The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S smartphone is focused on providing the buyer with the best value for money. While competition in the middle segment is growing, Redmi Note 9S is committed to providing high performance and quality at an affordable price for most.
The importance of the Note series in the Redmi lineup cannot be overestimated. It is these smartphones that have helped Xiaomi achieve huge world popularity. Redmi Note 4 phones sold more than 10 million over the entire production cycle, and last year Redmi Note 7 and 7 Pro became one of the most popular models.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S is a direct and modified continuation of the style, introduced back in Note 7 Pro, and then iterated in Note 8 Pro. A distinctive element of this design is the back panel. Gradient, iridescent shiny glossy glass Gorilla Glass 5, which at a right angle looks like a mirror. Of course, this makes the surface a fingerprint and dirt magnet. But, the use of a complete cover practically corrects the drawback if you do not want to constantly clean the stains.
The main camera module is installed in the center. However, instead of vertical placement, all four lenses are enclosed in a rectangle, and the elements of the flash located under it.
The big change in the Note 9S is the switch to a side fingerprint scanner. It is built into the power key. Unlocking the phone is very fast. The button is intuitive, it is very easy to get it, even holding the device with one hand. What is not entirely intuitive is the non-segmented volumetric volume keys for sound control. They are carried too far up, on the right side, so it is almost impossible to get them without grabbing the smartphone with both hands.
At the bottom edge you will find a USB-C port, as well as a headphone jack. On the left is a combined slot for two nano-SIM cards, as well as a microSD card, expanding memory. There is also an IR blaster on the upper edge.
In general, Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S is a conservative, but a pleasant step forward in terms of aesthetics. However, with a weight of 209 g, it can be a little bulky.
The phone has a P2i coating, which should provide a certain degree of protection against splashes.
On the front of the Redmi Note 9S, things are a little different. We have a larger 6.67-inch display with a 20: 9 aspect ratio and a round neckline for the front camera. The resolution is still Full HD + with a panel that provides crisp colors even with the default settings.
The four-camera module includes an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. However, this time the main lens was the 48-megapixel Samsung GM2.
The good news is that Xiaomi has added very natural color options. Often the color temperature and white balance are accurate, which is clearly visible in the pictures. The dynamic range is also not bad, although some details remain in the shadow area. Nevertheless, there is some softness in images captured using the Note 9S.
If you like to shoot wide shots or in portrait mode, Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S will cope with this task quite well. The dynamic range is slightly limited when shooting with a wide-angle lens, when white balance may be slightly disturbed. Nevertheless, the mode works well when capturing a wide frame without much effort. Meanwhile, Xiaomi did a great job of optimizing the portrait mode, so the device is able to detect edges fantastically well, creating natural-looking blurring.
A macro camera has been added, which does a good job.
The front camera produces reasonable selfies with 16 megapixel resolution. Xiaomi has also improved the video mode. Now the device captures clear frames up to 4K at 30 frames per second. Software add-ons were added for the creators of video content, including a 21: 9 cinematic framing mode, as well as built-in filters.
Redmi Note 9S works with MIUI 11 based on Android 10.
MIUI's best feature is integrating huge customizable functionality right out of the box. From the ability to manage gestures, add themes, set active wallpapers on the lock screen, to enable a competent file manager or software for quick file sharing among other users.
The Redmi Note 9S is back on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform. While the Note 8 Pro offers the Mediatek Helio G90T, in the updated smartphone we get the Snapdragon 720G. The processor consists of 8 cores, two Kyro 465 Gold and six Kryo 465 Silver cores. In addition, it is supported by Adreno 618 graphics.
As expected, daily performance is more than satisfactory. MIUI gets along well with the hardware, providing an excellent and pleasant experience.
Despite the fact that the Snapdragon 720G is a mid-range chipset, it is able to work more efficiently with any application or game.
Fortunately, the Note 9S left a headphone jack. The audio output offers pretty good quality and without noticeable hissing sound. The sound coming out of the speakers is also loud, but lacks bass. Dual stereo speakers would definitely enhance the overall impression.
If you plan to use Bluetooth headphones with Note 9S, then the device supports AptX, AptxHD and LDAC kodaki. You are guaranteed to get high-quality sound if your headphones support the necessary codec.
Xiaomi has become a pioneer in the use of large 4000 mAh batteries in their phones. And Redmi Note 9S takes a step forward. This time we get a battery with a capacity of 5020 mAh, which is more than enough for a long day of intensive use, or even for several days.
Unfortunately, the charging speed is limited to 18 watts, and it took the device 140 minutes to fully charge the battery.
Yes, if you want to get high performance at a low price, Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S still provides excellent value for money.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S is still rich in features and capabilities. The camera is above average, the best-in-class internal components and beautiful design at an attractive price.
Have a nice shopping with Gearbest!


text:
As part of an enhanced security plan developed after the Boston Marathon bombings in April, the New York Police Department plans to deploy helicopters, police boats, scuba divers, bomb-sniffing dogs and hundreds of cameras, as well as hundreds of officers, at Sunday’s New York City Marathon.
The police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, said Friday that the department began making a strategy for this year’s marathon a day after the Boston bombings, which killed three people and wounded more than 260. Kelly said runners and spectators should expect additional security measures like bag searches.
No threats have been identified, he said.
“This will be the best-protected race that they can enter,” Kelly said in a message to runners. “There are no guarantees in our post-9/11 world, but we’re doing everything we reasonably can to protect the runners and the spectators and have this be a safe and enjoyable event.”
One of the most significant changes will be the level of video surveillance, Kelly said. Almost the entire marathon route will be covered. Hundreds of cameras, part of the Police Department’s Domain Awareness Network, will monitor the race in real time, he said.
Other mobile units will be dispersed throughout the marathon route. If needed, the department will also be able to rely on about 1,400 private-sector cameras.
Kelly spoke inside the department’s Joint Operations Center. He was flanked by huge video monitors projecting live images from sites around the city, including the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, where runners will cross from Staten Island to Brooklyn, and the finish line in Central Park.
The Boston bombings demonstrated the importance of cameras, Kelly said. Investigators used video to identify Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who are suspected of the bombings.
Kelly said Police Department scuba divers began sweeping the shoreline and bridges Thursday.
Helicopters and police boats will patrol during the race, while hundreds of officers carrying radiation detectors will cover the ground. In addition, 43 bomb-sniffing dogs will patrol the start and finish lines, he said.
At one point, a black Labrador named Ray was brought in for a demonstration. Let off a leash, Ray took a few seconds to locate a packet of black powder hidden among reporters.
The Fire Department, too, has placed added emphasis on training for the possibility of a “terrorist-type activity” ahead of this year’s marathon, said James Long, a department spokesman, who declined to elaborate.
Mary Wittenberg, the president and chief executive of New York Road Runners, the marathon organizer, said the group had put on 20 races since the Boston bombings without incident.
“Everybody has been very happy with the level of security and the enhanced plan,” she said. “And we are just so close to the starting line and committed to a great day.”

domain: news


text:
Together in Electric Dreams (Gorkon)
|2396, Episode 14|
Together in Electric Dreams
- Stardate 239609.22 to 239611.23
When a recent raid on a Cardassian installation was met with unexpected resistance, the crew of the Skarbek took significant losses. Retreating to Peshkova Colony to lick their wounds and mourn their dead, the crew are swiftly called to the aid of their network communication vessel, the SS Fourcade. On arrival, they found the vessel crash-landed into a nearby moon and an outpost on the surface, believed to be a former Cardassian base.
- Peshkova Colony : A rugged farming colony on the outskirts of Cardassian notice. The crew of the Skarbek drop in there on occasion to resupply, rest easy, and stay out of sight. The location of a memorial service in remembrance to fallen comrades.
- SS Fourcade: A repurposed freighter vessel designed to hide the communications network within. Utilised as a radio station within the Demilitarised Zone, Caedan Nkai is the keeper of the frequencies, conveying covert information across the space waves.
- Sansom Coulee: Region of space inside the DMZ, treacherous to navigate.
In no particular order:
- Graham: Graham.
- Eloise Moran: Affectionately known as Elle, Eloise
Click sub-headings below to expand or collapse.
As the team said goodbye to fallen comrades in the name of the Maquis, they licked their wounds on Peshkova Colony — a small, unassuming colony on the outskirts of Cardassian space. They relax, unwind, drink to mourn their dead, and some peel off into the night for their own grieving methods.
High above their heads, out into the wilds of space, the Skarbek/SS Fourcade took a decisive blow from a Galor-class vessel bearing down on them. As the ship's skeleton crew managed to keep it under the control and at the edges of the weapons range, the ship dropped into the Sansom Coulee to maintain what distance they could, throwing out a distress call toward the small horde of Maquis holed up in the region of the DMZ.
- Stardate 239610.20: Fallen Comrades Remembered As Crew Of Skarbek Go To Ground
- Stardate 239611.23: SS Fourcade Crash Lands On Moon, Cardassian Attack Suspected
- Stardate 239612.26: Encounter With Q Reported By Gorkon Crew
- Stardate 239701.15: Terraformation Worries Lead To Gorkon Crew Support
|REV SD 239704.09|

domain: geography


TNN | Dec 24, 2012, 00:07 IST
Exams on in Ahmedabad
AHMEDABAD: Monday will be the day of exams for lakhs of students across the city and its outskirts. While the Gujarat University will hold its BA, Bcom, and BSc first semester exams; master's students will take the first and third semester exams in arts, commerce, and science. Outside Ahmedabad and within the city, there will be 140 centers for the exams. Officials said that many of the exams were scheduled to be held before the elections, but were postponed because of poll duties. The administrative staff of the university was embroiled in a tiff with the teachers' fraternity over the distribution of hall tickets.
The education department will distribute marksheets of eleventh standard semester board exams which were held in November. Nearly 1.17 lakh studnets had attempted these semester exams.


