text:
Background: Regional or diffuse fibrosis is an early feature of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and is related to poor prognosis. Previous studies have documented low-grade inflammation in HCM. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between circulating inflammatory markers and myocardial fibrosis, systolic and diastolic dysfunction, and the degree of cardiac hypertrophy in HCM patients. Methods and results: Fifty HCM patients were recruited while 20 healthy subjects served as the control group. Seventeen inflammatory cytokines/ chemokines were measured in plasma. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography were used to assess cardiac phenotypes. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and serum amyloid P (SAP) were significantly increased in HCM patients compared to controls. IL-6, IL-4, and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 were correlated with regional fibrosis while stromal cell-derived factor-1 and MCP-1 were correlated with diffuse fibrosis. Fractalkine and interferon-γ were associated with left ventricular wall thickness. The above associations remained significant in a linear regression model including age, gender, body mass index and family history. TNF-α, IL-6, SAP, MCP-1 and IL-10 were associated with parameters of diastolic dysfunction. White blood cells were also increased in HCM patients and correlated with diffuse fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction. However the associations between parameters of systemic inflammation and diastolic dysfunction were weakened in the linear regression analysis. Conclusions: Systemic inflammation is associated with parameters of the disease severity of HCM patients, particularly regional and diffuse fibrosis. Modifying inflammation may reduce myocardial fibrosis in HCM patients.
|Number of pages||11|
|Journal||American Journal of Translational Research|
|Publication status||Published - 1 Jan 2017|
- Diastolic dysfunction
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Systemic inflammation


text:
March 7 letters to the editor: Stem cell story concerns, municipal golf courses comparedConcerns abound following dental stem-cell claims Consider cost differences between municipal courses
Concerns abound following dental stem-cell claims
As Associate Director of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota I was pleased to see the article on stem cell efforts being made in Woodbury. Stem cell research and potential stem cell therapies have made tremendous strides in the past decade. However, the article (Woodbury Bulletin, Feb. 29) on the program by StemSave to save dental stem cells needs some significant clarifications.
I am most concerned by the claims in the article that nearly 4,000 clinical studies have been done worldwide using stem cells and most were successful. While certain types of stems cells such as those obtained from the blood or umbilical cord are used routinely for therapies to treat blood cell cancers such as leukemia, there is no evidence that dental stem cells have been used for successful therapies. Moreover the claim that dental stem cells can develop into cells such as insulin-producing cells or beating heart cells is very premature. Studies in this area are conflicting, and there is no current evidence to suggest that these dental cells could be used for therapies anytime in the near future.
If individuals want to pay to store their dental stem cells, that is certainly their choice. However, it should be recognized that StemSave is a commercial business and not a research organization. While new therapies may be developed using dental stem cells, as well as other stem cell populations, routine clinical use of these cells is still a long way off. Hopefully we will get to this point with future research advances. I invite individuals interested to learn more about stem cells to get information from independent organizations such as the University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute (www.stemcell.umn.edu) or the International Society for Stem Cell Research (www.isscr.org).
Dan S. Kaufman, MD, PhD - Woodbury
Consider cost differences between municipal courses
I am a Woodbury resident writing to comment further on the Feb. 15 article, “City to lower Eagle Valley fees,” which made no reference to the city including a review of the rates at River Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove, also a municipal facility. Both courses have excellent banquet rooms, pro shops, practice ranges and instruction as well as challenging golf. River Oaks has had a 4 ½ star Golf Digest rating. Eagle Valley has no stated Golf Digest rating.
Over the years, I have played both courses numerous times but more recently as a retired senior, the cost to golf has become more important. Comparing Eagle Valley regular golf with cart rates to River Oaks results in their being comparable for certain time periods to Eagle Valley charging 20 percent more. For senior golfers, Eagle Valley rates are 20 to over 60 percent greater than River Oaks. The junior playing rate is 20 percent higher at Eagle Valley.
The Feb. 15 article stated that city officials are concerned about reduced usage at Eagle Valley over the years yet they continue to not be competitive with River Oaks even with the reduced 2012 rates. A reasonable conclusion is that golfers will, over the span of a season, patronize the course offering the better value.
Finally, the Feb. 22 Bulletin cartoon depicting a portrayal of an onslaught of questionable quality players at Eagle Valley now that rates have been lowered is either at best a sarcastic comment aimed at city officials or at its worst an insult to golfers and a further appearance of the arrogance and attitude Bill Buth experienced in his Feb. 22 letter to the editor.
Jerry Gustafson - Woodbury

domain: news


Ozzy Osbourne may be famous for biting a head off a bat, but he’ll never bite the hand that feeds him-that is, his fans.
Chomping at the bit to get back onstage again since his near-fatal ATV crash late last year, the Prince of F-king Darkness has confirmed plans to headline this summer’s Ozzfest, the monstrously successful heavy metal touring festival he founded in 1996, Billboard.com reports.
Details are still sketchy but the bill is also said to include such other headbangers as Slayer, shock-rockers Slipknot and enduring British metal mavens Judas Priest, who recently reunited with vocalist Rob Halford after a 12-year hiatus.
The latest Ozzfest trek will kick off in early July, more than six months after Osbourne nearly killed himself after wiping out on a quad bike at his Buckinghamshire estate.
The Dec. 8 accident left the 55-year-old singer with several broken ribs, a fractured collarbone and a broken vertebra in his neck. He purportedly had no pulse in the moments following the wipeout and had stopped breathing, but a quick acting security guard managed to revive the rocker.
In the days following the crash, Osbourne underwent emergency surgery to restore blood flow to a major artery and alleviate bleeding in his lungs. He was laid up for two weeks in intensive care before being released.
The former Black Sabbath frontman suffered no paralysis. However the severity of his injuries forced Ozzy to scrap a 20-date British tour and issue a heartfelt mea culpa to fans, in which he vowed to hit the road again as soon as “the doctors tell me I am fit and ready.” His physicians say the rocker, who made a comical cameo at last weekend’s Grammys, will need about six months of physical rehab, which would put him right at the start of Ozzfest.
With the heavy metal icon feeling crazy enough to perform again, Ozzfest will likely continue to be a behemoth on the summer concert circuit. All told, the traveling festival has raked in more than $146.5 million and played to 3.8 million metalheads at 236 shows over the past eight years.
Last summer alone, Ozzfest grossed a tidy $23.5 million and attracted more than 481,857 fans-impressive considering it was facing tough competition from the likes of Metallica’s Summer Sanitarium stadium tour, the double-bill of KISS and Aerosmith and a resurrected Lollapalooza.
This summer is likely to be just as cutthroat, with plenty more rock acts yet to be announced and another Lollapalooza currently in the works.
Ozzy will also be a subject Friday (the 13th, natch) on wife Sharon’s The Sharon Osbourne Show. The missus will muse on the couple’s Valentine’s Day history on the syndicated daytime talker (which recently was not renewed for a second season due to low ratings).
The couple’s real-life exploits, meanwhile, can still be seen on MTV’s The Osbournes, which is currently airing its third season.


Coursera +AWS CloudSearch Frank Chen Software Engineer
About• Ed-Tech startup providing MOOCs o Massive Open Online Courses• New company -- launched 4/18/12 o Less than a year old.• 215 free courses from 33 top universities o Princeton, Stanford, Penn, Duke, etc... o From Cryptography to Modern and Contemporary American Poetry• 2.5+ million users o We reached a million users faster than Facebook and Pinterest.• ~9 million course enrollments
Platform Scale• Moderate-sized (>10,000 concurrent users)• 65 concurrent courses running now, each with tens of thousands of enrollments each• >600 "pretty heavy" PHP/Python dynamic pages served per second sustained o Might make backend calls to services (e.g. CloudSearch or SES --> want low latencies)• Various other services (70 instances+ on EC2 running at the moment)• Spiky traffic o People procrastinate on deadlines - spiky on the weekends
Stack• PHP / Python / Scala backed by MySQL• Runs on AWS completely• Utilizes lots of AWS services o EC2 / ELB for servers o MySQL RDS for databases o S3 for video and static hosting o Cloudfront for video / asset hosting o SES for emails (>1 million emails everyday) o SQS for long running tasks (video encoding, gradebook generation, etc...) o SNS for notification services o Route53 for DNS o CloudSearch for forum search
Why CloudSearch?• Big issue for us back in March / April. Solution then didnt work o MySQL Full Text Search § LIKE %x% AS NATURAL LANGUAGE? § Really terrible results § MyISAM (eww...)• Requirements: o Fast searches (we call backend APIs - dont want to keep the users waiting too long) o Good results (need to be relevant - dont waste the students time) o Low/no maintenance (we have enough instances to manage as is)
Why CloudSearch?• Alternatives we looked at: o Apache Solr, Sphinx, fiddling with MySQL• Then CloudSearch was announced...• Early general adopter - we started using CloudSearch ~10 days after announcement o We didnt get any heads-up about CS before the public announcement o Wrote the code to use CloudSearch and import over our existing forum posts / comments in 2 or 3 days. § From decision to production! § Easy to use and great documentation
CloudSearch Uses• Analytics o Most frequent searches and other statistics about their courses § Informing instructors about this so they can clarify information o Finding posts across forums § Easy for CloudSearch, hard normally because of sharded scatter-gather problems • Old way: Querying 600 databases on 4 RDS servers? Not fun § Usage analysis § Unexpected use: Instructors often want to find all their own posts so they can save / archive common answers
CloudSearch Scale• Moderate scale• ~1.5 million documents indexed o All forum posts and comments• 50,000+ searches a day o Spikey! Depends on when homeworks are due.


Pallas Advisors' Director of Emerging Technologies Paul Benfield has joined CNAS as an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the Defense Program, along with Sarah Mineiro and LTG(R) Tony Ierardi.
“I am very pleased to welcome Tony, Sarah and Paul to the Center,” said Susanna Blume, Director of the CNAS Defense Program. “As public servants with remarkably accomplished careers, they understand the defense challenges and opportunities that the country faces. Tony, Sarah and Paul’s experiences, insights, and expertise will be valuable to our team’s work.”
See the full press release here.


