Bahamas’ ‘Growth Potential’ Down 3% Since Century Start – Bahamas Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas economic growth potential has dropped quite sharply since this century began, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive said yesterday, urging the Government to curb spending to ensure fiscal sustainability.

Jarkko Turunen, the Funds mission chief to the Bahamas, said Value-Added Tax (VAT) and other revenue reforms had failed to eliminate the fiscal deficit, as promised, because the Christie administration had increased spending at the same time.

He told the Chamber of Commerces State of the Economy 2017 forum that the Governments spending had risen across all main components, with the biggest jump in subsidies and transfers to the public corporations.

On the positive side, Mr Turunen said the IMF expected the Bahamas $6.7 billion national debt, and accompanying ratio to GDP, to stabilise, although this was likely to be above the so-called 70 per cent danger threshold due to Hurricane Matthew.

However, he added that the roots of the problems bedevilling the Bahamian economy and its financial sector lay in this nations persistently low GDP growth rates, which factored into high levels of unemployment and violent crime.

Mr Turunen said the Bahamas needed to now simultaneously achieve faster economic growth and push forward with fiscal consolidation via reduced spending, so that VATs revenue gains were not squandered.

Many of the issues we see in the Bahamian economy and financial sector (non-performing loans) have their roots in the fact growth has been so low, the IMFs mission chief to the Bahamas said.

Real GDP growth has been weak, negative for the past two years. Take out 2010 and 2012, and growth has been negative or zero since the global crisis of 2008-2009.

The Bahamian economys anemic growth had fed into high double-digit unemployment rates, especially among young persons aged 15-24 years-old, where it is around 30 per cent.

Reading the news about crime, Im reminded about high youth unemployment, Mr Turunen said. At the same time, potential growth has declined.

He said the Bahamas economic growth potential had dropped from between 2.5-4 per cent at the start of the 21st century to around 1-1.5 per cent now - a decline that, at its maximum, is equivalent to 3 GDP percentage points.

Potential growth was actually high in the 2000s in comparison to the Caribbean, but has declined quite sharply, Mr Turunen said. Our estimate is the potential growth is between 1-1.5 per cent in the medium term.

There has been a decline in the major factors, labour and capital, but the decline has been driven by negative productivity growth, which has persisted for quite a while.

Fundamentally, low productivity growth shows theres some structural constraints. Mr Turunen pointed to the Bahamas high cost environment, particularly on labour and energy, and sliding ease of doing business as the culprits.

Adding that the Bahamas needed to better prepare its high school graduates for the workplace, Mr Turunen backed the concept of a National Development Plan (NDP), but said the stark negative growth position meant the IMF would recommend a shift to implementation as opposed to the ongoing planning.

To combine faster economic growth with fiscal consolidation (austerity), the IMF executive called on the Government to re-purpose its spending, switching monies from its recurrent (fixed cost) account to invest in infrastructure projects that would enhance medium and long-term GDP expansion.

Mr Turunen reiterated that the IMF was projecting a 3.5 per cent fiscal deficit for the 2015-2016 Budget period, placing the total amount of red ink at between $280-$300 million, well in excess of the Governments $150 million forecast.

The deficit has not been eliminated because government spending increased at the same time, Mr Turunen said.

Referring to the previous speaker, Simon Wilson, the Ministry of Finances financial secretary, Mr Turunen added: Im sure Simon has a much more interesting story to tell. There has been an increase in spending on all the main components. The biggest increase is in subsidies and transfers.

When adjusted for inflation, Mr Turunen said the Governments spending had been flat in some years, but it had increased in real terms for the past two fiscal years.

There has been quite a bit of progress on the revenue side. Now is the time to focus efforts on rationalising spending to ensure fiscal sustainability, he added.

The debt is expected to stabilise over the medium term. You dont want a situation where the debt continues increasing, and thats not a situation where we see the Bahamas going.

Mr Turunen said the IMF had projected that the Bahamas central government debt would stabilise at 68 per cent of GDP pre-Matthew, but it was now expected to increase significantly and exceed 70 per cent.

He called on the Bahamas to Budget and set fiscal targets according to its position in the hurricane zone, and to also focus on its total public sector debt and unfunded pension liabilities.

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Bahamas' 'Growth Potential' Down 3% Since Century Start - Bahamas Tribune

Fuel the American economy with offshore energy – The Detroit News

Andrew Langer 10:50 p.m. ET Feb. 19, 2017

Indications are that President Donald Trump will take a more welcoming view of the economic benefits of increased U.S. oil and gas production, Langer writes.(Photo: MICHAEL STRAVATO / NYT)

Some parting gift: On his way out the White House door, President Barack Obama banned seismic surveying in the Atlantic Ocean from New England south to Virginia.

It was a fitting end to eight years of a presidential administration dedicated to frustrating the development of domestic energy resources at every turn. Fortunately, indications are that President Donald Trump will take a more welcoming view of the economic benefits of increased U.S. oil and gas production.

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management handed down the ban in response to six separate applications to conduct seismic surveys in the Atlantic. These surveys are used to locate and create images of rock formations, a key step in the search for underground oil and gas reserves below the ocean floor.

In denying the applications, BOEM claimed that the surveys would be disruptive and could harm marine life a weak justification based on scanty evidence at best. This, too, is part of a pattern of flimsy excuse-making for decisions that are really all about politics.

Last year, after the federal government spent months contemplating opening up areas of the Atlantic Ocean to offshore oil and gas leasing, the Obama administration decided instead to block all exploration in these areas for five years. The Department of Interior cited local opposition and market dynamics as the reason for the moratorium.

In December, Obama announced a permanent ban on offshore drilling in federal waters along the Atlantic Coast and in the Arctic Ocean, nearly 118 million acres in total. This was done, characteristically, by executive order, itself justified by the dubious application of a law dating back to 1953.

Obama clearly hoped for a successor who would agree with his anti-energy policies, including the ban on seismic surveys. When he didnt get one, he moved to try to lock his preferences in past the expiration of his term.

His executive orders and agency rules banning drilling and surveying will require a pronounced effort to overturn, one likely to entail extensive litigation. The outgoing administration even boasted about how difficult if not impossible its anti-energy policies would be to undo.

But Trump has repeatedly expressed his intention to rev up American energy production. The effort to overturn the Obama restrictions is worth his time. Whats more, the new president will have the facts on his side.

First, the flimsy excuses: Contrary to the BOEMs claims, seismic surveys are not harmful to marine life. In fact, they have been safely conducted along the U.S. coast for years. Thats because such surveys, highly regulated by government agencies, proceed only after extensive studies to determine what impact, if any, they will have on animal life.

The BOEM itself has admitted there has been no documented scientific evidence of noise from air guns used in geological and geophysical seismic activities adversely affecting marine animal populations or coastal communities.

So, offshore development would do nothing to harm marine life. But it would unleash a wave of economic benefits. Currently, nearly 90 billion barrels of oil and 405 trillion cubic feet of gas are untapped. Leasing these areas for development would create 840,000 jobs, put $200 billion into the federal treasury, and ramp up domestic energy production by 3.5 billion barrels of oil a day.

Whats more, the need for new surveys is now acute. The last seismic survey conducted in the Atlantic Outer Continental shelf was three decades ago. Its findings constitute a baseline estimate of the amounts of oil in these waters.

Trump will have to end his predecessors war against fossil fuels and American energy production. A good place to start is to allow seismic surveys in potentially rich oil and gas areas off Americas coast.

Andrew Langer is president of the Institute for Liberty.

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Fuel the American economy with offshore energy - The Detroit News

Court Declines to Halt Long Island Offshore Wind Lease – RTO Insider

By William Opalka

A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request to halt a federal lease of waters off Long Island for an offshore wind site (16-cv-2409).

Nine commercial fishing organizations and businesses and coastal towns in New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts sought an injunction in December to halt the lease even before the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management awarded it to Norwegian company Statoil. The company won the rights to the 80,000-acre New York Wind Energy Area with a $42.5 million bid.

The fishing groups said the lease would cause irreparable harm to fishing areas that produce scallops and squid; the municipalities cited economic and natural resource interests in the site.

To meet the standard for irreparable harm, plaintiffs must present sufficient evidence that the purported injury is certain, great, actual, imminent, and beyond remediation. Plaintiffs have failed to do so, D.C. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan wrote. Most significantly, plaintiffs have not shown that their purported injuries are imminent or certain.

BOEM conducted an environmental assessment of the lease area. The plaintiffs claim the bureau, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Plaintiffs only argument for why there is an imminent and irreparable harm, despite construction being years away if it happens at all, is that once the lease is issued, Statoil will have made a significant financial investment in the development of a wind facility and will have attained some property rights in the ocean area, meaning the balance of harms for whether to issue an injunction later in this case will have changed, the judge explained. In the courts view, this factor does not weigh strongly enough to create an imminent harm sufficient to warrant preliminary injunctive relief. The court maintains its authority to ultimately enjoin the lease in this litigation if necessary. Moreover, Statoils decision to invest in this lease is already made with full awareness that its proposals for a wind facility may be rejected and it may never construct or operate such a facility.

The lease is one of the linchpins of Gov. Andrew Cuomos plan to develop 2.400 MW of offshore wind facilities off Long Island by 2030. (See Cuomo Proposes 2,400 MW of Offshore Wind by 2030.) The Long Island Power Authority also signed a contract with developer Deepwater Wind to build a 90-MW facility off Montauk Point in the Rhode Island/Massachusetts Wind Energy Area. (See 90-MW Wind Farm OKd off Long Island.)

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Court Declines to Halt Long Island Offshore Wind Lease - RTO Insider

Emas Offshore refinancing deal delayed – Splash 247 – Splash 247

February 19th, 2017 Grant Rowles Asia, Offshore 0 comments

Emas Offshore, part of Singapores Ezra Holdings, has yet to close a previously announced deal with lenders to refinance its financial obligations over a period of five years.

