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ATLANTA - First-time claims for unemployment insurance (UI) in Georgia were down 29.2 percent in May, compared to a year ago.

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Albany (down 49.6 percent), Rome (down 47.4 percent, and Gainesville (down 45.4 percent) led the state's 14 metropolitan areas in decreases. Applications were down 32.7 percent and 28.1 percent in Athens and Atlanta, respectively.

"Most of the decrease in claims came in manufacturing," Butler said.

Only Columbus showed an increase - 7.3 percent.
NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to end his campaign for the Republican nomination for president after a disappointing finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.That's ac...
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders rode a wave of voter frustration with American politics to commanding victories in Tuesday's New Hampshire primaries, adding...


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What do you eat? Where do you get your protein? Why is your food so dark? Why, why why
People ask questions because they are curious and sometimes ignorant.
They just don't know.
I still get so many questions. It used to bug me but now I just take it in and let it be
This food is so easy to prepare. Tonight I opened up a can of no-salt black beans, put it in a pot with 1 pound of greens. Whole foods sales 1 pound of kale, collard greens and mustard greens for $1.99. Yup they do have some cheap stuff. While the beans and greens are cooking. Start a pot with boiling water and boil your brown rice, I used instant success boil in a bag rice--takes about 10 minutes to cook. Once your rice is done add it to your greens and beans. Once everything is cooked add in your spices--I put some salt and chipotle powder to taste. I then added some raw yellow onions and tomatoes to garnish it. So simple and so yummy!!
As I was cooking dinner, I made lunch. Indian food which had yukon potatoes, chickpeas, canned diced tomatoes, 1 pound of greens, raw onions, garlic all cooked together with garm masala, and curry powder. Taste great!!
It's so simple. I cooked these meals together and it took less than 30 minutes. No excuses people.
I'm walking everyday at work for 50 minutes at least.
I'm in a weight loss competition at work. Weigh in is in 2 weeks and we will weigh in every month. The winner takes home $250 I think. This is also helping me to stay accountable.
Things are good. I feel good. Progress is being made. Hope everyone has a good night

domain: food


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An inbound Metra train passes under the signals at Tower B-12.
A classic blue and red Metra F40PH slows to a stop at the Wheaton station on its way to Elburn.
A bright, sunny day in Galesburg mixed very well with consistent freight traffic; seen here as represented by a westbound grain train.
All Aboard! A 4 hour late Southwest Chief prepares to depart for its destination, Chicago Union Station.
The Californa Zephyr has completed 30 miles of its nearly 2500-mile journey as it slows to a stop in Naperville.
An outbound Metra blasts through the snow as it approaches Naperville for a station stop.
Out with the new and in with the old? Due to a mechanical issue, the SC44 which normally leads the Illinois Zephyrs was out of action. Amtrak decided to put a classic GE Dash 8 on the head end of ... (more)
Metra 183 pushes an inbound train out of Naperville
The Amtrak Southwest Chief pulls into Naperville for its station stop several hours late
An outbound Metra train passes the B-17 tower
Metra 211 pulls into Naperville to drop off the rush hour commuters
TVRM 1829 pulls around the Grand Junction wye before heading to the other end of the museum.
METX 420 pulls into Joliet Union Station with its load of rush passengers traveling on the old Rock Island Line.
METX 108 pulls its set of rushour passengers up to the end of Metra trackage at Joliet Union Station.
Metra 194 arrives at the Route 59 Metra Station with some of the final rush passengers in tow. Meanwhile, another amazing summer backdrop unfolds as storms begin to organize to the south.

domain: geography


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Just so you know, our Beaches are not the only attraction in the area. The town is located close to Carara National Park and the Manuel Antonio National Park. On your visit you can see exotic wildlife unique in this part of the world. The Manuel Antonio Park is known as one of the most biodiverse in the world. You will never be bored here.
A paradisiacal time is waiting for you in the gorgeous Tortuga Island, one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica with the most extraordinary views and friendly environment that charm every visitor.
The Carara National Park Tour is ideal for families and friends that love nature and look for an ecological adventure; You will see the gorgeous and uncommon scarlet macaws, white face monkeys, sloths and even crocodiles. This is a tour you just can't skip.
Minimum Persons Required!
If you are a sportfishing lover or simply want to try it for the first time, Costa Rica is an ideal country to do it. Our Sport fishing Tour is one of the best choices you can make when staying in Jaco Beach area.
It’s an experience you won’t want to miss...
On this tour you will see a waterfall from the top of the mountains of Quepos that leads adventurers back through the fantastic forest, rocky curves, and awesome turns. One of the favorite rivers to practice rafting on is in the Pacific area which are undoubtedly the beautiful Savegre and Naranjo, which offers class II and III rapids
Minimum Persons Required!
If you are looking for an extraordinary activity to enjoy a couple of hours during your stay in Jaco , the Horseback Riding tour is a popular option that charms everyone who tries it.
The Tarcoles River is the home of the biggest crocodiles found in Costa Rica. They are over 13 feet long and considered living dinosaurs since they have been on earth more than two hundred million years.
This tour is undoubtedly one of the top tourist destinations in Costa Rica which is the Manuel Antonio National Park. It is considered the 12th most beautiful park in the world according Forbes Magazine. This is where you can enjoy an extraordinary eco-experience that is waiting for you and your family.
Minimum Persons Required!
All your expectations about having a great time during your visit to Jaco will be exceeded with the amazing Jaco ATV Tour. It is available for youth and adults, who can choose from a 2, 3, or 4 hours experience.
The priority are the monkeys, they are surrounded by beautiful vegetation, such as heliconias, gingers, ferns, palms , we also find crocodiles, birds, snakes and white faced monkeys that come and play in the boat. Take an unforgettable tour.
tours start at 9 am 11 am and 1 pm . This tour requires a minimum of 4persons
The adventure starts on a 15-minute ride aboard a specially designed tractor. Once you reach the top of the mountain, the bilingual guides will explain -step by step- all the safety procedures you must follow to enjoy your adventure. You then descend to the bottom via a series of zip lines that include 12 platforms and 10 cables with a total cable distance of 3.5 kilometers. Among them, the longest cable in the area (2400 ft.)
SJO to Los Suenos
We used Geo and GMG for our transfers to and from the San Jose Airport and Los Suenos last week. Great experience both ways. He was waiting for us on arrival, stopped at a quick store for a drink for the drive and then took us to a grocery store immediately prior to our Los Suenos destination so we could buy supplies for our stay. Complimentary Wi Fi in his van which was greatly appreciated. Our return trip went seamlessly also.
Use this service and make sure you request Gio! You won’t regret it!
A group of friends and I traveled to Jaco, we didnt have a form of transportation. We called the company and Gio picked up our trip, which pretty much saved our trip. Gio was extremely helpful in every way from where to eat to what to do around Jaco. After how helpful he was the first day we hoped to get him the next day due to how awesome he is. Gio worked around his schedule and took us wherever we wanted to go and picked us up when we were ready to head back. Honestly, Gio became more than a driver he became an extremely helpful friend. So with that being said I highly recommend using this service and requesting Gio!
Thank you again Mr. Gio, best wishes!
❤ a once in a lifetime experience ❤
We had a wonderful vacation at Playa Jacó Beach in COSTA RICA !!
With our sincere thanks to our private Driver Geo of GMG TRANSFERS & TOURS and private guide Mauricio, we believe we have seen all of the beauty of flora and fauna that the (rain-) forests could show to us!
Excellent driver our GEO!!
Geo and Mauricio stopped wherever we wanted. And also they stopped when there was a in expected animal to see!
With love ❤
Reliable Quality Transport
Gio was on time. His van was clean and had wifi - to our teens' delight! He was courteous and considered that we were exhausted and hungry after our long flight. He even stopped at a grocery and waited for us. We paid $120 for a trip from SJO to Jaco.
Incredibly Helpful and Accommodating
Their service was wonderful. Arrived on time and were so pleasant to deal with. We were traveling as a large group with a lot of baggage from the cruise port to the airport. So when we asked if he could make a call to the cruise terminal to check where to meet him - he did so. Which was incredibly kind as no one in our group spoke Spanish. If you want a service that you don't need to think twice about, hire GMG. They will be my first call should we ever return.
Geo was an incredible help for our Costa Rica trip!
Geo was recommended to me from a friend who had used his services before, and I'm extremely happy we went with them! Geo was easy to reach by email, was extremely prompt in responses, and was an excellent source of information in regards to activities. Geo also didn't mind that I emailed him roughly 20 times with questions regarding our upcoming trip! He was a delight to work with, and I would 110% use his services again.


