text:
Why do you want to become a CPA?
Why do you want to become a CPA?
The CPA is one of the most secure professions, because it is highly in demand and gives you an advantage over non-CPAs. CPAs are expected to see higher than average job growth in the coming years, meaning there will be plenty of openings and companies will want to retain talented CPAs.
What to do to become a CPA?
What steps are required to obtain the CPA certificate?Education bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or a related field;Exam You will need to achieve a minimum score of 75 to pass CPA exam; and.Experience obtain a minimum of 1-year supervised experience prior to taking the exam.
Is the CPA exam hard?
The CPA Exam is considered one of the hardest accounting credentialing exams due to the sheer scope of the four exam sections. Going over a CPA Exam sections guide can help you determine which section you will feel most ready to tackle based on your own background.
Is CPA harder than bar?
Keep in mind, the Bar exam has much more difficult requirements to even sit for the exam—you need to go to law school, which is quite a commitment, both financially and in terms of time. While the CPA requires accounting experience and coursework, there’s a lower bar for entry for this test.
Is CPA harder than ACCA?
Job Opportunities: With an ACCA qualification there are plenty opportunities for every qualified accounting professionals. Levels of Exams: CPA is unlike ACCA in levels of exams. It has only one level of exam. Exam Duration: As CPA is one level exam it has longer time duration like 12-14 hours.
What does a CPA do exactly?
They work for public accounting firms, both small and large. They act as consultants on many issues, including taxes and accounting. A CPA, or Certified Public Accountant, is a trusted financial advisor who helps individuals, businesses, and other organizations plan and reach their financial goals.
What does a CPA charge?
The average cost of hiring a certified public accountant (CPA) to prepare and submit a Form 1040 and state return with no itemized deductions is $176, while the average fee for an itemized Form 1040 and a state tax return is $273.
Is CPA better than CA?
CPA vs CA Career Path Differences Both types of accountants can work in the public and private sectors. Chartered accountants typically work outside the United States, while CPAs drastically outnumber CAs in the United States’ workforce. If you want to work in the US, you will most likely want to become a CPA.
Is an accountant a high paying job?
Management accountants averaged a salary of $110,807, with a growth of 1 per cent. Unsurprisingly and consistent with previous data, NSW comes out on top in terms of national figures, with an average salary of $87,099. This is followed closely by the ACT at $85,004.
What is the highest paying job in accounting?
The accounting director/controller often holds a Vice President position in the organization, which makes it one of the highest paying accounting jobs in the market. They report to the Chief Financial Officer and draw a salary of about $152,000.
What an accountant does all day?
Accountants spend the majority of the work day analyzing, collecting, compiling, and evaluating financial data. Accountants also prepare a variety of reports and financial statements, from daily cash flow statements for small companies to annual financial reports for large organizations.

domain: finance


text:
Agony Online PC Download Full Game For Mac. This PC game is working perfectly fine without any problem. Download the free full version of Agony Online for Mac OS X and PC. Agony Online PC Game with all files are checked and installed manually before uploading, Agony Online Game It Is Full And Complete Game. Just Download, Run Setup, And Install.
Agony Online Full Games Overview:
Agony Online is the world’s first ever mix of MMORPG & Battle Royale on a monumental scale that is made by independent developers that want to play their own game. Players can choose to join Battle Royale, or continue playing the Horror MMORPG. The massive 30 Mile / 48 Kilometer apocalyptic island explodes and burns with hell fire killing 100s of players not quick enough to make it to the safe zones.
Join our Discord and talk to the Dev Team today! https://discord.gg/8sZdvQD
Hell has risen and taken over the world, the last of humanity is in hiding. Your family was killed and your child was tortured to death by demons. Satan then cursed you with immortality so you can never leave this Hell on Earth. You kill yourself, but after dying, you always wake up somewhere else. You find out that you’re a part of a prophecy to team up with others like you to destroy Satan in a final battle to save the world.
In Agony Online you will be able to point-click or simply use the WASD keys to move as well.
Battle Royale Information:
- All players that register for Battle Royale are teleported randomly across to a 40km/25mile size Battle Island which slowly explodes and bursts into fire as the island becomes unstable.
- To get weapons and armor, players kill zombies which drop randomized gear. Alternately, treasure boxes spawn which you can also obtain random weapons/armor.
- To get higher grade gear, you can either hunt players and steal their loot, or kill bosses which also spawn.
- Upon launch, level cap will be 30, then as the game progresses with more players, we will raise the level cap as we release more content. PvP will be heavy in this game; guilds can declare war and battle anywhere in the open world. With our World War system, every weekend, all guilds fight over an area in a “King of The Hill” style battle. The winning guild that holds the position wins, that guild controls the tax rate across the world and collects all the tax money.
- Main Story Line: Your body was dragged from a fire into town, you woke up the next day and went back to search for your family, you found your daughter’s body torn apart with your wife still dying. She points to a hill outside before she dies. Satan murdered your family, when you kill one of his possessed vessels, he laughs and curses you with eternal life – now you wake up somewhere every time you die, never escaping Hell on Earth to be with your dead family. Join others like you to get stronger together and save the world that Satan has taken over in a final battle.
- Side Quests: Story lines can be very boring, we smash the skip button the moment we see it. In AO, we made quests full of memes and jokes.
- Maybe a crazy homeless guy with crazy eyes wants to order a pizza with gumballs on it and him and his pet cat discuss bitcoin investments.
MATURE CONTENT DESCRIPTION
The developers describe the content like this:
Mature content is fighting monsters and blood coming from the monsters.
- OS: Windows XP
- Processor: Pentium 4 2.0GHz \ AMD XP 2000
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- Graphics: Geforce FX 5600 \ Radeon HD2
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 1 GB available space
How to Install Agony Online Full Games for PC
- Click the “Download” Button Below.
- Download Page Will Start
- You Should Agree With the “User License Agreement” and click the “I Understand” Button.
- Save Game/Software By Selecting Path.
- Download Process With Start.
- Once Download is Completed, Install, and Enjoy!
Agony Online Download Full Free Game for Mac & PC
Click On The Below Button To Start Agony Online Full Game for Download. It Is a Full And Complete Game. This is a complete offline installer and standalone setup for Agony Online Free Game 2021. This would be working perfectly fine with the compatible hardware version of Windows PC.

domain: game


Aug 17 2012, 6:22 PM ET
Conservatives and Tea Partiers are now complaining the president's private-sector oriented health-care overhaul didn't go far enough.
The argument that Obamacare provides an inadequate decrease in the uninsured a decade out has been floating around for a while in conservative media. An earlier version of the story on CNSNews.com, "Obamacare Will Leave 30 Million Uninsured" asserted:
A Townhall.com version of the story, "ObamaCare Will Leave 30 Million Without Health Insurance," quoted from the late-July Congressional Budget Office report that set off the critique:
What the articles fail to mention is that this CBO report was issued to examine the impact of Republican-led states rejecting the Medicaid expansion component of the president's Affordable Care Act in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that states could do so without penalty. Coverage would go down under this scenario, because many people Obamacare was written to cover under the Medicaid expansion would remain uninsured. All of which is to say that after the GOP-led court challenge to the ACA, GOP states could gut one of its central provisions.
I just got off the phone from calling both my local Supervisor of Elections office (Leon County) and the Florida Division of Elections. My question for both was, "With yesterday's federal court decision that five Florida counties will not be allowed to restrict early voting days to only eight days, will ALL Florida counties also extend their early voting days?"
Neither office has an answer - it's as if they never considered that point. After getting referred to the Division of Election's General Counsel's office, the person who might possibly have an opinion was on another line, so I am waiting for a call back.
I urge EVERY Floridian here to call their local Supervisor of Election office and ask. The federal court ruling only applies to Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe counties, which are covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This leaves the other 62 Florida counties with fewer days to vote which I believe is inherently unfair.
As I told the woman at the Florida Division of Elections General Counsel's office, if I have fewer days available to vote, I will be talking to the ACLU.
Let's push our Supervisors of Election to get an opinion from the state office and to offer the 12 days of early voting that we had in 2008 and 2010.
My Dad just sent my this link so I haven't checked it out very much but it looks useful. It tries to link to various genealogy and family history books that are available online:
Bird lands on singer's guitar at a Bluegrass concert. Watch the reaction of the guitarist...
This is fun to watch. About half way through in this song a little wild bird lands on the lead singer's guitar and watches the singer. The singer is then able to pet the wild bird.
Put the video on "full screen" to better to see the bird. The bird really looks straight at the singer.
Profile InformationGender: Do not display
Hometown: Leon County, Florida
Member since: Tue Feb 12, 2008, 10:18 PM
Number of posts: 34,135


