text:
Dr. Mark Dondi M. Arboleda takes-over as secretary of UPLB Graduate School effective March 4, 2015.
He succeeds Dr. Willie P. Abasolo who was appointed by the UP Board of Regents as the new dean of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources on March 3, 2015.
Dr. Arboleda is assistant professor at the School of Enviromental Science and Management (SESAM) where he teaches aquatic ecology, issues in aquatic environment, ecosystem dynamics, current issues in environment and water quality assessment. Most of his extension work, research and publication has centered on bioremediation, coastal resource management, aquatic biodiversity and conservation, climate change in the aquatic environment, marine biotechnology, microbiology, molecular biology. He previously taught at University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) and Ateneo de Manila University. He also held appointments as scientist and researcher at the UP Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and UP Natural Sciences Research Institute (NSRI) in Diliman.
Dr. Arboleda holds a bachelor's degree in biology. He obtained his PhD and Master of Science degrees in microbiology with minor in molecular biology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He attended several specialized trainings abroad which include UNESCO training courses in microbiology in University of Nottingham, UK in 1995 and in Osaka, Japan in 1993-1994.
The new GS secretary has written a number of international peer-reviewed articles. His well-cited article entitled "Vibrio sp.causing Porites ulcerative white spot disease" (co-written with Dr. Wolfgang Reichardt was published in Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, an international peer-reviewed journal. His other article "Epizoic Communities of Prokaryotes on Healthy and Diseased Scleractinian Corals in Lingayen Gulf, Philippines" also co-authored with Dr. Reichardt, was published in Microbial Ecology, a high-impact factor international scientific journal.
THE ESSENCE OF ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP. UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. (second from left) is flanked by Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., Dean, UPLB Graduate School, Dr. Mark Dondi M. Arboleda, new GS secretary and Dr. Willie P. Abasolo (extreme right), newly appointed dean of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR) during the University of the Philippines System academic leadership conference held in Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay City on March 9-11, 2015.
Source: UPLB website
The UPLB Graduate School marked milestones with the launching of two new masters-level degree programs and the celebration of its 42nd founding anniversary on December 1.
At the Thanksgiving Dinner-Fellowship held at the Graduate School multi-purpose hall, UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. led the launching of the Master of Science in Entomology, an off-campus program implemented in partnership with ANFLO Management and Investment Corporation (ANFLOCOR) in Panabo City, Davao del Norte. He also relaunched the Professional Masters in Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management (PM-TMEM), a joint program with the UP Marine Science Institute (MSI) of UP Diliman and UP Visayas.
Article by Mark Jayson E. Gloria, UPLB website
UP President Alfredo E. Pascual enjoined the UPLB graduate education faculty to intensify the internationalization of graduate programs during the Graduate Faculty Conference on Feb. 15 at the Tagaytay International Convention Center. Pascual, who gave the keynote speech during the Conference, said that UP's mandate as a research, graduate, and regional/global university are intertwined and interrelated. He also commended UPLB's tradition of excellence as a graduate and research university, especially in agriculture, forestry, veterinary medicine, and biotechnology.
Posted on March 4, 2015 by upweb_wordpress in In the News, Article by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc, photos by Abraham Arboleda
Responding to the mandates officially spelled out in Republic Act 9500 or the new UP System Charter of 2008, which elects UP to be a research and graduate university, among other roles, the UP Los Baños Graduate School convened a faculty conference to plot the path of the school to the future. The conference titled "Responding to the Challenges of a Research and Graduate University" was held on February 15 and 16, 2015 at the Tagaytay International Convention Center. It was attended by around 260 participants consisting of junior and senior graduate faculty members, committee chairs of degree-granting units, college deans, institute directors, department chairs, and heads of UP campuses.
What was once a silent and unoccupied area at the back of the Graduate School (GS) Building will soon become the site of a modern hub for graduate and international students of UPLB.
It will be called the Graduate School International Student and Cultural Center Building, as officially announced during the groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 2.
UP System, UPLB, and Nagoya University bigwigs were present during the occasion, which served as one of the highlights of the School's 43rd founding anniversary.
UP President Alfredo E. Pascual and Vice-President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny D. Uy joined UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., Graduate School Dean Jose V. Camacho, Jr., and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Portia G. Lapitan in the traditional groundbreaking ceremonies. read more
UP and Nagoya University (NU), through President Alfredo E. Pascual and UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. and NU President Seiichi Matsuo, respectively, have inked an agreement for UPLB to host the Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campus (NUASC) through the UPLB Graduate School.
This agreement makes the Philippines the eighth country to host the NUASC through which the Transnational Doctoral Programs for Leading Professionals in Asian Countries will be implemented. This will enable Filipino doctoral candidates to enroll in NU doctoral programs without having to be physically present in Nagoya for the whole duration of the course.
The agreement was formalized at the Executive Conference Room in BM Gonzalez Hall, UPLB on Dec. 2. Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., dean, Graduate School and Dr. Fumio Isoda, director, Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campuses Institute, served as witnesses of the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA). read more
UPLB and Nagoya University (NU) formally opened the NU satellite campus in the Philippines and held the International Symposium on the Internationalization of Graduate Education at Acacia Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa City on March 8.
UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. said in his message during the opening program that to be a globally competitive research and graduate university, UPLB must pursue joint programs and collaborative activities with international academic and research institutions. He cited as an example the Philippines Transnational Ph.D. Program for Leading Professionals in Asian Countries being implemented by UPLB and NU.
UP President Alfredo E. Pascual added that the program takes the University to a higher level and a step closer to being a globalized institution in terms of research and graduate education. It will also allow experts to build lifelong partnerships with NU without leaving the country. He issued a challenge for UPLB to become a leader in global intellectual conversations of tomorrow. read more
The Graduate School (GS) and the College of Public Affairs and Development (CPAf), together with UP Mindanao, launched the Mindanao Development Studies Seminars (MDSS) on May 13-14 at UP Mindanao, Davao City.
The MDSS aims to stimulate critical discussion about contemporary issues and challenges affecting the development of Mindanao.
Dr. Portia G. Lapitan, vice chancellor for academic affairs who delivered a speech on behalf of Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. reiterated the importance of Mindanao in the development of the country. She expressed her hopes that through the MDSS, participants would gain a more thorough insight of the issues affecting Mindanao.
"It is also my hope that this seminar would pave the way for scholars to engage in further discourse about Mindanao's key concerns and strive to influence national policies that would benefit the people of Mindanao," she added. read more
The Graduate School will hold its Hooding and Recognition Ceremony on June 24 at the DL Umali Freedom Park. During this occasion, the students who will have finished their doctoral program will be conferred their degrees through a ceremony in which their academic regalia (hoods) would be put on them by their advisers and University officials led by Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr and Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., dean of the Graduate School.
The guest of honor and keynote speaker for this year's ceremonies is Dr. Chamnian Yosraj, president of Maejo University in Thailand. Dr. Yosraj is a UPLB alumnus, having earned both his MS and Ph.D. degrees in Animal Science in 1983 and 1990, respectively. read more
The UPLB Graduate School (GS) held its 2016 Hooding and Recognition Ceremonies on June 24 at the DL Umali Freedom Park. Of the 279 graduates, 229 obtained master's degrees and 50 earned doctorate degrees.
In his opening remarks, Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. expressed confidence that the graduates will exceed expectations around them. "UPLB has prepared you to become leaders who have the intellectual capacity and the heart to contribute to your respective communities," he said. He also encouraged the graduates to use the knowledge they gained from the University not only in pursuing academic and intellectual endeavors, but also in addressing social concerns. read more
"How do you thank your benefactors? How do you thank the Filipino taxpayers? How do you thank the Filipino people as a whole?" asked UP President Alfredo E. Pascual to the 2,245-strong UPLB Class of 2016 on June 25 at the DL Umali Freedom Park.
President Pascual was the keynote speaker during the 44th Commencement Exercises of UPLB that started at six o'clock in the morning, a deviation from the usual afternoon-to-evening ceremonies in the University. He was introduced by Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. read more
UPLB and Kobe University (KU) in Japan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly develop academic programs and projects that will benefit both in their instruction, research and training programs.
The MOU, which covers a 5-year period, was signed by KU President Hiroshi Takeda on March 23 in KU while UPLB chancellor, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. signed it on April 21 at the BM Gonzalez Hall in UPLB. read more
UPLB, through the Graduate School (GS) and the College of Economics and Management (CEM) has launched the off-campus Master of Management program for employees of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) at the DBM headquarters in Paco, Manila on Nov. 26.
PS-DBM has provided partial scholarships to its deserving employees who will be on the MMgt program that is being implemented by UPLB for continuing organizational development in the former. According to Atty. Tomas C. Syquia, executive director of PS-DBM, "to be the best, we must be taught by the best," referring to the choice of UPLB as the partner institution. read me
In celebration of its 37th anniversary, the International Students Association (ISA), in cooperation with the International Student Services of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), staged its annual cultural night at the DL Umali Hall on Oct. 14.
According to Dr. Nina Cadiz, OSA director, the event was "meant to promote the welfare and cooperation of foreign students in UPLB and to promote the benefits of internationalization in a University" such as UPLB.
