Behind the misty veil
0 Comments | Taranaki Daily News; New Plymouth, New Zealand, Mar 8, 2005 | by RAMSAY, Heather
At Cape Tribulation in Queensland’s far north, two of the world’s great national parks meet. HEATHER RAMSAY goes from the rainforest to the reef
THE cables guiding the car ferry across the Daintree River in far north Queensland look decidedly rusty, which is a bit of a worry when a nearby sign screams, “Warning! Achtung! Crocodiles inhabit this area — attacks may cause injury or death”.
Greedy reptilian eyes have probably watched the ferry for years, hoping that the tin tub will one day malfunction and toss a smorgasbord of tasty morsels overboard. Not today though. Instead, the cars are disgorged from the ferry and swallowed by a yawning gap in the Daintree rainforest, following a road that twists and turns into the bowels of this primeval place. At around 110 million years old, the Daintree is one of the world’s oldest rainforests, harbouring a huge and rare diversity of plants and animals.
It’s a Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, and the rainy season is just drawing back its veil, lifting its filmy gauze to allow sunlight into the darkest recesses. The forest glistens and steams – - a jumbled, misty green world of mossy trunks and leaf-laden limbs, giant ferns and palms, and dangling, strangling vines.
This is the only place in the world where two World Heritage- listed national parks meet, and the adjoining national park is the magnificent marine domain of the Great Barrier Reef. The often- repeated slogan “where the rainforest meets the reef” is proven accurate on our drive to Cape Tribulation, when we pass places where the feathery fingers of the forest actually stroke the surface of the sea.
By law and by choice, humans tread lightly in this region, and our destination, Coconut Beach Rainforest Lodge, follows an environmentally friendly ethos. My stand-alone “Rainforest Retreat” is nestled so deeply into the surrounding foliage that it’s almost invisible. It’s elevated, and two walls virtually open right up, making it feel as if I am right in the canopy.
I leave the walls open night and day (they’re screened) and let the sounds of the rainforest drift in. Whirring, buzzing, ringing, slapping, scratching, dripping and rustling — exotic, unidentifiable noises that belong to the place so are therefore soothing.
The Daintree is home to the endangered cassowary, a flightless bird that can grow to two metres in height. While sighting one would probably be a rare and beautiful experience, it would also be fraught with danger. These birds can be aggressive and use a vicious, stiletto-like claw to inflict injury. They also sport distinctive bony armour on their head, so could probably deliver a mean head butt if the need arose.
Thus I hope to see one from the safety of the vehicle at one of the places where they often cross the road. At these cassowary crossings, traffic is slowed by speed humps, and drivers are alerted to both humps and cassowaries by road signs. I don’t see a cassowary, but I get a good laugh out of the speed hump sign that has been cunningly converted to a comatose cassowary — after an encounter with a car.
The shadow of the cassowary looms again at the Canopy Crane Research facility near the lodge. Before I walk through the forest to the small cage that will take me above the canopy, I learn a bit about the research that is undertaken here by international scientists. Then I sign a bit of paper saying that I understand the dangers of what I am about to undertake — and get a briefing on what to do if I meet a cassowary on the track.
It’s one of those OSH-type requirements and there’s about a nil percent chance of anything untoward happening but, even so, it adds a frisson of excitement to the excursion. Nothing does happen and I spend a pleasant hour gliding silently above the canopy with a scientist who raises, lowers and rotates the crane to look at items in the treetops. It’s an educational experience, with the added bonus of a fantastic view over the forest to the sea.
After all the cassowary hype, a snorkelling trip to the Great Barrier Reef sounds positively safe. The safety talk on board the Odyssey H2O trip makes no mention of sharks and other dangerous marine creatures — though probably if they did, no one would go overboard.
The H2O vessel takes a maximum of 30 people, and on our trip there are just a dozen of us. At Cape Tribulation beach we wade out to the transfer boat and we’re soon slicing through clear, blue waters on our way to the Mackay and Undine Reefs. We don’t see another boat all day, and having these pristine areas to ourselves is a real privilege
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The truth is that sometimes purchasing your tickets from a box office instead of a ticket broker is your best option, but in reality, that is not true very often.
Purchasing tickets from a ticket outlet
Purchasing tickets from a source such as Ticketmaster or Tickets.com can be a crapshoot. If you wish to purchase your tickets from an authorized outlet Ticketmaster recommends that you “arrive at Ticket Centers no more than one hour in advance of the event on sale time” after which you will be entered into a “Random Number Distribution (RND) procedure? to determine line order at Ticket Centers if two or more customers are present to purchase tickets at the time the event goes on-sale.” This procedure is generally referred to as a
lottery
, most likely because the results can be very similar. If you arrive at the ticket outlet after the random drawing you will be directed to the back of the line.