Emas Offshore signed a term sheet with all its financial lenders in December 2016 with expectations to wrap up the deal within 60 days.

However, the company announced Friday that it is still in the process of finalising a definitive agreement and has requested a 60-day extension of negotiations.

Ezra Holdings announced last week that EMAS AMC, a subsidiary of its jv company Emas Chiyoda Subsea was served with a winding up application filed by logistics provider Necotrans Singapore.

Ezra itself is also facing a wind up petition from Forland Subsea as a guarantor ifEmas Chiyoda Subseadoes notsettle debts of around $3m from unpaid charter fees. Ezra recently said it might have to write off $170m from its investment in the subsea joint venture.

Grant Rowles

Grant spent nine years at Informa Group based in London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore. He gained strong management experience in publishing, conferences and awards schemes in the shipping and legal areas, working on a number of titles including Lloyd's List. In 2009 Grant joined Seatrade responsible for the commercial development of Seatrades Asia products. In 2012, with Sam Chambers, he co-founded Asia Shipping Media.

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Emas Offshore refinancing deal delayed - Splash 247 - Splash 247

The Offshore Markets: 2016 In Review – Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Expectations at the start of the year that 2016 would be a tough one for the oil industry, and in particular for offshore, were on the whole fulfilled. Overall upstream E&P spending globally fell for the second successive year, and was down by in the region of 27% year-on-year in 2016. Cost-cutting has been a key focus, whether that be through pressure on the supply chain, M&A activity, job cuts or other means.

Lower Spending

Offshore spending has been particularly reined back on exploration activity such as seismic survey and exploration drilling, although 2016 saw weakness spread further to areas such as the subsea or mobile production sectors which had initially shown some degree of protection from the downturn. This was not helped by a 32% year-on-year decline in sanctioned offshore project CAPEX in 2016, despite a small number of encouraging project FIDs, such as that for Mad Dog Phase 2 in the Gulf of Mexico in Q4.

Dayrate Weakness

Dayrates and asset values in those offshore sectors with liquid markets showed further signs of weakening in 2016. Clarksons Researchs index of global OSV termcharter rates declined by 27% in 2016, whilst that for drilling rigs was down by 25% year-on-year. Potential for further falls are, in general, limited, given that rates levels in many regions are close to operating expenses. Owners are doing what they can to control the supply side: just 81 offshore orders were recorded in 2016: for context, more than 1,000 offshore vessels were ordered at the height of the 2007 boom. Slippage has also remained evident, either due to mutually agreed delays with shipyards, or owing to owners cancelling orders. Offshore deliveries were 34% lower y-o-y in 2016.

Despite the severe industry downturn, the oil price actually firmed during the year. Brent crude began 2016 at $37/bbl, before briefly dipping below $30/bbl. However, the price ended 2016 at $55/bbl, helped by a slow firming in mid-year, and then more rapid gains after the 30th November announcement of a concerted oil production cut by OPEC countries.

This is clearly positive news for oil companies cashflow, and marks the abandoning of Saudi Arabias policy of targeting market share by accepting low prices as a means to hinder shale oil production in the US. However, US onshore companies were already feeling more comfortable with slightly improved prices in Q3 2016. Early surveys of intentions for E&P spending suggest that onshore spending in the US could increase by more than 20% in 2017. It is likely that offshore spending will decline further in 2017.

Some Way To Go

Nonetheless, it is important to stress that the offshore sector is far from dead. The expected multi-year downturn is occurring. However, important cost-control and consolidation has taken place. IOCs continue to consider strategic investments such as Coral FLNG or Bonga Lite. This shows that these companies are planning for better times. Decline at legacy fields will help to correct the supply/demand balance. Meanwhile, optimism is building in the renewables and decommissioning markets, with for example, announcements even in the first few days of 2017 that China is to make an RMB2.5 trillion investment in renewables over five years, whilst another North Sea decommissioning project plan has been submitted.

Nevertheless, the supply/demand imbalance in many offshore vessel sectors will take time to recalibrate. However, the weakness of 2016 also put in place many longer term trends which could lay the groundwork for an eventual change in market fortunes. Source: Clarksons

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The Offshore Markets: 2016 In Review - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Offshore Somalia: East Africa’s Oil Frontier – Midnimo Information Center

Location map, showing Somalia and the position of the Spectrum surveys.

Somalias offshore hydrocarbon systems have been slowly maturing since the Jurassic period. Now, after ten years of relative political peace, Somalia is set to emerge as the new hot-spot for the industry, offering not only vast reserves to match the Rovuma Basin of Mozambique, but also the most elusive of prizes in East Africa black oil.

SEISMIC FOLDOUT LINE: (see below)

This seismic line appeared as a double-page pull-out feature in our print magazine. If you want to get hold of our print version visit us at one of the many trade shows and conferences we attend annually (see Events).

Alternatively use the Print Subscription feature in the menu at the top of this page.

North-west to south-east seismic line from the northern Juba-Lamu Basin. Line length = 170km Somalias Exploration Journey Exploration in Somalia began onshore in 1956 with the drilling of the Sagaleh-1 well, followed by a number of wells drilled mostly in the north of the country. These clearly established the presence of a working Jurassic hydrocarbon system, as illustrated by the 1959 Daga Shabel-1 discovery well. Following successes within the Yemeni Jurassic basins during the 1980s, a great deal of renewed interest was shown in the country. Tragically, the collapse of the government in 1991 ushered in a period where Somalia remained inaccessible to exploration companies for 25 years. During this time, the majority of Somalias legacy geological and geophysical data were lost or destroyed.

However, since the inauguration of the Federal Government of Somalia in 2012, the country has made significant advances towards political stability. As a small illustration of this progress, the installation of the countrys first ATM in Mogadishu in 2015 suggests that the country is finding stability and security and developing a new degree of civil society determined to bring peace, progress and foreign direct investment to the region.

Recent positive efforts by the government to boost hydrocarbon exploration activity have been made through allowing seismic companies to acquire new 2D seismic data. An offshore 2D acquisition programme for Soma Oil and Gas commenced in February 2014, and concluded in June 2014 with over 20,500 km of seismic data acquired across a 122,000 km area, completed with no security or HSE incidents. Spectrum is to acquire a second offshore long offset 2D multi-client survey to complement and infill the existing Soma grid. The aim is to image to 15 seconds TWT to build up a complete understanding of the rifted margin, as the record length of the existing Soma data is more limited and only captures the top of the syn-rift section in the deep offshore area (see foldout above). Spectrums analysis of the existing and new seismic datasets, integrated with regional gravity, potential field and satellite seep data, provides the basis for the following overview of the tectonostratigraphic history of offshore Somalia, highlighting potential play concepts and prospects. Tectono-stratigraphic Evolution The initial Karoo rifting of the Gondwana super-continent began in the Late Carboniferous, and syn-tectonic deposition of the Karoo Supergroup continued until the Early Jurassic. This Karoo event signalled the fragmentation of Gondwana, firstly through the separation of East Antarctica from East India, synchronous with the development of an oblique rift valley between Somalia and the Madagascar- Seychelles-India (MSI) block. The Karoo is synonymous with the deposition of a worldclass source rock observed from Yemen to South Africa. Using existing well data, a moderate geothermal gradient is inferred for offshore Somalia, implying that some of the more deeply buried Karoo source rock is likely to be in the oil window.

The Jurassic commenced with the deposition of the Adigrat Formation, when further rifting and subsequent seafloor spreading between East Africa and the MSI block resulted in the separation of Somalia and Madagascar, which began to drift to the south-east. The Early Jurassic marine transgression from the north saw the regional deposition of syn-rift organic-rich marine sediments in a restricted embayment, where northerly transform faults may have created partial barriers to oceanic circulation.

Following the separation of East Africa and Madagascar, a period of uplift and erosion occurred during the Cretaceous as the Jurassic rift shoulders responded to unloading. Throughout the Cretaceous, Northern Somalia saw the deposition of a marly-mudstone sequence, distal to an aggradational carbonate platform, whilst the southerly basins saw increased coarse clastic input from the Jubba and Shabeelle Rivers in the Early Cretaceous, depositing a significant post-rift sequence. These Early Cretaceous pro-deltaic sediments provide a potential source rock interval in the south.

Cenozoic sediments on the north-east coast of Somalia are characterised by a thick aggradational passive margin carbonate platform sequence or pro-platform marly mudstones. To the south, a number of lignitic potential source rock intervals have been observed in onshore wells, including the Eocene Coriole and Scebeli Formations. In the south, the Palaeogene consists of predominantly deltaic clastics capped by thick marls, overlain by Miocene and younger deltaics and platform carbonates. Regional Geology Offshore Somalia, overlain by the current seismic grid, can be divided into three basins, each defined by their own individual structural regimes: Obbia Basin in the north, the central Coriole Basin, and the southerly Juba-Lamu Basin.

Obbia Basin: The post Early Cretaceous stratigraphy in this basin is primarily calcareous mudstone 1.5 to 3 km thick, which overlies very large Jurassic tilted fault block structures. In places these are crowned by carbonate build-ups, which may be comparable to the Sunbird discovery offshore Kenya. In the south, large antiformal Cretaceous to Early Cenozoic structures, interpreted as transpressional in origin, post-date dramatic Early Cretaceous gravitational slump structures, indicating that regional tectonics are significantly deforming the Cretaceous sequences. Karoo and Jurassic source rocks are a very likely source of oil for these potentially very large traps.

