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Medical insurance for expatriates
As part of an aid program or international cooperation, volunteers and employees can be required to relocate for several weeks or months. This temporary expatriation presents many challenges; remaining healthy is one of the most important ones. Residing in another country requires individuals to familiarize themselves with the local healthcare system and to understand the significant costs of healthcare received away from their home country. It is therefore of the utmost importance for expatriates and liaison officers to have appropriate medical insurance coverage for themselves and their families. International medical insurances covers medical and hospital care expenses for any accident or disease that may occur. Such insurance guarantees financial peace of mind and assistance with unforeseen medical problems which could arise.
In addition to daily health management, security is another aspect that requires health insurance coverage when travelling in less economically developed countries, social tension or armed conflict. One can only really grasp the local reality after weeks living within a new society. Local customs and foreign cultures blur the actual risks for the individual in the process of getting used to this society. Expatriate protection takes into account the unique features of the host country. Whether the working for a non-profit or of a non-governmental organization, inadequate medical protection should not hinder the expatriate’s local actions targeting international cooperation, solidarity between communities, mutual cooperation, and exploration of the world.
The second factor in evaluating good travel insurance for expats is basic care that covers medical consultation for the purpose of obtaining a prescription. Medication expenses have a severe impact on a family budget when the actual cost of uninsured prescription drugs is not taken into account.
The third factor to be scrutinized in insurance contracts concerns the provisions for repatriation assistance or emergency medical evacuation. The amount must cover 100% of the actual costs and the global amount of the coverage must be appropriate. Great attention should be given with regard to search and rescue expenses; if you are reported missing in a zone and search is required to locate you, the expenses incurred for these interventions is not covered by medical insurance and assistance. The only fees considered eligible under this insurance coverage are evacuation expenses once you are located.
This coverage is all the more important since the situation in your destination country can suddenly deteriorate during your stay. A seemingly safe country or city can be transformed due to unexpected disruptions. In the long term, having medical insurance that covers any risk, either proven or to come, warrants peace of mind. Such a provision avoids the dread of finding oneself ineligible for war risk coverage, and provides time to decide whether to remain abroad or return home.
The highlights of this coverage are as follows:
- Hospitalization and surgical care are covered at 100% of actual costs and up to one million dollars ($1M).
- Expenses for outpatient hospital consultations, medical and surgical care by a doctor, and anesthetist fees are covered at 100% of actual costs and up to one million dollars ($1M).
- Prescribed medication, antibiotics and vaccinations, radiography and medical analyses are covered at 100% of the actual costs and up to one million dollars ($1M).
- Dental care in case of accident.
- Repatriation and preparation of the remains, in the event of death.
This insurance plan covers war risk. Premiums are based on the destination.
Coverage for accidental death and dismemberment is also available; the policyholder can determine the amount for which she or he wishes to be insured in such cases.
For the complete details of this coverage, please request a quote online:
Toll-free in Canada and the United States • 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST
Worldwide • 9:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. EST
The support center, open 24/7, must approve all surgical procedures and medical treatments before they are carried out. This requirement does not apply in extreme cases where waiting for preliminary approval would delay a surgical procedure deemed necessary to correct a serious life-threatening situation.
Generally, thoroughly acknowledging all your insurance policy clauses before your departure will guarantee a better experience if you should need to use your medical insurance. If you have any doubt whatsoever about the contents of your insurance policy, you should contact your advisor to obtain further explanation so you are able to travel worry-free.
It should be noted that insurance does not generally cover medical or hospital treatment if a trip is taken specifically to obtain these medical or hospital services, regardless of whether or not the trip was recommended by a doctor.
- Get any regular medication that you are likely to require for a three- to six-month period while you stay abroad.
- Find out about mandatory or recommended vaccinations for your destination.
- Check regularly for any changes to the advisory that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your country issues concerning travel to your destination country.

domain: finance


Round Two: What Happened to My Social Security COLA?
It's that time of year again, when people start asking whether Social Security recipients will receive a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). And it appears that the answer is, once again, "no." As Donald Marron said on his blog recently:
It looks like 2011 will be another year without a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security recipients. Why? Because consumer prices haven’t yet returned to the peak they reached in the third quarter of 2008, when the 2009 COLA was set.
Provided there is no major increase in the CPI-W in September, Marron is absolutely right. One reason why prices haven't rebounded to their 2008 level is that the 2008 level itself was so high. COLAs are measured by their third-quarter-to-third quarter increase, and, as you might remember, the third quarter in 2008 was when oil prices hit $150 per barrel and gas prices were north of $4 per gallon. The result of this timing was a CPI level that was unusually high, leading to a large 5.8 percent cost-of-living increase for 2009. Prices, especially oil prices, dropped precipitously after the summer of 2008 and they haven't increased to that level since.
Social Security recipients are in better shape now than they could have been. As Marron says, if Social Security benefits simply followed the CPI-W (going up and down in line with overall prices in the economy), they would actually be below 2009 benefit levels right now. But since benefits never are cut, they have stayed flat, meaning that real benefits have actually increased. Normally, COLAs keep real benefits flat. Ironically, deflation leads to a better outcome for seniors' COLAs than inflation does.
The chart below shows how a hypothetical $1,000 benefit in 2005 would increase or decrease based on different COLA rules: the current one that has a zero bound and an alternative one that allows for negative COLAs.
When the no-COLA announcement was made in October 2009 for benefits in 2010, there were many calls for an ad-hoc COLA or a one-time payment to seniors, as the Obama Administration advocated. Luckily, advocates were rebuffed (well, not really--see below). This year seems to be no different; in fact, Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) beat everyone to the punch by introducing a bill in July that would make a $250 one-time payment in the event of a no-COLA year. In the words of Charles Barkley, "that's a terrible idea."
(It seems that lawmakers were actually able to sneak-in a one-time payment to seniors this year--just under a different guise. Under the health care reform act, Medicare Part D beneficiaries will be receiving a $250 check to help them deal with the "donut hole", or the coverage gap between a beneficiary's maximum deductible under their drug plan and the threshold where catastrophic coverage would kick in. Measures in the health care reform package will gradually close this coverage gap, but to "hold beneficiaries over", the federal government will be sending them $250. "Coincidentally", the Medicare Part D and Social Security cover nearly all of the same people . Even under the guise of health reform, lawmakers just couldn't resist the urge to pander to seniors.)
Politico mentioned the possibility in passing the other day that some lawmakers may support using the credit on the PAYGO scorecard to pay for any sort of COLA measure, though nothing specific has been brought up yet. The $43 billion in "credits" on the PAYGO scorecard are the savings that have been accumulated by bills passed this year; most of the savings come from health care reform. Under the PAYGO law, Congress would technically be able to pass a bill such as the one-time payments using these savings as offsets. (Note that Congress could instead decide to use the PAYGO credit to pay for extending tax cuts for upper-income earners.) Again, these are all terrible ideas that would reflect poor policymaking and poor fiscal decision making.
But some of these ideas are even worse than others:
- The worst outcome would be an ad-hoc COLA, since such an action would institute a permanent change in the Social Security system by making benefits higher (indefinitely) than they would have been.
- Also very bad would be a one-time payment to seniors that was designated as "emergency spending"--thus waiving the requirement that it be paid for. This would at least be only tempory, but it would add to the debt and set a bad precedent.
- Nearly as bad would be a one-time payment that used credits on the PAYGO scorecard -- that would at least eliminate the ability of lawmakers to use those hard-earned credits for something else.
- Though a one-time payment to beneficiaries that was fully offset would do the least fiscal damange, it is poor policy nonetheless. Such a payment is unjustified given that real benefits will aleady be higher than in 2009. And it will take away a policy change which could have been potentially used for deficit reduction.
Getting the message? Any way you frame it, it's just a bad idea. If prices do not drastically increase this month, any type of COLA or one-time payment to seniors in 2011 would be plain old political pandering.
Many of the credits on the PAYGO scorecard (in fact, over $44 billion) were put there by health reform's savings from Medicare Advantage and cuts to Medicare providers over the coming decade. (Note: these numbers should not be confused with the $143 billion in deficit reduction over ten years.) Those deficit savings were hard-earned, and the public was promised that health reform would reduce the deficit. Policymakers must not use those credits to pay for other initiatives.
Not making the deficit any worse is the first step--but we need to start lowering them. Lawmakers must resist the temptation to enact an ad-hoc COLA.


