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Travel Warnings
and Consular Information Sheets
By Name of Country
Travel Warning & Consular Information Sheet
Travel Warning & Consular Information Sheet for East
East Timor - Consular Information Sheet
February 28, 2001
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Occupying 24,000 square kilometers
on the eastern half of an island in the Timor Sea between Indonesia
and Australia, East Timor has a population of approximately 800,000
people. East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in an
August 30, 1999 referendum and is currently under the authority
of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
(UNTAET). UNTAET was established by a unanimous vote of the UN
Security Council on October 25, 1999, for the purpose of rebuilding
East Timor and helping to establish a new government. In the violence
that followed the 1999 referendum, East Timor's infrastructure,
never robust, was totally destroyed and is only slowly being rebuilt.
Electricity, telephone and telecommunications, roads and lodging
remain unreliable. East Timor's economy relies largely on international
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: A passport valid for six months beyond
the intended date of departure from Indonesia/East Timor is required.
A visa is not required for tourist stays up to two months. For
additional information about entry requirements for East Timor,
travelers may contact the border control unit of the United Nations
Transitional Administration in East Timor via the New York switchboard
number of 212-963-0099 or via Dili landline 670-390-312210 extension
SAFETY AND SECURITY: Violence erupted throughout East
Timor after the August 30, 1999, United Nations-sponsored ballot
in that province. Although stability returned to the area with
the arrival of international forces, American citizens are strongly
encouraged to exercise caution in East Timor.
For more specific and up-to-date information on the safety of
travel in East Timor, please consult the most recent Public Announcement
on East Timor, which can be found on the
Bureau of Consular Affairs' home page at http://travel.state.gov.
Americans can also contact the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta for updated
information. American citizens in East Timor should exercise prudence
and common sense, and avoid demonstrations and other situations
that could turn violent.
Travelers and residents should always ensure that passports and
important personal papers are in order in the event it becomes
necessary to leave the country quickly for any reason. Americans
traveling in East Timor should remember that despite its small
size, much of the territory can be isolated and difficult to reach
by available transportation or communication links.
CRIME: In the aftermath of the August 1999 vote for independence,
East Timor was swept by violence that included widespread looting
and burning and, in some cases, murder. One foreign journalist
was shot to death and several others were beaten. UN peacekeeping
forces quickly restored a measure of stability to the region,
although violent incidents remain possible in border areas due
to incursions by pro-integration militias.
The crime rate in East Timor is high. Minor crimes, such as pickpocketing
and thefts, occur throughout the territory and there have been
more violent attacks on foreigners on occasion. Incidents of robbery
have been reported, particularly in the market area in Dili. Gang
violence occurs on occasion. Visitors should be particularly careful
at nighttime and should avoid wearing clothing that may be regarded
as insensitive or provocative, particularly in crowded public
areas such as markets.
The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport should be reported
immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. Embassy or
Consulate. U.S. citizens may refer to the Department of State's
pamphlet A Safe Trip Abroad
for ways to promote a more trouble-free journey. The pamphlet
is available by mail from the
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402, via the Internet at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs,
or via the
Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov.
MEDICAL FACILITIES: Although acceptable emergency medical
care is available in Dili, routine medical care in East Timor
is extremely limited. Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization
and/or medical evacuation to Australia, the nearest point with
acceptable medical care, or to the United States, can cost thousands
of dollars.
MEDICAL INSURANCE: U.S. medical insurance is not always
valid outside the United States. U.S. Medicare and Medicaid programs
do not provide payment for medical services outside the United
States. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment
for health services. Uninsured travelers who require medical care
overseas may face extreme difficulties.
Check with your own insurance company to confirm whether your
policy applies overseas, including provision for medical evacuation,
and for adequacy of coverage. Serious medical problems requiring
hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the United States
can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Ascertain whether payment
will be made to the overseas hospital or doctor or whether you
will be reimbursed later for expenses you incur. Some insurance
policies also include coverage for psychiatric treatment and for
disposition of remains in the event of death.
Useful information on medical emergencies abroad, including overseas
insurance programs, is provided in the Department of State's Bureau
of Consular Affairs brochure Medical
Information for Americans Traveling Abroad, available via
the Bureau
of Consular Affairs home page or autofax: (202) 647-3000.
OTHER HEALTH INFORMATION: Information on vaccinations
and other health precautions may be obtained from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for international
travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747); fax 1-888-CDC-FAXX
(1-888-232-3299), or via CDC's
Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov.
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign
country, U.S. citizens may encounter road conditions that differ
significantly from those in the United States. The information
below concerning East Timor is provided for general reference
only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location
or circumstance:
Safety of Public Transportation: Poor
Urban Road Conditions/Maintenance: Poor
Rural Road Conditions/Maintenance: Poor
Availability of Roadside Assistance: None
All traffic operates on the left side of the road, and most vehicles
use right-hand drive. Roads are often poorly maintained and four-wheel
drive may be required in some areas. Driving at night can be hazardous
due to the lack of illumination and poor condition of roads. Taxis
are available in Dili and small buses and mini-vans provide public
transportation throughout the territory. However, public transportation
is generally overcrowded, uncomfortable and below international
safety standards.
As of December 2000 there are no East Timor driver's permits
and no formal requirement that drivers possess a driver's license
of any kind. UNTAET plans to introduce driver's licenses and automobile
registration in the near future.
Driving in Dili is especially hazardous, with many large trucks
and military vehicles sharing the streets with vendors, pedestrians
and livestock. Many cars and especially motorcycles operate at
night without lights.
There is a seat belt law in East Timor that is enforced by the
United Nations civilian police. There is no helmet law and wearing
of helmets is virtually unknown.
Accidents are frequent. During a recent month, seven people died
in traffic accidents in Dili, a figure comparable to a medium-large
city in the United States. UN civilian police should be contacted
in the event of an accident. It is not uncommon for bystanders
to attack the driver perceived to be responsible for a traffic
accident. This is more common in rural areas and in accidents
involving Timorese drivers, but expatriate drivers have occasionally
been attacked by crowds at the scene of an accident. When an accident
occurs, it may be advisable to drive to the nearest CIVPOL (civilian
police) district office before stopping.
While it is possible to obtain insurance for vehicles in East
Timor, only a handful of foreigners have done so and virtually
no one else has automobile insurance. Most traffic accidents are
settled informally between those involved.
For additional general information
about road safety, including links to foreign government sites,
see the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs home page
at http://travel.state.gov/road_safety.html. For additional information
on road safety, see the
U.S. Embassy home page at http://www.usembassyjakarta.org/.
AVIATION OVERSIGHT: As there is no direct commercial air
service by local carriers at present, or economic authority to
operate such service, between the U.S. and East Timor, the U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed East Timor's
civil aviation system for compliance with international aviation
safety standards. Aviation oversight for East Timor is handled
by UNTAET.
For further information, travelers may contact the Department
of Transportation within the U.S. at 1-800-322-7873, or visit
the FAA's
Internet web site at http://www.faa.gov/avr/iasa. The U.S.
Department of Defense (DOD) separately assesses some foreign air
carriers for suitability as official providers of air services.
For information regarding the DOD policy on specific carriers,
travelers may contact DOD at (618) 229-4801.
CUSTOMS REGULATIONS: East Timor's customs regulations
are similar to those in most developed nations. Questions should
be directed to the UNTAET border control unit via telephone in
New York at 212-963-0099 or via telephone in Dili at 670-390-312210.
The US dollar is the official currency of East Timor but Australian
dollars and Indonesian rupiah remain widely used. Most restaurants
and larger shops charge in Australian dollars while rupiah is
required for most small expenditures on the local economy such
as taxi fares or purchases at the market. It is advisable to have
a supply of all three currencies. Money can be exchanged at the
two banks in Dili or a licensed moneychanger. Only a few establishments
accept credit cards, usually requiring a substantial additional
fee, and visitors should be prepared to settle all bills in cash.
A single ATM machine has been installed at one of Dili's banks.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, a U.S.
citizen is subject to that country's laws and regulations, which
sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States
and do not afford the same protections available to the individual
under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe
than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating
the laws of East Timor, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested,
or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in
illegal drugs in East Timor are strict, and convicted offenders
can expect severe jail sentences and fines. UNTAET is responsible
for security and law enforcement in East Timor.
CONSULAR ACCESS: U.S. citizens are encouraged to carry
a copy of their U.S. passports with them at all times, so that,
if questioned by local officials, proof of identity and U.S. citizenship
are readily available. When U.S. citizens are arrested or detained,
formal notification of the arrest is normally provided to the
Embassy in Jakarta in writing, a process that can take several
weeks. If detained, U.S. citizens are encouraged to attempt to
telephone the nearest U.S. consular office.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: East Timor is in a state of transition
to full independence and many civil and governmental institutions
are currently being developed. The information provided above
may change quickly as new institutions and processes become operational.
Conversely, U.S. citizens traveling or doing business in East
Timor may find it difficult to identify legal or administrative
mechanisms should problems arise.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: East Timor is located in an area
of high seismic activity. Although the probability of a major
earthquake occurring during an individual trip is remote, earthquakes
can and will continue to happen. General information about natural
disaster preparedness is available via the Internet from the
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at http://www.fema.gov/.
CHILDREN'S ISSUES: For
information on international adoption of children or international
parental child abduction, please refer to our Internet site
at http://travel.state.gov/children's_issues.html or telephone
(202) 736-7000.
REGISTRATION AND EMBASSY LOCATION: Americans living in
or visiting East Timor are encouraged to register with the U.S.
Embassy in Jakarta where they may obtain updated information on
travel and security within the country.
The U.S. Embassy is located in Jakarta, Indonesia at Medan Merdeka
Selatan 5; telephone:(62)(21)3435-9000; fax (62)(21) 3435-9922.
Embassy's web site is located at http://www.usembassyjakarta.org.
The consular section can
be reached by e-mail at email@example.com. The easiest way
to register with the Embassy is on-line.
Although there is a temporary U.S. representative office in East
Timor, there is no official U.S. consular presence. Americans
requiring assistance should contact the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta,
Indonesia or the U.S. representative office in the sea front Farol
district of Dili, phone 0407-047052.
Country Info Hotel Directory Geography Flags World Maps Travel Warnings National Parks
Africa Caribbean Middle East North America South America Central America Oceania Pacific Europe Polar Regions
Destinations Monuments Ancient Wonders Modern Wonders Natural Wonders
World Time
ISD Codes
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Link Exchange


