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‘Don’t give up Julie. I know he cares.’
The words ‘Don’t give up’ resonate. A memory resurfaces. The only thing that had never fit was the fatherless thing, but if Vann is Blake’s brother then he is fatherless. ‘Oh my God, the fortune-teller was right.’
‘The one at your wedding.’
Lana laughs. ‘That was just for fun. I didn’t think she was particularly good.’
‘What did she tell you?’
Lana makes a face like, How obvious? ‘She told me I’d found my soul-mate and I’d have three kids, two boys and a girl. And she told me not to go swimming on my own after the age of thirty-five. Otherwise, she saw bright and happy life ahead. What did she tell you?’
‘She told me not to give up on a strong, tall, fatherless man. She also told me evil was trying to touch me and I must not let it. She didn’t elaborate and even more intriguingly she made me give her a coin so I wouldn’t owe anything. As if she was afraid me owing her would somehow taint her.’
Lana’s face changes. The secrets come back into her pale face. Now I am dealing with the woman who wrote the diary.
‘What do you think she meant?’
‘I don’t know, Julie. If you heard my conversation with Vann, then you will know I know hardly more than you.’ Lana takes my hands in hers. ‘But Vann is right, there are many things hidden that are best left hidden.’
‘Lana, why were you always so nice to me when we were kids?’
She shrugs. ‘Don’t know. For some weird reason I always wanted to as a sister.’
She nods. ‘Are you still coming tomorrow for the art exhibition?’
‘I don’t know if he will want me there.’
‘He does. Blake offered to arrange your transport and he agreed.’
‘Really? He does?’ My heart feels like it would burst.
‘Yes, really. Have you got something to wear?’
‘Most of my clothes are a bit tight now. I’ll go shopping tomorrow.’
‘Shall I arrange for some cocktail dresses to be sent over here and you can come around and pick what you like?’
I stare at her in disbelief. Would I like to? ‘Hell, yeah!’
She smiles. ‘Got any color preferences?’
Do you know the only thing that gives me pleasure? It’s to see my dividends coming in.
—John D. Rockefeller
Darkness has not yet fallen when Tom comes to pick me up. Billie is already in the car. She smiles at me.
‘You look amazing,’ she says.
She says it like she means it, and I blush with pleasure and wonder what it must be like to be kissed by a woman. All soft lips and silky skin. ‘Thank you, Billie. As it happens, I don’t think I have ever seen you so beautiful.’
And it is true. She is dressed in a mini silver dress that is covered in tassels. Every time she moves all the tassels agitate, shimmer briefly and settle down. She looks almost molten.
‘It’s a present from Lana.’
I nod. Of course it is. For the first time in my life I feel nothing but warm love for Lana. I am not in competition with her. She has Blake and I don’t have Vann, but maybe I will. Maybe the gypsy knew something I don’t. I won’t give up hope.
Tom drops us off at the Serpentine gallery. I feel incredibly nervous. The sky is shimmering with myriad colors. As I step out a woman comes up to the car.
‘Yes.’ She is wearing perfume strong enough to cut through steel. Once I doused myself in that way too. Once, when I was a different person.
‘Come this way. You are the guest of honor.’
Billie winks at me. ‘Go on,’ she says. Once I would have gone. Skipped away and left Billie to her own devices, but I am different now.
I hold my hand out to her. ‘Where I go, you go.’
Billie grins. We walk together through the entrance. There are so many people, and they are all so finely dressed.
‘You’re cutting off my circulation,’ Billie whispers in my ear.
I relax my fingers. ‘Sorry.’
‘No problem.’ She smiles. ‘It’s just that I kinda like having fingers.’
That makes me smile.
Vann is coming towards us.
Billie gently unknits her fingers. ‘You’ll find me at the bar. I’ll be drinking up the place.’
I can’t even turn my head to look at her or make any kind of answer. Oh my! How gorgeous can a man look? I have never seen Vann in a tux before, and he is simply magnificent. Without doing anything he dominates the room, simply with his presence alone. I watch him walk towards me, his gait unhurried, deliberate, confident. A lion roaming the savannah. And yet, when he stands before me, he appears ill at ease, his eyes without laughter or life.
‘You look very handsome,’ I say softly.
‘Thank you. You look exactly how I imagined you would in an evening dress.’
He doesn’t elaborate further, but I blush like a schoolgirl.
A waitress appears with a mirrored tray bearing a selection of canapés. She waves her free hand towards them and tries to tempt us with creamed, piped anchovies, lobster mousse, or even blue cheese with poached pears.
Even the thought of food makes me feel ill. Both Vann and I politely decline. A waiter comes by with flutes of champagne and both Vann and I reach for them immediately.
Vann looks at me. ‘You are the star. Don’t get drunk.’
My head rears back. ‘I’m the star?’
‘Yeah. I want you to see the collection before it opens to the public. Come,’ he says, and, laying his hand on the small of my back, guides me towards an area sectioned off with red ropes. With an untouched drink in my hand I follow him into the viewing area.
That’s f**king me! On that canvas. And… I am beautiful beyond anything I have seen in the mirror. Not beautiful as a human being is, but as an image can be. And… I am much, much larger than I really am. And yet I am luxuriously, gloriously beautiful. I remember his words. You will be desired, cherished and possessed for the very things you are ashamed of.
How can I describe Vann’s art to you? Only to say it is what all great art should be—beyond words. Indescribable.
I stand there shocked.
There is only one word for my state of being. Overcome. As I move from canvas to canvas, Vann my silent shadow, I don’t gasp or exclaim or utter a word. You see, I couldn’t make a single sound. Until the day I die I will be glad I never made a sound. A sound would have broken the magic language of his art. For Vann has woven a vivid story that speaks to my soul.


Student Loan Workshop Webinar with Senator Monique Limón
In this FREE 1-hour webinar, learn about your Student Borrower Rights, the different types of student loans, and how to apply for the limited Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) waiver. Topics include updates on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief Plan and the final extension of the student loan repayment pause. This webinar is open to all to view, so please share this great opportunity!
This webinar is hosted in partnership with Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, Assemblymember Chistopher M. Ward, Senator Dave Min, and Senator Monique Limón.


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Rivarzh - Hand Sculpted Mini Polymer Clay Sea Dragon in Shell
Regular price $15.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Sculpture is handmade from polymer clay and finished with a clear coat. Size is approximately 2.25" at the widest point and 0.75" high. Includes an artist signed adoption certificate of authenticity. Props not included. Display only. Pearl included.

domain: artistic


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For years, Disney’s Moms Panel has answered guests planning needs and questions for a trip to Disney World.
Today, Disney unveiled their newly rebranded panel, which will still answer all the same planning questions, just with a new name!
Disney has renamed their Moms Panel to planDisney, a panel of specialists who are able to help guests plan out their Disney vacation!
The panel of specialists is selected through a comprehensive search process, and consists of moms and dads, grandparents, and adults without kids. The group is passionate about Disney, and use their years of experience planning their own Disney vacations to help you with your own process. You can check out a video on the group below!
The panel will be answering questions on the newly rebranded website at planDisneypanel.com. We’ll continue to keep you updated with any further developments!
Disney World Planning
- NEWS! All Four Disney World Parks Will Have Extended Hours This Weekend!
- Halloween Park Pass Reservations for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Are Sold Out for Passholders (Leaving Only ONE Park Available to Visit)!
- Saturdays Are for the PARKS! Reservations Throughout This Upcoming Weekend Are Sold Out in Disney World!
- Disney Park Pass Reservations Are Now Fully Booked for Select Guests on Thanksgiving Day in Hollywood Studios!
- These Were the Wait Times in Disney World on September 20th!
- NEWS! Disney World Has Extended EPCOT’s Hours For Select Dates in October
- NEWS! The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Has Extended Its Non-Essential Travel Restrictions Through the End of October
- NEWS! Disney World Offering Partial Refund for Some Passholders Due to Water Park Closures
- These Were the Wait Times at Disney World on September 16th!
- NEWS! Disney World Has Extended Park Hours for Two of Its Theme Parks at the End of September!
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!

domain: entertainment


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Jan. 20 through March 18
Farm Life in Iowa is an exhibition of thirty photographs taken by A. M. “Pete” Wettach (1901–1976). Wettach’s photos documented rural existence from 1925 to 1960—thirty-five of the most revolutionary years for farming as a way of life in Iowa. Working as a freelance photographer based in Mount Pleasant, Wettach recorded changes in farming practices while honoring the values of family and self-sufficiency. Wettach’s unique interpretation of the family farm comes from his documentary style and keen compassion for his subjects.
For many, the family farm is more than just a nostalgic icon. Almost four out of ten Americans have at some point in their lives lived or worked on a farm, and half have friends or relatives who were farmers. For Iowans, who live in a state where eighty percent of the land is still farmed, Wettach’s photographs are invaluable historic records and part of a common visual memory linking the past to the present.
The exhibit runs from Jan. 20 through March 18. It will be open every day of the week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular museum admission is required. Members of the Hoover Presidential Foundation are always admitted free.
This exhibition is organized by Legacies for Iowa: A University of Iowa Museum of Art Collections-Sharing Project, Supported by the Matthew Bucksbaum Family.


