#fire restoration auckland

[methodelectricals]

Electrical Services in South Auckland: Trust the Local Experts

Electrician South Auckland – Reliable and Professional Electrical Services

If you’re in need of a qualified and professional electrician in South Auckland, look no further! Whether it's a minor electrical repair or a major installation, the expertise of a reliable electrician ensures that the job is done safely, efficiently, and in line with the highest standards. At Method Electrical, we take pride in offering top-notch electrical services for homes, offices, and commercial spaces across South Auckland.

Why Choose a Professional Electrician in South Auckland?

Electrical work can be complex and dangerous if not handled correctly. Hiring a professional electrician in South Auckland offers several benefits:

Expertise and Knowledge: Professional electricians are trained and certified to handle various electrical tasks, from installations to repairs.

Safety First: Electrical repairs and installations should always prioritize safety. Our electricians adhere to strict safety regulations to prevent accidents and ensure your property is protected.

Efficiency: Whether you need wiring for new construction or fixing electrical faults, our electricians work efficiently to get the job done without compromising on quality.

Compliance with Regulations: South Auckland’s licensed electricians ensure all work meets local electrical standards and codes, providing you with peace of mind.

Services Offered by Electricians in South Auckland

At Method Electrical, we cover a wide range of electrical services tailored to meet the unique needs of South Auckland residents and businesses.

Residential Electrical Services:

Wiring and Rewiring: Whether you're building a new home or upgrading an existing one, we provide expert wiring and rewiring services.

Lighting Solutions: From LED upgrades to new lighting installations, we enhance the aesthetic and functional appeal of your home.

Switchboard Upgrades: If your switchboard is outdated or faulty, we offer upgrades to improve electrical safety.

Power Outlet Installations: Need additional power points? We install them efficiently without disrupting your space.

Home Automation: Want to transform your home into a smart home? We provide tailored automation solutions.

Commercial Electrical Services:

Office Fit-Outs: From setting up office lighting to installing electrical systems, we ensure that your workspace is ready to go.

Security Systems: We install state-of-the-art security systems, including CCTV, to

enhance the safety of your commercial premises.

Electrical Maintenance: Regular electrical maintenance prevents costly repairs and ensures that your systems are functioning optimally.

Emergency Lighting: Keep your workplace safe with professionally installed emergency lighting solutions.

Electrical Repairs and Troubleshooting:

Fault Finding: Our skilled electricians quickly diagnose and fix any electrical faults, ensuring your safety.

Appliance Repair: We handle the repair of a wide range of electrical appliances, restoring them to optimal working condition.

Circuit Breaker Replacement: If your circuit breaker is faulty or constantly tripping, we offer replacement services to restore functionality.

Emergency Electrical Services: Electrical emergencies can occur at any time. Whether it's a sudden power outage, a short circuit, or an electrical fire hazard, our electricians in South Auckland are available 24/7 to provide immediate assistance. With our fast response times, you can rely on us to solve your electrical issues in a safe and timely manner.

Why Method Electrical Is South Auckland’s Go-To Electrician

There are plenty of electricians out there, but Method Electrical stands out for several reasons:

Experienced Team: Our electricians bring years of experience to the table, ensuring high-quality service every time. Whether it's a simple fix or a large-scale commercial installation, our team has the expertise to handle it all.

Customer-Centric Approach: We place customer satisfaction at the forefront of everything we do. From initial consultation to project completion, we maintain open communication and ensure the work is tailored to meet your needs.

Competitive Pricing: Electrical work shouldn’t break the bank. At Method Electrical, we offer competitive pricing without compromising on quality. You’ll receive top-tier service at an affordable rate.

Safety and Compliance: We never cut corners when it comes to safety. All electrical work is performed in compliance with local regulations, ensuring that your property and loved ones are safe.

Timely and Reliable Service: We understand how disruptive electrical issues can be, which is why we prioritize timely and reliable service. You can count on us to arrive on time and complete the job efficiently.

Contact the Best Electrician in South Auckland

Whether you need residential, commercial, or emergency electrical services, Method Electrical has you covered. With our expertise, commitment to safety, and customer-first approach, we have earned a reputation as the go-to electricians in South Auckland.

Don’t wait until a minor issue turns into a major problem. Contact us today for all your electrical needs and experience the Method Electrical difference. Call us or visit our website at https://methodelectrical.co.nz/electrician-south-auckland/ to schedule your service.

CONTACT INFORMATION

+64 0800 223 330

136c Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland, NZ 1051

[truckpanelpaint]

What Are the Uses of Sandblasting?

Automotive Sandblasting in Auckland NZ is an effective way to clean large areas and it is a verified and proven method. But, there are uses that the public can’t realize that you do with the sand Blaster. In this article, we will talk about some applications of sandblasters and media that get used in the process.

One of the common applications of media and sandblasting is to remove corrosion and rust. It works with ferrous materials like steel and iron. For such materials, you can use a pressure blaster with media like aluminum oxide.

Sandblaster gets used in cleaning smaller items like hand tools, household doors, cabinet hardware. Media blasting finds application in cleaning household items. For smaller items, you don’t need a spacesuit and pressure plaster to blast. Use a small tabletop for a standalone cabinet that encapsulates the media and makes it easy to clean small objects. Read on to learn more about the reasons behind hiring Sandblasting And Painting Company Auckland.

Sandblasting And Painting Company Auckland uses glass media for all-in-one cleaning purposes. It isn’t so abrasive and heavily profiles materials consisting of Aluminum oxide. In some cases, media blasting can semi-polish or smoothen a surface. When it comes to objects with irregular or sharp edges, You can use a media blaster with crushed glass. Go slowly with the media across the edge to get it smoothened, as a piece of crushed glass doesn’t move faster. It does not leave a rough texture on the surface. If you want to smooth or polish the surface, you can use walnut shells.

Sandblasting And Painting Auckland NZ find applications in mold and mildew removal. It helps to remove mold and mildew from ornamental landscaping or structures. For this purpose, you will need clement abrasive material like soda. It helps remove a considerable portion of bold and mildew but doesn’t profile the surface.

It also works on water and wood-damaged structures. Gets the surface prepared for resealing, painting, and staining. Oil stains on your concrete floor or driveway will look unsightly and are difficult to clean up. With the media blaster, you can remove oil stains and return the complete to its on-poured form. Automotive Sandblasting In Auckland NZ uses a power blaster kit with a power washer to get the work done.

Fire damage can be expensive, and you need to restore some of the structures. Media blasting is an effective method to remove soot and dust from fire and smoke damage. Sandblasting and Painting Company Auckland offers a go-to solution for water and fire restoration means. No matter if you want to restore your house or automobile, nothing beats the original hardware.

Sandblasting and hardware closets get used to hold back a portion of the hardware and make it ready for restoration. Blast them in the cabinets. Sandblasting and Painting Auckland NZ helps clean grease, rust, paint, and dirt off the surface. For quotes on Sandblasting and Painting Auckland NZ, contact us today.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.22

