placed on Sify, Chiller, AMC's Fear Friday, and IFC Fright Night. Select targets for high-profile finales included Terra Nova and American Horror Story. And getting into the holiday spirit, the studio made a red band trailer as well as 10-sec scary radio spots to counter-program Christmas and New Year's Eve across all 6 live network and cable late night shows covering festivities. (No wonder the heartland hates Hollywood…) There was Viacom's usual MTV synergy, this time featuring reactions to the film from Jersey Shore numbskulls Deena and Vinny. The spot also aired on the show's premiere the day before the film's opening. "The Devil Inside iPad and iPhone application served as another opportunity to scare unsuspecting fans," an exec tells me. "The application is presented as a test to find out how possessed you are, that in turn surprises fans with a scare from the film. Since its launch in late December, the app continues to see 4-star rating on iTunes from a global user base." As for the midnight shows, Paramount organized radio DJs, food trucks, and prize giveaways to make each screening seem special. Using Twitter as a tool, the studio on Friday morning sent out tweets about "an unexpected theater possession" where the film broke down and a contortionist from the film scared a packed theater of fans. The lengths to which Hollywood has to go to market horror these days. Ugh.
2. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (Paramount) Week 4 [3,555 Theaters]
Friday $6.2M, Saturday $9.1M, Weekend $20.5M, Cume $170.2M
3. Sherlock: Game Of Shadows (Warner Bros) Week 4 [3,603 Theaters]
Friday $4.3M, Saturday $6M, Weekend $14M, Cume $157.4M
4. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Sony) Week 3 [2,950 Theaters]
Friday $3.5M, Saturday $4.9M, Weekend $11.3M (-24%), Cume $76.8M
5. Alvin & The Chipmunks (Fox) Week 4 [3,425 Theaters]
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $4.5M, Weekend $9.5M, Cume $111.5M
6. War Horse (DreamWorks/Disney) Week 3 [2,783 Theaters]
Friday $2.7M, Saturday $3.6M, Weekend $8.6M (-40%), Cume $56.8M
7. We Bought A Zoo (Fox) Week 3 [3,170 Theaters]
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $3.8M, Weekend $8.4M (-36%), Cume $56.5M
8. The Adventures Of Tintin (Paramount) Week 3 [3,006 Theaters]
Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.9M, Weekend $6.6M (-42%), Cume $61.8M
9. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Focus Features) Week 5 [809 Theaters]
Friday $1.6M, Saturday $2.3M, Weekend $5.7M, Cume $10.4M
10. New Year's Eve (Warner Bros) Week 5 [1,864 Theaters]
Friday $1.1M, Saturday $1.4M, Weekend $3.2M, Cume $52M
Must Read Stories
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.


text:
What is 'conscious uncoupling,' anyway?
NEW YORK (AP) -- Like any world unto itself, Hollywood has its own lexicon. But Gwyneth Paltrow's use of the term "conscious uncoupling" to describe her breakup with Chris Martin this week had even Hollywood veterans scratching their heads and reaching - metaphorically at least - for a dictionary.
Of course, there was snark, too. And, on the other hand, some real appreciation for the message and the way it was delivered - in a joint post from the actress and her rock-star husband on Paltrow's lifestyle website, goop. (Which - surprise! - crashed from the traffic.)
But before we get to that, let's start with the basics: What the heck does "conscious uncoupling" mean?
"I've never heard it, but it sounds like a phrase used by marriage therapists in Malibu," quipped Janice Min, editor of The Hollywood Reporter.
Pretty close, actually. The term was coined by a Los Angeles therapist and author, Katherine Woodward Thomas, who has created a five-step "Conscious Uncoupling" online process - to "release the trauma of a breakup, reclaim your power and reinvent your life."
Speaking by telephone Wednesday from Costa Rica, where she traveled to write her second book - called, not surprisingly, "Conscious Uncoupling" - Thomas explained that her goal was "to create a map for a couple to consciously complete a relationship - to have an honorable ending."