After the “lottery” is held the ticket sales representative will process ticket orders in the order determined. Each customer will tell the ticket agent what price range of seats he or she would like (the day tickets go on sale you may only select tickets by price, you will not have the option to choose any particular seating area), view a copy of the venue seating chart, and then the tickets will be printed and paid for.
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In other words, someone needs to take charge and that someone may be you!
When we think of emergency preparedness, we usually think of food and water for an unexpected natural or man-made disaster. And if a serious medical emergency happens, we just call 911 and the medical staff will take care of everything else. But think again.
What if your loved one is alone and can?t speak to the medical staff? What if they are unconscious and unable to answer questions about their medical condition and you don?t know the answers? What if your child is at school and medical records are unavailable? You could be on a vacation, commuting, or even in a foreign country.
The answer is simple. Prepare an ?Emergency Document?. If you have a computer, type the information and print it. Save this document where it can easily be changed and reprinted when necessary. If you don?t have a computer, write it by hand. At the very least, include name, address, contact and insurance information, prescription medications and allergies. Make sure to include additional comments that are critical in an emergency situation.
Fold the ?Emergency Document?, put it an envelope and write ?IN CASE OF EMERGENCY? in big letters on the front.
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Business Wire, July 26, 2010
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE: AMD)
today announced that it commenced a cash tender offer for up to
$800,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 6.00%
Convertible Senior Notes due 2015 (the notes). AMD intends to finance
the purchase of the notes tendered in the tender offer with the net
proceeds from the closing of AMDs private offering of $500,000,000
aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2020 (the New Notes
Offering), which was separately announced by AMD today, along with its
existing cash.
The tender offer will expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on
August 20, 2010, unless extended (such date and time, as it may be
extended, the Expiration Date) or earlier terminated by AMD. Holders
who validly tender, and do not validly withdraw, their notes on or prior
to the Expiration Date will be entitled to receive $1,000 for each
$1,000 principal amount of notes purchased in the tender offer, plus
accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the date of payment
for the notes accepted for payment. Tenders of notes must be made on or
prior to the Expiration Date, and notes may be withdrawn at any time on
or prior to the Expiration Date.
To the extent that acceptances of all validly tendered notes would
require AMD to purchase more than $800,000,000 in aggregate principal
amount of notes in connection with the tender offer, AMD will allocate
acceptances on a pro rata basis among the tendering Holders.
The tender offer is contingent upon the satisfaction of certain
conditions, including the closing of New Notes Offering, which will be
subject to customary closing conditions.
Full details of the terms and conditions of the tender offer are
included in the Offer to Purchase, dated July 26, 2010, and AMDs
Schedule TO which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
AMD has retained J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Citigroup Global
Markets Inc. to act as Dealer Managers for the tender offer. Questions
regarding the tender offer may be directed to J.P. Morgan Securities
Inc. at (800)261-5767 (toll-free) or Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at
(800) 558-3745 (toll-free). Requests for the Offer to Purchase and other
documents relating to the tender offer may be directed to MacKenzie
Partners, Inc., the Information Agent and Depositary in connection with
the tender offer, at (212)929-5500 (collect) or (800)322-2885
(toll-free).
Neither AMD, nor any member of its Board of Directors, nor the Dealer
Managers, nor the Information Agent/Depositary is making any
recommendation to Holders as to whether to tender or refrain from
tendering their notes into the tender offer. Holders must decide whether
they will tender in the offer and, if so, how many notes they will
tender.
This release is for information purposes only and is neither an offer to
purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell the notes or any other
securities. The tender offer is only being made pursuant to the tender
offer documents, including the Offer to Purchase and the related letter
of transmittal that AMD is distributing to Holders. The tender offer is
not being made to Holders in any jurisdiction in which the making or
acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue
sky or other laws of such jurisdiction.
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company
dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to
ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work,
home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and Section27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Forward-looking statements reflect current expectations and projections
about future events, and thus involve uncertainty and risk. It is
possible that future events, including whether the tender offer is
completed on the terms specified or at all, may differ from expectations
due to a variety of risks and other factors such as those described in
AMDs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December26,
2009, as updated by its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended March 27, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission
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Wild West action ‘not on’
0 Comments | Taranaki Daily News; New Plymouth, New Zealand, Jul 27, 2010
Violent “Wild West action” was unacceptable in getting a man to leave home, Judge Gordon Whiting told a Wanganui man in the New Plymouth District Court yesterday.