192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu. 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt. 1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to assassinate Saladin near Aleppo. 1200 – King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet. 1246 – Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV. 1254 – Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty. 1370 – Brussels massacre: Hundreds of Jews are murdered and the rest of the Jewish community is banished from Brussels, Belgium, for allegedly desecrating consecrated Host. 1377 – Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe. 1455 – Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England. 1520 – The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish. 1629 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck ending Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War. 1762 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg. 1762 – Trevi Fountain is officially completed and inaugurated in Rome. 1766 – A large earthquake causes heavy damage and loss of life in Istanbul and the Marmara region. 1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri. 1807 – A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason. 1809 – On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is repelled by an enemy army for the first time. 1816 – A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs, and the riots spread to Ely the next day. 1819 – SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 1826 – HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage. 1840 – The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished. 1848 – Slavery is abolished in Martinique. 1849 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent. 1856 – Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery. 1863 – American Civil War: Union forces begin the Siege of Port Hudson which lasts 48 days, the longest siege in U.S. military history. 1864 – American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army's Red River Campaign ends in failure. 1866 – Oliver Winchester founded the Winchester Repeating Arms 1872 – Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers. 1900 – The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative. 1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine". 1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, the only volcano besides Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous U.S. during the 20th century. 1915 – Three trains collide in the Quintinshill rail disaster near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246. 1926 – Chiang Kai-shek replaces the communists in Kuomintang China. 1927 – Near Xining, China, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake causes 200,000 deaths in one of the world's most destructive earthquakes. 1939 – World War II: Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel. 1941 – During the Anglo-Iraqi War, British troops take Fallujah. 1942 – Mexico enters the Second World War on the side of the Allies. 1943 – Joseph Stalin disbands the Comintern. 1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine goes into effect, aiding Turkey and Greece. 1948 – Finnish President J. K. Paasikivi released Yrjö Leino from his duties as interior minister in 1948 after the Finnish parliament had adopted a motion of censure of Leino with connection to his illegal handing over of nineteen people to the Soviet Union in 1945. 1957 – South Africa's government approves of racial separation in universities. 1958 – The 1958 riots in Ceylon become a watershed in the race relations of various ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. The total deaths is estimated at 300, mostly Tamils. 1960 – The Great Chilean earthquake, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale, hits southern Chile, becoming the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. 1962 – Continental Airlines Flight 11 crashes in Unionville, Missouri after bombs explode on board, killing 45. 1963 – Greek left-wing politician Grigoris Lambrakis is shot in an assassination attempt, and dies five days later. 1964 – Lyndon B. Johnson launches the Great Society. 1967 – Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping. 1967 – L'Innovation department store in Brussels, Belgium, burns down, resulting in 323 dead or missing and 150 injured, the most devastating fire in Belgian history. 1968 – The nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard, 400 miles southwest of the Azores. 1969 – Apollo 10's lunar module flies within 8.4 nautical miles (16 km) of the moon's surface. 1972 – Ceylon adopts a new constitution, becoming a republic and changing its name to Sri Lanka, and joins the Commonwealth of Nations. 1972 – Over 400 women in Derry, Northern Ireland attack the offices of Sinn Féin following the shooting by the Irish Republican Army of a young British soldier on leave. 1987 – Hashimpura massacre occurs in Meerut, India. 1987 – First ever Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand playing Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. 1990 – North and South Yemen are unified to create the Republic of Yemen. 1992 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia join the United Nations. 1994 – A worldwide trade embargo against Haiti goes into effect to punish its military rulers for not reinstating the country's ousted elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. 1996 – The Burmese military regime jails 71 supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi in a bid to block a pro-democracy meeting. 1998 – A U.S. federal judge rules that U.S. Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the Lewinsky scandal involving President Bill Clinton. 2000 – In Sri Lanka, over 150 Tamil rebels are killed over two days of fighting for control in Jaffna. 2002 – Civil rights movement: A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murder of four girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. 2010 – Air India Express Boeing 737 crashes over a cliff upon landing at Mangalore, India, killing 158 of 166 people on board, becoming the deadliest crash involving a Boeing 737 until the crash of Lion Air Flight 610. 2010 – Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2–0 in the Uefa Champions League final in Madrid, Spain to become the first, and so far only, Italian team to win the historic treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League). 2011 – An EF5 tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and wreaking $2.8 billion in damages, the costliest and seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history. 2012 – Tokyo Skytree opens to the public. It is the tallest tower in the world (634 m), and the second tallest man-made structure on Earth after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m). 2014 – General Prayut Chan-o-cha becomes interim leader of Thailand in a military coup d'état, following six months of political turmoil. 2014 – An explosion occurs in Ürümqi, capital of China's far-western Xinjiang region, resulting in at least 43 deaths and 91 injuries. 2015 – The Republic of Ireland becomes the first nation in the world to legalize gay marriage in a public referendum. 2017 – Twenty-two people are killed at an Ariana Grande concert in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. 2017 – United States President Donald Trump visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall. 2020 – Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashes in Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 98 people.

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Trump Expected to Order Troop Withdrawal (Foreign Policy) U.S. President Donald Trump is set to order a dramatic and rapid cut in the number of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia as he seeks action from loyalists newly installed at the U.S. Department of Defense. A perception that Mark Esper, the previous U.S. Secretary of Defense, would not agree to further troop reductions on so quick a schedule, was seen as one of the reasons for his removal from the post shortly after the U.S. presidential election. Although the numbers are not yet public, several media reports signal a halving of current troop levels in Afghanistan from the 4,500 troops currently stationed there. A reduction in Iraq would be less severe, but almost all of the 700 U.S. troops stationed in Somalia are expected to return to the United States. Although Republican leaders are wary, a troop withdrawal appears to be popular among the American public. According to a YouGov poll commissioned by the libertarian Charles Koch Institute in August, 76 percent Americans supported withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, with almost half of respondents strongly supporting withdrawal. The number supporting U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq was 74 percent. The desire to end America’s wars in the Middle East and South Asia is felt similarly among U.S. military veterans. An April poll by another Koch-backed group found 73 percent of veterans surveyed supported a full withdrawal from Afghanistan, an almost 13 percent increase from the previous year.

Covid-19 origin remains a mystery (South China Morning Post, Tumori Journal) The virus that causes the Covid-19 disease has now infected more than 54 million people across the planet, but the question of just where it came from remains a mystery. Researchers may have found a new link in this puzzle after discovering evidence suggesting the pathogen had infected people across Italy as early as September last year, or months before it was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The unexpected finding “may reshape the history of [the] pandemic”, said the team led by Dr Gabriella Sozzi, a life scientist with the National Cancer Institute of Milan, in a peer-reviewed paper published last week in the Tumori Journal.

Hurricane Iota bashes Nicaragua, Honduras after Eta floods (AP) Hurricane Iota battered Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast and flooded some stretches of neighboring Honduras that were still under water from Hurricane Eta two weeks earlier, leaving authorities struggling to assess damage after communications were knocked out in some areas. By late Tuesday, Iota had diminished to a tropical storm and was moving inland over northern Nicaragua and southern Honduras, but forecasters warned that its heavy rains still posed a threat of flooding and mudslides. The storm passed about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south-southwest of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, where rivers were rising and rain was expected to intensify. In mountainous Tegucigalpa, residents of low-lying, flood-prone areas were being evacuated in anticipation of Iota’s rains, as were residents of hillside neighborhoods vulnerable to landslides.

Boris Johnson, in self-quarantine, says he’s ‘bursting with antibodies’ (Washington Post) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson boasted that he was “fit as a butcher’s dog” and “bursting with antibodies” as he began two weeks of self-quarantine after having close contact with a lawmaker who contracted the coronavirus. Johnson was infected with the virus in March—and struggled to breathe in an intensive care unit for three days. His staff did not say on Monday whether he had been tested this time, but cases of coronavirus reinfection have been incredibly rare. Johnson on Monday said that he felt great and that because he previously had the disease he was “bursting with antibodies” but that he would self-quarantine for two weeks as “we got to interrupt the spread of the disease.” He added that he would continue to govern by video conference.

After Trump, Europe aims to show Biden it can fight for itself (Reuters) The Donald Trump era may be coming to an end. But European Union ministers meeting this week to discuss the future of the continent’s defence will say the lesson has been learned: Europe needs to be strong enough to fight on its own. EU foreign and defence ministers meeting by teleconference on Thursday and Friday will receive the bloc’s first annual report on joint defence capabilities, expected to serve as the basis for a French-led, post-Brexit, post-Trump effort to turn the EU into a stand-alone military power. “We aren’t in the old status quo, where we can pretend that the Donald Trump presidency never existed and the world was the same as four years ago,” a French diplomat said. The EU has been working since December 2017 to develop more firepower independently of the United States. The effort has been driven mainly by France, the EU’s remaining major military power after Brexit.

Hungary and Poland Threaten E.U. Stimulus Over Rule of Law Links (NYT) When European Union leaders announced a landmark stimulus package to rescue their economies from the ravages of the coronavirus, they agreed to jointly raise hundreds of billions of dollars to use as aid—a bold and widely welcomed leap in collaboration never attempted in the bloc’s history. But that unity was shattered on Monday when Hungary and Poland blocked the stimulus plan and the broader budget. The two eastern European countries said they would veto the spending bill because the funding was made conditional on upholding rule-of-law standards, such as an independent judiciary, which the two governments have weakened as they defiantly tear down separation of powers at home. Their veto has thrown a signature achievement of the bloc into disarray, deepening a long-building standoff over its core principles and threatening to delay the stimulus money from getting to E.U. member states, if a new agreement can be reached at all.

Armenia seethes over peace deal (Foreign Policy) Armenia’s government is under strain after signing a cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan in a Russian-backed deal a week ago. On Monday, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan resigned after a public disagreement with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over the direction of peace talks. Pressure on Pashinyan has shown no sign of easing in recent days: 17 opposition parties have called for his resignation as street protests against his leadership continue.

Kissinger Warns Biden of U.S.-China Catastrophe on Scale of WWI (Bloomberg) Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said the incoming Biden administration should move quickly to restore lines of communication with China that frayed during the Trump years or risk a crisis that could escalate into military conflict. “Unless there is some basis for some cooperative action, the world will slide into a catastrophe comparable to World War I,” Kissinger said during the opening session of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. He said military technologies available today would make such a crisis “even more difficult to control” than those of earlier eras. “America and China are now drifting increasingly toward confrontation, and they’re conducting their diplomacy in a confrontational way,” the 97-year-old Kissinger said in an interview with Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait. “The danger is that some crisis will occur that will go beyond rhetoric into actual military conflict.” U.S.-China relations are at their lowest in decades. As President Donald Trump stepped up his criticism of China, blaming it for the spread of the virus and the death toll in the U.S., each side also has ramped up moves the other sees as hostile.

