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American National Declares Quarterly Dividend

ANICO Color Logo

GALVESTON, Texas, April 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American National Insurance Company's (Nasdaq:ANAT) board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of 77 cents per share on its common stock, CUSIP #028591-105, at its April 25, 2014 board meeting. In compliance with NASDAQ's applicable dividend notice requirements, the dividend is payable June 20, 2014 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 6, 2014 with an ex-dividend date to be determined by the NASDAQ Stock Market, anticipated to be June 4, 2014. American National Insurance Company has paid dividends to stockholders for more than 100 consecutive years.

American National Insurance Company (American National), headquartered in Galveston, Texas, was founded in 1905 and is licensed to conduct the business of insurance in all states except New York. American National has been assigned an 'A' rating by A.M. Best Company and an 'A' rating by Standard & Poor's, both of which are nationally recognized rating agencies.

American National is also a family of companies that has, on a consolidated GAAP basis, $23.5 billion in assets, $19.2 billion in liabilities and $4.3 billion in stockholders' equity. The family of companies offers a broad line of products and services, which include life insurance, annuities, health insurance, credit insurance, pension products and property and casualty insurance for personal lines, agribusiness, and targeted commercial exposures. The family of companies operates in all 50 states and its major insurance subsidiaries include American National Life Insurance Company of Texas, American National Life Insurance Company of New York, American National Property and Casualty Company, Standard Life and Accident Insurance Company, Farm Family Life Insurance Company, Farm Family Casualty Insurance Company and United Farm Family Insurance Company.

For more information, including company news and investor relations information, visit the company's web site at

CONTACT: John J. Dunn, Jr. (409) 766-6063

Source:American National Insurance Company


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MIT's latest experiment is a Black Mirror episode come to life

This Halloween play a creepy dystopian online game that feels a lot like an upcoming Black Mirror episode.

This screenshot from the website for MIT Media Lab social experiment BeeMe doesn't reveal much, but that just adds to the mystery.

Screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is giving you control of a real human being on Halloween in an unusual dystopian online game that sounds like an episode of Black Mirror

In the upcoming season 5 of Black Mirror -- which is expected to debut on Netflix in December --  an episode will feature branching storylines that let the viewer pick the plot

MIT researchers must be fans of the sci-fi series because they're about to do the same thing this month.

On Halloween, MIT is launching a crowdsourced online social experiment where people can play a choose-your-own-adventure game in real-time by controlling the movements of a real actor.

BeeMe is an interactive dystopian game where players control an actor to defeat an evil artificial intelligence program. Players will vote on various commands then the actor will move entirely based on the most popular requests.

"The event will follow the story of an evil AI by the name of Zookd, who has accidentally been released online," MIT Media Lab member Niccolo Pescetelli told Business Insider on Oct. 20. "Internet users will have to coordinate at scale and collectively help the actor (also a character in the story) to defeat Zookd. If they fail, the consequences could be disastrous."

The MIT project wants to "redefine the way in which we understand social interactions online and in real life; pushing crowdsourcing and collective intelligence to the extreme to see where it breaks down," according to a statement

The interactive Halloween project comes from the MIT Media Lab's Scalable Cooperation group, which studies how technology reshapes the ideas behind human cooperation.

MIT has a creepy tradition of launching disturbing experimental projects during the Halloween season.

Previously in 2016, The MIT Media Lab debuted its AI program called the Nightmare Machine, which transformed regular photos into frightening images.

In 2017, a MIT researcher made AI software (aptly nicknamed Shelley after Frankenstein author Mary Shelley) that wrote its own horror stories

The MIT event will be broadcast live on Oct. 31 Halloween night at 11 p.m. ET at

Culture: Your hub for everything from film and television to music, comics, toys and sports.

Solving for XX: The tech industry seeks to overcome outdated ideas about "women in tech."

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Tech Industry

South Korea to redraw its maps with open source

Government hopes to make it easier for people to find their way around with new digital mapping system.

    South Korea will try to tackle one of its lingering problems--a chaotic street and address system--through a new open-source project.

    The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs has formed a team to normalize the country's street addresses, and then create a database around the information. In the end, the country hopes to have an address and digital mapping system that conforms to international standards.

    The project, which will continue through 2009, is expected to cost $3.7 million in 2006 and $4.5 million in 2007.

    The South Korean address system can be, to residents and visitors, confusing. Addresses often combine street numbers and land lot numbers. Seoul and other metropolitan areas have also grown rapidly in recent decades. Rather than using addresses, most people rely on maps generated by computers, in-car navigation systems and cell phone calls to people at the intended destination to figure out where to go. The confusion contributes to the omnipresent gridlock in Seoul.

    Another confusing wrinkle in the current system is that the street name and street number often are not part of the address. Instead, the neighborhood, building and/or block are listed. For instance, the current address for KEPCO, the Korea Electric Power Corporation, is 167 Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea. In the future, it will be 11 Youngdong Street, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea. ZDNet Korea is now at Sungdo Venture Tower 4F, 165-2 Samsung-dong, Kangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea. In the future, the address will be 22 Hanjeon buk Street, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea.

    The new system will also allow fire stations and police officers to react more rapidly to emergencies.

    Currently, the team is assessing the scope of the project and database standardization. From 2007 through 2009, it will update data and add new regions and streets.

    The project will be based on open-source software, which the government has long supported. Earlier, South Korea built a National Education Information System on Linux servers. The Ministry of Information and Communication is in the midst of a program to shift a substantial number of PCs and servers at universities and government agencies to Linux.

    "We chose Linux because of lower cost in setup and maintenance, free licensing fees and its ability to respond to security breaches rapidly," said Doo-soo Kim, who is heading up the project.

    If the re-mapping project is successful, it could lead to another export industry for the country. Korea has a history of turning its own problems into exports. After the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, the government invested billions into building out a national broadband network. Since then, Korean companies have begun to export things like online games and broadband consulting services.

    Hyangseon Lee of ZDNet Korea reported from Korea.


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Tipping guide for world travelers

