#trade season is officially upon us

[r0bzombixx]

i wanna sleep in your car while youre driving,

lay in your lap while im crying

[mostly-mundane-atla]

Inupiaq Books

This post was inspired by learning about and daydreaming about visiting Birchbark Books, a Native-owned bookstore in Minneapolis, so there will be some links to buy the books they have on this list.

Starting Things Off with Two Inupiaq Poets

Joan Naviyuk Kane, whose available collections include:

Hyperboreal

Black Milk Carbon

The Cormorant Hunter's Wife

She also wrote Dark Traffic, but this site doesn't seem to carry any copies

Dg Nanouk Okpik, whose available collections include

Blood Snow

Corpse Whale

Fictionalized Accounts of Historical Events

A Line of Driftwood: the Ada Blackjack Story by Diane Glancy, also available at Birchwood Books, is a fictionalized account of Ada Blackjack's experience surviving the explorers she was working with on Wrangel Island, based on historical records and Blackjack's own diary.

Goodbye, My Island by Rie Muñoz is a historical fiction aimed at younger readers with little knowledge of the Inupiat about a little girl living on King Island. Reads a lot like an American Girl book in case anyone wants to relive that nostalgia

Blessing's Bead by Debby Dahl Edwardson is a Young Adult historical fiction novel about hardships faced by two generations of girls in the same family, 70 years apart. One reviewer pointed out that the second part of the book, set in the 1980s, is written in Village English, so that might be a new experience for some of you

Photography

Menadelook: and Inupiaq Teacher's Photographs of Alaska Village Life, 1907-1932 edited by Eileen Norbert is, exactly as the title suggests, a collection of documentary photographs depicting village life in early 20th century Alaska.

Nuvuk, the Northernmost: Altered Land, Altered Lives in Barrow, Alaska by David James Inulak Lume is another collection of documentary photographs published in 2013, with a focus on the wildlife and negative effects of climate change

Guidebooks (i only found one specifically Inupiaq)

Plants That We Eat/Nauriat Niģiñaqtuat: from the Traditional Wisdom of Iñupiat Elders of Northwest Alaska by Anore Jones is a guide to Alaskan vegetation that in Inupiat have subsisted on for generations upon generations with info on how to identify them and how they were traditionally used.

Anthropology

Kuuvangmiut Subsistence: Traditional Eskimo Life in the Latter Twentieth Century by Douglas B. Anderson et al details traditional lifestyles and subsistance customs of the Kobuk River Inupiat

Life at the Swift Water Place: Northwest Alaska at the Threshold of European Contact by Douglas D. Anderson and Wanni W. Anderson: a multidisciplinary study of a specific Kobuk River group, the Amilgaqtau Yaagmiut, at the very beginning of European and Asian trade.

Upside Down: Seasons Among the Nunamiut by Margaret B. Blackman is a collection of essays reflecting on almost 20 years of anthropological fieldwork focused on the Nunamiut of Anuktuvuk Pass: the traditional culture and the adaption to new technology.

Nonfiction

Firecracker Boys: H-Bombs, Inupiat Eskimos, and the Roots of the Environmental Movement by Dan O'Neill is about Project Chariot. In an attempt to find peaceful uses of wartime technology, Edward Teller planned to drop six nukes on the Inupiaq village of Point Hope, officially to build a harbor but it can't be ignored that the US government wanted to know the effects radiation had on humans and animals. The scope is wider than the Inupiat people involved and their resistance to the project, but as it is no small part of this lesser discussed moment of history, it only feels right to include this

Fifty Miles From Tomorrow: a Memoir of Alaska and the Real People by William L. Iģģiaģruk Hensley is an autobiography following the author's tradition upbringing, pursuit of an education, and his part in the Alaska Native Settlement Claims Act, where he and other Alaska Native activists had to teach themselves United States Law to best lobby the government for land and financial compensation as reparations for colonization.

Sadie Bower Neakok: An Iñupiaq Woman by Margaret B. Blackman is a biography of the titular Sadie Bower Neakok, a beloved public figure of Utqiagvik, former Barrow. Neakok grew up one of ten children of an Inupiaq woman named Asianggataq, and the first white settler to live in Utqiagvik/Barrow, Charles Bower. She used the out-of-state college education she received to aid her community as a teacher, a wellfare worker, and advocate who won the right for Native languages to be used in court when defendants couldn't speak English, and more.

Folktales and Oral Histories

Folktales of the Riverine and Costal Iñupiat/Unipchallu Uqaqtuallu Kuungmiuñļu Taģiuģmiuñļu edited by Wanni W. Anderson and Ruth Tatqaviñ Sampson, transcribed by Angeline Ipiiļik Newlin and translated by Michael Qakiq Atorak is a collection of eleven Inupiaq folktales in English and the original Inupiaq.

The Dall Sheep Dinner Guest: Iñupiaq Narratives of Northwest Alaska by Wanni W. Anderson is a collection of Kobuk River Inupiaq folktales and oral histories collected from Inupiat storytellers and accompanied by Anderson's own essays explaining cultural context. Unlike the other two collections of traditional stories mentioned on this list, this one is only written in English.

Ugiuvangmiut Quliapyuit/King Island Tales: Eskimo Historu and Legends from Bering Strait compiled and edited by Lawrence D. Kaplan, collected by Gertrude Analoak, Margaret Seeganna, and Mary Alexander, and translated and transcribed by Gertrude Analoak and Margaret Seeganna is another collection of folktales and oral history. Focusing on the Ugiuvangmiut, this one also contains introductions to provide cultural context and stories written in both english and the original Inupiaq.

The Winter Walk by Loretta Outwater Cox is an oral history about a pregnant widow journeying home with her two children having to survive the harsh winter the entire way. This is often recommended with a similar book detailing Athabascan survival called Two Old Women.

Dictionaries and Language Books

Iñupiat Eskimo Dictionary by Donald H. Webster and Wilfred Zibell, with illustrations by Thelma A. Webster, is an older Inupiaq to English dictionary. It predates the standardization of Inupiaq spelling, uses some outdated and even offensive language that was considered correct at the time of its publication, and the free pdf provided by UAF seems to be missing some pages. In spite of this it is still a useful resource. The words are organized by subject matter rather than alphabetically, each entry indicating if it's specific to any one dialect, and the illustrations are quite charming.

Let's Learn Eskimo by Donald H. Webster with illustrations by Thelma A. Webster makes a great companion to the Iñupiat Eskimo Dictionary, going over grammar and sentence structure rather than translations. The tables of pronouns are especially helpful in my opinion.

Ilisaqativut.org also has some helpful tools and materials and recommendations for learning the Inupiat language with links to buy physical books, download free pdfs, and look through searchable online versions

[jeffhirsch]

Get Ready for the Real Santa Claus Rally

Headed down to Wall Street yesterday to pave the way for Santa. As Yale Hirsch’s now famous line states: “If Santa Claus should fail to call, bears may come to Broad and Wall.”

