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Over the years Facebook has grown from a humble online social networking platform to one of the biggest technological companies in the world. The world’s famous social media platform boasts of a whopping 2.6 billion users. Facebook also owns the text messaging app Whatsapp and the picture sharing platform Instagram.
Since Facebook has a huge database of users, news publications and creators have been asking the tech giant to pay them for their content on social media. In what can be called as the first step towards meeting these demands, Facebook announced it would be expanding its dedicated news tab section to other countries including India, the UK, Germany, France and Brazil.
Facebook News is a separate section on the world’s most popular social platform which will help users find and read news articles from participating news publications. Facebook rolled out the new section in the United States of America (USA) in June 2020. The launch won’t happen immediately, Facebook said in a blog post. Instead, the expansion would happen within the next six months to a year.
Facebook also said it has 200 publications lined up for the news tab and it includes some of the big names like Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, BuzzFeed, Bloomberg and ABC News. The social media giant will reportedly pay some publishers $1 million to $3 million a year to feature their stories, according to Bloomberg. At the moment, Facebook has not disclosed the names of local Indian publications that are willing to partner with the social media company on this initiative.
Facebook news is different from the instant articles feature which is currently available on the platform. However, in the case of Facebook News, whenever a user opens a news article it will take the reader directly to publishers’ sites. Facebook users can read the entire story for free. However, if publication houses are charging for news on their website, Facebook users can still read one free article following which a user will be asked to subscribe to the publication house.
Over the years, Facebook and Google have been drawing a lot of flak from news creators for not paying them for their content which is getting shared on their platforms by more than a billion users. Australian regulators recently drafted legislation that would allow publishers in the country to negotiate compensation with both Facebook and Google sharing or displaying their stories on their respective platforms.
Facebook hopes to change the existing dynamics and hopefully pave the way for other social media platforms to follow its path in creating a profitable environment for news creators and publications.
Sonu Sood’s Startup Pravasi Rojgar Secures 250 Crores Funding
Actor Sonu Sood has been in the limelight since the last six months and has become a kind of messiah for the migrant workers in India. It all began when the Indian Government imposed a strict nationwide lockdown in order to check the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This led to an exodus of migrant labourers from cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai to leave for their hometowns in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Since public transportation was also not operating, these migrant labourers decided to walk to their hometowns. This led to a lot of accidents on roads, deaths due to hunger and lack of proper basic resources.
Sonu Sood stepped in to help the migrant workers by arranging private buses and food and ensured these workers returned safely to their homes. Sonu Sood also arranged for private flights to rescue Indians stranded in countries like Dubai and Philippines. Sood helped thousands of people in need by reaching out to them on social media and offline.
In the face of all this adversity, Sonu Sood saw an opportunity and it led to the birth of Pravasirojgar, a startup which aims at getting jobs for the migrant workers. Pravasirojgar aims to provide jobs and career progression to applicants through upskilling services, financial, healthcare and social security services. The job search platform secured a Rs. 250 crore funding from the Temasek Holdings backed, Goodworker.
Launched in a partnership with the edtech startup Schoolnet India, in July this year, Pravasi Rojgar helps migrants to find skill based jobs across sectors and has 10 lakh job seekers and employers including Amazon, Max Healthcare, Portea, Sodexo, Urban Company etc. Goodworker provides blue collar workers with a digital and verifiable profile to make their job search easier and also to make their credentials authentic which will make employers more likely to hire the workers.
Sonu Sood at the launch of Pravasi Rojgar said “I came in touch with a lot of migrant workers during the lockdown and they all had one concern, how to get a job after the lockdown and support their families. With the blessing of these workers and their families and other well-wishers, I tried to get the right-minded people and partner with Schoolnet for Pravasirojgar.com (sic.)”
We sincerely hope Sonu Sood continues to keep doing the good work he is doing for migrant workers. Sonu Sood has gone on to prove how opportunity can be found in the toughest of situations and also contribute to the upliftment of the needy.
Indian Actresses Who Have Made Recent Investments In Startups
Any startup which begins with an idea will look to nurture it and develop it into a viable product. This is followed by lots of testing with focus groups, until a final version of the product is ready. However, most startups are more often than not bootstrapped and therefore run on a very stringent budget. Therefore, startups often look to attract an investor for a fresh influx of money and also to scale up. While there are many venture capital firms which are always on the lookout for exciting startups, Indian movie celebrities are also known to invest in promising startups.
In this article, we give you a list of leading Indian actresses who have invested in startups recently.
1) Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is one of the most alluring actresses of this generation. Deepika invested in the popular yoghurt company Epigamia last year. Her latest investment is into the learning and communication platform Frontrow. The actress was joined by marquee investors like Lightspeed and Elevation Capital to invest $3.2 million in the startup. Frontrow’s learning platform focuses on creative arts and sports and that is what attracted Padukone’s investment in this startup.
2) Kajal Aggarwal
Kajal Aggarwal picked up a stake recently in the gaming platform called Okie Gaming. Kajal will be helping the startup in its promotions, marketing and PR and to attract new users to the platform. Aggarwal picked up a 15% equity stake for an undisclosed amount of money.
3) Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif
Alia Bhatt invested an undisclosed amount in the beauty and cosmetic startup Nykaa. Earlier in May 2020, Nykaa raised Rs. 100 crore ($13 million) from Steadview Capital, one of its existing investors. Katrina Kaif also invested in Nykaa and also has her own line of products called Kay Beauty.
ALSO READ: 5 Cricketers Who Are Entrepreneurs
4) Aishwarya Rai Bacchan
Aishwarya has been ruling the Indian movie industry since a long time, but has taken a step back from the limelight after her marriage to Abhishek Bachchan. However, the actress has not been idle and has instead redirected her efforts to invest in promising ventures. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan along with her mother Vrinda became angel investors in 2019. They invested in Ambee, an environmental intelligence startup, which monitors air quality by gathering data– and have already installed over 100 sensors in Bengaluru.
5) Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Priyanka Chopra invested in the social networking and dating application Bumble in 2018 which was before Bumble had a presence in India. While Bumble’s parent company MagicLabs was acquired by American based Blackstone, it is not confirmed whether Priyanka Chopra’s stake was bought out. Priyanka Chopra continues to be involved with Bumble for their branding assignments.
6) Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty invested Rs. 1.6 crores in the fast moving consumer goods company Mamaearth which produces and sells skincare, haircare and babycare products.
While this is just the list of actresses who have made recent investments in startups, there are a lot of movie celebrities who have invested in startups across the globe. The startup ecosystem in India can take heart from the fact that movie stars are willing to align their brand with startups. The future most definitely holds exciting prospects to see into what startups celebrities will be investing.
Google’s Hum To Search Feature Is Here To Make Searching For Songs Easier
When Shazam was released for the first time, the entire smartphone community breathed a sigh of relief because the app let users search for songs by making the app listen to what is being played in your surroundings. Since then finding new songs and genres has become easier as searching for songs at your favourite clubs or at a friend’s party is now at one’s fingertips. But, what if you only know a piece of music or a tune which is stuck in your head and no way to identify the song.
Google is making it possible to try to find a song with its new feature called ‘hum to search.’ The feature can listen to humming, whistling or singing to identify songs. ‘Hum to search’ is triggered when you ask Google “what is this song?” and then proceed to perform bits of the tune to the best of your ability. Google will then present a list of songs according to a percentage match score which comes closest to your performance.
Google’s machine learning algorithm converts the audio input into a numbers based sequence which it then matches with other song melodies and tries to find the closest matching tune. The model was trained with several sources with actual people singing, humming and whistling in addition to real studio recordings. Google’s algorithms can also strip away musical instruments, as well as the timbre and tone of the singer’s voice in order so it only relies on the actual numeric sequence in the song matching process.
The ‘hum to search’ option is live and currently supports more than twenty languages. While the feature might seem minor in terms of utility it makes up for improving the quality of life on a major level. Google has once again proved to the world as to why it is the best company out there with their ‘hum to search’ feature.
- Sonu Sood’s Startup Pravasi Rojgar Secures 250 Crores Funding
- The Story Of Milkbasket And How It Navigated The COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown
- Indian Actresses Who Have Made Recent Investments In Startups
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- How to Promote Internationalization Through Remote Team Management
- Quibi : Startup With A Billion Dollar Launch To Shutting Down All In Six Months
- Mad Over Marketing : A One Stop Shop For All Things Related To Marketing
- Wallmantra: This Indian Startup Is Upping The Home Interior Decor Game With Their Modern Designs
- Google’s Hum To Search Feature Is Here To Make Searching For Songs Easier
- Leading Brands Which Jumped On The Baba Ka Dhaba Bandwagon For Positive Change
- How Do IPL Franchises Make Money
- Google Relents By Deferring 30% Play Store App Fee For Developers
- The Story Of Bose – A Company Which Changed Sound Forever
- Facebook To Enable Cross Platform Messaging By Merging Instagram And Facebook Messengers
- From A Contestant To A Judge On Shark Tank, The Journey Of Ring Founder Jamie Siminoff
- Google Maps To Introduce A New Feature Named COVID Layer
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- William H Gates Sr., The Father Of Bill Gates Passes Away


