Was it worth it? Residents question Opal flyover project
Wednesday, Dec. 17
A tractor trailer attempts to make a left turn onto Route 17 in Opal from the through lane on U.S. 29.
Fauquier Times Staff Photo/Steve Campbell
After two years of construction and $44.6 million of taxpayer money, some Fauquier County residents wonder if the Opal flyover interchange at U.S. 15/29 and 17 was worth it.
“People aren’t using the flyover like they’re supposed to, because they either want to go to Sheetz or they’re just so used to going the old way,” said Lindsey Murphy, a clerk at the Clark Brothers Red Shed, which lies on the southbound side of U.S. 29 just north of the flyover.
Other drivers say that they have made use of the flyover.
“I use the flyover to go home,” said John Mills, a clerk at Clark Brothers Gun Shop and Shooting Range. “It is more convenient, instead of crossing both lanes of traffic to turn left.”
Even though Mills frequents the flyover, he said that he doesn’t think that many other drivers are aware of the new option.
“I think people either aren’t used to the flyover yet or they think that the left turn is quicker, because it’ll still back up,” he said.
The flyover has been open to traffic for more than a year now. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) tracks traffic volume through the busy Opal intersection.
VODT has already made changes to the signs before the flyover and lobbied for updates to GPS systems in an attempt to make drivers better aware of the new route.
But the allure of the Sheetz gas station and convenience store on the northbound side of U.S. 29 seems to pull out-of-town drivers away from the flyover.
“We see a lot of people from out of town,” said Jessica, a clerk at Sheetz who asked that only her first name be used. “We get people from as far away as California. We have a reputation for being clean and efficient and a lot of people like our food.”
Jessica said that a lot of times customers come into the gas station asking for directions, because they are confused about where they can connect to Route 17.
County Supervisor Lee Sherbeyn said that he uses the flyover at least twice a day, sometimes up to four times a day, to get to his Bealeton home.
“I think anytime they spend that kind of money is too much, but the flyover is helpful,” he said.
Sherbeyn he thinks that one reason people aren't using the flyover may be that their GPS systems are not yet updated to show it. He said that while some drivers use cell phone GPS systems, many use older devices and don’t take the time to update them regularly.
Stacy Londrey, the acting communications manager for VDOT, said the flyover was constructed for people coming through Opal on their way to the beach. The old two-lane left turn lanes onto U.S. 17 would often get backed up.
“After the project was complete, we did a traffic count and found that roughly 50 percent of traffic was using flyover,” Londrey said.
“About 80 percent of all trucks are using the flyover. It’s closer to 40 or 50 percent of passenger vehicles that are using it,” she said.
After the new roadway opened, VDOT realized that changes needed to be made to signs, pavement markings and traffic controls to direct traffic toward the new route.
The changes were made in late March and early April.
“Two traffic counts have been done since the improvements, with approximately the same result—45 percent of vehicles using the flyover, 55 percent using the traffic signal,” she said.
Londrey said that VDOT will continue to monitor the traffic on the flyover and is still in the process of making improvements.
“The wording on the overhead sign will be adjusted to indicate ‘Right Exit.’ This change will happen soon, we are waiting on the new sign to be fabricated.”
The possibility of a new commercial center as part of the Opal Gateway Project raises more questions about traffic patterns at the interchange.
“I think that the Gateway Project will make traffic worse,” said Murphy. “They need to seriously consider different travel options if they want it to happen.”
But Londrey thinks with the Gateway Project in place, drivers will be more inclined to use the flyover.
“If there is a huge shopping center on the northbound side of Route 29, people will want to avoid that left turn onto 17 even more,” said Londrey. “They will want to take the flyover to avoid getting caught up in that traffic.”
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Catherine Adel West was born and raised in Chicago, IL where she currently resides.
I'm Victoria, your new book bestie.
I nerd out over books, I'm constantly dreaming of ways we can all live the literary life we want, and my obsession is watching people discover how books can change their lives!
What do you want to read today?
Spring is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts, so let's start this season with some great books. So if you're looking for the best new books, we have you covered.
The 2023 Spring Reading Guide has twenty-one new releases organized across seven categories.
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domain: literature


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- Flytoc, Coco, and the Rock that Grants Wishes
Storytelling and Bookmaking field trip with Lincoln Elementary School
Come join John Lee's young writers in a fun and exciting storytelling and bookmaking field trip.
School: Lincoln Elementary School
Grade: 4th grade
Field Trip Type: Storytelling & Bookmaking

domain: artistic


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Happy in Homer
The small town of Homer was the perfect place for us to relax and enjoy a “vacation” from our travels.
We stayed in a campground near the very end of Homer Spit, a skinny 4 1/2 mile stretch of rocky soil that sticks out into the bay, with a small harbor.
Here is a view of the spit from a distance:
We knew this was going to be a great town when a moose ran across the road as we were entering the main business district:
Driving onto the spit:
The setting at the end of the spit was spectacular, and there was plenty of beach and open spaces for the kids to enjoy.
Ben and the kids playing catch:
At low tide, our beach doubled in size. Here are Genevieve and Ben along the water’s edge:
The spit had a paved bike path that allowed us to leisurely explore its length.
There were many RV parks along the spit, like small cities of white:
The views from the spit were undoubtedly lovely, but the main draw for visitors here was the fishing. The vast majority of people come here to charter a fishing boat out of the harbor.
In addition to the RV clusters and fishing boats, the spit had some stretches of tourist shops, ticket offices, and restaurants. One of the most famous tourist stops on the spit was the Salty Dawg Saloon, which had been built as a cabin in 1897 and whose lighthouse tower was constructed in the late 1900’s to cover a water storage tank:
There were very few residents living on the spit. One of the most colorful homes was a converted boat, nestled among other wooden boats along the side of the road:
We ventured away from the spit to visit the Pratt Museum.
Far more than a “museum,” it really should be called an exploratorium, with its amazing array of exhibits on sea life, bears, the oil spill, local artists, the spruce beetle, and other topics involving natural history. The spaces within had an intimate feeling, and everything was thoughtfully presented. This was not a place that we wanted to zip through quickly, as there were many “hidden treasures,” such as a set of drawers that contained a series of wings and feet from sea birds.
Genevieve and I also walked the museum's Forest Trail, a short loop through the woods.
There was a sign at the entrance warning that bear and moose had been seen on the trail this summer. With a bit of eagerness mixed with lots of caution, we scanned the bushes around us as we walked, hoping to see some furry shapes.
Genevieve, on the trail:
Along the path was an art exhibit called “Facing the Elements,” with works that were intended to withstand the outdoor weather changes. Some pieces were simple in design and execution, while others were more complex. Here are some of our favorites:
Off of the trail was a small labyrinth, which was fun to walk.
The most memorable artwork, however, was a piece called “Wishing Well” by Christina Whiting:
According to a written description about the artwork, we were supposed to think about what we “would like to bring into our life,” then write that on a stone and place it gently inside the wooden bucket. Genevieve and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows—what should we wish for? Continuing happiness, love, and health? Yes, indeed. Hmmmm. We thought a smiley face summed up our wishes.
Then a mischievous grin came over Genevieve’s face. She found a stone on the ground and borrowed my ball point pen (not the best, but it was all we had) and started carefully making the thickest marks she could. The end result:
“Let’s see a bear”!
Ahh, yes--we had not yet seen a bear in Alaska, although we had seen been searching for one since we spied the grizzly in Canada several weeks ago.
Carefully placing our stone into the well, our light-hearted wish was made—with the verbal caveat of “from a safe distance, and please let us not be between a mama bear and her cubs when this wish comes true”!
Later, we sought out a good trail for some mountain biking and found the Homestead Trail in the hills above Homer. Our goal was to ride 4.2 miles from the trailhead to the reservoir, and then back:
Let’s just say that the trail was not well marked. Within ten minutes, we had reached a dead end at someone’s backyard—which had a moose in it!
We were elated! Oh, the wonderful things you can find when you lose your way.
Continuing on a bumpy two-track, we still had hopes of reaching the reservoir:
We eventually encountered a nice gravel road:
And then a dirt road that had lots of roots:
We got off our bikes and pushed our way through some overgrown, brambly sections:
Eventually, we gave up hope of ever finding the reservoir, although we were thoroughly enjoying our rollicking ride. On our way back, however, we found it . . . far off in the distance. Can you see it in the photo below?
It’s that silvery patch to the left of the tall tree:
What a hoot! We had a few moments of head-scratching--wondering, “How were we supposed to end up way down there?!” (Ben thinks that we should have taken an overgrown single track that he spied somewhere near the moose . . . but we will never know for sure.)
Another wonderful surprise near the end of the ride was a small group of sandhill cranes—tall, elegant birds with a splash of color above their beaks:
We watched the birds (and they watched us back!) for a very long time. When we finally breached their comfort zone, however, they rose into the air, with impressive wing spans of at least six feet! Their loud honking cries could be heard long after they disappeared over the treetops.
We saw some more amazing wildlife on an all-day hiking tour with the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, a non-profit organization that focuses on environmental education. First, we took a boat—the Seabird—across the Kachemak Bay:
Along the way, we circled around Gull Island, a natural sanctuary for about eight different types of birds.
There were many gulls:
As well as some cormorants:
Floating in the water were some "common murre":
And we were thrilled to see the distinct orange beaks of some puffins:
All of a sudden, a sea of white bodies rose from the island:
Then we saw the cause—they had been swept by a fierce-looking bald eagle, seeking some tasty eggs no doubt:
We unloaded from the boat onto a floating raft that we pulled to the base of some stairs using a rope. Genevieve and Sebastian immediately volunteered to pull:
The stairs this morning had water covering the lower rungs:
We learned that the difference between high and low tides can be a whopping 28 feet! The water fluctuation could clearly be seen at the end of the day when we reboarded the raft, shown below from vantage point of the high-and-dry stairs:
This tide fluctuation exposed many sea creatures as the water receded, and one of the highlights of this tour was exploring the tide pools along a smaller body of water called China Poot Bay. By carefully lifting up rocks and peeking into crevices, we found an abundance of life. Here is our guide Patrick, leading Sebastian and Genevieve though the tide pool area:
We found many sea stars. Here are some “true stars”:
The “leather star” had skin that felt like smooth leather, as well as a garlicky smell in its “armpits”, emitted as a defense mechanism:
The brittle star was indeed breakable—it shed a leg despite our delicate handling:
Sea urchins were plentiful:
The sea anemones were beautiful with their waving fronds:
Sometimes the anemones were closed up into a tight ball:
Sebastian was drawn to the crabs and their pinchers. Here is a "black-clawed cancer crab":
A hermit crab:
The "decorator crab" is so-named because it camouflages itself with bits and pieces from its surroundings:
We could see the arm of a red octopus hiding in its den:
The wriggly “gunnel fish” resembled an eel and had coloring that made it difficult to spot:
A maroon-colored “sea cucumber”:
The “silky sea cucumber” was almost see-through:
We learned to tell the age of a clam by counting the rings on its shell—this one was about 25 years old:
The “scale worm” did indeed look like it had scales covering its back:
In addition to all the live things on the beach, Genevieve and Sebastian were excited to find this large patch of seaweed, which resembled a decorative cape:
On our tour, we also hiked through the forest area (slapping away a frenzy of mosquitoes) and learned about different plants and rock formations.
Another family was with us today—John and Nicole and their two young kids, Torin and Noel. Because the trails were steep, they carted their kids in backpack carriers. Coming up the trail is Nicole carrying Noel, followed by Sebastian, Ben, and John carrying Torin:
We picnicked on the very tip of Moosehead Point, shown in the photo below:
Looking out toward Homer and Gull Island:
As I was snapping a photo of the view, I happened to catch a raven flying by carrying a stolen egg in its beak:
The lunchtime entertainment was watching the playful antics of sea otters and their babies in the turquoise water below.
Later that day, we found bear tracks on the beach, but no actual bears:
Although our wish to “see a bear” never came true during our four days in Homer, we were far from disappointed. We had definitely created some special memories here. And to paraphrase a famous quote by Garrison Keillor, some luck lies in not getting what you wished for but what you actually have, which was what you would have wished for had you known.
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domain: geography