Thomas said that the assumption that people will have only one lifetime partner - and that anything else is a failure - comes from a time long ago when the lifespan was much shorter.
"I'm a fan of marriage, but I recognize that most people in their lives will have two to three longtime relationships - which means one to two breakups. And so we need to learn how to do this better," she said.
Thomas said she doesn't know Paltrow, but applauded what she called her and Martin's courage in the way they announced their breakup. "They're modeling this for the world," she said.
Not surprisingly, though, the reference evoked some snark, in Hollywood and across the pond in Britain, where the couple is also based.
"What deluded tosh," headlined a column in The Guardian, using slang for rubbish, or nonsense. (Tosh perhaps, but the phrase actually made it to the House of Lords, Britain's upper chamber of Parliament, where a Labour Party lawmaker referred to a political disagreement over university fees on Wednesday as "yet another example of the coalition's conscious uncoupling.")
Others, though, were touched by the message - while noting how expertly it was managed from a public relations standpoint, with the news released late on a Tuesday, after the celebrity weeklies had all closed their issues.
"It was very smart," said Min, who is also former editor of US Weekly. "By next week, there will be other news, and they probably won't be on the cover at all." And the fact that the couple made the statement on Paltrow's website gave them, of course, message control.
On the other hand, Min said, "I was touched - it really felt sincere. And it gave us more information than you normally get in these situations - revealing they'd been separated for a while. There was a sincerity here that you rarely see."
Also, Paltrow and Martin, the Coldplay frontman, have two children - Apple, 9, and Moses, 7 - so they have a strong reason to control the message. "No child wants to see news of their parents' breakup on the supermarket shelf," Min noted. "It's clear they love their children."
Longtime Hollywood public relations expert Howard Bragman agreed, applauding the couple for their honesty and civility.
"Listen, I've been involved in a LOT of Hollywood divorces, and I have to say, this is refreshing," said Bragman, who is vice chairman of reputation.com. "You can roll your eyes at the purportedly New Age language, but the broader message is, `We're gonna do this together.' I give them a lot of credit."
So does Jen Singer, New Jersey mother and mom blogger. Singer found the message especially meaningful because she, herself, went through a divorce last year, and sought her own version of "conscious uncoupling."
"I called it my `unengagement' from marriage - the process of preparing for life on my own," Singer said.
"Sure, Gwyneth has a reputation of being a little bit woo-woo, so we kind of giggle at the phraseology," she said. "But the concept is solid."
Singer added that she and her husband looked for a marriage counselor that would help them, well, uncouple. "But nobody would do it if we weren't willing to commit to trying to fix the marriage," she said. "But we were beyond that. We wanted help in carefully unraveling the husband-wife part of the family while supporting the parents-and-children part. We had to wing it instead."
What will this do for Paltrow's image? Min says she doesn't think that image will change one way or the other - for either avid fans or detractors.
"Maybe if you don't like her, you'll say, `Even her breakup has to be precious,'" she said. "But if you do like her, you'll say, "Bravo. Well thought out."


text:
عضو فعال
- إنضم
- 10 أكتوبر 2022
- المشاركات
- 13,225
- مستوى التفاعل
- 20
- النقاط
- 48
- الإقامة
- vietnames
MathMagic Pro Edition for Adobe InDesign 8.9.60
MathMagic Pro Edition for Adobe InDesign 8.9.60
Languages: English
File Size: 33.99 MB
Languages: English
File Size: 33.99 MB
MathMagic Pro Edition for Adobe InDesign is an equation editor mainly for use with Adobe InDesign software in editing any mathematical expressions and symbols with WYSIWYG interface and various powerful features.
MathMagic Plug-in provides you with the user interface(a menu and a tool button) which enables you to create and edit equations inside the InDesign document. Then, it communicates with the external MathMagic Pro application seamlessly.
You can make any equations with MathMagic Pro application very fast, and then send back to InDesign. MathMagic Plug-in allows you to place equations inside a text box as inline graphics, or floating graphic objects in EPS format. Once created, all equations are handled by InDesign just like other EPS graphic objects. But you can still edit those equations anytime just by double-clicking on it.