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EXCLUSIVE – Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt is bursting out of the gate when it comes to fundraising for his Republican bid to try and unseat Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in the 2022 midterm elections.
Laxalt hauled more than $1.4 million in the six weeks from his mid-August Senate campaign launch through the end of September, which marked the close of the third quarter of fundraising, according to figures shared first with Fox News on Tuesday. Laxalt’s campaign also reported receiving contributions from all 50 states, and showcased that they had over $1. 25 million in cash on hand as of the start of October.
“Folks across Nevada are extremely dissatisfied with the current direction Masto and her cronies in Washington are taking us and they’re ready for a change,” Laxalt said in a statement. Our campaign began with an amazing surge of momentum, which continues to grow each time Masto side with Bernie Sanders or Chuck Schumer. “
Laxalt, who completed a 2,500-mile, 17-country swing around Nevada in the weeks after his campaign launch, has been endorsed by a bunch of top Republicans, including former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, as well as numerous Nevada GOP leaders.
Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt speaks at his sixth annual Basque Fry, on Saturday August 14, 2021 in Gardnerville, Nevada
Republicans need a net gain of just one seat in next year’s midterms to recapture the Senate majority they lost when they were swept in January’s twin Senate runoff elections. The GOP’s playing plenty of defense – they’re defending 20 of the 34 seats up for grabs in 2022, including defending five open seats, with two of them in the key battlegrounds of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. They also expect strong pickups in swing states like Arizona, Georgia and New Hampshire.
The latest Silver State polls indicate that there will be a tight contest for the Cortez Masto/Laxalt general elections next year.
But beating Cortez Masto in the key western battleground state won’t be easy. At the start of July, the senator who was chairing the Senate Democrats’ election arm had $6.6 million in her campaign funds. She has yet to release her third quarter July-September fundraising numbers.
Cortez Masto, a former two-term Nevada attorney general, defeated Republican Joe Heck by two and a half points in the 2016 race to succeed retiring longtime Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. As the first Latina to be elected to the Senate, she made history.
But as first reported by Fox News last week, retired Army officer and Afghanistan War veteran Sam Brown, raised over $1 million from his campaign launch in mid-July through the end of September, an impressive haul for a first time candidate.
Business owner Sharelle Mendenhall and Bill Hockstedler, a health care executive and Air Force veteran, are also running for the Republican Senate nomination.

domain: news


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10 Amazing Women Who Led Rebellions
“Male revolutionaries such as Che Guevara have gone down as heroes for leading rebellions against “the Man.” But forgotten by history are the women who took on far greater powers than Fulgencio Batista. Throughout the ages, women have led rebellions and revolutions which took on the might of the Roman Empire and the vast wealth of the British East India Company.”
Why do some civilizations advance while others remain stagnant?
Diamond argues that Eurasian civilization is not so much a product of ingenuity, but of opportunity and necessity. That is, civilization is not created out of superior intelligence, but is the result of a chain of developments, each made possible by certain preconditions.
The earliest human societies lived as hunter-gatherers. The first step towards civilization is the move from hunter-gatherer to agriculture, with the domestication and farming of wild crops and animals. Agricultural production leads to food surpluses, which supports sedentary societies, specialization of craft, rapid population growth, and specialization of labor. Large societies tend to develop ruling classes and supporting bureaucracies, which may lead in turn to the organization of nation states and empires”
“Perhaps no other century in human existence experienced the terrible and remarkable contrasts of the 20th Century. The century was heroic and tragic, progressive and reactionary, forward-looking, and frighteningly regressive – a century of contradiction, confusion, and massive change. Faith and Fate focuses on how all these events and occurrences impacted on one specific group of people – a people whose survival has defied the ravages and challenges not only of this century, but of the over 40 centuries that have led up to it. Rabbi Berel Wein will take you on a remarkable journey into Jewish history. Faith and Fate powerfully and emotionally tells the story of how the events of the century impacted on the Jews – and the impact the Jews had on the century.”
“Idi Amin Dada, who became known as the ‘Butcher of Uganda’ for his brutal, despotic rule whilst president of Uganda in the 1970s, is possibly the most notorious of all Africa‘s post-independence dictators. Amin seized power in a military coup in 1971 and ruled over Uganda for 8 years. Estimates for the number of his opponents who were either killed, tortured, or imprisoned vary from 100,000 to half a million. He was ousted in 1979 by Ugandan nationalists, after which he fled into exile.”http://africanhistory.about.com/od/biography/a/bio_amin.htm..
Free course! Click on link to sign up!
“This course will explain how we humans have conquered planet Earth, and how we have changed our environment, our societies, and our own bodies and minds. The aim of the course is to give students a brief but complete overview of history, and to answer some basic historical questions such as:
What is religion?
What is an empire?
What is money?
What is science?
What is capitalism?
Why did almost all societies believe that women are inferior to men?
Does history have a direction?
Did people become happier as history progressed?
And what is the likely future of humankind?

domain: history


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On May 1 and 2, Solar Summit 2018 is coming to the Hyatt Regency La Jolla in San Diego, California, and you’re going to want to be there. Last year, there were over 500 attendees, and over a third of them were VP-Level all-stars in the solar industry. The Conference themes this year are Solar and the Transformation of Electricity, Innovations in Solar and the Grid Edge, and Charting the Course for New Solar Markets. Yes. It’s basically everything worth talking about in the world of solar and renewable energy. Here’s an overview of what events you need to make sure you hit while you’re there.
HEAR: Speakers at the Forefront of the Industry
Lynn Jurich: CEO, Sunrun Lynn Jurich has a dream: that someday, or entire planet will be run by the sun. It’s definitely possible, and Jurich has been working tirelessly toward this goal since day one. Sunrun is currently the largest dedicated residential solar company in the US, and the residential solar market has it to thank for the solar-as-a-service model that has been gaining popularity since its creation. Not only is Jurich Sunrun’s current CEO, but she was also a co-founder, using her drive as a competitive athlete and her passion for creating simple solutions to raise Sunrun up from the ground to the sky. She started at Summit Partners, where she lead as a growth equity investor as one of the only female venture capitalists. Her investments grew to an aggregate market value of over $900 million, but while she was on a summer internship in China, she witnessed firsthand how humans were impacting the environment with their currently consumption of energy. She knew something had to change. She tapped her Stanford Business School classmate, Edward Fenster, and decided that they, together, could form a company that offered homeowners a way to consume energy more efficiently. Sunrun was born, and residential solar was never the same. Lynn’s story is, in a way, the story of the birth of the modern rooftop solar industry, and it’s one worth hearing straight from her.
Abigail Ross Hopper: CEO, SEIA The Solar Energy Industries Association chose the perfect president, because Abigail Ross Hopper is, herself, a powerhouse. The SEIA is the national trade organization in charge of ALL of our country’s solar energy industries, and Abigail is the one personally overseeing research, communications, and any activities involving government affairs. So yeah, she’s a pretty big deal. No stranger to energy policy, Hopper previously directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for the Department of the Interior, as well as the Maryland Energy Administration. She’s been all over the energy sector, lending her legal expertise wherever it has been needed. She was big in making sure the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act passed in 2013, and secured millions of dollars of benefits for Maryland citizens while negotiating energy mergers in the state. The face of Maryland’s energyscape is what it is because of Abigail Ross Hopper. We can’t wait to see and hear how she uses her role at the SEIA to do the same for the rest of the country.
Terry Tamminen: CEO, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation The Guardian recently released a list of “Top 50 People Who Can Save the Planet.” Terry Tamminen was ranked No. 1. Not Leo DiCaprio; Terry Tamminen. Terry has had his hand in every industry that influences the solar and renewable energy world, including business, education, public policy, agriculture, and environmental endeavors. He’s been at the head of so many groundbreaking policies that sent solar skyward, including California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, a landmark forged in 2006, and the Million Solar Roofs initiative (also called California Solar Initiative or CSI), which is well on its way to a goal of 3,000 megawatts of solar energy. After serving under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and later Cabinet Secretary and Chief Policy Advisor to the Governor, Tamminen co-founded the R20 Regions of Climate Action, which was a partnership between the public and private sectors to bring governments, businesses, NGOs, and academia together to create low-carbon climate solutions through projects that could also build and sustain the global economy. In other words, Terry Tamminen is a solar rockstar, and now heads up the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which is publically pursuing ways to quite literally save the planet through pursuing renewable resources like solar. Terry Tamminen is a speaker you definitely shouldn’t miss.
EXPERIENCE: Get In on All the Summit Has to Offer
Don’t Skip Breakfast Greentech Media is an undeniable leader in the solar world of information, and recognizing this means soaking in GTMs briefings whenever you can… even if it’s over breakfast. On Day 2 (May 2) GTM Research will be conducting a “Breakfast Briefing” discussing Trends in Solar Technology and System Prices, as well as The State of Corporate Procurement: Offsite and Distributed Solar. Sound like a mouthful, but if you’re there, you’ll have all the education you need to discuss these important topics later at the Networking Reception...
Live Podcast: Political Climate This is your chance to be present at a LIVE RECORDING of a GTM podcast. GTM is known for presenting clean energy news and politics from a bipartisan perspective, and this time, they’re inviting Terry Tamminen, Brandon Hurlbut of Boundary Stone Partners, and Shane Skelton from S2C Pacific in on the fun. Julie Pyper, the talented Greentech Media Senior Editor will be moderating, making this a podcast recording you don’t want to miss.
Networking Reception You’re at a summit full of people who are helping solar take over the world. There are so, so many people you are going to want to meet, and intelligent conversations you’re going to want to have. On Day 1 (May 1), make sure you stick around for the Networking Reception from 5 - 7 PM, and put some faces to the names you’ve been seeing in all the bylines. Try not to get too starstruck by Ravi Manghani.

