HTC is taking a step beyond QR codes with its new ad campaign for the Sensation 4G. Consumers can interact with the ads using Google Goggles. People who view the outdoor, print and TV ad can use the Google app to capture an image and get extra content. For instance, if you scan a scene from the TV spot, you can download a video of YouTube star Maria Aragon.
4 Recent Stories
This month, Mashable has ran its Gadget of the Day Series, supported by the Energizer Inductive Charger. Each week, we reviewed five gadgets that caught our interest. In case you missed them, here are the gadgets from our fifth and final week — read on for our reviews of the JBL OnBeat, Samsung Droid Charge, HTC Sensation 4G, Jawbone Era Bluetooth Headset and Sleeptracker Pro Elite. Looking for even more gadget reviews? You can check out all of our gadget coverage on the Tech & Gadgets channel.
The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging ... now that’s positivenergy™. Product: HTC Sensation 4G Price: $199 with qualifying T-Mobile contract after $50 mail-in-rebate. What It's Good For: Taking HD video, surfing the web, making phone calls.
The HTC Sensation 4G will become available exclusively to T-Mobile customers no later than June 15, the company has announced. The Android 2.3 smartphone sports a 4.3-inch LCD touch screen, a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and an 8-megapixel camera capable of recording 1080p HD video. One of its most interesting features is HSPA+ support, which enables theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps and peak upload speeds of up to 5.7 Mbps in T-Mobile's network.


3 Solutions to the Most Common Frustrations of Living in a Desert
Desert life is special, and its biggest fans would live nowhere else. Denizens of desert areas love the seemingly endless sunshine and breathtaking views, but they also know the challenges of living in what is at times an inhospitable environment. Fortunately for them, there are ready solutions to alleviate some of the frustrations of desert life.
High Water Costs
If you’re planning on moving to a desert area, the high cost of water should be factored into the budget. This precious necessity might have to be transported from locations hundreds of miles away, which would obviously add to its price. As desert cities continue to grow and landscape irrigation increases, water may become scarcer and even more expensive than it currently is. One way to beat the bills is to conserve. A shower might require less water than a bath, but using a shower timer will ensure that you don’t linger. Grey Water Action suggests that the water you wash with can also be recycled for other uses such as tending the garden.
In many desert cities, homeowners face restrictions on how often they can water their lawns. In areas facing extreme drought, watering may be banned outright. Even when watering is allowed, it can be difficult to maintain a green, healthy-looking yard. Brown and dead patches may develop, especially in the summer months. One of the main reasons people tend to pick up artificial grass is because of how expensive it can get to use water, fertilizer and more to keep the grass green. Celebrity Greens recommends that if your climate is a poor fit for grass, that you install artificial grass for a year-round lush look.
It’s not just that the summer months seem to be getting hotter. According to Carbon Brief, extreme weather patterns are becoming more common every year. In the desert, this means an increasing likelihood of not merely higher temperatures but also of potentially devastating thunderstorms and flash floods. It may not be possible to control the weather, but desert inhabitants can prepare for it. Gutters should be clear of debris year-round. Periodically check out the condition of your roof and make sure it is in good shape. Review where the local flood plains are and avoid at all costs venturing near them in an extreme weather event. In the future, when precipitation comes to the desert, it may come furiously and in waves.
Despite these frustrations, deserts offer not just breathtaking vistas but a unique quality of life. A little planning seems more than worth it.
Make sure that you are living in an area that is safe! Click here to learn more.


text:
Now offering FREE GROUND SHIPPING on orders $50 and over!!!
(FOR LOCAL PICK UP ONLY)
Duroc-cross baby back ribs from Wichita Premium Meats. Seasoned with Magic Dust® and smoked over local apple wood. Specify chilled if you want to eat them within a day or two, or frozen to stock your freezer.

domain: food


text:
Are you resilient? Have you got what it takes to ride the most challenging waves of life? As a psychologist with a PhD and 20 years experience I thought I did. But I was wrong. Through adversity, I found out the hard way that there is a big difference between ‘knowing’ about resiliency and stress management and being able to ‘expertly apply’ these skills when you need them most.
“Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out” J. Buck
The summer festive season is upon us once more and for many (myself included) it is a bittersweet time of the year. The chance to slow down and take a break from the chaos of everyday life and catch up with family and friends can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing of relaxing and unwinding and re-connecting with family and friends can also become the curse of unexpected illness, stress, interpersonal conflict and loneliness.
Like so many other parents in separated families, the festive season is a mixed blessing for me. My children spend each alternate Christmas with me so the festive season can be either an intense high-energy family time or a quiet time of reflection, rest and solitude.
In either case, the expression ‘the cup can be either half empty or half full’ can apply. [Read more…]
“Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient.” Aristotle
“You cannot give what you do not have.” Unknown
In this special ‘Success Secrets’ series we are looking at the hidden gems of wisdom that are often overlooked or misunderstood when the Challenging Waves of Life disrupt our Life Strategy to Live The Endless Summer. In this article I want to have a look at the very powerful and practical words of Aristotle who said: “Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient”.
I love this quote, as it is indeed true that people who are self-sufficient are usually happier than those who have to rely on others constantly to survive. However, it is important not to confuse being self-sufficient with being selfish or being alone and isolated. [Read more…]
Henry David Thoreau
I have had a bad case of “writer’s block” lately as I have been finalising a book about Life Strategy. I had finished the manuscript yet felt something was missing – there was something very important about Life Strategy I had not addressed. I couldn’t articulate what this ‘missing link’ was but felt strongly that I needed to postpone the book until I had worked out what it was….. [Read more…]
I had to do an urgent work trip interstate a while ago – a trip that marked a tipping point in my own work/life balance….. [Read more…]
To prevent a Wipeout when faced with a challenging Wave of Life (or to recover much faster if you do wipeout), you need to Balance the 4 Elements of Inner Wellbeing.
Just as in Nature there is Wind, Water, Earth and Fire so for Stress Surfers there are Mindsets, Emotions, Lifestyle and Purpose. To ride the Waves of Life successfully we need to understand and live in balance with the 4 Elements of Inner Wellbeing. [Read more…]

domain: literature


Naiad epitomizes New Zealand maritime innovation, leading technology and quality craftmanship, and in the past 10 years has delivered over 130 vessels to New Zealand and Australian government agencies encompassing Coastguard, Rescue, Police and Patrol. A 100% New Zealand designed and manufactured watercraft solution, Naiad has consistently proven its pedigree in the world’s harshest maritime environments and garnered the respect and trust of New Zealand’s most discerning maritime small boat professionals.
Founded in 1975 in Picton, New Zealand, Naiad led global RHIB innovation with their world-first designs, patented collar attachment system and high-performance hull form. The unparalleled performance of this patented hull form has seen Naiad become known as the 4WD of the Sea – renowned for their robustness, safety and consistent performance in even the most challenging maritime conditions.
In 2020 Naiad was acquired by The Whiskey Project Group, an Australian veteran owned business creating operator-focused watercraft that provide optimal performance and protection for those who risk their lives in the maritime environment. Their shared vision is to provide New Zealand and Australian maritime operators with a competitive advantage, by providing them with truly fit-for-purpose boats, and contributing to a strong trans-Tasman maritime industry that will design, build, support and sustain these watercraft, ensuring significant public value and a sovereign self-reliance.


text: Mission Children's Hospital's Child Life program is the only program of its kind in Western North Carolina. It is designed to ease stress for pediatric patients and their families, making a significant difference every day at Mission Health. Child Life Specialist Julian Cate sees many kids who come through the program on a regular basis. Aviya Baluch, 13, is one of them. "Home treatment is now over the limit, we have to get her here," her father, Issa Baluchm explains. Aviya is back at Mission Children's Hospital to relieve fever and pain stemming from her sickle cell anemia. During each visit, a Child Life specialist works with Aviya to ease her anxieties.

domain: medical


text:
In the quiet Louisiana town of Turnberry, the circus rolls into the annual Berry Festival. Turnberrians are delighted to engage in the merriment that visits them only one week out of the year. But all the smiles and good times hit a brick wall when a town’s resident is murdered. The citizens of the bayou turn to Officers Lucious Wickers and Cassius Dawson to unmask the villain behind the killing. When faced with the fortune teller, however, they discover dark secrets shrouding the common people of the swamp. Troubling Lucious Wickers on his journey to reveal the murderer, Madame Lucy remains an eerie suspect throughout the case. In the end, will she prove to be a helpful asset or be the killer herself?
About Elizabeth M Fortini
See more books from this Author
Published January 6, 2013
by Elizabeth Fortini.
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Literature & Fiction.

domain: library


Jul 11, 2018, 5:20 pm27 ptsRich, Charlie, and Michael discuss their reactions to the SCOTUS pick, ponder President Trump’s relationship with NATO, and discuss soccer.
Padre Pio and Our Bloody Mess National Review 76
Thousands more A’s fill report cards in suburban Md. school system Washington Post 73
BREAKING: Grassley Gives Christine Blasey Ford 2:30 PM Deadline The Gateway Pundit 71


text:
Today was a lazy day… one of those days when you “accidentally” wake up after noon. In my defense, I didn’t set an alarm (when was the last time I could actually do that?!)
I have been very productive the past few days though. Today I finished a good book, Will Grayson Will Grayson. I have managed a craft-a-day, which I will update you loyal readers (all… one… of you) about tomorrow. Maybe. My friend Emily have an application/coffee date planned, and I am hoping to finish my Trinity Fellows application tomorrow. Hurrah!
I would like to extend a special shout-out to my dear friend Meg, who has contributed to this blog by unknowingly allowing me to use her photography as my banner (see above). I hope she doesn’t sue me when she becomes a famous photographer 🙂 Thanks Meg!

