SWANSEA, S.C. — Lexington County is planning to use community feedback from surveys to create possible penny tax projects that will be voted on in November of 2022.
This tax is being considered by Lexington County council members, like Scott Whetstone, who represents district one, which includes Pelion, Gaston, Swansea, Sandy Run, parts of Edmund and Fairview.
"We are surrounded by counties that already have a penny tax to fund their roads," Whetstone said. "Lexington County does not have one. Our school systems get that, so the majority of the taxes in Lexington County go to the school system, not to the county." said Whetstone,
The tax, if approved, would mean you’d have to pay an additional penny on every dollar of a taxable item’s purchase price in Lexington County.
Whetstone said he’d only vote for a penny tax that would focus on roads and storm drainage.
"We do not need this tax going for sidewalks or street signs or new buildings. We need it for infrastructure and infrastructure only," Whetstone said.
Residents we spoke with feel the same way. They want their roads paved and cleared of potholes, but some are not too happy with how things are now.
"Why is paying taxes they want to enact right now going to do something different? Why is it going to do something different?" Swansea resident Hector Torres said. "They’ve had a long time to do something about this town and everything’s been sitting the same way since I got here."
Torres has lived in Swansea with his wife Esmeralda for 14 years, since 2008.
"We don’t have a problem when they increase taxes if they put into our neighborhoods,: Torres said. "But, if they’re going to increase taxes to put it someplace else or not do that much about our neighborhood, it hurts the people that live here,"
Lastly, you can comment on their Facebook post here.


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Next Saturday, I have a book signing for The Loudest Meow at Here's the Scoop in Jamestown, California. The signing is from 11:00 am to 3:00 p.m. Here's the Scoop is located at 18242 Main Street.
I have this opportunity because of the Sonora Writers Group. Jill, our fearless leader, organizes readings at this shop and scheduled me a reading. She also designed a beautiful flyer for me to put up around town.
Last week I woke up every morning and thought, “I really should be putting up flyers around town.” But I had work obligations. I have a home business. I'm an editor and transcriber. I had a lot of deadlines throughout the week. I thought that maybe I could put up some flyers after my dentist appointment on Wednesday. But then I forgot tape. In my past experience with putting up flyers, you need to bring tape with you. If you ask and just leave it, there's a good chance that flyer will never show up in the window. I thought about just going out and buying some. Then I imagined the multiple rolls of tape I had at home. I thought about the three deadlines that still needed to be met. I decided to go out that weekend.
On Saturday, I had to wait until P G & E finished chopping down a dead tree on our lawn. We had set our alarms for 7:00 a.m. so we would be up before they arrived at 8:00. I hit the snooze twice. Then I thought, “I'll just rest here until I hear the beep of the coffee maker.” I could never miss that important sound. But I did. I slept until 9:00, and then I thought,”That's okay. Mike wanted to see the tree come down. I needed to sleep.” It was a chocolate-cake kind of a sleep, deep, delicious, just the kind of rest you want before you venture out into the world to put up flyers.
So we traveled down the hill, Mike and I, first stopping at Here's the Scoop. The owner didn't recognize me from the picture that Jill had sent her. My hair was down. It's longer. I had a hat on, that Mike thinks it's too big, but I like my hats and my T-shirts loose. I was wearing sunglasses. But we joked around. She told me that another author had brought in an ukelele and sang some songs. I told her I wish I had that talent, but perhaps I would read, if the mood felt right. I hung a flyer on the door and set out on the town. (Mike stayed behind and ate ice cream. This was my thing. I was grateful that he was driving me around.)
Jamestown is a quaint historic place with a main street of several blocks. I had never really explored it before. We live in a neighboring town. To my delight, I found a homemade fudge shop. (But the owner was out. The sign said she'd be back in ten minutes, but I was on a mission. I couldn't even wait around for fudge.) I ventured into a bar where I think I might have interrupted a flirtation. But they weren't saying anything! There was just a strong vibe between the bartender and the lady sitting at the counter. He scrutinized my flyer, and after a long moment, agreed. When I started walking with my tape to the front window, he said there was no room up there. But there was! I had visually measured it before walking in. I kept my mouth shut and put the flyer up in the window where he delegated me. The woman at the counter left. Before I exited, I checked out the bar jukebox. Elvis Presley. Johnny Cash and June Carter singing “Jackson.” Could I put up with the bartender's attitude and being in a bar in general to listen to that song? That's a definite maybe.
I found some more bulletin boards and then headed back to my rendezvous point. Before we left, I ordered two scoops of ice cream to go—time was a-wasting—and we headed off to downtown Sonora, where at every shop that I asked, people asked questions about The Loudest Meow. I told them about my calico cat, how she had died unexpectedly, and how I felt that the only way to get through my grief was to write about her and imagine what she was doing in the afterlife. I told them that, in my imagination, the afterlife was populated with our other cats that has passed on. In the story I created, these cats resolved old grievances and made new connections. The people I met listened and nodded. They told me stories of how they had mourned for their animals. They showed me pictures of the cats currently in their lives. It turned out to be a really fun way to spend an afternoon.

domain: artistic


text:
«The only thing secular is sin.»
– Robert Hugh Benson
✙ Current Series: Kerygma
- I think you have questions
- Why the SNAFU?
- Departing Tao
- Kerigmatic Checkin
- Kerygmarsch auf die Feldherrnhalle
Doxos is the blog of a Roman Catholic Christian working out his salvation in San Francisco, The California Republic.
This blog contains a good number of things, sometimes religious, sometimes not. Please remember me in your prayers.
Seduxisti me Domine et seductus sum.
I who have written this story, or rather this fable, give no credence to the various incidents related in it. For some things in it are the deceptions of demons, other poetic figments; some are probable, others improbable; while still others are intended for the delectation of foolish men.
(Closing lines of the Táin Bó Cúalnge)
✙ Less Recent
Monthly Archives: November 2014
Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel, qui aperis, et nemo claudit, claudis, et nemo aperuit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis. Key of David, and sceptre of the house of Israel, you open, and … Continue reading
I seem to have missed an Advent Meditation. Forgive me: and lets call this post number 3 so that I can call the forthcoming post #4 in good conscience.
Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento. Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire … Continue reading
A blessed Advent! For my friends in the Western Ecclesial traditions, a little explanation: the Eastern Pre-Nativity Fast starts today. Advent is, of course, a Western Name, but we call it the Advent Fast here in America’s mostly-convert communities. Yes … Continue reading

domain: literature


text:
Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret.
Sharing Inspiring Lifestyle Stories...
A safe space for all the bleak and blissful points of life
MAKING LIFE BETTER
3D Printing information with research approach.
editorial / Opinión
Financial Freedom for Everyone
My Thoughts My Prayers My World
A palette of poetry, short stories, novel writing, literature, art, & photography.
Life is short..... but it's long enough to make you forget.....that it doesn't last for ever!
Create a path of Light with your Life
Poetry and Poems
Jesus Is Coming Back!
Pure. Spirit of the people.
On Paper, Canvas, and iPad
An Exploration of Joy with Painter and Poet Mary O'Connor
Travel Reisen Wandern Hiking
OHNE LEIDENSCHAFT GIBT ES KEINE GENIALITÄT!
Author of Paranormal Suspense
Passionate about crafting, creative writing, and sharing knowledge.
The World in your Hand - Tutto sul Mondo Mobile e Digitale
A friendly Church in the heart of Norwich City Centre with a welcoming congregation
Where waves of creativity splash the shore of words
Find What's Trending
The Ramblings and Recipes of an Aussie INFP
Check out the new YummyLummy.com
words, images and musings on life, literature and creative self expression
The best diet for optimal blood sugar control & health
Navigating Adulthood - One Obsessive Thought at a Time
A QUIRKY LOOK AT MODERN LIFE
Lifting the lid on health and wellness
UK Lifestyle and Writing Blog
"words are where the magic is"
God's own arrow shot for his glory
A place for loud minds.....
UK Lifestyle Blog
A blog about living with ADHD and mental illness and finding a thriving path forward.
Personal experience of living with chronic illness when life is beginning
Enjoy the Adventure
Aspiring Journalist Aiming To Spread Positivity
beauty is born in many shapes, just change your angle and you will sea it
A personal exploration of autism from a brother’s perspective, including family relationships, philosophy, neuroscience, mental health history and ethics