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Time to honour Metro promise
Dublin Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the news that the Government is looking to speed up the construction of the Metro North rail link.
The Chamber said that the building of the line, which will run from the city centre to Dublin Airport and on to Swords, is 'urgently needed to address ever-worsening congestion in Dublin'.
The Chamber said that Metro North will provide a transport solution for Dublin Airport, but also the fast-growing North County Dublin region.
According to Dublin Chamber CEO Mary Rose Burke: 'A new rail link is needed not only to serve Dublin Airport, but also to cater for the additional 40,000-plus people who will be commuting into Dublin city centre from north county Dublin by 2023.'
Local councillor, Cllr Justin Sinnott (NP) also welcomed the news but said 'the residents of North County Dublin have heard similar promises before so a degree of caution and scepticism is understandable'.
Commenting on the announcement Cllr Justin Sinnott stated: 'Swords needs Metro North to happen in the short term.
'The area is projected to grow substantially over the next decade.
'We need a permanent sustainable transport infrastructure and Metro North gives us that.
'It has to be the priority infrastructure project for Dublin. We need more than just announcements. We need a start date for the project.'

domain: economics


text:
This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.
Latitude: 55.3333 / 55°19'59"N
Longitude: -1.5833 / 1°34'59"W
OS Eastings: 426535
OS Northings: 604434
OS Grid: NU265044
Mapcode National: GBR K6DR.0Z
Mapcode Global: WHC20.N68S
Plus Code: 9C7W8CM8+8M
Entry Name: Gate Piers, Gates and Paddock Walls to North of the Vicarage
Listing Date: 15 September 1988
Source: Historic England
Source ID: 1238519
English Heritage Legacy ID: 416049
Location: Amble By the Sea, Northumberland, NE65
Civil Parish: Amble by the Sea
Built-Up Area: Amble
Traditional County: Northumberland
Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Northumberland
Church of England Parish: Amble
Church of England Diocese: Newcastle
AMBLE CHURCH STREET
13/48 Gate piers, gates
and paddock walls
to north of
Gate piers, gates and paddock walls, 1876 but re-using early C18 gate piers.
Walls snecked stone with cut dressings, piers cut stone; gates wrought iron.
Rectangular paddock has walls c.1.5 metre high with gabled coping; gateway
on east has rusticated piers with flat-topped moulded caps. Similar but
smaller piers flank main gate adjacent to north-east corner of paddock and
hold double gates with S C (St. Cuthbert) in scrolly ironwork; similar
pedestrian gate between west pier and paddock wall.
C20 bus-shelter backing on to west end of north wall is not of interest.
Included for group value with Vicarage and St. Cuthbert's Church.
Listing NGR: NU2653504434
This text is from the original listing, and may not necessarily reflect the current setting of the building.
Other nearby listed buildings

domain: history


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Check-in by dusk
PLEASE CALL FOR AVAILABILITY
explore the huge diversity of
attractions and activities on and off the lake. Also included are accommodations, restaurants,services and links to much more.
Take a few minutes to check out our online souvenir shop which has
rt 66, RV, Grand Lake and various other products
Wake to the sounds of birds singing and relax to their songs throughout the day. Geese waddle by, pelicans float past & occasionally an eagle is spotted
on the shoreline.
We are a pet-friendly park as long as pets follow the rules which are based
on consideration of others in the park...pets must be pre-approved...
Grand Country Lakeside RV Park is a private, year-round, pet friendly, full hookup RV park that serves the over 55 community. We are located 1 mile east of the Bernice/Horse Creek Bridge, a quarter mile off of highway 85A on S 550 Rd; being off the highway is great for peace and quiet plus we are competitively priced for a great value with the best amenities.
At Grand Country you will enjoy Rustic relaxation in a park-like setting with incredible lake view sunrises for those who enjoy early mornings and stunning sunsets for a spectacular evening. Take advantage of lake access down a gentle slope to the lake and a natural shoreline that is home to deer, herons, egrets, geese, turtles and pelicans.
Featuring 30 and 50 amp full hook-ups, fishing, fish cleaning station, nature trail, a chipping range, an enclosed pavilion and a storm shelter. Centrally located on Grand Lake; Groceries, a bait shop, restaurants, a laundromat and a medical clinic are all located within a mile.
The Grand Country is an adult (over 55) RV Park
contact Grand Country regarding under age GUESTS
DAILY RV SPACES START AT $35/night MONTHLY SITES START AT $300 plus electric
DAILY...WEEKLY...MONTHLY...ANNUAL SPACES AVAILABLE... WI FI INCLUDED ON MOST SITES
30/50 AMP - FULL HOOKUPS - SHOWERS - ENCLOSED PAVILION - STORM SHELTER - NATURE TRAIL
Grand Country Lakeside R V Park is an adult (over 55) park-like campground on Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma. The RV Park is approx. 13 miles to Grove, 15 miles to Vinita and close to Monkey Island, Bernice, Afton, Cleora, Ketchum and Langley
is an onsite full-service sign shop located in the R V park which provides RV graphics.
From a simple graphic, added stripes or a window graphic, we can help you customize your rv.
We have files of photos or can send you to places (online) to find just the right pic or rv graphic.
Have a favorite pic? We can find just the right place to exhibit it on your rv.
We have added a 150 yard golf chip/iron practice range...
These are in the grass with no bells and whistles but fun for those who need an excuse to be out enjoying the scenery.
You could enjoy the view above
from your rear window for $350/mo plus electric. Contact us for details and restrictions.

domain: travel


text:
We spent months selecting the school for the right education to land our dream job. We probably weren’t sure what that dream job was, but we knew it was out there. While studying hard and gearing up for the “real world,” we found our self asking “where should I focus my education?” and, “what jobs should I target when I graduate?” Until finally, after careful consideration, we picked a major. This decision may have been based on pure passion for an area of study, or a drive to work in a specific type of environment, or could have even been made based on family pressure to select a career path in which our parents or other family members had been successful. The list of reasons why we chose the specific major could go on and on, but, once decided, it can be hard to turn to a new direction.
Fast forward to today: our alarm goes off, we open our eyes and BOOM, we’re hit with a feeling of dread. It’s a feeling where we can physically feel our body tense at the thought of having to face yet another day at our job.
We think to our self, “I come from a long line of [INSERT POSITION HERE]/I’ve always dreamed of a career in the [INSERT FIELD HERE]. Why am I not as successful as my colleagues seem to be? Why are they so excited by this work when all I can think is, “Great, I have to do this again?’”
Instead of blaming ourselves for not being as engaged as our colleagues, let’s stop and ask, “Am I not right for my job or is my job not right for me?”
To help answer questions like this, behavioral assessments like The Predictive Index®, can be eye opening. By looking at four primary behaviors, dominance, extroversion, patience and formality, PI® can help us to better understand what behaviors naturally drive and motivate us. PI® can also demonstrate where our natural behaviors are in line with the behaviors required for top performance and where other behaviors may not align as well with the demands of the job.
Let’s take an accounting role for example. When key stakeholders think about which behaviors are required for top performance in this type of role, they may agree that successful candidates/employees are:
- Autonomous in problem solving
- Prefer facts and data over social interaction
- Comfortable with routine and repetitive work
- Cautious, risk-averse and “by the book”
If being in accounting is your dream job but you are naturally driven and motivated by:
- Collaborative team work
- Opportunities to influence, persuade and interact
- Variety, multitasking and change
- Flexibility, informality and spontaneity
The reality of the work and environment may be a struggle. We all adjust on a daily basis, but some adjustments are just too extreme to withstand for extended periods of time. You may need to consider other aspects that let you exercise your natural strengths either within or outside of your field. By utilizing tools like The Predictive Index®, employers can not only identify and gain agreement about which behaviors are required for top performance, but you can also gain better self-awareness around what will energize you versus what may leave you not feeling fulfilled.
To learn more about how tools like the Predictive Index® can help with self-awareness, selection, employee engagement and much more, visit mcgpartners.com.
About the Author: Erinne Tripp
About MCG Partners
MCG Partners a woman-owned, Greater Boston-based consultancy specializing in executive coaching, leadership development, talent management, and organizational development solutions. We help businesses optimize success through the entire management life-cycle. MCG Partners is also a Predictive Index® (PI®) certified partner.
To learn more about MCG Partners’ services or The Predictive Index®, contact John Griffith at firstname.lastname@example.org or visit mcgpartners.com.

domain: psychology


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127. by-laws of the Federal Chancellor concerning the scope of the Convention on environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context
After release of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, following further States have their instruments of ratification, approval or accession to the Convention on environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context (BGBl. III No. 201/1997, last proclamation of the scope BGBl. III No. 155/2001) deposited:
Date of deposit of the instrument of ratification, approval or accession:
November 10, 2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina
December 14, 2009
August 8, 2002
France (excluding French Polynesia)
June 15, 2001
July 25, 2002
October 20, 2010
July 9, 2009
December 18, 2007 on the occasion of the deposit of its instrument of approval France has adopted the following declaration:
The Government of the French Republic declared that it joins the declarations of the European Commission, at the signing of this Convention, as well as when depositing the instrument of ratification of the community, and emphasizes in particular, that: - in its relations with the Member States of the European Union, France will use the Convention in accordance with the internal rules of the Union, including the set in the Euratom Treaty,
-If the public in the party of origin is supplied with information by public distribution of the EIA documentation, the notice to the affected party must be not later than through the party of origin for distribution of the documentation;
-The Convention that it is the responsibility of the respective Contracting Party to ensure the public distribution of the EIA documentation within their territory, to inform the public and to gather their opinions, unless other bilateral agreements shall apply.
It lays down that all projects for which an application for authorization or approval is required, and that already have been submitted to the competent authority at the time when this Convention in France in force, should be subject to the Convention. Finally, it lays down that the word "national" paragraph 8 of the Convention referring to be understood in article 2 on the national laws, national regulations, national regulations and generally accepted national legal practices.
A further communication from the Secretary-General of the United Nations according to Dänemark1 said on December 12, 2001, that the Convention with effect from 14 March 1997 on the Faroe Islands and Greenland shall apply.