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Actor OC Ukeje makes music debut with the release of his new single Potato Potahto featuring Nigerian rap superstar Vector.
The video which stars beautiful Ghanaian actress Joselyn Dumas was written and composed by OC himself.
The music video will officially be released on Friday, October 13, 2017.
The upcoming film “Potato Potahto” tells the story of a divorced couple whose plans to share their matrimonial home descend into chaos after the husband Tony brings in an attractive female house help.
Watch Trailer below:


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Television actress Adaa Khan will be soon seen in an upcoming show Pia ...
Actress Adaa Khan denies participating in the popular reality show ...

domain: celebrity


Tuesday, February 19, 2019
For this project, my original concept was a ring. However, as time went on, the logistics got in the way a bit, and we adjusted to accommodate for a large bracelet, one that is not necessarily wearable (although I can fit it on my wrist), but more a statement. To begin with, I wanted the shape to resemble rough rocks, very unlike the polished beads and diamonds of normal bracelets. As the project went on, I decided I wanted something even more out there, and the juxtaposition of the natural feel of the shapes with the factory colors and shapes of assorted stickers made me want to combine the two, to create a piece that was just so weird that you couldn't help but want to take a closer look.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
I wanted to try to make a boho-type ring with stones that aren't all clear cut and faceted diamonds, but more like the ones you pick up in the little velvet bags at gift shops in the zoo or at theme parks. To do this I made a torus, measured out how big the average women's ring is, and made several little spheres and edited them under form to give them an organic feel without taking away the smoothness. Then I copied them and reflected, which took a lot longer for me to figure out than it probably should have.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
In each of the articles and video, one of the main points of discussion is the revolutionary potential of 3D printing. In "Materializing Information: 3D Printing and Social Change," both Matt Ratto and Robert Lee discuss the merits of 3D printing, stating that the current climate surrounding it is both too grand and not grand enough, as claims suggest a complete revolution, but often ignore the subtleties and implications of 3D printing, especially socially and politically. The next article, however, discusses how 3D printing is affecting the world right now, rather than in the future. It showcases example images, such as a filigreed skull sculpture made from a printer. With such technology, it could make sculpture readily available and accessible to those who want it. In a similar way to which we can download a piece of art and make a print, we will be able to download a file of a sculpture and print it.
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
In his article, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Walter Benjamin discusses the essence of art and how it relates to the modern era post-industrial revolution of replication and mass distribution. His most compelling argument lies in his distinction between art produced through time, with care and precision, and art that can be mass produced. Benjamin believes that a canvas or drawing board, or any artistic medium, possessed a certain quality, or aura, because of the circumstances under which it was constructed. Modernly, although the original artwork may possess these same qualities, any given reproduction will lack a certain soul that Benjamin believes is necessary for originality, in essence. Benjamin also compares traditional artwork, and even traditional reproduction, to that of photography. While a photograph can capture images instantly and truly, they only need the eye, and perhaps some editing, to come alive, which is a much different, and in his opinion, lesser, process than traditional methods. Benjamin also reflects on the loss of personalization in work; rather than creating something worth being seen for you, it can be created with other people’s visions in mind. He also comments on the politics of reproduced artwork, remarking that while art has been used in political propaganda for a long time, it is especially prevalent, and readily reproducible, in the modern world. Ultimately, Benjamin believes that the reproduction of art at the rates with which we are going could lead to the decline of capitalism as we know it.


The Student Government Association is revving its engine about making improvements on the transportation system at Florida A&M.
Breyon Love, a third-year accounting student and vice president of SGA, had a lot to say about improving The Venom, FAMU’s transportation system powered by StarMetro.
“We are looking into the possibility of getting away from StarMetro and getting our own busing system so we can have total control of all of our transportation options,” Love said. “That’s something that we are looking into now, owning our own transportation system.”
One of the features Love said he wants to add if given the possibility would be night transportation to take students to different clubs in the vicinity.
Love said that having the night system could reduce the number of people drinking and driving. But along with lessening drunk-driving, Love said that safety overall for students can be improved by having a night transportation system.
Qadira Williams, third-year a nursing student at FAMU said something similar to the Night Nole would be a great addition to the venom routes.
“The time frame is inconvenient. I don’t leave the library until 10: 30 p.m. so by that time I have to walk home and its dark and unsafe,” Williams said. “Safety patrol doesn’t help me out so it’s a lonely walk.
We should definitely have something similar to the Night Nole.” Sounding a bit similar to the Night Nole, Florida State’s own after hours transportation, StarMetro representative Heather Teter explained that if students at FAMU want a similar system to FSU, then talking with FAMU officials and SGA members would be the best way to do it since Star Metro and FAMU have an abiding contract. Teter said that on average, FAMU pays $520,000 for its yearly contract with StarMetro so students are able to ride the bus for free.
“Each year FAMU and the Star Metro staff meet to discuss any changes needed to the contract. We evaluate on an annual basis. At that time, we also discuss billing costs due to the fluctuation of gas,” Teter said. “The U-Pass service is the official title of the program that allows students to ride Star Metro’s regular routes for free.” Although student may ride the bus with just a swipe of their rattler card, some have a hard time catching the bus before it leaves.
Jazmine Bartee, a third-year nursing student from Tallahassee, Fla., is one of those students.
“Sometimes the bus comes when its supposed to and other times it doesn’t,” Bartee said. “I could be just walking out at the time that it normally comes and it is leaving.” Teter said Star Metro hopes to eliminate that problem within the next six months to a year by adding a new feature. StarMetro is hoping to implement a text messaging application that will allow customers to get arrival times on their cellular phones. “This application will allow customers to text their bus stop number, which will be on the bus stop sign, to 27299,” Teter said. “After a few seconds, the customer will receive a corresponding text that will detail the next bus arrival times for each route serving that particular stop. This application will be available to the university services and regular route services.”
While this process may eliminate some issues a few students and non-students have with the transportation system, some are saying all of the issues need to be fixed to make a smoother ride. Love has run into some problems riding the bus. When he swiped his rattler card it would say invalid. “This year we were able to get a new rattler card system where the cards were more feasible for swiping,” Love said. “I rode the bus all last year and I still ride the bus now because I don’t have a car. I see a difference in that.” Teter said the busing system has been adequate over the years and no proposal has been made to upgrade the system. “The contract between FAMU and StarMetro is that StarMetro is to provide the Venom Express 1 and 2 with an Engineering route. Also, the contract allows for FAMU students to ride for free on StarMetro’s regular routes. To my knowledge, there has not been any concerns raised about the contract to warrant a cancellation,” Teter said. Other complaints student have toward the system include over crowded buses and hours of operation.
“They are crowed,” Bartee said. “I think they need to have another bus. It’s just not working. It stops at 10 p.m. They need to have a bus on the weekends. Say you stay in Palmetto South and you want to go to the café, that’s a long walk.”