domain: hobby


What is Cosmos? ($ATOM)
The Cosmos network was initially started and hypothesized in 2014 by developers Jae Kwon and Ethan Buchman, when the pair were in the process of founding the Tendermint consensus software. Tendermint consensus algorithm would go on to become the software powering the Cosmos blockchain network that had yet to be developed. Assistance rendered by the Swiss-based non-profit organization, the Interchain Foundation (ICF), also aided in the work to successfully launch the network later in 2019.
Cosmos network is built to be the internet of blockchains
Cosmos was built to be an “internet of blockchain networks.” Specifically, Cosmos aims to unite cryptocurrency projects as a network of decentralized blockchain networks, having payments and other efficient interoperability provided by means of the interconnection empowered by the Cosmos network protocol.
Customers can research the most recent information about Cosmos, like trade volume and price, before buying or selling $ATOM or other cryptocurrencies on the Firstrade cryptocurrency trading platform.
More about Cosmos ($ATOM)
The unique focus Cosmos places on other projects rather than its own, distinguishes it as a decentralized project. The Cosmos network strives to provide customization and interoperability, and therefore caters to the combined ecosystem inclusive of other tokens and communities. New projects enter this initial phase, named the Cosmos Hub. The unique focus on other projects allows the Cosmos network to implement shared data and tokens as a common point to increase the inherent interoperability of the network.
More about Cosmos efficiency
The fundamental Tendermint layer of the three-layer Cosmos network design allows for developers to easily code and join the Cosmos ecosystem without having to create the entire source code from scratch. This specification assists in adding increased flexibility and greater accessibility for developers of all experience levels.
About Cosmos cryptocurrency $ATOM
The $ATOM cryptocurrency is the native digital currency of the Cosmos blockchain network. $ATOM is the crypto token for the proof-of-stake consensus model. It is used in the validation process to support transaction processing on the independent blockchain network.
The top 100 $ATOM holders are given exclusive access to occupy as validators on the network with all remaining users able to assist by delegating to validator nodes on the Cosmos blockchain network.
Learn more about Cosmos ($ATOM) and check the most current cryptocurrency prices on Firstrade.


text:
Super Carotene Complete 60C At Natural Zealand
- Helps to support healthy eye function
- Supports healthy immune function
- Helps to protect skin against the harmful effects of UV light
- Contains antioxidants
- Individuals who wish to maintain healthy eyes
- People prone to winter ills and chills
- Those who seek a daily antioxidant supplement to protect the skin from the damaging UV light
Adults – Take one to two capsules daily (with food), or as professionally advised.
- Use only as directed and always read the label.
- Vitamin supplements should not replace a balanced diet.
- Herbal extract equiv. to fresh:
- Dunaliella salina whole plant 312 mg
- equiv. Betacarotene 12.5 mg
Store below 30°C in a dry place. Keep out of reach of children. Do not use if bottle and/or cap seal is missing or broken.
No Added: Corn, Gluten, Lactose, Nuts, Shell Fish, Sugar, Dairy, Egg, Fish, Sesame Seed, Artificial flavouring.


text:
Explore Gallery of Silhouettes Western Metal Wall Art
Showing Photo About 30 Best Collection Of Western Metal Wall Art Silhouettes Intended for Most Popular Silhouettes Western Metal Wall Art
In case you are prepared get your silhouettes western metal wall art and understand precisely what you need, you are able to search through our unique choice of metal wall art to get the suitable piece for your space. When you will need living room wall art, dining room artwork, or any space between, we have obtained what you want to flip your house right into a amazingly designed space. The present art, vintage art, or reproductions of the classics you like are only a press away.
Perhaps you have been trying to find approaches to enhance your space? Wall art will be the perfect answer for tiny or large areas likewise, giving any room a completed and refined visual aspect in minutes. If you need inspiration for decorating your walls with silhouettes western metal wall art before you decide to purchase, you are able to search for our helpful inspirational or information on metal wall art here.
There are many possible choices of silhouettes western metal wall art you will see here. Each metal wall art provides a special style and characteristics in which pull art fans to the pieces. Interior decor for example artwork, interior painting, and wall mirrors - may well brighten and even provide personal preference to a space. All these produce for great living room, workspace, or bedroom artwork pieces!
Any room or interior that you're decorating, the silhouettes western metal wall art has positive aspects which will accommodate your preferences. Discover a variety of photos to become prints or posters, presenting popular subjects like landscapes, food, animals, town skylines, and abstract compositions. By adding groupings of metal wall art in different designs and shapes, in addition to different decor, we included curiosity and identity to the interior.
As you discover the products of metal wall art you like that will match beautifully with your interior, whether that's coming from a popular art gallery/store or image printing, do not allow your enjoyment get the higher of you and hold the item when it arrives. That you do not want to get a wall packed with holes. Strategy first the spot it'd place.
Better you don't purchase metal wall art because friend or some artist said you'll find it great. Keep in mind, great beauty can be subjective. The things may seem beauty to people may possibly certainly not what you interested in. The better criterion you should use in buying silhouettes western metal wall art is whether taking a look at it allows you are feeling comfortable or ecstatic, or not. If that doesn't make an impression on your senses, then it might be better you check at other alternative of metal wall art. After all, it will soon be for your home, maybe not theirs, therefore it's most useful you get and select a thing that comfortable for you.
Not a single thing improvements a space such as for instance a beautiful bit of silhouettes western metal wall art. A carefully selected photo or printing can lift your environments and transform the impression of a space. But how will you discover the good item? The metal wall art will soon be as exclusive as the people taste. So this means is you can find hassle-free and quickly principles to picking metal wall art for the home, it just has to be anything you like.
One other point you have to make note in shopping metal wall art is actually that it should never inharmonious with your wall or on the whole room decor. Understand that that you are buying these artwork parts in order to boost the aesthetic appeal of your house, not wreak chaos on it. You'll be able to pick anything that'll involve some comparison but don't choose one that is extremely at chances with the wall and decor.
In between the most used art pieces which can be apt for your interior are silhouettes western metal wall art, printed pictures, or art paints. Additionally, there are wall bas-relief, statues and sculptures, that might appear a lot more like 3D paintings as compared to sculptures. Also, when you have a favorite artist, perhaps he or she's a webpage and you are able to check always and purchase their works throught online. There are actually artists that promote digital copies of the works and you are able to just have printed out.
We have several choices regarding metal wall art for use on your your house, including silhouettes western metal wall art. Ensure that anytime you're looking for where to purchase metal wall art over the internet, you find the best selections, how the correct way should you choose the right metal wall art for your house? Listed below are some photos that may help: gather as many selections as you possibly can before you decide, go with a scheme that will not state mismatch along your wall and double check that everyone love it to pieces.
Should not be overly hasty when acquiring metal wall art and visit numerous stores as you can. The probability is you will find greater and more desirable parts than that variety you checked at that earliest store or gallery you went to. Moreover, never restrict yourself. In cases where you find only a handful of stores around the town where you reside, why not try exploring over the internet. You'll find loads of online artwork galleries having a huge selection of silhouettes western metal wall art it is easy to pick from.
Consider these specified options of metal wall art for wall prints, decor, and more to obtain the perfect decor to your room. As we know that metal wall art ranges in dimensions, shape, frame type, price, and design, so its possible to discover silhouettes western metal wall art which compliment your home and your personal sense of style. You'll choose from modern wall artwork to vintage wall art, in order to rest assured that there surely is something you'll enjoy and correct for your decoration.

domain: artistic


text:
Stinky Rice Studios
Darren and I went to high school together! I played in the ensemble that performed his composition at graduation. Years later, when he was starting to make it as a film composer in Montréal, he asked me to do the identity for his studio. I tried to talk him out of the name, but he was set on it, so I got inspired by take-out left on a desk after a long creative session. Darren now lives and works in Los Angeles, composing for film. You can listen to his music on Spotify.


text:
Jump to Main Content
Back to the past: “find the guilty bug—microorganisms involved in the biodeterioration of archeological and historical artifacts”
- Mazzoli, Roberto, Giuffrida, Maria Gabriella, Pessione, Enrica
- Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2018 v.102 no.15 pp. 6393-6407
- Archaea, albumins, biodegradation, bones, cellulose, collagen, cultural heritage, fungal communities, gelatin, hydrocarbons, lipids, microorganisms, nutrients, paper, rocks, wood
- Microbial deterioration accounts for a significant percentage of the degradation processes that occur on archeological/historical objects and artworks, and identifying the causative agents of such a phenomenon should therefore be a priority, in consideration of the need to conserve these important cultural heritage items. Diverse microbiological approaches, such as microscopic evaluations, cultural methods, metabolic- and DNA-based techniques, as well as a combination of the aforementioned methods, have been employed to characterize the bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities that colonize art objects. The purpose of the present review article is to report the interactions occurring between the microorganisms and nutrients that are present in stones, bones, wood, paper, films, paintings, and modern art specimens (namely, collagen, cellulose, gelatin, albumin, lipids, and hydrocarbons). Some examples, which underline that a good knowledge of these interactions is essential to obtain an in depth understanding of the factors that favor colonization, are reported. These data can be exploited both to prevent damage and to obtain information on historical aspects that can be decrypted through the study of microbial population successions.


text:
Jacksonville Taco and Tequila Festival
Sunday, 11am - 8pm
You’re invited to join us for the ultimate Cinco de Mayo celebration! The Inaugural Jacksonville Taco & Tequila Festival is a culinary experience and fundraiser featuring Mexican cuisine from over 10 restaurants and food trucks, as well as tequila stations, craft margaritas, local makers, games, live music, and more! A limited amount of General Admission Experience tickets as well as VIP Sip & Savor Passes will be available for purchase but are expected to sell out due to limited capacity.


