Britain’s nuclear industry is under threat from cyber-attacks, terrorism and state-sponsored espionage, regulators have warned.
Buried in the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s 2016-20 strategic plan are bleak references to the growing threat of attack on Britain’s 15 operational reactors, which account for nearly a fifth of the country’s electricity. The Independent has established this is the first time that the ONR has explicitly acknowledged the growing terrorist threat to the nuclear industry.
The document states: “The threat of terrorism in the nuclear sector will continue to be managed proportionately and effectively through national and international capabilities. The capabilities of potential adversaries to operate in cyberspace will continue to grow.”
At the top of a list of the industry’s corporate risks, the ONR writes: “Failure to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive information and assets from both known and emerging security threats to the UK nuclear infrastructure (eg, cyber-attacks, terrorist activity, state-sponsored espionage).”
In another reference, it says: “We recognise the world is increasingly globalised and digitised, where both the terrorist threat and the risks from cyberspace are changing. The Government and duty-holders have well-developed security capabilities to deter and defend against organisations and individuals that might conspire to attack or exploit the nuclear estate. ONR will continue to work with the Government to ensure that security-focused regulations evolve to remain fit for purpose and align with safety regulation.”
The news comes at a sensitive time, with French giant EDF weighing up whether to risk its balance sheet on building a £24.5bn reactor at Hinkley Point on the Somerset coast. This is supposed to herald a new generation of nuclear power plants, which are needed to bridge the UK’s yawning energy gap, but EDF has delayed a final investment decision until May. There are also reports that the Isis terrorists who attacked Brussels might have planned to steal radioactive materials from a Belgian nuclear plant to build a bomb.
John Large, the nuclear expert who warned in a 2014 report for the French authorities that reactors are highly vulnerable to drone attacks, said the admission was “a step forward”, but warned: “It might be too late. The problem is that the plants were designed in the 1950s and 1960s and those designs ignored terrorism. That’s one of the problems they [the nuclear industry] face.
“Terrorism is an intentional, intelligent event that seeks out the vulnerabilities of the plant – but an accident, which they are designed to guard against, is an unintelligent event. Nuclear plants are primarily built on an accident basis. But this [admission] does make the regulator more accountable.”
Clive Lewis, a shadow Energy minister, pointed out that the ONR’s admission comes shortly after news that the Civil Nuclear Constabulary will be cut by about 200 officers by 2020, despite government promises to protect police funding.
“Just as the nuclear regulator is acknowledging the all-too real threat from terrorism, the Government is cutting back on the police we need to prevent it,” Mr Lewis said. “We need investment to ensure energy security in every sense.”
A spokeswoman for the ONR said: “ONR’s strategy plan is deliberately outward-facing. Now we are in the third year of our operation as a public body, we are committed to openness and transparency and focused on ensuring the public are kept informed and reassured about our regulation of nuclear safety and security.”
The ONR was separated from the Health and Safety Executive in 2014.
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text:
This interactive visualization allows users to compare future projections of Wisconsin's average annual temperature with the actual changes of the last five decades. Text on the web page encourages students to think about the challenges Wisconsin could face if these changes occur.
This video follows Bermuda scientists into the field as they collect data that documents a warming trend in ocean temperatures. BIOS Director Tony Knapp discusses some of the impact of warming temperatures on sea levels, storms, and marine ecosystems.
In this lesson, students explore several facets of the impact of volcanic eruptions on the atmosphere. Students analyze three types of visual information: a graph of aerosol optical depth v. global temperature, a global map with temperature anomalies, and an ash plume photograph. In the hands-on activity, students use math to determine the rate and estimated time of arrival of an ash plume at an airfield.
In this activity, students learn about the urban heat island effect by investigating which areas of their schoolyard have higher temperatures - trees, grass, asphalt, and other materials. Based on their results, they hypothesize how concentrations of surfaces that absorb heat might affect the temperature in cities - the urban heat island effect. Then they analyze data about the history of Los Angeles heat waves and look for patterns in the Los Angeles climate data and explore patterns.
C-Learn is a simplified version of the C-ROADS simulator. Its primary purpose is to help users understand the long-term climate effects (CO2 concentrations, global temperature, sea level rise) of various customized actions to reduce fossil fuel CO2 emissions, reduce deforestation, and grow more trees. Students can ask multiple, customized what-if questions and understand why the system reacts as it does.
In this short video segment Native Americans talk about climate change and how it impacts their lives as they experience unexpected changes in environmental conditions. They describe observed changes in seasonality, how these changes affect ecosystems and habitats, their respect for Mother Earth, and the participation of tribal colleges in climate change research projects.
This is a real-time map of current drought conditions in the US, which can be zoomed to the state level, with access to many more resources at that level. Some of these include the National Drought Regional Summaries and animations of historical data.

domain: geography


A wide variety of singing and dancing entertainment has been scheduled for the 18th Annual Iris Festival on Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20, in downtown Greeneville.
The event will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Saturday's singing entertainment will kick off at 10 a.m. with the Community Children's Chorus of Greeneville.
This chorus has been in existence for four years and includes two groups of local students ranging in age from 4 to 16 years old.
The mission of the chorus, according to a spokesman, is to give children exceptional choral music instruction, as well as performance opportunities that foster creativity, personal expression and social development.
The music is varied in style, including pop, Broadway, classic and folk tunes.
The chorus is led by Angelia Woody and accompanied by Whitney Ball.
The Fabulous 50's will hit the stage at 11:15 a.m. This group of 15-20 local performers lip sync to music of the 1950s and early 1960s.
Proceeds from their more than 300 shows across the East Tennessee region since 1993 have been donated to charity.
At 12:30 p.m., The Great Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Band will fill the festival area with the sounds of bluegrass.
In less than a year's time, this group has performed in a five-state area, and appeared at major festivals and bluegrass venues such as the Bill Monroe Birthday Festival in Rosine, Ky., the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Va., and RA Fountain in Fountain, N.C.
They have become a monthly feature on Bill Knowlton's Bluegrass Ramble from Syracuse, N.Y., one of the best-known bluegrass radio shows in the nation.
They have also appeared throughout the country, have opened for major acts of bluegrass, have written songs for several other bands, have recorded a number of CDs and have established themselves among the foremost traditional bluegrass musicians around, a news release stated.
Scheduled at 1:45 p.m. are The Foundations, a gospel group widely known for their passionate presentation of the gospel in song. A family group that calls Greeneville home, they provide a mixed male/female Southern gospel sound.
Savannah Faith, the 2010 WIKQ Youth Talent Contest winner at the Greene County Fair, returns to Greene County from Kentucky to sing on the Iris Festival stage at 3 p.m.
She has sung in many competitions in the last 10 years, including the Tennessee Country Music Association competition and North American Country Music Association International, where she has won titles and awards for female vocalist and entertainer of the year.
She was the opening act for headliner country music star Jeff Bates at Renfro Valley and has performed shows with country music artist Bobby G. Rice, as well as at numerous fairs and festivals through southeastern Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.
Country music artists The Mason Dixon Boys will close out Saturday's singing entertainment with a one-hour performance beginning at 4:15 p.m.
Lance Huffman and Larry McMurray have been singing together for approximately 10 years and perform a wide range of modern and classic country songs, as well as traditional bluegrass.
They have appeared at various shows and festivals throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, including the Appalachian Fair, Rogersville Heritage Days, Bush Mill Days, Miss Kingsport Pageant and Kingsport Showtime.
They were also featured on a segment of the CBS Early Show.
Opening the Sunday performances at noon will be the Pebo Wilson Band.
Born in the mountains of East Tennessee to a family of musicians, Pebo Wilson learned to play country music with such influences as Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
He has opened for such acts as Vern Gosdin, B. J. Thomas and T.G. Shepard. Other members of the band include Mike Dearing, Thomas Tesnear and Alfred Ball.
Gospel Group McNally Music Ministries will perform at 1:30 p.m. Formed in September 2010, the group is composed of Darrell and Sina McNally, Josh Knight and Dwayne Shelton.
The Foundations return to the festival stage for a Sunday performance at 2:45 p.m.
At 4 p.m., the Nolichucky River Band will present an hour of traditional bluegrass and acoustic music.
The band consists of Eric Bowman on banjo and singing lead, Maynard Shelton playing mandolin and singing baritone and lead, Charlie Phillips playing guitar and singing lead and tenor, and Phil Hensley on bass and singing tenor and lead.
Bowman and Shelton are lifelong residents of Greene County, and Phillips lives in Bowmantown in Washington County while Hensley resides in Sullivan County.
The band performs at various local and regional venues and completed its first album last summer.
The schedule for the dancing stage is as follows: Saturday 10 a.m., Roby Swingers; 10:45 a.m., Dandylines; 11:30 a.m., Gold Edition; 12:15 p.m. Trailblazer Cloggers; 1 p.m., MainStreet Dance Company; 1:45 p.m., Stoney Creek Cloggers; 2:30 p.m., Lynn Garden Dancers; 3:15 p.m., Kickin' It Country; and 4 p.m., Tennessee Foothill Cloggers.
Sunday's lineup includes East Tennessee Twirling Academy at noon; 12:45 p.m., Dancers Unlimited; 1:30 p.m., Winter & Company; 2:15 p.m., Trailblazer Cloggers; 3 p.m., Stoney Creek Cloggers; and 3:45 p.m., Phase 3.
Sponsors for the entertainment include Consumer Credit Union, DTR Tennessee, the Greeneville Astros and McInturff, Milligan & Brooks Insurance.
Major sponsors for the festival are CenturyLink, 11 Connects, Grand Rental Station, The Greeneville Sun, Parker Hannifin, Takoma Regional Hospital, Wal-Mart Super Center, and WGRV/WIKQ/WSMG.
To apply for a booth space or obtain more information on the various aspects of the festival, call the Partnership at 423-638-4111 or email (firstname.lastname@example.org)