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Exporting renewable energy is the next big thing, and it will provide many benefits to both the people and the planet.
Whilst renewable energy export hasn’t happened yet, Australia is looking on the bright side.
Their recent developments show their potential to become a renewable energy powerhouse.
Let’s take a look to find out whether exporting renewable energy is possible. But first, we need to understand what renewable energy is.
What is renewable energy?
Renewable energy is sustainable energy! It is energy that comes from sources which cannot be depleted when used.
Solar energy, wind power, and hydrogen are all examples of renewable energy.
These sources of energy are commonly used as an alternative to non-sustainable sources of energy like coal.
Can you export renewable energy?
There is potential to export renewable energy, however no country has ventured into this export industry yet.
But, Australia plans to change this by 2030.
Renewable energy export is dependent on one basic molecule- hydrogen.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, strongly believes that “hydrogen is the energy of the future”.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has already listed exporting renewable energy as one of their top four priorities.
How do you export renewable energy?
Purified water needs to be split into hydrogen and oxygen.
This separation can be done through electrolysis, an electric current.
Electrolysis needs to be powered by wind, solar, or tidal energy to make sure the energy transported is renewable.
Hydrogen is the vehicle for storing this energy.
It can be used locally as fuel for cars or fuel cells that create stationary electricity in locations without power access.
To export the energy, it needs to be converted into a transportable form like ammonia.
Ammonia is made of hydrogen and is an essential ingredient in industrial fertilizers.
These fertilizers are one of the world’s most popular traded chemical commodities.
Producing hydrogen with renewable sources cuts down the fertilizer supply chain emissions.
Hydrogen can be transported through ammonia and used as an end product.
Ammonia can transport higher hydrogen densities than liquid hydrogen. Making it an excellent vehicle to transport renewable energy.
Another renewable energy export is synthetic natural gas.
Gasifying agricultural waste products can produce it. Synthetic natural gas can be converted to methane.
Solar energy also has the potential to be exported through undersea cables.
Countries like Singapore will benefit from this.
The sugar industry in Australia is looking to produce biodiesel.
The biodiesel will be created through hydrothermal liquefaction of sugarcane waste.
At the same time, Western Australia is growing mallee eucalypts and converting it to biofuel.
The biofuel is created by replacing biochar from the refining process to the soil.
This biorefinery process produces exportable fuel that has negative emissions.
Can renewable energy be traded?
Yes, renewable energy can be traded through renewable energy credits.
Renewable energy credits are intangible commodities.
They serve as proof that 1 MWh of electricity was produced from renewable energy sources.
The credit shows that this electricity was included in the shared system of power lines that transport energy.
What are the benefits of exporting renewable energy?
Exporting renewable energy provides endless benefits for countries involved and the environment.
Below are some of the many benefits of this potential export industry.
- Aids countries exporting renewable energy to diversify their economy.
- Fosters closer political ties between countries.
- Promotes a healthy environment and a healthy and stable economy.
- Creates thousands of jobs in the renewable energy export industry.
- Reduces domestic carbon pollution.
- Open the way for export opportunities.
- Decrease the cost of electricity.
- Countries no longer have to be over-dependent on gas imports.
- Renewable energy is much cheaper than energy created by fossil fuels.
What are the challenges of exporting renewable energy?
Exporting renewable energy is faced with some challenges. We will explore these below.
- There is an issue in separating the hydrogen from the ammonia at its destination. This is important so that hydrogen can be used for power.
- Covid-19 has backtracked the implementation of projects.
- The infrastructure to export renewable energy requires high investment costs.
Renewable energy export is the future! And Australia is leading the pack. Recent developments back their ambitious ideas.
Exporting renewable energy is sustainable and cost-effective!
We hope that we have answered your question. And provided insight into what renewable energy export is all about.

domain: news


text: The current Hazard Communication Standard affects many, if not most, industrial and commercial employers in the US. Most will have developed Hazard Communication programs to meet the current OSHA requirements. Changes to the requirements will impact most of these companies. The revision to the Hazard Communication Standard will also directly affect manufacturers and distributors of chemicals. These companies may need to review and revise existing Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to meet new requirements. Click link below to review a regulatory briefing on the proposed changes.

domain: chemistry


text:
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domain: game


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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
For a candidate who campaigned on transparency and responsiveness in "government", Pres Obama has to be the lamest president elected since George Washington. To call him the "man child" is to elevate him to the rank of a semi-leader. He has absconded any minuscule vestige of being a real "leader". Each new crisis shows his "leadership" to be merely quaint puffery.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
42 years of failed liberalism since that "summer of love".....
bloated budgets .
pie in the sky dreams-Governor moonbeam.
everyone has rights, nobody can be on the losing side.
everyone is as good at everything as everyone else.
nobody is better than anyone else.
Can't we just all be more equal?
NPR, PBS, ACORN, HUD, EPA, TSA, ICE,
public employee unions.
runaway Wisconsin Democrats.
Libya, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan
9/11/2001 (the Dems were in control then, remember?)
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
(CNSNews.com) - When asked today whether he thought the resignation of National Public Radio CEO Vivian Schiller was a good move, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that House Republicans will “proceed” with defunding NPR.
“The statements were that NPR realizes it doesn’t need taxpayer funding. That's what the statement was about," Cantor said at a news availability following a meeting of the House Republican Conference. "So perhaps the truth finally came out and we are going to proceed along those lines because that’s what was said and indicated by that organization."
IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!
The cloak of "fair and balanced" has been lifted to reveal the truth- left, liberal and highly biased.
After all... he has made considerably more money from his propagandist films than I have made being a hard working blue collar worker. Wasn't he supposed to be the champion of the blue collar worker? I guess too many french fries have gone to his head. Now that he has made some real money from his propogandising, he is currently suing his last film producer for another $2million in "royalties" he feels he is owed. What happened to giving away YOUR money, Mr Moore? I see, we are only to do what yOU say and pay no attention to what you DO.
If you think the Wisconsin collective bargaining episode is war, what do you think your precious Democrat Party's ramrodding of 'Obamacare' in the middle of the night was to the rest of Conservative America? Oh, right. Liberal views are always correct, while us conservatives have no right to exist...


Apple’s AR/VR headset will debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, starting on June 5th. Taiwan Economic Daily Foxconn subsidiary GIS said Apple was in a “sprint phase” (translation) and that its Reality Pro headsets could also go on sale this summer.
The previously reported report digital trendsIt suggests that the headset could be released “just a few weeks” after WWDC 2023 kicks off.
After years of rumors, it looks like Apple’s AR/VR headset will finally be unveiled at WWDC. the headset Released with tons of features According to Bloomberg’s Sunday report, Apple is trying to entice users to use their latest products.
For now, the rumored lineup of features seems focused on everyday people versus a more niche consumer demographic.
Read more: Apple’s AR/VR headsets: what to expect in 2023
Apple’s headset, which can cost around $3,000, is reportedly capable of running existing iPad apps like Books, Camera, Contacts, Freeform, and Mail with little to no extra work. According to Bloomberg, it also works with “hundreds of thousands” of third-party iPad apps. You can also watch live sports, news and videos in an immersive environment.
The headsets that will join the market, which includes the PlayStation VR 2 and Meta Quest 3, will reportedly focus heavily on gaming, which could mean different platforms. Apple Arcade stratagem. Also expected are wellness apps with meditation and calming sounds. You can also access fitness services that allow you to exercise while wearing the headset.
The device will also reportedly include an external battery that users can put in their pockets and attach magnetically with a cable. The headset also has a USB-C connector for data transfer.
Read more: Best VR headsets of 2023
AR/VR headsets will reportedly include advanced video conferencing features for interactive digital conferencing. According to Bloomberg, you can also use the Freeform app’s collaboration tools to enhance your meetings.
It is also known that there is a way to connect the headset to a Mac to use as an external monitor. And there will be a variety of ways to operate the headset via hand-eye controls, Siri and other Apple devices, the report said.
CNET has reached out to Apple for comment. We will update this story when we hear back.


text:
MONTREAL — If Lance Stroll felt any jitters during his first laps around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve they didn't show on the 18-year-old Formula One rookie.
Stroll, a Montreal native driving for the Williams team, posted the 17th best time in a pair of 90-minute practice sessions on Friday that were dominated by the leading Ferrari and Mercedes AMG teams.
"There are always a bit of nerves but not on Friday, just on Saturday (in qualifying) and Sunday (in the race)," said Stroll. "But it's positive nerves.
"Those are the nerves that get me going, so it's good."
Ferrari veteran Kimi Raikkonen, coming off a second-place finish behind teammate Sebastian Vettel two weeks ago in Monaco, posted the fastest lap of one minute 12.935 seconds on the 4.361-kilometre track. The Finn was 0.215 seconds better than two-time defending champion Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes.
Formula One leader Vettel was third at 1:13.200 with Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes AMG fourth at 1:13.310. Max Verstappen's Red Bull was best among the rest at 1:13.338 even though his car stopped on the track with 17 minutes remaining.
Friday practices are for experimentation, when teams test different set-ups and tires to see what works best on the track known for its long straights leading to tight corners that ends with a particularly nasty chicane just before the finish. The start/finish line includes the infamous wall of champions, where six F1 champs have crashed over the years.
Ultrasoft tires seemed to work best, and Stroll's teammate Felipe Massa used those to post the sixth-quickest lap. Stroll gets his turn on them in the third practice Saturday morning before qualifying.
"Everyone's been doing different programs, so we'll have a better idea in qualifying," said Stroll, who is aiming to reach the final group in qualifying to earn a spot near the front for the race. "This track suits our car so if everything goes to plan, with the tires working and getting the laps done, it's possible.
"We need to stay calm and concentrate on the job."
Stroll is gunning for a top-10 finish, which would bring his first F1 points. He was able to finish only two of six races so far, with his best result an 11th at the Russian Grand Prix.
But Williams has a history of good results in Canada. Bottas finished third the last two years before leaving Williams for Mercedes AMG, which caused the British team to bring Massa out of retirement to be Stroll's veteran teammate.
Massa's mentorship may be especially important this week.
"He needs to be calm," Massa said of Stroll. "He needs to understand everything about this track, how to approach the corners.
"This track actually looks maybe easier than it is to drive. It has so many tricks — over the curbs, over the braking, over the lines. So he has a lot to learn, but now he has the whole evening to look at data and how to improve and be ready."
They will all have trouble knocking the F1 leaders out of the top spots. Ferrari has a slight edge on Mercedes AMG so far in both the constructors standings and the drivers table, where Vettel leads Hamilton by 25 points.
But Hamilton has won five Canadian Grand Prix, starting in 2007, which is second only to Michael Schumacher's seven titles. Vettel won it in 2013 while Raikkonen's lone win was in 2005.
"There's stuff we want to improve on, so we'll see. It's tricky here," said Raikkonen.
In practice, the leading lap time improved by nearly a second from the morning practice and the fast times showed how this year's bigger, more powerful F1 cars are likely to set track records.
It was a rough afternoon for Romain Grosjean of the Haas team, who spun out three times and told his crew "I'm starting to get a bit fed up."
Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, the 2014 Canadian GP winner, left after only eight laps with unspecified technical issues and did not return.
Clearly frustrated two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso pulled his McLaren off the track during the morning practice with a hydraulics problem. He waved to the crowd, returned to his garage and was not seen until late in the afternoon session.
Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press