Famed for being the most beautiful shoreline in Europe, Croatia’s coast is home to mythical caves, mysterious islands and historic cities. Navigating these calm Mediterranean waters by superyacht offers incredible access to the best of both land and sea.
When to go
April - June, September - October
- Explore historic Pula & go truffle hunting in Motovun
- Dive a sunken Roman villa at Birjuni Marine Park
- Aid the rehabilitation of griffon vulture chicks & search for lynx in Risnjak
- Explore enchanting Gospodska’s cave network
Pula & Motovun Forest
Arrive in Pula on Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula and board your yacht. Once you’ve settled in, you’ll discover the remarkable history on your doorstep with a guided tour of Pula’s Roman amphitheater, Hercules’ Gate, and the Temple of Augustus.
In the morning, uncover the natural beauty of Motovun. Set high in the rolling hills and looking out over its eponymous forest and the Mirna River, this medieval village is a hub for Croatian gastronomy. Join a local truffle hunter and their dogs on a private search for the famed Istrian truffle before returning to the village for an aromatic truffle-themed feast.
Dive Brijuni & Griffon Vultures
Cruise into Brijuni Marine Park, an area of astounding natural beauty and the favoured playground of Tito, the leader of communist Yugoslavia. Visit the island where he entertained dignitaries and celebrities from Queen Elizabeth to Elizabeth Taylor. Explore the botanical gardens, safari park and site of ancient Roman settlements, also home to over 200 dinosaur footprints. Head out snorkelling or scuba diving with a Pelorus dive master to observe some of the park’s impressive underwater features, from tunnels and caves to ancient walls and shipwrecks.
There is also the possibility to explore an underwater archaeological site of a villa complex that dates back to Ancient Roman times.
As your yacht cruises for the island of Cres, keep your eyes peeled for bottlenose dolphins swimming along the bow. Once anchored, head ashore to observe the diverse bird life that dwells here, such as golden eagles, short-toed eagles, peregrines and kestrels.
Visit the Beli Visitor and Rescue Centre for Griffon Vultures where you can actively aid in the rehabilitation of young, inexperienced vulture chicks who fall out of their cliff-side nests into the sea beneath. Sometimes even adults can be found injured, exhausted or malnourished and are brought to Beli to recuperate. After receiving the required treatment at the Centre, you can help the experts release the birds back into the wild.
Caving, Kayaking, Croatian Cuisine
Venture back to the mainland and take some time to hike and explore Risnjak National Park with a Pelorus guide. Named after the lynx, this is one of the few places in Europe where these rare animals still dwell. You may also spot bears and wolves roaming freely in the 6,400 hectares of unspoiled green space.
Travel by helicopter into the Gacka River Valley where you’ll meet your local guide for a private kayak trip down the third longest sinking river in the world. Relax and unwind as you admire the picturesque landscape or choose to experience the rush of cascading water as you pass under a waterfall. You also have the option to explore the valley by mountain bike or to try your hand at fly fishing. Taught by world-class fly fisherman, you’ll have the opportunity to catch rainbow trout, grayling, carp or roach. Once back on board your yacht, allow the chef to expertly prepare your catch of the day.
Another day exploring by helicopter awaits you as you take off for Zadar. On arrival at the Cetina River Spring, you will meet your expert group of cavers and mountain rescue guides. Here you’ll discover one of the most beautiful caves in Croatia, Gospodska. Upon emerging from the caves, take to the skies again and fly to Bibich Winery, for an exquisite tasting menu with wine pairings. Each dish is visually stunning and meticulously matched with local wine. Indulge in these gourmet wonders and taste Croatia in all its abundance.
The Wild Coasts of Kenya & Tanzania
Family Adventure in Papua New Guinea and The Solomon Islands
A Yachting Adventure in Costa Rica
Marine Conservation in Raja Ampat
A Journey Through History in Croatia
- Apr-Jun | Sep-Oct
Marine Wildlife and Island Culture in French Polynesia
Surfing Nirvana: Journey Across the Mentawai Islands
- Year round
Looking for more Mediterranean Inspiration?
Get in touch and speak to one of our Expedition Designers to learn more about our luxury yacht charters and unique adventures in Croatia.


text:
Ever lost a job?
Years ago, after a frequent series of layoffs in my company, the axe finally fell on me.
The identity issues were thick, hairy, and real. But for all I thought I was contributing, it was the first lesson of many for this overachiever: You are dispensable.
I’m sure this lined my brain when a dear friend announced her retirement years later. I was stricken. I felt I was visualizing the handwriting on the wall for the organization’s future. What will they do without you?
Her words still stick with me: “For any one of us, when we take our hand out of the sand, the hole fills in.”
This felt so counter to the mores of American childhood: You are special! Your role matters! We can’t do this without you!
The ante increases when we’re going overseas. People are unreached. People are hungry. People are hurting and uneducated. We left so much--so much--to come here, because the work is indeed vital. And we spend many long days disciplining ourselves to persevere because all of this matters intensely.
But could danger be lurking there, too?
Fast forward several years to where I was happily nested in Africa. It had been five and a half years of a technicolor life, doing work that felt, and is, necessary. But as circumstances accumulated, reality settled on my shoulders me like a lead vest: We might need to leave Africa.
There were legit concerns about who’d continue our work after our departure. But a strange thing happens when we say goodbye. If I can leave, how essential can this work be? Isn’t this work important? Doesn’t it matter?
“Hi. I’m a freelance writer” just doesn’t have the same shine in an introduction as “I teach refugees in Africa”. For awhile, I specifically kept myself from mentioning Africa in conversations (while still longing to bring it up, since my heart was bleeding all over the place). I knew the value-add it communicated about my work—and that honestly, I craved.
I still believe this: The closer we get to God’s heart, the more his unique image is realized in us. And yes, it’s critical.
But bigger than our unique contribution is the magnitude of our God.
Do you believe that God is powerful enough to accomplish his will without you? Are you fully persuaded, as Paul was writing from prison, that God will finish the good work he has started, whether he uses you or not?
When we begin to imagine that without us this ministry or church would no longer function let alone flourish one thing is certain: we have developed far too high a view of ourselves.
A second thing may also be true: we have created an unhealthy, not to mention unbiblical, ministry structure or strategy that makes us appear not only integral but indispensable.
But God does not need us. You may think your church needs you but bear in mind that it is Christ’s church, not yours. It got to where it is because of his sovereign grace and God willing it will continue long after you are gone.
Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett, in (the must-read-for-every-potential-global-worker) When Helping Hurts, write truthfully and ominously about the God-complex we Westerners often adapt overseas. It is
a subtle and unconscious sense of superiority in which [the economically rich] believe that they have achieved their wealth through their own efforts and that they have been anointed to decide what is best for low-income people, whom they view as inferior to themselves. (p. 61)
This causes me to peer inside. I recognize the part of me that not only sees myself as needed…but perhaps a touch more than that.
Perhaps at times I’ve seen myself as savior. Perhaps I’ve identified not just as someone who needs to go, but someone whom others can’t live without.
When You Take a Fish from a Westerner
In her painful-to-read post, Upside Down Dependency, Rachel Pieh Jones reflects,
What if the person at risk of developing the dependency is the humanitarian?
Humanitarians need the local person to be needy. We need a job, we need to feel useful, we need to feel value, we need to produce. We need gripping photos for fundraising attempts. On a more heart level, we need to feel powerful, in charge, and heroic.
The needier the local person and the longer they remain in that state, the more secure we are in our position.
The effective aid worker must be willing and able to clearly evaluate their impact and step away when they are no longer necessary. Isn’t that the whole point? If not, it should be.
Becoming no longer necessary needs to be one of our primary goals. If it isn’t, the program or project being implemented needs to be reevaluated and adjusted accordingly….
The ego of the humanitarian is dependent on the need of the local….
“Take a fish from a Westerner and he’ll stick around for a day. Let him teach you to fish and he’ll stick around for a lifetime. (while eating a lot more fish than you will ever catch).”
This could be any one of us.
We long for our sacrifices to feel necessary. For our work to feel intensely, eternally valuable.
And sometimes, we have internalized the antithesis of the Gospel: I am more valuable because of what I do for God. He’s lucky to have me on his team.
I cannot rest or step away from my work. It is too important.
I am too important.
I Know. Fear Not
So in light of all this, I was fascinated by this anecdote of Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India for 55 years without furlough. She’s always felt (suspiciously!) larger than life to me, with tremendous insight, dedication, and tirelessness.
But I didn’t know until recently that in 1931–24 years before her death–she was severely injured by a fall, leaving her bedridden.
Shortly after her accident, Carmichael had voiced the fear that her injury had left her too great a burden to others. She was concerned she’d prove a hindrance to the work she had begun. A friend brought comfort by drawing her mind to Revelation 2:9-10 which includes the words: “I know” and “fear not.” Carmichael had the words painted onto a two-part plaque and mounted where she could always see them.
Even in the gravity of work like Carmichael’s, God had a season for when she would step back; when she’d need to embrace the humility of not-doing, and having others do for her.
When my work’s significance = My value
I simply tend to link my own sense of my work’s significance with my value. It’s hard not to in a culture where we value effectiveness. Achievement. Usefulness. An ability to change our circumstances for the better. But as good as those are, sometimes my disdain for the commonplace boils to good ol’ fashioned pride; to self-importance.
I’m not sure God shares my American value of usefulness in the same way.
He somehow saw Paul and John the Baptist and all but one of his disciples as not-too-useful or indispensable to be removed from the planet as martyrs. In fact, even Jesus remarks, “it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you” (John 16:7).
It reminds me of Carmichael’s famous words to a young prospective missionary: “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.”
No matter how critical the work (parenthood, pastorship, poverty relief, the Great Commission)–it is simply a chance to take up our cross, and follow.


