WASHINGTON – Unflinching on a critical first test, Senate Democrats closed ranks Thursday behind $460 billion in politically risky Medicare cuts at the heart of health care legislation, thwarting a Republican attempt to doom President Barack Obama’s sweeping overhaul.
The bid by the bill’s critics to reverse cuts to the popular Medicare program failed on a vote of 58-42, drawing the support of two Democratic defectors. Approval would have stripped out money needed to pay for expanding coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans.
The broader legislation aims to extend health coverage to 31 million who now lack it, while barring insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions. Though the overhaul is estimated to cost about $1 trillion over a decade, the Congressional Budget Office has said it would cut federal deficits by $130 billion over that period, and probably reduce them further in the 10 years beyond that.
“Our bill does nothing to reduce guaranteed Medicare benefits,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., as several fellow Democrats accused Republican critics of making false claims of potential harm during three days of debate.
The AARP supported the 10-year package of cuts in projected spending, giving Democrats political cover for their decision to pare back subsidies to private Medicare plans as well as payments to hospitals, hospices, home health agencies and other providers.
Republicans disagreed vigorously. “Medicare is already in trouble. The program needs to be fixed, not raided to create another new government program,” said the party’s leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
The Medicare vote came not long after the Senate backed a guarantee for all insured women age 40 and older to receive mammograms with no out-of-pocket costs. The breast cancer screening test would be included in an array of preventive measures that insurance plans would be required to cover. The proposal cleared on a near party-line vote of 61-39, one more than the 60 needed for passage. It essentially wiped out a federal advisory committee recommendation to defer routine mammograms until women reach the age of 50.
The day’s votes were the first since the Senate’s health care debate began on Monday, and demonstrated the ability of Democrats to move ahead in the face of implacable Republican opposition.
At the same time, Democrats worked in private meetings to settle controversies within the party that are still standing in the way of the bill’s passage. The most contentious of these involves proposals for the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies, an approach supported by liberals but opposed by most Democratic moderates and conservatives.
“Our caucus is now in the process of negotiating with ourselves because we need all 60 of us to get this done,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., after one closed-door meeting. Senate procedures require 60 votes to overcome Republican delaying tactics designed to kill the bill.
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he expected all such issues to be worked out soon, but he did not specify precisely when.
For the time being, that left the two parties free to engage in an intensely political debate on health care, an issue that is certain to play a role in next year’s midterm elections.
Unwilling to allow Republican charges on Medicare to go unanswered, Democrats responded with an alternative that stated no guaranteed benefits would be cut from the program and its finances would be strengthened.
The lead proponent of that provision was Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who was appointed to his seat earlier in the year and faces a difficult campaign in 2010. “This is a message amendment,” his office informed fellow Democrats in an e-mail unintended for publication, indicating its purpose was political. “The Senate bill already does these things and this amendment makes these facts absolutely clear and succinct.” It passed 100-0.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama’s Republican opponent in last year’s presidential race, laid bare the political nature of the debate by making a recording to be telephoned automatically to thousands of voters in states represented by Democrats, urging the deletion of the Medicare cuts. The calls were paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and took aim at Bennet as well as Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, who is seeking a new term next year, and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
In the end, Nelson and Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia were the only Democrats to support McCain’s proposal.
On the other side, Republicans would not allow the Democrats to go unchallenged on women’s health with a proposal long backed by Sen. Barbara Mikulski requiring the government to develop a list of tests to be covered at no additional cost to the patient.
On Wednesday, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., made it explicit that mammograms would be covered for women at age 40.
More broadly, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, backed an alternative that gave GOP senators opposed to the Democratic proposal a measure they could support. It urged the insurance industry to consult with medical experts in deciding what preventive tests to provide. But it provided no government guarantee that any would be required, and did not rule out co-pays for patients undergoing the procedures.
It failed on a vote of 59-41 with Nelson siding with the Republicans.
Political philosophy played a hidden role in the struggle over women’s health. Republicans have accused Democrats for months of supporting a federal takeover of health care. Murkowski quietly shelved an earlier draft of her amendment that would have given the government authority to require additional preventive tests and raised the cost of the bill by $30 billion over a decade. One Republican said conservatives objected, forcing the switch.
Overall, the $1 trillion legislation would require most Americans to purchase insurance and provide federal subsidies to lower and middle income individuals and families to defray the cost. Businesses would not be required to provide coverage to their employees, but large firms would face a penalty if they did not and if any of their workers received federal subsidies.
Consumers would be allowed to shop for insurance in a new marketplace in which companies would compete for business by selling policies that provide benefits according to standards established by the federal government.
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SAVE Project strives to spread awareness about domestic violencePublished 11:00pm Monday, October 1, 2012
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Troy University’s S.A.V.E. Project will be working throughout the month to spread awareness about the issue.
“Domestic Violence is often called a silent epidemic since many victims don’t talk about or report the abuse,” said Jenny Duncan, assistant coordinator and counselor for the S.A.V.E. Project. “One of the SAVE Project’s main goals is to give those victims a voice and help break that silence. Students can help with this effort by showing their support and participating in these, as well as other Domestic Violence Awareness events on campus throughout the month.”
S.A.V.E. (Sexual Assault and Violence Education) will pass out purple bracelets on campus on Oct. 1 and 2 and the group is asking those who pick one up to wear it throughout the month. Purple is the official color of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The group is also hosting “The Clothesline Project” on Oct. 17 from 10 a.m .to 2 p.m. on the Bibb Graves Quad. The project will allow the campus community to recognize those who have been affected by domestic violence by decorating a T-shirt in their honor. T-shirts will be hung on a clothesline to serve as a visual reminder and a way to promote healing. Shirts and decorating supplies will be provided.
The Sexual Assault and Violence Education (SAVE) Project is a grant-funded program at Troy University that provides support, counseling, advocacy and outreach services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Funding for the S.A.V.E. Project is provided to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs from the Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice, Violence Against Women grant program.

