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equipe · 9 months

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Notes de mise à jour

🌟 Nouveautés

De la même manière qu'avec le GPTBot d'OpenAI, nous nous sommes employés à éviter que l'outil Common Crawl ne vienne mettre son nez dans les contenus Tumblr.

Sur le Web, nous avons ajouté l'attribut rel="author" dans le code HTML des en-têtes des billets affichés sur le tableau de bord. Cet attribut précisant que le contenu affiché appartient à son auteur, il contribue à améliorer l'accessibilité du site pour les utilisateurs de lecteurs d'écran ou d'autres outils similaires.

Dans les pages de recherche sur le Web (/search), le champ de recherche est à présent placé au centre de l'écran plutôt que sur le côté.

Pour les utilisateurs expérimentant le nouveau design des en-têtes de reblogs dont nous vous parlions la semaine dernière, les avatars sont maintenant de retour dans l'en-tête des billets de blogs multi-auteurs lorsque l'option "Afficher les portraits des auteurs" est activée.

Sur le Web, il est désormais possible de bloquer directement un blog à partir d'une contribution reçue dans votre boîte de réception, et ce, soit à partir du blog principal, soit via un blog supplémentaire (s'il était destinataire de la contribution).

Nos équipes ont apporté des ajustements aux formats de nombres localisés, et ce, dans toutes les langues proposées.

Sur le Web, les utilisateurs non connectés qui parcourent la vue intégrée d'un blog se verront parfois invités à s'inscrire ou se connecter après un certain laps de temps.

Nous expérimentons l'affichage du carrousel "Vous avez tout vu !", mais, cette fois-ci, à destination des utilisateurs ayant activé l'option "Meilleurs contenus en premier".

🛠️ Correctifs

Correction d'une anomalie qui pouvait indiquer un nombre incorrect de souscriptions rattachées à un blog.

Correction dans l'éditeur de billets sur le Web d'un problème qui faisait que les diaporamas placés après un bloc "Afficher davantage" ne s'affichaient pas correctement.

Diverses améliorations ont été apportées à l'en-tête des billets au format compact (notamment lorsqu'ils sont affichés en format grille dans la page Explorer). Les noms de blog à rallonge, les badges et les boutons "S'abonner" ne provoquent plus de retour à la ligne en milieu de mot, et chaque élément reste correctement aligné dans l'en-tête.

Correction dans Safari d'un bug qui pouvait faire apparaître un ● à côté du menu Blogs.

Dans l'éditeur de billets sur le Web, nous avons progressé dans la correction d'anomalies pouvant survenir lorsque les actions Annuler/Rétablir étaient utilisées en cours de rédaction. La stabilité de leur fonctionnement a été notablement accrue.

Correction sur le Web d'un problème qui pouvait afficher des avatars vides dans les questions anonymes.

Correction sur le Web d'une anomalie qui affectait les modes d'édition HTML et Markdown : l'utilisation de la commande "Tout sélectionner" pouvait parfois sélectionner également du texte situé en dehors de l'éditeur.

Correction d'un bug dans la fonction Recherche qui affectait les requêtes commençant par "#" et proposait des résultats comportant textuellement le terme saisi plutôt que des résultats relatifs au tag en question.

🚧 En cours

Davantage d'éléments du nouveau design des activités de la section Trafic sont progressivement déployés pour les utilisateurs de l'application Android.

Nos équipes continuent leur travail de mise à jour du Centre d'aide. Si vous constatez des articles prêtant à confusion ou obsolètes, n'hésitez pas à nous le signaler ! (Notez cependant que la version française est toujours un peu en décalage avec la version anglaise, et qu'à ce titre, il se peut que certains articles ou éléments de l'interface ne soient pas encore traduits au moment où vous lisez ces lignes.)

🏴‍☠️👒

🌱 Prochainement

Vos retours concernant le récent redesign des reblogs ont été bien entendus par nos équipes, et elles vous remercient ! Ces dernières les ont maintenant bien à l'esprit alors qu'elles travaillent actuellement aux prochaines évolutions.

Vous rencontrez un problème ? Écrivez-nous (en anglais) et nous reviendrons vers vous aussi vite que possible !

Vous souhaitez nous faire part de vos commentaires ? Rendez-nous visite sur le blog Work in Progress et participez aux discussions de la Communauté !

#MàJ Tumblr

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plethoraworldatlas · 2 months

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A small mountain community in the Peruvian Andes has won a victory that could echo across Latin America.

In a historic ruling, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has charged the Peruvian government with violating its people’s right to a healthy environment by allowing a century-old metal smelter to contaminate the community of La Oroya. In its scathing decision, the Court found that the government “was aware of these high levels of contamination” yet chose not to take appropriate actions to prevent it, “nor to provide care for persons who had acquired diseases” caused by the pollution.

La Oroya is perched over 12,000 feet high in the Andes along the banks of the River Mantaro – a river so polluted with lead and arsenic that one local called it “a dead river.” Huge swaths of the surrounding mountains have been cleaved for mining, and pollution from the smelter has killed much of the area’s vegetation. Yet generations of locals still live here, fighting to maintain their homes and health.