domain: economics


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By Ibarra C. Mateo
Many years ago, when Vincenzo Grisostomi Travaglini directed the opera and designed the set and costumes for its Tokyo run, he was given FOUR MONTHS just to rehearse the cast.
Knowing the Japanese penchant for perfection, this was hardly surprising. Travaglini is among the key persons behind the 2020 CCP production of Lucia, which closes today with a 3 pm show.
Former Emperor Akihito and former Empress Michiko are opera lovers. They would not miss the Travaglini’s Lucia.
Over lunch, Travaglini told us that there was one BIG limitation. The imperial couple, when they are in Japan, are not allowed by imperial protocol to be out of the palace in the evening for MORE THAN TWO HOURS. But the opera runs almost three hours including the intermissions.
To solve the limitation, the former Emperor and former Empress decided to arrive during the intermission before the third act. Those who had seen the opera would know why the former imperial couple decided to watch the third act. Kaya nood ka na sa CCP mamaya.
World famous Filipino tenor Arthur Espiritu is Edgardo di Ravenswood and French soprano Melody Louledjian the Lucia Ashton in the Philippine premiere of Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia de Lammermoor” which closes today Feb. 2, 3 pm, at the CCP Main Theater.
From the genius of Italian composer Donizetti, with libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, the three-act opera follows the story of Lucia Ashton, a Scottish maiden who falls in love with Edgardo, the leader of the Ashtons’ political enemies.
However, Lucia is forced by her brother Enrico to marry another nobleman named Arturo.
Together with Travaglini are Ravivaddhana Monipong Sisowath as assistant director, Giovanni Pirandello as lighting director and Giampaolo Lomi Ormanni as creative project coordinator.
Baritone Byeong In Park takes the role of Lord Enrico Ashton, Lord of Lammermoor and Lucia’s brother, while tenor Ivan Nery plays Lord Arturo Bucklaw, Lucia’s bridegroom.
Completing the opera cast are: bass Shi Zong as Raimondo Bidebent, a Calvinist chaplain; mezzo-soprano Camille Lopez-Molina as Alisa, Lucia’s handmaid; tenor Nomher Nival as Normanno, a huntsman and retainer of Enrico.
The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra provides live orchestral accompaniment, under the baton of Maestro Alessandro Palumbo. Choral group Viva Voce Voice Lab, with guest singers from the various music schools in Manila and Iloilo, joins the ensemble.
PHOTOS FROM THE FB WALL OF PABLO TARIMAN
#CCP #Opera #LuciadiLammermoor #GaetanoDonizetti #ArthurEspiritu #MelodyLouledjian
2 thoughts on “How the former Emperor, Empress happily solve a ‘limitation’ in watching Lucia de Lammermoor”
Reblogged this on Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong.
Thanks a lot!

domain: entertainment


Sarah Rockwell’s practice emphasizes land use, real estate, and public sector negotiations. Sarah has practiced in both Colorado and California and has represented both public and private sector clients in land use, real estate, entitlement, and municipal law issues associated with small and large-scale development projects, including transit-oriented development projects, airports and residential, industrial, and commercial development projects.
Sarah currently advises clients on real estate and land use issues associated with transit-oriented development projects. She has prepared, negotiated, and implemented agreements related to a variety of public/private sector development projects. Sarah also has advised several airport clients on land use compatibility issues associated with land adjacent to the airports and has counseled both public and private entities on the preparation of habitat conservation plans under the federal Endangered Species Act and other endangered species issues. She also has served as an expert witness in arbitration and court proceedings involving land use issues.
Areas of Practice
- J.D., Boston University, 1985
- Master’s in City Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1985
- B.A., Stanford University, 1980
Contact Sarah Rockwell


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- How long does it take for compost to turn to soil?
- Are maggots in compost OK?
- Can I add yeast to compost?
- Can I turn my compost too much?
- Can banana peels be composted?
- How long does it take for compost to rot?
- What is the best location for a compost bin?
- What temperature should I turn my compost?
- Can you put onions in compost?
- Can I put dog poo in my compost?
- Can you put grass clippings in compost?
- Can I put moldy food in compost?
- How far should a compost bin be from the house?
- Do you need to turn a compost bin?
- Where should compost be in sun or shade?
- Is urine good for compost?
- Are eggshells good for compost?
- What do I put at the bottom of my compost bin?
- How often should you turn your compost?
- Which should not be composted?
- How can you tell if compost is bad?
How long does it take for compost to turn to soil?
Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned.
Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles..
Are maggots in compost OK?
EUGENE – Most people shudder when they see maggots in their bin composter or compost pile. Don’t be grossed out – they won’t hurt you. In fact, these larvae play a role in breaking down and recycling nutrients back into the soil.
Can I add yeast to compost?
Absolutely—especially if that bin is mostly filled with shredded leaves; yeast is alive with the kinds of organisms that naturally move the composting process along. Mix the yeast into all parts of the pile and make sure that the ‘dry browns’ in the pile are good and moist.
Can I turn my compost too much?
Turning too often (every day) disrupts the formation of the fungi and actinomycetes that do much of the composting work and may prevent the pile from heating up completely. For the fastest, most efficient decomposition, a pile should be left essentially alone to “cook” until it starts to cool.
Can banana peels be composted?
Composting banana peels is as easy as simply tossing your leftover banana peels into the compost. You can toss them in whole, but be aware that they may take longer to compost this way. … While, yes, you can use banana peels as fertilizer and it will not harm your plant, it is best to compost them first.
How long does it take for compost to rot?
Composted items can take anywhere for four weeks to 12 months to decompose. So, since different items (and compost) work on different timelines, how do you know when your compost is finished? The easy answer is that it should look like topsoil — dark and crumbly, like dirt.
What is the best location for a compost bin?
Ideally site your compost bin in a reasonably sunny spot on bare soil. The reason you should site your bin on soil is that it makes it very easy for beneficial microbes and insects to gain access to the rotting material. It also allows for better aeration and drainage, both important to successful composting.
What temperature should I turn my compost?
This turning process ensures that oxygen levels do not drop low enough to kill the good organisms and grow pathogens. NOP guidelines require compost to be turned a minimum of five times within a 15-day period, during which time the temperature must be maintained between 131- and 170-degrees F.
Can you put onions in compost?
When adding onions to your compost, do not throw large chunks or whole onions into the pile. … Be sure to chops large onion pieces down and cut up whole onions so that they break down easily. This rule applies to other large fruit and vegetable scraps, as well as untreated pieces of wood like branches and sticks.
Can I put dog poo in my compost?
Here’s the thing: Dog poop is compostable BUT it needs special treatment. You definitely don’t want to scoop the poop and toss it on your regular compost pile. Dog poop contains pathogens that can contaminate a regular pile that you don’t want to then use in your garden.
Can you put grass clippings in compost?
You can add clippings to the backyard compost pile. Composting involves mixing grass clippings and other plant materials with a small amount of soil containing microorganisms that decompose organic matter. Grass clippings are excellent additions to a compost pile because of their high nitrogen content.
Can I put moldy food in compost?
Answer: You can add moldy food (vegetables and fruits only) to a backyard composting bin anytime. Mold cells are just one of the many different types of microorganisms that take care of decomposition and are fine in a backyard bin.
How far should a compost bin be from the house?
10 feetOccasionally compost can attract unwanted visitors! For example, flies are attracted by decomposing kitchen waste. There are all kinds of bugs that visit a compost pile. If you don’t want them visiting your house then keep the bin at least 10 feet from your home.
Do you need to turn a compost bin?
Turning the heap adds air; air is necessary for composting to occur. If the heap is too wet or becomes compacted, then the composting process is slower as less air is available. Ideally, place a lot of composting materials on the heap in one go, and turn it periodically (perhaps every month) to introduce air.
Where should compost be in sun or shade?
By placing them in the shade, they will be more protected from the elements and less likely to dry out. As for a regular compost bin, direct sunlight does not cause the compost pile to heat up. The microbes working busily inside the compost are why the pile heats up.
Is urine good for compost?
Urine, too, is a great compost stimulator. Obviously, the stiff shot of nitrogen and a bit of moisture both help, and the uric acid (urea) is also very beneficial. Uric acid levels are said to be the highest in the morning, so that’s the best time to rain down on the compost pile.
Are eggshells good for compost?
Let’s just start out by saying: putting egg shells in your compost is okay; they are a rich source of calcium and other essential nutrients that plants need. … Drying your shells allows them to crush more completely before you add them to your compost bin.
What do I put at the bottom of my compost bin?
Line the base of the bin with wire mesh. Allow enough to go up the insides of the bin slightly to really discourage them. Ensure that only uncooked fruit and vegetable waste is going into the bin; cooked food may tempt animals to your bin.
How often should you turn your compost?
every 4-5 weeksBy turning more frequently (about every 2-4 weeks), you will produce compost more quickly. Waiting at least two weeks allows the center of the pile to heat up and promotes maximum bacterial activity. The average composter turns the pile every 4-5 weeks.
Which should not be composted?
What NOT to Compost And WhyMeat, fish, egg or poultry scraps (odor problems and pests)Dairy products (odor problems and pests)Fats, grease, lard or oils (odor problems and pests)Coal or charcoal ash (contains substances harmful to plants)Diseased or insect-ridden plants (diseases or insects might spread)More items…•
How can you tell if compost is bad?
Here are some signs that your compost may be struggling.The pile is moist but the material is matted and slow to break down. … Your compost smells (very) bad. … Brown leaves added last year are not breaking down. … Your compost caught fire! … There are no worms or bugs in the pile. … Sticks are not breaking down.More items…•