With the theme "Unifying Force for Global Community," the event featured song and dance performances of students from the Philippines, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. read more
In order to modernize pedagogy and equip faculty members with technology-mediated teaching strategies, the Interactive Learning Center (ILC) and Graduate School (GS) co-sponsored the workshop on Graduate Program Innovations: Hands-On Training on Blended Learning for faculty members on July 27-28, at the ILC Computer Laboratory, CAS Annex I Bldg.
Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., GS dean, lauded the participants for attending the workshop despite the fact that they were on teacher's leave. He said that since faculty members are in the forefront of the internalization efforts of the University and UPLB-GS has already embarked on off-campus offering, there is a need to conduct training programs on technology-mediated approaches that would help enhance the graduate programs of the University. read more
The UPLB Graduate School (GS) conducted its 2015 Hooding and Recognition Ceremonies on July 3 at the DL Umali Hall, conferring degrees on 48 Ph.D. and 212 masters candidates. It also gave recognition to its top five Ph.D. and masters candidates, and two recipients of special awards.
In his opening remarks, Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. advised the graduate students to actively participate in collaborative research activities that promote knowledge building and policy making, to publish their work, and serve the people. He further explained that as the ASEAN integration promotes mobility among faculty and students, it also presents UPLB an opportunity to pursue research and development policies in the region. read more
The Graduate School welcomes new staff officials to improve and strengthen its graduate services. On 15 November 2017, Dr. Mark Dondi M. Arboleda, former School Secretary since 2015, was officially appointed as Associate Dean; Dr. Aimee Lynn A. Barrion-Dupo as School Secretary; and Ms. Nanette A. Aquino as Assistant Secretary. Read more
Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo, Graduate School Secretary, was one of the 68 awardees of the UP Scientific Productivity System for CY 2017.
The UP Scientific Productivity System (SPS) aims to support the development of science and technology; and encourage and reward scientific productivity.
The nominees are evaluated according to the following: Scientific Productivity as measured by scientific publications, significant technological output and discoveries; Scientific Standing; and professional Standing
Visit http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/up-scientific-productivity-system-2/ for more details on the UP Scientific Productivity System.
This was hosted by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) from 10-11 December 2020 with the theme "Resilient Food and Agricultural System for Accelerating Economic Recovery: Strategy and Implementation". UPLB won some awards: Rodelina C. Deyto was awarded as the Best Presenter on the subtheme Sustainable Production System, and Emmanuel Flores was awarded as the Best Presenter for the subtheme on Logistic and Value Chain. Team Liwanag of UPLB also won 1st place for cultural performance.
As part of the celebration, GS hosted a 2-day webinar and the invited speakers shared their insights on the importance of graduate education, open science, open data, interdisciplinary collaboration, mentoring, research, and leadership. In addition, graduate faculty members, staff, and students had a virtual GS Nightout party on 18 December 2020. The GS Student Council organized an outreach where school supplies were given to the children of farmers in San Pablo, Laguna. Media snippets with greetings from GS friends can be watched via the following link: https://tinyurl.com/uplbgraduateschool.
The UP Board of Regents elected Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr. as the 10th chancellor of UPLB at its 1354th meeting on Sept. 24.
Dr. Camacho, dean of the Graduate School (GS) and a professor of economics at the College of Economics and Management (CEM), will serve a three-year term that will start on Nov. 1, 2020.
For more information, visit: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/dr-jose-camacho-jr-is-the-10th-uplb-chancellor/
From 01 November 2020 until a new GS Dean has been appointed, Dr. Jomar F. Rabajante will serve as the OIC-Dean, and Dr. Mark Dondi M. Arboleda will serve as the GS Secretary.
Graduate School Secretary, Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo is the new UP Faculty Regent.
Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo of the Institute of Biological Sciences (IBS) took her oath of office as the new UP Faculty Regent before UP President Danilo L. Concepcion on Jan. 8 at the UPCO Social Hall, UPLB.
Her two-year appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2022. She succeeds Dr. Ramon Guillermo of UP Diliman.
For more information, visit: https://uplb.edu.ph/all-news/dr-dupo-takes-oath-as-up-faculty-regent/
Sharing with you the SATISFACTION SURVEY results conducted last October-November 202O among the 800+ Graduate Students of UPLB on GS services.
Thank you for your participation and the insights that you have given us. We have taken note of the good as well as the things that need improvement. We are acting on things that will make our services more efficient and maintain those that make us a relevant and responsive unit of UPLB for graduate education.
Download PDFDr. Jomar F. Rabajante starts his tenure as the new dean of the UPLB Graduate School effective March 1, 2021. In his team are Dr. Ronilo Jose D. Flores as associate dean, Dr. Pamela A. Custodio as school secretary and Dr. Rhea Ledesma-Gumasing as assistant school secretary. Team GS202X aims to transform GS as a bastion of excellence towards reshaping the future of graduate school education.
The Graduate School launched the Mentoring Young Mentors Program to orient, train and mentor up and coming graduate school advisers and committee members on GS policies and processes , graduate curriculum design, mentorship and other aspects related to becoming a good mentor to our graduate students. This activity is part of GS' aim to Reshape the future of graduate education.#GS202x
GSCares was launched in order to reach out to GS constituents especially during this time of the pandemic. The GS, cognizant of the need for a venue outside of the classes to unwind, learn new things, get inspired and breathe, had organised the first episode which tackled issues on stress and coping in the now normal. Ms. Lavi Penaverde of Opus Ad Lucem, Inc and Ms. Aji Villamin of the Office of Counselling and Guiadance served as resource persons.
GS Dean Jomar F. Rabajante was named as one of the recipients of the very prestigious Outstanding Young Scientist Award for the year 2021 by the National Academy of Science and Technology, Department of Science and Technology. This award is conferred to Filipino scientists below the age of 40 who has contributed to science and technology in the Philippines. Congratulations!
The Official Graduate School page is https://www.facebook.com/UPLBGradSch/ . Information for the general public are usually posted there.
The Official UPLB Graduate Student's Group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/UPLBGradStudents/, a closed group for bonafide UPLB-GS Students only. Announcements and other useful information aimed for students are posted there. All GS students are encouraged to join the group.
The UPLB Graduate School programs is adopting the general framework, rationale, and guidelines, of
UP System Policy on the Second Semester AY 2019-2020 in the Time of Covid-19 and OC Memo No.
UPLB Graduate School Guidelines on the 2nd Semester AY 2019-2020
PDLC Signed Implementing Guidelines BOR Decision on the Second Semester
Click here for the notice from the Office of the University Registrar.
Deadline of Preregistration COI: August 10, 2020. We cannot move it further just like the previous sems because we will also be arranging the Virtual Graduation. Well try our best to encode late submissions for the prereg, if not it will be good for the regular registration.
To Process your COI:
(1) download and accomplish COI Form: https://www.uplbgraduateschool.org/img/NEW-COI-FORM.pdf
(2) Sign with your e-signature and fill-up all necessary information.
(3) Email it to the Professor in charge so that they can attach their e-signature.
(4) Submit the e-signed COI to Mr. Rivera at: email@example.com on or before August 10, 2020 for encoding with SUBJECT: COI 1st 2020-2021 BODY: Full name, Student no, SAIS ID. Use your UP Mail when submitting anything to GS.
Note: COI is NOT Enrollment. It is only a Prerequisite, GS only removes the restriction. Students still needs to do self-service enrollment via SAIS on August 18-21.
Kindly read Updates and FAQs posted in our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UPLBGradSch before emailing us. We are experiencing heavy email traffic. Help us help you and help others through self-service information.
Click here for the GS Important Dates 1st Semester 2020-2021
Click here for the UPLB Academic Calendar
Click on the links in the PDF file to view the e-Forms. Downloadables and e-Forms are also available at https://www.uplbgraduateschool.org/resources/downloads/ . Instructions on accomplishing the forms are also embedded in the e-forms. After generating the form, e-sign and email the PDF one by one to all signatories so that they can affix their e-signatures, submit it via email at: email@example.com. (usually when only the GS Secretary and Dean's e-signature are missing).
The UPLB Graduate School (GS) constituents (faculty, students, REPS, administrative staff, alumni) are invited to the webinar presentation of the Accomplishment Report of the Out-going Dean, Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., on 21 January 2021, Thursday, 3:00 pm. This will be followed by the presentation of the mission, vision and plans of the nominees for the New GS Dean.
Those who would like to attend this webinar on Zoom may register at this link:
To get to know more about the nominees, please click this link:
All Constituents (Faculty, REPS, Staff, Students) with UP Mail, submitting digital files to the Graduate School should be through the UPLB GS Online Document Submission System: https://www.odss.uplbgraduateschool.org instead of emailing them to us.
Those who do not have access to UP Mail (Applicants, Alumni, etc.) may submit using the previous protocol (through email). Please do not submit documents through this system and email at the same time to avoid duplicate tracking.
Demonstration and Tutorial: https://youtu.be/b5SvOfi53i4
All Graduate Students are to follow this process. The OUR Process is more intended for undergraduate students.
This document is live and will be updated when necessary. Always check this Google Doc for updates. We will centralize all enrolment updates in this document for easy reference.