As Los Angeles suffered with an unemployment rate approaching 14 percent, far higher than the national average, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spent early December in Europe. Villaraigosa used the trip to showcase his green agenda on the international stage at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
There, he praised his struggling Clean Trucks program, aimed at upgrading older trucks that serve the port, and he boasted of his modest program, initiated with former President Bill Clinton, to retrofit conventional street lamps with LED bulbs. He also found time to call home to Pasadena-based radio station KPCC to advocate a more bike-friendly city.
Villaraigosa’s staff generated a press release — one of five chronicling his three-day, 5,000-jet-miles Copenhagen quickie — about an agreement between the Community Redevelopment Agency in Los Angeles and a green center in Berlin. The idea would build on the Los Angeles redevelopment agency’s Cleantech Manufacturing Center, launched in September 2008 on land near downtown known as a “brownfield” — 20 acres contaminated by industrial pollution.
The redevelopment agency envisions a sprawling industrial complex of forward-looking factories and businesses on the largely abandoned land along the Los Angeles River that might one day put Southern California on the green-tech map. In Copenhagen, Villaraigosa touted the Cleantech center as “a world-class model that combines sustainability with economic development,” and announced that Berlin and Los Angeles would share “best practices” to promote the economy in both cities.
Absent from the mayor’s release was any mention of the visionary Community Redevelopment Agency chief, executive director Cecilia V. Estolano, who created the foundation for the ideas the mayor was pushing during his European trip.
Estolano had transformed an agency notorious for using eminent domain to pursue top-down projects that ignored the communities it claimed to be fixing. Under her, the department became modernized and gained respect. Thought to be a better manager and smarter than the mayor, she was so well-regarded that the Obama administration tried to woo her away.
Yet just a few weeks before Villaraigosa used Estolano’s ideas to promote Los Angeles — and himself — in Copenhagen, sources say Villaraigosa’s administration secretly forced her out of her job, using the occasion of a petty dustup.
The mayor insists and Estolano initially claimed that she left voluntarily. But sources told the Weekly that she was pushed out.
Documents obtained by the Weekly show that Estolano was let go after questioning a decision to move the redevelopment agency offices to a new location. Estolano fought the move at first. She eventually changed her mind but by then, a decision to oust her had been made.
The records show that on November 3, Estolano e-mailed her immediate supervisor, Bud Ovrom, and another top aide to Villaraigosa, Jay Carson, stating that she would see them later that day — and mentioning the proposed CRA headquarters move. Within hours of that meeting, Estolano faxed Mayor Villaraigosa a “resignation” letter.
The Los Angeles Times has reported that the afternoon Estolano resigned, “someone in the mayor’s office” spoke to CRA Commissioner Alejandro Ortiz — a mayoral political appointee — about Estolano’s work. Although the agency is somewhat independent from City Hall, in that Villaraigosa cannot directly fire Estolano, the mayor names the seven commissioners to its board, and those seven political appointees had the power to fire Estolano.
Carson, Ovrom and Villaraigosa declined to comment to the Weekly. Estolano did not return L.A. Weekly’s phone calls.
The plan Estolano had opposed was to more or less merge the CRA with the city’s long-troubled and less well-known Community Development Department. The two agencies’ budget and financing divisions, among others, would share floor space. But the change would likely have a negative effect on the CRA, which supporters of Estolano say she had reformed into a focused, action-oriented staff.
E-mails reveal that Estolano strongly disagreed with the move. She said the agency should focus on creating jobs in a time of recession and didn’t need the distraction of moving.
Her argument grew heated enough with Ovrom — then a deputy mayor but now general manager of the Building and Safety Department — that she threatened to resign on October 15, documents obtained by the Weekly show.
By the time of the November 3 meeting, she had acquiesced to the move — and stated as much in an e-mail to her bosses at City Hall that morning.
That night, she was out of a job.
Her departure has many shaking their heads. “Cecilia put ‘community’ back into community redevelopment and I say that as a community activist,” says Laurie Goldman, who sits on the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “She made the CRA human for the very first time in my memory.”
Adds Mott Smith, who has been on both sides of the political fence as a developer and a policy consultant, “I don’t know anybody who thought, ‘Oh Cecilia, she’s just trying to advance this agenda or that agenda.’ She was actually trying to do good for the city. As far as I can tell, she wasn’t beholden to any special interest or any crazy ideology — she was just good at running the agency.”
In addition to the large and often controversial projects redevelopment agencies are known for, the agency under Estolano began to pursue a number of unusually imaginative projects, such as turning decrepit alleys in park-poor Watts into narrow parks. The Cleantech Manufacturing Center was among those ideas.
“It seems to me that the idea jumped out of her head one day,” Glenn F. Wasserman, the agency’s chief operating officer, told the Weekly. Under her plan, Los Angeles would create a corridor of green technology companies along a strip of the L.A. River near downtown. Estolano believed the plan would boost L.A.’s manufacturing sector and attract badly needed, higher-paying middle-class jobs.
One hot selling point, as Estolano had seen it, was that such a tech corridor could give battered L.A. new cachet and respect. But the project was not simply a one-hit wonder in environmentalism’s name, her backers say. “Sustainability was always very important to her,” notes Wasserman, who worked for Estolano.
Under Estolano’s Healthy Neighborhoods Policy, developers receiving more than $1 million in redevelopment agency funding must meet a certain national energy efficiency standard. Specifically, their projects must achieve a silver rating, known as LEED certification, from the U.S. Green Building Council. The program provided developers of smaller projects with green-building consultations at no cost.
Another fan of Estolano’s is Los Angeles County’s chief executive officer, Bill Fujioka. “She’s smart, she’s honorable. I absolutely think the world of her,” raves Fujioka, who has spent 33 years in local government and served as Los Angeles City Hall’s chief administrative officer — its chief number-cruncher — for eight years under various mayors.
“When Cecilia says she’s going to do something, she does it,” Fujioka adds.
The timing of her departure comes as the Villaraigosa administration is suffering from a brain drain that has left key departments scrambling to find top government managers with serious big-city experience. Her “resignation” came two days after the departure of LAPD Chief William Bratton, and the mayor in 2009 also lost the chiefs of the Department of Water and Power and the Department of Building and Safety, both of whom resigned amid controversy.
Villaraigosa also saw the departure in 2009 of his chief of staff, Robin Kramer.
Ovrom is widely seen as a capable government manager. He once headed the CRA and was Burbank’s city manager for 18 years.
But others chosen by Villaraigosa have left some City Hall observers baffled. In 2009, the mayor chose as his chief of staff the Reverend Jeff Carr, a newcomer to municipal government who briefly ran the mayor’s untested — and still unproven — antigang program in 2009, and who lacks serious credentials in government and in municipal policy-making.
Villaraigosa’s selection of Carson as his chief deputy mayor also raised eyebrows. Carson’s key calling cards are his Democratic Party and fund-raising machine. Carson was Hillary Clinton’s media liaison when she ran for president. He also worked for former President Clinton at the Clinton Foundation.
Carson is close to billionaire Steve Bing, a rich campaign-donation machine who gives huge sums to Villaraigosa’s causes.
Carson has little hands-on experience with urban issues or municipal policy. Yet he was given broad authority over such areas as transportation, commercial and residential development, and housing and economic development. Ovrom, a deputy mayor in charge of economic development, reported to Carson.
Estolano got high marks as one of the few people in the Villaraigosa administration who knew how to encourage job-creation. “She understood the basic relationship between the industrial economy and its ability to generate wealth and create upward mobility,” says urbanologist Joel Kotkin, an expert on the macroeconomies of cities. She knew that “You were never going to get lots of green jobs unless you had jobs.”
Kotkin, a senior fellow with the Center for an Urban Future in New York, adds, “I think Villaraigosa has no strategic vision at all. His strategic vision is money and power — for him.” Kotkin sees the mayor as someone who lacks deep interest in or understanding of how cities grow or maintain their health.
By contrast, Kotkin says, Estolano “understood more about the core drivers.” When Villaraigosa chose her to run the CRA, Kotkin says, “I was just astounded that Villaraigosa would appoint someone that intelligent.”
David Abel, who has analyzed planning and development in Los Angeles for 21 years through his Planning Report newsletter, credits Estolano, along with city Planning Director Gail Goldberg, for thinking about the broader economy even while other L.A. city leaders became too politically invested in the booming real estate market and land speculation that prevailed before the recession.
“She fought to preserve industrial land — that’s not a particularly popular topic in City Hall,” he says, referring to how Villaraigosa sided with real estate interests who were gobbling up industrial land for condos and apartments, wiping out well-paying manufacturing jobs as they went. That approach leaves the city more vulnerable to a land boom that went bust. The two women, Estolano and Goldberg, were roughly reprimanded by Los Angeles City Council members** over their fight to maintain industrial lands as a way to save badly needed industrial jobs.
But unlike Goldberg, Estolano had the experience, power and quasi-independence required to execute her ideas. According to Wasserman, under Estolano the city created 19,000 construction jobs as well as 5,000 permanent jobs.
“She was always more interested in the people who would work on projects and would benefit from them,” says Wasserman. “[The CRA] began, for the first time, to aggregate how many estimated construction jobs and permanent jobs will be created by our projects to benefit the community.”
“Cecilia was the first person in the history of the CRA to come up with a real, deep strategy for creating jobs for the city,” says agency commissioner Madeline Janis, who has worked with four different CRA CEOs. “Her passion was lifting Los Angeles out of the recession.”
Among her admirers, Estolano earned the respect of a top union leader and close mayoral ally, AFL-CIO head Maria Elena Durazo, who e-mailed the Weekly saying, “She recognizes that job creation should not be our community’s only goal in economic development; we must ensure that new jobs created by public investment are good middle-class jobs, not dead-end poverty jobs. Her support of the construction-careers policy led to a national model for creating career ladders for the unemployed living in blighted neighborhoods.”
Kotkin notes, compared to New York City, “We’ve done much worse than them in the recession. We’ve really done badly in this recession, which is surprising because the exposure in the financial services wasn’t that great — we didn’t have that many financial-service jobs to lose.”
Instead, Kotkin notes, Los Angeles “has lost all sorts of jobs . I’m not a Bloomberg fan and all that, but at least Bloomberg’s paying attention.”
On December 12, 2009, two years after the recession began, Villaraigosa convened an economic advisory panel to help him address the economic body slam L.A. has taken.
Though the members of that panel include individuals with serious business credentials, such as former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, its marquee names lean heavily on the very industries at the center of the burst economic bubble: banks and developers.
The mayor did not name an industrialist or manufacturer to his advisory panel, nor any experts on sustainable industries. In fact, Riordan immediately faulted the Clean Trucks program for leading to a loss of jobs — the very same program Villaraigosa boasted about in Copenhagen.
No longer on the scene was the woman credited with a broad economic vision, who had sought non-bubble industries when the mayor did not, and melded jobs and sustainable industries for him.
**Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Councilman Ed Reyes was among the politicians who reprimanded Estolano for fighting to maintain industrial lands. Reyes did not do so.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.