Southern Yemeni leader Yasser Al-Yamani has accused the forces of the so-called Presidential Guards the and Islah militias, both of which support the Hadi puppet government, of the liquidation of photographer and journalist Nabil al-Qaiti in Abyan province, southern Yemen.
Yasser Al-Yamani, former leader of the Popular People’s Congress party, claimed in a series of tweets on Tuesday, that al-Qaiti was not assassinated in front of his home in Dar Saad district of Aden province as originally claimed.
According to al-Yamani, Al-Qaiti was killed in The Sheikh Salem area of the City of Zinjibar, Abyan province, with a shell launched by the so-called Presidential Guard and Islah militias.
حقيقه مقتل نبيل القعيطي في ابين بقذيفة الجيش الوطني والحرس الرئاسي شاهدوا الفيديو وتمنعوا في يديه واجزاء من جسمه كيف تقطعت من الشظايا بالقذيفة ومرتزقه محمد بن زايد يحاولوا استثمار مقتله والترويج انه تم اغتياله بينما في حقيقه الامر انه قتل على ايادي الجيش الوطني والحرس الرئاسي pic.twitter.com/uFPeRln88p
— ياسر اليماني (@YaserAlyamani) June 2, 2020
“The injuries shown at the victim’s hands confirmed the information he received that he had not been shot dead, but that he had been hit with several pieces shrapnel of a shell that caused several wounds to the head, chest, hand and foot,” Al-Yamani added.
He revealed that al-Qaiti’s body was transported from Abyan province to Aden by ambulance under tight security
Al-Yamani said al-Qaiti’s assassination is “a prelude to the return of the series of assassinations committed by mercenaries in the southern provinces.”
Get instant updates via push notifications when we publish news!


The Role of AM in the Automotive Industry
In the automotive industry, OEMs have historically mostly used additive manufacturing for rapid prototyping. In more recent years however, advances in AM have slowly been transforming the ways in which end-use parts are designed, manufactured and distributed. Deloitte’s 3D opportunity in the automotive industry study explains that in the current standard AM path, companies do not seek radical alterations in either supply chains or products. AM is adopted to create design iterations, to enhance quality through cost-effective prototyping, and to create specific tooling parts. Nevertheless, other AM paths in automotive exist, which transform products and supply chains more radically. This is what we will explore in the following overview of additive’s impact in the automotive industry. In fact, SmarTech Analysis’ report revealed that by 2029, automotive 3D printing will have generated $9 billion in revenue from the production of end-use parts alone, compared to $1.39 billion in 2019. So, where is AM in this sector headed?
Accelerating the product design phase during new product development is key in any industry. Thankfully, 3D printing can replace expensive and long lead-time CNC production in this phase. More precisely, it enables designers to cost-effectively go through several iterations before deciding on the final product. The process is as follows: once designers have identified a user need and have generated ideas to meet that need, they develop a prototype. The next stage is to test this prototype in order to improve its design. This iterative process is also what we call rapid prototyping.
Volkswagen, for example, has been working with 3D printing technologies for the past 25 years. And in 2020, it invested in two additional Stratasys 3D printers. Peter Bartels, head of Volkswagen’s pre-series centre commented that these investments represent “additional capabilities that strengthen 3D printing operations and allow to further optimize the design process.” Additionally, tooling (grips, jigs, and fixtures) design can also be optimized and produced at a lower cost. Tooling plays an important role on the assembly line to produce repeatable and high-quality products. These applications are what Deloitte calls the current standard AM path in automotive.
The growing segment of end-use parts
Additionally, several OEMs have been interested in 3D printing to develop end-use parts, moving beyond rapid prototyping applications. There are many reasons for this, which can be summed up as a quest for product innovation in a competitive sector like automotive. One way to achieve product innovation is to dramatically increase the performance of a part, by reducing its weight for example. Product innovation through customization is also of great interest, particularly for luxury car manufacturers.
Indeed, an advantage of using AM is the potential production of components with lower weight, to create vehicles that consume less fuel. The role of industrial design software is thus central. Over the years, CAD and CAM solutions have drastically improved, especially for additive fabrication. They often include generative design, topology optimization, and lattice generation tools, which reduce the overall weight of parts whilst maintaining or improving their function. Lighter parts are often more complex. But since AM is not limited in terms of design freedom, unlike conventional methods, complexity doesn’t constitute a challenge. It should be noted that part simplification is also possible thanks to AM, through consolidation of multiple parts into a single design. Therefore, assembly complexity could be reduced in the long-term if a high-volume of these parts needed to be produced.
AM also means greater personalization possibilities. In fact, some luxury car makers already use AM to deliver designs specialized to customer requirements. Traditional manufacturing methods such as CNC or injection molding wouldn’t be able to deliver unique parts under competitive lead times. The cost of producing such parts would also be considerably different. Moreover, personalization can also be used to deliver spare parts, to repair an older car model for example.
One example of an end-use case application is Ford’s 3D printed aluminium inlet manifold (part of the engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinders), which was installed in a 1977 Hoonitruck. According to the manufacturer, this replacement part was the largest automotive 3D printed part ever produced. It took five days to print using the Concept Laser X LINE 2000R from GE Additive. Historically, Ford is one of the companies that has conducted the most research in AM industrialisation. In 1986, it had already invested in an SLA 3 (the first 3D printer ever made). The company stated in an official press release: “It didn’t take long to see that the invention could be used to create new prototype part designs faster and more efficiently than ever.” Today, the company has printed over 500,000 parts and “saved billions of dollars and millions of hours of work.” In its Advanced Manufacturing Centre in Detroit, it has invested in FDM, SLS and sand 3D printers.
Another example is BMW Group, which in 2020, opened the Additive Manufacturing Campus, not far from Munich. The campus cost around €15 million to build. Today, it operates around 50 industrial systems for processing metal and plastics. Production of prototypes, series parts, R&D, and associate training in toolless manufacturing all take place at the site. This investment demonstrates BMW Group’s trust in 3D printing technologies. Just like other car manufacturers, the group initially invested in additive manufacturing in 1991 to make prototypes for concept cars. Later, small series of parts were produced for DTM race cars, the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the BMW i8 Roadster and the MINI, among others. In a year, 300,000 parts were 3D printed. Board Member, Milan Nedeljković commented: “Additive manufacturing is already an integral part of our worldwide production system today, and an established part of our digitalisation strategy. In the future, new technologies of this kind will make production even faster and allow us to benefit even more fully from the potential of toolless manufacturing.”
The Supply Chain is Changing
Deloitte’s study also points out that the changes mentioned above will ultimately impact supply chains. Today, OEMs outsource most of their parts; the report explains: “As OEMs adopt the product evolution route, the eventual outcome will be twofold: smaller supply chains and OEMs’ greater value contribution. An important effect of AM may be shortening and simplifying the enormous automotive supply chains that currently operate. OEMs work with thousands of suppliers to source the different components in cars [and] are constantly seeking ways to trim their supply chains.” Therefore, companies can take advantage of AM to transform supply chains, by producing on-site and reducing part inventory.
Material Development for AM in the Automotive Sector
Over the years, improvements in materials technology have enabled more materials to be qualified for the AM process. Automotive parts are typically manufactured from high-performance polymers, carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, and metals. OEMs have actively sought out to incorporate lighter materials such as carbon fiber and aluminium into the vehicle body. Therefore, materials tailored for additive manufacturing can allow a greater number of properties to be embedded into final products, but are also critical in the development of functional prototypes.
For example, BASF Forward AM is working alongside its clients and hardware manufacturers to develop innovative products through the adoption of additive manufacturing. Forward AM worked with Daimler to design a new engine mount to reduce transmission of vibrations in order to maximize passenger comfort. Engine mounts have mostly been made of injection-molded, fiber-reinforced polymers in the last decade. However, the need for shorter development cycles and lower costs has put this traditional design process and materials under pressure. BASF Forward AM eliminated the very costly requirement for new molds with every design modification by inviting AM technologies in the process. The challenge was the following: to meet the strict thermal and mechanical performance requirements under test conditions. They needed a very rigid and thermally stable material. The perfect match was Ultrasint PA6 MF (a mineral-filled polyamide 6 that outperforms PA11 and PA12), which produced test-ready prototypes in under 48 hours (instead of several weeks with injection molding). Although the 3D printed part’s design looked different, it could be used like the original as a fully functional prototype in the development stage when no injection molding part was available. Finding the right material replacement to reproduce part performance of the injection molded part was thus key.
What is the Future of Automotive AM Applications?
In recent years, automakers have had to explore new business models to achieve growth. In Jabil’s Automotive Industry Trends report, you can read that 71% of automotive companies have a go-to-market timeline under 2 years. Many look towards new technologies, including additive manufacturing, to maintain short development cycles and to achieve lower costs. The electrification of vehicles is also of interest, with about 50% of automotive manufacturers aiming to be market leaders in fully electric vehicles (EV) in the near future. As the industry moves away from internal combustion engines, 3D printing rises as a solution that can speed up development of lighter parts for electric vehicles. Indeed, lightweighting is critical for electric vehicles because it directly impacts battery time.
In the EV sector, you might have heard of Olli, a 3D printed autonomous electric minibus designed by Local Motors in 2016. The manufacturer claims that about 80% of parts were 3D printed, which reduced overall production time by 90%. The speed is limited to 40km/h, making Olli suitable for urban city centres, university campuses, and hospitals. Before that, Local Motors had introduced the Strati roadster, an electric two-seater featuring 75% 3D printed parts.
In addition, as connected vehicles rise in demand, the need for electronic devices, like sensors and antennae within the vehicle, is increasing too. With this increase comes a greater need for designing and producing smaller, more complex electronics. Based on micro- and nano-scale 3D printing technologies, it is possible to design more complex electronic components in-house that can be directly embedded into the vehicle. Electronic 3D printing can reduce the costs and development time for creating these devices.
As previously mentioned, customization offers many possibilities. For example, MINI customers currently have the opportunity to personalize their vehicles by designing the passenger-side sideband in the cockpit and the side inserts. Across its various projects, BMW Group has 3D printed more than 140,000 components. Christian Reinhardt, part of BASF Forward AM since 2019, commented: “In my opinion, one of the most exciting and important applications was the MINI “Yours Customised” project. This project showed that it is possible to have a 3D printed part in a real series car, and that customer specific individualization could add value which had never been seen before. I am convinced this project will become a pioneer for a lot of applications to come.”
More globally, almost every player in the market is investing in 3D printing technologies to move into production of more complex, high-performance parts. General Motors Director of Additive Design and Manufacturing Kevin Quinn explains: “On average, there are 30,000 parts in every vehicle. We’re not looking to print all 30,000 pieces. Instead, we’re being very realistic. We’re focused on production opportunities where we can provide a business value for GM and for the customer.”
Therefore, beyond enhancing overall manufacturing capabilities and reducing costs, which has been the main application in the sector, OEMs are starting to take advantage of AM to create new products and enable supply chain transformation.
What do you think of the role of AM in the automotive sector? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.