Fla. App. Ct. (3rd DCA) applies ‘after acquired title’ doctrine to save mortgage loan
The Third District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida recently affirmed the entry of summary judgment in favor of a mortgagee and against the purchaser at a condominium association assessment foreclosure sale based on the after-acquired title doctrine. Read the article………….
You can’t be a successful property manager without keeping an open mind about new technology and new developments in building
The Senate Local Government Committee just passed out of Committee an overhauled version of SB 126 which was introduced by
The Florida state agency that regulates condominium associations does not work to protect the tens of thousands who live in


As businesses move from IoT experimentation to real-world IoT applications, there are a number of inflection points emerging. Twilio's Chetan Chaudhary discusses what these mean for developers.
The need for secure device-to-device communication and authentication for IoT devices is clear. Portnox's Ofer Amitai examines how blockchain can help.
The benefits of using camera networks for IoT go far beyond security. Axis Communications' Fredrik Nilsson outlines why using camera networks for sensor networks makes sense in the connected world.
Smart machines will make our world much better, says RTI's Stan Schneider. The smart machine era will be liberating in ways we cannot imagine today.
If organizations want to innovate with IoT, says Secure Channel's Richard Blech, it is critical they position IoT security as a key priority in their cybersecurity playbook.
How will the T-Mobile-Sprint merger affect enterprise mobility and IoT connectivity? MOBI's Josh Garrett takes a look.
ForgeRock's Michael Tworek explains the challenges traditional industries face and business models they must adopt to stay competitive in the world of new mobility.
The time has come to create an intergovernmental organization whose objective is to deal with cybersecurity, says Northern.tech's Thomas Ryd. World Cybersecurity Organization, where art thou?
There are numerous benefits of adopting IoT, but doing so without a sound plan often ends in disaster. Software AG's Bernd Gross offers three steps to successfully implement enterprise IoT.
Keysight Technologies' Cheryl Ajluni offers three things any business or product maker can do starting today to improve their chance of mission-critical IoT success.
While personalizing medicine with IoT in healthcare is revolutionizing experiences for doctors and patients alike, Deloitte's Helena Lisachuk explains why connected health is not without its ...
IT pros are finding practical ways to make people-centric smart city initiatives their focus rather than getting distracted by technology.
In order to ensure success when undergoing an IIoT project, Stratus Technologies' Jason Andersen advises businesses ask themselves these four critical questions first.
The GDPR presents serious challenges for IoT, but they are not insurmountable. Openwave Mobility's Aman Brar explains how the GDPR will affect IoT.
FortiGuard's Anthony Giandomenico offers key findings from the recent Fortinet Global Threat Landscape Report, explaining why machine speed security is critical to protect IoT environments.


text:
BlaBlaCar expands its commuting pilot in France
As confirmed by BlaBlaCar at the New Mobility World exhibition at IAA2017 in Frankfurt, BlaBlaCar is extending its pilot scheme for commuting via rideshare from the French cities of Reims and Toulouse to the Île de France region, which covers Paris and environs.
The service, called BlaBlaLines, is dedicated to medium- to short-distance commutes and operates on a separate platform from BlaBlaCar, which is the leading service for long-distance ridesharing. BlaBlaLines is available as a free download for Android – and now also for iPhone.
Île de France could prove fertile terrain for BlaBlaCar, as 43% of the local workforce commutes to work by car, and the average occupancy is just 1.05 persons per vehicle.
To further entice potential customers, BlaBlaLines, in partnership with Total, offers first-time users a fuel card with a value of €10.


Samsung Galaxy S8, which is expected to go live by April 2017, is going to have Best Mode. Samsung has filed for trademark with the phrase ‘Beast mode’ European Union.
We are not sure whether this is for Galaxy S8. We are assuming it as a new mode for the Galaxy S8 which would allow full performance of the device irrespective of its affect on battery life, etc. This assumption seems realistic when we find occurence of its use in smartphones in the documentation.
Additionally, Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumored to be powered by the new Snapdragon 835 chipset in some regions. While Exynos will rule it in other parts of the world. We could see 8GB of RAM in the device. We can say that assuming these specs we should expect Beast Mode in the Smasung Galaxy S8.
Right now, there’s no more information about it. We will let you know about any advancement in upcoming days.
Stay connected for more !!


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A reason to smile
Burnside Dental Care P.C. is a family-owned business with 30 years experience. Our practice is working to realize a shared vision of uncompromising excellence in dentistry. Burnside Dental Care does this by employing excellent doctors such as Dr. Robert Katz, DMD, who practices in Hartford and East Hartford, CT at Burnside Dental Care PC. To schedule an appointment or ask any questions about these services, call: (860) 289-9558
What are dentures?
Dentures are synthetic replacements for missing natural teeth. Dentures can be used to replace a few or all the natural teeth. Dentures may be necessary when someone suffers tooth loss due to gum disease, tooth decay or injury. They make it easier to eat, chew and speak properly. Dentures help fill out areas of the face that have sunken in due to tooth loss and enhance your looks. You can have a better quality of life with the ability to eat more of the foods you enjoy and smile and laugh with your loved ones. Great looks and a beautiful smile can instil new confidence in you.
Are there different types of dentures?
Yes, there are several different types of dentures.
These dentures replace all of the teeth in the lower or upper arch. They are meant for people who are missing all of their teeth.
They replace some of the teeth. A partial denture has wires that fit over your remaining natural teeth, and false teeth that sit in where the teeth are missing.
These are removable dentures for people with a few or no remaining teeth. Overdentures are designed to fit over the top of the tooth roots. The roots act as support anchors for the dentures to fit.
Dentures anchored by implants
The dentures anchor on to titanium screws that are inserted into the jawbone during a surgical procedure. Implant-supported dentures look and feel more natural compared to the conventional dentures.
Conventional Vs. Immediate Dentures
- Permanent dentures
- May take a few weeks to make and person has to wait for a few weeks for gum tissue to heal after extraction
- Dentist takes the moulds of the mouth and then prepare dentures to ensure a proper fit
- Usually a temporary solution. They are considered placeholders for conventional dentures
- Dentures are prepared in advance and positioned immediately after tooth extraction to ensure that the person is not without teeth during the healing period
- Need several adjustments during the healing process to ensure proper fit
Who are the good candidates for dentures?
Good candidates for dentures are people who are missing all their teeth, those missing multiple but not all their teeth and those with chipped, broken or unhealthy teeth along with missing teeth. Basically, anyone suffering from significant tooth loss as a result of a tooth or gum disease, or injury can get dentures. However, dentures may not be an option for some patients. A person might not be a good candidate for dentures if they do not have the right jaw bone structure or enough healthy gum tissue to support dentures. Such persons need to work on their gum health and bone structure to secure dentures in place. Also, dentures need a lot of care and the person has to commit to a strict dental health routine. If someone cannot maintain hygiene or be regular with their routine, dentures might not be the best choice for them.
What to expect?
If you are planning to get dentures, here is what you can expect. These are the key steps involved in the process:
The dentist will perform a thorough examination to determine your oral health. They will look for signs of tooth decay, infection or previous dental procedures that can hamper the denture process. They will determine if they need to extract any teeth before they can place a denture.
Making and fitting the denture
The dentist will take measurements and mold of the teeth to ensure that the denture fits perfectly. These are sent to the dental lab where the dentures are built to specifications. Once the dentures are ready, the patient is called in for a fitting to see if the dentures fit correctly or not. If required, adjustments are made to make sure the patient does not have any pain or discomfort when wearing the denture.
Getting used to dentures
Even if there is no pain or discomfort, the patient may still take time to adjust to eating and speaking with their dentures. However, you can stay assured that you will eventually gain the same control, function and comfort as your natural teeth.