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|Reviews for Wednesday|
| LCO chapter 1 . 2/20/2010
Wow. You made me cry so bad.
I love this fic! Amazing! Just amazing!
| belleanne chapter 1 . 2/18/2010
| mandy52799 chapter 1 . 2/17/2010
damnit! ok your one shots kill me cuz i freakin love your writting so much and they leave me panting and wanting more...hehe just like bella. hmph Damnit...I'm quickly gonna run out of stuff to read if you don't start writting faster..and then I'll have to read other people's stuff..GASP..the horror!
| MissRe chapter 1 . 1/29/2010
Gah... hot, sexy, tattooed, rich, and a musician? Where can I get one of those? LOL Loved this oneshot. Amazing job. From both of them being shy and not saying much for over a year to him buying the painting she did of him to them making love on the stage. Wow. What else can I say? ;)
| HeavenlyAngel34 chapter 1 . 1/26/2010
Loved it! It was a really well written story!
| dantanaforev chapter 1 . 1/24/2010
i love this story can't wait for the next chapter!
| lovinjim chapter 1 . 1/24/2010
Okay, so I don't know why I forgot to send you a review for this. I try to always send reviews, especially to my favorite authors, like yourself. Anway, I really really loved this one shot. It amazes me how someone can get so much of the story told in less than 10,0 words, but you did.
Again, sorry for the delay in review, I really do love your writing and always look forward to a new story.
| KelseyBea chapter 1 . 1/22/2010
i LOVED this! it is SO sweet! and i was SO sad when it was OVER! i LOVED this... actually i really love ALL of your stories... but this one was just something so cute... and sweet... kinda all girls dream of happening... and yeah i just LOVED it... i cant even say it all... i loved it when i read it... i loved the idea of it from the summary... i just loved it! oh and i really liked (i couldnt let myself say love again... i have said it like 50 billion times in this one review...) i really liked shy Edward. it was so cute! and adorable! haha
anyway thanks for another GREAT story!
| Twi-mania chapter 1 . 1/22/2010
That was so so so great, I loved it! You are a fantastic writer, You could write about anything and make it awesome. I so wish this was going to be a long story because I am sure there could be alot of craziness in this story if it was written out. I loved that they were both crazy for each other and both to shy to do anything about it for a year. Anywho thanks for sharing that one shot, that was alot of fun to read!
| dani7603 chapter 1 . 1/16/2010
aw cute i love how the both wanted each other for a year but they both didnt say nething and it tok her pianint an abstract painting of him to get him to admit it
then he sang at the end aw
| TexasTwilight77 chapter 1 . 1/16/2010
Great job! Never have really cared for one shots before, but this I did. ;)
| Hope4more chapter 1 . 1/14/2010
Your one-shots are just as addicting as your regular stories. I loved it. Really enjoyed the whole artist side of it. Very different but not. Bella being an artist is something you have a thing for? Great, great job
| LaTiDo chapter 1 . 1/13/2010
OMGyou have no idea how much i loved that. you are an amazing writer. OMG...
| phoebelicious chapter 1 . 1/9/2010
Loved it. All of your one-shots are too damned good not to become full stories. You are seriously brilliant
| Valleegrl chapter 1 . 1/6/2010
Great O/S CPW. Loved it!

domain: entertainment


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This item sold on July 14, 2012.
But THIS is not your elementary school friendship bracelet!
Bright, rainbow friendship bracelet made with high quality embroidery floss, a sterling silver European Murano lampwork glass bead and a mother of pearl inlaid vintage tuxedo button. Measures approximately 6.5" inches long and 1/4" thick. Perfect for little girls and pre-teens.
This perfect mix of summery colors and upscale fashion jewelry comes with the quality of something handmade with love.
This piece, like all jewelry orders from Beach Plum Cottage, will arrive in a glossy black gift box with cotton lining. I put it all inside of a green organza drawstring gift bag and include a matching blank gift card.
For my full line of fun summer jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeachPlumCottage?section_id=10649776 Accessorize your summer!
Rainbow friendship bracelet with sterling silver lampwork bead - not your average grade school friendship bracelet
- Handmade item
- Materials: embroidery floss, button, floss, vintage button, European Murano lampwork glass beads, beads, glass beads, lampwork beads
- Feedback: 41 reviews
- Ships worldwide from Massachusetts, United States

domain: artistic


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“Artworks enliven the visual environment and provides opportunities for conversation,” shares Eliza Kenney, BVM, curator of the Motherhouse Heritage Rooms at Mount Carmel, Dubuque, Iowa. “Working with the art is very gratifying, even the tedious tasks of cleaning, repairing, and reframing.”
Eliza’s appointment as curator came in 2007 as the Motherhouse renovations were nearing completion. “It was essentially an enormous blank canvas,” she noted. “A time of challenge and opportunity.”
The establishment of display criteria for Mount Carmel’s public spaces helped to meet the challenge. The primary objective was to feature the work of BVM artists and pieces significant to BVM history and missions.
Opportunity came in the ability to view large works never before displayed. These included paintings by Helen Kerrigan, BVM (Paulita), then art professor at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, and Blanche Marie Gallagher, BVM, former art professor at Mundelein College in Chicago. Once these found a home, smaller pieces completed the décor.
“We especially enjoy changing the location of the artworks,” says Eliza. “A new location brings different lighting, which highlights new elements in the piece. Changing one work causes the surrounding works to be seen in a new way. However,” she adds, “some sisters use the paintings as visual clues for their room locations. We wouldn’t dare move them!”
BVM Art Takes Many Forms
BVM artists include the professionally trained as well as sisters who explored their artistic talents during retirement. Many of the latter studied at Wright Hall, a BVM retirement residence in Chicago, under Mary Eustella Fau, BVM, and later Vivian C. Wilson, BVM (Lauren). The closing of Wright Hall in 2011 sent an influx of art to Mount Carmel.
While paintings and sketches comprise the majority of BVM art at Mount Carmel, collections of photography, pottery, and needlework have grown substantially in recent years. A number of works in these mediums, like the aforementioned ones, received recognition for their artistry.
The needlework exhibit in the Motherhouse Prairie Room featured crewel, cross-stitch, needlepoint, string art, and tatting. It included a needlepoint by Barbara Brooks, BVM (Donna) that received second place in original design in the 1996 needlecraft competition sponsored by the English publication New Stitches (see left).
Currently, a collection of pottery by Carmelle Zserdin, BVM, former art professor at Clarke University, fills the display case (see gallery). Also on display is pottery by Genevieve Kordick, BVM who received multiple awards in Best of Category—Pottery, Professional Division, from the Arts & Recreation Council of Greater Des Moines (Iowa).
Charmaine LeMaire, BVM earned several recognitions for her hand-painted ceramics, including the 2001 Freddy Award, the highest award given to a non-professional by the Iowa Ceramics Association. Her prized 14–piece nativity set is on display in the Motherhouse at Christmas.
Photographs by Helen Marie Wolkerstorfer, BVM (Edith) hang throughout Mount Carmel, including the award-winning “Angel in Waiting,” the photo of her 90-year-old father’s hand on his cane (pictured in gallery). Her other displayed works include several selected from among hundreds of entries for the juried mixed media art show at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Curator Role is Essential
Just as the art collections have expanded through the years, so has the responsibilities of the curator. The first curator, Jean Monica Lanahan, BVM, appointed in 1991, focused on the care and display of artifacts and artwork in the Motherhouse and the training of docents to give tours of the Heritage Rooms.
In addition to these duties, Eliza handles the placement of art throughout the Mount Carmel campus as well as floral arrangements and seasonal decorations for the Heritage Rooms. Since 2010, Judith Dewell, BVM (John Marie) has assisted Eliza, particularly with Christmas decorations and rearranging artwork.
Keeping track of the art is a huge undertaking. Jean Monica created a database to assist her in the task, which proved invaluable during the Motherhouse renovations when art was temporarily packed and stored.
Later, Regina M. Qualls, BVM, former Secretary of the Congregation, and Thea O’Meara, BVM, her administrative assistant, designed a new, expanded database. Thea was instrumental in adding photos and detailed descriptions. The database continues to grow as sisters retire to Mount Carmel, along with their collections.
About the author: Associate Christine Olsem is the administrative assistant to the Secretary of the Congregation.
This story was featured in:
Summer Salt 2018: Worship, Work, and WIN!
Win or lose, the Loyola University Chicago Ramblers know they can count on the love and support of their 98-years-young chaplain, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM. This year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (a.k.a March Madness) propelled Sister Jean and her team to the Final Four—and gave the world a chance to see BVM values in action. Read more about Sister Jean and the BVM Legacy of Love.
If you would like to receive Salt, contact the Office of Development for a complimentary subscription at email@example.com or 563-585-2864.


