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Over 11m children under five exposed to toxic smog in Punjab: Unicef

A man wears a mask to avoid smog while he rides on a bicycle along a road in Multan, November 9, 2024. — Reuters Unicef says smog affects children, pregnant women the most. Young children most affected as they have smaller lungs: Unicef.We cannot afford to let our babies...




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Google’s “Negligent” Piracy Response Prevented Critic Deindexing Its Own Site

Google is facing criticism in Spain and Italy for alleged anti-piracy failures. The latest claim accuses Google of ignoring notices that aim to remove pirate IPTV providers from search results. So here's the thing: why would a company take down 10 billion URLs from search but suddenly start acting differently? The public labeling of Google as "grossly negligent" deserves context too; two weeks ago, Google's diligence prevented one of its accusers from deindexing its own website.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.




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Korea star denies match-fixing charges

Son had served a 10-month detention last year




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John Krasinski crowned as 2024's ‘Sexiest Man Alive'

John Krasinski crowned as 2024's ‘Sexiest Man Alive'

John Krasinski, who is best known for his role in famous sitcom The Office, has been named as People Magazine’s 2024 "Sexiest Man Alive”.

According to People, the 45-year-old actor’s name was revealed in a...




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Leonardo DiCaprio treats himself with Mexican getaway on 50th birthday

Leonardo DiCaprio treats himself with Mexican getaway on 50th birthday

Leonardo DiCaprio and his girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti, recently jetted off to Mexico to celebrate his milestone 50th birthday.

The Oscar-winning actor was spotted boarding a private jet in Los Angeles with...




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Emily Blunt reacts to John Krasinski's ‘Sexiest Man Alive' title

John Krasinski, who has recently been named the 2024’s “Sexiest Man Alive” by People, shared the response of his wife and actress, Emily Blunt, upon hearing the news.

In an interview with People Magazine, the 45-year-old actor said that his wife, whom he has been...




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Maxxis Tires - In stock!



We got all Maxxis tires in stock, like for example the Maxxis "Grifter" BMX Tire, which is a super high pressure allround tire with low V-profile and available in 1.85"and 2.10". It has a high graded and durable rubber mixture and also offers you strong sidewalls at a low weight.

Also now in stock, the Maxxis "DTH Kevlar" BMX Tire (foldable) is super-light to accelerate like no other BMX tire, yet holds up to the abuse you dish out. The dual-compound tread corners incomparably on hard-packed tracks and rolls fast on the straights. The Maxxis "DTH Kevlar" BMX Tire (foldable) is very light and foldable by the use of Kevlar instead of wire. With these features, it fits in any backpack and is perfect as a spare tire on the go.


Check our online-shop for more new Maxxis products!
Have fun!



All the best,

Your kunstform BMX Shop Team




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San Jose State volleyball assistant coach exits after reportedly filing transgender complaint

A San Jose State University women's volleyball assistant coach has left the team after reportedly filing a Title IX complaint about the squad's male-to-female transgender player.




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U.S. identifies Beijing's mayor and current, past politburo members in Xi Jinping's inner circle

Chinese President Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of its Central Military Commission, has emerged in the past two years as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.




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Lexington Market, part 1: Survival of the Fittest

Change is knocking on the door of Baltimore’s iconic Lexington Market. Ground has been broken on a new market building, and local vendors are wondering if they’ll have a place in the much-hyped new structure. In this episode, merchants, artisans, security officers, and custodians reflect on their lives and the uncertain future of the market they call home.




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Lexington Market, part 2: Engines of Change

Conversations with vendors & market-goers about the past & present of Lexington Market, a look at hopes for (and doubts about) the market’s future, and a talk with the idealistic developer responsible for the big changes that lay ahead.




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Lexington Market, part 3: On a Humble

Well, this long-overdue episode wasn’t originally intended to be an audio time-capsule, but, you know… life.  Here’s a final look back at a venerable city market that’s now temporarily closed to the public, and partly demolished.




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Sainz wins Mexico City Grand Prix as Norris tightens championship fight

Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday and Lando Norris closed the gap in the Formula 1 championship race after another contentious battle with Max Verstappen.




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Jordan's belief in Reddick pays off with 23XI team's shot at NASCAR title

The hardest hit that Tyler Reddick took at Homestead-Miami Speedway wasn't from a bounce into the wall or from another driver crashing into him.