domain: agronomy


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Sunday, 17 January 2010
Goldenberry Hill and The Knock.
Hey! Sit up please.Don't be like me slouching at a strange angle typing here with one finger and a deep heat treated leg wrapped up in several layers of material.A wee medicinal vodka at my bedside purely for solace you understand.
Here`s a tale of two pretty green hills done in lush conditions.In my world, as you know,that impertinent fluffy white stuff is soon banished with a slap to the frozen Arctic where it belongs.
Here's a story instead of the anticipation of spring, green shoots of snowdrops peeking shyly out of flattened grass and views from semi tropical hilltops over an emerald oasis. The golden realm makes a welcome return.Yippee!
Soon be crocus lawn,then be daffodils then be leaves on trees again.Here be a hibernating dragon hungry for the heat.Bring it on.
Yellow gorse was even in bloom all the way up the second hill but I`m ahead of myself again.Step back in time.
Alex had never been up Goldenberry hill.Despite this It took a bit of coaxing on the phone to get him out at all.We went.After a dull start it turned out a smashing day.I enjoyed it.Alex was bored.Missing the bigger hills I imagine.
We parked in Portencross ,a small but pretty hamlet with a tiny harbour and a castle getting a makeover.
At first the weather was fairly raw and unpromising (these pictures were taken on the way back) but it soon improved after a dull start.
From the car park a nice beach walk leads to the path up past Ardneil farm then up the hill.I like a beach walk me.Alex less so.Shame that.
We don't agree on lots of things. Music, films or art.Still it would be a boring world if everyone liked the same things.
There were a couple of fields full of sheep busy munching turnips on the path up.The farmers often put these out at this time to build the animals up so that healthy lambs get born in spring.
A few other walkers and one lone cyclist joined us on the path up the hill.
The view from this hilltop summit is extensive.West over the islands of Great and Little Cumbrae,Bute and Arran.North over Hunterston,Largs and the Dunoon hills.
We could look across and see Kaim Hill, one of our early postings on this blog almost a year ago now.So far in all that time we have had one semi wet day (Lammermuirs) and a dusting of snow and sleet (Kaim Hill).Not a bad effort so far.
The way down was north, following a partly forgotten path leading steeply down through the woods to little Brigurd as I thought it would be fun to walk under the Hawking Craig back to the car.
This is a fine level walk,signposted,with the Three Sisters cliffs looming impressively above.
Also got a good shot of Little Cumbrae and St Blanes hill on Bute, one of my favourite places in Scotland. Hopefully get over there this spring.
As it was still early back at the car we drove to nearby Largs and went up The Knock,a fine little hill with even better views over the Firth of Clyde.For anyone who has not driven over the minor road from Largs to Greenock,if you are in the area go on and treat yourself.Its a beauty.Great open moorland, sweeping scenery and nice empty driving.We took the other balcony trail above the Firth,parking at the L shaped wood near Knock castle.Good paths also start from Largs and Brisbane mains.
The sun was hitting parked cars when I took this.Alex enjoyed this hill more than the first.Me, I enjoyed them both.Easy walking up an emerald slope followed to the sheep dotted summit.
A smashing day out with palm trees,sandy beaches,lush green fields and porcelain blue skies.
After the past month of long lasting ice and snow its back to the tropics folks!.

domain: geography


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Monday, November 17, 2008
For You - Ago
This is an edit I did with my boy Tate Philips (aka Chaz Bronz) about 2 years back. For some reason I've played the crap out of it at the clubs but never shared it with the interwebs.....
I also worked with Tate on the Ranger Rick project way down on the blog... like 8 months back. Ennywayz... enjwah!
Ago - For You (Tate&Scott's redit)

domain: artistic


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COLUMBIA, SC (AP) - Legislators say a tentative agreement could provide up to $800 million for road and bridge work across South Carolina.
A three-part compromise approved Monday by a panel of House and Senate members would put up to $141 million in state taxes toward infrastructure in the next fiscal year.
The legislation specifies that $50 million would go the State Infrastructure Bank to fund major projects through borrowing, and $41 million from the state sales tax on vehicles would repair secondary roads. It would use up to $50 million in surplus money for bridge repair.
Borrowing and federal highway matches could push the total to more than $798 million.
The Senate's Republican and Democratic leaders agree the infrastructure compromise was critical for reaching an agreement on the overall budget for 2012-13.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

domain: finance


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Rising above her marriage crisis, Nigerian superstar musician, Tiwa Savage, has continued to enjoy boost in her career. The Mavin Record First Lady who hasn’t granted any major interview after her tell-it-all interview with the pulsing recently dished on private matters in a recent feature in South African-based Elle Magazine.
On her private life, Tiwa Savage said, “My biggest failure was exposing my private life too much. There will always be speculation, but by addressing it you are adding more fuel to the fire. I now choose not to address anything.”
In the article tagged “Keeping Up With Tiwa”, the fabulous mother-of-one spoke about how was once a tomboy , her deal with Roc Nation and the fact that her private life is always under public scrutiny.
Speaking about her private life she says “My biggest failure was exposing my private life too much. There will always be speculation, but by addressing it you are adding more fuel to the fire. I now choose not to address anything.”
On her deal with Roc Nation she says “We are finalising the details with his company, and it is an amazing opportunity for any artist, particularly a woman, because traditionally such global parts have largely been enjoyed by the male artists.” She adds “I’m so honoured it has happened to me. And while it may mean, as a woman, I need to work 10 times harder to make things happen, I am fine with that. My approach is: do what it takes”.
Photography: Kelechi Amadi-Obi
Hair: Debola Falana
Makeup: Joyce Jacob


One of the questions that every developer asks is where to start and what all is needed from my service other than the Business Requirements. Every organization nowadays is building small micro-services and these services are being build by various autonomous teams. The interesting part is that every team starts build the same chassis or initial part of the service on its own. This leads to the following issues
- Duplicated effort
- Inconsistent Implementation
- Standards being missed
- Engineering effort being wasted
Engineering organizations can easily avoid this waste by creating a Service Chassis or a Service Template – an org-specific service runtime which provides the base platform functionality that each service needs. In addition, Service Templates can be used to help teams easily adopt this shared Service Chassis when creating new services. In this article we’ll explore these ideas of Service Chassis and Service Templates, and briefly look at how they relate to the increasingly popular Service Mesh concept.
Lets look at the technical aspects (plumbing) of the services that we will need to build the service.
- Build Tools Integration (Maven, SBT, Gradle)
- Configurations for the Service
- Authentication and Authorization
- Logging Framework
- External Service Connection (can be database or file-system)
- Connecting to a Queue to retrieve and send messages (Kafka, RabbitMQ, MQ etc.)
- DevOps Scripts (DockerFiles, Helm-Chart)
- Metrics generation and observability.
- Finding the URL for a dependent service (i.e. service discovery)
- Many More
All of the above features are the required from the Technical perspective and it is nowhere related to the Business domain but still teams tend to spend more time building it rather than focusing on the features. This is where the Service Template can help us immensely by standardizing all of this in our Template which can be used to build the new services. Moreover we can keep on improving the template to build it better for the future development. All of the above plumbing is necessary but and its accidental complexity, rather than essential complexity. Let us look at the definition to make it more clear
Essential complexity is the core of the problem we have to solve, and it consists of the parts of the software that are legitimately difficult problems. Most software problems contain some complexity.
Accidental complexity is all the stuff that doesn’t necessarily relate directly to the solution, but that we have to deal with anyway.
So you see, with service most of the time we are trying to solve a Business problem e.g. when you are building an Order Service the main purpose of this service is to serve the orders – users can place the order and when the order is placed successfully , the payment service should be called whose sole purpose it to take payments from the Client using n number of methods. Here we are not talking about technical details at all and at the end of the day the success of the service will be determine solely by the functionality it is providing. So the functionality is the essential complexity that is related to your Product or Business, rest all is plumbing to make sure your service works which is the accidental complexity.
Why Do You Need a Template?
When you start writing a new service by identifying a domain (DDD) or by identifying the functionality, you might end up writing lots of common code. As you progress and create more and more services, it could result in code duplication, or even chaos, to manage such common concerns and redundant functionalities. Moving such logic to a common place and reusing it across different services would improve the overall lifecycle of your service. You might spend some initial effort in creating this component but it will make your life easier later on.
How can I go on and create a template?
Once you embark on building your primary service, think of all the common concerns that you have across all the services that you will be building. Don’t worry if your list is not exhaustive but its a good start.
When you start designing your architecture and use a whiteboard, pull out all the common concerns which can spread across your different domains. If you follow a DDD approach, each domain or subdomain can be a service out of which you can build a chassis framework which works across all your domains.
A few of the notable concerns as has been mentioned above are:
- Exception handling
- Interception logic
- Some common back-end services you connect across services (databases, external calls, MQ, etc.)
The base framework helps in creating new services easily and ensuring that they’re maintainable. You can only concentrate on the service boundary and let the chassis deal with all the other common infrastructure functionalities.
So, how do you start writing a framework? There are no hard and fast rules for creating your own custom framework. You can just build a framework with a snapshot version uploaded to your repository. All other services can just pull it from the repository and use it. Use a SpringBoot autoconfiguration with a starter parent to build a library.
Let’s say you came up with the chassis as a library of cross-cutting concerns — you can think of something like a Spring custom starter. In Spring Boot projects you can write a custom starter project with Spring auto-configure. Remember to add all the dependencies to the starter project and let the main project be plain and simple like “Hello World” with its own required dependencies, so that it gives you a kick-start to your main project.
Key Benefits of using Service Template / Chassis
Reduced Variable Cost of the Services
There will be some initial effort which will be spend on building the right template but anyway we would have to spend that effort to get it working with all the niceties. But, the effort on subsequent services will be a lot lower. This is particularly valuable when working in a micro-services architecture, for two distinct reasons. Firstly, micro services have relatively more plumbing code, since you have a large number of distinct services and each service needs its own plumbing. Secondly, a micro-services architecture is a complex distributed system, and has more complex operational requirements. Each service needs to support capabilities like distributed tracing (correlation ID), service discovery, health-checks, and so on. All of these capabilities require additional code and/or configuration so if you are able to build a template that takes care of most of the things we will be able to reduce the Variable cost to a Fixed cost for each service.
Consistency in the Code
I have worked with large teams that are working on different services and most of the time the code varies a lot between one service or another making it very difficult to review or follow the code, if most of the services are build from same chassis the teams will be forced to adopt the pattern and than all the services will be much more similar at-least in technical aspects. Beyond avoiding some uninteresting decisions, a consistent approach also allows the ecosystem supporting our services to make more assumptions and be less complex. If every service listens on the same port (because that decision is baked into shared plumbing) then the infrastructure to deploy services and route traffic to those services can become slightly simpler. The same logic applies to a myriad of other small decisions, such as how service configuration is injected, how logging is performed, and so on.
Governance as a Code
This is the part that I liked most as by creating the template we are laying the Technical Foundation for our services. It can influence how every service in your architecture is built and operated. You can apply some gentle architectural governance by giving teams an easy, out-of-the-box setup which also aligns with how you’d like services to behave.This approach can work well in organizations that lean towards autonomy and resist top-down architectural guidance. Rather than mandating a certain approach, you instead just make it easier for things to be done that way.
A free, pre-packaged implementation of a service’s basic technical underpinnings reduces the friction in taking the preferred approach to building and running services.
Now we have understood the concept and the benefits of the Service Template, lets look at certain Do’s and Don’ts
Some Do’s and Don’ts
- We should only put the common concerns across service into the Chassis like configurations, security, observability and other cross-cutting concerns.
- Never put business logic in to the chassis as we want the service to follow the Single Responsibility Principle. Similarly if you feel there is some logic that needs to be part of the framework make a common package and put that logic there. But remember any changes in the framework will necessitate complete testing of the entire application.
- Do not build or add unnecessary technical features in your chassis as it will make the framework bulky.
- As micro-services deal with de-centralizing responsibility of data, it is your choice to move your database connectivity to a base framework or not. It depends on whether you have a database setup for each service individually or if you have a single database with multiple schemas distributed across.