Hundreds of fraudulent votes were discovered. Then a fat green parrot was elected. (Washington Post) A plump, waddling parrot has soared past its competition to claim victory in New Zealand’s Bird of the Year contest, a tense race marked by attempted voter interference during a divisive month of campaigning. In what event organizers conceded was “a stunning upset,” the critically endangered kakapo flew into first place to steal the title—ruffling the feathers of those who say the bright-green parrot unfairly secured a second term as chosen bird. The bird-of-the-year controversy took flight after data analysts working with Forest & Bird discovered that roughly 1,500 fraudulent votes had been cast. The “illegal votes,” which were submitted using a suspicious email account and came from the same IP address in Auckland, briefly pushed the country’s tiny kiwi pukupuku bird into the lead, a brazen meddling attempt that sent officials and campaign managers into a flap. Those votes were immediately disregarded, organizers said. “It’s lucky we spotted this little kiwi trying to sneak in an extra 1500 votes under the cover of darkness!” Laura Keown, spokesperson for Bird of the Year, said in a statement Nov. 10, adding that officials did not “want to see any more cheating.”

Israelis Take On Netanyahu And Coronavirus Restrictions In Wave Of Civil Disobedience (The Intercept) Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having been at the helm for over 11 consecutive years. He is also the first sitting prime minister to be indicted, currently on trial in three cases of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, arising from abusing his authority to grant favors for, among other things, favorable media coverage. While there have been small but stubborn protests against Netanyahu since investigations into his corruption first opened in late 2016, it was not until the coronavirus paralyzed Israel’s economy that people—many of them in their 20s and 30s—starting coming out in droves. For more than 20 weeks now, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to call on Netanyahu to recuse himself for corruption, for failing to manage the pandemic, and for what many describe as his megalomania—doing whatever it takes to evade trial. They have been convening in massive numbers in front of his official residence, many carrying homemade signs, chanting in unison “Go!” and “We won’t leave till Bibi resigns.”

Protests that historically bring out large numbers of Jewish Israelis have long been dominated by Israel’s left-leaning peace camp, and a decade ago, others drawing attention to the high cost of living. What is happening now is different: With over a million people unemployed in a country of 9 million, culture and nightlife all but dead amid the pandemic, and people’s ability to travel outside the country severely restricted, a nationwide movement of disgruntled Israelis, spanning ages and to an extent sociocultural backgrounds, is practicing civil disobedience. The government has responded with relative force against a segment of the Jewish population that is largely unfamiliar with police brutality and has not had their individual rights violated. At the same time, the government has all but ignored incitement and incidents of violence against the protesters. The official response is giving Jewish Israelis a tiny window into what it has always been like for Palestinians, both in Israel and the occupied West Bank and Gaza, whose protests are, prima facie, treated as suspect.

Ethiopia bombs Tigray capital (Foreign Policy) Ethiopia’s air force began bombing the Tigray region’s capital, Mekelle, on Monday in another escalation of the country’s civil war, now entering its third week. In a tweet he later deleted, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called for the two sides to negotiate and halt the conflict “lest it leads to unnecessary loss of lives and cripples the economy.” Redwan Hussein, a government spokesman, said the war would be a “short-lived operation,” and that mediation offers from Uganda or another country were not being considered.

Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industry (AP) Now at Amazon.com: insulin and inhalers. The online colossus opened an online pharmacy Tuesday that allows customers to order medication or prescription refills, and have them delivered to their front door in a couple of days. The potential impact of Amazon’s arrival in the pharmaceutical space rippled through that sector immediately. Before the opening bell, shares of CVS Health Corp. fell almost 9%. Walgreens and Rite Aid both tumbled more than 10%. The big chains rely on their pharmacies for a steady flow of shoppers who may also grab a snack, or shampoo or groceries on the way out. All have upped online services, but Amazon.com has mastered it, and its online store is infinitely larger. Amazon will begin offering commonly prescribed medications Tuesday in the U.S., including creams, pills, as well as medications that need to stay refrigerated, like insulin. Shoppers have to set up a profile on Amazon’s website and have their doctors send prescriptions there. The company said it won’t ship medications that can be abused, including many opioids. Most insurance is accepted, Amazon said. But Prime members who don’t have insurance can also buy generic or brand name drugs from Amazon for a discount. They can also get discounts at 50,000 physical pharmacies around the country, inside Costco, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and other stores.

R.I.P. whoopsie (Euronews) French broadcaster RFI has apologized after a bug on its website triggered the publication of obituaries of Queen Elizabeth II, Pelé, Jimmy Carter, Brigitte Bardot, Clint Eastwood and about 100 other prominent (and still alive) celebrities. RFI said in a statement that a “technical problem” led to the erroneous publications. Broadcasters often prepare obituary material in advance to publish it promptly when a death is announced.

[transmediacomicstudies]

Call of Cthulhu by HP. Lovecraft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqIxCqayQok&list=LLA7itL_HoGpsUJLAI_oa0hQ&index=23&t=4577s

I’ve now had repeat listens of this audiobook. To summarize the Call of Cthulhu is presented as a manuscript, narrated by Francis Wayland Thurston of Boston as he recounts the notes left behind by his grand-uncle, George Gammell Angell, a professor of Semitic languages at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, who died suddenly in the winter 1926-7.

Part 1: The Horror Clay.

The first part concerns a small bas-relief sculpture found among the manuscript, which the narrator describes “ my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature […]A pulpy tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings”. The sculpture is the work of Henry Anthony Wilcox, a student of the Rhode Island School of Design who based his work on his dreams of “great cyclopean cities of titan blocks and sky flung monoliths, all dripping with green ooze and sinister with latent horror”. These images are associated in dreams with the words Cthulhu and R’lyeh. Wilcox’s dreams began on March 1, 1925, culminating in a period from March 23 until April 2 when Wilcox was in a state of delirium. During the same period, Angell’s notes revealed that there were similar cases of delirium and group folly or mania around the world - from Paris and London, Africa and South America, Philippines, Western Ireland and India. New York and California.

Part 2: The Tale of Inspector Legrasse.

The second part of the story begins with Angell’s notes revealing that he had heard the word Cthulhu and seen a similar image much earlier. At the 1908 meeting of the American Archaeological Society in St. Louis, Missouri, a New Orleans police officer named John Raymond Legrasse had asked for assistance in identifying a statuette, made of unidentifiable greenish black stone, that hade been captured months before in the wooded swamps south of New Orleans during a raid on a supposed voodoo meeting and held an identical resemblance  to the figure depicted in Wilcox’s bas-relief. On November 1, 1907, Legrasse had led a party in search of several women and children who disappeared from a squatter community. The police found the victims oddly marred bodies being used in a ritual the centered around the statuette in a ring of fire with around 100 men - all of a very low, mixed blooded and mentally aberrant type, all chanting the phrase “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.” After killing five and arresting 47 others, Legrasse interrogated the prisoners and learned “the central idea of their loathsome faith”. The prisoners identified the statuette as “great Cthulhu” and translated the phrase as “In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” One of the academics queried by Legrasse, William Channing Webb, a professor of anthropology at Priceton University, points out that he had encountered, “high up on the West Greenland coast” a similar phenomenon on an 1860 expedition: “a singular tribe or cult of degenerates whose religion, a curious form of devil-worship, chilled him with it’s deliberate bloodthirstiness and repulsiveness.” Webb said that the Greenland cult had both the same chant and a similar hideous fetish. Thurston then notes that this point of the investigation, “My attitude was still of absolute materialism, as I wish it still were.”

Part 3: The Madness from the Sea.

The third and final part of the story, Thurston extends the inquiry into the “Cthulhu Cult” beyond what professor Angel discovered. He discovers by chance and article from the Sydney Bulletin, an Australian newspaper, for April 18, 1925, that reported the discovery of a derelict ship in the pacific ocean with only one survivor - Norwegian sailor Gustaf Johansen, second mate on the schooner Emma out of Auckland, New Zealand, which on March 22 encountered a heavily armed yacht, the Alert, crewed by “a queer and evil looking crew of Kanakas and half-castes” from Dunedin, New Zealand. The Alert attacked without provocation and despite the crew of Emma losing their ship, they managed to board the opposing ship and kill all their attackers. The article then went on to say that the survivors encountered an island the next day, even though there are no charted islands in that area. Most of the remaining crew died on the island, but Johansen is said to be “queerly reticent” about there cause of death. Thurston realizes from the article that the crew of the Alert was connected to the Cthulhu Cult, and travels, first to New Zealand, then to Australia (where he sees a statue retrieved from the Alert with a "cuttlefish head, dragon body, scaly wings, and hieroglyphed pedestal") and finally to Oslo, where he learns that Johansen died suddenly after an encounter with "two Lascar sailors". When Johansen's widow gives Thurston a manuscript written in English that her husband left behind, the narrator learns of the crew's discovery of the uncharted island which is described as "a coastline of mingled mud, ooze, and weedy Cyclopean masonry which can be nothing less the tangible substance of earth's supreme terror — the nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh."Exploring the risen land, which is "abnormal, non-Euclidian, and loathsomely redolent of spheres and dimensions apart from ours," the sailors manage to open a "monstrously carven portal," and from the newly opened depths It lumbered slobberingly into sight and gropingly squeezed Its gelatinous green immensity through the black doorway. The stars were right again, and what an age-old cult had failed to do by design, a band of innocent sailors had done by accident. After vigintillions of years great Cthulhu was loose again, and ravening for delight. Thurston (or Johansen) writes that "The Thing cannot be described," though the story does call it "the green, sticky spawn of the stars," and refers to its "flabby claws" and "awful squid-head with writhing feelers." Hinting at its scale, the story says, "A mountain walked or stumbled" (this is corroborated by Wilcox's dreams, which "touched wildly on a gigantic thing 'miles high' which walked or lumbered about"). Johansen manages to get back to the yacht; when Cthulhu, hesitantly, enters the water to pursue the ship, Johansen turns the Alert around and rams the creature's head, which bursts with "a slushy nastiness as of a cloven sunfish" — only to immediately begin reforming as Johansen and William Briden (insane, and soon dead) make their escape. After reading this manuscript, Thurston ends his own narrative on a pessimistic note: "Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men." He assumes that he will soon meet the fate of Angell and Johansen: "I know too much, and the cult still lives." He also thinks that Cthulhu, whilst restoring his broken head, was dragged down again with the sinking city, thus keeping humanity safe until the next time, when the stars are right. 