1981 CRC Octane Number Requirement Survey.
COORDINATING RESEARCH COUNCIL INC ATLANTA GA
Pagination or Media Count:
In the 36th annual statistical survey of current model vehicles conducted by the Coordinating Research Council, Inc., test data were obtained on 434 1982 model vehicles, including nine select models of special interest. Maximum octane number requirements were determined by testing under part-throttle conditions, as well as at maximum-throttle. Included also in the E-15-82 technique are the octane number requirements as determined by the 50th percentile driving profiles derived from past chase-car studies. This method, referred herein as the 50th percentile acceleration technique, is designed to more nearly represent customer-type driving. Surface ignition and rumble, if present, were also reported. Passenger cars and light-duty trucks including non-commercial vans 12-34 ton without four-wheel drive were tested according to a weighted distribution.
- Surface Transportation and Equipment
- Combustion and Ignition


text:
One way to achieve educational equity (the elimination of the predictability of student outcomes based on race, gender, zip code, ability, socioeconomic status or languages spoken at home) is to utilize a child’s culture as a vehicle for learning. Using children’s culture can lead to positive self-image. By seeing themselves reflected in stories told, books read, and in pictures around the room, they begin to connect with positivity, which influences the way they begin to think about themselves as individuals in their family, and culture.
Research has shown that young Black children need to see positive images of Blackness reflected to them. From birth to age 5, young children’s brains are growing and developing the capacity for all future learning. Almost 60 years after the famous Kenneth Clark experiment, recent studies show that many Black children still choose white dolls or white images over Black dolls and images when asked which image is “good” or “positive.”
For those responsible for their care, creating environments that are “culturally responsive” is vital. This means that caregivers and educators should see cultural differences as assets rather than deficits. Focusing on differences in children’s cultures can become vehicles for learning for all children, not just Black children.
Making Black History relevant to early childhood educators and caregivers has often involved the use of storytelling-reading books that shine a light on Black historical figures has become the primary tool to teach.
But for a generation of children who are captivated by bright lights and Tik Tok, reading books might seem outmoded.
Young Black children also need to access living history. They should be exposed to living examples of Black people who are helping to create a better, more just, and equitable world. In Part II of this Black History Month series, I share the story of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the highest-ranking African American woman in Congress and a living example of Black history (or Herstory). Stay tuned.
~ Dr. Sarita McCoy Gregory
Dr. Sarita McCoy Gregory is an SBVP Board Member, former educator, and founder of 7 Cities Speaker series. She writes about culturally responsive strategies for early childhood providers. She is mom to three amazing humans and one furry baby. Email her at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @Sarita_gregory.

domain: psychology


text:
Ever since FIFA and Electronic Arts split over their partnership in officially licensed soccer video games, Electronic Arts has moved on to begin launching its EA Sports FC series and FIFA has looked to other developers to fill the gap. That gap will apparently be filled with blockchain titles. FIFA has just announced partnerships and planned games for its post-EA gaming endeavors and each of the four games planned is a blockchain title.
FIFA announced the details of its upcoming video games and partnerships in a press release launched on November 9, 2022. Ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament, FIFA put all of its plans for upcoming video games out on the table. It has partnered with four different Web3 developers for titles which will utilize blockchain and feature a number of ways for players to interact and engage throughout the World Cup 2022 season. The developers are Uplandme, Matchday, Phygtl, and Altered State Machine.
Here's the rundown of games which have been announced as part of FIFA’s partnerships with the above developers, as well as a little about the devs themselves:
TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at firstname.lastname@example.org and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

domain: hobby


text:
7 Rooms: The Masque of the Red Death: July 28-August 15, 2021
Updated: Jul 13, 2021
I'm excited to announce a new play on the horizon,
one of 7 plays in 7 rooms created by 7 playwrights and 7 directors.
is a virtual theatre experience
produced by Flat Earth Theatre and inspired by
Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Masque of the Red Death."
Prince Prospero has has gathered the wealthy
and privileged one-percenters of the kingdom
to party away their fears,
while the Red Death stalks the countryside
beyond the manor's walls.
A labyrinth of colored rooms awaits the partygoers . . .
Blue, Green, Purple, Orange,
White, Violet and Black & Red.
Experience the 7 Rooms from July 28-August 15, 2021

domain: artistic


text:
Grimaud Tourist Office
Tel: +33 (0)4 94 55 43 83 Address: 679 Route Nationale 83310 Grimaud
What's On and Things To Do
The Long Night of Museums
The Long Night of Museums is an annual event where museums across Europe remain open late into the night, and Antibes is no exception. On this occasion, the closing time of the museums is postponed to approximately one in the morning, which allows the public to visit the participating museums by night, and guess what ! It's free !
European Heritage Days
European Heritage Days are an annual event in France where members of the public, and tourists are encourage to immerse themselves in the local history and culture. Museums, churches, and galleries all open their doors to the public for a weekend of celebration ! Check your local tourist office for more information.
Places to visit
Port Grimaud Visit
Port Grimaud is the fruit of the imagination of the bold French architect François Spoerry, materialized in 1966 in the hollow of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. This unique architectural ensemble registered in 2002 in the 20th Century Heritage has the distinction of being organized into private condominiums which ensure its maintenance. You will have to leave your car at the entrance of the small city, also called "The Provencal Venice"....
Wines and Vineyards
Domaine de la Giscle
Tel: +33(0)4 94 43 21 26 Address: L'Amirauté, 1122 Route de Collobrières 83310 Cogolin
This farm situated on the southern slopes of the Maures Massif covers an area of 30 hectares. The Audemard family produces wine there for generations, and it will be a pleasure for them to share their passion of wine with you.
Open all year from 9am to 7pm Wednesday and Sunday.
Beauvallon Golf Club
Tel: +33(0)4 94 96 16 98 Email: email@example.com Address: Boulevard des Collines 83310 Grimaud
The Beauvallon Golf Club extends over 40 hectares between Sainte-Maxime and Saint-Tropez. This 18-hole course opens with magnificent views of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, while remaining highly technical... At Boulevard des Collines 83310 Grimaud.
Stable of Saint-Tropez Gulf
Tel:+33(0)6 28 73 48 94 Email: firstname.lastname@example.org Address: 183 Chemin Camp Marin 83310 Grimaud
The Equestrian Centre is located in an area of 10 hectares at the foot of the magnificent Chateau. Three careers available for practice, as well as courses, internships, and walks. The instructors are all internationally distinguished. Open all year.
Tel: +33(0)4 94 56 00 12 Email: email@example.com Address: 37, Carraire d'Aigo Puto 83310 Grimaud
This Race Driving School is equiped with an accredited circuit, real professionals are officing in this beautiful structure. Open 7/7 all year long.
Address: 14 Place du Marché Port Grimaud 83310 Grimaud Tel: +33(0)4 94 54 20 50
The chef works with fresh seasonal local products, and in his restaurant, the market decides the menu, as we discover every day on the slate. In the plate, you'll find the freshness, the taste, and the charm of Port Grimaud docks.
Address: 24 Place des Artisants 83310 Port Grimaud Tel: +33(0)4 94 56 38 64
Situated on the boarder of a canal in Port Grimaud, in a fabulous decor, this pizzeria offers authentic pizzas made with fresh products from the market.
Les Quatre Saisons
Address: Place des Pénitents 83310 Grimaud Tel:+33(0)4 94 43 25 26 Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Nestled in the picturesque village of Grimaud, this restaurant offers an alloy between tradition and modernism: impeccably executed cuisine, delicate and careful presentation, and powers of Provencal flavors. The welcome is warm and friendly.