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Rainbows hope to rebound at home
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
After experiencing more heartbreak last week, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team returned to its true love yesterday home.
The Rainbow Warriors practiced in the Stan Sheriff Center yesterday for the first time in two weeks. The 'Bows returned after going 1-2 on an 11-day road trip.
Hawai'i is 13-7 overall and in seventh place in the Western Athletic Conference at 5-7. The seven losses are by an average of 2.6 points. Six of those losses have come on the road.
"One way to look at it is that we're losing all the close ones," senior forward Jeff Blackett said. "But another way to look at it is we've been in every game so far and we feel like we can play with any team out there."
The 'Bows will host Boise State (10-14 overall, 4-9 WAC) in a conference game tomorrow.
"The only way to forget about tough losses is to win games," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace. "We have three games coming up at home, and if we win all three, we get our momentum back."
In an effort to get back to their winning ways, the 'Bows went back to basics yesterday. Wallace put the entire team through fundamental defensive drills for most of yesterday's practice.
"We're not getting the job done defensively," Wallace said. "We're fouling too much, which means we're not moving with our feet we're reaching in. So I felt like we needed to refresh some stuff that we did in the preseason just to remind these guys what it takes."
Hawai'i has made 221 free throws in 337 attempts this season. Its opponents have made 258 free throws in 372 attempts.
In WAC games, the difference is even greater. Hawai'i is 129 of 185 on free throws against WAC competition, while its opponents are 185 of 261.
"You can't complain because most times it's us not being aggressive," Wallace said. "So we need to work on it on both ends. We need to attack more on offense so that we start getting to the line, and then we need to start playing better defense so that teams are not beating us at the line."
If there is a cure, it could come in the Stan Sheriff Center.
The 'Bows are 11-1 at home this season, and have never lost to Boise State in Honolulu.
"You don't want to make excuses, but the places we go to on the road are nothing like here," Sensley said. "It's not just about the cold and the thin air and all that. It's also that there's nobody coming to the games. It's hard to get up for games like that."
Hawai'i is seventh in the 10-team WAC with six regular-season games remaining. The bottom four teams in the standings at the end of the regular season must participate in the "play-in" games of the WAC Tournament. The 'Bows are currently in one of the dreaded "play-in" positions.
"But the playoffs are not starting today," Blackett pointed out. "That's the good part. We know we can still make up a lot of ground with these next few games."
Hawai'i still has home games remaining against first-place Nevada and second-place Texas-El Paso. The 'Bows lost to those teams by a combined four points on the road.
"Who's better than us in the league?" Wallace said. "I don't think anybody. We've lost to some of them, but nobody has come out and flat beat us. We have to think that we have a shot against anybody."
Louisiana Tech, which beat Hawai'i by one point last week, is in third place in the WAC at 8-5.
"Only one or two games separate a whole bunch of teams," Blackett said. "So we can still get a good position."
Wallace also pointed out that a 20-win season is not out of reach. The 'Bows have five home games remaining in the regular season, and two road games.
By his logic, if Hawai'i wins all five home games, and then wins one of two road games, and then wins at least one game in the WAC Tournament, that adds up to 20 overall wins.
"And that's the number everybody wants to see," Wallace said. "Our season is not lost by any means. We just need to put it together and start winning these close ones."
Boise State struggling on WAC road
If there is a team that doesn't want to hear about Hawai'i's road woes, it's Boise State.
The Broncos are 1-8 on the road this season, including 0-6 against WAC teams.
"I guess they're kind of like us," Wallace said. "They're good at home and come up short on the road."
Boise State snapped a five-game losing streak last Saturday with an 82-68 home victory over Fresno State.
A month ago, the Broncos beat Hawai'i, 80-76, in Boise, Idaho.
"They play us tougher than anybody," Wallace said. "Their transition game really gave us problems at their place and they can shoot the 3, so we'll have to be alert defensively."
The first 500 fans through the turnstiles tomorrow will receive a free regulation-size basketball courtesy of Papa John's Pizza Hawai'i.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at email@example.com or 535-8101.

domain: sports


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I don’t use many tools when I quilt – just a few essentials:
My trusty thimble, a silicon one from Clover, on my middle finger:
Love it! Bright and pink, naturally…
A good pair of scissors:
And my favorite quilting thread:
These few but important items enables me to enjoy many hours of this:
I quilt without a frame. This works well for me, even though I know some quilters consider this to be a big no-no.
Enjoy your hand quilting, no matter what your favorite tools and ways are!

domain: hobby


Finding Your Tribe: Building Friendships in Roleplay Minecraft Communities
Mon Aug 23. 2021
Minecraft, the beloved sandbox game, has created a thriving community of players who come together to explore, build, and create in the virtual world. Among the many facets of Minecraft's multiplayer experience, roleplay servers provide a unique opportunity for players to not only engage in collaborative storytelling but also forge lasting friendships. In this article, we will delve into the world of roleplay Minecraft communities and explore how they foster the formation of meaningful connections and help players find their tribe.
One of the defining characteristics of roleplay Minecraft communities is the shared passion for storytelling and creativity. Players who join these servers are often drawn to the immersive narratives and engaging roleplay experiences. By participating in the communal act of crafting intricate storylines and inhabiting characters, players bond over a common interest and develop a sense of camaraderie. This shared creative endeavor serves as a foundation for building friendships within the community.
Communication and collaboration are key elements in roleplay Minecraft communities. Players interact with each other through in-game chat, voice chat platforms, and forums, allowing for constant engagement and the exchange of ideas. Whether it's discussing character backstories, planning collaborative projects, or organizing in-game events, the channels of communication foster a sense of connection and unity. Through these interactions, players begin to form bonds and establish meaningful relationships.
Roleplay Minecraft communities also provide a safe and inclusive environment where players can express themselves freely. The communities often have guidelines and rules in place to ensure a respectful and welcoming atmosphere for all participants. This promotes a sense of trust and encourages players to be authentic, enabling them to form deeper connections with others. When individuals feel accepted and valued within a community, they are more likely to open up, share their experiences, and build meaningful friendships.
Within roleplay Minecraft communities, players often find themselves collaborating on large-scale projects and ambitious undertakings. From constructing elaborate cities to organizing in-game events, these collective endeavors require teamwork and cooperation. By working together towards a shared goal, players learn to rely on one another, develop mutual respect, and strengthen their bonds. These collaborative experiences create a sense of achievement and reinforce the connections formed within the community.
Roleplay Minecraft communities also extend beyond the confines of the game itself. Many communities have dedicated Discord servers, forums, or social media groups where players can interact and engage with one another outside of the virtual world. These platforms provide spaces for casual conversations, sharing of ideas and experiences, and organizing meetups or events. By expanding the avenues of communication, players have more opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals, fostering friendships that transcend the boundaries of the game.
Moreover, roleplay Minecraft communities often organize community events and celebrations, such as festivals, tournaments, or story-driven campaigns. These gatherings bring the community together, allowing players to interact in a more relaxed and social setting. Whether it's participating in a friendly competition or simply enjoying the festivities, these events provide opportunities for players to meet new people, strengthen existing friendships, and create lasting memories.
Roleplay Minecraft communities offer a unique and rewarding avenue for building friendships in the virtual realm. Through shared storytelling, communication, collaboration, and inclusive environments, players can find their tribe within these communities. The connections formed within roleplay Minecraft communities often extend beyond the game, becoming genuine friendships that endure. So, whether you're a seasoned roleplayer or a curious newcomer, dive into the world of roleplay Minecraft communities and embark on a journey to find your tribe. The friendships you forge along the way will enrich your gaming experience and create lasting memories.