domain: law


text:
a girl that distorts reality and has no conscious and lives her life only to screw people over. A typical schizobitch must always be right, lives in her own universe, does not shower, abuses her friends and makes a general mockery of morality and ethics. In addition, persons that are deemed schizobitch often cry over nothing, attract attention to themselves for self-gratification, pathoogically lie and stab others in the back as well as twisting a dagger in their hearts.
She is a schizobitch
by the new new york May 28, 2006

domain: sociology


text:
Damon Lindelof took to Instagram with an explanation for his upcoming HBO Watchmen television series. And he’s never stirred a pot as furiously boiled over as the Watchmen pot!
Swamp Thing series, Blumhouse on TV, Aja meets Raimi + more, all on this installment of The Week in Horror.
Anticipation in our home is high for Teen Titans GO! To The Movies, which just offered up a new trailer for our watching pleasure.
Today marks a very special occasion: DC Comics’ publication of the 1000th issue of Action Comics, the monthly series that started it all for Superman, decades ago.
The fine folks at DC just revealed the cover art for Batman #50, where Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle tie the knot.
Or will they?
For the better part of a year, DC Comics have been publishing the six-issue mini-series, Dark Nights: Metal. Today, the series comes to a ridiculously epic conclusion.
This week I swung by BMV and picked up two fresh trades from my two favourite super teams: Teen Titans and The X-Men!
Who would win in a battle between Jack the Ripper and Batman? Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola asked that question nearly 30 years ago in their comic book Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. Now, in 2018, the story has been brought to the animated DC Universe.
Speaking of “winter” and “shots”, DC Comics, who have been on a veritable tear recently with a number of fascinating publications (many of which have been featured in this column), is releasing a winter-themed one-shot. Perfect timing.
Hawkman’s been found ‘Hawkman Found #1’ and the last Wednesday Run of 2017.
There’s time! There’s time! You still have time! I know: you’re looking to buy that perfect, mid-priced, comic book collection for a friend or loved one as a gift for … Continue reading Holiday Gift Guide 2017: Comic Book Collections Part 2
It’s the week before the Christmas holiday! Some of you might already be neck-deep in celebrating cultural festivities, but there’s probably ample opportunity for you, regardless of the holiday you … Continue reading Holiday Gift Guide 2017: Comic Book Collections Part 1

domain: hobby


The Czech foreign minister, Lubomír Zaorálek, says all possible action must be taken to prevent the possible breakup of Ukraine. Mr. Zaorálek told Czech Television that the only legitimate force in the country was its parliament. It voted to dismiss President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the capital Kiev after opposition forces gained the upper hand. Speaking on TV Prima, Mr. Zaorálek said if Ukraine split into a pro-Western part and a part oriented towards Russia it would create a dividing line between individual spheres of influence.
Doris Grozdanovičová: the girl with the sheep in Terezín
Czech government sends Brussels explanation of why it has not taken in refugees
“My granny always called them ‘the boys’” – how Kubiš and Gabčík were taken in by England’s Ellison family
Czechs say Italy and Greece failed to allow them to carry out full background checks on refugees
Video of Čech, warning fellow Arsenal players not to lift trophy, gains attention of fans


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Otherwise you have no protection against getting the virus. I mean err...actually it doesn't matter? WTF...but Joe's symptoms are more minor than if he had one booster.
It is a vaccine right?
Biden had received a second booster. Here’s why it wasn’t enough to prevent infection.
President Biden received his second Covid-19 booster shot at the White House on March 30.
By Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times
July 21, 2022
President Biden’s coronavirus infection is a stark illustration that the Covid vaccines, powerful as they are, are far from the bulletproof shields that scientists once hoped for.
Mr. Biden has received multiple doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; his most recent shot, a second booster, was on March 30. Studies suggest that those doses will provide a powerful bulwark against severe illness — and indeed, the president has only mild symptoms so far after testing positive on Thursday, according to the White House.
But even booster doses offer little defense against infection, particularly with the most recent versions of the virus. What protection they do offer wanes sharply and quickly, several studies have shown. In the president’s case, the booster shot he received nearly four months ago is likely to have lost most of its potency at preventing infection.
Earlier in the pandemic, experts believed that the vaccines would be enough to forestall not just severe disease, but also the vast majority of infections. And that was true when earlier versions of the virus, including the Delta variant, swept the globe.
But the Omicron variant upended those hopes. As more of the population gained some immunity, whether from infection or vaccines, the virus evolved to dodge those defenses. BA.1, the subvariant of Omicron that circulated over the winter, was adept at causing infections even in those who had received a booster dose just weeks earlier.
Each subsequent avatar of the virus has become still better at sidestepping immunity. BA.5, which now accounts for nearly 80 percent of cases in the United States, is the most wily yet. Detailed data collected in Qatar suggests that immunity from previous infection and vaccines is weakest against BA.5 compared with its predecessors.
BA.5 is also highly contagious. The nation is recording roughly 130,000 cases per day on average; that number is likely to be a huge underestimate, because most people test at home or do not test at all.
The number of hospitalizations has also spiked over the past few weeks, although BA.5 does not appear to cause more severe disease than other forms of Omicron.
Given how much the virus has changed, the administration has been debating the value of authorizing additional shots of the original vaccine in the fall and offering second boosters to adults younger than age 50. An advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration said last month that vaccine manufacturers should tailor shots to the newest variants.
But it’s unclear whether those shots will arrive in time to forestall a fall surge, and whether the virus will have once again evolved beyond their reach.
Apoorva Mandavilli is a reporter focused on science and global health. She is the 2019 winner of the Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting. @apoorva_nyc

domain: medical


text:
Contemporary Living Room with L Shaped Costco Furniture Sofa and Latte Brown Corner Bond Leather Seating. Luxury Solid Tropical Hardwood Frame and Deep Seat Chaise Lounge Sectional Couch
Type: image/jpegSize: 42 kBDimension: 680x408 pixelsVersions: Thumbnail — OriginalViews: 1413 viewsDownloads: 1200 downloadsPermalink: Contemporary Living RoomGallery Set: CouchesGallery Tags: Couches, Costco Furniture SofaFeatures:
- L Shaped Costco Furniture Sofa
- Latte Brown Corner Bond Leather Seating
- Luxury Solid Tropical Hardwood Frame
- Deep Seat Chaise Lounge Sectional Couch
The current couches photograph displayed above, the Contemporary Living Room, based on the many pageview counts this couches photograph has scored, it obviously means that this contemporary living room is one of viewers' most-loved couches inspiration. This special couches is featuring many cool stuff, including l shaped costco furniture sofa, latte brown corner bond leather seating, and few more such as the luxury solid tropical hardwood frame and deep seat chaise lounge sectional couch, etc.
This couches photograph, which was uploaded here, was certainly not just the only one we would love to share with you. There are bunch of couches images related to this couches gallery set. In the next page, we have Rustic Design Living Room sporting small round table parla and warm brown finish frame; published in relate to end tables target topic. While in previous page — published under media storage galleries — is the Minimalist Design Living Room sporting ikea media center storage cabinets and solid teak wood materials.
Checkout the other design ideas through the bottom navigation or the thumbnails below, or just click through our homepage to enjoy more design inspirations.

domain: design


text:
Added Feb 12, 2010
I started making this skirt from the directions on the Martha Stewart website but quickly realised the instructions were for a short tutu, not for the skirts displayed on the show. I googled for some other instructions and ended up winging it, which worked out well. I’ve made another for my niece (also in organza which I don’t recommend) and one for a friends daughter in tulle, and started getting a few tentative requests (one from my 30 y.o. sister!) for more.
Edit: I had the flu last week and my brain was taking a holiday – that should have been Martha Stewart.
Despite many hours of searching I couldn’t find any nylon chiffon, so I went with organza for the body of the skirt, which looks gorgeous but took a lot of time to edge finish.
Poly satin for the waistband.
Break out the floral prints for this 1940s inspired spring collection.
Enter each week to win great prizes!
Behind the seams with Marina von Koenig Part 2
Get all 11 of these retro inspired patterns for one low price!
Pattern of the Week
Hippie meets grunge in this plaid top with flared sleeves and a round neckline.
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The University of Oklahoma has announced that they will start their own cable network in the fall. Athletic Director Joe Castiglione broke the news yesterday that the network will have 1,000 hours of programming, including one OU football game. You may be wondering how they're going to fill 1,000 hours of programming, but luckily, I got my hands on an exclusive preview of the fall lineup.
B&T will be a buddy cop series staring Brian Bosworth and Toby Keith. Keith will star as the fun loving, guitar playing free spirit who will put a boot in your ass, while Bosworth plays a crazy roid raging cop who is stern,
but lovable and unlovable. Landry Jones will make a guest appearance to play a a serial molester on the loose.
Contestants vie for the honor of top shot in the state of Oklahoma.. The catch, however, is that they will have no preparation with the guns, but randomly select one out of Barry Switzer's luggage right before shooting.
Another gameshow. The screen shows pictures of Hollis at various stages of his life and the contestants guess what age the picture was taken. This game was basically meant to be impossible.
Win Charles Thompson's Cocaine
Former Sooner Charles Thompson hosts this "Win Ben Stein's Money" spinoff. Contests must answer questions about dodging the FBI in an attempt to earn more crack rocks.
Spanning The Globe for Mahi Mahi with
The obligatory fishing show. I'll admit it, I don't even care if he never finds the Mahi Mahi, I'd watch for the name of the show alone.
Hosted by Kelvin Sampson. He's a natural.
The Boomer Sooner Musical Hour
Pretty simple concept. Orchestras around the world will be invited each week to perform Boomer Sooner for an hour. The season finale will of course, feature Pitbull. It's not like he could make it any worse.
This show is much like Punk'd, where Sooner athletes are pranked by our friends over at Crimson and Cream Machine, but the prankers will reveal it was all a prank by doing a Jared Zabransky statue of liberty pose and yelling "YOU JUST GOT BOISE'D".
I don't know about you, but I'm seriously considering moving just so I can get the OU network.

domain: entertainment


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A political analysis of decentralisation: Coopting the Tuareg threat in Mali
MetadataShow full item record
The decentralisation programme in Mali received a boost when municipal elections were finally held in 1998-99. This programme, initiated in 1992, is notable for its scope and the degree of autonomy extended to rural and urban communes. Given Mali's history of failed attempts at decentralisation, the current administration's commitment to the programme suggests that political motives are driving the reform. The decentralisation effort began as an attempt to placate separatist Tuareg groups in the north of Mali, and was subsequently extended to include the rest of the country. I argue that the extent of the programme, as well as the relative zeal with which it has been carried out, are products of a political strategy of cooptation on the part of President Alpha Oumar Konare. This political analysis of decentralisation serves as a supplement to policy analyses of decentralisation in general.