Annual and biennial campanulas
Annual and biennial campanulas are ideal for giving height and soft colour to borders and containers. They will also attract beneficial insects into the garden, especially bees.
Rising from clumps of hairy leaves, upright, bristly stems are loosely arranged with bonnet-like flowers in shades of pale blue or lilac, pink, pale lemon and mauve in spring and summer. Flowers of some campanula such as Campanula medium have a saucer-like base, leading to their common name of Canterbury bells.
Grow these campanulas in any well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. They often do well in stony soil.
Extreme conditions are unsuitable – very wet or acidic soils, deep shade, or very dry soil in strong sunlight, which can bleach out delicate flower colours.
Did you know?
Though it’s usual to sow biennials in summer to produce plants for flowering next year, they can also be sown under cover in late winter to flower the same year.
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.


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Enable Zoho Integration
Enable Your Inventory and Accounting to Go Hand-in-Hand With Zoho Integration
Zoho integration allows a business to maintain a two-way sync record between the sales and finance teams. Zoho CRM will allow the task to be accomplished within a limited time frame and save time from manually entering information in the two applications. Attain an efficient NET solution with the CRM as Zoho Quickbooks integration increases reliability. The seamless
QuickBooks integration from Zoho allows you to manage all aspects of the business.
Zoho QuickBooks integration provides a comprehensive business management solution to small businesses; that do not wish to rely on any third-party integrations. Bridge the gaps between your teams and enhance the productivity of your business.
Benefits of Integrating Zoho App with Quickbooks
All information in one place
Integrating Zoho App with Quickbooks enterprise enables a business to store and maintain all customer information in one place. This Zoho Quickbooks integration allows one to work in both apps with the same information without any hassles.
Transfer and view data right from CRM
The integration allows the business to transfer and view their customers’ accounting metrics such as invoices, vendor details, orders, products, quotes; seamlessly. It leads to efficient management of all records including, vendor details, sales details, credit notes, bills required for the smooth working of the business.
Import and export data records
You can import the data records from Quickbooks to Zoho CRM and export the data records from Zoho CRM to QuickBooks. It allows businesses to keep track of important data as common records between the two applications.
Integration of Zoho CRM with Quickbooks allows you to sync all the transactions between the two apps. This enhances productivity as the synced transactions save the time of transferring or copying details without fault.
Automate business tasks
Automate your business workflows with Zoho integration and save time. Whenever you create a potential for a task, you can set a trigger and opt to have an automatic estimate created for you. This will give you more time for priority work to boost the sales of your business.
As businesses can track inventories with Zoho CRM, QuickBooks allows you to make it transparent by tracking the quantity and cost of your inventory.
Develop Your Zoho CRM- Quickbooks Integration with Enable
As a Zoho authorized partner, Enable extends Zoho Solution Packages to integrate your application with Quickbooks. With us, you don't have to undergo the lengthy implementation procedure of the Zoho Quickbooks integration; we extend our services to do the required. The integration will allow you to understand the financial aspects of your business as the applications manage the business financial functionalities quite well. After setting up your integration, you can select the modules you wish to sync with the two applications, and everything is customized according to your need and requirements.
Simplify and ease your QuickBooks integration process with us as we offer you a one-time cost of creating and setting up your application. Leave all the worries of data records synchronization with us and avail of the benefits of Zoho CRM-Quickbook Integration.

domain: finance


NEW! Online registration.
Click on our STUDIO NEWS tab above for details.
The Gobel School of Dance (GSD) offers Ballet (ages 4 to adult), Jazz/Contemporary (ages 7 to adult), Hip Hop (Ages 8-16) and Tap (ages 14 to adult). We feel that dance is a wonderful way to exercise both the mind and body for people of all ages.
Through our ballet, jazz/contemporary, hip hop and tap classes, we like to inspire well-rounded, healthy dancers who realize that talent, practice and a good work ethic are important in dance as well as in life. Our dancers also learn the importance of injury prevention so that they can enjoy dancing throughout their entire lives.
We also want our dancers to love dancing and have a great respect for the art, musicality and beauty it brings to those who watch it and appreciate it. We want to make sure that each dancer is in the correct class based on their abilities and specific dance needs.
Class placements are not decided by age, grade level, social group or even number of years danced. Our placements are based on technique, behavior, attitude and willingness to learn.
GSD showcases its ballet, jazz/contemporary, hip hop & tap dancers in a performance at the end of each school year. Dancers will get the exciting chance to be involved in a classical ballet production while also displaying their versatility through other dance styles.
We like to create a good experience for all our dancers whether they want a future in dance or just want to learn life essentials such as poise, discipline and appreciation of the arts.


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Today has been just blah so far…With college beginning for me on Monday, I guess I sorta feel like my life is gonna be a little different from now on. Change can be good sometimes, but I’m a little worried about how my daily life will be. By the way, I’m going to school for web design and I am going to be taking 5 units this quarter. Even though It’s the beginning of the year, I am already looking forward to the summer time x.x.
Okay…So these two characters are made up by myself, but they already existed prior to this post xD. Since I’m on the subject, I might as well explain a little bit about my webcomics while I’m at it. These two characters were originally created for my first DD webcomic known as The Faction, but were later migrated over to my more recent story known as DeadFingers.
I won’t really say much more about this drawing due to the fear revealing some spoilers, but these two characters are tied together somehow (Some fans even speculate that the two characters in the story may even be related.) If you’re interested in this read, you can follow up on DeadFingers HERE. Enjoy!
How to draw on Hubpages


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Grutas de Sagres
Excellent for photography
Nets, lines and hooks
No direct access to surface
A zone with caverns, caves and large indentations in the walls of the rock, with a sandy bottom and blocks of rock. The different tones of light make fascinating photographic shots of the ambience. Divers should follow the guide instructions, and not proceed without adequate information, or enter the water without due certification and experience. Due to the low levels of light, the use of a torch is essential.
GRUTA DE NOSSA SENHORA This cave is still being explored. Large entrance immediately after a zone of rocky blocks on a sandy bottom. To enter the cave, specific equipment and training are needed.
GRUTA PEQUENA DE SAGRES A large cave, both in width and height, with rocky terraces. The entrance to the cave is visible from the end of the cavern and consists of a narrow entrance. This dive is not recommended for those without appropriate technical training.
PASSAGEM DE SAGRES A vast opening in the rock of the cliff, which enables divers to pass from one side to the other, with large rocks resting on a sandy bottom. Caution is recommended during rough sea conditions, due to the eddies, which can sometimes be very strong.