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Let's Talk PostPartum Body
First things first; GET THE FUCK OFF INSTAGRAM! Stop comparing your pre, during and post pregnant body to anyone else. Every body is so different and every woman’s pregnancy experience is completely unique. To start, most people look like they’re still 5 months pregnant AFTER they give birth. This isn’t something that people talk about often, so I’m here to open up about the postpartum bod. I had a c-section, so I had to stay in the hospital for a few days after giving birth. I didn’t have a scale in the hospital, so I’m not exactly sure how much weight I was losing per day but I will post photos of each day for my first week post. My whole life and throughout my whole pregnancy, I believed that you shit out your child and your tummy is flat again. I wish someone had let me know the reality of it so that I was more mentally prepared.
My pre pregnancy weight was 126 pounds, I went into my c-section weighing 165. (I probably would have gained more but I was very sick for the last week before my surgery and wasn’t able to keep food down) I gained 39 pounds throughout my pregnancy. After the first 10 days, I was already down 20 pounds. Now, I’m 3 weeks PP and haven’t lost any more weight. I have about 20 pounds to lose to bring me back to pre baby weight.
I have lost ALL of my muscle, all of my core strength, all definition in my legs. I feel like my hips have doubled in size, I can’t even fit into my jeans that used to be super baggy on me. I have cellulite from my pregnancy that still hasn’t gone away. Stretch marks on my thighs and butt and feel softer and squishier than ever. People often forget that your body changes over a span of 9/10 months and it may take 9/10 months to “bounce back”. Stop being so damn hard on yourself and go look into the eyes of your beautiful baby. That baby is worth every fucking stretch mark, every pound and every insecurity.
Now forget about your appearance for a sec.. the other part of postpartum that no one tells you about is the healing of your body. For all my c-section mamas; be prepared to be bed ridden and on heavy pain meds for a few days. You’ll be wearing a diaper and huge pads for the first week due to heavy bleeding. Going to the bathroom was incredibly painful - the perineal cleansing bottle will be your best friend. (your hospital should provide all of this for you!) Get used to being comfortable around your family and nurses… I had nurses all up in my crotch helping me clean up down there. Your pee needs to be monitored for the entire first day PP, so they place a catcher on the toilet for every time you go to the bathroom. They will also constantly ask you if you passed gas and have pooped… as you need to do these things before you can leave the hospital. (expect it to be PAINFUL!) Every time you laugh, sneeze, move, stand, walk… it’ll be painful. I was up and walking (very slowly) on day 2 and off all pain meds by day 6. DO NOT be hard on yourself if it takes you longer, remember that you just went through a MAJOR surgery. A lot of people asked how they stitch up the incision; they use dissolvable stitches which is very convenient. They put strips of tape over the incision that you will be able to remove in the shower after a week. If everything heals properly, you will be able to work out 6-8weeks after the surgery.

domain: medical


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Wonder Woman: Future’s End
Here’s a small sample of inking I did over Rags Morales’ pencils for Wonder Woman: Future’s End #1. Interesting approach to this job… Rags started inking the job and was using watercolor to add grey values to the drawings (which will then be digitally colored) I followed his lead, and add the greytones as well. The job recalls the black and white magazines Marvel did in the 70’s and 80’s. Looking forward to seeing the printed book. It’s scheduled to ship in September.


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This is Nichimo’s 1/200 scale Otsu Class I-19 WWII Japanese submarine. I-19 is credited with sinking the American aircraft carrier USS Wasp in September 1942, during the battle of the Eastern Solomons. She became a victim herself when she was sunk by the destroyer USS Radford in November 1943.
I built this model in 1991. Listed below are the modifications/additions that were made:
Ř Small diameter wire used for the Yokasuka E14Y “Glen” scout plane struts-
Ř Fishing line was used for the rigging details-
This was great kit to build and it really went together well. I believe it one of the most accurate kits available of a WWII Japanese submarine.

domain: design


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The recent European Coatings Show in Nürnberg provided a golden opportunity for the Coatings and Allied Industries to present the very best they can offer to the world. The results were impressive overall. However, there is still a long way to go as far as Sustainable Development is concerned where, in terms of school ratings, I gave the industries an average of a B-, despite some occasional star contributions.
Sustainability and functionality were the dominating topics at this year’s European Coatings Show and Congress. They also apply to the packaging coating segment, with an additional emphasis on product/food safety.

domain: news


One of the PINs examines the option of having the plant run by the private sector instead.
The option has been put forward two months after Audit Wales found “significant, long-standing deficiencies in governance” in how the council dealt with its in-house firm, Silent Valley Waste Services Limited.
The others PINs look for potential construction firms and machinery suppliers.
Blaenau Gwent says that, through the PINs, it “wishes to seek information and advice from interested parties who may wish to participate in the forthcoming procurement process”.
The authority warned however that the PINS do “not formally signify the beginning of a procurement”.
Blaenau Gwent county borough council did not respond when asked for comment by letsrecycle.com.
The council first unveiled plans to build an “in-house” facility in October 2020,which it said would “reduce the environmental impacts” of wood waste management (see letsrecycle.com story).
Under the plans, a partnership has been proposed that will comprise a group of unnamed local authorities in Wales who will provide waste wood “feedstock” to the facility from their respective civic amenity sites.
At the time, the council said the in-house plant would deliver “significant savings for local authorities for example through reduced haulage mileage and costs” and would be commissioned in 2024.
Since then, the council has remained tight-lipped on the proposals as it considers a business case for the plant.
However, one PIN suggests it is considering turning to the private sector to operate the plant.
Published yesterday (23 March), the PIN covers the “operation and maintenance (O&M)” of the proposed facility.
It said the authority “is keen to explore the commercial viability of outsourcing the O&M of the facility over a term of up to 10 years, as opposed to the option of delivering the operations in-house as a public sector partnership.”
This would include the day-to-day processing of waste wood feedstock, manning the picking station, and operation of a process-line configuration of plant and machinery.
The PIN for a possible private contractor comes after the Welsh Auditor published a damning report into the relationship between the council and Silent Valley Waste Services in January.
This found a number of “significant concerns regarding the adequacy of the council’s arrangements.”
This included the failure to establish proper governance and oversight arrangements in respect of Silent Valley from 2012 onwards to ensure accountability for the use of public resources.
The council acknowledged the report and commissioned a review “to seek assurance that its governance and oversight arrangements in respect of other companies in which it has an interest are adequate and effective.”
The PIN for the construction of the plant said the partnership and its advisors plan to procure the civil engineering and building works incorporating an 80mx20m steel framed processing hall, “compliant with all fire and operating permit regulations for waste wood reprocessing plants”.
The facility will also include external storage bays, a power supply, and a sustainable drainage solution.
A separate PIN issued was for the supply and installation of plant and equipment at the site.
This explained that the plant and equipment will be “powered by electricity where possible, to reduce CO2 emissions” and will be procured under a turnkey solution. The equipment will be installed following completion of the construction works.
The estimated value of this tender is estimated at £2 million.
The council explained that the overall objectives of the project “are to create a modern and environmentally sustainable wood reprocessing facility that will contribute towards the net zero carbon agenda.”
The facility will be equipped with specialist process plant designed to produce specification woodchip products.


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This research work is centered on the employee participation in decision making and its impact on productivity: an appraisal of government printing press and two other private firms in Enugu and Lagos. Research into leadership style has exposed employee’s desire for involvement in decision making in their organizations. Employees are at the same time important elements in organizational goals. But there is no democratic participation of employee in most of our organizations and employee are forced to cope with autocratic style of government and leadership. The research adopted the survey research method and is highly descriptive and inferential in nature. This involved the use of tables and simple percentages as basic statistical tool employed to analyze the raw data. The raw data was consequently subjected to Chi-square test as a major tool for hypothesis test and analysis .All the alternative hypotheses of the four hypothesis postulated were all accepted showing that the extent of employee’s involvement in decision making process of the organization is low, employee participation in decision making has an impact on job satisfaction, it also has an effect on employee performance and finally employee participation in decision making has an impact on organizational productivity .Findings revealed that among other things that the non involvement of employee in organizational decision making impacts heavily on the organization’s productivity .it was concluded that the management in Nigerian work enterprises are not favorably disposed towards granting employee significant measure of involvement in management decision making. Hence a lot is needed to be done to change the current negative disposition of the Nigerian companies/ establishment management towards employee involvement in management decision making .Finally it recommended among other things that for employee participation to be effective, the commitment of both employers and employees are required to facilitate its initiatives.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The concept of employee participation represents a popular theme in the analysis of the world of work among scholar in the fields of industrial sociology, industrial relations as well as management (Noah,2002,2).it refers to any arrangement which is designed to involve employees (workers) in decision making within the workplace. This implies that rather than saddling only a group within the enterprise with the responsibility of making decision, all those who are to be affected by these decisions including the employees or workers would be involved in its formulation and implementation.
In recent times, scholars have directed increasing attention to the issue of employee participation and its broader corollary, industrial democracy. In the United States, industrial democracy is practiced, employees are encouraged to buy shares in their companies enabling them to have a say in the management of their organization, in other developed countries like Britain, Germany and Russia, participatory management is popular.
In Britain and Russia, it is known as joint consolation and self management respectively while in Germany, it is known as co-determination (Mankidy,1984:239,yesufu,1984:20,Adenumi,1993:14, verma and syha:1991:28) These concerns reflect a growing interest in finding ways to make work more meaningful and satisfying to the workers.