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When Justin is on some hip-hop s**t, he’s unstoppable! Advertisements
I wonder who this song is about? (I’m guessing it’s about a guy that has a name that rhymes with Wustin Wieber)
Billie Eilish brings out Justin’s Dennis The Menace side.
Can you still be considered heartthrobs if you are closer to 30 than you are to 20?
Gucci Mane and Justin Bieber = Odell Beckham Jr. and Eli Manning
Here are DJ Khaled’s most famous catchphrases: “Another One,” “Major Keys,” “Big Bag Alert,” “Special Cloth Alert,” “LISSSSTEN,””Bless Up,” and my favorite, “Father of Asahd!” While each catchphrase is pretty comical, the last one seems to indicate that there is something Khaled thinks is bigger than he is […]
Welcome back, Justin!
Why does Khaled’s kid dress better than me?
Pardon my bluntness, but Travis Scott is a very ugly man! But guys, don’t let his facially challenged face deter you from his talent level! He’s talented! He reminds me of a hood version of Kanye West during the ‘808 and Heartbreak’ days. For individuals like Travis, I’ve […]


It's getting to that time of year when we start to review the major events and trends in the mobile industry during 2015, and look ahead to how they will evolve in the next 12 months and beyond -- and what else may also lie ahead.
Reviews of the year and forecasts for 2016 are starting to trickle in from analysts and industry alike. For example, CCS Insight and Ericsson took the approach of reviewing some of the consumer buzzwords and trends that have taken root this year and look set to stay with us over the coming months and years.
Some terms or phrases are perhaps more pejorative than others. CCS Insight listed "device addiction" among the trends that it believes will still matter during 2016, painting a rather dismal picture of a world of smartphone and tablet owners with their heads permanently tilted downwards.
Zero rating is another term to have permeated the collective consciousness of net neutrality proponents. This not so new practice of mobile operators and others to offer content without charging for the data it consumes has become the latest whipping boy for open Internet lobbyists, who believe it represents a major infringement of the principles of net neutrality.
Other terms are just a bit quirky and possibly still a little fluid, such as "moodables" -- wearable devices that can detect a user's mood and adjust output accordingly, as described by CCS Insight.
Ericsson, for its part, placed a focus on broad consumer trends, such as the rather alarming sounding "streaming natives", which conjures up all sorts of images but in fact refers to teenagers who watch a bit too much YouTube. "Virtuality" is also invading the mainstream -- apparently half of the smartphone users Ericsson surveyed want a 3D selfie that can be used as an avatar to try on clothes online. The mind boggles.
As for me, I think my least favourite trend to have emerged in the last couple of years is the selfie stick. That is one I will happily see crash and burn in 2016 -- although apparently by then we will all be using the belfie stick. I'll leave you to work that one out.--Anne


‘Solar Module Super League’ (SMSL) member, Trina Solar has started producing PV modules using the largest wafer size (210mm x 210mm) technically possible today with multiple other features to provide 500W-plus modules.
With the ‘standard’ (156mm x 156mm) P-type multicrystalline and monocrystalline wafers rapidly becoming obsolete, PV Tech has previously highlighted a rapid and major transition to a number of larger wafer sizes that require half-cut cells or multi-cut cells with multi busbar (MBB) technologies or stacking and shingling interconnect technologies to limit sheet resistance and provide high cell output.
Officially launched late last year, Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor (TZS) started producing the largest wafer sizes (205mm x 205mm) and (210mm x 210mm) possible from 300mm diameter mono ingots, dubbed M12 wafers.
The move by Trina Solar to start producing its dubbed ‘210-type’ modules was said to accelerate time-to-market for large wafer sized modules. The company said that it had initiated R&D activities specifically related to the 210 modules in August 2019.
After multidimensional simulations and analyses, Trina Solar’s R&D team had selected what it claims to be the all-round best solution for manufacturing costs and overall module performance and reliability when using the 210mm x 210mm P-type mono wafer size with PERC (Passivated Emitter Rear Cell) technology that would be in production by the end of 2020.
Trina Solar’s analysis concluded that a 50-cell format with the larger wafer size in a half-cut cell configuration would limit the output power of 210-modules as a result of increased series resistance.
However, while 1/4-cut and 1/5-cut solutions would have while provide slightly higher module power ranges, manufacturing complexities increased and would impact product yield and limit cost reduction goals over time (see diagram below).
Instead, Trina Solar’s R&D team selected the 1/3-cutting solution in tandem with a MBB configuration between 9BB to 14BB for mass production.
There were other issues noted by Trina Solar in respect to circuit protection as the number of bypass diodes needed would be five, adding to the product costs. Using the 1/3 cell cut, Trina Solar said that only three bypass diodes are necessary.
Concern was also raised on hotspot risks, yet Trina Solar noted that modules would have little chance of suffering hotspots when the number of cells in parallel connection per diode was smaller than or equal to 30.
In respect to junction box operating safety, lower-current design for both the modules and the system was said to minimize safety risks associated with the switching on or short circuiting of the bypass diode. These risks could be avoided by simply improving the performance of junction boxes and the system-side cables, yet a significant product cost increase would result.
In the case of 1/3-cut 210-modules, Trina Solar said that the output current increase, relative to output current of mainstream modules, could be limited to around 15%, still providing high-reliability service from the junction box with minimal design optimization.
In relation to the limitation of input current from the DC side, Trina Solar said that utilizing the surplus of inverter input, the maximum output current of the modules should be limited to 15 A and the maximum current of the front side should also be limited to approximately 12.5 A. Trina Solar noted that the maximum operating current of 1/3-cut 210-module, was less than 12A.
The head of engineering technology R&D at Trina Solar stated, “With decades of accumulated experience in process and technology, we are confident that we can leverage the latest materials and technologies to create another high-performance and reliable module for the photovoltaic industry. Currently, our team is accelerating the transformation of our latest R&D outcomes into products that can go into mass production, leading the PV industry into the era of 500W module power.”
Trina Solar also said that its 210-module solutions would within the next three to five years, be the leader of all other 210-module solutions on the market.


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A Corby firm has been praised for repairing a roof which was damaged when rogue traders targeted an elderly couple in the town.
Hemisphere Roofing agreed to step in after two conmen told the couple, who are both in their 80s, that they had a problem with the tiles which needed to be fixed.
The conmen demanded £1,000 in cash from the couple and said the total cost would be about £2,500.
After taking the initial £1,000 the pair removed a number of tiles from the roof of the Rannoch Way property before saying they were going to fetch more materials from a Kettering merchant. They never returned.
The couple’s family appealed to Hemisphere Roofing, based in Sarrington Road, to repair the damage caused by the conmen – something the family-run firm agreed to do.
Alan Lowe, from Hemisphere, said: “I feel sorry for them – it’s heart-breaking.”
He said people should call tradesmen themselves, not rely on someone who knocks on their door. They should also check the company is genuine.
Mr Lowe, who spent Monday at the property to fix the roof alongside brother Clarke, added: “I think people should be more aware – they shouldn’t have people knocking on their doors. If someone does come, make sure they’ve got a landline telephone number.”
Peter Jelley, a relative of the conned couple, thanked Hemisphere for deciding not to make a profit from the work.
He added: “It’s fantastic that people like this are prepared to help out.”
On the con, he said: “It’s the sort of thing you read about but don’t think is going to happen on your own doorstep and certainly not to your own family. These lowlifes who have done it were shooting fish in a barrel.
“When you’re in your 80s you can be be bamboozled into things quite easily. The only word for the conmen is despicable. I’d like them to see what they’ve done and see the upset they’ve caused.”
The conmen were white with London accents. One was in his 40s, about 6ft and slim. The other was in his 30s, about 5ft 6in and of heavy build.
Witnesses can call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

domain: news


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Need Corporate Diwali Greeting to be made Ecard, GIF, Animation for social media and Whatsapp with corporate logo
20 freelancers are bidding on average ₹1860 for this job
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Hello, I will provide you work first. If you like my design then you can choose me. I have lots of greeting design. I will give the first response. If you message me I will show you my design.

domain: artistic


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Individuals with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder eat very little and/or avoid eating certain foods.
They may eat so little that they lose a substantial amount of weight.
Children with the disorder may not grow as expected.
Nutritional deficiencies are common and may become life threatening.
Because of their problems with eating, these individuals have difficulty participating in normal social activities, such as eating with other people and maintaining relationships with others.