Residents of La Oroya, Peru, photographed in 2008 near the the smelter complex that has made the city one of the most polluted places on earth. (Ernesto Benavides / AFP via Getty)

Since the smelter began operating in 1922, the people of La Oroya have been exposed to extreme levels of lead and other harmful contaminants, including arsenic, cadmium, and sulfur dioxide. At one point, 99% of children under 6 years old in La Oroya tested had lead levels known to cause severe health harms. Many residents suffer from developmental and behavioral disorders, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory illness, and cancer, among many other health issues.

Peruvian researchers and La Oroya locals who tried to disseminate information about the smelter’s toxic impacts were harassed and intimidated. In the absence of government action, the Latin America-based environmental legal group the Inter-American Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA), with the support of Earthjustice, began advocating for the people of La Oroya. In 2006, AIDA and Earthjustice, together with other groups, filed a petition against the Peruvian government at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. AIDA and APRODEH, a Peruvian human rights organization, represented families from La Oroya in the proceedings.

In the 15 years it took the complaint to get before the Court, the Peruvian government repeatedly gave the smelter’s owner, Doe Run Peru (a subsidiary of the U.S.-based Renco Group, Inc), free leave to emit massive levels of air pollution that frequently went well beyond Peruvian regulations and World Health Organization standards for air quality. Since the government sold the plant in 1997, Doe Run Peru was given special exemptions from complying with environmental laws until it could install much needed technology to control pollution. Later, despite the company repeatedly failing to install these controls, the government granted extension after extension allowing the company to continue operating and polluting.

Doe Run Peru eventually declared bankruptcy and creditors later sold the smelter to its local workers in La Oroya – potentially transferring its environmental liability onto the people it had poisoned.

#enviromentalism #ecology #Peru #Andes #andes mountains #human rights #pollution #Mining #mining industry

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reportprimeaashish · 8 months

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Isolator Gloves Market Size, Type, segmentation, growth and forecast 2023-2030

Isolator Gloves Market

The Isolator Gloves Market is expected to grow from USD 141.10 Million in 2022 to USD 228.10 Million by 2030, at a CAGR of 7.11% during the forecast period.

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Isolator Gloves Market Size

Isolator Gloves are a type of protective gloves that are designed to provide a barrier between the wearer's hands and harmful substances such as chemicals, viruses, and bacteria. The Isolator Gloves market research report includes an analysis of the market segment based on type, application, and region. The types of Isolator Gloves include Nitrile, Hypalon, EPDM, Neoprene, Latex, and Butyl. The primary applications of Isolator Gloves are in Electronics, Pharmaceutical, Food, Chemical, and Laboratory industries. The report covers the market players such as Ansell, PIERCAN, Renco Corporation, Safetyware Group, Inert Corporation, Jung Gummitechnik, Terra Universal, Honeywell, Nichwell, and Hanaki Rubber. The report also covers regulatory and legal factors specific to market conditions. Isolator Gloves are subject to strict regulations due to their use in critical industries, and market players must ensure compliance with standards set by regulatory bodies. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the Isolator Gloves market, including its market size, growth rate, competitive landscape, and future prospects.

Isolator Gloves Market Key Player

Ansell

PIERCAN

Renco Corporation

Safetyware Group

Inert Corporation

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Isolator Gloves Market Segment Analysis

The Isolator Gloves market caters to a niche customer base, which includes pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology companies, healthcare institutions, and medical device manufacturers. These gloves are extensively used in cleanroom environments to maintain hygiene, prevent contamination and ensure aseptic handling of drug substances and medical devices.

The driving factors for revenue growth in the Isolator Gloves market are the increasing demand for sterile pharmaceutical products, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, and the strict regulatory requirements for cleanroom environments. Furthermore, the Isolator Gloves market is experiencing growth due to the ongoing research and development activities and technological advancements in the field of medical devices.

The latest trends followed in the Isolator Gloves market include the adoption of non-latex gloves to reduce the risk of latex allergy, increasing demand for powder-free gloves to minimize the transfer of allergens, and the use of vibration-dampening gloves to reduce hand fatigue in workers. Moreover, manufacturers are focusing on developing gloves with improved tactile sensitivity and flexibility, which can provide better user comfort and dexterity.

The major challenges faced by the Isolator Gloves market include the high cost of raw materials and production, stringent regulations for cleanroom environments, and increasing competition from local players in the market. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the supply chain and logistics operations, resulting in the temporary closure of manufacturing facilities and delays in delivering products to customers.

The report's main findings suggest that the Isolator Gloves market is projected to grow at a significant rate over the forecast period due to the increasing demand for sterile pharmaceutical products and the stringent regulatory requirements for cleanroom environments. Furthermore, the report recommends that manufacturers focus on developing eco-friendly and biodegradable gloves, as the demand for sustainable products is increasing. Moreover, manufacturers should prioritize improving their supply chain management and logistics operations to meet the market demands and maintain a competitive edge.

In conclusion, the Isolator Gloves market caters to a niche customer base, and the major factors driving revenue growth are the increasing demand for sterile pharmaceutical products and the strict regulatory requirements for cleanroom environments. The Isolator Gloves market is experiencing growth due to technological advancements and ongoing research and development activities. The latest trends in the market encompass the adoption of non-latex gloves, powder-free gloves, and vibration-dampening gloves. However, the Isolator Gloves market is also facing challenges due to high production costs, stringent regulatory requirements, and increasing competition from local players. The report's main recommendations include focusing on sustainable products, improving supply chain management, and logistics operations.