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The death of George Floyd in 2020 stimulated violent demonstrations in cities across the world. Police Officer Tommy Clark served on the vanguard of those nightly riots, among the worst in US history.
For more than 100 days, extremist groups lay siege to the community through arson, vandalism, and looting. The brave men and women of the Portland Police Bureau risked their lives to prevent the complete destruction of their city, leading to the questions:
- What failures of city leaders gave rise to these unprecedented levels of violence?
- How can law-abiding citizens bring about change critical to the survival of our nation?
- What really happened on the streets of Portland during the riots?
Eventually, a viral video of a confrontation with a rioter led to Officer Clark's removal from the streets.
This is his story.


It’s still unknown who was behind the robbery and beating.
While performing at Stadium Club in Northeast D.C., Migos had a run-in with Chief Keef’s Glory Boyz Entertainment crew.
The 18-song mixtape follows a Fader cover and new video for ‘Story I Tell’ earlier this week.
Could Migos be the next big stars of the WWE?
It’s very different from the official remix but no less effective, proving once again that DJ Mustard is a universal common denominator.
Migos’ next mixtape Y.R.N.2 is reportedly due out sometime this year.
The Atlanta rappers are making headlines for the right reason this time, teaming up with one of their city’s rap legends for a new track.
No arrests have been made on this case and Migos has yet to respond to these allegations.
There’s no official word on whether or not the chain was retrieved.
Good luck getting this one out of your head this weekend.


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May 27, 2021
Car Rental at Thessaloniki Greece gain a boost as Right Cars Global Rentals opens new branch.
Mar 02, 2020
It is with great pleasure that today we announce the incorporation of TL International Group Ltd which will operate the well known brand of Right Cars and also the new premium brand of Zezgo outside of the USA, in a move to lay the foundations for the...
Dec 06, 2019
Right Cars today confirmed the appointment of Alison Lee as Global Customer Service Director as the company strengthens its management team in preparation of 2020 expansion within the car rental and mobility industry.
Nov 14, 2019
Right Cars Vehicle Rental announce it is commencing car rental services in Guatemala proving a service to both the tourist and business traveller arriving at La Aurora International Airport
Nov 04, 2019
Tarminder Singh, after leaving Carrentals one of the Expedia group of companies, has been appointed with immediate effect, as Global Supply Relationship Director for Right Cars Vehicle Rental Ltd.
Nov 01, 2019
Customers are always in a hurry when collecting a car rental vehicle, so we needed to speed up the process.
Oct 25, 2019
With the companies aim of continual expansion, Right Cars are promising the public a host of improvements within the industry, when they arrive at Podgorica Airport in Montenegro
Aug 22, 2019
Right Cars Vehicle Rental Ltd., are primed to answer this very question following their immediate and imminent commencement of operations.
May 14, 2019
UK based Right Cars Vehicle Rental Ltd today announced it is commencing offering car rental services in Turkey with immediate effect for people arriving at Antalya Airport and Dalaman Airport.
Jan 22, 2019
Right Cars is set to expand in to Serbia by offering car rental services to customers arriving at Belgrade Airport as part of its expansion plans in the region.


Safe Drinking Water Act Amended
The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 called for sound science and risk-based standard setting, small water supply system flexibility, and technical assistance, community-empowered source water assessment and protection, public right-to-know, and water system infrastructure assistance through a multi-billion-dollar state revolving loan fund. It emphasized that consumers have a right to know what is in their drinking water, where it comes from, how it is treated, and how to help protect it.
How BNL Complies
BNL publishes an Annual Consumer Confidence Report to provide an overview of water quality during the previous calendar year. The report includes where the water comes from, what analytical testing is conducted, the results of the tests, and how the results compare to state standards.


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We see many different types of begging in the capital. But some of the begging is done using children as well, so it breaks the heart and asks more than just giving alms.
Our families who brought us the suggestion told us that it is a habit of children to lie down and beg especially at intersections.
Tikvah Ethiopia contacted Addis Ababa Women’s and Children’s Office on this issue
The case is well-known as an office; Ato Andualem Tafese, who is the director of children’s rights and security at the office, says that it is a very serious and troubling issue for us. However, they said that the office does not have the authority to prohibit or enforce the law.
The director added, “We don’t have a law that criminalizes begging, which is getting worse, or prohibits abusive begging procedures, so we can’t tell these mothers not to go out and beg.”
What is included in the manual?
The directive allows mothers with children to spend their children in day care; The director explained that a system will be established where the children can be taken back to a convenient place and they can do various jobs that generate income.
What services do children receive while in foster care? What kind of things should be met? What kind of children come in here? He added that he will answer what they say and that the Justice Bureau has given a legal opinion and sent it to the Finance Bureau.
This is not only for the children who beg on the street, but also for those whose children are disabled and unable to work. For parents who stay at home with only their children; He explained that the guidelines have been prepared in such a way that it can embrace all those whose children are in prison (keeping them for a long time).
The director pointed out that the guidelines have been prepared while also thinking about the ways in which their parents can earn income if their children are in custody.
Is that why they steal the children to beg?
According to the information of the office, it is frequently heard that a child is missing and the reason for one of the children’s disappearance is to generate income.
For example, in the period of 2014/15, around 58 cases of child disappearance were registered, out of which it was stated that the children were stolen and used for income generation in two ways.
The first one is kidnapping a child and bargaining for money, and the second one is as we see now, we hear that they take the children in different ways and use them for begging.
He said the office is preparing a legal framework to address the problem.
Mr. Andualem Tafese, who is the director of children’s rights and welfare, pointed out that the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs is preparing to issue a decree that can prohibit (stop) this practice by law and that the draft has been completed.
The Director, who said that he thinks that this decree will bring great relief if it is implemented, mentioned that the office has prepared guidelines until the decree is implemented.


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Nintendo has released its latest financials today and with it given us a breakdown of worldwide sales of its current hardware lines.
Worldwide sales of the Wii now total 67 million. That splits across the different regions as follows:
The Americas: 32 million
Japan: 9.7 million
Europe and the rest: 25.7 million
The Americas: 45 million
Japan: 29.9 million
Europe and the rest: 50 million
Although those worldwide sales figures are impressive Nintendo isn’t doing so well with its financials. Sales are down 23.1% and net income has dropped almost 10%. Could that mean new hardware is needed and planned soon?
Read more at Kotaku
I think the DS has run its course now. Nintendo can’t get away with releasing yet another iteration of the same hardware. The company’s handheld line is in desperate need of an update with something more powerful and able to compete with whatever Sony has planned for the PSP 2.
As for the Wii, I think there are questions over its appeal to mainstream gamers and it also needs a makeover for HD output. What we don’t know is whether Nintendo will choose to refresh the hardware, or go right to the Wii 2. I’m hoping for a Wii 2, Motion Plus as standard on controllers, and a machine that at least equals the 360 in terms of performance. There also needs to be a better split between mainstream games and the casual market offerings.
When these two new sets of hardware will appear is unknown, but we’ve been told to expect the DS 2 by April 2011. I suspect a Wii follow-up will come sooner than that, but it may just be a hardware refresh with HD capabilities.