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Kenya Moore and her Husband Marc Daly are now the proud parents of a baby girl! The couple welcomed Brooklyn Doris Daly at 9:30 this morning. (11/04/18). Brooklyn is 5 lbs and 12 oz.
47 year old Kenya, had to deliver early after complications, but we are happy to know that both baby and Mom are doing fine. Congratulations Kenya!

domain: news


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Second is how very helpful rae is to see the different trading styles we have, partly because of personal preference and partly because of different stages of development and education. LinkedIn was a public company at the time, so employee insider trading rules aside, you could theoretically buy exchange-traded options on LinkedIn stock. Thank you for your sharing this. How the Rolling Jubilee Works. Here are some call option prices for a hypothetical XYZ company on February.
Facebook YouTube Twitter Pinterest How Stuff Works Money. Money Facebook YouTube Twitter Pinterest Job ads in the classifieds mention stock options more and more frequently. Companies are offering this benefit not just to top-paid executives but also to rank-and-file employees. What are stock options?
Why are companies offering them? Are employees guaranteed a profit just because they have stock options? The answers to these questions will give you a much better idea about this increasingly popular movement. Stock options from your employer give you the right to buy a specific number of shares of your company's stock during a time and at a price that your employer specifies.
Go to the next page to learn why stock options are beneficial and how they are offered to employees. Like HowStuffWorks on Facebook! How do stock options work? Stock options allow employees to reap the benefits of their company's growth. See more investing pictures. How Employee Compensation Works. They want to attract and keep good workers.
They want their employees to feel why stock options are good owners or partners in the business. They want to hire skilled workers by offering compensation that goes beyond a salary. This is especially true in start-up companies that want to hold on to as much cash as possible. What is the individual shared responsibility provision?
Can you deduct hobby expenses? How Financial Aid for Trade School Works. These Countries Have the Most Crybabies — Literally. Climate Change Will Likely Increase Airplane Turbulence. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome on the Brain. How the Rolling Jubilee Works. How to Avoid Travel Fees. How to Apply for a Car Loan. How to Get a Credit Card After Bankruptcy. Take us with you on your iPad, iPhone or favorite Android device. Get the best of HowStuffWorks by email.
Keep up to date on:. Testing this long verbose error message to check the behaviour.
What Are Employee Stock Options?
Over Businesses Have Chosen Our Automated Platform. Learn More!.
Take our interactive quiz and gain a solid foundation for trading.
Should Employees Be Compensated With Stock Options? The Good Granting options to employees was The second reason why options are bad is that tax laws.

domain: finance


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SPOOKY QUEENS TOTE
🧡Spooky Queens are forever!🧡 Wear your love for these horror icons on this ultra bright, digitally printed tote!
Choose from two different art styles! Be sure to select the one you love most from the drop-down menu.
This tote features original Pulp artwork featuring classic Spooky Queens! Tote is 100% polyester, with boxed corners, black cotton handles, and black lining. Measures about 16" x 16"
Pink features: Bride of Frankenstein, Vampira, Lily Munster, Morticia, Lydia, and Elvira
Purple features: Morticia, Lydia, Elvira, Carrie, Akasha, and Elaine (The Love Witch)

domain: design


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Thousands of people in California are under evacuation orders as dozens of major wildfires continued to ravage parts of the state on Wednesday with an unrelenting heatwave and high winds making firefighting conditions difficult.
Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency during evacuations and rolling blackouts and called on the California National Guard to help with relief efforts. Authorities in Sonoma County warned of an “immediate threat to life” from the ongoing fires.
Vehicles catch fire in front of a burning home along Peaceful Glen Road during the Hennessy fire in Solano County, California, on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020.
Philip Pacheco | Bloomberg | Getty Images
By Wednesday morning, residents in parts of Northern California including Napa and Sonoma Counties, San Mateo and Santa Cruz were under urgent evacuations. The LNU Lightning Complex Fire has burned 32,000 acres in Sonoma, Lake, Napa and Solano Counties and has destroyed some homes.
The more than two dozen major fires raging across the state are made worse by an extreme heat wave that started over the weekend. It recently set a temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 Celsius) in California’s Death Valley, the hottest U.S. temperature in at least 107 years.
The extreme heat and dryness are driven by a heat dome, or a high pressure system that pushes down air from above, which then compresses and heats up near land. Heat domes are likely to be more severe as the climate changes.
Climate change is driving hotter and more frequent heat waves across the world and causing increasingly severe wildfires. In the U.S., California has experienced the worst of the destruction, including the Thomas Fire in 2017 and Camp Fire in 2018 that collectively killed more than 100 people and left tens of thousands of people homeless.
Newsom on Wednesday said that California had been hit by 10,849 lightning strikes over the past 72 hours, which has helped ignite a good portion of the 367 known fires across the state.
“What’s occurred in last 72 hours has certainly stretched resources … that said we are in a much better place in terms of preparedness,” the governor said.
In this long exposure photograph, flames consumes both sides of a segment of Lake Berryessa during the Hennessey fire in the Spanish Flat area of Napa, California on August 18, 2020.
Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty Images
People stand next to flames rising from the Ranch fire in the San Gabriel mountains above Azusa, 25 miles east of Los Angeles, California, on August 14, 2020.
Apu Gomes | AFP | Getty Images

domain: geography


(The Middle Sq.) – Point out officials put in Pennsylvania’s fourth once-a-year City Agriculture 7 days touring town gardens made to combat food items insecurity.
“Urban agriculture, it carries a large amount of distinctive meanings to persons and I believe it is a single of the factors we noticed all week,” stated Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “In some communities, it is definitely about food stuff insecurity and having what they create and placing it into the charitable process.
“They are basically just solving problems and they figured out that foodstuff is an instrument to resolve some of these group challenges,” he added.
Gov. Tom Wolf specified the week quickly soon after passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which furnished for $500,000 once-a-year funding of initiatives that deal with foods deserts – a lack of access to nutritional selections – and insecurity in the state’s metropolitan areas.
Given that then, the condition has expended $1 million on the program that – blended with $1 million in matching regional contributions – have supported 70 projects in 16 counties.
“I want to get to a point the place we just converse of it as agriculture … it’s zip code neutral,” Redding mentioned. “So there is a mutual respect – regardless of scale, irrespective of place – that all of the ideas that go into creating a crop in the open up fields for conventional agriculture use to the urban centers.”
Redding and other state officials toured 11 gardens in Lancaster, Looking at, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Initially lady Frances Wolf and lawmakers from the House and Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs committees joined the secretary all through the 7 days.
“Lack of obtain to food, especially nutritious food, is a lot additional than an inconvenience: it is detrimental to the wellness and very well-currently being of households, and to complete communities,” Wolf explained. “Urban agriculture and infrastructure initiatives – like the ones we are highlighting for the duration of City Ag 7 days – are very important in attacking the root of this extremely difficulty.”
The condition will start out accepting purposes for its third year of grant funding this drop.
“With 80% of the U.S. population residing in or close to urban centers, city agriculture can make a important good impact on the overall health and very well-becoming of lots of individuals,” claimed Leslie Glover II, the new program manager for the Business office of Urban Agriculture and Revolutionary Manufacturing. “Empowering communities to mature neighborhood, healthy food items goes a very long way towards fixing challenges of food stuff justice and access.”


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Update: It appears that the mysterious tweet was in-fact a countdown to the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops on to the Xbox One Backward Compatibility list.
Various websites and twitter accounts have been retweeting a rather cryptic message by Xbox engineering lead Mike Ybarra that simply said “~13.5 hours. #Xbox”.
~13.5 hours. #Xbox
— Mike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) 17 May 2016
While the tweet doesn’t have much context to it many sites are claiming Microsoft will be making a pre-E3 announcement some time today, although a whole month before E3 might be a little bit too early. This would make it unlikely that Microsoft would announce anything significant, although a smaller announcement of new game DLC or new backwards compatible Xbox 360 titles may be possible.
It is entirely possible that some up-coming Xbox 360 backwards compatible titles may be available later today. Titles such as the Bioshock trilogy and Call of Duty: Black Ops are confirmed to be heading to the program, although have been “coming soon” since the start of the year.
Either way we will see what this mysterious tweet is all about in less than 9 hours.


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Zara Noor Abbas is winning the hearts of many people ever since she started her acting career. She got a lot of appreciation and love for playing an incredible role in Khamoshi.
Zara Noor is currently playing the role of Rani in most-watched drama Ehd-e-Wafa and is getting massive love from the audience. Other than acting, Zara Noor is a tremendous model. She really knows how to pose for the camera.
Zara recently did a casual photoshoot at Seaview Clifton Beach, Karachi. Her amazing makeup and hairstyle were done by Danish Bukhari. Ali Waris was the man behind the camera.
Here are some of the latest pictures of beautiful Zara Noor Abbas. Have a look!


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Emeralds Maravellous 6.31 Carat Non Heated Blue Sapphire Diamond Ring
A beautiful oval cut no heat natural sapphire diamond halo engagement ring set in 18k white gold. The ring design highlights an oval-cut 5.31 carat no heat sapphire midnight blue color. This sapphire is then haloed by round brilliant cut diamonds that flow nicely. diamond G color, VS-SI in clarity weight approx. 1.00 carat. This ring is beautifully handcrafted in 18k white gold. Ring size 7.25 True timeless piece!
Emeralds Maravellous offers free shipping (within the U.S.). Orders are processed within 24 hours of receipt, Monday through Friday.LEARN MORE →
No hassle returns. Returns can be initiated within 7 days of delivery by contacting Emeralds Maravellous.LEARN MORE →


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It had been planned to be the last album of HYPOCRISY, so mainman Peter Tägtgren about the aptly titled "The Final Chapter". Even though it did not turn out to be true in the long run, the fans had to cope with the fact that the trio Tägtgren/Hedlund/Szöke had made their testament.
Musically the album was in tradition with "Abducted" and also the following albums, varied Death Metal, here fast and brutal, there atmospheric and melodic, through the melodies, guitars and Tägtgren's vocals always HYPOCRISY.
What is the same, too, is the fact that these different kinds of songs alternate, a hefty attack is followed by a slow-paced, mostly melody-driven song, so that there is no boredom for sure. As tips for the first category I'd pick "Dominion", "Adjusting The Sun" or "Evil Invaders", for the melodic half the strong "A Coming Race", "Request Denied" with its great melody-line and the closing almost funeral-hymn "The Final Chapter".
Fortunately the fans could persuade the trio that the band had not reached the end of their creativity, because in that case we would not have been able to welcome "Hypocrisy" and "Into The Abyss", which would have been a pity...