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Federal prosecutors in Trump's administration investigated claims of widespread voter fraud in North Carolina, but found nothing of the sort.
Since Election Day, Republicans have filed hundreds of bills aimed at restricting voting access. But the federal ‘For The People Act’ would introduce sweeping, NC-like voting reforms nationwide.
“What happens is your representative or senator doesn’t have any accountability toward you. They know that they can draw lines in such a way where they don’t have to listen to actual voters."
Hundreds of marchers moved through downtown Durham, NC Wednesday less than 24 hours after polls closed, demanding the state count every vote.
The presidential race and numerous others NC election results are still up in the air. Be patient, trust the process.
How will coronavirus affect voting on Election Day in NC this year? We've got the answers to your questions here.
Voting rights advocates say that NC is running out of time before Election Day to decide what to do with thousands of absentee ballots.

domain: news


text:
Hoist the Black Flag
“What are you doing in there! Get off the floor!”
The guard in silver bangs on the door, clanging a silvery baton against the bars of the Doctor’s cell.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
The key clicks in the lock. Old lock, old key.
Dank, dusty. Musty with old death smells.
“Oi! What is this?” the guard smirks, irritated at the audacity of the Doctor’s fell hand, lying in the muddy dirt like that.
He kicks at the shadow where the Doctor is slumped.
But, his boot sticks there; he pulls.
“You! Let go of my foot you idiot! You’re not allowed to play stupid games with us guards down here! I bring you food and this is how you thank... agh!”
The shadow crawls along his leg, sucking up the light. Darkness creeping and crumpling along.
And out of the darkness, five white fingertips and a hand.
“I’m sorry,” the darkness says softly, parting to allow the face of the Doctor to appear as the man himself stands up, brushing off flecks of shadow that reattach to him in disconcerting, magnetized little streams, “... but these are hostage negotiations. Sleepy time.”
The Doctor’s too-pale face reaches down, running just beside the guard’s.
The last thing the guard sees before the tiny black specks enter his helmet is a line of the stuff running from the Doctor’s left eye.
He screams, and then the helmet visor fills with black.
The Doctor smiles a cardboard smile and steps over the man’s body. Then he holds his hands out, turning them over and back again, staring at his palms.
“You could have warned me, you naughty things,” he murmurs, mesmerized by the black swarm flowing over his fingers and under his nails, “It’s a fine thing I’m pretty, or this would be the worst case of blackheads I’ve ever had. Thought I had bad skin before!”
He turns back to the guard on the floor, briefly, before leaving the cell door swinging.
“You really ought to get that dermatitis looked at by a Doctor... Ah well, time for my exit.”
Once outside the cell completely, he shoves his body to the wall, playing Bond against the stone, with his finger poking upward like a gun.
Suddenly, sweat beads on his face.
“Didn’t like that, huh? I know, I know, stupid joke. But I always wanted to do that bit. Hold on.”
He holds his hand up to his nose, circling his gun finger round in a half moon. The Nerada swarm slips over his hand, growing into a glove over his fingers. He cups his ear.
“Sounds like Jennifer knows we’ve flown the coop. Work with me,” the Doctor sends mentally, feeling the itch over his body of ‘message received’, “... there’ll be several waves. I can feel them through the floor.”
Then he shoves himself away from the stone wall, swinging his arm out with the Nerada in tow around his humerus area, swirling lopsidedly in irregular orbit around him.
Black flies around his wrist like a silk ribbon, careening forward, growing down his arm. Then the sharp onyx cloud whips the helmet off one guard as she rushes him from the corner.
“One down, several thousand to go! What’s it going to be, girls and boys?” he cries to the crowd, gauging the response by the universal quotient of silence divided by footstep.
The Doctor places his foot to the right, toe to heel, pulling back his black arm to strike again.
“So many footsteps!” he says softly, grinning a mad grin with his wide open lips and his shining teeth glooming in the shade of the hallway leading to the stairs, “... it’s going to be a long night.”

domain: literature


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Many years from now a retired Melanie Radford hopes to be sitting in her rocking chair celebrating the news that Cambridge’s University Technical College has produced its first Nobel Prize winner.
That is the dream for the acting principal of the UTC, a 650-place tech college being opened by Cambridge Regional College next year with science super brands such as Cambridge University and the Babraham Institute.
It represents the most groundbreaking development in education for 14 to 19-year-olds in the city for years and is designed to plug the skills shortages gap that has hampered some its biggest firms, which include college sponsors the East of England NHS, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge University Health Partners and the Medical Research Council.
Dr Who and Star Trek fan Mrs Radford, a former scientist who transformed blood transfusion services in Australia, believes the team that are bringing the college to bear is the “best in the world” in the industry - and that Cambridge is the ideal place for it.
She said: “For these young people who are going to want to follow this route, there is no better education that they can have in the world. I firmly believe that and I now have to prove it to everybody else.”
“I believe, and we will put everything into, every single student leaving with an apprenticeship, a job or a university place - and that’s what’s going to make it different from other schools.”
Teenagers aged just 14 will be able to swap mainstream schooling for the biomedical and environmental science college, which is being built near to Addenbrooke’s on land gifted to them by Long Road Sixth Form College.
At 16 and above they will be spending about 40 per cent of their time in the classroom and 60 per cent with the employers doing projects.
Those under 16 will be given a broader curriculum, incorporating subjects like humanities and languages, but will still spend about 40 per cent of school time with the employers, who also include Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge Cleantech and Anglian Water. Mrs Radford said there is one fundamental difference to school - the students will feel like they are at work. Even the length of the day, 8.30am to 5pm, mirrors traditional working hours.
She said: “We are just aiming for science students, those who have a passion for science, and then within that the 14-year-olds are going to get so much more because the day is so much longer. Their two years is like three years at a regular school just by the amount of time they are putting in. That extra time is face-to-face with employers so they are learning so much about the industry and working conditions.”
She added: “The aim is to make it feel more like work than school. The behaviour management system is totally based on ‘this is a work-place environment’, which is why going in much younger than that doesn’t really work. She said bad behaviour through refusing to do work or by swearing will be dealt with differently.
She said: “Rather than the traditional ‘stop’, it’s like ‘what would happen if you were in the workplace and you did that?’ Every day is like a job interview because you are working with these employers and if you can consistently be a well-behaved, reliable, do-your-work person - that’s what they’re looking for.”
When asked if they were treading on the toes of other schools and colleges in the area by opening its doors to those 14 years and up she said: “I’d like to think that we’re not, but the reality is of course there is only a certain number of students.”
She added secondary schools, all but one of which are an academy in Cambridgeshire, are now operating in a free market system where competition reigns.
“The UTC is in that mix and although England especially has not really had that concept of a free market in education, it sorts itself out,” she added.
“You get your flavour of your school and that attracts certain people. You have your specialities. We’re not looking to attract everybody, we have a very specific target group which is not actually that big.”
Asked if the UTC will one day claim a Nobel Prize winner among its alumni Mrs Radford said: “It’s too early to say, but that would be really cool. When I’m sitting in my rocking chair when I’m 83, maybe the UTC will get its first Nobel Prize , but there’s a lot of work to do before I can think too much about that.”