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Congressman Gianforte Votes to Forever Diminish the Bob Marshall, Absaroka-Beartooth, and Other Wilderness Areas
Today he voted for a bill that dramatically changes the Wilderness Act
Congressman Gianforte turned his back on Montana's time-honored backcountry values and traditions and on the places we hold so dear.
Senator Daines Is Sabotaging Our Wild Legacy
Today he introduced a bill stripping protection from a half-million acres of Montana's wildest, most pristine public lands
If this bill were to pass, it would represent the single biggest loss of protected public lands in our state’s history.
Sen. Daines Ready to Sacrifice Our Wild Heritage
In exchange for saving Yellowstone gateway from disaster, he wants protection of our wildest places abolished
Sen. Daines is demanding Montana’s wild legacy as ransom for doing what thousands of Montanans have asked him to do – to support this mineral withdrawal and protect the economy of the Yellowstone gateway.
Anti-Wilderness Bill Again Rears Its Ugly Head
SHARE Act would allow roads in the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, Absaroka-Beartooth, and other wilderness areas
This week, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on a bill that would allow any government entity to build roads and allow motorized vehicles on American public lands currently protected as Wilderness areas.
Breaking the Agency’s Back
Lands transfer appears to be endgame of president's jaw-dropping proposed 84% cut to Forest Service trail budget
Make no mistake, this budget places the 100-plus-year legacy of the Forest Service on the chopping block while the agency’s own hands are tied behind its back.
Trump signed an executive order today that imperils national monuments and could cripple our public lands heritage
Today, 77% Montanans support our designated national monuments. Nevertheless, President Trump ordered Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to review national monuments larger than 100,000 acres that were designated after 1996.

domain: geography


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Book Description HTML
The only guidebook in the world that provides you with an insight into what actually is sexually wrong within you - mentally, physically and spiritually and how to get cure for it. This book may not have those glossy erotic pictures, but I can assure you, this book has what you are looking for. Getting back that sexual desire or power, you lost some years ago. In a matter of fact, it deals with most sexual problems in the modern times due to stress, distress and unhealthy lifestyle. Most books and remedies are there to mislead you into believing which may not be true.

domain: library


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The Choirs of the Cathedral of St. Philip proudly present Choirs Uncorked! Join us Friday, September 8, as we hang up our cassocks and let our hair down to show a side of ourselves not seen on a normal Sunday morning. We will be showcasing many styles from 42nd Street to the Met. This musical feast will also include snacks and beverages for your enjoyment. We will also have a silent auction with treasures from the vaults of some of our finest parishioners. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for the silent auction, and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. All proceeds from the evening will go to fund the choir's next pilgrimage to England in 2024 to St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, and York Minster. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you there!
General Admission: $40
VIP Table of 8: $450 (includes preferred seating, available online only)
Reserved Table of 8: $400 (includes reserved seating only, available online only)
This concert is a fundraiser, so if you can’t make it but would like to contribute, you can donate to the choir pilgrimage here or send your donation to the Cathedral c/o the Music Office. You can also donate items for the silent auction; some highly sought-after items include vacation home rental, theater tickets, airline miles, artwork, gift certificates, collectibles, service vouchers, antiques, etc. Items can be dropped off Sundays between services (10 a.m. -11:10 a.m.) in the Atrium, or during the week at the Security Desk, also in the Atrium. For more information, please call the music office at 404-365-1050.

domain: artistic


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Q1 brings further gains in air traffic, with passengers up 7.6%8 May 2018
Brussels - European airport trade body, ACI EUROPE today released its air traffic report for March and Q1. The report is the only air transport report which includes all types of civil aviation passenger flights: full service, low cost and charter. It reveals that during the first quarter of this year, passenger traffic at Europe’s airports grew by an average +7.6%.
NON-EU AIRPORTS OUTPERFORMING