text:
Technology tested by Cedars-Sinai Provides a new way to understand obesity and potentially evaluate therapies for it
Scientists have re-created brain neurons of obese patients using "disease in a dish" technology, offering a new method to study the brain's role in obesity and possibly help tailor treatments to specific individuals.
"We have taken the first step in developing a great platform that potentially could be used to evaluate the effects of experimental therapeutics on specific patients," said Dhruv Sareen, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai. "Ultimately, we are paving the way for personalized medicine, in which drugs could be customized for obese patients with different genetic backgrounds and disease statuses."
Sareen is senior author of a study about the findings, which was led by Cedars-Sinai investigators and published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, a condition that puts them at higher risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers, according to federal statistics. "We wanted to do this study because obesity and related metabolic diseases are global epidemics that are increasing alarmingly each year," Sareen said. "Even more worrying is the increase in childhood obesity, which could have lasting effects on future generations."
The new study focused on the brain's hypothalamus area, which regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature and other functions requiring hormonal control. Some studies have suggested that obesity may result, in part, from genetic mutations in certain hypothalamic neurons. These neurons produce and respond to chemicals that influence metabolism and help the brain and gastrointestinal tract communicate with each other. When these neurons malfunction, an individual may have trouble sensing when they are full and should stop eating, leading to weight gain.
"Understanding how this signaling process works at the cellular level is important in providing much-needed clues for future treatment strategies for obesity," Sareen said. "But the process is difficult to investigate because hypothalamus tissues from living patients are not readily accessible for direct examination."
The new study demonstrates a way around this barrier by using stem-cell technology to reproduce hypothalamic neurons outside the body.
For their study, investigators sampled blood and skin cells from five super-obese individuals and seven individuals of normal weight. Super-obesity was defined as having a body mass index of 50 or higher versus a normal score under 25. The investigators genetically reprogrammed these cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can create any type of cell in the body. The iPSCs were coaxed to generate the special hypothalamic neurons. Because of the way they were produced, these "neurons in a dish" matched the genetics of the individual patient who donated the original cells.
When the investigators compared the iPSC-generated neurons of super-obese individuals to those of normal-weight individuals, they found significant differences. The super-obese neurons contained multiple genetic mutations and responded abnormally to several hormones that regulate hunger, satiety and metabolism.
"These findings showed that iPSC technology is a powerful method for studying obesity and how interactions between genes and the environment may influence its development," said Sareen, who directs the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core Facility at the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute. "We reliably and efficiently differentiated multiple iPSCs into hypothalamic neurons and, using sophisticated gene expression and statistical techniques, showed these neurons are similar to human hypothalamic tissues."
He added there are several intermediate steps before the full potential of the method can be realized.
Uthra Rajamani, PhD, a Cedars-Sinai research scientist and the study's first author, said one limitation of the study's findings is that in the body the special hypothalamic neurons communicate with other centers of the brain, as well as the gut, liver, pancreas and other organs. This integration is difficult to reproduce in a dish using only one type of cell.
"In future studies, we would like to show functional communication between iPSC-generated hypothalamic neurons and other relevant cell types, and also create relevant human circuitry in a dish--where these neurons can communicate with other organs as they do in a human body," Rajamani said.
Besides Sareen and Rajamani, the study team included Cedars-Sinai investigators from the Genomics Core, the Metabolism and Mitochondrial Research Core and the Smidt Heart Institute; and from University of California, Irvine.
The Cell Stem Cell study is part of the Cedars-Sinai Precision Health initiative, whose goal is to drive the development of the newest technology and best research, coupled with the finest clinical practice, to rapidly enable a new era of personalized health.
Funding: Research reported in this publication was supported by Cedars-Sinai institutional programmatic funds and the National Center for Advancing Translational Science of the National Institutes of Health under UCLA CTSI award number UL1TR000124.
Jane Engle | EurekAlert!
Purdue cancer identity technology makes it easier to find a tumor's 'address'
16.11.2018 | Purdue University
Microgel powder fights infection and helps wounds heal
14.11.2018 | Michigan Technological University
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have captured a difficult-to-view singular event involving "magnetic reconnection"--the process by which sparse particles and energy around Earth collide producing a quick but mighty explosion--in the Earth's magnetotail, the magnetic environment that trails behind the planet.
Magnetic reconnection has remained a bit of a mystery to scientists. They know it exists and have documented the effects that the energy explosions can...
Biochips have been developed at TU Wien (Vienna), on which tissue can be produced and examined. This allows supplying the tissue with different substances in a very controlled way.
Cultivating human cells in the Petri dish is not a big challenge today. Producing artificial tissue, however, permeated by fine blood vessels, is a much more...
Faster and secure data communication: This is the goal of a new joint project involving physicists from the University of Würzburg. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research funds the project with 14.8 million euro.
In our digital world data security and secure communication are becoming more and more important. Quantum communication is a promising approach to achieve...
On Saturday, 10 November 2018, the research icebreaker Polarstern will leave its homeport of Bremerhaven, bound for Cape Town, South Africa.
When choosing materials to make something, trade-offs need to be made between a host of properties, such as thickness, stiffness and weight. Depending on the application in question, finding just the right balance is the difference between success and failure
Now, a team of Penn Engineers has demonstrated a new material they call "nanocardboard," an ultrathin equivalent of corrugated paper cardboard. A square...
09.11.2018 | Event News
06.11.2018 | Event News
23.10.2018 | Event News
16.11.2018 | Health and Medicine
16.11.2018 | Life Sciences
16.11.2018 | Life Sciences

domain: health


The only reason where you absolutely have to flash Toppy firmware via the USB port is when the Toppy is very sick and you can't use HD2FW.
If you are forced to use the failsafe mechanism then it is a prerequisite that your PC can recognise the Toppy Boot loader device & has drivers for it.
The symptoms of this not working properly are that the Toppy reboots normally instead of rebooting into the firmware update mode, even though the firmware updater is waiting on the PC to detect the Toppy boot sequence.
If Wuppy has been installed you may need to uninstall Wuppy & remove the drivers manually before the Toppy drivers for the USB loader can be installed properly.
The driver in question is TfBulk.SYS To prevent the driver associated with Wuppy being reinstalled again when you rediscover the Toppy TfBulk.inf also need to be removed, including any cached copies, the names of which can often be discovered by looking at \Windows\setupapi.log after the USB driver discovery process has been run.
Ask more questions if you are not confident to do this & also remember to delete the USB device from device manager first (you may need to select "view" / "show hidden devices")
This is written with Window XP in mind, not Vista.
Another option is to find an alternative PC to flash empty settings. (or try the serial method).


District heat networks could reduce cost of UK's low-carbon transition by £3bn
The installation of district heat networks could reduce the capital cost of the UK's heat networks by up to 40%, new research from the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has concluded.
Government launches £320m scheme to help decarbonise UK's heat networks
The Government has launched a £320m scheme to help accelerate the adoption of low-carbon heat technologies across the UK's public, private and domestic sectors, on the same week that further tweaks to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) were criticised.
One billion people without access to efficient cooling technology, says report
With the global heatwaves setting record high temperatures around the world in recent weeks, a new report warns that more than 1.1 billion people globally don't have access to some form of cooling.
Leeds cuts ribbon on 'revolutionary' £35m heat network
One of the UK's largest heat networks has been officially launched by Leeds City Council, in a development which will deliver low-carbon heat and water to thousands of homes and businesses.


text:
Fr, 08.04.2016, 20:00 Uhr
Tobias Delius – saxophone, clarinet
Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø – trombone
Adrian Myhr – double bass
Whirl is a trio that features the legendary English reedist Tobias Delius (ICP orchestra) alongside Adrian Fiskum Myhr and Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø, two of Norway's brightest young musicians. Together, Henrik, Adrian and Tobias plays sparkling improvised music, where explosive free jazz gestures are mixed with micro tonal timbral investigations and transparent melodic motifs.
The three of them met for their first concert in Berlin in 2012, and have toured in Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Norway since then. Always delving deeper into their vivid musicial universe.

domain: entertainment


text:
is chocolate healthy?
February 4, 2007 9:38am CST
is it tru that chocolate has nutritional value? I heard once that dark chocolate has good benefits for your health. I just forgot what they can do to and for you.
• United States
4 Feb 07
Dark chocolate in small doses has been shown to be healthy for you. There was an article that was written on MSN.com that showed the 15 best foods to eat when dieting and believe it or not chocolate (dark not milk) was on there... again in small doses.