Coriole Basin: This basin is characterised by very large scale transpressional and transtensional flower structures, forming large anticlines related to the north-south strikeslip motion of transfer faults along the Davie Fracture Zone and southward movement and rotation of Madagascar. The Tertiary is represented by a thick siliciclastic section resulting from historic avulsion of the Shabeelle/Jubba/ Tana river deltas. Using a moderate geothermal gradient it is reasonable to assume that structural and stratigraphic traps at Cretaceous and Tertiary levels are likely to have access to oil-rich hydrocarbons generated from Jurassic and Cretaceous source rocks.

Juba-Lamu Basin: The Juba-Lamu Basin has the thickest post-rift stratigraphy of the three basins, up to 12 km. The deepwater post-rift stratigraphy is characterised by siliciclastic deltaic sediments, sourced by the Shabeelle/ Jubba/Tana river deltas. The Cenozoic section in the west is characterised by very large gravity slides on multiple dcollement surfaces, which may be coincident with early mature organic-rich mudstones. These are the same mudstones that were reported by Pan Continental and partners as the main source for the oil in the Sunbird discovery. Additionally, these slides have created large, stacked toe-thrust structures downdip, analogous to the areas of significant success in the Rovuma Basin, offshore Mozambique (see foldout above).

Beneath the dcollement surfaces, thick Cretaceous clastic-rich sequences of apparent basin floor turbidite fans are draped over tilted fault blocks and stacked postrift mass-transport system deposits. The similarity of this section to the outer regions of the Rovuma Basin east of the toe thrusts is striking. The main difference appears to be the lack of a Karimbas Graben equivalent down dip.

The potential for oil in this section will be critical to exploration interest. A significant observation from Spectrums preliminary satellite seep studies is the identification of an active oil seep located directly over the toe-thrust structures where some of these features come close to seabed. The correlation of active seeps to subsurface geology is considered key to risk reduction and therefore these studies are continuing as new data are acquired.

Gigantic Structures New seismic data from offshore Somalia are revealing extraordinary structures, in an oil-prone frontier province that has never been seen or explored before. The data correlate closely with the potential field results, and the most recent seismic is imaging gigantic structures that have never been mapped before.

Striking resemblance to the astonishingly successful plays in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique indicate that offshore Somalia is about to become the hottest area offshore East Africa, with not only the promise of huge hydrocarbon potential, but also a strong indication that this time the hunt is on for black oil.

Source: GeoExPro

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Offshore Somalia: East Africa's Oil Frontier - Midnimo Information Center

Life’s tough for a monarch even if you only have 20 subjects – iNews

By Kathy Marks

Whether your subjects number in the millions or would struggle to fill a pub, the duties of a monarch can become insupportable in old age and poor health.

Battling emphysema at the age of 91, Prince Leonard I of Hutt River Principality a micronation in Western Australia has abdicated after 47 years, making way for his youngest son, 59-year-old Prince Graeme.

Once plain Leonard Casley, the former cereal farmer seceded from Australia in 1970, declaring his 30-square-mile property an independent state following a dispute with the government over wheat production quotas.

Hutt River which has its own flag, currency, stamps and passports, although they are not officially recognised is the oldest of about 30 micronations dotted around Australia, believed to be home to nearly half of the worlds such mini-states.

Others include the Empire of Atlantium, founded by three teenagers in 1981 and based in a suburban Sydney flat, and the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, a cluster of tiny uninhabited atolls off the Queensland coast.

The latter, one of Australias newer micronations, was formed in 2004 in protest at the then conservative federal government rewriting the countrys Marriage Act to clarify that same-sex unions were illegal.

Of similar vintage is the Principality of Snake River, near the wine-growing town of Mudgee in New South Wales, which was established in 2003 by Paul and Helena Jensen following a legal dispute with their mortgage lender.

The Principality of Wy, meanwhile, was founded in the Sydney suburb of Mosman in 2004 after the local council refused a familys request to build a driveway.

Enthroned last weekend at a ceremony attended by 150 guests, Prince Graeme has stepped up at a tricky moment for Hutt River, situated 350 miles north of Perth. The Casleys have just been slapped with a A$2.6m (1.6m) demand for back tax.

Yesterday Graeme vowed to take on the Australian Tax Office in Western Australias Supreme Court. We havent got that sort of money, he said. Well just keep fighting until they understand that were an independent, sovereign country.

The case is the latest skirmish in a long-running battle with Australian authorities, who have at times taken a jaundiced view of Hutt River. Prince Leonard even briefly declared war on Australia in 1977, following repeated tax demands. (A truce was agreed without a shot being fired.)

Less bellicose these days, Leonard announced earlier this month that he had decided to hand over power, citing declining health and his lengthy reign he had been sovereign of our small nation for more than half my life, he noted.

The choice of Graeme, a primary school teacher, rather than one of his six elder siblings, was a surprise. However, as he explained, the others are all at retirement age, so they dont want to take on a demanding full-time job.

Hutt Rivers Minister of State and Education for the past three years, Prince Graeme said he was honoured and humbled to be named his fathers successor.

He hopes to establish friendlier relations with government, and to boost the principalitys population currently about 20, and consisting of the Casleys plus a few farm workers to closer to 2,000.

Depending on his health, Prince Leonard will continue to greet some of the 10,000 or so tourists who beat a path to Hutt River each year to meet the idiosyncratic royals, have their passports stamped and buy the local stamps and dollars.

At the enthronment ceremony, Leonard handed over the royal sceptre, seal and cloak. We dont actually have a crown, said Graeme. Although no dignitaries attended Australias Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, sent a cordial email explaining he was busy it was a wonderful day, according to Graeme.

Before abdicating, Leonard created two new Hutt River knights, one of the recipients being his long-time GP. Guests were offered cucumber, curried egg and salmon sandwiches.

The familys spirits were buoyed last year by a letter from Buckingham Palace conveying the Queens good wishes for Hutt Rivers 46th anniversary, which they interpreted as an official nod of approval. Might news of Leonards abdication in favour of his middle-aged son give the Queen pause for thought? Im sure it would have sprung a question into her mind, said Graeme.

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Life's tough for a monarch even if you only have 20 subjects - iNews

A Private Island in the Bahamas for $8.9 Million – Caribbean Journal – Caribbean Journal

In the market for a private island?

Right now, the Bahamas is easily the regions number one private island destination, with a wide portfolio of islands and cays on the market.

And if youre looking for something a bit different, its time to think about the Berry Islands, the largely unknown archipelago of the southern Bahamas.

Theyre home to Bird Cay, a 250-acre island at the southern end of the Berry chain, about 30 minutes by air from Nassau.

Bird Cay has 4.75 miles of water frontage, with sandy beaches, turquoise waters, trails, palm trees and coconut groves.

Yes, you can land a seaplane here.

HG Christie, which has the listing on the property, says one could even construct a few golf holes on the island.

Bird Cay is also just a short distance from Chub Cay, home to a private resort club, restaurants and a 5,000-square-foot airstrip with regular and chartered flights to Nassau.

This is quite simply a tropical paradise tailor-made for a business retreat, a family compound, or a stunning island resort., the brokerage says.

See the full listing here.

CJ

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A Private Island in the Bahamas for $8.9 Million - Caribbean Journal - Caribbean Journal

Pace: What Should I Give Up This Year? – Covington News

Valentines Day has come and gone, and the stores have already put out their Peeps and Cadbury Eggs in anticipation of Easter. Before we get to Easter, though, I invite you to join me in a tradition of the Christian community that asks us to be intentional with our lives in a way that we often arent the rest of the year.

The holy time of Lent is a 40-day season of reflection, repentance (turning around) and re-creation as the Christian community prepares for the death (Good Friday) and resurrection (Easter) of Jesus. The season has often been observed by more than just people who identify as Christian, however. Many of us give up something such as soft drinks, cigarettes, desserts, social media, etc. The tradition of fasting is meant to be a sacrifice for Christians during these 40 days to help us focus on what really matters in life, especially on God and Gods call in our life.

Lent begins this year on Wednesday, March 1, Ash Wednesday. Some Christian communities will mark the day with fasting and most will hold an Ash Wednesday worship gathering where the imposition of ashes will take place. The day before is Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. Many churches and other communities will serve pancakes or other foods full of ingredients high in fat and sugar. This practice harkens back to the original traditions of this season when folks would clean out the items left in the house in an effort to get ready for fasting.

At Oxford College well hold two Ash Wednesday services, at noon and again at 5:30 p.m. in the chapel on the Quadrangle. Well have readings, music and a time to reflect on our lives. During the imposition of ashes, which are made from the palm branches used during the previous years Palm Sunday worship gathering, I will place ashes on each persons forehead along with the words, Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. The ashes are meant to remind us of our mortality, repentance and the call on our life to live in good relationships with God, ourselves, and each other. At this gathering Ill talk about the ways in which I plan to live with more intention during this season of Lent and will ask others to do the same.

Im writing about this for a variety of reasons. First, its on my mind, because Im spending a lot of time preparing for the gathering at the college. Second, I want you to know that youre invited to an Ash Wednesday gathering near you, especially one of the services at Oxford College. You dont have to subscribe to the Christian faith to be welcome here. Visiting different faith communities is an important step in beginning to know our neighbor and reaching across difference. Lastly, I believe these 40 days of Lent are a call to all of us to live with deeper intention. This is a season that asks us to examine our life, our relationship with that which we name as God or holy, and with each other.

As you pass the Easter goodies in the store, I hope youll be reminded about this holy season of reflection, repentance, and re-creation. What will you give up? What will you take on and integrate into your daily living that moves you to a place of greater intention? What will you do to be in stronger relationships with your neighbor? This is a good time to find out.

Rev. Lyn Pace is the college chaplain at Oxford College of Emory University. You can find him running in the city of Oxford about three times a week.