MathMagic Plug-in recognizes the baseline of equations automatically so that all equations match well with the baseline of the text line, even it allows you to shift the baseline manually as well.
Why MathMagic?
- There are many reasons why professional users choose MathMagic products.
- But simply, the superior productivity and equation quality of MathMagic make users happy all the time.
- The overall productivity that can save a lot of time and labor returns you the investment on software normally within 1 week ~ 1 month. The equation quality and customizable features meet the high-end users' complicated requirements.
- Intelligent WYSIWYG editor with automatic equation formatting
- Various & flexible keyboard shortcuts for power users
- Configurable User Item palette and Clips palette for easier access and repeated use
- StyleSet management for group-wide sharing of editing environment and quick applying of other StyleSets
- Many pre-defined Templates and Symbols in palettes that cover Mathematics, Physics, Electronics, Accounting, and other higher education
- Various formats for compatibility with other software: EPS, PDF, SVG, JPG, PNG, GIF, MS Word, MathType™, LaTeX, Wiki, MathML, ...
- Wide range of quality fonts for mathematical symbols in OpenType and TrueType formats
- Ability to customize Template shapes, thickness, gaps, position, and size up to 2400dpi resolution
- EPS with Color separation and Spot color support
Ease of Use
- All graphic user interface, plus fast keyboard input support for many common templates and symbols
- Multiple Undo & Redo, Drag&Drop, visual settings and Preview
- Similar User Interface with Equation Editor™ and MathType™ to reduce any additional learning cost
InDesign Plug-ins
- Added: MathMagic CC 2023 plug-in added for Adobe InDesign CC 2023.
System Requirements
- Adobe® InDesign™ CS ~ CS6, CC, CC 2014 to 2023
- MathMagic Pro application + InDesign Plug-ins
- Windows XP or later, including Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11
- 60 MB of available hard disk space


text:
FYI: Rest and Revival Retreat
findinghopeonvegas Uncategorized 1 Minute
Published by findinghopeonvegas
Michelle graduated from Central Michigan University where she received a bachelor's degree in computer science. After almost eight years she left the technical field to dedicate herself to her husband and family. Since then she wears multiple hats including: teacher, coach, education facilitator, mentor, author and most recent youth minister. View all posts by findinghopeonvegas


text:
It has been just another Friday in Trump's America. During a week supposedly dedicated to jobs for Americans, the Trump organization applied for H2B visas for cooks, housekeepers, and servers. Presumably there are no Americans whatsoever who qualify for these positions.
On Thursday, the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, said it wanted to hire 15 housekeepers for $10.33 an hour; 20 cooks for $13.34 an hour; and 35 servers for $11.88 an hour. The Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, was asking for six cooks to hire for $13.34 per hour. These requests are published in a database updated by the Department of Labor.
Social media this week was peppered with photos of Trump goods with "made in" tags from everywhere but here.
Two rogue waves crashed on the National Mall Friday. Anthony Scaramucci, allegedly a close Trump friend, was named Director of White House Communications. In close succession, Sean Spicer, who has been doing that job while Sarah Huckabee Sanders filled in for him in the press room, abruptly resigned. So there's that.
Spicey Bails, White House Flails, As Mooch PrevailsLachlan MarkayAsawin Suebsaeng07.21.17 12:41 PM ET
President Donald Trump finally pushed his Press Secretary Sean Spicer to the breaking point on Friday after he chose to hire Wall Street personality Anthony Scaramucci as his next communications director.
Well you can just imagine how conveniently all of this drama played into the week's theme! All agendas on cable news were thrown into chaos as all awaited a live, on camera press briefing, something once routine and, after six months of Trump, a phenomenon. Filling time with screens split between studios and the press room the topic was the new director. If you wonder why I used the word "allegedly" above, it is because, for all the hype about what a "Trump guy" he is, the Daily Beast ran these stories.