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P.O. Box 336
Hopedale, MA 01747
Project Smile is a non profit organization dedicated to helping children involved in traumatic situations. We donate stuffed animals, coloring books/crayons, small toys and reading books for police and fire fighters to give to children. Many of the children who receive our items were involved in car accidents, witnessed domestic violence, are sick/injured, are victims of child abuse or other crimes, or coping with the loss of a loved one.
Project Smile was founded in October 2003 and currently works with over 100 police and fire departments in New England.

domain: sociology


Samsung Galaxy J9 would be a phone of latest style and plan that comes in low cost. As we all understand Samsung Galaxy J7 was unleash within the year 2017, that bring several latest feature on board. Equally Samsung Galaxy J9 may be a phone which could follow the line-up of Samsung’s latest edge less displays. Here we’ve got some data regarding Samsung Galaxy J9.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Samsung’s 2019 mid range smartphone.
- When is it out? Probably in the middle of 2019.
- How much will it cost? Like the Samsung Galaxy J7, the Samsung Galaxy J9 will be around $176.59.
Samsung Galaxy J9 release date
Given the particular undeniable fact that Samsung merely launched the Samsung Galaxy J7 within middle of year 2017. It’ll be safe to say that Samsung Galaxy J9 could also be fairly expected to hit the market within the mid-year 2019. Predicting from Samsung’s launching strategy, we tend to tend to feel that Samsung Galaxy J9 would have all possibilities to hit the market within the middle of year 2019. Since 3 launches unfold across few months gap have to be compelled to be enough to remain Samsung trending for a year. Given enough time to the company to need feedback from the market and work on its next flagship model.
So can we are able to say that Samsung Galaxy J9 will unleash within the middle of 2019.
Samsung Galaxy J9 Specification & Features
As Samsung Galaxy J7 has 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos 7870 processor with the RAM of 3 GB, we might say that Samsung Galaxy J9 would have around 2 GHz octa-core processor with the 4 GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy J7 has 16 GB of internal storage which may be expandable up to 256 GB via micro SD card, equally Samsung Galaxy J9 would have 32 GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 256 GB via micro SD card.
As Samsung Galaxy J7 runs on android 7.0 Nougat and is supercharged by a large battery of 3600mAh. It implies that Samsung Galaxy J9 might have android 9.0 with the battery capability of up to 4000mAh.
Some Key Features
Processor: Latest octa-core Exynos Processor Android: Android Oreo 8.0
RAM: Upto 4GB Internal Storage: upto 32GB
Camera: Rear: Upto 13MP Front: Upto 13 MP
Samsung Galaxy J9 Price
Samsung has designed their J series as a mid-range smartphone, these phones are for their customers who didn’t need to spend a lot of amount on their smartphones.
As launch worth of Samsung Galaxy J7 is $176.59, thus we are able to say that expected worth of Samsung Galaxy J9 are going to be between &180 to $200.
Samsung Galaxy J9 detailed specifications
Detailed specitifications on Galaxy J9 which we have collected from many rumors and sources we have.
Galaxy J9 would have 4000 mAh battery capability that is removable. It might come in a pair of colours Black and Gold with the scale of 146.30 x 71.30 x 7.90.
This device would have 5.9 inches of display with the 1080×1920 pixels density.
This device can have a processor of frequency upto 2GHz octa-core. It might have Exynos Processor that is specially created by Samsung for their own smartphones. It’d have 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage that is expandable upto 256 GB.
It would have 16 megapixel auto primary camera which could have the standard of pros cameras. Its front facing camera would be upto 16 megapixel.
It would comes with Android 9.0.
Samsung Galaxy J9 would have twin sim feature. It’d have NFC and quick charging feature that comes in USB type C port with 4G LTE like its previous brothers. It’d have Super Amoled display board. Galaxy J9 can have Compass/ magnetometer, Proximity sensing element, measuring system sensor, ambient light sensing element, gyroscope sensing element, barometer sensing element and Temperature detector on board.
Samsung Galaxy J9 Concepts
All these info was collect from rumors and fans that is predicated on the actual fact of previous launches of Samsung Galaxy J series. Sometimes these rumors become true, as these all are supported the previous data and facts that Samsung tend to try and do throughout the launch of their new phones.
If you are a fan of Samsung then you would also enjoy this article: Samsung Galaxy J8 Smartphone | News, Release Date, Specs & Price. Also tell us in the comment section below about your thoughts and information about Samsung Galaxy J9.


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The recent string of gay pride support from companies like Oreo, Pop Tarts, Chevrolet and the like has inspired anti-gay individuals to suggest boycotting the companies. And in response, supporters of gay rights have taken this suggestion to its most absurd and amusing conclusion: those people should boycott all companies that support gay rights in order to be consistent, which includes Facebook where they first started these protests. The question arises, of course, as to whether political involvement by companies is ever appropriate. It goes without question that limitations on political support and funding from companies are justified. But merely taking a general political position such as supporting marriage equality or the like is distinct in the same way that churches can hold such positions, but not directly support or oppose political candidates, as I spoke about in “Where Religion and PoliticsShould Not Cross” This sort of qualification of the degree to which a corporation, like a church, can be involved in politics, which should fundamentally be done by the public, composed of individual private citizens, enables the political process to be as fair and objective as it can with so many voices coming together about the big problems, such as the economy and human rights. To outright prohibit that interaction of private groups in public affairs stifles what should be a free market of ideas. But there should be reasonable restrictions based on considerations of the relevance of those private groups to politics. Both church and corporation can have involvement, but economic prohibitions should apply as consistently as those on houses of worship And the involvement doesn’t mean that there is any attempt to force the issue on the buyers, but merely that the company’s ideals are in line with GLBT rights. One can still shop there without aligning politically with those beliefs. Economics and politics can be fundamentally separate in practice even if they can be lumped together in principle.
Any individual can personally disagree with something, but boycotting a company because they don’t share your views, especially on gay rights and such, is not only ridiculous in that the corporation is not forcing gay rights on you, but it’s also not going to change them unless you get a large enough group. Not that the group would be terribly large or have a huge affect on sales anyway. On the contrary, the evidence is pointing towards more and more people supporting gay rights. And if you really want to boycott all companies that support gay rights, with a bit of research, you’d find there are more companies that support GLBT than those who are more “traditional”, such as Chik Fil-et. And boycotting them as a supporter of gay rights isn’t solving the problem either, since they’re inevitably losing business anyway. A better solution is merely to not be a customer without formally boycotting them. At times, this sort of practice is more beneficial than making a large political statement, though as civil rights in the past were threatened, boycotting those establishments who were the most egregious in violating those rights sent the right message. Simply supporting “traditional” marriage is not the same as treating GLBT employees unfairly, which would be grounds for boycotting justly. While corporations shouldn’t really get into politics, especially when it comes to funding candidates and the like, stating that you stand for basic civil rights for minorities like GLBT is not bad as long as it doesn’t become intrusive. A policy of neutrality is prudent, but at the same time, it can be a business venture, but also reflective that corporations are not just focused on profits, but people as well, so it can work for both aspects.
The economic and entrepreneurial aspect focuses on the likelihood of expanding your demographics. It isn’t just the GLBT community that you’re appealing to, but those who support GLBT rights, which is fast becoming more and more acceptable to one degree or another. It makes perfect sense to state in commercials that you support gay rights. It isn’t necessarily breaching any unspoken ideas about whether companies should speak about these sorts of things. It’d be one thing for companies to start funneling in exorbitant amounts of money to radical gay rights groups (if there are any) in the same way if Chik Fil-et was funneling money to particularly mean anti-gay groups. But merely saying they offer their name in the quest for further advancing GLBT civil liberties isn’t excessive by any means. Just as other companies would have a right to make an advert saying they support the traditional family, it wouldn’t bother me. It just means they’re really hoping that the social conservatives are going to buy their stuff in lieu of many social liberals choosing not to. Either way, there’s a business risk, but that’s what you do in such situations; you gamble.
But companies are not just about advancing in the business world, but also existing in a world of people with feelings, with basic needs and a responsibility on the part of a corporation to not be greedy, but merely covetous of profit and efficiency. The notion of virtuous egotism seems contradictory with a common ethic in American culture rooted from Christianity, which is about selflessness and essentially sacrificing your ego for the advancement of a greater good. While this can be beneficial in a particular setting, it is not absolutely forbidden to be interested in one’s own good alongside being concerned for the welfare of others. One should not coddle or provide excessively for those in need, for this makes them complacent and not motivated to work for their own profits. With companies, this is a matter of moderation. Individuals can become greedy within a company, but that should be restricted as well with principles of self control and not seeking out money at the cost of those under you. The idea that they can be replaced or outsourced is not only callous, but can be considered fairly un-American in the sense of not granting jobs to those who are willing to take them in the very country your company exists. To not give those jobs to the skilled and those who even want to creates a sense of hopelessness and even could encourage the unmotivated to seek more government welfare to provide for them in lieu of gainful employment. In that sense, providing jobs and even being charitable are not signs of any sort of weakness or flawed economic logic, but simply a way everyone can benefit in some sense, though not equally, but within the means of each individual and group associated with them. Families, communities, companies, the interactions are sometimes unrecognized, but are as important as the predictions made for each quarter.
While the controversy of gay rights may eventually become a thing of the past and accepted by a majority of the world’s population, or at least the U.S.’s, corporations have their own responsibilities to consider in relation to minorities even as they progress to greater acceptance and tolerance in society. To help those less fortunate in charitable ways is a method that has been used for a fair amount of U.S. history, at least since the post Depression era. Advancing the cause of social justice by offering one’s influence and voice within the public sphere is another way. Just saying you support gays and will not turn them away is encouraging a tolerant and progressive America without giving special treatment. Keeping political involvement as a corporation to a minimum; that is, sticking to issues instead of candidates and in general instead of partisan terms, can allow a business to be encouraging of the political process, but also be considerate of the public citizens who are the true source of change in the country, not those with the greatest profits. Until next time, Namaste and aloha.