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Pace: What Should I Give Up This Year? - Covington News

UK bids to be world leader in Space travel by 2020 – Daily Star

BRITS could fly to space from the UK in just three years.

GETTY

The Government wants to make the UK a world leader in intergalactic travel.

Travel ports will be built as ministers try to steal a march on US rivals. President Donald Trump said he wants to send Americans to the moon for the first time since the 1970s.

Boris Johnsons brother Jo, the science minister, wants to send Brits into space by 2020.

REX

We will cement the UKs position as a world leader in this emerging market

He said: We will cement the UKs position as a world leader in this emerging market. The Spacefl ight Bill will be unveiled in Parliament this week.

Some of the port locations being considered are Newquay Airport in Cornwall, Llanbeddr airport in Snowdonia and Prestwick airport, near Glasgow.

Mr Johnson added: Space flight offers the UK the opportunity to build on our strengths in science, research and innovation.

GETTY

2016 was a year full of new stunning imagery taken from Space

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Aug. 19, 2016: Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams (shown here) and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA successfully installed the first of two international docking adapters during a five hour and 58-minute spacewalk

It provides opportunities to expand into new markets, creating highly-skilled jobs and boosting local economies across the country. That is why it is one of the key pillars of our Industrial Strategy.

We want to see the UK space sector flourish, that is why we are laying the groundwork needed for business to be able to access this lucrative global market worth an estimated 25 billion over the next 20 years."

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UK bids to be world leader in Space travel by 2020 - Daily Star

Singularity – GameSpot

Fallout: New Vegas, Assassin's Creed receive WGA noms

God of War III, Singularity, Prince of Persia, and Star Wars: Force Unleashed II also receive 2010 Writers Guild of America nods for achievement in game writing.

Wisconsin developer of Singularity, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance reportedly sees payroll trimmed by around 20.

This new trailer that shows more of the multiplayer aspect of Singularity!

The doctor explains why all good PC users need to keep their TMD in tip-top condition in this montage for the PC version of Singularity.

Kathryn needs a bit of help as she gets assaulted by a pack of deadly creatures.

Evil things often lurk on the other side of locked doors; be careful.

Turn Nazis to dust after navigating through the tight corridors of a building complex.

Give the lady a boost, but don't let your guard down, enemy soldiers are everywhere.

Kevin VanOrd takes us back to the '50s to show us how the Russians almost ruled the world in his review for Singularity.

A soldier with a shotgun takes on barrel-throwing creatures.

A player steers bullets onto targets.

A player learns from the mistakes of the dead.

A player freezes creatures and takes them out.

A player uses the power of barf to win.

A player fries, blasts, and shoots his supernatural enemies.

Dark creatures inhabit these sewers.

released

released

released

released

unreleased

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Singularity - GameSpot

DotNetNuke Skins – Home

DotNetNuke has traditionally been packaged with default skin packages pre-installed. The installation packages for those skins are available here.

Dark Knight Skin from DNN 06.02.05 Dark Knight Regular Skin package Dark Knight Mobile Skin package

The Minimal Extropy Skin & Container from DNN 5.6.3 Minimal Extropy

The following Skins are currently available: DNN-Blue* DNN-Gray*

These are skins from the DNN 3.1.13 package: DNN-Green* DNN-Red* DNN-Yellow*

Dnn Extropy Beta skin This skin is only here for reference, it is currently not supported and not for use in a production environment. If you find any issue with this skin, please log them in the issues tracker (here, not in the DNN tracker). If we get enough feedback, we will release a "stable" version of this skin. DNN-Extropy Beta*

The skin with the vertical menu might not work in DNN versions above 4.4. You can replace the Treeview menu with the NAV skin object and the DNNTreeNavigationProvider. (read the skinning documentation for more info)

Optimized / Clean Default.css Beta Version This is a beta release of an optimized/cleaned up version of default.css (Contributors are: Cuong Dang, Timo Breumelhof, and Salar Golestanian).

Feel free to report bugs and provide feedback to make this an official version for the next release. Default CSS

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DotNetNuke Skins - Home

Ascension Parish Crime Briefs – Weekly Citizen

Former APSO deputy arrested for Simple Battery

James Atkins II, 34, a former Ascension Parish Sheriffs Deputy, was arrested on Feb. 14 and booked into the Ascension Parish Prison on one count of Simple Battery. The charges stem from an investigation, which was conducted into a report taken by Gonzales Patrol Officers from Feb. 8, where officers responded to a disturbance call made by Atkins at his residence located at 910 Janice Ave.

On Feb. 9, one of the parties involved in the altercation at his residence, whom was gone prior to officers arrival on Feb. 8, came into the police department and reported additional information, which lead to the arrest of Atkins.

He voluntarily surrendered in compliance with the warrant, which was issued for his arrest by the Gonzales Police Department.

Prairieville man indicted on charges including First Degree Rape

On Feb. 13, an Ascension Parish Grand Jury returned a True Bill of Indictment on Stephen Janis, 55, of Prairieville, on the charges of First Degree Rape, False Imprisonment with a Dangerous Weapon, Aggravated Assault with a Firearm and Second Degree Battery.

Janis is accused of raping, beating and holding a woman against her will in November 2016. Investigators with the Ascension Parish Sheriffs Office were dispatched to a local hospital where they made contact with the victim who advised them of the incident.

Assistant District Attorney Shawn Bush is the lead prosecutor on this case.

Gonzales man receives sentence after 2015 burglary

On Feb. 14, David Holcombe of Gonzales, age 25, pled guilty to the charge of Simple Burglary. Holcombe was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Phil Maples, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Thomas Kliebert. The guilty plea was the result of a plea agreement with prosecutors following a 2015 burglary.

On Oct. 19, 2015, Ascension Parish Sheriffs Deputies were dispatched to a residence on Bayou Narcisse Road in Gonzales in reference to a burglary. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the homeowner who advised that some items were missing from two vehicles parked under the car port. The homeowner advised that the home is equipped with security cameras.

Investigators reviewed the video surveillance and were able to view the suspect entering the two unlocked vehicles and gaining entry into the garage through a side door. The homeowner noted several miscellaneous items that were missing. Investigators released a portion of the video surveillance to the media and shortly after received a Crime Stoppers tip that the individual in the video Holcombe.

Investigators also located a DNA sample on the scene that was consistent with Holcomes DNA profile. Holcombe was arrested and transported to the Ascension Parish Jail where he confessed to the burglary and was booked accordingly.

Upon entering a guilty plea to the above charge, as per the plea agreement with prosecutors, Judge Kliebert ordered that Holcombe be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a period of 10 years with credit for time served.

New Orleans man pleads guilty to Ascension bank fraud

On Feb. 15, Frank Nelson of 7543 Tricia Court, New Orleans, 60, pled guilty to Bank Fraud. Nelson was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Phil Maples, and presiding over the matter was the Honorable Judge Thomas Kliebert.

On June 3, 2015, deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriffs Office were dispatched to a Prairieville bank regarding the cashing of a fraudulent check. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with an employee who advised that on May 5, 2015, a black male subject entered the bank and cashed a check in an amount exceeding $2,000. The check appeared to be issued by a Baton Rouge business to a subject by the name of Frank Nelson.

It was later determined that the checks were homemade. Investigators viewed surveillance video and were able to positively identify the individual cashing the check as Nelson. An arrest warrant was issued, and he was subsequently arrested on May 17, 2016. Nelson was transported to the Ascension Parish Jail where he was booked accordingly.

Per Judge Kliebert, sentencing was deferred pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation. Nelson faces up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Gonzales Man Pleads Guilty to Burglary of Local Church Storage Building

On Feb. 15, Michael Duplessis, 34, of 43017 Weber City Road, Gonzales, pled guilty to Simple Burglary. Duplessis was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Phil Maples, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Thomas Kliebert. The guilty plea was the result of a plea agreement with prosecutors following a 2016 burglary.

On July 13, 2016, Ascension Parish Sheriffs Deputies were dispatched to Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant regarding a burglary. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with a church employee who advised that he was doing maintenance around the church when he made contact with an unknown white male subject.

The subject advised that he was looking for the food bank. The employee continued to work around the church after directing the subject to the food bank. A short while later, the employee went to the storage shed where he observed that a tool box containing miscellaneous tools was missing.

Deputies were able to identify the unknown subject as Duplessis. Deputies were able to make contact with a relative of Duplessis who advised that he was in possession of the tool box in question and had gotten it at the church.

He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Ascension Parish Jail. It should be noted that Duplessis has two prior burglary convictions.

Upon entering a plea of guilty to the above charge, as per the plea agreement with prosecutors, Judge Kliebert ordered that Duplessis be committed to the Louisiana Department of Corrections for a period of 10 years with credit for time served.

Gonzales Man Pleads Guilty to Burglary and Theft Charges

On Feb. 13, Bret Millet, 52, of 14490 Lake Crossing Drive Gonzales, pled guilty to Simple Burglary, Theft of Goods Valued at $1500 or more, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Millet was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Amy Colby, and presiding over this matter was the Honorable Judge Jason Verdigets. This guilty plea was the result of a plea agreement with prosecutors following a 2015 residential burglary.

On July 6, 2015, Ascension Parish Sheriffs Deputies were dispatched to a residence on Stafford Estates Subdivision Road, Gonzales, in reference to a residential burglary. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the complainant who advised that when he arrived at his fathers residence, he observed that the front door was wide open.

The complainant also advised that there were multiple miscellaneous items missing from throughout the residence. Investigators dusted for fingerprints and were able to swab a small amount of blood on a piece of glass that had been broken during the burglary. The blood sample was sent to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab where it was analyzed for potential DNA. The blood sample matched the DNA composition of Bret Millet. Deputies also located Millets identification card on the ground near the residence.