END.

[methodelectricals]

24/7 Electrician Auckland: Fast, Reliable, and Always Available

24/7 Electrician Auckland: Reliable Emergency Electrical Services

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CONTACT INFORMATION

+64 0800 223 330

136c Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland, NZ 1051

[xdl]

20190611 - St James Theatre, Auckland: Closed since 2007 after a fire, it’s been sad watching restoration efforts stall for the past decade. Very weird that the future of this heritage building is tied to the successful completion of a commercial apartment tower next door. Wish art was appreciated for art itself.

[architectnews]

Build Better Now, COP26 Virtual Exhibition

Build Better Now, COP26 Virtual Exhibition, Beyond Zero Buildings, Scottish Eco Architecture 2021

Build Better Now, COP26 Virtual Exhibition

2 November 2021

Location: Glasgow City, United Kingdom

The Natural Capital Laboratory, Scotland, by AECOM, University of Cumbria, Lifescape Project, NatureMetrics, Emilia and Roger Leese – image © AECOM

Build Better Now

Virtual pavilion for COP26 opens to the public, showcasing pioneering building projects and tackling global sustainability themes

Build Better Now, a virtual reality online exhibition demonstrating the opportunities for tackling the Climate Emergency and limiting the environmental impact of the buildings and cities we inhabit, has opened to the public.

Singita Volcanoes National Park, Ruhengeri, Rwanda, by Rwandan Development Board, Singita, Milton Group LLC, GAPP Architects SA, FBW Architects and Engineers Rwanda, TRPalmer, ASA Rwanda, Seyani Brothers, Grumeti construction TZ, Milton Group LLC, Bioregional UK, Earth Systems Africa, GAPP Architects SA, Ecolution Consulting SA – image © Adriaan Louw

• 17 exemplary sustainable projects and a centrepiece installation feature in Build Better Now, a virtual pavilion developed by AECOM.

• Exhibition and events programme showcase the urgent role that buildings and cities can play as a solution to the climate and ecological emergency.

• Central 3D installation by Make Architects highlights the potential for a circular future to restore our natural world.

TECLA, Massa Lombarda, Italy, by Mario Cucinella Architects, SOS – School of Sustainability, WASP – World’s Advanced Saving Project – image © Iago Corazza

The virtual pavilion, designed by AECOM in collaboration with Install Archive, features a series of dome-shaped exhibition spaces amongst treetops and connected by walkways. The exhibition showcases 17 exemplary sustainable built projects from around the world, selected from an international Open Call. Build Better Now also features a new 3D installation and accompanying film conceived for COP26 by Make Architects.

University of East Anglia Enterprise Centre, Norwich, England, by Architype, BDP, Morgan Sindall, Churchman Thornhill Finch) – image © Dennis Gilbert

The built environment has a central role to play in supporting the world’s transition to a net zero carbon economy. Globally, buildings consume over a third of energy produced, and are responsible for 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions. Build Better Now acts as a global call for climate action and is supported by a coalition of over 100 partner organisations from the built environment industry.

Bridges of Laminated Timber (BoLT), Amsterdam, Netherlands, by Arup, Schaffitzel, Heijmans – image © Arup

Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at the UK Green Building Council: “With COP26, the world is ready to tackle climate change and the built environment has a crucial part to play. We know why we must accelerate climate action and Build Better Now shows how we can get there. Everyone on the planet has a stake in our buildings and cities. I invite everyone to take inspiration from Build Better Now as a global showcase of pioneering solutions to climate change and hope that it supports the industry to create more sustainable buildings, places and cities of the future.”

The 5 Systems Programme: Nga Kāinga Anamata, Auckland, New Zealand, by Kainga Ora, Context Architects, Resilio Studio, Robert Bird Group, Holmes Fires, Aurecon, Ortus International, BRANZ – image © Context Architects

Alongside the exhibition, Build Better Now hosts an events series comprising a programme of tours and talks, keynotes, panel discussions and other downloadable content, to educate and inspire the built environment industry and public to act now to identify and deliver climate solutions at scale.

Hope Rise, Bristol, England, by ZED PODS Ltd, Bristol City Council, Avie Consulting Ltd, Vale Consulting Ltd, Below Ground Ltd – image © ZED PODS Limited

Following the Open Call, which was launched in June 2021, a rigorous and transparent selection process was undertaken to find projects for the exhibition. A judging panel comprising industry leaders from across the world, with insight into the complexities of built environment sustainability issues on a regional and local level, selected projects that are making an immediate positive impact on the planet and people’s lives.

Powerhouse Brattørkaia, Trondheim, Norway, by ENTRA ASA, Snøhetta, AsplanViak, ZERO, Skanska Norway – image © Ivar Kvaal

These projects are both scalable and replicable – giving the potential to deliver far-reaching impacts. Exploring themes such as natural resource use, climate mitigation and adaptation and nature and biodiversity, Build Better Now will showcase some of the most innovative solutions from across the globe.

Pioneering a Mass Timber Market in East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, by BuildX Studio, Gatsby Africa, AKT II, Arup, Timberliving SA, X-LAM, Autodesk Foundation, DOEN Foundation – image © BuildX Studio

Make Architects was selected to design a sustainability focused 360° installation and accompanying film that acts as a centrepiece within the pavilion. ‘The Fountain of Circular Recovery’ highlights opportunities for recovery, reuse and recycling in the built environment to establish a truly circular economy.

Milan Innovation District, Milan, Italy, by Lendlease, Arexpo, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, E.ON, Carlo Ratti, Mario Cucinella Architects, Piuarch, Beema, LAND, MAD Architects, Obr, Arup, Deerns, Milan Ingegneria, J+S, Italian Department of Justice, PlusValue – image © artist impression

Sara Cultural Centre, Skellefteå, Sweden, by Skellefteå Municipality, HENT AS, White Arkitekter, Florian Kosche, TK Botnia, WSP, Incoord, Martinssons AB, Derome – image © Patrick Degerman

Pioneering projects include a cultural centre in Sweden that will be one of the world’s tallest timber buildings; the largest Certified Passivhaus building in the Southern hemisphere in Australia; a 100-hectare innovation district in Italy digitally mapped and powered by 100% renewable energy sources; and the largest new build energy-positive office building in Norway, which supplies surplus renewable energy to neighbouring buildings as well as powering electric buses.

Modulus Homes, Karachi, Pakistan, by ModulusTech, Reall Limited, Open Door Design Studio, Trellis Housing Finance Limited, ConnectHear, Spaces PK – image © ModulusTech

Buildings constructed using natural local materials range from a UK university building utilising thatch and reed; a school in Indonesia built with bamboo and the first 3D-printed sustainable homes made entirely from raw clay – perfectly balancing ultra-modern construction techniques with historic, traditional materials.

NCH2050 Homes, Nottingham, England, by Melius Homes, Nottingham City Council, Focus Consultants, Studio Partington, Energiesprong UK, Nottingham Trent University, Lincoln University – image © Tracey Whitefoot/Melius Homes

Projects protecting and enhancing nature include a government-led eco-tourism initiative to restore a national park in Rwanda and a high-tech rewilding project, restoring native forest and peatlands and reintroducing locally extinct species to 100 acres of land in the Scottish Highlands, which will form a template for similar nature regeneration globally.

107 Niddrie Road, Glasgow, Scotland, by John Gilbert Architects, NBM Construction Cost Consultants, Design Engineering Workshop, Graham Drummond, WARM, CCG Construction, Glasgow University, University of Strathclyde – image © John Gilbert Architects

As well as government-funded research into retrofitting Scotland’s iconic but hard-to-heat tenement homes, the exhibition features a favela in Brazil and affordable sustainable housing solutions in the UK, New Zealand and Pakistan. Also included are an adaptable cross laminated timber bridge concept designed for a circular economy, as well as an initiative to develop a sustainable mass timber building market building in East Africa.