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Date: Friday November 14th, 2014
Location: Smith Warehouse, Bay 4, Franklin Garage
The Human Rights Archive is co-sponsoring a symposium that will focus on truth telling and justice in the context of human rights. The exciting list of speakers includes representatives from two of the Archive’s partners:
Eduardo González is Director of the International Center for Transitional Justice’s (ICTJ) Truth and Memory Program, which provides advice to countries on truth commissions, declassification of archives, memorialization activities, museums, and other instruments. He has provided technical and strategic support to truth-seeking initiatives in places as diverse as East Timor, Morocco, Liberia, Canada, and the Western Balkans. Before joining ICTJ, he helped organize and carry out the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Previously, he worked as an advocate for the establishment of the International Criminal Court. The historical records of ICTJ are also part of the Human Rights Archive in the Rubenstein Library.
Pamela Merchant is the Executive Director of the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), and an attorney with 25 years of experience in the conduct and management of complex state and federal litigation. She joined CJA in October 2005 and has overseen a period of significant growth – both programmatically and financially. Under her leadership, CJA has grown from an organization devoted solely to human rights litigation in the U.S. to one that also engages in human rights litigation in foreign jurisdictions, such as Spain and Cambodia. Ms. Merchant has testified before Congress on accountability for human rights abusers and other human rights issues and received degrees from Georgetown University and Boston College School of Law. Ms. Merchant will explore changes in the field over the past 30 years with a particular focus on the resilience of survivors and their communities and the critical role they play in building high impact human rights cases.
All sessions are open to the public. For a free lunch, please RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.org by Thursday November 13th.
9:00 am- Coffee and Pastries
9:30-10:30 am- Andrea Petö, “Revised and Revisionist Histories in Eastern Europe” (followed by Q & A)
10:30-11:30 am- Kimberly Theidon, “Incarnations: Legacies of Violence in Peru” (followed by Q & A)
11:45-1:00 pm- Lunch
1:00-2:00 pm- Pamela Merchant, “Truth telling, Human Rights Litigation and Resilience” (followed by Q & A)
2:00-3:00 pm- Eduardo Gonzalez Cueva, “Truth Orthodoxies: The Truth Commission Model, 30 Years after Argentina” (followed by Q & A)
3:00-4:00 pm- Roundtable discussion
Sponsored by The Human Rights Archive at the Rubenstein Library, the Duke Human Rights Center at FHI the Trent Memorial Foundation. Cosponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies, Duke History Department, and Duke Cultural Anthropology.
For further information contact Patrick Stawski, Duke University email@example.com 919-660-5823.

domain: library


Consequences were dramatic for Valentina Pavlenko, who during the 2WW fell in love with a U.S. sailor in the Arkhangelsk Interclub. Sixty-five years later, the now 80 year old woman shares her experiences from the unique Soviet social clubs for western sailors.
Thousands of girls from Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and Molotovsk (today Severodvinsk) frequented Interclubs, clubs established by the Soviet government for foreign seamen during World War II. The clubs offered movies, music and dancing to sailors working in Arctic convoys, which delivered vital supplies under the Lend Lease program from August 1941 to May 1945, the Moscow Times reports.
A total of 1,400 merchant ships -- accompanied variously by destroyers, anti-submarine trawlers, minesweepers and cruisers - delivered the supplies from Britain and the United States to the Soviet Union. By 1943, the number of staff at the British military mission in Arkhangelsk alone totalled 80 people, the newspaper writes.
Olga Golubtsova, journalist and author from Severodvinsk (Arkhangelsk Oblast) has written extensively about the Interclub romances. After the foreign sailors left, many of the Russian girls were arrested, some of them sent in exile. Ms. Valentina Pavlenko was imprisoned in a labor camp in the far northern town of Salekhard.
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and the United States to the northern ports of the Soviet Union - Archangel and Murmansk. According to Wikipedia, there were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945. About 1400 merchant ships delivered vital supplies to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program. 85 merchant vessels and 16 Royal Navy warships.


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A Most Eggs-travagant Easter
You’ll find lots of fantastic events happening over Easter in the Cayman Islands. This year Easter falls on Sunday, April 5th. Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays, so residents enjoy a lovely long weekend in Cayman, and you’re invited to celebrate with them!
The Ritz-Carlton holds several fun events over the Easter weekend including an Easter Bunny Tea that children love and a Taittinger Champagne Easter Brunch where adults can enjoy bottomless champagne. Visit The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman website for more details.
Another great family fun event—and long-time Caymanian tradition—is Kitefest. Bring your own kite or buy one at the festival for fun-filled activity and a chance to experience a bit of Caribbean culture. A kite shop selling a limited selection of kites will be available at the festival. Other entertainment includes a bouncy castle, paddleboarding, kayaking and kiting tricks and kite gear demos by kiteboarders from The SweetSpot.
Local maritime and holiday traditions will also meet over the Easter Weekend when the Cayman Catboat Club gears up for the 8th Annual Cayman Catboat Easter Regatta on Easter Saturday. You can watch the parade of heritage single-mast sailboats from the beach at The Residences.

domain: travel


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New Rules For CrossFit 2019 Competition
You were probably wondering about the slowly approaching 2019 CrossFit games, and it’s only fair to keep you in the loop.
There have been several announcements regarding the forthcoming schedule, and the CrossFit organization has made some significant changes.
Like the new sanctioned competitions replacing the previous Regional events.
These events will occur around the world and will allow a chance for all competitors to qualify for the 2019 games. A CrossFit competition will give people in different countries an opportunity to compete and come together as a community.
More changes are in place for the games and competition will be fierce as athletes battle for the title of “World’s Fittest Man/Woman”…
What’s Ahead for CrossFit 2019?
Well, the first announced sanctioned event will take place in Dubai U.A.E. in December. The top competitors to qualify online will have the chance to compete amongst the first group of CrossFit athletes.
The qualifying events listed are scheduled to occur throughout multiple cites around the world as follows:
- Dubai CrossFit Championship – Dubai U.A.E. – December 2018
- Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival – Miami, Florida, U.S. – January 2019
- Fittest in Cape Town – Cape Town, South Africa – January 2019
- CrossFit Strength in Depth – London, England, U.K. – February 2019
- Mid Atlantic CrossFit Challenge – Baltimore, Maryland / D.C. Area, U.S. -April 2019
- CrossFit Italian Showdown – Milan, Italy – April 2019
- Brazil CrossFit Championship – São Paulo, Brazil -May 2019
- CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown – Apeldoorn, Netherlands – May 2019
- CrossFit French Throwdown – Paris, France – June 2019
- CrossFit Granite Games – Saint Cloud, Minnesota, U.S. – June 2019
- SouthFit CrossFit Challenge – Buenos Aires, Argentina – December 2019
Successful competitors (Top male, female and teams) from these events will lock in their spots to compete in the official “CrossFit Games” in August 2019.
These affiliate cities will make up a large total of the competition but with a new elimination process, the number of finalists will be significantly less.
New Changes for CrossFit Competition (Elimination Style Format)
Aside from the sanctioned events (Athletes must qualify through a sanctioned event to receive a finals invite), the changes create a lot more competition possibilities.
A significant change in rules has allowed athletes to choose their teammates regardless of affiliation. (This makes for awesome competition)!
Also, teams/individuals must now win a sanctioned event in order to qualify for a spot. The CrossFit Open will still occur in February and October 2019. The top 20 qualifiers from the Open will get a spot as well.
The changes are interesting and things are looking optimistic for the CrossFit community!
New Things are Ahead for CrossFit Competition
CrossFit is making several changes and a new style of competition makes for an interesting year looking ahead.
Competitors have more freedom to choose their teammates and international groups get the chance to showcase their talents. The efforts for the changes were made to bring competition together.
Like mentioned previously… Madison, Wisconsin will still host the games in 2019 and a new champion/s will be crowned…