President Trump's new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, once called his new boss a "hack politician" engaging in "anti-American" rhetoric. In August 2015, then-candidate Trump railed against "hedge-fund guys paying nothing" in taxes. During an appearance on the Fox Business Network that same day, Scaramucci, lamented how "another hack politician," whose remarks "anti-American and divisive." Scaramucci additionally quipped: "I'll tell you who he's going to be president of—you can tell Donald I said this—the Queens County Bullies Association."
Anthony Scaramucci Loved Hillary, Gave to Obama, and Deleted Anti-Trump TweetsBen CollinsBrian Patrick Byrne07.21.17 2:20 PM ET
Anthony Scaramucci deleted tweets in which he previously criticized Donald Trump hours after accepting his new job as White House communications director on Friday.
Scaramucci also previously expressed support for his boss's old rivals, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama—even donating money to their campaigns.
Ahhhhh! You knew something here was going to come around to Hillary, didn't you? Well that's not all!
Trump can usually make it about a third of the way through an interview without mentioning Hillary Clinton
President Trump was 20 words into his recent interview with the New York Times when he raised a topic that he seemingly can't resist: Hillary Clinton."Hi fellas, how you doing?" he said to the three Times reporters, two of whom were fellas. Then, asked about his meeting on health care with Republican senators, he continued. "It was good. We are very close. It's a tough — you know, health care. Look, Hillary Clinton worked eight years in the White House with her husband as president and having majorities and couldn't get it done. Smart people, tough people — couldn't get it done." SNIP In 17 of 19 of his interviews, Clinton came up, on average about 36 percent of the way in. That's more frequently and earlier than his mentions of Obama, who made it into only 16 interviews, about 43 percent of the way in. Read more >>>>
So if you were wondering why Hillary's name keeps coming up in the news – there you go! Trump cannot stop talking or tweeting about her.
To wrap up "Made in America Week" then, and I hesitate as there are more then two hours to go until midnight EDT on the east coast, Carrier began cutting jobs this week. How's all that winning going?
Carrier Begins Job Cuts at Indiana Factory Championed by TrumpBrendan Case @bcase4bbg More stories by Brendan Case
July 19, 2017, 11:00 AM EDT
Carrier Corp. is beginning job cuts at the Indianapolis factory that became a rallying cry for President Donald Trump because of the company's plans to shift work to Mexico.
About 300 employees will leave this week as part of a previously announced plan to relocate production of fan coils, Carrier said in a statement Wednesday. A total of 600 jobs will be eliminated during the next few months, the unit of United Technologies Corp. said.
Just in case you missed it, this week Andrea Mitchell allowed as to how she might have been a little hard on Hillary. Ya think?
I May Have Been 'Too Aggressive' Covering Hillary Clinton, 'Can't Think of' Instances of Biased ReportingAndrew Kugle
July 21, 2017 11:08 am
NBC anchor Andrea Mitchell said in an interview published Tuesday that she may have been "too aggressive" covering Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election and could not think of any instances during her career when she showed bias in her reporting.
Have a great weekend, America!


text:
Kiswahili Translation Complete
from the office of WordAlive Publishers
WordAlive Publishers, a partner with the JSM-Langham Literature programme, is pleased to announce that by the end of July 2009, the entire Africa Bible Commentary had been translated into Kiswahili. The completion of this first phase in the Kiswahili ABC translation project was marked by the submission of the "Book of Proverbs" earlier in the month. This means that all the 66 books in the Bible have now been translated, plus the more than seventy articles. In addition, the editing of the translated work was also completed. That this double achievement was realised means that all translation phases came exactly 24 months after commencement of the translation project in 2007, as had been anticipated. The fact that the project has come this far is a clear indication that our hope is still alive: to have the Kiswahili version of the ABC in March 2010 ready to launch in April.