text:
Folks heading into Union Station yesterday afternoon to catch a train or to visit the stART on the Street arts and crafts show thought they were being greeted by the merry sounds of some of the Christmas season's favorite carols.
But it didn't take long for passers-by to figure out that the exuberant carolers belting out “God Rest Ye Merry Wealthy Men” had a different sort of holiday message.
Taking advantage of the packed crowd patronizing the craft bazaar, about 15 members of the Occupy Worcester movement mixed a bit of their social activism into the lyrics of some of the winter holiday's best-known songs.
The carol “Feliz Navidad” became “A Police State is Bad,” and the issue of outsourcing jobs overseas morphed the sweetly crafted “Away in a Manger” into the grimmer “Away in a Factory an Ocean Away.”
“Okay, let's get our message out,” said Terri Post, a 42-year-old Worcester resident and Army veteran, who led the protesters in their musical offerings.
Onlookers were generally receptive to the lyrically reconstructed melodies, with many saying they agreed with Occupy Worcester's contention that the middle class is being squeezed by economic and tax policies being formulated by Washington, D.C., politicians.
“You guys sing away,” shouted Tina Zloty, stART's co-director, as movement members began their singing.
She later told the Telegram & Gazette that many of Occupy Worcester's goals are in line with stART's.
“They're for helping small businesses and keeping jobs local,” said Ms. Zlody. “Like stART, these people are for the neighborhoods.”
Occupy Worcester members spent about an hour at Union Station before returning to their encampment at the parking lot of the Worcester Area Mission Society for their Sunday “general assembly” meeting.
Foremost on the group's agenda was finding a new home.
The society had allowed Occupy Worcester to temporarily use the lot, located off Lincoln Square, while the parcel was being refurbished.
However, the society last week asked the group to leave by this morning, because the work has been completed and the lot is needed by employees and visitors to the society's headquarters at 6 Institute Road.
Occupy Worcester members broke up their camp after their meeting and temporarily moved it to a private, undisclosed parcel in the Webster Square area.
Occupy Worcester members declined identifying where they will now be staying, because the property owner does not want publicity.
“We hope to have a place of our own in about a week and half,” said Cowboy, a group member.
Jeff Gagnon, another protestor, said the group is reaching out to others to become involved.
“I wish more people would join, but you have a lot of apathetic people out there,” Mr. Gagnon said. “A real occupy movement camp is like a Renaissance fair, where people share ideas and gain knowledge from each other.”
Occupy Worcester members said they are hoping some private, highly visible land might be made available to them. They said they'd be willing to work to maintain the property or help the owner with a project.
Meanwhile, some Occupy Worcester members said they are joining their counterparts from around the country for a gathering in Washington, D.C., this week.

domain: news


The Coming Municipal Bond Crisis?
By Dennis Tubbergen
Recently, researcher Meredith Whitney appeared on 60 Minutes and predicted 50 or 100 municipal bond defaults nationwide. Whitney recently published a report that discussed the financial condition of many municipalities and the possibility of default by some. While the research report didn’t make a prediction as to the number of defaults, when on 60 Minutes Whitney boldly predicted 50 or 100 defaults nationwide.
Taking the other side of the argument is PIMCO’s Bill Gross. Fox News is reporting that Gross is waging an all out war to make certain that the masses view Whitney’s report as not credible. Of course, it’s not surprising that he would take that position, PIMCO makes money selling bond funds.
And, to be fair, Whitney may sell a lot more reports if she makes some big predictions.
So who is right? Is the sad financial condition of many states and municipalities leading to a certain default on some municipal bonds?
George Soros thinks it’s a possibility anyway. He recently stated that the muni-bond crisis would be 2011’s “big drama”.
Here’s what we know.
Many municipalities are using very optimistic return assumptions when doing their pension accounting, some as high as 8%. That assumption is simply not a good one.
While getting an 8% return in SOME investments sporadically over the past several years COULD happen, it hasn’t been a regular occurrence. If I were required to choose a more accurate assumption for pension plan growth rates, I’d probably use 4%.
Assuming a municipality uses an 8% asset growth assumption when the actual asset growth that occurs is 3% – 4%, the municipality’s pension fund will ultimately have a day of reckoning and that day of reckoning is here for some municipalities.
For example, it has been recently reported that the City of Philadelphia’s pension fund will be out of money in 2015; not short on funds, not facing a funding shortfall, just plain out of money. At that point, from my perspective, only one of two things can happen.
One, since the pension is now a hand to mouth system, pensions get cut and funded only to the extent that funding exists which would be significant given the fact that most municipalities have been very generous with their benefits to retirees. Retirement at age 50 with generous benefits has been the norm rather than the exception. Two, taxes in these municipalities go up – a lot. This is already occurring. While real estate values plummet in virtually every area of the country, real estate taxes have been rising. This trend will continue.
As a result, people will begin to move out of these areas leaving fewer to shoulder the debt burden. This trend will intensify like a snowball rolling down a hill, getting larger as time passes.


text:
Date of Data Capture: 29/04/2021
Name: WAGNERS HOLDING CO LTD (WGN)
Classification: Construction Materials
Current Price: $2.31
Market Capitalisation: $432 M
Forecast EBITDA Growth: 17.32%
Yield Estimate: 1.68%
Consensus Price Target: $2.39
# Covering Analysts: 4
Discount at Current Price: -3.46%
Price Target Trend (3-Month): Up +59.33%
Signal Timeframe: Quarterly-Monthly-Weekly
Trend Bias: Up-Down / Long-Medium
Focus: Capital Growth
Set up Notes:
• Construction materials and services operator WGN is firming up here after a major two year consolidation, rallying from deep support with strong forecasting and good analyst sentiment.
• Earning peaked in 2019 and the stock was weak going into 2020 before the Covid slump caused margins and profits to collapse, but a strong recovery is predicted this year and out to 2023.
• A strong start soon gave way to a brutal 80% pullback before finding price support mid-2020, rallying through linear resistance levels and setting up a run towards old highs above $2.00.
Support ($): 2.25, 2.00, 1.75, 1.50, 1.25 & 1.00.
Resistance ($): 2.50, 3.00, 3.50, 4.00 & 4.50.

domain: economics


text:
Our School Ethos & Aims
The agreed School Aims are set out below:
- To provide a centre of learning excellence for 11 - 19 year olds in the King's Norton area and beyond, catering for the educational, vocational, social and cultural needs of its students.
- To strengthen the relationship between the school, parents, and the wider community, including industry, commerce and the public services.
- To develop the school as a happy and safe community, exemplifying self-discipline, industry, co-operation, responsibility, compassion and courtesy, where all are treated as of equal worth regardless of status, gender, ethnic origin, creed or social class, and where special regard is paid to those with specific needs.
For all students:
- to develop to the full their potential and to encourage the highest possible standards of personal achievement so that all may participate fully and happily in adult life.
- to encourage critical awareness and an ability to think for themselves.
- to encourage and develop a sense of self-respect leading to respect for and sensitivity towards the needs and feelings of others.
- to develop an understanding of the community and the world in which they are growing up, and of their responsibility for promoting a healthy, compassionate and caring society.
- to encourage individual initiative and enterprise.

domain: sociology


text:
Extended unemployment benefits throughout the U.S. have businesses and staffing companies struggling to find employees for lower-wage jobs.
In many cases, decades of depressed wages have created a situation in which the generous unemployment benefits instituted in response to COVID-19 lockdowns are more lucrative than taking an entry-level job. Unemployment benefits paid more than wages for about half the people receiving them through spring of 2021, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
This has put pressure on employers to raise wages, increasing labor costs in a market in which prices of materials and other inputs are also skyrocketing.
In the past, extensions in unemployment insurance benefits have had little effect on wages or employees’ labor force participation, but this late-stage-pandemic time is a unique situation. Worker fears of coronavirus exposure factor into their employment decisions, and many older workers took the pandemic lockdowns or layoffs as a cue to retire, among other factors.
Do Extended Unemployment Insurance Benefits Keep People from Taking Jobs?
According to research on extended benefits instituted during the 2008 housing market crash and resulting financial crisis, the benefit extensions reached 99 weeks for most people, and Congress didn’t roll them back until 2013. These extended benefits barely budged labor force participation.
“We find little or no effect on job-finding but a reduction in labor force exits due to benefit availability,” states a 2015 economic analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. “We estimate that the rollbacks reduced the labor force participation rate by about 0.1 percentage point in early 2014.”
The effects of the current generous UI extensions, meant to help families staying home from work to save lives from the deadly 2020 coronavirus pandemic, seem to be more profound, however.
It’s too early to see the total effect of current UI policy in published data. From the view of a staffing professional in Southern California, however; the results are clear.
Staffing agencies and firms all over the country are having a tough time filling positions, in many cases because of the extended UI benefits.
Why Is the Current Labor Market So Challenging?
According to the Brookings Institution, labor force participation rates are highest in states with the highest ratio of vaccinated individuals, suggesting that extended UI benefits are only part of the story of the current labor shortage.
It’s no surprise that people are leaning on UI to stay out of the labor force in summer of 2021; keeping people home was one of the stated purposes of the UI extensions when Congress approved them in the first place.
“If you’re going to ask people to do that, to ask businesses to close, and ask people to stay home and close schools, then there ought to be something very generous on the other side,” said Lauren Bauer, Economic Studies Fellow with the Hamilton Project, on a Brookings podcast. “And that’s certainly how unemployment insurance has functioned over the past year.”
An economic analysis published in early May by the Peterson Institute for International Economics cited extended UI benefits as keeping people from taking the approximately 10 million jobs available this spring.
“Increased unemployment insurance has resulted in unemployment benefits being more valuable than wages for roughly half of the unemployed” according to the Peterson Institute. “This does not appear to have been a major factor in the labor market in 2020, but labor market conditions are completely different now. There is no clear evidence yet, but historical experience, theory, and commonsense all suggest it is one factor in labor supply—including giving people who feel unsafe returning to work more options.”
Indeed, workers don’t seem too worried about their job options. In February of 2021, more US residents (2.3 percent) quit their jobs than at any other time since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started counting in 2001.
And it seems workers who quit were right not to worry – the number of open jobs has exploded throughout the spring and early summer.
Does a Lack of Childcare Keep Parents of Young Children Out of the Labor Force?
Economists theorized early in the pandemic that parents of young children would be so burdened by the lockdowns of the school systems throughout the U.S. they would drop out of the labor force.
This does not seem to be the case, however. Even through 2020, employment rates for parents of young children didn’t fall significantly compared with other demographics.
When Will the Labor Market Get Back to Normal?
The pandemic-related upheaval of the global economy makes it tricky to figure out when the labor market will get back to “normal,” if it was ever accurate to call such a huge set of variables “normal.”
“Normal” for sectors like engineering, information technology and skilled manufacturing trades means there were already labor shortages before the pandemic. Furthermore, vaccination rates are rising, but so are infection rates of the coronavirus’ highly contagious Delta variant. This clouds the crystal ball.
What we can say for sure is, barring another Congressional extension, the additional weeks of Federal UI benefits will expire Sept. 6. People who lose their jobs after that date will be back to the standard 26 weeks of benefits from their regular state UI programs, according to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities.
Under the CARES Act in response to the pandemic, all states added 13 additional weeks to UI benefits using federal funds. In addition, many who lost jobs and normally wouldn’t qualify for UI received assistance from the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance program.
One thing seems certain, however; employers may be stuck with higher labor costs for lower wage workers for the foreseeable future.
“Like wage growth pre-pandemic, the strongest wage growth … has been for the bottom quartiles of workers (higher state and local minimum wages have contributed to this fact),” states the Peterson Institute. “Overall, if the only data we had about the economy came from wages, one would be hard pressed to know that labor markets were any looser than they were in 2019, despite employment remaining 10 million below trend.”
In the coming months, Peterson predicts an increase in both labor supply and labor demand. Whether those laborers’ skillsets are matched to that demand will determine how quickly employment rates return to something like the pre-pandemic market.
Henry S. Farber et al
Working Paper Series
U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
Lauren Bauer et al
The Brookings Institution
The Current Podcast
The Brookings Institution
Jason Furman et al
The Peterson Institute for International Economics