Alta resistência a pressão e pulso e longa vida útil, a mangueira hidráulica espiral de fio de aço Letone atende totalmente às necessidades de usuários de mangueiras de ponta, como fabricantes de máquinas e equipamentos pesados. A mangueira hidráulica Letone é garantida para uso na construção, mineração, agricultura, petróleo & gás e outras indústrias com alto desempenho.
Associate meer. Area of expertise. Affiliation. Emile Chimusa. Medical population genomics, Genetics Epidemiology, Computational risk prediion, medical OMICS machine learning. Medical Population Genetics and Genetics Epidemiology Group, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology. Anna Coussens.
The Subaru EJ251 and EJ252 engines had an aluminium alloy block with 99.5 mm bores – with cast iron dry-type cylinder liners – and a 79.0 mm stroke for a capacity of 2457 cc. The cylinder block for the EJ251 and EJ252 engines had an open-deck design whereby the cylinder walls were supported at the three and nine o’clock positions.
tipped pcd inserts in 35 degree diamond shape V for hard turning non-ferrous metals of aluminum, the pcd insert cutting edges are made with polycrystalline diamond, indexable inserts with pcd working tips are precision cutting tools, which are used in cnc super fine finish machining, turning and milling automobile engine block, cylinder head, gearbox, cast aluminum …
The EJ201 and EJ202 engines had a compression ratio of 10.1:1, compared to 9.7:1 for its EJ20J predecessor. According to Subaru, the better air/fuel mixing provided by the tule swirl intake ports made the EJ201 and EJ202 engines less susceptible to detonation or pinging, enabling a higher compression ratio.
Master classes. An expert is invited to spend time in the IDM teaching techniques on particular pieces of equipment already situated within the IDM. More than one research group should gain from the expertise. The expert may be nationally or internationally based and thus a budget is required; IDM funding may be available on appliion.
Introduction. Subaru''s EJ255 engine was a turbocharged 2.5-litre horizontally-opposed (or ''boxer'') four-cylinder engine. For Australia, the EJ255 engine was introduced in the Subaru SG Forester XT in 2003, but subsequently offered in the GD/GG Impreza WRX and BL Liberty GT (see table below). Developed in conjunction with the more powerful EJ257
The Subaru EJ204 was a 2.0-litre horizontally-opposed (or ''boxer'') four-cylinder petrol engine with double overhead camshafts. The naturally aspirated E204 engine was initially introduced in the 2005 Subaru GD/GG Impreza and 2006 Subaru BL/BP Liberty as a more powerful alternative to the single overhead cam EJ202 engine, but effectively replaced the EJ202 when the GE/GH …
Subaru''s EJ208 engine was a 2.0-litre horizontally-opposed petrol engine with sequential turbochargers. In Australia, the EJ208 engine was introduced in the 2001 Subaru BE Liberty B4 which, with a manual transmission, produced peak outputs of 190 kW and 320 Nm. From 2002, the BE Liberty B4 was offered with an automatic transmission for which the EJ208 engine was …
Affiliate Meers. Affiliate meership is for researchers based at UCT, elsewhere than in the IDM complex, who seek supplementary meership of the IDM because their research interests align with the general focus and current activity areas of the IDM, for 3-year terms, which are renewable. ChB, MSc, PhD, FCPHM (SA). Division of Public
The Institute comprises 33 Full and 14 Associate Meers, with 16 Affiliate Meers from departments within the University of Cape Town, and 17 Adjunct Meers based nationally or internationally. Research in the IDM is led by the Full and Associate Meers, either working independently with their own research groups or in larger groups led by
PCBN Insert shape v (35° diamond) VBGW/VBMW1604. VCGW/VCMW1103. VNGA/VNMA1604. The tipped inserts are mainly used for the turning of the hard metals and also the most conventional option for machining. These inserts are manufactured especially for different types of technologies and other advanced material processes.


text:
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen might back out of a congressional hearing scheduled for February, the former Trump lawyer’s adviser said Thursday.
“There is genuine fear and it causes Michael Cohen to consider whether he should go forward or not. And he’s not yet made a final decision,” Davis told MSNBC’s Ari Melber.
Trump took aim at Cohen’s father-in-law during an interview Saturday with Fox’s Jeanine Pirro.
“[Cohen] should give information maybe on his father-in-law, because that’s the one that people want to look at,” Trump said.
“Because where does that money — that’s the money in the family. And I guess he didn’t want to talk about his father-in-law — he’s trying to get his sentence reduced.”
“So it’s pretty sad,” Trump continued. “It’s weak and it’s very sad to watch a thing like that.”
Trump’s remarks garnered an immediate rebuke from Democrats who accused the Republican of witness intimidation and tampering.
Cohen agreed earlier in January to testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Feb. 7 about his years of work for Trump. Cohen was sentenced Dec. 12 to three years in prison for a slew of crimes, including tax evasion and bank fraud. He also pleaded guilty to illegal campaign contributions for payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. Cohen said Trump directed him to pay Daniels $130,000 in October 2016. (RELATED: Michael Cohen Has Agreed To Testify Before Congress)
Cohen also pleaded guilty in the special counsel’s investigation to lying to Congress about the extent of his negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.
The former Trump fixer is expected to discuss his dealings with Trump in his congressional testimony, should it go forward.
But Davis, a close friend of the Clintons, said Trump’s remarks had a negative impact on Cohen.
“He is very concerned, as is his family, that a bully in the bully pulpit named Donald Trump calls out a member of his family, and he’s also called out other members of his family, using the White House platform on a national television show.”
Davis also said he agreed with Democrats that Trump’s remarks constituted witness intimidation and tampering.
“There’s no question that his threatening and calling out his father-in-law who, quote, has all of the money, is not only improper and unseemly for a bully using the bully pulpit of the presidency, but the very definition of intimidation and witness tampering,” Davis said.
“Especially a witness about to appear before a congressional committee to tell the truth about what he knows about Donald Trump? By definition that deserves a criminal investigation.”
Davis told Melber on Jan. 11 he hopes Cohen’s congressional appearance will help him get a reduced prison sentence.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact firstname.lastname@example.org.

domain: law


Artec Micro review – desktop 3D scanner for small objects This fully automated ultra-precise 3D scanner needs no targets to capture mechanical parts, jewelry, dental items, and museum exhibits with up to 10 microns accuracy. Hey, no one taught you how to use a microwave, right? You know why? Because it’s that simple. Once you’ve seen someone else do it, the die is cast and there’s no turning back: for the rest of your life, you’re good to get it done right, probably even with your eyes shut. You just open the door, stick in your plate or lunchbox with a proper ratio of carbs to fats, close the door, push a button or three (or you turn the old-school knob?) and off you go, traipsing towards the cooler (assuming you’re in the office and it’s lunchtime), getting a glass of water, enjoying the view from the window and/or a chat with a colleague if a voluble character is around. Just remember to return for your lunch when you hear the bell ding. And of course, don’t leave a metal fork or a raw egg inside a working microwave unless you want that small talk to take a really fun turn. But who am I preaching to when everyone around is so microwave savvy? So what if a 3D scanner, a super high tech piece of hardware worth the price of 500 microwaves and seemingly 500 times as sophisticated required next to no training at all to use? Yes, that’s about Artec Micro, a high resolution desktop 3D scanner named… not after a microwave but bearing some resemblance as far as the ease of use goes. Powered by Artec Studio 15 software, the Artec Micro scanner does work like a microwave, only for 3D scanning objects, rather than heating up lunch. You mount an object you want to scan on Micro’s rotating platform, fix it with a clamp, click the Scan button on your computer, and Micro digitizes surface after surface as you heat your lunch or go about your other business whatever it might be. Done with side 1? Turn over the object and let Micro capture what wasn’t captured in the first scanning session. That’s where the no-training-needed part ends because now you’ve got two sets of scans on your computer screen, and these need to be merged into one, with all the noise cleaned up along the way. The good news is that by this point you have already received the necessary training from the company you bought the scanner from. That’s the business model of Artec 3D, the manufacturer headquartered in Luxembourg where it actually assembles its hardware: Artec sells its products through a worldwide chain of distributors, and those coach users in scanners and software in their respective language. The path from raw scans to a 3D print ready and CAD-friendly model is the same as with other Artec 3D scanners: ridding of redundant frames, aligning master scans, and fusing them into one piece. Here you go, the 3D model of the object you scanned is ready for handling in 3D printing, reverse engineering, or CAD software. But before we move on to that stage, let’s see what kind of objects are Micro-scannable, and that actually relates to the name, Micro, which as we should know by now wasn’t given to the scanner because it bears on a microwave in certain ways. Micro implies the object size the scanner was designed to capture, and that’s 90 × 60 × 60 mm max. If lunch is the theme of this Artec Micro review, let’s say this scanner can scan objects up to the size of an average potato. But given that the Artec Micro price is listed at US $29,300 (EU€27,900/RU€33,480) on the manufacturer’s website and that roughly equals the cost of a full-size sedan, you can tell this scanner isn’t there just to scan average potatoes. It’s a fully-fledged metrology-grade tool for creating exact copies of objects ranging from small mechanical parts to jewelry, dental items, museum exhibits – you name it. Micro can scan those with astounding precision and without targets (which are not uncommon in the 3D scanning world, serving to ensure sublime geometry capture). Even if you have 20/20 vision, you can’t see everything that Micro can see because its vision is 4 times sharper than yours! Micro’s accuracy reaches 0.01 mm and resolution 0.029 mm. Compare it with the specs of the next-best gimlet-eyed Artec scanner, Space Spider: 0.05 mm and 0.1 mm respectively, and you’ll see what a leap forward this newest addition to Artec’s product line is. To visualize it in a lunch-themed way and give you an idea of how impressive it is, Micro can see a tenth the size of a single grain of table salt. Artec Micro specs 3D accuracy: up to 10 microns (0.01 mm) 3D resolution: up to 0.029 mm Texture resolution: 6.4 MP Object size: 90 × 60 × 60 mm 3D light source: blue LED 3D mesh output formats: OBJ, PLY, WRL, STL, AOP, ASC, Disney PTX (PTEX), E57, XYZRGB CAD formats: STEP, IGES, X_T [IF THE REVIEW TURNS OUT TO BE TOO LONG, THIS PARAGRAPH CAN BE TAKEN OUT.] Now, how does Micro actually scan? The core of 3D scanning technology is a projector and a camera. Micro’s LED projector emits rays of blue light structured in a way that forms a grid. As this grid-shaped ray of light hits the surface of the object, the shape of the grid changes, and the scanner’s camera captures this change in a snapshot. Once this part of the surface has been captured, the scanner turns the object (or rather, turns the platform the object rests on) and adjusts the tilt of the platform if necessary. That’s in order to send out the next beam of light and take a snapshot of another part of the surface. You don’t need to worry about whether everything has been captured or not. That’s something Micro takes care of. Its software analyzes the surface of the object and calculates the best trajectory for the projector and camera to follow in order to capture the surface in its entirety. So now we know how Micro scans objects. But what can it actually be used for? First off, quality control at manufacturing facilities. You can scan all sorts of items and compare their 3D models against each other or against CAD models to detect deviations between the surfaces. Second, use Micro scans in reverse engineering and industrial design projects for retrofitting existing machines or mechanisms where precision is the cornerstone. If a small mechanical part breaks and you want to make a new one but you don’t have the blueprint at hand, you can create its 3D model with Micro and then mill or 3D print a new, identical part. You can also change the shape of that part and see if its modified version improves the performance of the machine. Micro would also come in handy for dentistry practices, where 3D scans can be used to customize a denture or any other item of that sort in industry-specific software. What if a piece of jewelry needs to be redesigned or repaired? Basically, the workflow is the same: scan, modify, cast. And if you’re the owner of an online jewelry store, it’s high time to start creating a 3D gallery so your customers could view the items from all angles. Viewing items from all angles is also relevant for museums. An ancient earring or a coin is normally not so convenient to look at on museum grounds. Such items are placed inside glass counters and you often have to bend over them in order to see those artifacts. Mind that there might be a few fellow-visitors around waiting for you to be done peering. If the museum had its collection 3D digitized and put up online, you could take as long as you need to view all exhibits of interest from all angles without actually going to the museum. How does Micro fare against competitors? Let’s take a look at a couple of examples from different price segments. A popular and affordable desktop solution would be EinScan SE or SP. However, with these devices, you can’t scan anything smaller than 30 × 30 × 30 mm. Note that the Chinese manufacturer, Shining3D, states that the single shot accuracy of the SE scanner is ≤0.1 mm and ≤0.05 mm for the SP model. Technically, a nanometer falls within these ranges but you shouldn’t expect EinScan to be that accurate, of course. The Artec Micro 3D scanner price is 10 times that of the EinScan SP, and that’s for a reason. The quality of data you’d get from the SP scanner would be comparable to that of Artec’s Space Spider but not Micro. Keep in mind that 3D scan data will need to be processed after scanning, and this path has proven to be much trickier with Shining3D than it is with Artec. There is a segment of specialized 3D scanning solutions, for example, in the dental market. The Danish company 3Shape makes E-series 3D scanners, whose design and mode of operation are quite similar to those of Micro. 3Shape’s most precise scanner to date, E4, boasts a 4-micron (0.004 mm) accuracy, which is really great for scanning dies and impressions. However, E4 is not an all-around solution because it’s integrated with very specific dental software which customers from other fields might find awkward to use. Also, its color reproduction quality leaves much to be desired, whereas Micro offers advanced texture capture at 6.4 MP and 24 bpp color depth. With all benefits considered, Micro appears to be a fairly priced asset. Just like a good old microwave would do its job with any dish you put inside it, the ultra-precise Micro scanner will automatically 3D digitize just about any object that fits in.