The Fountain of Circular Recovery (central installation) by Make Architects – image © Make Architects

Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council, speaking at the launch of Build Better Now said: “We are coming together for COP26 to spotlight the built environment as a solution to climate change. This is the most visible and coordinated the industry has ever been at a climate summit of this calibre. Build Better Now provides us with an opportunity to learn how sustainable building practices are having a positive impact on people’s lives. We must ensure that the world listens to the steps needed to create sustainable buildings, which means building and renovating with Whole Life Carbon principles, embracing a circular economy and creating people centric, healthy buildings that are resilient to the effects of climate change.”

Heart of School, Green School Bali, Bali, Indonesia, by John Hardy, PT Bambu, Heru Wijayanto, Joerg Stamm, Gadjah Mada University – image © PT Bambu

The COP26 Built Environment Virtual Pavilion has been designed and developed by the Visualisation and VR team at AECOM in collaboration with exhibition designers Install Archive.

Favela da Paz, São Paulo, Brazil, by Favela da Paz Institute – image © Favela da Paz Institute

The international judging panel for the COP26 Built Environment Virtual Pavilion included:

• Dr. Anna Braune, Head of Research and Development, German Sustainable Building Council

• Chris Brown, Executive Chair, igloo Regeneration

• Tor Burrows, Executive Director – Sustainability & Innovation, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland

• Jorge Chapa, Head of Market Transformation, Green Building Council of Australia

• Elizabeth Wangeci Chege, Vice Chair of World Green Building Council: Africa Regional Network

• Christina Cheong, Green Buildings Lead, Global Green Growth Institute

• Hastings Chikoko, Managing Director of Regions and Mayoral Engagement & Regional Director for Africa, C40

• Felipe Faria, CEO, Green Building Council Brazil

• Jane Findlay, President of the Landscape Institute and Director of Fira

• Sunand Prasad, Principal, Penoyre & Prasad

• Sue Riddlestone OBE, CEO and Co-Founder, Bioregional

• Diba Salam, Founder and Creative Director, Studio DS London

• Amanda Sturgeon, Regenerative Design Lead, Mott MacDonald

• Peter Templeton, is President and CEO of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

• Wei Yang, President, Royal Town Planning Institute

Monash Woodside Building for Technology and Design, Melbourne, Australia, by Grimshaw, Aurecon, ASPECT Studios, BSGM, Minesco, Root Projects, Six Ideas, Bollinger Grohman – image © Michael Kai

The Natural Capital Laboratory, Scotland, by AECOM, University of Cumbria, Lifescape Project, NatureMetrics, Emilia and Roger Leese – image © Chris Coupland/AECOM

Build Better Now, COP26 Virtual Exhibition images / information received 021121v2com newswire

Scottish Architecture News 2021

Scottish Architecture Designs – chronological list

COP26 Scotland Architecture News

Time to Act image courtesy of architects office Route to zero carbon by FCBStudios

Zero-carbon COP26 House opens its doors to the public, Glasgow photo courtesy of architects office Zero-carbon COP26 House Glasgow

COP26 Timber Conference photo courtesy of architecture office COP26 Wood for Good conference

Climate Change Events in Scotland Climate Change Events in Scotland

Foster + Partners Architects

COP26 is located in Glasgow.

Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Scottish Architecture

Scottish Architecture Designs – chronological list

Scottish Architecture News

Cairngorms National Park Authority’s HQ, Grantown-on-Spey, Moray, Northern Scotland Design: Moxon Architects image courtesy of architects studio Cairngorms National Park Authority HQ Building

Spyon Cop, Cairngorms National Park, North East Scotland Architects: Brown + Brown image : Touch 3D Contemporary Property in Cairngorms National Park

Scottish Architect : Contemporary Studios – Scottish Architect Listings

Scottish Architecture

Comments / photos for the Build Better Now, COP26 Virtual Exhibition page welcome

The post Build Better Now, COP26 Virtual Exhibition appeared first on e-architect.

[newstfionline]

Saturday, September 4, 2021

The costs of war (The Intercept) The U.S.-led global war on terror has killed nearly 1 million people globally and cost more than $8 trillion since it began two decades ago. These staggering figures come from a landmark report issued Wednesday by Brown University’s Costs of War Project, an ongoing research effort to document the economic and human impact of post-9/11 military operations. The report—which looks at the tolls of wars waged in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and other regions where the U.S. is militarily engaged—is the latest in a series published by the Costs of War Project and provides the most extensive public accounting to date of the consequences of open-ended U.S. conflicts in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa, referred to today as the “forever wars.” The Costs of War Project’s latest estimates hold that 897,000 to 929,000 people have been killed during the wars. Of those killed, 387,000 are categorized as civilians, 207,000 as members of national military and police forces, and a further 301,000 as opposition fighters killed by U.S.-led coalition troops and their allies. The report also found that around 15,000 U.S. military service members and contractors have been killed in the wars, along with a similar number of allied Western troops deployed to the conflicts and several hundred journalists and humanitarian aid workers.

Calmer winds aid California fire fight but hot weekend looms (AP) Fire crews took advantage of decreasing winds to battle a California wildfire near popular Lake Tahoe and were even able to allow some people back to their homes but dry weather and a weekend warming trend meant the battle was far from over. The Caldor Fire remained only a few miles from South Lake Tahoe, which was emptied of 22,000 residents days ago, along with casinos and shops across the state line in Nevada. The wind-driven fire that began Aug. 14 had raged through densely forested, craggy areas and still threatened more than 30,000 homes, businesses and other buildings ranging from cabins to ski resorts.

Excitement meets worry as European kids head back to school (AP) English educator Richard Sheriff watched this week as a group of energetic 11-year-olds entered their new secondary school for the first time—finding their classrooms, eating in the cafeteria, racing around the halls. But in addition to the usual excitement, there’s a new feeling this year: trepidation. The start of a new school year in many northern hemisphere nations comes as the highly infectious delta variant continues to drive a surge in coronavirus cases. Still, many governments including Britain’s are determined to get children back into classrooms after 18 stop-start months of lockdowns, remote learning and abandoned exams. U.K. schools, have closed for three-month stretches twice since early 2020, and major year-end exams have been canceled two years running, throwing university admissions into chaos.

Suga bows out of party vote, paves way for new Japan leader (AP) Amid growing criticism of his handling of the pandemic, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday he won’t run for the leadership of the governing party later this month, paving the way for a new Japanese leader after just a year in office. Suga has faced criticism and nosediving public support over a coronavirus response seen as too slow and limited and for holding the Olympics despite the public’s health concerns. His hope of having the Olympic festivities help turn around his plunging popularity was also dashed. The Liberal Democrats have a majority in parliament, meaning whoever wins the Sept. 29 party vote is virtually guaranteed to become the new prime minister.

New Zealand police kill ‘terrorist’ after he stabs 6 people (AP) New Zealand authorities were so worried about an Islamic extremist they were following him around-the-clock and were able to shoot and kill him within 60 seconds of him unleashing a frenzied knife attack that wounded six people Friday at an Auckland supermarket. Three of the shoppers were taken to Auckland hospitals in critical condition, police said. Another was in serious condition, while two more were in moderate condition. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the incident was a terror attack. She said the man was a Sri Lankan national who was inspired by the Islamic State group and was well known to the nation’s security agencies.

Restoration of Kabul’s Closed Airport Begins as Some Afghan Aid Resumes (NYT) Afghanistan’s plunge into chaos, isolation and near-destitution under its newly ascendant Taliban rulers appeared to slow on Thursday, with the first significant moves to salvage Kabul’s inoperable airport, an increased flow of U.N. aid and word that international money transfers had resumed to the country, where many banks are shuttered. The airport remained closed to the public on Thursday, its hangars strewn with debris and some aircraft damaged by shrapnel, bullets and vandalism, but the Taliban permitted reporters inside, where security personnel and technicians from Qatar who had been sent to help reopen the airport were busy. The airport had been a vital link to the outside world, one of the main routes for food, medical supplies and other aid to enter, and for people to leave. The United Nations, which has long helped oversee distribution of food and medical aid in Afghanistan, said Thursday that its World Food Program’s Humanitarian Air Service was resuming flights to the cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar, where the airports have remained serviceable despite the chaos and violence of recent weeks.

Worst Tripoli fighting in a year shows limits of Libya peace push (Reuters) Fighting broke out in Tripoli early on Friday between rival armed forces, witnesses said, the heaviest clashes in the Libyan capital since the conflict between eastern and western factions paused a year ago. Conflict in Tripoli between the armed groups who vie to control both territory and state institutions would further undermine the prospect of December elections as part of a plan to end a decade of chaos, violence and division. Libya is a major oil producer and though it has been able to maintain output over the past decade, disputes have sometimes shut down exports, including for months last year.