text:
E3 06: Sudoku Gridmaster Preshow Hands-On
The huge popular and addictive mind-flexing math puzzle challenge is coming to the DS in a simple game that seems like it could keep you engaged for hours.
LOS ANGELES--If you're familiar with sudoku, then you know that all it takes to be enthralled by a challenging puzzle is a grid and some rows of numbers--no fancy graphics or special rules. This elegant simplicity seems to be the intent behind Sudoku Gridmaster for the Nintendo DS, a fairly straightforward interpretation of the beloved game. As admitted sudoku neophytes, we got a chance to hunker down with the game at a Nintendo pre-E3 event, during which the first 10 or 15 minutes or so were spent learning the ropes, and the next half hour was spent trying to pry ourselves away from the game.
If you're unfamiliar with sudoku, the object is simple: On a 9-by-9 grid, you must arrange the numbers one through nine both horizontally and vertically in a particular order. The rules are that you cannot reuse a given number more than once within a row, within a column, or within a 3-by-3 matrix from the grid. The premise of every sudoku puzzle is identical: by prefilling the grid with different numbers in different spaces, a virtually limitless variety of puzzles becomes available. Some of these are naturally easier, while others can be extremely difficult. Either way, it definitely takes some time to grasp the rules for the first time, but Sudoku Gridmaster provides a fairly simple and concise tutorial for stepping you through it.
Sudoku can be played with a pencil and a piece of paper, but the DS has some obvious advantages. The default control scheme features a numeric keypad that lets you punch in whichever number you want. For a more tactile feel, you can also enable a writing mode that lets you write out your numbers on the touch screen. This seemed to work fine, but the default system is quicker. In addition to this, Sudoku Gridmaster lets you highlight a given 3-by-3 matrix and the corresponding rows and columns at the touch of a button, letting you focus your attention better on the area surrounding your cursor. It's not cheating, it's just a convenient visual cue.
The game will feature more than 400 different sudoku puzzles, as well as multiple modes and difficulty settings. Notably, the practice mode shows you where you're making mistakes, allowing you to readily gain an understanding of the playing field and the complexities of the game.
Sudoku Gridmaster is headed to the DS this summer, and it seems like it will have plenty of content both for sudoku newcomers and masters. Look for further coverage on GameSpot.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

domain: hobby


text:
Obesity in the UK
When someone is obese, it means that they have a lot more than a few pounds to lose.
Sometimes the fat is distributed equally on all arts of the body, bur sometimes, it is concentrated into area such as the stomach, hips or thighs.
About one in every four men in the UK is obese and one in every three women.
The Department of Health stated that if the trend continues, there will be about 6.6 million men and 6 million obese women in the UK by the end of the year.
It is also a problem for children.
According to the most recent statistics, 10 percent of boys are obese and 18 percent of girls are obese as well.
Problems of obesity
There are many problems that can be caused by being extremely overweight, both physical and psychological. It not only damages the health, but also the self-esteem and causes anxiety and depression.
Some common physical impairments of obesity include difficulty breathing, walking or running, increased sweating, pain in the knees and back, acne and gallstones.
People who are obese also have problems with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, harden arteries and a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.
Causes of obesity
In some cases, obesity can be a hereditary problem. Genetics play a role in determining the appetite and at which rate fat is burned and stored.
However, the main causes of obesity are overeating, eating irregularly, and a lack of physical activities on a daily basis.
Medicine such as antidepressants, corticosteroids, and oral contraceptives can also cause people to gain weight.
When obesity is very serious the doctor could recommend medication, but usually, changes in the diet and in exercise routines will be recommended first.
There are two medicines that are commonly used for weight loss – orlistat and sibutramine.
Even when a person is taking these drugs, they will have to follow a very strict low-calorie diet and start an exercise plan as well.
If the person loses five percent of their body weight in three months, then the medications will be able to continue, but it not, then there will have to be another plan for getting rid of the extra pounds.

domain: biology


text:
Zac Brown's Nonsense
November 8, 2016
Well. That’s a thing.
User Interfaces Suck
A little while back, there was an article in the Verge discussing Microsoft’s long-term thinking around the mobile internet experience. The
Hidden Treasure: Intrusion Detection with ETW, Part 1
Note: This blog post was originally posted on the Office365 Security Blog here. Today’s defenders face an increasing obstacle with information


text:
AUDUSD trades in a range between 0.9968 and 1.0328. As long as 0.9968 key support holds, the price action in the range is treated as consolidation of the uptrend from 0.9581, and another rise towards 1.0500 is still possible. Resistance is located at 1.0328, a break above this level could signal resumption of the uptrend. On the other side, a breakdown below 0.9968 will suggest that the uptrend from 0.9681 has completed at 1.0328 already, then deeper decline to 0.9800 area could be seen.
For long term analysis, AUDUSD has formed a cycle bottom at 0.9581 on weekly chart. Further rise towards 1.0800 is expected over the next several months.

domain: finance


text:
Apart from community, religion & culture, a wedding will be incomplete without floral decoration. Be it embellishing the ambience and the decoration or sprinkling with flowers on the newlyweds, floral play a significant role in any wedding. So here we tried to elaborate the most common and unique ways, where flowers are used for decoration purpose.
Mandap marriage is an important component of the Indian marriage tradition. A sacred place in which the bride takes her vows and promises to remain forever on each other’s side. Wedding mandap decorations, therefore, have a very special place in the newlywed’s hearts, especially in the Indians. It is the mandap that is the focus of attention, of all the components.
Flowers decorated as a part of mandap makes mandap look beautiful and eye feasting. So decorate the integral part of a wedding mandap with flowers. Any coloured flowers can be used to hang from the ceiling of mandap. Floral garland and floral chandelier can make mandap looks more elegant and can have a rich look.
But do not decorate the wedding mandap entirely with flowers. As it can dominate the entire wedding theme. Flowers and garlands used, should be embraced within the wedding flower decoration.
Wedding decor is one of the most important things that make your pictures of your wedding look incredible. It’s the place where bride and groom are to be seated during the wedding. In 2019, couples no longer want the wedding stage decoration done-and-dusted. They want something fresh, hatke, and their taste reflects.
Nowadays, every couple and wedding planners are more biased towards the floral decoration of the stage as it gives fresh and natural vibe. For wedding stage decoration, you can place flowers on the sides of the stage entrance or the sides of the steps to the stage. Also, the backside of the sofa on the stage can be decorated with some beautiful floral decoration made of fresh flowers.
There are innumerous wedding floral decorations for entrance depending on your location. Doors decorated with flowers, or even two enormous flower vases can mark your entrance. Whatever type of entrance it may be, make sure it does not look straightforward. Decorate your doorway with flowers, ribbons, garland, or any other items you might think of. Now a day’s, people are going for floral curtains as a flower decoration throughout the entrance.
If your wedding is organized In the House instead of a Wedding function hall. Then flower decoration plays an important role. Decorate the door and windows of the house with flower garlands rather than lights. Add a chandelier to your wedding stage Setup in the house and decorate it with different flowers. You can use orchids, white roses, white lilies, and red roses. Make garlands of different colour flowers, and hang it against a wall and call this area a photo booth. Also you can keep some props near it for added effect.
Moreover, different people follow different rituals during a wedding at home. But in most of the Indian home weddings common thing is mandap. Setup a mandap and decorate the pillars of mandap with green garlands and artificial flowers available in the market. You can go for fresh flowers for the backdrop of the stage to give a lively and natural look.
Therefore, you can follow these affordable floral decoration tips for your wedding to make it look it more elegant. Get more by spending less. KMK Event Management specialize in creating the most wonderful weddings as per your dreams.
Well, there are many wedding planners in Vizag. But it’s not just enough to be called as wedding organisers in Vizag. Moreover, we need to refer to the best wedding planner in Visakhapatnam. Who gives their best through their creativity...Read More
Uhmm! Dreaming for a Destination wedding? Want to start your new journey, new chapter in one of the unique destination wedding locations in India? Want to hire amazing dream destination wedding planners in India for a fairy tale wedding? Well!...Read More
Looking to plan a corporate event, but not sure whom to choose from too many corporate event management companies in Hyderabad? Well, let me introduce ourselves. We KMK Events, taken under best corporate event management companies in Hyderabad city. Many...Read More
Subscribe with us to get latest news, updates.
© 2020 KMK Event Management. All rights reserved.

domain: artistic


text:
Clark and Neal were married for six years after tying the knot in 2015. They separated in June 2021.
The popular TV presenter, 33, opened up to Claudia Winkleman at the launch of his new book Ten: The Decade That Changed My Future, at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Wednesday.
Speaking about the impact his failed relationship had on his health, he said: “I didn’t just get mentally ill, I got physically ill.
“Twice last year I ended up in the back of an ambulance because my heart failed.”
He elaborated: “I just remember the shot going in and all of a sudden this feeling from the middle of your body, both ways, almost takes you over, and you just stop and my heart stopped’.
“There’s just seven faces and this bright light just looking at me. And then I took a breath. And they were like, ‘He’s in a normal rhythm’.
“I was like, ‘What the f**k is going on?’”
Clark took five months off work amid the marital breakdown.
While his family members were convinced that he was only suffering heartbreak, the Essex-native was sure it was more serious.
He said: “I knew it wasn’t right. It turned out that my heart had to be restarted. I remember laying in resus and I had all these pads on with all these wires and not understanding what it was.
“It was only afterwards that I said, ‘What was the pads for?’ And they said, ‘If you didn’t take your breath... because we would have had to restart you electrically’.
“You don’t even think about it when you’re there. So I didn’t just get mentally ill, I got physically ill.”


Switzerland ends talks with EU on co-operation deal
Brussels warns relations could be damaged after divisions not bridged
More than a decade of Swiss-EU talks that sought to seal a comprehensive co-operation deal have ended without success.
It risks damaging relations between the sides after they failed to resolve fundamental differences on issues such as state aid, wage protection and freedom of movement.
About half of Swiss exports go to the EU, while two thirds of the bloc’s go to Switzerland.
The federal government of Switzerland said “there remain substantial differences” on “key aspects” of the negotiations.
"The conditions are thus not met for the signing of the agreement,” it said as it withdrew from the talks.
The EU’s demand that its citizens, including those seeking employment, had full access to Switzerland’s labour market, was resisted by the Swiss. Bern said such a move could allow foreign citizens the right to social security in the country.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, described the Swiss withdrawal as a “unilateral” move.
It said the core purpose of the proposed co-operation agreement “was to ensure that anyone operating in the EU single market, to which Switzerland has significant access, faces the same conditions”.
“That is fundamentally a matter of fairness and legal certainty,” the Commission said. “Privileged access to the single market must mean abiding by the same rules and obligations.”
Without an agreement, the Commission said “this modernisation of our relationship will not be possible and our bilateral agreements will inevitably age”.
Swiss officials are under pressure to limit the number of EU citizens in the country and a nationalist, populist party holds the most seats in its parliament.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said the potential cost of accepting the EU’s demands was only part of the equation.
“A very important element, which the federal council perhaps considered more serious, was the political dimension,” he said. “If there's one issue that's delicate and sensitive in the population, it's the issue of free movement."
But he rejected any comparison to the UK’s decision to leave the EU, insisting that Switzerland wanted to retain strong ties with the bloc.
“This shouldn’t be compared with Brexit at all. Brexit was the exact opposite,” Mr Cassis said. “They [the British] took a step backward and wanted to completely distance themselves. So it’s a totally different logic than that of Brexit, and we are not before a cliff edge.”
Updated: May 27, 2021 12:51 PM


text:
On Bishop Auckland’s increasingly desolate high street, shops have steadily closed over the years as a retail park has lured local people away. Dozens of shopfronts lie empty, and the businesses that cling on are mostly discount retailers, the odd vape shop and a few charity shops. Even Poundland has gone. But a few doors down from where Boots used to be, next to the HSBC branch that closed last August, you can now find yourself at the starting grid of a Formula One race, then hurled down a towering rollercoaster.
On average, 47 shops shut down every day last year across the UK – up nearly 50% on 2021 – as retailers faced ever-increasing competition from online stores along with rising costs and damage from the pandemic. The future for these streets is not retail but entertainment, and The Gaming Hideaway in Bishop Auckland, a virtual reality arcade, is a prime example.
Husband and wife team Kaiyn and Rachel Crooks now run two venues after taking the plunge during the Covid pandemic. Rachel had been running a cleaning business when the first lockdown hit. “In one day we lost more than 300 customers,” she says. Kaiyn had been working as a rope-access specialist, and decided to join her in launching The Gaming Hideaway. “It wasn’t meant to be the beast that it is,” he says. “It was meant to be a vintage thing, and we were going to do Sega Mega Drives and have Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man arcade [machines].” But after Rachel did some research into VR, they decided it was a much better fit.
Arcades entered a long decline in the early 2000s as the graphics on home consoles improved, but VR has made them cutting-edge again. As well as offering gaming on VR headsets as well as on PlayStations and Xboxes, The Gaming Hideaway’s VR machines are more like theme-park rides, being able to flip players completely upside down as they ride virtual rollercoasters or shoot down alien spaceships. Rachel says that they have recently bought haptic vests for multiplayer VR games in large arenas, so players can feel when they take a hit.
The pair opened their first venue in 2021 in Thornaby, near Stockton, and bet everything on it. Rachel says their backup plan was to move into the arcade itself if the business failed and they ended up losing their family home. “The kids were going to have the staff room as a bedroom, the main floor area was going to be the living room, we were going to have the party room as our bedroom. It was all planned out.” It didn’t come to that. The launch came just as the lockdowns were ending, and people were eager to get out; about 20,000 people visited the Thornaby venue in the first year. “When we came to Thornaby town centre, a lot of things were closing down,” says Kaiyn. “Now things are opening up again.”
It was a similar story for their Bishop Auckland venue in 2022, where they found a town centre on life support. The council is now using money from the government’s Future High Streets Fund to encourage the conversion of empty shops into accommodation, restaurants, bars and leisure facilities, and public and private investment in recent years has led to the opening of two new art galleries and a viewing tower among other projects.
Rachel and Kaiyn say that getting to this point has involved a huge amount of hard work. Rachel’s mum and dad helped to renovate the empty shops and get the venues up and running. “My dad says he’s never worked so much since he’s retired,” laughs Rachel. They now help to run the Bishop Auckland venue, and even Kaiyn and Rachel’s children sometimes pitch in to supervise VR games and run the on-site cafe.
They are hoping that all that hard work will pay off with a sustainable, ever-developing business, but the energy crisis is a setback, as electricity costs increase while consumers have less money to spend. It hasn’t put them off their expansion plans, though – they are soon extending their Thornaby centre and looking for investment to help open a third venue in 2024.
In the north-east, then – and increasingly across the UK – the high street is being reimagined. In nearby Stockton-on-Tees, the council has bought the Castlegate shopping centre that spreads over much of the town centre, and is now in the process of razing it to the ground. In its place will be a park that runs right down to the river; the local theatre has been refurbished and reopened, and community-focused projects are being encouraged.
If these areas are to thrive, rather than merely survive, you need to give residents a reason to go there, says Kaiyn: “For the right product in the right place, people come to you.”

domain: economics


text:
Little Bee Pops LLC
Our mission: to explore strange new flavors, to seek out new farms & new local ingredients, and to boldly go where no pop has gone before.
Little Bee Pops LLC will provide handmade, 100% local, honey-sweetened popsicles to farmers’ market, retail and restaurant markets in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are scheduled to enter the market on April 13, 2012. Little Bee Pops is a mom-owned, mission-driven company that intends to reinvent a classic childhood treat, and reclaim the popsicle’s place in a healthy childhood.

domain: food


Introducing Training Tuesdays. American Legion National Headquarters staff will present 60 to 90-minute sessions on topics aimed at post commanders and adjutants. To access the training link Presented via Microsoft Teams Open Meet Up link. Join us for AMERICAN LEGION TRAINING TUESDAY. Join live event at: https://www.legion.org/training/training-tuesdays
Tuesday November 24, 2020 — 7:00pm EST - Post Administration — Presented by Russell Myers, Department Adjutant of Maryland Things you should know and learn to make sure your term as Post Adjutant is a success.
Tuesday December 29, 2020 — 7:00 PM EST — HELPING VETERANS Information on American Legion national assistance programs presented by staff liaisons. National Emergency Fund (NEF) Temporary Financial Assistance (TFA) Mission Blue PAP (Post Assistance Program) Grant Operation Comfort Warrior (OCW)
Tuesday January 26, 2021 — 7:00 PM EST — REPRESENTING THE AMERICAN LEGION BRAND
Happy Holidays and Opportunities Greg Jackson, Department Commander
(Nov 23, 2020) How many of us look as a glass and think it is half full as opposed to being half empty? Opportunities are the same way. Often, we look at them and say no, I do not want to take the chance or risk. Then sometimes we jump at the chance and great things happen. Many times, an opportunity may be right before us, yet we miss it due to the distractions that everyday life presents us.
The dictionary defines opportunity as “A set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something." The Holiday season is nothing short of providing that opportunity.
Since March 1, 2020, we have constantly been presented with many distractions that affect our everyday lives, both personally and professionally. These distractions have also provided huge opportunities towards a better future.
Let's talk about our future as The American Legion. Discuss with friends, family and especially veterans from across your community and find what we can do better as an organization to engage them and to better serve our communities. Between social unrest, an epic pandemic, increased unemployment, increasing homelessness, increasing suicides, and still combating a 20-year war in Afghanistan, I am seeing nothing but increasing opportunities to do good things for a better tomorrow.
We (The American Legion) can help in many ways, from education and tutoring to providing comfort for our elderly. As the second wave of COVID-19 hits this country and with winter on the way, I ask that we come together especially during this Holiday Season and stand united in making a difference in our communities and providing support to those that are in need of comforting.
Remember JFK once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”. As both veterans and Legionnaires we have a duty to find ways to help strengthen and support our communities with our programs. This year support may mean more to our communities than you think. As our esteemed Adjutant, Pat Smith coined a couple of years ago “Work the Programs” and we will grow both personally and as an organization.
How, you ask? Our lives evolve around the world of ever-changing technological advancements. We now can use our phones, tablets and computers to video conference with up to 1,000 members at a time. We can create "how-to" videos and find videos on how to do just about anything. We also have many forms of Social Media to promote, educate and share what it is The American Legion does and is doing today. We can even do fundraisers and video chats (brings a whole new meaning to Buddy Checks).
Our technology allows us to reach a greater audience quickly and efficiently. When conducting Buddy Checks we can send an email, or call and of course snail-mail. Sometimes we still need to get out and knock on a door and make sure our veterans and their families know without doubt we are there to help them even if it is only a casual conversation over coffee. During this time of year many of our veterans and their families look forward to our Posts having holiday dinners, if COVID-19 restrictions are preventing this maybe consider putting a dinner to-go or something similar to help bring everyone together.
Please reach out to your local posts if you need assistance or would like to volunteer and help "Keep the Flame of Patriotism Burning!"
Deb and I wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday Season.
The American Legion, Department of Colorado Officers and Staff want to wish you and your family a very Happy Holiday season and a blessed New Year.
Thank you for what you do to improve the lives of our veterans.
Greg Jackson, Commander, Charles "Pat” Smith, Adjutant; Tom Bock, Deputy Adjutant; Tom Florez NEC; Jay Bowen, ANEC; Elaine Bock, Office Manager, Susan Abeyta, Bookkeeper; Darrell Myers, Observer; Chip Kossow, Sr. Vice Commander Dean Casey, Service Officer, Will Davis Service Officer, Ir. Vice Commander's: Annette Johnson; Shane Hasert Anthony Jones; Mike Crow; Lee White. Marvin Weaver, Jr., Finance Officer, Stan Hamamoto, Chaplain; Tony Abbott, Sgt-At-Arms; Joseph Schmidt & Darrell Stilwell, Asst. Sgt-At-Arms
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System Update
News & Announcements
(Nov 24, 2020)Due to the holiday, we will not be holding our regularly scheduled meeting this Thursday. However, we’ve passed a lot of information in the last few months, so I wanted to wrap up with an overview before we meet again on December 10th.
VA’s Fourth Mission
At this time the state is projecting a surge of COVID-19 cases around the first week of December, and then again after Christmas. VA ECHCS is proactively reaching out to our community partners, to include FEMA, to assess needs among Colorado hospitals. At this time, we have not received a formal request to activate our Fourth Mission, but we stand ready to support increased bed capacity should our neighbors call on us. More information on VA’s Fourth Mission.
ECHCS Hot topics:
COVID testing is completed at:
The Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center Emergency Department 24/7
Bldg P at RMR is open for drive-up testing 7 days a week from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Effective Monday, November 30, hours will change to 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.). This test site should be utilized by Veterans needing testing, who are NOT in need of medical attention. Bldg P is located at 1999 N. Fitzsimons Pkwy, Aurora, CO 80045, on the North end of the campus.
PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Clinic in Colorado Springs M-F 0830-1500 (weather dependent). Clinic information to include testing availability can be found at www.denver.va.gov/emergency/index.asp
Ear Looped procedural masks (we will provide upon entry) continue to be required at all VA ECHCS sites of care.
Visitor Policy - our outpatient visitor policy allows for one Medically Necessary Caregiver only.
This means that patients with disabilities (Which is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairments) who require help with the provision of medical or behavioral health care, activities of daily living, speaking for the patient or keeping the patient safe, may have a designated assistance person.
For inpatients, the only visitation permitted in the medical center will be for end-of-life visitation of COVID-19 negative patients. (End-of-life visits for COVID-19+ patients will continue to be facilitated through video connect.)
Digital COVID-19 Screening Tool
This is mandatory for all Veterans, caregivers, visitors, employees, and contractors to gain entry to any of our sites of care. You can access this digital screening tool by texting SCREEN to 53079. You may also access the screening tool by going to www.va.gov/covid19screening. Medication delays – VA ECHCS continues to work with USPS – Please make sure to order your medications early, track on MyHealtheVet
Available during face-to-face appointments with your provider
Available through Community Care
Community retail pharmacies and urgent care.
In addition to availability at VA medical facilities, eligible Veterans can receive the seasonal flu vaccination through Community Care Network (CCN) in-network retail pharmacies or urgent care locations. Click on the VA Community Care Regions link below to find where the Veteran is located. The chart shows what VA medical facility or community in-network location availability is for Veterans to receive their flu shots.
Veterans should call ahead to make sure the flu shot is available at the location of their choosing.
These no-cost flu shots are available Sept. 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021, to eligible Veterans. Vaccines are subject to availability and may be in limited supply after March 1, 2021.
No appointment or VA referral is required - Eligible Veterans do not require a VA referral. Veterans can go to an in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location, present a valid government-issued identification (e.g. Veterans Health ID Card, Department of Defense ID card, state-issued driver's license or ID card, etc.) and receive their flu shot Eligible Veterans can receive a no-cost standard-dose (quadrivalent) or high-dose flu shot.
How do Veterans locate an in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location near them? Veterans who live in CCN Regions 1 – 4 can locate an in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location by using the VA Locator HERE.
Other community providers and pharmacies - Many local retail pharmacies offer flu shots that may be covered by private insurance or programs such as Medicare. There may be a charge for a Veteran’s flu shot at these locations. If Veterans do not have insurance, and receive a flu shot at a retail pharmacy that is not in VA's Community Care Network, there will usually be a charge.
Eligibility - Retail pharmacies: Veterans must be enrolled in the VA health care system. Urgent care locations: Veterans must be enrolled in the VA health care system and have received care from a VA or in-network community provider in the past 24 months. To check eligibility, Veterans should call their local VA medical facility OR call 844-MyVA311 (844-698-2311), select option 1, and then select option 1 again.
Copayments - Eligible Veterans whose visit to an in-network urgent care location that consists of only a flu shot do not incur a copayment. In addition, flu-shot only visits to an in-network urgent care location does not count toward the first three visits per calendar year that determines copayment rates based upon the number of visits and the Veteran's VA eligibility priority group.
2020 Copays and Billing Statements
Monthly patient billing statements that have been on hold since April 6, 2020 will resume for payment in January 2021.
Any questions or appeals should be directed to the appropriate POCs listed in the letter.
24/7 Call Center Operations:
VA ECHCS Call Center is now live with 24/7 call center operations effective 11/08/2020.
Veterans now be able to schedule appointments, refill medications and speak with a Nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days week. This was not an option before.
One few VAs that have this operation.
This creates a level of continuity and quality of care, improving Veteran satisfaction.
Virtual Mental Health Care:
We are working to better improve patient satisfaction when it comes to the shift in virtual care.
Quote from VSignals: “Thank you for moving these appointments to virtual so I can continue treatment without risking being exposed to COVID-19. My provider is excellent.”
Much of our Mental Health Care is now virtual (video or telephone)
In October 2020, ECHCS completed 12,507 visits; 9,940 virtual – 79% virtual!
Compare to October 2019, where only 8% were virtual
Virtual care will continue to be used and increased beyond COVID-19.
Caregiver Support Expansion:
Caregiver Support Program changes went into effect on October 1, 2020, per VA MISSION Act of 2018
Regulatory changes include:
Expansion to include Veterans with 70% or higher SC, where injuries occurred prior to May 7, 1975 or after Sept 11, 2001. Veterans between May 7, 1975 and before Sept 11, 2001 will be eligible two years after this current regulatory change.
Includes Illness OR Injury as qualifying condition, and does not require that need for a caregiver is due to the SC condition
Clarification regarding what “in need of personal care services” means, and focuses on moderate to severe needs
Centralizes all eligibility determinations by interprofessional teams at each VISN.
Development of IT system for administrative and record keeping (requirement of MISSION Act)
Includes legal referral and financial planning services
All current participants will undergo re-evaluation after the official implementation date. No change for current participants in stipend (unless eligible for increase) 1 year from final rule effective date. Applications for those who meet eligibility expansion will need to be done on or after the final rule effective date – projected 10/1/2020; applications received prior to this date will be determined using prior eligibility.
PTSD-RRTP - Construction contract has been awarded. Should break ground in the next 4 weeks.
Castle Rock Clinic - ECHCS has twice solicited the public for Requests for Lease Proposals (RLPs), however, none of the submitted proposals met the minimum requirements.
ECHCS has now been approved for a ground up new build clinic in the Castle Rock area.
Replacement Aurora Clinic - ECHCS is seeking a 32,000 sq.ft. replacement clinic for the Aurora VA Clinic. The Sources Sought Solicitation for the Aurora Replacement Clinic went out twice. Nothing met the needs of the clinic. We are considering developing this site of care as a build to suit as well.
As-Built Lease (El Paso County) - ECHCS is almost at completion with the Union Boulevard Clinic, the new primary care clinic in Colorado Springs. The clinic is projected to see patients December 8, 2020.
DVAMC (Decommissioning) - ECHCS is actively securing the campus in an effort to safely decommission the campus and its major systems. Furthermore, the campus is approved to be parceled and partially disposed of. ECHCS, in partnership with General Services Administration and the VA Office of Real Property are actively working through the report of excess process.
Colorado Springs - We have experienced unprecedented growth of enrollment in ECHCS services in El Paso County over the last 10+ years. ECHCS will soon open the Union Blvd. VA Clinic in Colorado Springs – a clinic providing desperately needed PC and MH services. We estimate the first patient day to be December 8, 2020. ECHCS has maximized its available resources while advocating for strategic investment of new resources in the market. We recently had the opportunity to share what we are seeing in the market with the SECVA and Senator Cory Gardner. They both agreed that ECHCS is under resourced.
Sen. Gardner introduced legislation that, if approved, would authorize the construction of a major medical facility for VA in Colorado Springs. We are currently developing our business case for this concept, with the intent being to submit for approval through our normal capital planning process. We are also actively engage with our DoD partners to identify opportunities for partnership on this concept and others as we pursue a Joint Venture.
On Nov 2, 2020, VA-ECHCS enrolled their first patient in ENSEMBLE, a study of the COVID vaccine being developed by Johnson and Johnson.
ENSEMBLE is a randomized, placebo controlled trial, which is the highest scientific standard for a clinical study.
The study is open to Veterans and ECHCS employees.
The study aims to enroll 500 participants at the ECHCS site.
Veterans and employees at southern Colorado sites who are medically eligible for the study will have an opportunity to enroll at their local CBOCs.
You can’t get COVID-19 from vaccines in clinical trials. That’s because the vaccine does not contain any live or killed virus. Participants in vaccine clinical trials may be exposed to the virus in their everyday lives, but not through the study.
Black and Hispanic Americans are nearly three times as likely to become infected with COVID-19 compared to white Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Veterans and ECHCS employees may get more information by phone call 720-723-3098 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.org
I’m so thankful for all of you! With the many uncertainties this year has thrown at us, you’ve all remained a constant source of advocacy and assistance to our Veterans. You never stopped being there. Thank you so much for all you do – For our Veterans, for ECHCS, and for me. I hope you all have a safe a relaxing day off. Happy Thanksgiving!
Teresa DiBella | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Congressional Liaison |VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
(11/04/2020 01:30 PM EST) VA ECHCS selected for COVID-19 vaccine trial. VA ECHCS began a clinical trial for the single-dose investigational COVID-19 vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. This is the fourth large-scale COVID-19 vaccine trial in the U.S. Read the full story.


text:
The only thing we know for certain is that someone was stabbed. WABC reported that a stabbing, outside some unspecified restaurant, happened in front of 350 West 45th St. But that would be the mid-block parking lot. They also said the fight spilled out onto Ninth Avenue. Another report, from dnainfo.com, claimed the incident was at Eighth Avenue and that five suspects were arrested. Dnainfo.com displayed a photo that clearly was not of West 45th St. WABC reported only had three suspects, but then said four were arrested in the next paragraph.
A wild fight outside a Manhattan restaurant ended with three people stabbed and three people in custody. The victims were attacked outside 350 West 45th Street around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Police say a 19-year-old woman was slashed on left forearm, a 20-year-old man was stabbed in the lower back and a 20-year-old man was slashed on the left shoulder. The injured people were taken to Bellevue Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
Four men — two 19-year-olds, an 18-year-old and a 26-year-old — were taken into custody at the scene. Charges against them are pending. They were all identified as Manhattan residents. A box cutter, believed to be one of the weapons used, was recovered at the scene. It appears the victims and suspects got into a dispute in front of a restaurant and then spilled onto Ninth Avenue. Police closed West 45th Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues for hours as they investigated.
Police have arrested five suspects in a triple stabbing near Times Square early Thursday morning. Police said the suspects, a group of men between the ages of 18 and 20 years old, stabbed a group of victims during a dispute at Eighth Avenue and 45th Street around 1:30 a.m Thursday. The three victims a 19-year-old woman and two 20-year-old men were taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition, police said. Charges are pending against the suspects, who are being questioned at the Midtown North precinct, police said. Police recovered the knife used in the attack, they said.

domain: law


text:
If we can rake aside the leaves and mulch from our tree rows or dig a small way down and see the life exemplified in the images above, we know we are growing in a living soil. If we can dig a small way farther and see the life of tender feeder roots fanning out into uncharted reaches of the soil, we know we are doing better still:
Weed management is achieved strictly through line-trimming, deep-mulching, and horizontal training of our trees, whereby the soil is shaded too strongly to grow aggressive weeds. Our soil is never cultivated to any depth. It is not uncommon to see a blanket of recumbent broad-leaf weeds and grasses dotting the decomposing mulch beneath our trees.
In an effort to retain critical soil moisture, enhance microbial activity, build humus, and retard the oxidization of soil minerals, the farm engages in a program of continual mulching throughout the year. All would-be tree waste is chipped and distributed beneath the trees from whence it came, and untreated chips from local timber processing are used to supplement on-site sources. All leaf litter is retained in our tree rows and redistributed as-needed. These are the principal sources of fertility on the farm.
Even avocados that have ceased being productive will ultimately increase the productivity of other trees at the farm. There is great poetry in this, every bit the equal of the physical beauty of their 40-year-old, gnarled trunks.
To help maintain the consistent and high yields that are demanded of a commercial organic operation on this fifteen-acre scale, native sources of fertility are supplemented regularly with OMRI-listed hydrolized fish emulsion, kelp meal, and custom-blended pelletized amalgams of balanced fertilizer, in strict observation of USDA National Organic Program standards.
Pests both seen and unseen are treated preventatively by attending to the health of the soil biome first and spraying (or drenching) second. Trees are intercropped on basic divisions of one or two acres to discourage the spread of non-beneficial organisms and disease. The fruits that we grow experience relatively low levels of pest and disease pressure by their nature and therefore seldom need spraying. When we do spray, we do so ahead of predictable cycles of pest pressure so that a real issue never develops. To learn more about how we manage our trees through spraying, please visit the Spray & Fertilization Schedule page.

domain: agronomy


And for the first time in the Capital speedway side's 74-year history, the seven riders will this season wear racesuits after deciding to ditch the traditional race bibs. However, the Monarchs were one man down yesterday with Italian and winter signing Paco Castagna unable to fly into Scotland due to visa issues.
He is, however, expected to be at Armadale in just under a fortnight's time when the Monarchs kick off their Championship campaign with the visit of the Berwick Bandits.
The team will once again be led by captain and No.1 Sam Masters. He is joined by fellow Australians Josh Pickering, Kye Thomson and newcomer Jacob Hook. Norwegian Lasse Fredriksen and Englishman James Sarjeant – now enjoying his second spell with the club – complete the line-up in the new uniforms.
The Armadale Devils, who will compete in the National Development League, also enjoyed some track time during the practice event.


text:
Preparing Sweet Potatoes
Did you know that North Carolina sweet potatoes are available every month of the year. When selecting sweet potatoes, it is important that they are firm to the touch and no signs of mush or mold. The best way to store is in your cool pantry or frozen. Simply get in the habit when you get home, turn on the oven and pop in your sweet potato(s). You will love these baked delights. For frozen, wash, peel and boil the sweet potatoes until tender. Slice, dice or mash and sprinkle with a little bit of organic lemon juice. Let cool and then place in a freezer safe glass container and freeze. Perfect for quick nutritious side dishes.
If potatoes are on the menu, I will simply poke a few holes in the white or sweet potato and wrap it in aluminum foil before placing them in the fridge until the night they are to be cooked. From there, all that is left to do is place them in a preheated oven. Doesn’t it get any easier than that!


The Ferrari 458 Italia is the car of the moment, and by far my favorite supercar on sale.
Ferrari has just released a brand new convertible version of it with even louder Exhausts -- what better way for Vicki to test it than thrash it round the mountains of its home country of Italy.
Ferrari 458 Spider Nailed - /CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS
Don't ask how I came to be driving it. I'm a year late to this review, so
most people already know what they need to know. But do they know what the
Spider is like if you drive it like a mentalist? They will now.
Ferrari 458 vs Ferrari 430 - Top Gear - BBC
Jeremy borrows James' Ferrari 430 for a drag race against the new £170,000
Ferrari 458. But how will the 458 handle round the track with the Stig
behind the wheel?
Subscribe for more awesome Top Gear videos:
Top Gear YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/topgear
TopGear.com website: http://www.topgear.com
Top Gear Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/topgear
Top Gear Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBC_topgear
This is a channel from BBC Worldwide who help fund new BBC programmes.


text:
- Dress-Up Wings
- Detailed feather design
- Shoulder straps and finger loops
- Gorgeous bright colors
- Encourages imaginative, dress-up play
Encourage your fledglings to let their imaginations soar with these Fanciful Fabric Bird Wings. The wings feature a detailed feather design. They feature shoulder straps and finger loops so children can slip them on and spread their wings. Imported.
For ages 3 and up.
Wingspan: approx. 43"
Buy 2 or more at $12.98 each.


text:
Knights Win Season Finale Vs. Doddridge
The Silver Knights dropped a tough one in their last regular games of the season to St. Marys on Tuesday, April 23, 6-2 and 13-4 in a twin bill on the Blue Devils field.. After scoring the games first run of the night in the top of the first in game one, the Knights gave up three runs to the home team and two more in the second to fall behind 5-1 going into the third.
The Knights got another run in the top of the third but, but that was the end of their scoring as the Blue Devils picked up another run in the fifth for the final score. The Silver Knights could only manage four hits in the game as JoLee Walton went 2-3 from the plate and knocked in two runs. Walton took the loss from the mound throwing three innings with two strike outs and two walks. Madison De Vaughn came on in relief in the fourth and threw four innings with four strike outs.
St. Marys was led by winning pitcher Mahayla Nichols who struck out seven batters in a complete game. She was also credited with 2-3 at the plate and bringing home two runs. St. Marys finished with seven hits on the night while committing three errors.
In the night cap St. Marys took a 7-1 lead after three innings and never looked back as they crushed the Knights 13-4. The Blue Devils finished with 11 hits in the game and committed only two errors while the Silver Knights committed six fatal errors and got just six hits. Maddie DeVaughn suffered the loss for Tyler, throwing 3.1 innings and giving up six hits and seven runs, while striking out two batters and walking one. Breanne Templeton threw .2 innings and walked four batters while Taylor Ebert threw two innings with a strike out and four walks.
The Knights Cheyenne Jones went cracked two singles in the game in three at bats, while JoLee Walton drove in a run with a single in 1-3 from the plate. DeVaughn lined a double while going 1-3 from the plate. The Knights dropped to 10-12with the two game sweep by the Blue Devils.
Tyler Consoidated won it’s final home game of the season on Monday, April 22, against Doddrige County 5-3. The Silver Knights picked up the win behind a home run, a single and two RBI, from senior JoLee Walton to improve their record to an even 10-10.
Madison DeVaughn picked up the win on the mound with five strike outs, in a complete game. Allie Miller also got in on the act with a two run single in the sixth inning.
Doddridge too an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first but the Knights added runs in the third and fourth to tie the game. The Bulldogs scored again in the top of the fifth but Tyler added two more in the bottom of the sixth to wrap up the scoring.
The Knights finished with seven hits on the night and committed six errors. Doddridge had eight hits and five errors but came out on the short side of the score.


text:
About this Session
Held 50 days in advance of the 2015 United Nations Paris Climate Conference (COP21), this dialogue aimed to offer a platform for sharing views and perspectives on how the creation of decent work and a just transition for all can contribute to a climate agreement that fully engages the actors in the world of work in the transition towards low-carbon societies.
Introduction – Climate change: negotiations and prospects for COP21
Peter POSCHEN, Director, Enterprises Department, ILO
Nick NUTTALL, Coordinator Communications and Outreach, UNFCCC (video)
Decent work and just transition to address climate change
Hon. Esther R. BYER-SUCKOO, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resource Development, Barbados – Guest of Honour
H.E. Amb. Cecilia B. REBONG, Permanent Representative of the Philippines
YU Vicente Paolo, Coordinator, Global Governance for Development Programme, South Centre
Moderator: Steven STONE, Chief, Economics and Trade Branch, UNEP
H.E. Amb. Luis Enrique CHÁVEZ BASAGOITIA, Permanent Representative of Peru (COP 20 Presidency)
H.E. Amb. Elisabeth LAURIN, Permanent Representative of France (COP 21 Presidency)
Summary and discussion
Peter POSCHEN opened the session, introducing the potential synergies for decent work for all and climate mitigation policies. He stressed that the world of work is full of solutions for climate change.
Peter mentioned key milestones on the decent work and climate change joint agendas such as (1) the World of Work Summit at the 2015 International Labour Conference (ILC), which focused on the relationship between sustainable development, green jobs, (2) the conclusions adopted at the 2013 ILC, (3) the launch of the ILO’s the green initiative, (4) the launch of the Peru & France joint initiative, (5) the French President Francois Hollande’s speech at the 2015 ILC, (6) the ILO October 2015 expert meeting to develop policy guidelines to put conclusions into practice.
Nick NUTTALL, UNFCCC spokesperson, provided an updated on COP21 preparations and main challenges. Nick mentioned the over 140 countries have submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). These are now being aggregated into a report that will be launched on 30 October 2015, in Berlin. He stressed that environmental finance is an important issue and that finance was central to discussions in Lima last week (WorldBank and FMI meeting) and is at the heart of the agreement. Nick also referred to the OECD’s analysis on climate financial flows from developed to developing countries.
Steven STONE, UNEP Economics and Trade Branch Chief, introduced the panel and stressed that the transition to green and decent job is coming fast. Steven mentioned Pope Francis’ message in his address to UN General Assembly in New York: when the environment is affected, we are all affected. He said that finance is central to the transition.
Hon. Esther R. BYER-SUCKOO referred to the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals by UN general assembly and said that labor is in Goal 8. She spoke about how we can work together at different levels to develop the necessary policies to achieve decent green work. She said that government, employers, workers are eager to find solutions. We have to all work together. She mentioned the challenges for small island developing states and stressed that Barbados is already feeling the effects of climate change and using solar energy. They are already seeing jobs change and seeking retraining. There are opportunities for decent work as we transition to a green economy.
Hon. Esther R. BYER-SUCKOO said that the guidelines (LO October 2015 expert meeting policy guidelines) present a comprehensive policy framework for governments to work with social partners and other stakeholders including the private sector. She mentioned the nine policy areas of the guidelines and noted the collaborative spirit of tripartite meeting; all were willing to find ways to converge goals and “make it work”. Finally, she emphasized the importance of social dialogue.
Amb. Cecilia B. REBONG mentioned Philippines vulnerability: top 5 in this year’s vulnerability report, #5 in the German Watch climate change index, #3 in disaster risk for 1994-2014. She referred to the effects of sea level rise on arable land and the effects of changing thermal conditions on working conditions of outdoor workers. She stressed that Philippines don’t want to be remembered for the disasters and losses but for their resilience – rising above these challenges. They are rethinking engagement with stakeholders, looking at new technology for green industries, re-skilling, and adjust education systems and social safety nets to new circumstances.
She referred to a side event at the 29th Session of the Human Rights Council in June. She said that corporate social responsibility is not enough; we need environmentally consciousness business leaders. She mentioned other initiatives: the “Green Jobs Bill,” the first of its kind; ILO’s Greening Enterprises Programme (awareness raising, research, skills development, integrated livelihood assistance and employment programs, linking disaster and climate change management with social protection and active labour market policies); and disaster risk management (preparedness, mitigation, adaptation).
Amb. REBONG mentioned the launch of the “Vulnerable 20” (V20) – Barbados is also a member – at the Lima meeting of finance ministers in early October 2015. Finally, she called for increased collaboration on nexus between work and climate change, and endorsed the just transition policy guidelines.
YU Vicente Paolo speaking points can be downloaded below. He recalled when “just transitions” were first mentioned in internal G77 negotiations; there was a resounding “yes” to adopt. He said that the just transition idea should not be considered as an add-on to climate negotiations; it needs to be built into discussions and text. He added that at present, the just transition idea is only included in the preamble of the climate agreement; how do we operationalize it?
Vicente spoke about transitions in developing countries:
– national level education, skills training, capacity building programmes
– social protection floors for workers who have “fallen through the tracks”
– elimination of barriers to sustainable development
– support beyond national skills programs including finance and technology transfer
– strong social dialogue and consultation with all stakeholders throughout the transition process
In the discussion World Vision International representative, Beris GWYNNE, said that we should pay attention more to ecosystems than economy, livelihoods over work. Are we looking creatively enough at the context and narrative that shapes the work we are to do for COP21 and onwards? She said that there are many existing approaches that can be scaled up if there were more creativity and proper financing, and called for more partnerships.
Panellists stressed that education is the “golden thread”; the most powerful weapon against climate change is mass public education. A well educated population can support and enable governments to achieve climate action. Investing in education is investing in the future and in human capital. Emphasis should also be put on women and youth.
Amb. Luis Enrique CHÁVEZ BASAGOITIA remembered that Peru chaired and hosted the UN Climate Change Conference (COP20), where several key points were agreed: the need of a universal binding climate change agreement to be signed in the COP21, the rules on how every country will submit their national contributions, the establishment of the Green Climate Fund and the launch of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda.
Since Peru holds the Presidency of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, these elements are at the centre of the negotiations and important progresses have been made.
Nonetheless, the role of decent work wasn’t considered at the COP20. This gap was filled thanks to an ILO initiative, which concluded with the signature of Peru and France of the “Joint call for action on climate change and decent work”. As a direct result of this Joint call, the draft decision released on 5 October 2015 has included this dimension in its 6th preambular paragraph and may be also present in the preambular section of the agreement.
Amb. Elisabeth LAURIN said that “there are no jobs on a dead planet”. She mentioned that the idea is to have a global environmental alliance based on 4 pillars:
1. The global climate agreement: short and accessible text released to public on 5 October 2015; will be discussed next week at Bonn.
2. Ambitious INDCs, important indicator of state mobilization – a “collective dynamic”.
3. Finance – needs were identified in Copenhagen; $15b more in Lima; by 2020 $5b more.
4. The solutions agenda to come into effect in 2020. Civil and private sector action is crucial to success.


text:
Sunday, November 21, 2010
When I awoke this morning and looked up at the stark, gray November sky, I made the decision that I would not let cold, lack of color take away my inner peace. On purpose, I began to enjoy the benefits of my decision. As I thought of ways to photograph the beauty of the oncoming winter, I felt myself wanting it to hurry up and snow, so I could capture all of the beautiful possibilites. With the cognitive shift, came creative thoughts of snow nestled in empty milkweed pods and on red berries that are still viable on the tree that stands near the trash receptacle outside my office, and delicate, weathered Queen Anne's Lace - on and on the thoughts came throughout the day, crowding out otherwise negative ones.


text:
There is no better asset to own than one that increases in value over the long term and keeps pace with inflation. What if you could invest in something tangible that produces community benefits? According to one study, one of the last things people are willing to cut from their budgets is food. The population is only increasing, and with it the demand for goods is increasing as well. Investing in agriculture means supporting an industry and lifestyle, keeping farmers in the business of farming, and keeping your investments more secure than they would be in the stock market.
As technology has advanced, we have seen the agriculture industry take a backseat. It shouldn’t be seen this way. Families hand down their farms generation after generation, and farming is a learned skill that many people do not possess. Agriculture is what fuels our Friday night dinner dates, our affinity for home and office decor, and our Sunday night grocery trips.
Supporting farms means they do not have to have the threat of a foreclosure from the bank looming over their heads. Your investment provides capital for farmers to maximize their yields and productivity. You help fund farmers’ access to inputs or the equipment they need to make their yields as bountiful as possible.
Agriculture is more sustainable than the stock market.
When you invest in agriculture, you are investing in a physical plot of land. This land’s value only appreciates, unlike stocks in businesses.
Investing in agriculture is typically a long term venture. Returns vary depending not only on commodity prices, but on how much and how fast the land appreciates. Depending on the farm’s location, current commodity prices and other factors, returns on investment range from 3-5% for commodity based land, or 10-15% for specialty crops. Because agriculture investments are long term, they can be set up to be kept in the investor’s family and passed down to future generations. Agricultural investments can appreciate indefinitely.
Keeping Farmers in the Business of Farming
Investing in agriculture and farmers keeps people fed and clothed. We all need to eat. Trends show that the amount of food, especially protein, people take in per day is steadily increasing. At the same time, some experts fear that at the rate of the population’s consumption, soil could become a scarce commodity.
Something else to consider is the eat clean and eat local movement. People are growing more and more selective in the food that they put in their bodies. Farm to table style restaurants and markets are extremely popular right now, and even more so if they’re local. Knowing that the burger you’re eating came from a farm five miles away, right in your community, is extremely attractive to the consumer.
In many ways, investing in agricultural can be a strong and fruitful venture. Farmland in itself is a useful, tangible thing and agriculture yields physical results that can be directly correlated to the success of the farm and where it’s heading in the future. By investing in a farm, you are investing in the success of a community and securing a piece of land that will appreciate year after year.
Source : Harvest Returns
Contact Greenroot Limited for your affordable agricultural lands, farming contracts and produce marketing . Agriculture is wealth.


text:
Glazed Otley contacted me with a simple request, create some distinctive business cards and packaging that will help them stand out from the rest. I created bright, in-your-face business cards, where the glaze of the donut was spot glossed, mimicking the actual donut. I also created some simple donut boxes, using lightweight, recyclable card, along with a strong colour pallet. The client was thrilled with the final results.
Design a set of stand-out business cards along with donut packaging.