This report covers impact on COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine wars in detail.

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Market Segmentation (by Application):

Electronics

Pharmaceutical

Food

Chemical

Laboratory

Information is sourced from www.reportprime.com

#business #market growth #marketing strategy #market research #market analysis

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georgechronas · 2 years

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friday chills to get the cleanse

#emma peters #green rooms live #live session #acoustic session #tinah hotel #emma peters fous #solo act #solo performance

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streetbuzznews · 14 days

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Triangle victorious in lowveld derby

FC Renco Mine defenders marking Triangle FC center forward Lameck Nhamo (Photo Credit:Shame White) By Perfect ChivimaIn a highly anticipated Lowveld Derby at Gibbo stadium, Triangle FC emerged victorious over Renco Mine with a 2-0 win. The visitors, Renco Mine, wearing black, faced off against Triangle FC in their red and white jerseys.The match kicked off at 15:00hrs with both teams eager to…

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#Lowveld Derby at Gibbo Stadium 2024

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prensabolivariana · 23 days

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Por: Germán Peña C. Pegarse un tiro en el pie es autoinfringirse daño. Literalmente es lisiarse así mismo, autoagredirse y quizás, dejando secuelas de por vida. Por lo general, el que se pega el tiro no muere, pero, puede quedar limitado, renco y con dificultades en su movilidad. El hecho afecta poder moverse con agilidad y es posible nunca más recuperarse. La lectura apropiada de esta expresión metafórica es perjudicarse con sus propias acciones, que una vez realizadas, se devuelven como un bumerán. Continue reading Un tiro en el pie

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#Featured #Germán Peña C.#Opinión

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lamilanomagazine · 2 months

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Pesaro. Inaugurazione sabato 20 aprile del "Il Bosco che cammina": installazione di 100 alberi e arbusti in piazza del Popolo.