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THM_BuryAlie Imperator Tuesday 02/10/2012, 17:50
let me introduce myself, my name is Angelo and im 26 years old i played Ur for a while but i had to take some breaks because of real life issues. Now that im back im on the HUNT for something like a life time Guild. In the past few years i actually played alot of PC-games and i played all of them pretty hardcore and successful but i decided to join the laid back faction i just want to have fun in Urban Rivals during my little play sessions.
I enjoyed and still enjoy the ELO mode the most. I dont have much criterias BUT there are a few.
1. be an ELO oriented Guild
2. Active guild, ingame and on the forums
3. Language, i prefer an English speaking guild but im able to speak German aswell.
Tell me if your got any Questions
see you soon
Sincerely Angelo

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This week Lee is doing all the reading while Eddie just watches movies all day and complains about the weather. On Lee's massive reading list this week (show off) is Michelle Richmond's The Marriage Pact, and Kristen Lepionka's The Last Place You Look. Then it's off to the movies (at Lee's house, because Eddie's TV is tiny) for Babak Anvari's Under The Shadow.
Where is the line between good CGI, and bad? Will Eddie stop eating all of Lee's snacks? Will Eddie's directorial debut be a sequel to The Stepford Wives? Find out in this absolutely thrilling episode of Crime Time Podcast!
Let us know your fave new reads in the comments below, or let us know via Twitter! Did you know you can get early access to our episodes? Join the Crime Time Team at Patreon!
Would you like a free audiobook? You can get a free audible.com trial with this handy link right here.
If you like what you hear, send us some stars on iTunes!


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Why America should vote yes for cannabis
Alcohol and cannabis are not the same but they are the closest we can get to comparing similar drugs. Alcohol is a depressant. It lowers your inhibitions and is toxic for your body. A normal drinking session will damage your liver every time. You can overdose on alcohol. What starts as a good night, feeling confident, turns to a loss of control over your body and mind. A drunk person is 16 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they are behind the wheel of a car. The morning after in itself can seem like a car crash. Your body is dehydrated. During the drinking session your body has furiously been trying to expel the poison you so hilariously kept shoveling in. Headaches, pain and general misery as your body seeks to rid itself of the built up toxicity of alcohol.
Yes last night was fun, but oh lord Jesus never again. There is no medical benefit from alcohol, unless you count the millions of, surprise, I'm pregnant conversations. Despite the toxic reaction our body's have to alcohol use the drug is at the very center of our social life. We like altering our state of conciousness. It gives us a temporary reprieve from the stresses of our lives.
When we match cannabis up against alcohol it highlights the odd nature of the legal system. Alcohol, though fun in normal doses quickly puts both the user and public in danger at higher consumption levels. 2am on a Friday night in most English speaking cities will resemble a war zone rather than a party.
If you are reading this blog, chances are you have smoked pot before. If you smoked a Sativa strain you will have experienced a soaring high and an increase in creative thinking and energy. If you consumed the Indica side of the herb then a powerful body relaxation and "couch lock" effect is felt. Both sides promote relaxation and calmness. Scientists carried out an experiment on cannabis' ability to treat post traumatic stress disorder. Using cannabis, the patients could relive the stressful moments without the associated mental and physical panic. They began to see the event in the past and not living the memory in the present every time they thought about it. Previously untreatable PTSD patients have been cured. I have been at large outdoor pot parties. In direct contrast to an alcohol fueled party you dont see the same out of control mayhem. Usually it is a chilled experience with longer lines for food stalls.
The munchies you get with cannabis is a result of the cannabinoids in the herb. A mother's breast milk would also be rich in this compound. It triggers our hunger and makes us eat. Great for babies and great for illnesses and their medicines that suppress hunger. Aids and cancer patients benefit hugely from marijuana because their hunger is stimulated. The medical benefits don't end there. Cannabis is a powerful anti inflammatory substance. Rubbing cannabis oil on arthritic joints eases the pain. Consuming the plant alleviates painful inflammations within the body. THC protects the brain from trauma and even repairs brain cells that have been damaged by alcohol abuse. Properties of the plant also regulate cell behaviour. As we age, our cells don't always continue to do their specific jobs as well. Over time this creates illness. When marijuana enters our body it affects our nervous system. It improves cell functions. It gets those older cells back on track and promotes health. Cancer cells have forgotten how to die. In normal cells, if they get damaged they commit suicide. Cancer cells don't die however, they keep dividing and growing until the human is in danger. Cannabis has been scientifically proven to enter these cancerous cells and remind them to die off. The American government knew this since 1974 but the war on drugs was more important to the political career of that crook, president Nixon than saving the public from cancer.
Alcohol is fun at lower doses but is toxic and creates huge problems in society. Cannabis is perfectly safe, fights cancer, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, depression, anxiety and a whole host of other medical conditions. Guess which one of the two is illegal?
We are living in a world where the government says it knows best but the science disproves them. Alcohol is legal, it kills 80,000 people in America each year not including the drunk driver's carnage. Cannabis is illegal, inspite of the medical benefits and calming effects you get put in a cage with rapists, murderers and hardened criminals when the police find you peacefully enjoying your day with a joint. If you can work out the logic of this please let us all know because I am stumped.
Florida gets to vote on marijuana. Big pharmaceutical companies, alcohol producers and the law enforcement industry are all opposed to cannabis. For each of these industries they will financially lose out with the ending of cannabis prohibition. Police like keeping their tanks and military weapons which are paid for by seizing the assets of a person they catch smoking a joint. It is time for some common sense. Cannabis isn't evil. It is a gift from Mother Nature and can promote harmony between us. Vote for pot Florida, vote for freedom and common sense.


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Inaugural #Getaway10K in St. Pete
A Beautiful Day for a New Race
The November 5, 2018 inaugural #Getaway 10K and 5K began and ended at Albert Whitted Park in downtown St. Pete.
A full review will post soon. Until then, enjoy a few sneak peek photos.
#Getaway10K #Getaway5K #RunStPete #RunTampa #RunTampaBay #AARP #ThisOldRunner #RustyTrumpetBand #RaceReviews #Florida
Comments are closed.
Copyright ThisOldRunner.com
Hey there,
This is where you'll find me writing instead of running. (But, you know I'll be writing about running, right?)
Upcoming Races:
June 1, 2019
Remember, I am not a running coach. I don't even play one on TV. Please ask your doctor or professional for advice specific to your body.
I just want to share what has worked for me. It's my hope that this website informs and inspires so you can enjoy an active, healthy and happy lifestyle.
Please feel free to contact me by email or social media with any questions or concerns.
Copyright © 2016-2019 This Old Runner. All Rights Reserved. St. Petersburg, FL 33701


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Nassa: Summer III12:47:00 AM
Nassa has launched Summer III! Shop away @ www.shopnassa.com!
Julissa Overlap Abstract Zip Dress in Blue (only one color) :)
I can't wait to wear this gorgeous piece out after my tummy is back to normal!
Talking about my tummy, I actually thought that my tummy would flatten immediately after I pop my baby son out! Reality struck me after my delivery! I stared at my lumpy tummy, thinking to myself,"Why is it like this?" :(
Asking around, to my dismay, it would take TWO months for the tummy to be back to normal... Well, I shall be patient...
Emma Stripe Trumpet Skirt in Blue (also available in Black)
The material is neoprene so it is high quality boutique standard! Plus, the cutting is flattering! :)
Renee Layer Top in Powder Blue (also available in Cotton Pink & White)
This top is easy to match with any kinds of bottoms! Don't we love our mix-and-match outfits?
Thanks for reading! :)


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
The City of Middletown's Energy Program has undertaken a number of projects to reduce our city's energy consumption and costs, and to promote renewable energy generation.
(need a description)
Report a street light outage
2c.link to additional street light information under Energy Coordinator/Energy Efficiency Program (1b. above)
Important Energy Links:
New England Conservation Services:
Saving Money
Police Station
Moody School