By Mark Ellwood, Travel + LeisurePublished 26th December 2011
By now, there should be enough cheat sheets, calculators and apps out there to finally put an end to questions about tipping. Why is it, then, that even seasoned globetrotters, Travel + Leisure editors among them, still fret over it?
Tipping is meant to be a pleasurable gesture, one that marks exceptional service, creating a bond between a guest and a hotel staffer or tour guide. However, as service becomes increasingly personalized -- airport greeter; bathroom attendant; private chef -- the potential pitfalls begin to add up.
Add to this a host of cultural considerations, and the standard rules no longer apply. (Should you offer dollars with a handshake -- or tucked into a thank-you note? Is local currency better than a few crisp greenbacks?) To help you on your next trip, T+L asked some of the most seasoned hoteliers and tour operators around the globe to weigh in. Read on for their expert advice.
Tipping scenario No. 1: The city hotel
When you land at many airports in Asia -- including Hong Kong, Bangkok and Beijing -- the first encounter with your hotel will likely be right outside customs. Luxury properties often have an airport greeter dressed in a business suit who will pick you up, escort you and your luggage to your driver and load your bags into the car. Most guests remember to tip drivers about $3 in the local currency, but greeters are often overlooked, according to Joseph Chong, general manager at the Peninsula Shanghai. They should receive the same amount as drivers.
Once you're at the hotel, Peter French, general manager of Raffles Dubai, who has spent more than 20 years working in hotels in Asia, says the standard concierge tip is $7 per day -- slightly more if a guest makes frequent requests. The exception is in Japan, where tipping is not common, but it's acceptable to thank your concierge with a token gift such as chocolates, says Wolfgang Krueger, former general manager of the Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo, now at the Kowloon Shangri-La Hong Kong.
For other staffers, give a $2 tip to the doorman and the same per bag for a bellhop or porter; $5 per day for room attendants will suffice. Budget a $20 tip for a full day of sightseeing with a private car and driver, $5-$10 for a half-day. If you go to dinner in one of the hotel's own vehicles, consider $5-$8. If you're staying on a business club floor, the fact that you're paying a premium covers extra services, but it's gracious to reward the breakfast server for the extra coffee refills and clearing of buffet plates. A $2-$3 tip left on the table at the end of the meal will be appreciated. Also, don't forget the oft-overlooked restroom attendants in lobbies: $2 per visit is sufficient.
Tipping scenario No. 2: The resort
As soon as you arrive at your resort, prepare for a parade of staffers who will take care of you during your stay. And even in the case of resorts with no-tipping-required policies, it's hard to know how to thank those staffers who go above and beyond. The standards for rewarding great service can vary depending on where you are in the world, but here are a few general rules.
Matt Bailey, managing director of Grand Wailea, on Maui, advises tipping your tennis instructor 10 to 15 percent after a lesson. Same goes for the fitness coach and scuba instructor. The bellman toting golf bags or ski gear -- especially for a family or group -- should receive 50 percent more than the normal luggage tip (instead of $10, make it $15). Babysitters should be rewarded according to the level of engagement: 20 percent of the total fee to keep four tweens occupied for an evening, and 10 to 15 percent to watch a napping baby.
In the spa, massage therapists should be tipped 20 percent at the front desk -- leaving money on the table is considered inappropriate. Leave $2-$3 for the pool attendant who snagged you a good chair ($5-$10 if a cabana was set up for you). Bailey suggests $3 per day for the room attendant at a limited-service hotel, and $5 where the attendant is returning several times daily for extra towels and turndown. Remember to leave a note with any tip so the staffer knows what it is.
The golf valet who cleaned your shoes and clubs should receive about $10 each time. Bailey also advises tipping butlers as you would concierges: "They make up the room, serve meals, draw baths -- they're a conduit to all the services in the hotel." If you relied heavily on the butler's services, give him an envelope with a couple of hundred dollars at the end of a four- to five-day stay (a little less in other parts of the world where tips are generally less generous).
Tipping scenario No. 3: Adventure tours and safaris
Whether you're tracking cheetahs in Botswana or mastering rapids in the Grand Canyon, your guide will be with you every step of the way, often combining several roles in one: field expert, driver, majordomo and even therapist when you step outside your comfort zone.
Off the Beaten Path cofounder Bill Bryan, who specializes in tours of the Americas and the South Pacific, suggests tipping a hiking guide between $10 to $15 per day per person -- more if the route is grueling. Whitewater rafting guides should receive about $10 per day. For the fishing guide who helped you catch that six-pound rainbow trout, $100 on a $500 fee is fair.
Butterfield & Robinson trip planner Jonathan Landsell says his company, and many others, tip local tour guides themselves, making an additional gratuity unnecessary but still welcome. For example, a $20 tip for a half-day sightseeing excursion with a local Peruvian would be appropriate. If you spent quality time together trekking across Peru or cycling in Morocco and want to show your appreciation for your trip guide, he suggests 2 to 3 percent of the trip cost. Note that if the owner-operator of a boutique tour company escorts you, monetary gifts are unnecessary (it would be like tipping a hotel's general manager).
Traveling in the bush on safari requires a substantial team of staffers. At a tented camp, the camp manager will be your main point of contact, but you won't need to leave a tip, as he's the equivalent of a GM. At the end of your trip, budget about $18 per day for your guide and $6-$10 per day for the tracker. Aim for $5 per day for the room attendant and $3 per bag for your porter and the staffer who handles laundry.
Dennis Pinto, Micato Safaris' managing director, encourages travelers to be mindful when it comes to handing out money to locals who aren't part of the company's staff. If you want to give back to a community, consider donating to a local school or conservation project instead.
Global tip sheet
In most cases, try to use the local currency. This is especially true in emerging economies. China's monetary policy, for example, is very strict, so local staffers may have difficulty when trying to exchange U.S. dollars for renminbi. In India, much the same problem arises.
Be careful of overtipping. In some countries, it could be perceived as something of an insult. "The pride of the Chinese is that they are able to do anything better than anyone else without having to be 'bought,' " says Joseph Chong, general manager of the Peninsula Shanghai.
Status and gender are important, too. In India, for example, offering a gratuity to a white-collar worker such as an educated guide is considered insulting. In some parts in the Middle East, much as women should cover their shoulders and knees to be respectful, female travelers may want to ask male companions to tip on their behalf, when they're in more traditional, rural areas.
Tip discreetly. Choose the moment well. Remember: a tip that singles out a staffer on a tour, for example, will expose both guest and worker to potential resentment.
When in doubt, go with what you know. Remember that hospitality staff often deal with international travelers of different backgrounds and are keenly aware that tipping varies by culture.
Inside stories
Three hoteliers reveal their most over-the-top tipping tales.
Darren Gearing, vice president and general manager, Island Shangri-La Hong Kong: A staffer at our Restaurant Petrus struck up a conversation with a lone diner to make sure he was feeling all right. When the guest settled the bill, he bought the staffer a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1982 -- worth about $4,050.
Peter French, general manager, Raffles Dubai: We had a guest who presented a staffer with a $100 bill, then ripped it in half and said, "The other half is for you at the end of the stay." Less a tip, more of an insult.
Rod Wyndham, managing director, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, South Africa: One guide helped a guest fulfill his dream of seeing leopards in the wild. He received a $12,000 tip meant as seed money for an Internet company he wanted to start.
Tipping by the numbers
33: Percentage of Americans surveyed who could not identify the standard tipping amount for a meal. Source: Michael Lynn, professor of consumer behavior and marketing, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.
$200: Average monthly amount in gratuities earned by staffers at the Aman New Delhi.
$0: The amount required for any service in Iceland, where tipping is not practiced.


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delta 203

WTF is… Gluten-free?

Chef Viraf Patel, partner at Café Zoe, on what gluten is, what food to avoid and what to substitute it with

WTF is... Gluten-free?

What exactly is gluten and is it bad for you?

Gluten is basically a protein that is found in grains (mainly wheat, barley, oats and rye). It’s what holds the grain together and gives it its structure and form, even in cooking. For instance, in the making of bread, it’s the gluten that allows for the stretching and rising of the dough, giving the bread an airy texture.
Gluten is by itself not bad, but some people can’t digest it.

What are the severe reactions people can have to gluten?

There are varying degrees of reactions, ranging from mere gluten-intolerance to the far more severe celiac disease. For those who are intolerant, symptoms are mostly just bloating and indigestion. But for someone with celiac, even a small amount of gluten can attack the lining of the small intestine, causing inflammation and acute pain.

Why do you suppose instances of gluten-intolerance have increased over the past five years? We never even heard of it in India while growing up.

To a great extent, it has become a fad, a ‘cool’ thing to say. While a lot of people genuinely suffer from gluten-intolerance, there many people who have actually mistaken it for a measure to lose weight and eat healthy. To stay fit, one must eat everything in appropriate proportions, instead of eating one type of food and eliminating others. Another contributor may be packaged food and its use in everyday consumption—we can never know every detail of what’s in them.

What kind of food does Cafe Zoe offer those who are on a gluten-free diet?

We serve gluten-free bread that one can choose to have as a sandwich or a tartine, along with risottos and quinoa dishes that we keep changing. A few of our seafood and meat mains are served with organic black rice (also available as a side order). We don’t really get a lot of customers on a gluten-free diet, but we do take pains to train our staff on the illness, the effects, the ingredients, and keep separate cooking vessels to use in extreme cases of intolerance.

Are there ingredients that you would recommend for those that are gluten-intolerant?

Various kinds of rice, corn, soy and soy products, potatoes.

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HomeOur ProductsProductsFuel/Water TanksFuel TanksF250 Super Cab 01-06 Replacement Tank

F250 Super Cab 01-06 Replacement Tank

Outback Accessories Replacement Fuel Tank Ford F250 Super Cab 2001-2006 Outback Australia is great place to explore but when you're heading out into remote areas increasing the capacity of how much fuel you can carry is a must, there can be many of hundreds of km's between fuel station. Outback Accessories are one of Australia's leading designers & manufacturers of strong reliable fuel tanks. Made from 2mm aluminised steel for strength and durability with no compromise to clearance, or departure angles, giving you peace of mind when your tackling rough terrain

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Product Specification

Part No. FTF06

Type: Replacement
Litres: 260
Place: Original
Cab: Super
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Yamaha Stagepas 400BT PA System

RRP $1,199.00
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Pickup in store - $0.00

Bring and Set It

Easily carry and set up your entire system in second at virtually any location.

The Ultimate All-in-One Portable PA System

You can take literally anywhere the all-in-one PA system STAGEPAS which is compact and light enough to carry by hand. The two lightweight speakers and a detachable mixer, along with one pair of speaker cables and a power cord, combine into an attractive, compact package that provides the kind of portability that no roadie would ever dare to dream of.

Fast and easy set-up

With its intuitive, simple design, STAGEPAS can be set up and ready to go in a matter of seconds. Even users with no PA operation experience will be able to produce high-quality sound in under a minute.

A PA for any occasion

Flexible enough to be used in a truly impressive range of environments and applications, STAGEPAS systems can be set up in a variety of PA and monitoring configurations.

Mix It

Versatile features and seamless functionality ensure your mixes are always right on the money.

Bluetooth® Wireless Audio Streaming

Equipped with a Bluetooth input for wireless audio streaming from smartphones or tablets, the STAGEPAS-BT models let you seamlessly play backing tracks for gigs, or set the tone of parties, conferences, or events with the audio playback of your choice.

SPX digital reverb

One knob gives you access to four different high-quality reverb settings, perfect for vocals and acoustic instruments. Simply turn the knob to change the reverb type and time, and then you’re ready to apply just the right amount of high-resolution effect to each channel.

1-Knob Master EQ™

This new function gives you instant mastery of your mix, allowing you to match your sound to your surroundings. Simply turn the knob to optimize the EQ for speaking engagements, musical performances, or just to kick in more bass; getting your sound right has never been so easy.

Feedback suppressor

Avoid the uncomfortable feedback that plagues so many sound reinforcement novices and professionals alike. Usually found only on high-end gear, this intelligent function removes feedback automatically with the push of a button, giving you a clear, professional sound.

Channel EQ

Assign detailed EQ settings to each channel for precise management of your final sound. Great sounding 2-band EQ on the STAGEPAS 400BT and more flexible 3-band EQ on the 600BT make setup easy and precise. Vocal and guitar performances especially will benefit from newly added mid-range control on 600BT.

