Medallion of Honor
By Brad HaireUniversity of GeorgiaFor his dedicated leadership to Georgia agriculture, Bill Brim, president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, was given the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medallion of Honor for Service at UGA graduation ceremonies in Athens, Ga., May 10.“Bill Brim represents the best of Georgia agriculture,” said J. Scott Angle, CAES dean and director. “He has been a strong force in keeping agriculture as Georgia’s No. 1 industry. We in CAES are proud to have him as a valued friend.”“If we don’t stand up and fight for and organize our industry,” Brim said, “then who is going do it for us. … If we can help or do something to find research money or support in Washington or locally to improve our industry, we must do it.”Brim, 56, was born in Pelham, Ga. He graduated Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga., in 1973 and began a career in agribusiness, working for several firms. In 1985, Brim returned to Tifton and with partner Ed Walker purchased Lewis Taylor Farms, a vegetable plant company founded in 1951. Over the next five years, Brim transformed the farm into a diversified transplant and vegetable production operation. The farm currently produces more than 85 million vegetable transplants and 15 million pine seedlings annually. It has more than 4,000 acres in production.In 1998, when the shortage of farm labor intensified across the country, Brim was one of the first in Georgia to organize a farm labor association and to use the highly regulated federal government’s temporary workers H2A program to make sure he had enough workers to run his farm legally.In 2002, the farm was the first in Georgia to become Good Agriculture Practice certified, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that verifies that the practices on the farm minimize microbial contamination.Brim has made numerous presentations at congressional hearings and hosted many legislative visits to south Georgia. He has served as leader or advisor for state or national agricultural boards and organizations, including the CAES and to the U.S. secretary of agriculture.“Bill is an outstanding agriculturist and an innovator trying those new things and technologies to stay on the leading edge. In doing this, he sets standards and leads by example for others in the industry,” said Joe West, the CAES assistant dean of the UGA Tifton, Ga., campus.
Prized by chefs and foodies, pecan grove truffles have long been the secret jewels of Georgia’s pecan orchards. However, new research and truffle searching methods may soon bring the fungal delicacy to more Georgia tables. A type of mushroom, truffles aid in the nutrition of pecan trees — they grow on the trees’ roots and collect nutrients. Just like their French cousins, truffles found in Georgia are in high demand in the gourmet food industry. Truffles can be added to pasta, lobster or even grits. According to Tim Brenneman, a plant pathologist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Tifton Campus, one pound of truffles can sell for upwards of $300.While truffles lie beneath the surface waiting to be discovered, finding the fungi is difficult. Since they are generally located an inch or two beneath the soil, pecan farmers have had to rake the dirt in hopes of finding one. It is a time-consuming process that doesn’t always generate positive results. Recently, though, working dogs at Wynfield Plantation in Albany, Ga., were trained to locate truffles using their keen sense of smell. The training is not unlike the training that police or military working dogs use to pinpoint the locations of bombs or illegal drugs. In pecan orchards, the dogs sniff for truffles and lay down next to where the truffles are located. Truffles possess a very strong earthy aroma, easily detectable for dogs of this caliber. “They train very high-quality dogs with military specifications,” Brenneman said. “We got them truffles last fall and they could train the dogs very quickly to go smell a truffle rather than a bomb.”Using trained dogs makes raking for truffles a thing of the past.“Before, I was just going out with a rake. With a little free time, I’d stop at a pecan orchard, go rake around and see if I could find them. It was very hit or miss,” he said.Brenneman is also working with Duke University scientists who have developed DNA markers that can detect truffles. Instead of blindly raking for the fungi, researchers can extract DNA from tree roots. The molecular markers detect the existence of truffles with the extracted DNA.“It’s a huge advance in being able to detect the fungus and know where it is and where it’s not, as opposed to just blindly raking,” Brenneman said.Progress has also been made on the UGA campus in Tifton by culturing truffles and growing them intentionally. A small pecan orchard was inoculated with truffles in 2001. Last fall, the trees produced their first truffle crop. Brenneman says it is not unusual for the process to take this long with other species of truffle, but this was the first time it was done with pecan truffles. Now that the first truffles have been harvested, Brenneman and his research team should have a truffle crop every year.Though truffles are fungi, they are different than other mushrooms because they are completely enclosed below ground. Mushrooms have little gills or pores underneath where spores form, drop out and then spread by wind and rain. Truffles are an enclosed mass of spores designed to be spread by animals, such as mice, squirrels, boles and wild hogs. These animals smell the strong aroma, then dig up the truffles and eat them. The truffle travels through the animal and they deposit the spores to a new area. For more on the UGA pecan truffle project, see the websitehttp://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fruits/pecantruffles/index.html .