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TaxAct Releases Final Versions of its Easy, Fast and Affordable DIY Tax Software and is now Accepting E-Filed Returns, Helping Customers get their Maximum Refunds Fast
Cedar Rapids, Iowa – January 7, 2016 – TaxAct®, the leading provider of digital and download tax preparation solutions, today announced it will enable millions of Americans to file simple federal (1040 EZ/A) and state returns online for free. All TaxAct products, including TaxAct Online Free, are updated with final IRS forms and extender tax law changes. TaxAct is accepting e-filed returns now, helping filers get their maximum refunds fast.
'Since our founding, we've challenged the status quo to provide solutions that make digital do-it-yourself (DIY) tax filing as easy and affordable as we can," said JoAnn Kintzel, TaxAct president. "To kick off the tax season, we will continue that tradition by enabling customers to file their federal 1040A or 1040EZ and state returns fast, easy and free."
Easy, Fast and Affordable DIY Tax Solutions
Final versions of the company's new online and download products are available now and include TaxAct Free, Basic, Plus and Premium. TaxAct 2015 products are organized by features, forms and schedules and tailored to the unique tax situations of today's DIY filers. Priced affordably, TaxAct 2015 federal and state products are available at a fraction of the cost of other major providers' similar DIY online tax software, making it the best deal in tax. TaxAct Online includes:
TaxAct also gives filers the option to use its affordable download versions, which now include five federal e-files at no additional cost, an added value for tax year 2015.
New Product Features Make DIY Filing Fast and Easy
TaxAct 2015 Editions include several new features to make filing even easier, such as:
Expanded Security and Identity Recovery Services
TaxAct's ongoing efforts to protect tax filer information continue with expanded security features in its 2015 suite of products. Enhancements include added protection from multi-factor authentication and out-of-band verification as well as more robust account change notifications, strengthened password requirements and updated security questions.
In keeping with its long-standing, customer-centric approach, TaxAct is including identity recovery services in its Basic, Plus and Premium products for no additional charge. If a tax filer discovers someone else has already filed a return using their information, TaxAct will assist them via Identity Recovery powered by InfoArmor, a service that will navigate the resolution process on the customer's behalf.
Price Lock Guarantee Promises Pricing Transparency
TaxAct is one of the only major online tax software providers to offer a Price Lock Guarantee. Customers using any of TaxAct's online products will pay the price listed for that product at the time they started their return, no matter when they file. Filers using online tax preparation products from other software providers may experience a price increase between the date of registration and the day they file, finding the price originally offered is no longer available. TaxAct eliminates that possibility by locking in the original price offered at registration for the entire season.
TaxAct also continues to provide its long-standing Maximum Refund Pledge as well as its Accuracy, Satisfaction and Money-Back Guarantees.
*All prices subject to change.
About TaxAct
TaxAct provides the best deal in tax so individuals, business owners and tax professionals can save money on tax preparation. A leading provider of affordable digital and download tax software, the company's mission is to empower people to navigate the complexities of tax and finance with ease and accuracy at a fair price. TaxAct has long-offered a Price Lock Guarantee on its products, ensuring its customers pay the price listed for their selected product at the time they started their return, no matter when they file. TaxAct was one of the top-three visited online tax preparation destinations last tax season1 and has assisted with approximately 60 million e-filed federal returns since 2000. To learn more about TaxAct, a business of Blucora, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCOR), visit www.TaxAct.com or connect with us on facebook.com/TaxAct, linkedin.com/company/taxact and twitter.com/taxact.
Shaunna Morgan
TaxAct Public Relations
(319) 531-3626
Havas Formula
(619) 234-00345
1 According to collective week end reports for taxact.com released by Compete Inc.


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The DREAM BIG Academy Rosie Wants to be a Fireman is a wonderful little book in what will hopefully become a full children's book series about a little girl named Rosie who goes to bed at night and dreams big dreams of the places she could go and what she could become when she grows up. I think Rosie will truly touch both little girls as well as their moms. I'm not yet a mom but I can tell you she resonated with me, my inner girl, and the big dreams I had and still have for myself. (Rosie even has a stuffed elephant named Ellie, which was the name of my favorite childhood stuffed animal! Mine was light gray and about ten times the size of Rosie's but it's a fun coincidence nonetheless.)
This book is in the process of being self published by the author Marissa Klein, through a fundraising site called Indiegogo. By clicking on over to The DREAM BIG Academy page on Indiegogo you can help Marissa reach her goal of self publishing this book while getting yourself a signed copy of the limited first-run! If you chip in a little more you can also get a signed print of Rosie to frame and hang in your home. I have my fingers crossed that Marissa raises all the seed money she needs to publish this wonderful little book and I can soon hold a printed copy in my hands.


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If you want to create new tickets automatically when new messages arrive at your support mailbox, you need to configure forwarding. Forward messages from your support mailbox to autogenerated address as on the picture below.
This address is a not real mailbox, it doesn't store any messages. It is just email handler, which processes all incoming messages and creates new tickets in your HelpDesk. It doesn't store any incoming messages. All operations are performed over secure encrypted https connection.
Dedicated installation
At the moment, we don't have this feature but we are listening to you, so, send us feedback via email@example.com if you'd like to get a dedicated SMTP server.


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English Bisaya Translation of
In english bisaya dictionary, "self-conscious" is " mamatngonon sa kaugalingon". See more translations below.
- self-conscious adjective
- mamatngonon sa kaugalingon
If you know something about this term, share it here. Many people are also searching for information about self-conscious. Help them find it, make them happy.
Let us help each other. Please be polite in asking for help and sharing thoughts. Sort the comments to "Reverse Chronological" to see the latest posts.


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We had the opportunity to drive an Equinox FWD Premier with the base 1.5-liter turbo-four, and the new 2.0T AWD model back to back.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — We are driving the all-new 2018 Chevrolet Equinox AWD Premier 2.0T AWD on the super smooth Natchez Trace Parkway. This road is perfect for the compact crossover and makes us appreciate the sedate, friendly ride and comfortably capable handling.
2018 Chevrolet Equinox 2.0T AWD Premier and 1.5T FWD Premier
The 2.0T designates the third-generation Equinox's new optional engine, a 2.0-liter turbo-four that makes 252 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. But before catching our flight to the Music City, we had the opportunity to drive an Equinox FWD Premier with the base 1.5-liter turbo-four, an engine good for 170 hp and 203 lb-ft of torque.
Mated to a six-speed automatic, it will get to 60 mph in an eventual 9.2 seconds. Gas misers will be happy to know that the six-speed is tuned with fuel economy in mind and it upshifts to its highest gear regularly. Back home in Los Angeles, it did the job comfortably during rush hour traffic and around town hauling groceries.
The 2.0-liter is considerably quicker, getting the Equinox to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. It was noticeably quicker than the 1.5T on the backroads of Tennessee, displaying decent passing power. Pound the accelerator hard enough and its nine-speed automatic will skip a few gears to help get you down the road. The first five ratios are close together and the powertrain gets the job done with minimal lag, at least with two adults and no cargo in the SUV. The bigger engine can also tow up to 3,500 pounds, according to the latest Chevy spec sheets.
Looking for a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox 2.0T AWD Premier and 1.5T FWD Premier? Visit Ron Westphal Chevy in Aurora, IL or view us online at www.WestphalChevy.com. Call our Customer care team at 630-898-9630 to set up your VIP test drive.
Read more at the Source: Back to Back: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox 2.0T AWD Premier and 1.5T FWD Premier | Automobile Magazine


text: bike lanes Central Parkway Bike Lane 'Solution' Fails Council Vote By Jay Hanselman • May 25, 2016 Bill Rinehart Cincinnati Council did not have enough votes Wednesday for a motion asking for a "solution" to make parts of the Central Parkway protected bike lanes safer for drivers and cyclists. Council Member Christopher Smitherman's plan had four yes votes and three no votes. Council rules say an issue needs five votes to be approved. Rethinking And Reinvigorating City Streets By Mark Heyne • Apr 4, 2016 jsadikkhan.com During her time as New York City's Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan transformed that city's streets into dynamic spaces that are safe for pedestrians and bikers. UC student creates a map for Cincinnati bikers By Ann Thompson • Oct 21, 2014 University of Cincinnati University of Cincinnati graduate student Nate Wessel spent six months painstakingly mapping out bike paths in Greater Cincinnati and everything in between including bike shops, public transportation hubs, water fountains and grocery stores. He also has illustrated the changes in elevation. The glossy new map is being distributed free at local coffee shops and bike stores around the city. It is also viewable online. Central Pkwy bike lanes causing parking confusion By Jay Hanselman • Jul 28, 2014 Jay Hanselman Update 07/29/14 at 2:30 pm: Drivers on Central Parkway may also notice some spots along the route now feature bright green paint on the roadway. A city official said the paint is "to alert motorists and bicyclists that their paths may be crossing at these locations." The official said Liberty Street is a great example, where lots of people are turning onto and off of Liberty where it intersects with Central Parkway. Works beginning on Central Pkwy bike lanes By Jay Hanselman • Jun 6, 2014 Provided, City of Cincinnati Interim Cincinnati City Manager Scott Stiles said Friday the contractor has been given "notice-to-proceed" and work has begun on Central Parkway Bikeway. A memo said the revised plan keeps 15 parking spaces on the south side of Central Parkway opposite Ravine Street. Business owner Tim Haines had requested the modification to maintain parking in front of his building. That includes a loading zone and two handicap spaces. Bike Week By Mark Heyne • May 11, 2014 Listen Listening... / Council approves Central Parkway bike lanes, Cincy Bike Share By Howard Wilkinson • Apr 30, 2014 It was a close vote, but Cincinnati City council Wednesday approved a compromise that will allow a project to install protected bike lanes on Central Parkway from Clifton to downtown. A compromise plan proposed by Vice Mayor David Mann passed on a 5 to 4 vote. It would take the bike lanes out of the travel lanes to maintain street parking between Ravine and Brighton streets to aid businesses in the area. Decision on Central Parkway bike lane likely Wednesday By Howard Wilkinson • Apr 28, 2014 Cincinnati City Council will likely act Wednesday to either go forward or kill a plan to install protected bike lanes on Central Parkway. Monday, council held a special session to have a second reading on an ordinance that would rescind an ordinance from a year ago entering into an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation to complete the bikeway project from Clifton to downtown. Mann still looking for votes on bike lanes compromise By Jay Hanselman • Apr 23, 2014 UPDATE: Cincinnati Vice Mayor David Mann says he doesn't have enough votes yet for a motion that would save a plan to add protected bike lines to Central Parkway. City council met in special session Thursday afternoon for the first reading of an ordinance that would kill the plan. Second readings of the ordinance are scheduled for this morning and next Tuesday, when a decision would be made. A compromise on Central Pkwy bike lanes, but some on Council not supportive By Jay Hanselman • Apr 23, 2014 Tana Weingartner Update 4/23/14 at 10:30 am: A business owner who's asking the city to modify a plan to install protected bike lanes on Central Parkway is now offering to raise private money to assist with the project. Tim Haines wants to preserve on-street parking in front of his building. He's asking council members to support Vice Mayor David Mann's compromise motion introduced Tuesday. It would take the bike lanes out of the travel lanes on Central Parkway and place them closer to the sidewalk on a separate path between Ravine and Brighton Streets. Public hearing on Central Parkway bicycle lanes By Jay Hanselman • Apr 21, 2014 Last November, City Council approved a plan to install protected bike lanes on Central Parkway that would eventually stretch from Elm Street downtown to Ludlow Avenue near Cincinnati State. The city was ready to award a contract for the first phase of the work. But Mayor John Cranley and some new council members have questions about the project. Vice Mayor David Mann chairs Council's Neighborhoods Committee, which will hold a hearing on the issue Monday.