Product thermal capacity : 1-20 t/h Working pressure : 0.7-2 Mpa Available fuel : Nature gas, coke oven gas, biogas, methanol, liquid propane gas, diesel, heavy oil, light oil, crude oil, etc. Available industries : Heat supplying, chemical, food, textile, printing and dyeing, cigarettes and tobacco, fodder, pharmacy, building materials, brewery, rubber, hospital etc. Introduction:
model of thermoelectric power plant - Bing is a boiler shell type 3 passes wetback oil/gas fired boiler. After fuel is being atomized by burner, flame is full of the wave furnace and transfer heat via furnace wall, this is 1st pass; the high temperature smoke is collected in reversal chamber and then enters 2nd pass which is grooved tubes bundle area; after heat convection, air temperature gradually falls and goes to front smoke box and turn to 3rd pass, which is smooth tubes bundle area, and then enters chimney passing back smoke box and exhausted to the atmosphere.
Technical advantages Digitized manufacture
The key part such as material cutting, rolling, drilling are proceeded by advanced CNC machining process to reduce the assemble stress and extend boiler working lifetime.
The front and back smoke chamber plates are cut by CNC plasma cutting machine and looks tidy and beautiful.
Easy operation and maintenance
Fully automatically operating, with automatically adjustment and protection of burning, water level, temperature and steam pressure.
Longer working life
Smoke tube and tube sheet connection is expanded first to eliminate the gap between them, then adopt automatic argon arc welding to relief the stress and expand boilers working life.
Longitudinal and girth joint adopt advanced automatic submerged-arc welding for good welding quality. All longitudinal and girth joint will have 100% radiographic inspection.
Fin tube us ND steel or stainless-steel material which avoid low temperature corrosion.
Inspection procedure point is set up to guarantee the sequence of expanding and welding, avoid cracking of the tube sheet holes.
Less fuel consumption
High quality aluminum silicate fiber is used with fire clay insulation, to control the boiler body temperature below 45℃ to control heat lost.
Sufficient steam storage room and heating area makes boiler to generate high quality steam and high thermal power.
Condenser is added to reuse the waste heat of the exhausted smoke to increase feeding water’s temperature and reduce emission temperature, which can increase the thermal efficiency above 98% and save operating cost.
In 2000, most US dry-cooling installations were in smaller power plants, most commonly in natural gas combined-cycle power plants. About 43 percent of thermoelectric generators in the United States use once-through cooling, 56 percent recirculating, and 1 percent dry-cooling (2008 data).
· PDF fileDesign and analysis of a thermoelectric energy harvesting system for powering sensing nodes in nuclear power plant Jie Chen Public Abstract In this work, a thermoelectric energy harvester system aimed at harvesting energy for locally powering sensor nodes in nuclear power plant coolant loops has been designed, fabricated and tested.
Cited by: 1
This 3D model was originally created with Sketchup 8 and then converted to all other 3D formats. Native format is .skp 3dsmax scene is 3ds Max 2016 version, rendered with Vray 3.00 Riga's Hydroelectric Power Plant (Latvian: 'Rīgas hidroelektrostacija', shortened Rīgas HES) is …
Cited by: 142
· PDF fileKeywords: Modelling, Simulation, Thermoelectric Power Plant Unit, Steam Generator, Air/Flue-Gas Circuit. 1. INTRODUCTION This paper is concerned with the development and validation of a model for the air/ﬂue-gas circuit of a large-scale, coal ﬁred, thermoelectric power plant unit. The aim of this model is twofold: First, to allow
Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get them in front of Issuu’s millions of monthly readers. Title: Model thermoelectric generator teg small modular as micro electricity plant at indonesia part 1 desi, Author: IJSTR
Looking for downloadable 3D printing models, designs, and CAD files? Join the GrabCAD Community to get access to 2.5 million free CAD files from the largest collection of professional designers, engineers, manufacturers, and students on the planet.
30/8/2018· Thermoelectric power plant Bowen owned by Georgia Power Company, from Highway 113, Euharlee, Bartow County, Georgia. Plant Bowen is one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the United States. Plant Bowen uses recirculating cooling, decreasing the amount of water that must be withdrawn.
The Cativá Thermoelectric Power Plant was developed as an emergency project to increase the capacity of electric power generation in the very short term, in order to cover the growing energy demand in Panama. Located in Bahía Las Minas (Colón), it has an installed capacity of 87MW and employs 10 internal combustion engines.
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In this work, optimization model has been developed to simulate TEG (Thermoelectric generator) based power generation system. Proposed model able to predict the gross power, net power and pumping power for all operating conditions and heat exchanger dimensions.
Click to view on 7:0326/1/2016· The operation of a thermal power plant is explained in a logical manner with help of animation in this video. Starting from the very basic question a conceptual overview of Rankine cycle is provided here. Topics such a …
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator – Wikipedia. 2018-7-17 · A Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG, RITEG) is an electrical generator that uses an array of thermocouples to convert the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material into electricity by the Seebeck effect. Juragua Nuclear Power Plant – Wikipedia
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Click to view on 0:0910/2/2012· We can produce 3D models of large scale industrial facilities such as this nuclear power plant. we combine various techniques to collect the data such as aerial and satellite photography, 3d laser scanning, 3d laser surveying, photography, and other forms of data collection to create an accurate 3D model …
model of thermoelectric power plant | Manufacturer of . model of thermoelectric power plant by biomassfiredboiler on July 27, 2018 in Vertical Biomass Boiler Quick inquiry: I need the quotation of Pls Select Product Thermal oil Boiler Electric Boiler Steam Boiler Hot Water Boiler Hot Air Boiler, the fuel is, the pressure is, this capacity is
· PDF filepower plants. A broadly-applicable model of power plant water use, which does not exist in the current literature, is needed. This issue is here addressed in three parts. Part 1 develops and validates an analytical system-level generic model (S-GEM) of water use at thermoelectric power plants. Part 2 then focuses on cooling
Author: Arrival 3D, Inc.
· PDF filethermoelectric or wind power plants [1,2]). Thermoelectric power plants have several environmental issues , but they are heavily used around the world. This paper describes the working principle of thermal power plants and presents a miniature steam thermoelectric power plant (Fig. 1 and Fig.
Find the perfect thermoelectric power station stock photo. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. A model of the Academician Lomonosov float power unit of a low power nuclear thermoelectric station exhibited at the Sevmash. Largest thermoelectric power plant in Argentina, located on the
Author: Sohel Rana, Abhijit Date, Arbab Iqbal, Aliakbar Akbarzadeh
· PDF fileconverting waste heat into electrical energy is to use thermoelectric power conversion. Thermoelectric power generation is based on solid state technology with no moving parts and works on the principle of Seebeck e ect. In this work a thermoelectric generator (TEG) system simulator was developed to perform various parametric and
2010 Model-estimated Withdrawal Versus . Withdrawal Reported to EIA and the Nuclear Power Plant, Once-through Saline Cooling. USGS Model. EIA. USGS Compilation. Withdrawal, MGD. 2017, Thermoelectric power plant water . withdrawals and associated attributes for three Federal datasets in the . United States, 2010: U.S. Geological Survey
The paper presents a diagnose analysis for an industrial fan having vertical axis rotation, which shows dangerous levels of vibration. The fan ejects the flue gases from a thermoelectric power plant. This is located and isolated on the roof of the power plant building by some elastic elements, in the form of some cassettes with coil springs.
12/11/2009· We introduce a model of a steam turbine power plant with once-through cooling at a river site and simulate how its production could be constrained in scenarios ranging from a one degree to a five degree increase of river temperature and a 10–50% decrease of stream flow. We apply the model to simulate a large nuclear power plant in Central Europe.


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Dr I Abdoola
MAXILLO FACIAL SURGEON
Royal Hospital & Heart Centre
- Oral & Maxilo Facial Surgery
Dr Abdoola earned his undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Pretoria. He gained valuable experience working at the Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery at Frere Hospital in the Eastern Cape. He maintains his activity in academics and has presented his research at the last SASMFOS congress held in Durban.
Some of the surgeries that doctor performs are trauma, reconstructive, ablative (malignant and benign), dento-alveolar, orthognathic (including treatment of sleep apnea) and congenital deformity surgery. He also manages the multi-faceted and complex condition of facial pain. Dr. Abdoola has his private practice at the Royal Hospital and Heart Centre.


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Developer Studio Size Five Games and indie publisher Curve Digital announced that The Swindle will be making its way to the Nintendo Switch on October 11th, 2018. Previously released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, PS Vita and Wii U, The Swindle is a steampunk cybercrime caper about breaking into buildings, stealing oodles of cash, and hotfooting it from the police. Players must platform their way across beautifully drawn levels, utilising an array of lo-fi stealth mechanics in their pursuit of the perfect loot grab.
Early adopters of the The Swindle on Nintendo Switch will enjoy a 20% pre-purchase discount making the game a veritable steal.
Combining a clinking, analogue world with cutting edge procedural design, and a healthy dollop of humour, The Swindle will launch for Nintendo Switch on October 11th, retailing for $14.99.

domain: entertainment


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Via Substack, Jeff Lemire has outlined plans for his and Andrea Sorrentino’s recently teased horror project ‘The Bone Orchard Mythos.’ A line of interconnected comics series and original graphic novels published by Image, ‘The Bone Orchard Mythos’ will begin with a Free Comic Book Day one-shot next year, and continue in:
– “The Passageway,” a 100-page hardcover graphic novel, out Summer 2022
– “Ten Thousand Black Feathers,” a 6–8 issue miniseries, beginning Fall 2022
– “Tenement,” another hardcover graphic novel, due mid-2023.
No plot details for any of the books were given for now, although Lemire stressed “they all take place in the ‘same world’ and add to the overall mythology, but also will all tell their own unique and self-contained stories.” He and Sorrentino intend to continue the ‘Mythos’ with “two or three new books each year for the next several years.”
The project is the latest collaboration between Lemire and Sorrentino, who first worked together on “Green Arrow” at DC in 2012. Since then, they’ve collaborated at Image on the horror series “Gideon Falls,” and the sci-fi book “Primordial,” which is set to conclude with its sixth issue in February. Sorrentino commented each of these books are “just imbued with such a mood and a chilling atmosphere that is just so good to work with,” and that “I’m utterly excited that this is now out in the world. I promise you we’ll all have a lot of fun with this.”
The ‘Mythos’ begins with a 20-page story on Free Comic Book Day, which will fall next year on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Lemire promises he’ll “start posting lots of sneak peeks here on my Substack as we get closer to the launch next year. See you in the dark.”