An arrest warrant was then issued for Millet. On July 7, 2015, sheriffs deputies made contact with Millet at his residence and advised him of the arrest warrant. While Millet was being placed into handcuffs, deputies observed that Millet was holding a crack pipe, or device commonly used for smoking crack cocaine. He was arrested and transported to the Ascension Parish jail where he was booked accordingly.

Guilty Pleas

During the week of Feb. 13 to Feb. 17, the following defendants pled guilty to various charges and were sentenced in the 23rd Judicial District Court, parishes of Ascension, Assumption and St. James.

Ascension Parish

Cyril Ezumezu, 1223 N. Coolidge Ave., Gonzales, 30, pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substance. Sentencing was deferred pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation.

Morris Miles, 502 Front St. Donaldsonville, 24, pled guilty to Aggravated Battery and was sentenced to two years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.

Travis Parent, 32588 Jasmin Lane, Denham Springs, 27, pled guilty to Negligent Homicide. Sentencing was deferred pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation.

David Holcombe, 12386 Cleo Road, Gonzales, 25, pled guilty to Simple Burglary and was sentenced to 10 years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.

Grayln Leduff, 2444 Valley St., Baton Rouge, 45, pled guilty to Simple Burglary. Sentencing is set for March 27.

Delynn Ricks, 909 S Abe Ave., Gonzales, 24, pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substance. Sentencing was deferred pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation.

Santos Torrez, 40436 Kathy St., Gonzales, 53, pled guilty on Nov. 28, 2016, to the charge of DWI Third Offense. On Feb. 14, Torrez was sentenced to one year with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.

Frank Nelson, 7543 Tricia Court, New Orleans, 60, pled guilty to Bank Fraud. Sentencing was deferred pending a Pre-Sentence Investigation.

Michael Duplessis, 43017 Weber City Road, Gonzales, 34, pled guilty to Simple Burglary and was sentenced to 10 years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served.

Jerome Bougere, 133 Palm St., Donaldsonville, 39, pled guilty to Simple Kidnapping, Domestic Abuse Aggravated Assault and Domestic Abuse. The defendant was sentenced to five years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served. He is to serve three years of the imposed sentence, and the remaining two years are to be suspended. Upon release, the defendant is to be placed on two years supervised probation.

The above cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Shawn Bush and Phil Maples. Presiding over these matters was the Honorable Judge Thomas Kliebert.

Takeisha Scott, 42421 La., 30 Gonzales, 28, pled guilty to Unauthorized Entry of an Inhabited Dwelling and Simple Battery. On the charge of Unauthorized Entry of an Inhabited Dwelling, the defendant was sentenced to two years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served, to be suspended, and placed on one year supervised probation. On the charge of Simple Battery, the defendant was sentenced to six months supervised probation. The imposed sentences are to run concurrent with one another.

Aquindice Garrison, 408 St. Patrick St., Donaldsonville, 26, pled guilty to Second Degree Battery and was sentenced to four years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served, to be suspended, and placed on two years supervised probation.

Jesse Collins, 411 Blue Bird St., Gonzales, 41, pled guilty to Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substance and was sentenced to five years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served, to be suspended, and placed on five years supervised probation.

Bret Millet, 14490 Lake Crossing Drive, Gonzales, age 52, pled guilty to Simple Burglary, Theft of Goods Valued at $1500 or More, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. On the charge of Simple Burglary, the defendant was sentenced to six years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served. On the charge of Theft of Goods Valued at $1500 or more, the defendant was sentenced to five years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served. On the charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, the defendant was sentenced to six months in the parish jail with credit for time served. All of the imposed sentences are to run concurrent with one another.

John Porteous, 14446 Lake Crossing Drive Gonzales, 40, pled guilty to Simple Arson and was sentenced to five years with the Louisiana Department of Corrections with credit for time served, to be suspended, and placed on two years supervised probation.

The above cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Joni Buquoi and Amy Colby. Presiding over these matters was the Honorable Judge Jason Verdigets.

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Ascension Parish Crime Briefs - Weekly Citizen

Checking in on Ascension firefighters still working out of makeshift stations after flood – The Advocate

GEISMAR The Geismar Volunteer Fire Department station on La. 73, one of seven out of 11 fire stations that flooded in Ascension Parish, has regained a semblance of normalcy.

It looks much better now than it did in August, when snakes from the woods behind the station and an eel later returned to a bayou by a firefighter swam inside, in the roughly eight inches of flood water that rose in the building.

The ruined interior walls are gone, leaving the studs exposed, and in recent weeks the station has been set up again with its original folding tables and chairs, Coke machine and snack machine and copier and computer. Sofas have been donated to the station, too.

There are no working restrooms in the building firefighters drive to facilities elsewhere.

Yet, in the last month or so, volunteer firefighters who didnt stop responding to emergency calls during and after the flood began coming by their fire station again to check in with other firefighters and visit when they could.

I guess people are starting to get their lives back, said George Vogel, a retired New Orleans firefighter who works 27 hours a week at the Geismar fire station.

Hes one of 35 to 40 paid, contract firefighters who cover the day shift in Fire Protection District 1, which serves 80 percent of the residents on the east bank of Ascension Parish and numbers six volunteer fire departments, Geismar being one of them.

Approximately 200 volunteer firefighters cover the night shift throughout the district.

As hard as it was to come to the station as it was, it was better for me than my house in the days after the flood, said Vogel.

Vogel, who moved to St. Amant after Hurricane Katrina, and many other firefighters were among the thousands of people in Ascension Parish and the region who helplessly watched as their homes flooded last summer.

"Not only did their fire stations flood, their own homes flooded," James LeBlanc, chairman of the board for Fire Protection District 1, said of the local firefighters."It takes a very serious toll on trying to keep the morale going."

The August flood destroyed Andy Deshazers Denham Springs home and his vehicles.

LeBlanc and other officials with the fire protection district believe it will cost approximately $6 million to repair or rebuild its flood-damaged fire stations.

Volunteer and contract firefighters whose fire stations flooded are working out of gutted stations, as in Geismar, in rented work space or in an on-site trailer.

Fortunately, all of the district's 36 fire trucks, each costing $200,000 to $250,000, were saved, as firefighters moved them as needed to escape rising water.

"Everywhere we drove them, the flood followed us," said LeBlanc, who is also the volunteer fire chief of the St. Amant Fire Department, another of the volunteer fire departments under the umbrella of District 1.

The district has been able to continue to house its fire trucks in their enclosed, concrete-floored bay areas, even in buildings that sustained damage.

Hardest hit were the fire stations of the St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department, LeBlanc said.

Filing tax returns is confusing enough but will be much more complicated this year for tens

Two of them, the main station on Stringer Bridge Road and a substation on La. 22, will have to be bulldozed and rebuilt.

Both buildings were damaged at over 50 percent of their value and are considered substantially damaged by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, LeBlanc said.

St. Amant's main fire station initially served as the fire district's command post as flood waters began to rise the weekend of Aug. 12, but it soon took on more than 4 feet of water.

"The water came across Stringer Bridge Road and took out the St. Amant fire station and St. Amant High School," LeBlanc said.

The St. Amant substation on La. 22 that will have to be demolished, along with the main fire station, took on 7 feet of water.

The St. Amant Volunteer Fire Department's second substation, on La. 431, will be repaired after flood water rose to 2 feet in the building.

"In St. Amant, the damage was so bad at all three stations that we lost every single record, from 1973 to 2017, we ever maintained," LeBlanc said.

Firefighters are working out of rented space at the Venue rental hall facility in St. Amant.

At the Geismar station, mentioned earlier, plans were in place before the flood to build a new fire station behind the present one, which will get a semi-remodel to give them a home for the next year-and-a-half to two years until the new station is built, LeBlanc said.

Other Fire Protection District 1 volunteer fire stations had varying amounts of damage, with two escaping flooding altogether:

The Sorrento Volunteer Fire Department on Main Street got some floodwater, but much of its damage came from a leak in the roof, LeBlanc said. Firefighters there are working in the gutted station that will, like the station in Geismar, be semi-remodeled until a new station planned before the flood is built at a new, larger location on John Leblanc Boulevard/La. 22.

The Galvez/Lake Volunteer Fire Department in Prairieville took on several inches of water in its main fire station on Joe Sevario Road and its substation on La. 931. Plans are for the buildings to be repaired. Firefighters are working out of a trailer at the main fire station.

The Fifth Ward Volunteer Fire Department in the Darrow/Hillaryville area, with a main station on La. 22 and a substation on La. 44, escaped flood damage.

The 7th District Volunteer Fire Department in Gonzales, with a main station on La. 44 and a substation on Roddy Road, also escaped flood damage.

Fire Protection District 1 covers a roughly 54-square-mile area and serves approximately 85,000 residents over most of Ascension Parish on the east bank.

Two other fire protection districts, District 3 in Prairieville and District 2 on the west bank in Donaldsonville, cover the rest of the parish. No fire stations in those districts flooded.

The volunteer fire departments are funded through a portion of a half-cent parish sales tax, with District 1 receiving approximately $2.3 million to $2.6 million from it annually, LeBlanc said.

Eugene Witek, fire coordinator for District 1, said officials dont expect the flood and its consequences to have a negative impact on sales tax revenues, which are bolstered by plant construction projects and expansions in the parish.

Both men say they are working closely with the district's flood insurance company, as well as with the parish and FEMA, through the FEMA reimbursement process.

Our hearts are completely shattered over fire district losses in the parish, said LeBlanc, whose home also flooded, but our faith is still strong.

LeBlanc said losing photo albums and scrapbooks he had kept over 30 years as a fire chief hit him almost as hard as losing everything in his house.

Still, he said, local firefighters never stopped working and never stopped protecting our community.