Vermont Electric Cooperative, Inc,Vermont Electric Cooperative, Inc. (VEC) announced today that the Vermont Public Service Board (VPSB) has approved VEC’s revised request for a 2.13 percent rate increase to go into effect January 1, 2011. In November, the Co-op filed a request for a 2.71 percent rate increase, but agreed with the Department of Public Service (DPS) to a rate settlement of a reduced amount.The increase is primarily attributed to rising costs for transmission services which have impacted electric utilities throughout the region. Like all New England electric utilities, Vermont Electric Cooperative is required to share in the costs associated with regional transmission reliability projects to upgrade the aging New England electric grid, and to meet stricter federal reliability requirements. Another factor contributing to the request for a rate increase includes upgrades to VEC’s distribution system.‘While we acknowledge that any increase may be difficult for our members, this increase is necessary for the Co-op to continue to invest in our distribution system and to pay our share of the regional transmission costs,’ said Dave Hallquist, CEO. ‘While most other utilities are currently filing for significantly higher rate increases ranging from 3.1 to 30.76 percent, VEC, for the second year in a row has been able to keep those increases to a minimum,’ added Hallquist.Vermont Electric Cooperative currently rates highly for operating efficiently, ranking within the top four of Vermont’s twenty utilities for the number of consumers served per employee, despite having one of the most rural electrical systems in the state. System reliability measures have improved dramatically over the past three years with significant reductions in the frequency and duration of outages. Additionally, Vermont Electric Cooperative has met or exceeded customer service standards set by the VPSB such as how quickly member calls are answered, billing accuracy and system reliability.Under the proposed rate tariff, the monthly bill for an average residential member using 500 kilowatt hours per month will increase by $1.96, from $91.72 to $93.68.
• WHAT IT IS: An inflatable satellite antenna system from the GAtr technologies company that, when inflated, produces a large-aperture dish, resulting in a precision satellite antenna for remote communications. • WHAT IT DOES: Provides emergency internet access, cell coverage and phone lines over satellite networks. Deploys in less than an hour, performs like a rigid antenna of the same size, but with 10 to 15 percent of the packaged size of a conventional rigid antenna system. The system can operate on low power provided by solar power, Dc battery or Ac power. • WHO USES IT: Used to support search and rescue missions in haiti. A similar type of antenna was constructed by the haiti relief communications response team of 1st Special operations communications Squadron personnel who established communications in less than nine minutes, and in four hours, created a global link for the Joint Special operations Air component-haiti. • BENEFITS: Provides faster on-the-ground communications support for disaster relief efforts and military operations. Satellite communications are needed because many times radio communications do not work in disaster settings. *the figures for Japan are estimated due to duplicate entries, name variants, lack of updates and other user error issues. TECHNOLOGY: Safecast.org • WHAT IT IS: A variety of highly accessible, Web-based and mobile technologies like twitter, Facebook, blogging or SMS texts. • WHAT IT DOES: Various social media and mobile networks enable crowdsourcing (receiving information directly from the field). • WHO USES IT: haitian survivors used text messages to ask for assistance. The U.S. coast Guard, State Department, Pentagon and aid groups along with haiti’s leading cell phone carrier formed an emergency contact network to receive and review the text messages requesting aid. This network also monitored Facebook and twitter postings for information on supply shortages. information was then transmitted to the U.S. Southern command to coordinate with military counterparts in haiti. The All Partners Access network (APAn), a U.S. Department of Defense social-networking site, connected people and information across organizational and geographic boundaries in the Haiti disaster. • BENEFITS: Getting rapid information directly from the survivors and converting it into actionable intelligence. crowdsourced information cut the response time by providing information faster than traditional channels. “haiti was the first time that crowdsourced information was used to an extensive degree in disaster relief,” linton Wells, director of the center for technology and national Security Policy at the U.S. national Defense University, told Diálogo. TECHNOLOGY: Person Finder • WHAT IT IS: Website that collects radioactivity data from