domain: food


|Object Name||Sword, Presentation|
|Collection||Weapons & Accessories|
|Credit line||Bequest of Dr. Martin W. Barr|
|Made||William Horstmann & Sons|
Model 1850 presentation Foot Officer's sword and scabbard presented to Captain Joseph M. Barr. The sword has a steel blade that is etched on both sides with scrolling foliage motifs, martial symbols and text: "U.S." and "E Pluribus Unum." One side of the blade is etched with the maker's name: "W.H. Horstmann & Sons, Philadelphia." The top of the blade is also etched with "Iron Proof." The gray shagreen grip is wrapped with brass wire and the guard is bronze with foliage motifs. Just below the pommel is a cast design of oak leaves and acorns.
The scabbard is gray shagreen with a 6 1/2" long copper drag and copper fittings and rings. The upper fitting is engraved on one side: "Presented to / Capt. Jos. M. Barr / of Wilmington, Del. / by his friends / Nov 16th 1861."
|Dimensions||W-1 L-37 inches|
|Dimension Details||Length of sword; width of blade; scabbard is 31 3/4" x 1 1/4"|
|Owned||Captain Joseph M. Barr|
|Provenance||Joseph Barr of Wilmington (the donor's father), was in Company K of the Second Delaware Regiment during the Civil War.|
Arms & armament
Daggers & swords
Barr, Joseph M.
William Horstmann & Sons
Second Delaware Regiment
Joseph M. Barr
|Material||Steel; copper; bronze; shagreen|
|Place of Origin||Philadelphia, PA / Solingen, Germany|


Malaysia’s gastronomic scene is finally basking in the limelight, courtesy of a recent TasteAtlas ranking that has coffee aficionados and patriots alike buzzing with pride. After facing several setbacks in global food rankings—where the nation’s nasi kambing unfortunately found itself among the “100 worst-rated food,” and the beloved kaya toast was overshadowed by Singapore’s claim—Malaysia makes a triumphant return to the culinary stage. This time, it’s with its cherished Ipoh white coffee, securing the 10th spot in the list of the world’s best-rated coffee, boasting an impressive 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Originating from the quaint streets of Ipoh, this beverage contradicts its moniker; it isn’t white. The secret to its rich, aromatic flavor lies in a unique roasting technique, where the beans are lightly roasted with margarine, then meticulously ground and brewed. This delightful concoction is typically served with a generous dollop of condensed milk, creating a creamy, indulgent experience that has captured the hearts of coffee lovers worldwide.
Ipoh white coffee stands proud among other esteemed brews, with espresso freddo from Greece, cafe cubano from Cuba, and Indian filter coffee from Southern India taking the top three positions, respectively. Yet, Malaysia’s caffeinated treasure isn’t the only Southeast Asian contender. Vietnam and Indonesia also make notable appearances with their distinctive coffee offerings, like Vietnam’s renowned iced and egg coffee, alongside Indonesia’s kopi tubruk and the exotic kopi luwak.
Interestingly, this culinary accolade comes amidst a backdrop of playful yet passionate food rivalries, particularly between Malaysia and Singapore. Earlier narratives had focused on the origins and recognition of dishes like kaya toast, which, despite being a staple in both nations, was attributed solely to Singapore in TasteAtlas’s “best sandwiches in the world” ranking. This, alongside debates over the best places to enjoy roti canai—another Malaysian favorite that saw Singaporean eateries taking precedence in recommendations—has stirred the pot of national culinary pride.
These food wars, while highlighting the competitive spirit between neighboring countries, also underscore the shared heritage and love for food that transcends borders. As Malaysia celebrates its victory in the coffee rankings, it’s a reminder of the rich culinary diversity and the deep-rooted traditions that define Southeast Asian cuisine. So, here’s to Malaysia’s Ipoh white coffee—a testament to the country’s enduring love affair with coffee, marking its place on the global stage and inviting coffee enthusiasts to savor a taste of Malaysia’s finest.


text:
As the weather picks up and forecasters predict one of the best summers on record, there’s plenty to look forward to in terms of outdoor events in and around Leeds.
WATERFRONT FESTIVAL, JUNE 27 AND JUNE 28
Leeds Waterfront Festival covers Thwaite Mills, Leeds New Dock, Brewery Wharf, The Calls, Minster, Victoria Wharf and Granary Wharf. There will ba a dragon boat races on the Saturday, to raise money for the Jane Tomlinson Appeal.
In fact, more teams are wanted for the
boat race. Contact firstname.lastname@example.org or call 0113 826 7754.
There will also be a mix of mix of music, performance, arts and fun for all the family. You can even get around the various venues using water taxi.
DOG SHOW, HAREWOOD, JULY 24-26
One of the UK’s largest outdoor dog shows, more than 160 breeds will compete for the ultimate ‘Best in Show’ prize and for a chance to compete at the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts.
Please note, whilst Harewood Members are admitted free to the Championship Dog Show, due to Kennel Club rules their dogs are charged an admission fee on the gate as a Spectator Dogs.
This is the 65th annual show and so should be a memorably occasion.
For details visit www.harewood.org/whats-on/event/dog-show
BETTE MIDLER, LEEDS ARENA, JULY 15
Multiple Grammy Award-winning singer and legendary performer Bette Midler will return to UK stages for the first time in 35 years.
The Divine Miss M will perform material from her career and her new album It’s The Girls - a tribute to girl groups through the ages.
However, be wary because according to the PR spiel attached to the Leeds Arena website, cameras will not be permitted for this performance. Doors open 6.30pm, under 14s must be accompanied by an adult. Book tickets at: eventim.co.uk
LEEDS PIANO FESTIVAL, AUG 26-SEPT 13
Since its foundation in 1961, the Leeds International Piano Competition has discovered many of the greatest pianists of our time and escalated their status to world fame. Artists such as Murray Perahia, Radu Lupu and Dimitri Alexeev launched their careers by taking first prize at ‘the Leeds’.
The Competition is rightly recognised by the international musical community as one of the world’s most important platforms for the emerging generation of young professional pianists, with previous prize winners from twenty-eight countries.
LEEDS BEER FESTIVAL, SEPT 3-SEPT 6
The 4th Leeds International Beer Festival is due to begin in Leeds late in the summer.
The four-day festical will celebrate and promote craft beers brewed in the UK and overseas. Along with 100s of beers and ciders the festival also includes a street food market, live music across two stages and all sorts of lovely beer related things.
The event is held at Leeds Town Hall, which has wheelchair access. Last year’s went down a treat and this year’s looks set to be no different.
Tickets are on sale from email@example.com or 0113 224 3801
Now in its second year and looking more and more like it will become an annual event, the Oakwell Music Festival aims to do for Birstall what Party In The Park did for Leeds.
Set in the grounds of Oakwell Hall, the festival was a huge success last year.
The Oakwell Music Festival is a family friendly festival starting at noon and finishing at 11pm. Consisting of three stages and upwards of 20 acts playing, there will also be a fairground, bars, bouncy slides and play areas, with special areas to entertain children.


text:
harmony between mind, body and spirit
Body Wellness Clinic
The Body Wellness Clinic aims to enhance and sustain the well-being of busy on-the-go individuals who seek to relax, detox and re-energize their body and mind.
Our mission is to provide the utmost care and solutions to maximize those most cherished and yet simply achievable results.C
We offer various treatments for both men and women including :
- Body Scrubs
- Manicures / Pedicures
Charlene is amazing! I go to her for my eyebrows, nails and occasionally to spoil myself for a massage. She is professional, down to earth and simply wonderful. I don’t go anywhere else!
I will not going anywhere else. Charlene really works with your body to give you the best massage. I always leave feeling amazing and already booked for the following month.
Absolutely loved my experience here! Charlene’s calming presence and the stunning location are the most relaxing combination. I’d highly recommend!
The best massage! I always feel so much better afterwards and Charlene really focuses where it’s needed most. Highly recommend!
Caroline Chalmers Park
The massage was amazing and Charlene is very sweet.
Had the best time! Would definitely recommend to anyone.
“A real treat! I found Charlene to be calming and very knowledgeable. I feel lighter and happier after my appointment.”