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Checking in on Ascension firefighters still working out of makeshift stations after flood - The Advocate

‘Mage the Ascension: Refuge’ is a thriller that will challenge your curiousity – Android Community

Adventure games are there not just to entertain you but also to challenge your imagination and curiosity. Mage: The Ascension is a perfect example of a roleplaying game that will really make you think of the past, present, and the future. It is based on an interactive fiction written by Karin Tidbeck, a critically-acclaimed Swedish author whose works are in fantasy and weird fiction category.

Game is set in modern-day Sweden where you can learn and experience the social and political upheavals. Theres so much to learn about the society and the world today. What you see in the media arent always what they seem. This game will show you how difficult it is to live in a time where human consensus becomes a more dangerous battlefield than it is going to war.

In Mage: The Ascension, you are awakened to the power of True Magic. You have your beliefs but its about time you use them to your advantage and shape reality. Believe it or not, there is a secret war happening but its something subtle or maybe even unknown to other people around you. The world will only know the consequences of your actions and choices once they come into fruition.

You only need to choose which one is more important. Safety or sacrifice freedom? Decide for yourself. Its only one or the other.

Download Mage: The Ascension from the Google Play Store

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'Mage the Ascension: Refuge' is a thriller that will challenge your curiousity - Android Community

Trevor Phillips: political correctness ushered in the populist wave – The Guardian

A former president of the National Union of Students and chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips was once a leading member of what might be called the metropolitan liberal elite. He had the ear of everyone who mattered in the Labour party, and on matters of race and equality he was the go-to guy.

But then he began to have doubts about many of the political positions he held and started confronting what he saw as right-on shibboleths. Pretty soon he was being denounced as a turncoat in the same terms that he had once denounced others. In recent years, he has made several documentaries, with attention-grabbing titles such as Things We Wont Say About Race That Are True, that have aimed to challenge received wisdoms. The latest, which sounds like a homage to a Daily Telegraph letters page correspondent, is entitled Has Political Correctness Gone Mad?

I meet Phillips at his production office in Kentish Town, north London. Now 63, with greying hair and a slight stoop, hes no longer the youthfully strutting figure who seemed to be everywhere in the 1990s. But as soon as he gets talking, the eyes light up and the old passion comes pouring out.

Political correctness is one of those terms that mean different things to different people. What does it mean to him? The title is not mine, he says, a little defensively. Its a Channel 4 title. I do not normally ever use the term political correctness, except with a heavy dose of doubt about its usefulness, because basically it has become a stick with which the right beats everyone else.

In fact Phillips has used the term before. Two years ago he wrote in the Daily Mail and Sunday Times of po-faced political correctness that cramps all conventional parties. Still, his thesis in the film is that by trying to corral political debate into a tightly policed acceptability, the political establishment has created the conditions for insurgent figures such as Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn and Donald Trump.

Its a perfectly reasonable argument but the programme is a little too wide-ranging in its targets to make its case. It jumps from the anti-Islamic group Pegida to censorious transgender activists to social media trolls to students banning sombreros. Although worthy subjects for investigation, they dont quite gel as an explanation for the rise of Corbyn, let alone Trump.

But what they do point to is Phillipss increasing frustration with the conviction that if we can only control the expression of ideas, we will all be able to live together in peace and harmony. October 2000 saw the publication of a report commissioned by Phillips, then chair of the Runnymede Trust, called The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain. It marked perhaps the high-water mark of multicultural thinking, and suggested that Britain should become a community of communities in which each community would respect the other by avoiding causing offence.

Well I think it would be fair to say that I made a big mistake, he says now. It was a clear statement that some groups can play by their own rules. That to me runs counter to my own political beliefs. Why I am still a supporter of the Labour party is because I believe fundamentally in solidarity and reciprocity, and I think most on the left have forgotten both of those things.

Four years after that report, Phillips wrote an article in which he compared a critique by David Goodhart of multiculturalism to the jottings from the BNP leaders weblog. Two months later, he suddenly announced the end of multiculturalism and called for a core of Britishness to be asserted. Not long afterwards, Ken Livingstone suggested that Phillips had swung so far to the right that he would soon be joining the BNP.

Goodhart and Phillips are now good friends. I think Trevor has been intellectually and morally brave, says Goodhart. He took a lot of flak for looking past the cliches of the anti-racist left. He is regarded as a curious Uncle Tom figure by a lot of the black and ethnic minority establishment. Trevor still thinks of himself as a somewhat sceptical member of the left family and at times has, I think, felt quite wounded by the attacks.

I ask Phillips if the threat of expulsion from his political tribe does act as a disincentive to speak out about what he really thinks.

Depends how much of your life you want to spend lying to yourself, he says. I think its pretty wearying to get up each day and tell yourself to go advocate for something that you know not to be true. And what is even worse is if youre in public office or politics and everyone youre telling this to also knows it isnt true. Not only are you a liar, youre also an idiot.

If, as Goodhart says, he has been wounded by his ostracising, he doesnt appear to nurture any regrets. I have lost lots and lots of friends. My view is if you cant tolerate that I want to have this discussion, then we cant really be friends. What youre asking me to do is collude in a lie with you rather than argue it out. A big part of it is that on the left, if you look like me, youre supposed to think in a particular way. And they just hate it if a black person isnt the person they want him to be.

He believes that we all have to get used to and get over being offended. I dont care about offending people, he says. And I dont really care about being offended. There are quite a lot of people I actually want to offend. And I want to offend them all the time. But if somebody stands on the other side of the street and shouts nigger at me Im not going to be thrilled, but Im not going to argue for him to get locked up.

Then why was he appalled at what he saw as antisemitic bigotry in the Labour party? Surely by his own reckoning, he shouldnt much care. Oh the problem with that, he says, is not that people were using the word Zion, but that people were making it impossible for Jewish students to have meetings. There is an important distinction between words and actions.

But his complaints were not just about actions, I suggest. Was he not also concerned that the Labour party had played down antisemitic attitudes by some of its members? Yes, he agrees. There are people who believe there is no real distinction between Jews, Zionists and Israelis. And the party doesnt want to get into that at all because, lets be frank, its increasingly dependent on a demographic group Muslims within which a sizable minority subscribes to that view.

Phillips studied chemistry at Imperial College, London, and, he says, its his science training that made him change his mind about how race was discussed in this country. By the turn of the millennium, he says, it was obvious that it made little sense to classify people as black, brown and white. He has little time for designations such as BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic).

If you look at Indians and Pakistanis, they have completely different life chances. Its the same with Afro-Caribbeans and West Africans. Im not clever enough to have a Damascene conversion. I just look at the numbers and if they clash with how I think the world should be working, Ive got to change the picture.

Fair enough, but his critics will say that Phillips is making straw man arguments. After all, who is stopping him from saying what he wants? Hes got a TV documentary and coverage in national newspapers. Where is this politically correct establishment thats trying to stifle him?

A ruling elite maintains an idea of whats good and reasonable by a whole series of methods, he counters. Who gets advancement, rewards and status? If you dont hold to the orthodoxy, you stop being invited to meetings. Theres a phrase that people in centre-left politics use: oh hes very good. What they actually mean is: I agree with him.

Phillips has grown used to people not agreeing with him. Perhaps a little too used to it. As one old comrade says: He cant resist tweaking the nose of the bien pensant.

But in these disagreeable times, dissenting voices will make themselves heard. The liberal consensus has broken down, and rehashing the old pieties wont put it back together again. Whether or not he receives an invitation, Phillips is determined to have his say.

Has Political Correctness Gone Mad? Channel 4, 9pm, Thursday 23 February

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Trevor Phillips: political correctness ushered in the populist wave - The Guardian

Populist correctness: the new PC culture of Trump’s America and Brexit Britain – The Guardian

Its not easy being green a petition complained about Kermits interspecies romance with Miss Piggy. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

An Englishman, a Frenchman and an American man walk into a bar and make whatever jokes they want because have you heard? political correctness is dead. Donald Trump and Brexit have sent it to its grave. You can say whatever you like now, offend whoever you like!

Well, not quite.

From the gender-neutral ashes of political correctness a new sort of PC culture has risen. You could call it populist correctness: a virulent policing of language and stifling of debate that is rapidly and perniciously insinuating itself into daily life in Trumps America and Brexit Britain.

Populist correctness is the smearing and silencing of points of view by labelling them elitist and therefore at odds with the will of the people and the good of the country. Take, for example, the rhetoric around remoaners, which can be summed up as the people have spoken, so the rest of you should shut up. Opposing Brexit, Britains tabloids tell us almost daily, is unpatriotic and undemocratic. See, for example, front-page headlines such as: Damn the unpatriotic Bremoaners and their plot to subvert the will of the British people and Time to silence Brexit whingers. Silencing opposing views would normally be seen as incompatible with the freedom of speech conservatives are supposed to hold so dear.

But the cunning thing about populist correctness is the way it dresses dogma up as democracy, invoking a majority consensus of opinion it doesnt actually command. Theresa May, for example, recently warned MPs not to stand in the way of Brexit, stating: Now is not the time to obstruct the democratically expressed wishes of the British people. Strictly speaking, of course, Brexit wasnt the will of the people. About 17.4 million people voted leave; 16.1 million voted remain; 12.9 million didnt vote. The wishes of the British people are complicated. The same goes for the US, where almost 3 million more Americans voted for Clinton than for Trump. But populist correctness doesnt bother itself with inconvenient details. Rather it carves the country up into a neat dichotomy of ordinary people versus the elite.

As well as silencing opposing opinions by branding them elitist, populist correctness works to rebrand ideas, creating a new vocabulary for a new world order. The right prides itself on being straight-talking, on calling a spade a spade, but when it comes to calling a Nazi a Nazi or a racist a racist well then, things are more vague. They are the alt-right, please. Use unacceptable terminology and they will get very angry indeed.