Upon review of the edited work, the project moved to the next phase, which involves holistic review to ascertain acceptability by the intended users. By August 2009, a selected group of potential users–apart from the translators and editors–have read through the prototypes and presented reports which will be used to shape the final product. These reviewers are geographically representative of the key Kiswahili speaking regions.
The project then moved into the production phase. This phase also involves other technical aspects of editing, especially proofreading. A consultative meeting of editors took place at the WordAlive Publishers offices in June and July 2009 to iron problems in the use of some terminologies with a view to standardising usage. We commend the editorial team, which went overdrive to see that the editing phase did not suffer delays, as did the translation phase. The review team has equally demonstrated a high degree of commitment and we are anticipating an earlier completion date if this is sustained.
Thank God for:
- The progress made so far and for God's continued grace as we approach the homestretch.
- The wonderful team that has been so committed to the project.
Pray for:
- The reviewers: for insight and clarity of mind as they put the work into perspective.
- The editors: for wisdom and diligence as they continue working on the articles.
- The remaining phases – to overcome challenges and to see through the work smoothly and realise the publication date of March 2010.


text:
Corporate, motivational and sports background music includes drum & bass beat, synth, South American percussions, bass. Good sound for action, breakdance and race scenes. Best for corporate videos, commercials, cinema, advertisement, movie trailer or as web page music.
If you want to re-adapt music or you need some special effects for your project, please, contact me by email: firstname.lastname@example.com not hesitate to contact me if you have any question. I will reply your question/request within 24hrs.


text:
Try out our brand new Drawify Tool here!
has 141 Results
Share your needs. Happy to tutorial!
If you want access on Drawify, Register now
If you have an account, Sign in
You have been inactive for a while. For security reasons you have
been logged out. Click Sign In to restart your session


text:
Bacteria, biology, diabetes, Diabetes mellitus type 2, Gut flora, Health, metagenome, Metagenomics, Popular science, science, sequence
Type 2 diabetes is a serious global epidemic, having grown from 30 million cases to nearly 300 million over the past three decades. Although several recent studies have shown a link between type 2 diabetes and our gut bacteria, we're still only at the dawn of learning about the microbiome. There's a great deal we don't yet know, including what kinds of bacteria live in our gut and how they go about making a living there. In a paper published in the September issue of Nature, a team of scientists from China and Denmark used whole genome sequencing technologies to overcome these gaps in our knowledge and get some more clues about the relationship between our gut bacteria and this disease.
To get around the fact that we still don't know the identity of most of the bacteria in our gut, let alone know about their biology, the researchers sequenced the "metagenome" of the microbiome; they simply extracted as much DNA as they could and sequenced it all together without worrying about separating individual species. The metagenome was then analysed in a genome-wide association study (GWAS), a technique which uses statistics to identify genes that are linked with a particular trait, such as the gene responsible for blond hair in Melanesian populations. By using a GWAS to compare the microbial metagenome of people with and without type 2 diabetes, the researchers hoped they would be able to find genes linked with the disease without needing to know more about the composition of the microbiome. In order to conduct such a study, the scientists needed a reference metagenome for the microbiome.
The beginnings of a reference metagenome were available from MetaHIT, an EU-funded project to sequence the microorganisms found in the human intestinal tract. MetaHIT produced a catalog of the metagenome containing an incredible 3.3 million genes; by comparison, the human genome has roughly 21,000 genes, meaning that our gut bacteria encode about 150 times more genes than we do! The team used the MetaHIT catalog as a starting point but expanded it to include sequence results from Chinese volunteers. Since MetaHIT was built with data from individuals of European descent, the Chinese samples added over a million genes to the database; this is yet another demonstration of the diversity between populations and the importance of trying to capture and understand this diversity. Using this immense database as the basis for their GWAS, the team came up with a list of roughly 52,000 genes they were confident were associated with type 2 diabetes.