This rather typical early December seasonal weakness sets up the Santa Claus Rally well. The Street has been buzzing about the Santa Claus Rally for three months now. Most still get it wrong. It’s not the yearend rally, the Q4 rally that runs from Halloween through January. Yes, November, December and January are the best three months of the year, but they are not the Santa Claus Rally.

Santa Claus Rally was devised by Yale Hirsch in 1972 and published in the 1973 Stock Trader’s Almanac. The “Santa Claus Rally” is the last 5 trading days of the year plus the first 2 of New Year. This year it begins on the open on December 24 and lasts until the second trading day of 2025, January 3. Average S&P 500 gains over this seven trading-day range since 1969 are a respectable 1.3%.

Failure to have a Santa Claus Rally tends to precede bear markets or times when stocks could be purchased at lower prices later in the year. Down SCRs were followed by flat years in 1994, 2005 and 2015, two nasty bear markets in 2000 and 2008 and a mild bear that ended in February 2016.

This is the first leg of our January Indicator Trifecta (2025 STA p 20) which includes the “First Five Days” (2025 STA p 16) and the full month “January Barometer” (2025 STA p 18), also invented and named by Yale Hirsch in 1972. This January Trifecta helps us affirm or readjust our outlook. When we hit this Trifecta and all three are positive S&P is up 90.6% of the time with an average gain of 17.7%.”

Based upon the outcome of these three indicators, we may adjust our outlook for the balance of Q1 and 2025. Until then, we remain bullish as this is the seasonal favorable period for stocks. Valuations are a concern, but economic data is holding up, the Fed is cutting interest rates, and the market continues to track seasonal trends and patterns rather closely.”

Stay tuned for more on the rest of my January Indicator Trifecta and sign up for my newsletter to get my official readings and analysis. And get the 2025 Stock Trader’s Almanac as a free bonus. https://stocktradersalmanac.com/LandingPages/get-Almanac-for-free.aspx

[hyenahunt]

Obbligato: The Punishment of Kaname Tojo - 12

Writer: Akira

Season: Spring, two years ago

Characters: ???, Ibara

Proofreading: Remi + 310mc (JP) & Skyress (ENG)

Translation: Peace

???: (However, innocence is not a sin. My little brother, Kaname, has done nothing wrong.)

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

???: (However, innocence is not a sin. My little brother, Kaname, has done nothing wrong.)

(Despite that, ever since he was born, he has faced unreasonable discrimination. He's shunned by those higher than him in the industry due to violating a taboo— )

(He has done nothing wrong, yet he has fallen so far.)

(He was a brother I’d never spoken to before. And I pitied him.)

(Fortunately, I had skills and wisdom. I had to acquire both in order to survive when I'd left home.)

(And now, I could use them to help my little brother.)

(After all, I had always made a living by disguising myself as a jack-of-all-trades, and my client this time just so happened to be a family member.)

(I didn't accept it for my father's sake. I wanted to help my poor younger brother.)

???: (For his sake, I learned as much as I could about something so particular to Japan, so foreign to those overseas — I learned all that there was to know about idols, which was akin to inscrutable faith.)

(Once I had learned enough, I offered my hand to Kaname. So long as he heeded my instruction, he'd be able to bloom anew as a wonderful idol.)

(Or, that was what should have happened.)

... What is this? What is he doing? Do you know anything about this?

Ibara: Perhaps, perhaps not? If I'm to be honest, even I'm taken back by this series of events!

This gathering was organised by Mr. HiMERU and his associate, funded out of their own pockets. It has nothing to do with idol work — it appears the students are gathering entirely of their own accord.

As I have various other projects on my hands, there is no way for me to keep a constant eye on the developments within Reimei Academy, please understand.

Ibara: As a result, my response to independent activities such as this has been rather delayed.

Were this an official idol activity, or work-related, then I would have been able to detect it early on from tells such as bank account activity and so forth.

Which is why I was late to become aware of even the movements of the gatherings within the Catacombs.

Were it not for that, then I would have stepped in to put a halt to things the moment Mr. Tatsumi Kazehaya began to build his suspicious religious cult-like group. After all, religion cannot be suppressed, which makes it far outside my field of expertise.

I thought we'd finally gotten a hold on that religion by way of giving them work and incorporating capitalism into the mix...

But this gathering truly was unexpected. I wonder what they're meeting about?

???: Hm. Then you and I are the same; I also came to see what, exactly, was going on.

Ibara: Oh, I’ve already made an educated guess on what might happen next, you know? However this came about, I’ve certainly predicted its conclusion!

The leaders of opposing powers meet, showing their solidarity by way of shaking hands in public. In this case, those leaders would be Mr. Tatsumi Kazehaya and Mr. HiMERU.

By doing so, they will strike down the long-standing feud between their two factions.

An era of peace shall descend upon Reimei Academy.

A-ha-ha! ☆ How magnificent! It'll end as happily as a fairy tale!

Ibara: ... But unfortunately, reality isn't so sweet.

The students of Reimei Academy have already fallen prey to the anger and hatred that have accumulated throughout their lives.

Towards those that they detest with all their being, they’re unable to sweep it all under the rug, and allow bygones be bygones.

Ibara: Well, if they did all band together as friends, then I'd be in something of a pickle myself! Mr. Tatsumi Kazehaya's ideology and capitalism don't mix well, after all. It sufficiently counters the latter.

That's no way to run a business, you see? I'm against the idea entirely.

The plan was to force him out of Reimei Academy entirely by pushing an unreasonable amount of expectations onto him, so much that his well-being would falter and he would drop out...

But unfortunately, it would seem Mr. Tatsumi Kazehaya is stronger than expected. Not once did he break, falter, or give in. Instead, he's done the opposite: no matter how persecuted he becomes, he only rises again and again from the ashes akin to a phoenix.

What a nuisance... Though at the same time, I do respect it. If we didn't have such a conflict of interest, I'd absolutely welcome such a stupendous person as a brother in arms!

And so, despite our differences, it truly is hard to watch a remarkable man fall victim to such ruin...

[ ☆ ]

✦✦✦✦✦

← prev ✦ all ✦ next →

[bradandchris]

Well, that was that then. Brad had himself a New Years Resolution. His resolution was to not have a resolution for the year that was new in the moment where he was. That was on the beach in Santa Monica at the end of 2023.

While he was there staring into 2024, he was also giving up lent for lent, and trading in Columbus Day for an Akron knight. He would just need to convince Elton John to take a holiday to Ohio in October. It was a good thing leaves died pretty. He could use that to his advantage.

If that didn’t work out, Brad would try a different time of day. Akron Dawn for example could score an obvious sponsorship assuming people in Ohio did their dishes upon waking up. It sounded like something people in sensibly sized Midwest cities might do.