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- Four puzzles in one box
- High quality 500 piece jigsaw puzzles
- Each puzzle measures 48x34cm when complete
- Made from thick, durable board that is 100% recycled
- Gibsons have been proudly entertaining generations since 1919
Artist John Francis adds to the 4x500 collection with these four beautiful cottage scenes. The wonders that nature provides are beautifully illustrated in the tranquil and idyllic settings. Gibsons jigsaws are made from the highest quality 100% recycled board and are therefore a pleasure to handle again and again.


greater inequity in resource use. In particular, many physicians, especially those longer in practice, see guidelines as a challenge to clinical judgment and resist them as a threat to the most fundamental element of professional autonomy.
Recent public attention notwithstanding, guidelines are not new. Professional organizations have been developing guidelines for at least half a century, and recommendations about appropriate care can be found in ancient writings (Chassin, 1988). What is new is the emphasis on systematic, evidence-based guidelines and the interest in processes, structures, and incentives that support the effective use and evaluation of such guidelines.
Carefully developed guidelines for clinical practice can become part of the fabric of health care in this country and serve as important tools for many desirable changes. Their potential reach extends from improving the quality of clinical care (and its measurement) to helping to reduce the financial costs of inappropriate, unnecessary, or dangerous care. Practice guidelines are among the building blocks for informed patient decision making and rational social judgments about what care should be covered by public and private health benefit plans.
To the extent that guidelines provide well-argued translations of scientific research and expert judgment framed as statements about appropriate care, they will be more readily accepted by many kinds of decision makers. Such acceptance in the domains of physician practice, health education, quality assurance, medical liability, cost management, and elsewhere will provide mutually reinforcing support for the application and improvement of practice guidelines. Guidelines are not the solution to the country's health care problems, but they do have a significant, useful role to play.
As tools and building blocks for positive change, guidelines need to be understood and encouraged in context. That context includes powerful economic interests; changing and sometimes conflicting attitudes about professional and patient autonomy; policy making and implementing institutions that are intensely stressed and sometimes incapacitated; and scientific research that simultaneously expands both knowledge and uncertainty. Above all, the context in which guidelines will be used includes the complex, intimate relationship between individual patients and practitioners who are trying to protect health, manage illness, and preserve dignity under conditions that range from routine to desperate.
Also relevant are other strategies or forces for change that have their own challenges and uneven pace. Better clinical and outcomes research cannot produce results quickly, but the knowledge such studies generate will both strengthen guidelines over the longer term and build structures and processes for more constructive monitoring and feedback of information on performance to clinicians, managers, and others. Generational change, which obviously takes time, should lead to some greater acceptance of standardized, science-based guidelines as it brings to the fore practitioners,


How Much Does 3D Printing Cost?
While revolutionary in its ability to go from concept to prototype, 3D printing can vary quite drastically on it’s pricing due to many factors. Undoubtedly, these factors can lead to a lot of confusion for customers. At least once a day we hear the question: “how much does 3D printing cost?” from one of our customers. Therefore, it is important to use a tool that can quickly break down 3D printing costs by the factors that drive them.
There are many forms of 3D printing, each varying drastically on the final product they create and the 3d printing prices involved. At SD3D, we focus on industrial and commercial 3D printing service applications. If you care to learn more about the three major 3D printing processes and their advantages, please read our comparison article HERE.


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Friday March 31, 7:15PM $8
ARTISTS' TELEVISION ACCESS (ATA) (992 Valencia Street)
Directions: Death Cab for Cutie
(view the trailer at the noise pop page)
The Bay Area premiere of 'Directions,' the 11 video companion to Death Cab for Cutie's Grammy nominated album, 'plans,' featuring a video for each and every song on the record by directors including Paul Brown, Ace Norton, Monkmus, Autumn de Wilde, and Laurent Briet.
Preceded by a new trailer about Girls Rock camp for girls and the Bay Area premiere of a new documentary series, One Week, that follows the band The National on tour.
Added by courtneyp on March 31, 2006


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First a bit of history.
The lands of Tamerel have survived though three eras. The first was high magic and grand adventure. During this era a small group of adventurers appeared. They showed themselves in such glorious ways that their legends only grew. There was a young thief, Sparrow, a half-elf girl with a wicked blade and a wild sense of humor, The Red Witch, a cleric of the goddess of seduction, her name came from her outfit, Malik, a necromancer with his eyes set on the Red Witch, and a fighter that protected them, Goran. The group made it their mission to defend the people and destroy the great evils of their day. The first era ended when three of them were killed by a cataclysm of magic. Malik survived. His love lost he set about trying to find the cause of the cataclysm. The Red Witch's fellow clerics sent many young women to aid his search. The last one they sent was a man that was seeking the raiment of the original Red Witch. Malik crushed the order without though. His research took a great deal of his energies and was going to kill him. Knowing that undeath was better for research than life, he set up the items he would need to become a Lich. He did not have to wait long as his own experiments killed him shortly thereafter. A thousand years later, Malik the Lich figured out the first cataclysm. He learned it was a clash of the gods. His sorrow turned into rage and then into despair. He destroyed his lab and turned his eyes back to the world. It had grown decrepit and rotten to his eyes. A group of heroes hunted down the lich and put him to rest, never finding his soul.
His death was the turning point of the second era. The times became harder and harder to stem the flow of evil beasts invading the good lands. The priests found ancient text speaking of a cleansing of the dark beasts in the oldest library. Five thousand years after the death of Malik, the gods were begged to cleanse the lands again, and they did. The ground shook and everything was laid to ruins. The oldest tombs were unearthed and the lich Malik was released. He looked out at the destroyed lands and saw only the destruction that killed his beloved. He sat back and watched. The human kingdoms grew in power, as did the Elven lands and the Dwarvish strong holds. He was please to see them defending themselves. He disguised himself and went among the people. He saw the world was no different from the days he searched for an answer. He asked of the Red Witch's people. No one knew the name. He searched for any sign of them, and found none. His rage returned how the humans dared to forget such a heavenly gift. He turned his rage into a plan. He went to the evil races, and showed them his true power. Many fell into step with him and without thought brought their allies into his army. The world of Tamerel would fall under his mighty grip in one summer. He went forth with his armies. Destroying towns and using his knowledge of Necromancy to raise a larger army. The more that died the stronger he became. He destroyed the kingdoms as he came upon them without mercy or pity. His armies were unstoppable. The Elven arrows were not powerful enough to slow his forces; the dwarven hammers could not forge armor strong enough to defend themselves from his hordes. The humans and their strengths could not protect their lands. Malik pushed them back and then swept along to destroy everything in his path. The final area was a single plateau in the middle of what was once a no man's land, at the point where the gods brought all their magics to bear to destroy the lands. The area was protected from all evil beasts, undead and alive alike. The live evils could walk the land but it took a great toll on them and they soon lost their ability to fight. The undead were destroyed outright.
Malik felt the lands before they destroyed him. They were too powerful for him to defeat. He pulled back and set up a keep to watch over the light lands. His keep was well defended from magic in all forms. He forgot one simple thing. Not all people fight with magic. A young rogue and a dwarven knight were able to sneak in to his lair and crush the soul jar, at the cost of their lives. The girl had been called Sparrow, and her dwarven knight, Goran. Malik was so stunned to see them he did not try to stop them. Their deaths gave an assassin is only chance to end the reign of Malik. The assassin drove a blade deep into the heart of the lich and brought the house down on the corpses. Nothing ever came out of the rubble. The legend goes that the three that went in knew it was a one way trip, but went anyway. This destruction was the end of the Third Era.
500 years have passed. Few remember what caused the collapse of the great castle outside the holy lands. Those born with darkness in their hearts find their way out of the lands. The lands have been divided into two great kingdoms within the holy lands.
The Human Kingdom of Tamerelson - Many of the races of Tamerel frequent the cities, there are human and Halfling in great numbers. It is not surprising to see any of the good races there. Elves, Eldarin, and Dwarves are not so frequent.
The Elven Kingdom of Last Home was built in an ancient forest long forgotten by the elves and Eldarin. They made their homes here and shunned all contact with the outside world. Recently there have been a few more Elven trade caravans going into the human lands for items that they want.
The dwarves went into the plateau itself. They made no effort to aid either the humans of the elves in their attempts to build up a home. The dwarves carved out a great city in the stone and made themselves a new city. Only the Dragonborn have seen the inside of this city, they helped build it. The dwarves shun all but the dragonborn and do not seek to re-establish contact as yet. The Dragonborn do that for them. They trade with the humans and other races.
Teiflings find the holy lands uncomfortable due to their infernal blood. Some teiflings have found ways to ignore the effects of the holy land.

domain: library


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The hotel offers Galilee's most luxurious accommodation and a perpetual holiday atmosphere, ensuring a pleasant stay. Amenities include air conditioning, a lobby, 24-hour reception and check-out, a cloakroom and lift access. A café, bar, restaurant, games room, hairdressing salon, Internet access and room and laundry services all feature. Parking facilities in the form of a car park and a parking garage are provided for guests arriving by car. Younger guests are sure to enjoy the kids' club.
This hotel is located in Tiberias.
Each room comes with a king-size bed and an en suite bathroom with bath and shower. A hairdryer, safe, direct dial telephone, cable television, radio and tea and coffee making facilities all feature. Air conditioning and central heating are also provided. Disability-friendly rooms are available. The rooms come with lavish private balconies offering breathtaking scenic views.
The hotel's lively and vibrant entertainment staff are professionals, and they organise a great variety of entertainment, including singing waiters in the hotel lobby and original performances. Heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools with children's swimming area, a poolside snack bar, sun loungers, a hot tub, sauna, gym and massage and spa treatments are also offered.
Guests here can savour the rich and luxurious food.
Direct dial telephone
Satellite cable TV
King size bed