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Jeanette Dale 38/40/41mm Ladies Red, White and Blue Stamped Sterling Silver #76
This purchase includes a Handcrafted Native American Turquoise and Sterling Silver watch tips with a Leather iBand for Apple WATCH Series 1 38mm thru Series 7 41mm. The Apple WATCH 38/40/41mm is not included.
This is Jeanette Dale's 76th Bilasáana Apple Watch band. The iBand consists of two Sterling Silver Tips with 38/40/41mm WATCH adapters and a Laser Cut Leather Band. The Sterling Silver Tips are Handcrafted by Jeanette Dale of the Navajo Nation and have an authentic native Red, White and Blue theme with expensive Red Coral, White Mother of Pearl and Blue Lapis stones and silver stampings on each side. On the inside of one Tip is the Jeanette Dale stamp and a Bilasaana® mark. The other tip has a Sterling mark.
The iBand comes with a choice of our new Ladies Laser Cut Riveted bands in a variety of styles and colors. This one shown is our latest Ladies Leather Buckle Band v5.0. The v5.0 version can be sized very small and has newly engineered tongue holes. The iBand shown has the X/S Red, White and Blue buckle band attached. This is a great piece for a small to medium size patriotic wrist. By changing the leather we can make this band fit virtually any wrist nicely. Black, Medium brown, Dark brown and maroon colors also available. Choose your band size at checkout and we will contact you to assure a nice fit. The iBand will seamlessly integrate with the Apple 38mm Series 1 thru Series 7 41mm WATCH.
Download our free App called Faceplates from the Apple App Store if you would like to be able to show Native American Indian images on your WATCH face like one of the pictures shows. The eagle head sand painting image is using an Apple Series 1 watch all other images are using the 40mm Series 4.
Apple WATCH 38/40/41mm is NOT included in this purchase. This iBand is shown with Apple Watch 40mm series 4.


text: The FORSTGUT chalet village in Regen is located in the heart of the Bavarian Forest. The seven luxury chalets each boast floor-to-ceiling windows, a whirlpool and a covered terrace, while the five junior chalets in the FORSGUT.LODGE have their own sauna, free-standing bathtub and panoramic views over the forest. The topic of sustainability is very important to the two hosts Cornelia and Frank von Schnurbein. When building the chalet village, they relied exclusively on local craftsmen and regional raw materials. In addition, 95 per cent of the electricity is generated by their own photovoltaic systems on the roofs and a wood chip heating system covers 100 per cent of the heating requirements. Both contribute to the refuge's positive ecological balance. The Bavarian Forest Nature Park offers hikers and cyclists an extensive network of around 7,000 kilometres of marked hiking trails as well as gentle bike tours and challenging trails. In winter, there are numerous cross-country ski trails and idyllic routes for snowshoeing.

domain: travel


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The big and sturdy Thuvarai (Toor as in Toor Daal, Pigeon Pea, Cytisus Cajan) has been one of the greatest gifts of and for our land. While Casurina trees have reduced soil salt and Castor has penetrated its roots deep down to get water for its neighbours, it is Thuvarai that has transformed the soil in a very scalable manner.
As a little backdrop, the land we bought was heavily fertilized for many many years and abandoned as unfit for agriculture by its previous caretaker. There was no water to be found even after drilling 600 feet at 5 different places and soil was just the name for a loose collection of small rocks.
But the good thing(!) was the abandoning had happened 3 years prior to our coming back to India. Good rains had recharged the ground water. To rejuvenate the soil, we had planted a dense mix of pioneer crops (mix of grains, pulses, oil seeds, spices and grasses). At first, we didn’t even notice the Thuvarai. It grew real slow for the first 3 months. And then we saw it – everywhere. Its growth was eclipsing the tree saplings and most people advised us to take them down if we wanted the tree saplings to get any bigger than saplings. At that time, Thuvarai plants were beginning to flower and we didn’t feel like pruning them, let alone uprooting them. It was such a beautiful sight to see yellow flowers everywhere.
The flowering of Thuvarai was out of out of step with its season and so the pods were empty and no harvesting was done. And then the giant plant started shedding its leaves. A few weeks later, we were walking in the farm and we saw a dense yellow-brown blanket suppressing even very tall weeds making its shade clean and soft. Curious, I dug up the soil and felt moist rocks. A week later, I went there again to fix a leak and got distracted by the missing blanket. For the first time in our farm, I saw RED top soil! The leaves had compltely composted along with the grass underneath and the rocks had transformed into mushy little soil balls. And I understood the textbook talk about 2:1 dicot and monocot ratio producing excellent humus.
Post leaf-shedding, it was the perfect time to prune these life givers so the tree saplings underneath could take in more sun light. And almost all Thuvari plants have sprung back to life for Season 2 of giving.
The question it left us with: To rejuvenate the soil, many natural farming experts like Dabholkar advocate ploughing in pioneer plants like Thuvarai just before they flower. And then the land is to be left alone for 200 days. But the magic seems to happen in a much more dramatic and voluminous fashion upon full maturity of the plant in the course of its own natural cycle. We are looking to reconcile the expertise and experience from any one who can help.

domain: agronomy


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Party politics and the presidential polls: A simmering cauldron of confusion
By Veeragathy Thanabalasingham
Sri Lanka has experienced eight presidential elections so far. However, never before have we witnessed the kind of confusion among the main political parties as in the run-up to the upcoming polls.
Though rumours abound, President Ranil Wickremesinghe is yet to confirm his candidacy for an election that (if held) is only six months away. And if he does enter the fray, he will have to look outside his United National Party (UNP) to garner any sort of victory
Three decades of Wickremesinghe’s leadership has denuded the UNP of its electoral significance and brought it to its weakest point in history. But Wickremesinghe believes his popularity among the people is rising due to the ‘perceived economic stability’ he has achieved as a result of the economic restructuring program being carried out by his government in line with the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Pragmatic about his chances as a UNP candidate however, Wickremesinghe has made overtures to forge a grand alliance to support his bid for the presidency, relying entirely on a section of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) parliamentarians who defected from the Rajapaksa enclave after the popular uprising, to build up the alliance. But he is yet to make any significant progress.
Perhaps adhering to the ‘don’t keep all the eggs in one basket’ adage, he is also simultaneously having talks with the Rajapaksas and is said to have met with SLPP leaders Mahinda and Basil Rajapaksa last week. However, reports claim neither party were able to reach a decision on forming an alliance, the underlying reason being the Rajapaksa brothers’ objection to Wickremesinghe approaching the ministers and MPs of SLPP bypassing the leadership.
The Rajapaksas, unwilling and unprepared to accept the realities about the extent to which their support base has eroded, are convinced their party still has the capacity to decide the future political course of Sri Lanka. They say whoever gets their support will become the next president, their dictum being either they stay in power or ensure someone who does not hold them accountable for their mistakes comes to power,
A reality check is needed here. For, although it is widely believed that Wickremesinghe will contest the presidential election with the support of the Rajapaksas, there is no guarantee their support will be of great benefit to him. In such a context, both parties have no real choice but to support each other.
On the other hand, as far as Wickramasinghe is concerned, he also has the option of not contesting if he finds there is no conducive situation for his victory.
Meanwhile, the Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP), currently at the forefront of popular support in the South, has been carrying out its campaign with great enthusiasm and conviction. Important foreign powers have also been paying attention to its leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is seen as a front-runner for the presidency. NPP leaders are talking about the plans of their future government, convinced they have a better chance of forming the next government.
As a counterfoil to the NPP conviction, there is confusion within the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (United People’s Power – SJB) led by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who appears unable to hold on to many of his party MPs. Case in point is the party chairman Sarath Fonseka who has been openly critical of Premadasa in the recent past.
The SJB leader also appears to be aping the NPP in some of its political strategies, specifically in inducting ex-army and police officers into the party and mobilizing women’s support across the country.
Though incumbent Wickremesinghe has not yet announced his candidacy, it is widely expected the presidential election will be a three-way contest between him, and the leaders of the NPP and the SJB. Candidates from many other parties, and as independents, are also likely to contest the election, which in 2019 had as many as 35 candidates on the list.
Former President Maithripala Sirisena, the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), earlier announced he would also contest the election but hasn’t been talking about it in recent weeks.
Others likely to be in the fray included the president of the United Republic Front (URF), Champika Ranawaka, who has been meeting leaders of various parties including Wickremesinghe with his policy plan. He is on record saying that he is ready to consider contesting as a common candidate if he is approached. But it is unlikely that anyone will be fielded as a common candidate of the opposition this time, and the coming months will see moves to form various alliances to contest the national elections.
On a broader electoral front, it has been reported that many SLPP MPs want parliamentary elections to be held before the presidential election. This sentiment was echoed by Basil Rajapaksa who told a television interview last week that people do not vote rationally when the parliamentary election is held after the presidential election and if the parliamentary election is held first, there is a better chance for a balanced Parliament.
His argument about people not being able to vote rationally if a presidential election precedes a parliamentary election sounds irrational and even nonsensical. Given that almost all the recent opinion polls have clearly shown no party can get an absolute majority in the next parliamentary elections, one is also at a loss to understand what makes Basil believe that a strong government can be formed if the parliamentary elections are held before the presidential one.
The president currently has the power to dissolve Parliament at any time. But it is not clear whether he would opt to do so at this moment, although a motion requesting the president to dissolve Parliament can be passed in Parliament with a two-thirds majority. With the ruling party lacking a two-thirds majority in Parliament, it is also certain the opposition will not support such a motion, as all opposition parties are firm in their stance that the presidential election should be held first.
Meanwhile, the idea of fielding a Tamil common candidate in the presidential election is being floated in the North, with the leaders of the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) comprising five Tamil parties agreeing in principle on the need for a Tamil common candidate. Politicians and observers have already commented on its pros and cons.
The argument put forward to justify the idea of a Tamil common candidate is that the presidential election should be used as a referendum in the North and East to tell the South and the world about the current stance of the Tamil people regarding the solution to their problems, which remains unresolved even 15 years after the war ended.
A civil society organization called ‘Makkal Manu’ (People’s Petition), which has taken the initiative of bringing the issue of a common Tamil candidate to the Tamil people, held a public seminar at Thanthai Chelva Art Gallery in Jaffna on the topic ‘How to face the presidential election?’. Addressing the seminar were three political analysts and leaders of several Tamil parties.
Given that the Tamil voters in North and East have almost always used their ballot in presidential polls as a tool against the Southern candidates they despised, the essence of the analysis at the seminar was that the Tamil people should abandon past voting patterns and treat the upcoming presidential election as a referendum to express their present predicament to the world.
It was argued that the person who can be nominated as a common candidate should have no political ambition of his or her own and at the same time should be an eminent figure in society who enjoys the respect of the Tamil people of both provinces. That is, he will only be a symbol that will be used to tell the world the political aspirations of the Tamil people today. Intentions notwithstanding finding such a paragon in the Tamil community would be easier said than done in the present context.
Whether the Tamil people will be able to decide for themselves how to advance the next phase of their struggle for political rights or what kind of political solution to the ethnic problem should be found in the new internal and international political climate, is moot. But what is required is a visionary political leadership with clarity of thought, and a willingness to use past experiences to guide them. Sadly, such a leadership is absent among the Tamil people today.
With the Tamil polity severely fragmented into various parties and groups and their leaders having different agendas, it should be understood that today’s Northern and Eastern Tamil communities do not possess the characteristics of being a society that has made great sacrifices in the three-decade liberation struggle.
Before thinking about a Tamil common candidate, the Tamil parties should come to a unified stance on the ways to find solutions to the immediate problems faced by the people and on short and long-term political solutions to the national problem.
Some Tamil politicians with extremist views have been demanding for a while that a referendum be held to gauge the present mood of the Tamil people regarding the national problem without a proper understanding of the exercise. Some have said the referendum should also include the Diaspora Tamil community as well.
However, the idea that appears to have gained traction is that the Tamil voters should think of the presidential election as a referendum in the North and East.
The leaders of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) who put forward the demand for a separate state, used the July 1977 parliamentary elections to claim a mandate of the Tamil people and captured 18 seats in the North and East. Appapillai Amirthalingam became the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and made history as the first-ever Opposition Leader from the Tamil community. History tells us what Tamil leaders could achieve with such a “mandate”.
In the absence of a clear unified stance by the Tamil parties to guide the Tamil people prudently, the attempt to field a Tamil common candidate would not only become a political farce and render the votes of the Tamil people meaningless but also risk undermining the legitimate political aspirations of the Tamil people.
– Veeragathy Thanabalasingham is a senior journalist and Consultant Editor, Express Newspapers Ltd