individuals, official government ministries and nonprofit organizations. • WHAT IT DOES: Provides a platform to aggregate the information collected from various sources. The information reports current radiation levels in various parts of Japan, supporting government and military efforts. • WHO USES IT: Keio University volunteers, as well as civilians, official government ministries and nonprofit organizations have continuously reported radiation levels to the site. • BENEFITS: Established a data network to assist rescue teams, nonprofits and scientists. MAY 11, 2011: Japan, two months after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis “People trapped in building by school next to fountain.” This was the message written in creole that international relief workers received but could not understand in the aftermath of the quake that struck haiti. Aid workers used technology tools such as Skype and text messaging to reach creole speakers who could translate the message. A local network was used to convert the address into GPS coordinates that search and rescue teams used to find survivors. JANUARY 12, 2010: Haiti An Australian woman was convinced she would die in the darkness, trapped under her desk in the building where she worked after a magnitude 6.3 quake struck the city of christchurch, new Zealand. She was trapped for 24 hours; she called her children to say goodbye. Through the night, she spoke to numerous media outlets by mobile phone detailing the harrowing experience of being buried alive. rescuers were able to find her and lift her out to an ambulance. 
All these scenarios reflect the importance of rapid and effective communications among the many international military and aid groups that respond when a natural disaster occurs. In the wake of a major disaster, the importance of government-to-government communications and civilian-military interactions are crucial to maximizing the disaster relief response. The technology and the hardware to enable communications have been essential in disaster relief. • WHAT IT IS: online registry created by Google. • WHAT IT DOES: Provides a means to search, report or confirm information on the whereabouts of people. Further, Google set up a way for people to upload photos of printed lists of the evacuated, missing or dead. This registry uses crowdsourcing as a means to gather information. • WHO USES IT: The registry generated 55,000 records in haiti and more than 620,000* records in Japan during the recent disasters. Serving as the bridge to categorize this information, Google relied on 5,000 volunteers to review and vet the 10,000 photos of such lists. Despite issues with the accuracy of numbers, this online registry filled with crowd-produced information proved successful in locating survivors. • BENEFITS: cuts the response time by providing information faster than the traditional channels and it empowered citizens to assist with relief operations. “People working on similar problems, sharing information, often times getting to better solutions,” said craig Fugate, administrator of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, during a U.S. Senate committee on homeland Security & Governmental Affairs session on disaster recovery. TECHNOLOGY: Social Media FEBRUARY 23, 2011: New Zealand By Dialogo July 01, 2011 HARDWARE: Inflatable Satellite Antenna System “Today, I only went through Fukushima area by Shinkansen, but I could see the measurement changing very clearly. As I was close to Fukushima, the level was getting high. The peak was around Fukushima-shi. After that, the level was decreasing,” blogged Kiki tanaka in her volunteer field report, as she measured radiation levels around the Fukushima area and shared the news with nearby residents. This article is excellent. I think that the authorities in charge of communications should together with radio amateurs implement frequencies (alternative) according to areas where an event takes place, and a spokesman or agency could receive information and broadcast it, to avoid that every amateur radio report on their own and leave space for interpretations that could seriously affect the results of an operation. You can count on my humble station. Carlos LU2QBI. Argentinian radio amateur