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Here you can see your child’s genetic predisposition to certain foods, and what types of diets are the most advisable for him/her, depending on their genetic code.
Vitamins and Minerals:
We will analyse the genes that affect several vitamins and minerals, and child’s metabolism, so that you know which food they should eat more and which less.
Know about the child’s cholesterol or triglycerides levels predisposition. Understand why his/her body may react differently than others to some of the key metabolic markers.
Some genes will give us some curiosities like the possible ability to feel certain flavors with more intensity or if someone is prone to sweet or pecking. We will also look at the genes that can influence the effects of caffeine and more.
Weight Loss Tendency:
We will see the genes that influence weight diet effectiveness. Some genes affect the tendency to gain weight, the difficulty of being satisfied and the desire to eat. The most effective diet is not the same for everyone, and the answer may be in our genes. Your child’s genetic information can be your best ally when planning your menu and achieve your goals.

domain: health


What do you do when you reach home after a long, tiring, and COLD day? The answer is, you will probably turn the heater on and jump into your warm, cozy bed directly, right?
So, you reach home and conceitedly turn the heater switch on to get the ‘rest time’ you have literally earned, only to see the heater doesn’t turn on. It has broken down. Imagine the feeling; it’s like breaking into a zillion pieces all of a sudden.
Obviously, you are distressed, realizing you will not be able to get a good night’s sleep and then have work in the morning again. Nothing could probably bring more stress, anger, and anxiety than having to spend a single night without a properly functioning HVAC system amid extreme weather conditions.
The heating and AC system in Arlington, TX of yours is no less than a knight in shining armor. This is the first and foremost reason you need to be extra careful and vigilant about them and ensure they are in a good shape.
Most people think a professional for heating and ac repair in Arlington, TX should only be called when the HVAC systems in their homes have a problem. This, however, is just a myth you should not fall for, ever. In fact, there are high odds of regular maintenance and inspection costing far less than what a potential problem would cost. These checkups will shield you against HVAC emergencies and the panic these emergencies bring and of course, save your time and money.
Not to forget, the authorities in different parts of the world, including the United States, intend to pass bills to mandate regular HVAC maintenance done by expert providers of heating and AC repair in Arlington, TX.
Risks Associated with a Faulty HVAC System
It is not only that a faulty heating and AC system in Arlington, TX will put you into emergency situations, but it will also result in extreme discomfort, particularly if there are seniors or kids in the family. Here are common types of dangers that a malfunctioning HVAC system can expose you to.
1) Soaring Energy Costs
A heating and AC system will have to work extra hard to do what it is meant to do if it has a defect. This hard work naturally requires extra energy, which ultimately results in high energy costs for you. The higher the delay in getting repairs, the more consumption of energy and the higher your electricity bills will be.
To keep yourself from having to pay extra, both in terms of energy bills and heavy repair costs, the best you can do is schedule regular maintenance visits. However, if an HVAC problem is already there, ensure you don’t postpone calling a heating and ac repair service in Arlington, TX to save on both these costs and keep the problem from worsening.
2) Less Dampness
As most us of are aware, the air conditioning system in a home needs moisture to fulfill the cooling needs. The appliances produce moisture themselves and then work to dry up on their own to drain the moisture gathered. On the contrary, if a system is faulty or isn’t working properly for any reason whatsoever, it fails to get this job done. As a result, the system gets damaged, and you have to bear the cost of repairs as well as all the panic that such problems bring. Again, these problems could be averted through regular servicing and maintenance done by the professionals of heating and ac repairs in Arlington, TX.
3) The Discomfort
As mentioned before, it is almost impossible to survive extreme weather conditions without a well-kept and properly functioning HVAC system. Whether the people at home are ailing or fit and regardless of them being kids, adults, or seniors, all of them have to go through serious trouble if the system breaks down. This is another danger that faulty HVAC systems have linked with them and can only be avoided through thorough, timely care and repairs.
4) Life Risk
Even though your home’s heating and AC system in Arlington, TX is a big source of comfort, it can literally be deadly if not kept up. If there is ever a need to prioritize your ‘To-Dos’ for a day, the electric repairs needed in the home shouldn’t be placed anywhere below the number 2 spot. It should be your first priority unless the first task on the list is a critical emergency thing.
Malfunctioning HVAC systems can easily ignite a fire in your home or result in electric shocks that could bring life-threatening or even deadly damages.
5) Ecological Concerns
HVAC systems that have aged or are flawed in any manner are not eco-friendly and harm the environment by increasing the carbon footprint and/or releasing toxic/harmful gases and radiation. So, get timely repairs and services and keep the environment clean in addition to keeping your pockets intact and the household safe.
Reasons HVAC Problems Should Be Left to the Professionals
Although HVAC problems are not generally high-risk, they can result in life dangers and complicated, costly repairs and losses if not treated in time. A flawed HVAC system is obviously not as dangerous when it is left untouched as it is when left in untrained hands. You, the neighborhood repairmen, or the unreliable, cheaper heating and ac services in Arlington, TX that you hire hastily can never introduce any long-term solutions. This is because of insufficient experience, knowledge, and training/qualification.
The professionals who are actually experienced are adept at dealing with all kinds of old and modern HVAC appliances and know which tools should be used. They ensure taking necessary precautionary measures to ascertain 100% safety and are backed by a guarantee and/or insurance to protect you against the damages if there occur any.
These are enough reasons for you to be careful when it comes to your HVAC system and only trust well-reputed electricians for heating and ac repair in Arlington, TX, such as Minuteman Heating and Air.
Dial 817-284-2569or visit the website now to schedule an appointment!