The notion never crossed his mind in Brad’s 22 years living in Los Angeles. Why would anyone born and bred in Southern California ground themselves where it could crack open and swallow you whole at any second? Midwestern sensibility just didn’t stack up here.

Akron was in Ohio right? Brad could never be sure even with a smart phone in his hand. Miss Information was everywhere and there were no places to hide. How would you know where to go anyway?

All the cities in Ohio looked exactly the same to Brad. You could be in Toledo or Cincinnati, and it wouldn’t make a lick of difference even if you were at the local library checking out books. As long as ‘Ohio’ was somewhere on your library card or drivers license, you were golden.

At least that’s what Brad imagined. The locals likely didn’t feel the same way.

On the eve of a change in one of many calendars used across the globe, Brad took a minute reflect upon what had yet to happen by asking questions in the present tense.

Did all the oceans in California look the same to people from Ohio? Those from the two bucks an eye state (post inflation), were human beings dealing with a relative relative spendy reality. That part was clear. The rest of it got fuzzy as he didn’t know anyone from Ohio he could ask.

Brad wasn’t sure how many oceans he was looking at in the first place. They all kinda mixed together with few if any official boundaries. To call the water in front of him by one name took it from Will Rogers in Cali all the way to Bondi in Australia, but it was hardly the same water. The whole thing read as a gross over generalization as everything Pacific.

Each day it was less and less surprising to Brad that more than 90% of the sea floor failed to be mapped. We as a species held not a clue as to what was down there yet some of us were already taking tours of outer space which was technically nothing itself. Was that not why we called it space?

Whatever.

Brad didn’t want to put too much into space tourism or an overrated holiday like NYE, or even Christmas for that matter…

Brad stopped himself there. If he took that thought any further he could start getting answers. That could take him into resolution territory where he resolved to not go yet already was.

The annual practice never played out well for Brad despite being out himself. While others made money Brad beat himself up. By the President’s Day circuit party he was always in a downward spiral. If Brad ever OD’d it would likely be there smack dab in the depths of the Southern California rainy season swallowed whole by the first round of judgement preliminaries for White Party in Palm Springs.

Seeing where he was, Brad pulled himself off the bitter party of one path to that of personal responsibility. No one besides himself stuck around any NYE resolution to ensure he followed through. It may be paid for but did it matter where the money came from? While the commitment was squarely his, it often turned out the enthusiasm was not.

Brad paused to fix the back of his swimmers. They began riding his youthful 22 year old butt muscles while doing all this thinking. Did he really workout every day just so his clothes could malfunction?

Maybe. He could def take the notion somewhere sexy. Too bad there wasn’t a pen and paper around. Was this why people wrote their name in the sand? That whole notion read downright silly standing so close to the world’s biggest eraser.

When all was said and done, the greatest part about having a perky butt wasn’t sex or attention. It was having a place to set things down where no pockets were available. Brad always offered the space to others where he could think enough to do so. Ironically, the last thing he wanted to be was an ass.

The notion spurred another thought. Brad would ask Chris to look for a date on his butt when he came back from the concession stand with lunch. All this male beauty comes with a shelf life apparently so his boyfriend should probably know when to stop eating it. To that, and out of respect for himself, he should probably check Chris’ butt too. Brad needed some action and the whole notion just brought forth was good enough to jumpstart a very fun afternoon.

These things only needed to be paper thin with two men in the equation. An impromptu hamster inspection of the men’s locker room at the local gay watering hole instigated a wild three way with Brad and Chris’s neighbor Luke just a few hours earlier. Unsurprisingly, not a single hamster turned up at the gym, but the whole debacle did put a new spin on wood shavings.

A rouge wave reached high enough to grab Brad’s attention and bring him back to the present tense. Brad looked at his phone but he didn’t have any gauge as to when he and his thinking drifted off. Well, at least he came around this time with his swimmers still on. He lost two pair just in the last 24 hours.

Now where was Chris with the food? Brad was craving curly fries and a big fat dill pickle.

[bliamapriori]

Before lexember season is officially upon us, I suppose I should update the progress I've been making with my conlangs.

Regarding the Faerûnian Elven (the conlang I've spoken about the most on this blog), that's going fine and I'm slowly chipping away at putting in dictionary entries into my personal worldbuilding wiki.

The Infernal lang I used in the 2023 lexember has finally had its backwards evolution done and I'm in the process of creating the Supernalese Language Family from it.

The language family has a pseudo-proto-language (Supernal) and I say pseudo because it's technically still in limited use in some contexts.

Two daughter languages (Dark Speech) and (Light Speech aka Words of Creation), though I feel like I should mention I really do not like the implications of Light/Dark Speech and I'm trying to find an equivalent name for Dark Speech along the lines of Words of Creation, but I haven't landed on anything that's stuck yet.

And of these daughter languages they both have two granddaughter languages respectively. Infernal and Abyssal, and Celestial and Planar respectively. From what I understand, Planar is entirely homebrewed on my part, and I included it to complete some symmetry in the family. I don't really have a logical reason for this other than I plan on having balance and numerology be of some cultural significance to the Supernalese speakers and I wanted to ensure I had enough linguistic wiggle room to have fun with interlinguisitic family loanwords. Which is to say aesthetic and functional reasoning was my priority.

Of the granddaughter languages there are currently two major diaspora Faerûnian dialects of Infernal and Celestial (of which only one is of true concern to me), though I have made space for more dialects on the assumption there would be.

I've done little to expand upon the Celestial dialect, but the Faerûnian Infernal is markedly different from the more fixed High Infernal (spoken on an entirely different plane to Faerûn) and more influenced by surrounding languages such as Faerûnian Elven, Chondanthan and other Thorass languages including the ever in flux Trade Pidgins/Common. Of these influences, this has resulted in adapting the traditionally base 12 number system to be more in line with the more common base 10 and base 20 systems.

This year I was really hoping to be able to work on refining the scripts I have made but unfortunately I do not have better crunchier typefaces to share ready for Lexember, but what I do have... is a Celestial relative of the Infernal script. At some point I will force myself to sit down and sketch out each goddamn character by hand in one (or more) of my several grid-lined journals, but to be perfectly honest this year has been extremely draining and neography is not what's currently scratching the itch in my brain, so it's okay how it is for now I guess.

Overall I'm pretty happy with where I am at. I had kinda hoped that I could blast all this out in 6 months and return to my own personal project unrelated to dnd but it's been so much of a learning experience it's hard to be disappointed in everything I've done up until this point.