Most genomes, including our own, have far fewer than 52,000 genes. In an attempt to bring some order to this immense list, the team organized them into groups by using statistics to determine which genes were likely to be physically linked. Physically linked genes probably come from the same bacteria; by comparing these "linkage groups" with sequences from known bacteria, the team was able to connect some of them with species which have already been described. The microbiomes of the volunteers with type 2 diabetes had a different distribution of species than those of healthy individuals, with an increase in the amount of opportunistic harmful bacteria and fewer bacteria that produced butyrates, fatty acids that are an important food source for cells lining the colon. Fewer butyrate-producing bacteria are also found in patients with colorectal cancer, so it's possible that these bacteria may play a protective role against several types of disease. The researchers used their findings to generate a list of 50 diagnostic markers for type 2 diabetes which could help to identify groups of people who may not have symptoms but nevertheless have a higher risk of progressing to clinically defined type 2 diabetes.
Of course, observing these changes in the microbiome doesn't tell us whether they are the cause or consequence of diabetes. "The big question now is whether the changes in gut bacteria can affect the development of type 2 diabetes or whether the changes simply reflect that the person is suffering from type 2 diabetes," said Professor Karsten Kristiansen of the University of Copenhagen. One way to resolve this would be to transplant gut bacteria from people with type 2 diabetes into mice to see if they develop diabetes, which is precisely what the researchers plan to do, according to Professor Oluf Pedersen of the University of Copenhagen. While this study is unlikely to lead to any immediate improvements in treatment for diabetics, it nevertheless makes important contributions to our basic understanding of this disease.
Qin, J., Li, Y., Cai, Z., Li, S., Zhu, J., Zhang, F., Liang, S., Zhang, W., Guan, Y., Shen, D., Peng, Y., Zhang, D., Jie, Z., Wu, W., Qin, Y., Xue, W., Li, J., Han, L., Lu, D., Wu, P., Dai, Y., Sun, X., Li, Z., Tang, A., Zhong, S., Li, X., Chen, W., Xu, R., Wang, M., Feng, Q., Gong, M., Yu, J., Zhang, Y., Zhang, M., Hansen, T., Sanchez, G., Raes, J., Falony, G., Okuda, S., Almeida, M., LeChatelier, E., Renault, P., Pons, N., Batto, J., Zhang, Z., Chen, H., Yang, R., Zheng, W., Li, S., Yang, H., Wang, J., Ehrlich, S., Nielsen, R., Pedersen, O., Kristiansen, K., & Wang, J. (2012). A metagenome-wide association study of gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes Nature, 490 (7418), 55-60 DOI: 10.1038/nature11450


text:
Because who couldn't benefit from a moment of pause?
If you'd like to delay your email delivery by 5 minutes, create this Outlook rule. The message will sit in your Outbox for the specified length of time, giving you the necessary time to re-open and, if so warranted, edit the item before re-sending.
Setting a Send Delay Rule in Outlook
- On the Home Tab click Rules and select Manage Rules & Alerts.
- Click New Rule. The Rules Wizard Dialog appears.
- At the bottom of Step 1: Select a template area, click Apply rule on messages I send, then click Next. The dialog will advance to Step 1: Select conditions.
- Click Next. A message appears; "This rule will be applied to every message you send. Is this correct?" Click Yes to confirm.
- In the Step 1: Select action(s) area, check defer deliver by a number of minutes.
- In the Step 2: Edit the rule description area, click a number of, enter the delay (e.g., 5), then click OK.
- Click Next. The dialog will advance to Step 1: Select exceptions. Click Next.
- In the Step 1: Specify a name for this rule, enter a name (e.g., "Send in 5 minutes")
- Check Turn on this Rule, and click Finish.
Related reading:


text:
That's right FAMERS, it's contest time!
F.A.M.E NYC is giving away a pair of tickets for Under My Skin, the new comedy in previews at The Little Shubert Theatre. This production takes the battle of the sexes to new heights. And one of you FAMERS could be the lucky winner if you can answer this question…
What iconic blue-eyed singer from Hoboken N.J. recorded a rendition of "I've Got You under My Skin?"
The winner will be announced on Good Friday at 5 p.m.
Happy spring and good luck!