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The number one things new clients come to me wanting to do is to LOSE WEIGHT.
I don't think I have had a single client come to me wanting anything else.
But I am going to explain why aiming for a target WEIGHT is unproductive and probably unhealthy.
First of all, the most obvious one is that when clients come to me wanting to lose
WEIGHT, they really mean they want to LOSE BODY FAT.
And there is an important difference.
Losing weight means losing fat plus muscle plus water.
Losing fat means exactly that – losing FAT only. You'll be left in a leaner, fitter and probably healthier overall position if you focus on losing FAT instead of on losing weight.
Losing fat leaves you fitter, stronger, with better energy levels, delays ageing in some ways, and lets you perform and function at your optimal level.
Losing weight can leave you smaller, with a slower metabolism, low energy levels, and possibly reduced immune function.
As well as that, your weight WILL always fluctuate on a day to day basis and even throughout the day. In fact it isn't uncommon for your weight to fluctuate up or down as much as 6 or 7 lb in a single day. Does that mean you could put on 7lb of fat in a day?
Hell no!
And finally on the topic of health and wellbeing – which in the long run should trump any and all appearance goals – the difference in approach between weight loss and fat loss is critical.
With weight loss:
- Any measures necessary to get the scales to go down
- Often restrictive or crash dieting
- Can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and with the scales
- Restrictive eating can damage metabolic function, hinder your immune system, and can hit your energy levels
- The result is you might weigh less but you could be weaker, less fit, at higher risk of disease/illness and setting yourself up for long term failure
With aiming for fat loss:
- Ensuring you're getting enough nutrition in that you don't lose muscle tissue
- Doesn't mean stepping on the scales but looking at how your clothes fit and tracking inch loss
- Sets you up for long term healthy eating patterns
- Leaves you fitter, stronger, and overall healthier – higher energy levels, better sleep, less stress, more stamina, glowing skin, ability to enjoy your life without feeling guilty
Make sense?


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The UL Mark communicates to the customers that the company has gone an extra step to ensure product safety and cares about the quality of the products. UL Listed means that UL has independently tested samples of the product and decided that they meet UL's standards for safety. If UL decides the product fulfills all requirements, it authorizes the manufacturer to apply a certification mark. Before the manufacturer releases products with a certification mark, UL must initiate a follow-up service in which periodic audits of products are executed by UL Field Representatives. UL must also evaluate modifications to certified products before the modified product is getting labeled. UL reviews the results of all testing and evaluations and decides if the product is eligible for certification. cUL is especially for the Canadian market.
The ETL label is proof that the product has been independently tested and meets the published industry standards. The ETL is an evidence of product compliance to North American safety standards. Authorities and officials across the US and Canada accept the ELT label.
CSA (Canadian Standard Association) marks are displayed on electrical products, gas-fired appliances, plumbing, personal protective equipment and a wide variety of other products. The CSA demonstrates that a sample of the product has been certified to applicable standards including standards written or administered by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), CSA Group (CSA), NSF International (NSF), and other North American and global organizations. For consumers, CSA International certification marks are intended to provide increased assurance of quality and safety. For manufacturers, international recognition of the mark may help to ease their entry into North American markets. CSA International certification marks are accepted by many North American regulators and by a large number of North American retailers.
The CE label verifies a certain standard for technical products that are sold within the European Union and ensures that the product can be sold everywhere within the EU. It shows the compliance of the product in terms of health protection, safety and design for environment. The CE label declares the responsibility of the manufacturer and that the product is fulfilling all valid European standards.
RoHS is standing for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. RoHS has its origin in the European Union that restricts the use of hazardous materials in electrical and electronic products. All electronic devices that are sold after July 2006 must meet RoHS compliance. Any business that distributes, integrates and sells electronic products, sub-assemblies or components to the EU is restricted to follow RoHS compliance. The hazardous materials forbidden to use under RoHS are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and four different phthalates. The restricted materials pollute the environment and are dangerous when exposed longer during manufacturing and recycling.
The DesignLights Consorium (DLC) is a mission to accelerate energy efficiency in the commercial building sector. The DLC label promotes energy efficient lighting solutions within the U.S. and Canada. Its equivalent is the Energy Star label that is focusing on consumer products.
It is a label for consumer products. Products with that sign have been certified and tested according to the reliability of the products parameters. The Energy Star in lighting has been introduced mainly to replace inefficient incandescent bulbs in private households.
Rebates matter because the customer is paid to save. By implementing lighting systems that reduce the energy usage, the customer is saving money on the electricity bill. Rebates help to lower the initial acquisition costs of the intended energy saving conversion. Utilities set annual energy saving goals that they need to meet. End user incentives are an alternative to much greater capital expenses. There are various programs available. Contact MyLEDLightingGuide - experts for more information.
Standard Warranty: The seller replaces or repairs, at its opinion, any goods with a defect in material or workmanship under conditions of normal and proper use and maintenance according to the sellers operating instructions.
Extended Warranty: The seller may offer extended warranty terms on certain products. These terms are offered at the absolute discretion of the seller and are connected to certain criteria that the seller supplies with each product. Failure in following the criteria will limit the warranty to the standard warranty only.
Quick Ship items will ship within some business days after receipt of order. Exception may be taken on large orders.


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Arizona Building Inspections and Association Services
Serving Arizona Since 1985
Criterium-Kessler Engineers is an engineering consulting firm specializing in building engineering and consulting services as well as Homeowner Association services. We are an affiliate office of Criterium Engineers, founded in 1957. Our national organization has consulted with clients on over 750,000 properties. In Arizona, we have performed more than 20,000 inspections and have established a reputation for competence, professionalism, and thoroughness that is unmatched. We are staffed with licensed Professional Engineers.
We work in support of real estate; buyers, sellers, owners, managers, builders, contractors, lenders, insurers, attorneys, or anyone who has a vested interest in the built environment. Let us know what your particular needs are and how we can be of service to you.
Contact Criterium-Kessler Engineers for your building inspection or any Professional Engineering Services. We serve the engineering needs throughout the State of Arizona, specializing in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties.


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Able Electric invites you to look through this collection of photographs of some of our completed projects and the types of supplies we use to perform our services. This will provide you with a good idea of our capabilities, and demonstrate our commitment to paying strict attention to detail on every job we do.
When you're finished here, contact our office to arrange for an estimate or to schedule a consultation.


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A recent study of Fortune 1000 company CMOs done by by Blog2Print, a company that turns blogs into books, attempts to shed some light into the reasons some companies have not embraced corporate blogging. The firm's press release might be entitled, "Survey of Fortune 1000 CMOs Reveals Interesting Insights Into the Minds of the Corporate Blogger," however, I found the insights into the minds -- or, more likely, the guts -- of Fortune 1000 CMOs who were against their companies blogging of greatest interest.
While seventy percent of the surveyed CMOs believe the cost of a blog is "part of the cost of doing business today," thirty-six percent of the surveyed CMOs believe that maintaining a blog is too much work or that they don't see the ROI for the "level of effort required by the individuals developing content." (Yes, I have no idea what those six percent of CMOs voting blogs are "part of the cost of doing business" yet don't do it are thinking either.)
The study also included the CMOs picks for best corporate blogs. The responses were fairly divided, with no clear winner:
Netflix (14%) JetBlue (13%) Nike (11%) Nordstrom (10%) Clorox (9%) Walt Disney (6%) Levis (5%) Priceline (5%) Safeway (5%) Coca-Cola (4%)
So, you too might be wondering, how is it possible that 36% of CMOs at Fortune 1000 companies cannot comprehend the utility of blogging?
I suspect that, in most instances, it's another example of marketing managed by gut instead of the head and a failure to adapt to 21st century shifts in media consumption.
I can understand small businesses feeling they do not have adequate resources to manage this area, but Fortune 1000 CMOs? If your company is a Fortune 1000, your brand has very likely been mentioned in the social media world today, but you're not a part of that conversation, by choice. Even if you're not compelled by the case for more deeply connecting with customers and prospects, increasing brand awareness, brand contacts or SEO, consider all those reporters, investors and analysts who regularly rely on these vehicles and expect to find your company there. Isn't that a sufficient reason for investment?
Not if the sound of your gut is so loud it's drowning out the sound of the voice of reason.


text: Hello All, I have a business idea and I believe I'm in need of a software developer. Sure, I could find one elsewhere, but I know there's quite a few of them here, and I'd prefer to deal with someone in the Tesla community versus some random. So if you are a software developer feel free to PM me so that we can talk. I'm happy to pay for time or service. Thanks, Hussain


