Newsletter 26 June 2006
EFITA newsletter / 266 / European Federation for Information
Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment
Point of view (in Fr-English): e-Administration in Agriculture
When so many experts and organisations are just talking about e-Administration,
ACTA Informatique organised on 20 June an interesting seminar (in French) about
e-Administration in Agriculture. Two farmers described their experiences and
we had the testimonies of specialists of Agricultural Chambers, of national
and local administrations, of accounting centres, and of an Agricultural ICT
company editing software programmes for farmers and local advisory organisations.
PowerPoint presentations as well as the summaries of all contributions will
be very soon available on the ACTA Informatique web site. It was the 43th AgriMMedia
seminar. The next one will be devoted to ICT for crop protection and will take
place on 19 September.
Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
Email: waksman(a)acta-informatique.fr
European catalogue of agricultural software programmes
Twenty years ago, a few organisations got some money fro a few years from
the European Commission to develop a European catalogue of agricultural software
programmes. I was not involved in this project but I still think that it was
a useful initiative. I present a list of French ICT companies on the efita web
site. Why not to complete this list with the lists of companies that are active
in your country?
Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
Email: waksman(a)acta-informatique.fr
8th International Conference on Precision Agriculture
23-26 July 2006 - MINNEAPOLIS
See: http://precision.agri.umn.edu/Conference/
New from the EU
> European Commission adopts an EU Forest Action Plan
See: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/785&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
> Crisis distillation of wine to be opened in France and Italy
See: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/748&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
> Reform of the common market organisation in fruit and vegetables
See: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/capreform/fruitveg/index_en.htm
> Synthesis of Rural Development Mid-Term Evaluations
See: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eval/reports/rdmidterm/index_en.htm
> Quality products catch the eye: PDO, PGI or TSG
See: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eval/reports/rdmidterm/index_en.htm
IFT-POULTRY: Consultants for the Poultry sector (experiences from over 75
countries)
We are limiting our selves to the poultry sector and the poultry feed industry
and here we assist investors from there ideas until a product in hand. Otherwise
we render our services to solve problems improving the technical results in
farms or sector:
- Farms for Layers, Broilers, Turkeys, Parent Stock and or Grand Parent Stock
- Hatcheries for the same.
- Slaughterhouses or processing for Broilers be it Fresh, Frozen, Cut-up or
with added values.
- Feed mills for the full range of poultry production.
See: http://www.ift-poultry.com
Contact: Frans FRANSEN
Email: ff(a)ift-poultry.com
Black Robbers
On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters
at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband
in the hotel dining room.
But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room. "I'll be right
back and we'll go to eat, "she told her husband and carried the coin-laden
bucket to the elevator.
As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard.
Both were black. One of them was tall...very tall...an intimidating figure.
The woman froze. Her first thought was: These two are going to rob me.
Her next thought was: Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen.
But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and
stared at the two men. She felt anxious, flustered and ashamed. She hoped they
didn't read her mind but Gosh, they had to know what she was thinking!!!
Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious now. Her
face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort of
will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the other
foot and was on the elevator.
Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors
as they closed. A second passed, and then another second, and then another.
Her fear increased! The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her.
My God, she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed! Her heart plummeted.
Perspiration poured from every pore. Then one of the men said, "Hit the
floor."
Instinct told her to do what they told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards
as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins
rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed.
She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what
floor you're going to, we'll push the button." The one who said it had
a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a
belly laugh. The woman lifted her head and looked up at the two men.
They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her feet. "When
I told my friend here to hit the floor," said the average sized one, "I
meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor.
I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am." He spoke genially. He bit
his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing.
The woman thought: My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself.
She was too humiliated to speak. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words
failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for
behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know what to say.
The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket.
When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking her to
her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she
might not make it down the corridor. At her door they bid her a good evening.
As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring with laughter as they
walked back to the elevator.
The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs
for dinner with her husband.
The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses.
Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The card said: "Thanks
for the best laugh we've had in years."
It was signed;
Eddie Murphy
Michael Jordan
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