Thwarted aid (Foreign Policy) An aid blockade in Ethiopia’s conflict-stricken Tigray region is threatening the lives of millions of Ethiopians who are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, almost a year after the start of the war. According to aid workers, 100 aid trucks are supposed to enter Tigray every day, but none have been able to get through since Aug. 22. The blockade comes as Tigrayan rebel fighters reportedly assaulted villages and looted stores carrying U.S. aid in the neighboring Amhara region, plunging the country deeper into crisis. In July, the U.N. warned that more than 400,000 Ethiopians were facing famine, with another 1.8 million people on the edge.

Bitcoin Uses More Electricity Than Many Countries (NYT) Cryptocurrencies have emerged as one of the most captivating, yet head-scratching, investments in the world. They soar in value. They crash. They'll change the world, their fans claim, by displacing traditional currencies like the dollar, rupee or ruble. They're named after dog memes. And in the process of simply existing, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, one of the most popular, use astonishing amounts of electricity. The process of creating Bitcoin to spend or trade consumes around 91 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, more than is used by Finland.

[kaylaspatialdesgin]

Situated near my location there is a cannon, there are two cannons in Albert park, they point over the city. They were Brought into NZ in 1879 during the Russian threat. In 1905 they were mounted in Albert park along with other artillery pieces. The cannons were believed that they might attract attention of enemy aircraft so they were all buried or shifted. Until 1977 the cannons remained buried, then two of the cannons were dug up and restored. Which they now remain standing in Albert park along other historic statues.

These cannons used to face seaward in concrete foundations. They are 64 pounders, each gun weighing tons, ready for the purpose of defence of Auckland at old Fort Britomart. These cannons never fired a shot in anger. Purely only fired for amiable pretence when the gunners had rained home the powder and ball for practice firing.

Now they are facing Princes street and the entrance to Albert park and a historic feature. To public there is no evidence of where these cannons are as there is no notice board. Which is strange as usually there is always a notice board in parks of historic feature. There has been very little information about what these cannons are. The only known thing is that they come from Crimea, and they have beens said to be captured from the Russians at Sebastopol. This is apparent because of the stamped double-headed Russian eagle.    

[antonebell]

Specifically Especially Simply How to Do Away With Ants

Trusting the sort of ant, their nests can continue to be to be to continue to be in the dust, in lumber, under pavers, in wall area dental cavity or roofing system covering areas. Ants can travel significant alternatives looking for food. Furthermore the cleanest of houses can provide an all set food source for ants. When subjected, ants can strike in deals, such that experienced help is requested. Ant contr. Auckland Heavy vapor n Dry service guarantee anti ant contr choice treatments. Get rid of ants-- South Auckland City, North Coastline, East, West Some create significant strikes nevertheless a significant quantity of are a swelling bloodsucker when they infest cooking area place areas along with in addition to that BARBEQUE areas in significant amounts.

Guideline of the particular alternatives of ant remains in a comparable method asked for when getting a contr program. Some do it on your own things can offer short-lived reduction, however may, in fact, make a problem additionally likewise even worse. Ants do not have hold-up pushed back by some typical case therapies along with additionally, without revealing the cony, their copied usage can normally generate a cony to transfer or over above more than likely apart finest ideal right into different conies. Along with along with that just getting rid of foraging ants will absolutely never ever remove the cony considering that the queen stays to be to continue to be to be to stay to be to stay in the cony in addition to her se quality is to lay a deal a considerable amount a great deal far more eggs to establish the survival of the cony. Pest Control Auckland complete their comfort of access to an alternative of style, insect enhancement regulatory authorities, in addition to non-repellent things, which can be utilized with each other in a loaded technique to sving any type of type of type of type of type of kind of kind of sort of type of type of sort of type of ant crime. Ants are presently the leading Bloodsucker Control trouble for which resident rely upon expert concepts in addition to removal, Idea fretting that an interior violation is potentially to have in fact established from outdoors people, you request for to expect your bloodsucker seeing on professional to take advantage of a standard evaluation of the surrounding creating along with produce a technique to quit reinfestation of the framework. To start with, the selection of net site visitor traveler location areas along with furthermore in a comparable subjects the quantity of site visitor tourist place asked for will definitely depend on the level of ant task existing. To finish among one of amongst among the most trustworthy outcome, had place positionings demand to be offered if really first web site visitor place positionings are absorbed within a day or 2; along with if ant work stays to be to be high at the location after 2 days. Location style along ant tracks along with a great deal of different numerous various other locations where ants are most energised. Get rid of various several various other sources of food. Location beauty where it will definitely not be done away with or infected by cleaning or job jobs. For outdoors utilize, area areas in protected divides along with openings or use refillable beauty terminals. Select the alternative of positionings (1 to 3) relying on the endurance of the crime. Existing charm levels (ideally daily for really preliminary 2 days) along with in addition to that restore place as asked for until feeding discontinues. Tip: the staff members of the White-footed residence ant is around 2.7 mm in dimension, in addition to in addition black in cor with yellow feet. Biogy: Conies of white-footed house ants frequently include bargains of satellite nesting net site covered a big place. The whole brood can have an option of million team member along with in addition to that bargains of reproductive queens. White-footed home ants like fantastic sampling food, such as sugar, soft drinks and so on . Nesting internet site: their nests are commonly positioned outdoors, in the ground or over ground in trees, in frameworks, such as, in wall surface dental cavity, roofing covering locations, architraves, along with in addition fire places. Understood to get connected with along with in addition to that short-circuit a/c gadget. Suggestion: the Scent-laden residence ant problems 2 to 3 mm in dimension; of regular black to brownish in cor along with if pushed, has a special rotten aroma, like rancid butter. Biogy: Scent-laden home ant conies can consist of around 10,000 ants in addition to consist of various reproductive ladies, that can establish subsidiary conies. Ants from great deals of conies are not aggressive in the direction of each other. Nesting internet site: nests are on a regular basis divulged outdoors in the dirt, under the base of trees along with in addition within. They typically nest under frameworks together with in addition to that inside wall area location tooth decays, specifically if there is a regular moisture resource promptly happily used, state from moving pipelines, shower recess, hurt guttering, in addition to in addition to that roof covering flooring covering ceramic flooring covering flooring covering ceramic floor tiles.

[methodelectricals]

Your Go-To Emergency Electrician in Auckland: Available Anytime

Electrical emergencies can strike at any time, often without warning. Whether it's a sudden power outage, faulty wiring, or an unexpected electrical fire, these situations can be both dangerous and stressful. In such times, having a reliable and experienced emergency electrician in Auckland is crucial. At Method Electrical, we offer 24/7 emergency electrician services across Auckland to ensure your safety and restore your electrical systems to normalcy as quickly as possible.

Why You Need an Emergency Electrician in Auckland

Immediate Response to Electrical Hazards: Electrical issues such as sparks, short circuits, or power failures require immediate attention. Ignoring these problems can lead to severe consequences, including electrical fires, damage to appliances, and even serious injuries. Our emergency electricians in Auckland are trained to respond swiftly to these situations, minimizing risks and ensuring your property remains safe.

Expertise in Handling All Types of Electrical Emergencies: Whether it's a residential or commercial property, electrical systems can be complex and varied. Our team of emergency electricians in Auckland has the experience and expertise to handle a wide range of electrical issues. From troubleshooting and repairing electrical faults to replacing faulty wiring, we ensure that your electrical problems are resolved efficiently and effectively.

24/7 Availability for Your Peace of Mind: Electrical emergencies don't adhere to a schedule; they can occur at any hour of the day or night. That's why our emergency electricians are available 24/7, ready to assist you whenever you need us. Whether it's the middle of the night or during a busy workday, you can count on us to provide prompt and reliable service.

Common Electrical Emergencies We Handle

Power Outages: Sudden power outages can disrupt your daily routine or business operations. If the issue is localized to your property, our emergency electricians can quickly diagnose the problem, whether it's due to a tripped circuit breaker, faulty wiring, or an overloaded system.

Electrical Fires: Electrical fires are one of the most dangerous situations you can encounter. If you notice sparks, burning smells, or smoke coming from electrical outlets or appliances, it's crucial to contact an emergency electrician immediately. Our team will identify the source of the fire and take the necessary steps to prevent further damage.

Faulty Wiring and Short Circuits: Faulty wiring and short circuits are common causes of electrical fires and power failures. If you experience frequent tripping of circuit breakers, flickering lights, or unusual buzzing sounds, it's time to call an emergency electrician. We will inspect your wiring system, identify any faults, and make the necessary repairs to ensure your safety.

Electrical Shocks: Experiencing an electrical shock when touching appliances or outlets is a clear sign of an underlying problem. This could be due to faulty wiring, grounding issues, or damaged outlets. Our emergency electricians will address these issues promptly to prevent any further risk of injury.

Why Choose Method Electrical for Emergency Electrician Services in Auckland

Experienced and Certified Electricians: At Method Electrical, we take pride in our team of highly skilled and certified electricians. Our professionals undergo rigorous training to stay updated with the latest safety standards and industry practices. You can trust us to handle your electrical emergencies with the utmost care and expertise.