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Camping Gear for Your Adventure-MobileMarch 30th, 2015 by admin
One of the tremendous aspects of owning a 4×4 vehicle is the ability to leave the crowd behind and get away into nature for a little while. Your truck, Jeep or SUV can do a lot more than just get you there, though: with the right gear, you can transform your vehicle into a home away from home, perfect for your next wilderness adventure.
Some serious outdoors(wo)men drastically modify their vehicles to turn them into motorized mobile homes, but that isn't practical for everyone. If your weekend warrior is also a daily driver or you're just not interested in such an exorbitant change, consider these accessories for camping in comfort with your 4×4 which are easily removed and packed up when you're done.
Tents and Tent accessories
Pitching a standard tent means finding a flat location and clearing it of all debris – then likely discovering that one rock you missed when you attempt to get some shuteye. 4 Wheel Parts' selection of roof top, truck and SUV tents ensures that you have a comfortable place to sleep no matter where your adventures take you.
Roof Top Tents: A roof top tent is the perfect camping accessory for the 4×4 owner. No more lumpy sleeping areas, plus you get up off the ground and away from the majority of crawlers and critters. The one caveat to a roof top tent is that installation requires a roof rack, but as you'll see below, it's an accessory worth investing in no matter your choice of sleeping structures.
Truck and SUV Tents: Built to fit into your truck bed or attach to your SUV's cargo area, truck and SUV tents provide you a sheltered sleeping area without leaving your vehicle.
Truck Bed Air Mattress: Sleep under the stars or take advantage of your truck bed shell with a heavy-duty truck bed air mattress. Designed to your truck bed's proportions with wheel well reservoirs for a perfect fit, these are built tough to handle the rigors of the outdoors.
Gear Storage Accessories
Any adventure requires certain gear and in order to bring it with you, your 4×4 will need the right set of storage accessories. Bring everything you need for your next hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, rock climbing, spelunking, white water rafting adventure* with these storage accessories.
*If you're doing all of these things on one adventure, you're gonna need a bigger boat
Roof Rack: Not only is a roof rack a necessity for a roof top tent, it's one of the best ways to transport your gear. A properly accessorized roof rack will carry everything from camping gear to skis and mountain bikes safely and can be the only way to bring such things along for the ride if you're in a vehicle notorious for limited cargo space, like a Jeep.
Interior Storage Accessories: Keep your gear close at hand and organized with 4 Wheel Parts interior storage accessories. Whether you're in the market for a pet divider for your four-legged family members, seat storage bags or an interior cargo rack, we've got you covered.
Cargo Management Accessories: From racks to cargo straps to truck bed organizers, the right cargo management accessories can help you pack all of your gear securely.
Electricity, Power and Solar Accessories
Getting away from it all doesn't always have to mean getting away from it all. Power everything from laptops to mini fridges to electric lanterns with generators and solar power accessories from 4 Wheel Parts.
Solar Power: Power your campsite with the world's only truly renewable resource: the sun. 4 Wheel Parts selection of Goal Zero solar power accessories, including solar panels, generators and solar-powered lanterns and speakers, will give your gadgets and gear the juice they need.
Generator: Ensure you have power even on an overcast day with a Smittybilt EPS Inverter Generator. Its 1.5 gallon fuel tank will charge your electronic devices no matter the weather.
Powering your next adventure isn't only about convenience – it can be a big safety advantage. Keep your GPS devices and cell phones charged in case there is an emergency.
Safety and First Aid
There's a good reason the Boy Scout motto is "be prepared": anything can happen any day, but out in the wild even a small dose of Murphy's Law can be dangerous. Prepare for your adventure with these safety and first aid accessories.
CB Radio: While an amateur Ham radio or Satellite phone is the best choice for the serious adventurer, a CB Radio is a simpler and more practical choice for those who don't venture too far from the beaten path. At the very least, a handheld CB Radio can keep you in touch with base camp when you step away for a hike.
First Aid Kit: Treat minor injuries or handle urgent care situations while you reach an appropriate medical facility with a first aid kit. Choose from three sizes, with contents ranging from painkillers to emergency blankets.
Fire Extinguisher: A fire extinguisher should adorn every off-roading vehicle, but it is especially important if you're going to be cooking over an open flame on your adventures.
Camping Tools and Lifestyle
These outdoors accessories range from essentials to conveniences, depending on your choice of adventure. Either way, they'll certainly make your trips more enjoyable.
Trail Tools: From axes to utility shovels to multi-tools, packing the right camping tools will keep your adventure moving along smoothly.
Cold Food Storage: Choose from rugged coolers and low-power-consumption fidge/freezers to keep your edibles fresh and cold on the trail. This way, you can skip the protein bars and go straight to grilling steak in the great outdoors.
Water and Waste: Keeping yourselves and your campsites clean can be difficult on the trail, especially with little ones, but it's important for yours and the environment's healthy. These water and waste accessories will keep your campsite tidy with ease.
Trail Chairs: Our ARB trail chairs were designed with strength and durability as the top priority, making them the perfect camping chair.
Portable Lighting: 4 Wheel Parts selection of flashlights and portable lighting is built for the trail with attributes like low energy consumption, magnetic ends, rechargeable batteries and even solar power.
Trail Shades and Awnings: Protect yourself from the sun, the wind, the mosquitos and the creepy crawlies with our selection of trail shades and awnings for your truck, Jeep or SUV.
Follow this link to shop 4 Wheel Parts entire selection of camping and outdoor lifestyle products. To learn more about the author of this article, Rachel Bowes, follow her on Google Plus.
About the Author: admin
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Accessories to Turn Your 4×4 Into the Ultimate Camping Rig


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Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is one of the biggest multi-sport events in the world, held once every four years. Often referred to as the 'Friendly Games', it brings together athletes from the 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth. With its three core values of Humanity, Equality and Destiny, the Games play a key role in uniting the Commonwealth family through sport.
Hosts of the Games on three occasions, Scotland has a proud history of success. From the first Games in 1930 through to a record-breaking medal haul at Glasgow 2014 and best ever overseas medal tally at Gold Coast 2018, Team Scotland athletes have excelled on one of sport's biggest stages, and they are the only opportunity for athletes to represent Scotland at a multi-sport Games.
Since 2000, athletes under the age of 18 have also had the opportunity to compete, with the introduction of the Commonwealth Youth Games, providing a first experience of multi-sport Games competition and a stepping stone towards competing at a future Commonwealth Games.
History Of The Games
The concept of a sporting competition to bring together the nations of the British Empire had been talked about since the 1890s. Reverend Astley Cooper is credited with first proposing the idea in an 1891 article in The Times newspaper suggesting a "Pan-Britannic-Pan-Anglican Contest and Festival every four years as a means of increasing the goodwill and good understanding of the British Empire". In the end the concept was beaten to the punch by the modern Olympic Games, which held its first Games in 1896, and the idea of an Empire Games was put on hold.Learn More
The Queen's Baton RelayThe Queen's Baton Relay
The Queen's Baton Relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II.The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London as a part of the traditional Commonwealth Day festivities.
The Queen entrusts the baton to the first relay runner. At the Opening Ceremony of the Games, the final relay runner hands the baton back to the Queen or her representative, who reads out the message to officially open the Games.Learn More


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With all the lovely fresh winter weather, I have hardly left the house with my camera in hand. In fact, I've hardly left the house. Even today on a beautiful sunny Sunday I only left to go to the pool to swim! God, what has happened to me. Not being able to run has really put me down. It used to be a great reason to get out of the house. But here are a few of the winter pics I have taken. It would appear there aren't going to be any more snow photos this year.... fingers crossed.
|Zamek path.
|Very lightly snowed angels.
|You certainly need a path to the bin. That is an environmentally friendly path!
|Dusted dudes.
|You gotta love....
|Dear Straż Miejska, I don't think this car is moving.....
|Even the birds weren't happy with this.
|I do love a snow trail though.
|So now we have this instead.
|Buds slowly coming forth
|Bridges in the sun
|And glowing bolts.


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Issue: 422
Sent: 23-11-2010 13:50:37
In this issue:
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The Chinese Show Who's the Boss
John Robertson
The Chinese investors behind Mount Gibson Iron have flexed their muscles to reject the election of an independent director, effectively raising their middle finger to Australia's corporate governance standards.
Last week's ATC e-mail drew attention to a potential loss of shareholder rights arising from mining companies giving up their strategic independence to corporates investing to gain control of raw material supplies.
The ink was hardly dry on those comments about Mount Gibson Iron and Matilda Minerals before the Chinese investors in Mount Gibson Iron blocked the election of an independent director to the board of the company at a meeting of shareholders on Wednesday.
The effect of the vote was to deliver a majority of board seats to appointees of Chinese companies ultimately controlled by the Shougang iron and steel group whose chief executive has conceded publicly that it intends to control all of the production of Mount Gibson Iron for the life of its operations.
In moving as they did, the Chinese gave notice of a new set of governance standards where they are involved. Their presence means minority investors can no longer assume commonly accepted protections will always be available.
Many investors would have thought participation by Chinese companies acting on behalf of the Asian giant's steel industry made their investments safer because their presence guaranteed market access.
Investors now need to consider whether this comes with too many strings attached.
- Capital management may be undermined. Funds generated by current mining activities may not be used in the best interests of non-Chinese investors. Chinese investors may be more inclined to have the company invest in new projects to meet China's strategic raw material needs and less inclined to pay dividends, for example.
- Project quality might deteriorate. China's need for raw materials may take the captured company into less desirable projects left behind by other companies. Investment in relatively poor quality projects could reduce the return on capital employed leading to share price underperformance, a higher cost of capital and, ultimately, greater dilution for existing private shareholders.
- Captured boards may be more likely to agree to less favourable commercial terms in negotiating offtake agreements or finance contracts with entities known to the directors in China.
- The quality of management may fall. Managers may become reluctant to join a company dominated by decision makers ultimately directed by government officials in Beijing and less concerned than others about the best long-term interests of the company and the majority of its shareholders.
- The quality of board personnel will decline. Truly independent directors are likely to give up rather than stay and fight against the odds.
- Overall company standards may fall. Chinese directors looking after their own strategic interests may become less inclined to apply the standards of a modern western corporation. This would normally include balancing corporate obligations toward a diverse range of stakeholders including those with an interest in safety and environmental standards.
One lesson from last week's events is the importance of voting. Votes against the appointment of Peter Knowles accounted for 58% of the total votes cast. However, 30% of eligible votes were not cast. If 40% of these votes had not been withheld and, instead, had been lodged in favour of Knowles, he would have retained his position on the board.
Against this background, the attitude toward Chinese investment could change. Companies inviting Chinese participation will become more wary about the benefits and shareholders, given the choice, will be less enthusiastic about embracing capital from this source than they might have been in the past.
The lobbying and vote counting in the approach to shareholder meetings will intensify. Kevin Rudd will have to explain that Australians are not racist. They simply want to stop Chinese investors getting away with behaviour generally regarded as unacceptable.
This email is general in nature only and does not constitute or convey specific or professional advice. Legislation changes may occur quickly. Formal advice should be sought before acting in any of the areas discussed. Be aware that the information in these articles may become innaccurate with time. Responsibility is disclaimed for any inaccuracies, errors or omissions. Particular investments are neither invited nor recommended and hence this publication is not "financial product advice" as defined in Section 766B of the above legislation. All expressions of opinion by contributors are published on the basis that they are not to be regarded as expressing the official opinion of any other person or entity unless expressly stated. No responsibility for the accuracy of the opinions or information contained in the contributor's articles is accepted by any other person or entity. Copyright: This publication is copyright. If you wish to reproduce this article you require a license, which can be purchased here, to do so.