[wehaveagathering]

flyers post-coots Captain announcement thoughts under the cut (you will not like what i have to say)

i think this means they're .... looking really, really seriously at tr*ding laughton

up until yesterday when looking at the list of names that could be up at the trade deadline - walker, seeler, staal, ristolainen / frost, laughton - one of the main concerns at least for me was locker room culture and leadership? with laughton as the only letter, if you trade him, you have a serious lack of official leadership roles in the room, and no anchor-point guys to look to. BUT, with an official C and a new A – two clear signs that Coots & TK aren't going ANYwhere – you have a little more leeway with leadership. laughts was already on the chopping block, but his neck was made of gold. now, as cruel and cold as it is, he's far more expendable. at this point, if you're DB and Tortorella, objectively, it's a reasonable decision, and you've set yourself up for as minimal loss to bench & locker room culture as possible. waiting this long as well allowed Coots to establish himself in the room after his return and allowed TK to get used to a different role as well as he matures.

a rather lengthy aside: i think - again i'm new, wasn't here for the giroux era, tho i wish i was - that they learned their lesson about philly sports teams and pressure. from what i know, G didn't respond great to the added pressure of being captain, points production dropped, etc. Bryzgalov as well – the phl media was cruel to him to the point where HIS stats began to drop because of pressure. you need to know that the guy in this new role can HANDLE the pressure of not just the room and the team, but philadelphia, a city that makes sports not just a part of fan culture, but an intrinsic part of its identity as a city. coots, at 31, with a good few years left in him, is a guy that can withstand the pressure. i know a lot of people wanted TK to be captain – i think he's still too young. i think this is a good decision. laughts as the C – i think his frustration and lack of scoring this season would only bog him down as the C, and i think that philadelphia would look critically at that decision. but i think coots is respected in a gritty philly kinda way, been a flyer the whole time, bounced back from injury, etc. idk. great decisions all around if i'm being honest, and i'm glad they took their time.

also, back to my original point – yeah, I know torts said this, but you can't NOT say something about the guy that's captained an NHL team as Not-A-Captain for a year and a half all by himself. of course he's been vital. but that's the thing. he might not be vital anymore.

OF COURSE, if you're me in my feely-weely-weelings, you're not looking at this objectively at ALL, you're climbing into john tortorella's attic and sending your voice echoing through his walls that if he trades scott laughton you will descend upon his house like the plagues of egypt and never again will he rest soundly

anyway let me know ur onions

[mariacallous]

As if Coca-Cola gave up making soft drinks, the Taliban announced to great fanfare last year that they were getting out of the drug business. The group that rode big opium profits to a takeover of Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 suddenly, seemingly, swore off the stuff. Poppy planting was banned and drugs were off the menu. Or that, at least, is what they want the world to believe.

And they actually are—sort of. Satellite images seem to show a sharp decline in poppy acreage and methamphetamine manufacture since Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada announced his ban on producing and trading drugs in April 2022. Some Western officials, diplomats, and analysts see it as a welcome counternarcotics move, achieving with a simple decree what billions of dollars in U.S.-funded programs couldn’t do in two decades.

In reality, though, the Taliban haven’t changed their stripes—just their product. The drugs trade was estimated to account for up to 14 percent of Afghanistan’s GDP last year, according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). If new figures from the UNODC are to be believed, that’s about to get a lot higher.

The Taliban didn’t curtail the drug trade. They cornered it. And then they branched out. What the Taliban did with heroin was stand on the hose, driving up prices. Since Akhundzada’s decree—which did not apply until this year—opium prices have skyrocketed, rising a hundredfold in local markets in eastern and southern Afghanistan, the main growing regions. Seizures of heroin and meth are up, from Australia to India, the Gulf, Central Asia, and at European ports like Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, and Antwerp, in Belgium. Experts say the one-year lag between the decree’s announcement and enforcement gave producers and traffickers time to boost output and stockpiles, while stoking fears of a looming shortage that’s driven an inflationary panic-buying frenzy.

The Taliban are to heroin and meth what the Sinaloa cartel is to cocaine. Southeast Asia still makes a bit, but otherwise, Afghanistan has a stranglehold on the $55 billion-a-year heroin trade. Drug lord Bashir Noorzai, who was a major war financier and a close associate of the supreme leader, was greeted as a hero when he returned to Afghanistan last year upon early release from a life sentence in U.S. prison for heroin smuggling, swapped for an American hostage. Afghan sources say he is back in business.

But the Taliban are upscaling. While they had dabbled—and quite extensively—with meth in the past, they used plant-based precursors. But that takes labor. What’s easier, cheaper, quicker, and more profitable is chemical-based meth.

The UNODC annually assesses Afghanistan’s poppy acreage, opium yield and prices, and heroin production, though since the Taliban regained power, access and visibility, like the reports, are hamstrung. What does seem apparent is that the Taliban have cut down on poppy production. Recent satellite images provided by Alcis show a dramatic reduction in poppy planting. Anecdotal evidence from on-the-ground reporting backs up statements by Alcis researchers that poppy planting could have fallen by as much as 99 percent in some areas.

Afghan journalist Mirwais Khan said his sources in the southern Helmand province, where much of the country’s supply of heroin is sourced, tell him that poppy planting is close to zero for the current season. In the markets, he said, prices have surged from 30,000 Pakistani rupees, or about $100 a kilo a year ago, to 520,000 rupees. (Opium is priced in Pakistani rupees.) Last month, RFE/RL reported opium markets in Helmand and Kandahar operating as usual and said traffickers had amassed “strategic stockpiles” to take advantage of high prices.

Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Berlin- and New York-based Counter Extremism Project, doesn’t believe the ban is genuine, let alone long-term. He regards it as an attempt to maximize profits while lulling the international community into recognizing the Taliban. Or it’s a diversification play.

“If I was a Talib, I’d be getting into meth,” Schindler told Foreign Policy. The raw material for plant-based methamphetamine, ephedra, grows wild in Afghanistan. The Taliban have cracked down on that, too. But the drug can be synthesized simply and cheaply with easily acquired precursor chemicals and cooked in labs that are almost undetectable on satellite imagery. The costs and returns are many times that of heroin.

“They can ramp up meth production. You can tell [on satellite photos], but you have to know what you’re looking for, and at. It will be much harder to prove,” as the labs often look like any other building, Schindler said.

The UNODC agrees, with an assessment released on Sunday describing the illegal manufacture of meth in Afghanistan as a “growing threat” that is “changing illicit drug markets traditionally focused on the trafficking of opiates from Afghanistan.” Chemical precursors have become the main ingredient, the report said, derived from legally available sources like cold medicine or bulk industrial ephedrines that are smuggled into Afghanistan year-round. One kilogram of pure meth can be produced from less than 2 kilos of industrial ephedrine, compared to 200 kilos of ephedra plant that have to be harvested and prepared by human beings who like to get paid.

The Taliban have been moving into meth for some years, building markets by including it in shipments of heroin. Australian media has reported huge seizures of Afghan meth, sent through the mail from Pakistan to motorcycle gangs that dominate the trade. Compared to heroin, a little goes longer, and the UNODC report shows the Taliban are trading it to every corner of the world.