A DLR scientist uses a rotating shadowband irradiometer to measure the direct solar radiation.
DLR (CC-BY 3.0).
Michael Geyer was a DLR researcher for several years at the Plataforma Solar research centre in the Spanish province of Almería.
How well does a solar mirror reflect sunlight? Among other things, the test methods developed at DLR are used to examine mirrors from a variety of manufacturers.
The test facility for the hydrogen tank at the DLR Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics in Stuttgart.
Novel receiver being tested with high-performance radiators at the DLR solar furnace in Cologne.
Researchers at the DLR Institute of Solar Research test the receiver performance at the QUARZ Center in Cologne, investigating the percentage of sunlight that the tubes convert into heat . The tests are carried in the ElliRec test stand.
Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysers can go from start-up to full load operation within minutes and thus adapt to the fluctuating supply of wind and solar power.
In the joint project 'Li-EcoSafe', researchers at the DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, together with their partners, are developing and testing lithium-ion batteries.
Less than a year after its construction began, the engineers from DLR and its partners were ready to perform gas turbine combustion chamber testing.
"The expansion of facilities for flight propulsion and power plant research continues at DLR. In April 2013, two facilities were inaugurated – a hydrogen supply system and a modern high pressure compressor that will support the development of new, more economical gas turbines for aviation and energy technology. There is currently no comparable test centre anywhere in the world with such outstanding possibilities as we and our customers now have here in North Rhine-Westphalia," says Reinhard Mönig, Head of the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology.
In cooperation with the Dutch company MTT, researchers at DLR are investigating micro gas turbines for home users.
Rotor blade trailing edges that can change their shape and flaps that divert wind when required – very large rotor blades equipped with such mechanisms can systematically correct gusts and reduce performance fluctuations. Local flow will be influenced more accurately and quickly through movable slats, trailing edges and other systems.
Receiver of the solar tower at the Plataforma Solar de Almería test site in southern Spain. Here, DLR tests new developments in solar thermal power plants. Some 35 German companies and research institutions have published a joint position paper on the market opportunities for solar thermal power plants and concentrating solar power. The newly established network with the name ‘Deutsche CSP’ will combine the strengths and interests of German companies and increase their chances in the international market. Through joint research and development, the network aims to increase the efficiency of the technology and reduce the generation cost.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has developed, together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, a method by which the processes in the redox flow battery can be made visible. This globally unique measurement technology provides researchers with important data for making such a battery less costly and improving its performance.
Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie (ICT).
Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) want to work together with partners to improve the production of fuels derived from solar energy. Scientists from a range of disciplines will work together in the Helmholtz Association funded Virtual Institute named SolarSynFuel.
To make a contribution as an alternative energy source for mobility and decentralised power generation, hydrogen must be produced efficiently and economically from renewable sources such as biological primary fuels. The work at the DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics focuses on process development, thermal management and gas treatment in the transformation and production of biogenic primary fuels.
The company CSP Services (a DLR spin-off) offers its global customers measurement techniques and assessment methods for the qualification of mirrors in solar power plants.
Fuel cells produce electricity directly from fuel gases. Here, the basic process is the electrochemical oxidation of hydrogen. The activities of the DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics range from cell design, manufacturing and diagnostics to system optimisation and demonstration to achieve cost-effective and efficient solutions for mobile and stationary applications.
Plasma spraying equipment at the DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics.
Researchers at the DLR Institute of Combustion Technology are developing special combustion systems in Stuttgart.
Investigating electrochemical processes using laser radiation.
To aid the understanding of detailed processes in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), researchers at the DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics are working together with the Institute of Combustion Technology on a test facility in which the electrochemical processes can be studied by means of laser metrology – avoiding contact with the electrode surfaces.
Test facility for investigating high-temperature fuel cells at elevated pressure.
Nitrogen oxides play an unpleasant role during the combustion of fossil fuels. They are responsible for acid rain and are also harmful to the respiratory tract. DLR researchers have been able to demonstrate that the principle of flameless combustion (‘FLOX®’, or FLameless OXidation) in typical gas turbine conditions promises reliable combustion in power plants with low nitrogen oxides emissions.
Carbon dioxide free power plant: A new high-pressure test bench for investigating oxyfuel combustion processes has come into operation at the DLR Institute of Combustion Technology. With oxyfuel combustion, climate unfriendly carbon dioxide will be separated from emissions in power plants to keep it out of the atmosphere through subsequent sequestration. Instead of air, the fuel is burned with a mixture of pure oxygen and carbon dioxide. whereby the carbon monoxide is recirculated from the emissions.
To better understand the processes occuring in a combustion chamber, for example in power plants or aircraft engines, and thus to design environment-friendly and reliable combustion chambers, the DLR Institute of Combustion Technology has developed a high-speed laser measurement system that can determine the flame characteristics during combustion in gas turbines with high precision: it is 1000 times faster than previous methods and, for the first time, shows what happens to the flame in the combustion chamber in great detail.
Ceramics, natural stones, concrete, molten salt – these materials are crucial for the development of technically and scientifically attractive heat storage systems. Scientists at the DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics are exploring new materials and storage concepts for various uses – from industrial applications through to power plant technology.
The solar thermal power plant fed its full output of five megawatts into the grid for the first time on 25 January 2012. This power plant went into operation at the end of last year, and is the first parabolic trough collector array in which steam is generated directly in the collectors.
Electrolysis test stand with DLR-developed electrodes for alkaline water electrolysis. DLR researchers are working on more efficient methods of producing hydrogen by electrolysis.
The Institute of Solar Research is currently working on the development of concentrated solar systems for the generation of energy, heat and fuels. This contributes to a future sustainable energy supply based on renewable energies. In solat tower power plants, such as the one in Jülich, moveable mirrors (heliostats) follow the path of the Sun and concentrate the solar radiation on a receiver located on the solar tower. The receiver is made of porous ceramic elements through which incoming ambient air flows. In passing through the receiver, the air is heated and this heat is delivered to the water-steam cycle in a heat recovery boiler. The steam generated there drives a turbine, which produces power via a generator.
The DESERTEC concept is based on the use of solar energy in Earth’s sun belt regions – preferably for solar thermal power plants – to produce environment-friendly electricity for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. According to calculations performed by DLR, the energy produced in one square kilometere of desert could supply around 100,000 households with 250 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
DLR researchers at the Plataforma Solar de Almería in southern Spain calibrate measuring stations that will be used for a monitoring network in some North African countries.
A researcher from the DLR Institute for Solar Research tests a mirror for a solar-thermal power plant. DLR has developed its own test facilities and methods for verifying quality. In important areas, they have succeeded in developing internationally recognised quality standards.
Using artificial sunlight, researchers use this test stand to investigate the optical, geometrical and mechanical quality of the mirrors that capture and concentrate the sunlight in a solar power station, as well as the properties of the pipes that absorb the energy and transfer it in the form of heat.
The heliostat of DLR's solar furnace in Cologne collects the Sun's rays and reflects them onto the 'concentrator' – 157 separate, slightly curved and precisely aligned mirrors that focus the radiation. The radiation is concentrated by a factor of 5200 and falls on the approximately four-metre by four-metre test chamber of the solar furnace.
A 57 square metre mirror collects sunlight and directs it towards the facetted mirrors (left in the picture). These mirrors concentrate the incoming radiation up to around 5200 times and direct it to the research laboratory of the Cologne solar furnace (the beam of light can be seen on the right of the image).
‘alpha ventus’, situated 75 kilometres off the German North Sea coast, was the first offshore wind farm. The twelve wind turbines became operational in 2010. If companies and wind power equipment manufacturers find favourable conditions, the North Sea could become home to offshore wind farms with a combined generating capacity as high as 135 gigawatts by the year 2030. This is the result of a study conducted as part of an international project chaired by the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) and in which the German Aerospace Center (DLR) participated.
Scientists from the DLR Institute of Materials Research will use the 'TEG line' to further advance the development of thermoelectric materials and generators. They have around 400 square metres of laboratory space at their disposal.
The principle of thermoelectric generators seems straightforward. Heat is energy, and it is converted into electricity using a type of heat exchanger. On a daily basis, tons of waste heat arise as a 'by-product'- computers, cars, chimneys, even people and animals give off excess heat (energy).
The solar tower power plant in Jülich serves as a pilot plant and reference for commercial power plants in Southern Europe and North Africa. A nearly identical power plant is currently at the detailed planning stage in Algeria. Technology developed in Germany is being utilised in regions where solar radiation is highest. Here, solar thermal power plants have the greatest potential to play a major role in the desert electricity project DESERTEC.
At the Jülich site, set up on an area covering about eight hectares, are 2153 moving mirrors that concentrate the solar radiation onto a receiver atop the 60-metre tower.
Studies have demonstrated the vast potential of solar power; for example, the deserts on Earth receive more solar energy in just six hours than the world's population consumes in an entire year. To enable the cost-efficient conversion of solar power into electricity, solar cells and solar thermal power stations need to operate more efficiently and become much less expensive to build.
This image shows the experimental solar power plant with Fresnel collectors. These consist of several rows of moveable flat mirrors that capture the sunlight and concentrate it on a box located above the absorber tube.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Endesa test direct solar steam generation and energy storage in this pilot plant in Carboneras, located in southern Spain. In this type of solar power plant, steam is produced directly from concentrated solar radiation and used to drive a generator. The highlight of this facility is a new system that efficiently stores energy, both as sensible and latent heat. The stored energy can be used to generate electricity even at night.
So far, thermal oils are used in parabolic trough power plants. Thermal oil flows into the absorber tube (dark pipe on the left). On these absorber tubes parabolic mirrors focus the light, here the solar radiation is converted into heat with a conventional power plant process steam is generated. In the now developed test system molten salt flowing through the absorber tubes.
A fuel cell system delivers electrical energy capable of powering the nose wheel of a 70-ton aircraft.
Last visual check: DLR employee Miriam Ebert checks to ensure that the ceramic fibres protecting the radiation receiver are well sealed. The test power station Solhyco has been constructed in a 60-metre-high solar tower at the Plataforma Solar de Almería in southern Spain. The sunlight that the mirrors direct on to the radiation receiver in the tower heat the absorber tubes to 800 degrees Celsius. The radially arranged black tubes conduct this heat to a 100-kilowatt micro gas turbine, which drives a generator that in turn produces electricity.
With the combustion chamber, the scientists at the DLR Institute of Combustion Technology can research synthetic gas with a high percentage of hydrogen under real conditions.
The high-pressure combustor rig Stuttgart (Hochdruckbrennkammer-Prüfstand Stuttgart ; HBK-S) is characterised by an excellent optical access for laser diagnostics. Sophisticated optical diagnostics together with classical measuring techniques allow the development of burner and combustion systems for gas turbines (stationary and aero engines).
A glimpse into the heart of a gas turbine: the combustion chamber.
The future is electric. Efficient, inexpensive and safe batteries are the basis for fully electrically-powered or hybrid vehicles. The Institute of Technical Thermodynamics is working on the development of high-performance batteries with lithium-air and lithium-sulfur architecture. An X-ray diffractometer is used to investigate battery materials.
1978: For the first time, a car in Europe is fuelled with hydrogen.
DLR CC-BY 3.0.