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Waymo robotaxi opens access to all in Los Angeles

Los Angeles residents can now order robotaxis from their phones after Google's autonomous vehicle company Waymo ended its waitlist Tuesday.




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Bam Adebayo scores 32 points to help the Heat beat the Wizards 118-98 in Mexico City

Bam Adebayo scored 20 of his 32 points in the first half and the Miami Heat beat the Washington Wizards 118-98 on Saturday night in the 14th NBA regular-season game in Mexico.




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Article alert: Advancing species diversity estimate by remotely sensed proxies: A conceptual review

A new EU BON acknowledged paper "Advancing species diversity estimate by remotely sensed proxies: A conceptual review" has been recently published in the journal Ecological Informatics.

Abstract: 

Many geospatial tools have been advocated in spatial ecology to estimate biodiversity and its changes over space and time. Such information is essential in designing effective strategies for biodiversity conservation and management. Remote sensing is one of the most powerful approaches to identify biodiversity hotspots and predict changes in species composition in reduced time and costs. This is because, with respect to field-based methods, it allows to derive complete spatial coverages of the Earth surface under study in a short period of time. Furthermore, remote sensing provides repeated coverages of field sites, thus making studies of temporal changes in biodiversity possible. In this paper we discuss, from a conceptual point of view, the potential of remote sensing in estimating biodiversity using various diversity indices, including alpha- and beta-diversity measurements.

Original Source: 

Rocchini D, Hernández-Stefanoni J L, He KS (2014) Advancing species diversity estimate by remotely sensed proxies: A conceptual review. Ecological Informatics. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.10.006





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Article Alert: Indirect interactions among tropical tree species through shared rodent seed predators: a novel mechanism of tree species coexistence

A new aticle published in Ecology Letters  looks into the indirect interactions among tropical tree species through shared rodent seed predators. The reasearch is part of the work of EU BON postdoc Carol X. Garzon-Lopez.

Abstract: The coexistence of numerous tree species in tropical forests is commonly explained by negative dependence of recruitment on the conspecific seed and tree density due to specialist natural enemies that attack seeds and seedlings (‘Janzen–Connell’ effects). Less known is whether guilds of shared seed predators can induce a negative dependence of recruitment on the density of different species of the same plant functional group. We studied 54 plots in tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, with contrasting mature tree densities of three coexisting large seeded tree species with shared seed predators. Levels of seed predation were far better explained by incorporating seed densities of all three focal species than by conspecific seed density alone. Both positive and negative density dependencies were observed for different species combinations. Thus, indirect interactions via shared seed predators can either promote or reduce the coexistence of different plant functional groups in tropical forest.

Carol X. Garzon-Lopez et. al. (2015) Indirect interactions among tropical tree species through shared rodent seed predators: a novel mechanism of tree species coexistence. Ecology Letters. doi: 10.1111/ele.12452





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Europe for GEOSS: EU BON attracts high level attention at the GEO XII Plenary in Mexico City

The GEO-XII Plenary and Ministerial Summit, as well as many associated meetings and events were hosted by the Mexican Government and took place in Mexico City from 9 to 13 November 2015.

The five-day event brought together GEO member countries and organizations, as well as scientists and stakeholders from across the world to debate the next decade for GEO, and to discuss the latest developments in Earth Observation technologies and applications. The GEO-XII Plenary approved the GEO Strategic Plan 2016-2025, and the Summit endorsed a Mexico City Declaration (see: http://www.earthobservations.org/geo12.php).


Mexican music and folklore performances at the hosted conference dinner at GEO-XII; Credit: Hannu Saarenmaa

EU BON participated at GEO-XII and was represented at the European Commission Stand "Europe for GEOSS" with a poster and a short video clip. A real highlight was the visit by the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas. During his short visit, the Commissioner took specific interest in the project and spent some time discussing EU BON's relevance with the coordinator and his staff.

   
The EC stand "Europe for GEOSS" at GEO-XII, and discussions on EU BON with Commissioner Carlos Moedas; Credits:  Jose Miguel Rubio Iglesias (left), Helmut Staudenrausch (right)

EU BON was also presented during a dedicated side event entitled "The GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON): Enhancing Biodiversity Observations and Products for User Needs". The project’s key products were introduced by the project coordinator Christoph Häuser and the workpackage 2 leader Hannu Saarenmaa.