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The moment Zachary Quinto (the evil Sylar from NBC’s Heroes) was cast as Spock, fans had every reason to believe this reboot would successfully relaunch the franchise. The Star Trek universe deserves so much better than the weak UPN Enterprise series that was mercifully canceled in 2005 after four seasons. Quinto just emanates the Vulcan vibe. Chris Pine comes through ably as Kirk, Zoe Saldana lights up the screen as Uhura — the entire cast is superb. But it’s Quinto’s dynamic portrayal of one of the most iconic characters in sci-fi history that cements the new Star Trek as among the best films released so far this year.
Director J.J. Abrams (the creator of Lost) wasn’t even a serious Trekkie, but he realized that the relationship between Kirk and Spock is the fulcrum of the Trek universe, and he wisely shaped his mind-bending story around it. This dynamic will hook longtime fans from the start, but the film is set up to work just fine even if you don’t know a a tribble from a tricorder.
Fans have long wondered what the characters might have been like as young adults making their way through Starfleet Academy, and Abrams gives us a little peek, along with a bit of the young Kirk carousing in his native Iowa. Watching the original crew meet for the first time is a hoot, but it isn’t long before an intergalactic emergency calls the young team on the U.S.S. Enterprise into space action.
The film offers plenty of warp-speed thrills, hand-to-hand combat, and high drama, but unlike so many summer blockbusters — mostly sizzle with little substance — Star Trek is constructed on an emotional foundation that’s even more compelling than its action sequences. Leonard Nimoy even reprises his seminal role as the aging Spock, and his left-field appearance spins the story off in a strange new direction.
Series creator Gene Roddenberry tapped into a vision of a future where humanity has united to become such a galactic player that Starfleet HQ for the entire galaxy is based in San Francisco. This utopian vision was the foundation for the entire franchise. The new flick doesn’t go too overtly into these sociopolitical themes, but the undertones are there at what seems a crucial time for our struggling society, with the sequels (the core cast is signed on for at least two more films) promising to delve deeper into the social issues explored in the original series. Roddenberry is surely smiling down from the heavens at the way his beloved creation has been revitalized at a time when his vision is needed more than ever.


March 26, 2012 | by Adrian Diaconescu
Motorola has been awfully quiet on the smartphone front lately, but this is clearly set to change soon enough. Aside from the 4.6-inch Droid Fighter, that should be the company’s flagship in 2012, the US-based technology manufacturer will most likely come with a couple of more affordable gadgets as well.
The MT680 and XT760 have just appeared in leaked images on the Internet and, even though there isn’t much we can make from the blurry pics, we pretty much have these guys’ tech specs jotted down according to rumors.
The first of the duo, codenamed MT680, should come with a WVGA TFT LCD screen with a 480 x 800 pixels resolution screen and a Marvell processor (either a dual-core 1 GHz or a single-core 1.5 GHz). Other known features include a 5 MP rear-facing camera, HSDPA and HSUPA support, as well as the running of Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
In terms of design, the MT680 (or whatever the guys at Motorola will end up naming the device) looks very much like the Motoluxe unveiled a while back. Set to weigh in at around 135 grams (4.76 ounces), this little guy will also be pretty sleek, with a 10.3 mm thickness and an all-black classic and elegant look.
The second Motorola smartphone to be leaked today is the XT760, which should be a bit snappier and more powerful than its ‘’cousin’’. With a qHD 960 x 540 pixels resolution TFT LCD screen and a 1 GHz dual-core ST-Ericsson chipset, this little guy will certainly be a device to watch for mid-range gadget lovers.
The XT760 is set to feature a top of the notch 8 MP rear-facing camera with auto focus and will come with a very slim profile (125 grams weight and 9.88 mm ”waist”), but unfortunately this too will only run Android 2.3 Gingerbread upon its release.
And talking about release, we of course know nothing of when this Motorola duo will see the light of day and where it will be made available, but something tells us that both gadgets will hit China first and, depending on their success there, they will come or not to the US and European markets.


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We really need to talk, so grab your pumpkin spice latte, apple cider or pumpkin-a-rita (I promise, I don’t judge) and let’s you and me do a little Chair Sitting!
Perhaps, I better give you my definition of chair sitting,… because I am sure the thought ran through your head that you certainly know how to sit in a chair!
…..Unless, you think I am talking about Ladies etiquette….you know from the book “The Art of Sitting Like a Lady!”
NO! NO! NO! NO!, not that kind of Chair Sitting!!!!
I am talking about another art of Chair Sitting which is Me,….sitting in a comfy chair on the lanai and staring at the water in the pool or the waterfall, and not caring if my posture is erect or that my legs are crossed or uncrossed.
I am not talking elegance here….I am talking plain, ole Me!
I just love to Chair Sit, out-of-doors please, and let my mind wander as I follow the fluttering butterfly hovering over the white gardenias that are draping over the adobe wall.
….Or perhaps I will stare at the white, fluffy cloud formations in the beautiful blue sky… identifying shapes like one would do with inkblots.
Plus, Chair Sitting can be done anywhere…by the beach or by your front door.
Chair Sitting almost always involves a drink of some kind, hence my greeting to you to grab your beverage of choice and sit with me.
Maybe we will discuss life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not necessarily in that order.
Maybe, we won’t say anything at all for long periods of time.
But most importantly…Chair Sitting allows us to sl-o-o-o-o-ow down and smell the roses, or gardenias in my case.
It is at these times that I think I become the most creative and…yes, calm!
I was doing a little Chair Sitting today as I can’t do much but chair sit with my foot in a air boot cast.
My mind wandered here and there….I sipped on my glass of iced tea, swirling the amber liquid around and around in the glass and staring at the ice as it melted.
I heard the cooing of turtle doves….which reminded me of owls hooting…which then reminded me of a garage sale I went to, where I bought an owl cookie jar for $5.00, which I didn’t need, but thought I might find a place for it in my Fall decorating.
Or in a Pumpkin Hollow tablescape!!!!
Yes! Yes!…I would surround it with autumn leaves and perhaps corn candy…
and I would use my orange plaid napkins, and instead of napkin rings, I would use the twine encased door rings with the pretty little ribbon and bronze jingle bells that I bought at the dollar store a couple weeks ago.
I was on a roll now….I couldn’t stop my creative urges.
AND I would use my David Carter Brown “Pumpkin Hollow” salad plates on top of black dinner plates,
and the cute little pumpkins from Publix.
I sat them in cupcake holders.
AND the flatware that looks like it was made for Halloween rather than it’s actual use…a music treble clef.
The glasses are from the dollar store.
Chair Sitting and my creative juices all moving together in rhythm to nothing in particular, from nothing in particular just random thoughts which let my brain rest and ramble.
Have a great and glorious week!
Hugs and blessings.
Pam Richardson says
Kari, I would so enjoy chair sitting with you on your lanai. I hope you are healing sweet friend. I love your whimsical tablescape with your cute owl cookie jar and those perfect salad plates.. it is such a fun and happy table! Take care and enjoy your weekend!
Thank you Pam….God is providing rest and healing. I’m glad I can still play with my dishes. thanks for stopping by.
Rita C. says
What a cute table, Kari. Chair sitting is fun IF you can let your mind rest. Mine seems to race, and it would appear that yours is too. 😉 Hope you’re healing well.
Thanks so much sweet friend…I am just taking longer to get things done…haha. Unfortunately my mind races when I am trying to sleep! 🙂
Sandra Garth says
Chair sitting is one of the things that I do best. I love the whimsy of your table and hope you’re healing comfortably.
Oh Sandra I love whimsey and sometimes it is the simpler the better. I wish I had one of your beautiful desserts right now so I could sit at the table, chair sit and eat. Thanks for stopping by,
Nancy Sharp says
I would love to come and chair sit with you. I know I would enjoy it. Too bad we live at opposite ends of Florida. Take care with the coming hurricane. Our part seems to have dodged the bullet again. Just lots of rain.
So glad to hear you are ok Nancy…I have been watching Michael all day and I think the hurricane eye came ashore over less populated areas but there is still lots of damage. All we have here in SW Florida is a little rain and a slight breeze.
Yes, it would be fun to sit and chat wouldn’t it?
Shannon@Belle Bleu Interiors says
Kari, I could use some “chair sitting” right now. I feel like we all need to slow down! Your tablescape is precious, and that owl is adorable! Enjoy your week!!!
Thanks Shannon…I think chair sitting is my calling in life. hahaha thanks for stopping by.
Only daughter says
I love the way you used the cake plates and that owl is so cute
thanks sweetie, I like using what I have to give height and the owl appears to be sitting on your favorite candy. haha thanks for stopping by.