text:
Michael Hale, a U.S. Army veteran, has been devoted to the credit union movement since 1975.
He is a founding member of the African-American Credit Union Coalition and served as the Coalition’s 1st official Chairman.
Mr. Hale served on the Board of the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES) where he served diligently for a number of years. He served on the National Association of Federal Credit Unions Regulatory Affairs Committee, the National Federation of Community Development Credit Union’s Capitalization Program Committee and the Arizona Credit Union League’s Boards as well. Mr. Hale is also a member of the Filene Research Institute Council.
Mr. Hale served as CEO of Andrew’s Airforce Base FCU in Suitland, MD. The credit union grew to over $700 million in assets and expanded into underserved areas of Washington, DC under his leadership.

domain: economics


The official JoJo twitter has released the first visual of our Higashikata Josuke the moment it turned 2017 in Japan!!! OMG THAT HAIR~~~ ? JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable Part 1 opens 4 August 2017.
Ichifure instagram made possibly its final post of 2016. This was one of the filming locations.
In the 1st January, 2017 issue of Hino City’s promotional pamphlet, there are two pages on movie locations within Hino City. Isshuukan Friends. is one of the upcoming movies that have locations in Hino City. The location listed in the […]
Daihatsu Cast Activa released a new CM today, which features the Oigawa Railway in Shizuoka. The CM is titled「SLと並走できる道」 which literally means “path where (one) can run alongside the SL”. SL here refers to “steam locomotive”. 15s version (8MB) 30s […]
I’ve decided to sub this as well ? This is the longest ichifure trailer so far ne, almost 3-1/2 mins, and this version features the theme song “Kanade for Isshuukan Friends.” by Sukima Switch. It’s a really beautiful song, that echoes […]
Finally we have the image of Kento’s role in Satomi Hakkenden 2017 – the lead character, Inuzuka Shino. I’m liking the eye make up this time. Hoping for a CM or trailer for this butai.
Just when I thought we’d have to wait till 2017 for new clips, they’ve decided to give us the theme song version trailer this morning! A 3min 26s collaboration video between “Kanade for Isshuukan Friends.” by Sukima Switch and actual footage […]
T-Joy Niigata Bandai has tweeted more photos of the Isshuukan Friends outfits and props that are on display, including the school uniforms, the diary, Kaori’s lunchbox, pens, pages from the manga etc. The display will be on at the cinema […]
As posted on Isshuukan Friends official Twitter: #山﨑賢人 さんからクリスマスメッセージが到着? 素敵なクリスマスをお過ごしください??#一週間フレンズ#いちフレ#映画 pic.twitter.com/AOKqSEaMpN — 映画「一週間フレンズ。」公式 (@ichifure_movie) December 25, 2016 If you’d like to save the video: (2.10MB) That slight pause after “Merry Christmas”… ?
We arrived in Japan the day before the opening of Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji. That night, we saw Kento on TV walking about in London. He was on “Another Sky”. He was really adorable on this program – he spoke English, he […]