text:
Fans of the first-person shooter game Destiny 2 know that one of the most exciting aspects of the game is the different weapons you can buy, turning your character into a mean fighting machine.
And while there are plenty of guns you can use in the game, arguably the cooler weapons are the swords. There are a few exotic swords you can get in the game, but some of the best ones come from the DLCs you can buy.
But one of the most-coveted swords from the series' first installment, the Dark Drinker, has yet to be added to the game. Will the Dark Drinker be added to Destiny 2?
Will the Dark Drinker be added to 'Destiny 2'?
There's been some speculation that the Dark Drinker will be added to Destiny 2 in the form of a DLC, and while nothing has been confirmed yet, there are talks of the game being added in a DLC.
According to GamesRadar, there's was a chance the Penumbra DLC would add the Dark Drinker sword, as well as the Hawkmoon hand cannon and the Rose hand cannon. A Reddit post revealed these potential leaks in early 2019, though noted it could change.
At this time, the sword is still unavailable in Destiny 2.
The Dark Drinker is currently only found in 'Destiny.'
At this time, the Dark Drinker is only available in the first Destiny game. Getting the Dark Drinker sword isn’t as easy as some would hope it would be, and you’ll have to spend a few hours on the game before you can even unlock the quest to access the sword.
If you’re looking to get your hands on the elusive Dark Drinker sword, you’ll have to shell out the money for the game’s The Taken King DLC expansion pass. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to participate in the storyline in The Taken King DLC if you don’t have the two preceding ones, The Dark Below and House of Wolves, so make sure you’ve purchased and completed those first.
Once you complete those DLCs, you’ll have to complete the main storyline in The Taken King before you can unlock the quest that will grant you your first legendary sword. This is required, as you’ll need the legendary sword to upgrade it to the exotic weapon.
Once you've obtained the legendary sword, you’ll have to upgrade it until it’s infused with a Light level above 280. This may take some time, so be patient as you gather the materials to continuously upgrade your sword. The easiest way to achieve a Light level above 280 is by infusing the legendary sword with any of your higher-level heavy weapons, so it’s best not to use them all before you reach this point.
You can then unlock the quest to obtain your Dark Drinker.
The Exotic Quest can then be unlocked by talking to Lord Shaxx. He will then give you a couple of different quests to complete before you can upgrade your sword. Your first objective will involve killing 50 major or ultra enemies as well as 25 Guardians in the Crucible, and your second objective will require you to kill Ecthar, Sword of Oryx.
Once that’s completed, you’ll then have to pick which element you want your exotic sword to be infused with, and you’ll have to take the time to collect the material, which will take a while. If you want the Dark Drinker, you’ll have to infuse it with void.
You will have to collect the materials from battle as opposed to dismantling other weapons to obtain them, so this step will also require massive patience.
The last step in this process involves killing the warden of whatever material you’ve chosen your blade to be infused with. Only then will you be rewarded with the Dark Drinker.
If you made the decision to infuse your exotic sword with a different element, you’ll receive a sword different from the Dark Drinker — either the Raze Lighter or Bolt Caster.


text:
Good Food Festival 2022
This year, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board is organizing the ninth Good Food Festival, a gastronomic event for all lovers of good food, which will take place from October 10thto the 16th, 2022.
This year’s program will include the traditional Restaurant Week with festival menus, Dinner with a Michelin Star Chef, wine tastings, delicious festival offers, gastro tours, workshops on traditional dishes, beer evenings with good street food in the Dubrovnik Brewery, various themed dinners and other interesting events, and all with good live music and entertainment.
The festival will be organized in accordance with the decision on limiting the use of single-use plastics for the City of Dubrovnik and institutions and commercial companies in (co)ownership of the City, adopted as part of the « Plastic Smart Cities » project, the main goal of which is to reduce or stop the use of single-use plastics in various segments of the city’s social life, as well as better management of plastic waste.
A detailed program is being prepared and will be published at the beginning of September.


text:
We all have a favorite color, that shade of green or blue or purple that just makes us feel good. But if you’re looking for Tiffany blue or Coca-Cola red for your next project, sometimes there just isn’t that perfect match in the countless options of paint chips available at the paint store.
That’s where color matching comes in handy. Experts can now take just about any item – a piece of jewelry, a blouse, even a pillow or door and copy it in paint. Consider it couture color at no extra cost.
Computers are used to match a color and put the precise amount of colorant in a base to create your perfect can of paint. David at Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing says you don’t need to have a large sample of the color you want to copy for the process to work. As long as the computer has a sample the size of a quarter, it can recreate your color.
Computers can have a tough time with a sample that has a rough or textured surface, like a tapestry or pillow. David says that’s when color matching needs to go a little more low-tech.
That process still starts with the computer to get close to the color you’re looking for. Then, it’s up to the employee to decide which colorants to add and how much. This is where Hirshfield’s expertise comes in.
David walked me through the process: first a sample of the paint is brushed out and dried to compare to the sample being matched. This process can be repeated several times until the correct color is created and you’re happy with the match. Ron at the West St. Paul Hirshfield’s says the “hand to eye” tweaking can be done while you wait but does take some time. It may be best to leave the sample at your neighborhood Hirshfield’s and let the experts work on it to create the best match possible. Then it can go home with you to start your next project.


Skip to content
Latest News! CORE becomes technical supplier to UCI WorldTeam BORA-Hansgrohe
Data accuracy validation for CORE - How it works?
Is core body temperature monitoring new?
The technology behind CORE - miniaturized thermal energy transfer sensors
CORE Body Temperature for sports science and performance
Sign-up to the CORE newsletter for regular updates and promotions in your inbox
Enter your email


Once regarded as the breadbasket of southern Africa, Zimbabwe is now infamous for its political and economic woes. More than three decades after independence, through bad political and economic policies, the breadbasket has gradually become an ’empty case’. The resurfacing of theileriosis, a fatal cattle disease, is a blow to Zimbabwe.
Ronnie Chisamba reports for the Solutions Tower.
An octogenarian’s sad story
Eighty-year-old Henry Masinire is a communal farmer. A resident of Mudyawabikwa village about 190km south east of the capital, Harare. Hukutu, as Masinire is affectionately known by his family and friends, was a proud owner of seven cattle. His personal inventory even included a cart and an ox-drawn plough. This was until theileriosis wiped out his cattle. Today, the old and fragile looking old man is sombre. The only testimony that he ever owned cattle is the empty kraal in front of his cooking hut.
In Chikomba district, Chivhu, (Masinire’ s rural home), theileriosis has left many lamenting over the loss of their wealth – their cattle. Investigations by The Solutions Tower have revealed that the situation in Chikomba is a tip of the iceberg. Since time immemorial, native Africans have depended on cattle and other domestic animals for status, work and other purposes. Loss of cattle is further pushing the general populace and the southern African state directly or indirectly into deplorable poverty.
The State-owned media outlet, the Herald, reported that Goromonzi, Bindura, Chivhu and Chegutu are the areas mostly affected by theileriosis. It is said that the disease had killed over 2 000 cattle at the time the Herald went to Press.
The impact of the high cattle mortality rate has a negative bearing on the country’s agriculture sector. Considering that there is very little noticeable activity in commercial farms (because of the land reform programme which was launched in an effort to address the land ownership imbalances which had been brought by colonisation), communal farmers have been playing an instrumental role in promoting the agriculture industry.
Communal farmers mainly rely on cattle and donkeys for work and transport. Theileriosis has worsened the plight of peasant farmers. Ever escalating prices of inputs such as fertilisers and seeds will make it virtually impossible for them to farm this coming farming season.
Prices of cattle in the affected areas have gone down. The prices of donkeys, the alternative, has been hiked beyond the reach of many due to the high demand. For the communal farmer, it never rains but pours.
Government has, over the years, been offering communal farmers inputs, but the allocation falls short in fulfilling the input needs of farmers. Corruption is another stumbling block. Some people who are not even farmers get their hands on the inputs through corrupt means and end up selling the precious inputs for much less than wholesale prices.
According to an article by F.C. Munatswa (Veterinary Research Laboratory, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe), theileriosis is a tick-borne disease. The two main vectors are the brown ear tick, Rhipicephalus appendendiculatus and the lowveld brown ear tick, R. Zambeziensis.
Theileriosis is also known as January disease. The disease is common from January to March. At this period, the brown ear tick is at its maturity stage.
In the Herald article, Dr Josaphat Nyathi from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement and Veterinary Services, pointed out that one of the major prevention methods is intensive dipping. Government is said to have produced 22 500 pamphlets as part of its awareness campaign. Investigations by the Solutions Tower show that most of the farmers in Chikomba district (one of the affected areas) did not get these pamphlets.
Experts recommend the use of buparvaquone (Butalex, Schering-Plough Animal Health, U.K) for the treatment of January disease. However, some argue the mortality rate is 30%-90%.
Cattle can be vaccinated against theileriosis using Rakshavac T Vaccine. The vaccine contains live schizont grown in the lymphoblast cell culture.
Signs of the January disease
Cloudiness of the eyes and difficulty in breathing (with froth from the nose and mouth) are some of the signs of theileriosis. The other signs are swelling of lymph nodes under the ears and on the shoulder. If the affected beast does not get treatment or fails to respond to treatment, it dies a few days after infection.
In Zimbabwe, the disease is a notifiable disease. It was successfully eradicated through government effort in 1954.
Will the deadly cattle disease be defeated again?
The prevailing harsh economic climate requires the current administration combating the disease to make it one of its chief priorities.
Copyright ©www.thesolutionstower.com , 2018 All Rights Reserved. The Solutions Tower Article may not be published or reproduced in any form without prior written permission