EU Ambassador to Ukraine Maasikas visits Mykolaiv
Matti Maasikas met with Vitaly Kim and Oleksandr Sienkovych during his trip to Mykolaiv (Photo:@MattiMaasikas/Twitter)
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas has visited Mykolaiv, where he met with regional governor Vitaliy Kim and the Mayor of the city Oleksandr Senkevich, according to the photo on his Twitter page with representatives of local authorities and the EU flag on Nov. 21.
"In Mykolaiv, with Governor Vitaliy Kim, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich and with the EU flag that was torn off when the regional administration building was destroyed by a Russian missile," the ambassador said.
Maasikas also showed the scale of destruction in Mykolaiv as a result of the attacks of the Russian military.
"The destruction Russians have brought on Mykolaiv is enormous: schools, universities, administrative and residence buildings. But first and foremost, hundreds of lost civilian lives," the diplomat said.
He also showed Kim holding a briefing for ambassadors in the bomb shelter of the Art Theater of Ukraine.
Maasikas said even during the Russian air attacks, performances are staged here.
Russian invasion forces have regularly shelled the city, launching rocket attacks on residential and industrial areas. In early November, Mayor Senkevich stated that since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, there had been only 44 days when Russians did not shell Mykolaiv.
After the liberation of the west bank of Kherson Oblast and Kherson city, the number of attacks on Mykolaiv has significantly decreased, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine have said that a threat to the city from the Russians still remains.
Kim said that almost the whole of Mykolaiv Oblast has returned to the control of Ukraine.
Only part of the Kinburn Spit remains under Russian occupation. Three settlements belonging to Mykolaiv Oblast are located there: Pokrovske, Vasylivka, and Pokrovka.
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As a way of putting smiles on the faces of his constituents and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in general, the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Hon. Emomotimi Guwor on Saturday 23rd December, 2017 distributed food items worth several millions of naira.
The food items which include 200 bags of rice, cartons of tin tomatoes and other gift items were distributed to the party and non-party members in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri West Local Government Area of Delta state.
Speaking with GbaramatuVoice correspondent shortly after the presentation of the gift items, Hon. Guwor explained that the gift items distributed were his own way of giving back to the society that made him.
He further told our correspondent that he took this decision to distribute gifts to appreciate the long-standing loyalty of the party faithfuls who have been resolute in their support for the PDP as a party and the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and His Deputy, Barr. Kingsley Burutu Otuaro led administration.
The Executive Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Delta state used the avenue to reel out the landmark achievements of Okowa/Otuaro administration in the state right from 2015.
He therefore solicited for unalloyed support and cooperation of the entire local government area to the policies and goals of the state government which according to him is the overall wellbeing of all and sundry.
Responding on behalf of the 20 PDP councillorship aspirants in Warri South West Local Government Area, Hon. Raymond Pirah, a Councillorship aspirant for Ogidigben Ward 6, described the gesture as laudable coming from a true leader.


Short Version: How exactly do (modern) voltage/current meters measure the numbers they do, from first principles? References much appreciated.
We measure length with a ruler, time with a clock, and mass with a scale. The units of such quantities are all relative to some commonly accepted standard, i.e. a stick of a fixed length, a certain interval of time, a certain amount of water at fixed conditions, etc. These quantities are relatively easy for us humans to understand.
But what about voltage and current? I understand how you can define electric fields experimentally - get a certain amount of charge on an object, and measure the force (response) felt by that charged object. Similarly with magnetic fields - send some charges through a magnetic field and measure their response. To measure the voltage across two points, I suppose you could connect some small "resistor" in between two points and measure how hot it gets under certain fixed conditions (maintained within your measurement device).
I'm sure my intuition on all this "phenomenology" of voltage and current is based on 19th century equipment, but that's the only equipment I ever see intuitively broken down. Modern electrical equipment is more mysterious (owing to its inherent complexity I'm sure).
Every time I try to look for an explanation of how multimeters really measure voltage and current, I'm met with circular explanations like "You measure voltage by connecting a resistor in parallel and measuring the voltage drop across it, or current passing through it" and "You measure current by connecting a resistor in series and measuring the voltage across it". Please, I just want an intuitive and direct answer. I would also very much appreciate a reference to some article/discussion on this.


Merlot Industries was a corporation that appeared in the video game RWBY: Grimm Eclipse, where it played a major role in the plot. It has yet to be mentioned or appear in the series itself.
The corporation initially led research into artificial intelligence and genetics. However, they began experimenting on live Grimm, later going as far as attracting Grimm to Mountain Glenn in order to acquire additional specimens, with disastrous results.
The corporation lost its primary facility as well as many of its chief staff officers in the fall of Mountain Glenn. It was unable to recover from this blow, shutting down shortly after.
Many years later, Merlot Industries technology began reappearing in the Emerald Forest, where the security network was also mysteriously sabotaged. Large cages bearing the logo of the defunct corporation were also found in the area, which Peter Port speculated were intended for capturing live Grimm specimens.
In order to investigate, Team RWBY headed to the corporation's abandoned facility in Mountain Glenn, which was booby trapped with a large bomb. The team also encountered mysterious mutant Creeps in the subterranean ruins of the city.
Further facilities were also found in Forever Fall forest, including a Grimm holding facility and a large dock where corporation ships load and offload their cargo. Upon investigation, Team RWBY encountered more mutant species of Grimm, including mutant Beowolves.
After accidentally stowing away on a cargo ship, Team RWBY learned that Doctor Merlot had in fact survived the fall of Mountain Glenn, relocating to a remote island where he continued his research into Grimm, using a serum that caused mutations. Team RWBY fought their way past Merlot's security androids and hordes of his mutants, eventually defeating an enormous mutant Death Stalker. Defeated, Merlot then destroyed his laboratory, apparently putting an final end to Merlot Industries.
One of the company's greatest invention is Doctor Merlot's serum, a glowing green substance that was capable of creating mutant Grimm with highly enhanced strength and size, as well as brand new capabilities depending on the species.
When Creeps are exposed to the serum, they become explosive and will seek out enemies and detonate near them. Mutant Beowolves are capable of firing a line of spikes that erupt out through the ground as a ranged attack. The most dangerous Grimm created by Merlot was a mutant Death Stalker which gained a variety of new attacks and was even capable of spawning other Grimm.
According to RWBY: Combat Ready Doctor Merlot is also capable of creating Grimm hybrids. His methods of doing so are currently unknown.
Apart from the mutants, Merlot also created two variants of powerful combat androids, one armed with a spear or glaive like weapon and the other armed with a machine gun and grenade launcher. These were used as security to defend Merlot's island.
Doctor Merlot has briefly mentioned androids capable of repairing equipment fast and efficiently.
All of these androids were destroyed when the Island's self-destruct mechanism was activated by Merlot.
Other inventions include large cages intended for capturing live Grimm specimens and unspecified equipment for sabotaging anti-Grimm security networks and CCT towers which were used on two security networks the Emerald Forest and three CCT towers found on Merlot's island.
- The World of Remnant episode "Grimm" explores the possibility of Grimm capture and study. The narrator states that it is incredibly difficult to capture and keep Grimm in captivity and that study of Grimm have left scientists with more questions than answers. Merlot Industries has apparently had more success than others, but their research ultimately resulted in the destruction of Mountain Glenn.
- Merlot is a type of grape most notably used in making the red wine that shares its name.
- The actions that Merlot Industries performed experimenting on Grimm references "The Island of Doctor Moreau" where the titular doctor experimented on the animals on the island he was inhabiting in order to force them to evolve. The company's destruction also references Moreau's death near the end of the novel when the animals begin to revert back.
- Merlot Industries seems to have a heavy hexagon aesthetic. With their logo having the base shape of a hexagon and almost all of their constructions having hexagonal patterns on them.