2GW of installed solar PV and growing…
Opportunities in solar
INSTALLED SOLAR PV
The breadth and depth of the East of England’s energy sector is not confined to offshore wind, nuclear and gas. We also have a burgeoning onshore sector with a particular strength in solar PV, as well as onshore wind and bioenergy (for power generation and the production of biogas and biodiesel). These opportunities are set to grow as landowners and farmers look at ways of decarbonising agriculture, including by taking land out of intensive cultivation.
The East of England is well known as a holiday destination in part because it has a reputation for being dry and sunny. In fact, Norfolk and Suffolk benefit from around 1,600 sunshine hours a year, making it an ideal location for large scale solar farms. As a result, the East of England already has in excess of 2GW of solar PV capacity and developers are planning to build many more.
A bright future for Solar
The Sunnica Energy Farm, on the West Suffolk border, would be the region’s first grid-scale solar energy farm, with the capacity to send up to 500MW of renewable energy to and from the National Grid. This would be enough to power around 100,000 homes. As well as solar photovoltaic panels, it will include a battery energy storage system, creating resilience in energy supplies. The project, which is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project due to the amount of renewable energy it would produce, is currently going through the planning system.
Meanwhile EDF Renewables has proposed two 50MW solar farms for the region, at Tye Lane near Ipswich and Bloys Grove near Norwich. Both would be around 80 hectares in size and include strong commitments to improving biodiversity by maintaining existing trees and hedgerows and planting more. At the same time, by taking the land out of intensive cultivation and encouraging meadow grasses and flowers to grow under the solar panels, the land will in time act as a carbon sink.
There are strong growth prospects for solar in the East of England with generation connection contracts totalling 840MW agreed with UK Power Networks (UKPN) in the first five months of 2021. New large-scale batteries acceptances has also soared this year, including a 90MW-plus site in East Essex.


MP3 Marcus D - Shoshin
Marcus D blends hip-hop oriented break beats over beautifully captivating melodies. This album crosses genres and proves worthy of the title "Jazz-hop".
15 MP3 Songs in this album (63:48) !
Related styles: Hip-Hop/Rap: Jazz-Rap, Jazz: Jazz Fusion, Instrumental
People who are interested in Nujabes Shing02 Substantial should consider this download.
Close your eyes.
Open your mind.
The melodies of Marcus D’s creations blend perfectly into a single song, yet remain an eclectic album of Jazzy, mellow hip hop tracks with individual style and power.
Shoshin is the Zen concept; ridding yourself of the preconceptions that block, thwart and end your creativity, is the goal.
Shoshin proves that hip hop is not bound by lyricists and their stories. It is not only relevant when MC’s are throwing their punch lines. It is, in fact, a progression of the art form that truly comes from casting off what is thought to be. Escaping the bonds of status quo.
Shoshin is an album that is cross cultural, cross genre, and even skillfully crosses generations. While you paint, sculpt, cook, write, study or make love; open your mind and enjoy yourself.
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,
in the expert’s mind there are few.”


Film by John Stumbo
The effects of hard times on religious faith will be explored 7 p.m. CT Monday, May 7 at Lifetree Café.
The program—titled “Where Is God When Life Turns Tough?”—features a filmed interview with John Stumbo, a former pastor and marathon runner who suffered a sudden, life-threatening illness that attacked his entire muscular system.
“I was discovering the faith I had come to claim as a child was now being tested,” Stumbo said. “It happened in a venue I never expected, an ICU ward where the threat of death was very real.”
During the program, Lifetree participants will have an opportunity to discuss times in their own lives when they’ve doubted God.
Admission to the 60-minute event is free. Snacks and beverages are available. Lifetree Café is located at 1602 U.S. Highway 98 in Mexico Beach across from El Governor Motel.
Lifetree Café is a place where people gather for conversation about life and faith in a casual coffeehouse-type setting. Questions about Lifetree may be directed to Gary Grubb at 334-806-5667 or firstname.lastname@example.org


Urban Meets Passion and Made Me! Let's let the music takeover!
My music is a reflection of the vibes the artists desires to omit. My urban upbringing in the music industry of ATL is easily sensed when you observe my styles and techniques. I have worked with a few great names in the industry and strive to continue creating awesome music for my clients.
Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.