domain: politics


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2023 has been a great year for movie lovers so far! They have been treated to fantastic movies such as Barbie, Oppenheimer, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and a final Indiana Jones film. With all these beautiful releases, it’s safe to say that 2023 delivered when it came to cinema, and it’s not done yet! We still have four more months to go this year, and they, too, promise to deliver us highly anticipated blockbusters that will end the year with a bang!
September crowns the beginning of the autumn season. Whether your autumn vibes are pumpkin spice lattes and cosy jumpers or Halloween parties and scary movies, the most anticipated movies this September aims to deliver just like its seniors! There are a couple of most anticipated movies this September that we are very excited to tell you about. So open your calendars and mark the dates for the September movies you’re looking forward to the most!
Most Anticipated Movies This September
This September, we will get a collection of movies that mostly fit all genres and preferences. If you are looking for an action film, we’ve got you! A romantic comedy with a touch of nostalgia? We’ve also got you! A horror film that can leave you shaking? We’ve got you! A biography that is also a comedy? Got it! An Agatha Christie mystery that will keep you on the tip of your seat? Done and done!
The most anticipated movies this September are here to please, so let’s dive right in!
The Nun II
Release date: 8 September 2023
Director: Michael Chaves
Cast: Storm Reid, Taissa Farmiga, and Anna Popplewell
The Conjuring film franchise is probably one of the most successful movie franchises in history. With eight highly successful and loved films under its belt, this franchise rules the horror movies world with a fist of iron. This year, the franchise is adding another movie to its collection with one of the most anticipated movies this September: The Nun II.
The Nun II is set four years after the chilling events of the 2018’s movie. The Nun films take place years before the events of The Conjuring. They follow Sister Irene, a nun who is on the hunt for demonic activities. The Nun II will see Sister Irene continue her hunt for demons and especially the demon Valak, at a boarding school in the French countryside. This time, she is assisted by new characters, including one played by Euphoria’s Storm Reid.
Horror fans everywhere are looking forward to this highly anticipated movie! If you are not one to spook easily, you would want to mark your calendar for The Nun II coming this September.
Release date: 29 September 2023
Director: Kevin Greutert
Cast: Tobin Bill, Shawnee Smith, and Synnove Macody Lund
One more for the horror fans! Horror film franchises never lose their spark because, apparently, people are always in for a bit of grotesque violence (just kidding!). With this in mind, the highly successful horror film franchise Saw is coming out with its tenth film: Saw X—another addition to our list of most anticipated movies this September.
Saw isn’t a big fan of the chronological order of events, as Saw X takes place right after Saw and before the events of Saw II. The film follows the infamous serial killer John Kramer aka Jigsaw, as he travels to Mexico looking for a miracle cure for his cancer. Arriving in Mexico, he finds out he has been scammed, and now the scammers must pay the price! You will almost feel bad for them if they are not scamming already vulnerable people, right?
Considering we are not even in the Halloween season yet, September is treating horror fans really well, with two of the most anticipated movies this September being horror! If you don’t mind some twisted sick games, then mark your calendars for 29 September to go see Saw X in theatres.
Release date: 22 September 2023
Director: Scott Waugh
Cast: Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, 50 Cent and Maghan Fox
Action fans, assemble! The ultimate action franchise is returning this September with its fourth instalment, The Expendables 4 or, as they style it, The Expend4bles. Starring some of the best action stars in the business, including Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone, The Expandables is set to make a robust R-rated comeback to return to the fans’ good graces after the poorly received PG-13-rated third film.
In this fourth movie, The Expendables are trying to stop an arms dealer from igniting a deadly war between Russia and the US—just your typical everyday mission for a team of deadly action junkies. The new thing in this movie, though, is that Stallone is saying goodbye to his character Barney Ross. Stallone will have a minimal role in the highly anticipated film as he passes the baton to Jason Statham to lead The Expandable.
If you are a fan of big explosions, exciting car chases and missions to save the world from a deadly war, then The Expend4bles is the movie you’re waiting for! As one of the most anticipated movies this September, expect the cinema to be packed when it comes out!
Release date: 29 September 2023
Director: Gareth Edwards
Cast: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, and Ken Watanabe
September is a stock full of sequels to already established film franchises, so we are genuinely excited for John David Washington’s The Creator, the only original film this month! If that is not enough to get you hyped, then know that it is also an action film that deals with a threat we’re starting to face in real life: Artificial Intelligence.
The Creator is an original story written by Edwards and Chris Weitz about a group of ex-special forces agents who are recruited to hunt down the creator of a hazardous weapon. Set in the future where the human race is at war with AI, a person (aka The Creator) has invented a weapon that can end all war, but unfortunately, it will also end humanity along the way. So now, humankind must save itself from its own creation.
It has been a while since we had an action film that is not a sequel or a prequel to a previous movie. We have very high hopes for The Creator, especially with such an excellent cast. As one of our most anticipated movies this September, expect to see us front row when it comes out on 29 September 2023. Mark your calendars!
A Haunting in Venice
Release date: 15 September 2023
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Tina Fey, and Jamie Dornan
We know some of you are already in the mood for some Halloween thrillers, and September is presenting you with Agatha Christie’s adaptation to satisfy all your needs! A Haunting is Venice, a sequel to 2021’s Death on the Nile, is coming to theatres near you with a new thrilling mystery to solve.
Based on Agatha Christie’s story, A Haunting in Venice follows retired detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates a murder that occurred during a Séance (a paranormal communication with spirits) he was attending. If you’re not one to get easily spooked by ghost stories, then A Haunting in Venice is a movie you do not want to miss.
A Haunting in Venice is one of our most anticipated movies this September (we love a good ghost story!), so make sure you watch the movie when it comes out in mid-September.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Release date: Nia Vardalos
Director: 8 September 2023
Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbet, and Louise Manylor
Pack your bags, your sunglasses, your swimsuit and your straw hat because we’re going back to marvellous Greece! My Big Fat Greek Wedding is returning with a third film this September. So if you’re looking for an excellent rom-com movie that takes place in one of the most beautiful tourist cities in the world, you’ve come to the right place!
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is a sequel to the previous two films in the franchise. It follows the Portokalos family returning to gorgeous Athens for a family reunion. After the tragic death of Gus (Michael Constantine, the actor who played Gus, died in 2021), the family is due for some quality time under the Greek sun.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 will be a great way to say goodbye to the summer season and all the beautiful memories we created. It is one of our most anticipated movies this September because we are suckers for a good rom-com and a bit of nostalgia.
Release date: 15 September 2023
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, and America Ferrara
Do you understand how the stock market works? No? Neither do we! But will that stop us from eagerly waiting for the biographical comedy about a group of Reddit users who played the game and almost won? No, it will not! Get ready to dive into the world of stocks and Reddit users with the September release of Dumb Money!
Dumb Money is a biographical comedy film based on actual events. In 2021, a group of amateur investors who met on a subReddit succeeded in putting a short squeeze on at least two hedge funds who bet on the fall of their beloved Gamestop. Dumb Money is the story of how these nerds could play the Wall Street Game and win (kind of)!
Dumb Money, starring an ensemble of comedy geniuses, will premiere during this year’s Toronto Film Festival and then get a limited release on 15 September 2023. Take a group of friends (preferably nerdy ones) and make sure to catch one of the most anticipated movies this September when it’s out in cinemas.
With that, we end our most anticipated movies this September list and hope you found something to look forward to as well! Many other movies are coming out this September that we haven’t mentioned, such as The Equalizers and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (your children might love that one!), but we had to keep it as brief as possible. Enjoy the cinema next month, and look forward to our October list!


Equity and Access
(951) 571-7500 Ext. 17225
The Equity and Access Department works to provide needed fiscal support to school sites primarily through the use of Title I and other federal funds. The funding supports student academic and behavioral interventions. The district receives approximately $12 million dollars in federal funding. Funding is used to provide additional counseling support, behavior intervention support, intervention teachers, tutoring services, instructional assistants, academic administrators, support for homeless and foster students and parent engagement activities. Parent engagement is an important component of Equity and Access.
A focus for the department is engaging African American parents. The African American Parent Involvement Specialist works to support African American parents in a variety of ways including monthly meetings, Black History Events and supporting school site African American Parent Advisory Councils (AAPACs). In addition to supporting African American students and community, Equity and Access strives to create a community which embraces diversity and inclusion by promoting culturally proficient pedagogy and multicultural events throughout the year.
The department also provides services and support in the following areas:


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311 WHITE DEER DR, Breezewood, Pennsylvania
311 WHITE DEER DR, Breezewood, Pennsylvania 15533 - Located in Breeze Mont Park, secluded and borders Buchanan State Park. Ideal for outdoor recreational uses. Electric available already. This is lot #18. Mailbox identifying address of 311 on the property. Sold as is.
View Virtual Tour
Listing Courtesy of RE/MAX of Gettysburg


Hot-off her two iHeart Radio Music Award wins for Best New Artist and Best Hip-Hop Artist, CARDI B preps the release of her debut Disc INVASION OF PRIVACY. The record-setting Rapper topped charts for three straight weeks with her smash hit Bodak Yellow, making her the first female Rapper in two decades to accomplish a #1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 Chart.
Check-out this new Track from the Disc, DRIP ft. Migos:
Check-out DRIP now also here.
Warner Music Canada release INVASION OF PRIVACY Friday, April 6, 2018.
(Photo/video credit: Warner Music)
For advertising opportunites please contact firstname.lastname@example.org


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Restaurant Schloss Laufen
Schloss Laufen towers on a rock overlooking the largest waterfall in Europe. In addition to an abundance of history and a breathtaking view, it is also home to Schloss Laufen restaurant.
Rhine FallsLaufen CastleSophisticated cuisine
In the historical Schloss Laufen, high above the Rhine Falls, guests can indulge in outstanding gastronomy. The light lunches and exclusive, creative evening meals are prepared using fresh, seasonal products from the region. One special highlight is the taster menu, where guests can choose between three and five courses accompanied by a matching wine.
The Restaurant Schloss Laufen is also perfect for unforgettable events: whether romantic weddings, intimate family celebrations, or business seminars, the rooms, unique surroundings and view, service, and first-class cuisine make every occasion a resounding success.
April to October:
Daily 11.30am – 11.30pm
November to March:
Wednesday to Saturday, 11.30am – 11.30pm
Sunday 11.30am – 6.00pm

domain: travel


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In today’s job market and economy, many workers face relocation. In fact, the average employee changes jobs around 10 to 15 times over the course of their professional life. Companies are also likely to move experienced workers around to fill hiring needs or train workers at a new location. Whether you’re relocating to find better
You Inherited a House. Now What? At first, it may seem like an unqualified blessing to inherit a house, especially if it is one with which you associate many happy memories. Unfortunately, more often than not, strained familial relationships and unpleasant emotions get stirred up once you inherit the family home and try to figure
Having to move to a new city for a new job can be one of the most exciting as well as stressful times in your life. If you are a homeowner the big question becomes, “What am I going to do with my old home? There are a few options you have available to you.