Characterization of Particles in Protein Solutions: Reaching the Limits of Current Technologies
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Recent publications have emphasized the lack of characterization methods available for protein particles in a size range comprised between 0.1 and 10 μm and the potential risk of immunogenicity associated with such particles. In the present paper, we have investigated the performance of light obscuration, flow microscopy, and Coulter counter instruments for particle counting and sizing in protein formulations. We focused on particles 2–10 μm in diameter and studied the effect of silicon oil droplets originating from the barrel of pre-filled syringes, as well as the effect of high protein concentrations (up to 150 mg/ml) on the accuracy of particle characterization. Silicon oil was demonstrated to contribute significantly to the particle counts observed in pre-filled syringes. Inconsistent results were observed between different protein concentrations in the range 7.5–150 mg/ml for particles <10 μm studied by optical techniques (light obscuration and flow microscopy). However, the Coulter counter measurements were consistent across the same studied concentration range but required sufficient solution conductivity from the formulation buffer or excipients. Our results show that currently available technologies, while allowing comparisons between samples of a given protein at a fixed concentration, may be unable to measure particle numbers accurately in a variety of protein formulations, e.g., at high concentration in sugar-based formulations.
Key wordsbiopharmaceuticals protein sub-visible particles
A considerable emphasis has been put recently on sub-visible particulate matter in protein pharmaceuticals. Pharmacopeias only specify limits for sub-visible particles >10 μm and concerns have been expressed that sub-visible particles <10 μm may present a significant safety risk in terms of immunogenicity (1, 2, 3, 4). The extent of the safety risk is subject to debate and needs to be further assessed (5) but nevertheless a gap has been identified in analytical techniques for protein particles in the size range 0.1–10 μm. If biological responses such as immunogenicity are tentatively correlated to the size, nature, or number of sub-visible particles, analytical tools that allow an accurate characterization and quantitation of sub-visible particulate matter <10 μm in protein formulations would be needed.
Light obscuration, flow microscopy, and the Coulter counter are three commercially available particle-counting techniques able to characterize particles >2 μm. The three methods have been recently reviewed (6,7) and used in work summarized in recent publications to study nucleation phenomena in protein solutions (8,9). Flow microscopy has received a lot of attention for the characterization of protein formulations (10, 11, 12) while nanoparticle tracking analysis (NanoSight) showed promising results for the characterization of sub-micron particles in carefully chosen conditions (13). The aim of the present work was to identify the limitations of light obscuration, flow microscopy, and the Coulter counter when analyzing protein solutions. An emphasis has been put on high-concentration solutions since such formulations are increasingly being developed for subcutaneous administration (14,15), an administration route especially prone to trigger immune responses (3). In addition, these high-concentration samples have been evaluated after storage in pre-filled syringes coated with silicone oil. Potential interferences in analysis and detection of particulates due to the presence of silicon oil droplets are also discussed.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
MAb1 is a recombinant humanized IgG1 with a κ light chain and is expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells at Genentech, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA, USA). The MAb1 drug substance was formulated at 150 mg/ml in 20 mM histidine hydrochloride, 200 mM arginine hydrochloride, 0.04% polysorbate 20 at pH 6.0 and stored at −70°C in polyethylene terephtalate bottles. MAb1 was stored either 3 days at 2–8°C in 1-ml BD pre-filled syringes coated with silicon oil (“MAb1 drug substance in pre-filled syringes”) or >6 years at 2–8°C in 1-ml BD pre-filled syringes coated with silicon oil (“aged MAb1 pre-filled syringes”). For the comparison of light obscuration, flow microscopy, and the Coulter counter methods, the contents of ~25 aged MAb1 pre-filled syringes were pooled and mixed in an Accuvette ST container (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA, USA). The pooled solution was diluted with formulation buffer to 45, 30, 15, and 7.5 mg/ml in separate Accuvette ST containers. Each solution (including the formulation buffer alone) was analyzed first on the Coulter counter, then on the flow microscopy instrument and finally on the light obscuration counter. All measurements were performed the same day, from the same container, in triplicate (see below).
To test the limits of the instruments in terms of viscosity and conductivity, MAb1 was also formulated at 125 mg/ml in 15 mM histidine hydrochloride, 255 mM sucrose, 0.03% polysorbate 20 at pH 6.0 (“low conductivity MAb1 solution”). The viscosity of the low-conductivity MAb1 solution was ~80 mPa·s at room temperature. The low-conductivity MAb1 solution was diluted in formulation buffer to 20 and 1 mg/ml MAb1 to evaluate the response of the instruments upon dilution.
Protein X is a recombinant human protein produced in E. coli at Genentech, Inc. Protein X was formulated at 5 mg/ml and degraded by 1-year storage at 2–8°C in the presence of significant levels of silicon oil (0.2–0.3 mg silicon oil/ml of Protein X solution).
Light obscuration measurements were performed on a HIAC Royco Liquid Particle Counting System Model 9703 with sensor model HRLD-150 and sampler model 3000A, equipped with a 1-ml syringe (Hach Company, Loveland, CO, USA). The light obscuration instrument was placed in a laminar flow hood. The performance of the instrument was verified using 10 μm polystyrene count and size standards (Thermo Scientific, Fremont, CA, USA). For each protein solution and formulation buffer, four 1-ml aliquots were sampled at a speed of 10 ml/min; the first aliquot was discarded and the results of the three following aliquots were averaged. The aliquots differ significantly from the USP method and were chosen to reduce the sample volume needed to perform the measurements. Other authors have shown that small sampling volumes are appropriate for quantifying size and levels of sub-visible particles at the amounts typically present in protein therapeutics (16,17). All light obscuration measurements (total counts >2 μm uncorrected for the dilution factor) were well below the upper count limit of 18,000 particles/ml.
Flow microscopy measurements were performed on a DPA4100 series B Micro-Flow Imaging™ instrument (Brightwell Technologies Inc., Ottawa, Canada) equipped with a computer-controlled peristaltic pump and a low magnification, 400-μm-deep flow cell. The flow microscope was placed in a laminar flow hood. The performance of the instrument was verified using 10 μm polystyrene count and size standards. For each protein solution and the formulation buffer, a 1-ml aliquot was used as following: 0.22 ml was used to flush the flow cell, 0.1–0.2 ml was used to optimize the illumination and 0.5 ml was analyzed. Two subsequent 1-ml aliquots were used as follows: 0.22 ml was used to flush the flow cell and 0.7 ml was analyzed. The three measurements were averaged.
Coulter counter measurements were performed on a Multisizer 4 instrument equipped with a 100-μm aperture (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA, USA). The inside of the aperture tube was filled with Isoton II Diluent (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA, USA). Standards as well as samples were analyzed in Accuvette ST containers (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA, USA). The aperture tube calibration was checked daily with 10-μm latex size standards diluted in Isoton II. Each protein solution or formulation buffer was transferred into a clean Accuvette ST container before measurement and three 1-ml aliquots were analyzed and averaged.
For the measurements of the low-conductivity MAb1 solution (see Materials), the inside of the aperture tube was flushed with formulation buffer (15 mM histidine hydrochloride, 255 mM sucrose, 0.03% polysorbate 20 at pH 6.0). The aperture tube calibration was performed with size standards diluted in the formulation buffer. To accommodate for the high-viscosity samples (80 mPa·s), the instrument vacuum was set to 6.5 in. of mercury and the minimum flow was set to 5 μl/s.
Particle counts were assessed by the USP Chapter 788 “Microscopic particle count test” with the following modifications: 10–11 ml of each protein solution (or formulation buffer) was pooled and filtered; particles >5, >10, and >25 μm were counted and reported.
Refractive Index Measurements
The refractive index of the buffers and protein solutions was determined at 20°C on a LR-01 refractometer (Maselli misure, Milan, Italy). Temperature control (± 0.03°C) was provided by an Isotemp 3015 S recirculating water bath (Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Three measurements were averaged for each sample.
The viscosity of protein solutions was measured at 25°C on a MCR300 rheometer (Anton Paar, Graz, Austria) as described previously (18). Briefly, the samples were allowed to reach thermal equilibrium and then went through two cycles of shear rate sweeps ranging from 10 to 1,000 s−1. We reported the mean viscosity at a shear rate of 1,000 s−1.
Known Operating Limitations of Particle-Counting Instruments
Light obscuration, flow microscopy, and Coulter counter instruments are based on different principles and therefore require different operating conditions. All three techniques are intended for low-viscosity samples (with the exception of the Coulter counter equipped with larger apertures, a case irrelevant to the discussion).
Light obscuration instruments are used to characterize particles >2 μm and provide quick measurements with a drawing speed of 10 ml/min for the configuration described in MATERIALS AND METHODS. They are however limited to a total particle count of 18,000 particles/ml; samples may need to be diluted to fall within this range.
Coulter counters measure particles in a size range defined by the aperture size that is used. We used a 100 μm aperture, which allows particles 2–60 μm in diameter to be counted and characterized. Larger particles may block the aperture. Since the Coulter principle is based on impedance measurements, the optical properties of the sample are irrelevant but the sample must be dispersed in an electrolyte. The formulation buffer of MAb1 provided enough conductivity for Coulter counter measurements due to the presence of 200 mM arginine hydrochloride and 20 mM histidine chloride but other formulation buffers (e.g., sugar-based) may not be used directly. Dilution in stronger electrolytes (e.g., saline or Isoton II diluent) is possible but may change the properties and particle size distribution of the solution. The sensitivity of the protein to dilution in high-conductivity buffers has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Interference from Non-Particulate Matter: Silicon Oil
The Effect of Protein Concentration on Particle Counts
Figure 5 shows counts of particles 3.5 μm and larger. The Coulter counter gave consistent measurements across the studied protein concentrations. Up to 45 mg/ml, flow microscopy gave results similar to the Coulter counter but showed lower counts at 150 mg/ml. Light obscuration reported lower particle numbers that both the Coulter counter and flow microscopy. Figure 6 shows counts of particles 2.75 μm and larger. Again, the Coulter counter gave consistent results for protein concentrations ranging from 7.5 to 150 mg/ml. Both light obscuration and, to a lesser extent, flow microscopy counted less particles than the Coulter counter. Both optical techniques showed a similar trend: lower counts were reported at high protein concentrations.
Optical techniques (light obscuration and flow microscopy) tended to report lower particle numbers than the Coulter counter, especially for smaller particles sizes and higher protein concentrations. The lower sensitivity of optical techniques probably arises from a lower contrast typical of high-concentration protein formulations (19). The contrast that allows optical detection of particles is caused by a difference in refractive index between the particle and the surrounding medium. The refractive index of the particles does not change but the refractive index of the surrounding medium increases with an increasing (monomeric) protein concentration, thus reducing the difference in refractive index and therefore contrast. In the case of MAb1, the formulation buffer has a refractive index of 1.3419, the 150 mg/ml MAb1 formulation has a refractive index of 1.37151 and the silicon oil that is responsible for most of the particle counts in this particular sample has a refractive index of 1.4042. From 0 to 150 mg/ml, the difference in refractive index (contrast) drops from 0.0623 to 0.0327. The refractive index of protein particles is likely comprised between 1.4 and 1.6 but the detection of protein particles may be further compromised by their irregular shape and indistinct edges (19). Sharma et al. have shown that light obscuration was more affected than flow microscopy by low contrast between the particles and the surrounding buffer (12), which is consistent with our findings that light obscuration detected less particles than flow microscopy for most particle sizes.
We hypothesize that optical techniques are likely to be undercounting particles (rather than the Coulter counter overestimating the particle count), based on the good agreement between flow microscopy and Coulter counter—two orthogonal techniques—at low concentrations and for larger particle sizes. The reduced contrast in solutions of high protein concentration can explain the lower counts observed by optical techniques. It is worth noting that the charge of the particles has no impact on the Coulter counter measurements (22). Nevertheless, despite the good agreement between the Coulter counter and flow microscopy under certain conditions, there is no assurance that the particle counts reflect the true number of particles in solution.
The Effect of Solution Viscosity and Conductivity
Interference from Silicon Oil
We have shown that silicon oil could be a major source of particle counts when protein formulations were stored in pre-filled syringes. Similar phenomena were observed in the past with silicon oil sloughing off of rubber stoppers (21,23). Differences in protein particle numbers will be difficult to assess in the presence of a large amount of counts due to silicon oil. Like air bubbles, silicon oil droplets could be distinguished from proteinaceous particles based on their spherical shape. Morphological assessments of the particles are however limited to imaging techniques (flow microscopy) and based on the assumption that protein or extraneous particles are not spherical; few orthogonal techniques are available to confirm the assignment of the counts to silicon oil. We have used a modified version of the USP Chapter 788 “Microscopic particle count test” (Fig. 3) to show that the increase in particle counts observed in pre-filled syringes (Fig. 2) was due to silicon oil. Direct comparison of particle counts obtained by the USP microscopy method and light obscuration (or flow microscopy) is however not possible even in the absence of silicon oil due to the differences in sensitivity between the methods (emphasized by the different acceptance criteria defined in the USP Chapter 788).
The presence of silicon oil droplets allowed an efficient testing of the light obscuration, flow microscopy, and Coulter counter instruments. As discussed in the RESULTS section, silicon oil droplets differ from protein particles in terms of shape and to some extent refractive index. Despite the differences between silicon oil and protein particles, testing the instruments on protein particles is not necessarily feasible because particles are typically present in very small numbers in fresh protein formulations, which translates to higher errors in counting and more difficulty in comparing samples. The high number of silicon oil droplets has not contributed to the inferior performance of the light obscuration instrument, which is limited to 18,000 particles/ml: at low or high protein concentrations, the raw particle counts are well within the limits of the instrument e.g., at 7.5 mg/ml the particle count of 22,140 (corrected for the dilution factor) was obtained from a raw count of 1,107 particles/ml (dilution factor = 20; 1,107·20 = 22,140). All light obscuration measurements (total counts >2 μm uncorrected for the dilution factor) were well below the limit of 18,000 counts/ml. Generation of an artificially high number of protein particles (e.g., by shaking) is feasible but in the authors' experience produce unstable suspensions that show counts decreasing with time and increasing or decreasing with dilution. The silicon oil droplets allowed us to characterize the effect of protein concentration on particles counts. On the one hand, characterization of protein particles could be slightly easier due to the potentially higher refractive index of protein particles; on the other hand, characterization could be more difficult due to the irregular shape and indistinct edges typical of protein particles.
The Effect of Protein Concentration
Our data suggest that protein concentrations as low as ~10 mg/ml can impair the detection and characterization of particles <10 μm by optical techniques. Discrepancies between particle-counting techniques have been documented in the past (24). Light obscuration and flow microscopy showed different sensitivities to protein concentration. Consequently, analyzing a protein formulation at tens of milligrams per milliliter or more by optical techniques without dilution will not yield accurate particle numbers <10 μm, although trends can be compared. Dilution is not necessarily a viable option since the process may create or disrupt particles or may result in very low counts, making comparisons difficult. In the case of MAb1, the Coulter counter was an appropriate method for particle analysis due to the high conductivity of the arginine-based formulation buffer. Other buffers may not be equally suited to Coulter counter measurements and dilution in saline or other conductive solutions will raise the question of potential sample alterations caused by changes in solution conditions and the sample preparation process.
Given the difficulty to obtain accurate particle counts <10 μm in protein solutions, utmost care must be exercised when comparing particle numbers from different instruments, different proteins, or even the same protein at different concentrations, or when trying to correlate particle numbers with biological parameters such as immunogenicity. Particle-counting techniques are reaching the limits of their capabilities with protein samples and the analyst must recognize that some samples, especially high-concentration protein formulations, may be extremely challenging to characterize accurately with regards to particle counts.
The Effect of Solution Viscosity and Conductivity
We have observed that a high solution viscosity could compromise measurements on current light obscuration and flow microscopy instruments. Viscosity was less of an obstacle for Coulter counter measurements, mostly because the instrument can readily be configured to handle lower flow rates. There is however a limit to the viscosity that the instrument can handle, which was not determined in our study. Surprisingly, the Coulter counter performed well for this sample even though we performed measurements at conductivities well below the manufacturer's recommendation. Such measurements must be performed in carefully controlled conditions, where the whole instrument is filled with the low-conductivity formulation buffer and the calibration is also performed in formulation buffer. The conductivity of the buffer dictates the minimal size that can be measured with the Coulter counter.
Particle-counting techniques described in the current paper are well established and have been shown to provide useful information about protein particles with many samples. Nevertheless, protein particles, especially in high-concentration protein formulations, were shown to pose specific challenges to optical-based particle-counting techniques: light obscuration and flow microscopy. The low refractive index of protein particles combined with an increased refractive index of the background due to the high protein concentration resulted in a significant underestimation of the particle numbers. While comparisons can be performed in well-defined conditions (e.g., to compare two formulations of the same protein at the same concentration), more quantitative measurements of particulate matter <10 μm in protein formulations can only be performed by optical techniques at protein concentrations below 10 mg/ml. Dilution may also introduce artifacts, especially if particle formation is concentration-dependant. The Coulter counter was shown to perform adequately over a large protein concentration range (7.5–150 mg/ml) and provided an orthogonal approach to light obscuration or flow microscopy as long as the formulation buffer was conductive enough. Due to the aforementioned limitations, accurate determination, and characterization of protein sub-visible particles remains a challenging and difficult task. New methods or procedures need to be developed to help us better understand the issue of sub-visible particles in protein pharmaceuticals.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
- 16.Cao S, Jiang Y, Narhi L. A light-obscuration method specific for quantifying subvisible particles in protein therapeutics. Pharmacop Forum. 2010;36(3):824–34.Google Scholar


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Sharing local energy infrastructure : organizational models for implementing microgrids and district energy systems in urban commercial districts
Author(s)Sherman, Genevieve Rose
Organizational models for implementing microgrids and district energy systems in urban commercial districts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.
MetadataShow full item record
There is a growing trend in cities toward establishing localized, shared energy infrastructure. As existing energy infrastructure ages and demand increases, cities face rising energy costs and security risks combined with mandates to decrease carbon emissions. Local energy infrastructure provides cities and neighborhoods with greater control over their energy production and consumption, including the ability to lower the cost of energy, move to low-carbon energy technologies, and improve energy reliability and security. This thesis seeks to understand how stakeholders in urban commercial districts are creating organizations to implement two types of shared local energy infrastructure: district energy and microgrids. Building district energy and microgrids is a complex undertaking, which is one reason that they proliferate in urban environments where that complexity is reduced, such as universities, hospitals, and military bases. These areas may have single property owners, single land-owners or preexisting energy infrastructure that simplifies regulatory, legal, and development complexities of building new energy systems. Commercial businesses districts are significantly more complicated; they have multiple properties that abut public right of ways and that are owned by multiple, unaffiliated customers of legacy energy utilities. Establishing such a system in a commercial district requires addressing local utility rights, public right-of-way and franchise issues, as well as creating a new organizational structure that allows for the involvement of multiple parties in developing the system. This thesis assesses the feasibility of two organizational models for implementing local energy infrastructure in commercial districts: a joint cooperative model and an independent provider model. In a joint cooperative, all properties in a district become customers of a jointly owned, operated, and managed energy system. With an independent provider, all district properties become customers of an independently owned and operated system. These models are evaluated through two cases in which they are currently being tested: a proposed district energy system in Portland, Oregon and a proposed microgrid in Stamford, Connecticut. Therein, barriers to implementation such as perception of risk and lack of familiarity with shared energy systems are also examined.
Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-61).
DepartmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Urban Studies and Planning.