text:
Since starting the NuvaRing to manage menstrually associated migraine attacks four years ago, I’ve recommended it to numerous women who have migraine without aura. The NuvaRing is more effective than birth control pills because it provides a steady dose of hormones, while hormone levels still fluctuate throughout the day with the pill. But recent reports have raised questions about NuvaRing’s safety.
All hormonal birth control raises a woman’s risk of blood clots, but there is speculation that NuvaRing users are at greater risk than those who use oral contraceptives. Merck’s agreement to pay a $100 million settlement for thousands of liability lawsuits, announced on Friday, looks rather suspicious.
There are three studies that come into play when considering this risk. NPR summarizes them as:
“One funded by Merck, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology in October, and another funded by the FDA, with data from Kaiser Permanente and Medicaid databases. The former found a similar risk for the ring and combined oral contraceptive pills. The latter found no difference in risk between new users of low-dose combined hormonal contraceptives and the NuvaRing or the birth control patch. (There was a higher risk found with pills that contain drospirenone, which is found in the pill Yaz.)
“But a study from Denmark, published in the British Medical Journal in May 2012, found a notably higher risk of blood clots from NuvaRing. Women using the NuvaRing were about six times more likely to get venous thrombosis than women who didn’t use any form of hormonal contraceptive. Compared to combined oral contraceptives with levonorgestrel, NuvaRing users were about twice as likely to form blood clots.”
Findings from the Danish study are not included in NuvaRing’s U.S. “label” (that’s FDA-speak for the detailed information that’s included with prescriptions). Again from NPR:
“FDA spokeswoman Andrea Fischer told Shots in an email that the agency ‘questioned the design and study population, and did not have the opportunity to independently review the original data.’
“For one thing, the study compares ‘all users,’ rather than just new users. ‘When using any hormonal contraceptive, the risk of blood clots is higher during the first few months of use,’ according to Fischer, so including both new and longtime users in the same study may make it seem like newer contraceptives are riskier, when actually new users of any method are already at a higher risk.”
The new versus all users distinction eased my mind considerably, though it still seemed kind of scary. The rest of NPR’s detailed explanation of the risks calmed me considerably. It’s too much to post here — it’s the entire second half of the long article — but take a look at Birth Control and Blood Clots: Women Still Weighing the Risk if you’re curious or concerned.
Personally, I’m going to continue using it for now. The risk just isn’t that great and I’ve already been on it for four years — if I were going to have problems with it, they probably would have shown up by now.
Still, since I’m older than 35 (the age at which women are warned to stop using hormonal birth control) and my migraines are no longer as constant or as devastating as they were when I started using the NuvaRing, I’ll probably go off it in a few months to see how I do without it. When I started hormonal birth control to manage menstrually associated migraine attacks, triptans were completely ineffective for me. Now that triptans are a viable option, they may ultimately be a better choice than hormonal birth control.
As with any medication, ask your doctor what your individual risk is given your own medical history and what your other treatment options are. With that information in mind, consider how much risk you’re OK with — a minute risk is acceptable for some women, for others any risk is a deal-breaker.
1 thought on “NuvaRing for Menstrual Migraine: Blood Clot Risk?”
I’ve been using the Nuvaring to prevent menstrual migraines, menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea for at least a decade – I didn’t used to keep track of health dates like these, I certainly do now. I kind of lucked into finding it. In my early 30’s I decided to become sexually active again, after many years of avoiding such complications in my life (long story that). But I didn’t have health insurance, and while your standard generic BC pill was fairly cheap, I’d had some messed up reactions when I took them in high school. Luckily though, the state did have a medicaid-like program that specifically covered yearly gynecologist visits and birth control for women who were poor enough and without insurance. And someone told me that I could get said annual/BC care at the Planned Parenthood in IA (we are on the border and don’t have a PP on the IL side anymore).
So, on my first appointment I expressed an interest in what other BC methods were available to me, and also mentioned that I would be nearly non-functional during my periods, thanks to the excessive pain and bleeding, and while the headaches weren’t that bad their longevity was disturbing. The doctor offered up Nuvaring as check in every box – less side-effects because of low-dosage, can prevent all those symptoms that came with periods by eliminating the periods. She also was the first to tell me they were a form of migraine, but I actually hadn’t heard the term “menstrual migraine” before tonight.
Through the PP-health care, a year on BCBS thanks to ACA and then later – as a recession and the complexities of my health impeded my ability to work- qualifying for Medicaid, I’ve had to fight to keep my rings a few times. One doctor at PP saw “migraine” on my charge and went “whoa!” I had to explain to her, repeatedly, that not once in my entire life have I experienced any headache that could be called a migraine, other than these days-long headaches that just hover, which only happen around my periods – and those have none of the traditional migraine markers like light sensitivity or nausea. My sister has actual traditional migraines, I know the difference between my occasional tension headaches and the kind of migraine that makes you a higher risk for problems with the Nuvaring.
Then it was the blood clots. Two different doctors and a lot of me trying not to roll my eyes, as they failed to grasp the obvious. If I take an aspirin, I get a nosebleed. If my B12 levels go too low, I start getting random bruises on my body. And my father dealt with the same borderline-anemic reactions before he died of Leukemia, that I’ve dealt with my whole life. My blood is so thin that I’ve never had a hemoglobin level high enough to donate blood. Obviously, anyone can get a dangerous blood clot, but on my list of medical worries, that’s just above testicular cancer (and no, I don’t have testicles).. And it’s certainly doesn’t justify not using the Nuvaring due to clotting risks.
I understand the elevated precautions that have come from further study of the potential effects of the Nuvaring, but it’s frustrating that so many doctors want to knee-jerk a reaction to these precautions, and not look at the whole medical situation before doing so – particularly when these are effects that would’ve shown up before now, for those of us who are long-term users. Unless there comes a point where it’s clear that they’re doing more harm than good, I’m going to continue to fight to keep using the ring for as long as possible – or until menstruation is over, which could be another 20 years based on family history. For me, the migraines suck, but they’re at least manageable. The extreme cramps and bleeding are not going to be treated with migraine meds, are a bigger impediment to my life, and are only marginally helped with pain medications.

domain: health


Updated: Jan. 6, 10:43AM
At least twenty weapons that were allowed to “walk” during a Bush-era investigation aimed at combating gun trafficking were later recovered in Mexico, documents the Justice Department sent to congressional investigators on Thursday indicate.One of the distinctions that Republicans have drawn between Operation Fast and Furious, the flawed investigation that allowed weapons to “walk” into Mexico during the Obama administration, and Operation Wide Receiver, which did the same during the Bush administration, is that authorities who took part in the earlier investigation were coordinating their efforts with Mexican authorities.
“The difference in the previous administration is there was coordination with the Mexican government,” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said at a hearing in December. “They made a real effort under Wide Receiver to pass off a small amount of weapons and track them.”
But new documents DOJ disclosed to congressional investigators on Thursday appear to indicate that ATF officials didn’t even consider looping Mexican authorities in on their operation until several months after the investigation began and ATF had already lost track of weapons that likely ended up in Mexico.
The selection of emails indicate that officials discussed the possibility of working with Mexican officials but only talk about it only in theory.
DOJ Assistant Attorney General Ron Weich wrote in a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa that the documents paint a “mixed picture” of how Operation Wide Receiver unfolded. ATF agents had already allowed suspected “straw purchasers” to buy weapons well before they began discussing making the effort to involve Mexican authorities. The documents indicate that former U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton participated in a discussion about the tactics used in the investigation, but don’t explicitly indicate he signed off on the strategy. Ten months later, however, an email from an assistant U.S. attorney indicated that agents were still not arresting straw purchasers. The federal prosecutor indicated in May 2007 that it was their understanding that ATF “will probably take them down on the next purchase.”
An ATF official observed in June of that year that they “want the money people in Mexico that are orchestrating this operation for indictment” and that they already “have numerous charges up here.”
Later previously disclosed documents — from September 2007, well into the investigation that started in early 2006 — show that ATF officials were coordinating with Mexican authorities but they were unsuccessful in intercepting traffickers crossing the border and allowed weapons to flow into Mexico. Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged that officials worked with Mexican officials during Operation Wide Receiver.
By late 2008, the Arizona Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the case was expressing concerns with the tactics used, saying it “is wrong for us to allow hundreds of guns to go into Mexico to drug people knowing that is where they are going.”
An email from an unknown ATF official in August 2009 — just before officials in the Gang Unit at Justice Department headquarters in D.C. took over the case — indicates that a federal prosecutor on the case was “pushing back [with] moral dilemma [with] the [government] allowing the targets to traffic 300+ firearms to Mexico.”
Republican who have been pursing Fast and Furious said the documents don’t change their view of the matter.
In a statement, Sen. Chuck Grassley said that the documents showed that the “administration knew that guns were walked in Operation Wide Receiver, yet did nothing about it even as it was happening again in Fast and Furious.”
“I’ve said all along that walking guns is wrong, period. I don’t care who did it,” Grassley said. “We know that Lanny Breuer knew about guns being walked in Operation Wide Receiver, which is why he needs to do the right thing, hold himself accountable and resign.”
A spokeswoman for Issa said that DOJ was prolonging and complicating the investigation by refusing to offer direct answers and access to key witnesses like the lead prosecutor from Operation Wide Receiver.
“It is deeply discouraging that top Justice officials knew such details about problems in Operation Wide Receiver yet were still so quick to dismiss warnings from whistleblowers about reckless and dangerous tactics happening on a much larger scale in Operation Fast and Furious,” said Becca Glover Watkins.
Updated: “Chairman Issa has long described these Bush era investigations as flawed and matters of concern,” Issa spokesman Frederick Hill said in a statement. “There is, however, a distinction between them and efforts to coordinate with the Government of Mexico versus Fast and Furious where there was a proactive effort to keep the Mexican government and U.S. Mexico City Embassy in the dark.”
- -Hiring More Journalists
- -Providing free memberships to those who cannot afford them
- -Supporting independent, non-corporate journalism


text:
Food Pets Die for: Shocking Facts about Pet Food
Ann Martin was the first to expose the fact that euthanized cats and dogs are common ingredients in many commercial pet foods. For this second edition, the updated and revised version of the grassroots bestseller, she expanded her research to find that pet food can also contain diseased cattle, contaminated meat, moldy grain, roadkill, and rancid fats from restaurants. Also new is a chapter on how cats and dogs are used to test the nutritional claims of pet food ingredients.
What people are saying - Write a review
very informative and shockingUser Review - jenabell - Overstock.com
I am very disturbed by the contents of this book. I am definitely going to do something with the information it contains. I almost wish I didnt know it. It is the kind of news that you wish you didnt ... Read full review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - Darksong17 - LibraryThing
Being the pet nutrition geek I am, I didn't learn a whole lot I didn't already know about pet food quality and ingredients from this book. However, I did learn a whole lot about how terrifyingly ... Read full review

domain: pet


super super but i have a problem: after 3 days on can't connect to device/ ask for password continuously but themperature and humidity it is dsplayed. can you help? tryed from another device but have the same problem
v0.05 - 18/09/2014
** The switch status was not updated fast because of a small bug. Fixed.
** The temperature / humidity indication update time has been changed from 3 seconds to 5" for reducing the data consumption.
** On form 'About' the button 'Close' was not appearer some times. Fixed.
GSM-RELAY App is used for WAFERSTAR GSM controllers.Also can work with WiFi Plug
USB Relay Controller App for tablets and phones - connect up to 128 relays


text:
In today’s society, there is increasing emphasis on taking care of your health and that of your family.
If prevention is generally accepted to be better than cure, family health insurance policies (which are available from specialists, such as Drewberry Health Insurance) may have a role to play.
Here are a few key points that you may find helpful in trying to understand what such policies might typically offer:
- Peace of mind. One of the very worst aspects of ill health is uncertainty. Many people may have a natural tendency to assume the worst even when it is not justified and part of dealing with that is being able to access fast consultative and diagnostic services. Unfortunately, if your condition is not seen as being serious or critical, it is in this area that you may encounter delays and waiting lists through the National Health Service. So, your peace of mind may be restored more quickly if you are able to pay for private access to such services and avoid delays;
- Fast return to normality. Sometimes a health problem may not be particularly serious but it might certainly be something that inconveniences you and means that you find it difficult to concentrate on your normal life including work. Being able to get your condition treated as soon as possible will enable you to get back to those things in life that are really important – i.e. living it;
- Provision for your family. Any responsible parent or care provider will typically be keen to ensure that some of the above benefits are available not only to them but also to their family. Family health cover policies exist that provide such cover and once again, knowing that your loved ones are potentially protected in such a fashion may also increase your own peace of mind;
- Convenience. Gaining fast access to medical services is one thing but fitting into other people’s schedules and their geographical conveniences, may prove to be extremely disruptive to your own diary. Typically, if you have private medical cover, you will find it much easier to obtain appointments at hospitals or clinics that are convenient for you both geographically and in terms of dates and times;
- Flexibility. Policies typically do not operate on a one-size-fits-all basis. You may be able to tailor the benefits provided to suit your particular family circumstances and your budget. For example, you may be able to include or exclude cover for outpatient treatments. That might be something you would appreciate depending upon your views as to what type of cover is important for your situation.
There is little doubt that illness can be distressing and getting it attended to as fast as possible is important for almost everyone who finds themself in such a situation.
Private family health cover might just enable you to do so.
Do you have family health insurance? Is it something that you would consider if you can afford it? Do let us know below.
This is a sponsored post.