Pesaro. Inaugurazione sabato 20 aprile del "Il Bosco che cammina": installazione di 100 alberi e arbusti in piazza del Popolo. 100 grandi vasi di alberi e arbusti che avanzano nella città per rigenerare suolo sterile: questo è ‘Il Bosco che cammina’, progetto appena presentato da Pesaro 2024 che prende forma nella sezione della ‘natura vivente della cultura’. Il percorso parte sabato 20 aprile a partire dalle 10 - una vera e propria giornata di festa di comunità cui tutti sono chiamati a partecipare - con 8 tappe che si snoderanno fino al mese di ottobre, ogni volta occasione per creare eventi di animazione e divulgazione culturale attorno al verde itinerante. Mossi da un’esperienza ascoltata e neppure vista, nel dicembre del 2022 il sindaco Matteo Ricci e Daniele Vimini vicesindaco e assessore alla Bellezza del Comune di Pesaro, hanno immaginato di produrre in occasione di Pesaro 2024 un’installazione temporanea di alberi e arbusti in luoghi della città in cui l’elemento vegetale fosse assente, come un’invasione verde. L’evento doveva essere capace di produrre una rilettura dello stesso spazio urbano occupato e insieme un ripensamento della relazione uomo/natura e così è stato pensato. Dal 20 aprile, 100 alberi e arbusti (6 m e mezzo la pianta più alta) collocati in vasi di canapa di 1 metro cubo, occuperanno una parte di Piazza del Popolo e dopo due settimane procederanno in un lungo percorso a tappe verso la destinazione definitiva. A ottobre saranno piantate a terra nell’area dell’Istituto Alberghiero Santa Marta che grazie al progetto ‘Bosco che cammina’ sarà fortemente riqualificata trasformando un suolo pesantemente degradato e asfittico in un parco dotato anche di aule verdi. La giornata inaugurale Questo il programma di sabato 20 dalle 10 la convocazione dei volontari che vorranno collaborare allo spostamento delle piante attesi nello spazio di uscita della Caserma in viale della Liberazione, previsto lo spostamento di 25 piante ad ogni trasferimento; ci sarà della musica nella pausa pranzo a cura dei ragazzi del Santa Marta, la performance di Simone Morottti e della compagnia di marionette Pouët, la Banda di Candelara alle 15 e djset finale a cura di uno studente del Santa Marta. Ma il programma ultimissimo si definirà nel corso della giornata anche in base ai tempi effettivi richiesti dalla logistica dei trasporti di un evento mai messo in piedi finora. I soggetti coinvolti Il progetto è stato coordinato da Michele Gambini e affidato operativamente ad Aspes, soggetto attuatore. Quest’ultima si è avvalsa dell’opera professionale di Olga Moskvina, paesaggista che ha curato tutta la parte progettuale e logistica, dalla progettazione dello spazio di destinazione finale delle piante al reperimento delle stesse in oltre 10 vivai sparsi in Italia fino all’ideazione del vaso di canapa, soluzione specificamente studiata per minimizzare l’impatto ambientale dell’evento. La cura degli eventi artistici e divulgativi che accompagneranno le diverse tappe del Bosco è di Sergio Paladino (ovviamente in squadra con coordinatore e progettista). Naturalmente la progettazione dello spazio del Santa Marta ha visto protagonista l’intero istituto scolastico con il dirigente Roberto Franca, i docenti e i ragazzi. Altro tassello fondamentale del lungo evento Bosco è la collaborazione della Protezione Civile nelle fasi di spostamento e nella cura delle piante. Un ringraziamento enorme va rivolto al 28° Reggimento ‘Pavia’ nella persona del suo comandante, il colonnello Antonio di Leonardo, per avere ospitato il Bosco in costruzione. Considerando la complessità logistica di tutta l’opera, probabilmente il Bosco non si sarebbe potuto fare senza l’ospitalità dell’Esercito. Anche altre imprese si sono messe in gioco generosamente per aiutare il ‘Bosco che cammina’: Renco ha messo a disposizione 10 piante che a ottobre andranno al Parco Molaroni, Lindbergh Hotels&Resorts di Nardo Filippetti ha ‘prestato’ alcune piante e la ditta Moretti Ugo Carrelli Elevatori fornisce i sollevatori per caricare e scaricare le piante sui carrelli, costruiti dalla ditta Teo Rimorchi. I trasferimenti del ‘Bosco che cammina’, eventi nell’evento, coinvolgeranno volontari e cittadini. Hanno già risposto all’appello i VolontarX di Pesaro 2024 (un centinaio quelli coinvolti) e i Volontari del Verde del Comune ma l’invito a partecipare al progetto è aperto ed esteso a chiunque voglia dare il proprio contributo a spostare le piante. Nei suoi passaggi il Bosco coinvolgerà anche Liceo Artistico Mengaroni quando andrà ad occupare - accolto dai ragazzi - lo spazio antistante la scuola: la piazzetta della Creatività. La storia Il progetto è partito nell’ottobre 2023 con una serie di incontri partecipativi dai quali è emerso chiaramente che un’opera come il ‘Bosco che cammina’ potesse avere un senso profondo solo a patto di portare una trasformazione rigenerativa e definitiva. Era necessario che il bosco riconquistasse un spazio compromesso. Proprio in quegli incontri è emersa l’idea di coinvolgere il Santa Marta, idea poi immediatamente accolta dal sindaco Matteo Ricci, dal presidente della Provincia Giuseppe Paolini e dal dirigente scolastico Roberto Franca. La scuola è stata protagonista di numerosi incontri nei quali i ragazzi hanno espresso i loro bisogni e le loro aspettative e sono stati il punto di partenza per la progettazione dell’intervento di riqualificazione che partirà con la preparazione preliminare del terreno con largo anticipo rispetto alla collocazione definitiva delle piante. Un’altra indicazione emersa dagli incontri partecipativi di inizio progetto è stata la preoccupazione che un evento di questa natura dovesse essere pensato con il minore impatto ambientale possibile. Proprio per questo tutto il materiale utilizzato per il Bosco che cammina, compresi i vasi, sarà reimpiegato nella rigenerazione e riqualificazione dell’area del Santa Marta, per non mandare sprecato nulla. Va ricordato che rispetto alle tappe del bosco, quella prevista a Calata Caio Duilio è soggetta all’autorizzazione dell’Autorità Portuale e della Capitaneria di Porto. Alla conferenza stampa erano presenti: Daniele Vimini vicesindaco e assessore alla Bellezza del Comune di Pesaro; il consigliere comunale Michele Gambini coordinatore del progetto, la paesaggista Olga Moskvina, Sergio Paladino curatore artistico, Roberto Franca dirigente scolastico Istituto Alberghiero ‘Santa Marta’, il colonnello Antonio Di Leonardo comandante del 28° Reggimento ‘Pavia’ - Esercito Italiano, il presidente del Consiglio Comunale Marco Perugini. Ha aperto Michele Gambini: l’idea è stata quella di portare degli alberi in spazi che normalmente non vedono l’elemento vegetale per reinventarli, per produrre uno shock visivo. Il modo in cui l’abbiamo declinata è stata un processo di partecipazione in cui i cittadini ci hanno restituito cosa pensavano di questa cosa. E ci siamo resi conto che la cosa avrebbe avuto senso solo se avesse prodotto una trasformazione reale definitiva della città e così accade perché le 100 piante che partono sabato, a ottobre verranno collocate nell’area di pertinenza dell’Istituto Santa Marta trasformando un luogo di fatto sterile in un bosco con anche delle aule verdi. Quindi il senso dell’operazione è di investire risorse anche ingenti per recuperare uno spazio che non corrisponde al livello di qualità che dovremmo garantire ad una scuola e produrre trasformazione ambientale e sostenibilità. E nei 5 mesi prima dell’arrivo al Santa Marta, il bosco parlerà alla città con la sua presenza perché le 100 piante saranno spostate periodicamente per occupare spazi che solitamente non hanno verde. Si tratta di un’operazione molto complessa dal punto di vista logistico che non ha molti precedenti in Italia e nel resto del mondo. Gli aspetti da curare sono tanti, occorre garantire la sicurezza delle piante - quindi il vaso protegge da sbalzi repentini di temperatura e umidità troppo repentini - ad esempio, ma tutto è stato pensato comunque per minimizzare i rifiuti alla fine del progetto che deve lasciare sostenibilità ambientale e per la tutela delle piante. Quindi i vasi sono in pannelli di canapa totalmente naturale (fibre pressate), vasi che non esistevano e sono stati prodotti appositamente, e terra cruda, un materiale che poi sarà utilizzata anche per la sistemazione del Santa Marta e può essere interrato perché compostabile. Un aspetto relativo alla comunicazione del progetto è che quando le piante lasceranno piazza del Popolo avranno anche dei pannelli per fare divulgazione ambientale. Olga Moskvina ha sottolineato la forte innovazione del progetto soprattutto nel rispetto delle piante in modo che non soffrano troppo; le modalità usate nel progetto verranno spiegate in modo da trasformarsi in indicazioni per tutti su come curare il proprio verde. Sergio Paladino ha ricordato la componente artistica del progetto che vuole concepire per ogni spazio colonizzato uno spazio condiviso e partecipato di arte, cultura, socialità e benessere; ci sarà anche una cena in mezzo alle piante e dei momenti musicali in collaborazione con il Conservatorio Rossini. Una programmazione che si concentrerà volutamente su spazi meno centrali. Questo aspetto è stato realizzato con la collaborazione delle associazioni del territorio. Così Antonio Di Leonardo: il Bosco che cammina ha interrotto la routine della caserma e portato ossigeno e colore, quindi ringrazio il Comune. Questa e tante altre iniziative dimostrano quanto la sinergia tra realtà diverse porti a risultati ottimali anche in vista della fruizione della gente di Pesaro. Per noi militari abituati a vivere nella natura è stato un motivo in più per imparare ad amare le piante. Roberto Franca: sono molto felice della partecipazione ad un’attività che mette i ragazzi al centro e li rende i custodi del bosco, qui gli studenti partecipano in prima persona diventando custodi del verde e si fa esperienza nel segno della sostenibilità. Le conclusioni a Daniele Vimini: siamo molto felici ed emozionati per un progetto che è una delle cose che rimarranno nel futuro non solo per il numero di persone coinvolte e il processo partecipativo ma anche per lo spazio trasformato della città. Il lavoro va contestualizzato anche in quadro più ampio per cui da ottobre in avanti rimarranno 7 ettari di piante messe a dimora grazie anche ad Aspes e alla Società Autostrade. Con Pesaro 2024 si è riusciti ad ottenere una grande operazione di spostamento piante per arrivare ad un bosco che avrà vita lunga e stabile, un patrimonio condiviso. Con un messaggio importante che verrà veicolato in questi mesi di qui ad ottobre, perfettamente in linea con ‘la natura della cultura’ per il valore della sostenibilità ma anche perché si tratta più che mai di un progetto di comunità. Il bosco sarà un elemento scenografico della città, non solo per il corteo olimpico di sabato ma per tutte le zone di sosta delle piante che prenderanno nuova vita. Il saluto finale di Marco Perugini che ha annunciato che sabato 20 aprile il Comune consegnerà al 28° Reggimento Pavia un attestato di riconoscenza per questa e tutte le altre collaborazioni nel corso del tempo e per le attività portate avanti in Italia e nel mondo che aderiscono perfettamente con i valori di Pesaro 2024. ... #notizie #news #breakingnews #cronaca #politica #eventi #sport #moda Read the full article