text:
Track your progress and challenge your friends!
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Fantastic time, Ginger!!! Nicely done!
Thanks Dan and a huge thanks to YOU and all of the fantastic volunteers!!! Lots of fun - can't wait for next year :-)
Thanks for keeping me pushing hard the last 5 miles. It was all I could do to keep up.
That's a terrific time Ginger, congrats!

domain: hobby


The 13 Most Unusual New Uses For Drones
Sure, drones have found a place in law enforcement. But you'll also see them in third world countries, on farms, and in many other places.
There's a growing community of hobbyists who build and fly their own drones.
Some people are tinkering with ways for drones to deliver tacos, and even build towers.
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Bill Barr’s DOJ has this to say about whether Mike Flynn’s lies to the FBI on January 24, 2017 were material.
It was material to the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation to know the full extent of the defendant’s communications with the Russian Ambassador, and why he lied to the FBI about those communications.
The defendant’s false statements to the FBI were significant. When it interviewed the defendant, the FBI did not know the totality of what had occurred between the defendant and the Russians. Any effort to undermine the recently imposed sanctions, which were enacted to punish the Russian government for interfering in the 2016 election, could have been evidence of links or coordination between the Trump Campaign and Russia. Accordingly, determining the extent of the defendant’s actions, why the defendant took such actions, and at whose direction he took those actions, were critical to the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation.
As the Court has already found, his false statements to the FBI were material, regardless of the FBI’s knowledge of the substance of any of his conversations with the Russian Ambassador. See Mem. Opinion at 51-52. The topic of sanctions went to the heart of the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation. Any effort to undermine those sanctions could have been evidence of links or coordination between the Trump Campaign and Russia.
You might be forgiven for believing that Bill Barr’s DOJ didn’t made a vigorous argument to Judge Emmet Sullivan that Flynn’s lies were material, one that remains active before Sullivan, because almost no coverage of recent events concerning Flynn accounts for the posture of the case, in which there are at least four pending decisions before Sullivan. Several of those active representations argue Flynn’s lies were material.
Instead, coverage claims that Bill Barr’s DOJ believes that Flynn’s lies were in no way material. It is true that, in a motion to dismiss the case submitted last week, Bill Barr’s DOJ argued the lies weren’t material.
The Government is not persuaded that the January 24, 2017 interview was conducted with a legitimate investigative basis and therefore does not believe Mr. Flynn’s statements were material even if untrue. Moreover, we not believe that the Government can prove either the relevant false statements or their materiality beyond a reasonable doubt.
In any event, there was no question at the FBI as to the content of the calls; the FBI had in its possession word-for-word transcripts of the actual communications between Mr. Flynn and Mr. Kislyak. See Ex. 5 at 3; Ex. 13. at 3. With no dispute as to what was in fact said, there was no factual basis for the predication of a new counterintelligence investigation. Nor was there a justification or need to interview Mr. Flynn as to his own personal recollections of what had been said. Whatever gaps in his memory Mr. Flynn might or might not reveal upon an interview regurgitating the content of those calls would not have implicated legitimate counterintelligence interests or somehow exposed Mr. Flynn as beholden to Russia.
I know journalists are used to covering the Trump administration as a series of independent outrages, each one drowning out a prior newly inoperative one. But in courts, statements from a given party are presumed to have continuity, at least until those statements are resolved legally.
DOJ, generally, is assumed to have continuity in any proceeding, even between Administrations, and generally only changes position when the law or an interpretation of it changes, and as such would apply to all affected parties.
That’s all the more true within the span of one Administration. And in this case, Trump’s Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein agreed Flynn’s lies were material when he approved false statement charges against Flynn in December 2017, Trump’s Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker’s DOJ argued Flynn’s lies were material when DOJ moved to sentencing in December 2018, Bill Barr’s DOJ argued “the FBI was engaged in a legitimate and significant investigation,” when it successfully defeated a request to dismiss the prosecution last fall, and Barr’s DOJ argued Flynn’s lies were material in January.
It is true that Barr’s DOJ has provided a claimed basis for changing its mind about the legitimacy of the investigation into Flynn and the materiality of the lies he told. It cites “newly discovered and disclosed information” as well as “recently declassified information.”
After a considered review of all the facts and circumstances of this case, including newly discovered and disclosed information appended to the defendant’s supplemental pleadings, ECF Nos. 181, 188-190,1 the Government has concluded that the interview of Mr. Flynn was untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn—a no longer justifiably predicated investigation that the FBI had, in the Bureau’s own words, prepared to close because it had yielded an “absence of any derogatory information.”
1 This review not only included newly discovered and disclosed information, but also recently declassified information as well.
Not only is the reference to “newly declassified information” a tell that this information is claimed only to be new to Flynn, the motion to dismiss does none of the things legal filings are supposed to do to substantiate claims like this. There’s no declaration from Jeffrey Jensen describing the reasons for his review and explaining how, over three years into this investigation, he came to discover “new” information that hadn’t been considered by Rod Rosenstein and Matt Whitaker and Bill Barr or Robert Mueller and Jessie Liu when DOJ had previously argued this was a legitimate investigation. There’s no declaration from a Records Officer explaining how it is that the two files claimed to be new evaded anyone’s attention all these years and proving these documents hadn’t been reviewed by DOJ before. There’s not even a description in the filing specifying what it is that DOJ is claiming to be new, there’s just a citation to docket entries of stuff that was newly turned over to Flynn.
Plus, all of the facts on which this motion to dismiss relies — that the FBI hadn’t found anything in its counterintelligence investigation into Flynn, but decided to keep it open in early January 2017 when they discovered the Kislyak transcripts, and that people in DOJ and FBI had conflicting understandings of the status of the investigation leading up to the interview — has not only been known to DOJ but has been public since March 22, 2018, when Republicans released it in their Russian Report.
Director Comey testified that he authorized the closure of the CI investigation into General Flynn by late December 2016; however, the investigation was kept open due to the public discrepancy surrounding General Flynn’s communications with Ambassador Kislyak. [redacted] Deputy Director McCabe stated that, “we really had not substantiated anything particularly significant against General Flynn,” but did not recall that a closure was imminent.
The Committee received conflicting testimony from Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Yates, Director Comey, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General McCord, and Deputy Director McCabe about whether the primary purpose of the interview was investigating potentially misleading statements to the Vice President, which the Vice President echoed publicly about the content of those calls; a possible violation of the Logan Act; or a desire to obtain more information as part of the counterintelligence investigation into General Flynn.
Sullivan knows well that DOJ knew of this information, because he litigated a long dispute over this information starting in August and wrote an opinion on it in December. He even reviewed two of the 302s the government relies heavily on — those of Mary McCord and Sally Yates — to make sure the summaries DOJ gave to Flynn were sufficient, which is pretty good proof that DOJ knew about them and their representations about the almost-closed investigation and the discussions about the multiple things FBI was investigating. Billy Barr claimed in his interview that this was new to him — something he has not done in a representation to the court — but then described just what appears in the passage from the HPSCI Report, something which was public (and circumstances to which he alluded in his confirmation hearing). In fact, FBI has gone on the record to say that these records had already been shared with DOJ IG (which completed a report in December that didn’t treat them as unusual) and the John Durham inquiry (which began a year ago).
With regard to certain documents in the Michael Flynn matter from the 2016-2017 time period that are now the subject of reporting by the press, the FBI previously produced those materials to the Inspector General and U.S. Attorney Durham,” the FBI said.
So these documents aren’t even new to oversight elements in DOJ outside of the prosecutorial team that argued for the materiality of this case. Because the documents are not new to DOJ, DOJ has offered no valid reason to flip-flop about its view on the legitimacy of the investigation and the materiality of Flynn’s lies.
All the more so given one more detail about this case. Before prosecutors submitted the sentencing memo in January that made an aggressive case for the legitimacy of the prosecution and the materiality of Flynn’s lies, they had to get two extensions to secure the necessary approvals. In December, prosecutors got a week extension for their sentencing memo to get approval from the “multiple individuals and entities” who would need to approve it.
There are multiple individuals and entities who must review and approve the government’s submission, including any changes from the government’s prior sentencing memorandum and its specific sentencing recommendations.
Then, on January 6, the government asked for and got one more day.
As the government represented in its initial motion, there are multiple individuals and entities who must review and approve the government’s submission, including any changes from the government’s prior sentencing memorandum and its specific sentencing recommendations. The government has worked assiduously over the holidays to complete this task, but we find that we require an additional 24 hours to do so. The government respectfully requests that this Court extend the government’s deadline to provide its supplemental sentencing memorandum to Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at 12:00 p.m.
Having twice granted extensions so prosecutors could be sure they got all the approvals they needed for their sentencing memorandum, and absent any claim since they didn’t secure those approvals, Judge Sullivan would be well-justified in treating that sentencing memorandum arguing forcefully for the legitimacy of the investigation into Flynn as the view of the entire DOJ, up to and including the Attorney General.
And since DOJ’s claims to have discovered “new” information since then are not supported by any proof and are in fact refuted by the public record, he has good reason to treat the earlier representations from Bill Barr’s DOJ as the operative one.
In Judge Sullivan’s court, Bill Barr’s DOJ’s claim that Flynn’s lies are material remains an active legal claim in support of sentencing, even while Bill Barr’s DOJ claims something entirely different in opposition to continuing the prosecution. Even Bill Barr has conceded that Judge Sullivan gets to decide whether to accept the motion to dismiss. If Sullivan rejects it, he can move immediately to sentencing, relying on Bill Barr’s DOJ’s argument that Flynn’s lies were material. Bill Barr is arguing with himself here.
Flynn’s supporters have started to argue that Sullivan’s appointment of John Gleeson conflicts with the recent SCOTUS decision in Sineneng-Smith which prohibits courts from seeking out opinions from parties not before the court to present issues that haven’t otherwise been presented.
One week ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 9-0 decision, authored by Justice Ginsburg, that took judges to task for similar amicus antics. Her opinion for the Court in U.S. v. Sineneng-Smith upbraided the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for violating a basic aspect of legal proceedings called the “party presentation principle.” In a nutshell, this concept dictates that judges must decide the case as presented by the parties before them. They are not to go out questing for dragons to slay (or issues to tackle) that the parties have not brought before them. As J. Ginsburg put it: “[C]ourts are essentially passive instruments of government … They ‘do not, or should not, sally forth each day looking for wrongs to right. [They] wait for cases to come to [them], and when [cases arise, courts] normally decide only questions presented by the parties.”
That’s not what’s happening here. Judge Sullivan is asking Gleeson to argue the view of a party that remains before the court: that of DOJ, which argued in December 2017 and in December 2018 and in November 2019 and in January 2020 that Flynn’s lies are material and the prosecution just. The issues of materiality have been before the court since 2017, and DOJ has argued for the materiality of Flynn’s lies vigorously. I have no idea what Sullivan plans to do with respect to additional testimony. But even based on the public record as it exists today (not least because the motion to dismiss egregiously misrepresents the exhibits it relies on and in them, presented evidence that the purpose of the Flynn interview was clear), Gleeson could easily substantiate DOJ’s still active representation before Judge Sullivan’s court (in their still-pending sentencing memorandum) that Flynn was rightly prosecuted for material lies to the FBI.
Unlike Trump, Bill Barr doesn’t get to just ignore claims his own DOJ has made in the past. He can claim he has reason to reverse those claims, but there, too, Sullivan has discretion. DOJ would have to ask leave to modify its sentencing recommendation, and provide proof lacking here they have reason to do so. As it stands, however, DOJ has not asked to modify the sentencing recommendation, and thus their claims about materiality remain before Sullivan unchanged, sitting there in the docket right next to Bill Barr’s DOJ’s radically different claims.
There has been some shitty commentary presenting Bill Barr’s motion to withdraw as a Both-Sides issue, but totally misconstruing which are the two sides, claiming it pits DOJ against critics.
The Justice Department argues that the FBI shouldn’t have conducted its Jan. 24, 2017, interview of Flynn, because the bureau was already aware through phone intercepts of what he had discussed with the Russian ambassador and there wasn’t proper justification for continuing the investigation of Flynn. That request to dismiss, put forward by Attorney General William Barr, has been criticized by nearly 2,000 former Justice Department officials and hailed by Trump and his supporters.
But it totally misconstrues the two sides here. They are Bill Barr’s DOJ versus Bill Barr’s DOJ.
This is the rare opportunity where the kind of Both-Sides journalism the Beltway press loves to practice has merit. On one side, there’s Bill Barr’s DOJ, which has a currently active argument that Mike Flynn’s lies were material to a legitimate investigation. On the other side, there’s Bill Barr’s DOJ, which has a different argument (one that conflicts with the exhibits presented with it) that because there was no legitimate investigation at the time, Mike Flynn’s lies were not material.