domain: medical


text: The Reynolds stress associated with the adjustment of two-dimensional isotropic eddies subject to a large-scale shear flow is examined in a series of initial-value calculations in a periodic channel. Several stages in the temporal evolution of the stress can be identified. Initially, there is a brief period associated with quasi-passive straining of the eddy field in which the net Reynolds stress and the associated eddy viscosity remain essentially zero. In spectral space this is characterized by mutual cancellation of contributions to the Reynolds stress at high and low eddy wavenumbers. Subsequently, eddy–eddy interactions produce a tendency to restore isotropy at higher eddy wavenumbers, leading to an overall positive eddy viscosity associated with the dominant contribution to the Reynolds stress at low eddy wavenumbers. These results are consistent with theoretical predictions of positive eddy viscosity for initially isotropic homogeneous two-dimensional turbulence. Due to the inverse cascade, the accumulation with time of energy at the scale of the channel produces a competing tendency to negative eddy viscosity associated with linear shearing of the disturbances. This finite-domain effect may become dominant if the nonlinearity of the eddy field is relatively weak.

domain: literature


Northumberland gears up for Blyth relief road
The county council has opened a statutory consultation period ahead of pushing for consent in early 2024 and a highway open for use in 2026.
The local community, businesses and other stakeholders are urged to contribute to the process, which includes drop-in sessions and an online consultation.
A banner project for Northumberland, the project was one of those talked up earlier this month by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as part of a the redistribution of HS2 investment across the regions.
The proposed scheme involves the construction of a new 4.5km dual carriageway and road widening of the existing single carriageway to dual carriageway along the length of the A1061.
In addition, NCC wants to construct a new single carriageway link between Chase Farm Drive and Ogle Drive.
The scheme is intended to reduce local congestion, reduce car and bus journey times, offer greater walking and cycling opportunities, improve air quality and support opportunities for future growth in the town, currently the focus of the Energising Blyth investment programme.
The relief road scheme will follow on from the Northumberland Line project currently under construction.
Cllr Wojciech Ploszaj, NCC’s cabinet member for supporting business and opportunities, said: “This is a critical project to fix current issues and future-proof transport in Blyth.
“It’s a very welcome and long-awaited project and along with the Northumberland Line, this will bring a significant positive impact to the community and the economy of Blyth.
“We want local people to be fully involved in the proposal and have the opportunity to have their say on the future of their town and see how our proposals may affect them.”
NCC said that the two main roads into Blyth, the A193 Cowpen Road and A1061 Laverock Hall Road are heavily trafficked with more than 20,000 vehicles a day on each road, and both suffer congestion during peak periods.
A Blyth transport appraisal was completed in 2015 and recommended several options to take forward to help relieve congestion. The report noted that longer term highway improvements would be required to add capacity to the network.
Several routes were investigated, and engagement took place in early 2019 to provide the community with details on all the route options. Public engagement in the summer of 2022 shared the route alignment in its preliminary form, a proposal that has since been tweaked.
The outline business case for the scheme, currently with the Department for Transport for review, has been updated to reflect the preferred option.


text:
Constable Ashbaugh Finishes 34 Years Of Service
Last Saturday, Mr. William Ashbaugh completed 34 years of service as Deputy Sheriff and County Constable, the longest of any such officer in this state.
First appointed to town constable in 1876, then to County Constable only 10 days later, and finally made Deputy Sheriff by December of the same year. Mr. Ashbaugh served town office for a total of 19 years before retiring due to
In the early years of his office, Emmitsburg did not enjoy the reputation for order that it now bears. Mr. Ashbaugh picked up three or four offenders every day. Who can tell whether he is entitled to the credit for the changes
in these years? His arrests run clear through the gamut of crimes; from murder to petty larceny. He once arrested a man for attempting to kill his father-in-law. The fellow was brought here and locked up in the basement of the hotel. During the night
the man’s friends liberated him, but in short time Mr. Ashbaugh was on his trail, on account of a light snowfall which made it easy to follow. The footprints led to the man’s house where he lay in bed with a revolver and razor close at hand. Mr.
Ashbaugh got his hands on the weapons first, and then grabbed hold of the man. He was landed safely in jail. Indeed, in a long career as an officer of the law, Mr. Ashbaugh has never had a prisoner whom he arrested escape from him.
Performance At Clairevaux A Great Success
The operatic and vaudeville performances given at Clairevaux, Mount St. Mary’s, was greeted by a large crowd of representative people. The lawns, porches, walls and halls of this historic house were handsomely decorated for the
occasion and the whole place was a scene of pure beauty.
In addition to the operatic and vaudeville performances, choruses treated the crowd, marches and drills by the children. The society sideshow on the east porch was a great success. Miss Marianne Ward, as the 'largest baby in the
world,' took the prize in this department. The Emmitt Cornet Band, also on hand, furnished excellent music. Ice cream and cake were furnished to the audience during intermission without extra charge.
Emmitsburg Pike Next
At the next meeting of the road commission, the turnpike between Frederick and Emmitsburg is expected to be purchased and opened to the public. An agreement has already been reached for 21 miles of this road at $1000 per mile.
Governor Crothers said the Emmitsburg Pike will be taken over during September at the latest, and the toll gates taken down. The turnpike company will retain ownership of the toll houses, such as that on Tollgate Hill just south of Emmitsburg, as the
state has no desire of purchasing them.
William Weant Dies Of Typhoid
On Wednesday, William Weant, oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Weant, died at his parents home on West Main Street of typhoid fever. The young man had been feeling badly for some time but was not confined to his bed except for two
days. He was almost 18 years of age and was a man of industrious habits. His untimely death was a shock to the community. Interment was made in Mountain View Cemetery.
Too Quick On The Trigger
On Thursday of last week, Thomas Johnson shot Noah Jenkins while the latter was hunting squirrels in the mountain. Johnson is now under $500 bail. From Johnson’s statement made before the magistrate it appears that Johnson did
not want his land hunted over, and had ordered several people to leave the place on the morning of the assault. Later he heard the report of shooting, and gun in hand started after the hunters. Near the top of the mountain he saw a man and immediately
opened fire. Afterwards he learned that the man he shot, Noah Jenkins, was not one he had ordered off his property.
Best Freckle Remover
One of the very best freckle removers is a wash made of buttermilk that is not rotten sour, but acidic enough to drink nicely. The drinking of buttermilk is excellent for the liver, but buttermilk is very hard to get away from
the farm. The so-called buttermilk retailed from the dairy depots in cities is rarely anything but the soured leavings of the sweet milk, and never to be recognized as the "Simon-pure" article.
High School Literary Society
The first meeting of the E. H. S. Literary Society was held September 9. The meeting opened with singing "Flow Gently Sweet Afton." Then Lewis Beam was appointed critic and Edith Ohler, William Morrison, and Samuel Keilholtz
judges for the debate, which was resolved, that drink is a greater destructive power than war. After lengthy and spirited debate, the society agreed that drink was in fact more destructive than war. The society also chose Longfellow as the societies’
patron poet and ‘The Village Blacksmith’ as the societies’ poem.
Emmitsburgers Under Suspicion
A saloon in Cascade was entered and robbed of $30 of whiskey. The discovery of the loss initiated a search, which found, according to the Waynesboro Herald, two young Emmitsburg men in the woods near the saloon. They were under
the influence of liquor and the owner was so certain that they were the thieves that he warranted further arrest. By the time the constable returned to the scene with him they had disappeared.
Flying Machine Coming
Professor Perriot and his wonderful aircraft "Skyscraper" will appear here in two sensational flights with the Wheeler Big Shows, which will exhibit here on September 27. Many other new and exclusive features have been added
this season, including Wheeler’s Dancing Horses, Educated Ponies, Dogs and Mules, World’s Greatest High School Horses, Marvelous Troops of Acrobats and Aerialists, and a host of happy, mirth provoking clowns. Also enjoy a tremendous, free, spectacular
street parade at noon.
Crapster Barn Burned
A large barn on William Crapster’s farm, tenanted by Mr. Hall, 5 miles from here, was totally destroyed in a fire on Saturday night. Four horses, this year’s wheat, rye oats and hay crops and farming implements were also
destroyed. Some 24 years ago the bar in this property was struck by lightning and again on July 11, 1889 it was struck and burned to the ground, killing two men, Charles Harner and Denton Reilander, by lightning.
Fair View Farm
One of the prettiest and kept-up farm properties in this neighborhood is "Fair View Farm," home of Mr. And Mrs. George Miller, near Emmitsburg on Bruceville Road. The Millers named the property "Fair View Farm" when they
bought it several years ago.
Bernard Butler Shot On Street
On Saturday morning between 12 and one o’clock Bernard Butler was shot by Mr. Joseph Elder in front of Dr. Jamison’s office on West Main St.. Butler had attended a dance given at Spangler’s Hall and caused some disorder at the
place. Dr. Jamison was driving up the Pike and noticed a fight. He asked the people involved to stop. Butler, it was said, was very impertinent at the time. Elder, who was near there at the time, got in with Dr. Jamison and drove to the stable. He and
a doctor were coming from the stable when they were again accosted by Butler and his companions, who when ordered to move on, came towards Elder and was shot.
It appeared that none of the shots had taken effect as Butler and his companions walked off uptown, where he then collapsed in front of Dr. Stone’s office. All four bullets had in fact struck him. He was taken from Dr. Stone’s
office to the Beatty House, and the next day removed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Baltimore. His condition was not considered critical. The next morning Mr. Elder reported to Squire Shuff and was held under $500 bond, which was furnished by Dr. Jamison.
Butler’s reputation as a bad Negro seems to be well-established; an indictment against him is now pending in Frederick Court. Mr. Elder’s character is of the best. Never of a quarrelsome disposition, he has always been
well-liked by many if not all of Emmitsburg’s best citizens, and this supposition is that the aggravation of this occasion must have been great. It is stated that when Butler started up street he was heard to say that he would fix Elder, or Elder would
have to fix him.
Read Prior '100 Years Ago this Month'
Have a newspaper clipping on a event that took place in Emmitsburg?
If so, send it to us at email@example.com