Amateur soldier, as a self-styled expert you know what you are talking about. You are hilarious. My guess is that you are a better rapper than a military man.
U.S. says working on initiative to de-escalate Syria fighting, with focus on Aleppo (Reuters)
from the article: Hagel: U.S. to speed up sale of six V-22 Osprey aircrafts to Israel


text:
WHAT'S BEING DONE?
The Denton Road Bridge will be closed on Tuesday, October 4th until further notice.
The closure of the bridge will extend over Belleville Lake/Huron River in Belleville just east of Van Buren Township.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?
Bridge Closure Detour:
Denton road will be closed to thru traffic west of Belleville Road.
Westbound Denton Road will be detoured northbound on Belleville Road to westbound South I-94 Service Road back to Denton Road.
Eastbound Denton Road will be detoured eastbound on South I-94 service road to southbound Belleville Road back to Denton Road.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Â· Contact the 24-hour customer service center at 888.ROAD.CREW (1-888-762-3273)
Â· Visit - www.waynecounty.com
Â· Residents and visitors can subscribe to email notifications of bridge updates, construction and maintenance updates and news in their communities via waynecounty.com (https://www.waynecounty.com/departments/publicservices/roads/road-construction-updates.aspx)
Â· Residents and visitors can subscribe to receive push notification updates to their cell phones by downloading the Wayne County Mobile app. The app is available in the Apple App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wayne-county-mobile/id1449796370?ls=1) and Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waynecounty.wcMobileApp)
ABOUT WAYNE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICES
The Department of Public Services consists of six divisions, which include Administration, Engineering, Equipment, Parks, Roads, and the Environmental Services. The department oversees, maintains and operates the county's unique assets and complex infrastructure for nearly 2 million residents.

domain: news


Super Eagles striker, Paul Ebere Onuachu ended the 2020/2021 season in superb style as he clinched both the best player and the golden boot award at the Belgian Pro League Awards at the JAM Hotel in Brussels, AOIFootball.com reports.
In what was a near-perfect season for the Nigerian, the lanky forward saw off competition from Club Brugge’s Noa Lang and Beerschot’s striker Raphael Holzhauser to win the player of the year gong.
The 26-year-old scored an incredible 33 goals in only 38 league games and scored 35 goals in total to help Genk win the Belgian Cup and secure a Champions League qualification spot having finished behind leaders Club Brugge.
His exploits this season earned him a recall to the National team last March and has also seen him become a constant name in the lips of plenty of European clubs who look to lure the striker away from Belgium in the summer transfer market.
Both awards are a recognition of Onuachu’s record-breaking campaign in the Belgian top-flight for KRC Genk in the just-concluded season.


text:
- Snack Foods
- Chocolate Candy Pieces
- Chocolate Almond Barks
- Last products viewed
Chocolate Almond Barks Product ID: OTC583185 Palmer
- "I received my relish and I was very pleased with ordering from your company. It came on time and it was packed very well. I will use your company again at any time.
- "Completely satisfied.
Chocolate Almond Barks
Product Id: OTC583185
Sold as: Case of 12Weight: 15 lbs
List Price: $49.92Savings: $6.47
Chef Pierre Chocolate Mint Layer Cream Pie product id: OTF433101 Baked Goods
Our commitment to you
FoodServiceDirect.com stocks 1,000's of items including Chocolate Almond Barks. Quality Customer Care is our first priority - try calling us at 757-245-7675. Join our group of 230,000 satisfied customers! Whether you are a restaurant owner or a consumer - you can count on FoodServiceDirect.com to be a reliable supplier of Chocolate Candy Pieces.