Passenger traffic in the Non-EU market significantly outperformed the European average during Q1 - at +12.9%. This was mainly driven by rapidly increasing volumes at airports in Turkey, Ukraine, Israel, Georgia and Iceland – and to lesser extent in Russia, Moldova and Belarus.
Apart from Istanbul-Atatürk (see below), the highest increases in passenger traffic were notably achieved by Ankara (+41.3%), Tbilisi (+37%), Tel Aviv (+19.5%), Istanbul-Sabiha Gocken (+18.5%), Antalya (+16.7%), Kiev (+15.3%), Izmir (+15.1%) and Keflavik (+14.3%).
EU AIRPORTS STILL REPORTING ROBUST GROWTH
Meanwhile, the EU market maintained a dynamic growth trajectory with passenger traffic increasing by +6.2% during Q1. Some 14 EU national markets recorded double-digit growth - mostly in the Eastern and Southern parts of the bloc, along with Finland and Luxembourg.
Accordingly, the following capital airports posted significant results: Malta (+19.4%), Riga (+19.4%), Luxembourg (+18.8%), Bratislava (+18.6%), Vilnius (+17.1%), Budapest (+16.9%), Lisbon (+15.8%), Warsaw (+14.7%), Ljubljana (+14.2%), Zagreb (+13.8%), Larnaca (+12.8%), Helsinki (+12.3%) and Prague (+12.4%).
Conversely, passenger traffic at UK, German, Danish and Swedish airports grew at the slowest pace – in large part reflecting the impact of the bankruptcies of Monarch and Air Berlin and/or limited economic growth.
MAJORS & REGIONALS
Passenger traffic at the Majors (top 5 European airports) grew by an impressive +9.6% during Q1.
Istanbul-Atatürk led the league with passenger growth of +21.5%. This propelled the Turkish hub from the 5th to the 3rd position of the busiest European airports (compared to full year 2017) - snapping at the heels of Paris-CDG (+4.6%). Frankfurt (now in 5th position) grew by +10% on the back of both low cost carrier (LCC) expansion and a strong hub airline, while Amsterdam-Schiphol (4th position) expanded by +8.2%. London-Heathrow’s remained in the top position, but continued to grow at the slowest pace (+3.1%) due to capacity constraints.
Many regional airports achieved particularly impressive growth – often capitalising on their off-season potential as leisure destinations and yielding the results of proactive route development & marketing. These included: Varna (+90.8%), Naples (+46.1%), Heraklion (+41.2%), Sevilla (+30%), Valencia (+28.3%), Ibiza (+24.6%) Dubrovnik (+23.8%), Olbia (+23.8%), Krakow (+20.9%), Palermo (+20.4%), Nantes (+18.6%), Strasbourg (+16.2%), and Brindisi (+14.6%).
Freight traffic during Q1 was up +4.5%, while Aircraft movements (an indicator of new airline capacity in the market) were up +3.7%.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE said “The momentum for continued passenger traffic growth is holding on. While economic growth is set to remain strong in Europe this year, its pace should moderate somehow – with slower freight traffic appearing to give credence
to that. For now, the most significant downside risks for air traffic are coming from rising oil prices, trade disputes and Brexit.”
During Q1, airports welcoming more than 25 million passengers per year (Group 1), airports welcoming between 10 and 25 million passengers (Group 2), airports welcoming between 5 and 10 million passengers (Group
3) and airports welcoming less than 5 million passengers per year (Group 4) reported an average adjustment +7.1%, +7.7%, +9.2% and +8.3%.
The airports that reported the highest increases in passenger traffic are as follows:
GROUP 1: Istanbul IST (+21.5%), Istanbul SAW (+18.5%), Antalya (+16.5%), Lisbon (+15.8%) and Moscow SVO (+11.9%)
GROUP 2: Ankara (+41.3%), Tel Aviv (+19.5%), Budapest (16.9%), Kiev (+15.3%) and Izmir (+15.1%)
GROUP 3: Naples (+46.1%), Heraklion (+41.2%), Sevilla (+30%), Valencia (+28.3%), Ibiza (+24.6%)
GROUP 4: Varna (+90.8%), Batumi (+55.1%), Lublin (+54.1%), Craiova (+52.5%) and Kefallinia (+43.3%)
During the month of March, average passenger growth was +8.9% - benefitting from the Easter break starting at the end of the month rather than in April. EU airports grew by +7.9% and non-EU ones by +12%.
Freight traffic reported an increase of +1.1% - the slowest gain in 2 years. Aircraft movements were up +3.5%.
Airports welcoming more than 25 million passengers per year (Group 1), airports welcoming between 10 and 25 million passengers (Group 2), airports welcoming between 5 and 10 million passengers (Group 3) and airports welcoming less than 5 million passengers per year (Group 4) reported an average adjustment +8.5%, +9.3%, +10.3% and +7.7%.
For March, the airports which reported the highest increases in passenger traffic are as follows:
GROUP 1: Antalya (+23.8%), Istanbul IST & Lisbon (+17.2%), Istanbul SAW (+14.6%), Palma De Mallorca (+14.7%) and Moscow SVO (+13.4%)
GROUP 2: Ankara (+37.5%), Tel Aviv (+23.7%), Kiev (+21.1%), Budapest (+17.8%) and Porto (+15.4%)
GROUP 3: Heraklion (+52.9%), Naples (+45.4%), Ibiza (+33.2%), Valencia (+28.7%) and Nantes (+26.8%)
GROUP 4: Kefallinia (+95.5%), Varna (+90.1%), Lublin (+61.9%), Split (+58%) and Caen (+49.1%)
The 'ACI EUROPE Airport Traffic Report – March & Q1 2018’ includes 238 airports in total representing more than 88% of European air passenger traffic.


Do Cry for Me Argentina
We had already waited almost two hours along the Avenida de Mayo in Buenos Aires for the Gay Pride march, La Marcha, to start. Our little multinational group—a gay Brazilian, a German lesbian, an Australian lesbian and I (a gay American)—had managed to keep ourselves entertained by drinking giant cans of beer and watching the colorful characters pass through the crowd like human confetti. To our left, a trio of super-glam drag queens in mile-high wigs approached, but was stopped every few feet to pose for photos. A couple holding hands passed by and seemed to be dressed either as a strip of bacon and a mouth or, more likely, a tongue and a vagina. Before I could figure it out, though, a hot pink roller derby team zipped by and sent my gaze off in an entirely new direction.
Having polished off our last beers, we all agreed that La Marcha probably wouldn’t happen any time soon, and even if it did, that night was our first chance to make up for some missed opportunities from earlier in the trip. We couldn’t even get a Gay Pride parade to work for us. It was starting to seem as if our big gay trip was being repressed.
Tamales, humitas and empanadas
The previous week had been spent exploring Jujuy (pronounced “hoo-hwee”) and Salta, two provinces bordering Chile that are good nature-lover’s side trips. Argentina’s northwesternmost province and an increasingly popular tourist destination, Jujuy (Turismo.Jujuy.gov.ar) is well-known for its mix of stunning landscapes, unique natural landmarks, and well-preserved ruins. San Salvador de Jujuy, the capital of the province and home to about 230,000 residents, is a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires and serves as an ideal starting point for exploration, whether you plan to explore by rental car, as part of an organized bus tour, or with a private guide.
Clay pottery in a shop at Paseo de los Artesanos in San Salvador de Jujuy
While in town, get a great introduction to regional cuisine at Restaurante Viracocha (Barrio Centro, 388-423-3554), a favorite among locals and out-of-towners alike. If you are feeling adventurous, order the picante de llama, a spicy dish of llama piled over a generous mound of rice and potatoes. Llama meat has a taste and texture similar to pot roast, so even the not-so-adventurous need not fear it.
La Comarca (LaComarcaHotel.com.ar), located just a short walk from town, offers guests a bathwater-warm heated pool and a great on-property restaurant featuring local wines and cuisine. Designed as a hamlet of small casas, cabañas, and lodge buildings made of local materials like cactus, poplar, clay, and stone, the property seamlessly blends in with the colorful hills around it.
Located about 80 miles from Purmamarca, the Salinas Grandes, massive salt flats, are an incredible, awe-inspiring sight; the dazzling white landscape seems to stretch to infinity. I was glad to have brought sunglasses because the glare is intense. However, even repeated slatherings of SPF 55 sunscreen did little to stave off sunburn.
FAR AND AWAY The Salinas Grandes (Big Salt Pans), are a remarkable natural wonder in the Argentine provinces of Jujuy and Salta.
Our epic road trip continued as we headed into the province of Salta (Tourismosalta.gov.ar), widely recognized for its wine, with the area around Cafayate, one of its most important producers. However, traveling through the area can be a little bumpy. Some of the places around Cafayate feel a bit off the beaten path but, in a few cases, the road was quite literally a beaten path.
Although many kinds of wine are grown in the region, torrontes is the most prevalent. My inaugural sip of the varietal (I’ve had many sips since) took place during a tour of the Bodega Piattelli Vineyards (PiattelliVineyards.com), a stunning property with impressive vistas of the Calchaquí Valley. Relatively new, they only began planting four years ago, and in 2012 producing its first vintage. After our tasting, we purchased a few bottles, and checked into the nearby Patios de Cafayate (PatiosDeCafayate.com), a luxury 32-room property built from what was a colonial home and winery dating to 1740.
The next morning we headed back north for a three hour drive to the province capital, also named Salta, a bustling city with an abundance of well-preserved colonial architecture like the neoclassical Cathedral or its Cabildo.
Traveling here as I did, at the invitation of the tourism board, meant that my itinerary, to a large degree, was determined by others. I’m a cosmopolite by nature, and so was very excited when I finally came to the Buenos Aires segment of the trip. Rock formations and wine tastings are great (though not together, depending on the height of the rock formations), but now was to be my chance to delve into everything a world-class city with a visible gay scene and abundant nightlife could offer. Instead, we were taken to a small-scale tango dinner theater, its seats half-filled by straight, septuagenarians—a group, it should be noted, enthralled by the whole production. But the overwrought vocals and paucity of tango routines made feigning interest impossible. This is not how I imagined spending a Friday night in the Paris of South America.
Tango on the streets of Buenos Aires
Argentina had long topped my wish list of travel destinations, ever since I’d first discovered a taste for malbec and an appetite for Latin men. Most of what I’d imagined this country to be had been cobbled together from dubious sources, like an Argentine ex-boyfriend who was as pretentious as he was loving (especially when it came to his homeland) and multiple screenings of the 1996 film Evita. So, perhaps, I had come here with expectations running a little narrow and high.
Jazz at Café del Tiempo
At the point when we decided to abandon the pride march (minus the actual march) we felt a little defeated. Our Brazilian colleague, a genial optimist, suggested we head to Milion (Milion.com.ar) not gay per se, but he’d been on a previous visit and thought we would love it. A mere glimpse of the building’s grand townhouse-like façade as we approached and I knew he had been right to bring us here.
Also Worth a Visit
La Boca, an old port neighborhood famous for its shockingly colored buildings and streets lined with artists selling their works—some of it quite good.
Head to one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the city to visit La Recoleta Cemetary, possibly one of the most sublime places I’ve visited, with monuments featuring incredible sculptures and other intricate design details. Lined up like city blocks, there are over 4,000 vaults, including that of its most famous resident, Eva Perón.
Palermo Soho, the West Village of Buenos Aires, has everything you want in a gay-friendly neighborhood from great little shops like Nonna Sapori (a great place to get dulce de leche, quince marmalade, or spice rubs) and specialty bookstore Alamut Libros (AlamutLibros.blogspot.com) to fab eateries like Panera Rosa (Facebook.com/Panerarosa) or Mostacho’s Pizza & Bar (MostachosPizza.com).
The super-chic Milion
How to Get There
American Airlines flies directly to Buenos Aires from JFK and Miami. With a relatively long flight time, an upgrade to Business or First Class is ideal if you can arrange it. Visit AA.com for flight times and airfares.
For more information on Argentina, visit Argentina.com