Hi-Z switch

Connect acoustic-electric guitars and basses to enjoy high-quality performance with low distortion. Passive pickup instruments can be connected hassle-free, without a direct box.

Switchable stereo/mono inputs

A versatile new feature that allows you to transform each stereo channel input into two independent mono inputs, giving you the flexibility to adapt to the needs of a broad range of performance requirements.

Phantom power

Connect condenser microphones directly to STAGEPAS to get the best sound quality possible. Phantom power also means you won't have to worry about DI boxes losing their charge during a performance.

Reverb footswitch

For hands-free control of your reverb, connecting an optional footswitch allows you to turn the reverb on and off instantly—perfect for MC-ing events or speaking during solo performances.

Monitor out

Expand your front-of-house system or set up a monitoring system by using the STAGEPAS together with other powered speakers such as Yamaha's DBR, DXR and DSR powered speaker lines.

Subwoofer out

Add more bottom end to your system by connecting a powered subwoofer such as the Yamaha DXS Series. Simply plugging in a subwoofer will assign a high-pass filter to the STAGEPAS speakers automatically.

Crank It

Turn it up with confidence that your reliable sound reinforcement system has your back.

More power. More possibilities

Delivering 680 and 400 watts of power respectively, the STAGEPAS 600BT and 400BT offer a major boost in performance, allowing you to meet the demands of a wider range of situations.

Same sonic experience throughout a wider coverage area

For use in larger spaces with a sizable audience, STAGEPAS is capable of delivering consistent high-quality sound throughout a greater coverage area than ever before with custom-designed speaker components that ensure the entire audience shares the same sonic experience.

Intelligent DSP for peak performance that lasts

STAGEPAS utilizes digital signal processing (DSP) to consistently produce high-quality, distortionfree sound at any volume level, whether you’re giving a business presentation or cutting loose in a club. What’s more, Yamaha’s intelligent DSP incorporates the use of advanced limiter circuits to protect vital STAGEPAS components, ensuring that you get the most out of your gear for years to come.

  • System

    System Type Powered mixer with 2 passive speakers
    Maximum SPL (*Maximum SPL) 125dB SPL / speaker
    Frequency Range (-10 dB) 55Hz - 20kHz
    Power Consumption 30W (Idle), 70W (1/8 Power)
    Power Requirements 100V - 240V 50Hz/60Hz
    Dimentions (W x H x D) Speaker 289x472x275mm, Mixer 308x180x116mm
    Net Weight 17.8kg / 39.2lbs (2 x Speaker 7.5kg + Mixer 2.8kg)

    Powered Mixer

    Mixer Mixing channels 8
    Analog inputs 4 mono mic/line + 4 mono / 2 stereo line
    Digital inputs USB Audio IN: iPod/iPhone exclusive
    Channel EQ 2-band (HIGH Shelving: 8kHz, LOW Shelving: 100Hz)
    Channel functions Hi-Z switch: CH4, ST/MONO switch: CH5/6-7/8
    Digital effects SPX digital reverb (4 program, parameter control)
    Output processing Feedback suppressor, 1-Knob Master EQ™
    Phantom power +30V (CH1, 2)
    Control and others Reverb foot switch
    Built-in Amplifiers Power Rating (Dynamic) 400W (200W + 200W)
    Power Rating (Continuous) 360W (180W + 180W)

    Type Two-way bass-relfex speakers
    Transducers LF: 8” (20cm) cone, HF: 1” (2.54cm) voice coil compression driver
    Coverage Angle (Horizontal x Vertical) 90° x 60°
    Floor Monitor Angle 50°
    Handle 1 x Top
    Pole socket 34.8-35.2mm pole socket with StageLok™
SKU 648
Brand Yamaha
Shipping Weight 23.0000kg
Shipping Width 0.680m
Shipping Height 0.590m
Shipping Length 0.380m
Shipping Cubic 152456.000000m3

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Welcome to Coaster2Coaster

This is a personal website run by 2 coaster enthusiasts from the UK. We started our original website www.coasterz.co.uk in 2002 to share some of our coaster photo's and videos.

In 2008 we added this website so readers could follow our trip across the States. As we've collected more photo's and videos we outgrew our free webspace at coasterz.co.uk so in Jan 2011 migrated over to here and, in the process, enlarged the pictures, improved their quality and added to the gallery. In December 2015, we redesigned the website from scratch to make it easier to use and navigate around and increased the gallery image quality even more..

We hope you find something of interest.

Alton Towers Virtual Tour

Check out our 360° Virtual Tour of Alton Towers

78 Full HD 360° x 180° Images showing the best of The Rides, The Historic Towers and the Beautiful Gardens and Grounds of our local park.

Best viewed full screen, you can "tour" at your own pace and control which direction you view at each stop.


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C# (.NET) Interface for 7-Zip Archive DLLs

, 20 Jun 2008
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Some interface translations for 7-Zip archive format DLLs.

About 7-Zip

7-Zip is an open-source archive program with plug-in interface. New archive formats and/or archive codecs can be added by DLLs. 7-Zip ships with several archive formats preinstalled:

  • 7z — its own format features good compression (LZMA, PPMd) but can be slow in terms of packing/unpacking
  • Packing / unpacking: ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
  • Unpacking only: RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS

The project is written in C++ language.

You can find more on the official 7-Zip site — here.

About this Contribution

This contribution allows you to use 7-zip archive format DLLs in your programs written in .NET languages.

I created this module for my own project to have the ability to work with archives. Currently my project only has extract capabilities, so only this part of 7-Zip interface translated to C#. Later I plan to translate compress capability as well. For now if you need such functionality you can implement it by yourself, with this code, and the 7-Zip source code.

This translation is tested and already working in my own project.

Implementation Details

All communication with archive DLLs is done with COM-like interfaces (why COM-like, and not COM can be see in the known issues section). Callbacks are also implemented as interfaces.

Every DLL contains a class that can implement one or more interface. Some formats allows only extracting, some also provide compress abilities. Public interfaces translated to C#:

  • IProgress - basic progress callback
  • IArchiveOpenCallback - archive open callback
  • ICryptoGetTextPassword - callback for prompt password for archive
  • IArchiveExtractCallback - extract files from archive callback
  • IArchiveOpenVolumeCallback - open additional archive volumes callback
  • ISequentialInStream - simple read-only stream interface
  • ISequentialOutStream - simple write-only stream interface
  • IInStream - input stream interface with seek capability
  • IOutStream - output stream interface
  • IInArchive - main archive interface

Every DLL export function is for creating archive class handlers and functions in order to get archive format properties. These functions are translated as .NET delegates:

  • CreateObject - creates object with given class id. Used mostly for create IInArchive instance.
  • GetHandlerProperty - get archive format description (implemented class ids, default archive extension, etc)

Update (1.3): In 7-Zip 4.45 there are some changes in the DLL interface. Now all archive formats and compression codecs are implemented as one big DLL. So several new exported functions (and delegates for these functions in translation) are added to handle several archive handler classes in one DLL.

Points of Interest

7-Zip interfaces uses variants (PropVariant) for property values. C# does not support such variants as classes and all such parameters are implemented in C# as IntPtr. This is done for compatibility and because I prefer not to use unsafe code in my projects.

Fortunately a managed class System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal has a method GetObjectForNativeVariant that you can use for converting such "pointers" to objects. However this method does not handle all PropVariant types (for example VT_FILETIME), so for these cases I added my GetObjectForNativeVariant method to this translation.

7-Zip works with files through its own interfaces, so if you want to open file on disk, or in memory you need to provide class implement one or more necessary interfaces. Several such wrapper classes are also present in this translation (they are wrap around standard .NET Stream class).

Update (1.2): Most of the complexity related to PropVariant processing is now hidden in special PropVariant structure. And interface methods now return PropVariant instead of IntPtr.

Known Issues

The first and most disappointing issue is that you cannot use 7-Zip DLLs directly. This means that you cannot simply take such DLLs from 7-Zip distribution and use them in your projects. This is because of the incomplete COM interfaces implementations in 7-Zip code. All issues are related to IUnknown.QueryInterface implementation. 7-Zip's QueryInterface does not return IUnknown interface if prompted (this part is most critical for working with COM-interfaces in .NET), and some classes do not return any interface at all!

This is done because 7-Zip code is C++ code and works with pointers, and most functions returns direct pointers to interface implementation. That means that 7-Zip code not use QueryInterface at all. Sad, but .NET works in a different way, and the first access to any interface always goes though QueryInterface and IUnknown.

So if we use DLLs directly we have constant InvalidCastException. So we need to make several changes in 7-Zip code and rebuild DLLs. Or ask Igor Pavlov to include such changes to the 7-Zip code itself :)

Important Update: Starting from 7-Zip 4.46 alpha Igor did necessary changes in the code. So, from this version forward, you can use format DLLs directly, without applying any patch. Superb!

The second issue is much smaller one. It is related to multi-threading. If you plan to use 7-Zip interfaces only in one stream you have no problem. The problem comes when you try to use one interface in several threads. In this case all threads except the main one (threads where interfaces are created) throw exceptions on any interface method calls. This is because of RCW behavior. RCW is an object that wraps COM-interface in .NET. When you try to use interface in different thread RCW tries to marshal interface and fails (because this implementation does not support ITypeInfo).

Fortunately I've found simple solutions for this. Main interface (IInArchive) returns as IntPtr, and not as RCW object. When you need to access this interface, call System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetTypedObjectForIUnknown or any other related method and get RCW object. If you need to use this interface in another thread simple call System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.FinalReleaseComObject (or ReleaseComObject), and create another RCW wrapper around returned IntPtr pointer. Of course in this case you can use interface only in one thread in time, but this is better than using interface only in one thread. And any logic can be easily implemented with correct thread locking.

And the third issue is a well known issue but I think it must be noted here. It appears that .NET runtime does not support COM interfaces inheritance (interfaces marked with the ComImport attribute). This is definitely a .NET bug, but I don't know when Microsoft fixes this bug, or fix if they fix it at all.

There is simple solution to avoid this bug. Inherited interface must be declared as standalone one and first methods must be methods of inherited interfaces in the order of appearance. You can see sample of such "inheritance" in this translation source.

Due to many requests, I have spend some time and written a little demo program. The demo program lacks proper error checking, lacks different archives support (zip format is hardcoded in source, but can be easily changed), it lacks almost everything, but it has two advantages: it's simple, and it works.

The demo has only two modes, the first to list all files in archive, and the second is to extract a single file from the archive. I think that this is enough to understand how to use 7-zip interfaces and how to create something more complex.

If you want to run demo, don't forget to put 7z.dll (can be found on official 7-zip site) to the executable folder with executable.

Version History

1.5 - Small demo added
1.3 - Added two new delegate for features added in 7-Zip 4.45
1.2 - Variant type changed from IntPtr to newly created PropVariant structure
1.1 - Stream wrappers added, minor interface translation changes for better usability
1.0 - initial release

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The MIT License

About the Author

Eugene Sichkar
Belarus Belarus
My English is not very good and I know this. So, if you find any translation bugs, misspelled words or sentences on these pages, please, drop a line to my email.

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Comments and Discussions

PraiseThank you for your sharing! Pin
ssy8711205-Dec-17 21:42
memberssy8711205-Dec-17 21:42
Questionthanks Pin
khamis3-Sep-16 23:48
memberkhamis3-Sep-16 23:48
QuestionMemory leak in example program code Pin
MrMikeJJ9-May-16 2:41
memberMrMikeJJ9-May-16 2:41
QuestionFrienly upacker Pin
ADOConnection27-Apr-16 4:01
memberADOConnection27-Apr-16 4:01
QuestionFails in Archive.Open Pin
Graham Morris3-Oct-13 5:40
memberGraham Morris3-Oct-13 5:40
QuestionZipping Directory using SevenZipSharp. 7z Pin
ervin_Dev29-Apr-13 5:35
memberervin_Dev29-Apr-13 5:35
Question7-zip in C# Pin
oma5121-Nov-12 18:53
groupoma5121-Nov-12 18:53
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
raiserle26-Sep-12 22:19
memberraiserle26-Sep-12 22:19
Generalring a bell? Pin
maltwhiskman17-Oct-11 20:41
membermaltwhiskman17-Oct-11 20:41
Questioncan't make it works on .gz Pin
Member 435219526-Sep-11 5:30
memberMember 435219526-Sep-11 5:30
QuestionAbout multithreading Pin
key_4611-Jul-11 3:20
memberkey_4611-Jul-11 3:20
GeneralCompression support Pin
David Bellemare5-Apr-11 10:13
memberDavid Bellemare5-Apr-11 10:13
GeneralRe: Compression support Pin
Eugene Sichkar5-Apr-11 11:39
memberEugene Sichkar5-Apr-11 11:39
QuestionDAT files (type: Z) unpacking problem Pin
tomasz_andrzejczak1-Apr-11 2:45
membertomasz_andrzejczak1-Apr-11 2:45
GeneralMy vote of 5 Pin
srkjain8-Oct-10 8:57
membersrkjain8-Oct-10 8:57
Generalimplementing IOutArchive Pin
Dmitry Grinblat18-Aug-10 11:50
memberDmitry Grinblat18-Aug-10 11:50
GeneralCab archive Pin
Member 591135-Mar-10 5:22
memberMember 591135-Mar-10 5:22
QuestionHow VB Pin
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AnswerRe: How VB Pin
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AnswerRe: How VB Pin
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QuestionWhere's the Demo?? Pin
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GeneralCan't make it work on TGZ Pin
pym2-Jun-09 23:01
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GeneralRe: Can't make it work on TGZ Pin
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GeneralRe: Can't make it work on TGZ Pin
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Introducing THIS COOPERATIVE LIFE Story Series!

Podcast_logo.jpgWe are SO EXCITED to bring you THIS COOPERATIVE LIFE, a special series that tells the wider, deeper, community-centered stories within cooperatives. CoFED’s Farzana Serang talked with 7 incredible Bay Area changemakers working to build community-ownership in various realms - food, coffee, business training, policy, and capital.

The stories will be released NEXT WEEK (starting Monday April 11th) as a special treat for CoFED supporters, and Farzana’s special way of closing her Executive Director role at CoFED.

So why an interview and blog story series?

It goes back to CoFED’s mission, and the need for building integral connections to cooperatives as an American value, across race, class, and gender categories.

CoFED is a nonprofit that brings tools and training to campus communities to start cooperatively-run food businesses in order to increase access to healthy food and build equitable, resilient, and thriving local economies. In 2014, CoFED dedicated to becoming an equity-focused organization and is currently shifting the way we work and the outcomes by which we judge our impact.

We are engaging with community colleges, low-income students, students of color, and community-based organizations and asking them about their connection to co-ops. An early learning has been that we have noticed a general discomfort for the word “co-op.” For example, after hearing the word co-op, some respondents replied:

“Do we have to sell tofu?”

“We don’t have a farm.”

“Oh, a co-op.”

These response suggest a lack of connection to the contemporary narrative about co-ops for many low-income communities and communities of color. Jessica Gordon Nembhardt points out this notion in her book, Collective Courage “Black folks didn’t see themselves as part of the co-op movement. This is despite W.E.B Dubois and Fannie Lou Hamer being vocal co-op leaders.”

What does it mean when much of the vital leadership of cooperatives—often within low-income communities and communities of color—don’t see themselves as part of the cooperative legacy?

We are missing an opportunity to align shared values. We are leaving out voices. We are building incomplete histories. We are allowing co-ops to be known as a “hippie” thing, rather than being hip to how they can serve all of us. We are allowing a cultural divide to exist when it really does not have to.

There has been great progress to create a meaningful cooperative agenda for the nation. From New York City to Madison, Wisconsin and Jackson, Mississippi local leaders and city funds have been dedicated to cooperative development. As stated by Chokwe Lumumba the goal is “revolutionary transformation” through “solidarity economics.” Co-ops sit at the heart of that mission. Pope Francis recently noted [1]:

Cooperatives should continue to be the motor that uplifts and develops the weakest part of our local communities and civil society. Good feelings alone can’t do this. We need to prioritize the establishment of new cooperative enterprises, along with further developing existing ones, especially in order to create new job opportunities that are lacking today.

The benefit for growing cooperatives and the economic and community development potential they hold is clear. We create jobs, generate wealth, and realize democratic governance. At the same time the connection of co-ops to traditionally marginalized communities has to be examined.

Fortunately, with books like Jessica Gordon Nembhardt’s Collective Courage and the work of organizational like Prospera, Green City Workers, PolicyLink, as well as, the countless history of individuals and organizations that work to build community-ownership—there are many more stories to tell. Those are the voices we must amplify.

We have so many people to thank for making this project happen. A huge thanks to our producer Faiza Farah, who created and hosts The Third Space, an interview show with community leaders at their favorite coffee shop. Special thanks to Smoking Ghosts for providing music, and Kai Nagai-Rothe for production support.

Far_Faiza.jpg producers.jpg

And, of course, we are so grateful to the folks we interviewed, whose stories enlighten and inspire us all:

1st Story. Keba Konte, Red Bay Coffee

2nd Story. Rani Croager, Uptima Business Bootcamp

3rd Story. Hank Herrera, The Center for Popular Research, Education, and Policy (C-Prep)

4th Story. John Katovich, Cutting Edge Capital

5th Story Joe Brooks, PolicyLink

6th Story. Saqib Keval, The People’s Kitchen

7th Story. Farzana Serang, CoFED

Stay tuned! Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to continue the conversation.

[1] Telesur, World News “Pope: Current System Suffocates Hope, Cooperatives One Solution.” February 28, 2015.

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Ethereum’s Byzantium Hard Fork Postponed For Further Testing

Rachel Rose O'Leary
Sep 22, 2017 at 17:00 UTC
Updated Sep 30, 2017 at 11:34 UTC

The planned roll-out date for ethereum’s “Byzantium” upgrade is being postponed by just over a week.

The hard fork for Byzantium – the first leg in ethereum’s Metropolis update – will now occur at block number 4,370,000, or about October 17 given current block production metrics. The original expected launch date was October 9, barring any complications during testing.

The delay follows a suggestion made by ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, who recommended in a core developer discussion today that the platform should be conservative relative to previous forks.

“We’re not in an emergency situation,” Buterin said.

The suggestion was made, in part, in order to nudge miners into adopting the hard fork more successfully. This is because the difficulty increase intended to incentivize miners to swap onto a different chain has not become too high, and blocks would still be mineable throughout October.

Buterin wanted to push the release right to the end of the month, but was discouraged due to the scheduling clash with the ethereum developer conference in early November.

The date for the hard fork is now “pretty much final” according to developer Hudson Jameson – unless of course, something goes wrong in the test period.

The testing phase for Byzantium on the Ropsten testnet officially kicked off on Tuesday, and to date everything is running as expected. The blockchain even verified its first private transaction following the fork.

However, that’s not to say it hasn’t been without some minor hiccups. A malicious user attacked the Byzantium testnet yesterday filling entire blocks with expensive spam contracts. However, Buterin dismissed the attack as “fairly inconsequential.”

Going forward, coordinated efforts, described by Buterin as “groups of people throwing whatever junk on the ethereum blockchain that they want to” will continue on Ropsten to ensure that all ethereum clients can handle the changes that are incorporated into Byzantium.

Correction: An earlier version of this article displayed the incorrect block number. This has been corrected.

Clock in sand image via Shutterstock


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Property Photo
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Description of ONTARIO Court, OMRO, WI 54963

New platted buildable duplex lots in the City of Omro. Bring your own builder or seller will build to your specifications.

Property Features of ONTARIO Court, OMRO, WI 54963

Vacant Land
Walnut Heights
School district: Omro
Lot acreage is: 0.24
Level lot
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Lot zoned: 2 Family/Duplex
Cable television available
Tax year: 2017
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Navigating, Litigating & Resolving Complex Legal Matters in an Ethical Manner

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#d50048 Color Information

In a RGB color space, hex #d50048 is composed of 83.5% red, 0% green and 28.2% blue. Whereas in a CMYK color space, it is composed of 0% cyan, 100% magenta, 66.2% yellow and 16.5% black. It has a hue angle of 339.7 degrees, a saturation of 100% and a lightness of 41.8%. #d50048 color hex could be obtained by blending #ff0090 with #ab0000. Closest websafe color is: #cc0033.

    • R 84
    • G 0
    • B 28
    RGB color chart
    • C 0
    • M 100
    • Y 66
    • K 16
    CMYK color chart

#d50048 color description : Strong pink.

#d50048 Color Conversion

The hexadecimal color #d50048 has RGB values of R:213, G:0, B:72 and CMYK values of C:0, M:1, Y:0.66, K:0.16. Its decimal value is 13959240.

Hex triplet d50048 #d50048
RGB Decimal 213, 0, 72 rgb(213,0,72)
RGB Percent 83.5, 0, 28.2 rgb(83.5%,0%,28.2%)
CMYK 0, 100, 66, 16
HSL 339.7°, 100, 41.8 hsl(339.7,100%,41.8%)
HSV (or HSB) 339.7°, 100, 83.5
Web Safe cc0033 #cc0033
CIE-LAB 45.106, 71.71, 23.57
XYZ 28.612, 14.618, 7.446
xyY 0.565, 0.288, 14.618
CIE-LCH 45.106, 75.484, 18.195
CIE-LUV 45.106, 132.347, 10.868
Hunter-Lab 38.233, 66.672, 15.217
Binary 11010101, 00000000, 01001000

Color Schemes with #d50048

Complementary Color
Analogous Color
Split Complementary Color
Triadic Color
Tetradic Color
Monochromatic Color

Alternatives to #d50048

Below, you can see some colors close to #d50048. Having a set of related colors can be useful if you need an inspirational alternative to your original color choice.

Similar Colors

#d50048 Preview

Text with hexadecimal color #d50048

This text has a font color of #d50048.

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#d50048 background color

This paragraph has a background color of #d50048.

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#d50048 border color

This element has a border color of #d50048.

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CSS codes
.text {color:#d50048;}
.background {background-color:#d50048;}
.border {border:1px solid #d50048;}

Shades and Tints of #d50048

A shade is achieved by adding black to any pure hue, while a tint is created by mixing white to any pure color. In this example, #110006 is the darkest color, while #fffcfd is the lightest one.

Shade Color Variation
Tint Color Variation

Tones of #d50048

A tone is produced by adding gray to any pure hue. In this case, #736268 is the less saturated color, while #d50048 is the most saturated one.

Tone Color Variation

Color Blindness Simulator

Below, you can see how #d50048 is perceived by people affected by a color vision deficiency. This can be useful if you need to ensure your color combinations are accessible to color-blind users.

  • #484848 Achromatopsia 0.005% of the population
  • #643a48 Atypical Achromatopsia 0.001% of the population
  • #75716f Protanopia 1% of men
  • #8a6d45 Deuteranopia 1% of men
  • #d52320 Tritanopia 0.001% of the population
  • #974860 Protanomaly 1% of men, 0.01% of women
  • #a54546 Deuteranomaly 6% of men, 0.4% of women
  • #d5162e Tritanomaly 0.01% of the population


text: Mike is an experienced graphic designer and comic book letterer from the UK. He was the digital editor for the Dead Roots anthology and VS Comics. His lettering credits include - Afterlife Inc., Bubbles O'Seven, Dead Roots, Destiny's Fate, Eponymous, The Kill Screen, The Pride, Radium/Sgt. Steel, Raygun Roads, Samurai Slasher, Stiffs, and VS Comics


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Published on

Some 'Cone of Silence'

Jerry Lanson

Presidential politics took a back seat to the Olympics Saturday night when the Rev. Rick Warren interviewed both candidates, back to back, at a forum broadcast on three cable networks.

Still, the so-called Saddleback Civil Forum was hyped as the opening shot of the fall campaign. It was billed as an opportunity for voters to watch the candidates answer identical questions. And it was analyzed in dozens of columns by political writers who by and large gave high marks to the performance of Sen. John McCain. In other words, it was an event with significance beyond its viewership.

Like other political junkies, I suspect, I flipped back and forth between the games and the candidates, eager to hear at least some of their answers to questions viewers were told were unrehearsed, unknown to either candidate and identical to both.

Now news has emerged that an event moderated by the leader of one of this country's biggest mega-churches was nothing short of dishonest. Warren had promised viewers that while Barack Obama was being interviewed first, John McCain would be isolated in a "cone of silence" so that he would hear neither questions nor answers. And he said the candidates had not been told the questions in advance.

The importance of this arrangement seemed obvious. For one thing, both candidates were supposed to participate under the same rules on a proverbial "level playing field." Fairness demanded it.

For another, as voters, we wanted to see how the candidates think and respond to spontaneous questions, not how well they spew pre-planned sound bites memorized on the trail.

Finally, deception had no place at a "nonpartisan" campaign event, particularly one sponsored by a church.

But it now appears that the forum was anything but fair. As the Christian Science Monitor's Vote blog, notes, "Seems that when John McCain was supposed to be in a soundproof vault Saturday night or as Saddleback church pastor Rick Warren put it, a 'cone of silence,' he was actually in his motorcade."

That means, despite McCain's assertion he didn't listen, the Republican senator's handlers could easily have heard Warren's questions, heard Obama's answers and prepped the candidate as he was arriving at the forum to answer identical questions.

It's a point that has been picked up in a few major news outlets. But it has gotten a lot less coverage than the glowing reviews of McCain's performance.

"It is now clear why Barack Obama has refused John McCain's offer of joint town hall appearances during the fall campaign," wrote columnist Michael Gerson in the Washington Post. "McCain is obviously better at them."

Well, Mr. Gerson -- and the rest of us, too -- would probably look darn good on stage if we knew the questions and our opponents' answers before we arrived.

The McCain campaign has feigned outrage at this suggestion, issuing a statement, asserting: "The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous."

But please: Are we now supposed to believe that presidential politics operates on an academic honor system? It's awfully hard to give much credence to the McCain campaign's denial given the steady stream of negative ads its candidate already has used, including one comparing Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears and three that the Annenberg School's nonpartisan notes contain "multiple false and misleading claims about Obama's tax proposals."

Let's get real. I suspect that had Obama gone second and been given the same opportunity, he, too, would have listened, even though he has sought in his rhetoric throughout this campaign to elevate the level of dialogue. Politics, it has been said, is blood sport. And never before have so many millions been poured into it.

As it turns out, both candidates and Warren play acted the discussion as if it were purely candid. Instead, the Post and others are now reporting, that both camps were given a general idea of the subject area in advance and sample questions actually used in the interviews, including a tough one about their "own greatest moral failure."

So what you saw on Saturday night now seems to have been a mix of showbiz and politics. All that was missing were the teleprompters.

If McCain broke the rules and watched Obama, he cheated. But the real blame lies not with candidate McCain but with the reverend or his staff for presenting the Saddleback forum one way but letting it play out another.

In an age of political cynicism, it's always hard to sort truth from fiction, to figure out whom and what to believe. When churches join the list of those bending the rules, the task gets that much harder.

Jerry Lanson teaches journalism at Emerson College in Boston. He can be reached at

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NEW Wall Wrap System

Published on by

The Project

Community Clean joined forces with Watford Borough Council to fully refurbish the central Town Hall Subway. The council was looking for an innovative system to transform the dark and dreary subway, making it safer and more appealing for the public. As a solution we put forward our proposal for the NEW wall wrap system, enabling the council to promote its vision for Watford ‘a successful town in which people are proud to live, work, study and visit’ - through a series of framed images of local heroes and popular places in the town. We were thrilled to be appointed as the principal contractor for this project, to also include the refurbishment of the soffits, wing walls, acoustic panels, kick boards and hand rails.

The Benefits

Utilise any space to attract attention to get your message across. This system will transform those unsightly, dark and dreary walls into magnificient pieces of art - limited only by your imagination.

Perfect for local authorities, our wall wrap system provides the opportunity to show the community what is happening locally, ideal for regeneration projects and promoting positive community messages whilst lowering on-going maintenance costs.

  • Approx 30% cost saving over traditional painted murals
  • The film can be printed with any photo quality design required
  • It is then over laminated with an anti-graffiti film so graffiti can be wiped away
  • The system is class 0 fire rated and is designed to be non-flammable
  • This system will last at least 5 years (potentially a lot longer in a subway environment)
  • It can be applied to any wall - it takes up the contours of the surface, effectively shrink wrapping the surface
  • If the finish is vandalised in any way, individual panels can be removed and replaced, very quickly - saving time and money
  • Effective edge finishing to minimise vandalism
  • Speedy application minimises disruption on site
  • Easy to change periodically
  • Full maintenance packages can be provided after installation
  • Opportunities to publicise and advertise are endless, promoting awareness, culture, diversity and creativity

The Outcome

All parties are extremely happy with the finished project and as you can see the subway has been totally transformed.

The feedback from members of the public, staff and residents has all been very positive and the chosen images/design has generated a huge amount of interest. The Town Hall subway is now a light, bright, attractive area within the community.

"The Town Hall subway proved to be quite an awkward space, with differing heights and angles throughout - especially in relation to the design we wanted. The team at Community Clean were fantastic throughout the process, working hard with us to get the final look just right and delivered on schedule. We are really pleased with the result and feedback so far has been very positive."

Huw Hamer - Projects Officer - Watford Borough Council

Wall Wrap

Wall Wrap

Wall Wrap

Wall Wrap

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Mandurah: petition against funeral home development near old bird park site

A sign alerting residents of the development.
A sign alerting residents of the development.

A PETITION on Facebook is concerned a funeral parlour is planned for a site adjacent to Mandurah Gardens Estate Retirement Village.

Leah O’Connor has more than 400 signatures and claims two lots, including the former Rosella Bird Park, have been partially cleared to make way for a funeral parlour and that the rest of the land is up for sale.

Not only is the land home to several species of birds and wildlife, she claims it is also a barrier for surrounding homes from the hustle and bustle of busy Pinjarra Road.

“Please sign the petition and help us save some of Mandurah’s wildlife while also keeping the neighbourhood beautiful for our friends, family, residents and homeowners in the area,’’ she wrote.

Comments to her post include ‘bird sanctuaries being cooler than funeral parlours’, that it is an important issues and not fair to take something away from Mandurah that had been there for years and that the site added a natural regional feel that divided it from the overwhelming feel of suburbs closer to Perth.

One person said they had lived in the area since before the bird park was built and hoped developers realised they would be building on a natural swamp.

There seems to be some confusion over the site that contains three parcels of land at different stages of planning and development.

Lot 12 on the corner of Old Pinjarra Road and Pinjarra Road is covered by an outline development and zoned urban development-service commercial.

That is where the funeral parlour is planned but a development application for the funeral parlour has yet to be received.

According to City of Mandurah, if a development plan for a funeral parlour or any other development complied with requirements regarding setbacks and parking, it would not need to be advertised.

Lot 10, the former Rosella Bird Park, is zoned tourist and privately owned and no development has been approved.

Last September, council adopted an amendment to the Town Planning Scheme to rezone the lot from tourist to rural residential.

In December, the Environment Protection Authority said the amendment was not environmentally acceptable as it would still allow for subdivision of the land.

The council is still reviewing options.

Lot 601 on the northern side of Old Pinjarra Road is covered by a structure plan and planned for residential development.


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Maigari to attend CAF, FIFA meetings

Maigari to attend CAF, FIFA meetings

–Yusuf also off to Addis Ababa

Out –going President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari will next week attend a meeting of the Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations during a week of meetings of CAF sub –committees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Maigari, who will preside over the two Extra-Ordinary Congresses to be convened by the NFF in line with the directives of FIFA, to usher in a new NFF Executive Committee, will join other members of his Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations for a crucial meeting in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday, 17th September.

It is at the said meeting that the committee will, among other things, recommend to the Confederation of African Football a date for the staging of the Draw Ceremony of the 30th Africa Cup of Nations, taking place in Morocco early next year. The event will come up after the last round of qualifying matches on 19th November.

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  • samuel 4 years ago

    NFF should better call back Samson Siasia to coach the Super Eagles because I don’t see any good football playing under Keshi right from the beginning, Siasia is far better than Keshi…. Enough word for a wise one….

  • This man’s focus should be on getting a better technical hand for the remaining Eagles’ games rather than showing he is still in charge. I like Maigari though and his tenure has been a very successful one until this current ‘bad-luck’ minister stepped in and started trying to fix what was really not broken. The NFF should let Ke$hi go on his way (at least he is not contracted to them anymore). I believe his ‘six countries’ looking to hire him saw how ‘awesome’ a coach he is yesterday, hence the offers should be pouring in. Lol

  • Izzylove 4 years ago

    Samuel, I agree with you hundred percent.


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–Ujah nets eighth Bundesliga goal for Cologne, Uche scores
second; Ighalo missing in action; Raheem Lawal sees red

Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Hope Akpan (Reading): Yakubu Aiyegbeni made his fourth appearance for

Reading who lost 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest who remain unbeaten under new manager Dougie Freedman. The 33-year-old replaced Simon Cox in the 71st minute. His compatriot Hope Akpan was an unused substitute has made 15th appearances in the Championship.

Shola Ameobi (Crystal Palace): Ex-Nigerian international Shola Ameobi replaced Wilfried

Zaha in the72nd minute his second appearance for Crystal Palace who beat West Ham 3-1 at Upton Park on Saturday. The 33-year-old who made a January switch to the club made his debut against Arsenal.

Brown Ideye, Victor Anichebe (West Brom): In-form Super Eagles forward Brown Ideye played

for 85 minutes before limping off in West Brom’s 1-0 win over Southampton. The 26-year-old who has weighed in six goals in 22 appearances in all competition so far played with a pain-killing injection. His compatriot Victor Anichebe meanwhile failed to make the matchday 18 after a groin injury hen picked up at Burnley three weeks ago.

Odion Ighalo (Watford):Nigerian striker, Odion Ighalo was left out of Watford’s squad that

defeated Leeds United 3-2 at Elland Road due to a tigh hamstring. The win sees Watford move within three points of the Championship summit.

Victor Moses (Stoke City): Super Eagles player Victor Moses played all 90 minutes for Stoke

City who defeated Hull 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium. Moses who scored his second goal of the season to hand the Potters a win last weekend has so far played in 16 games for Mark Hughes side.

Jordan Ibe (Liverpool): Nigeria-born winger Jordan Ibe was an unused substitute for Liverpool who defeated Manchester City 2-1 on Sunday at Anfield.

Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough); Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo was hurled off in the
58th minute for Grant Leadbitter in Middlesbrough’s 1-0 loss to Leeds United. Omeruo was adjudged to have handled in the Middlesbrough box, giving Atdhe Nuhiu the opportunity to send the host into the lead.

Efe Ambrose (Celtic): Efe Ambrose made his 18th appearance for Celtic in their 4-0 win at
home to Aberdeen to extend their lead at the top of the SPL. He was on for the entire duration of the encounter.

Vincent Enyeama (Lille): Super Eagles skipper Vincent Enyeama was beaten once in goal for
Lille who defeated Lyon 2-1 to Lyon at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium. Enyeama who has kept 11 clean sheets this season has conceded 24 goals in 27 Ligue 1 games this season in action for Lille.

Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio): Ogenyi Onazi was an unused substitute in Lazio’s 3-0 win against Sassuolo. He has made 12 Serie A apperances so far.

Ramon Azeez (Almeria): Super Eagles midfielder Ramon Azeez was on the bench for the entire
90 minutes duration in Almeria’s 0-0 draw at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday. He has played nine games so far with his last game.

Kalu Uche (Levante): Nigerian forward, Kalu Uche scored a brilliant chip in Levante 4-2 loss to Rayo Vallecano at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas stadium. The Nigerian star came on as a 69th minute substitute for Jordi Xumetra and latched onto a through-ball to grab his second goal in his fifth appearance since joining the club in January. Levante will host Eibar in their next match on March 6.

Success Isaac (Granada): Flying Eagles forward Success Isaac replaced Lassana Bangoura in
the 78th minute of Granada’s 3-1 loss to Barcelona at the Nuevo Los Cármenes.

Godfrey Oboabona (Rizespor): Nigeria defender Godfrey Oboabona was an unused substitute in
Rizespor’s 3-0 home win over Eskişehirspor who had Raheem Lawal sent off in the 18th minute for dissent. Oboabona has one goal in 12 games so far while Lawal who will now sit out the next three games has banged in two goals in 20 league games.

John Utaka (Sivasspor): John Utaka played for 69 minutes in Sivasspor’s 0-0 draw away at
Gençlerbirliği. Utaka who has scored two goals in 13 games this season was replaced by Batuhan Karadeni.

Anthony Ujah (FC Cologne): Nigerian forward Anthony Ujah headed in his eight league goal of
the season as FC Cologne lost 4-1 to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Friday at the Allianz Arena.The Nigeria striker gave his club hope of getting something from the game when he finished off Matthias Lehman’s cross in the 45th minute to end the first half 2-1. Cologne next game is against SC Freiburg on Tuesday in a DFB Cup game.

Uche Nwofor (Lierse), Wilfred Ndidi (Genk): Nigerian defender Wilfred Ndidi was an unused substitute as his side Genk defeated Lierse 2-0 away. Ndidi has played once this season for Genk. His Nigerian counterpart, Uche Nwofor was not dressed for the match.

Imoh Ezekiel (Standard Liege): One-cap Super Eagles striker Imoh Ezekiel featured for 90 minutes in Standard Liege’s 1-0 win over Cercle Brugge. The game was his fourth and he has score two goals.

Simeon Nwankwo (Gil Vicente),Michael Uchebo, Gabriel Reuben (Boavista): Nigerian players Michael Uchebo and Reuben Gabriel were both in action for 90 minutes as Boavista held Gil Vicente to a 1-1 draw. Uchebo who has scored three goals so far, has 15 games under his belt while Gabriel who is yet to score, has appeared eight times. Their Nigerian counterpart Simeon Nwankwo, also featured for 90 minutes. He has seven goals in 19

Dele Alampasu, Anderson Esiti (Estoril): Nigerian midfielder Anderson Esiti was sent off in the 68th minute as his side Estoril were thrashed 6-0 by Benfica. Esiti who is yet to score for Estoril, has featured 15 times this term. His Nigerian team-mate Dele Alampasu is currently with the Flying Eagles preparing for the African Youth Championship in Senegal.

Rabiu Ibrahim, Kingsley Madu, Emmanuel Edmond (Trencin): Former junior international Rabiu
Ibrahim scored his first goal for Trencin as they defeated Dukla 2-0 at home. The game was
his fourth this current campaign.

Ayodele Makinwa, Amarachi Osuji, Marshal Johnson, Blessing Eleke (ND GOrica): Nigerian
attacker Blessing Eleke scored on his debut but the goal wasn’t enough as his side Gorica
lost 5-1 away to Maribor.


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Year: 2012
Location: Costco, Burbank, CA
Infraction(s): This was definitely was done as a PR stunt, but when the comidienne found out Costco wouldn't be selling her book because of a curse word on the back cover, Joan Rivers conducted a one-woman proteset in a Costco. She handcuffed herself to a shopping cart and ranted over a bullhorn, stating, "This is the beginning of Nazi Germany." She also said, "This is a store that sells 300 rolls of toilet paper at the same time, and I say any customer that buys 300 rolls of toilet paper deserves a funny book to sit on the toilet and read."


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Year It First Dropped: 2009-2010

Everyone knows by now that Kid Cudi worked at BAPE's New York flagship location before making it big. Even after all the fame, Cudi was still repping the brand hard. Like a rare few of BAPE's famous supporters, his likeness was immortalized on a T-shirt collaboration with the brand.


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The New Stuff

Initiative: Is It For You?

Initiative is something that is in a general sense some portion of a general public. It is vital in any great society that somebody stands up and assumes responsibility. Authority is vital, we realize that, yet does that mean everybody out there is a pioneer? The truth is that a few people are not made to be pioneers. They are adherents. What’s more, pretty much as imperative in the public arena as pioneers are supporters. Things being what they are, the place do you lie? Is it accurate to say that you are going to assume authority parts inside of your life?

For some individuals, the sense to play those authority parts just comes to them. It is simply something that happens. They venture up to the plate when required. They react first in class. They assume responsibility of the ball game on the play area. They venture up to the plate at work. While you can not be first for each situation, person that has initiative aptitudes will frequently be seen and heard for the duration of their lives.

Be that as it may, not all pioneers are conceived with this ability. A number of them must learn it. Individuals with a desire to be a pioneer can do as such by taking classes and concentrating on the important aptitudes that it takes to be a pioneer. While the majority of this may sound basic, it can be a significant assignment to learn. It is difficult to educate a man to respond in a circumstance that is not arranged well.

Since pioneers are dictated by their activities, we frequently see that authority parts are loaded with people who put themselves out there to be picked, as it were. In any case, this is not generally the situation. By and large of crisis, pioneers are those that assume responsibility much sooner than any other individual responds. In that, these people will have a composed attitude about themselves and have the capacity to see the important work ahead while others are stressing, freezing or just in stun. These are presumably the genuine pioneers in our general public.

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Aviva consolidates with mainframe Linux

Financial services giant Aviva Group has joined a handful of local organizations prepared to give Linux on big iron a run in an effort to consolidate its application infrastructure.

Formerly Norwich Union Australia, Aviva Group operates the Navigator and Aviva brands and administers about $20 billion in funds for some 300,000 customers.

With a mainframe and more than 400 - predominantly Linux on Intel - distributed systems, the server count was growing to cater for the group's expanding funds management applications, Aviva CIO Kevin Sharkie said.

Being a 100-year-old company [Norwich Union] we had a mainframe [and] with the sale [to Aviva] we decided to buy our own," Sharkie said.

Sharkie said a decision was made to invest in a z800 series mainframe to bring the mainframe and Linux environments together to rationalize the burgeoning infrastructure. The project started in 2003 and is now "finally" operational.

"The value [in mainframe Linux] is one common base and there are many people who understand zLinux," he said, citing Aviva's use of the open source MySQL database on zLinux for a financial advisory application as an example of a common open system being consolidated on the mainframe.

A Sybase application running on Solaris is another example of a workload being migrated to zLinux, this time with Oracle as the database. This is "one month away" from being brought online.

Aviva decided to standardize on SuSE Linux two years ago because it was already a large Novell customer and could see Novell heading in the direction of Linux. This allows Novell's services to also move to the mainframe.

The number of servers is now down to about 200 and Sharkie is "always looking" to reduce that number.

"We still have a raft of Intel servers that require security updates," he said. "We are licensed with Rational and looking at using more Linux."

IBM's Asia Pacific Linux software sales director Ivan Kladnig said the zSeries' virtualization capabilities allow hundreds, or even thousands, of Linux servers to be hosted on a single physical mainframe.

"The Linux server market is no longer a small part of the overall server market and is growing three times faster than the Windows server market," Kladnig said.

He cited a 2004 survey by IDC which asked end users to rate the most appealing thing about Linux, the outcome of which was that reliability, not cost, ranked highest.

"Within IBM we have about 3000 servers and 35,000 clients running Linux," he said. "The open source community is a meritocracy very much based on peer acceptance. We have more than 600 people working on Linux in our Linux technology centre. This acts as IBM's conduit to the open source community."

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Dell outlines plan to help customers cut energy costs

Dell has lined out steps to improve energy efficiency in servers and a new server-refresh cycle to cut energy costs in the long run.

Dell this week talked about steps the company is taking to improve energy efficiency in servers, also outlining a server-refresh cycle that could help customers cut energy costs in the long run.

The company is fitting higher quality components into servers and pushing virtualization to consolidate workloads that could help cut energy costs, Dell officials said in a meeting on Wednesday in San Francisco.

Historically, Dell has been known for selling servers at good value. The company is now willing to trade-in the price advantage to offer high-quality hardware that can balance server workloads and cut energy costs. That will help customers save money compared to vintage and low-cost servers that are not designed to run critical data-center applications, said Rick Becker, vice president of software and solutions at Dell.

Though server prices may increase, the improved hardware can pay for itself in three years, said Albert Esser, vice president of Dell's data center infrastructure group.

Instead of the typical seven-to-eight year refresh cycle, a two-to-three year cycle to upgrade hardware and service warranties could come into effect to take advantage of the latest server technologies , Esser said.

"It is very clear that refresh rates of three years ... the total cost of ownership is less than keeping your old machines running," Esser said. Old servers unable to distribute workloads could utilize excess power and lead to system administrators buying exponentially expensive servers to fill IT needs.

New servers can distribute workloads more effectively to reduce energy costs. Dell is trying to design its server hardware to take advantage of virtualization, where workloads can be divided over a server sprawl to reduce overall power intake by a data center.

"Virtualization requires an awful lot of memory, but doesn't require an awful lot of CPU horsepower," Esser said. Dell plans to load two-socket servers with memory attachments typically found in 4-socket servers, Esser said. Similarly, four-socket servers will have memory attachments typically found in eight-socket servers.

To optimize data-center power intake, the hardware also needs be updated every two to three years, Esser said. Improved hardware with virtualized environments can pay back for itself in a span over three years, Esser said. Outdated hardware may be unable to handle advances in virtualization and workload management.

"As long as you make your applications able to follow that improvement, the [hardware] refresh rate works in your favor," Esser said.

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Ruan2m: Looking for that special one

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I'm a very honest and hardworking man, i enjoy life. I'm now looking for a relationship, but I'm not looking to jump into anything without getting to know someone first. I'm pretty sure it won't kill me to take things slow and make sure we are compatible. I'm looking for a woman I can vibe with on a spiritual and intellectual level. Someone who can teach me new things and inspire me.

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Alison Cork

CPF Champion for women entrepreneurs

Alison Cork is a serial entrepreneur, broadcaster and writer. Over the past twenty years she has built up a group of homes and interiors businesses, spanning publishing, online retail, design, licensing and TV shopping. Prior to that she co-founded a publishing company which floated in 1994, making her one of the youngest ever female founders of a publicly quoted company.

In 2017 she founded The National Women's Enterprise Network, to encourage and support women who want to start their own business, and which runs the Make It Your Business seminars and website.

A lifelong Conservative, Alison has supported Women2Win from its launch, and believes that female entrepreneurship is also an important conduit for introducing more women to Conservative values and public office.


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Chassis Developments now offers a battery charger equaliser to overcome problems encountered with the twin 12V batteries of a 24 V system.These batteries can overcome imbalanced on charge level due to operating 12 V equipment from one battery, or other installation and climatic conditions. This imbalance can result in reduced battery capacity, the on-set of sulphation problems and a reduced battery life.The battery charge equaliser is connected to the two 12 V batteries, where it continually ...

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Palm Beach PHCC to hold 23rd annual trade show

The Palm Beach Association of the PHCC will hold their 23nd Annual Plumbing Trade Show on Tuesday, March 23, 2011 – Going, Going, Gone Green.

This show is held at the South Florida Fairgrounds; Expo East, 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL. The doors for the show open at 5:00pm. and the show ends at 8:00pm.

The show features over one hundred vendors with industry related wares, and over a thousand participants attend the show geared toward the plumbing and hvac contractors. Attendees have a chance to network with phc contractors who work in their like trade as well as learn from hands on demonstrations with hundreds of exhibitors from around the country.

This show is regarded as “The Largest Plumbing Trade Show in the State”. Admission is free – the show is open to anyone involved in the trades and is open to the public. The consumer will want to see the latest in “Green Technology” for their homes.

Door prizes awarded throughout the show (must be present to win) to attendees. For more details go to, e-mail us at [email protected] or phone us at 561/740-1737.


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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Vodacom Tanzania Upgrades with NSN

Vodacom Tanzania is implementing Nokia Siemens Networks' Single RAN (radio access network) platform to upgrade and modernize its network.

Under a five-year contract, Nokia Siemens Networks is supplying its Flexi Multiradio Base Station to replace Vodacom’s existing GSM and 3G base stations. This multi-technology platform is able to run GSM, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and LTE, and can be defined to roll out a particular technology with a simple software update. In addition, Nokia Siemens Networks provides its Orthogonal Sub Channel (OSC-Half Rate) and Dynamic Frequency and Channel Allocation (DFCA) GSM software features to increase the network capacity and efficiency.

"It’s our key priority to constantly improve the quality of service for our customers by increasing our network capacity, performance and coverage across the country,�? said Dana Bakker, manager of executive operations, Vodacom Tanzania. “To achieve this, we selected Nokia Siemens Networks to be our long term partner based on its technology capability and efficient services support. We awarded managed services contract to the company previously. We believe it is the right approach to make one partner responsible for both managed services, and network upgrade and expansion."

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text:
The Legend arrives in the flesh

The Legend arrives in the flesh Late last year we all got to see the leaked HTC roadmap and, at the very top of that list was the HTC Legend. It should be arriving next month and the specs include a 5 megapixel camera, 3.2″ HVGA AMOLED screen, 600Mhz CPU and optical mouse. Many are already calling this the “Hero 2” and now have got actual pictures of the phone.

The rear of the phone is brushed aluminium affair with a new chunky logo and flash. Inside the HTC Sense GUI sits atop the Android OS, although we’re not sure at this stage which version of Android it’ll be running. One thing is for certain – the chin is back.

Link –

Price drop on HTC phones
Inside the HTC factory


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Press Release

Couchbase Unveils Latest Release of Couchbase Data Platform for the Massively Interactive Enterprise

May 10, 2018
New Capabilities Help Developers Build Secure and Highly Collaborative Applications for Improving Customer and Employee Experiences

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 10, 2018 -- Couchbase, Inc., creator of the world’s first Engagement Database, today announced the latest version of the Couchbase Data Platform with Couchbase Server 5.5. The latest release combines the power of SQL and the flexibility of JSON to offer simplified application management and operational agility. With new features including ANSI joins, Eventing, and Autonomous Operator for Kubernetes, enterprises can easily develop and deploy applications across multi-cloud environments to create exceptional experiences for customers and employees.

With the Couchbase Data Platform, organizations can seamlessly transition workloads from relational databases and accelerate deployment of applications in multi-cloud environments. The platform’s built-in enterprise security features also offer field-level encryption to protect sensitive user data, in addition to the flexibility to meet new data regulations such as GDPR. The Couchbase Data Platform includes recently-launched Mobile 2.0, which extends business critical applications to the edge securely and easily, regardless of Internet connectivity.

Some of the new features and associated benefits in Couchbase Server 5.5 include:

Unmatched agility and flexibility

  • ANSI joins in N1QL: The Couchbase Data Platform is the only platform that extends SQL to support JSON data natively via N1QL queries. N1QL now has support for ANSI joins, making it easier to migrate applications from relational databases to Couchbase. Developers are also more productive as they can leverage their SQL knowledge to develop applications on Couchbase.
  • Eventing: Eventing is a highly available, performant and scalable service that enables user-defined business logic to be triggered in real-time on the server when application interactions create changes in data. Eventing makes it easy to develop, deploy, debug and maintain data-driven business logic from a centralized platform.

Unparalleled performance and responsive application design

  • Index partitioning: Index partitioning enables users to index a large number of documents and horizontally scale out an index as needed. The system will transparently partition the index across a number of index nodes using hash partitioning, increasing the performance and data capacity of the cluster.
  • Aggregate optimization: Since the introduction of N1QL, Couchbase has improved the query performance by orders of magnitude, and with aggregate optimization, the query engine leverages the indexes to perform aggregate calculations to improve the performance of queries by another order of magnitude.

The easiest platform to manage

  • Autonomous Operator: The Couchbase Autonomous Operator for Kubernetes enables cloud portability and automates operational best practices for deploying and managing the Couchbase Data Platform.
  • Security compliance: Couchbase continues to extend its support for security to enable enterprises to meet increasing security compliance requirements such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). X.509 certificate authentication is extended beyond key-value data access to query and search services for all SDKs.

“In data-driven organizations, developers need to create information rich applications with speed and agility to meet fast-changing data requirements. With the Couchbase Data Platform extending SQL to support JSON data natively via N1QL queries, organizations can empower their developers to leverage their SQL skill sets to create engaging applications with multiple access methods from a single platform.”
--John L. Myers, Managing Research Director, Enterprise Management Associates

“As a Couchbase solution partner, Infosys continues to be impressed with the Couchbase Data Platform strategy and the extension of its capabilities in the recent GA of Mobile 2.0 and now Server 5.5 beta announcement.  In particular, the new Eventing Service in 5.5 is a significant addition to the product.  Infosys believes the ability to apply business logic with Couchbase Functions will enable powerful new use cases across a number of industry solutions.”
--Gautam Khanna, VP and Global Head - Open Source CoE, Infosys

“We are pleased to see Couchbase continue to deliver against their innovation roadmap, working closely with customers. Couchbase Server 5.5 addresses various agility and flexibility challenges so developers can iterate over applications at the pace required in today’s environment.”
--Brant Burnett, Systems Architect, CenterEdge Software

“Couchbase Server 5.5 takes developer agility to a new level by enabling them to build enterprise grade applications with significant new capabilities. In addition, with the GDPR compliance deadline around the corner, we’ve addressed operational robustness in areas such as data manageability and security as customers increasingly put more and more mission-critical data into the Couchbase Data Platform.”
--Ravi Mayuram, CTO and Senior Vice President of Engineering, Couchbase

Couchbase Server 5.5 will be generally available in the Summer; Couchbase Mobile 2.0 is generally available today.

Additional Resources
Couchbase Server
Couchbase Data Platform Interactive Architecture Graphic

About Couchbase

Couchbase's mission is to be the data platform that revolutionizes digital innovation. To make this possible, Couchbase created the world's first Engagement Database to help deliver ever-richer and ever more personalized customer and employee experiences. Built with the most powerful NoSQL technology, the Couchbase Data Platform was architected on top of an open source foundation for the massively interactive enterprise. Our geo-distributed Engagement Database provides unmatched developer agility and manageability, as well as unparalleled performance at any scale, from any cloud to the edge.

Couchbase has become pervasive in our everyday lives; our customers include industry leaders Amadeus, AT&T, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), Carrefour, Cisco, Comcast, Disney, DreamWorks Animation, eBay, Marriott, Neiman Marcus, Tesco, Tommy Hilfiger, United, Verizon, Wells Fargo, as well as hundreds of other household names. For more information, visit

Press Contact

Christina Knittel
(775) 209-2461

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