When we think about Kashmir, Pashmina
Shawls deliberately comes into our minds. The fine quality fabric is popular
for its finesse and softness worldwide. High on quality, the warmth and softness
of these light-weighted pashmina shawls is flawless. Pashmina is made of the
wool which is known for its strength, lightness, softness, finesse and most
importantly the warmth. The shawl comes in varied patterns, and ranges from
simple and elegantly printed ones to heavy embroided shawls. Pashmina
Shawls come in a wide array of seasonal colors for Spring, Summer Fall &
winter and is among the highest quality wools, and is very light weight. Nowadays,
in the fashion industry, pashmina shawls are considered a must-have accessory.
When you have dressed up yourself with the Pashmina Shawl, it adds the much-needed
elegance and glamour quotient to your outfit.
Pashmina is derived from the Persian word 'Pashm'
which means wool. This wool refers to the under fur from most of the Tibetan
animals, particularly goats. Pashmina shawls are actually a blend of silk and
cashmere. Throughout history, Pashmina Shawls have been part of traditional
garments worn around the world by royal families. The reason behind this is
that only the wealthy people could afford to buy these shawls Pashmina Shawls.
They were a symbol of wealth. And of course today, they look classic and timeless
and modern and fashionable all at the same time. Every woman just loves them
and they make excellent gifts for Women! The ample length and width on the Pashmina
will keep her cozy and warm through the cooler winter months and the Pashmina
& Silk Shawls will keep her feeling snug and looking fashionable in Spring,
Summer & Fall.
Pashmina shawls have gained immense reputation and embroidered Pashmina shawls
are exported from Kashmir to many parts of the world. With beads, precious metals
and stonework, Pashmina shawls are available in all shades ranging from floral
prints to tropical prints. The reason behind the popularity of these shawls
is not only just the lightweight softness, but, also the glorious colors, designs,
and jamawar weaves of the Pashmina shawls that come in such a variety to suit
any fashion look you are looking to achieve. Many powerful and elegant women
throughout history have preferred Pashmina shawls over plain wool shawls. Whether
for a big event or a special ceremony, Pashmina shawls have always been part
of the trendy fashionable woman's wardrobe.
As pure yarn is very expensive some manufacturers blend their shawl with silk
thread or wool. While buying pashmina, one must be a discerning consumer to
opt for quality pashmina at an affordable price. One should always buy quality
pashmina shawls from reputed manufacturers, designers wholesalers and retailers.
Yours Elegantly is one such source where you can get 100% pure Pashmina shawls.
For more information regarding Pashmina Shawls visit www.yourselegantly.com


text:
Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman will play for Romanian audiences in a concert set for August 20th at Hard Rock Café in Bucharest, starting 21.30.
With more than 20 albums released throughout his career, Akkerman came to international recognition with the band Focus, which he founded together with Thijs van Leer. His music combines progressive rock elements with blues and jazz. He performed alongside names such as Alan Price, Herman Brood, Peter Banks, Phil Collins, Jack Bruce, Charlie Byrd, Ice-T, Paco De Lucia, and B.B. King.
Tickets, priced RON 70 to RON 150, are available at iabilet.ro.
Photo source: PR


text:
It was a quiet weekend at the Mad Padre’s Painting Chapel. A little bit got done, paint wise. Some work done on magnetizing bases and intelligent storage of figures prior to the move coming at me next spring. Perhaps the highpoint was Saturday night, when I decided that my friend Rabbitman needed some miniature and baklava therapy to shake off his funk. Something totally silly was called for, so I grabbed my Lord of the Rings collection which has seen some exposure here lately, tried to mentally dust off my knowledge of the GW rules, and hit the road. We had an agreeably silly game, but it did mark the debut of a hulking chap I affectionately call “Izzy”, short for “Izzy the Isengard Troll”. Here he is leading some Uruks of the White Hand out of some woods, wanting to smash the Rohirrim and eat a horse or two.
For this action we threw most of my toys on the table, in varying conditions of paintedness (is that even a word?), Isengard vs. Rohan. Because the Uruks had some good assets (a half dozen Berserkers, very tough to kill and each w 2 attacks) and Izzy, who is sort of Middle Earth’s equivalent of a King Tiger, we gave the good guys Aragorn (3 attacks per turn and some nifty bonuses), and several heroes of the ridder mark - Eomer, Theoden, Gamling and Eowyn on her little pony. Rabbitman tells the story on his blog here. He wasn’t overly impressed with the GW rules, curiously called the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game - why is it called Strategy when you have to throw dice three times to try and kill one figure? Good question.
While the GW experience was so so, there were some high points. When these minis are painted (alas, not all of mine were), they can be quite photogenic. Here Eowyn and two of the Royal Guard (chap on the left painted by Rabbitman, chap on right w shield showing by Yours Truly) ride down some annoying Uruk scouts. We had some laughs thanks to Eowyn, imagining her riding behind Aragorn and desperately sticking Uruks to gain his attention and impress him. Actually she was the Human player of the game, and did quite well, even shrugging off a paralysis spell by the Uruk shaman, who behaved quite caddishly.
Izzy lumbers towards the Rohan battle line. Notice how Patrick has lined up his troops behind the troll, rather like infantry advancing behind a friendly tank. We were considering a house rule that if Izzy doesn’t score a kill on an enemy figure at least once every two turns, he eats a nearby friendly figure, just to keep his strength up. The poor Rohan archers in the second rank banged away at him for all they were worth, but due to his tough hide and armour they needed a 6/4+ (roll of a 6 on 1d6 to wound, then a second roll of 4 or better) to cause a wound on him. They couldn’t touch him. Izzy was very annoyed at horse-smelling snooty men by the time he got near.
HAHAHAHA! IZZY SMASH! IZZY SMASH GOOD! Gamling and his foot levy men died valiantly while the Rohan horse fought their way through another cluster of orcs to try and save King Theoden. It wasn’t looking good for our heroes when we ran out of time and had to call it.
Mysterious elf babes watch impassively from a nearby hill.
Perhaps next time we play will see a rematch, perhaps Aragorn going head to head with Izzy. There were a few rules I forgot until half way through the game, such as charging cavalry getting an extra dice against foot, and a chance to knock foot opponents offer and stomp on them. Other rules, like requiring a Courage roll to charge the Fearsome (really, he’s quite cuddly when you get to know him) Izzy the Troll, I forgot completely. I found myself agreeing with James that these rules require an awful lot of dice rolling and get quite cumbersome with over two dozen figures on the table. I should dust off the GW War of the Ring rules for large battles and see if they are any better, or buy TFL’s Dux rules for Dark Ages and try Thomas Nissvik’s Dux Gondorum adaptation.
You wouldn’t believe how long it took to get Izzy settled down after he got all excited.


text:
Instagram name: TheophilusLondon
Date joined: August 2011
Photos taken to date: 338
Why you should follow: Regardless of what any other rapper on Instagram tells you, they're not the most stylish. Theophilus London is, and he has the account to prove it to you. His style is David Bowie here, Fab 5 Freddy there. See him with Alexander Wang in one photo, with Kanye West in the next. Catch him hitting on Gayle King, and even mean-mugging next to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Whatever he's wearing, and whoever he's with, Theophilus is styling on them.

domain: celebrity


text:
There’s a moment in this week’s episode of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, “La Locker Room Aux Folles,” when player Jan Maas points out that if 10 percent of the population is gay, statistically there would be members of the Greyhounds club who identify as such. After everyone lets that sink in, gazes turn to Jamie Tartt, who then notices, touches his heart, and tenderly says “I’m flattered.”
To the casual Ted Lasso fan, that kind reaction might seem like a mild gag about Jamie’s love of hair products, but for the show’s fervent and wide-ranging queer community, it feels like acknowledgement of what many have believed for years: that Jamie is one of the most deeply queer-coded characters on the show, even given Trent and Colin’s quiet coming out parties this season.
Some have pushed Jamie’s sexuality even further, placing him at the center of one of the fandom’s most beloved ships: a Roy-Keeley-Jamie throuple. Sparking countless GIFs; specialized Discord channels; and hundreds of loving, emotional, and deeply saucy pieces of fanfiction on Tumblr and Archive of Our Own, the idea of the throuple was born of the show’s investment in the emotional development and vulnerability of all three characters, who started off the show as sort of spiritual and romantic rivals but have grown to deeply care for and respect each other.
Christa, who goes by Mixtapestar on A03 and who, like nearly all the sources for this story, requested anonymity because they don’t want their workplaces and families knowing about their participation in the sometimes NSFW fanfiction world, says that the way she sees it, the seeds for the throuple were laid during the first season’s gala episode, where Jamie, Roy, and Keeley were all seated at the same table. As the show has gone on and the characters have grown and matured, she says, the argument for the throuple has become more about chemistry. “It’s about a feeling that [the characters] all genuinely support each other in their own ways and that could lead to a relationship,” Christa explains.
“So many people identify with Roy, Jamie, and Keeley because they really exemplify the show’s thesis of being a work-in-progress,” says Elizabeth, a Lasso fan who also requested anonymity. “The writers have already done the work to show that they all love and trust each other, and assuming Roy and Keeley make up, the three of them would just have to have, like, one conversation. And maybe kiss a little.”