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Presenting latest products and outcomes: a successful GEO XIII Plenary for EU BON

The GEO XIII Plenary in St. Petersburg  enjoyed a huge interest and support from many member governments, agencies and networks with around 400 registered participants this year.

Having taken place from 7-10 November 2016, the event featured a plenary, a number of side events and exhibition to give a chance to participants to meet up and discuss ideas and progress.

  
Left: The EU BON booth at the GEO exhibition - F. Wetzel, Ch. Häuser, H. Saarenmaa; Right: Director General  J.E. Smits and Christoph Häuser; Credits: F. Wetzel

On the sidelines of the Plenary the Director-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, Robert-Jan Smits, personally informed himself in a conversation with Dr. Christoph Häuser, project lead of EU BON on the success and performance of the EU BON project.

At the GEO Exhibition 45 participating organizations and agencies presented their current achievements in the realm of earth observation products. EU BON was part of the European Commission’s area where GEO-related projects were shown. The project showcased its latest products as well as provided live demonstrations by Dr. Hannu Saarenmaa of the beta-version of the European Biodiversity Portal.

Taking place just before the plenary, around 20 side events gave an interesting overview of current GEO-related projects and topics. One of the side events was targeted on citizen science and EU-funded projects, where EU BON’s coordinator Christoph Häuser presented the developments of the network with regards to its citizen science activities, particularly its developments of mobile apps for collecting citizen science data.


Christoph Häuser presenting  citizen science related activities of EU BON; Credit: F. Wetzel. 

Learn more about the portal in the relevant policy brief, or test it at: http://biodiversity.eubon.eu/

For more information about EU BON products and research, you can also watch the project video:

 

 





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XI LifeWatch Stakeholders Board Meeting (Crete, Greece)

The next 11th LifeWatch Stakeholders Board Meeting will be take place in Crete (Greece), on July 7-8, 2014. The meeting will be hosted by the HCMR Hellenic Centre for Marine Research.

 





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GEO-XI Plenary

The Eleventh Plenary Session of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO-XI), hosted by Switzerland, will take place in Geneva at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), from 13 to 14 November 2014. 

The Plenary, Side Events, and all other related meetings will take place in the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) building, located at 7 bis, avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.

The Group on Earth Observations is coordinating efforts to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems, or GEOSS. GEO was launched in response to calls for action by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and by the G8 (Group of Eight) leading industrialized countries. These high-level meetings recognized that international collaboration is essential for exploiting the growing potential of Earth observations to support decision making in an increasingly complex and environmentally stressed world.

More information about the event is available here: http://www.earthobservations.org/geo11.php

 





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GEO XII and Ministerial Summit Mexico City November 2015

 

The GEO-XII Plenary and the Ministerial Summit, as well as all the associated meetings and events will be hosted by the Mexican Government and will take place at the Hotel Hilton Reforma and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mexico City from 9 to 13 November 2015.

The Twelfth Plenary Session of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO-XII), hosted by Mexico, will take place in Mexico City, from 11 to 12 November 2015. The GEO 2015 Mexico City Ministerial Summit will take place on 13 November 2015.

The GEO-XII Plenary will take place at the Hilton Reforma, Mexico City, on its first meeting day, Nov 11th 2015.

On November 12th 2015, the second day of GEO-XII Plenary, the meeting will be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores - SRE), Plaza Juárez #20, located a few steps away from the Hilton Reforma.

Caucus Meetings and the Executive Committee Meeting, will take place from 9th-12th November, 2015, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

GEO Side Events will take place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Hotel Hilton.

The GEO exhibit will be held at the Hilton Reforma Mexico City, from November, 10th–12th, in conjunction with the LAGF 2015 exhibits, and will be open exclusively for Ministers on Thursday afternoon  12th November, 2015.

Call for side events is also open now, all submissions should be sent by 12 June 2015.

More information is available on the offical event website: http://www.earthobservations.org/geo12.php

 

 






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GEO XIII Plenary, St. Petersburg

The GEO XIII Plenary will take place on 9 & 10 Nov 2016 in St. Petersburg, Russia. More information to follow.