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At the Zimmerli Art Museum on Rutgers University Campus in downtown New Brunswick you'll find Cafe Z. It offers a variety of coffees, teas, chocolate drinks, fresh juices, cakes, pies, bagels, muffins, cookies and brownies, biscotti, cheeses and spreads, desserts, salads and grilled and cold sandwiches. It also offers private parties, local catering, eat-in and take-out and gift certificates, baskets and shipping and delivery.
71 Hamilton St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
- Accessibility Details: On-level side door and ramp access
- Hours: Mon - Sat, 8am - 8pm; Sun, 8am - 3pm
- Accessible: yes

domain: food


De Facto Makrys Kairos Kontevei
Here you can find track previews from release Makrys Kairos Kontevei by artist De Facto. This album was released 23.08.2000 and containing 13 tracks. Listen online De Facto - Makrys Kairos Kontevei previews (30 seconds length) is free and don't require registration. For buy album De Facto - Makrys Kairos Kontevei please follow to music stores. If we have other releases and albums De Facto you can see it on this page. All music content by De Facto is presented for reference only.


The company behind the Mount Polley tailings dam breach will pay for an independent engineer to review the tailings facility at its Red Chris mine
VANCOUVER— The Canadian Press – A British Columbia company behind a mine tailings spill has signed an agreement with a First Nation that will see an independent engineering firm review a tailings facility at a separate project.
The agreement between Imperial Metals Corp. and the Tahltan Central Council ends a blockade of the company’s Red Chris gold and copper mine, where workers had been prevented from entering by a group of Tahltan elders for more than two weeks.
The tailings dam at Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley mine in central B.C. failed earlier this month, releasing millions of cubic metres of waste water and silt into several lakes and rivers. The spill raised concerns about the potential impact on humans and the environment, placing the company and the entire mining industry under increased scrutiny.
Several days later, a group of Tahltan elders known as the Klabona Keepers established a blockade of the Red Chris site, which is located in northwestern B.C. and expected to open by the end of the year.
Imperial Metals issued a news released announcing that it would pay for an independent engineer, selected by the Tahltan Central Council, to review the tailings facility for the Red Chris mine and report back by Sept. 24.
The company has agreed to address any issues identified in the review “to the reasonable satisfaction” of the central council.
Imperial Metals president Brian Kynoch acknowledged that the Mount Polley spill has affected the company’s entire operations.
“We’re having to work with our neighbours,” Kynoch said in an interview. “It (the Mount Polley spill) is having an effect on all tailings dams in British Columbia.”
There are several investigations into the Mount Polley spill, including a review by a panel of experts appointed by the provincial government.
For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/environment-and-safety/imperial-metals-agrees-first-nation-tailings-review-140038/?utm_source=CMO&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CMO-EN08272014&e=rq0wMrp3vyWrlxu0q82vM20


Online Community Collaboration Brings Town Hall Meetings To The 21st Century
Town Hall meetings are a nice idea. Invite the community to share their opinions, and hopefully improve the local area based on their suggestions. Unfortunately, status and who-can-shout-the-loudest often creeps in to the process, rendering this supposedly democratic process anything but.
Enter MindMixer – a new organisation based in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by a small team of urban planners that saw major problems with traditional town hall and charrette models, MindMixer.com allows users to submit ideas within a series of given topics like Transportation, Public Safety, or Community Vision. This idea then remains open for 'support' (think Facebook's 'like' button for urban design) and feedback, with the comment system allowing for collaborative refining of ideas.
In order to incentivise users, MindMixer rewards points for submitting ideas, commenting, and receiving supports. Those with the most points score small civic rewards like bus passes, and ideas created within MindMixer that end up being implemented in the real city are proudly displayed.
MindMixer is currently partnered with Omaha, Burbank, Joplin, Tuscaloosa and Kansas City, with future US launches planned (and clear potential for global expansion). Hundreds of ideas have been submitted within MindMixer, including innovative public space concepts, enhancements to transportation networks, and creative new housing policies. The tool has also proven to be a particularly adept model in the disaster recovery efforts of Nashville, Tuscaloosa, and Joplin, in the aftermath of floods and tornados. And the city of Omaha recently made major adjustments to their city budget based on input from MindMixer – the first time in history an online civic engagement platform has been used to create a city budget.
For a web tool only a year old, MindMixer has seen some pretty impressive success stories. As the service expands across the US it will be interesting to see whether the traditional pitfalls of town hall meeting creep into the process. If not, MindMixer is an exciting service to keep an eye on, with a lot of potential for positive community engagement.


The Paramount Pro is CVA’s newest addition to the very popular PARAMOUNT line. The PARAMOUNT PRO comes upgraded from the current PARAMOUNT model to be built on a custom quality Grayboe Fiberglass Stock, including a TriggerTech trigger, and finished off with a Cerakote finish. These guns were specifically developed and designed to handle “super-magnum” propellant charges of 150 to 170 grains and thus provide muzzle velocities comparable to centerfire rifles.
- Free floating barrel
- Trigger-tech trigger
- Self-Deploying Compact Ramrod
- Thread Pitch: 3/4×20
- Trap Door Feature- for extra primer storage
- Quake claw sling
- One-piece range rod


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Longtime “Jeopardy!” show host Alex Trebek received a standing ovation during the latest Daytime Emmy Awards on Sunday evening. It wasn’t only because the game show host won an Emmy for his work on the hit game show, but also because of his latest battle involving cancer.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 78-year-old Trebek revealed this past March that he is fighting advanced pancreatic cancer. During Sunday night’s acceptance, Trebek mentioned the fact that he thought he might win the award based on sympathy over his revelation this year. However, he mentioned having surgery to remove a number of life-threatening blood clots that were on his brain last year. He joked, “You would think that would have elicited a certain amount of sympathy. But I didn’t win!”
During his speech, Trebek alluded to 1985 Oscar winner Sally Field as he brought up, “You guys like me, and you value my work.” Field made similar comments when she claimed her Oscar for Best Actress in “Places in the Heart.” For Trebek, it marks the seventh Daytime Emmy award that he’s won. He also received a lifetime achievement award.
He’s been the host of the popular televised quiz show ever since 1984. In June of 2014, Trebek also achieved a Guinness World Record for “most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter” on the same program. His 6,829 episodes of “Jeopardy!” surpassed Bob Barker’s record of episodes hosted on “The Price is Right.”
The format involves contestants receiving clues show on TV monitors underneath unique categories. Based on the clue, the contestant must buzz in and give their answer in the form of a question.
“Jeopardy!” is also making headlines lately not only due to Trebek’s health battle but also due to the amazing performance of one of its newest star contestants. James Holzhauer has racked up over $1.6 million during his run on the hit show.
Trebek won one of his latest Emmys for hosting, but “Jeopardy!” lost in the Outstanding Game Show category to “Family Feud.” In terms of the competition in his show host category, Trebek defeated the likes of “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, “Let’s Make a Deal” host Wayne Brady, and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” host Chris Harrison.
Other big winners at Sunday night’s Daytime Emmy Awards included soap operas “General Hospital” and “The Young and the Restless.” GH racked up five trophies including the best lead actor award for Maurice Bernard as Sonny Corinthos. “Young and the Restless” picked up the award for Best Drama Series as well as both the writing and directing awards.


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Large Steuben Hand Blown Art Glass Jade Green Vase with Swirl Design. This is an antique art glass vase with no chips or cracks. There are some superficial scratches as from light use on the underside of the bottom.
There are the original, natural bubbles and small inclusions, as is seen with hand blown glass. This is a jade green, semi opaque green glass vase. It has a wavy, swirl design. Measures 7 1/4 inches tall and 6 3/4 inches wide. This is unsigned, but is an original Steuben piece, with the typical attention to detail and high quality seen in these handmade items.
The item "Large Steuben Hand Blown Art Glass Jade Green Vase with Swirl Design" is in sale since Thursday, November 19, 2015. This item is in the category "Pottery & Glass\Glass\Art Glass\North American\Steuben".The seller is "finesilver4u" and is located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. This item can be shipped worldwide.