(updated 27 May 2021)
- 29 April to 5 May: Reading/Wellness Break
- 13 May: Last Day of Clearing Deficiencies
- 14 May: Last day of Online Application for Graduation (https://www.uplbgraduateschool.org/applicationforgraduation)
- 14 May: Last Day of Submission of Nomination of Advisory Committee for new regular PHD (https://www.uplbgraduateschool.org/generatenac_phd)
- 14 May: Last Day of Submission of Nomination of Guidance Committee and Plan of Coursework for New regular Master's
- 19 May: Deadline for Dropping of Courses
- 25 May: Last Day of Holding of Activities
- 31 May: Deadline of Filing of LOA
- 31 May: Deadline of Submission of Deferred Grade Completion (incurred during 2S 2019-2020) [deadline moved to August 7, 2021]
- 4 June: Last day of Filing Application for Final Examination (https://www.uplbgraduateschool.org/generateapp4exam)
- 11 June: Last day of classes
- 11 June: Deadline of submission of Plan of Study of New PHD Students
- 11 June: Deadline of Revision in Plan of Coursework
- 11 June: Deadline of Change in Member/Adviser in Guidance/Advisory Committee
- 18 June: Last Day to conduct Final Examinations. Note Application for Final Exam must be filed at least 2 weeks from actual exam date and not later than 4 June.
- 25 June: Last Day of Submission of Manuscripts.
- 25 June: Last Day of Submission of Grades.
For the 2nd Semester 2021-2022 Enrollment process, please go to: https://tinyurl.com/GSReg2nd2022
Please be reminded that physical enrollment transactions are not allowed at the Graduate School Office. Carefully read and reread the enrollment process document before inquiring. It is better to spend 5-10 minutes reading than to wait for our reply 3-5 days later. We will put all updates at the bottom of the document for your easier reference.
For inquiries regarding enrollment, you may submit it at
All enrollment inquiries should be through this link. Do not email any enrollment concern to any Graduate School Email and/or Staff Members. Do not email the GPMC or RegCom with concerns other than matters specified in the enrollment process document.
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES LOS BAÑOS DOST-ASTHRDP Scholarship Program
is in need of:
POSITION: Project Assistant III (Project-based)
SALARY: P31,262.40/month
Send your letter of intent and CV on or before February 22,2022 to email@example.com with the email subject UPLB-DOST_PAlll [your last name]
Payment of fees extended until 11 March.
If you still have registration issues, please attend 08 March (Tuesday) Zoom meeting, 3pm. Link can be found in the Updates page of the GS Enrollment Process Google Doc.(https://tinyurl.com/GSReg2nd2022) There will also be one last Zoom meeting for enrollment concerns on Thursday, March 10, 3PM check GS Enrollment Process Google Doc again for updates. (https://tinyurl.com/GSReg2nd2022)
Dr. Mark Dondi M. Arboleda takes-over as secretary of UPLB Graduate School effective March 4, 2015.
He succeeds Dr. Willie P. Abasolo who was appointed by the UP Board of Regents as the new dean of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources on March 3, 2015.
The 43rd Commencement Exercises of UPLB will be held on Saturday, July 4, 2015 at the D.L. Umali Freedom Park in front of the D.L. Umali HAll (UPLB Auditorium).
Click here to download the instructions


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Camera / Camcorder - USB
Before Connecting
Through USB connection, you can use the TV to navigate to your camera storage folder through the TV menu, and then playback still images or videos on the TV.
- USB viewer supports FAT16, FAT32 and exFAT file systems.
- When connecting a Sony Digital Still Camera to the TV with a USB cable, USB connection settings on your camera need to be set to Auto or Mass Storage mode.
- Avoid losing your files by backing up all your media files stored onto a USB device. Sony will not take any responsibility for lost or damaged data stored on a USB device.
- Depending on the file, playback may not be possible even for the supported formats.
Making a Connection and Playback
- Connect the camera/camcorder to the TV USB port to enjoy photo, music and video files stored in the device.
- Turn on the connected USB device.
- Press the HOME button on your TV remote to display the menu, then select Media at the bottom of the screen.
- Select Photos, Music or Videos on this menu.
Using the (Up) / (Down) buttons, look for the name of the connected device. Press the (Enter) button to view the content.
If you select a folder, select the file using the (Up) / (Down) buttons, then press the (Enter) button. Playback starts. - To return to the last viewed source, press the HOME button twice.
To automatically display thumbnail view or a slideshow
You can set to automatically display thumbnail view or a slideshow when a USB device containing photo files is connected.
You can also set to not automatically display a slideshow or thumbnail view.
Press the HOME button, then select Settings → System Settings → General Set-up → USB Auto Start → Browse Photos, Start Slideshow or Off.
- Photo files must be stored in a folder under the DCIM folder for automatic playback. Also, the folder name under the DCIM folder is required to be a combination of 3 numerals and 5 letters (can include "_"), for example, 101MSDCF.
Video files from Sony camera/camcorder are located in the following folder structure (hierarchal position):
- Scrolling a panoramic photo is available only when Slideshow Effect is set to Simple/Dissolve. To confirm the setting, press the OPTIONS button, then select Playback Options → Slideshow Effect.
Only the panoramic JPEG files in the following horizontal/vertical
sizes can be scrolled. (If the JPEG file is edited on a PC, etc.,
scroll may not be possible.)
- For horizontal scroll: 4912/1080, 7152/1080, 3424/1920, 4912/1920, 12416/1856, 8192/1856, 5536/2160, 3872/2160, 10480/4096, 11520/1080
- For vertical scroll: 1080/4912, 1080/7152, 1920/3424, 1920/4912, 1856/12416, 1856/8192, 2160/5536, 2160/3872, 4096/10480, 1080/11520
Displaying a 3D Sweep Panorama photo is available only when Slideshow Effect is set to Simple. (This feature is available on 3D-compatible models only.)
To confirm the setting, press the OPTIONS button, then select Playback Options → Slideshow Effect.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sunday, October 27, 2013
North Korea\'s nuclear strength grows in isolation
SEOUL: If the international community\'s main goal is to push North Korea towards denuclearization, does the fact that Pyongyang is racing in precisely the opposite direction suggest a fundamental policy failure?
The question has taken on added urgency following a succession of monthly warnings sounded by satellite imagery analysis that the North\'s nuclear weapons programme is gathering pace.
In August, images suggested the North had doubled its uranium enrichment capacity at its Yongbyon nuclear complex.
In September, they indicated that the plutonium reactor that provided the fissile material for at least two of its three nuclear tests had been re-started, and just last week they pointed to preparatory work for another detonation at its nuclear test site.
\"Pyongyang is moving ahead on all nuclear fronts,\" believes US nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker, a leading expert on the North\'s weapons programme.
Since coming to power in late 2011 following the death of his father, North Korea\'s young leader Kim Jong-Un has overseen a successful long-range rocket launch and the North\'s third — and largest — nuclear test.
\"Denuclearization must remain the goal, but it is a more distant one following these new developments,\" Hecker wrote in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
If there is clear agreement on where the North is heading, there is little consensus on how best to stop it getting there.
The key question for the international community is the same as it has always been — whether to engage with Pyongyang or not.
Both North Korea and its main ally China want a return to six-party talks grouping China, the two Koreas, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Washington and Seoul are adamant that Pyongyang must first demonstrate a commitment to denuclearization, but the North has repeatedly stated it has no intention of abandoning its weapons programme.
The result is almost total impasse at a time when the North is making possibly its greatest strides towards achieving a credible nuclear deterrent.
\"There is no diplomatic mechanism in place today that offers any prospect for slowing or stopping the North\'s WMD programmes,\" former senior US state department official Evans Revere said in a paper published this month by the Washington-based thinktank Brookings Institution.
\"The road to further development of these programmes by North Korea is now wide open, and Pyongyang is taking it,\" Revere said.
Supporters of the principle of no substantive dialogue without prior progress on denuclearization argue that to do otherwise would be tantamount to accepting Pyongyang\'s recent progress towards nuclear statehood.
\"Returning to talks now... would allow North Korea to have reset the table for negotiations in a way that undercuts the goals of North Korean nuclear disarmament,\" said Paul Haenle, a former US representative at the six-party dialogue.
At the same time, Haenle, now the director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing noted that dialogue with Pyongyang in the past at least had the merit of slowing the North\'s weaponisation programme down.
Since the last six-party talks in December 2008 the brakes have clearly been taken off, with the North conducting two nuclear tests, revealing a uranium enrichment facility and putting a satellite in orbit with a launch widely seen as a ballistic missile test.
International sanctions have been expanded but, despite increased cooperation from China, they still lack the intensity to present Pyongyang with a choice between nuclear weapons and economic survival.
Barring a sudden implosion of the regime, Revere believes talks are the only real option — and at the very highest level.
\"If the goal is to convince North Korea to implement its denuclearization commitments, nothing short of a dialogue with the North\'s leader or his inner circle is likely to achieve this,\" he said.
Nearly two years after taking over, Kim Jong-Un remains something of a mystery, although most experts agree he has successfully negotiated the tricky power transition.
Initial hopes that he had a reformist bent have since withered, but long-time North Korea watcher Andrei Lankov believes the young leader will have to take risks spurned by his father, Kim Jong-Il, if he wants to stay in power.