domain: medical


Jack your truck up with the beefy growl you need. Infiniti FX50 exhaust mufflers cut down on backpressure and boost exhaust gas flow, maximizing your power and efficiency. With many different Infiniti exhaust muffler types to check out, you can find the tone you're looking for.
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The arrival of November means that Halloween has come and gone, but we’re not quite down reveling in spooky season just yet. Now that the holiday is officially over, Billboard wants to know which celebrity’s costume you declare the year’s best.
With an entire weekend to get ghoulish, many famous faces churned out multiple Halloween costumes between Friday and Monday, wringing as much Halloween spirit as they could out of the autumn air. A perfect example? Lizzo, who became rapper Blueface’s girlfriend Chrisean Rock on Friday (Oct. 28), painted herself in head-to-toe yellow as a frightfully accurate Marge Simpson on Saturday (Oct. 29) and a foul-mouthed NSFW Miss Piggy on Sunday (Oct. 30).
Then there was Ariana Grande and her bestie Liz Gillies, who admitted they filmed their hilarious video as Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Lynch’s characters from 2000’s Best in Show back in May.
Harry Styles continued the tradition of his fan favorite Harryween live show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles as Danny Zuko from Grease, even treating the audience to a cover of “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
As far as couple’s costumes went, Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox threw it back to the ’90s as Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson, while Frankie Jonas and his girlfriend went for a hilariously meta take as his older brother Joe Jonas and Taylor Swift.
However, Heidi Klum may have taken the cake by hosting the return of her famous A-list Halloween bash after two years away as a creepy crawly worm.
Check out our roundup of 2022 celebrity Halloween costumes, then vote for your favorite below.

domain: entertainment


text: Starlight Theatre is an outdoor ampitheatre that has been a Kansas City staple for many, many years. During the late spring and summer, they have musicals like, Hello, Dolly!, A Chorus Line, Annie, Oliver, and many more. They also have music concerts here, but season tickets will not cover those shows. If you don't mind being in the nose bleed section, tickets are cheap, but if you like to be close, it will run you about $75-100 dollars. Shows are rain or shine.


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A dog is for life, not just for Christmas, is the repeated message from Dogs Trust volunteers as they prepare for an influx of homeless hounds.
John Cullen, manager of the Kenilworth rehoming centre is urging families to think twice, saying: “Many pups are discarded soon after being given as presents or older dogs are given up to make way for newer pups and we expect this year to be no different.”
As the team prepares to care for new arrivals over the coming weeks, volunteers release reasons given by owners giving up their pets.
The explanations include:
- He kept chasing frogs
- He looked different after we walked him in the rain
- He was too loving and needed too much attention
- I’m worried our toddler will copy him and poo in the garden
- He’s too playful - we haven’t sat down since we got him
- My dog is old and going to die soon
- He was scared of the cat next door
- He barks every morning
- He wags his tail too much
- She’s seems hungry all the time and follows me around the house
- He kept coughing in the night and woke me up
- All the puppy did was sleep. We wanted a dog we could play with

domain: pet


text:
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Golden Eagle RV Park & Cabins
As the gateway to the Enchanted Circle, our park is surrounded by beautiful mountains with 360 degrees of scenic landscapes. Our friendly staff strives to make.....
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Beautiful spacious RV spots under the tall pines bording on the Santa Fe Nation Forest. Golfing at the Pendaries Golf Course. Cool mountain air. Activities all.....
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domain: geography


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Win a Family Five-Pack of Tickets to Llama Llama Live at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on February 12 at 1 and 4 p.m.
Based on the beloved children’s book series by Anna Dewdney and Netflix TV series, Llama Llama Live, presented by the Bay Area Children’s Theatre, will have the whole family in stitches!
Please note, the 4 p.m. performance is sensory-friendly, and the winner may choose which performance they would like to attend. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Tickets are based on availability and may not be exchanged or redeemed for cash.


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Flaesch, Charles C. 1930 Admitted to Supreme Bench
Unadilla Lawyer to Be Admitted to
Unadilla, April 21---Mr. And Mrs. Charles C. Flaesch left Unadilla last Thursday on a motor trip to Washinton, D. C. Mr. Flaesch is to be admitted to the practice of law before the United States supreme court in Washington.
Mr. Flaesch was born in the national capital. When he entered the state of West Virginia on Saturday, left but the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas to be visited by him, of the entire United States. We congratulate him not only on his wide traveling, but the extent of his practice, and admittance to the United States supreme court.

domain: library


The fall factor is a term used in connection with fall protection systems as a means to describe the ratio between the fall height and the released rope length. An indicator of key importance, it must be taken into account when planning and performing activities in vertical structures, such as work involving climbing or working at height.
This wiki post deals exclusively with the fall factor calculation for work at height or in the context of fall protection systems and rope-assisted work procedures. Familiarity with the fall factor and the forces that occur is vital for the ability to select the right protective equipment against falls from a height and to take the relevant precautions to ensure safety.
The fall factor indicates which absolute forces - in the event of a fall - act on the rope and the protective equipment. A low fall factor is desirable because the fall energy to be absorbed is lower, reducing the risk of injury to the human body.
Fall factor = fall height resulting from the released rope length
The theoretical fall factor is determined by the following physical factors: Ratio of fall height to released rope length. The assumption is that the entire kinetic energy of the fall is absorbed by the rope - or the lanyard - and by the personal protective equipment. This value is established in theoretical, standardized test conditions and serves as a guideline for the load limit of the equipment.
- Consequently, the decisive factor for the calculation of the fall factor is the distance of the secured person to the ground (or the impact surface). This distance corresponds to the fall height.
- The total length of the lanyard from secured person to anchor point corresponds to the total length of rope that takes the fall - this is the released rope length.
Sample fall factor calculation: A fall height of 5 metres plus a released rope length of 2.5 metres equals a fall factor of 2.
Personal Protective Equipment PPE
Whether on roofs, scaffolding, ladders, facades, or other fall-risk areas, compliant high-quality equipment for fall protection is an absolute must.
Secure connection between user and safety system
Our PPE personal protective equipment creates a secure connection between user and fall protection systems. Depending on application and situation, it provides optimum comfort, and impresses through its top quality.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT PPE
PPE LANYARDS are the secure connection to INNOTECH anchor points. There are a number of variations which fulfil the respective requirements in terms of operation and loading.
PPE ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT PPE
PPE ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT from INNOTECH is the ideal addition to the INNOTECH harness models. Their purpose is to extend the use of the harnesses in their respective applications, and they provide practical solutions for cable access technology.
Fall factor 0, 1 and 2
The higher the fall factor, the greater the energy that acts on the equipment and the user. A lower fall factor is safer because it transfers less energy and load to the system. The fall factor in fall protection has different levels:
Fall factor 0: This value signifies that - in the event of a fall - no additional loads act on the safety equipment, as the fall height is equal to the length of the released rope. In other words: The user is already suspended in the system.
Fall factor 1: A fall with a factor of 1 means that the fall height is exactly as high as the released rope length. This is a common and safe standard that is applied in many fall protection systems. Corresponds to, for example, 4 metres of drop height and 4 metres of lanyard.
Fall factor 2: Here, the fall height is twice the amount of the released rope length. Representing the maximum fall factor, it constitutes a safety standard that is designed to minimize the risk of injury in the event of falls. Corresponds to, for example, 6 metres of fall height and 3 metres of released lanyard.
The resulting forces acting on the falling person increase with the number of the fall factor. You should therefore pay attention to the lowest possible fall factor.
Practical tips for a low fall factor and safe work
Take precautions to avoid a high fall factor and always consider all contributing factors when selecting your fall protection system. Here are a few practical tips for a low load or for keeping low the acting forces in the event of a fall with a fall factor:
- The anchor point used should be positioned as far as possible above the user.
- The anchor point used should never be below your own feet.
- The lanyard should be kept as short as possible.
- Use caution with lanyards where the length can be altered by the user. The possibility of user errors results in greater risk and possibly a high fall factor.
Do not hesitate to contact experts if you are unsure about the selection and configuration of the appropriate fall protection system. Too high a fall factor can have serious consequences for the human body.


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Signs Installed in Harlingen to Bring Awareness to Food Allergies in Playgrounds
HARLINGEN – The city of Harlingen installs signs to protect those with food allergies after a woman whose son suffers from a severe food allergy approached Parks and Recreation Director Javier Mendez about the idea last November.
Later that month, the city began putting up the signs that read: "1 in 13 children have food allergies." advising the public to "Please eat at the designated picnic area to avoid contamination of playground equipment."
According to the Food Allergy Research and Education Organization, roughly two children have a food allergy per classroom.
Mendez says the city's main goal is to avoid anyone, children or adults, having a severe allergic reaction in the playground.
He also reminds people just how dangerous those reactions can be.
Watch the video for the full story.
Migrant caravan from Honduras making journey to the U.S.
Hidalgo County street light program bringing safety to rural communities
Diabetes can increase chance of serious COVID-19 complications, health experts say
2,350 COVID-19 vaccines administered in Brownsville community clinic despite registration issues
Brownsville community project is set to bring hundreds of jobs and over...