Rapid Response Time: We understand that time is of the essence during an electrical emergency. Our team is committed to providing a rapid response to your call, arriving at your location fully equipped to handle any situation. We work efficiently to diagnose and resolve the issue, minimizing disruption to your life or business.

Transparent Pricing: We believe in honest and transparent pricing for our emergency electrician services in Auckland. You'll receive a clear estimate before any work begins, ensuring there are no surprises when the job is done. Our competitive rates mean you get top-quality service without breaking the bank.

Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed: Your safety and satisfaction are our top priorities. We strive to exceed your expectations with every service call, ensuring that your electrical systems are safe, reliable, and functioning correctly. Our commitment to quality workmanship and excellent customer service has made us a trusted choice for emergency electrician services in Auckland.

Conclusion

Electrical emergencies can be daunting, but with the right help, they don't have to be. At Method Electrical, our team of expert emergency electricians in Auckland is here to provide you with fast, reliable, and professional service whenever you need it. Don't wait until it's too late—contact us at Method Electrical for all your emergency electrical needs, and let us help you keep your home or business safe and secure.

CONTACT INFORMATION

+64 0800 223 330

136c Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland, NZ 1051

[timeless-season-three]

new zealand group tours

From here the view sweeps over the skyline of Auckland with the Sky Tower. North of Auckland is the Bay of Islands. Picturesque beaches and impressive Kauri forests await you along the 20km long coastline. In the marine reserve around the Poor Knights Islands you can dive and with a little luck watch whales. For hiking enthusiasts we recommend the National Park Tongariro in the heart of the North Island.

Silke Steinemann

Every visitor is fascinated by the glaciated mountains, crystal-clear rivers and lakes, vast forests and pastures, hissing geysers and the long, lonely beaches. Read more about campervan hire New Zealand here. At the same time visitors get an interesting insight into Maori culture. This is much more urban - a good three quarters of all New Zealanders live here.

New Zealand "Glaciers and Geysers" Dates 2020/2021

If you wish, you can book a single tent and many campsites offer a small extra charge if you prefer to stay in a hut. It is an exhibition about a fiasco that was paid for by 2779 New Zealand soldiers in World War I with their lives in Turkey.

You will stay overnight in modern furnished rooms. But we refrained from such activities like jet boating, rafting etc. and recovered a little from the days before. In the evening we saw a spectacular sunset, the whole lake glowed in different shades of red. The next day we drove through a small, restored former gold mining town called Arrowtown, and then further over the Hast Pass to the west coast of New Zealand. The weather became worse and worse the "Cyclone Gita" was approaching the upper South Island and sent its harbingers. Whakarewarewa is part of the Pacific ring of fire with hot mud holes, active geysers and colourful thermal pools. Wooden footbridges lead through this actually hostile landscape.

[remora1212]

33 travel dreams New Zealand & # 8211; LIFE TRAVEL

We recommend starting early because there is a lot to see on the way. For example, the Aratiatia Rapids and the mighty Huka Falls and of course Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake, are waiting at Taupo. Follow its banks to the Tongariro National Park. There can be different reasons for this. Your account has not been deleted and your cards are still available, but please contact us for clarification. campervan hire NZ If a StepMap profile exists with the specified email address, we have sent an email with further information on how to restore the password.

Natural wonders of New Zealand

Experience New Zealand from an unknown perspective! We take care of the organization of the trip - you enjoy the landscape! With the German-language, detailed route descriptions, you can travel comfortably and easily. Vaccinations are not mandatory (does not apply to stops on arrival / departure). If necessary, a tetanus vaccination or refreshment is recommended. In the morning, pick up your rental car at Budget Rent A Car in Auckland (downtown).

Inquiries should be directed to Tel.

Discussion and course of the trip .

At the hotels you have the choice between the categories Standard (hour) and Superior (Sup.).

We recommend a trip to the Abel Tasman National Park with its beautiful Beaches and hiking opportunities.

on Mount Ben Lomond with a fantastic view of Queenstown (the hike takes about 5 hours return).

Usually the next depot of the landlord or an authorized workshop can be approached. Keep all repair receipts for reimbursement upon delivery of the camper. However, this can sometimes take a few days. In such a case, try to organize a replacement program on your own (e.g. participation in an organized tour). Take care immediately if something doesn't work properly !. A complaint that e.g. the fridge did not work properly, after 4 weeks of rental it makes little sense (and success).

Ideal for 4, maximum for 5-6 people. A comfortable motorhome with kitchen and sanitary room. Ideal for 3-4 people. Turquoise blue and surrounded by the beautiful, snow-capped southern Alps, it touches the soul of every traveler. North of Rotorua is the Tarawera volcano, which last erupted in 1886 and is home to some ghost villages. The impressions that can be gathered in the Tongariro National Park are even more spectacular. The area is dominated by three mighty mountains of fire, all of which have already served as the backdrop for the classic movie “Lord of the Rings”. Those who prefer to discover New Zealand's nature on their own are well served with the "New Zealand exclusive & stylish" rental car tour (13 days, from € 3,768 per person). In two weeks, besides volcanic landscapes and sandy beaches, you can visit the mighty Huka Falls on a jet boat ride, while adrenaline junkies try their hand at bungee jumping in Queenstown. It is a bit more leisurely on a boat tour, with a little luck you may spot dolphins and sea lions. Discover New Zealand's wine route on your own with a rental car of your choice or with a chauffeur. Our tip! This tour is ideal for all active travelers with sufficient fitness for hiking (2-3 hours).

[socialbusiness12]

Safety Signs Against Danger

Security signs is significant in many spots, regardless of whether open or confined regions. It's a careful step to caution anybody of conceivable and inevitable peril. Wellbeing signs are shown in like manner places and in different regions which is high hazard and limited. Shading code is being utilized in all signs for simple ID of the degree how the hazard is. signs for safety

RED COLOR implies a quick peril that can cause demise or genuine wounds like flame, and risk signs, for example, fire images. 

ORANGE COLOR speaks to a potential risky circumstance that could make minor genuine wounds. Used to demonstrate in notice signs. 

YELLOW COLOR use to alarm perilous practices which if not maintained a strategic distance from may result to minor wounds and normally utilized in Caution signs. 

GREEN COLOR normally utilized in a less difficult circumstance. Regular utilized in the passage signage, restorative security packs and types of gear. 

BLUE COLOR is utilized to pass on data on wellbeing. 

Wellbeing signs have standard sizes, shapes and needs to pursue the official shading code. Limitations of these signs position is additionally demonstrated. Security signs can be found in structures, streets and expressways, vehicles, apparatuses, and even in sustenance items. 

Distinctive wellbeing signs are situated in the accompanying territories, for example, 

TRAFFIC SIGNS - signs are put along street sides to illuminate drivers and people on foot. 

Stopping SIGNS - signs are place in the stopping to educate the heading regarding stopping. 

SPEED LIMIT SIGN - signs are put along street side, between segments, walker paths, and populated zones, for example, school, church, and markets. 

FIRE EXTINGUISHER SIGN - signs are set where the flame douser is situated for simple dispatch during flame. 

Setting a security signs can forestall a mishap that is lethal and perilous. We have to pursue every one of these signs to guarantee our security. Maintaining a strategic distance from all the hazard is an avoidance from wounds and even passing. Numbness of the importance of the set signage is here and there an issue of the wellbeing officials. Signs as notice is likewise at times overlooked as a result of interest. All wellbeing officials ought to carefully actualize the standards with respect to the security cautioning gadgets. 

As we said once in a while an ounce of aversion is a pound of fix. Its no different as how we pursue the security signs which give us the headings, and controls the conceivable hazard to us. This can help lessen the mishap that causes passing and wounds. Every single lethal mishap more often than not occurred in view of the security infringement. 

Infringement of wellbeing signs is deserving of the administration. A violator can be indicted, imprisoned or fined relying upon the degree of the infringement. The administration additionally requires to post security signs in all the merchandize that can cause high hazard in inebriation, for example, the synthetic substances, electric shocks as far as apparatuses, or deadly wounds regarding instruments and different hardware. health and safety signs

For the most part, security signs is important in all everyday issues. Indeed, even at home, school, transportation vehicles, streets and machines and even in the sustenance we admission among others. It's a prudent step and should have been pursued and actualized.

Safety Sign Direct

59b Ash Road, Wiri, Auckland

0800 175 571

sales@safetysignsdirect.co.nz

[newstfionline]

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Fueled by winds, largest wildfire moves near California city (AP) A wildfire raged through a small Northern California forest town Tuesday, burning dozens of homes as dangerously dry and windy weather also continued to fuel other massive blazes and prompted the nation’s largest utility to begin shutting off power to 51,000 customers. The Caldor fire in the northern Sierra Nevada had burned an estimated 50 homes in and around Grizzly Flats, a town of about 1,200 people, fire officials said at a community meeting. To the north the Dixie Fire—the largest of some 100 active wildfires in more than a dozen Western states—was advancing toward Susanville, population about 18,000. Meanwhile, Pacific Gas & Electric announced it had begun shutting off power to some 51,000 customers in small portions of 18 northern counties to prevent winds from knocking down or fouling power lines and sparking new blazes.