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Dhanya Nippie Sausage Rolls (large)
Made with a delicious thick Dhanya Nippie Sausage encased in layers of flaky puff pastry. Each pie is 15 cm long.
Sold frozen in packs of 2s
Remove from packaging. Egg wash and place in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
Can be baked from Frozen.

domain: food


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GENE U. COHEN, M.D.; THOMAS M. PEERY, M.D.; JOHN M. EVANS, M.D.
This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access.
It is the purpose of this report to call attention to the frequency of neoplastic invasion of the heart and pericardium and to present the clinical features which may facilitate antemortem diagnosis. The observations are derived from a clinicopathologic study of 315 deaths from malignant tumors in a series of 1,007 consecutive autopsies at this hospital, and from a partial review of the medical literature.
The incidence of cardiac metastases has been variously reported to be from 0.24 to 6.45%1-3, 22 of all autopsies, as compared to an incidence of 0.0017% for primary tumors
COHEN GU, PEERY TM, EVANS JM. NEOPLASTIC INVASION OF THE HEART AND PERICARDIUM*. Ann Intern Med. 1955;42:1238–1245. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-42-6-1238
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Published: Ann Intern Med. 1955;42(6):1238-1245.
Cardiology, Pericardial Disease.
Results provided by:
Copyright © 2020 American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.
Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704
Conditions of Use

domain: medical


Our Video of the Week is the first of our Virtual Heifetz era, with our Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen modeling the way. As part of a step-by-step three-part demonstration of what Nick describes as “checkerboard chamber music,” he shows how to create and record a nuanced recording with long-distance colleagues. Or in Nick’s case, colleagues as close as your own home! He plays all three parts – two violins and viola – in the second movement (“Larghetto”) of the charming Terzetto, Op. 74 in C major by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.
Up ahead we have lots of great videos coming your way – made in both physical and virtual spaces – and you won’t want to miss a one! Click here for information on our new Virtual Concert Hall, and here to subscribe to our Video of the Week!


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Editorial: Lansing city attorney deal is bad business
Taxpayers have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent.
Or at the very least the people taxpayers elect to represent them should know how a government’s money is being spent.
That knowledge is proving elusive for the Lansing City Council, which is trying to get answers on the $160,000 separation agreement the city administration negotiated with former city attorney Janene McIntyre.
The settlement between McIntyre and the city contains a non-disclosure clause that prohibits either side from making comment that “could disparage or damage the reputation, goodwill, business or standing the community” of the other party.
This is not uncommon language in legal settlements. Yet lack of disclosure does raise concerns about the impetus for McIntyre’s departure. The official line is McIntyre, who was hired as city attorney in March 2013, left the city to pursue new opportunities. If that’s the case, why pay her more than the $33,000 she was entitled to for unused vacation, sick time and personal hours?
There may be good reasons. Mayor Virg Bernero, his staff and the outside counsel he hired to negotiate the agreement are the only ones who know for sure. That’s why the decision to circumvent the city council is bad business.
McIntyre was appointed by Bernero and approved by the city council. The city attorney works for both the administration and the council. The council should have been apprised of the details of the settlement before it was administered. Then council members would have been able to assure their constituents that the outcome was in the best interest of the city.
Instead, the council is left with unanswered questions – some that may never be answered because of the non-disclosure clause. Should the city council keep pressing for answers on McIntyre’s departure? At Monday’s council meeting, Councilwoman Jody Washington said, “I’ll ask the question everybody is asking, ‘What are you hiding?’”
Washington is right. That is the overarching question the people of Lansing want answered. Personnel situations must be handled with a level of professionalism and sensitivity. But settlement clauses agreeing to no lawsuits and assessing fines for disclosing details raise serious questions.
By signing the agreement without discussing it with City Council first – which would have been legal under the Michigan Open Meetings Act – Bernero and his advisers have thwarted the council’s ability to perform due diligence on this matter. State law does not allow closed session on a settlement that’s already signed. And Bernero’s executive assistant Randy Hannan limited his answers to council questions, citing attorney client priviledge and employee privacy during a public committee meeting on March 21. Bernero owes Lansing taxpayers better behavior. Such backdoor dealings are unacceptable and must not be repeated.
– An LSJ editorial
An earlier version of this editorial incorrectly stated that Randy Hannan used a nondisparagement clause and its potential $10,000 penalty as a reason for not answering all of council's questions about Janene McIntyre's departure. He cited employee privacy and attorney client privilege. The clause, which is part of the settlement agreement signed by McIntyre and Bernero, prevents the mayor, Hannan and two other city executives, Chad Gamble and Angela Bennett, from communicating anything that might be construed as damaging McIntyre’s reputation or goodwill and also prevents McIntyre from communication that could be harmful to the city.


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Tobacco auctions kick off
Harare, March 30, 2022 (New Ziana) – The 2022 tobacco selling season opened on Wednesday amid expectation of firm prices.
The first bale was, however, sold at US$4.20 per kg, down from US$4.30 per kg last year, but industry officials still expressed optimism of better crop prices this year overall.
Officially opening the selling season, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka said this year’s crop was grown under difficult weather conditions.
“The season this year has been very challenging, being characterised by a late and false start of the rains, followed by incessant and excessive rains in January causing water logging, nutrient leaching, and disrupting weeding and other agronomic operations,” he said.
Masuka said although a higher irrigated crop was grown, planting of the late dry-land crop had to be extended into January.
“This adversely affected yield and expected total production, he said.
He added: “Climate-proofing of tobacco production is clearly required” and I hope more investments in irrigation development will be made at the small holder sector level.”
“The tobacco industry regulator, TIMB, through various initiatives should continue to guide the industry towards viable and sustainable tobacco production.”
Government reviewed the foreign currency retention for farmers to 75 percent, up from 60 percent last year.
Masuka said reports of higher prices at contract sales compared to auction sales for similar grade crop, and of collusion by merchants and manouevers by middlemen to re-handle tobacco bought cheaply from farmers should be a thing of the past.
“I am recommending the TIMB (Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board) Inspectorate Unit to continue to work with other security agencies to eliminate these vices,” he said.
“Discipline must return to this important industry. Contractors should provide the prescribed minimum support package for both smallholder and commercial farmers and farmers must repay this support through delivery of the crop to contractors while avoiding side-marketing,” he said.
This season, TIMB registered 123 595 farmers to grow and sell tobacco.
Tobacco Sales Floor, Boka Tobacco Floors and Premier Tobacco Floors were also registered to operate auction floors this season.
TIMB said decentralisation of auction floors to various tobacco growing areas would also be implemented during this 2022 selling season.
Comments are closed.

domain: agronomy


Conservative MPs have blasted the Privileges Committee for “personal venom”, branding their probe into Boris Johnson a “witch hunt”. Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley North, claimed the committee asked questions which were “designed to attack Boris as a person” during its four-hour grilling yesterday. The Privileges Committee is attempting to decide whether or not the former Prime Minister “recklessly” or “knowingly” misled the House of Commons over illegal parties held in Downing Street during lockdown.
While Mr Johnson has accepted he misled the Commons with his Partygate denials, he said he did not do so “recklessly”.
He claimed he made his denials to Parliament “in good faith” on the advice of his officials, which he now concedes turned out to be wrong.
The MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip swore on the Bible to tell the truth before issuing an apology.
He told the Committee: “I’m here to say to you, hand on heart, I did not lie to the House.
Mr Johnson’s fate is now in the hands of the Privileges Committee after he faced a host of questions about what he knew about parties held in Downing Street during lockdown and his explanations to MPs.
But Red Wall MP Mr Longhi questioned the committee’s motives, telling the Daily Express: “I think many of the questions asked were designed to attack Boris as a person rather than to seek out if he’d behaved reasonably and followed due process – which was proven.
“I was particularly annoyed when he was asked if having a ‘farewell gathering’ was in the guidance.
“How utterly ridiculous and it shows the personal venom some MPs hold against Boris. It was a witch hunt.”
Meanwhile, Brendan Clarke-Smith dismissed the probe into Mr Johnson as an “opposition witch hunt”.
Speaking about the former PM’s performance in front of the committee, he said: “Superb and highly robust defence today from Boris Johnson at the Privileges Committee.
“Strong evidence offered by him and excellent rebuttals to various questions.
“I’m confident that following this he will be exonerated and we can put an end to the media and opposition witch hunt.”
Ben Bradley – MP for Mansfield – agreed, telling the Daily Express: “I thought his opening comments were strong, and ultimately there’s no way anyone can know what he was thinking and how he was feeling, other than himself.
“I’m really not sure at this point, given he’s no longer Prime Minister, what there is to be gained for anyone in all of this, to be honest.”
But fellow Conservative MP Caroline Nokes rejected claims the Privileges Committee is a “kangaroo court”.
She told ITV: “I think it’s very wrong to criticise good colleagues who have been given a very serious responsibility and have taken that seriously, have worked hard on this.
“I think they need to be given the opportunity and a bit of peace and quiet to come to their conclusions, make whatever recommendation they make to the House in due course.
“I think Boris Johnson is finished anyway. There was a very clear message from his own ministers back in the summer that they didn’t want him to carry on.
“He didn’t choose to stand against Rishi Sunak back in the autumn when we had the second leadership challenge.
“As far as I’m concerned, Boris Johnson is not coming back as prime minister.”
The former Prime Minister, who left No 10 last September following a series of scandals including Partygate, could be suspended and face a possible by-election if he is found to have committed contempt of Parliament with his denials of rule-breaking to MPs.
*This story has not been edited by The Infallible staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.