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December 31st is a celebratory holiday. But the fireworks, noisy crowds, and flashing lights of New Years’ Eve can be anything but a party for your dog. So before your pup has a panic attack, take some measures to reduce his stress level.
If you anticipate a problem, consider picking up some Rescue Remedy®, a blend of liquid flower extracts that can help relieve stress. Check the label for the dosage, and give it to your dog about 30 minutes before the action starts.
A ThunderShirt® offers proven relief for many stressed out dogs (and cats too!). It wraps around most of the body, applying a comforting pressure that soothes and calms the dog.
Rescue Remedy can be found in many grocery, health, and pet supply stores, and both items are widely available on line.
As midnight approaches, make sure your dog’s environment will help keep her calm. Is her bed, or a favorite chair, ready for her, with a favorite toy or two? Play some music at a volume loud enough to drown out some of the outside noise (though do be mindful of your neighbors). Draw the curtains or close the blinds to reduce the effect of sudden flashes of light. Your stressed-out dog will respond to your cues, so stay calm and relaxed. And breathe: long, slow, calming breaths.
If you know that loud noises will be extremely upsetting to your dog, consider discussing some anxiety-reducing medicine with your veterinarian well before the big day.
Finally, as you make your own New Year’s resolutions, don’t forget a workout routine for both you and your dog.
Have a great holiday season and a splendid New Year!
Adapted from an article by Beverly Jogan, VMD, published in The Wag Times, the monthly newsletter of Whole Animal Gym (WAG), with their permission.
[cro_button text="Back to Chew on This Vol. 1, No. 4" link="http://us9.campaign-archive1.com/?u=6e209ceaaa80d7f3a608371e7&id=33cec70536&e=" color="1"]


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Mexican Presidents. Perhaps the most well known of the presidents of Mexico are those that ruled up to and during the Mexican Revolution.
Ever since gaining independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, Mexico has seen many different heads of state take the reins of the country, some of which are now honored by the Mexican people, others hated. Since its founding as an independent country, Mexico has been ruled by emperors, presidents and regents, each with different ideas and objectives for their country. Since the end of the Mexican Revolution, within the framework of the Constitution of 1917, the Mexican presidency found stability. Today, the powers of the president have been clearly delimited along with one term limit of 6 years. All of this to try and avoid the dictatorship-like presidencies that Mexico experienced in the past.
Perhaps the most well known of the presidents of Mexico are those that ruled up to and during the Mexican Revolution. The Revolution began with the overthrow of Porfirio Díaz, who had been in power for almost 30 years. He was a very powerful leader (too powerful in most people's opinion) that counted on the full support of the military. He controlled everything in the country, including the courts and the media, and was accused of fraud. Diaz allowed the elite to become very rich while the poor became even poorer, particularly the indigenous Mexican people. Although today he is considered as a dictator, his time in office was marked by contrasts: he increased stability and modernization in the country as well as improving the economy significantly. All of this came at the cost of an enormous social divide between rich and poor which became unsustainable. By 1910, Mexico was ready for change, and it was Francisco I. Madero who helped bring it about.
After a short term by Francisco Léon de la Barra, Madero took the presidency, promising more rights and a better quality of life for the working class of Mexico, despite coming from a very wealthy family himself. Madero was elected as president in 1911 with more than 90% of the vote, however, what he had promised proved to be too difficult to put into practice. The allies of Díaz were against him for overthrowing the regime and now his former supporters were turning against him too, feeling that they had been let down. In 1913, he was assassinated in coup by Victoriano Huerta, who was a general and commander of the troops in Mexico City. Despite his relatively short and fruitless time in office, Madero will always be remembered as one of the main protagonists of the Revolution.
Huerta, however, is not held in high esteem. During his leadership he was ruthless towards his colleagues and enemies as well as a known alcoholic. He aimed to recreate the Porfirio Díaz years in the form of his own dictatorship, but there was soon opposition to his rule coming from all areas of Mexican society, particularly the revolutionaries. In 1914, Pancho Villa organized an attack on him, which Huerta lost, forcing him to resign and go into exile in 1915.
Afterwards, with continuing instability ruling the country, there was a series of weak presidents who were unable to establish firm control of the country. There were also various attempts to assassinate presidents further destabilizing the country. Finally, in 1934, Lázaro Cárdenas del Rio took office, a revolutionary with a clean reputation who would help Mexico unite Mexico once again. He was also granted asylum to many Spaniards who were escaping the civil war that ravaged Spain in the latter half of the 1930's. He was a very hardworking and honest president after whom many streets and schools in Mexico are now named in his honor.
Many decades later and Mexico's presidency has remained somewhat more stable than in the past due to the hegemony of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) party. From 1946 until 2000, PRI party members controlled the government through corruption, vote buying and favoritism. With the economic crisis of the 90's, international criticism and a more organized opposition, the PRI lost the 2000 elections and Vicente Fox became the first non-PRI president in over half a century.
The current president is Enrique Peña Nieto, a member of the PRI party and first PRI president since Ernesto Zedillo. When he won the election in 2012, there was controversy that there could have been fraud, but this was never proven and did not affect the results.
Shortly before the rule of Porfirio Díaz and the events of the Mexican Revolution, another of Mexico's most important presidents was Benito Juárez. He was a liberal who went to great lengths to attain power. He is known to have been a strong leader in difficult times, particularly during the French occupation of Mexico. The most interesting thing about his presidency however, is that he was the first indigenous president of Mexico. He was of Zapotec origin and had been orphaned as a toddler and had spent his youth working as a servant. For this he is highly regarded as a symbol of the indigenous people of Mexico, even in modern times. He was president for five terms between 1858 and 1872, dying of a heart attack before his last term ended.

domain: sociology


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A new mural in the St. Cloud Library is being unveiled this month.
Osceola County resident, author and artist Peter Raymundo will soon share with the community his mural of his character Cora — a mermaid from his Scholastic book, Third Grade Mermaid.
“We are thrilled that Peter chose to create these beautiful mural’s in the children’s area of the St. Cloud Library,” said St. Cloud Library Youth Services Librarian Crystal Hamrick. “His enthusiasm to promote art and literacy to the children and families is very contagious and sparks an excitement to explore the riches that can be found in the library… And under the sea.”
“When I look at his sketches and what he has done so far, I am sure when it is done, it is going to be a popular area to visit in our library for many years to come,” Hamrick continued.
Raymundo said the idea of this mural first came about last year, when Hamrick asked his permission to share his character on the walls in the children’s area.
“They originally just wanted to put decals on the walls,” he said. “But they knew they were going to redo that area, so I offered to draw it myself. The more we looked at the space, the more we planned. The idea of it evolved.”
From decals on the wall, to drawing the character, came the idea of painting a full mural — not only featuring Cora, but also a full ocean scene.
“It became more elaborate than I thought,” he added. “We were taking this to another level.”
While Raymundo has been working on this project since mid-April, no guests of the library have yet to see it. The local author and artist said this reminds him of when he was working for the Walt Disney Company, on the animated feature film “Mulan.”
“We had this project that we’d be working on for years, but no one could see it,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘I wonder what it’s like for the public to finally see something you’ve been working on in private for so long.’” Raymundo hopes that, once unveiled, this mural will be enjoyed by everyone in the community.
Since his start date of April 13, Raymundo has worked on the mural every weekend. He has spent about three to four hours every Saturday and Sunday, beginning with just a blank wall.
“The first thing I did was share a rough of what I was going to do, and got it approved by the library,” Raymundo said. “I incorporated a lot of coral and created a full ocean scene using the original color of the wall as the water.”
Sketching it on paper may have been easy, but Raymundo said sketching a character — even one of his own — on a wall is, “easier said than done.”
Raymundo sketched the whole scene in one day, using seven or eight pencils that were sharpened down to the ends by the time he finished.
“The hardest part of drawing it is really just making the characters as accurate (on a wall) as they are on paper,” he said.
But this isn’t Raymundo’s first rodeo. For some time, mural painting was his main source of income.
“Income and career success are two different things though,” he said. Raymundo always dreamed of being an artist and author, and having his work shared with the public.
“I remember being in art school and looking at books and wondering how I could do that, and not just the work I was doing out in the garage,” he said. “You just have to have an unshakeable faith in yourself. And I’ve always had that.”
Raymundo’s mural of his Third Grade Mermaid character, Cora, will be unveiled at the St. Cloud Library on May 30. Everyone is invited to the celebration, which will begin at 11 a.m. The St. Cloud Library is located at 810 13th St., St. Cloud.
In addition to the mural, Raymundo will also soon release a Dial Books for Young Readers title — I AM NOT A FISH!.
The children’s book will be available on June 4, and there will be a book release event at the West Osceola Library on June 8 in correspondence with World Ocean Day. The event will feature limited-edition prizes, 4ocean bracelets, an appearance from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and more. Plus, guests can purchase I AM NOT A FISH! and have it signed by Raymundo himself. The West Osceola Library is located in Celebration, at 503 Campus Street.


Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of the opposition motion, the New Democratic Party motion. I do not usually read out the whole motion when it is a long one, as it takes up precious speaking time, but I will in this case because I find it hard to believe we are actually debating it, that this subject is actually up for debate in the House of Commons.
The motion reads:
That, in the opinion of the House, a standalone covenant of moral, social, legal, and fiduciary obligation exists between the Canadian people and the government to provide equitable financial compensation and support services to past and active members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have been injured, disabled or have died as a result of military service, and to their dependents, which the government is obligated to fulfil.
It is hard to believe that we have to dedicate an opposition day, that we have to dedicate a day to debate what should be a no-brainer, what should be common sense, common Canadian sense.
Our veterans stood on guard for us. They stood on guard for Canada. Our veterans stood on guard for democracy. They stood on guard around the world in conflict zones like Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Libya. They stood on guard for us in humanitarian missions like Haiti, after the earthquake in January 2010, and in Newfoundland and Labrador, after Hurricane Igor that same year.
Our veterans stood on guard for us, and we must stand on guard for them. That is the essence of the sacred covenant that exists between the Government of Canada and our Armed Forces. Our responsibility, our duty, is to be there for soldiers and veterans in their moment of need, not to abandon them to budget and service cuts. I call that the ultimate insult. Too many give the ultimate sacrifice and the government gives the ultimate insult.
There have been too many examples where the Conservative government has failed to stand on guard for our veterans.
The NDP MP for Sackville—Eastern Shore, Nova Scotia, who just spoke, this party's veterans affairs critic—and an outstanding critic he is—has a quotation on his office door by a U.S. senator, “If you can't afford to take care of your veterans, then don't go to war”.
The Conservative government has not been taking care of our veterans. It was not taking care of our veterans when it closed nine Veterans Affairs offices across Canada, including one in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, my home province.
I was told just today of a Newfoundland veteran who served in Bosnia. He had to drive eight hours from Corner Brook, his home, to St. John's, the closest office, so that the staff there could start a profile on him. He drove for eight hours across the island of Newfoundland.
The Conservative government was not taking care of veterans when it cut 23% of the Veterans Affairs workforce, or 900 jobs, since 2009. The Conservative government certainly was not taking care of veterans when it spent more than $700,000 fighting Afghan veterans in court to deny the existence of the social covenant I mentioned a moment ago.
Lawyers for the government have argued that it has no obligation or social contract with veterans. Those same lawyers also argued that is unfair to bind the government to promises made nearly a century ago by another prime minister.
That social contract was struck in 1917 by then Conservative prime minister Robert Borden:
The government and the country will consider it their first duty to see that a proper appreciation of your effort and of your courage is brought to the notice of people at home that no man, whether he goes back or whether he remains in Flanders, will have just cause to reproach the government for having broken faith with the men who won and the men who died.
Not only has the Conservative government failed to take care of our veterans, to respect that sacred covenant, but it has also been playing the worst sort of politics, the sort of politics that rots faith in our political system.
The latest massive omnibus bill, Bill C-59, is the budget implementation bill. It is 167 pages, which is short by omnibus standards, and it obviously includes measures on the budget. That is the same boutique budget that we will be voting against because it would cater to the wealthy, among other reasons. It would put the needs of the more affluent and more influential people first. However, Bill C-59 contains much more than this year's budget measures. The bill touches on almost two dozen other bills, from the federal balanced budget act and the prevention of terrorist travel act to public service sick leave and Canadian Labour Code changes.
The Conservatives have also cynically included provisions to assist veterans in that omnibus bill. They do this all the time. Such a move will force opposition parties who support those measures to help veterans to vote against the bill and then—and you can take this to the bank, Mr. Speaker—the Conservatives will throw in our faces that we voted against veterans. That is the kind of government we have in power, a government that is morally spent. I can definitely get much more creative, but I do not want to cross the parliamentary line. After nine years of Conservative government, too many veterans and their families cannot access adequate health care, pensions, and other vital supports.
I had a conversation just this morning with Jamie MacWhirter. He is a Newfoundlander and he is also a veteran. Jamie MacWhirter survived a seven-month tour in Afghanistan's most volatile war zones. He survived. He drove a refuelling truck loaded with 10,000 litres of diesel. His nickname was Fireball, for obvious reasons. Near misses for Jamie included rocket attacks, the horror of a suicide bombing that killed several children, fire fights, and roadside bombs. Jamie MacWhirter survived Afghanistan in one piece only to battle a different type of nightmare back here in Canada in Newfoundland and Labrador. Jamie MacWhirter has post-traumatic stress disorder, and the battle here at home was, and still is, for help.
Jamie MacWhirter says there is some help for veterans, some services available, but too often veterans do not know about them. Too often soldiers are afraid to speak out for fear of being kicked out of the military. They are afraid to ask for help. Soldiers do not feel safe in asking for help. When they do, too often the help is not there.
Jamie MacWhirter and others have formed a support group, PTSD Buddies, to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder, to help them share experiences, and to lean on one another for support. Veterans should lean on one another. It is good that they are coming together to support one another. That is what the best kind of soldiers do. However, veterans should also be able to lean on their own government.
I mentioned earlier that the Conservative government is fighting Afghanistan vets in court to deny the existence of the social covenant. Those vets are in a group called the Equitas Society. That group states:
A veteran, whether regular or reserve, active or retired, is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank cheque made payable to “the Government of Canada,” for an amount of “up to and including their life.”
One hundred and fifty-eight Canadians were killed in combat in Afghanistan. I say this with great respect for their families, for the loved ones they left behind. Even more personnel, an estimated 160, have died from suicide since returning home from Afghanistan.
The Government of Canada has a sacred obligation as the holder of that blank cheque to stand and deliver, to stand on guard for the men and women of our forces when they ask for help.


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Magaghat was founded in the summer of 2019 by mother and daughter Siranush Harutyunyan and Shushan Gabrielyan. Siranush, a lifelong Armenian educator, had the vision of spreading the light and warmth of Armenian culture through Armenian greeting cards.
She engaged her daughter, Shushan, to illustrate for the project.
Magaghat now has a growing variety of over 20 greeting cards and prints.
All cards are designed, printed, and packaged in the USA.
Cards are professionally printed in small batches, hand-packaged and shipped.
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Demand for the vital nutrient choline is high during lactation; however, few studies have examined choline metabolism and requirements in this reproductive state. The present study sought to discern the effects of lactation and varied choline intake on maternal biomarkers of choline metabolism and breast milk choline content. Lactating (n=28) and control (n=21) women were randomized to 480 or 930 mg choline/day for 10-12 weeks as part of a controlled feeding study. During the last 4-6 weeks, 20% of the total choline intake was provided as an isotopically labeled choline tracer (methyl-d9-choline). Blood, urine and breast milk samples were collected for choline metabolite quantification, enrichment measurements, and gene expression analysis of choline metabolic genes. Lactating (vs. control) women exhibited higher (P < .001) plasma choline concentrations but lower (P ≤ .002) urinary excretion of choline metabolites, decreased use of choline as a methyl donor (e.g., lower enrichment of d6-dimethylglycine, P ≤ .08) and lower (P ≤ .02) leukocyte expression of most choline-metabolizing genes. A higher choline intake during lactation differentially influenced breast milk d9- vs. d3-choline metabolite enrichment. Increases (P ≤ .03) were detected among the d3-metabolites, which are generated endogenously via the hepatic phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT), but not among the d9-metabolites generated from intact exogenous choline. These data suggest that lactation induces metabolic adaptations that increase the supply of intact choline to the mammary epithelium, and that extra maternal choline enhances breast milk choline content by increasing supply of PEMT-derived choline metabolites. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01127022.
Keywords: Choline; Human milk; Isotopic labeling; Lactation; PEMT.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