But whats this? I thought an easily triggered outrage button was the preserve of politically correct liberals? From the vitriol the right heaps on sensitive snowflakes, youd think they have skins as thick as elephants. Far from it: nobody is offended by quite such a wide range of banal things as conservatives. Everything from insufficiently Christmassy Starbucks coffee cups to Budweiser ads to Kermit the Frogs lack of trousers seems to cause an outpouring of outrage. And, while jokes about minorities or women may be considered just banter, dont even try joking about white people thats reverse-racism! Indeed, many triggered rightwingers recently deleted their Netflix accounts in protest against a new comedy show called Dear White People.

Holiday greetings are another hot-button issue. A survey by Public Policy Polling found very conservative Americans were more than twice as likely to be personally offended by someone saying Happy holidays to them (21%) as very liberal respondents to be offended by someone saying Merry Christmas (10%) to them.

Kneeling down can also trigger conservatives. Last year, the American football player Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem to protest against racism. This caused distress to many patriots. A conservative post that went viral said: My heart is exploding, my lungs are without air my body is shaking, and tears are running down my face. Kaepernick is refusing to stand for the national anthem. But liberals are the sensitive snowflakes eh?

Trump is, of course, king of the snowflakes, flying into a rage at any hint of criticism. He has even, seemingly unironically, called for safe spaces. Last year, after cast members of Hamilton politely criticised Mike Pence, he tweeted: The theater must always be a safe and special place. The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!

Conservatives are impressively adept at belittling politically correct snowflakes one minute and flying into fits of ideological outrage the next. Snowflakes are to be mocked because they take things personally; their feelings are hurt. The outrage of populist correctness, however, is framed more as righteous indignation. It is not you who is offended. You are offended on behalf of the people. On behalf of your country. Your outrage is morally superior.

The most dangerous thing about populist correctness is the way liberals have been swept into it. Always keen for a little self-flagellation, the triumph of Trump and Brexit triggered a crisis of liberal confidence. Perhaps we have been out-of-touch and elitist, wrote columnist after columnist. Perhaps political correctness did go too far. Perhaps we shouldnt say racist, perhaps we should say alt-right. Populist correctness isnt just making us question our right to dissent, its quite literally putting words in our mouths.

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Populist correctness: the new PC culture of Trump's America and Brexit Britain - The Guardian

20 years after Dolly: Everything you always wanted to know about … – The Conversation US

Well hello, Dolly.

Its been 20 years since scientists in Scotland told the world about Dolly the sheep, the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult body cell. What was special about Dolly is that her parents were actually a single cell originating from mammary tissue of an adult ewe. Dolly was an exact genetic copy of that sheep a clone.

Dolly captured peoples imaginations, but those of us in the field had seen her coming through previous research. Ive been working with mammalian embryos for over 40 years, with some work in my lab specifically focusing on various methods of cloning cattle and other livestock species. In fact, one of the coauthors of the paper announcing Dolly worked in our laboratory for three years prior to going to Scotland to help create the famous clone.

Dolly was an important milestone, inspiring scientists to continue improving cloning technology as well as to pursue new concepts in stem cell research. The endgame was never meant to be armies of genetically identical livestock: Rather, researchers continue to refine the techniques and combine them with other methods to turbocharge traditional animal breeding methods as well as gain insights into aging and disease.

Dolly was a perfectly normal sheep who became the mother of numerous normal lambs. She lived to six and a half years, when she was eventually put down after a contagious disease spread through her flock, infecting cloned and normally reproduced sheep alike. Her life wasnt unusual; its her origin that made her unique.

Before the decades of experiments that led to Dolly, it was thought that normal animals could be produced only by fertilization of an egg by a sperm. Thats how things naturally work. These germ cells are the only ones in the body that have their genetic material all jumbled up and in half the quantity of every other kind of cell. That way when these so-called haploid cells come together at fertilization, they produce one cell with the full complement of DNA. Joined together, the cell is termed diploid, for twice, or double. Two halves make a whole.

From that moment forward, nearly all cells in that body have the same genetic makeup. When the one-cell embryo duplicates its genetic material, both cells of the now two-cell embryo are genetically identical. When they in turn duplicate their genetic material, each cell at the four-cell stage is genetically identical. This pattern goes on so that each of the trillions of cells in an adult is genetically exactly the same whether its in a lung or a bone or the blood.

In contrast, Dolly was produced by whats called somatic cell nuclear transfer. In this process, researchers remove the genetic material from an egg and replace it with the nucleus of some other body cell. The resulting egg becomes a factory to produce an embryo that develops into an offspring. No sperm is in the picture; instead of half the genetic material coming from a sperm and half from an egg, it all comes from a single cell. Its diploid from the start.

Dolly was the culmination of hundreds of cloning experiments that, for example, showed diploid embryonic and fetal cells could be parents of offspring. But there was no way to easily know all the characteristics of the animal that would result from a cloned embryo or fetus. Researchers could freeze a few of the cells of a 16-cell embryo, while going on to produce clones from the other cells; if a desirable animal was produced, they could thaw the frozen cells and make more copies. But this was impractical because of low success rates.

Dolly demonstrated that adult somatic cells also could be used as parents. Thus, one could know the characteristics of the animal being cloned.

By my calculations, Dolly was the single success from 277 tries at somatic cell nuclear transfer. Sometimes the process of cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer still produces abnormal embryos, most of which die. But the process has greatly improved so success rates now are more like 10 percent; its highly variable, though, depending on the cell type used and the species.

More than 10 different cell types have been used successfully as parents for cloning. These days most cloning is done using cells obtained by biopsying skin.

Genetics is only part of the story. Even while clones are genetically identical, their phenotypes the characteristics they express will be different. Its like naturally occurring identical twins: They share all their genes but theyre not really exactly alike, especially if reared in different settings.

Environment plays a huge role for some characteristics. Food availability can influence weight. Diseases can stunt growth. These kinds of lifestyle, nutrition or disease effects can influence which genes are turned on or off in an individual; these are called epigenetic effects. Even though all the genetic material may be the same in two identical clones, they might not be expressing all the same genes.

Consider the practice of cloning winning racehorses. Clones of winners sometimes also will be winners but most of the time theyre not. This is because winners are outliers; they need to have the right genetics, but also the right epigenetics and the right environment to reach that winning potential. For example, one can never exactly duplicate the uterine conditions a winning racehorse experienced when it was a developing fetus. Thus, cloning champions usually leads to disappointment. On the other hand, cloning a stallion that sires a high proportion of race-winning horses will result very reliably in a clone that similarly sires winners. This is a genetic rather than a phenotypic situation.

Even though the genetics are reliable, there are aspects of the cloning procedure that mean the epigenetics and environment are suboptimal. For example, sperm have elegant ways of activating the eggs they fertilize, which will die unless activated properly; with cloning, activation usually is accomplished by a strong electric shock. Many of the steps of cloning and subsequent embryonic development are done in test tubes in incubators. These conditions are not perfect substitutes for the female reproductive tract where fertilization and early embryonic development normally occur.

Sometimes abnormal fetuses develop to term, resulting in abnormalities at birth. The most striking abnormal phenotype of some clones is termed large offspring syndrome, in which calves or lambs are 30 or 40 percent larger than normal, resulting in difficult birth. The problems stem from an abnormal placenta. At birth, these clones are genetically normal, but are overly large, and tend to be hyperinsulinemic and hypoglycemic. (The conditions normalize over time once the offspring is no longer influenced by the abnormal placenta.)

Recent improvements in cloning procedures have greatly reduced these abnormalities, which also occur with natural reproduction, but at a much lower incidence.

Many thousands of cloned mammals have been produced in nearly two dozen species. Very few of these concern practical applications, such as cloning a famous Angus bull named Final Answer (who recently died at an old age) in order to produce more high-quality cattle via his clones sperm.

But the cloning research landscape is changing fast. The driving force for producing Dolly was not to produce genetically identical animals. Rather researchers want to combine cloning techniques with other methods in order to efficiently change animals genetically much quicker than traditional animal breeding methods that take decades to make changes in populations of species such as cattle.

One recent example is introducing the polled (no horns) gene into dairy cattle, thus eliminating the need for the painful process of dehorning. An even more striking application has been to produce a strain of pigs that is incapable of being infected by the very contagious and debilitating PRRS virus. Researchers have even made cattle that cannot develop Mad Cow Disease. For each of these procedures, somatic cell nuclear transplantation is an essential part of the process.

To date, the most valuable contribution of these somatic cell nuclear transplantation experiments has been the scientific information and insights gained. Theyve enhanced our understanding of normal and abnormal embryonic development, including aspects of aging, and more. This information is already helping reduce birth defects, improve methods of circumventing infertility, develop tools to fight certain cancers and even decrease some of the negative consequences of aging in livestock and even in people. Two decades since Dolly, important applications are still evolving.

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20 years after Dolly: Everything you always wanted to know about ... - The Conversation US

20 years after Dolly: Everything you always wanted to know about the cloned sheep and what came next – New Delhi Times

Its been 20 years since scientists in Scotland told the world about Dolly the sheep, the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult body cell. What was special about Dolly is that her parents were actually a single cell originating from mammary tissue of an adult ewe. Dolly was an exact genetic copy of that sheep a clone.

Dolly captured peoples imaginations, but those of us in the field had seen her coming through previous research. Ive been working with mammalian embryos for over 40 years, with some work in my lab specifically focusing on various methods of cloning cattle and other livestock species. In fact, one of the coauthors of the paper announcing Dolly worked in our laboratory for three years prior to going to Scotland to help create the famous clone.