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bu1410 · 2 months

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Good afternoon TUMBLR - April 4th - 2024

''Mr. Plant has owed me a shoe since July 5, 1971."

Aksai, Kazakhstan - July 2000 - December 2001.

Part 2.

Mr. ZINNO HAIR CUT There was a nice atmosphere between us – we spent a lot of free time together, even doing the most banal things. One Sunday morning we accompanied mR. Zinno to the hairdresser. Calogero, despite being in his sixties, was proud of his still flowing 70s-style hair (like Bobby, JR's brother from the TV series Dallas, whose hair covered even his ears) and took care of it with frequent dyes, such to look like a sort of black crow. Pennacchia and I sat in the rickety chairs, while the hairdresser took care of our friend's hair. Sitting in the swivel chair, a blue apron and cotton was placed around Calogero's neck. Then the girl approached the sink tap, drank a glass of water and suddenly, from above Zinno's head, sprayed all the swallowed water with a ''spray effect''!!! Calogero jumped up, more surprised than scared, shouting an understandable ''MACHEMINCHIAFAIIIIIII''!!! (What a f**** you doing!)

The hairdresser: Sooryyyy Mr. Zinno………spray bottle kaputt……….!

Zinno: what the fuck caputt spray bottle…at least you could tell me before spraying water over my head, no??

PENNACCHIA AND COPS It was Saturday evening, and we were going to have a dinner at the RENCO restaurant (Our Company had signed an agreement, whereby we employees only paid for extras such as wine, etc.). We were late, so Pennacchia was driving a little faster inside the city. During the weekend, as we had long since learned, several Uralsk policemen were moving to Aksai, counting on the presence of foreigners to ensure an extra supplement to their meager salaries. At an intersection there was cop with a manual radar! He stopped us, and complaint about speeding, and the usual rant:

''So you need to go to the hospital to check if you are not intoxicated…'' Zinno Calogero, who had a great antipathy towards policemen, urged Pennacchia to ''settle'' the fine immediately.