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Matt Conrad, the conductor of the miniature train that crashed in Cleveland Park on Saturday, said he was in shock when he reportedly told an officer he was driving too fast. At a news conference this evening, Conrad – his right arm in a sling and his attorneys by his side – said he was as much a victim as anyone else on the train.
Matt Conrad, the 42-year-old engineer who drove the miniature train that crashed at Cleveland Park, said Wednesday he was "hysterical" and in shock when he told an officer he was driving too fast in the hours following the tragedy.
Conrad — his arm in a sling and with his wife and attorneys at his side — said in a news conference in Greenville that he was as much a victim as anyone else on the train. Six-year-old Benji Easler was killed in the crash, and 28 others — including Conrad — were taken to area hospitals.
"I don't want to minimize the pain the other families are facing, but I'm suffering, too," Conrad said. "… I did everything I could to make that train safe."
Attorney Kim Varner said Conrad retained legal counsel because he felt he was being turned into a "scapegoat" and had met with several individuals, including the Spartanburg Parks Commission, who indicated there could be criminal charges filed against him.
Conrad's statements came the same day the first lawsuit against Spartanburg County and the state was filed, and as county officials were advised by their attorneys to stop making public statements about the incident.
Conrad was hired April 2010 for $8 an hour to work 20 hours a week, according to his personnel file.
He started a Web log — or blog — this past winter and the six posts since detailed work he did on Sparkles, the train that crashed Saturday, and the railroad track at Cleveland Park. The county owns two trains; the other is called Sparky.
In a March 8 blog post, less than two weeks before the derailment, Conrad wrote about needed work on the brakes of the tail car. The tail car is the third of three passenger cars attached to the engine.
Wednesday, Conrad said he had "absolute confidence" in the machine's brakes. He also confirmed that he was asked to start public rides early this year because of a large number of birthdays planned at Cleveland Park. The train rides at Cleveland Park on Saturday were the first of the season.
Sparkles had made seven public trips Saturday before derailing, Conrad said. It had also been on several test rides.
Conrad said it was his suggestion to retire Sparky this season, as it had been running for more than 30 years without much rest. Sparkles hadn't made regular runs at Cleveland Park since 1961, and not at all since the county re-acquired it about a decade ago.
County officials revealed earlier this week that Sparkles had not carried passengers before Saturday due to safety concerns.
Conrad said he never saw any maintenance problems that caused him to alert his supervisors. "I did keep my supervisors appraised of what I was doing. That's just the way I am. I like to let the boss know what I'm doing. They gave me pretty much free rein, because they didn't know that much about railroad tracks," he said. "I would not have run that train if I didn't think it was safe. And I would not have run it at that speed if I thought that speed was excessive. If I had felt anything in the track that would have given me any indication there was a safety issue, I would've stopped."
Conrad's attorneys — Kim and Grant Varner — said they were certain speed was not a factor in Saturday's crash, and that they believe some kind of mechanical failure, either in the train itself, in the wheel mechanism or in the track, was to blame.
A Spartanburg Public Safety incident report indicates Conrad told officers "I was going too (expletive) fast." Conrad's attorneys pointed out Wednesday that the top speed of the train was only 15 to 17 mph, and was well within the safety margin for the track and conditions when the crash occurred.
Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger, whose office is working the investigation with city police and the South Carolina Highway Patrol accident reconstruction team, said that proves the need for evidence.
"Now you see he's changed his story. That's why we do what we do. I've been through this so many times. … When people say one thing whenever you speak with them at the beginning of an investigation, and it changes midstream or toward the end there. That's why we do a complete investigation, to corroborate what they say," Clevenger said.
"You try and corroborate the statement. And there were a number of other people that said (speed was a factor). And although I believe the people who were giving us the statements, you still need the mechanical aspect or the forensic aspect of the investigation to go along with it."
Clevenger's office has subpoenaed numerous documents, including maintenance records for the train ride. County officials tried to use that Wednesday to deny the Herald-Journal access to the public information. County attorneys are reviewing the newspaper's request.
County officials declined to comment on a number of questions Wednesday. Administrator Glenn Breed said the county's fleet maintenance office worked on the Cleveland Park trains "on an as-needed basis," but that the majority of work was performed by the Parks Commission staff.
Parks Commission Director Jeff Caton said, "We have been instructed that at this point we cannot make any further comment about the case because it is in the Coroner's Office, and anything we say might jeopardize that investigation, and that is certainly what we don't want to take place."
He added: "So, we won't have any further comment until the investigation is complete."
Conrad said he maintained the Cleveland Park trains and track to federal railroad standards, except for the width of the track, which is obviously smaller. He said his training came from experience, which included operating a trolley in Philadelphia, working at a street car museum in Baltimore, the North Carolina Transportation Museum and the South Carolina Railroad Museum. He said he spent four months with a railroad contractor, living on a railroad car that tested rails for Norfolk Southern. On his county job application, he listed being a "track laborer" from 1994 to 2007.
When he was hired, Conrad stated he was doing freelance design work. He worked four years at the Winnsboro Herald-Independent newspaper as a designer and reporter, according to his application.
At Wednesday's news conference, Conrad said he was not prepared for the media coverage of the crash.
"I recognized I was going to be an easy target for blame. I wasn't prepared for what has happened," he said.
When asked how he was doing, Conrad pointed to various scrapes and bruises and said, "As well as could be expected. The media attention hasn't helped. Physically, I'm healing. I had started to heal emotionally, a little bit, but the media attention has set that back a little."
Attorney Grant Varner said Conrad's blogs, which are no longer accessible, "serve mostly as a historical document" for railroad and miniature train enthusiasts.
Conrad said he spoke with the Rev. Dwight Easler on the phone Tuesday. The funeral for Easler's son, Benji, is at 4 p.m. today.
"I expressed my deepest sympathies to him for the loss of his son," Conrad said. "He assured me that their family has no animosity toward me. He said he was praying for me. He prayed with me over the phone. It was a very short conversation, and that was most of it."
Staff writer Luke Connell contributed to this report.


Max identifies a significant problem with the Obama administration’s cancellation of the missile-defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. His analysis is spot-on that this unrequited concession will only weaken America’s bargaining position on multiple issues. It is especially disquieting, however, that the administration has chosen to justify the decision as it has. The justification itself is logically weak, on even the most cursory inspection, since its essential assumption is that defense against a longer-range Iranian missile will not be needed on any time line relevant to current planning. There is no basis for this assumption.
The case made by the president (video here) hinges on two key premises: that the Iranian ballistic-missile threat “has not emerged” as soon as originally estimated, and that currently proven tactical antimissile capabilities are better suited and more ready for deployment against the actual threat. The latter reference is to growing success with sea-based (Aegis system) missile-defense testing, including the July intercept of a no-notice ballistic missile launch intended to simulate a North Korean missile. The Obama administration and Congress have been looking at sea-based missile-defense alternatives (see this report, for example), which, for the defense of Europe, would most likely involve Aegis-missile ship patrols in either the Black Sea or the Baltic Sea, possibly both. Additional deployments might include a ground-based antimissile system, reportedly to be put in “the Balkans, Turkey, or Israel,” and perhaps foreshadowed by the administration’s announcement last week that it is considering a $7.8 billion Patriot PAC-3 missile sale to Turkey.
This policy shift seeks the appearance of judiciousness by ignoring one major point and obfuscating others. The unaddressed point is that the missile-defense site in Europe, besides defending our European NATO allies, was intended as the “third site” in the U.S. national missile-defense (NMD) concept, providing defense against long-range missiles approaching North America through the western portion of the eastern hemisphere. In conjunction with the NMD sites oriented toward the Far East and the Arctic, at Vandenberg AFB in California and Fort Greeley, Alaska, it was to establish a comprehensive northern-latitudes defense against an initial salvo of long-range missiles. The NMD system is the only one we have that is intended to intercept intercontinental missiles in midcourse (i.e., in outer space). With this decision, we have dealt that capability away for the defense of the U.S. East Coast.
The points being obfuscated, meanwhile, are: Iran’s progress with its ballistic-missile program; the political feasibility of the implied tactical defense network for Europe against shorter-range Iranian missiles; and the rather obvious option, apparently assumed away, to pursue more than one missile-defense capability, against more distant as well as more imminent threats.
On the first point, no explicit revision has been issued by any U.S. agency of the longstanding estimate that Iran could, by 2015, develop missiles that range all of Europe (see the 2009 estimate of Air Force Intelligence). Press references to such a revision are vague and typically invoke a joint U.S.-Russian study, sponsored by the East-West Institute and released in May 2009, which concluded that the planned U.S. missile-defense installations in Europe were inappropriate to a threat that wouldn’t emerge for some time. The study, however, predicted that Iran could reach Europe with ballistic missiles within six to eight years, or in the period 2015-17.
The Joint Chiefs vice chairman, General James Cartwright, is also quoted as saying that the missile threats from Iran and North Korea “are not there yet.” The “intercontinental ballistic missile threat,” in his words, “has not come as fast as we thought it would come.” We must note, however, that no one ever expected the full threat to have emerged already in 2009. The Eastern European missile-defense sites were to be operational by 2013; on existing evidence, this timing was realistic for both the threat and our own capabilities. The worst-case estimate of 2015 for an Iranian missile ranging Europe has not been revised—nor, contrary to the implication of Obama’s announcement, is the issue here an either/or alternative between defending Europe against shorter-range missiles now and preparing for a longer-range missile threat in the future. Both requirements can be met. Going forward with the planned sites to address the future threat does not preclude the use of Patriot and Aegis systems today for shorter-range missile defense.
On the other hand, political objections from Russia might do just that. It does not seem possible that Obama’s advisers consider it more politically feasible to operate Aegis ships in the Black and Baltic Seas, in periods of heightened regional tension, than to install a radar and interceptor missiles in Eastern Europe. Certainly, shifting the Eastern European installation to “the Balkans or Turkey,” as vaguely implied in the UPI report above, would meet with at least as much resistance from Moscow. The sale of Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Turkey is not a given, nor is it a neutral idea from Russia’s perspective. Cash-hungry Moscow has for months been discussing with Ankara the sale of Russia’s most advanced air- and missile-defense system, the S-400. The two defense systems are in direct competition and represent a wider political competition over Turkey’s allegiance that Russia will not back down from. Arms sales, natural-gas politics, and regional power are all at stake for Moscow; we cannot assume either Turkey’s cooperation or Russia’s acquiescence in a Turkey-centered missile-defense concept.
The bottom line, however, is that the use of tactical missile-defense assets alone is not the most effective counter to a long-range missile threat. Obama’s action simply assumes that threat away. He is deciding not to install one of the three sites that were to give North America the most-effective defense possible against long-range missiles. The same site would have given our European allies layered and more capable protection. The decision leaves a significant geographic hole in American defenses and weakens Europe’s. The tactical alternatives Obama refers to cannot do the same job—intercepting longer-range missiles from, at a minimum, Iran—and their deployment to defend Europe would meet with much the same political resistance from Russia as the original Bush plan did. Obama is thus assuming that the job of intercepting longer-range missiles will not need doing at all, at least not on this geographic vector. It is that assumption that he and his apologists should have to defend.