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I saw this piece when it premiered at The Chocolate Factory in Long Island City in the spring of 2012. I bought tickets for me and my wife, who is a huge DFW fan. She felt like it was the closest thing to hearing Foster's voice since he died that she'd experienced. I was unimpressed, at best. When I saw it was being performed again, I was curious to see if it had improved any. It has not.
If you decide to go, here's what you will experience: four very brave and resilient actors (John Amir, Therese Plaehn, Mary Rasmussen, and Jenny Seastone) tethered to Fish through headphones with long cords. They repeat the words of DFW out loud (specifically parts of his works "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again", "Consider The Lobster" and "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men") at varying degrees of speed (based off the whim of Fish) and doing various unspecified actions from lying on the floor to jumping jacks. Oh, and there are tennis balls. Lots of them.
The monologues/excerpts recited change every performance. One of the monologues involve his experiences on a cruise ship ("A Supposedly Fun Thing…"), another was his review of former tennis pro Tracy Austin's sports autobiography, and a narrative of a 13 year old's trip to the pool and the high-diving board on his birthday. There was also a brief clip from Amy Sedaris about her cross-country driving trip with DFW.
The cost of a ticket for the show is $25. The cost of the book, new, on Amazon is $8.75. Save yourself the $16.25, order a copy, and read it at home. You'll thank me.
EYE ON THE ARTS, NY -- Kelly Johnston


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TT-27: 04 Nights / 05 Days South Indian Temple Tour
Destinations : MADURAI – RAMESHWARAM – KANYAKUMARI – TRIVANDRUM
Tour Summary:02 Nights stay at MADURAI, 01 Night stay at RAMESHWARAM and 01 Night stay at KANYAKUMARI at Reputed Star rated Hotels with Dedicated A/C vehicle and Driver assistance from Pick up until drop.
Tour Cost and Hotels:
|Hotels Used (Economy)
|Hotels Used (Standard)
|Hotels used (Deluxe)
|Hotel Star Residency
|Hotel Astoria
|Hotel GRT Regency
|Hotel Queen Palace
|Hotel Jiwan Residency
|Hotel Daiwik
|Hotel Sunworld
|Hotel Sea View
|Hotel Sparsa
|Tour cost per Couple
|Extra Bed/Person
The above Tour rate is valid till 30/Sep/2019 (Peak season dates exclusive)
Tour Itinerary:
Day 01 : MADURAI
Arrival at MADURAI Airport/Railway Station and transfer to Hotel. Evening
proceed for darshan at Sri.MEENAKSHI SundareswararTemple. Overnight stay at the Hotel in Madurai.
Day 02 : MADURAI
After breakfast proceed for sightseeing of MADURAI– visit THIRUMALAI NAYAK Palace,THIRUPPARANKUNDRAMTemple, ALAGAR Koil and GANDHI Museum. Overnight stay at the Hotel in MADURAI.
Day 03 : MADURAI – RAMESHWARAM (175 KMS – 04 Hours drive)
After early breakfast check out from Hotel and drive to RAMESHWARAM, on arrival check into Hotel. Afternoon proceed for sightseeing of RAMESHWARAM – visit RAMANATHASWAMYTemple, AGNITHEERTHAM, RAMJHAROKATemple, DHANUSHKODI and ADAM'S Bridge. Overnight stay at the Hotel in RAMESHWARAM.
Day 04 : RAMESHWARAM – KANYAKUMARI (250 KMS – 06 Hours drive)
After early breakfast check out from Hotel and drive to KANYAKUMARI, on arrival check into Hotel. Afternoon proceed for sightseeing of KANYAKUMARI – visit SUCHITHRAM Temple, Devi KANYAKUMARI Temple, VIVEKANANDA Rock, GANDHI Memorial and TRIVENI Sangam. Evening watch the most beautiful Sunset of KANYAKUMARI. Overnight stay at the Hotel in KANYAKUMARI.
Day 05 : KANYAKUMARI – MADURAI/TRIVANDRUM
If you need to be dropped at Madurai, we will drive you back to Madurai.
If You need drop at Trivandrum,after breakfast check out from Hotel and drive to Trivandrum. Enroute visit the Sri Padmanabhapuram Palace, Also visit the Sri padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum which is the richest temple in the world, Museum, Secratariat etc and later drop to Airport/Railway Station for onward journey.
Tour Package Includes:
- Well appointed rooms on the above mentioned hotels on twin sharing basis.
- Daily breakfast in hotels.
- A/c Indica for all the surface transfers & sightseeing. Drivers allowance, toll & parking.
- All applicable hotel taxes.
- Service tax @ 3.09%.
Tour Package Excludes :
- Any meals other than those mentioned above.
- Any Airfare/Train fare.
- Any transportation which is not mentioned in the itinerary.
- Entrance fees to the amusement parks & boating charges.
- Any portage at Airport and Hotels, tips, insurance, beverages, mineral water, telephone charges, and all items of personal nature.
- Any services not specifically mentioned in the inclusions.
- Expenses caused by the factors beyond our control like rail and flight delays, road blocks, vehicle mal-functions, political disturbances, etc…


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Gretna Heritage Festival photos
The 2009 Gretna Heritage Festival is now part of the history books, and despite the fact that Sunday was dreary and rainy, I'm sure that another new attendance record must have been set. After spending 3 days on the festival grounds, I didn't even come close to seeing or hearing everything, but I did get a really good sampling of food, music and fun.
The festival opened on Friday afternoon to a queue of waiting people and more continued to arrive in a steady stream throughout the evening. Lines quickly formed at the various food booths around dinner time and the arts and crafts vendors seemed to be doing a steady business.
Saturday was a gorgeous day and I'm sure that any previous records for one day attendance were smashed. By the time the sun set, it was getting difficult to make your way through the streets because there were so many people.
It's a good thing Saturday was so fabulous, because Sunday dawned full of clouds, rain and overall dreariness. That didn't keep the die-hards from coming out though, and after the Saints finished trouncing the Jets (GEAUX SAINTS!), even more people showed up to help close out the festival.
The ferry from Canal Street ran back and forth all weekend and most of the trips were at full capacity.
We found some fabulous Tshirts, posters and other art, lots of home decor and if you're a fleur de lis fan that couldn't find something you loved there…well, there just might be no pleasing you!
Local artist Terrance Osborne was on hand Saturday, signing prints of some of his most popular pieces.
Posters, books, art, jewelry…something for everyone, including good stories if you took a few minutes to stop and listen. The ladies below are the authors of the books they were selling and were a delight to visit with!
While people came from all over (we met the nicest folks from Kentucky hanging out in the Italian Village), true West Bankers were showing their pride and snapping up clothes with our different communities on them. Pssst…..will someone please make an Algiers shirt for next year??
Games and Rides
With pay one price wristbands on Friday evening and Sunday evening, the kids were bouncing from one ride to the next. There were also many carnival games for them to play (to the chagrin of many moms and dads, I'm sure) in that quest for a "big prize".
And the food – OH, the food…I gained 10 pounds just walking through the streets. OK, so maybe I sampled a few things here and there 🙂 If you didn't leave full, shame on you.
The biggest draw for the festival, though, is the music. Kerry Brown (who also is responsible for scheduling the Back to the River bands) always does an outstanding job of booking a wide variety of acts, and this year was no different. While I didn't make it to some of the biggest draws (Kool & The Gang, Chicago, Jo Dee Messina) I did manage to wander enough to hear some great tunes every day, especially from our local bands and artists.
What a weekend! Thanks to all of the organizers and volunteers who make this event possible, with a special thanks to Dodie Rackley for helping me get access for all of my photos.. I hope to see you back at the Fest next year….
This is just a sampling of the pictures from the festival. Click here for more photos of the 2009 Gretna Heritage Festival. I'll be slowly adding them over the next couple of days, so check back later!