DIÁLOGO: What is the role of the Acción Integral (Integrated Action) in a post-conflict Colombia? Brig. Gen. Saavedra: One of the greatest successes is the large amount of people abandoning their weapons; this includes women, but also men that came to realize that they have been deceived during those 10 to 15 years, and they have wasted all that time. They regret it all and they are willing to recover all that lost time. Now, with this program, the Government and the Ministry of Defense is giving them that opportunity. DIÁLOGO: What is your role in the policy for the prevention of forced recruitment and how do you interact with the other state agencies on the subject? DIÁLOGO: Have you shared the lessons learned on this process with other countries? DIÁLOGO: What type of attention does the GAHD offer the demobilized guerillas? How does the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process work? Brig. Gen. Saavedra: In Colombia, the individual disarmament and demobilization stages are the responsibility of the Ministry of National Defense, while the collective disarmament and demobilization fall under the responsibility of the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace. The reintegration stage for individual, as well as collective processes, are under the responsibility of the Colombian Agency for Reintegration, ACR. The disarmament stage begins in the military or police units where the person arrives voluntarily and surrenders their weapons. They stay there for a period of between five to 14 days, and it is then that they begin to receive immediate attention and an administrative report is written. This report records the relevant documentation that will be later submitted for the analysis of the Operative Committee for the Abandonment of Arms, CODA; among other documents, this report includes the interview completed by the person of interest, which includes questions such as what group this person belonged to, the motivation and circumstances of their abandonment. The demobilization stage, executed by the GAHD, begins with the displacement of the person from the military units to peace shelters, where they remain for a period of 60 to 90 days, while the CODA certifies the demobilized members to receive legal, psychosocial, and financial benefits that will allow the transition to the reintegration path, which is the responsibility of the ACR. Brig. Gen. Saavedra: The Group for Humanitarian Attention for the Demobilized will continue to have a key role in the short, medium and long term. First, as we continue our work amidst conflicts with organized armed groups operating outside of the law, we will keep our door open to guerrilla members; this will considerably decrease the criminal actions of these structures. Second, at the mid-term, when a collective demobilization takes place, we will shelter all those people that have been forced and deceived into joining these organizations. Lastly, at the long term, this policy could be applied to all other types of groups, because the DDR Program has proven to be more effective and efficient than all re-socialization programs that are applied in prison. In addition, thanks to the work aimed at preventing the illegal recruitment and use of children and teenagers, we will continue to contribute to a secure and peaceful country. Brig. Gen. Saavedra: Right now, there are four peace shelters strategically located according to the type of demobilization and geographical location in the country; this way, we can have unmarried demobilized people and demobilized people with their families. From within the military unit, the GAHD grants a number of benefits to the demobilized person and their immediate family members; these benefits include security, accommodations, food, clothes, a toiletry kit, the transfer to the peace shelters where they receive psychosocial attention, training, identification papers, legal counseling, health evaluations, recreation and sports. The reintegration stage begins when the demobilized member actually integrates into society to enjoy a life of freedom and independence. A group of ACR professionals monitor the reintegration process so that the demobilized men and women can develop a determined step-by-step work plan according to the capabilities and condition of the person, the demobilized can build a life project within the law that will allow him or her to enjoy the freedoms and possibilities that Colombian society has to offer. This stage can take from two to seven years. During this period, the demobilized member will have access to social and economic benefits such as psychosocial support, management to health access, education and work training. If he or she honors all the commitments involved in the path to reintegration, he or she can receive up to $480,000 Colombian pesos per month. If the demobilized individual or his/her family members develop a business idea (a proposal that results in a productive project), at the end of the process, the ACR will provide them with an economic benefit of up to eight million pesos. If they did not come up with such proposal, they can use this resource to supplement a housing option or to pursue higher education. DIÁLOGO: What have been the greatest successes of the program? DIÁLOGO: How many shelters are there in Colombia currently? By Dialogo January 13, 2014 Brig. Gen. Saavedra: It is hard to give you a specific number of demobilized and reintegrated people because this process can take up to seven years. The ACR is making an effort to register the first groups in this process, because as of 2011, we established a procedure to account for the reintegration