domain: history


text:
The ‘wild west’ sector of the financial world is in need of experienced compliance officers, but they are hard to find, even when wages are not an issue.
The Coinbase case
Jeff Horowitz is a well-known name in the world of finance who has held senior compliance roles in several major companies including Goldman Sachs. After his three decades worth of experience at the traditional financial world, he joined crypto exchange Coinbase as the chief compliance officer in July last year.
He said, “It’s not for the faint of heart” since cryptocurrency is a largely unregulated world. He added, “You need to have a flexible risk needle. The old school attitude of compliance being Doctor No really doesn’t translate well to this industry.” Several senior compliance officers are being approached by cryptocurrency firms, and some of them have found it challenging to take the leap. Since regulatory uncertainty is increasing, crypto companies want to be fully equipped with experienced professionals to handle their issues.
Hiring senior executives is not easy
Executives like Horowitz who have years of compliance and legal experience are a priority for the crypto businesses, but they are equally difficult to convince. Headhunters say that these executives are risk averse and they may be turned off by the founding principles of the industry- which may appear as hostile or anti-government. Additionally, trading in digital currencies has been falling throughout 2018 which makes it difficult to promise a brighter future.
Annual salaries for senior positions in the US are around $300,000 or higher and recruiters from crypto businesses offer the same along with the chance to work in an emerging and fast-paced industry. Scott Fletcher from fintech C-suite recruitment firm Intersection Growth Partners said, “The best chief compliance officers have successfully mitigated risk for a living, and they tend to be relatively risk-averse when thinking about their careers.” He noted that finding a person who has the skill set a crypto company needs, who is also ready to work in the industry is tough.
Crypto firms usually have to navigate regulations in different jurisdictions they operate in, get information about law enforcement and also decide how new laws will apply to cryptocurrencies. Doing this could prove very challenging. The bearish markets, frequent news of hacks and scams in the sector and a hawkish view of several governments regarding the industry isn’t doing well to the industry.


The New Tesla Roadster Will Be the Fastest Production Car Ever Made
Its 1.9-second 0-60 even smokes the Dodge Demon.
In the best Steve Jobs “one more thing,” tradition, Elon Musk concluded the press conference for the Tesla Semi with the surprise introduction of the new Tesla Roadster, a mega-quick sports car that will take the fight to would be challengers from Porsche and Mercedes.
Musk had stated previously that Tesla would revisit the Roadster, its original model, but the hype for the Semi event distracted from any thoughts that a new high-performance Roadster would also share the spotlight.
The $200,000 sports car’s shocking 1.9-second 0-60 mph acceleration will top every street car on the planet, including the gas-burning Dodge Demon, Musk vowed. “The point of doing this is to give a hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars,” Musk crowed. The Roadster “will be the fastest production car ever made, period.”
The Roadster will blast through the quarter mile in 8.8 seconds (which compares to 9.65 seconds for the Dodge Demon) and continues to a top speed north of 250 mph. The all-wheel drive electric system will put 738 lb.-ft of torque directly to the ground, making the catapult-launch roller coaster-like acceleration possible.
A 200 kilowatt-hour battery pack will provide 620 miles of driving range. Another surprisingly practical aspect of the Roadster is that it is a four-seater. The compact electric drivetrain leaves space even within the sleek sports car’s lines for a back seat.
While Musk has a history of exaggerated claims, the Roadster seems realistic with existing technology. And the inherently small demand for a car that starts at $200,000 should give Tesla a winning product that doesn’t present new manufacturing headaches with a company that has struggled to build the Model X SUV and the high-volume Model 3 sedan.
The Roadster launches with a special $250,000 fully-loaded Founders Series line, with the regular $200,000 versions to follow. Founders Series cars require a 100 percent deposit, while you can reserve a regular Roadster for a paltry $50,000 down.


text:
Friday, February 3, 2012
The NFL’s Looming Crisis with Symbols
Symbolism has a role in social media in ways not a lot of people seem to understand. Whether it’s your avatar picture or your social media account name it’s hard to deny that each individually and collectively carries some symbolism for those who see them.
You likely have noticed that this year’s NFL championship is Super Bowl XLVI. That would be the Roman numerals where "XL" equals the modern numeral 40 and "VI" equals the numeral 6. Hence this is the 46th Super Bowl.
But, I wonder, has the NFL looked ahead four years to 2016 when the 50th Super Bowl will take place? That event will have the possibly unfortunate title of "Super Bowl L."
That’s right the letter "L" is the Roman numeral that means the number 50. And, depending on where in the world you’re living, the letter "L" can also mean "loser" or "learner."
Either way, I have to think that sweatshirts, T-shirts, caps and all of the other branded paraphernalia that gets sold around the Super Bowl will not be quite as popular that year.
Which brings me back to the point of symbolism: I’m sure that when the NFL decided to start using Roman numerals to designate Super Bowls in 1971 when the fifth championship was played that the 50th playing of the game seemed a long way off. But now, only four years away from a big "L" of a championship game let’s hope someone at the NFL is thinking about this.
In the meantime have you looked at all your social media presences in terms of the symbolism they may be projecting? Maybe this Super Bowl Weekend is a good time to think about this.
What do you think? Is symbolism part of what establishes your social identity?


text: Background: Mammalian reoviruses naturally infect their hosts through the enteric and respiratory tracts. During enteric infections, proteolysis of the reovirus outer capsid protein σ3 is mediated by pancreatic serine proteases. In contrast, the proteases critical for reovirus replication in the lung are unknown. Neutrophil elastase (NE) is an acid-independent, inflammatory serine protease predominantly expressed by neutrophils. In addition to its normal role in microbial defense, aberrant expression of NE has been implicated in the pathology of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Because reovirus replication in rodent lungs causes ARDS-like symptoms and induces an infiltration of neutrophils, we investigated the capacity of NE to promote reovirus virion uncoating. Results: The human promonocyte cell line U937 expresses NE. Treatment of U937 cells with the broad-spectrum cysteine-protease inhibitor E64 [trans-epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido-(4-guanidino)butane] and with agents that increase vesicular pH did not inhibit reovirus replication. Even when these inhibitors were used in combination, reovirus replicated to significant yields, indicating that an acid-independent non-cysteine protease was capable of mediating reovirus uncoating in U937 cell cultures. To identify the protease(s) responsible, U937 cells were treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), an agent that induces cellular differentiation and results in decreased expression of acid-independent serine proteases, including NE and cathepsin (Cat) G. In the presence of E64, reovirus did not replicate efficiently in PMA-treated cells. To directly assess the role of NE in reovirus infection of U937 cells, we examined viral growth in the presence of N-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val chloromethylketone, a NE-specific inhibitor. Reovirus replication in the presence of E64 was significantly reduced by treatment of cells with the NE inhibitor. Incubation of virions with purified NE resulted in the generation of infectious subviron particles that did not require additional intracellular proteolysis. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that NE can facilitate reovirus infection. The fact that it does so in the presence of agents that raise vesicular pH supports a model in which the requirement for acidic pH during infection reflects the conditions required for optimal protease activity. The capacity of reovirus to exploit NE may impact viral replication in the lung and other tissues during natural infections.