Kim Jong-Il was nearly 60 by the time he had consolidated his leadership after the death of his father Kim Il-Sung.
The North\'s economy was already in dire straits, but reform carried risks for stability and Lankov argues that Kim gambled on the system outlasting him even if he did nothing.
\"Dying a natural death was Kim Jong-Il\'s major strategic goal, and he achieved it,\" said Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul.
By contrast, the 30-year-old Kim Jong-Un — his exact age is disputed — will have to gamble on some economic reforms if he wants to remain where he is into old age.
But reforming such a tightly-controlled economy risks destabilizing the Kim dynasty\'s hold on power and could usher in a period of national vulnerability that the regime believes is best negotiated with a nuclear deterrent.
\"The bad news is that a reforming North Korea will remain nuclear,\" Lankov told a recent conference on North Korea held in Seoul.
\"The North Korean regime believes nukes are important precisely because reforms make them less stable,\" he added.
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Students, ignore everything your parents, teachers, and professors have told you and listen carefully: Doodling in class can make you a star.
At least, that is what it has done for Emerson student Jody Steel, whose remarkable drawings, usually on her right thigh, have won her buzz, hundreds of thousands of views online, and job offers.
Since starting at Emerson College in 2011, the Florida native has been using her leg as a canvas on which to produce portraits of Bryan Cranston as Walter White in "Breaking Bad," Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, and "Don Jon" actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Celebrity crushes, favorite television shows, and an occasional cat have found their way onto her leg as she carefully draws with a Pilot Precise V5 pen during class lectures.
The delicate shadings of her work bring to mind a series of pop-culture chiaroscuro sketches. They are documented on her iPhone and then lost to the ages with the help of soap and water.
Steel posted her leg art to the website imgur.com, where it has been viewed more than half a million times. The number of views skyrocketed when the drawings were linked to Tumblr, Reddit, and 9Gag. Google search "Walter White leg drawing," and Steel's drawing is the top result.
"Completely unexpected," Steel said of the attention. "Obviously you always hope your art will be seen, but I wasn't expecting it to go so big and international."
As her doodled masterpieces went viral, they became international curiosities. The story was picked up by websites in France and Britain and in newspapers across Europe. Now a website in Brazil is touting her talents. She has posted many of these stories to her Facebook fan page.
She completes the sketches, which include "Nightmare on Elm Street" slasher Freddy Krueger, cast members from "Game of Thrones," even depictions of the muscles and tendons inside her leg, in the time it takes to sit through a class.
(Clearly, giving a professor your full attention is overrated. Steel, a visual media, arts, film production major, says she is a straight-A student.)
She has also received more than creepy, anonymous Internet comments about her legs out of all of this. But job offers have started rolling in from as far away as Hong Kong.
"People from all around the world are asking me to either do company designs or logos," she said. "I don't know how much I'm allowed to disclose about that. I've been signing nondisclosure agreements for some of the bigger companies."
One of the first jobs that came as a result of the leg doodlings was from a professor who did not mind that Steel was splitting her attention between drawing and listening. Professor Cynthia Miller, who was teaching a class called "Making Monsters" in the fall of 2011, was so impressed with Steel's work that she asked her to illustrate her book "Steaming into a Victorian Future: A Steampunk Anthology."
"Jody was a terrific student, contrary to the stories that have sprung up about her doodling out of boredom," Miller said. "She was always multitasking. She was attentive and right in the thick of things in class discussion, but with the creative part of her brain always working at the same time. I think she processed material better, actually, when she was drawing."
Although she is interested in a job in film design and production, rather than art, Steel said drawing has always been second nature to her. As the awkward kid in middle school and high school, she would draw during class, striking up friendships when other students asked her about the art. At Emerson, she is known as the thigh artist, or simply as an artist, and has worked on student films.
The thigh drawings were the result of not having paper available, she said. Given the limitations of her medium, she can be critical of her work. She wishes she had added more detail to the cat or worked harder on Aaron Taylor-Johnson's face now that they have been so widely seen.
"I know I can do better on every piece that I draw," she said. "I look at it, and I'm critical of the line work and the shading and the proportions. But they are what they are."
Steel recently got her first tattoo and realized that intricate detail is not always a good thing.
"I had a yin and yang koi fish tattooed on my side," she said. "It was from one of my drawings. so there was a lot of detail — and also a lot of pain."
Christopher Muther can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Muther.


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- Home
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- Forestry
- Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald Ash Borer
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a small beetle that is invasive in Minnesota and many other states. It was discovered in Michigan in 2002, and has since spread to many east coast and midwest states, and continues to spread west. The larvae feed on ash tree inner bark, killing the tree within a few years depending on the tree's size.
In May 2018, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) confirmed an EAB infestation in Burnsville. The discovery was made in the area of McAndrews Road and 139th Street, in the central part of Burnsville. A map of infested areas can be found on the MDA's EAB Status Map (zoom in to see locations). Most of Burnsville is now considered "generally infested" by the MDA.
Property Owners Encouraged to Take Action Now
Property owners are responsible for trees on their property. Left unprotected, ash trees will be killed by EAB.
If you have one or more ash trees, you should consider whether you want to save or remove them. This Decision Guide (PDF) can help you determine the best course of action for your ash tree(s). You can also consult a professional arborist to examine your trees. The University of Minnesota offers advice on "How to Hire a Professional Arborist."
OPTION 1: Removal
If an ash tree is unhealthy or you don't plan on treating it, then the tree should be removed following Minnesota Department of Agriculture guidelines for EAB-infested areas. These guidelines call for ash tree removal during the EAB Dormant Season (when the beetles are not actively flying), which is October 1 - May 1.
Please do not remove ash trees during the EAB Active Season (May 2 to September 30). In this time period the potential spread of EAB is high, as the tree is disturbed or wood is moved around. If removal is necessary during the Active Season, special precautions should be taken such as chipping the wood on site or enclosing the wood during transport.
If removal of an infested ash tree is delayed, the costs to remove that tree are likely to increase because it's more dangerous to remove an ash tree heavily infested by EAB. If hiring out for tree removal, residents must hire a City-licensed tree contractor (PDF).
OPTION 2: Pesticide Treatment
If an infestation is caught early in an otherwise healthy ash tree, an appropriate pesticide treatment will kill EAB and save the tree. Residents interested in this method should hire a City-licensed tree contractor (PDF) with a commercial pesticide applicator's license. Residents are responsible for the full cost of treatments for private ash trees.
The City recommends a trunk injection method for applying pesticide treatments. The standard trunk-injected EAB treatment will protect trees for two years. Learn more about pesticide treatments by reading the MDA's EAB: Homeowner's Guide to Selection, Use, and Environmental Protection (PDF).
Discounted Treatment Pricing
Residents may take advantage of City contract pricing to treat ash trees. In 2022-2024, the City's contractor is Rainbow Treecare. The cost of treatments by Rainbow Treecare for private ash trees in Burnsville is $6.70 per inch of diameter at base height (DBH).To schedule a treatment, call Rainbow Treecare at (952) 767-6920.
DBH is a standard measure taken of the tree trunk at 4 1/2 feet above the ground. Tree companies will measure this for you. However, if you want to measure the DBH yourself, wrap a measuring tape around the tree trunk at 4.5 feet above the ground. Divide that number by 3.14 to calculate DBH.
Help Stop the Spread of EAB
Dakota County is on the MDA's list of EAB quarantined counties. The quarantine restricts the movement of ash trees, ash limbs and branches, ash stumps and roots, ash logs, ash lumber, ash wood, or ash bark chips from a quarantined county into a non-quarantined county. In addition, hardwood firewood of any kind (ash, oak, etc.) may not be moved from a quarantined county into a non-quarantine county. More details about the quarantine can be found on the Emerald Ash Borer - Minnesota Quarantine webpage.
Firewood presents a very real threat to our urban forest. Insects can hitch a ride on firewood anytime it's moved. Here are some tips to using firewood so that you don't accidentally introduce insect pests into new areas:
- Use local or heat-treated firewood -- Look for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture certified logo on firewood. Here's a list of Certified Firewood Producers in Minnesota.
- Don't bring it with you -- Buy firewood once you reach your destination.
- Use it up -- When you purchase firewood, use it up and don't bring it to another area.
Treatment of Public Ash Trees to protect against EAB
The City of Burnsville's Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Management Plan dedicates funding over 10 years to treat nearly 2,500 public ash trees in parks and boulevard right-of-ways, remove others that are in poor condition or become infested, and plant new trees.
In 2017, the City treated about 1,200 public ash trees to protect them from EAB and removed about 270 poor quality ash trees. In 2018, about 1,050 good quality trees were treated and about 200 poor quality trees were removed.
Many of the public ash trees being treated grow in boulevards (street right-of-ways). The standard right-of-way for residential properties extends 15 feet into yards from the curb. Ash trees growing within boulevards are considered public trees and, if they are of good quality, will be treated to protect them from EAB.
Residents with boulevard ash trees scheduled for treatment will be notified by postcard before treatment occurs. Ash trees on private property but not within the boulevard right-of-way are the responsibility of the property owner.