process. By July this year [2014], the ACR had about 1,906 successful reintegrations. However, based on the rates of criminal relapse, we could say that nine out of 10 demobilized individuals stay within the boundaries of the law; this would be the greatest success considering the results of other demobilization and reintegration processes in the world. One of the clearest cases of effective demobilization and reintegration has been the one of alias “Ploter”, mastermind of Fronts 9, 19, 52 and of the “Miller Chacón” Company, all belonging to the Caribbean and Northwest Blocks of the FARC. He was a member of this organization for 14 years. In 2004 he made the decision to demobilize and turned himself into the Escuadrón Móvil de Carabineros de Ia Policía Nacional (Mobile Carabineer Squad of the National Police); since then, he started a new life that has allowed him to advance in his studies in Politics and International Affairs, Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. He completed a Master’s degree in Governance; he is also a lecturer on peace and conflict talks and the making the Colombian model of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) known in Austria, Holland, Belgium, England, the United States and El Salvador. He set up a foundation that helps prevent illegal recruitment and the use of children and teenagers by groups acting outside of the law. And although he maintains his leftist principles, he knows that Colombia has legal ways to exercise any kind of ideologies, and that the way of the weapon is not the right way. DIÁLOGO: How do you see the program in the long-term, in a potential post-conflict scenario? Brig. Gen. Saavedra: The Campaign Counsel Groups are currently in charge of the interaction with the Special Administrative Unit for Territorial Consolidation. This unit has a staff in each of the units and task forces, which execute specific demobilization tasks, recruitment prevention, integrated actions, communication and legal tasks. It is thanks to this staff that the Group for Humanitarian Attention for the Demobilized channels the support to communications for the demobilization and prevention campaigns at the regional, local and community levels. Brig. Gen. Saavedra: The Group of Humanitarian Attention for Demobilized has allocated a specific area with the main task of gradually reducing recruitment and the use of minors by illegal organized groups. To this end, we are in the process of implementing the Strategy for the Prevention of Illegal Recruitment, which has been structured to be developed with interagency support and the validation of third parties based on missions imposed by the Area of Defense in 3673 CONPES 2010, as well as analyses performed to the evaluations implemented, the current conflict dynamic and the social factors that increase risk. The strategy highlights the differential nature the use of children and adolescents (NNA) and the shared responsibility of the Public Forces, especially the National Police, in executing recruitment of these. The main objective is to influence the decrease of vulnerabilities by means of developing seven lines of action and different programs that include studying the matter, implementing pedagogical preventive programs, making society aware of this problem, developing protocols and training for the Public Forces, articulating programs at a national, regional and local level, and strengthening security in the areas of higher incidence of illegal recruitment. Illegal Organized Armed Groups are wearing and weakening as a result of the actions of military operations and National Police operations, as well as the loss of an ideological foundation and the difficulty to voluntarily incorporate adults to their structures. All of this has caused them to develop actions that influence civil society and violate the national and international laws affecting conflicts. The children and adolescents have been especially affected by this phenomenon because they are recruited and used permanently, sporadically or transitorily, and are forced to participate in direct or indirect actions that threaten their lives and integrity, and hinder their fundamental rights. The recruitment and use of children and adolescents by organizations like the FARC, ELN and BACRIM is a systematical practice, that is to say, it is not something casual but quite the opposite; it forms part of the criminal plots of these organizations, their illicit methods and strategies. Unfortunately, these minors represent the raw material for the criminal structures and illegal actions of these organizations. According to our database, between 2002 and August 2013, 3,650 boys and girls have left organized armed groups operating outside of the law, and the age at which they are recruited keeps decreasing. Furthermore, around 60 % of the 22,638 adults who demobilized individually in the same period were recruited when they were minors. 