Wet and unwelcome, Fred spawns twisters and flooding in US (AP) Tropical Storm Fred weakened to a depression and spawned several apparent tornadoes in Georgia and North Carolina on Tuesday as it dumped heavy rains into the Appalachian mountains along a path that could cause flash floods as far north as upstate New York. Fewer than 30,000 customers were without power in Florida and Georgia after the storm crashed ashore late Monday afternoon near Cape San Blas in the Florida Panhandle. Emergency crews were repairing downed power lines and clearing toppled trees in Fred’s aftermath. Some schools and colleges in Florida, Alabama and Georgia canceled Tuesday’s in-person classes due to the storm.

Injured in Haiti’s quake continue to show up at hospitals (AP) The problems in Haiti may be summed up by the public hospital in L’Asile, deep in a remote stretch of countryside in the nation’s southwest area. Here, a full four days after a powerful earthquake hit this region the hardest, people are still showing up from isolated villages with broken arms and legs. Hospital director Sonel Fevry said five such patients showed up Tuesday, the same day officials raised the disaster’s death toll by more than 500. Grinding poverty, poor roads and faith in natural medicine all conspire to make the problems worse. “We do what we can, remove the necrotized tissue and give them antibiotics and try to get them a splint,” Fevry said, adding that road access to the facility in the department of Nippes is difficult and not everyone can make it. On Tuesday night, Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency put the number of deaths from Saturday’s earthquake at 1,941. It also said 9,900 were injured. Officials said the magnitude 7.2 earthquake destroyed more than 7,000 homes and damaged nearly 5,000, leaving about 30,000 families homeless. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches also were demolished or badly damaged.

Wildfire raging near French Riviera kills 2, injures 27 (AP) A wildfire near the French Riviera killed two people and was burning out of control Wednesday in the forests of the popular region, fueled by wind and drought. Over 1,100 firefighters were battling the flames and thousands of tourists and locals were evacuated to safer areas. The fire started Monday evening 40 kilometers (24 miles) inland from the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez. Whipped up by powerful seasonal winds coming off the Mediterranean Sea, the fire had burned 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of forest by Wednesday morning, local officials said.

China’s drills (Foreign Policy) China conducted assault drills with warships, fighter jets, and anti-submarine aircraft close to Taiwan on Tuesday in response to what Beijing has called “provocations” threatening China’s sovereignty. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has responded coolly, saying it “has a full grasp and has made a full assessment of the situation in the Taiwan Strait region, as well as related developments at sea and in the air, and is prepared for various responses.” The drills came after Washington approved a weapons sale to Taiwan in a deal valued at up to $750 million two weeks ago, and as Beijing has ramped up military activity around the island in recent months. In June, China’s air force flew 28 fighter jets into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, the largest daily incursion on record.

New Zealand’s first coronavirus case in six months sends country into lockdown (Washington Post) One coronavirus case. That’s all it took to send New Zealand into a three-day, nationwide lockdown late Tuesday as the country’s six-month streak without local transmission came to an end. Auckland, the largest city, where the new case was detected, is likely to be shut down for seven days. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was ordering the country’s harshest shutdown in more than a year given the strong likelihood that the case was the more infectious delta variant, with genomic test results expected overnight. She appealed to New Zealanders not to go out unnecessarily.

Why Afghan Forces So Quickly Laid Down Their Arms (Politico) In the winter of 1989, as a journalist for the Times of London, I accompanied a group of mujahedeen fighters in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province. At one point, a fortified military post became visible on the other side of a valley. As we got closer, the flag flying above it also became visible—the flag of the Afghan Communist state, which the mujahedeen were fighting to overthrow. “Isn’t that a government post?” I asked my interpreter. “Yes,” he replied. “Can’t they see us?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied. “Shouldn’t we hide?” I squeaked. “No, no, don’t worry,” he replied reassuringly. “We have an arrangement.” I remembered this episode three years later, when the Communist state eventually fell to the mujahedeen; six years later, as the Taliban swept across much of Afghanistan; and again this week, as the country collapses in the face of another Taliban assault. Such “arrangements”—in which opposing factions agree not to fight, or even to trade soldiers in exchange for safe passage—are critical to understanding why the Afghan army today has collapsed so quickly (and, for the most part, without violence). The same was true when the Communist state collapsed in 1992, and the practice persisted in many places as the Taliban advanced later in the 1990s. Over the past 20 years, U.S. military and intelligence services have generally either not understood or chosen to ignore this dynamic. That the U.S. government could not foresee—or, perhaps, refused to admit—that beleaguered Afghan forces would continue a long-standing practice of cutting deals with the Taliban illustrates precisely the same naivete with which America has prosecuted the Afghanistan war for years.

Russia says Afghan president fled with cars and helicopter full of cash (Reuters) Russia’s embassy in Kabul said on Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in, the RIA news agency reported. Ghani, whose current whereabouts are unknown, said he left Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban entered Kabul virtually unopposed. He said he wanted to avoid bloodshed. “As for the collapse of the (outgoing) regime, it is most eloquently characterised by the way Ghani fled Afghanistan,” Nikita Ishchenko, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kabul, was quoted as saying by RIA. “Four cars were full of money, they tried to stuff another part of the money into a helicopter, but not all of it fit. And some of the money was left lying on the tarmac,” he was quoted as saying.

Gorbachev, leader who pulled Soviets from Afghanistan, says U.S. campaign was doomed from start (Reuters) Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader who oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989 after Moscow’s failed decade-long campaign there, said on Tuesday that NATO’s own deployment to the country had been doomed from the start. Gorbachev was cited by Russia’s RIA news agency as saying that NATO and the Americans had no chance of success and had badly mishandled their own Afghan campaign. “They (NATO and the United States) should have admitted failure earlier. The important thing now is to draw the lessons from what happened and make sure that similar mistakes are not repeated,” Gorbachev told RIA. “Like many other similar projects at its heart lay the exaggeration of a threat and poorly defined geopolitical ideas. To that were added unrealistic attempts to democratize a society made up of many tribes.”

Regional Powers Assess a New Afghanistan (Foreign Policy) As the United States continues to mount an evacuation effort from Afghanistan, not all foreigners are headed for the exits, as regional powers begin to assess their positions as the country comes under a new regime. No immediate bonanza awaits Afghanistan’s prospective partners. It remains one of the poorest countries in the world. A country that relies on international aid for 80 percent of its budget is unlikely to have much to trade with, and dreams of unlocking Afghanistan’s rare-earth deposits will depend heavily on stabilizing the war-torn nation. China, Iran, and Russia, who have been engaged in public diplomacy with Taliban leaders for years, are staying put. With most of China’s investments elsewhere in Central and South Asia, concerns about security will likely remain front and center for Beijing. “Chinese investment there is likely to be short-term and easily pulled out in the likely event of further instability,” Azeem Ibrahim writes in Foreign Policy. Russia shares China’s concerns about instability. Just as China will not want the Taliban harboring ethnic Uyghur groups, any support for Islamist movements in its backyard would be unacceptable for Moscow. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi welcomed the Taliban victory as an “opportunity to restore life, security and durable peace in Afghanistan.” Iran has promised to temporarily accommodate those fleeing Afghanistan, although with an estimated 2.8 million Afghans already there and with a crippled economy, it’s not clear how many more refugees Iran could support, or would want to support. Pakistan’s leaders have not disguised their glee at the Afghan government’s dissolution as Prime Minister Imran Khan praised the Afghan people for breaking “the shackles of slavery.” Still, like in Iran, one immediate effect of the Taliban’s ascent will likely be a refugee exodus, with Pakistan expected to remain the number one destination.

Withdrawal from Afghanistan forces allies and adversaries to reconsider America’s global role (Washington Post) President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan has triggered a globe-spanning rethink of America’s role in the world, as European allies discuss their need to play a bigger part in security matters and Russia and China consider how to promote their interests in a Taliban-led Afghanistan. Biden’s defiant address to the nation on Monday, when he stood “squarely” behind his decision to pull out U.S. troops, also renewed one of the most hotly contested debates of the post-9/11 era: Would a withdrawal from Afghanistan convey weakness, provoke aggression and shatter America’s ability to lead on the international stage, or would it reflect a sound realignment of the national interest, put the country on better footing to deal with the new challenges of the 21st century, and clarify to allies and adversaries what the United States is and is not willing to expend resources on? In the European Union, which held an emergency session of foreign ministers on Afghanistan on Tuesday, officials offered rare criticism of Washington for risking a flood of refugees to their borders and the return of a platform for terrorism in Central Asia. In China, where the U.S. withdrawal is seen as creating both risks and opportunity, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call that the rapid departure of U.S. troops caused a ­”severely adverse impact.” Russia, which has long-established ties to the Taliban but does not officially recognize it, praised the group on Monday. “The situation is peaceful and good and everything has calmed down in the city. The situation in Kabul now under the Taliban is better than it was under [President] Ashraf Ghani,” said Dmitry Zhirnov, the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan.