text:
More than 200 professionals from the bus passenger transportation industry have participated in the second edition of CONFEBUS Summit, which has been held at the Palma Convention Center. This is the largest professional meeting in the bus passenger transportation industry in Spain, in which some of the most of the have been addressed, such as tourism, public-private collaboration and the future Sustainable Mobility Law, which aims to lay the foundations of the future mobility.
The objective of the CONFEBUS Summit 2023 has been to value the industry's contribution to social, environmental and economic development, leading the transition towards Sustainable Mobility.
The meeting, promoted by the Spanish Confederation of Bus Transport (CONFEBUS),brought together top-level experts to share the latest trends and challenges of mobility and was also attended by private and public representatives, such as the President of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, Rafael Roig, President of FEBT, Rafael Barbadillo, President of CONFEBUS, Francesc Dalmau, Deputy Mayor for Sustainable Mobility of the Palma City Council, and David Lucas, Secretary of State for Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda of MITMA.
The XXXIV GEDET Meeting, the Spanish Cosmetic and Therapeutic Dermatology Group of the AEDV (Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology), will take place in Palma on 5, 6 and 7 October 2023.
As the year progresses into its final quarter, the Palma Congress Center is poised for an exciting period ahead, anticipating a surge in activity thanks to more than 20 events scheduled during this period, including five major congresses.
Autumn attracts a large number of cyclists to Mallorca, where there is an incredible variety of opportunities to explore the island by bike, as well as an infrastructure developed to meet the needs of cyclists at all levels.


text:
Ask Dr. Carm
Hello Dr. Carm,
I recently read the article “Balance your hormones with food” in the current issue of Clean Eating that you contributed to. I was very intrigued by the article! In December of 2011 I was finally diagnosed with Hereditary angioedema, or HAE, a rare disease of the immune system. Have you ever worked with and/or treated HAE patients? If you have, have you found that a hormone balancing diet has worked for them?
First, thank you so much for the question. This diagnosis is very rare and I do not have experience with treating it. What I can tell you though is that you are definitely on the right track. Everything that we put in our body, including food, preservatives and environmental pollutants, effects how we respond to genetic predisposition, especially involving the immune system. You cannot go wrong is eating a balanced diet that is rich in whole foods (unrefined) and as “clean” as possible, meaning free of toxins. I would suggest exercise as long as it does not bring on an attack, maintaining a normal BMI and looking into meditation and other means of relaxation. Avoiding stress as you know is critical.
It sounds as if you have found physicians who are familiar with treating this disease. That is great. If you ever feel that a second opinion would be helpful, don’t hesitate to seek one out. An allergy specialist who sees patients with this disorder would be preferable. In addition, a little trick that I do is use Google or a health site like WebMd and ask about HAE and newer treatment or holistic treatment or management with diet. This will produce articles and studies that have been done in the major academic centers. Take a look at the authors and where they are located. You may find a center near you that is on the cutting edge. Sometimes, physicians will consult with your doc and they can be 1000 miles away. The HAE Association will have names of docs also. I do see the rationale behind offering you androgens as a treatment but I also understand your reluctance to use them or other steroids.
The goal should be to maintain as healthy a body and mind as possible so that flares will be limited and the use of meds will be only after all else fails.
I wish you the best of luck. Please let me know how you are doing!
Dear Dr. Carm,
I am 39 years old and worrying about when I will experience peri-menopause. My friend who is 40 has had symptoms already and she says it is terrible.
-Worried in Ohio
Peri-menopause is the transitional period from normal menstrual periods to no periods at all. Don’t kill the messenger but this transition can take up to ten years. There is no specific age when a woman will start this transition. The closest correlation may be to your mom. If you can, find out when she started, that may give you an indication of when you may start. Also, see your GYN. She can do blood tests that may indicate if you are entering this period of time or already through it.
During peri-menopause you may experience PMS symptoms, menopausal symptoms or no symptoms at all. In the last three years, I have been “lucky” enough to have experienced each and every symptom there is including but not limited to: mood swings, hot flashes, dry skin…everywhere, insomnia and loss of energy. I have friends who tell me that they don’t have any symptoms other than a change in their bleeding. The bottom line is that the timing and the experience are different for every woman.
Always remember that in every stage of life, a balanced diet and plenty of exercise can help with the symptoms. Good luck.
Dear Dr. Carm,
I need to find a new doctor. What should I be looking for to make sure that t this will be a doctor for me?
-No MD in Denver
Dear No MD,
The doctor-patient relationship is one of the most important that you will have in your life. We all deserve to have a doc who understands us, has great communication skills as and is up on the latest medical know-how.
Before you even call for an appointment, check the doctor’s credentials on-line. Is the doctor board certified? Is the doctor liked and respected by hi/her other patients? There are websites that allow patients to rank doctors on all of these criteria. Depending on where you live, there may be local magazines that do an annual “best doctor” issue.
Also, ask around. If you respect a person, ask them what doctor they use and why. As a doctor myself, I get this question a lot and usually answer it more from a consumer’s perspective.
Once you’ve done your research, call the doctor’s office and make an appointment for a consultation. This is also known as an interview. You are not going in to talk about your current health status or issues, but to see what the doc is like and if you have good chemistry. An initial interview will also will give you the opportunity to see how organized or disorganized the office is. Disorganized office = bad sign.
Find out if she/he recommends second opinions. If the answer is no, it’s not a good sign. You want a doctor with an open mind who encourages second opinions.
Try to get a beat on the office staff, as you’ll spend a great deal of time dealing with them. Are them pleasant and efficient? Helpful and respectful? How do they interact with other patients? A good vibe in the office suggests the overall experience will be positive.
Make sure you understand how the doctor works and how much access you’ll have to her / him. Does she / he use a Physician’s Assistant for other non-MDs for routine matters? Will you be able to reach the doctor via email or phone if you have a medical question that does not require an office visit?
Consider whether the doctor listens and is responsive to your questions or whether she / he is rushed or brusque.
If you’ve ever hired anyone, whether a high level employee at work, a painter or plumber for your house or a baby sitter for your children, you know the drill. Stay focused. Clearly express your needs and expectations. Ask questions. Ask again, if you don’t understand the answer. This is one of the most important hires you will ever make. This person’s job is to take care of you!
Dear Dr. Carm,
I am only 29 and don’t have the interest in sex that I used to have. My husband is frustrated. I am, too. Is something wrong with me?
-Not hot or Bothered in Jacksonville
Dear Not Hot or Bothered,
First of all, you are completely normal. It’s typical to have times when we’re not feeling as interested in sex as we once did. I know that this is very frustrating for both of you. Lots of things can contribute to diminished interest in sex.
Consider the three “C’s” – change, check-up, communication. Have there been major changes in your life, stressful or otherwise? When was your last check-up? How well do you communicate with your partner?
- Job change or layoff, overload between work and family responsibilities, worries about an elderly parent, financial problems are the kinds of change agents that can impact your interest in sex.
- Other than your diminished interest in sex, do you have physical symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, sensitivity to cold or heat, sudden weight gain or loss? Make an appointment for a check up with your GP or gynecologist. Make sure you don’t have the beginning of thyroid or adrenal gland problems and that all is in order with your body.
- Communication with your husband (or partner) is important in all matters. When it comes to sex, even when you’ve been together for years, talking about it can be awkward for some people. Even so, sit down together and talk. If stress or overload or fatigue is your issue, tell him. Try to find ways to be tender with each other until your sex drive returns – and it will. Maybe you need to shake things up in the bedroom…work at making them more interesting…rekindling that original spark you had.
Whatever the answer may be, know that it is perfectly normal for couples to have ups and downs around sex. See this as an opportunity to increase communication, get a check-up, handle the stress in your life and spend some time on you. Good luck!
I never lost my “baby weight” after my third child was born a year ago. I am so busy with 3 kids, a full time job and management of my household, I don’t have time to exercise or energy to follow a diet. Are there a few easy changes that I can make that will help me lose the weight without starting a formal diet or buying a gym membership?
-Busy with Baby in Chicago
Dear Busy with Baby,
I gained 40 pounds with my first child and 50 with my second one. I was fat everywhere…my back, my thighs, even my knees, And yes, it was hell to take it off. I know that you are super busy but remember if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else!
I am a firm believer in individual wellness potential and taking small steps to reach yours. In addition to reading that area of my blog,
Here are some small steps and effective strategies that won’t take any time at all.
- Replace soda and other sugary drinks with water (not only easy but will save you money!)
- Replace cookies and sugary desserts with fresh fruit or a small scoop of fat-free frozen yogurt.
- Treat yourself and your family to whole grains instead of white rice, pasta and processed bread. (REMEMBER: white is not right!)
- Cut processed foods (like packaged cookies, potato chips, etc.) out of your diet – they are full of hidden fat, salt and sugar.
- Have a salad meal once a day. Fill your bowl with color – dark, leafy greens, red beets, orange carrots. Sprinkle a few nuts for crunch. Drizzle a squeeze of lemon or orange and a bit of olive oil and toss.
- If you snack, snack on fresh or dried fruit, a handful of nuts or munch-worthy vegetables. Stay away from calorie-laden energy bars, sweets and processed munchies.
- Use the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
- Park your car as far as possible from the entrance to your destination so you can grab a short walk.
- Instead of taking a coffee break, take a walking break or a stretching break.
All of this adds up and can lead to significant weight loss within a year. Don’t forget that my mother’s major exercise routine was cleaning the house. Every little bit of moving helps.
Enlist your family and friends to support and encourage you. Good luck! You’ll get there.

domain: medical


Amazon founder pledges $1 billion to preserve, protect biodiversity from climate impacts
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos kicked off New York Climate Week with a $1 billion pledge to protect and preserve the earth's plant and animal species that are under threat from a rapidly changing climate that is fueling droughts, frigid temperatures, wildfires, and hurricanes.
"The loss of nature and the changing climate aren't really two separate problems. They are two sides of the same coin," Bezos said 20 September as he announced the grants at an event held by The Climate Pledge (TCP). "We simply cannot address climate change without reversing the loss of nature and vice versa."
Saying the "top-down approach" of distributing grants has failed in the past, Bezos said the grants would be given to local indigenous communities for projects in the Congo Basin, the tropical Andes, and the tropical Pacific Ocean, where there is significant need and opportunity.
The goal is to use the $1 billion—which would come from the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund set up a year ago to fund nature and climate solutions—towards implementing the 2019 goal articulated by scientists to protect 30% of air and land by 2030 because species are being lost at 1,000 times their natural extinction rate.
Tropical forests, for example, are home to more than half of all species on land and capture more carbon pollution than any other terrestrial ecosystem. They also sequester much more carbon than planted monocultures, according to his announcement.
"We know from science that conserving of 30% of well-chosen land and maritime areas can protect 80% of plant and animal species and secure 60% of carbon stocks," Bezos said.
Joining Bezos for the announcement was UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
"Best foot forward"
Mohammed quipped that she felt like an endangered species herself, "surrounded by all these men." She added that women in affected communities would solve "what scientists say is a man-made crisis."
On a more serious note, she lauded Bezos for recognizing the scale of the biodiversity problem, and the urgency with which it needs to be tackled. "What Jeff showed us today is he putting his best foot forward, what's yours?" Mohammed asked the gathered audience.
Kerry agreed, saying Bezos is "stepping up where people with the wherewithal do not step up."
Earlier in September, the Bezos Earth Fund announced $237.1 million in grants for nonprofits, including those engaged in advancing climate justice, climate-smart economic recovery, and spurring innovation for decarbonization pathways.
These include $7 million for Mission Possible Partnership, an alliance of climate leaders focused on "supercharging efforts" to decarbonize many of the world's most carbon-intensive industries, including steel, aluminum, cement, chemicals, aviation, shipping, and trucking.
Financial institutions back nature conservation
Bezos likened the impacts of global warming to a slow asteroid that is hurtling towards the Earth and said "there is blessedly something we can do about it now."
Under Bezos, Amazon co-founded TCP with the international nonprofit Global Optimism in 2019. It is a platform for companies, organizations, and individuals to collaborate on a series of actions to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement goal. TCP also includes a $2-billion venture fund that provides seed money to companies and technologies that will facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Prior to Bezos' announcement, TCP announced it had 201 signatories under its belt.
The announcement comes as countries gear up for the Fifteenth UN Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which will be held in October in Kunming, China, and the COP26 climate meeting in November in Glasgow, Scotland.
Ahead of the COP15 meeting, 78 financial institutions representing more than $10.6 trillion in assets called on world governments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and to realign capital flows towards a nature-based economy.
"Biodiversity loss will have significant and systematic consequences for the global economy, and exposes us to market, credit, liquidity and operational risks," the companies said in a joint statement that was coordinated by Finance For Biodiversity and Ceres, a sustainable network of investors.
- South Korea’s climate roadmap fails to impress businesses, environmentalists
- Biden climate resiliency “roadmap” targets financial disclosure
- Rio Tinto hikes GHG reduction goals, eyes at least 6 GW of renewable power to do so
- Chemical, renewables players pile into green hydrogen as EU readies the road
- Repsol project adds to Indonesia’s carbon capture ambitions
- Chemical industry consortium targets joint investments, acceleration of net-zero technologies, projects
- BioLPG producers warn of feedstock availability challenges
- Top Asian economies well positioned to capitalize on shipping decarbonization


text:
Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they present a topic, and bloggers from all over share their Top Ten lists. This week's topic - Top Ten Favorite Romances!
When I first saw this week's topic, I started thinking about some of my favorite fictional couples, Here, in no special order, are some of my favorites.
- Roarke and Eve (In Death, JD Robb) ~ From the first time they met in Naked in Death, I knew that this would be a fun relationship. And I was right.
- Georgina and Seth (Georgina Kincaid, Richelle Mead) ~ They were such a great couple. The obstacles and struggles they went through made them real for me.
- Stephanie and Morelli (Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich) ~ An absolutely fun couple. When they're 'on', they are great. When they're 'off', they are even more fun!
- Jamie and Nat (Modern Witch, Debora Geary) ~ Jamie & Nat are the first couple to hook up in the series, but not the last. The beginning of their relationship was sweet, and they have grown into a strong couple in Witch Central.
- Harry and Ginny (Harry Potter, JK Rowling) ~ Even though they don't become a 'couple' until toward the end of the series, it's still a sweet romance to me.
- Ron and Hermione (Harry Potter, JK Rowling) ~ While you could see this one coming early in the series, it was written so well that you couldn't help but cheer for them.
- Adam and Mercy (Mercedes Thompson, Patricia Briggs) ~ Their relationship may have started and a bit...rocky, but they have become a solid couple in a fantastic series.
- Elena and Clay (Women of the Underworld, Kelley Armstrong) ~ Not the only couple to hook up during the series, but certainly the most entertaining.
- Jaenelle and Daemon (Black Jewels, Anne Bishop) ~ Seeing what they went through, both separately and together, made them very special as a couple.
- Elspeth and Darkwind (Valdemar: Mage Winds, #1 Mercedes Lackey) ~ The early Valdemar books are some of my all-time favorite fantasy stories. This relationship was special for so many reasons, and is still one of my favorites.
There you have it - some of my favorite romances from some of my favorite books. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! <3