Dolly was an important milestone, inspiring scientists to continue improving cloning technology as well as to pursue new concepts in stem cell research. The endgame was never meant to be armies of genetically identical livestock: Rather, researchers continue to refine the techniques and combine them with other methods to turbocharge traditional animal breeding methods as well as gain insights into aging and disease.

Not the usual sperm + egg Dolly was a perfectly normal sheep who became the mother of numerous normal lambs. She lived to six and a half years, when she was eventually put down after a contagious disease spread through her flock, infecting cloned and normally reproduced sheep alike. Her life wasnt unusual; its her origin that made her unique.

Before the decades of experiments that led to Dolly, it was thought that normal animals could be produced only by fertilization of an egg by a sperm. Thats how things naturally work. These germ cells are the only ones in the body that have their genetic material all jumbled up and in half the quantity of every other kind of cell. That way when these so-called haploid cells come together at fertilization, they produce one cell with the full complement of DNA. Joined together, the cell is termed diploid, for twice, or double. Two halves make a whole.

From that moment forward, nearly all cells in that body have the same genetic makeup. When the one-cell embryo duplicates its genetic material, both cells of the now two-cell embryo are genetically identical. When they in turn duplicate their genetic material, each cell at the four-cell stage is genetically identical. This pattern goes on so that each of the trillions of cells in an adult is genetically exactly the same whether its in a lung or a bone or the blood.

In contrast, Dolly was produced by whats called somatic cell nuclear transfer. In this process, researchers remove the genetic material from an egg and replace it with the nucleus of some other body cell. The resulting egg becomes a factory to produce an embryo that develops into an offspring. No sperm is in the picture; instead of half the genetic material coming from a sperm and half from an egg, it all comes from a single cell. Its diploid from the start.

Long research path led to Dolly Dolly was the culmination of hundreds of cloning experiments that, for example, showed diploid embryonic and fetal cells could be parents of offspring. But there was no way to easily know all the characteristics of the animal that would result from a cloned embryo or fetus. Researchers could freeze a few of the cells of a 16-cell embryo, while going on to produce clones from the other cells; if a desirable animal was produced, they could thaw the frozen cells and make more copies. But this was impractical because of low success rates.

Dolly demonstrated that adult somatic cells also could be used as parents. Thus, one could know the characteristics of the animal being cloned.

By my calculations, Dolly was the single success from 277 tries at somatic cell nuclear transfer. Sometimes the process of cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer still produces abnormal embryos, most of which die. But the process has greatly improved so success rates now are more like 10 percent; its highly variable, though, depending on the cell type used and the species.

More than 10 different cell types have been used successfully as parents for cloning. These days most cloning is done using cells obtained by biopsying skin.

More than genes can affect a clone Genetics is only part of the story. Even while clones are genetically identical, their phenotypes the characteristics they express will be different. Its like naturally occurring identical twins: They share all their genes but theyre not really exactly alike, especially if reared in different settings.

Environment plays a huge role for some characteristics. Food availability can influence weight. Diseases can stunt growth. These kinds of lifestyle, nutrition or disease effects can influence which genes are turned on or off in an individual; these are called epigenetic effects. Even though all the genetic material may be the same in two identical clones, they might not be expressing all the same genes.

Consider the practice of cloning winning racehorses. Clones of winners sometimes also will be winners but most of the time theyre not. This is because winners are outliers; they need to have the right genetics, but also the right epigenetics and the right environment to reach that winning potential. For example, one can never exactly duplicate the uterine conditions a winning racehorse experienced when it was a developing fetus. Thus, cloning champions usually leads to disappointment. On the other hand, cloning a stallion that sires a high proportion of race-winning horses will result very reliably in a clone that similarly sires winners. This is a genetic rather than a phenotypic situation.

Even though the genetics are reliable, there are aspects of the cloning procedure that mean the epigenetics and environment are suboptimal. For example, sperm have elegant ways of activating the eggs they fertilize, which will die unless activated properly; with cloning, activation usually is accomplished by a strong electric shock. Many of the steps of cloning and subsequent embryonic development are done in test tubes in incubators. These conditions are not perfect substitutes for the female reproductive tract where fertilization and early embryonic development normally occur.

Sometimes abnormal fetuses develop to term, resulting in abnormalities at birth. The most striking abnormal phenotype of some clones is termed large offspring syndrome, in which calves or lambs are 30 or 40 percent larger than normal, resulting in difficult birth. The problems stem from an abnormal placenta. At birth, these clones are genetically normal, but are overly large, and tend to be hyperinsulinemic and hypoglycemic. (The conditions normalize over time once the offspring is no longer influenced by the abnormal placenta.)

Recent improvements in cloning procedures have greatly reduced these abnormalities, which also occur with natural reproduction, but at a much lower incidence.

Continuing onward with cloning Many thousands of cloned mammals have been produced in nearly two dozen species. Very few of these concern practical applications, such as cloning a famous Angus bull named Final Answer (who recently died at an old age) in order to produce more high-quality cattle via his clones sperm.

But the cloning research landscape is changing fast. The driving force for producing Dolly was not to produce genetically identical animals. Rather researchers want to combine cloning techniques with other methods in order to efficiently change animals genetically much quicker than traditional animal breeding methods that take decades to make changes in populations of species such as cattle.

One recent example is introducing the polled (no horns) gene into dairy cattle, thus eliminating the need for the painful process of dehorning. An even more striking application has been to produce a strain of pigs that is incapable of being infected by the very contagious and debilitating PRRS virus. Researchers have even made cattle that cannot develop Mad Cow Disease. For each of these procedures, somatic cell nuclear transplantation is an essential part of the process.

To date, the most valuable contribution of these somatic cell nuclear transplantation experiments has been the scientific information and insights gained. Theyve enhanced our understanding of normal and abnormal embryonic development, including aspects of aging, and more. This information is already helping reduce birth defects, improve methods of circumventing infertility, develop tools to fight certain cancers and even decrease some of the negative consequences of aging in livestock and even in people. Two decades since Dolly, important applications are still evolving.

Credit : Associated Press (AP)

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20 years after Dolly: Everything you always wanted to know about the cloned sheep and what came next - New Delhi Times

Doc: UConn’s success speaks volumes on evolution of women’s game – Cincinnati.com

Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma looks on from the sideline.(Photo: USA TODAY Sports/David Butler II)

After winning for the 100th straight time last week, the UConn womens basketball team almost lost at Tulane Saturday, which would have been like pizza losing to lima beans.

The Green Wave cut the Huskies' lead to two twice in the last 1:15, but missed its final three shots. What would have been an epic upset became instead consecutive win No. 101 for Connecticut, 63-60. Still, the Tulane women did something almost no one else has been able to do since UConns streak began on Nov. 17, 2014:

Made a UConn game compelling.

Took it off the assembly line of Ws. Made it more than another Globetrotters win over the Washington Generals. Made it competitive.

Count me among the legions fawning over Connecticuts streak, which is now 13 games longer than anything John Wooden achieved. Excellence and the attendant work required should never be taken for granted. UConn lost its three best players this season they went 1-2-3 in the WNBA draft and was picked No. 3 in the country yet still rules the world, as if by habit.

Greatness is making the difficult look routine. If there were a word higher than greatness, wed use it in this case. The Huskies dont have to apologize for being 101-0. Everyone else does.

In the process of creating a kingdom all its own, Connecticut has turned the rest of womens college basketball into sharecroppers. In fashioning singular greatness, the Huskies have shown how far the rest of the league still has to go.

In 2015, 349 Division I schools had womens basketball teams. A total of 5,124 women took part. Each team could have a maximum of 15 players on scholarship. Not one school could find enough good players to at least compete with Connecticut?

Dominance requires partners. Otherwise, its just looking into a mirror. Given that womens college basketball has been ascendant for 25 years at least, why is itthat no school can come up with a roster that can keep UConn coach Geno Auriemma awake at night?

Here are some numbers. Here is statistical proof that UConn is the sneaker of womens basketball and everyone else is the bug:

Of the 100 wins, only two were by fewer than 10 points.

Twenty-five were by 50 points or more. Fifty-six were 40-plus. Fifty-six opponents were props. The average victory margin throughout 100-0: 38.4.

UConn is 9-0 this year against the top 5 teams in the country, winning by an average of 14. Earlier this year, the Huskies beat No. 20 South Florida, 102-37.

Cmon.

This isnt sports. Its performance art.

Why cant anyone give them a game? Why cant anyone given 15 scholarships and playing in a more prestigious league than the AAC recruit a roster capable of making the Huskies nervous? What does this say about the depth and breadth of talent in the womens game?

While we celebrate the greatness, shouldnt we also question the evolution?

The mens game is what it is now because no team dominates. March is Mad because none of us knows whose Moment might Shine. Seasons begin with a usual-suspects list of teams favored to win it all. But not even Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina get automatic invites. And the fight for the crown always involves social strivers and climbers such as Butler, Villanova and, this year, Gonzaga.

There is mystery and genuine hope. Sports cant survive without both. There arent 38-point blowouts game after game.

I asked Scott Rogers about this. He coaches basketball at Mount Notre Dame. As the Cougars head coach, his teams have gone to the state title game three times and won it all twice. When Rogers was as an assistant, the Cougars won another. Rogers even sent a player, Mel Thomas, to UConn.

The frustrating part I see is teams subconsciously saying, If we stay within 10, weve done a good job, "Rogers said. Its almost like the streak has gotten inside the heads of some programs."

Rogers admires what Geno Auriemma has built. Not only does he get the top five players every year, he gets the top five he needs,"he said. But Rogers wonders if the lack of competition might turn off some fans. People dont want to watch people get beat by 50."

Thats the rub for the Huskies. Too good for everyone. Too good for their own sport.

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Doc: UConn's success speaks volumes on evolution of women's game - Cincinnati.com