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Thank you to everyone who entered my free race entry giveaway over the past week!
It is hard watching the winners randomly selected because I feel bad for the others who don't win free entry, but there can only be two!
As the head Ambassador for the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon I am so lucky to be able to give away these two free entries. My team of Ambassadors has already given away 10 free entries! Congratulations to those who won the previous giveaways, I can't wait to hear how you do in your race on April 24, 2016.
This year's free entry winners from my giveaway are –
Congratulations to Andrea and Laura!
I have emailed you both, letting you know you are today's winners.
You didn't win? You can still take advantage of early bird registration to save before the price increase at 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2016.
The Mercy Health Glass City Marathon is currently $70 and will increase to $80 on January 1, 2016.
The Owens Corning Half Marathon is currently $60 and will increase to $70 on January 1, 2016.
The Medical Mutual Glass City 5k is currently $30 and will increase to $35 on January 1, 2016.
Take advantage of the early bird savings before the new year begins!
And again, thank you to everyone who entered!


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As will likely be known by those who have visited my website, I have spent my life in a hands-on search for knowledge—part of it relevant to my career of "paranormal investigator," but much more of it, I think, applicable to my being a "secular humanist."
Regarding the former, I have been, at one time or another, an acupuncture patient, alien abduction researcher, and astrology critic (just to mention some of the As), as well as Bigfoot hunter, cereologist, dowsing tester, ganzfeld psi subject, ghostbuster, miracle claims investigator, "spontaneous human combustion" expert, UFOlogist, vampirologist, and "zombie" (as a movie extra)—among others.
Indeed, consider how many "personas" were involved in my investigating a single case, the supposed "channeling" of a long-dead poet (see "Ghost Author? The Channeling of 'Patience Worth,'" Skeptical Inquirer May/June 2012, 15–17): automatic-writing analyst, historical document examiner, poet, fiction writer, editor, literary critic, forensic linguist, handwriting expert, photographer, and more.
As to Secular Humanist—with its philosophic underpinnings and its emphasis on human values—that involves another long list of personas, including atheist, blogger, civil rights worker, environmentalist, family man, feminist, naturalist philosopher, poverty program worker, and many more. I include here artist and (again) poet, since, as enshrined in the "Affirmations of Humanism: A Statement of Principles" by Paul Kurtz, "We are engaged by the arts no less than the sciences," and "We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to the fullest."
Kurtz (1925–2012), the great humanist philosopher and founder of the modern skeptics movement, always encouraged my diversity—and indeed was responsible for a significant portion of it. When I would joke (playing on an old saying) that I was "a hack of all trades," he would smile, wag his finger and correct me: "No, you're a jack of all trades and a master of many."
Be that as it may, I long ago determined to investigate life—and cheat death—by living many lives in one. By the age of about fourteen, I had already been a farm hand, fishing-camp assistant, surveyor's chainman, popcorn vendor, and professional sign painter. In time I would become a stage magician, carnival pitchman, private investigator and undercover operative, blackjack dealer, museum exhibit designer, riverboat manager, armed guard, Hollywood stunt trainee, and more. When my resumé began to look like a joke, I reinvented myself as a graduate student, doctor of philosophy, author and—eventually, in 1995—Senior Research Fellow (of CSICOP, now CSI).
Keeping in mind that my "roles" (I used to call myself a "real-life actor") often included many personas (e.g., sign painter included sign-shop operator, billboard painter, school-bus letterer, electric sign salesman, and so on), I kept adding to my list. I had well over three hundred on my website (each presented as a "scrapbook page" with pictures and text) when I decided to add my complete current list of intended pages. That triples the previous list and makes me a "man of a thousand personas." To see, go to my website (www.joenickell.com) and select "personas"—or not. Just don't tell me to "get a life."