As industrial-scale manufacture of chemical drugs ramps up, the biggest losers are Afghanistan’s farmers, who languish at the bottom of the economic pyramid, among the poorest people in one of the world’s most indigent countries. For decades, they’ve been Taliban serfs, forced to grow poppies to help fund the war against the Western-backed Afghan state. The Taliban provided inputs, including seeds and fertilizer. Farmers found themselves in a debt trap they could and did pay off at times by fighting for the Taliban against Afghan and international coalition forces.

News footage of lathi-armed goon squads destroying poppy fields is a déjà vu of failed counternarcotics programs during the past two decades, which at least offered farmers alternatives, like growing wheat or saffron. Insurgent suicide bombers would destroy seed distribution centers, and Taliban operatives would sometimes even kill farmers who tried to make the switch. The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reported that the U.S. government spent, between 2002 and 2017, about $8.6 billion on counternarcotics efforts. Opium remained Afghanistan’s largest cash crop.

But wheat and other crops are just not a viable option. “If they grow grain, they will starve,” Schindler said, as Afghan farmers need cash crops to cover their costs. A long-term drought has cut their ability to grow food. If the ban continues, many men will be forced off the land to look for work elsewhere, adding to the huge numbers of internally displaced and, potentially, to the numbers flooding out of the country—to Pakistan, Iran, and beyond—in search of work.

Little farmers and big landowners both stand to lose from the continued ban, even if that was the endgame of all those years of U.S. and international efforts. Akhundzada seems to have put his prestige on the line with the ban, regardless of the collateral damage.

“The economic shock and human suffering will continue and worsen as long as the ban is implemented,” warned William Byrd, an expert on Afghanistan at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

[robynblythe]

Cursed Narratives 2: Prince Aldric Cleaves

            Once upon a time, in the enchanting kingdom of Cleaves, a king with no chosen heir, struggled to figure out a solution to the problems in his kingdom. His kingdom's main income was through crop selling, however after several dry seasons in a row, they had barely enough to feed their own citizens, let alone sell to other kingdoms. This led to their relations with those kingdoms getting strained, and their citizens, not understanding the trading had stopped, were outraged and started to riot over their royals ignoring their malnourishment.

            Knowing that this was a problem, and no longer wanting it to be his, he decided to use it as a moment to test his sons. The king proclaimed that whosoever could restore the kingdom's glory before the drought would be deemed worthy of the crown.

            It became a battle of the crown among the three Cleaves boys. Each prince went down his own path to try and find a solution. The eldest sought advice from neighboring kingdom's who were doing well with crops, the second tried to find a new source of income for the kingdom, and the youngest, Aldric, had no idea what he was doing.

            The youngest prince desperately wanted the crown, but not knowing where to start, he would wander the streets aimlessly as if expecting a solution to hit him on the head. Then it did. A woman, annoyed the prince was in her way, knocked him on the head with her umbrella, he turned ready to shout, but as she dropped her fake face and revealed green skin, and a long disgusting nose, his mouth snapped shut.

            "You boy, search for a solution, yes? I will solve your kingdom's problem in exchange for your finest crop at the end of the season." Prince Aldric debated the consequences, knowing the dangers of working with witches, but seeing no real harm to it, tried to agree, however the witch chose to warn him once more, pulling her hand further from his reach.

            "Once our hands clasp, the deal is sealed. Beware of the consequences of breaking it." The prince nodded, motioning for her to get along with it, as his head was already filled with the proud look of his father and jealous looks from his brothers as he accepted the crown and became king.

            While he was lost in thought she shook his hand, and the prince was slammed back into reality when he felt a sudden coldness run through his body and clasp his heart. Officially choosing the most sinister way of all to fix the weather.

            As promised, Cleaves blossomed into a paradise with lush and green fields and all issues with other kingdoms and citizens were mended. Prince Aldric ascended the throne and became King Aldric and got to watch the jealous look on his brother's face and the proud look of his father as he was crowned king. And season after season the king preserved the finest crops, yet the witch never came to claim them, but the king never stopped or dared to throw them out, fearing the unknown consequences of breaking the deal he left the rotting crops right where they were, not removing them until the witch returned.

            One fateful day, as King Aldric was showing his son what it felt like to sit on the throne, the throne room's doors burst open. The witch, aglow with otherworldly power, stormed in. She sent the knights standing at the door flying as the ones in the room rushed towards her to take her down. But King Aldric, recognizing the witch, dismissed his guards and waited until they were out of the room before he greeted her warmly, as if she were an old friend.

            "Welcome, dear witch. After all these years, you've come for your crops. They await you, though they've seen better days," the king said with a chuckle as the queen looked confused between the witch and her husband, holding her son tightly as she tried to back away. Noticing her fear and confusion the king motioned to his wife and child.

            "This here is my beloved Lavinia, and my son Aldric Jr. It's all thanks to your enchantment that my kingdom thrives as much as it has. I must offer you a tour." The king clasped his hands together as the witch's eyes narrowed in on the child, Lavinia gripped him tighter, turning him away from the witch's gaze as she smiled.

            "No, I'm just here to collect my crop."

            "Ah, but I must insist, you have to see what you've done for my-" The king was cut off by Queen Lavinia's scream, he turned to look at her and found that his son was gone. She screamed again and pointed at the witch who was now holding the tiny toddler. The king then became alarmed, taking stance like he was ready to tackle the witch.

            "What are you doing?"

            "Collecting the finest crop now that the season is over." The witch tossed the baby into the air, and as he giggled the king ran at her only for her to teleport and he crashes into the wall.

            "Ah-ah-ah. We had a deal, King Aldric. You stop me, your kingdom will suffer a permanent drought, and you'll lose your crown. But, if you're fine with those consequences here, take him." The witch then held the baby in front of Aldric as he lied on the floor, the queen tried to run forward but the witch made a motion and she slammed into the wall, before slumping down, unconscious. The king stared at his son, and started reaching out his hand, but stopped and turned away. The witch chuckled and disappeared. Once the pain subsided enough for him to get up again, he ran to his wife and then called for the guards, claiming that the witch could not have gone far.

            Unfortunately for him, the witch was already at the outskirts of the kingdom with her giggling prize.

            "A true crop's worth lies in its potential," the witch said to herself. "And if that's true, you have so much worth."

            The End, for now

                        Thank You for reading,

                                    Cursed Narratives 2: Prince Aldric Cleaves. 

[lotterygamesapp]

Bounty Game Registration – Get Started and Win Big!

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Why Register on Bounty Game?

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[james-richards-minus-one]

With the end of the world squared away and upon us, let us humiliate the stalker one last time...

You can take the Russian out of the Motherland, but you can't take the Motherland out of the Russian.

~

I recall a young Arab man crashing into my bus on the way to sign-up for a return to college...

Now I'm a God for the CIA. Hurray, for the USA.