domain: literature


text:
If I had been prevented from having access to helpful people and materials, as Assembly Bill 2943 proposes, the bill would have been a ‘stay trans and die’ bill for me.
Read the bill. There is no religious exemption. There is no restriction to mental health professionals. This is not simply a ‘gay conversion ban.’
Assembly Bill 2943 would make the selling or advertising of gay conversion therapy a violation of the state’s consumer fraud laws.
Marquette is attempting to fire a tenured professor for public comment on a matter of great public and institutional concern.
Free speech is under sustained attack in our country. Here are five lies the attackers use to undermine our most basic freedom.
The government of French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the arrest of his opponent from the 2017 presidential election, Marine Le Pen.
The transgender plaintiffs seek to force Ohio to issue them new birth certificates ‘to accurately reflect their gender identity’ as opposite their sex.
Marches are not only antithetical to the aesthetics of republicanism, but, quite often, they’re antithetical to its purpose.
Based on oral arguments, even the liberal justices didn’t like a law that discriminates against pro-life pregnancy clinics.
Most Republicans who assaulted the video game industry after the Florida rampage unintentionally showed they’re willing to destroy free speech to protect the right to bear arms.
Students were asked to choose between the value of free speech and the value of diversity and inclusion.
Author Ryan Holiday examines the nearly unbelievable conspiracy of how Hulk Hogan and few secret individuals were able to dismantle the infamous Gawker.
In explaining his flip-flop on gun control, Joe Scarborough has failed to highlight that he went from being accountable to voters to being accountable to Comcast and MSNBC viewers.
A life of total ‘security’ would be psychologically intolerable, and would expose us to the great evils of an overbearing government.
Eric Swalwell’s bill would limit a universal freedom to a discrete class, and place the government—either through bureaucracy or through the courts—in charge of defining that class.
From canceled classes at Princeton to sobbing undergrads at Stanford, colleges across the country are training students to be intolerant.
As the Left and the Right change, the fulcrum for this transformation is in their attitudes toward the individual rights of freedom of speech and expression.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear John McAdams’ lawsuit against Marquette University over the conservative faculty member’s suspension for defending a student.
There is simply no historical ground upon which Politico can claim that protecting the right of medical professionals not to participate in abortion has been ‘controversial’ since Roe v. Wade.
Letting white nationalists speak doesn’t leave us defenseless against their ideas. In fact, it’s key to bringing them down.
- British Doctor: Alfie Evans Must Die Because His Parents Have A Bad AttitudeA doctor treating Alfie told reporters off the record hcontinue reading >
- Bombshell: FEC Records Indicate Hillary Campaign Illegally Laundered $84 MillionThe mainstream media took no notice of a federal court continue reading >
- 5 Reasons Democrats Are Suing Over Their Russia Collusion NarrativeThe Democratic National Committee just filed a civil sucontinue reading >

domain: news


text: Hugh Pickens writes "Live Science reports that although life expectancy in the United States has risen to an all-time high of 77.9 years in 2007 up from 77.7 in 2006, gains in life expectancy may be pretty much over, as some groups — particularly people in rural locations are already stagnating or slipping in contrast to all other industrialized nations. Hardest hit are regions in the Deep South, along the Mississippi River, in Appalachia and also the southern part of the Midwest reaching into Texas. The culprits — largely preventable with better diet and access to medical services — are diabetes, cancers and heart disease caused by smoking, high blood pressure and obesity. What the new analysis reveals is the reality of two Americas, one on par with most of Europe and parts of Asia, and another no different than a third-world nation with the United States placing 41st on the 2008 CIA World Factbook list, behind Bosnia but still edging out Albania. 'Beginning in the early 1980s and continuing through 1999 those who were already disadvantaged did not benefit from the gains in life expectancy experienced by the advantaged, and some became even worse off,' says a report published in PLoS Medicine by a team led by Harvard's Majid Ezzati, adding that 'study results are troubling because an oft-stated aim of the US health system is the improvement of the health of "all people, and especially those at greater risk of health disparities.'"


LONDON, July 9: Andy Murray will chase his second Wimbledon crown against first-time finalist Milos Raonic after the title contenders took contrasting paths to the All England Club showpiece.
Murray made it to his third Wimbledon final with a ruthless 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 demolition of Czech 10th seed Tomas Berdych, while Raonic stunned Roger Federer with a 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory yesterday.
Raonic�s first win on grass against a top 10 opponent shattered Federer�s hopes of claiming a record eighth All England Club crown and 18th major.
The 34-year-old Swiss star was on the brink of becoming the oldest All England Club finalist in 42 years when he took a two sets to one lead, but the big-serving Raonic hit back to avenge his 2014 Wimbledon semifinal loss against Federer.
�There was a little opening and I took it,� said Raonic, who is the first Canadian man to make a Grand Slam final.
�It�s a big impact for Canada. Hopefully, it will be even bigger if I win on Sunday.
�I was struggling throughout the third and fourth sets, he was playing some real good tennis. It�s a great feeling to be continuing.�
It is the first time since 2002 that neither Federer, Novak Djokovic nor Rafael Nadal have made the Wimbledon final.
On the evidence of his Centre Court masterclass, world number two Murray will be favoured to clinch his third Grand Slam title in Sunday�s final � three years after becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
Murray, beaten in eight of his Grand Slam finals, will hope it is third time lucky this year after losing the Australian and French Open finals to Djokovic.
Having faced Djokovic in seven major finals and Federer, who beat the Scot in his first Wimbledon final in 2012, in the other three, Murray finally gets to meet an opponent from outside the traditional superpowers.
Murray holds a 6-3 lead in his head to head record with Raonic and defeated the 25-year-old on grass three weeks ago in the Queen�s Club final.
�I�m very happy. To make the Wimbledon final is a good achievement. I�ve got one more to go on Sunday,� Murray said.
�The older you get you never know how many chances you will get to play in a Grand Slam final.�
Federer, whose last Grand Slam crown came at Wimbledon in 2012, had already required five sets to get past Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals, saving three match points in the process.
And the effort took its toll on the 17-time major winner in the day�s first semifinal, which reached a crescendo just after Federer needed treatment on his right thigh and jarred his left knee and foot in a worrying fall.
Raonic finished with 23 aces and 75 winners while Federer converted just one of nine break points. � AFP


text:
CRAFT Logo Design
CRAFT Southcentral Alaska is a collaborative, regional alliance for farmer training. They commissioned these logo design with simplicity, growth, and interconnection themes, so I focused on the cyclical nature of farming and the passing down of knowledge and experience to the next generation of farmers and residents of our beautiful state. Pioneer Peak, a prominent mountain that overlooks the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, acts as a symbol for both the original Matanuska agricultural colony in the 1930s and for the new generation of intrepid farmers who are choosing to build their lives (and our soils, food system, and economy) in this scenic area.
Inspiration images and hand-drawn elements:

domain: agronomy


text:
- 1pound mild Italian sausagebulk or casings removed (may substitute beef)
- 1pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 6-8 garlic clovesminced
- 1/2-1teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 115 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 1teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4cup water
- 1tablespoon dried parsley
- 2teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 1 1/2teaspoons dried oregano
- 1tsp EACH salt, sugarplus more to taste
- 1/2tsp EACH dried thyme, pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4cup chopped basilor 1 TBS dried added with other spices
- 1/4cup heavy cream
- freshly grated Parmesan cheesefor serving
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Roughly chop onion, celery, and carrot just so they fit in your food processor. Pulse until finely chopped (about 12 pulses), or chop by hand.
In a Dutch oven, brown ground beef, sausage and onion/celery/carrots over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 more seconds. Drain grease.
Add all remaining sauce ingredients EXCEPT fresh basil and heavy cream and bring to a simmer (add dried basil at this time if using). Simmer uncovered over low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally until reduced and thickened to desired consistency. Stir more often towards the end of cooking so Bolognese doesn’t burn.
Stir in heavy cream and fresh basil and cook an additional 3 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, sugar or red pepper flakes to taste (I like more salt). Serve with pasta and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

domain: food


- Resource Categories
Overview of Thief Hatch Latch Detection Systems:
The following Application note provides a basic summary of Sensor Solutions Thief Hatch sensors and how to implement them in remote monitoring systems.
Our patent pending Thief Hatch Detection systems consist of a sensor mounted into the latch and a replacement latch pin. The sensor wires are then attached to a C1/D1 certified wireless transmitter. When the transmitter powers up, it checks to see if the circuit is “closed” or “open.” The circuit is only closed when the hatch is properly latched. If the latch is not closed or the sensor wires have been damaged or disconnected, the transmitter will send an “open” signal.
SIMPLE APPARATUS DESIGNATION:
Simple apparatus is defined in paragraph 3.12 of the ANSI/ISA-RP 12.6-1987 as any device which will neither generate nor store more than 1.2 volts, 0.1 amps, 25 mW or 20 μJ. The only component of the system that is capable of storing electricity is the cable between the sensor and the transmitter. If multiple sensors are being connected to a single transmitter port, or if additional wiring is being connected, calculations should be performed to ensure the total cable length will not store more than 1.2V. Contact Sensor Solutions Engineering department for additional information.
To mount the sensor, latches are tapped for threading the sensor in aligned with the pin. Then the sensor can be threaded into the hole. Once threaded into the latch the sensor face should be flush with the inside of the latch or recessed inside the latch.
The OEM latch pin is then replaced with Sensor Solutions replacement pin, part number CS1209. Wiring from the sensor can then be routed to an open/close terminal pair in the wireless transmitter.
The control system receiving the data from the sensor is then programmed to provide notification of when hatches are open and send alarms via email or text message when the latch has been open for a specified amount of time.
Talk to one of our Engineers. Sensor Solutions' Engineers have years of experience in designing custom sensors for new applications as well as OEM replacements. Contact out Engineering Department today to discuss your specific needs.


text:
Can the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl?
I don’t think that there is any arguing that Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He’s currently third in career wins amongst active coaches and since he’s only a few wins behind Jeff Fisher its only a matter of time before he will be in second place behind Bill Belichick. His career winning percentage of .602 ranks higher than that of many Hall of Fame coaches including Bill Parcels, Chuck Noll, and Jimmy Johnson. The only thing Andy Reid is missing from his resume is a Super Bowl win.
So is there something about Andy Reid that prevents his regular season success from carrying over into the playoffs? Is Andy Reid a reason to believe in the Chiefs Super Bowl chances or a reason to doubt them? I think all of us have at some point criticized Reid for his play calling or clock management and deservedly so. He does sometimes overthink play calls and has made head scratching decisions regarding time outs. He is also one of the best teachers in all the NFL, a tremendous game planner who seems to be able to design plays to attack almost any defense, and is almost universally beloved by his players.
So again the question is do Reid’s pros outweigh his cons when it comes to KC’s Super Bowl chances? I believe that no matter how frustrated we as fans may be at certain play calls or clock snafus that Reid is still a HUGE plus for the Chiefs. The NFL head coaching position is often a revolving door and for a coach to have the sustained long term success that Reid has is proof that he is a positive.
Look, Andy Reid could make a decision in a playoff game that costs the Chiefs. However, even if that happens I believe that his leadership, knowledge, teaching skills, and game planning expertise still put the Chiefs at an overall advantage against most other head coaches. I mean, the Broncos won the Super Bowl with Gary Kubiak. Anybody want to make the argument that Kubiak is a better coach than Andy Reid? I’m sure not going to.
Bottom line is that while its easy to get frustrated in the heat of the moment on game day we all need to remember what Reid has done both in his career and in his time since arriving in Kansas City. The Chiefs have a great coach and while he has his flaws they are greatly outweighed by all the positives that he brings to the table.
Finally, let’s talk about the defense.

domain: sports


Organic food is gaining ground…
Once found only is some boutique food stores, organic food can now be found on most supermarket stores. Although it is too early to speculate whether organic food will become ubiquitous, there is no doubt that the organic wave has caught on with younger consumers in India’s metros who are health-conscious and better informed.
Usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and genetically-modified seeds are a strict no-no in organic farming. Organic agriculture uses compost, animal manure and green manure as fertilizer. Weeds are controlled naturally through crop rotation, hand weeding, mulching and tilling. Insects are controlled through traps, good insects and birds.
Organic milk comes from cows who are not given antibiotics or growth hormones and who are fed grass as well as feed prepared form organic grains. Organic meat is from chicken and goats which are fed organic feed and who too should not receive antibiotics and growth hormones.
Basically, organic farming is a sustainable agriculture practice that conserves soil and water, reduces pollution, preserves soil fertility and nutrition, involves crop rotation as well as intercropping and prevents groundwater pollution. Organic farming results in greater retention of carbon in soil rather than as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, thus helping combat greenhouse effect and global warming.
The benefits of organic food…
Organic food is much healthier than conventional food due to more beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants and vitamin C in the former. Strong nourishment of the soil in organic farming leads to well-nourished plants, which in turns yield food with a high nutritional content.
Organic food is also tastier with natural and nuanced flavours and aromas. It is lighter on the digestive system and also helps reduce acidity and gas. Organic fruits are juicier as they are allowed to ripen on the tree. Absence of pesticide and fertilizer contamination in may in the long-term prevent cancer as well as diseases of kidneys, lungs and liver.
Organic food is still not pocket-friendly in India because non-use of fertilizers and pesticides results in lower yield per acre of organic crop than traditional crop. However as more customers switch to organic foods, cost is bound to come down. You may also note that organic produce or products are cerified by Swiss Ecocert or USDA or OneCert or under 'Participatory Guarantee System' (PGS).


text:
When I lived in San Diego, I had the great fortune of meeting Tami, the talent and mastermind behind the curtain at Candy Skein Yarn. Tami's love of color and consistency of practice are what make her the dyer that she is: AWESOME!
When I think of the story to tell about today's new pattern, and my history with Tami and her yarns, this is what I come up with: "Sometimes there really isn’t a story. Sometimes you just get inspired by gorgeous colorways and textures and it all comes together in one lovely little project." And it's as simple as that - I have gorgeous yarns from a lovely lady and it just came together as this lovely little creation (in my not-so-humble opinion). :)
This shawl uses 3 skeins of Candy Skein's Yummy Fingering base - a light weight but hearty base that soaks up color like nothing else. And the name of the game with this collection of colors is "texture". The majority of the shawl is worked either in garter or two-sided knit fabric - just one section uses purl stitches, so this beauty knits up fairly easily.
Speaking of Candy Skein!
Are you in the Beaverton/Portland, OR area? If you are, come meet Candy Skein (Tami) today, Saturday, March 4th, from 10am to 4pm at Nitro Knitters in Beaverton! She'll be on site with a slew of her gorgeous colorways in the Yummy Fingering and Luscious bases - perfect to treat yourself to a trio of colors for this shawl!
For the Open Star section, the Foil Wrapper (light grey) section, I've created a video to help you with a new term: k3pass.
The Sycamore Star shawl will be on display at Nitro Knitters this coming weekend. Most importantly, you can come meet Tami at Nitro Knitters, too, from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, March 4th - and you can pick your yarns for the shawl, too!
Here's the full list of details for this shawl!
- Candy Skein Yummy Fingering (fingering weight; 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon; 463 yds/100g), 1 skein each:
- ‘Black Licorice’ (black; color A)
- ‘Foil Wrapper’ (grey; color B)
- ‘Brain Freeze’ (blue/green; color C)
- US 4 (3.5mm) 32” circular needle (or preferred length)
- Removable stitch marker (optional)
70 inches wingspan by 16.75 inches deep
25 sts and 45 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch after blocking
- This shawl is constructed in an asymmetrical shape and worked flat, from tip to end. Written instructions are provided for the entirety of the shawl.
- Adjust needle size as necessary to match gauge.
- It is recommended to use a sharp-tipped needle owing to the need to pick up multiple sts to pass them over.
- All sts will be slipped purlwise unless otherwise noted.
- You may wish to clip a removable stitch marker to the RS of the work to differentiate RS from WS since as the first section of this project is worked in garter stitch.
- Although gauge is not critical for this project, a looser gauge than noted will result in the use of more yardage.
- To save on yardage it is recommended to carry the colors loosely up the side of the work rather than breaking at each color change.

domain: artistic


text:
Video: Amber Heard's father wanted to shoot Johnny Depp
2023 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-07-31 03:08
The breakup of the popular star couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has become one of the most high-profile and discussed in the media. At the same time, the scandal associated with the separation of the artists is acquiring new details.
As journalists recently reported, the matter was not limited to mutual proceedings. Father Amber also acted as a defendant. In an interview with The Blast, a third party reported this, which is David Killacky, the owner of a car company that once serviced Amber and Johnny's cars.
According to David, in 2016, when the matter went directly to divorce, Hurd behaved inappropriately. In particular, she refused to pay Killacky's bill on the grounds that Depp was supposed to have done so in accordance with the legal agreement between the couple at the time. At the same time, the girl refused to present any supporting documents.
After that, the conflict was continued in the form of a call from Amber's father. The man behaved extremely aggressively and violently expressed his indignation towards Johnny. In particular, he stated that he always carries a Colt with him, and will use it after he meets Depp.
Interestingly, at Johnny's request, David Killacky drafted a statement describing the details of the story, and the testimony was attached to the celebrity divorce case.
Will the couple be able to build a strong relationship in the usual sense, or will it be a bright and exciting attraction?
Pets can be put to sleep by the stars
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp decided to tell his truth about his relationship with Amber Heard. In an official statement, he indicated that he was subjected to domestic violence by the ex-wife
Being a bachelor has definitely tired Johnny Depp. The famous actor, who parted ways with French star Vanessa Paradis last year, is rumored to have decided to get married. And they say that Johnny not only persistently invites his beloved to marry him, but also acquire heirs.


text:
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease raised about $70,000 in Terre Haute.
That was the goal for this year.
Clinton Gardens was the top fundraiser for the second year in a row.
In total, 800 participants walked 1.3 miles.
If you missed the event, it's not too late to donate.
You can make a donation at this link.
- Walk to End Alzheimer's event a success in Terre Haute
- Terre Haute group hosted Alzheimer's Walk Kick Off
- Hundreds prepare to walk to end Alzheimer's
- Walk to End Alzheimer's leadership luncheon
- Walk to end Alzheimer's draws in hundreds to Fairbanks Park
- Annual walk to end Alzheimer's brings awareness to the disease
- Weekend Alzheimer's Walk raises nearly $90,000
- Despite setbacks...Terre Haute Air Show officials say the event was a success
- Launch Terre Haute hosts women-centric event
- Terre Haute event focuses on women's health


Veterans are set to be celebrated across the Hunter thanks to new funding.
The ANZAC Community Grants Program aims to give support to organisations working to improve the wellbeing of veterans.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Catherine Cusack said that local groups could receive up to $2,000 to “commence, enhance or complete a local community project as part of a commemorative and educational program”.
“The current and former servicemen and servicewomen in our community deserve to be recognised for their immense contribution to our country,” Ms Cusack said.
“Funding is available to individuals and not-for-profit organisations across the Hunter, including educational institutions, ex-service organisations, community groups, local government associations, museums and historical societies.”
Ms Cusack hoped local schools would apply for the grant.
“Many have honour rolls and/or memorials to students who have served and they may need some maintenance or enhancing – it’s a great opportunity to check on those,” she said.
“Today’s young people are experiencing a different form of stress due to the pandemic.
“It is impacting their education, their housing their opportunities in life – and we know an increasing number are overwhelmed by uncertainty.
“Meeting veterans, being inspired by their stories and connecting with their resilience can only benefit these young Australians.”
Acting Minister for Veterans Geoff Lee said the program provides community groups relief at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has increased pressure on fundraising.
“Feelings of isolation are heightened because of this pandemic so we want to assist projects which enrich the lives of our veterans as well as increase the appreciation of military service personnel,” Mr Lee said.
“Groups are also encouraged to apply for grants for public commemorative events including virtual services, projects which either enhance local historical research and education or preserve and display war memorabilia.”
Applications for the grant program will close at 5pm on Remembrance Day, Wednesday 11 November.
For more information go to the Veteran NSW website or call 1300 838 233.


New Protecta Eco-Foil System
How does the system work?
The system works by inserting a 300ml foil into the reusable Eco-Cartridge, which fits into a standard skeleton gun. The cartridge has a double-ended plunger, so once the foil is empty, remove the cap and nozzle and re-fill the opposite end with a new 300ml foil. Simply replace the cap and nozzle at the opposite end, insert into the dedicated foil gun and the system is ready for use!
What products are available in the Eco-Foil range?
- Protecta FR Acrylic
- Protecta FR Graphite
- Protecta FR IPT
- Empty Eco-Cartridges
- 300ml foil gun
Why choose the new Eco-Foil system?
- One Eco-Cartridge can be reused a minimum of 60 times
- Reduces on-site waste by more than 90%
- The system fits into a standard skeleton gun
- 6 months longer shelf life than the same product in a plastic cartridge


text:
A parking official who doctored a photograph in an attempt to trap an innocent motorist was today ordered to do 150 hours of community service.
Gavin Moses, 27, a member of staff at the NCP office in Bury, Greater Manchester, changed the date on a digital picture used as part of a ticket appeal hearing.
Moses pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at a hearing at Bolton crown court on September 6 last year. Today at Manchester's Minshull Street crown court, Judge Jonathan Geek told him that he must do 150 hours of community work over the next 12 months.
The case against Moses followed the issuing of a £60 cash fine to motorist Kevin McGuire on Sunday, August 31 2003.
Mr McGuire, a 51-year-old accounts manager, had arrived at the Market Place in Bury town centre at 7.15am, checked there were no restrictions in place, and left his Toyota Camry in a bay while he took a group of RAF cadets for a day's training.
NCP had been meant to put up signs on the previous day announcing restricted parking for a parade to mark Gallipoli day, but had not done so in case they were torn down by drunken Saturday night revellers. The signs were eventually put up later on the Sunday, but not before Mr McGuire had returned to his vehicle at 5pm and found a £60 fine stuck to the windscreen.
He wrote to NCP to object and received a reply enclosing a photo taken on August 31 that showed a suspended parking sign close to where he had parked.
He decided to appeal against the fine and part of the duty of compiling evidence against him fell to Moses, a former member of the Royal Fusiliers.
Henry Blackshaw, prosecuting, said: "The photo which was dated August 31 and showed a suspension sign was amended using computer software, so as to substitute the one with a zero, and sent to Mr McGuire.
"Mr McGuire picked up on the fact that the photo had been falsified and noticed that the date was different to that in the earlier photo."
Mr McGuire produced the original picture with the same cloud formation in the background, showing the correct date and proving the sign had been put up after he parked.
In sentencing Moses, a father-of-two, to 150 hours community service, Judge Geek told him that he had caused Mr McGuire a number of "worrying and irritating" months.
"It is something of an irony when I read your army record that this case involves Gallipoli day. This involves a campaign that the Royal Fusiliers served so honourably in and they would not be proud that you are stood in this dock," he said.

domain: law


Brunswick County Named 2016 Top Digital County
2 min read
Brunswick County, NC, has been named one of America’s top digital counties by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties. The annual Digital Counties Survey aims to locate pioneering county governments and recognize them as adaptive IT leaders, collaborators and arbiters of the public trust.
Technology is key for Brunswick County to scale services for its rapidly growing population and recent influx of residential and commercial building projects. Part of the county’s digital strategy, the building department implemented a paperless building permit application process using Laserfiche enterprise content management to increase the department’s capacity for reviewing and approving permits, and performing building inspections, without needing to add staff.
“Brunswick County is the fastest growing county in North Carolina and among the fastest growing counties in the U.S.,” said Steve Randone, IT Director at Brunswick County. “Laserfiche and our core technologies enable our county government to manage this growth, promote transparency, increase access to government and services, better engage citizens and secure data—all while keeping costs under control.”
The county is three years into a five-year plan to update and improve technology infrastructure and processes, and, according to Randone, 98 percent of the goals outlined in the plan have been accomplished. Moving forward, the county plans to build more process solutions to improve efficiency across departments, and eventually share these solutions with other cities and counties in North Carolina.
“Brunswick County implements strategic technology initiatives that meet current needs and position the county for continued growth and success,” said Katie Burke, Senior Government Program Strategist at Laserfiche. “Having an up-to-date IT infrastructure and thought-out processes shows commitment to the county’s citizens and employees. We are so excited to see what the future has in store for Brunswick County.”
Other Laserfiche users that were named top digital counties include: Fairfax County, VA; County of San Diego, CA; County of Alameda, CA; Miami-Dade County, FL; Oakland County, MI; Bexar County, TX; Orange County, FL; County of Ventura, CA; Hennepin County, MN; Los Angeles County, CA; Cook County, IL; Chesterfield County, VA; Loudoun County, VA; Cumberland County, NC; Dutchess County, NY; Leon County, FL; County of Santa Cruz, CA; Douglas County, CO; Charles County, MD; St. Tammany Parish, LA; Cabarrus County, NC; Davidson County, NC; Oneida County, NY; Nevada County, CA; Albemarle County, VA; Roanoke County, VA; Martin County, FL; Skagit County, WA; and Tompkins County, NY.
For the full list of winners, click here.
Laserfiche is a leading global provider of enterprise content management software empowering organizations to take control of information and business processes.
With intuitive on-premises and cloud solutions for document management and process automation, Laserfiche improves productivity, efficiency and strategic decision-making for organizations looking to transform into a digital workplace.
For more than three decades, Laserfiche has fostered an active user community that shares ideas and inspires solutions. To learn more, visit laserfiche.com/about-laserfiche.
Laserfiche®, Run Smarter® and Compulink® are registered trademarks of Compulink Management Center, Inc.


text:
Four of six eighth-grade graduates attended a recent reunion. They recalled everything from using dry ice to make a door knob “sing” to having lunch carried down to classrooms from an upstairs kitchen that used dry ice to keep ice cream cold.
The power purchase agreement would mean Ameresco would own and maintain solar arrays on 12 Kingsport City Schools buildings with a 20-year power costs savings projected at almost $3 million.
Kingsport school board member Todd Golden had asked the city system to check with the Tennessee School Board Association on the matter.
Christ Fellowship Church has partnered with Kingsport’s Adams Elementary School for a mentoring program participants say benefits the students, the mentors, the school and the community. The program in its third year is serving eight students so far this school year.
The Board of Education seems to be leaning toward a Monday in-service day tacked onto the end of the Monday-Friday fall break in between two weekends, meaning students would get 10 straight days off instead of nine.
They were the best of friends for six decades, sharing their lives while half a world apart, until two weeks ago when Australian Anne Beazley and Karen Wilcox of Church Hill finally met for the first time.
The students are in a high-performing academic group of less than 1 percent of graduating seniors, based on PSAT test results their junior year.
It’s a quarter-mile long with a view of much of the town of Wise, and it’s plenty of exercise, too.
The students took Advanced Placement courses.
Hawkins County School Board member Chris Chistian will be back in a familiar position next month after being unanimously elected chairman of the board at the end of Thursday's meeting.
Honored students either read at last 100 books last school year and over the summer or had the best reading improvement at their school.
Director of Schools Matt Hixson told the BOE Thursday that of those 35 students, 10 are completely new to the school system, and another 19 were planning on attending other institutions such as private school or an independent home school program.
New headquarters and operations of the STEAMWORKS Powered by Eastman in Education is at 200 Lynn Garden Drive.
Clinch School, located on the north side of Clinch Mountain, is the smallest K-12 pubic school in Tennessee, and as of Monday is the only four-day per week public school in Tennessee.
A reunion for all classes and friends of Sullivan is being planned for May of 2020 at the old Sullivan High School. In the meantime, organizers are sharing the history of education in the Sullivan Gardens community through stories like these.


text:
Gross margin expanded yet again: What caused it?
General Mills (GIS) maintained its strong margin discipline yet again in fiscal 3Q16 through its cost-savings initiatives. The adjusted gross margin improved by 160 basis points to 34.8%, as compared to 33.2% in fiscal 3Q15. It excluded mark-to-market effects and certain other items affecting comparability.
Cost-saving initiatives after compensating modest input cost inflation drove the margin to increase. For the first nine months of fiscal 2016, the company’s adjusted gross margin also expanded by 170 basis points.
Margins’ expectations for fiscal 4Q16 and 2016
For fiscal 4Q16, General Mills (GIS) projects its adjusted gross margin to be below last year’s comparable period. This was due to the highest quarterly inflation rate, which was lower a year ago. For fiscal 2016, the company expects its gross margin to expand by ~100 basis points, reflecting the low input cost inflation of 1%.
Fifth consecutive quarter of operating profit margin expansion
General Mills displayed a fifth consecutive quarter of operating margin expansion. The adjusted operating profit margin increased by 60 basis points to 15.9% compared to 15.3% in fiscal 3Q15. The total operating profit for the company totaled $586 million, up by 9.1% year-over-year.
On a constant currency basis, segment operating profit was down by a modest 1% to $679 million. This was due to the company’s cost-savings effort, which balanced the impact of the Green Giant sale.
General Mills’ (GIS) chairman and chief executive officer, Ken Powell, stated that the company’s disciplined financial management has enabled it to expand its adjusted operating profit margin for the fifth consecutive quarter while still investing in the Consumer First renovation and innovation initiatives. For fiscal 2016, the company expects its total segment operating profit to match last year’s levels.
General Mills’ peers include Bunge (BG), J.M. Smucker (SJM), and Flowers Foods (FLO). These competitors reported gross margins of 6.3%, 38.6%, and 46.8%, respectively, for their recently reported quarters. The PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio ETF (SPLV) invests 1.04% of its holdings in SJM.

domain: finance


text:
|DMC1:Collect 50,000 Red Orbs|
This accumulates throughout your other playthroughs, but if you are trying to max everything and buy everything in your first playthrough, you will get it then.
After you kill Shadow, while in the courtyard, run up and around the balcony into the room where you knock back the statue to reveal a hatch. Drop down the hatch into the room where the shotgun and judgement key/staff were, then into the long corridor and back into the courtyard where you started. Keep running this route and you should get 250+ orbs per run killing puppets and witches. This is a good early grinding route.
After you kill Griffon, and use Ifrit to light the torches enter the next area. Proceed until the door shields, kill the puppets, and enter the next area. Keep passing through these two areas for a mixture of lizards and puppets.
In the room with the Airplane, if you just keep entering and exiting where you came in you can fight the blue doppelgangers. If you time it right, you can fight a constant stream of these guys in a never ending battle.
|Rate this achievement||Average Rating|
|You need to register before being able to post comments.|

domain: game


text:
First-Time Bitcoin Buyers ‘Doubled’ in Square’s Q3 Report
Square processed $148 million in bitcoin sales in the third quarter of 2019.
Square reported bitcoin revenues of $178 million between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2019, with profits of $3 million, up 50 percent over the prior two quarters.
The Twitter and Square founder also appears to be pushing Unicode to introduce the bitcoin emoji in the universal web standard.
An activist investor owned by billionaire Paul Singer reportedly has plans to shake up the management at Twitter after taking a big stake in the firm.
Libra has lost another Association member, but according to @nlw that’s likely low on their worries list, plus Square’s LN efforts & TON’s SEC support.
Square's newly awarded patent enables seamless transactions between a number of potential asset types including crypto.


text:
Check out the first look at Black ops Cold War. This trailer is insane and we gotta love the eighties vibe that they are giving us! The maps look really cool and most importantly for Seppin…
Our first look at zombies!
This is super cool and we are excited to see where it goes, check out the reveal below:
What did you think?
Leave a Reply

domain: entertainment


A new commercial machine designed to embroider skittles could cost up to $50 billion, according to financial analyst Tim O’Reilly.
The machine, called a crocheted kraft, is being built by Kmart and would be part of the company’s plans to expand into the food industry.
Kmart is also in the process of acquiring a company that makes an embroidering machine.
The new machine would make the company more competitive against large companies like Kroger.
KMart will be selling the crochetted kraft on Friday.
O’Neill said the crochet machine would likely cost between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.
Kroger has been building an embroidered Kmart logo for the past three years.
The company will also be selling a variety of kraft embroiderier products, including kraft bag and kraft-style embroideried jewelry.
Krogers CEO Brian Dunn is in the midst of a restructuring and is expected to resign this year.


text:
After the retreat to Egypt British forces held Germans during First Battle of El Alamein, but since General Montgomery took over Eight Army he was preparing a counter-offensive that would push Afrika Korps away from Alexandria. Rommel, who had to stop his offensive, gathered the reinforcements to face the British. He managed to put together over 80,000 soldiers, 540 tanks and 350 aircrafts - all that was available for North African theatre. On the other side Montgomery had 230,000 men, 1,450 tanks and 1,500 aircrafts, which meant that on paper he simply could not lose.
But the problem for British was Rommel - brilliant tactician, who many times proved to be worth of his nickname Desert Fox. He had time to prepare his line of defence, he had supplies sent from Europe, so Montgomery realized it will be tough battle. He started with heavy bombardment using 700 bombers and his artillery, but the main problems were the minefields set up by Germans and Italians. With heavy losses Eight Army managed to break through the German defence during a difficult night operation. After the line has fallen Rommel decided to retreat - he lost 75% of soldiers and almost all tanks, while Montgomery’s losses were 13,500 men and 432 tanks.
The battle was, just like during that time ongoing Battle of Stalingrad, a turning point of World War 2 - it was the first major victory for Allies in North Africa and the beginning of the end of Afrika Korps. Rommel with all his skills managed to keep the pressure on British for 2 years, but the resources he had available were not enough to meet the Allied forces.
Italian point of view on the Second Battle of El Alamein - young student joins the army and quickly gets disillusioned with reality of the war.
We take part in most important battle of World War 2 in Europe in North Africa controlling soldiers from United States, Soviet Union or United Kingdom.