Come on Franco, come on… we're already late… give him something and let's finish it there…… Whereupon Franco put his hand in his jacket pocket and gave a handful of banknotes into the hands of the agent - who, after pocketing the ''swag'', jumped to attention and gave us a salute that to define as suspicious is an understatement. Later at RENCO restaurant, when it was time to pay for the extras, Pennacchia put his hand in his pocket and to his surprise found nothing. He put his hand in his other pocket and found a handful of Tenge (Kazakh currency). We saw Franco first turn white and then red with anger:

He had given the policeman the wrong handful of banknotes, namely American dollars!! It It was then we understood the cop's greeting and exaggerated smile!!! We went out from the restaurant, and Pennacchia still didn't calm down: he had given almost 200 dollars to the policeman, and he couldn't rest! He kicked everything that came his way, and he blame 'Zinno for rushing him!!

M10 We used to spent Saturday evenings at M10 disco club (basically the acronym for Microrayon 10, the neighborhood where the nightclub was located). There were various art shows, dancers, magicians, and competitions such as Games Without Borders. The place was not far from Czech Camp, divided only by a vast wheat field - but to return to our compound we were forced to pass through a large roundabout. And it was there that the ''trap'' was sprung. The police had equipped the nightclub bouncers with their own walkie talkie, and when a foreigner left the club and drove a car, the bouncer informed the patrol that a ''customer'' was arriving. One night was my turn too, of course. Inside the nightclub I only drank soft drinks, and that evening was no exception. I was stopped by the cops patrol and invited to sit in the back seat of the two-door NIVA. Next to me was a ''presumed Doctor'' who repeated in his very approximate English: ''You drink??? And then ''you drink!!!! And then again ''you drink????'' And then the policeman started the same old story:

You drunk, need to go to police station, today Saturday, Court only Monday……you want this’’??

Me: I drink only Cola……. And then we moved on to the second part of the ''show'' : the ''Doctor'' wrapped an A4 sheet of paper like a chestnuts conteiner and ordered:

Blow in! Then he took the cone back, smelled it and then nodded towards the policeman saying:

Daaa……(Yes.....)

The policeman then started the Court thing again on Monday………

But I didn't give up and repeated ''I drink only Cola…pajalusta.'' Then the '' Doctor '' sighed and got ready for the third Magician wonder: he took a glass vial out of his pocket and explained that I had to blow hard into the vial. It should be taken into account that all this took place inside NIVA car in the dark. After having blown into the vial, the ''Doctor'' with a move worthy of the best magician replaced the vial into which I had blown, with one that he kept ready in his jacket pocket. Of course a blue one (to demonstrate that I had been drinking)

Beaming, the policeman shouted: you see…piva piva……viski…cagnac….(beer......whiskey.....cognac)

Me: nieeet……you replace the probe…….

Doctor: nooo……ya chestnyy!! (honest) In short, after another 15 or 20 minutes of fooling around, a compromise was reached: they would get out of the car to smoke, and 5,000 Tenge (10 euros) would ''fall'' out of my pocket, which they would then accidentally find later on the floor of the their car. And so I was finally free to return to Czech Camp.

WINTER Winter had arrived (it was October 6th) and I had been sitting on a Tupolev airplane at Almaty airport for about 40 minutes, looking out the window at a team of people trying in vain to shovel snow from the plane's wings to be able to take off. It was snowing like I had never seen in my life!!! – Than after few minutes the Caètain announced:

''Everyone on the ground, we're not flying today''!

During the winter of 1999-2000, following exceptional snowfalls, a group of people remained stranded at rafinery for a week and then they were recovered with military tracked vehicles. Therefore a strict rules were established in case of snowfall:

White flag at compound exit gate: we could leave whenever we wanted, even with just one vehicle.

Yellow flag: departures allowed only in convoy of at least 3 vehicles

Red Flag: no one could leave the camp, except for emergencies.

Inside the camp, after a series of car accidents, a speed limit of 10 km (ten…) per hour was implemented!! The vigilantes were stationed at every corner with radar to catch anyone who exceeded the ''limit''!! And the sanctions were pouring in.

SATURDAY EVENING A day traditionally dedicated by the locals to ''epic hangovers'' (it's not that they didn't drink on the other days of the week) but on Saturdays they put particular effort into it, since they could then count on Sunday to recover. It was 8.00 in the evening, and we were leaving by car to go to dinner at RENCO. In Kazakhstan, given the abundance of snow, the roads have deep channels on both sides. As soon as we left the field, the lights of our Toyota illuminated a man walking with a very unstable balance. He gets dangerously close to the drain channel and then falls in!! We stopped immediately the car, and when we retrieve him was already asleep! After loading him into the car, we took him to the camp infirmary, where the Czechoslovakian Doctor took care of the poor guy: this time it went well for him, but many other times these people are found the next morning, dead from cold exposure.