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Frenchmen liken it to lightning, a coup de foudra.
Never sure of why or how, it didn't seem to matter. Debts needed payment, Karma & Company, collector.
No clear memories clouded the scenery of floating people and events. Mostly self-delusion or illusion, with allusions to confusions of old standing. But they couldn't persist. Prostrate was the condition without intermission.
Naive thinking and wise meanderings had brought about the present filled with empty things. Such a thing was she, darkest of the minions of his nature, manifesting in strange sinews of weakness on a street of reams to come. Clad in striped culpability hip to ankle, aging pulchritude's shallow prison, Geisha pallor served to enthrall that part of dalliance makes for bloodless terror.
Booted though bootlessly bereft of soul he, at the corner of indecision and peril, poised to shed the faint glimmerings of poise itself.
'Kept', a sham of essential manhood, within a silken shroud, beclouded of mind, of sentience itself save carnality's versionhe would wear this mark willingly. Sterility knew contagion there, at the pulsing death of conscience.
"Actually, they're Western boots" he corrected; the rock-steering siren had dared to consign his lizard-skin Eighties power footwear to some knockabout cowboy's wardrobe.
"Oh, I stand corrected" she oozed, surveying him for potential potential. A chance encounter, she sauntering toward him and their mutual friend, his hostess, a matronly castoff from a former nightclub mogul gone to some government hotel for transgressions reminiscent of that favorite battering ram of the Sovereign, 'the power to tax, the power to destroy'; apparently, he had given certain authorities particular relish in demonstrating its verity.
A pedestrian venture to the corner deli for milk had launched a brand of chaos theretofore unknown to mere disorder; he was to be librettist to her psyche's cacophony.
Somehow surviving in a nuclear winter-like cloud he had carried with him ever since being overcome at Ground Zero by the Dissolution Bomb, Marsden found himself in Manhattan on some hopeless business his failing law practice held onto by sheer force of habit.
He was essentially broke, staying with a friend of his first-strike opposite. At 130 pounds, he was a wizened wanderer in the marginal territory known as anorexia, a self-imposed result of foolish guilt over the end of a relationship best described as having all the romance, and convenience, of incest. She, his latest experiment in self-delusion, he would learn on first glance at her cold hands and the scars seeming to attach them to her slender forearms, was mere days from her latest attempt at murder for one.
Two runaways, as in trains, sharing the same track.
In an ever-expanding universe, where degree and speed of separation of material clusters within it seemed to continually grow, they were colliding, neither one seeming to regard 'antimatter' and its dramatic potential as anything other than their mutual agent of wished-for demise, an end that just didn't 'matter'.
Supernovas are so rare that they are history's evidence of the Godforce's effectuation of seeming major policy decisions, the subject of both, way beyond mortal ken. Personal histories aren't too different among the willingly forgetful, major events keeping their faint glow.
Abandonment was the theme of theirs, differing only in its direction.
For Layana, if that was her name, it had begun with a refugee mother, living in the camps of Albania after Hitler's suicide whose putative husband had disappeared, feared dead, officially; he had been a freedom fighter and the result of his alleged heroism had been squalor for his fellows.
No matter, she had found another, also a fighter, 'Jimmy'. The child learned quickly and well about Mars' progeny, his transience, especially while next to you,'loving you.' Her philosopher stone was cold, strange alchemies having taken their fractal course in space-time; It came to rest in grateful substitution for what others called a heart.
"I'm very fond of you . . . " Was the refrain of Its keeper; no prizer of love and its trappings, amusement was her revenue and expenditure, and a 'profit' was always shown.
"That sounds a lot like how I feel about dogs and baby ducks . . . " Marsden riposted, feeling the sting of a rehearsed parry.
Damned by the faintest praise, a final thrust was called for.
"I suppose you're right . . . after all, it is a four-letter word," a palpable strike, despite her having been very much en garde.
"Is my young stud angry with me, dar-ing?" She never used the 'l', like some failed Garbo impersonator; he concluded that it must have been those years in London, both as a child taught to haunt the enemy, and, later, on Half Moon Street.
The door closed automatically, in seeming emulation of its momentary, now departed passerby. Staring into the silvered-rectangle of glass suspended directly above him, like some Clarkean monolith for cosmic voyeurs, he was aware of his absurdity: a 'kept' man of a keeper of bipedal specimens, the sole attraction of a private zoological experiment in which the subject was both wild and docile, Barnum's freakish permutation, extrapolated from all the blind alleys and detours for destructive work he loosely regarded as hisitslife.
Six months since the electrical voltage from below had discharged and found him its target, he was feeling captivity with strange detachment. The reflective ceiling helped promote the sensation, the observer becoming the observed, only in a way that would cause Siddharta himself to adamantly declare Buddhism a fraud. Risking that conjured possibility, 'I am the reflection of my reflection' ran Koran-like through his maddening brain. A neural storm regurgitated random phrases and images without any correlation except, maybe, that they lived, however briefly, in the same head. Dreaming. The necktop dreamtrack went as follows: 'How can I observe my own dreams? There is no 'I', except the one 'I' have createdthat's right, so I = I proves this refractive theory,' a tautology that he was certain had occurred to him alone in all space-time.
"What the !" Marsden screamed, head butting the silhouette hovering blurrily over him.
"Oh, sorry dar . . . " Layana started.
She rubbed her forehead routinely, he was strangely numb.
"Come join me in my bath, hmmmm?" was the one-size fits all reprise; he preferred to engage on dry land, shaking off the pale overture of appeasement.
"Where have you been?" was his complaint, treated by her as a greeting.
"Are you sure you won't join me" she Dopplered her voice warping with departing distance en route to her elaborate inverted ablutionary altar.
As they lay there that night, their psyches inhabited variant universes: hers on a haj to mercenary Mecca, his a dead end designed by Mobeius himself, with a proposed exit under construction by Sartre & Co.
"If you leave me, I'll die, you know" he heard her ultimatum clearly, though her overhead reflection was immobile and asleep. Was it a waking dream?
"Did you hear me, daring?" he decided to reply in his head only: "Yes, yes, but what made you say such a thing?"
"After all I have given you, you would abandon me, just like that; I know I have not seemed too attentive but its only my function, you see, most of them only want passive enjoyment, to view my petals" her eyes were now open, yet her mouth did not seem to move.
"We're both dreaming the same dream" was his best surmise. "And, by the way, that's a very colorful rationalization, 'dare'-ing mine" he added sardonically.
Now her mouth was moving in the reflection: "Do you know about orchids, daring? It is said that there are 25,000 natural species, prized all over the world for their beauty and variety more than any other flower, and the rarest of all is black. . . or, should I say, is thought black, no one's even seen one in years" she was now sitting up, her naked too symmetrical breasts casting vibrating shadows across the bed as she spoke, her reflection above remained immobile.
Reason had failed him along with the usually unreliable data from his eyes; his pulse was way up.
He would try again to locate the time/space he used to know: "Where do you get all this?" his peripheral vision now confirming the disparity between the mirror and its subject.
"The botanical gardens in London are spectacular, daring; the curator was a business friend, an admirer, you know, and taught me all about them, the orchids, the Greeks named them, they're very life-enhancing, especially for the genitals . . . " she informed, her reflection above only growing hazier, somehow darker.
"Does that include malakas like me?" he teased, trying to cut the tension with his reference to their word for queer.
"Daring, you mock me; that's was only when you angered me, silly boy. You see, the orchid's male componentsorchis means 'testes', my love, are carefully enclosed so as to avoid self-pollination, unique among the flora of the world; no, w they guard their 'man' very closely, so as to spread their true essence everywhere among other partners, all in the name of beauty" was her latest trancelike offering, again, not reflected below, but only in her reflection.
"You're starting to scare me" he blurted, seeking eye contact, having gently pressed her head against the pillow behind her; he found no dark pupils, only spaces where her eyes should be. "Are you all right. . . Layana . . . what's happening?" he pleaded.
Moments passed; he glanced upward to see her ersatz reflection, a prodigious dark floral presentation, seemingly growing larger by the minute.
"You see, daring, my 'pollinius', you must be with me, enclosed within my petaled structure, for beauty's sake . . . " her mouth had become a vortex of four petals unfolding. He looked again at the mirror aboveit had become somehow convex, with lattice-like architecture, encompassing now the entire space that used to be their bedroom suite. His body from his feet to his waist had become enshrouded by a cocoon-like casing; he struggled to move his legs and knew that he had none.
"We'll awaken, together, now!" he urged upon her, now looking at her former head upon that pillow and seeing a shadow from above; the labellum of her floral display, now nearing the top of the warm greenhouse the room had become, cast a eerie headlike shadow.
"Come . . . come into my bosom . . . " Her now disembodied dulcimer voice had become a high-pitched siren song.
The 'room' was now completely dark, or was it that he had no eyes with which to see; he ceased to perceive, only to sense his envelopment within something greater, something in charge.
The throng was growing for the annual orchid show in Her Majesty's Royal Aboretum; of particular note this year was, for the first time in modern memory, on display an oversized orchid, a rare Black Orchid, more robust than any other species there evinced.