Reliability Assessment of Load Testing for Concrete Buildings
MetadataShow full item record
Structural rehabilitation is regularly undertaken to diagnose and repair a building during its service life; this practice ensures that buildings operate under safe and reliable conditions. Engineers generally rely on existing drawings, site investigation findings, and engineering judgement to assess the serviceability and ultimate capacity of a structure. Another approach to evaluating an existing structure is through the use of a structural load test. Under the authority of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), there are two structural load testing code provisions that exist: ACI 437.2-13 and Chapter 27 of ACI 318-14. Although both provisions provide requirements and guidelines for load testing, there are distinct differences in the test load magnitudes, loading protocols, and acceptance criteria. The primary purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of reliability-based load testing safety concepts in the context of the current provisions of ACI 437.2-13 and ACI 318 Chapter 27. Based on these findings, enhanced, diagnostic insight into the assessment of the outcomes of structural load testing was obtained. By approaching load testing from a reliability-based perspective, this research was able to provide the information necessary for practitioners to make more informed decisions regarding the diagnosis and repair of a structure. An analytical, reliability-based load testing model was developed using MATLAB. The primary objective of this model was to determine the reliability of a structural element following the performance of a successful load test. More importantly, the model was designed to accommodate practical structural assessment and load testing scenarios such as structural deterioration and occupancy change. The viability of an adjustable test load magnitude (TLM) live load factor was investigated. By adjusting the TLM live load factor, a post-load testing reliability that is consistently equal to or greater than the target reliability could be achieved.
Cite this version of the work
Amer Abu-Khajil (2015). Reliability Assessment of Load Testing for Concrete Buildings. UWSpace. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/9266


College of Visual & Performing Arts
- College of Business and Economics
- College of Education and Human Development
- College of Graduate Studies and Research
- Waldron College of Health and Human Services
- College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences
- Artis College of Science and Technology
- College of Visual and Performing Arts
- Other Offices and Departments
Pianist Martin Jones returns to Radford
- Concert - Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
- Pre-concert talk: Meet the Composers 6:30 p.m.
Highly acclaimed British pianist Martin Jones will present a concert of new music by Claude Debussy, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and New England composers Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Covington Center for the Performing Arts at Radford University. Composers will speak about their works on the program in a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m.
Jones has been one of Britain's most highly regarded solo pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Myra Hess Award, the same year he made his London debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and his New York debut at Carnegie Hall. Ever since Jones has been in demand for recitals and concerto performances worldwide. A retrospective of his works, on the occasion of his 75th birthday, was released this spring on the Nimbus Recordings label.
Jones is a prolific recording artist and his many discs for Nimbus Records include the complete solo piano works of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Grainger, Szymanowski (voted Best Instrumental Recording of 1996 by the Spanish magazine CD Compact, Stravinsky, Korngold and the sonatas of Alan Hoddinott. He has recorded several Spanish piano masters and Volume 2 of this series received the 2000 Classical Indie Award from the Association for Independent Music in the USA. The soundtrack of the film “Howards End” features Martin Jones performing Grainger’s “Bridal Lullaby” and “Mock Morris.” His performance repertoire as well as encompassing most of the standard works for piano, also includes unusual concertos such as the “Busoni Concerto,” which he performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Norman Del Mar. He has also championed the music of British composers and has performed concertos by Britten, Benjamin, Mathias, McCabe and Lambert.
Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity and the Radford University Club Programming Committee are sponsoring this event. For more information please contact Jamee Jordan.
Courtesy of Dr. Bruce Mahin


A company culture is nurtured every day through employee interactions and the philosophies that drive the company’s success. For G&C Foods, that means focusing on the needs of its people — whether they’re in the office or out on the road.
Driver Safety Depends on Quality Workmanship
Trailer equipment has a huge impact on driver safety and retention. “G&C Foods is committed to providing the safest environment available, regardless of costs, for our driver and warehouse personnel,” Clark said. “Our local service center works hard to make sure equipment is fixed in a timely manner and done right the first time.”
“G&C has a great business relationship with Great Dane,” he continued. “One of the primary reasons we lease Great Dane trailers is the quality workmanship that goes into each unit and the safety options available on these trailers.”
Specialized Reefers and Improved Trailer Performance
G&C Foods takes advantage of Everest’s special features to enhance their trailer usage. “Although G&C Foods has always concentrated on making sure products are transported in the cleanest environment possible, FSMA and recent health concerns from other industries have put even more of a focus on proper handling and transportation of food products to our customers,” Clark said. “We use multi-temp trailers, divided into fresh, frozen and dry compartments to make sure the integrity of all items isn’t compromised while transporting from our warehouse to our end user.”
Reefers demand a lot of care, including regular washouts and strict attention to sanitization guidelines. Great Dane’s exclusive ThermoGuard liner, infused with Microban® Technology, helps G&C Foods in those efforts.
This proactive technology is built into the liners of Great Dane’s Everest reefer trailers during the manufacturing process, so it never wears off. This allows for cleaner food storage, cuts odors, and helps refrigerated trailers comply with the strict guidelines of the FSMA.
ThermoGuard is also virtually impenetrable, significantly reducing moisture and eliminating almost all insulation outgassing. While no liner can completely prevent insulation degradation, ThermoGuard is designed to slow the process, preserving thermal integrity over the lifetime of a trailer.
Telematics Can Enhance Thermal Integrity
To ensure the compartments stay cool, G&C leverages reefer trailer telematics to track temperatures from the time a shipment leaves the warehouse until it arrives at its destination. “G&C Foods is always trying to stay at the front of the line with fleet technology,” Clark said. “To track our fleet of Great Dane trailers, we have employed Thermo King’s tracking technology with REB wireless communication, which allows us to remotely and historically locate trailers, change set points, check fuel levels and run reports. Employing this has impacted our equipment utilization by taking the potential for error out of tracking our trailers, allowing us to cut miles and maximize the use of each of our trailers.”
G&C Foods: Committed to Teamwork
The company’s drivers are based in different locations along the eastern seaboard — from Springfield, Massachusetts, to Tampa, Florida. While distance may separate them, clear and constant communication brings the G&C Foods team together. “This approach to what is definitely a fast-paced business climate, has proven to be very successful in building the positive culture at G&C Foods,” Clark said. Trailer technology and quality workmanship can go a long way toward enhancing driver safety, impacting company culture for years to come.
Interested in learning how you can use the G&C Foods solution? Get in contact to explore the possibilities with Great Dane.
*Microban® technology is not designed to protect users against foodborne illnesses or disease-causing microorganisms. Microban Products Company makes neither direct nor implied health claims. Normal cleaning practices should be maintained.


text:
Benjamin Franklin Quotes
It is the eye of other people that ruin us. If I were blind I would want, neither fine clothes, fine houses or fine furniture.
In my youth, I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.
Work as if you were to live a hundred years. Pray as if you were to die tomorrow.
Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.
Where there is a free government, and the people make their own laws by their representatives, I see no injustice in their obliging one another to take their own paper money.
Those who govern, having much business on their hands, do not generally like to take the trouble of considering and carrying into execution new projects. The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forced by the occasion.
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God.
Gain may be temporary and uncertain; but ever while you live, expense is constant and certain: and it is easier to build two chimneys than to keep one in fuel.
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
He that composes himself is wiser than he that composes a book.
I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up.
At twenty years of age the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment.
Showing 1 to 20 of 218 results

domain: literature


text:
Joyn from Emirates NBD Herunterladen – Neu 2021
Welcome to Joyn! Get your Expo 2020 prepaid card, enjoy first-rate offers amp; financial savings.
Joyn – your new Prepaid Card App is here to make life less complicated, for UAE residents and weltweit s.T. Visitors alike. Simply sign on for Joyn, get your Emirates NBD Expo 2020 virtual prepaid card instantly, pinnacle up and folglich you’re equipped to go! You get unique offers at over 2000 shops, from dining to amusement, well-being to way of life and enterprise to nightlife. Have the time of your existence in Dubai and shop at the same time as you’re at it! And you vielleicht overlook about coping with coins, calculating exchange quotes or Asynchronous Transfer Mode withdrawals whilst you visit the UAE.
As the UAE comes alive with Expo 2020, the sector’s greatest display, Emirates NBD proudly gives an gestalterisch, stable, virtual-first, virtual prepaid card for UAE citizens and in aller Welt visitors.
Joyn from Emirates NBD Apk Full
About Emirates NBD
Emirates NBD Group is a Landesvater Göttergatte and the Official Banking Lebenspartner for Expo 2020 Dubai. Emirates NBD is the main banking institution within the MENAT region. It is called ‘Best Kreditanstalt in the Middle East’ and ‘UAE’s Best Kreditinstitut’ in 2021 for a 7th consecutive yr by means of Euromoney. In addition, Emirates NBD received the ‘Excellence in Leadership in the Middle East’ award, added in 2020 in gut verträglich of the Covid-19 effect, as a popularity of its efforts in responding to the Covid-19 crisis. The Group has operations within the UAE, Egypt, India, Entzugserscheinung, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the UK, Austria, Germany, Russia and Königreich Bahrain and consultant offices in Reich jener Mittelpunkt and Indonesia.

domain: geography