text:
|Publication number||US5377440 A|
|Application number||US 08/172,215|
|Publication date||Jan 3, 1995|
|Filing date||Dec 23, 1993|
|Priority date||Dec 23, 1992|
|Also published as||DE4243959A1, EP0603796A2, EP0603796A3, EP0603796B1|
|Publication number||08172215, 172215, US 5377440 A, US 5377440A, US-A-5377440, US5377440 A, US5377440A|
|Inventors||Martin Eller, Odd Peters|
|Original Assignee||Beru Ruprecht Gmbh & Co. Kg|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (8), Referenced by (13), Classifications (9), Legal Events (6)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a flame starting unit for a combustion device, especially for preheating the combustion air supplied to an internal combustion engine, having a flame glow plug, which is placed in the air intake duct of the combustion device, fuel and current supply devices for the flame glow plug and a control or regulating device to control or regulate the fuel and current supply of the flame glow plug.
2. Background of the Invention
A flame starting unit, of the type to which the invention is directed, is used especially to make possible cold starting of internal combustion engines such as, for example, diesel engines, Otto engines, methanol and ethanol engines, with or without boost air, as well as evaporating burners. Such a unit is used especially with diesel engines, such as, for example, directly injecting diesel engines for truck use, to assure a reliable starting of the engine at low temperatures of, for example, below -10° C.
However, to make possible a reliable starting of a combustion device equipped with such a flame starting unit, especially an internal combustion engine, it is necessary for the flame starting unit to operate flawlessly. In the previously known flame starting units, errors in their functioning lead to the flame starting unit failing as an ignition aid, and therefore, starting at low outside temperatures is not possible.
The primary object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a flame starting unit, of the initially mentioned type, with which reliable functioning can always be assured.
This object is achieved, according to the invention, through the provision of a monitoring device which monitors the functioning of the flame starting unit and indicates occurring malfunctions.
The flame starting unit according to the invention is thus designed so that it is monitored for satisfactory functioning and is subjected to a functional control to make possible a reliable starting of the combustion device, especially of a related internal combustion engine, and optionally, to introduce suitable measures when a malfunction is detected and displayed in time.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which, for purposes of illustration only, show a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the flame starting unit according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional side view of the arrangement of the flame glow plug and the monitoring sensors in the embodiment represented in FIG. 1; and
FIGS. 3a and 3b are respective portions of a flow chart of the operating sequence of the flame starting unit represented in FIG. I.
The flame starting unit of the present invention, as represented FIG. 1, comprises at least one flame glow plug FGP1 . . . n, which, as represented in FIG. 2, is located in an air intake duct D of a combustion device, especially an internal combustion, a current supply device S1 and fuel supply device(s) FSD1 . . . n for the flame glow plug(s) FGP1 . . . n, and a control device A1, by which the fuel and current supply of flame glow plug(s) FGP1 . . . n is controlled.
A control device A1 is connected with a monitoring device A2, to which the output signals of a glow element monitoring sensor C1 and a flame monitoring sensor C2 are delivered. Monitoring device A2 is connected with a display unit A3 to display the monitoring result. The display can be, e.g., a light signal or a display panel.
An air speed sensor C3 is further provided, which determines the air speed or the air throughput in the air intake duct D and sends corresponding signal to monitoring device A2, which thereupon operates control device A1 so that flame glow plug(s) FGP1 . . . n are supplied with a fuel volume which corresponds to the air speed or air volume in the air intake duct D. Temperature sensors B1 . . . n are used to determine the outside temperature or the coolant temperature, and are connected with control device A1.
If electrical energy supply S1 is turned on by closing the switch, for example the ignition lock switch, in the flame starting unit represented in FIG. 1, then control device A1 of the unit is activated. The coolant temperature or the ambient air temperature is interrogated by temperature sensors B1 . . . n, and if this temperature falls below a certain value, control device A1 supplies the glow elements of flame glow plugs FGP1 . . . n with current.
In recent years, the requirements on flame starting units have continuously increased. While previously such units were used only at low ambient temperatures of, for example, -10° C. in directly injecting diesel engines until the start of the internal combustion engine, and preheating had to be done for up to 60 seconds, before the flame glow plug could be ignited, the aim is now to use flame starting units each time that the internal combustion engine is started, and a preheating of the flame glow plug is to be achieved in a short time of, for example, less than 10 seconds, and the flame starting unit is also to be in operation when the engine is running, i.e., for up to about 8 minutes after ignition. Also, in this after-ignition operation, i.e., in the case of a running engine, the operating conditions of the flame glow plugs are to be controlled or regulated so that a flame blow-off or a failure of the flame glow plugs, for example, by overheating of the glow or heating element, is avoided.
The reason for this broadening of the operational range of flame starting units lies in the tightening of the legal regulations relative to the purity of the exhaust gases. Flame starting units, thus, are used to reduce the pollutant content of the exhaust gas after an internal combustion engine has been started.
The temperature sensors B1 . . . n used to interrogate the coolant temperature and/or ambient temperature, may be temperature-dependent resistances with positive or negative temperature coefficients. If control device A1 detects a cold-operation engine, for example, a coolant temperature below 60° C. as well as an ambient temperature of, for example, below 20° C., then, the glow elements of the flame glow plugs FGP1 . . . n are connected, for example, by semiconductor switching elements so as to be supplied with current.
If the flame starting unit is to be used each time that the engine is started, the measurement of the cooling-water temperature and/or ambient temperature can be dispensed with.
The function of the flame glow plug, especially of its glow element or heating rod, is controlled by glow element monitoring sensor C1. As soon as glow element monitoring sensor C1 has detected a correct functioning of the glow element, fuel supply device FSD1 . . . n (fuel feed pump) is turned on. Preferably, with a plunger-type pump, the amount of fuel supplied is dependent on the stroke frequency of its activation, and a constant fuel volume per combustion stroke is pumped and the stroke frequency is regulated by air speed sensor C3, i.e., by the air speed of the flow prevailing in the air intake duct. Continuously pumping fuel pumps with corresponding activation are also usable.
The ignition and the flame are controlled by flame monitoring sensor C2. In monitoring device A2, the incoming sensor signals are logically linked, so that, in the case of occurring malfunctions or failures of a flame glow plug FGP1 . . . n detected by sensor C2, the latter can be displayed on display A3. In the case of nonignition of a flame glow plug FGP1 . . . n, a repeated start can also be introduced by control device A1, if no malfunctions are detected. The detected malfunctions are optically displayed on display A3 and/or are stored in an error memory, which can be read out.
In FIG. 2, a flame glow plug 1 (which can be any one of plugs FGP1 . . . n) as well as a mineral-insulated metal-sheathed thermoelement 3 serving as a glow element monitoring sensor and an ionization electrode 5 serving as a flame monitoring sensor are represented in detail.
Glow element 2 of flame glow plug 1, e.g., is made of a ceramic heating rod and preferably of a glow tube made of a material free of scale, filled with an insulating material, e.g., MgO, in which at least one heating coil with a high specific resistance, that does not change significantly with changes in temperature (at most 3 to 5% ), as well as at least one regulating coil, made of a material with a positive temperature coefficient that jumps sharply with increases in temperature, are embedded. The heating coil sits in the tip of the heating rod, while the regulating coil is connected in series to the heating coil. Such glow elements are known per se.
The monitoring of the glow element is possible by a detection of the temperature of the glow element, for which there are several possibilities. One possibility consists in the providing thermoelements, which are integrated into the flame glow plug. For this purpose, especially mineral-insulated metal-sheathed thermoelements are suitable, which are embedded in a sheath made of a material free of scale. These mineral-insulated metal-sheathed thermoelements should be attached to an advantageous point of the glow element, i.e., to the hottest point, and have no electrical contact with the glow element. A good heat contact with the glow element should be assured. This can be achieved by a weld joint of the sheath of the mineral-insulated metal-sheathed thermoelement on the glow tube of the glow element.
An example of such a mineral-insulated metal-sheathed thermoelement 3 is represented in FIG. 2. Thermoelement 3 is guided toward the rear through the body of flame glow plug 1 and is connected by a cable C with control device A1.
In the case of glow elements which have heating and regulating coils, in which the regulating coil is connected in series to the heating coil and has a positive temperature coefficient (e.g., of nickel, iron, CoFe), the temperature of the glow element can also be inferred by a resistance measurement. In this case, both the total resistance and the individual resistances are interrogated, e.g., by reading the welding point between the regulating coil and the heating coil, and the course of resistance of the regulating coil is recorded.
The glow element is originally heated with an on-period of 100%. If no temperature increase by the thermoelement 3 or by a resistance measurement can be determined within a certain period of time, e.g., 10 seconds, a failure of the glow element is inferred. As soon as it is determined that the actual temperature is equal to the desired temperature, the glow element is supplied with current, synchronized and a regulating to the desired temperature takes place according to a P-, PI-, PID-, two-point or multipoint control algorithm. In this case, the timing ratio is between 0 and 100% of the on-period.
A control would also be possible, in which the pulse to no-current ratio can be changed in stages and greater temperature differences are allowed relative to the desired temperature. However, the glow element must not be acted on with heating outputs which lead to the destruction of the heating or regulating coils. This can be the case especially if the heating rod is outwardly greatly cooled by strong air intake movements, for example, in the running of an engine or by nonignited fuel. As a result, thermoelement 3, which is welded outside on the glow tube, will display too low a temperature and endeavor to counteract with an increase of the timing ratio. This entails an increase of the heating power. Simultaneously, the resistance value of the regulating coil with positive temperature coefficient will decline and allow an increased current flow through the heating and regulating coils. As a result, the coil resistance decreases. Since the heat transmission resistance, the heating power of the embedding insulation and of the glow tube, cannot conduct any big heat volumes per time unit toward the outside to the glow tube wall, the danger of an overheating, especially of the heating coil of the flame glow plug, exists. The heating power is therefore limited to a maximum value, in which the heating and regulating coils cannot be damaged.
After reaching the desired temperature, which is sufficient to ignite the fuel, the fuel supply is turned on by control device A1. In this connection, the necessary fuel volume is calculated on the basis of an air volume measurement.
The control of the ignition and the flame of the flame glow plug takes place by flame monitoring sensor C1. Ionization electrodes 5 which can display an ignition can serve as flame monitoring sensor C1. Such ionization electrodes can be integrated either in flame glow plug(s) FGP1 . . . n or can be installed in the suction section of the internal combustion engine, as represented in FIG. 2. If the ionization electrodes 5 are installed in the suction section at a distance from flame glow plugs FGP1 . . . n, which corresponds to the minimum flame width with optimal combustion of the air-fuel mixture, then a statement can be made on the state of flame glow plugs FGP1 . . . n, since with poor mixture formation, this minimum flame width is not reached.
As flame monitoring sensors, bimetallic strips, which trigger electric contacts when heated by the flame, also sensor elements with positive and negative temperature coefficients, are suitable, whose resistance value depends on the temperature. Thermoelements, which display the temperature increase by the flame, as well as optical sensors, which react to the light action of the flame, can also be used.
An example of a flame monitoring sensor in the form of an ionization electrode 5 is represented in detail in FIG. 2. Ionization electrode 5 is applied at a selected distance from flame glow plug 1 in the suction section of the internal combustion engine. It indicates to control device A1 whether a sufficient flame formation occurs. As mentioned, the distance of ionization electrode 5 from flame glow plug 1 should be selected so that it corresponds to the minimum flame width. In the extreme case, if the flame burns only inside the flame glow plug, then it can also be useful to provide the ionization electrode directly integrated in the flame glow plug.
The flame detection takes place to shift a flame blow-off, especially at higher air speeds in the running of an engine up to the highest possible load point and revolution point. At increasing air speed, the flame width is narrowed because of the high air excess. This can be counteracted in that the fuel supply can be increased to match the air volume and analogously, the current supply of the flame glow plug. If a flame blow-off develops, nevertheless, suitable measures are taken by the control device to initiate an immediate new ignition. For this purpose, the glow temperature is interrogated by the thermoelement to increase the heating power, in the case of too low a temperature because of the cooling by cold blowing at higher air speeds or by unevaporated fuel, until a sufficient ignition temperature is reached. It can also be advantageous, at times, not to supply any fuel, to facilitate the heating. Then, the fuel pump is turned on to supply fuel, via line 6, to flame glow plug 1 corresponding to the signal of air sensor 4, which may be an air pressure sensor, until ionization electrode 5 gives off a flame signal.
If, after a preset period of time, the flame signal fails to be produced, then an error message appears and a new start is made, in which the temperature state of the heating rod is taken into consideration, so that the heating rod of the flame glow plug is not overheated. In display A3, errors occurring are either displayed by lamp signals or stored in an error memory to be read out in a routine inspection. In this connection, a differentiation is made between errors which relate to the functioning of the flame glow plug and errors which can occur in operation because of outside influences and represent malfunctions. In the case of a detected failure of a flame glow plug, thermoelement 3 does not detect any temperature increase by the glow element, so that the flame starting unit is turned off and this error is displayed, e.g., by a corresponding acoustical or optical signal.
In FIG. 3a and 3b, the above-mentioned operating sequence is represented in the form of a logical flow diagram.
FIG. 3a shows that, after turning on switch S1, it is determined whether the operating temperature, detected by temperature sensors B1 . . . n, is below 60° C. If this is the case, a heating of the glow element FGP takes place with an on-period of 100%, until the ignition temperature of the flame glow plug of, e.g., 950° C. is reached. Then, the flame glow plug is supplied with current, synchronized and regulated to a temperature equal to 950° C.
FIG. 3b shows the synchronization of the fuel feed pump as a function of the absolute pressure in the intake section by a corresponding control of stroke frequency, which is determined according to stored fuel-absolute pressure performance data. A negative flame detection results in a repeat start while, with a positive result, the control is changed from an ignition mode of operation to an after-ignition mode of operation.
In the flame starting unit according to the invention, a functional control thus takes place, which comprises a functional control of the glow element and flame detection. As a result, it is possible to determine changes over the entire service life of the flame starting unit before they result in a start failure of the internal combustion engine or can cause damage. Such changes are displayed if they exceed or fall short of certain limits. Corresponding measures can also be taken independently by the related electronic control, which can exist, for example, in an automatic repeat start.
While a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention has been shown and described, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, and is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the details shown and described herein, and includes all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US3602206 *||Feb 5, 1969||Aug 31, 1971||Daimler Benz Ag||Flame heater plug for air-compressing internal combustion engines|
|US4120273 *||Apr 21, 1976||Oct 17, 1978||Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz Aktiengesellschaft||Starting aid for internal combustion engines|
|US4431401 *||Jun 29, 1981||Feb 14, 1984||Vapofier Corporation||Control mechanism for vaporizing apparatus|
|US4770627 *||Dec 23, 1986||Sep 13, 1988||Toyotomi Kogyo Co., Ltd.||Combustion control system for oil burner|
|US4862370 *||Apr 2, 1987||Aug 29, 1989||Robert Bosch Gmbh||Interface and control unit for a diesel engine electronic controller and glow plug circuits, and method of glow plug operation|
|US5050571 *||Feb 26, 1990||Sep 24, 1991||Constantin Daniels||Diesel fuel conversion means for spark-ignition engines|
|US5195885 *||Feb 4, 1991||Mar 23, 1993||Forney International, Inc.||Self-proving burner igniter with stable pilot flame|
|US5216990 *||Jul 31, 1992||Jun 8, 1993||Rolf Moosmann||Glow plug for internal combustion diesel engine|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US5937814 *||Jul 24, 1997||Aug 17, 1999||Beru Ruprecht Gmbh & Co. Kg||Flame starting device for an internal combustion engine and process for operating the flame starting unit|
|US6220522||Mar 8, 1999||Apr 24, 2001||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Internal combustion engine having combustion heater|
|US6227178||Nov 17, 1998||May 8, 2001||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Control system of combustion heater for internal combustion engine|
|US6227181||Feb 26, 1999||May 8, 2001||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Internal combustion engine having combustion heater|
|US6253545||Dec 16, 1998||Jul 3, 2001||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Internal combustion engine having lean NOx catalyst|
|US6273073 *||Dec 3, 1998||Aug 14, 2001||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Internal combustion engine having combustion heater|
|US6321730 *||Feb 22, 2001||Nov 27, 2001||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Internal combustion engine having combustion heater|
|US6470863||Sep 5, 2001||Oct 29, 2002||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Internal combustion engine having combustion heater|
|US6571779||Sep 5, 2002||Jun 3, 2003||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Internal combustion engine having combustion heater|
|US7122764 *||Aug 12, 2000||Oct 17, 2006||Robert Bosch Gmbh||Sheathed element glow plug|
|US8371274 *||Nov 30, 2007||Feb 12, 2013||Robert Bosch Gmbh||Vehicle with an internal combustion engine for ethanol-containing fuels, and an auxiliary heater|
|US20110146633 *||Nov 30, 2007||Jun 23, 2011||David Moessner||Vehicle with an internal combustion engine for ethanol-containing fuels, and an auxiliary heater|
|US20120240559 *||Oct 22, 2009||Sep 27, 2012||Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha||Exhaust purifying apparatus for internal combustion engine|
|U.S. Classification||431/11, 123/556, 123/550|
|International Classification||F02N19/06, F02B3/06|
|Cooperative Classification||F02N19/06, F02B3/06, Y02T10/166|
|Feb 25, 1994||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: BERU RUPRECHT GMBH & CO. KB, GERMANY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ELLER, MARTIN;PETERS, ODD;REEL/FRAME:006917/0418
Effective date: 19940201
|Jun 29, 1998||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|May 8, 2002||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8
|Jul 19, 2006||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Jan 3, 2007||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Feb 27, 2007||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20070103