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News about PERPLEXING PLOTS

Edgar Award© Mystery Writers of America. DB here: Some good news for Perplexing Plots. It’s gotten positive reviews in various places; they’re sampled on its Amazon page. Most recently, Geoffrey O’Brien has written a very generous review for the New York Review of Books (February 8, 2024). He has, needless to say, kind words for […]




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PERPLEXING PLOTS Prize

Back on February 10, less than three weeks before his death, David blogged about the positive reception that Perplexing Plots had had including a nomination for an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He didn’t live to learn the result, but it didn’t win. Now, however, comes news that the International Crime Fiction […]



  • PERPLEXING PLOTS (the book)


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Towards a Reflexive Turn in the Governance of Global Environmental Expertise




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Advancing species diversity estimate by remotely sensed proxies: A conceptual review





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Indirect interactions among tropical tree species through shared rodent seed predators: a novel mechanism of tree species coexistence





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Ladyhawke - Anxiety

Pip Brown’s overdue second LP is as tight and catchy as a baseball mitt.






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State of anxiety

In recent months, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other Trump Administration officials have been trying to convince Congress that Iran has ties with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Some say that the Administration is trying to establish this connection because of a law that the US Congress passed three days after the 9/11 attacks. That law gave then President George W. Bush the authority to go to war with al-Qaeda and any related organisation without Congressional approval.

Also, we meet Iranian-Americans who are feeling particularly anxious as tension between the US and Iran escalates; and we find out what possessions people in Tehran are looking to sell, to find out how sanctions are affecting ordinary Iranians.

(President Donald Trump signs an executive order imposing fresh sanctions on Iran in the Oval Office of the White House. Next to Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Credit: Oliver Contreras/Getty Images)




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Mission XI Million

Feel like something like this is worth its own thread. Seems like a nice initiative, just not so sure about how well it will go with the record the AIFF have.

There is now a facebook page and website though (which looks nice) so right now it is better than the AIFF Academies (lol)

https://www.facebook.com/MXIMIndia/

http://www.mxim.in/




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Israel's Miracle: 'Stand Up Nation' Battles Existential Threats While Helping Repair the World

Israel's Miracle: 'Stand Up Nation' Battles Existential Threats While Helping Repair the World




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Aging Gracefully with Model Kim Alexis

AGING NATURALLY AND GRACEFULLY  Now in her 60’s, Kim is determined to age as naturally and healthfully as possible, and to help others to do likewise. Through personal research, she’s learned a lot about what’s beneficial to put in and on our bodies, and what’s not. For example, she’s decided not to color her hair, use fillers (e.g. Botox), or have plastic surgery. Kim believes we can all age more naturally through daily choices about food, avoiding toxins, exercising, and educating ourselves...




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The Five Pillars of Exit Planning

In 2003 I signed the agreement with two other owners to sell our 200-employee construction company via a management buyout to five new owners in a deal that was structured over 10 years. 




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How to Properly Exit Your Business

Your wealth is at risk if you do not understand these myths.




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Mistakes When Exiting Your Business

You don’t know what you don’t know.




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Best Timing for Your Business Exit

Knowing the best times to buy or sell can be critical during the exiting of your business.




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Creating a Strategy to Exit Your Business

Most owners cannot see the importance of planning and creating a strategy to exit their business.




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Tax Update: How the Trump Tax Changes Will Affect Your Exit and Business

Early November saw the end of one of the most contentious political presidential elections in quite some time.




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Landmines in Your Business Exit

Part one of a two part series that outlines some occupational hazards before selling the business.




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Finding Clarity in your Exit, Financial Future and Retirement

The entire process of exit planning can be bogged down with the technical jargon of accounting, law, tax codes, estate planning, insurance and financial planning.




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Things To Understand Before Exiting Your Construction Business

Most owners continue to be stuck in their business until they can clearly see the path to replace their income and maintain their lifestyles in retirement.




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ACI Foundation Celebrates New Trustees and the Re-Election of an Existing Trustee

The ACI Foundation announced new Trustees and the re-election of an existing Trustee to its Board. The Trustees re-elected Keith Kesner and elected new Trustee David Lange. New ACI Vice President Scott Anderson also joins the Trustees as part of his new role.




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Want to get Brexit-ready? Then buy an Android phone

Brexit remains steeped in uncertainty as the clock runs down. Emily Burt explores the practical steps charity leaders can take to support and prepare their EU staff




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6 Tips for Maximizing the Benefits of Spray Foam Insulation

Unlock the full potential of spray foam in your upcoming business or home project with a few simple tips.