The City's Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan
In 2013, City Council approved the EAB Management Plan, which outlines a multi-step approach to dealing with EAB. The plan calls for:
- Removal of poor quality public ash trees (park and boulevard right-of-way trees) and replacement with non-ash tree species
- Treatment of good quality public ash trees (park and boulevard right-of-way trees)
- Strategies for privately-owned ash trees
- Public outreach and communication
Download the entire Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan (PDF) (2013) or read a Summary of the EAB Management Plan (PDF) (2015).
Learn More about EAB
To learn more about the Emerald Ash Borer, check out the following:
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Emerald Ash Borer webpage
- Learn the Signs and Symptoms of an Emerald Ash Borer (PDF) infestation.
- Check out EAB Frequently Asked Questions.
Questions? Call the City of Burnsville Forestry Department at (952) 895-4508


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Welcome to the WEVA International Members Links Service. While WEVA International does not endorse, guarantee or take responsibility or reliability of the content of these links, it is an area reserved for members who wish to provide immediate information regarding their services via the Internet.
This section is not a membership directory. WEVA International's membership database maintains a worldwide referral list of over 4,100 professional videographers, including those linked in this section. For further information about additional member referrals in your area please e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com
Or click a state below:


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Protecting the Environment
Dear Customer,
USD's Pollution Prevention Environmental Programs mission statement is "to meet the wastewater management needs of businesses, residents and contractors in the area of water quality regulation and public education (sanitary sewer and storm water discharges), in order to protect the integrity of the sewer system and reduce pollutant discharges from the District's service area into San Francisco Bay"
"What is Pollution Prevention?"
Pollution Prevention is a choice; a choice to make a difference in how we as individuals conduct day to day activities. Pollution Prevention in its simplest terms means preventing pollution before it begins by making a conscious effort to change the way we normally do specific activities and projects.
"What does this mean to me?"
Too often, many of us look for the easiest and quickest method to complete a task without ever considering the potential environmental pollution that we may have created. Although federal law regulates the actions of businesses in regard to pollution-causing activities, true pollution prevention begins with the efforts of individuals.
"How can I learn about Pollution Prevention or help do my part to prevent pollution?"
The Union Sanitary District Environmental Programs have staff dedicated to informing the community about Pollution Prevention. This web page is just one of the tools that we use to promote pollution prevention to the communities we serve, and is designed to provide valuable information about the latest pollution prevention materials and programs. Select the following for
More Information:
- Less Toxic Home and Garden
- Residential Car Wash
- Disposal of Wastes (including Fats, OIls, and Grease (FOG), medicines, and household hazardous wastes)
- Demolition
- Installing Copper Pipe
- Stormwater Program
- Green Business Program
- Our staff is available to answer your questions!


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Events | 27 May, 2024
May Half term Junior Academy 2024
Budding young golfers will enjoy the new fantastic Junior Academy coming up next May, back by popular demand.
Use the Half term holidays as a chance for your children to hone their skills at the Junior Golf Academy.
With expert tuition and small group sizes there is no better way for children to learn the art, and the fun, of golf.
Courses will be taking place over the weeks taking place from 27th May to 31st May 2024, between 14:00h and 16:00h.
This is a perfect opportunity for children who have already had some golfing experience but now want to progress to a new level and to perhaps challenge their parents by the end of the week!
Price: €125 per child for the 5 days
Pre-registration required. Classes will take a maximum number of 10 children.
Vale do Lobo Golf Club
Tel. 289 353 464
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Green light for mixed-use complex on 25A
A 49,100-square-foot commercial development on Route 25A in Wading River received site plan approval from the Riverhead Planning Board Thursday night.
Central Square at Wading River, which was one of the four large proposed commercial projects in Wading River that some residents had cited in early 2011 in asking the town to restudy the zoning along Route 25A in Wading River, is slated for 18 vacant acres just east of a CVS pharmacy on the south side of Route 25A. The property is owned by the William and Ioannis Zoumas family.
"We had anticipated the approval," said Wading River Civic Association president Sid Bail, who is among the community members concerned with overdevelopment in Wading River. "We hope that this project will be developed in a way that will respect the rural character of Wading River."
The Central Square plan calls for six buildings, four just under 10,000 square feet each would have retail and office space. Another 4,250-square-foot building would have only office space only, and a 5,300-square-foot building near the front of the property would have a 150-seat restaurant, according to the site plan.
The back half of the 18-acre property is zoned residential and is not proposed to be developed under the Central Square application.
The Central Square plans were first submitted in the fall of 2010.


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Trashing Saudi Cutout States and Ransacking their Gold
Politics / Middle East Mar 01, 2014 - 10:46 AM GMTBetrayals occur in high places, even the highest offices of the land. Furthermore, betrayals occur with some of the most important allies for the nation. See the official German gold account thefts, called euphemistically the repatriation demand. See the shredding of the Constitution, by virtue of the Patriot Act which could easily pass for a comprehensive Fascist Manifesto. See the renege on the Chinese gold lease, on the back end of the Most Favored Nation status granted in 1999. See the permitted security agency narcotics centered in Afghanistan, with its vertically integrated business operation, the clearing house function in Iraq, and money laundering among New York banks, whose product fills American streets. See the numerous deals for stolen Defense weapons, in particular those conducted by the favored US ally, accounted for by means of scrap metal costs associated with entire systems, the details promised the day before 911 but never to have arrived. See the planned bank account confiscations and pension fund confiscations, the procedures having been worked into law, or imminently, as the sacred privacy is stripped. See the string of Executive Decrees, which trample on rights in every conceivable manner, including life itself. See the NSA surveillance, which has been revealed not only for ordinary diverse communications but also for stealing trade secrets and monitoring discussions behind walls during trade deals. Now the latest. See the trashing of the Saudis, and the outright theft of their vast gold held on account in London.
The betrayals run deep. The people far and wide should come to grips that nazis (fascists with a stern nationalist streak) as they attack the enemy nations, create new enemies from the neutral nations, and alienate their allies. They control and pilfer gold wealth from their enemies and neutral nations alike, but they defraud their allies in even more gigantic volumes. See the subprime mortgage bonds, the USTreasury Bond bubble, but also the physical gold bullion rehypothecation, and the Gold futures contracts. The United States will win global isolation, which will serve as the exact opposite of what the once great nation had grown accustomed to. The process is well along, in an advanced stage of pathogenesis like a cancer running parallel with toxic bonds and money. Wealth of the world is being looted by the Elite. People must realize that banker nazis predominantly speak the english language, and prefer the tailored suit with $1000 cufflinks to the military uniform and SS lapel pins. Instead of a goose step, they step on the wealth of client states. They demand a salute to the flags they capture in an ostentatious display of power and abuse. They also amazingly produce deceptive movies that win Oscar awards or receive nominations.
A new, higher level, and far deeper betrayal has caught attention. The betrayal in progress strikes directly at the heart of the Global Paradigm Shift. It is the trashing of the Saudi cutouts, whose kingdom's boundaries were created by the British in the 1950 decade, and whose king was recognized formally by the West. They have served their purpose, but no more. They will be disposed of, and their wealth rung out like from dirty laundry to produce coins in the pockets when turned upside down before the wash cycle. They dutifully recycled their petro surpluses. They defended the Petro-Dollar defacto standard for 40 years. Their USTreasury Bonds and Wall Street bank stocks might be safely tucked away, but their Gold Accounts are being systematically stolen in London. Their gold is needed too much to preserve the system that lacks gold in urgency. The Saudis are being thrown under the bus, their gold stolen, their image vilified. With the Petro-Dollar in the triage of Intensive Care, the OPEC cartel will soon be overshadowed by the Nat Gas Coop. The Russian Gazprom connection to Iran will replace the Saudi dominance to defend the USDollar in global crude oil sales. The USMilitary is being superseded by the Chinese Military in the important protectorate role throughout the Persian Gulf region. No nation will step forward to defend the Saudis or to prevent their gold wealth from being pilfered. The Anglo-American Elite will justify the thefts by claiming the Saudis gained the riches at the command of the West.
The following came out of a conversation, a string of messages shared with some colleagues and a London source. "There will be no easy heads-up alert on the quick changes to the gold market. My suspicion is that when the gold price starts rising, it will mean that China no longer has been given the big wide berth in high volume cheap gold purchases. A rising gold price will internally mean that the banks are breaking, at the same time the Chinese are to be frustrated. The Boyz are stealing all the Saudi gold now, left unprotected in London and Switzerland. The Saudis (and all Arabs) are the new targeted victims for stolen wealth in order to keep the system going. A massive disruption is coming." The Arab Spring might have an ulterior motive to create enough disruption and chaos, so that their gold can be stolen from central banks. Notice the oil wealth from Iran is being converted to gold, which angers the Anglo-American duo. The rehypothecation of official gold accounts has entered a new phase. The gold owned by defenders of the Petro-Dollar is being seized, confiscated, pilfered, and stolen for the unspoken purpose of continuing the fiat paper currency regime with the tainted debauched USDollar at the center. The Saudi gold in London will be totally gone in a few more months. To be sure, it is going mostly to China. The Saudis are being gutted. They will likely be on the run soon, their gold bars cut loose. They might be hunted.