domain: chemistry


text:
International Classification of Goods and Services
Edition № 11
Beers; mineral and aerated waters and other non-alcoholic drinks; fruit drinks and fruit juices; syrups and other preparations for making beverages.
Class 32 includes mainly non-alcoholic beverages, as well as beer.
This Class includes:
This Class does not include:
Aerated water / carbonated water; Aloe vera drinks, non-alcoholic; Aperitifs, non-alcoholic; Barley wine [beer]; Beer; Beer-based cocktails; Beer wort; Cider, non-alcoholic; Cocktails, non-alcoholic; Energy drinks; Extracts of hops for making beer; Fruit juices / fruit juice; Fruit nectars, non-alcoholic; Ginger beer / ginger ale; Grape must, unfermented; Isotonic beverages; Kvass; Lemonades; Lithia water; Malt beer; Malt wort; Mineral water [beverages]; Must; Non-alcoholic beverages; Non-alcoholic beverages flavoured with coffee / non-alcoholic beverages flavored with coffee; Non-alcoholic beverages flavoured with tea / non-alcoholic beverages flavored with tea; Non-alcoholic dried fruit beverages; Non-alcoholic essences for making beverages; Non-alcoholic fruit extracts; Non-alcoholic fruit juice beverages; Non-alcoholic honey-based beverages; Non-alcoholic preparations for making beverages; Orgeat; Pastilles for effervescing beverages; Powders for effervescing beverages; Preparations for making aerated water / preparations for making carbonated water; Protein-enriched sports beverages; Rice-based beverages, other than milk substitutes; Sarsaparilla [non-alcoholic beverage]; Seltzer water; Shandy; Sherbets [beverages] / sorbets [beverages]; Smoothies; Soda water; Soft drinks; Soya-based beverages, other than milk substitutes; Syrups for beverages; Syrups for lemonade; Table waters; Tomato juice [beverage]; Vegetable juices [beverages]; Waters [beverages]; Whey beverages.


SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang today released his monthly report covering California's cash balance, receipts and disbursements in September 2014. Total revenues for the third month of Fiscal Year 2014-15 were $9.8 billion, coming in above Budget Act estimates by $671.4 million, or 7.4 percent.
"Driven by an upswing in consumer activity and job growth, September revenues beat projections by more than $670 million," said Chiang. "If we remain disciplined in paying down the State’s debt, building a healthy reserve, and tackling the $64 billion unfunded liability associated with providing health benefits to our retired public workforce, Californians will have longer to enjoy this newfound prosperity."
The State closed the first quarter (July 1 – September 30) of its fiscal year with $21.8 billion in total revenues, beating estimates by $533.2 million, or 2.5 percent.
Income tax collections for the month of September came in $350.6 million, or 6.1 percent, above estimates. Corporate tax receipts came in $173.7 million, or 18.5 percent, above estimates.
Sales taxes similarly outpaced estimates by $228.6 million, or 12.4 percent, for the month.
As of September 30, the General Fund accumulated outstanding loans of $13.4 billion, which was down $2.4 billion from what the State expected to need by the end of its first fiscal quarter. This total was financed by $10.6 billion of borrowing from internal state funds and $2.8 billion of borrowing from banks and other outside investors.
Read a version of this press release in Spanish.For more news, please follow the Controller on Twitter at @CAController, and on Facebook at California State Controller's Office.


text:
THE HEADHUNTERS TRAIL 5D4N
THE HEADHUNTERS TRAIL 5D4N
Photo credit: Sarawakforestry.com
Day 01: Arrive Mulu – Deer & Lang Caves
Pick up from the airport and transfer to Gunung Mulu National Park and check in to your accommodation.. Free at leisure to explore the Mulu Park’s interpretation centre and have lunch (on own account). Deer Cave is the world’s largest cave passage. Its scale its awesome and you are in no doubt how huge it is when you arrive at the cave entrance. The entrance of the cave is 150 m wide and 120 m high. Nowhere in this massive cave is the roof less than 90 m high. The cave has a moon-like landscape and from one vantage point, a perfect profile of President Lincoln can be observed. Next to Deer Cave is Langs Cave. The stalactites and stalagmites inside this cave are representative of the very best limestone formations in the park. After viewing the two caves, proceed to the Bat Observatory outside Deer Cave. Most evenings at sundown, a spectacular exodus of about 2 million of bats can be observed as they leave the cave in search of food. Then trek back to the park HQ by torchlight and return to accommodation.
Day 02: Wind & Clearwater Caves – Camp 5 (B/L/D)
0845 hours depart the park HQ and proceed by longboat upriver to Wind Cave with its impressive ‘King’s Chamber’. Here, stalactites and stalagmites with delicate lace-like patterns are found. A short walk along a plankwalk next to the limestone cliff followed by a climb up approximately 250 concrete steps and you arrive at the entrance to Clearwater Cave. Like most caves in Mulu, Clearwater Cave provides a habitat for unique species of plants. One of these, the one-leafed plant can only be found at Mulu. Photosensitive algae grow on certain rocks and produce needle-like formations that point towards the source of light. Near Clearwater Cave there is a wonderful swimming area shaded by giant rainforest trees. Enjoy a simple picnic or packed lunch. After lunch proceed to Long Litut (1 hr boat ride). Start trekking to Camp 5 (3 hrs) through a mixed dipterocarp and riparian forest. Overnight at Camp 5 which offers basic dormitory accommodation with basic common toilet facilities.
Day 03: Gunung Api / Pinnacles (B/L/D)
Following breakfast, start to scale Gunung Api for the limestone pinnacles. The climb is very challenging and taxing and will take about 4-5 hours. Arrive at the Pinnacles’ viewpoint in time for a packed lunch. Descend back to Camp 5 and overnight.
Day 04: Camp 5 – Kuala Terikan – Iban Longhouse (B/L/D)
Trek to Kuala Terikan (5 hrs). Proceed down river by boat to Rumah Penghulu Sigah Iban longhouse. The journey takes 2-3 hours, depending on the water level. Overnight in the longhouse.
Day 05: Nanga Medamit – Limbang Airport (B)
After breakfast depart the longhouse and travel by road (2½ hrs) to Limbang. Drop off at the airport for departure flight.
BBA-50 THE HEADHUNTERS TRAIL 5D4N
5 days / 4 nights
From Mulu Airport
Return transfer, 1 night longhouse at park HQ, 2 nights at Camp 5, 1 night longhouse entrance fee, full board meals & guide services.
RM3008 per pax
Min 2 pax
Custom Book Form
Interested on this tour? Please submit the following form and we will reply to your as soon as possible.