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Some may be surprised to learn that the top makeup artist does not feel the need to use pricey brushes all of the time. In fact, when questioned on what her tool of choice is when applying foundation, she revealed: “Hands are the best tools. “When I work with models I really feel the structure of the face using my hands and prep their skin accordingly.” Nikki had a host of other tips she shared during her tutorial at the GLAMOUR Beauty Festival.
When I work with models I really feel the structure of the face using my hands and prep their skin accordingly
One of these was picking the best primer for your skin type will make sure the rest of the look is flawless.
Oily skins should start with a mattifying primer, while those who don’t worry about shine can choose something more pearlescent or illuminating.
Another top tip Nikki shared for long lasting makeup was to apply pencil to eyes before eyeshadow.
Nikki usually uses a brown eyeliner which suits all skin tones, blending it into the eye crease before putting powder shadow on top.
Explaining why, she said: “This will ensure your powder stays in place and doesn’t crease. Brown pencil works so nicely on all eye colours.”
The GLAMOUR Beauty Festival 2019 in association with Boots at the Saatchi Gallery in London. The Festival will be held in Manchester 2-3rd November 2019.
Source: Read Full Article

domain: artistic


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Burial and interment of cremated remains in Hadlow Cemetery will only be allowed if an Exclusive Right of Burial (EROB) has been purchased. (Note: this refers to the ‘exclusive right of burial in a grave space’ and not the purchase of the land itself which remains the property of Hadlow Parish Council).
The above charges do not include digging of grave (which should be arranged through the funeral director).
*Please contact the Parish Office for more information, if required.
Purchase of EROB entitles the grantee to erect a memorial, however before any memorial can be installed or works undertaken to an existing memorial, an application from the memorial mason (or funeral director) must be submitted on the appropriate Parish Council Memorial Application form for approval by the Parish Office. All memorial work carried out must be in accordance with the relevant Code of Working Practice of The National Association of Memorial Masons/ BRAMM Blue Book and BS8415 and Hadlow Cemetery Regulations.
The Parish Office
Hadlow Old School Hall
Kent TN11 0EH
Phone: 01732 851878

domain: law


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Focus on Growing your Business, Trust the Bookkeeping to us.
Accurate bookkeeping is essential to your company’s long-term viability. Experienced, affordable, and reliable, we serve a variety of industries and clients--from self-employed home-based business owners to small and medium size businesses with employees. When you outsource your bookkeeping services to us, you get one on one personalized service and state of the art technology and payroll software.
If you’re just starting a business, we’ll set up reporting and recordkeeping systems that make it easy for you to keep track of where your money is going. If you’ve been in business for a while but need help cleaning up your books, we’ll work with you to streamline your bookkeeping systems and set up a system of checks and balances.
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At Armstrong, Vaughan & Associates, P.C., we've been serving the accounting needs of San Antonio area and the surrounding areas for years. If you need help managing any aspect of your home or business's finances, we want to hear from you.
Please fill out this form and let us know how we can be of service.
Thank you for visiting. We look forward to working together!

domain: economics


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Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando was truly dazzling with crystal accents and shades of purple for Natasha and Kaz’s grand wedding day. Pink Peppermint Celebrations brought their wedding vision to life for their special day with La Vega Fotographie and Brandon Kari Films capturing every spectacular moment.
For the romantic outdoor ceremony, our White Chiavari Chairs paired perfectly with our White Chair Pads. Lush white florals created by Linens & Flower Design perched beautifully on top of our Clear Mirrored Pedestals.
Soft purple uplighting by White Rose Entertainment bathed the ballroom in a beautiful light. Our Silver Chiavari Chairs surrounded glittery tablescapes that included our Silver Belmont Glass Chargers and Flatware. The couple chose our Clear Chiavari Chairs and Mr. and Mrs. Standing Crystal Sign for their fabulous sweetheart table. Florida Candy Buffets provided a sweet candy buffet, and the delicate detail of the four-tiered wedding cake crafted by Anna Cakes was stunning on top of our Bling Round Cake Stand.
Coordinator: Pink Peppermint Celebrations
Photographer: La Vega Fotographie
Videographer: Brandon Kari Films
Floral/Linens: Linens & Flowers Design
Cake/Cupcakes: Anna Cakes
Candy Table: Florida Candy Buffets
Photo Booth: Scott Trippler

domain: design


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A dear funky repeater
A beloved classic has returned as this month's coffee. We have been looking forward to presenting you with the new harvest of our very special El Desafio.
For some of you this may be a reunion and for others a new and exciting experience awaits. Nevertheless, the new harvest of El Desafio is as delicious as the coffees from Café Rivense usually are.
The family farm
Café Rivense is located in this beautiful location in Costa Rica. The farm was founded back in the 1940s and is today run as a real family business by Ricardo, his father Régulo, his mother Isabelle and his brothers Mario, Luis and Esteban.
A coffee you won't forget
Unique is probably a good description of El Desafio. It's one of our more unusual coffees, but also one of the most popular we've had over time.
This is a Natural processed coffee. So the beans are dried inside the intact berry. In this way, it gets the opportunity to extract a high degree of sweetness and fruitiness from the pulp. It produces flavors that may seem very different from more traditional coffee flavors, but are absolutely wonderful.
This coffee often demands even the more seasoned coffee drinkers a "stop it, what just happened there" reaction and it is certainly not a coffee you just forget.
Visit from Costa Rica
What does rhubarb really taste like?
Good memories come to mind in connection with the release of this harvest. About a year ago, we had a visit from the Ureña family here in Fillerup. We tasted the coffee, discussed production and roasting profile and held an open event in the coffee bar with Ricardo.
It was one of those visits which has absolutely inestimable value for us, and where we have the opportunity to create an even closer relationship with the coffee farmers we collaborate with.
The visit also gave rise to a fun experience. We have described one of the flavor notes in El Desafio as rhubarb, which is not a plant that the Ureña family was familiar with. To solve that problem, we had to dust up some rhubarb soda so they could get to know that flavor note. It was in December, so unfortunately they couldn't taste the real thing.
Origin: Costa Rica
Variety: Villa Sarchi
Harvest: April 2022
Notes: Sweet and creamy with notes of strawberry, rhubarb, papaya and guava
The new harvest of El Desafio has given rise to a slight adjustment in the description of flavor notes.
This time the taste in the coffee has a distinct hint of tropical fruit. It is sweet and creamy with notes of strawberry, rhubarb, papaya and guava.
Look forward to tasting it - and feel free to share your experiences with us
We have paid the cooperative $9.09/kg for the coffee (FOB).
The market price at the time of the contract was $4.57/kg
In this case, we have therefore paid 199% of the market price for the coffee.
Read more about why we pay more for our coffeehere.

domain: food


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RALEIGH,NC–The North Carolina State Fair begins on October 13 and runs through October 23,2016. Around this time, everyone gets money together and plans to go visit the fair.
In 2013, there was a serious incident on the Vortex ride. In Raleigh, NC, five people were injured and taken to WakeMed.
“Preliminary reports indicate the ride had stopped and people were offloading when it suddenly reopened,” said Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison.
The vortex ride malfunctioned as riders were stepping out of their seats.Riders were flung and knocked to the ground. 30 victims suffered a brain,skull,neck and spinal cord injuries.
The five who were injured were between ages of 14 and 39. Two people were seriously injured, but the other two of the victims were released overnight.
Kisha Gorham says she still has pain from shoulder injury she suffered on the Vortex, but she is more concerned with the mental anguish her son continues to suffer.
In 2015, the Vortex ride owner got 30 days in jail for the North Carolina State Fair accident.
It is possible for people to make mistakes when setting up the equipment. There have been a lot of other accidents concerning rides at the fair.
With all of the incidents that have happened, it makes people scared to get on rides, and it can be hard to have fun and enjoy themselves.
In a recent informal survey, a majority of the students said they would be very worried to get on certain rides, such as rides that go up in the air or roller coasters that could possibly go wrong in many ways.
Although people fear of getting on rides, they never stop. It’s an enjoyment to many people, and they continue to ride and purchase tickets every year when the fair comes back around.


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The Beating Heart of London’s Business
Exploring Company Archives
- Their Uses and Users
12-13 APRIL 2013
This two-day conference, organised by A2SN and supported by the Postal History Society, the Business Archives Council and the Historical Model Railway Society is the second in a series begun in 2012.
The conferences seek to explore and expand co-operation between volunteer-led societies involved in business history fields and the academics, archivists and museum professionals working in the same areas. The events aim to prompt an awareness of what these various groups are doing, and to start a dialogue between the enthusiast and academic which may lead to co-operation in preserving and using collections, and furthering our understanding of the past and its relevance to the future.
London, as a venue for the second conference, has been facilitated by John Scott, Chairman of the Culture, Heritage & Libraries Committee of the City of London Corporation, who is one of our speakers. The event is hosted by London Metropolitan Archives and Museum of London Docklands and themes of trade and commerce are drawn from holdings in their care. London is a world-renowned centre for business, a place where the means of communication, written, electronic and physical, come together. It is not surprising therefore to find a vast array of business archives held in archival repositories in and around the City. Whatever your passion, we aim to give you new opportunities, avenues of exploration and fresh insights.
An application form can be found on the Business Archives' Council's website.


No other brand can match the quality, engineering or performance of Fel-Pro gaskets. In fact, no other brand comes close. That’s why Fel-Pro is the hands-down industry leader.
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Use this site to learn more about common vehicle leaks, how gaskets work to seal them, and why Fel-Pro gaskets offer the best sealing technology for the repair environment.


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Improvements to the Medical Transportation Assistance Program, announced in the 2014 Newfoundland and Labrador budget, will come into effect Tuesday, July 1.
The private vehicle travel and registered accommodations portions of the Medical Transportation Assistance Program will be enhanced to provide greater assistance to residents and families travelling for specialized insured medical services.
A news release today from the Department of Health and Community Services says the following changes will be applied to eligible medical travel:
• Compensation for private vehicle travel will increase from 16 cents to 20 cents per kilometre for specialized medical travel in excess of 1,500 kilometres during a 12-month period. Previously, residents could only claim for private vehicle travel in excess of 2,500 kilometres per year;
• The maximum amount eligible for cost-sharing for purchased registered accommodations will increase from $1,500 to $3,000 in a 31-day period;
• Previously, claimable expenses in excess of $5,000 during a 12-month period were cost-shared at 65 per cent. As of July 1, this will be amended so that claimable expenses in excess of $3,000 during a 12-month period will be cost-shared at 75 per cent.
Health Minister Paul Davis says the Medical Transportation Assistance Program is one of the most comprehensive programs in Canada in terms of coverage and scope. “The program is available to eligible residents and provides assistance to patients who travel for specialized medical services in and out of the province.”
The minister said the province allocated $711,500 in this year’s budget to enhance the program and provide greater reimbursement options for people who need to travel for eligible medical appointments.