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The daughter of madman actor Klaus Kinski says he raped her repeatedly throughout her youth and showed not a shred of remorse, Der Spiegel reports. Pola Kinski, now 60, says the star of Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre, the Wrath of God "flouted everything—even the fact that I often resisted and said, 'I don't want to.' He didn't care. He simply took what he wanted." The BBC reports that she describes herself as "his little sex object" from ages 5 to 19. "The terrible thing is that he once told me that it was completely natural, that fathers all over the world did that with their daughters."
Pola's sister Nastassja Kinski said she is "deeply shocked" by her sister's story: "My sister is a heroine, because she has freed her heart, her soul and also her future from the weight of the secret." But an op-ed piece in Der Spiegel argues that Klaus Kinski's "alleged depravity" has only authenticated the "evil that he oozed on the silver screen." Writes Arno Frank: "They were also trips into the soul of his tortured lead actor—and that is what gave his works such power." Pola Kinski, also an actor, made the revelations in advance of her upcoming memoir Kindermund, or Child's Mouth. Her father died in 1991, at age 65, of a heart attack. (Read more Klaus Kinski stories.)

domain: celebrity


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Feather Brooch on Bronze with Cartridge Casing
This hand made feather brooch is made with pheasant,woodcock and peacock feathers in a brass cartridge casing set on a bronze coloured brooch back. It has a brooch pin fastener on the back and can be worn as a brooch or hat pin. Approximate length 4 inches. Each of our brooches is unique, we can try and make similar but of course no two are the same! If you have specific requirements e.g for a wedding or special occasion we offer a bespoke service. Please email us with your requirements.

domain: design


Wembley will be Tottenham’s new ‘home’
Tottenham Hotspur are expected to announce today that they will play their Champions League matches at Wembley next season and use the national stadium as a temporary home while White Hart Lane is rebuilt in the following campaign.
The overall deal could be worth more than £25 million to the FA if Tottenham progress beyond the group stage of Europe’s leading club competition next season.
There is nothing in the contract to prevent Chelsea from also using the venue in 2017-18, but the west London club may not be ready to redevelop their ground in time as they may only receive planning permission for their proposed redevelopment of Stamford Bridge this summer.
Tottenham will use Wembley for Champions League games next season as about 4,000


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TropiClean Enticers Teeth Cleaning Gel Refill Pack for the KONG Dental Ball includes three delicious flavours to try with your KONG Dental Ball.
Pack includes the following flavours: Hickory Smoked Bacon, Peanut Butter & Honey, and Smoked Beef Brisket.
Each dose of gel helps remove 99.9% of harmful bacteria in the mouth and helps remove plaque and tartar.
Teeth Cleaning Gel is made with 99.1% of naturally derived ingredients.
Features & Benefits
• Use with KONG Dental Ball - Gel refills intended for use with KONG Dental Ball.
• Three flavours Included - Pack contains (3) 15mL tubes of: Hickory Smoked Bacon Flavour, Peanut Butter & Honey Flavour, and Smoked Beef Brisket Flavour.
• Delectable dental care - A dose a day of Enticers Teeth Cleaning Gel will satisfy your dog's natural cravings and leave their teeth sparkling clean.
• Clean teeth guaranteed - Gel helps eliminate 99.9% of the root cause of plaque and bad breath.
• Flavours dogs love - Gels are 3x more appetising to dogs than competing oral care gels.
• Enticingly easy - No brushing is required as the gel will naturally coat all surfaces of the teeth when dogs taste the lip-smacking goodness.
• Feel-good ingredients - TropiClean Enticers are made with naturally derived ingredients, so you can trust your pet is receiving the highest quality oral care.
• Pet parent approved - Gel is free from sulfates, parabens, dyes, and artificial colours, and is cruelty-free. Packaging is recyclable.
Directions: Place the tip of Enticers Teeth Cleaning Gel tube against the centre of the blue gel pod & gently squeeze while applying pressure, filling KONG ball pod(s) daily. Supervised use only.
Storage: Store out of reach of children and pets, near room temperature (16-27°C) for best product performance. Avoid freezing. Avoid storing above 38°C. Store in a closed container.

domain: pet


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Thursday, April 11, 2019 | 2 a.m.
The fight over whether financial advisers should have to give honest advice in a customer’s best interest continues, with industry lobbyists urging states not to adopt financial disclosure requirements of their own but instead deferring to standards being developed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
With national consumer groups deeply skeptical about the SEC’s proposed regulations, the outcome stands to be significant for residents of Nevada and other states that are considering their own requirements.
Testifying before a House subcommittee, Barbara Roper, director of investor protection for the Consumer Federation of America, explained her concerns. Although the SEC’s rules are titled “Regulation Best Interest,” Roper explained that the draft regulation does “not create an unambiguous obligation for brokers to do what is best for their customers.” Instead, the regulation allows financial services companies to mostly do what they want so long as they disclose in some relatively obscure documents that they may act against their customer’s interests in certain circumstances.
Customers hearing terms like “best interest” may not understand that they’ll need to read the fine print to see when a financial services firm will deviate from that expectation.
Consider the recent $125 million settlement the SEC extracted from many Wall Street firms because clients “were steered into higher-cost mutual funds without being clearly told about cheaper versions.” In the SEC’s view, clients will be on “fair” notice about these practices so long as these firms put something in their fine print.
Resolving similar issues, the SEC extracted a $260 million-plus settlement from JP Morgan for failing “to disclose that they preferred to invest client money in firm-managed mutual funds and hedge funds.”
Frustrated with federal inaction and the failure of the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule, states have begun to move ahead to tackle conflicted financial advice on their own.
Nevada moved first in 2017 when the Legislature imposed a fiduciary duty on stockbrokers operating in the state. Now that the draft regulations have emerged, industry members have begun making the usual threats and working to keep other states from following Nevada’s lead.
At its core, the fight hinges on how we tell people how the world works. Industry prefers the status quo, where a small-print disclosure reveals that conflicts may exist and an adviser may receive compensation from the issuer when their customers invest.
Paperwork, often delivered at or after the sale, may enable more sophisticated investors to calculate what they actually paid.
Unsurprisingly, the current approach effectively leaves investors in the dark. One recent study found that about half of investors in their 60s and 70s either don’t know what they pay for financial advice or wrongly assume that it’s free.
Nevada’s draft regulations would fix this problem. Consider a pitch from a financial adviser about to reap a fat 7 percent commission for convincing an investor to put $100,000 into a variable annuity. Under Nevada’s draft regulations, the adviser must actually tell the investor that the adviser has 7,000 reasons to tilt the investor toward that decision.
Predictably, industry members have pulled out the stops to stop reform. Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade even threatened to stop offering brokerage services in Nevada if regulators don’t give them the changes they demand.
Regulators should not fear these threats to stop foisting overly complex, high-fee products on customers.
One study found that particular structured equity products Morgan Stanley marketed and sold to customers were so “overpriced at their initial offerings that they have expected returns less than the riskless rate.” It also found that certain complex products were consistent with the theory that banks designed them “to exploit investors’ misunderstandings of financial markets.”
If these brokerage operations just stops giving advice to people, many investors might be better off.
One audit study sent investors with well-diversified, low-fee portfolios in to meet with commission-compensated stockbrokers. The auditors walked out with portfolios tilted toward actively managed funds charging higher fees.
Another study looked at whether investors would be better off without the assistance of brokers in selecting retirement funds. It also found that “broker recommendations lead to higher annual fees” and “lower risk-adjusted returns.”
To be sure, investor protections should not be so extensive that investors cannot afford high-quality financial advice.
Although Nevada’s draft regulations may make it more difficult for particular players to operate, that does not mean investors will not be able to get decent advice. New financial technology firms make it easier every day for companies to deliver quality advice at a low cost.
Benjamin Edwards is an associate professor of law at the Boyd School of Law at UNLV.


Weathervanes & Cupolas
Cupolas can be custom designed for that finishing touch on your building. Standard sizes from 24”, 36”, to 48”. Larger sizes are available if needs require. Cupolas can be color matched to your building. Custom designs built with Azek “no rot composite” materials are also available as well.
Weathervanes can be affected by wind and storms if not installed properly. Many installed weathervanes will become crooked over time. Most builders, including our competition, fasten the weathervane to the top of the cupola on a base. During wind this base and the top of the cupola will rack or twist slightly, compromising the vertical position of the weathervane, resulting in a “leaning” weathervane. Be observant, look at weathervanes!
We choose to install our weathervanes on a solid rod, which extends through the top of the cupola and is fastened inside. We have proven this method to be trouble free, which holds up very well under extreme wind and stormy conditions. All Tri-State Buildings, LLC weathervanes are high quality copper, and are standard with our cupola / weathervane system.Build With Us »