domain: literature


text:
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domain: hobby


Not much spark in poles and wires lease for Northern Rivers
SYDNEY will swallow up the lion's share of revenue from the NSW Government's $20 billion lease of its "poles and wires" electricity infrastructure, leaving only a few scraps for the Northern Rivers.
Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis put the relatively meagre serving down to the region's infrastructure jackpot in the last State Budget.
He guaranteed the $185 million Grafton Bridge reconstruction would go ahead and said construction would "absolutely start early next year".
"That money is guaranteed - it was already funded in last year's budget," he said.
"As I understand, the environmental impact statement is being assessed by the Department of Planning.
"They have to provide a list of conditions that would need to be satisfied by the prospective tenderer."
Infrastructure NSW has provided 30 recommendations on which projects should be given preference in the next round of funding.
Regional NSW has been allocated $6 billion, with the remaining $14 billion divided between Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle.
The Northern Rivers may pick up a few dollars under the Bridges for the Bush, Fixing Country Roads and Fixing Country Rail programs, but no specific projects in the region have been allocated a portion of the $3.1 billion to be spent on regional roads and rail.
The North Coast road network has been recommended to share in $1 billion in upgrades with fellow high-growth areas Illawarra, Lower Hunter and Central Coast.
Mr Gulaptis again attributed the region's limited presence on the funding list to the windfalls of last year's State Budget.
"We have so far fared better than anyone else for funding spent in the regions," he said.
"Given the Pacific Hwy upgrade is going to essentially take place all in the Clarence electorate, that's about $5 billion we've got.
"That's more money than we've ever seen."
The plan also includes a second Sydney Harbour rail crossing and $2.4 billion to ease congestion on Sydney's roads.
Sydney will also receive an $8.9 billion boost to public transport.
Mr Gulaptis rejected suggestions the electricity asset lease was a risky business.
"Any suggestion we're going to lose revenue from the poles and wires lease is a fallacy, because the infrastructure we build will increase productivity," he said.
"That's where our revenue stream comes from.
"At the moment, congestion in Sydney is costing the state about $8-$10 billion a year."
$6 BILLION FOR REGIONAL NSW
Where the "poles and wires" lease revenue should be spent, according to Infrastructure NSW:
$3.1 billion for efficient freight transport to ports and markets:
Freight road corridor program - $2 billion
Bridges for the bush - $200 million
Fixing country roads - $500 million
Fixing country rail - $400 million
Regional growth roads program - $1 billion
Regional water security and supply fund - $1 billion
Regional schools renewal - $300 million
Regional multi-purpose health facilities - $300 million
Regional environment and tourism program - $300 million


text:
After a rather remarkable year for albums in 2022, with hard-hitters like FKA Twigs’ “Caprisongs,” Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” Big Thief’s “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You,” JID’S “The Forever Story,” Rosalía’s “Motomami,” and Ethel Cain’s “Preacher’s Daughter,” it seems unlikely that the albums rumored to be dropping in 2023 could ever measure up.
However, there are some notable new projects dropping this year that are bound to impress. So, here are Cherwell’s picks for the top 11 (we couldn’t decide on just 10) most anticipated albums dropping this year.
11. Black Belt Eagle Scout – “The Land, the Water, the Sky.” Black Belt Eagle Scout’s exploration of indie rock promises to be a journey of reconnection with her ancestors and through the nature which she associates with them. She said of the project that she “wanted the delicateness of these moments to meet the intense reality of the history of [her] people.”
10. 100 gecs – “10,000 gecs.” After an interesting, experimental release in their first album “1000 gecs,” the duo is returning this year with a new project that promises to be just as weird and wonderful as the last. Doubtless an exciting contribution, “10,000 gecs” is definitely an album to watch for.
9. Miley Cyrus – “Endless Summer Vacation.” With possibly one of the only truly interesting, and not entirely sour, Pop-Punk albums of 2020 in “Plastic Hearts,” no one really knows what direction her new project could take this year. But, suffice it to say, we’re curious. Cyrus has proven she can be tender, sexy, edgy, and poppy over the course of her career, and this new album is intriguing. No one knows what side of herself she’ll be showing, and that’s the exciting part.
8. Måneskin – “Rush!” Following their 2021 Eurovision win, Måneskin has brought an edginess to glam rock and unique charisma which has gathered them a loyal following and which suggests that their forthcoming debut album will be one to remember.
7. Samia – “Honey.” After a breathtaking debut album “The Baby” (2020), Samia has promised a new project in 2023. After dropping a popular and diverging lead single “Kill Her Freak Out” in 2022, Samia described the song and the forthcoming LP as marking the end of the story of “The Baby” and her transition to a new chapter. Moreover, if “Honey” has even a dab of the indie charm and heartfelt nature of her first LP then it is sure to be a success.
6. A$AP Rocky – “Don’t Be Dumb.” Though he has not officially announced when it will release, A$AP Rocky has teased his new album and even suggested that Metro Boomin’ will be featured heavily as a producer throughout the project. While some of his projects have proven relatively un-notable in the past, there is hope that this could be a sign of some of his artistic growth since it’s been 5 years since his last full-length LP “Testing.”
5. Kelela – “Raven.” The R&B singer’s upcoming project is led by the mellow single “On the Run,” and in describing her new album she said that it was her “first breath taken in the dark, an affirmation of black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power.” Hopes are definitely high for this project.
4. Yves Tumor – TBA. After dropping the new post-punk single “God is a Circle” (2022) and EP “The Asymptotical World,” fans can only hope that this visionary artist is hinting at a bigger project to come this year. Following the success and texture of “Heaven to a Tortured Mind” (2020), any new Yves Tumor project is something to get excited about.
3. Gorillaz – “Cracker Island.” The Gorillaz have made a name for themselves collaborating with artists from Carly Simon to Grace Jones, and their new LP promises an even more exciting lineup. With the release of successful singles like “New Gold” (2022) featuring Bootie Brown and Tame Impala, the rest of the album is supposed to feature the likes of Thundercat, Bad Bunny, Beck, Stevie Nicks, and Adeleye Omotayo. “Cracker Island” promises the much-beloved vision of the Gorillaz with the aid of some of music’s most imaginative artists,
2. Lana Del Rey – “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd?” Lana Del Rey just can’t stop. With the astounding, genre-defining “Norman F*ing Rockwell” (2019), and two following decent albums in the interim, Lana Del Rey’s upcoming 9th project seems to channel her signature dreamy, soul-crushing California Americana in a new direction for the same artistry that has made her so popular. The lead title single is nothing short of beautiful and hints at more beauty to follow.
1. Rihanna – “R9.” All we can say is: please! Please, Rihanna, drop your album! After teasing it for years, and with her Super Bowl Halftime show approaching, is it possible that this could be the year we finally get the much-anticipated “R9?” It’s been 7 years now since her smash success “Anti” (2016), and suffice it to say that her fans—and us—are desperate for this release.
Image is in the Public Domain