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text:
The Office on Aging is Here to Help
The Office on Aging is Here to Help
You probably have never thought of this. People 55 and older are no different than any other age group in this country.
- They have a fierce desire to be independent.
- They want to be happy and enjoy life to the fullest.
- Spending time and doing things with their friends is enjoyable. Helping those they can provides satisfaction.
- They want to be healthy. They want to be ok physically and mentally.
The Main Role of the Office on Aging – to Serve and Help Those Over 55 in Knoxville and Knox County
That’s where we come in. The CAC Office on Aging where we work is a public nonprofit agency. Our main role is to serve and help all people 55 and older residing in Knoxville and Knox County. We take this very personally. While we help everyone in this age group, our primary focus is on those for whom aging presents the greatest hardship – women, minorities, the poor and those whose health is failing.
This is a big job. We have to assess the needs of those in this age group and align them with resources to meet those needs. There may be public, non-profit or for profit organizations already in place to provide help. Where there are, we act as a referral to these organizations.
In those instances where there is no one meeting a need, we make it known and try to get an organization to take it on. At times, we address the need itself.
The Needs of This Age Group Are Pretty Diverse
Some people are just looking for activities and social programs they can participate in. For them, we have the O’Connor Senior Center. If you want to see what programs are currently available at O’Connor, please check out this webpage, http://www.knoxseniors.org/oconnor.html
For those with more specific needs whether it’s nutrition, transportation, daily living or health related we are here to help. We refer them to outside agencies and support them ourselves when there is no one else to. When working with seniors who have dire needs and no support system, we frequently find ourselves in crisis case management mode.
One of our own programs, to help such individuals, is the Senior Companion Program. Here we match a companion up with a homebound person who needs daily attention and assistance with small tasks such as preparing meals, visiting the doctor, or shopping. Their companion supports and enables the homebound person to maintain their independence with dignity and improve the quality of their later years. Frequently this companion becomes a friend.
Community Partners Rely on the Office on Aging
We work very closely with social workers across the county, including Rita Holt of Amedisys Home Health Care. Rita is very familiar with the Senior Companion Program. She views it as a tremendous asset because there are so many seniors in Knox County who need the help of a senior companion and can’t afford to hire one. Rita recently commented “The Office on Aging of the Knoxville Knox County CAC has the strongest support system for older people I have seen. If I didn’t have resources like this to help out, I would feel sorry for our clients.”
Another partner is Choices in Senior Care. This is an organization which provides assessments and care management for seniors. Their mission is to help these people age well. Recently Elaine Wilson, the Director of Outreach at Choices in Senior Care commented how they work closely with the Office on Aging. She said that if they do an assessment and find the person is not a good fit for their organization, they will refer them to the Office on Aging.
Elaine added “We have always found it easy to work with the Office on Aging. We both have the same objective in mind. When we call the OOA, we always get an immediate response.”
There are about 125 people working at the Office on Aging. If you have had the opportunity to deal with any of us, you probably have seen how passionate we are. Each of us wants to do the best we can to help those who need our services.
If you are 55 or older and want to see what we offer, please check out our website, www.knoxseniors.org. You can also call (865) 524-2786. If you need our help right now, please call us. Likewise — if you have a parent or relative 55 or older who needs help, call us. We’d like to be of service.
We always can use more volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, please call (865) 524-2786. We’re sure we can find the perfect spot for you.

domain: sociology


It’s that time of year when nearly 1,000 people converge on my gym, filling the hallways, classrooms and restrooms, to spend the next few weeks honing their running skills, or for most, starting a brand new running career. They are young, old, fat, thin, male, female. Most are sporting a brand new kit of running gear from head to toe: bright neon jackets with Icebreaker wool shirts and gators sticking out at the neck; Lycra tights that still have their out of the box sheen, and pristine running shoes, with laces still lily-white and toes unstained by mud or rain. They’re loud, laughing, excited; their nervousness is palpable. They cling to their friends and offer disclaimers to the run leaders signing them in. They clutch up in the hallways and block the entrance to the gym, where I must pass through their gauntlet to get to Saturday morning spin class. They sit in the walkways, feet splayed out in fresh new SmartWool socks, begging to trip me, as I make my way past to spend the first part of my Saturday in a dark room on a bike that goes nowhere.
Last year, I hated them. I endured Saturday after Saturday wrestling my way through the rabid run campers to get to spin class. I resented them more each week. Not only were they clogging up the gym, blocking the way and taking our parking spaces, their fresh-faced enthusiasm at fever pitch, but they were running and I was not. Between years of arthritis, a bad ankle and an old hamstring tear, I didn’t think I could ever run again. Biking was going to have to be enough for me. But I watched them week after week: overweight, out of shape people caught up in the flurry with their running peers. I watched them struggle through the snow as they left the building for group runs, their spanking new shoes getting wet and dirty while they straggled along at the back of their group, some not even making it to the street before they tuckered out and walked. And, they inspired me.
So, as everyone knows who’s been reading this blog for a while, I had my own run camp. It lacked the benefit of group camaraderie, lectures from trainers and inspirational talks. But I started training and ended up a runner. Not a fast runner, not a long distance runner, but enough of a runner to satisfy that longing.
So this year, I empathize with them. They are new runners, entering into the unknown, exposing their novice skills to hundreds of others, in the quest to run a 5K, a half, or maybe even a marathon. They’re trying something new where they might fail, might get hurt, or worse, quit before they find out what they could become. Now, when I put up with the inconvenience of hundreds of runners clogging up my gym for a few weeks, it’s okay, because, now I’m one of them.
© Huffygirl 2013
Photos courtesy of http://www.mlive.com