The Iran hotbed is expanding, as the plot thickens. The painted image of Iran changes in slow motion, as the damage control over Saudi angst is managed in clumsy style. Switzerland has become a top exporter to Iran suddenly. The old uncomfortable bedfellows Iraq and Iran have teamed together in a plot of an oil revolution in challenge to the previously unchallenged Saudi Arabian dominance. Iran is being described as more constructive, while the Saudis are more often vilified. The billboard message is the demise of the Petro-Dollar. The Saudis are under internal damage control. A grand transition comes where the Saudi-led OPEC fades away, and the Gazprom-led Nat Gas Coop takes control with Iran as a key power broker. This is truly a new chapter unfolding. Not one in a hundred Americans comprehends the changes, but many are awakening to the energy angle of geopolitics, especially with Ukraine in the spotlight. The key piece overlooked by the American public, and much of the West, is the death in progress of the defacto Petro-Dollar standard. The ramifications are tremendous to the global banking systems. The USDollar is fast losing its global reserve status. The USTreasury Bond is the object of diversification, understood finally to be a toxic bond.
The Persian Gulf is undergoing rapid change, in a constant state of flux. Detente with Iran has many sides emerging, the eased tensions unfolding. Switzerland has lifted a ban on precious metal trade with Iranian public entities. It has eased its restrictions on trade in petro-chemical products, on transport of Iranian oil and petroleum products, and on insurance contracts provided to cover energy shipments until August. On the other side, the Oil for Gold swap through intermediaries should keep the Swiss gold refineries working overtime. Turkey might lie in the intermediary position between the Swiss and Iran. Do not be fooled by the so-called Iran Nuclear Talks. They are the Petro-Dollar Surrender Talks, with a nuclear proliferation rider under discussion. The truth is that Iran through its sanction workarounds, has wrecked the Petro-Dollar and provided a working prototype for Gold Trade Settlement. They accomplished the difficult task under the aegis of Chinese & Russian protection. History is being made on the financial annals. The King Dollar has a throne still, but it no longer casts a shadow. The throne will collapse under the weight of fraud, theft, and toxicity.
The Saudis are on the defensive. They are surrounded by Shiites with enormous natural gas reserves and output. They are being challenged for OPEC leadership, both in a political sense and an energy output sense. The Saudis are fading in oil output, having depleted most deposits like the Ghawar oilfield. For years they have lied about excess reserve capacity. The Saudis are going to be an easy mark to knock off their own version of a peacock throne. It is clear that OPEC will not go away. The Saudi-led oil cartel will fade in importance though, while the Nat Gas Coop eclipses it as a vital cog to the newly forming Petro-Yuan steamship. The process is well along, with Shanghai oil pricing, Chinese weapon deals, and a new Chinese naval presence in the Gulf. The process extends with painted billboards, public statements, and basic wind changes. Iran is being described as more constructive in the Persian Gulf. The Saudis will continue to be vilified, especially with exposure of terrorism projects and assassination roles. Watch as Iran demonstrates more influential friends in China & Russia. Iran has a new moderate energized leader, while the Saudis have a geriatric moribund king once comatose and thought dead.
A sea change must be managed. Expect it to be awkward and not too credible, even a bit humorous and pathetic. The US and Saudis are in conflict, soon to become an open nasty dispute. Later it will go hostile, maybe hot with open violence, or covert violence (the Langley favorite). Besides, the London Boyz are stealing the Saudi gold accounts. The pilferage requires that the Saudi Royals must be vilified and demonized thoroughly. In return, the Saudis will launch a counter-offensive perhaps with Chinese assistance. In truly awkward and hypocritical manner, the United States is trying to change allies, or at least permitting an Iranian detente. In the process, the US will win extreme isolation. A certain Saudi damage control will be necessary, but the winds will not permit it. The Saudi insults are being observed on the diplomatic front. Suddenly, President Obama will spread his unusual two-faced charm on a fence mending trip to Saudi Arabia. Expect to see the words deceitful, uneasy, insincere, challenging, carefully crafted in the public releases. Do not expect Obama to kiss any Saudi Royal ring this time around. It is not clear what a US President says to a Saudi King when the former is stealing the gold wealth of the latter. Perhaps just "Times change. Deal with it!"
Harken back 40 years. On the Petro-Dollar birth episode back in 1973, the commonly accepted birth story might have had a different twist in order to create a stable replacement to the Gold Standard. The petro standard would be stable, yet offer plenty of fraud opportunity to the West. The breakdown would occur only if foreign suppliers refused to accept USTreasury Bonds, or too many were issued from uncontrollable USGovt debt, like seen now. A sinister alternative is much more credible, the motive explained to curtail the industrial powers of Japan and Germany, whose economies were more dependent upon oil. A price inflation storm could have been cast upon the American and Western economies and societies both, with certain windfall profits to the oil companies, all blamed on the nasty Arabs. Compound the guile and betrayal further. The Americans pushed the Arabs and Iranians to jack up the oil price, so as to finance gigantic steady lucrative US arms sales. The war machine tightened its grip on the USEconomy. It was a USDollar with not only a crude oil basis, but also a military foundation. The military element is much more evident in the last decade.
The common perspective on the birth of the Petro-Dollar is well covered and reported in the annals of recent financial history. The story is told that the Arabs joined forces, united against the US & Israeli front. With greed as motive, they quadrupled the price of crude oil for the world markets. The maneuver was seem as punitive and self-enriching. The Arabs were told to be angry over battlefield defeats, superior military equipment, and steadfast efforts to colonize. The Saudis, so the story goes, saw an opportunity to properly price the crude oil, to end the subsidy of a vast interstate highway construction across the United States, and to take their fair share on extraordinary crude oil sales. The four-fold rise in crude oil, from something like $8 to $33 per barrel (on memory) caused a serious long global recession, notably in the USEconomy. The Saudis cut an important geopolitical deal with the United States, brokered by Henry Kissinger. The petro surpluses were to be recycled in an orderly sterilized manner. It was a significant financial development that installed the USTBond as the primary global banking reserve mainstay. The Petro-Dollar defacto standard has been an obscenity.
The prestigious Secy State Kissinger bargained with the Saudis to support the USD-based system. The Saudis would earn tremendous petro surplus USDollars, which they would recycle into USTreasury Bonds. The expanding USGovt deficits would be financed by the Saudis, in a convenient sterilized manner to prevent the USDollar from suffering well deserved currency devaluation. The sterilization of the petro surplus would be enforced, received in USD terms and to remain in USD terms, locked in USTreasurys. The other Persian Gulf nations would follow suit and accumulate outsized USTBond accounts, since the Saudis set the course. The model would be copied across the global banking system, the USDollar elevated to global reserve currency. The USTBond would be given pristine ratings as the global reserve asset in the banking foundation across all continents. The United States would rule the roost, and its military would be implicitly funded by global savings. The USEconomy would be bolstered by massive Saudi weapons purchase programs on a regular basis, along with similar programs by its royal emirate neighbors. The USMilitary would become a vital part of the USEconomy, a loosely disguised war machine with a dominant position in the USGovt executive branch. The Gold Standard urgently required a hard asset replacement, one more easily managed. The Oil Standard would be established for the USDollar, a quasi hard asset standard. It came to be called the defacto Petro-Dollar Standard. It has stood for 40 years. The sabotaged Gold Standard would effectively be replaced. However, today the Petro-Dollar is mortally wounded and left for dead.
The commonly told story always has ulterior motives for the US nation during the post-Bretton Woods era. Deceit is the American calling card. Add an even more motivated element to the mix, with more guile, deception, and betrayal. Consider a further plot. The USGovt and US bankers convinced the Saudis to raise the crude oil price so that they could create the Petro-Dollar defacto standard, so that demand for USTreasuryBonds could be amplified, so that greater Arab nation weapons deals could be forged. The oil price shock was not hatched as an Arab plan or concept. The USDollar lacked critical mass for global reserve currency without the higher crude oil price, without much larger surplus USD funds floating, and without more definitive usage of USTBonds in global banking systems across numerous nations. Asian nations and European nations would be forced to store USTBonds and USTBills with which to purchase Saudi OPEC crude oil. The critical mass required a cauterized burn in the financial arenas. They used the Petro-Dollar to replace the abandoned Gold Standard set by the Bretton Woods Conference in 1971. The US was desperate to establish the USDollar as the understood and accepted global reserve currency, something stable, as in King Dollar without challenge. The quasi-Oil Standard would work, especially since defended on the other end by the USMilitary cannons, if not implicit nuclear threat. With the Saudis and OPEC behind the new petro standard, it would work. The key element was sterlization of foreign held surplus, locked in USTBonds, so as to maintain a stable USDollar exchange rate core. A big benefit was enabled. The USGovt would be given full liberty to run up giant deficits, an economy and a war machine put on a credit card. The former understood, the latter joined by basic counterfeit and integrated narcotics.