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Reflection in C++14
by Simon Ninon
What Am I going to talk about?
A few months ago, I was developing an MVC web framework in C++, mostly inspired by the Ruby on Rails framework. Apart the fact that, like most of the side projects, it's been a while I haven't coded any line for this project, it leads me to some interesting problematics.
The problematic that is interesting here and that can introduce this article concerns the configuration of the routes. Indeed, one of the most important feature of an MVC web framework is to configure some routes that the client can request. Each route forward the request to a specific action of a controller.
For example, we can have a
/articles route which is linked to the
index action of the
articles controller. When the client requests this path,
articles_controller::index is called and returns a list of the articles.
For my MVC project, I wanted it to be easy to configure the routes and to hide this part from the user. I didn't want the developer to declare his routes by writing C++ code: it would have been less convenient, less readable and maybe less maintainable.
Instead, I'd prefer to have a simple JSON configuration file where the developer can easily declare its routes.
As you can see, by using this simple JSON configuration file, it would be really easy and readable to declare routes and to associate them to a specific action of a controller.
This idea directly leads us to the topic of this article: how to convert the string
articles#index to the call
ArticlesController(...).index(...). The answer is Reflection.
Reflection is, in some languages, a part of the language that gives us the ability to retrieve information from a type or a method, dynamically, at runtime. And moreover, reflection lets us instantiate an object from a string containing the class name or call a method from a string containing its name. For example, in Ruby on Rails, we can do
"SomeClass".constantize.new.send "some_method" and it will call
SomeClass::some_method at runtime.
However, there is no reflection engine in C++, even in the latest version. So, I had to build my own reflection engine and I'm going to explain how I did in this paper.
[UPDATE] Before reading!
Some people mentioned in the comments that the final implementation is clearly not optimal and that reflection should be avoided, especially in C++ since the language does not support such features.
It's important to understand that the point of this blog post is not to provide an implementation usable in real-world applications!
I just thought about what I explained in the introduction of this article and decided to challenge myself to see if I was able to provide my own implementation of a reflection engine in C++, mostly by tricking the language. I successfully achieved to do so but I clearly do not recommend to use that kind of thing in applications intended to be used in a production environment.
It's just for fun and I hope you'll have some fun while reading the next parts of this post!
Possible implementations
In this part of the article, I will shortly describe some alternatives to my implementation. I will also explain why I didn't choose them: these explanations are, of course, arguable depending on your needs.
One simple way to make reflection in C++ is to use the
dlopen and
dlsym functions (or their equivalent functions on Windows).
It is indeed possible to load the current process symbols. Here is a citation of the dlopen man:
If a null pointer is passed in path, dlopen() returns a handle equivalent to RTLD_DEFAULT.. And, here is a citation of the dlsym man:
If dlsym() is called with the special handle RTLD_DEFAULT, then all mach-o images in the process (except those loaded with dlopen(xxx, RTLD_LOCAL)) are searched in the order they were loaded..
In the above example, I simply call
dlopen with a null pointer. Then, I'm able to retrieve the
display_nb symbol of my short program.
But, you may have noticed the presence of
extern "C" block around the definition of the
display_nb function. This is due to the fact that symbols, in C++, are
mangled. For a simple function like our
display_nb, the symbol name is not really different from the original name (here, the symbol will be named
_display_nb). But for member functions, the mangled symbols are really different from the original one (for example, the
SomeClass::do_something(const std::string&) member function will be stored as the
__ZN9SomeClass12do_somethingERKNSt3__112basic_stringIcNS0_11char_traitsIcEENS0_9allocatorIcEEEE symbol).
Well, this behavior is a real constraint. There are some workaround, but this is not really convenient and using
dlopen can be an heavy operation at runtime.
However, the real advantage of this implementation choice is that every symbol can be used for reflection, even variables.
And nothing has to be manually registered because every symbol is stored in the executable and can be retrieved by dlopen.
But, I think the main reason I did not select this option to build my library is type-safety. By loading symbols, we have absolutely no type-safety. We may load an integer symbol but use it as a function in our program: it will compile without any warning. Even at runtime, we won't be able to detect if the symbol is cast in the right type and this will result in a crash. I think it's a real downside, especially when we are dealing with C++, a strong-typed language.
An example of reflection library using
dlopen: Reflect
code generation
This is for sure the implementation I like the least. It concerns code generation, like Qt does.
So, the user register manually the classes and functions he wants to use for reflection (by using macros for example). Then, before the compilation, a tool just generates the code needed for the reflection at runtime.
One advantage of this method is that you can do nearly anything you want by injecting the code you need. However, I do not really like the idea to add a step before the compilation.
An example of reflection library using
code generation: CPP-Reflection
My implementation
Before diving inside my implementation, it is important to understand one thing:
Because we do not load the symbols of the current process dynamically by calling
dlopen or an equivalent, and because we do not use code generation, we have to explicitly declare which classes and functions should be used for reflections.
If we do not register these classes and methods to our reflection engine, we would have no way to operate reflection (except loading symbols, something that we do not want).
When I say "register classes and functions", I mean something like this
My constraints
If I had not chosen one of the implementations presented before, it's because there are some things I want to do and others I don't.
- I want type-safety. That said, I want to be warned if I try to use a function
void (*)(const std::string&)as if it was a function
int (*)(double).
- Reflection can be processed from anywhere: from the first line to the last line of the main function.
- Even if the user has to register his classes and functions, I want that he could do it with as little code as possible and with no way to make errors.
- I want reflection to work on member functions, static member functions and c-style functions.
- I want reflection to work for types declared within namespaces.
- I want to be able to operate member function reflection on new instance or on specific instance.
This is a short constraints list and it guided me during the development by keeping in mind the final goal.
How I did?
Static variables
As I said in the constraints part, I want that the registration process should be as easy as possible and that reflection can be operated from anywhere in the code (starting from the first line of the main).
In the above code snippet, you can read a perfect example of what I want to avoid. The problem here is that the developer has to explicitly declare his classes and member functions from one of his own functions or from the main. The problem with that behavior is that if the developer use reflection on a type before registering this type, it will fail. Moreover, it is not really convenient for the developer to think to register a specific class at program startup.
We will need to automate this step so that the developer does not have to think about it.
And for this, we have static variables! Static variables are initialized automatically at program startup. The following example demonstrates it very easily:
So, what if we just simply use static variables to initialize our reflection engine? We can declare a static variable for each class and function we want to register. This will move the registration code from the main (or any other function) to a static member function that will handle the registration during its construction.
Ok, now we know how to handle the registration: with static variables.
However, it leads to a problem: we have a static variable for each class or function. So, the information is not centralized at one place: not really convenient for the final usage.
Just imagine we have registered 10 classes for registration: we don't want to find by ourselves which static variable contains the data about the type we want to use for reflection. We just simply want to do something like
So we need to centralize the information somewhere, in a single place: a single object that contains all the reflection information at any time of the program execution. I've called it the
Of course, this reflection_manager will be implemented as a singleton in order to be sure that only one instance of the manager can be alive and that all the information is stored in this object.
The idea is simple: each reflectable registers itself to the reflection_manager during its construction. Then, the developer calls the reflection_manager to operate the reflection.
The above code is just to make you understand the main idea behind the reflection manager: information centralization.
Register Class
Now, we have static variables to automatically register classes and functions at program startup, and we have a manager which centralizes the information and that can be used by the user to operate reflection on the registered types.
This is a good base to go further in the registration process. So let's begin with class registration.
In order to be able to retrieve the type at runtime to operate reflection, we will need to store it in our
reflectable class.
This can simply be done by using templates: we template our reflectable class on the type we want to use for reflection and that's all.
Moreover, we will also need the type's name. If we don't have it, we won't be able to retrieve the type by its name when the user will call our reflection engine with only a string containing the class name.
Let's update our reflectable class with these elements:
There is however a problem now: the manager can't store all the reflectable instances in the same container because of the addition of the template. So, if we want to have a unique container containing all the reflectable objects, we will need to create an abstraction of the reflectable type.
Then, instead of storing reflectable objects, we will simply store reflectable_base objects in our manager.
Simple isn't it?
Register Member functions
Registering classes is good, but it is not enough: we can't really do anything with this and we need to go further: registering member functions.
Before, I've said that we could use one static reflectable object per class or function. In fact, this is maybe not the best idea:
- It is painful to write
- It makes a looot of static variables
A more interesting approach would be store member functions of one class in the reflectable object of this class. The reflectable object will contain class information and its member functions information.
We will need to update our reflectable constructor in order to pass member functions information. For each function, we will need its name in a string and a pointer to it. The most important point here is that we can have a variable number of member functions. Some classes will be associated with only one member function, but another one may be associated with 4, 5, 6 or more member functions.
We may store all of this information in a container (for example a vector of
pair<function_name, function_pointer>), but each function will have its own signature, so it is complicated to store everything in the same container without losing any information, especially the signature of each function.
So, we need to operate differently: for example, taking a variable number of parameters in our reflectable constructor. This is absolutely possible and very easy to integrate thanks to C++11 variadic templates.
As you can see, we can now pass any member function as we want to our reflectable constructor. Functions can have any signature, this won't be a problem. You may notice that the declaration of the static reflectable object begins to be a little bit longer and annoying to do, but we will improve that later.
Now, we have passed our member functions to our reflectable class. This is good, but not enough: we now need to store them somewhere to use them later for reflection.
This is maybe the tricky part because we will need to store all our information in the same container: a vector of functions for example. That said, we need to abstract their types but, by doing this, we will loose the signature information.
But let's remember the goal. Our goal is to operate reflection with type safety. So, to have type safety, we need to be able to detect, at runtime, that we are trying to operate reflection on a function taking a string as parameter but that we are trying to use it with an integer parameter for example. So, we don't really need to know the signature of the member function when we are storing it: we just need to know it at runtime when we want to make reflection.
Is that possible? Yes, by using inheritance and dynamic_cast.
First, we can make a simple class-container, let's say
function<ReturnType(Params...)> where the function class is templated on the return type and on the parameters types (just like std::function).
Then, this class will inherit from a base class,
function_base, which is not templated.
This way, we can have a container of function_base objects: of course, we have now lost the information about the member functions signatures. However, we don't really care about it.
What we want is to detect a function signature mismatch between what is stored and what we are trying to do at runtime during the reflection process. And this can be achieved by using danymic_cast on the function_base object to cast it in its original type function<ReturnType(Params…)>.
For example, we will try to do
make_reflection<void(int, double)>("SomeClass::some_fct"). By specifying the expected signature of the function SomeClass::some_fct, we can try to downcast from
function_base to
function<void(int, double)>.
In case of success, well, the cast will work and everything will be good.
However, if there is a mismatch, the dynamic_cast will fail, resulting in an exception (or returning null pointer depending on whether we are dealing with references or pointers). And by detecting this fail, we will be able to say that reflection was not used correctly without any crash.
This is a lot of text and it may be a little hard to follow what I'm saying, so let's see some code to understand what I mean.
That's all for our function and function_base classes. In fact, as you can see, our function class is nothing more than a wrapper of std::function which inerits from function_base. This inheritance lets us store functions of different signatures in the same container.
Wahoo, that was short but intense. Maybe I should give some explanations about the previous piece of code.
First, we call the register_function in our constructor (
register_function(fcts...);). This function is here to "unpack" the variadic parameters. It's not the topic of this article to explain how variadic templates work and how they should be used, so I won't give more explanations about it. If you are not really familiar with this modern feature of C++, I advise you to give a look at some articles treating this subject: it's a really important notion to know when developing softwares in C++.
Ok, so what are we doing here?
First, we build a lambda with the same signature than the member function we are treating (
[f](Params... params) -> ReturnType {}).
In this lambda, we create an object of type Type, the class we are currently registering for reflection (
Type()), and we call our member function on this newly created instance (
Once again, if you are not familiar about recent C++ features like lambdas, I advise you to give a look to articles treating these subjects.
An interesting point about lambdas is that we can use them to initialize std::function instances. And, you know what? Our function class requires a std::function object in its constructor!
And it's exactly what we are going to do: initialize a function object with our lambda (
std::make_shared<function<ReturnType(Params...)>>(f_wrapper)), associate it with the function name (
{ f.first, function_object }) and store it in our functions list (
Very good, our member functions are now stored and ready to be used: we just have to add the missing reflection code, especially the dynamic_cast part that I've mentioned earlier.
Make reflection
Let's add the reflection!
I think the code speaks from himself here: we retrieve the member functions, we search the function the user asked. If we found it, we try to downcast from function_base to function object. And if the dynamic cast worked, then, we can call our function!
At this step, reflection has been operated! Cool, isn't it?
There is however a detail I don't really appreciate and you may have noticed it:
reflect<void, int, double>. It is not really readable compared to the syntax
reflect<void(int, double)>.
But this syntax can't be applied to member functions.
We can still however trick the language by creating a structure which wraps the call to reflection_manager::reflect<>. This structure will be templated on the function signature, just like the reflect member function. But here, we will be able to apply the std::function-template-design.
Better don't you think?
There is a last step, really important, that I want to talk about.
As I said in the beginning, I want the registration process to be easy and as little error prone as possible.
However, if you remember our currently initialization process, it's quite heavy and painful:
Not really convenient.
One way to simplify this is to use macros with the help of boost preprocessor library.
Boost preprocessor will help us to build macros with variadic number of arguments (for member functions), to iterate over these arguments and to build the static variable.
So, let's dive into the explanation.
We define a macro which takes as parameters the type of the class and the functions names.
These functions will be past as a boost preprocessor list:
This macro simply declares a static variable of type
reflectable<type>, gives a unique name to this variable by using the class type name (
reflectable_##type) and call the constructor with the appropriate params: class name and member functions.
But, of course, member functions can't be passed with the actual boost preprossor list syntax (
(val1)(val2)(val3)). We need to convert from
(val1)(val2)(val3) to
{"val1", &SomeClass::val1}, {...}, ....
For this, we use the boost PP macro,
BOOST_PP_SEQ_FOR_EACH_I, to call our own macro
__REFLEX_MAKE_REGISTERABLE_FUNCTION for each function of the list.
This macro is simple: it just builds a pair composed of the function name and the function pointer. We use
BOOST_PP_COMMA_IF to separate each pair with the previous one.
Just note that we use a
__REFLEX_TO_STRING macro to get the function name as a string instead of directly using the
# token. In fact, if we directly do
#function, we will get the following string:
"(val1)" instead of
In this case, the macros are quite simple, but it can quickly become a mess… Just get a look of the macros I use in my final implementation here.
And here is the final result:
What's next
This article is quite long and complex, so I've not covered everything: implementation for c-style functions, namespaced types, reflection on existing object, const member functions, … are not explained here. They will maybe be part of another article, but will not be integrated into this one. Moreover, code is simplified and cut at certain points to make the article more accessible.
If you are interested to go deeper in my implementation, you may be interested in reading the source code on the github repository here. I'll try to update the library as soon as I can, but I'm a little bit busy for the moment.
There also may be some little errors in the examples: that's is due to the fact I've extracted and modified some part of my implementation to explain more easily my implementation. If you see some errors, I'll be thankful if you report them so that I can improve my article!
Thanks for reading and I hope this article was interesting and clear enough so that everyone could understand it! Please give me a feedback in the comments, I'd be happy to read it.
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Life Without Principle (Movie)
Dyut meng gam
On a fateful day, three ordinary people suddenly find their destinies entwined when a loan shark gets assaulted after having withdrawn $10 million from the bank.
Category: Hong Kong Movie
Status: Completed
Released: 2011
Rating: NA (0 Votes) Rate it!
Life Without Principle (Movie) English Subtitle:
- Life Without Principle (2011) May 09, 2012
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