Brig. Gen. Saavedra: Its role is very important because it enables the consolidation of all the areas that have been affected by this type of violence arising from this internal conflict. And this is the moment in which we work hand in hand to inspire trust and win the hearts of the civil population day after day. DIÁLOGO: In such case, will the government be able to support the 8,000 FARC members currently left demobilize? Brig. Gen. Saavedra: Of course it will. The experience the country has in demobilization from previous years has prepared it: the State has been preparing to receive all of the people willing to demobilize. That will be performed as a collective demobilization, managed and led by the High Commissioner for Peace. DIÁLOGO: Brigadier General Saavedra, could you tell us about the Group for Humanitarian Attention for the Demobilized? How did the idea arise, what is its significance, its purpose, focus, and achievements so far? DIÁLOGO: How many demobilized people have successfully reintegrated into society? Do you remember any story in particular, or an anecdote that moved you in a special way? Brig. Gen. Saavedra: We have already visited several countries and provided them the know-how of how well organized or well-articulated it is, and they have all realized that reintegration is a key to the success of this process. We have demonstrated that this is a well-organized program that has financial support from the State, and that is the reason why we keep and maintain our work. DIÁLOGO: What is your interaction with the Special Administrative Unit for Territorial Consolidation and with the Campaign Counsel Groups? Brig.Gen. Saavedra: Definitely.This is very innovative work, it requires great levels of initiative, and sports have allowed us to make this demobilization program public, to reach everybody, to reach people, society as a whole. Sport events are a form of entertainment that gives us the opportunity to talk about demobilization as the show is taking place. During sports events we can provide all the details of the benefits to all those people willing to abandon life in the terrorist groups as well as weapons. We actually saw that during the campaigns we organized for Christmas like Río de Luz or Juega por la Vida; demobilization numbers increased and that allowed us to push forward an aggressive broadcast to make it reach all the regions of the country effectively, anywhere these people may be located. DIÁLOGO: How do you think campaigns like those launched in Christmas time, Río de Luz (River of Light), Juega por la Vida (Play for Life), Pedalea por tu Vida (Cycle for Life), etc. affect the guerrillas? Do you believe that such campaigns have increased the number of demobilized people? DIÁLOGO: What is the cost per demobilized person? Brig. Gen. Saavedra: If we talk numbers, it is less expensive to support a demobilized person than to keep a guerrilla member locked behind bars. It is less expensive for the State to demobilize a person than to send that person to jail. Brig. Gen. Saavedra: I would like to tell you that in this process, in this Group for Humanitarian Attention for the Demobilized, we could see how the terrorist groups of the FARC and ELN violate human rights every day. We see the suffering of women; they suffer because they are raped, because they become pregnant, because they are forced to abort their babies, or because their babies are killed during the forced abortion practices. We have already interviewed many women who claim to have lost two or three children to abortion… they also talk about the ill-treatment they receive in the organization, the human limitations they have access or rights to; all of which has allowed these people to make the voluntary decision to abandon weapons and enter the demobilization process. It is a process happening within the conflict. We are living an internal conflict; we are at war; the operations are happening day and night, but whoever is willing to come will be welcomed. We are at war and we are welcoming them. That is an example of something unique in the world. We are starting a campaign to publicize the benefits the demobilized individuals can enjoy if they make the decision to abandon the organized armed groups operating outside of the law, and seize the opportunity to live in freedom and independence. The motto of this campaign is “Demobilization brings about positive things,” and it expects to show that demobilization brings good things not only to the demobilized person, but also for the country that is craving peace. fantastic article and interview. I am setting up a business in Colombia because of these programs. Good afternoon, I would like to know if someone becomes demobilized voluntarily from the FARC could he be sentenced for terrorism? I want to get back into the program The process of collective and individual demobilization in Colombia is long-lived; however, it is the individual demobilization, with no previous negotiation or conditional agreement with the government, which is successfully taking place in the country nowadays. During Juan Manuel Santos’ administration, demobilization has gained momentum as a complementary war strategy supplemental to military confrontation; a sort of massive propaganda campaign built for Acción Integral (Integrated Action) and Territorial Consolidation aimed at reaching definitive peace. At the same time, given its long trajectory, it can also serve as an example to other countries suffering similar internal conflicts. Unlike demobilization processes in other countries, Colombia executes its process in parts; it includes the voluntarily demobilization of guerilla members willing to abandon their