domain: history


text:
by Sam Buntz
If we lack a hope that transcends the vagaries of time and space, the best we can do is not to hope: to never expect much. That was the wisdom of Thomas Hardy, later echoed by poetic descendants, like Philip Larkin. Yet, while Hardy is a poet who advises stoic endurance in the face of the world’s “neutral tinted haps and such,” he goes further than his disciples. While Larkin also advises endurance, he is, compared to Hardy, somewhat spiritless: he has no appetite for a cosmic quest, and disdains poetic mythmaking for that reason. Despite being shorn of orthodox belief by the revelations of Darwin, Hardy actually did have the urge for such metaphysical exploration. Unlike some of his followers, he doesn’t cease to think after receiving an initial impression—he pursues, he speculates, he wonders. As John Irving put it in A Prayer for Owen Meany, Hardy was “almost religious.” He had the temperament and the wonder, but he lacked hope for an eternal world, for final bliss. He knows all about time, but is uncertain regarding eternity.
A great example of Hardy’s philosophical mind in action is the poem, “The Masked Face.” The speaker finds himself in “a great surging space,” with no “firm-fix’d floor” and locked doors at both ends. A mysterious masked face arrives to tell him that this place is “Life.” When the speaker complains about the locked doors and the confusion reigning in this weird locale, the mask-veiled being replies:
“There once complained a goosequill pen
To the scribe of the Infinite
Of the words it had to write
Because they were past its ken.”
And in an untitled poem, labeled a “fragment” (though it seems complete enough), Hardy talks about another metaphysical trip. The speaker visits the Dead—all who have ever lived—where they wait in a hidden gallery. He asks them what they’re waiting for, and they reply that they’re waiting for “God” or “the Will, or Force, or Laws” or “vaguely…the Ultimate Cause” to finally “know it.” To the speaker’s repeated questioning they explain that they’re waiting for God to “know how things have been going on earth and below it: / It is clear he must know some day…” They continue:
“‘Since he made us humble pioneers
Of himself in consciousness of Life’s tears,
It needs no mighty prophecy
To tell that what he could mindlessly show
His creatures, he himself will know.
“‘By some still close-cowled mystery
We have reached feeling faster than he,
But he will overtake us anon,
If the world goes on.’”
In his work, Hardy took inspiration from Arthur Schopenhauer, the German philosopher who viewed the “Will to Live” as fundamentally pointless, even malign: we are all its helpless puppets, and our glory lies in renunciation and asceticism. But despite Schopenhauer’s profound influence, Hardy, in these particular poems, refuses to see life as a meaningless slog. He doesn’t consider the onward march of the Will as so much sound and fury. Rather, Life is a process that may, in fact, lead to a desirable conclusion, and there may be some greater design behind it—though not one consciously directed by the Biblical God. Rather, God is Life (or the Will) in Hardy’s estimation—a process leading towards some final comprehension. (This is very similar to George Bernard Shaw’s philosophy, as well). We have only to play our part in it, without complaint or accusation. Yet, at the same time, this shred of hope for the future—if it really is hope—is slathered with qualifications. God or the Will or the Ultimate Cause will reach some great reckoning “if the world goes on”, says Hardy (italics added). The sense of existential nausea, of reeling in immensities of time and space with no point of orientation, never really dissipates.
There is a certain tendency in some British artists—writers, playwrights, poets, film-makers—to indulge in misery for its own sake. “British Miserablism” is actually a school and a style. In a warped way, these artists look back to Hardy—but they fail to recognize that a tragedy is not a tragedy if there never was any chance for things to go right. If it’s always been 3 A.M. in the soul, and has never been high noon, where’s the loss? But, by situating his poetry in this greater semi-mythical context—speculating on the ultimate purpose of God or the Will, however vague it may be—Hardy lets us see genuine tragedy in the human condition. Things could be going right—we might’ve been born in the hidden room lying at the further end of that shifting, bewildering space called “Life,” discussed in “The Masked Face”. We might’ve lived to see the unveiling of the Mask, to note whether some more or less benevolent countenance lay behind. But we’re born in the middle of the process, unable to understand the purpose of the Infinite in authoring our sufferings—and our joys, for that matter (Hardy, in “Hap”, imagines higher powers, randomly scattering bliss and pain around his “pilgrimage”). That’s our real tragedy, in Hardy’s view. We can but serve and die, doing a little good in the process, and hoping merely that someone else will finally learn what it was all about.
But Hardy didn’t just influence poets like Larkin—poignantly unhappy, while dedicated to muddling through. He also influenced W.H. Auden, a writer who knew all that Hardy knew about time, but also knew much more about Eternity. Auden called Hardy an ideal mentor for the inspiring poet—since Hardy used so many verse forms and meters, and also provides numerous instructive examples of a great poet’s lesser and awkwardly shaped efforts—and understood the negative lessons Hardy taught about time and death. As Auden writes in “As I Walked Out One Evening,” “The glacier knocks in the cupboard / And the desert sighs in the bed / And a crack in the tea-cup opens / A lane to the land of the dead.” But Auden also affirms a hope transcending time and space—which Hardy never really could, since the vague hope he does have is ultimately bound by time, occurring at the end of a historical process. In “In Praise of Limestone” Auden imagines a higher world where “The blessed will not care what angle they are regarded from / Having nothing to hide.” This is a far more specific hope than Hardy’s desire to see the Will somehow become aware of what’s happening on earth. Auden has absorbed Hardy’s teachings, while daring to leap beyond them—reaching, as a poet, the same kind of final reckoning that Hardy intuited but did not dare to attain.


LONDON — A water-filtration system, designed by Oxford University student Stephen Goodwin Honan, uses plants to remove arsenic from water supplies, and yesterday it was voted the "Idea that will change the world" at the Global Design Forum in London, Dezeen Magazine reported.
The Sept. 17 story said Honan's Clean Water invention uses arsenic-absorbing plants to remove the arsenic, which is then trapped in a filter, posing no danger to the environment. The plants are a naturally occurring species, the story stated.
Honan stated in the story that his invention, priced at $10, is an environmentally-friendly, low-cost, easy-to-use filtration system "that rapidly accumulates arsenic from drinking water. The arsenic is able to then be recycled for productive purposes such as semi-conductors, solar panels, cellphones, computer electronics."
According to it website, The Global Design Forum is a platform for people looking to protect and help human society.
"We already have 500 people who've signed up for the next iteration of the pilot project," Honan stated in the story. "They actually approached us to do the next phase. We're then looking to partner with a semi-conductor company and hopefully we can close that gap and do the recycling in plants that are on the ground [in Bangladesh] and produce the first batch of 'responsible arsenic'."
To read the entire story, click here.