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A group of British rowers have been rescued from the Atlantic
Gemma Chalk, 33, Clare Lanyon, 45, Jane McIntosh, 36, and Olivia Wilson, 27, had been trying to break the women's speed record for rowing nearly 3,000 miles across the Atlantic when they capsized several times, losing their oars and GPS navigation.
The quartet sent out a distress signal at 9.08am on Saturday when they were 400 nautical miles from Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa.
They managed to contact the UK Coastguard on a satellite phone, who told them to activate an emergency beacon before sending a mayday broadcast to other ships in the area.
The women were rescued at 1.25am on Sunday by a bulk carrier on its way to Canada, and are said to be disappointed but "well".
The rowers' support crew member on land, Paul Williams, said: "The boat went broadside and rolled fully 360.
Thankfully the rowers are now on board the bulk carrier and all are reported to be well
"We had some breakages on board. We lost the steering. We lost a couple of oars, the GPS navigation system and most importantly, their point of view, the AIS, system that tells them when there are any ships in the area."
In a statement, a spokesperson for the crew added: "Following damage to the Fire Ant caused during a capsize incident today, and after discussions with shore support and the UK Coastguard, the girls have decided it is unwise to continue with their attempt to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
Ian Guy, UK Coastguard duty controller said: "The rowers were an extremely long way from land with no other vessels in the immediate vicinity.
"We received several responses to our mayday request, the nearest vessel being 90 nautical miles away, they quickly diverted and set course to the stricken rowers, taking eleven hours to reach them.
"This shows you how important it is to be prepared for your voyage and have several means of contacting the Coastguard or raising an alarm, even if you are not in UK waters.
"Thankfully the rowers are now on board the bulk carrier and all are reported to be well."
The women were trying to break the women's speed record for rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic between Gran Canaria and Barbados. It currently stands at 45 days, 15 hours and 26 minutes.
They were raising money for children's charity Barnardo's and the Forces Children's Trust.


(Pocket-lint) - A few weeks ago we brought you a BBC documentary that detailed the creation of a fully cybernetic arm, designed by Konami and based around the one worn by Snake in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.
That garnered a lot of attention, because not only did the arm work for an amputee, it really looked the part.
It seems though, Konami isn't the only games company building bionics for people who have lost or were born without limbs, Square Enix is too.
Its latest game in the Deus Ex series, Deus Ex: Manking Divided, is coming out on 23 August for PS4, Xbox One and PC and like former titles in the series features human characters heavily laden with cybernetics. It inspired the publisher to explore the possibility of building a working prosthetic arm in the style of the one worn by Adam Jensen in the game.
Square Enix partnered with Intel, Razer and Open Bionics, a British company that specialises in developing robotic limbs. and even by the 3D printed prototype, they are both well on the way to create an excellent replacement arm. What's more, the latter company is making all of its progress open source, so others can 3D print every element and build their own arms too.
The end goal is to make something much similar to Jensen's Deus Ex equivalent, with a shiny chrome finish, but even the model sported by the one-handed Dan Melville in the video below is impressive stuff. What's more, it could be made on a budget.
So check out the Deus Ex Augmented Future video and we're sure you can't fail to be impressed, like us.


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Lions in South Africa
Carnivores reintroduced to the wild as part of conservation programs fare poorly, reports a new study published online in the journal Biological Conservation.
The study, which reviewed 45 case studies involving 17 carnivore species, found that only 30 percent of captive animals released survived. Over half the deaths were caused by humans, mostly from shootings and car accidents. Reintroduced animals also faced higher risk of disease and starvation than their wild counterparts.
“Animals in captivity do not usually have the natural behaviors needed for success in the wild. Their lack of hunting skills and their lack of fear towards humans, for example, are major disadvantages.,” said Kristen Jule, lead author on the paper and University of Exeter PhD student. “We have suspected for some time that captive born animals fared less well than wild animals, but here it is finally quantified, and the extent of the problem is critical.”
Black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) feeding on a lion kill in the Ngorongoro Crater of Tanzania
The results have important implications for conservation programs involving reintroduction.
“The research team highlights the need for these projects to be reassessed so that animals are better prepared for living in their natural environment. This could include reducing contact with humans, creating opportunities for hunting and encouraging the formation of natural social groups, while the animals are still in captivity,” explained a statement from the University of Exeter. “The research also raised the need for long-term monitoring of released animals, so that success could be measured over several years. In addition, the paper points to the need for engagement with local communities before any reintroduction, especially as most carnivore extinctions were originally caused through conflict between animals and humans.”
“Despite the problems raised in our research, I believe reintroduction projects are vital to conservation efforts,” added Jule. “In some cases, the animals being released no longer exist in the wild because of human development or conflict. If we are to try and redress the balance, it’s important for us to help provide captive born animals with the opportunity to gain the skills that they will need to survive in the wild. The next step is for scientists, conservationists and animal welfare groups to develop guidelines to help captive animals prepare for a new life in the wild.”


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Tenants PAC, the NYC-based tenants advocacy group, invested in a big way (considering its size) in helping now-Sen. Gustavo Rivera defeat then-Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. during the Democratic primary last September.
Now, the organization is hosting a low-dollar fundraiser featuring Rivera, a Bronx Democrat who is identified in the invite as “a genuine progressive and strongly pro-tenant” (note that this comes at a time when a major battle over the rent laws is brewing in Albany).
Also worth noting: Espada is identified in the invite as “Tenant Enemy #1.” He was, as you’ll recall, the chairman of the Housing Committee, which was good for the landlords/REBNY, but not so fantastic for the tenant advocates.
As of mid-January, Rivera had just $7,172 left in his campaign committee. He also had $15,000 worth of debt.
UPDATE: Sorry, just to be clear: This event is in support of Tenants PAC, not Rivera himself. In the accompanying email, PAC Treasurer Michael McKee wrote: “The proceeds of this event will be used to support the Real Rent Reform Campaign to renew and strengthen our rent laws.”
The event is being held at the home of NYC Councilwoman Gale Brewer.


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Comparing Droughts: 2007 vs. 2000-2002
When talking about the drought this year people often refer back to the last significant drought that only recently affected the area, in our case it was the 2000-2002 drought. Many people want to know if this one is as bad (or worse?) and of course how bad will it get? It’s a lot easier to answer the first part of the question than the second!
Our ability to monitor drought in a more comprehensive and objective way began in mid-1999 with the advent of a new drought monitoring effort, the U.S. Drought Monitor or USDM. The USDM is a joint effort of several federal agencies within the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Commerce (including the NWS national and local offices), the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and numerous other participants at the federal, state and local level. It provides a weekly “snapshot” of the relative drought situation across the entire U.S. using 5 categories ranging from the least serious D0 (Abnormally Dry) to the most serious D4 (Exceptional Drought). The other categories are D1 (Moderate Drought), D2 (Severe Drought) and D3 (Extreme Drought). See the USDM web site for the specific criteria used to define each category of drought.
Using the USDM as a tool to analyze drought, we can start to compare the current drought with the 2000-2002 drought. Ironically, it was five years ago almost to the week (mid-October 2002) that the 2000-2002 drought began to come to an end. That drought really began with precipitation deficits incurred during the incredibly dry month of October 2000. That was the driest month ever recorded at both Lynchburg (0.01”) and Roanoke (0.02”). Lynchburg climate records date all the way back to 1893, while Roanoke only back to 1948. Many stations in the NWS cooperative network also recorded zero rainfall for the month! Defining a drought week as one in which there is Moderate Drought (D1) or worse depicted anywhere in the Blacksburg Hydrologic Service Area (HSA), the 2000-2002 drought “officially” began the week of October 10, 2000. The drought continued through the rest of 2000 and into about the first half of 2001. By late July of that year however, enough rain fell to eliminate drought and that condition lasted until late October 2001, when D1 reappeared in parts of the area. From then until December 10, 2002 there was continuous drought in parts of the HSA. This represents an unbroken span of 58 weeks with D1 or greater drought in some part of the area. 2001 went down as the driest year ever (since 1948) at Danville with 28.66”. It was also was the 2nd driest ever at Roanoke with 26.66” (the driest was 1963 with 25.67”) and at Blacksburg with 31.61” (record driest was also 1963 with 26.95”). At Lynchburg however, the 2001 precipitation of 32.49” was only the 16th driest in their long period of record.
The drought worsened considerably in early 2002, mainly due to a very dry February which had only about 25% of normal precipitation. Of course the areal coverage and intensity of the drought varied considerably during the entire 58-week period. It appears that the lowest point was reached beginning with the June 18, 2002 issuance of the USDM that saw D4, or exceptional drought shown on the map for the first time over parts of the North Carolina piedmont. The D4 category according to the USDM, equates to the 100-year drought or the 1% chance of annual occurrence. D4 conditions persisted and worsened in the Blacksburg HSA, primarily over portions of the Virginia and North Carolina piedmont during the summer and into mid-October 2002. Finally, significant improvements over the region began to take place during mid-October 2002 due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Kyle moving into the southeastern U.S. and several other rain-producing weather systems. In the 3-week period ending October 29, 2002 all of D3 and D4 were eliminated from the HSA. By December 10, 2002 all D1 or worse drought was gone and the drought was “officially” over.
The 2007 drought by comparison has been (so far) much shorter in duration. The initial appearance of D1 drought on the USDM was on the April 10, 2007 as D1 edged into the extreme southwest counties of the Blacksburg HSA. The Blacksburg WFO began issuing Drought Statements in mid-May as D2 or Severe Drought first appeared on the USDM. The drought has continued and slowly worsened over the summer and fall, in large part due to an extremely hot and dry August-September period. At several climate stations, including Bluefield and Blacksburg it was the driest August-September on record. In addition, the sustained often record-breaking heat aggravated the existing precipitation deficits. Very dry and generally warm weather has continued through the first two weeks of October with D4 drought conditions now poised to overspread the southern counties in our HSA soon, perhaps in a matter of weeks. The October 16 USDM issuance will mark the 29th consecutive week with D1 or worse drought somewhere in our area. This is exactly half the duration of the worst period of the 2000-2002 drought. The intensity of the current drought has also not yet approached the levels of 2000-2002. During the worst of that drought there were approximately 17 consecutive weeks where D4 conditions existed somewhere within the HSA, running from June 18 through October 8, 2002. As noted above D4 is only now beginning to creep into the extreme southwest HSA, barely spilling over into western Ashe and Watauga counties as shown on the USDM image below from October 9, 2007.
So how long will the 2007 (and perhaps 2008) drought last? Weather and climate forecasts at the time periods required to make such a prediction are not highly reliable at this point. The Winter Climate Outlook sections of this newsletter gives details on the extended forecast, but suffice to say the outlook is not highly optimistic.