domain: biology


text:
There are phases of a romantic relationship. When you match a person for the first time, this can be the first level. In this level, you get to know your spouse very well. As a result, this is the stage where you set out to discover in the event the person you are reaching is the you for you. During this stage, there will be a lot of physical contact, but no clear thought as to what this kind of person’s intentions are actually.
In these first five levels of a romance, couples will experience fascination, lust, romance, commitment and, at times, misunderstandings. Through these types of early stages of your relationship, you will learn if you plus your spouse are actually destined to talk about a life-long relationship. Yet , there are many occasions when these initial feelings fizzle out or perhaps when the person you are with really comes with nothing in common with you in the least. In these cases, it may be necessary for couples to look through a process of rekindling the fire that was once there between them.
During the second stage of a marriage, there will still be an appeal between the two of you, but people also be a lot of difference of opinions in regards to what your romance should come to be. During this level, couples will often engage in a power have difficulty. They may disagree about how the relationship should certainly proceed. This could actually in order to bring you better together, nonetheless it can also keep you apart from the other person.
If you do not desire to engage in a power have difficulties, it may be essential for you to forget about some of your individual beliefs and principles. It might be that you have become too attached to certain ideals and guidelines that you no more see how the other person may differ from them. At this stage, it is important to recollect that your relationships have always had their differences, as well as the only big difference at this point is the amount of intimacy https://elite-brides.com/ that has designed.
The third stage of a good a part of a long term relationship is the turmoil level. At this point in a good part of a good marriage, the differences have grown to be so extreme that skimp has to be produced. You have to assess if it is well worth continuing the partnership at this point. In the event one person is unhappy, the other has to be comfortable with the reality he or she has to be able to on and discover someone who can be happy with the partnership. In the event that the partnership comes to a crashing halt, both persons must deal with the problem as best they can.
The final stages of a good component to a long term romantic relationship are similar to the first phases, but tend to be more difficult to work through. In these final periods of a relationship, there are usually disputes, and the couple simply cannot stay together. It is actually at this point, that it is necessary to both move on, or make a difficult decision regarding the future of the partnership. The decision to be able to on generally happens pretty quickly, because there is not any point in securing for any for a longer time than positively required.

domain: sociology


text:
Horses, dragons, snakes, monkeys and sheep are five of the 12 animals that are associated with the Lunar New Year. Also known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, each year’s festivities celebrate an animal with unique characteristics. And in 2022, we welcome the Year of the Tiger.
The tiger represents strength and bravery, and the IE China Club is delighted to ring in the new year with an exciting roundup of traditional activities. The club’s event will, for the very first time, be held at our IE Tower, and will take place on February 3rd from 4 to 6 p.m.
IE University and the IE China Club are honored to welcome Mr. Wu Haitao, Chinese Ambassador to Spain, and Santiago Íñiguez, President of IE University, to open the event alongside President of IE China Club, Tingrui Zhang, a current student of the Dual Degree in Business Administration and International Relations program.
As per the club’s mission to share the wealth of Chinese culture with the IE University community, they organize numerous events related to Chinese culture as well as politics, economics and so forth. The club also welcomes entrepreneurs from China or who work in China who share their experiences, wisdom and networks with students. President Tingrui Zhang emphasizes that students are warmly invited to participate in these events—including the upcoming Lunar New Year celebration—to get to know China better, make new friends and enjoy enriching experiences.
What is the Lunar New Year?
The Lunar New Year is an immensely important celebration for many Asian nations. The festivities take place on the first day of the first lunar month of the Lunar Calendar, or between January 21st and February 21st. The color red is prominent in the festival as a symbol of good fortune and prosperity and abounds in the numerous decorations and traditions linked to the celebration.
The celebration is steeped in the legend of the Heavenly Gate Race. According to the legend, the heavenly Jade Emperor segmented time into cycles of 12 years, with each cycle guarded by one of the 12 animals that first crossed the threshold of the gate to heaven in a race. The tiger was the third animal across the threshold, thus claiming its place as a guard of time.
This year, Lunar New Year celebrations around the world will begin on February 1st and will last until February 15th. Celebrations around the world will come to an end with the famed colors and lights of the Lantern Festival.
How will we be celebrating at IE University?
The IE China Club has organized an array of activities inspired by traditional celebrations of the Lunar New Year. Tingrui is excited that the celebration will be less hampered by COVID-19 restrictions this year, meaning that students can enjoy a wider range of festivities than the previous year permitted.
The lineup of activities includes:
- Lion dances
- Martial arts
- Chinese calligraphy
- Sugar painting
- Paper cutting
- Sports and other games (with prizes!)
Students can choose to watch performances of the traditional lion dance, thought to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year, or learn the beautiful and delicate art of sugar painting. Game prizes up for grabs include trips around Spain with Smart Insiders as well as discount vouchers for Chinese restaurants in Madrid. Speaking of food, Tingrui promises a tantalizing spread of dumplings and beverages prepared by the IE China Club for just €5. Participants can also partake in a €15 menu from IE China Club’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Madrid, Hu Tong Restaurant, with the delicacies on offer including roast duck.
To those considering IE University for future studies as well as those new to campus, Tingrui encourages open-mindedness, friendliness and readiness to learn vast amounts both from coursework and from the diverse group of friends you will make. He calls IE University “wonderful” and promises that your time studying here will be one of the best experiences you can have.
Start the Chinese New Year off on the right foot and in good company with Tingrui and the rest of IE China Club. They will be ready to welcome you to the Lunar New Year celebration on February 3rd at the IE Tower. Can’t wait to see you there!


text:
During 2021, Italian infrastructure group Atlantia agreed to sell its 88% stake in tollway-operator Autostrade per l’Italia for an estimated 8 billion euros. This asset was previously considered the key asset within Atlantia’s business.
This sale followed a period in which the company had found itself facing off against the Italian government due to a tragic event. In 2018, the Morandi Bridge in Genoa collapsed, killing 43 people. The bridge was managed by Autostrade under its concession agreement. Conflict with the government escalated quickly, and Rome threatened to revoke Autostrade’s concession. While we considered that Atlantia at its core was a stable, quality infrastructure operation, the risks during this period created so much uncertainty we no longer considered the company a conservative and reliable infrastructure investment.
The sale of Autostrade, however, meant the quality of Atlantia’s remaining assets became the focus. Furthermore, the company would now be receiving significant proceeds from the sale allowing management to undertake targeted investment opportunities and a buyback to return capital to shareholders.
Post the sale of Autostrade, the key assets for Atlantia include toll roads, airports and adjacent mobility businesses. The Abertis Group, an important operator in global toll road markets, is jointly owned by Atlantia and Spanish construction company ACS. This group controls a diversified portfolio of motorway concessions that make Atlantia responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of about 7,800 kilometres of tollways across four continents, operating in countries such as Brazil, Chile, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the US. Atlantia also holds a portfolio of toll road assets separate from its operations in Abertis, providing it with additional exposure to the long-term growth characteristics of these assets.
Another important asset for the Atlantia group is Aeroporti di Roma, which operates Rome’s main airports. This is operated under a long-term agreement extending to 2046 and will provide an attractive long-term exposure to the global aviation market, along with the post-covid recovery in traffic.
Atlantia has also developed adjacent mobility businesses such as Telepass, which operates electronic-tolling and other transport-payment systems such as car parks and restricted traffic zones in Europe. Atlantia in January this year bought Siemens’s road traffic unit for 950 million euros. Atlantia took interest because Yunex Traffic, which makes traffic lights and associated software systems, fitted with Atlantia’s strategy to expand its technology product offerings. While Magellan does not consider these business to be pure infrastructure, assets such as Telepass have proven to be an attractive opportunity for the business over time.
We weren’t the only investors who noted the strength of Atlantia’s assets post the Autostrade sale. Private-equity investors and strategic buyers soon circled. The largest shareholder on the Atlantia register, the Benetton-backed Edizione, in April this year was drawn to make an offer. Edizione teamed with US-based buyout specialist Blackstone Group to make a 19-billion-euro bid for the remaining shares of the company.
While the buy-out offer for Atlantia has not reached a conclusion, the situation demonstrates the widespread appeal of high-quality infrastructure assets that provide long-term, stable and growing cash flow streams to investors.
Sources: Dunn & Bradstreet, Bloomberg and company filings.


text:
Noel Fielding is expecting his first child with partner Lliana Bird.
The Great British Bake Off host sparked rumours he was expecting a baby with the 36 year old when she appeared to unveil a baby bump when they went to a party in January.
Sources said at the time, that Noel sipped on a gin and tonic, but Lliana avoided alcohol.
But the Radio X presenter confirmed the happy news as she showed off her growing belly in a picture of her at the gym.
"Thank you @hollyactive for keeping (well, getting) me fit and active," Lliana said to her 8k Instagram followers.
"Grown to absolutely love boxing this past year and Holly has been the driving force behind that.
"I’m literally one of the naturally laziest people I know, but even i’ve been loving the boxing once or twice a week and if i can do it you defo can!!! #preggoboxing #badassbumps."
Personal trainer Holly commented on the picture, revealing just how far along Lliana is.
"Nearly 8 months pregnant and you are still smashing it, literally!" she said.
Noel’s pal Serge Pizzorno from Kasabian recently revealed what kind of dad the Mighty Boosh star would be.
"He’s going to be the best dad," he said. "It’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait."
Noel, 44, and Lliana have been dating since 2010, with the couple living together in North London.

domain: celebrity


BEACE is a DJ from Cologne, Germany. He is an official Solebox DJ and the founder of “Goosebumps Cologne” and “Candid Cologne” and he holds a residency at “Reineke Fuchs.” Stream or download his DJcity Podcast mix below.
Follow BEACE on Instagram.
Download on iTunes HERE
01. Skepta – Eyes On Me
02. Dave ft. Stormzy – Clash
03. Sneakbo & J-Boy – Really
04. Aitch – Learning Curve
05. Central Cee – Obsessed With You
06. Digga D, Savo & Horrid1 – Keep Talkin
07. Hardy Caprio – I Luv You
08. G4 Boyz ft. G4 Choppa & Ivorian Doll – Local Scammer Remix
09. M Huncho – Huncho For Mayor
10. Drake – No Friends In The Industry
11. Moneybagg Yo – Scorpio
12. Dave – Wanna Know
13. D-Block Europe & Aitch – UFO
14. Drake ft. Tems – Fountains
15. Dave ft. BOJ – Lazarus
16. Skepta – Lit Like This
17. Fireboy DML – Peru
18. Dré Six & One Acen – Parlé
19. Pa Salieu ft. Aitch – Bad
20. FS Green – Reckless Riddim
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