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FASB Simplifies the Accounting for Share-Based Payments
This Heads Up supersedes our March 31, 2016, Heads Up on the FASB’s simplification of the accounting for share-based payments. It contains revisions that reflect subsequent discussions with the FASB and SEC staffs related to entities’ changes to the net-settlement terms of their share-based payment arrangements from the minimum statutory tax rate to a higher rate up to the maximum statutory tax rate. The revised Heads Up notes that such changes would not be accounted for as a modification.
On March 30, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09,1 which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions for both public and nonpublic entities, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The new guidance, which is part of the Board’s simplification initiative,2 also contains two practical expedients under which nonpublic entities can use the simplified method3 to estimate the expected term of an award and make a one-time election to switch from fair value measurement to intrinsic value measurement for liability-classified awards.
Editor’s Note: The FASB decided to eliminate the proposed ASU’s amendments to the guidance on classification of awards with repurchase features. It decided not to align the classification guidance on put and call rights that are contingent on an event within the employee’s control because feedback from some stakeholders indicated that doing so “would not achieve the objective of reducing complexity in classifying awards as equity or liabilities.” The Board noted that it is considering a more comprehensive approach as part of a potential project to distinguish equity from liabilities.
Key Provisions of the ASU
Accounting for Income Taxes
Under current guidance, when a share-based payment award is granted to an employee, the fair value of the award is generally recognized over the vesting period, and a corresponding deferred tax asset is recognized to the extent that the award is tax-deductible. The tax deduction is generally based on the intrinsic value at the time of exercise (for an option) or on the fair value upon vesting of the award (for restricted stock), and it can be either greater (excess tax benefit) or less (tax deficiency) than the compensation cost recognized in the financial statements. All excess tax benefits are recognized in additional paid-in capital (APIC), and tax deficiencies are recognized either in the income tax provision or in APIC to the extent that there is a sufficient “APIC pool” related to previously recognized excess tax benefits.
Under the ASU, an entity recognizes all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement.4 This change eliminates the notion of the APIC pool and significantly reduces the complexity and cost of accounting for excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies. In addition, excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies are considered discrete items in the reporting period they occur and are not included in the estimate of an entity’s annual effective tax rate.
The ASU’s guidance on recording excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the income statement also has a corresponding effect on the computation of diluted earnings per share (EPS) when an entity applies the treasury stock method.5 An entity that applies such method under current guidance estimates the excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies to be recognized in APIC in determining the assumed proceeds available to repurchase shares. However, under the ASU, excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies are excluded from the calculation of assumed proceeds since such amounts are recognized in the income statement. In addition, the new guidance affects the accounting for tax benefits of dividends on share-based payment awards, which will now be reflected as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement rather than as an increase to APIC.
Further, the ASU eliminates the requirement to defer recognition of an excess tax benefit until the benefit is realized through a reduction to taxes payable.
Example — Excess Tax Benefits
Assume the following:
- Company A grants a fully vested, nonqualified option with a strike price of $40 and a grant-date fair value of $30 to its employee in 20X1.
- The option is exercised in 20X2 when the share price is $80.
- The entity has a 40 percent tax rate for both years.
The income tax journal entries for 20X1 and 20X2 are shown below. In 20X1, compensation expense of $30 is recognized. The associated deferred tax asset and benefit of $12 ($30 × 40%) are recorded in the income tax entry. This entry would be the same under the proposed guidance as it is under current guidance.
In 20X2, the award has an intrinsic value of $40 upon exercise of the option when the share price is $80. The intrinsic value exceeds the book expense of $30, resulting in an excess tax benefit of $10. The entity records two journal entries in 20X2:
- The first entry eliminates the deferred tax asset recorded in the 20X1 entry, which is the same under the proposed guidance as it is under current guidance.
- The second entry would differ under the proposal. Under current guidance, the tax deduction reduces current taxes payable by $16 (intrinsic value of $40 × 40%) and the $4 excess tax benefit ($16 – $12) is recorded in APIC. Under the proposed guidance, the $4 excess tax benefit is recorded in current tax expense, resulting in an incremental $4 net benefit in the income statement.
In addition to addressing the recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies, the ASU provides guidance on the related cash flow presentation. Under existing guidance, excess tax benefits are viewed as a financing transaction and are presented as financing activities in the statement of cash flows. However, there is no cash receipt but only a reduction in taxes payable. Therefore, a reclassification is made in the statement of cash flows to reflect a hypothetical inflow in the financing section and a hypothetical outflow from the operating section.
Under the ASU, excess tax benefits no longer represent financing activities since they are recognized in the income statement; therefore, excess tax benefits are not separate cash flows and should be classified as operating activities in the same manner as other cash flows related to income taxes. Accordingly, the ASU eliminates the requirement to reclassify excess tax benefits from operating activities to financing activities.
Editor’s Note: The ASU’s requirement to present all tax effects under operating activities may be welcomed since many practitioners and users find the current presentation confusing. That is, they have struggled to understand why a noncash reclassification related to income taxes is made within the statement of cash flows. The new guidance eliminates the need for this reclassification because all excess tax benefits are recorded in the income statement and treated consistently with other income tax benefits.
An entity should recognize all excess tax benefits previously unrecognized (because the related tax deduction had not been realized through a reduction in taxes payable), along with any valuation allowance, on a modified retrospective basis as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption. This eliminates the need to track unrealized excess tax benefits for both new and existing awards. In addition, the entity should prospectively apply the recognition of all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the income statement, as well as related changes to the computation of diluted EPS.
Further, an entity may elect to apply the change in presentation in the statement of cash flows either prospectively or retrospectively to all periods presented.
Accounting for Forfeitures
The ASU allows an entity to elect as an accounting policy either to continue to estimate the total number of awards for which the requisite service period will not be rendered (as currently required) or to account for forfeitures when they occur. This entity-wide accounting policy election only applies to service conditions; for performance conditions, the entity continues to assess the probability that such conditions will be achieved. An entity must also disclose its policy election for forfeitures.
This change affects other aspects of the accounting for share-based payments under ASC 718 as well. For example, under current guidance, nonforfeitable dividends paid on share-based payment awards that are not expected to vest are recognized as additional compensation cost (in a manner consistent with an entity’s forfeiture estimate). If an entity elects to account for forfeitures when they occur, all nonforfeitable dividends are initially charged to retained earnings and reclassified to compensation cost only when forfeitures of the underlying awards occur. In addition, ASC 718-10-50-2(e) requires entities to disclose options expected to vest. Under the ASU, if an entity elects to account for forfeitures when they occur, the entity would disclose unvested options “for which the requisite service period has not been rendered but that are expected to vest based on the achievement of a performance condition” rather than options expected to vest. However, the change does not affect the calculation of diluted EPS, which continues to be based on the actual number of nonforfeited awards regardless of an entity’s accounting policy election related to the accounting for forfeitures.
Editor’s Note: The Board decided not to require all entities to account for forfeitures when they occur because “estimating forfeitures generally provides a more accurate reflection of periodic compensation cost.” However, the accounting policy election described above does not apply to (1) the original award associated with the accounting for a modification in the measurement of the effects of the modification or (2) replacement awards exchanged in a business combination attributed to precombination service. In a modification, forfeitures related to the original award must be estimated since the estimate can affect the cumulative amount of compensation cost recognized, but the accounting policy for forfeitures will apply to the subsequent accounting for the modified award. In a business combination, forfeitures for the portion of the replacement award attributable to precombination service must be estimated since the estimate may affect the amount included as part of the consideration exchanged in a business combination, but the accounting policy for forfeitures will apply to the portion of the replacement award attributable to postcombination service. Compensation cost for postcombination service will include the amount excluded from the consideration exchanged (if excluded because the requisite service is not expected to be rendered) if an entity elects to account for forfeitures when they occur.
An entity that elects to account for forfeitures when they occur should apply the accounting change on a modified retrospective basis as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption.
Statutory Tax Withholding Requirements
The ASU modifies the current exception to liability classification of an award when an employer uses a net-settlement feature to withhold shares to meet the employer’s minimum statutory tax withholding requirement. Currently, the exception only applies when no more than the number of shares necessary for the minimum statutory tax withholding requirement to be met is repurchased or withheld. The new guidance stipulates that the net settlement of an award for statutory tax withholding purposes would not result, by itself, in liability classification of the award provided that the amount withheld for taxes does not exceed the maximum statutory tax rate in the employees’ relevant tax jurisdictions.
Editor’s Note: The new guidance significantly reduces the complexity of the exception to liability classification. Under current guidance, an entity is required to track the minimum statutory tax withholding requirement applicable to each specific award grantee in each applicable jurisdiction if shares are repurchased or withheld. Under the new guidance, the maximum rate is determined on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis even if that rate exceeds the highest rate applicable to a specific award grantee. However, the classification exception would not apply to entities that do not have a statutory tax withholding obligation; for such entities, any net settlement for tax withholding would result in a liability-classified award.
For statutory tax withholding purposes, some entities may change the net-settlement terms of their share-based payment arrangements from the minimum statutory tax rate to a higher rate up to the maximum statutory tax rate. While this change may be made to existing awards, entities would not account for it as a modification of those awards pursuant to ASC 718-20- 35-3.6 This accounting treatment applies only in these narrow circumstances (i.e., solely to change the net-settlement provisions from the minimum statutory tax rate to a higher rate up to the maximum statutory tax rate for statutory tax withholding purposes) and should not be analogized to other situations.
Further, to eliminate diversity in practice, the ASU requires that cash payments to tax authorities in connection with shares withheld to meet statutory tax withholding requirements be presented as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows because such payments represent an entity’s cash outflow to reacquire the entity’s shares.
An entity would reassess outstanding liability awards as of the adoption date and determine whether the awards should be reclassified as equity awards. Any change should be applied on a modified retrospective basis as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption. Any change in presentation in the statement of cash flows would be applied retrospectively to all periods presented.
Practical Expedients for Nonpublic Entities
Expected-Term Practical Expedient7
The ASU allows nonpublic entities to use the simplified method8 to estimate the expected term for awards with service or performance conditions that meet certain requirements. Such entities would apply this practical expedient as follows:
- For awards with only a service condition, nonpublic entities can estimate the expected term as the midpoint between the requisite service period and the contractual term of the award.
- For awards with a performance condition, the estimate of the expected term would depend on whether it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved:
- If it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved, nonpublic entities can estimate the expected term as the midpoint between the requisite service period and the contractual term.
- If it is not probable that the performance condition will be achieved, nonpublic entities can estimate the expected term as (1) the contractual term if the award does not contain an explicit service period or (2) the midpoint between the requisite service period and the contractual term if the award does contain an explicit service period.
Editor’s Note: This practical expedient also applies to liability-classified awards measured at fair value, even if the award ceases to be at the money upon remeasurement. For these awards, an entity should update its estimate of the expected term at each reporting period until settlement, and such updated estimate should reflect any change in the assessment of whether it is probable that a performance condition will be achieved.
Nonpublic entities that elect to use the practical expedient should apply the practical expedient prospectively to all awards that are measured at fair value after the adoption date.
Intrinsic Value Practical Expedient
The ASU allows nonpublic entities to make a one-time election to switch from fair value measurement to intrinsic value measurement, without demonstrating preferability, for share-based payment awards classified as liabilities.
Nonpublic entities that make the one-time election would measure outstanding liability awards as of the date of adoption at intrinsic value and apply the change on a modified retrospective basis as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the date of adoption. Nonpublic entities are not allowed to make this election on an ongoing basis after the effective date of the new guidance.
Editor’s Note: The one-time election was also available to entities upon the initial adoption of FASB Statement 123(R);9 however, at the time, some nonpublic entities were unaware of the option and therefore measured liability-classified awards at fair value. The ASU gives nonpublic entities another opportunity to make this policy election.
Entities that meet the current definition in ASC 718 of a “public entity” rather than the definition of a “public business entity” in the ASC Master Glossary may not apply either the existing ASC 718 practical expedients for nonpublic entities or the ASU’s practical expedients for nonpublic entities. Although confusion may result from the number of definitions of a public entity in U.S. GAAP, the ASU does not eliminate the definition of a public entity in ASC 718.
Elimination of ASC 718 Indefinite Deferral
The ASU eliminated certain guidance in ASC 718 on when awards cease to be within the scope of ASC 718 and instead become subject to other U.S. GAAP. Since that guidance was indefinitely deferred shortly after the issuance of FASB Statement 123(R), the ASU does not provide transition or effective date guidance since “the amendments do not change the application of current GAAP.”
In the period of adoption, entities are required to disclose:
- The nature of and reason for the changes in accounting principle.
- Any cumulative effects of the changes on retained earnings or other components of equity as of the date of adoption.
In addition, because the change in presentation in the statement of cash flows related to excess tax benefits can be applied either prospectively or retrospectively, entities are required to disclose either (1) “that prior periods have not been adjusted“ if the change is applied prospectively or (2) the “effect of the change on prior periods retrospectively adjusted“ if the change is applied retrospectively. For the change in presentation in the statement of cash flows related to statutory tax withholding requirements, entities are required to disclose the “effect of the change on prior periods retrospectively adjusted.”
For public business entities, the ASU is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those annual reporting periods.
For all other entities, the ASU is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018.
Editor’s Note: While the FASB retained the current definitions in ASC 718 of a “public entity” and a “nonpublic entity,” an entity will determine the ASU’s effective date on the basis of whether it meets the ASC Master Glossary’s definition of a “public business entity.”
Early adoption will be permitted in any interim or annual period for which financial statements have not yet been issued or have not been made available for issuance. If early adoption is elected, all amendments in the ASU that apply must be adopted in the same period. In addition, if early adoption is elected in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the annual period that includes that interim period.
FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.
The simplification initiative is the Board’s effort to reduce the cost and complexity of current U.S. GAAP while maintaining or enhancing the usefulness of the related financial statement information.
Question 6 of SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 14.D.2, “Expected Term,” outlines a simplified method of estimating the expected term as the midpoint between the vesting term and the contractual term (i.e., the expected term = ((vesting term + original contractual term) ÷ 2)).
This change in guidance would apply to both share-based payment transactions and employee stock ownership plan transactions.
ASC 260-10-45-29 provides guidance on the application of the treasury stock method and what is included in assumed proceeds for share-based payment arrangements. For titles of FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) references, see Deloitte’s “Titles of Topics and Subtopics in the FASB Accounting Standards Codification.”
Because a “modification“ is defined broadly in ASC 718-20-20 as a “change in any of the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award,“ we considered an alternative view that a change in the net-settlement provisions for withholding purposes would be accounted for as a modification. Under this view, if the original awards are expected to vest (on the basis of any service or performance conditions) on the modification date, a change in the manner of net settlement would generally not result in incremental compensation cost. However, if the original awards are not expected to vest on the modification date, any compensation cost recognized for the modified awards would be based on the revised fair value measurement on the modification date (as opposed to the original grant-date fair value measurement). During discussions with the FASB staff, we confirmed that in the narrow circumstances described in this Editor’s Note, an entity would not be required to account for the change as a modification.
See footnote 3.
FASB Statement No. 123(R), Share-Based Payment (codified in ASC 718).