weapons, followed by disarmament, and finally, reintegrating into civilian life, where they become productive members of Colombian society. To get a better understanding of this process, Diálogo visited Bogotá in order to have a conversation with Colombian Army Brigadier General Germán Saavedra, currently the coordinator of the Group for Humanitarian Attention for the Demobilized (GAHD). DIÁLOGO: On a final note, Brigadier General Saavedra, would you like to add something for our readers? Brigadier General Germán Saavedra, coordinator of the GAHD: The Group for Humanitarian Attention for the Demobilized is under the National Ministry of Defense. It was created in 2001 with the purpose of encouraging people belonging to organized armed groups operating outside the law to make the decision to demobilize individually and voluntarily, and thus receive guaranteed attention to their basic needs and the needs of their families during their reintegration to civilian life. The importance of this program lies in the opportunity that the Ministry of Defense grants to the members of these terrorist organizations to abandon their weapons and criminal activities in order to reintegrate into civilian life. In the current war plan set for military operations, demobilization is a top priority even over capture and death, for which the Minister of National Defense [Juan Carlos Pinzón] has created Campaign Counsel Groups (GAC), in charge of developing the demobilization strategies in the different divisions and task forces throughout the country. Currently, over 26,700 former members of these terrorist organizations have demobilized individually, and many of them have collaborated with information that led to tough blows against these structures. Results range from the recovery of kidnapped people, deactivation of landmines, submission of war material, the seizure of drugs, destruction of laboratories, demobilization of entire structures, to the neutralizing of targets of high strategic value. 
continue reading » For many consumers, smartphones aren’t only a way to catch up on emails or news: They are also a way to discover and shop for products and services. The technology also paves the way for payments with credit cards, debit cards, PayPal and mobile wallets.Shoppers also like the experience of paying with their phones: More than eight in 10 – or 81.1 percent – of respondents who paid electronically via smartphones were either “extremely” or “somewhat” satisfied with their payments, according to the PYMNTS Remote Payments Study. The study also noted that “ultimately, consumers’ preference for paying with smartphones comes down to their need for both speed and convenience.”From grocers such as Kroger to mobile dining apps like 2ndKitchen, companies are enabling consumers to pay with their phones for products and services. These are just some of the ways that merchants and service providers are bringing smartphone payment experiences to shoppers: ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr
After three extremely successful airlines connecting London with Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Split, British Airways has launched the fourth direct flight connecting Pula with Heathrow Airport in London. As of this season, Pula is thus connected with the entire big European quartet, which, in addition to London Heathrow, also includes Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.Passengers from London to Pula can travel by Airbus 320 twice a week – on Tuesdays and Saturdays – in the Euro Traveler or Club Europe cabins of British Airways. This has made it easier for many tourists, but also business travelers, to access the northern Adriatic and Istria. With the London – Pula route, British Airways has increased the number of flights to Croatia, and now during the summer season, passengers have the option of choosing between 22 weeks of flights connecting London with four destinations in Croatia.Elizabeth Ruff, British Airways Europe’s Sales Sales Director, said: “We are very excited to launch a new route to Pula. This is our fourth route connecting London with Croatia, and we are pleased to make it easier for our passengers to travel to the Adriatic coast and beautiful islands. In addition, the new line makes it easier for passengers from Croatia to connect to our global network by accessing our base at Heathrow Airport in London.. “Svemir Radmilo, director of Pula Airport doo, also spoke about the new British Airways route on the London-Pula route, emphasizing that this line gives a great impetus to Istrian tourism: “We are extremely proud that British Airways has decided to connect London Heathrow and Pula this summer. Being connected to the largest airport in Europe and cooperating with one of the largest airlines in the world is a remarkable thing. The possibility that with one presidency we can reach any point in the world gives us a great compliment as both the Airport and as a destination. In a year when we are recording excellent results with a growth of 40% and when we expect record numbers in our tourism, this line is a real proof that our destination is recognized as one of the most prestigious in the Mediterranean. We are convinced that this line will record excellent results and an increasing number of departures in this and the years to come.”The flight from London to Pula by British Airways takes only 2 hours and 20 minutes, passengers can book a flight with only hand luggage or check in passengers with 23 kg of luggage and take two bags on the flight. Passengers who will fly from Pula to London on a British Airways flight will be able to obtain boarding passes via the Internet and mobile phones.