text:
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Voiced by artificial intelligence.
Matthew Karnitschnig is POLITICO’s chief Europe correspondent.
BERLIN — As the coronavirus pandemic raged through the United States last summer, an old school friend from Arizona wrote me full of admiration for Germany’s handling of the crisis.
For years, he, along with other American friends and my family, drew boundless schadenfreude imagining the daily difficulties I must face as an American among the supposedly humorless “krauts.”
But now, as the U.S. struggled to cope with the pandemic, they looked across the Atlantic with envy, even humility. In contrast to the U.S., where politicians had fumbled the pandemic response from the beginning, Germany appeared to many Americans to have done everything right. By any measure, from the availability of PPE to the infection rate, to total deaths, Germany’s handling of COVID-19 was far superior to the U.S.’s.
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How “crazy” it must be, my friend wrote, to be “an American journalist in Germany watching from afar as the U.S. basically falls apart.”
My German friends agreed. I was lucky, they told me, to reside in a country that functions, one led by a trained scientist and not an “incompetent lunatic.”
But six months later (most of them spent in the confines of my home), I don’t feel so lucky.
This week, Germany will enter its fifth-straight month of lockdown with no end in sight. Though infection rates have declined in recent weeks, it remains unclear when schools and shops, not to mention restaurants and bars, will reopen. Amid the uncertainty, small businesses across the country are facing ruin. Such fears, coupled with frustration over the seemingly neverending restrictions, have soured the national mood.
The U.S., meanwhile, is turning the corner. Schools are slowly reopening, unemployment is falling and the economy is slowly rumbling back to life. America’s visceral optimism, which has always befuddled Europeans, has also begun to reemerge.
The reason for this reversal of fortune can be explained in a single word: vaccines.
As of Friday, the U.S. had administered about 68 million doses of coronavirus vaccine, reaching about 14 percent of the population with at least one shot. For its part, Germany had delivered about 5.7 million jabs, covering about 4.5 percent of the population. In other words, less than a third the rate of the U.S. The problem isn’t that Germany doesn’t have enough vaccines but rather that it has been slow to get them into people’s arms. Of the 8.5 million doses Germany has received so far, it has only used 68 percent. That compares to a rate of 75 percent in the U.S.
Germany isn’t just a laggard compared to the U.S. or international standouts like Israel and the U.K. Other EU countries, including neighboring Denmark, have proved more efficient than the purported home of efficiency.
Germany may have spawned some of the world’s biggest and most successful companies, from software giant SAP to BASF to Mercedes, yet somehow it can’t figure out how to accelerate the rollout of a lifesaving vaccine to its own population.
So what happened to Germany’s famed organizational and logistical prowess? It would seem to have disappeared down a fax-line somewhere between Berlin and Brussels.
The reasons for Germany’s vaccination struggle are both structural and political. While the country’s leaders have sought to explain away the problems by pointing to structural hurdles, such as Germany’s decentralized federal structure or the involvement of the EU in procuring vaccines, the most glaring shortcomings are rooted in their own political failures.
Take the fax machines. A technological dinosaur elsewhere in the West, fax machines remain a mainstay in many medical practices and government health offices. That has made coordination across Germany’s nearly 400 health offices particularly difficult. Health Minister Jens Spahn has spent millions trying to put German health care online, so far with only mixed results.
The fax is merely a symptom of a deeper problem, however. Angela Merkel has talked for years of the necessity to “digitalize” German society, a goal that many other advanced economies have long made a reality. Indeed, the first thing many new arrivals in Germany notice is its lack of connectivity, from the dearth of free Wifi in cafes and restaurants to slow internet speeds. The fact that the German federal government itself still employs nearly 1,000 fax machines in its various ministries tells you everything you need to know about how successful Merkel’s digital revolution is.
That said, the 1970s technology is comparatively modern to the pen and paper still in use across Germany’s medical profession. That a government can’t rely on antiquated communications tools to immunize Germany’s 83 million inhabitants quickly should be obvious.
Yet it’s not, especially to those Germans (a majority of the population) worried about that holiest of all German rights – Datenschutz (data privacy).
As part of its deal with BioNTech-Pfizer, Israel, which has immunized more than half its population of 9 million, agreed to provide the drugmaker with a wide swath of anonymous data on those receiving the vaccination, including age and gender. The data agreement was one reason Israel was at the front of the line for vaccine deliveries.
In privacy-obsessed Germany, the idea of embracing such data collection meets a lot of resistance.
It is important “that we undertake as many confidence-building measures as possible and prioritize Datenschutz in order to build trust in immunizations,” Merkel said earlier this month.
In other words, any German who dies of COVID-19 because they didn’t get a vaccine on time can take solace in the knowledge that her data will be safe and secure in the ever after.
What’s particularly striking to an outsider like me about Germany’s handling of the pandemic is the amount of energy the country puts into identifying and dissecting the problems, rather than resolving them.
For months, millions of Germans have tuned into one of the country’s nightly primetime political talk shows to watch their leaders talk about the pandemic, often out of both sides of their mouths.
The coronaporn attracts an audience with a false promise of fresh insight (the title of one recent such program: “Lockdown instead of a way forward – Is there really no alternative to Germany’s pandemic strategy?”) only to leave the questions unanswered, sending viewers to bed unfulfilled.
Most of the discussions revolve around the question of who should be held responsible for the mess.
These days, most fingers are pointing in Spahn’s direction. And while the minister is no doubt guilty of overpromising and underdelivering on everything from the speed of the vaccine rollout to the availability of self-administered coronavirus tests, I’ve been struck by how little criticism his boss has received.
Just as Germans were confounded by the allegiance of millions of Americans to Donald Trump in the face of his obvious incompetence, I’m mystified by Germans’ willingness to give Merkel a pass on her management of the pandemic. Despite the deep problems with Germany’s COVID-19 response and the uncertain outlook, Merkel remains the country’s most popular politician with an approval rating approaching 70 percent.
History is unlikely to be so forgiving.
Merkel’s biggest mistake during the pandemic — arguably of her entire tenure as chancellor — came last June when she agreed to strip responsibility from her own government to procure vaccines and hand it to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Of the many qualities von der Leyen showed in her years in Merkel’s Cabinet, competence was rarely among them. That’s why it should have surprised virtually no one that the procurement process turned into a fiasco, marked by protracted negotiations and delays, which will force Germany and other EU countries to maintain restrictions for much longer than would have otherwise been necessary. Even if Germany had gotten its act together on the logistics of delivering the vaccines to its citizens, it would have quickly run out anyway due to the lack of supply.
A wiser course would have been for Germany, which had formed a negotiating alliance with France, Italy and the Netherlands, to proceed in talks with the drug companies, negotiating and even footing the bill to vaccinate the entire EU in a beau geste of European solidarity.
Of course, that would have only worked if scientist Merkel had remembered how and where to produce enough vaccine. She need only have listened to Bill Gates who had been raising alarm bells for months over the need to ensure adequate production capacity.
Instead, Germany and Europe did next to nothing, letting the lull in the pandemic over the summer come and go only to realize early this year that the drug companies faced massive production shortfalls.
“We need a massive state subsidy to build out vaccine production,” Clemens Fuest, the head of the Ifo Institut, a Munich-based economic think tank, said this week.
The immunization delays, he warned, are throttling Germany’s economy, a fact the country’s political class seems to take in stride as they bemoan the inevitability of it all on television. The violations of citizens’ basic rights, be they to run a business, receive an education or simply meet with friends in the park, is only temporary, they assure us.
This summer, my old school friend was hoping to visit us in Berlin.
By the look of things, it’s probably better if we go see him in Arizona instead.

domain: news


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A common feature of early trade contacts was an intensification of tribal warfare. Many chiefs were quick to realize the possibilities that firearms offered for strengthening their power. Warfare became more bloody and more decisive. Kamehameha in the Hawaiian Islands, Cakobau in the Fiji Islands, Pomare in Tahiti, Taufa'ahau in the Tonga Islands, Hongi Ika in New Zealand, and many other chiefs attempted, with varying success, to extend their rule and establish kingdoms on European models. The more successful ones introduced European court ceremonies, even though the crown might be made of pasteboard. These monarchies were expensive, and the debts of the kings led to intrigue that resulted in increased foreign control.
ENGLISH AND FRENCH RIVALRY
By the time of the great eighteenth-century voyages in the Pacific, Spain had ceased to be a major power. She secured the Carolines and Marshalls and made a few efforts to secure Tahiti but did not offer much competition in the rivalry for Pacific islands that developed in the nineteenth century. Britain and France, the two most powerful European nations, had led in the exploration of the Pacific and acquired, during the nineteenth century, most of the more desirable islands. The explorers of both nations had made conflicting claims to their discoveries. The traders and others who followed continued to make claims. Missionaries and planters were loud in their cries for assistance from their home governments in their troubles with natives and nationals of other countries. This rivalry long delayed annexation, as neither of the home governments in Paris or London considered the Pacific islands worth a war. French attention to New Zealand in the 1820's and the 1830's brought British colonists and annexation in 1840. France took advantage of local troubles to establish a protectorate over Tahiti in 1842 although she did not annex the Society Islands outright until 1874.
The French barely nosed out the British in New Caledonia. The island was discovered by Cook in 1774, but he did not leave a very impressive account of it. The next visitor was the French navigator D'Entrecasteaux, who gave a more favorable description. In due time the French government began to take an interest in this part of the Pacific. In 1843 some missionaries were sent on a warship and the French flag was raised. The missionaries proved too anxious in securing land and were mistreated by the natives. When word of this reached France there was agitation for annexation. The French heard a well-founded rumor that the British were about to annex the island in 1853 and sent an order to their Pacific squadron to annex the island if the British had not already done so. The British captain was slow and, as a result, the French secured the island and its great mineral resources.
THE GERMANS AND THE JAPANESE
France and Britain had secured title to most of the important Pacific islands when the Germans appeared on the scene. German interest in the Pacific was first represented by commercial companies located in Bremen and Hamburg. During the 1840's German vessels began to appear in the Pacific with increasing frequency. The Hamburg firm of Godeffroy, the most aggressive of these, had branches in Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, and New Guinea. After the unification of the German Empire in Europe, Bismarck was finally won over to the policy of securing colonies. In 1884 Germany annexed northeastern New Guinea and the New Britannia (now Bismarck) Islands over the bitter protests of Australia. She managed to secure a few additional islands in the part of the Pacific that Britain and France had not already effectively occupied. German interest in the Carolines and Marshalls brought Spanish colonies to those islands during the 1880's. However, Spain lost the Philippines and Guam in the Spanish American War and had no interest in such poor and remote islands. In 1899 Germany was able to buy them for $4,000,000 and to divide the Samoan Islands with the United States.
Japan appears to have had some contact with the Carolines and Marianas through fishermen before Magellan crossed the Pacific. However, her first real action came in 1890 when she forced a chief on one of the Marshall atolls to apologize for the murder of shipwrecked Japanese fishermen. In the same year the first of some small Japanese trading firms was established in the Carolines. By 1912 Japanese traders were established in Palau, Truk, Ponape, and the Marianas. In 1914 Japan, with the agreement of Great Britain, seized the German islands north of the equator. After the war these were given to her as a mandate from the League of Nations. Australia received the German possessions south of the equator with the exception of western Samoa, which went to New Zealand.