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In an old hotel somewhere, the four protagonists are seeking out that drop of fame, attention and, perhaps, love. Through loudspeakers, radio, dance and eroticism, illusions are gyrated, pretence of contact is made, productions and self-dramatisations are rehearsed.
Mara Mattuschka made this experimental film, based on "Kind of Heroes" by "Liquid Loft", together with the author and choreographer Chris Haring.
Filmmaker, painter and performance artist MARA MATTUSCHKA was born 1959 in Sofia, Bulgaria. She first studied ethnology and linguistics at the "University of Vienna" and graduated from "Vienna University of Applied Arts". She is a member of the "Austria Filmmakers Cooperative" and sits on the executive board of the "ASIFA" ("Association Internationale du Film").
Born 1970, CHRIS HARING has worked as a dancer with a number of international companies. In 2005, he and other dancers set up the project known as "Liquid Loft".


U.S. Army aviation continues to play an important role transporting Soldiers and supplies to war zones, conducting reconnaissance missions, evacuating injured Soldiers for treatment, and striking targets. To ensure Soldiers have the best technology available, the Army leverages the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Foreign Comparative Testing program as a method to partner with allied and friendly nations through industry.
The FCT Program assisted the Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center to acquire, test and evaluate a promising foreign Israeli technology, the SPIKE Non-Line of Sight missile. The effort involved acquiring, incorporating the system on the airframe and firing the SPIKE NLOS missile from a U.S. Army AH-64E Apache helicopter at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, in August 2019. The FVL CFT and CCDC AvMC are both part of the U.S. Army Futures Command.
The OUSD (R&E) FCT Program, with its unique acquisition authorities, provides DOD engineers, scientists and program managers an avenue to access mature foreign technology that may advance or compliment current modernization efforts. These unique authorities were instrumental when the FVL CFT and CCDC AvMC began assessing the Israeli SPIKE NLOS missile for possible procurement. Utilizing the FCT Program not only enabled the Army to conduct the test more quickly, but also provided valuable and timely information to help the Army make an informed decision about the capability.
"We were able to go faster than normal because we operated under the FCT authorities, and it's important to underscore that time savings. From the time we started the conversation about FCT funds till the time we were approved and received funding was approximately six months. Six months after we received the funds, we were firing the missile off of a U.S. Apache on a U.S. range. To be able to go from an idea, to a discussion, to a tangible result in that amount of time in any environment is quite impressive," said Lt. Col. Matthew Kukla, FVL CFT operations deputy.
The SPIKE NLOS missile was incorporated onto a U.S. Apache helicopter and launched during a live-fire demonstration at YPG. The experiment was designed and executed by the FVL CFT and CCDC AvMC Technology Development Directorate-Aviation/Systems Integration & Demonstration teams. The SPIKE NLOS missile supports the Army’s third modernization priority, Future Vertical Lift’s signature effort the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft.
The FARA ecosystem includes the Long Range Precision Munition and Air Launched Effects. During the experiment the AH-64E was the surrogate FARA, SPIKE NLOS was the surrogate LRPM, and Area-I’s ALTIUS 600 UAS was the surrogate ALE. Showcasing the ecosystem allowed Army aviation to demonstrate the reach, range, and lethality of both the Apache with SPIKE and the future FARA will LRPM. Today, the SPIKE NLOS missile could provide an interim solution that exceeds the range of currently fielded systems, if the Army decides to purchase the missile.
The demonstration included other steps – purchasing the missiles, incorporating the SPIKE system onto the Apache helicopter, obtaining import and export licenses, conducting electrical and mechanical airworthiness validations, flying the aircraft from Fort Eustis, Virginia, to Yuma, Arizona, and conducting a hazard analysis and risk assessment.
“One of the biggest challenges of this project was the bureaucratic hurdles of importing ordinance from a foreign country within a compressed schedule. The FCT Program assisted with its program authorities to expedite the approval process. We also had to get approval to use the SPIKE system frequencies on the Yuma range,” said Steve Paris, AvMC experimental test pilot and project lead.
Prior to the demonstration at Yuma, the SPIKE NLOS missile was launched in Israel using Israeli Apache helicopters. The Israeli live-fire event was crucial to inform LRPM capabilities; it also was the first time U.S. military aviators fired the ordnance from an Israeli helicopter. The demonstration was conducted by aviators from the 82nd and 25th Combat Aviation Brigades.
The SPIKE NLOS missile is an off-the-shelf product with an optionally explosive warhead that can be manually guided or automatically programmed to hit a target. During the Yuma experiment, the pilot knowingly lost connectivity during the longest engagement attempted, but the missile still hit the target – a successful hit was confirmed by an unmanned system that was watching the target throughout the event.
“The SPIKE NLOS missile is employed differently than the Hellfire, which is one of the missiles the Army currently uses. I attended three training sessions at varying intervals leading up to the demonstration to learn these techniques and keep current on the methods. The time and effort paid off in the end as all five missiles hit their respective targets,” said Chief Warrant Officer Five Sean Merrill, the lead military experimental test pilot and primary shooter at the demonstration.
The congressionally authorized OUSD (R&E) FCT Program provides an opportunity for DOD engineers, scientists and program managers to receive funding through a competitive process, which can be used to acquire, test and evaluate mature items and technologies from the industry of allies and other friendly nations that may fill a capability gap and or satisfy an urgent need. The program, which is executed for the Army by CCDCs Global Technology Office, encourages international cooperation and helps reduce the DOD's overall acquisition costs.
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, formerly known as the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, has the mission to lead in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our Nation's wars and come home safely. The command collaborates across the Future Force Modernization Enterprise and its own global network of domestic and international partners in academia, industry and other government agencies to accomplish this mission. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.