domain: entertainment


Gordon Hume originally passed on this 2006 Ford Mustang GT, but two Read More
Texas man Dave Cabrera owns this 2009 Shelby GT500 in Metallic Alloy Read More
Check out the Cook brothers 2014 FR500CJ Super Stocker. Read More
This 2010 Ford Mustang wrapped in Mil Spec Green has been through Read More
An enthusiast from Birmingham, Alabama, shares a photo of his sweet Read More
Michael Veisz from Ridgewood, New Jersey, has been busy modifying his Read More
After test-driving this 2005 Mustang GT three years ago, he knew he Read More
Jammye McQuade of Winchester, Kentucky, owns this powerhouse of a Read More
Build coverage from the Mustang360 Week To Wicked 2013 Mustang build Read More
This week’s Mustang Girl Monday is Manou Labaki from Mont-Liban, Read More
A detailed look at the start-to-finish video of our Continental Tire Read More
Dustin Stevens has two powerful msutangs at his fingertips, a Read More
Going low 9s has never been easier! Read More
Beginning January 15, MM&FF on Mustang360.com is transforming a stock Read More
Peter Schmidt from Chanhassen, Minnesota, has been working on building Read More
With a continuous 50 years in production, the Ford Mustang has gone through many changes throughout six generations. An all-new platform was given to the fifth-generation Mustang – the D2C Mustang codenamed the “S197.” Starting in 2005, the S197 would start an era of larger platform Mustangs. In the process, Ford seemingly took its cues from the aftermarket in adding a “fifth-link” to the rear suspension. And the Two-Valve Modular V-8 in the GT was put to pasture in favor of a brand-new Three-Valve 4.6L. Quite easily the most striking change to the Mustang, though was in the aesthetics, which managed to capture a whole new audience. With the idea to design a modern car with a retro feel, the S197 was born sporting retro cues with modern feel and comfort. Cosmetic changes in 2010 and 2013 helped refresh the look of the S197, however, the retro cues mostly remained intact. Engine upgrades were given to the 2011 Mustang GT with the rebirth of the 5.0L engine known as the “Coyote,” which replaced the 4.6L that powered the 2010 and earlier GT models.
Starting in 2005, the heart of the Mustang consists of Ford’s cast iron block, the 4.0L Cologne SOHC V-6 capable of 210hp and 240 lb-ft of torque, an upgrade from the 3.8L Essex OHV V-6 (and 3.9L) used in earlier models. Also new to the fifth-generation Mustang is the 24-valve, Modular 4.6L V-8, capable of 300hp and 320 lb-ft of torque. Transmission choices consist of the Tremec TR-3650 five-speed manual or the automatic 5R55S five-speed with a stock drive ratio of 3.31:1.
Suspension components consist of MacPherson-strut front with reverse “L” lower control arms. Rear suspension is a live-axle three-link system with a Panhard rod controlling vertical and lateral movements.
Standard equipment includes power windows; dual power mirrors; remote keyless entry; front air bags; AM/FM radio with CD player; 16-inch painted aluminum wheels, larger brake discs with twin-piston calipers in the front.
Optional equipment include Ford’s MyColor (part of the Interior Upgrade Package consisting of color-configurable instrument cluster); brushed aluminum panels (also part of Interior Upgrade Package); Shaker 500 (500 watt peak output) or Shaker 1000 (1000 watt peak output) premium audio systems with a 6-disc MP3-compatible CD changer; leather seats; power-adjusting six-way power driver seat; four-channel anti-lock brake system with traction control which is standard on GT models.
For the 2010 model year, a revised interior and exterior graced the new Mustang. Options added for this model year included a backup camera, voice-activated navigation, and standard 19-inch wheels. While the V-6 engine remained the same, the 4.6L V-8 produced 315 hp and 325 ft-lb of torque.
For 2011, Ford brought back the 5.0L for the GT models to replace the 4.6L V-8. Referred to as the “Coyote,” the new 5.0L includes Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) capable of 412 hp and 390 ft-lb of torque.
The GT wasn’t the only revised engine for the 2011 Mustang. The base Mustang was given a new 3.7L V-6 engine that was good for power and fuel economy with 305 hp and 280 ft-lb of torque and maintaining 30+ miles per gallon. Not much changed for the 2012 model year except the edition of Lava Red Metallic and deletion of Sterling Gray Metallic.
For 2013, the Mustang received a minor facelift and a few exterior changes such as LED tail lights with halo roping. The GT was bumped up to 420 hp and a six-speed SelectShift Automatic transmission became an option. Ford Track Apps are accessible through the in-dash 4.2-inch LCD screen.
2014 marks the last year for the S197 and not much changed for this year except a few exterior color changes and package changes. Interior and equipment remained the same.
Shelby GT500 (2007 – 2014) – In 2007, the Shelby GT500 was introduced along with the Shelby GT, a Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) and Carroll Shelby collaboration. While the Shelby GT produces 319 hp out of the 4.6L V-8, the Shelby GT500 is powered by a supercharged 5.4L Modular V-8 generating 500 hp and was called the most powerful production Mustang to date. The Shelby GT500KR was brought back in 2008 with a supercharged 5.4L V-8 and upgraded with a Ford Racing Power Pack, capable of producing 540 hp.
Through the years, the Shelby GT500 received bumps in horsepower. From 2007-2009, the GT500 boasted 500 hp and 480 ft-lb of torque. The 2010 Shelby GT500 was bumped up to 540 hp/540 ft-lb of torque, the 2011-2012 Shelby GT500 generated 550 hp/510 ft-lb of torque, and in 2013 over 100 horses were added giving the new GT500 an insane 662 hp and 631 ft-lb of torque thanks to a brand-new 5.8L Trinity V-8.
Boss 302 (2012-2013) – The Boss 302 is a well-balanced track beast that made a two-year run from 2012-2013 just like the classic Boss 302 that ran from 1969-1970. The new Boss 302 is powered by the 5.0L Coyote V-8 engine capable of 444 hp. The Boss 302 Laguna Seca edition is track-ready, stripped of a few creature comforts and bridges the gap between the Boss 302 and the track-only Boss 302R.
Almost countless special-edition Mustangs were produced throughout the years of the S197. Some of them are listed below.
Other Special Editions include: Bullitt (2008-2009), Shelby GT, Warriors in Pink (2007-2009), Shelby GT-H (2006-2007), California Special (2007-2009, 2011-2014), Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition (2009 ½), Shelby GT350 (2011-2013), Barrett-Jackson Shelby GT (2007), Shelby 1000 (2013-2014), Iacocca Silver 45th Anniversary Edition (2009 ½), Saleen Mustangs including Parnelli Jones Edition (2007) 281, 351, 302, 620, 570/640, Dan Gurney Edition (2008), Ford Racing’s Cobra Jet, Roush (427R, BlackJack, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3), Chip Foose edition, Shelby Terlingua (2010), RTR by Vaughn Gittin Jr., 500S Sherrod, DUB (2011), Steeda Q525 (2006), Shinoda Boss 302, etc.