The Hope probe, the United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) first Mars mission, is set to make history today (Tuesday, February 9) as it becomes just the fifth worldwide mission to reach Mars.
It will also perform the most daring manoeuvre of its journey today.
The spacecraft will attempt to enter the Red Planet’s orbit, in a nerve-racking 27-minutes operation, where if something goes awry, there will be nothing anyone can do to intervene.
Half of Mars missions fail, many of them at this stage.
But if it succeeds, we will be rewarded with some fascinating science in the months ahead, including spectacular images of the whole of the planet.
Read on to find out what time the probe is expected to start its manoeuvre, where you can watch it live and why the stakes are high for the UAE.
When will Hope reach the Mars orbit?
The Hope spacecraft is about to reach the decisive moment in its long journey at around 15:30 GMT (19:30 GST).
The probe, launched from Earth seven months ago, is currently moving at over 120,000 km/h (75,000 mph).
Around 40 minutes before the machine is due to arrive at Mars, it will blast all of its thrusters for 27 minutes in order to reduce its speed to 18,000 km/h.
The complex manoeuvre is critical to be sure of the spacecraft being captured by the planet's gravity. If it goes too slow, it'll crash on Mars; if it goes too fast, it'll skip it.
All mission control at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai will be able to do is to watch Hope completing the manoeuvre autonomously as Mars and Earth are presently separated by 190 million km, so a radio command would take a full 11 minutes to reach the probe - which would be too late.
If the Mars Orbital Insertion (MOI) goes to plan, Hope will then will enter a phase called the capture orbit.
The capture orbit takes the spacecraft from a distance of 1,000 to 49,380km from Mars’s planetary surface.
It will then enter its transition to its "science" orbit, which is expected to be completed by April 2021.
Where can I watch it live?
You will be able to watch a live stream of the event on the official Hope Mars Mission website.
At the time of writing, the organisation was yet to reveal when the broadcast would begin, simply stating that it was "coming soon."
Right now, you are able to track the journey of the Hope probe - how far away it is from the Red Planet, how long it has been since it left Earth, and the distance it travelled so far.
Why is the mission important?
The United Arab Emirates's Hope probe, known as Al Amal in Arabic, if successful, will become the first interplanetary mission based out of the Arab region.
The excitement across the nation is palpable. The mission is used to promote STEM subjects to the UAE's youth and Arab youth in general.
The mission was planned to coincide with the UAE's golden jubilee, with the federation founded on December 2, 1971.
The country is still pretty new to spaceflight, having only recently started sending satellites into Earth orbit. For the Mars mission, it partnered with three U.S. universities to pool the necessary know-how.
But the nation has grandiose plans: it is planning to construct a facility in the desert that simulates the conditions of life on Mars, called Mars Science City.
On Wednesday (February 10), the Chinese probe will also try to make it into orbit, while the Americans turn up on the 18th.
To date, only four entities have successfully visited Mars: NASA, Russia, the European Space Agency and India.
What will it do?
Hope can be described as a kind of weather or climate satellite for Mars.
The spacecraft will explore the atmosphere of the Red Planet, something that has not been done by any previous probe to the planet.
It will aim to answer a number of questions, including how conditions throughout the Martian atmosphere affect rates of escape of hydrogen and oxygen – the building blocks of life.
And how the Martian exosphere (upper atmosphere) behaves at different times during the day and at different distances relative to Mars.
Ultimately, this research could be used for future human settlements.
The machine will stay there for at least one Martian year - or 687 days on Earth - in an 20,000–43,000km elliptical science orbit and completes one orbit of the planet every 55 hours.
CambridgeshireLive email updates: We bring the stories to you
Signing up to the CambridgeshireLive newsletter means you'll receive our daily news email.
It couldn't be simpler and it takes seconds - simply click here, enter your email address and follow the instructions.
You can also enter your address at the top of this page in the box below the picture on most desktop and mobile platforms.
Changed your mind? There's an 'unsubscribe' button at the bottom of every newsletter we send out.
While it will be in daily contact with Earth during the capture orbit phase, in its science orbit contacts will take place two to three times a week. It will take six to eight hours each time for data to be downloaded and updates and instructions to be uploaded.
The instruments on board will collect different data points on the atmosphere to also gauge seasonal and daily changes.
Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, minister of state for advanced technologies, chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, said she hopes the mission will be in a position to share data by September.
She told the PA news agency: “A lot of what we’re hoping to discover from the data of this mission is new, and this is a highly complimentary mission to other missions so we truly hope that others’ missions around Mars will utilise also our data in conjunction with their data.”


text:
Oppo N1 Mini, which is not so mini, gets a launch date
The Oppo N1 didn’t really take the world by storm in the way many of us expected. Surely it did give us a variant that included CyanogenMod out of the box, and yes, we even received a swivel camera mechanism, which was actually more than just a novelty, as many smartphones don’t really offer a compelling front-facing camera. If you were in the market for the Oppo N1, but don’t want a phone that’s so big, you might want to hold up a bit.
Oppo has now made the launch date of the N1 Mini official, if you want most of these N1 features in a smaller package. You can expect the phone as soon as May 30th, though the spec sheet is kind of odd for a “mini” phone. First of all you have a 5-inch 720p display, which definitely doesn’t fall into “mini” territory. Still, you get the same swivel camera, and even though the rest of the specs aren’t clear, we have heard that there could be either of two octa-core chipsets – either the MediaTek MT6592 or the Exynos 5422 Octa SoC. Sadly we still don’t know if there will be a CyanogenMod variant of this device as well.
Expect more news on pricing and availability for this phone very soon.


text:
THEY are the faces you see every day, the ones that cheerily fix your shoes or make you a coffee.
The old saying goes that we all have a story to tell, and newly-released book 2795 tells the stories behind many Bathurst faces.
Some of these faces might be the person next door, while others have achieved great heights.
Collating the photos and stories for the coffee table-style book was a labour of love for Bathurst graphic designer Kylie Ledger.
She teamed up with her friend, and freelance photographer, Jane Dempster to put the book together.
The result is a large-paged book with richly coloured photographs that capture people in candid moments doing things they love.
While some subjects were targeted – like Stone Pine Distillery’s Ian Glen, actor Kate Smith or circus performer Mark Graham – others subjects were discovered by chance.
“It’s a book I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Miss Ledger said.
“The goal wasn’t to choose people who had achieved something, it was a range of people.
“It’s not about praising people who have done well, it’s about anyone.”
Some pictured in the book were born in Bathurst while others like Angele and Philippe Legall or Greg Hyde moved to Bathurst and now lovingly call the city home.
“It was important to show Bathurst is a multicultural population,” Miss Ledger said.
Also pictured is Dinawan Dyirribang (Bill Allen junior) who talks about what it is like to be a Wiradyuri man in Bathurst.
“Our early history may not have been ideal, but we still need to talk about it,” he says in the book. “Bathurst has a very rich history and we have played a very important part in it.”
Miss Ledger wanted to capture Bathurstians as they are right now, doing what they love and what they are passionate about.
“We wanted people to relax and have fun, we didn’t want stagnant shots,” she said. “People were so trusting to what we asked them to do.”
Miss Ledger said the book’s purpose was to capture Bathurst and its people.
“Bathurst could change in a heartbeat ... it’s a snapshot of who we are now,” she said. “It’s not a history book, but one day it’ll be history.”
Visit www.2795thebook.com.au to find our more or order the book.


text:
"[...] The text is written in Greek and, in it a woman named Kyrilla invokes the names of six gods to cast a curse on a man named Iennys, apparently over a legal case."
Comment: Belief in curses, magic, witchcraft, amulets and the occult in general was widespread in the ancient world, just as it is today in places like Africa, for example, and the Middle East, not to mention the United States, where a 2005 poll found that a majority of the population believes in ghosts. As far as I can tell, the modern world is just as superstitious as the ancient world and these beliefs go all the way back to the emergence of humans as a species.
According to Arcana Mundi: Magic And The Occult In The Greek And Roman Worlds (Second Edition, p.16), "[w]hen we talk abut Greco-Roman magic, we usually mean Hellenistic magic, as documented in the [Greek magical papyri.] This syncretistic, multicultural conglomerate took shape in Egypt when it was ruled by Macedonian kings, before it became a province of the Roman Empire."
Curse tablets were very common in the Roman empire. Hundreds of them have been discovered and translated. According to "Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World," (Oxford University Press, 1992, ed. John G. Gager), most of the curses were inscribed with bronze styluses on sheets of lead while the rest "..consist of alloys of lead and tin, sometimes fused with copper." (Intro. p.3)
"In the ancient world, it was common practice to curse or bind an enemy or rival by writing an incantation on a tablet and dedicating it to a god or spirit. These curses or binding spells, commonly called defixiones, were intended to bring other people under the power and control of those who commissioned them." (Ibid, back cover).
The video clip above is from HBO's fantastic, but short-lived series Rome.
Related: Curse Tablets From Roman Britain