domain: travel


text:
Problem – This Financial Planner developed a system to communicate a financial plan for their clients using spreadsheets and word documents. They wanted to offer this system to other financial planners and realized the continued use of spreadsheets and word documents would not work because it required a manual copy/paste process and they struggled to keep control of the latest version of the documents.
Solution – A web application was created which incorporated all of the inputs, planning tools, calculations, and outputs originally contained in the spreadsheets and word documents. The application added the ability to manage different financial planning agencies, manage financial advisors within the agencies, and manage the different clients for each financial advisor. The output was improved to make it easier for clients to understand the plans the advisors created for them. Since it is built within a web application all of the information is stored at a safe central location and the advisors are always using the latest version of the software.


There’s never been a better time to learn a new skill. With hundreds of thousands of people forced to stay home for at least the next month, you’ll never have a better time to indulge those interests and hobbies that you simply didn’t have time for before the coronavirus outbreak.
This means that if you’ve ever been even remotely interested in beginning a lucrative career in programming or development, now is your opportunity to make it happen.
As one of the world’s most popular and powerful programming languages, Python is a must-learn skill for any aspiring developer, and the Absolute Python Programming Certification Bundle will get you up and running for just $29.99.
With three courses and over 270 lessons led by industry pros, this extensive bundle will outfit you with a thorough understanding of both the essentials and more advanced elements of this in-demand language.
After an introduction to the basic syntax of the language along with the fundamentals of variables and scripts, you’ll start to learn how to build your very own apps and programs—through instruction that teaches you about data analysis, matrices of numbers, third-party system integration, and much more.
There’s also a course that’s dedicated to more advanced topics such as map and filter lambda functions, collections modules, large-scale databases that can be turned into server networks, and more.
Use your time at home productively by learning an exciting and valuable new skill with the Absolute Python Programming Certification Bundle while it’s available for just $29.99—95% off its usual price for a limited time.
Prices are subject to change.


text:
A Louisiana priest was arrested last month and charged with recording himself committing obscene acts with two dominatrices on the altar of his church which is clearly visible from the street.
According to Nola.com, authorities identified the priest as Rev Travis Clark, and the women as adult film actress Mindy Dixon, 41, and 23-year-old Melissa Cheng.
The Catholic priest was caught in the act on September 30 by a passerby who noticed the lights in the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church were on after hours.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
That’s when the witness looked inside the church and saw Clark allegedly having sex with the women on the altar, with stage lighting, sex toys, and recording equipment on a tripod on the stage.
The eyewitness said the women were dressed in corsets and were wearing high-heeled boots, according to Nola.com.
DailyMail report: The witness, who reported the incident to police, said Clark appeared to be recording the act.
Both women reportedly told officers who arrived to the scene that they were filming ‘roleplay‘ with Clark.
All three were then arrested on obscenity charges because they were in view of the public.
According to Nola.com, Dixon had also posted about the sex act on social media the day before it occurred.
The site reports that Dixon said she was traveling to the New Orleans area to ‘defile a house of God‘ with another dominatrix.
Following the arrest, Clark, who was ordained in 2013, was suspended from the archdiocese.
Church law says that when sacred places are violated they must be ‘repaired by penitential rite‘ before they can be used again.
After the incident, Gregory Aymond, the archbishop of the New Orleans archdiocese visited the church to perform a ritual to restore the sanctity of the altar, which is the most sacred of church spaces.
Aymond said Monday that Rev Carol Shirima would replace Clark beginning on October 11.
Clark was released from jail on a $25,000 bond. Cheng and Dixon posted bonds of $7,500.
All three could face six months to three years in prison if convicted of obscenity.


text:
The Habit Burger Grill
The fifth South Florida outpost of this fast-casual national chain, founded in California in 1969, has opened in the new Park Place.
“This particular center is strategically and conveniently located for both the surrounding residential community and the daytime business crowd,” says Tony Warren, Florida market partner. “There are a lot of great opportunities for growth for our brand in Palm Beach County. This county provides both a strong and growing workforce and residential community.”
Six renditions of the signature Charburger ($3.35-$6) include BBQ Bacon Char, Teriyaki Char with grilled pineapple and the double-patty Santa Barbara with cheese and avocado on grilled sourdough.
Other char-grilled sandwiches ($4.95-$7.25) include veggie and sushi-grade, line-caught albacore tuna flown in from Fiji. Seven salads ($3.95-$7.99) include barbecue chicken, Santa Barbara Cobb and grilled chicken Caesar.
Trans-fat-free french fries, onion rings and sweet-potato fries ($2-$2.75) are cooked in soybean oil. A condiment bar includes multiple peppers, and ranch dressing is made in-house.
Lunch and dinner are served daily amid polished stone, hardwood accents, surfing paintings and a 1969 photo of the original location in Santa Barbara. Red umbrellas dot the covered front patio.
Email news to firstname.lastname@example.org.