RICHARD BARNES He was an British guy from Sunderland, and the Site Manager of Electro-instrumental company working the field. A fan of his hometown team, he taught me the famous rhyme with which Sunderland supporters welcomed the football player Alan Sheerer, when Newcastle was playing at Sunderland stadium: ''Alan Sheerer is illegitimate, he got no birth certificate''

It was one of those Saturday evening of 2000-2001 winter. Richard was walking back from the camp pub, towards VACTA building where we lived, he was drunk. Once he arrived in front of the building door, Richard started to search for keys from his jacket but because he was wearing gloves, the keys fell into the snow. At this point Richard made his first serious mistake: took off his gloves to look for the keys in the snow. It was dark, and he kneels down, rummages in the snow, puts his head close to the ground to try to see better - and then he makes his second mistake: he falls backwards into the snow and falls asleep! It was around 2.00 am, there' was no one around, no one saw Richard's fall. At 4.00 am Bulat, one of our drivers in charge of turning on the cars in the middle of the night (without this operation the vehicles would not start in the morning) arrives punctually at VACTA car park. Bulat saw Richard lying in the snow so he immediately calls the camp's emergency room - the nurses arrived within 5 minutes, and took Richard to the medical center. Richard eventually survived, but will undergo numbers of surgeries. In order to stop the gangrene, part of his right hand will be amputated, the one with which he had searched for the keys in the snow.

CHRISTMAS 2000 I spent Xmas in Aksai, like many other colleagues. Mr. Secchi, our beloved Vice-President, had also returned to Italy for Xmas & New Year holidays, leaving to Mr. Cavicchi the keys to the chalet where Mr. Secchi lived with his wife. Mr. Secchi was a real gourmand and recommend to Cavicchi - above all - to keep the well-stocked cellar under lock and key - inside there all the good and fine items were kept: Parma hams, culatello di Zibello, 36-months old Parmesan, fine wines and precious liqueurs.

''Don't worry Mr Secchi anyone who wants to enter that cellar will have to pass over my body first! Said the unwary Cavicchi. He had not taken into account the diabolical Pennacchia - who, taking advantage of a distraction by Cavicchi, took possession of the precious keys and made a copy of them. Well you can imagine what happened: practically every day, as evening fell, Franco took a tour of the cellar of the aforementioned chalet, a sort of ''daily shopping'', but without ever exaggerating! Upon his return, Mr. Secchi naturally noticed the shortages, and did not fail to give a public 'smooth and knock' to poor Cavicchi, who swore that he had not touched anything. The gruff Secchi naturally knew who could have been taking the food and drinks, but he was careful not to make any accusation (even if sometimes, at the evening meeting, when we were all present, he addressed Pennacchia with a

''But ..............are you sure you don't know anything about the missing goods from my cellar???''

MARIO CAVICCHI Mr. Secchi, since the presence of his wife Mrs. Venera, could not act freely - and therefore was much more nervous and irascible than usual. He therefore wanted to put an end to what he considered ''a scandal''! ''The coming and going of local women in VACTA buiding must stop!!'' he said one evening during the daily meeting.

You Mario - Secchi said - from now on you will be responsible for the VACTA security service - you'll employ 2 guards on 12+12 hours shift, there will be a register where entry and exit of staff and any ''guests'' must be noted with signature and times !! And every day you will bring me the register because I want to check personally what's going on there!! So it was that from that day on we saw a guard appear at the entrance to VACTA building, equipped with a table, chair, register and pen. And every time we entered or exited the building, as instructed by Mr. Secchi, we had to write our name, surname, time, signature (and possibly who we were accompanied by). But as they generally say ''the law is made, the deception is found'' - after a few days someone (perhaps Pennacchia?) came up with the idea: let's always write and sign ''Mario Cavicchi'' in the register! (and every time the guard nodded and said ''daaa…daa…'') And so we did, but when the register arrived in the hands of the Mr. Secchi an uproar happened. He called Cavicchi, shouting at him:

''How is it possible that you enter and exit the building at any hours??!! Don't you have anything else to do during the day!!?? The attempt to bring order to the VACTA visitors had failed miserably, and the coup de grace was delivered by Mrs. Venera during the usual Sunday lunch, which was held in Secchi's chalet:

But what is this ridiculous idea of controlling employees' lives after working hours? Secchi (she always called him by his surname in public). You must give orders to stop this ridicolous practice immediately! We are in an ex-Soviet country, but we are Italian!! Thus the controls were eliminated, and we returned to the usual messy life.

Mr. VABRINI Vabrini was a fairly calm guy: head of the purchasing office at SAIPEM, obviously he had his own ''inconveniences'' (like all those who do that type of work). But always with discretion and without ever exaggerating. However, something must have gone wrong recently, perhaps Vabrini had ''stepped'' someone's toes - or perhaps he simply hadn't considered that the Kazakhs were not as ''peaceful'' as they seemed at first glance. The fact is that on that July Saturday evening at the M10 club Vabrini was not sensitive enough to grasp the danger signs that should have warned him. The local girl with whom he spent the evening, incredibly, with an excuse left him early, before midnight. Left alone, Vabrini drank a couple more glasses and then, to avoid the usual police blows, he set off for Czech Camp on foot. And to make it quicker, he cut into the wheat field, now almost ripe and therefore very tall. Arrived a few meters from camp main gate, the ambush: perhaps 3 or 4 individuals, armed with sticks, attacked him - and started to beat him up!! Lucky for him, that we - and when I say we I mean Zinno, Pennacchia and myself, were returning just at that time to the camp. The NIVA headlights, at the ''S'' before entering the camp, illuminated that atrocious scene. Zinno honked furiously and we got out of the car, while the shady characters ran away, leaving the unfortunate Vabrini on the ground, bleeding and lifeless. He was in very bad shape, but he was conscious: we loaded him into the car, and having traveled the few meters that separated us from the Czech Camp Medical Center we entrusted him to the care of the Czechoslovakian doctors. It took a few weeks, but Vabrini fully recovered from the beating. The police dismissed the attack as a simple robbery attempt against a careless expatriate walking down a dark path on a Saturday night.