Main apron of Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Taken by the GeoEye-1 satellite from 423 miles in space at 10:37 a.m. EST on Jan. 16, 2010.
Over at the Flea’s place I left a lengthy comment about how some online observers have some pretty silly ideas about how fast aid can be delivered into a nation with tightly constrained infrastructure. In Haiti’s case, the sheer volume of aid that has to get in, and evacuees that have to get out—and all of it combined with the lack of high-volume airport infrastructure country-wide—means there are going to be bottlenecks for a very long time.
In MTPP with a single taxiway, the departing craft has to sit on the ramp itself. It can’t position at the departure end because the turnaround bays at either end are too small for the wingspan of a med/heavy aircraft. Likewise it can’t position on the single taxiway because the arriving aircraft needs to use that taxiway to exit the runway.
And because the taxiway is in the middle, arrivals need to backtrack the runway in order to reach the taxiway. Similarly, departures also need to backtrack the runway in order to position at the departure end.
…You would be lucky to get one aircraft movement every ten minutes under such a system, or 144 movements per day. Assuming the movements occur like clockwork, nobody has to remain on the ramp for any longer than it takes to unload, and everybody tankers their own return fuel aboard and does not require refueling from one of the airfield’s two trucks.
Pearson airport, in contrast, handles about 1200 movements a day, and it slows down considerably after midnight due to aircraft class noise restrictions. Haiti will never handle 1200 movements a day, not even if every single airport in the nation were pressed into service. There are six of them, and all have single-runway, single-taxiway designs. Only two have runways long enough to cope with international transoceanic flights.
Now compound that with tons of aid arriving, and literally about a hundred thousand foreign nationals requiring evacuation (that alone would be about 300 flights) and you’re looking at a recipe for unimaginable delays for a very long time.
Skimming the news articles today, I found some confirmation of the airport’s throughput capacity. This article notes that since AFSOC’s arrival on January 13th, MTPP has handled in excess of 600 aircraft movements.
“We arrived the first evening with three U.S. aircraft. Within 28 minutes we established command and control, airfield management, and were able to land aircraft that night,” said Col. “Buck” Elton, Joint Special Operations Task Force commander. “On a typical day, the Port-au-Prince airport lands about three aircraft. Since we landed Wednesday, over 600 aircraft have landed and taken off.”
— Salanitri, David [Sr. Airman, USAF]. “AFSOC Airmen save Haitian earthquake victim, land more than 600 aircraft on island.” Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs, 17 January 2010. [Emphasis mine]
If we gauge that the story was filed and published on the same date, then that gives us a time frame (13-17 January, or five days) for those 600+ aircraft movements. This means then that the airport handled in excess of 125 movements per day, or slightly better than five per hour—one every twelve minutes, which is remarkably close to my estimation. And, I think, a rather fantastic achievement by the men and women on the ground, given the state of the facilities.
Also of note in the AFSOC article:
- Haitian air traffic controllers have returned to work and are handling “long range control”; which I interpret to mean high-altittude enroute traffic passing through the Port-au-Prince FIR (MTEG), while USAF combat controllers handle arrivals and departures in the terminal zone.
Also interesting: From the image that caps this post, you can see the Port-au-Prince airfield as it was on January 16th, 2010. I want to draw your attention to the C-17 parked at the western end of the ramp. You might assume that this would be from one of the usual military C-17 operators (USAF, CF, RAF, RAAF) and it is, after a fashion. It is a Qatar Air Force asset, and although dedicated to military airlift duties, this aircraft is the only C-17 to wear both a civilian paint job (as Qatar Airways) and a civil aircraft registry code, A7-MAB.
BREAKING: SecDef Gates’ noted on Friday that DoD did not conduct airdrops of food and water in Haiti because it feared the possibility of riots and fighting on the ground. That decision has apparently been reversed; this afternoon I have received information that USAF will conduct its first airdrop of food and water this evening, into a drop zone that has already been secured by U.S. military personnel. The exact location of the DZ will, of course, be protected so that there is no possibility of riots or violence arising from foreknowledge of the event.
UPDATE 190530Z JAN 2010: The airdrop occurred five miles north of Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport and, according to CNN, 40 pallets or bundles of MREs and water (55,000 lbs total) were released by one C-17 operating from Pope AFB, NC. I think CNN has their nomenclature confused, because while a single C-17 is capable of delivering 55,000lbs of payload, it can only accommodate 18 standard Army/Air Force 463L pallets (in two parallel rows). An airdrop of forty 463L pallets would thus require three C-17s, at minimum. C-17s can carry, however, 40 container delivery system (CDS) bundles; they are typically loaded in two parallel rows of twenty, so it is probable that CDS bundles are what is actually being employed.
UPDATE 191315Z JAN 2010: Airfield flow at MTPP appears to be improving. LTG Ken Keen, Commander Joint Task Force Haiti, notes that throughput has increased every day for the past six days, and Monday’s total was 180 aircraft movements (with no delays!). This means the airfield is generating 7.5 aircraft movements every hour, or one every eight minutes. The general’s discussion of challenges at the airfield is illuminating.
One challenge in getting aid to Haiti has been the backlog of airplanes trying to land on the airport’s one runway. Keen said it was like “pushing a bowling ball through a soda straw.” He said the U.S. Air Force helped the Haiti government get its airport operational within 24 hours of the earthquake and the service is now helping to manage the air traffic control with the Haitian government determining the priorities of which planes should land first.
In the days that followed the disaster, some planes, carrying much needed emergency supplies, doctors and field hospital equipment, were turned away because there were delays in getting planes on the ground to take off. That created a backup of other planes that were flying in and needed to land.
“There were planes that were scheduled to land but didn’t,” he said. “The pilot at some point has to make a decision about continuing to burn fuel or divert to the Dominican Republic. . . . That’s unfortunate and not what we want to see.”
Another problem at the airfield, Keen said, has been that air traffic control officials often didn’t know what was aboard incoming planes so that made it difficult to prioritize which ones should land first — an issue that he said is being fixed. And there was only one forklift at the airport when U.S. military arrived to help. More equipment has been brought in to help quickly unload planes.
Keen said the airport’s flow of planes has improved since the first days when only 13 flights a day were landing. Monday, he reported that 180 flights used the airport with no delays.
— Hedgpeth, Dana. “U.S. task force commander for Haitian relief says logistics remain stumbling block.” Washington Post, 18 January 2010.
A simple mechanical fault on any one of the arriving or departing aircraft could derail the entire airport, though.
His biggest nightmare: A plane delivering supplies has a flat tire on the one runway at the airport. “I’m out of business,” he said. “That blocks the whole runway and we don’t have the equipment to move it.”


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Published on Wednesday, 28 November 2012 20:42
Foreign tourists seen visiting the old capital of Innwa during the second week of November
(Photo - Kyaw Zay Ya/EMG)
Foreign tourist arrivals to Myanmar could reach up to one million by end-2012, Hotels and Tourism Minister Htay Aung said.
"An average of 600,000 visitors will arrive in Myanmar by end of December while 400,000 visitors will enter the country from border gateways," said Htay Aung at a meeting with hoteliers from the Nay Pyi Taw hotel zone on November 23.
This shows a high probability for Myanmar to reach its goal of attracting one million visitors according to the minister's estimation.
The Yangon International Airport has been receiving an average of 2,300 visitors daily, he noted.
The airport is the main entry point for most foreign tourists visiting Myanmar; it received a daily average of only 2,000 visitors last month.
Myanmar's tourism industry is on the rise as a result of political reforms, especially after the by-elections in 2012. However, stakeholders from the industry have expressed concern over hotel room shortages and the need to improve transport facilities, service and other basic infrastructures.
Statistics show that 448 hotels and guesthouses have been providing 19,014 rooms in major tourist destinations including Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Taunggyi and Inle Lake up to October 2012.
Myanmar has been struggling to meet demand for more accommodation after tourist arrivals increased significantly this year.
Tourism Latest News
- Ecotourism zone, hotel zone and religious zone to build in Mon State
- Myanmar to review 1992 tourism law
- Tourism industry will play an important role
- Visa-on-arrival now available for 48 countries
- Booming tourism urges amending tourism law
- Inlay Hotel Zone to be implemented in Nyaungshwe
- Bagan visitors given three sites for temple dining, official says
- Tourism must be more than a business, minister says
- Irrawaddy dolphins return to Mingun after 10-year absence
- Tour guides should protect Bagan's cultural heritage

domain: travel