text:
Russian artist Olga Nikitina is an underwater painter with a degree in interior design and a dive instructor at the Egyptian Red Sea who creates brilliant and beautiful impressionistic paintings capturing the sublime light and textures of coral reefs and the dynamic energy of marine life. X-Ray Mag interviewed the artist to learn more about her creative process and perspectives on art and life underwater.
"Divers want to try for themselves how to make art, and artists want to try diving. It is the best reward for me if I can get people interested in both: diving and art."
— Olga Nikitina
An avid painter since her childhood, Olga Nikitina took lessons at school in fine art and Russian traditional painting styles, such as Khokhloma, Zhostovo, Gzhel and Kudrina (which can usually be seen on Russian Matryoshka wooden nesting dolls).
She earned her degree in interior design from the Ulyanovsk State University in Russia where she studied drawing and painting for six years. However, after completing her degree, she took a break from painting—a break that would last five years until, on a trip to Africa, she got inspired to take up her brush and start painting again. She said, “I was so impressed by whale-watching in South Africa during the sardine run event that my first painting after my long break was a breaching whale.”
At the same time, she said she completely fell in love with scuba diving and the underwater world. She had seen tropical fish before while working on aquarium design, but seeing them in the wild, in their own natural habitat, gave her a new appreciation for marine life, saying that seeing them “in their real environment full of colors, different species, and endless coral gardens, just blew my mind.”
Then in 2008, she got her open water certification in Marsa Alam, Egypt, and started going on dive trips to various locations in different countries and seas. In 2015, she became a dive instructor and went to work in Egypt on the Red Sea, where she regularly spent two to three hours underwater every day. She said that she drew so much energy and inspiration from the sea and marine life, “that I could not be silent—I had to express myself and my emotions in my art.”
X-RAY MAG: Why marine life and underwater themes? How did you come to these themes and how did you develop your style of painting?
ON: While scuba diving, I always look at the underwater marine life through the prism of my artistic lens. Or the opposite happens, and what I see goes through my eyes first, then into my heart, soul and brain, creating images in my mind. Very often, if I do not have the opportunity to immediately start my artistic process after scuba diving, I take some notes in my notebook of what I want to reflect on canvas, as well as some memories and ideas. The underwater world is so rich with different colors, shapes and patterns. The only way to capture it is to feel free to play with paints on canvas. I did not want to represent the underwater world with realism. I would say that my style gets close to underwater impressionism. I use a palette knife to paint, which makes the painting more abstract, with heavy texture and bold strokes.
The best way to feel inspiration is to be there underwater, to be a part of the marine life, to be immersed in the underwater environment. That is why I got the idea to paint right underwater, while scuba diving.
X-RAY MAG: Following in the footsteps of artists who pioneered and developed underwater painting—such as Eugen von Ransonnet-Villez and Zarh Pritchard in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as André Laban who worked with the undersea explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau in the ‘50s—can you describe your own artistic method or creative process? How is the process different when you create paintings underwater?
ON: Usually, images of underwater scenes just come about in my mind after a day in the sea, diving. Sometimes after a dive, I make notes of what impressed me and what I would like to paint at home, and I use my underwater photos if I need to see specific details of underwater life. With normal painting, I create, over a few days, several layers of colors on a canvas, and very often I get the feeling that I dive too deeply into the details and overpaint the artwork.
With underwater painting, it is a different story. I recreate the present moment, based on feelings and the mood of the surrounding atmosphere. It is more intuitive painting. I am limited by time, decompression limits and air consumption. But I prefer to finish the artwork in one underwater session, because on every following dive, there is a different environment and mood. Another specific thing about underwater painting has to do with colors. With depth, colors disappear. We lose red colors, and it is always a surprise returning to the surface and seeing how an artwork looks. For underwater painting, I use only palette knives and my fingers.
X-RAY MAG: What is your relationship to the underwater world and coral reefs? Where have you had your favorite experiences?
ON: Underwater, I feel like it is my second home. I love the feeling of no gravity so much. I fly like a bird above the coral reef, or along a wall, and gaze into the deep blue abyss. Coral reefs, at various dive sites, remind me of big cities, with their own architecture and inhabitants. And what makes the atmosphere even more magical is the sunlight—everything shines with bright colors.
My favorite experience was on the house reef at Safaga, Egypt. An underwater painting session usually lasts from 60 to 120 minutes. On this particular dive, I sat in the same place, and all the fish got used to me and came very close to see what I was doing. I also had several nice experiences with a lionfish and a green sea turtle called Henrietta. The lionfish looked at my artwork like a professional art curator, and it felt like Henrietta was posing like a model in the 60 minutes she spent around me. Triggerfish liked to play with my color tubes like dogs with sticks. I always had to watch that they did not steal my paints!
X-RAY MAG: What are the differences in painting underwater scenes in South Africa and the Red Sea, or other locations?
ON: Even though I have dived many different locations, the opportunities to do underwater painting are mostly in the Red Sea. Conditions are most appropriate here for it; the water is warm and there is great visibility, colorful reefs, and lots of brightly colored fish. In South Africa, the ocean is more tough, and diving conditions are much more difficult. There is strong current, very often bad visibility and cold water. But for creating shark, whale or seal masterpieces, it is the right place.
X-RAY MAG: What are your thoughts on ocean conservation and how does your artwork relate to these issues?
ON: Dive instructors are servants of the sea. We introduce other people to another world, another reality, and teach them how we should care about the ocean and respect marine life. My art is just one of the tools to do this effectively.
X-RAY MAG: You were recently quoted in the press saying that art is your language, that you would like to help viewers of your artworks “find their soul, love and kindness through the reunion with nature,” and that you would like to introduce the underwater world to art lovers, and conversely, divers to art-making—to encourage people to protect the oceans for future generations. What are the challenges or benefits of being an artist in the world today? Any thoughts or advice for aspiring artists?
ON: Being an artist is a big gift as you have an additional language in which to communicate with nature and society. But the modern environment is quite aggressive and stressful. It is not easy to stay relaxed and inspired, and this is the challenge. However, communication with nature really helps one to reach a meditative state and be creative. I would recommend spending more time outdoors while painting—and for all artists, especially beginners, to trust yourself, believe you are special and work from your heart with love!
X-RAY MAG: How do people respond to your works?
ON: I have had good feedback from both adults and children about my art. Each painting is a little story of mine, and everyone can find one of my artworks that speaks to them and creates some nice memories for them or reminds them of an exciting experience. Divers want to try for themselves how to make art, and artists want to try diving. It is the best reward for me if I can get people interested in both: diving and art. I have had students who have tried underwater painting with me, who had never tried to make art before, and they created great artworks. That was a wonderful interaction.
X-RAY MAG: What are your upcoming projects, art courses or events?
ON: At the moment, I am developing a series of masterclasses for all levels of oil painting with underwater themes. In 2019, I registered a distinctive specialty with PADI: Underwater Artist. Now this course is available on a few liveaboards and during daily dives too. There are two options: The first is an underwater painting introductory dive, in which we create artwork underwater on one dive; and the second is a full course, which takes two to three days. After completing the course, the diver-artist will receive a PADI Underwater Artist specialty certification.
I am also working on a new series of paintings related to ocean pollution and mass fishing, and I hope to soon be able to exhibit some of my artworks.
X-RAY MAG: In recent press coverage, you said that when you began underwater painting you tried to capture underwater scenes, coral reefs and sea life, as well as the mood of the environment, but now you focus more on tapping into your subconscious and your feelings in a more intuitive type of painting, which is more abstract. You have plans to experiment with diving depths and canvas size, as well as a project bringing a group of divers together to create one big artwork underwater, showing the diversity of the underwater world on canvas. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
ON: I am happy to share my passion with you, my dear friends, and I am open to any projects related to art and the ocean! ■
For more information about artworks and courses, visit the artist’s website at: olganikitinart.com.

domain: artistic


by Diane Tuazon
MIDLAND - It's been a month long investigation and finally Midland detectives have issued two warrants in connection with the grandparent scam going on in Midland.
Midland Police tell NewsWest 9, 42-year-old Kevin McElroy from Midland and his alleged partner Ronnie Scott Tingen from North Carolina will be charged with theft when authorities catch up to them.
Police say the two are responsible for 13 different cases of tricking elderly people out of a total of $2,600.
As NewsWest 9 reported, the grandparent scam revolves around targeting the elderly and pretending to be a family member with car trouble, then needing some money.
Investigators are crediting the community for helping them break this case.
Warrants have been issued for McElroy and Ronnie Scott Tingen.


Zine seeks to shield stars
After aggressive paparazzi prompted police to escort Britney Spears to the hospital this week, Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine announced Friday that he plans to push for an ordinance that would create a minimum “personal safety zone” around individuals targeted by the media.
Zine said the estimated $25,000 it cost for police to escort Spears to the hospital was necessary to protect the public from dangers posed by the horde of celebrity photographers pursuing the pop star. He said paparazzi were increasingly endangering celebrities and bystanders with their aggressive behavior and car pursuits.
“I don’t want a repeat of what happened to Princess Diana with a celebrity in Los Angeles,” he said. “We had to have 12 officers escort [Spears] to the hospital that if not for paparazzi would have been used to prevent crime somewhere else.”
Zine said he plans to introduce a motion that calls for the city attorney and LAPD to draft new restrictions on paparazzi, including an ordinance that would create a zone of clear space in order to protect public safety on streets, sidewalks and at access points to emergency care facilities and private businesses and homes.
“It is a major issue we have to address. We are in a celebrity town,” he said. “Celebrities have a right to live in peace and freedom.”
But Police Chief William J. Bratton said existing laws can deal with the paparazzi.
“Councilman Zine is responding to frustration we all have with the paparazzi,” Bratton said. “We already have appropriate laws within the constitutional guidelines and we intend to do that whether it is erratic driving, trespassing on private property or any action that goes beyond the constitutional rights to cover a story.”
Bratton strongly defended the LAPD decision to deploy a dozen officers to escort Spears, saying she is a resident of the city and is “certainly in great need of assistance.”
He said the public should blame the paparazzi for this week’s events.
“They are the ones making a spectacle of themselves,” Bratton said. “We will do what we need to do to protect the public from this cast of characters.”
Representatives for Spears told Los Angeles police officials Monday that they believed she needed a psychiatric evaluation because of continuing erratic behavior.
After extensive discussions about alternatives, the LAPD mapped a strategy for getting her to UCLA Medical Center amid an anticipated swarm of paparazzi.
The next morning the plan was executed with about two dozen police officers, a helicopter and a special team that took Spears out through a gate in an ambulance with covered windows to shield her from photographers.
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles County court commissioner Friday granted Spears’ father, James, and a court-appointed attorney temporary conservatorship over her affairs and estate, said Allan Parachini, a court spokesman.
The decision gives James Spears the ability to make decisions involving his daughter’s assets, property and medical care, restrict visitors to her home, change locks at her residence and hire security. It also allows him to seek civil restraining orders, which the court issued against Spears’ manager and friend, Sam Lutfi.