The Saudis agreed to the deal to recycle surpluses, with the sweetener being a much higher crude oil price. It would make the royal families in the Persian Gulf astonishingly rich billionaires, and stroke their egos. They were only required to re-cycle the Petro-Dollars into USTBonds and accept the USMilitary protection in the Gulf region, with regularly spaced multi-$billion US-sourced weapons contracts. It was a defense industry tax on the US nation in a hidden master stroke. The US leaders knew the higher systemic energy cost could be handled by a mere broad remedy of price inflation permitted within the USEconomy, a necessary recession to cover it up. The Arabs would be blamed for the painful recession and hardship imposed. The USGovt planned to inflate the cost away, which was effectively a hidden double-cross betrayal of the oil-rich Arab nations generally. The Saudi wealth would be undermined and debased. But the Saudis did not mind, since the USD volumes were staggering and their egos stroked. The contrived Cold War between the USA and Soviet Union had a contrived conflict on the financial front as counterpart, with many moving parts and secret handshakes. Bankers and war machine maestros won with constant tensions and perma-war.
Before year 2014, the Jackass had given 99% likelihood of the plain vanilla scenario, where the Saudis pushed the price hike on motives based on self-enrichment and vengeance. By year 2009, the Jackass saw some hidden motives at work to create an Oil Standard for the USDollar, to establish the USTBond as the banking system reserve main brick, after the Gold Standard was discarded. In year 2014, the Jackass gives over 90% likelihood to the sinister Rockefeller-Kissinger scenario for steering upper echelon geopolitics instead, a reverse of my opinion. The Elite owned the major oil companies, whose power would rise with the Petro-Dollar Standard rising to prominence. The desperation to create a stable viable (but not legitimate) USDollar asset-backed standard was very real and very challenging, an extreme challenge to force installation and global acceptance. My gut screams now that the US Elite proposed the higher crude oil price to satisfy the Saudis & Arabs, the higher price being the key element. The Saudis were transfixed on the greater obscene wealth, while the USGovt led by Kissinger were transfixed on broad acceptance of the USTreasury Bond used in global banking systems as the primary unquestioned reserve asset vehicle. The lucrative USMilitary weapons deals were an added bonus, expanding the Empire, firming the war machine. But new BRICS have entered the geopolitical stage, the nations in defiance, seeking a return to the Gold Standard.
The burn of Japan and Germany was a hot poker of sinister hidden motive. Both nations have historically been more energy dependent, required to import almost all their crude oil for economic purpose. Their industrial might was being thrust onto the global economy, from advanced technological design to streamlined industrial processes to efficient inventory control. The pendulum returns. Both nations are in a position to exact revenge by rejecting the USD/USTBond reserve currency, in favor of the new Gold Trade Standard promoted by Russia & China. Both Japan and Germany are in the process of joining the BRICS nations. The chess game has gone against the Americans, who find themselves increasingly isolated, their allies disgusted or betrayed. The Saudis, Iran, Japan, and Germany are gradually aligning with the East and against the King Dollar. Two generations make a great difference. Like true Nazis, the Anglos & Americans are isolated, with global war as their last option.
The USEconomy at the time in the 1970 decade produced between 60% and 65% of the oil needed for domestic usage. In the last decade, the US produces about 35% of the its oil needs. So over time, the US is very slowly converging with Japan and the PacRim competitors, with still half the advantage remaining. It is a very credible additional factor of industrial vengeance. Hence the increased oil price pushed by Saudia Arabia and our friends in Canada. Keep in mind that not only the Arabs took the bait. The Middle East leaders who lusted for wealth and more funds for military toys included the infamous Shah of Iran. He had special privileges, like handed as a gift US$100 bill plates that enabled a generation of counterfeit. Many are the fascist partners over the last several decades to the ruling Anglo-American fascists. The layers of scum run deep on friends of US Elite, as deep as the betrayal of its people. The American people have been systematically converted to asset bubble participants, then to debt vassals after lost home equity, finally to cannon fodder with sleek armored uniforms that all too often result in a prosthesis. Notice the compulsory repeated tours of duty imposed on soldiers, more betrayal. The incredibly weak USEconomy feeds the USMilitary with an endless stream of men and women seeking to lift their economic station in life. They seek a college experience, but instead win a post traumatic stress disorder to take home.
If you like your health care plan, you can keep your plan. If you like your pension program, you can keep your program. If you like your stock account, you can keep your stock certificates. If you like your gold futures contract, you can have the gold bars delivered. If you like your official allocated gold account, you can keep your gold bars. If you like your life and liberty, you can keep them too. Think betrayal. The national socialists operate their base at the banking syndicate, the pillboxes being the major central banks. They spread debt slavery while they disseminate phony money, with a firm grip maintained on the monetary printing press that bears the Weimar nameplate. Their methods have not changed in 70 years. They steal national wealth, with a focus on accumulated vaults of Gold bullion. Their signatures are in Czechoslavakia, Libya, Germany, and now Saudi Arabia as per gold. They tell the public in their widely promulgated propaganda that Gold has no value, no place as money, no role as bank reserves, and no yield offered. Yet the bankers steal Gold at every opportunity, even from their longstanding allies. When the United States finds itself descended into the De-Industrialized Third World with new masters at the helm, the citizens will wish they owned Gold & Silver, since their entire paper savings will have blown away during the storm.
Better to continue your Gold & Silver private program, or to begin one, and to abandon the paper chase with paper wealth. People should close down their big bank accounts and their Wall Street brokerage accounts before they too are stolen. The storm will reveal the paper flow as true toilet paper spew, stained by betrayal, befouled from toxicity, shredded in the wind. The precious metal will endure the storm. The Elite do not want you to follow their lead in gold investment that includes vast pilferage and confiscation of official Allocated Gold Accounts, like the Saudis. The isolation of the United States is entering a high gear. As the Saudi betrayal becomes well known, their London gold stolen, no nation will continue in alliance with the USGovt. Large corporate contracts are being canceled, like with Boeing. Such relations will be considered suicidal with assured destruction, finally by stolen Gold wealth. The role of cutouts will be fully revealed, like with the Saudi cutouts. The ultimate vengeance by the Saudis might be a full revelation of the true perpetrators of the 911 attacks. The label coup d'etat fits but seems inadequate. The same team of security agents is at work in Ukraine, being exposed. They were busy in Georgia (near Russia) just a few years ago. They plied their trade in Benghazi Libya only 18 months ago. The fingers will be pointed at the vile security agencies who preach and practice genocide, while they professional pilfer gold. The big hint was the dual passport status of so many in the George W Bush Administration. The Jackass believes that the dismantle of the Patriot Act should include a new law that people with a second passport cannot serve in the USGovt, especially in the executive branch that is overrun by security agency spooks. Even the Mayor of Chicago has a dual passport, and fealty to another nation, more betrayal. His job could be to keep the lid on pilfered Chicago bank accounts, related to the Clinton Team when Obama cut his teeth, made his bones, and earned his stripes.
A scheiss storm cometh. Get your Gold & Silver if you can find any at these temporarily absurdly low prices. The Global Currency Reset is coming to a neighborhood near you soon. It is more appropriately called the Return to the Gold Standard, with a huge currency devaluation in store. Flip the perception to read huge quantum jump up in the market value of Gold. Expect the COMEX to shut down perhaps in year 2014. They have not delivered on Gold futures contracts since last May, almost a full year ago. They dishonor legally binding contracts, more betrayal. Even the SPDR Gold Trust shareholders, known as the GLD Exchange Traded Fund, are victims. When individuals appeal for gold bar conversion with the required minimum shares and completed forms, they too are refused. More betrayal.
From subscribers and readers:
At least 30 recently on correct forecasts regarding the bailout parade, numerous nationalization deals such as for Fannie Mae and the grand Mortgage Rescue.
"Jim Willie is a gift to our age who is the only clear voice sounding the alarm of the extreme financial crisis facing the Western nations. He has unique skills of unbiased analysis with synthesis of information from his valuable sources. Since 2007, he has made over 17 correct forecast calls, each at least a year ahead of time. If you read his work or listen to his interviews, you will see what has been happening, know what to expect, and know what to do."
(Charles in New Mexico)
"I commend the Jackass for being the most accurate of all newsletter writers. Others called for the big move in Gold right away, but you understand that the enormous fraud in the system needs to play out before free market forces can begin to assert themselves. You seem to have the best sources and insights into the soap opera that is our global financial system. Most importantly, you have advised readers to be patient, stay safe, and avoid mining shares like the plague. Calling the top in the USTreasury Bond (10-yr yield at 1.4% yield) stands out as a recent fine accomplishment. The Jackass understands the markets, understands the fraud, and also has the sources to keep him the most up-to-date on the big geopolitical and financial events and scandals. Few or no other writers have all three of these resources."
(Austin in California)
"A Paradigm change is occurring for sure. Your reports and analysis are historic documents, allowing future generations to have an accurate account of what and why things went wrong so badly. There is no other written account that strings things along on the timeline, as your writings do. I share them with a handful of incredibly influential people whose decisions are greatly impacted by having the information in the Jackass format. The system is coming apart on such a mega scale that it is difficult to wrap one's head around where all this will end. But then, the universe strives for equilibrium and all will eventually balance out."