~

Okay! Okay! I will be yours for ever and ever, just please stop torturing me...

~

Aaaaaannnnd, of course the ubiquitous death threats. What I meant to say was, there are four lights, and you are a fucking stalker.

~

And what with mental illness season quickly approaching...

Of course you can just stop, but, mental illness and compulsion go hand and hand, no?

~

The old man eats cat food. He's your asset, help him out you fucking scumbag.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who don’t put cameras in bathrooms…

~

Two decades, and dozens if not hundreds of people involved. There is no point in denying it, and there is no escape.

Also, don’t threaten me you fucking scumbag. I ain’t got nothing to lose.

~

Sucks to be you. (it was the mossad)

The roach rancher. Doo-wop…

~

...and chud.

Why are accusations (statements) of stalking by a Russian nurse (religious institution), incurring the wrath of Muslim (religious) fanatics? I wonder…

They were building aqueducts, and libraries, and had fairly well developed global trade networks 5,000 years ago, y'all should be living amongst the stars by now. What happened?

Better stalk up on toilet paper. Oh, I’m sorry, I meant stock.

~

[scots-gallivanter]

FOUR

The moon shone broad and bright upon the placid face of the Solway Firth, and showed a slight ripple upon the stakes, the tops of which were just visible above the waves.

SIR WALTER SCOTT, Redgauntlet (1824)

THE CLOCKS WENT forward today but there’d hardly be enough blue in the world to darn a sailor’s hanky. My ears, exposed after an out-of-season haircut, are red as hen’s heads as Nikki and I take in the windswept mudflats which Robert Burns called ‘this wild place of the world’. A heron pecks patina into flotsam; tuxedoed oystercatchers hurtle along the mud with their lame men’s gaits and then moan into a monochrome sky. To hoodwink their prey, plovers tap-dance on the beach pretending to be raindrops.

Three boys in shell suits stand around an observation viewer. ‘Quality’, offers the tallest of the trio, after discovering it isn’t coin-operated. He squints through it to England. ‘What the Butler saw’, I joke, ‘That’s where Edward the First cursed us before breathing his last.’ The three boys dander off, perplexed about butlers; an oyster-catcher pipes past, and a flock of timid redshanks retreats past the Altar Stane, more often than not under water, which has bounded the burgh of Annan since 1539.

Before they moved to Lochmaben Robert the Bruce’s ancestors had a castle at Annan, and a running track and park now sit beneath its tree-colonised motte. A stone from the castle, with an inscription related to the Bruces, was somehow acquired by an Annan antiquarian, who took it with him when he moved to Devon. It was returned in 1927 and is now incorporated within the town hall. There is a story that Archbishop, later Saint, Malachy put a curse on Annan. When he had dined with Bruce at the castle, Bruce had promised to spare the life of a condemned man. However, he reneged on the deal – with the result that a vampire allegedly ran loose in the town in which Thomas Carlyle later went to school.

Chop all the wood from boats that sailed in the Solway Firth, and Bonfire Night could be celebrated the length and breadth of Scotland until they launch the first zebra into space. Horn-helmeted raiders, Roman warriors, English incursors, pirates, kings, folk heroes, brigands, smugglers, and lovers. They all came and went with swords, fire, trade, romance or murder. Hadrian put his ‘Roman wall’ up at Bowness-on-Solway on the shoulder of England, a mile from where we stand – across a wath that was used by interlopers for centuries. That wath or ford can be walked when the tide is out, but you’d better know the currents intimately or you’ll be struggling in quicksand before your brain can contemplate the meaning of M’ Aidez.

From Cumberland’s tussocks – an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1964 –trains used to smoke their way across the sea on the longest bridge in Europe. We gaze at England from a lichened mound of concrete and mudstone with mini-ferns curling out of Scotland like croziers. Behind us the trains passed through a cutting that has doubled for decades as a way for dog walkers undeterred by the pipeline running bang down the middle, through which Chapelcross Nuclear Power Station discharged its shit into the sea.

It’s March 2023. The first sod for the Solway Viaduct from Bowness-on-Solway to Annan was cut here 158 years ago today in a ceremony that featured ‘four navvies in smock frocks, red neckcloths, and white nightcaps ...... a mahogany barrow with the silver spade on their shoulders’. A cannon was fired, prayers were said, and big wigs sat in a decorated pavilion for their déjeuner à la forchette, and much speechifying and backslapping.

The idea for a viaduct had originated in 1830 in an anonymous pamphlet but The Cumberland Pacquet and Ware’s Advertiser called it ‘sublime, utopian, stupendous and bordering on certain of the Munchausen achievements’.

It took three years to build, but in 1881 ice floes wrecked it. It was repaired but it never quite recovered and was shut down in 1921. Notices went up to keep people off the bridge; however, thirsty Scots made their way across on Sundays to take advantage of more liberal English licensing laws, and there were cross-border romances for which the viaduct wasn’t a bridge too far. It was dismantled in 1935, and the scrap was recycled for armaments in Japan for its war with China. A signal box allegedly ended up being used as a garden shed.

What remains of a rusty tanker sits deck-deep in silt now behind an old warehouse that once rung with the sound of shipbuilders’ mallets. A local group pulled it out of view in 2020 with cash collected from flogging scrap bikes and shopping trolleys. Thousands of people once thronged the pier at Annan, an important shipbuilding port, whence steamers took folk to new worlds. A wooden lighthouse stood at Barnkirk point but it burned to the shore in 1975. Today a scarfed pensioner wheezes along the quay with smoky breath; and a subdued mongrel, oblivious of history, looks just as disconsolate.

Shawhill railway station, built on the verge of Annan for the viaduct traffic, is now a scrapyard. Back on the foreshore cinder path a decapitated man stands on a plinth – a bone of contention between his maker (who welds together bits of scrap and exhibits them) and others in the community, whom he regularly lambasts on his social media page. Metal Man began life in 2009 on a roundabout at the Tesco store in town, but he was beheaded in 2019. Since then, he has had a traffic cone for a head, then a football, a parrot’s head and a pig’s head. A month ago, a prankster sawed the statue’s haaf-net and fish off. Goodness knows how he ended up on the shore here where for generations real haaf-netters have battled the currents and tides.

Old Annanites speak of haaf-netting in reverential tones: it has been pursued since Viking times and is enshrined in royal charters. A haaf-net resembles a portable football goalmouth with a rectangular frame and three legs. The top beam of the frame is 18 feet long, the length of the oar of a longboat; when a fish swims into the net the frame’s legs float to the surface and the fish is netted and clobbered on the head with a nep, a priest or a killer. Well, that is what used to happen, but legislation introduced in 2016 bans the killing of salmon, and fewer and fewer men feel like paying the near £40 annual licence fee when they cannot take a single fish home. The tradition is certain to die out.