TRAIN TO AKTOBE In Kazakhstan the railway network have been built by Russians to serve Russia's interests. It therefore happens that to go from Uralsk to Aktobe (two Kazakh cities) the train enters and exits Russia 2 times - a sort of sinusoidal progression, instead of a more or less straight line. (And all this without there being any natural obstacles , like mountains, lakes etc, but a flat and boring steppe). At the time, to be able to travel by train in Kazakhstan one had to buy a ticket in advance – all passengers had to be seated, and long-distance passengers (almost all) had sleeper compartments which were called ''coupe' ''. A student who had spent the summer for an internship with us had to return to Aktobe, and after having purchased the ticket the day before, we took her to the railway station. Estimated time for the train to arrive: 5.30pm – we therefore arrived at the station about 20 minutes early. Strangely enough, there were no other passengers on the scheduled platform. After waiting for over half an hour we went to ask for information to the counter. As usual, to make citizens' lives as difficult as possible, the hole to the information office was blocked by a piece of plywood. I say ''hole'' because it was a semicircular opening of approximately 25x15 cm, located approximately 1.20 meters above the ground. The unfortunate person who needs information, was forced to bend in to speak through the opening, generally to a person that only a belly can be seen. After a series of contortionist maneuvers, the girl got up from the uncomfortable position and looked at us with a disconsolate look:

The train passed almost 1 hour ahead of schedule!!

So?

So I'm not travelling today, I'll have to come back tomorrow…. The next day we returned 2 hours before the scheduled train arrival which arrived as scheduled at 5.30pm. The girl found the booked carriage and got in. We noticed that, apart from the normal passengers who got on and off the train, there were shady individuals who, taking advantage of the stop, got off the train and met on the platform, exchanging quick signs of understanding and short words, and then getting back on the train, all on different carriages from which they had alighted. We were then explained that those guys were members of real gangs that operated on trains, robbing passengers during journeys.

MAZZOCCHI ORESTE This gentleman from Piacenza had joined our project during early November - a person over 65 years old, with a robust build, rosy complexion, thick glasses, hair combed back with abundant use of brilliantine (we suspected that he was one of the last three people in Italy to use Linetti brilliantine ). He seems to have been sent personally by Mr. Riccardi (known as ''the Accountant'', he was one of the Company founder and still its largest shareholder) to control and report on the accounts of our JV. Another gossip we learned from the zealous Cavicchi Mario was that Mazzocchi had arrived from Italy with about 70 kg. of extra baggage, consisting of salamis, coppa, hams, cheeses and other delicacies: he didn't let us taste even one! December was approaching, and the personnel office requested the list of employees who would return to Italy for the end-of-year holidays, in order to book flights tickets. Mr. Oreste, which arrived just over a month earlier, in theory would not have had the right to return to Italy for Christmas. But he put himself on the list anyway, and when the HR secretary asked him about it, he replied with an enigmatic smile and said:

Ehhh…I have to go to America…… (without adding anything else).

Whereupon we all put forward the strangest hypotheses about Oreste's journey to America. Who said he had relatives in New York; others that he had made a commitment before they sent him to Kazakhstan; still others hypothesized that he had to accompany his wife to a medical specialist in Houston, Texas. Christmas 2001 arrived, and then the end of the year and then after the Epiphany the lucky ones who had spent the holidays in Italy returned to Aksai. Mazzocchi Oreste also returned. Now you should know that indoors in Kazakhstan, during winter, it is incredibly hot. Most of the time I used to sleep with the window little bit open, in order to avoid sweating at night. The Company's offices were no exception to this, so one evening, during dinner at canteen, we saw Oreste with a white T shirt bearing the logo of ''COSTA CROCIERE - MIAMI''. Intrigued we asked:

Nice T-shirt Oreste, is it new? Where did you get it?

Well… - Oreste replied with that mocking smile that never failed on his ruddy face - it was a gift from my wife, when we were on a cruise in the Caribbean, during the holidays. We all remained with open mouth!! He had passed off his return to Italy - which was not due - as an ''unpostponable'' need and then, he candidly admitted that he had been on a Caribbean cruise!!!

Ahh… I said, and this explains the reason for that even reddish face than usual: El Caribe en todo Sol! – I said.

Well - Oreste replied - I don't know why, in fact I go on a cruise because my wife loves it, but myslef I go because there are slot machines on the ships and I won't leave them 24/7….

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