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Don’t laugh – too hard, at least. As promised, I decided to do a little collage project inspired by the wonderful artist Randel Plowman.
I’m a little nervous to share but oh well…here goes…
Last night, when it was nice and quiet, I made a cup of tea and locked myself away in my office. Delighted, nervous and excited, I surrounded myself with my new collection of old papers, beautiful napkins, doilies and vintage ads. I cut out a small cardboard square 4″ x 4″ for my background.
For a while, I felt overwhelmed and jumpy, picking up one piece of paper, then another, gazing at them and then putting them aside. What was I looking for? I needed an inspiration…a direction. I could feel myself backpedaling, that little voice saying, “What are you doing?” and “You don’t know how to do this!” I pushed through it and let my intuition guide me.
When I thought I had found the perfect starting piece, I flipped it over to apply the glue and discovered that the other side was just what I had been looking for. It found me. Reassured, I continued. Like a sailor getting used to the land again, I slowly stumbled and wavered until my creative confidence re-emerged.
It’s a modest beginning. A little square. But it’s my little square and I made it.
cardboard, magazine papers, vintage paper, doily, glued, pen, colored pencil, applied bead
I went to bed with sticky fingers, tiny pieces of paper clinging to me and a big smile of my face.


Systems Integration has been serving its clients for more than twenty years from its base in Arlington, Texas. We are an engineering and design firm that employs a multi-disciplinary team of engineers who specialize in solving new and challening problems which adds enduring value and profitability to its client's businesses.
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Reverse Engineering • Test Structures


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JEFFERSON - An embattled Arcade businessman and a former mayor of the Jackson County city has been indicted on felony charges he threatened elected officials.
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Joe Sikes, 53, of 193 Wildwood Place in Jefferson was arrested in July after Police Chief Dennis Bell recorded a conversation in which he threatened to kill Arcade's current mayor and five council members, according to police and incident reports.
A Jackson County grand jury indicted Sikes on six felony counts of making terroristic threats toward Mayor Doug Haynie and council members Ron Smith, Dean Bentley, Tom Hays, Polly Davis and Cindy Bone, according to court records. He remains free on bond, according to court records.
Sikes on Thursday said he was unaware of the indictment until an Athens Banner-Herald reporter called him seeking comment.
"That's the quickest indictment I've ever seen," Sikes said. "I guess I'm a popular man."
Sikes, a former mayor of Arcade, is the owner of Joe Sikes Oil Service Inc., an oil recycling company where truck driver Scott Dwayne Brown was killed in a late-night explosion June 19.
In a pair of July 1 phone conversations with Arcade Police Chief Dennis Bell, Sikes threatened to use a gun to "put the (expletive) council down," burn down council members' houses and "use a truck to 'take them out,' " according to the warrants. Before bringing the charges, Bell conferred with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Jackson County District Attorney Tim Madison.
Arcade police taped the second of the two conversations as evidence.
About a day before Sikes' arrest, city officials passed an emergency ordinance suspending the business licenses of Joe Sikes Oil Service and R&W Sanitation, a waste hauling company Sikes also operates. The suspensions may have led to the threats, authorities said.
Jackson County Superior Court Judge Robert Adamson later ruled the council couldn't use business license procedure to shut him down.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a letter it sent to Sikes in August, believes the oil company "may be an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment."
Sikes is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 22 in Jackson County Superior Court, according to court records.
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I haven’t blogged here in forever, but this great article has inspired me!
Linked from boingboing.net,
a wonderful blog that I try to view at least weekly, this story couches the social networking sites and their cousins as a generational gap akin to when rock and roll took over our country 50 years ago. The article is lengthy, it shows both sides of the new privacy (or lack thereof) but it is also clear, and I, for one, am totally convinced.
This quote really sums it up for me:
Whenever young people are allowed to indulge in something old people are not allowed to, it makes us bitter. What did we have? The mall and the parking lot of the 7-Eleven? It sucked to grow up when we did! And we’re mad about it now.” People are always eager to believe that their behavior is a matter of morality, not chronology, Shirky argues. “You didn’t behave like that because nobody gave you the option.”
What did you do when you were a teen that was like what teens do on Facebook? Did you have pen pals that you gave your home address to? The horror! Did you meet strangers at the mall and give them your home phone number? The horror! How is this different, other than the technology used to make the connection?
Take a minute to read and share – I think you’ll at the very least have food for thought.

domain: sociology


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I wrote about co-ops as an undercovered health reform topic last month and provided some resources about how to cover them, either from a big-picture perspective about their role in the exchanges across the country next year or if you are looking at co-ops in your state or region – if they exist.
Health Affairs and RWJF have published a brief that explains in more detail about how they are set up, and the challenges they face. The brief gives a description of several of the co-ops – here are the top three on the list to give a taste of the variety. (There are more in the brief and the National Alliance of State Health Cooperatives has a full list (PDF).
- Evergreen Health Cooperative, established by Peter Beilenson, a former Baltimore City health commissioner, intends to provide high-quality care to members throughout Maryland with premiums costing 20-30 percent less than those of traditional insurance to help keep people from developing more serious illnesses. It has been awarded $65 million in loans.
- HealthyCT is a nonprofit health plan sponsored by the Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS) and CSMS-IPA, a statewide independent practice association of providers. HealthyCT will focus on encouraging members to use patient-centered medical homes. It has been awarded $76 million in loans.
- Compass Cooperative Health Network in Arizona is sponsored by local experts in insurance, chronic disease coordination, use of health information technology, and business formation. It will begin on a regional basis within Arizona and then expand statewide over time. It has been awarded $93 million.


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A bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra said the petitioner Delhi Study Group, an NGO, has not pointed to any deficiency in the investigations already carried out by the investigating agency.
Describing the plea for the court’s intervention into the investigation as premature, the court said that the CBI was already investigating the matter and asked what was the basis for the allegation that the agency would not investigate all facets of the case.
Declining to entertain the PIL by the Delhi Study Group, the court, however, gave the petitioner liberty to approach it in case there was any deficiency in the probe.
The court was told that there was apprehension of investigation getting derailed as big names were involved in the scam. The petition has accused the investigating agency of being selective in proceeding against people and not probing the role of the well- positioned politicians including Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and other high officials.


BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia is expanding their one-of-a-kind collection with more than 100 photographs from David Levinthal’s series ‘Blackface.’
Dr. David Pilgrim, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Ferris State University, said he’s been collecting racist memorabilia for the better part of a half-century. Dr. Pilgrim has compiled racist ash trays, games and toys, postcards, Aunt Jamima cookie jars and salt shakers; all to help portray how marginalized the African American culture was during the Jim Crow-era.
“What I wanted to do was create a space where people could come and talk intelligently about race and race relations, and that’s what we’ve done,” Dr. Pilgrim said. “If you can name an object, we probably have a racist version of it.”
The museum is growing everyday thanks to donations from around the world. Recently, Dr. Pilgrim was given 135 original large format polaroids of work from David Levinthals series, ‘Blackface.” The one-of-a-kind photographs picture many of the objects currently housed in the museum, a perfect fit for the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.
Dr. Pilgrim says his space sheds light on the era of segregation and racial hierarchy through objects that society once bought, produced, purchased, and distributed. Sadly, these types of ‘goods’ are sill being produced and sold everyday.
“If there’s a race-based incident that occurs in the U.S., there will be a two- or three-dimensional object created within a week or two,” Dr. Pilgrim said.
In order to appropriately address racism and overcome segregation, Dr. Pilgrim believes we need to fearlessly talk about the issue, hopeful the discussion will spark a change of heart, and enact action throughout our communities.
The highly-anticipated Leventhal collection is coming to the UICA in Grand Rapids, however the exact date has not yet been disclosed. If you can’t make it out to the museum or the traveling display at the UICA, click here for a virtual tour of the Jim Crow Museum.