(The Voice, a European gold trader source)
by Jim Willie CB
Editor of the "HAT TRICK LETTER"
Home: Golden Jackass website
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Use the above link to subscribe to the paid research reports, which include coverage of several smallcap companies positioned to rise during the ongoing panicky attempt to sustain an unsustainable system burdened by numerous imbalances aggravated by global village forces. An historically unprecedented mess has been created by compromised central bankers and inept economic advisors, whose interference has irreversibly altered and damaged the world financial system, urgently pushed after the removed anchor of money to gold. Analysis features Gold, Crude Oil, USDollar, Treasury bonds, and inter-market dynamics with the US Economy and US Federal Reserve monetary policy.
Jim Willie CB is a statistical analyst in marketing research and retail forecasting. He holds a PhD in Statistics. His career has stretched over 25 years. He aspires to thrive in the financial editor world, unencumbered by the limitations of economic credentials. Visit his free website to find articles from topflight authors at www.GoldenJackass.com, which includes a Squirrel Mail public email facility.
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The iPhone 5s is doing pretty well in terms of sales numbers, and has just passed 10 percent usage rate among iPhone models according to mobile analytics firm Mixpanel. That's a significant milestone, because it means that users are adopting the iPhone 5s at between two and three times the rate they got on board with the iPhone 5. And the iPhone 5c, while trailing the iPhone 5s, is actually doing better than many might expect, too.
Growth for the iPhone 5 progressed at about 0.25 to 0.5 percent per week, according to Mixpanel, and the growth for the iPhone 5s is currently trending at around 0.75 and 1 percent per week. That's about 3x the rate of adoption of the iPhone 5c, according to the data gathered through Mixpanel's network – which means the iPhone 5c's growth is roughly equivalent to the general rate of adoption for the iPhone 5. Mixpanel CEO Suhail Doshi says that means the 5c is quite possibly "doing a reasonable job of taking over the mid-end part of the smartphone market."
The 5s is still far and away the hotter device, according to Mixpanel and other sources, which is good news for Apple in terms of average selling price since it sees relatively high margins on the manufacture and sale of those devices according to industry estimates. And the 5c's adoption rate is in keeping with predictions that it'll be more of a slow-burn device, getting picked up by less tech-savvy consumers who are happy to wait until their contract expires to upgrade.
Between the rapid adoption of iOS 7 and the relatively quick uptake of the new iPhone models, Apple's doing a great job of getting everyone on board with the same platform, and on the most recent version of both software and hardware. That's a huge boon for developers working on software for the devices, and of course it should also provide a very convincing counter argument to critics who say that Apple may have reached a ceiling in terms of how much further it can push its smartphone business growth. The really interesting numbers will come when Apple reveals its next quarterly results at the end of January.


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Whether you're moving, short on cash, or running out of storage space, you've got plenty of reasons to ditch your physical media. Hard drives are cheap; here are our recommended methods of saving, selling, and trading your CDs, DVDs, and video games.
Photo by mutednarayan.
Audio CDs
Backing up: If you've only got a few CDs to digitize, either because you're already on top of your backups or just want a few sacred albums, go ahead and use whatever music manager you've got. We've found some decent explanatory guides for iTunes, WinAmp, and Windows Media Player, all of which suggest you make sure you've got your format settings tweaked to your liking before you commit the time to swapping discs in and out. Photo by joelogon.
What format should you back up to? We can't tell the future, nor do we know how much of an audiophile you are. The safest bet is to go with a lossless compression method, which doesn't compress audio information for file size, and so has a better likelihood of being rescued and re-converted if a new format takes over from MP3. Both iTunes and Windows Media Player offer their own lossless formats to convert to in their settings.
The free, open-source alternative is to convert to FLAC, which, while popular among serious music fans and the open-source community, isn't quite a readily-playable format on MP3 players and devices. You can convert audio CD tracks to FLAC, or most any other audio format, using the free VLC Media Player.
If you do decide to stick with MP3s for your conversion, aim for a higher bitrate—perhaps 256 kbit/s. Some notice audio "artifacts" on files compressed at 192 kbit/s and lower. On most modern hard drives, a library full of MP3s encoded at the 256 rate can readily be fit.
Selling and trading: Your best deals will depend on your collection, with rare or hard-to-find discs, of course, likely to fetch a better dollar. We've previously posted that disc-by-disc Amazon selling can be worth the effort, if you've got the time. In my own brick-and-mortar experiences, I found that one locally-owned record store (in a different town) wouldn't bother giving me more than a cursory estimate for about 60 CDs, while another took the time to look for any gems with resale value and provided a final estimate. Photo by brewbooks.
I found the best deal at an FYE, because they can quickly scan CDs, match them against a national database of inventory, and offer you firm disc-by-disc prices. A Tina Turner hits collection owned by my wife, and Black Flag's The First Four Years netted surprising double-digit returns, but don't kid yourself—audio CDs are not a product seeing growth, so you may have to swallow your pride and admit your Smashing Pumpkins collection isn't all that valuable these days. If you're offered mere pennies for a disc, you can, of course, always keep it, but there are alternatives.
Reader Richard wrote in to tell us about SwapACD, a service he's found fairly reliable for trading out old, hardly-touched discs for unexplored music territory. Swaptree is another fair bet for all kinds of media.
If mailing out your old wares disc by disc isn't all that appealing, we propose a fun alternative—host an Old CD Party. Email a bunch of nearby friends whose tastes in music aren't completely appalling, buy some snacks and drinks, and invite everyone to spread their CD collections in personal piles on your floor, just like the baseball card trades of yore. Swap albums, negotiate two-for-one deals, and laugh about what a sullen, sappy, or seriously goofy person you used to be. It's a lot more fun than getting 50 cents for your Throwing Copper disc(s).
Backing up: Adam really dislikes having DVD scratches and skips interrupt his "stories," while I loathe looking at my DVD purchases and realizing that, on a per-view basis, they've cost me about $5 per hour. How many films does one really intend to watch over and over? Wouldn't your copy of The Italian Job (the newer, Marky-Mark remake, of course) be put to better use as spare cash or a new DVD than as an entertainment center bench warmer? It may not be entirely, officially legal, but making a personal copy of a DVD for your viewing on any device is the mildest of infractions these days.
Adam so dislikes dealing with scratched optical media that he made two tools for converting them to digital goodness. His one-click DVD Rip tool for Windows uses the ever-popular DVD Shrink to make it stupid-simple to turn any DVD disc into standard DVD folders—VIDEO_TS
and AUDIO_TS
. Rather than make you dig through folders and thumbnail shots to find those ripped DVDs, he also patched together DVD Play to make browsing, playing, and editing the details of those ripped DVD folders much easier, using VLC for the actual playing work.
For any computer, we also recommend the powerful, popular, and reliable Handbrake, which offers a bevy of helpful presets for all your devices and screens. The VLC Player itself can also help you rip DVDs, while Mac users can still grab the last free copy of Mac the Ripper for a pretty easy solution. DVD spines photo by ToastyKen.
Selling and trading: As with CDs, DVDs see a drastic reduction in value once they leave their plastic wrap, but videos are even more generally low-priced than their audio brethren. As with CDs, though, there are specialized trading sites, SwapTree and SwapADVD among them, that might net you a bit more cash for your cinema.
If you're not up for individual listing on Amazon, checking for no-seller-fee periods on eBay, or becoming an enlightened Craigslist seller, I've found the best bet is selling in a garage sale, open flea market, or other face-to-face opportunity. Price your discs accordingly—hit up Amazon, find the price for used discs, and go down from there. Friends of mine have had the same kind of "Wait, really?" success trading in DVDs at FYE and similar big-box chains that take them, but the best deals I've seen involve bulk offers for boxes of DVDs. It's a guaranteed sale, the discount usually isn't that much, and, hey, you've already got the essential movie moments backed up to digital files.
Video games
Backing up: If you own a PS3 or Xbox 360, there's no easy way to back up your games for later second-chance playing—at least no easy method that we (or our brethren blogs) have come across. For the Nintendo Wii, however, Jason recently posted a guide to copying and playing Wii games with an external hard disk that's not all that difficult to pull off. Photo by NMGilen.
If you're a PC gamer, some of your older games can likely be copied whole cloth onto blank discs, and any of our Hive Five CD and DVD burning tools can get the job done. Some can't, or won't work on installation, because of proprietary copy protection systems. In general, though, most games rely on a serial number to authenticate a game, so keep those backed up somewhere you can't lose them, like a code-named email to yourself, or on paper you won't likely lose.
Selling and trading: For older games of yesteryear, along with today's hot items, Nintari is a good place to test the pricing waters, though you'll have to negotiate your trade or cash deal on your own. Alternately, Goozex uses a point-based system to facilitate the buying, selling, or swapping of games. Game rental service GameFly will buy certain used games and return monthly rental credit.
In bigger cities, a Craigslist post may be worth the effort (mainly connected to spam replies) for rare, well-reviewed, or or relatively new games. Lifehacker readers reported hit-and-miss success at chains like GameStop when we asked for the best trade-in deals, but noted that more in-store credit will be offered than cash—and it's a rare gamer who quits cold turkey. Or so we've heard. Other web stops to check out include TradeGamesNow and SwitchPlanet, recommended by commenters jharris0221 and jadn.
What tools and techniques have you used to free yourself of unnecessary plastic platters? Where have you found the best deals, and what was the easiest backup method you found? Tell us your tips in the comments.