domain: agronomy


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BEHIND THE VOICE
Luke 21:19 - Stand firm, and you will win life.
Life is made up of trials, but music doesn't shy away from them. Time-honored songs address real life, family, weakness, and faith. That's one aspect that drew Nikki McLeod to songwriting from a very young age. Having been raised in a musical household, she developed a passion for music. Country music was only logical, being as she was raised on a cattle ranch outside a North Dakota town of 15 people.
She wrote her first song, the humourous 'Cowboy Inheritance' at age 11, and she hasn't slowed down since. However, throughout her life, music was more of a support system than a career choice. It carried her through as she moved away from ND, attending Iowa State University as part of the Marine Corps officer program. Music was also there to turn to when she was medically discharged from the Marines after 18 months.
It wasn't until she performed at a Minnesota bluegrass festival in 2014 that she got the chance to see the impact that her songs could have on people. From that moment on, she had set a new career goal. Upon completing college at North Dakota State University, she was hired to manage a cattle ranch outside of Decatur, Alabama. That got her close enough to Nashville to begin co-writing, and doing a little bit of performing. She quickly fell in love with interacting with a crowd, and after a year she switched to performing full time.
Her debut album, Some Kinda Reckless, debuted in 2017. It features 12 songs, covering everything from family to heartbreak to good times. The songs were inspired by a combination of real life, inspiration, and wishful thinking.
Nikki credits her songwriting and passion to God alone. She says, "Faith is what has carried me through the hardest parts of life. God provided me with music to get me past things that seemed insurmountable. And in turn, he provided me with the strength to carry on and keep a positive outlook. He also gave me Dixon, the pup who became my service dog once I was diagnosed with PTSD."
Dixon, a border collie, is at all of Nikki's shows, laying by her feet. As her service dog, the two are inseperable. They are a true team, traveling the country and entertaining crowds at night. Then, Sunday mornings, he goes with her to churches to speak on PTSD, traumatic events, and faith in the aftermath.
Nikki is so grateful to her family, who have been incredibly supportive in her journey. She is also incredibly thankful for her church family at No Fences Cowboy Church in Falkville Alabama. Their encouragement, along with the support of her hometown community in North Dakota, has been crucial to her success.


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I love this challenge! Dashed off to grab the camera and do some “food styling”. I recently caught some grief from friends for cutting baked chocolate chip cookie dough in to holiday shapes. “Those aren’t Christmas cookies!” was the chorus of voices.
Hey, wait a minute, we LOVE chocolate chip cookies :)!
3 thoughts on “Two Cents Tuesday! SWEET!”
Just goes to prove that any kind of cookies can be christmas cookies – thanks for entering!
Hey there! Cute cute photo and I think that’s very ingenious cutting chocolate chips into Christmas cookies. Very creative. Nothing wrong with that at all. Remember the big cookie kiosks or shops in the mall? Do they still have those? I mean, if they can ice a chocolate chip cookie, it can be cut into shapes too. 🙂 Love it. Enjoyed your post!
Thank you! It is so much fun to hear from people! Have a happy holiday…chat more soon?!
Comments are closed.


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Get started by picking one of our homemade crusts, including a fluffy, seasoned hand-tossed crust, a pan crust featuring two huge layers of cheese, a crispy thin crust, or a gluten-free pizza crust! And next, select your sauce and start loading up on toppings. Pick as many or as few as you want! Whether you're a freak for sausage and mushrooms or love sweet pineapple and tangy feta cheese, you can be sure your local Domino's has it all.
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Your Tastebuds Want Pizza Takeout in Winona
We deliver pizza pretty darn fast, but we're also rockstars when it comes to lightning fast pizza takeout in Winona. You can order from our pizza menu or step outside the pizza box and try something different (but equally delicious). Make the whole family happy with an order of stuffed cheesy bread, an oven-baked sandwich, flavorful salad, or rich pasta, and even decadent desserts to delight your sweet tooth! You can't go wrong with a warm order of sweet cinnamon and sugar breadsticks drizzled with creamy vanilla icing, or a chocolate lava crunch cake!
With more than 12,000 stores in 80 plus countries, we know quality and customer service. It's our mission to be the best pizza delivery company not only in Minnesota, but in the world, and everything we do reflects this pledge. You'll taste it in every bite of pizza we deliver and see it in every money-saving pizza coupon we offer. Use your mobile phone to place an order via our free app, order online, or call your nearest Domino's restaurant in Winona for quick and delicious pizza delivery and carryout today! We may be more than 56 years old, but we aren't just any old Winona pizza restaurant. Domino's is your go-to pizza place in Winona!


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Cross-posted with permission from the National Coalition of STD Directors.
On March 25, the Supreme Court heard two cases brought by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, two privately held, for-profit corporations. The corporations and their owners claim that their religious rights are violated by the preventive services requirement in the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—namely that new plans must cover, without cost-sharing, FDA-approved contraceptive services and supplies as prescribed. Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, HIV, and sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening and counseling are also required preventive services under the ACA, although they are not the main focus of the corporate objections.
You may recall that the Obama Administration has already provided an exemption to nonprofit “religious employers,” such as religious hospitals or universities, and for those organizations, payments for objectionable services and procedures (namely birth control, including emergency contraception), are issued through the insurance-issuer or the administrator. This accommodation means that covered employees (and their insured dependents) can still access contraceptive coverage at no cost, regardless of the religious belief of their employer. Because the insurer, not the employer, is providing contraceptive services, the employer does not have to pay for services that they deem objectionable or immoral along religious grounds.
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Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties argue that corporations have religious rights (not unlike political speech rights protected under the First Amendment, as ruled by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission) and that the individuals that own these closely-held corporations also have religious rights that are burdened by the contraceptive coverage requirement.
The controversy and media attention around this case undoubtedly, and understandably, focuses on contraception. However, there are several important implications for STD prevention as well.
First, because female condoms are an FDA approved barrier method, they can be covered by an insurance provider at no-cost to the patient if the patient has a prescription. If a woman decides that female condoms are her contraceptive method of choice—a wise one, since they also protect against HIV and STDs—she will have to pay about $4 per condom per sexual encounter, over the approximately 40 years of a woman’s reproductive life. If a woman is denied coverage, she may not be able to choose a contraceptive method that she can control that also protects her from STDs and HIV. Male condoms are also an approved FDA barrier method.
Second, allowing an employer to impose their religious beliefs on employees leaves the entire spectrum of sexual health care vulnerable. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted, what if an employer believes that vaccination is against their religion? Vaccines have long been a cornerstone of public health, and they are among the most cost-effective preventive services available. Because HPV can lead to cervical cancer, HPV vaccine has joined the long list of immunizations that can save lives—however, not enough children are being vaccinated. In 2012, only about a third of girls ages 13-to-15 and less than 7 percent of boys had received the shots. A recent piece in the New York Times highlighted the expansion of HPV vaccination in North and South America; more than 170 million doses of HPV vaccine have been given worldwide, and young women in Australia and Denmark, which introduced the vaccines early, have had sharp declines in precancerous lesions. HPV vaccination is critical to reducing the burden of HPV and the poor health outcomes associated with HPV, such as external genital warts, and it is critical that we protect vaccine coverage as part of preventive services.
The slippery slope concerns on this case go beyond vaccination. What if a business owner believes that HIV and AIDS are a punishment and refuses to cover HIV screening and treatment for employees and their insured dependents? And, one could reason that corporations could decline to provide spouse and partner benefits in states that recognize same-sex marriage, which would be discriminatory against LGBT individuals, a population already disproportionally affected by STDs and HIV.
This issue has ignited the reproductive and justice communities. Demonstrators rallied around the message “Not My Boss’s Business,” and while the crowd at the Supreme Court last month was decidedly pro-women and pro-choice, it is important to note that STD prevention is a critical piece of reproductive health and justice. When an individual makes a decision to be pro-active about their health care—by going on birth control, by using female condoms, by receiving the HPV vaccine—we should celebrate a victory for public health. The families that own Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood want to make sure that their religious beliefs come before the health of their employees.
As with many social issues, the Supreme Court is divided and Justice Anthony Kennedy will be the deciding vote in this case, which will be announced later this year. In the meantime, get tested, get vaccinated, and get to know your health benefits!
For more information on the case, I recommend the article, “Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.,” and also this Washington, D.C. briefing on the contraception coverage challenge sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation.