Paris, 6 August 2007


EFITA newsletter / 322 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


EFITA Web site
> Archives of the EFITA newsletter / first semester 2007
See: http://www.efita.net?d=6140
> First EFITA 2007 papers loaded
See: http://www.efita.net?d=6147
> Please, test the search engine on EFITA papers since the 1999 congress
See: http://www.efita.net/?d=6146


Agro XML
See: http://www.efita.net?d=6167
See: http://www.efita.net?d=6185


"Challenges and Strategies for Rural Tourism" - 3rd Congress European Congress on Rural Tourism
26-28 September, 2007 - EGER (Hungary).
It is jointly organized by EuroGites - European Federation of Farm and Village Tourism and the Hungarian Federation of Rural and AgroTourism “Fatosz” under the general leitmotiv of "Challenges and Strategies for Rural Tourism"
The objective of this Congress is to provide again a meeting point and discussion forum for the Rural Tourism Entrepreneur and for public and private authorities involved in rural development. This year's Congress will focus on the following aspects:
- Rural Tourism between romanticism and commerce
- New trends of leisure demand
- Rural Tourism and Nature Environment
- Competitiveness of Rural Tourism – how to improve?
They will be presented and dealt with in a very practical way, giving preference to hands-on experience from different countries and regions. These four blocks of plenary sessions will be complemented by a special presentation on occasion of the World Tourism Day, by case studies, and by country presentations that show the experience and reality in different countries of Europe.
Representatives of Rural Accommodation and Rural Tourism Organisations from all over Europe, from Georgia to Iceland and from Finland to Portugal, have already confirmed their presence. After the Congress, a choice of Study Tours will be optionally available.
The official languages with simultaneous translation are: English, German, and Hungarian
See: http://www.europeanrtcongress.org/
Contact: Klaus EHRLICH
E-mail: president(a)eurogites.org


Agricultural XML in UK
I enjoy the regular newsletter. I am pleased to see your point of view ref EFITA 2007 this week concerning data formats.
Patchwork have developed an XML file format "PatchXML" which will communicate a common file to describe and control and command field operations. This has been developed as a co-operation with the major UK suppliers of farm management software.
I think there are many similarities with AGROXML and probably other "National" XML formats.  
I think these different formats have arisen because ISO XML is driven by machinery manufacturers requirements rather than those of the farmer and agronomists and farm management and traceability software.
I agree with your statement that some funding to help these projects develop further and communicate with each other would be valuable. There is a real gap in the funding of "near market" research. But I think we are all too busy with commercial concerns to devote time to projects that dont meet an immediate local need.
If there is any interest in a cooperative project I would like to be kept informed.
See: http://www.patchwork.co.uk/
Contact: Richard PRICE - Patchwork Technology
E-mail: rdp(a)patchwork.co.uk


How to preach a bear?
A Priest, a Pentecostal Preacher and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of a Michigan University. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop. One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear.

One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they're all together to discuss their experience.

Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages on his body and limbs, goes first. "Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory, he claimed, "WELL brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle ! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD ! But, that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So, I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So, I quickly DUNKED him and BAPTISED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus."

The Priest and the Reverend both looked down at the Rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV's and monitors running in and out of him. He was in real bad shape.

The Rabbi looks up and says, "Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start."
Contact : Bernard AUXENFANS
Mél : bauxenfans(a)krsearch.net


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