domain: library


text:
(CNN) -- A powerful snowstorm barreled east through the Midwest on Sunday, bringing with it more precipitation and gusty winds and leaving behind a trail of significant damage, large snow drifts and subarctic temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.
Winter storm warnings and advisories Sunday extended as far west as Illinois, as far east as Pennsylvania, and as far south as northern Alabama and Georgia.
Meanwhile, residents of the upper Midwest who braved at-times blizzard conditions on Saturday faced the prospect Sunday night of wind chills dipping, in spots, as low as 30 degrees below zero. This comes after up to 23 inches of snow fell in parts of Minnesota and as many as 18.5 inches in Wisconsin since Friday.
"We could see wind chills (that are) obviously extremely dangerous for people, to have that kind of exposure for any length of time," said Tod Pritchard, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Emergency Management agency.
See road conditions in severely affected states: Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota
After prompting the closure of highways in Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and elsewhere a day earlier, the storm wreaked havoc with air travel Sunday.
About 1,375 flights in and out of Chicago's O'Hare airport had been canceled as of 4:45 p.m. (5:45 p.m. ET), the city's aviation department reported, with delays for travelers heading to and from the Windy City averaging around just over 6 hours. Another 300 flights had been canceled at nearby Midway airport.
"The main problem ... right now is the winds," said Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride. "The winds are very high and gusting very strongly, and we do have lake-effect snow as well."
The headaches, though, went far beyond Chicago. On Sunday evening, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and Newark, New Jersey's Liberty airports reported delays of roughly two-and-a-half hours, slightly longer than that experienced at Boston's Logan airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Those were just a few of the many airports, and many more flights, affected as high winds, low visibility and heavy snow crippled traffic for a second straight day.
Delta Air Lines spokeswoman Leslie Parker said as of 5 p.m., the airline had canceled 748 flights nationwide. American Airlines had called off 272 departures from O'Hare, out of more than 400 nationwide, said spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagas.
iReport: Treacherous conditions in Minnesota
United had canceled about 350 departures, mostly from Chicago, an airline spokeswoman said, while partner Continental nixed 125 such flights from Chicago, Cleveland, Ohio, and Newark, New Jersey. JetBlue canceled 128 flights due to the storm, said spokesman Mateo Lleras.
The pounding snow caused the roof of the 64,000-seat Metrodome in Minneapolis to "deflate" Sunday morning, Minnesota State Patrol spokesman Lt. Eric Roeske said. Workers wielding shovels could be seen clearing the roof of the heavy white stuff, while photos from inside the darkened stadium showed much of the field covered with snow that fell from a gaping hole in the dome.
"Obviously the weight of the snow would affect how much air pressure is necessary to keep that roof up," Roeske said. "Something caused that air pressure not to be strong enough or high enough to keep that roof at its normal position."
Roy Terwilliger, chairman of the Minneapolis Metro Sports Commission -- the group that oversees the Metrodome -- said the heavy snow and cold, high winds "was too much pressure on the dome and several panels on the Teflon roof were caused to rip."
Sunday's game between the hometown Minneapolis Vikings and New York Giants has been pushed to Monday at 7:20 p.m. ET and moved 540 miles southeast to Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, the NFL said in a statement Sunday. All those with tickets to the originally scheduled game would get preferred seating near the 50-yard line and free tickets would be distributed, the league said.
Even with the snow and winds subsiding, road travel remained perilous in much of Minnesota. St. Paul, for one, declared a second snow emergency through early Monday to expedite plowing of city streets.
"The big problem is ice under the snow, making it really slick and really hazardous," said St. Clair resident Alan Scott.
In Wisconsin, Gov. Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency for 72 counties to facilitate the movement of emergency resources and personnel who were activated Saturday, he said in a statement. We Energies reported 10,000 power outages across the state Sunday, said Barry McNulty, a spokesman for the company.
In Iowa, snow had subsided in some areas but emergency workers were coping with more than 1,000 power outages, a state emergency spokesman said.
Greyhound bus service along the Omaha-Des Moines route was expected to resume later Sunday. Some bus travelers at the Des Moines bus station had been stuck there since Saturday night. Greyhound spokeswoman Maureen Richmond said pizza was brought in for those passengers due to the inconvenience.
Patti Thompson, a spokeswoman for the emergency services in Illinois, said Sunday that northern counties were getting the worst of the weather Sunday afternoon and that Department of Transportation teams were working to clear roads. No power outages have been reported, she said.
While many states saw snow Sunday, the expected accumulation of a few inches in most locales paled compared to what hit Wisconsin and Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
The reach of the storm system continues to expand. Hard freeze warnings, for instance, extended as far south as Florida, with the weather service forecasting 13-degree wind chills on Monday night in Tallahassee.
Still, not everyone in the United States was shivering. Parts of southern California were experiencing record-warm temperatures with high temperatures Sunday above 80 degrees.
CNN's T.J. Holmes, Helena DeMoura and Adam Shivers contributed to this report.


LONDON--Hammerson PLC (HMSO.LN), which provides property investment and development services, Monday posted a rise in full year profit on strong demand for retail property.
The company recorded a pretax profit of 326.3 million pounds ($546.4 million) for the year ended Dec. 31, compared with GBP93.5 million a year earlier. Including discontinued operations, pretax profit was up to GBP341.2 million from GBP142.2 million in 2012.
Gross rental income rose to GBP321.2 million from GBP297.6 million the company said in a statement.
EPRA per share earnings, a key figure watched by analysts rose 10.5% to 23.1 pence from 20.9 pence in 2012.
EPRA is the European Public Real Estate Association, an industry body which develops policies for standards of reporting disclosure, ethics and industry practices.
Hammerson Chief Executive Officer David Atkins said the company remains on course to deliver strong growth in earnings and dividends over the medium term.
Shares in Hammerson closed Friday at 543 pence, valuing the company at GBP3.87 billion.
Write to Razak Musah Baba at email@example.com; Twitter: @Raztweet


text:
The David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) congratulates the Corporation of Delta for securing yesterday 1,000 acres to be added to the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area.
"This is great news for wetlands conservation and a model we hope other Lower Mainland municipalities will follow," says Michelle Molnar, an Environmental Economist with the David Suzuki Foundation.
"Our natural capital research has shown how incredibly valuable wetlands like Burns Bog are in sequestering carbon, treating waste, preventing flooding and stabilizing the climate," Molnar says. "This additional land being added to Burns Bog, which includes wetlands, forests, riparian buffer, lakes and rivers, is valued at between about $1.7 million and $40 million."
"We're encouraged that local and regional governments, along with conservation societies, are leading the way in demonstrating that it's not only possible to conserve these valuable ecosystems through concerted planning efforts, but to grow them."
The Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area will expand from 2,023 ha (5,000 acres) to 2,428 ha (6,000 acres) by adding eight parcels of land. Delta Council asked staff in 2005 and 2010 to identify Delta-owned parcels of land that have ecological attributes to include in the conservancy.
The bog was purchased in 2004 by four levels of government and is protected by Delta and Metro Vancouver. Council also approved the transfer of 50 per cent ownership of the Delta Nature Reserve and some Burns Bog parcels to Metro Vancouver.
The David Suzuki Foundation is working with government and community partners on efforts to restore and conserve aquatic ecosystems in the Lower Mainland.
DSF's Nearshore Natural Capital Valuation report estimates that the Lower Mainland's marine ecosystems provide between $30 billion and $60 billion in economic value to residents every year.
For more information:
Theresa Beer, David Suzuki Foundation, Communications 778-874-3396

domain: biology