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It’s likely to take longer to sell by the end of this year.SOME homes can appear to sit on the market for months on end, while others you can blink and miss them.In which capital city though do homes tend to sell the fastest?While most capital city markets are fairly close in days on market, Sydney comes out just on top.According to CoreLogic figures at the end of 2017, properties sold by private treaty across Australia typically took 45 days to sell and across the combined capital cities they took 40 days to sell.These days on market figures have remained fairly steady in recent months.In Sydney the typical home took an average 42 days to sell in December 2017, which was a bit slower than when the market was hotter and properties were selling in 34 days just a year earlier.Melbourne homes typically take 33 days to sell which was also slower than the end of 2016 when it took an average 29 days to find a buyer.In Brisbane the days on market have dragged out to 53 days, up from 47 days a year earlier.More from newsNew apartments released at idyllic retirement community Samford Grove Presented by Parks and wildlife the new lust-haves post coronavirus21 hours ago“The days on market figure has been trending higher since reaching a recent low of 43 days in March 2017,’’ the report said.Adelaide properties take 41 days to sell which was down from 43 days a year earlier. The days on market has been reducing in recent months in Adelaide.There has been a consistent drop in days on market in Perth, which went from 58 days at the end of 2016 to 53 days at the end of 2017.Properties are selling within 33 days in Hobart, just a little faster than the previous year when it took on average 34 days.Darwin days on market was a high 75 days but that was significantly lower than the 88 days it took at the end of 2016.CoreLogic analyst Cameron Kusher said it was reasonable to expect that during the next year days on market nationally may trend higher.He said sellers in cities affected by rising days on market would have to be more realistic about their price expectations.“As properties take longer to sell, buyers will be more inclined to negotiate on asking prices and vendors may face higher competition from other properties listed for sale as inventory levels rise.’’
‘I’m no Mr Big’ – man charged with cultivating cannabis speaksStuff co.nz 20 June 2018Family First Comment: This is exactly why we opposed the Green’s “grow your own medicine dope” bill. “It started with a few marijuana plants in the garage so he could smoke to ease his knee pain. It soon became a hydroponic weed-growing addiction that took over his entire house. Inside they uncovered a ‘cannabis warehouse’ alleged to contain about $200,000 of the drug growing inside.”www.SayNopeToDope.nz/medicinalIt started with a few marijuana plants in the garage so he could smoke to ease his knee pain. It soon became a hydroponic weed-growing addiction that took over his entire house.But the man concerned says he’s no “Mr Big”.Police raided Jared Colwell’s three-bedroom home in the middle-class Christchurch suburb of Avonhead on Tuesday.Inside they uncovered a “cannabis warehouse” alleged to contain about $200,000 of the drug growing inside.Speaking from his home on Wednesday, the 53-year-old, who has been charged with cultivating cannabis and possession of cannabis for supply, told Stuff the operation started when he wanted to ease his knee pain but did not want to buy drugs off gang members.He admitted to selling cannabis at a “reduced price” for medicinal purposes, to help pay for electricity and to get more equipment to keep the operation going, but said it was not a “commercial operation”.READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/104862168/im-no-mr-big–man-charged-with-cultivating-cannabis-speaks