Joseph Delamere, 42, a Wanganui meat processor, admitted charges of stealing a motor vehicle and demanding to steal when he went to his mother-in-law’s Stratford home to help get rid of her former partner at noon on June 22 last year.
Delamere had assaulted and threatened the man, taken his Nissan Terrano and his cashflow card, cleaning it out of its $200.
Defence counsel Peter Brosnahan said Delamere had been asked by his partner to go to his mother- in-law’s home because she was having trouble with her then partner. Mr Brosnahan asked that Delamere be given community detention so he could continue to work in his long-term employment at Waitotara meat works.
If given jail or home detention, Delamere would not be able to work and would end up being a burden on the taxpayer, Mr Brosnahan said.
Delamere was regretful and had the full amount of reparation in his pocket to pay to the court. He was classed as a low risk of reoffending.
“He’s not a bad guy,” Mr Brosnahan said
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Newsmaker: Kakenya Ntaiya
0 Comments | Tribune – Review / Pittsburgh Tribune – Review, Jul 11, 2010 | by Andrew Conte
Kakenya Ntaiya
Age: 32
Neighborhood: Squirrel Hill
Family: Husband, Michael Mugoh; son, Nathan, 2
Education: Doctoral candidate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education in social and comparative analysis in education; bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies, Randolph-Macon Women’s College, Virginia, 2004
Career: Ntaiya founded the Kakenya Center for Excellence, the first and only school for girls in her small Maasai village of Enoosaen, Kenya, where she grew up.
Noteworthy: She was named a 2010 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, which comes with a $10,000 grant.
Quote: “The money is going toward the school to help us with our budget. … It is really, really good and humbling to be part of this big organization (the National Geographic Society) that is known everywhere in the whole world.”
You can find this active ingredient in the form of a cream, gel, lotion, facemask, or cleansing bar. Benzoyl Peroxide is very effective in treating mild cases of acne. This acne treatment drug is available in non-prescription form for concentrations of 2.5%, 5% and 10%. If you are looking for concentrations higher than 10%, you need a doctor’s prescription. Several studies have shown that 2.5% benzoyl peroxide is equally effective to combat pimples and is less irritating. Therefore, if you want to try Benzoyl Peroxide to treat your acne, you should begin with a low concentration (example 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide).
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Before we go into details on how benzoyl peroxide can prevent acne, it is useful to understand how acne is formed. Propionibacterium acnes (P.acnes) is a bacteria that causes the skin disorder acne.
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The Chicago Convention formed the basis of
governmental accords that are used today to regulate the airline
industry through complex bilateral and multilateral agreements. The agreements reached at the Chicago Convention were of great
significance to the future of the airline industry for a number of
reasons.
Of particular importance was the establishment of the
principle of “air space” rights. The principle established that each
country had sovereignty over the skies of their own country. This was of great importance to commercial aviation because it
gave each country the ability to dictate which airlines could operate
within its own geographical territory. This ability gave each country
the right to establish state-owned airlines, or in some cases
privately-owned airlines, to serve the domestic market. Because each
nation had the right to enforce their sovereign rights to air space,
competition in commercial aviation was regulated by each of the
respective governments that signed up to the Chicago Convention. Often
these regulations gave each nation the ability to establish
state-owned commercial aviation duopolies or oligopolies.
The purpose of this assignment will be to demonstrate that
deregulation has created serious competitive issues throughout the
airline industry.
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Nursing Homes, April, 2005
ALCO Sales & Service’s 32-page HP3 catalog features bariatric shower chairs and commodes from IPU, as well as PVC stretchers, linen hampers, and carts; a wide variety of sizes and styles of carts from Luxor, including utility, video, computer, and stainless-steel carts; air, foam, winged, and innerspring Comfort Care mattresses, as well as pillows and stretcher pads; and a variety of blood pressure equipment from BV Medical.
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That does not mean there aren’t intrigues and counter-counter plots by those who kept the secret for many millenia. The attunements with the Earth Energy Grid that archaeology is proving with the Nazca lines and Don Robins has shown with the megaliths are part of the mapping enterprise as well.
The Dardannae or de Danaan of Troy or Wilusia and the Hittite archives join interesting little pieces of the puzzles but are not the overall game of greed and corporate (emporia of the Phoenicians) that made the Keltic clans break apart from within, as the aristocrats began to enjoy each other more than their fellow man. The Druids were the last bastion of the old shamanic nature worshippers that are at the root of Taoism and Yoga. The actual knowledge MacDari speaks to is more important than his historical assertions.
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