text:
Tax season can be a challenging and busy time for small business owners. We’re fortunate to have a growing list of alumni and advisors in the SEG network specializing in tax matters. Here is a list of some of the tax professionals SEG has worked with, as well as some ongoing community opportunities offering the support needed to make tax season a breeze.
LV Professional Services
Incubadora alum, LV Professional Services LLC, focuses on finding solutions for small business owners. They can support and are compliant with corporate, state, and federal filings. Services are available in both English and Spanish.
They are offering free 15-minute consultations to overview what tax supports individuals may need help with.
North Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Weekdays 9 AM – 6 PM
NEWERATAXES LLC offers Tax Preparation, credit, and financial specialization. All their services are available in Español. Services are available in both English and Spanish.
Marcum LLP Accountants & Advisors
Marcum is a national accounting and advisory services firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurial, middle-market companies and high-net-worth individuals achieve their goals.
100 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
Leshinsky Finance LLC
Leshinsky Finance understands the importance of wise strategic and financial planning during all the phases of the business cycle contemplation to maturation and possibly sale of the business.
815 Reservoir Avenue
Cranston, RI, 02910
Free Income Tax Preparation
Progresso Latino is offering free drop-in Income Tax Preparation from IRS-certified tax preparers. For more information call 401-728-5920.
Center for Women & Enterprise: Tax Compliance Series
The Center for Women & Enterprise is hosting a two-part virtual Tax Compliance series on March 5th and 19th. The series will cover the ins and outs of tax compliance for business owners instructed by a local certified tax preparer.
AARP Tax Preparation Program
The AARP Foundation is offering tax aid services to anyone of age (and especially if you are 50 years or older) or can’t afford tax preparation. The free service is also available to Spanish speakers and will run on Fridays until April 12th at the Martin Luther King Community Center. Appointments are required. For questions or to book an appointment contact Melanie Saunders at (401)-846-4828 ext.124 or email email@example.com.
Stay informed with upcoming events, local opportunities, resources and more by subscribing to SEG’s newsletter, The Social Scoop. Subscribe now


text:
UK investors need to be especially mindful of currency when investing in overseas markets, explains Donald Maxwell-Scott.
When assessing the health of an economy, it is useful to look at the strength of the corresponding currency. Some people even view the currency as the share price of that economy.
As we know, the US has been performing strongly, and the dollar has been spurred to highs when compared with many of its developed peers. This is usually because economic strength attracts foreign capital, which must then buy the currency in order to invest. In addition, when economic growth rises, interest rates usually rise too, and that provides a better comparative return for cash.
Many investors often don't think about currency when investing in overseas markets, but UK investors need to be more aware than most people. Following the EU referendum vote result, sterling dramatically weakened against most other currencies, literally overnight.
This had the temporary effect of boosting the stock values of many companies in the FTSE 100, but only because multinational companies derive much of their earnings overseas.
So, when converting their overseas earnings back to a weakened sterling, they were able to do so at a much more favourable rate. Effectively, as the “share price” of the UK economy has fallen, the FTSE 100 has actually risen on the “currency translation effect”- a fortunate quirk owing to the significant overseas content of the FTSE 100.
However, at the other end of the spectrum to sterling is the US dollar, which has gone from strength to strength. Over five years, it is up against the yen, Swiss franc, euro, Canadian dollar and, not surprisingly, sterling.
US earnings season started in earnest yesterday and an indicator of the currency effect was the June announcement by Nike, the shoe and clothing manufacturer, that it had missed earnings estimates for the first time since 2012, according to Bloomberg.
Nike is a good barometer considering its worldwide footprint. Its share price remained robust on the announcement, because it still managed to increase revenue despite missing its earnings estimates. Full-year revenue was up 7%, however, on a currency neutral basis it was up 11%. On a currency neutral basis then, it would have likely hit its earnings estimates, removing the dampening effect of a strong US dollar.
If the Federal Reserve increased rates as initially planned, then this would only make the dollar more expensive when compared with its peers. Many other multinationals based in the US would struggle with an even more resurgent dollar. Given that US president Donald Trump seems to measure his success by the level of the US stockmarket, this would be bad news as he fights for a second term in 2020.
Trump and tax cuts
While Trump is unpredictable, his tax cuts have certainly stimulated the US economy and have benefited companies in the county. Of more certainty is the comparison of the stockmarket performance between Trump and Barack Obama.
On a USD comparison basis, under Donald Trump the S&P 500 has climbed 31.7% since his inauguration on 20 January 2017. Under the tenure of Barack Obama over the same period of his first term the S&P 500 climbed 66.9%.
Of course, this isn’t really comparing like for like; considering the 2008 financial crisis, markets were recovering from huge falls, and benefited from huge amounts of stimulus that were required to keep the global economy afloat.
Nevertheless, of late, the US stockmarket has been impressive, helped by the tax cuts, tech boom, and low interest rates. But currency headwinds could well be the reversal of the cherry on the cake, and it may be time for UK investors to wake up and smell the coffee before any cooling in the US economy occurs.
A simple example illustrates this. At the time of writing (in early July), the GBP/USD exchange rate is around 1.26, so for every £1 you receive $1.26. A £10,000 investment in tech giant Apple (currently trading at around $200 per share) would enable the investor to buy 63 shares valued at $12,600.
If, over the course of the year, the share price in Apple dropped 10%, then the holding would be worth only $11,340. If sterling strengthened against the dollar over the same period - so £1 was worth $1.40 - and the Apple shares were sold and the proceeds converted back into sterling, then it would leave £8,100. Despite the shares falling only 10%, the investor would be sitting on a 19% loss in sterling terms.
Given that the US market is at an all-time high and sterling at multi-year lows, this scenario is not as unlikely as everybody seems to think. A rise in sterling is inevitable at some point as we move forward from the Brexit impasse.
Investors have had a boost from the currency translation effect as sterling has weakened – but what goes up must come down, or in this case, the opposite, which will have a negative effect on returns.
Donald Maxwell-Scott is technical investment manager, Rowan Dartington.


text:
Start your Engines
Trip Start Jun 15, 2011
84Trip End Jun 01, 2012
Map your own trip!
Show trip route
Where I stayed
Jucy Hotel, Auckland
We arrived into Auckland full of optimism having seen the incredible scenery from the plane as we came in to land. The promises of beautiful scenery along with some bright blue skies got us all excited about being at the start of our adventure, which is so different to anything we have done before and certainly very different to Asia.
Having caught a bus into the centre of town from the airport, we checked into our backpackers hotel and then immediately went out to get some food and explore Auckland to make the most of the little time we have here
We headed for the Viaduct harbour where we had some dinner and our first taste of New Zealand beer, overlooking the water as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful evening and the harbour looked amazing. The boats in the harbour are incredible, absolutely enormous and worth a fortune. Most of them had leather lounge suites, wide screen TV's and several satellites on top.
The next morning we packed up, had an awesome breakfast in a nearby cafe and then picked up our Campervan from the depot. We chose to go with a company who have artists spray-paint their vans with all sorts of Jazzy designs, from famous figures to landscapes to Winnie the Pooh
He took our details and said that he had seen our van design requests (all of which were landscapes) but that none of those options were available so he had selected the Egyptian Sphinx option because the pyramids look a bit like mountains, and therefore similar to what we wanted. This was not at all what Katy had wanted and after quite a while of 'negotiations' she managed to persuade the guy to change to a flowery design. Initially I thought that sounded a bit effeminate but I have grown to love those Hibiscus flowers, especially as the van is a newer model and is automatic. My main aim was not to get 'Winnie the pooh', so all in all I'm happy too.
So we have a van, time to explore beautiful New Zealand. First up is the beachy North!

domain: geography


text:
Florida’s largest school district is dropping all mask mandates, allowing parents in all grades to decide whether their children should wear a face covering, the superintendent announced Tuesday.
Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho made the announcement after a judge ruled last week that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was within his authority to allow parents to opt out of strict mandates. But rather than cite the decision, Carvalho said coronavirus cases are dropping, adding that protocols could change if cases spike again.
“On the basis of current health conditions, which are dramatically improved, effective tomorrow parents can access the parent opt-out form from any elementary or K-8 school in Miami-Dade,” Carvalho said at a news conference, adding that those children can stop wearing masks to school by Friday.
Earlier this month, Carvalho had relaxed mask requirements for middle schoolers and high schoolers, and said he would also allow elementary school students to opt out soon if cases continued to decline.
The Broward County School Board, in the state’s second-largest district, also approved making masks optional on Tuesday.
Reported cases of coronavirus have dropped from an average of 21,700 cases a day back in mid-August, when the school year began to an average of 1,500. Hospitalizations have also plummeted from about 17,000 to 1,300 patients.
Carvalho said three out of four schools in the district didn’t have any coronavirus cases last week, and most of them were elementary schools.
The two large school districts have been going against the DeSantis’ administration in strictly requiring masks of all students. The state’s health department imposed a rule, ordering districts to allow the parents the choice of whether the children wear masks.
The fight between the districts and the state has resulted in docked school board salaries, withholding of district funding and has drawn the attention of federal education officials.

domain: sociology