Leistering was another unusual form of fishing practised by the men of the Solway. A leister was a four-pronged, twenty-foot-long javelin, which killed fish in huge quantities. Richard Franck, a Cromwellian trooper, was the first person to report on Scotland’s salmon-fishing. The Cambridge-educated sea captain travelled through Carlisle, Dumfries, Glasgow, Stirling, Perth, Forfar, Loch Ness; Sutherland, Caithness, Cromarty, Aberdeen, Dundee, St. Andrews, Edinburgh, and Berwick.

Franck saw the mounted men of the firth galloping along the shallows spearing salmon (Northern Memoirs, 1694). Sir Walter Scott also gave leistering a mention. In Redgauntlet, Darsie Latimer wrote to Alan Fairford, of the day he was rescued from straying into the Solway quicksands: ‘...they chased the fish at full gallop, and struck them with their barbed spears, as you see hunters spearing boars in the old tapestry. The salmon, to be sure, take the thing more quietly than the boars; but they are so swift in their own element, that to pursue and strike them is the task of a good horseman, with a quick eye, a determined hand, and full command both of his horse and weapon.’ Latimer lingered on the sands and looked to the English shore that was ‘still gilded by the sun’s last rays, and, as it seemed, scarce distant a mile from me’.

For nearly half a century Chapelcross nuclear power station was a familiar landmark outside Annan. I was one of thousands of people who watched its four chimneys being demolished in 2007. Some souls were sentimental to the point of weeping. It was, indeed, the end of an era for a business that had employed three generations and had brought prosperity to a town which, in 1727, Daniel Defoe had found to be in ‘irrevocable decay’. It was hooray for me when the towers fell, though. Goodbye, plutonium. Goodbye, tritium. There have been proposals for a wood-burning power station there, using sustainable coppiced willows, and an adjacent solar farm has been approved. It remains mothballed.

In the 1960s there had been plans for an atomic metropolis that would have spanned the firth. There would have been a circuit-linear Solway City for 50,000 people, and a new airport. Forty years later there is another proposal – to route an ‘electric bridge’ from Annan to Bowness-on-Solway using energy from the world’s third greatest tidal bore. It would create a pedestrian and cycle route between England and Scotland with the usual razzmatazz for tourists and have enough in its locker to power 60,000 homes. The decommissioning of Chapelcross won’t be complete for some 80 years. Meanwhile, Annan’s dreams of a transformed harbour, a tourist hub, were thwarted in 2023 when an application for £8 million from Michael Gove, who had the Tory government’s portfolio for the Orwellian concept of ‘levelling up’, failed.

[bitball]

Holiday/Giveaway season is upon us soon, but our Giveaway season starts early.

We will be running Promotional events like #Airdrops, #Trading competitions, #Buybacks soon.

Starting with #Ballswap $BSP trading competition on @latokens crypto exchange.

Official announcement coming soon!

X/Twitter Ann: https://x.com/BitBall_Erc20/status/1843245901982343419

[legari]

trade mark office delhi

Represents a unique identity in the marketplace

In the bustling heart of India’s capital, New Delhi, lies a pivotal institution for businesses and entrepreneurs alike — "trade mark office delhi" As the custodian of intellectual property rights in the country, this office plays a crucial role in safeguarding and regulating trademarks, ensuring that each registered mark represents a unique identity in the marketplace.

Understanding the Importance of Trademarks

A trademark is more than just a symbol or a name; it embodies the essence of a brand. It serves as a distinctive marker that consumers associate with a particular product or service, fostering brand loyalty and trust. In India, the process of acquiring and maintaining a trademark involves meticulous adherence to legal procedures governed by the Trade Marks Act, 1999, and subsequent amendments.

Navigating the Registration Process

Initial Steps

The journey begins with a comprehensive trademark search to determine the availability of your desired mark. This search, conducted through the Trade Marks Registry, ensures that your mark does not conflict with existing registrations. It’s a crucial step to avoid legal disputes and rejection during the application process.

Application Filing

Once you’ve confirmed the availability of your mark, you proceed with filing an application with the Trade Marks Registry Office in Delhi. This application must include specific details such as the mark itself, the goods or services it will represent, and the applicant’s details. Accuracy and clarity are paramount at this stage to expedite the process.

Examination and Publication

Upon submission, your application undergoes rigorous examination by trademark officials to verify compliance with legal standards. This scrutiny includes assessing distinctiveness, similarity to existing marks, and conformity with statutory requirements. Upon successful examination, your mark is published in the Trade Marks Journal, inviting public scrutiny and potential opposition from third parties.

Opposition and Registration

During the publication period, interested parties may file oppositions if they believe your mark infringes upon their rights. Resolving such disputes requires legal expertise and negotiation skills. Assuming no oppositions are filed or successfully overcome, your mark proceeds to registration, granting you exclusive rights to use and protect it within the specified classes of goods or services.

Post-Registration Obligations and Benefits

Maintenance

Securing a trademark is not the final step. Registrants must diligently maintain their marks by renewing registrations periodically and complying with statutory obligations. Failure to do so can result in loss of rights and vulnerability to infringement.

Protection and Enforcement

Armed with a registered trademark, businesses gain formidable legal protection against unauthorized use or infringement. The Trade Marks Registry Office in Delhi provides avenues for enforcing these rights, including legal actions against infringers and the possibility of monetary remedies.

Emerging Trends and Digital Transformation

In an era marked by rapid technological advancement, the Trade Marks Registry Office in Delhi has embraced digital transformation. Online filing systems, electronic communications, and virtual hearings streamline processes, enhancing accessibility and efficiency for stakeholders across India and beyond.

Conclusion

Navigating the Trade Marks Registry Office in Delhi demands meticulous planning, legal acumen, and a clear understanding of procedural intricacies. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or a budding startup, securing a trademark is a pivotal step towards establishing and protecting your brand’s identity in a competitive market. By leveraging the resources and guidance offered by this esteemed institution, you can embark on a journey to trademark success with confidence and clarity.

In essence "trade mark office delhi" stands as a bastion of intellectual property rights, empowering businesses to innovate, differentiate, and thrive in India’s dynamic economic landscape.

[jennykatler]

Key Factors to Consider In the Air Freight Transportation

In today's global marketplace, air freight plays a crucial role in facilitating the swift and efficient movement of goods across borders. Whether you're a seasoned importer/exporter or just dipping your toes into international trade, understanding the key factors influencing air freight can make a significant difference in your shipping experience.

Air freight  is a reliable option for transporting both routine, non-perishable goods and urgent, perishable items. It covers domestic and international routes, specializing in various types of cargo, including pharmaceuticals, engineering equipment, and temperature-sensitive goods. Registered with IATA, air cargo services offer chartered planes on demand for special shipments, ensuring timely and efficient delivery for all kinds of cargo needs. This makes air freight an essential service for industries requiring fast and secure transportation. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the major factors to consider for successful air freight shipments.