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An effort to start up a new civic association along the border of Mattapan and Hyde Park got off to a slow start Tuesday night when only around 15 interested residents showed for a meeting representing a neighborhood of over 1,200 homes.
Inspired by a high crime rate - including a triple non-fatal shooting at Taunton Avenue and Oak Crest Road in January - teacher Ginny Allen and others, with help from Boston Police Department's District E-18, are pulling together neighbors to address crime and other problems. The new group is called the Matta Park Civic Association. Read more
An uptick in daytime burglaries has Boston Police stepping up patrols and calling this week for increased vigilance from residents.
Captain Richard Sexton, who commands the Area C-11 district, told the Reporter that breaking-and-entering reports have been on the increase for three consecutive months. Read more
Feb. 7, 2009
To the Editor:
Recently there have been letters to the editor and articles in the Dorchester Reporter telling people that we must not fear the violence in the Dorchester community and that people should go on with their lives as usual. Have we desensitized ourselves to the fact of a young black man being murdered on our streets is the norm? Read more
The Suffolk County District Attorney's office is taking heat from residents for the abrupt firing of a Dorchester man who ran the Washington Street Corridor Weed and Seed Initiative. Adam Gibbons, coordinator of the Codman Square-based program for the last year, was unexpectedly sacked on Monday. The termination has outraged members of a grassroots board that helped to hire Gibbons.
Alison Carter-Marlowe, the interim chair of the initiative's steering committee, says that she and other officers were surprised when they learned of Gibbons' dismissal. Read more
City Councillor Chuck Turner has made a move that has some of his most ardent supporters groaning. While Sen. Dianne Wilkerson was admitting to the Boston Globe that she took some $70,000 in off-the-books cash donations, and while House leader Sal DiMasi was signaling his intention to resign amidst a swarming influence-peddling investigation, Turner - accused by the FBI of extorting and accepting a $1,000 bribe - was meeting with a previously-undisclosed branch of his faithful, the Lyndon LaRouche Movement. Read more
Boston Police report finding a male, 16, shot at Gallivan Boulevard and Patterson Street around 3:30 p.m. yesterday. He was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
With Boston Public Schools facing a more than $100 million deficit and the superintendent calling for 15 percent budget reductions at all buildings, the last thing the Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School needed was thieves ravaging its halls. Read more
A 21 year-old man from Tiverton Street in Dorchester has been identified as the young man found shot to death next to Wainwright Park last week. Terrence Hadily was discovered suffering from multiple gunshot wounds outside of 101 Brent Street on Monday, Dec. 22.
Police were called to the scene just after 10:30 p.m. that night. Hadily was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Monday (Dec 29), a 17 year-old Dorchester teen was found shot multiple times outside 7 Hosmer Street just before 1 a.m.. The victim, who was pronounced dead at Boston Medical Center, was later idenitifed as Jermaine Perry.
Boston Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470. Or, call anonymous tips to CrimeStoppers at 1(800) 494-TIPS (8477) or text the word 'TIP' to CRIME (27463).
A Suffolk County grand jury last week indicted a 23 year-old man for the murder of a 19 year-old Dorchester woman last year. Daniel Harris faces first-degree murder charges and a variety of weapons charges in the shooting death of Alexandra "Xanda" Gomes last November. Gomes was standing with a group of people outside a home on Elder Street near Uphams Corner when she was shot. Three other people were injured in the shooting, which happened at about 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9. Read more
Guns and masks and getaway cars are not required for a stiff sentence for bank robbery. Prosecutors told a U.S. District judge that on July 10, Scott F. Backus, 46, of Dorchester, passed a note demanding money to Citizens Bank employee in downtown Boston. When the employee didn't immediately respond, Backus backed out and walked to a second Citizen's Bank and repeated the process. Again he got cold feet and walked out, but this time he ran smack into federal agents who had just left the first bank to answer the call at the second bank. Read more


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Today a new version of Gas Muzzler, v1.1, was released to the App Store. This release adds dark mode support.
A few weeks ago I finished the largest crochet project I’ve ever done, the Drawstring Whale Bag. Mine looks a little different because mine was made with DCs instead of HDCs by mistake. I found the pattern when it was posted to Reddit. Besides getting a ton of practice in DCs, this was also the first time I did FPTCs and also the first time I changed yarn colors mid-piece (for the eyes).
I’m not sure what I’ll do next. I’ve been thinking of doing another PacMan ghost, slowly working my way towards a set of four. The first piece of Crochet I ever did was a Brainslug, and later I made one of the mini-brainslugs for a friend. I loved the way the mini-brainslug turned out, and kinda wish I still had him. I might make another mini-slug so I can have my one (possibly to put on my PacMan ghost that I already made).


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Torrential rains and landslides continue to wreak havoc in Kerala, as the death toll rises to 67 in number. The government has issued a warning in all the fourteen districts of the state and for the first time 35 out of 39 dams have been opened due to the over flowing of rivers.
HelpAge India is leading the rescue operations in the Wayanad district of Kerala, one of the worse hit areas along with Palakkad, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Idukki districts; affected by landslides. Whereas Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Alappuzha districts are reeling under the flood fury as it continues to rain.
There is massive destruction in Kerala as we witness the houses being shattered by landslides, crops being destroyed, people being displaced and the death toll rising. Power supply was disrupted in many parts of the states as the Kerala State Electricity Board has switched off about four thousand transformers and seven sub stations as a cautionary measure.
HelpAge India has already started its emergency medical relief work in Wayanad by visiting various relief camps. The first direct distribution of dry ration and other basic supplies were carried out on August 11th at the Nadavayal Relief Camp, where 62 families were provided support followed by 33 kits distributed on August 12th at Kaniyambetta Flood Relief Camp and 35 Relief kits at Varadoor Flood Relief Camp.
Three Emergency Medical Relief camps were set up, where 122 treatments were carried out. Food kits were distributed at the Panamaram Relief Camp, as the rescuing operations continued. Director of Faizal & Shabana Foundation, supporting HelpAge relief efforts visited the relief camps and flood affected areas with the HelpAge team.
Despite incessant rains and increasing water levels making travel to affected areas difficult, the HelpAge relief is working 24×7 trying to reach those affected, to provide much needed aid & ration to those stranded. All transport facilities have been shut down temporarily due to the heavy downpour.
You can make a considerable difference in the lives of these survivors by deciding to support our on-ground action.
Help us, Help them!


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Known for his rich voice and clear diction, the gifted American baritone Tony Brown is an international promoter of peace and citizen of the world. His work as peacemaker has taken him to political hot spots in Africa, Asia and South America, and was used to facilitate the reduction of tensions in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Northern Uganda. In each venue he stresses the oneness of the human family.
Legendary folk singer Pete Seeger appears with Tony Brown via video in this multi-media musical documentary, I Go On Singing : Paul Robeson’s Life in Word & Song. Accompanied by a pianist, narrator, and archival video, Mr. Brown reveals Paul Robeson as a towering figure in American history and a champion for peace and human rights for much of the 20th Century. The story of this American hero who struggled and triumphed comes alive in a rousing 90 minute song-filled multimedia presentation.
“Anthony Brown captivates audiences with what must be on of the most neglected stories of the 20th Century…the timeless appeal of “I Go On Singing”
— The Seattle Times
“A triumph of the heart and mind.”
— The New York Concert Review
“Brown delivers with generous beauty.”
— The Denver Post


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The jewels made with the brass (gold plated) of the bullets found in Cambodia: Cassandra Postema makes them with her Emi & Eve ♦
Cassandra Postema graduated in Fashion and Textile Design from Central St. Martin College in London, the starting point for a brilliant career in the world of design. But a trip to Cambodia changed her perspective. In fact, you have decided to combine design with social responsibility, helping the difficult life of the local population. Cassandra’s talent, therefore, has expressed itself in a truly different jewelry brand, with which she transforms bombs and bullets into earrings, bracelets, rings. Emi & Eve e jewels are made by Cambodian artisans, who use brass, a metal recovered by anti-mine technicians and fishermen. In this way Cassandra Postema supports the Cambodian community.
The jewels, which are sold online, are then gold plated and sometimes embellished with stones or cubic zirconia. Cassandra, in Greek mythology, was a priestess with the gift (or condemnation, according to the point of view) of foresight. She saw the future and announced misfortunes, unheard. Quite the opposite of Cassandra Postema, fortunately: she wants the future to be better.