What are the critical factors to consider for air freight?

Air Freight Costs

Quick Delivery

Cargo Volume and Size

Air freight is generally more costly than other methods of international shipping, but it offers faster delivery times and higher security for valuable or perishable items.

If your cargo needs to reach its destination quickly, consider using air freight for expedited delivery.

The dimensions (size) and volume of your cargo will influence whether it is suitable for air freight and will affect the overall shipping cost.

Some Key Factors that You need to Consider

The shipper is required to possess an Importer Exporter Code (IEC), Permanent Account Number (PAN), Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration, and must be officially registered with Customs, providing their bank details along with the Authorized Dealer (AD) code assigned by the bank.

The Commercial Invoice and packing list are essential. Cargo must be declared accurately with its value and quantity. The packing list should clearly indicate the quantity and markings/numbers of the cargo for easy identification.

Speed and Efficiency:

One of the most significant advantages of air freight is its unparalleled speed. Air transportation offers rapid delivery times, making it ideal for time-sensitive shipments. Whether you're shipping perishable goods or urgent deliveries, air freight ensures swift transit and on-time delivery.

Insurance:

It is highly advisable to obtain cargo insurance to cover the shipment from the origin to the final delivery point.

Environmental Impact:

While air freight offers speed and efficiency, it also has environmental implications due to carbon emissions. As sustainability becomes increasingly important, businesses are exploring ways to reduce the environmental footprint of their supply chains. Options such as carbon offset programs and alternative transportation modes can help mitigate the environmental impact of air freight.

Air-Way bill:

The Air Waybill (AWB) is crucial. Following Customs Clearance for export, the cargo is transferred to the designated airline, either directly by the shipper or through a forwarding company. The airline will receive the cargo and issue an AWB, serving as evidence for the air freight shipment.

Customs Clearance:

Customs Clearance is highly advised to be facilitated by a Custom House Agent (CHA) to ensure the accurate and proper processing of your cargo. The CHA will initiate the filing of a Shipping Bill with the Customs authority, oversee cargo assessment and examination, and secure the issuance of a Let Export Order (LEO) to authorize the shipment of your goods.

Certificate of Origin:

It is typically issued by the Chamber of Commerce, serves to authenticate the origin of goods. This certification is instrumental in securing preferential duties upon arrival at the destination. Always ensure to thoroughly review the documentation with your buyer/importer to address any additional specific requirements that may be necessary.

Recommendation:

Consider engaging a Shipping Forwarding company that offers Custom House Agent (CHA) services as well. This integrated approach allows for streamlined oversight of all activities through a centralized platform, enhancing efficiency and control.

Route Optimization and Transit Times:

Choosing the right routes and airlines can significantly impact transit times and overall efficiency. Factors such as direct flights, transit hubs, and frequency of services play a vital role in optimizing transit routes. By leveraging route optimization strategies, you can minimize transit times and enhance supply chain efficiency.

Destination:

Your buyer/importer has the option to designate a Customs Broker/forwarder at the destination airport to manage clearance and delivery at the final destination. The feasibility of this arrangement will also be contingent upon the terms of your shipment.

Communication and Transparency:

Effective communication is key to successful air freight operations. Maintaining transparent communication channels with airlines, freight forwarders, and other stakeholders ensures smooth coordination throughout the shipping process. Clear communication helps address any issues promptly and ensures timely delivery of shipments.

Delivery:

Your goods will be transported by the airline to the destination airport. Please remember to include copies of all the aforementioned documents along with the cargo for smooth processing.

For the transportation of Dangerous Goods (DG Cargo), supplementary documents will be necessary, such as the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) Certificate. Please ensure to provide these additional documents accordingly.

If your business engages in both exports and imports of products, it's essential to seek guidance and support from a reputable freight forwarding company. They can provide you with comprehensive information and assistance to navigate the complexities of international trade effectively.

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Inside the Mind of Trader Stewie: Course Overview Immerse yourself in Trader Stewie’s thinking! With over twenty years of experience trading the US financial markets, Trader Stewie shares the psychology, methods, and techniques that he employs on a daily basis in his trading process. This comprehensive trading education course provides an interactive learning experience designed to help you navigate the complexities of the market with ease. Course Components Format: Self-paced online course Materials: 225+ page interactive PDF, 60+ minutes of educational video, visual aids Accessibility: Compatible with computers, tablets, and cell phones Key Features Systematic Trading Approach: Learn at your own speed with a structured and methodical trading process. Interactive Learning Tools: Instructional videos and visual aids to enhance your learning experience. Comprehensive Coverage: From psychology to execution, the course covers all critical aspects of trading. Course Outline The Inside the Mind of Trader Stewie course will guide you through the essentials of trading with the following materials: 225+ Page Trading Course: Fully interactive PDF document Quick navigation between chapters Educational video shorts embedded in sections Supported on computers, tablets, and cell phones 60+ Minutes of Educational Video: Videos designed to complement the eBook Accelerate your learning with visual aids Easily accessible via the table of contents Psychology, Strategies, Charting, Setups, Technicals, Execution: Comprehensive coverage of each trading aspect Insights from 20+ years of personal trading experience Learning Outcomes By completing the Inside the Mind of Trader Stewie course, online traders can expect to gain significant insights and practical skills, including: Mastering Psychological Challenges: Conquer inner feelings and psychological flaws that can hinder trading success. Develop a disciplined mindset crucial for consistent trading performance. Time-Tested Trading Strategies: Learn proven strategies and technical chart patterns. Understand the rationale behind various trading methods. Effective Risk Management: Discover correct entrance, exit, and risk management strategies. Implement techniques to protect and grow your trading capital. Who is This Course For? The Inside the Mind of Trader Stewie course is ideal for: Aspiring Traders: Fast-track your knowledge of the financial markets. Start from scratch or build upon existing skills. Experienced Traders: Brush up on your skills and refine your trading strategies. Gain a new perspective on trading from an experienced professional. Enthusiasts Seeking a Fresh Perspective: Understand trading through the lens of a seasoned trader. Gain insights into the daily practices and thought processes of Trader Stewie. Course Benefits Interactive and Engaging: The course’s interactive format makes learning engaging and effective. Visual and instructional aids support various learning styles. Flexible Learning: Self-paced learning allows you to fit the course into your schedule. Access materials on multiple devices for learning on-the-go. Comprehensive Coverage: Detailed exploration of trading psychology, strategies, and execution. Real-world insights and techniques that are immediately applicable. Conclusion The Inside the Mind of Trader Stewie course offers a thorough and engaging education for traders of all levels. By leveraging Trader Stewie’s extensive experience and insights, participants will develop a robust understanding of the financial markets, learn effective trading strategies, and master the psychological aspects of trading. This course stands out for its comprehensive coverage, interactive format, and practical applicability, making it an invaluable resource for anyone serious about trading.