text:
One thing that I’ve tried to be clear in discussing M/s with other subgroups within the BDSM community is that I don’t consider M/s “higher” or “more developed” than other relationship types, but I do consider it more *extreme”. While many are wary (for good reason) of extremes I believe the extreme carries with it its own special fascination.
Nietzsche talks about “us immoralists” as the “outermost”, the extreme. As such “we” do not need the lies of other powers. All other powers are force hiding behind the semblance of law, hence lying and dissimulation are necessary to veil true intentions, to display goals that are ostensibly sought after, and so make the subjugated happy.
Within the M/s dynamic, Masters refer to themselves as such, slaves know themselves as slaves. There is no false set of goals promulgated by the Master in order to underhandedly subjugate the slave. There is no expectation of eventual equality or even a specific reward for servitude to be sought after. The power differential is decided on in advance, and maintained and welcomed by both sides. The extremism of the dynamic, far from putting people off, exerts a powerful fascination, seduction and enchantment.
The “magic” of the extreme is the power of the most powerful. Most powerful because it hides behind no false pretenses of humility. Masters do not seek power over slaves “in the slave’s interest”, nor govern “as servants” (think public servants). We seek power solely and purely for its own sake and enjoyment. Slaves do not submit to their enslavement in order to gain a future advantage. This power transports members of the dynamic to another world with its enchantment and there brings them to themselves in a different way.
Who are, then, “we immoralists”? Are we an unethical gang of bandits on the fringes of society? No, we immoralists are those who stand outside the distinction between the true and the apparent worlds promulgated by metaphysics, and the hierarchy of moral rules and values that sustains it. We stand outside the distinction that sustained metaphysics and all its correlates, instead standing in the seduction of truth. We know that ethics is always concrete, always particular to the situation and are not confused by childish a priori rules.


text:
- Highlights from ESMA’s Annual Report
- Original news
- What are the key findings of the annual report —did ESMA achieve all of its objectives for 2016?
- What seems to be the focus of each of ESMA for the year(s) ahead?
- Do any key themes emerge from the annual report taken as a whole?
- Can financial services lawyers take anything from this annual report in terms of advising their clients over the next 12 months?
Financial Service analysis: Has the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) made progress in its mission of enhancing investor protection and promoting stable and orderly financial markets? Michelle (Michala) K Meiselles, a solicitor and law lecturer at the Law School of Derby University specialising in banking, finance and compliance, looks at the key findings outlined in its 2016 annual report.
Sign in or take a trial to read the full analysis.
To continue reading this news article, as well as thousands of others like it, sign in to LexisPSL or register for a free trial

domain: finance


text:
Star Entertainment accepts there have been “significant deficiencies and failings” at its Sydney casino but says it should be allowed to keep its gaming licence.
- Star says it’s fit to hold a casino licence because managers involved in misconduct have stepped down
- The company said this sent a powerful message about the standard of behaviour it will accept
- Today the Queensland government announcement an inquiry into Star’s Brisbane and Gold Coast gaming licences
An independent review by Adam Bell SC has unearthed allegations of money laundering, fraud and criminal infiltration at the Star Casino in Pyrmont.
Today in closing submissions, lawyers for Star said the company accepted it wasn’t fit to hold a casino licence in the past but circumstances had changed.
“The Star accepts that the evidence before the review permits findings of significant deficiencies and failings,” Kate Richardson SC said.
“The persons who engaged in the misconduct are no longer with the businesses.
“The Star respectfully submits that the review should conclude that it is presently suitable to hold the casino licence.”
Since the inquiry began, there have been a string of high-profile resignations including CEO Matt Bekier, chief financial officer Harry Theodore and chief casino officer Greg Hawkins.
Mr Bekier told the inquiry he accepted that issues raised at the inquiry suggested a “significant, systemic and cultural” problem at the casino.
Ms Richardson today said it was “highly relevant” that these managers were no longer with Star.
“The character and integrity of a corporate entity, namely its suitability will be informed by the character and integrity of those who control its affairs” she said.
“While it is accepted that parting ways is not enough, the fact those managers are no longer with the business is highly relevant.
“It sends a powerful message to all employees at the company as to what the board will and will not countenance.
“The departures set the standard of behaviour expected of all the Star’s people and in particular, its most senior people.”
The admission of failings comes on the same day the Queensland government announced an independent probe into Star Entertainment’s suitability to hold casino licences in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Late last month counsel assisting the NSW inquiry Naomi Sharp SC gave a scathing assessment of Star, saying there had been “unethical behaviour” in the legal team and “very serious failures” in risk management.
She argued Star was unsuitable to operate a casino and a change of management wasn’t enough to overcome critical code of conduct requirements.
Next week, non-executive directors of Star Entertainment will have the chance to make submissions to the inquiry.
Later this month NSW cabinet is expected to sign off on a conditional casino licence that would allow Crown Resorts to open the gaming floors of its $2.2 billion Barangaroo skyscraper.
This is despite the state’s gaming watchdog finding Crown unsuitable to hold a licence only 15 months ago.
Posted , updated

domain: law


text:
The Effects of a Gluten-free Diet Versus a Hypocaloric
The aim of this study was to estimate mean changes in patient reported outcomes (PROs) and a PRO-based composite index [Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3)] and assess the impact of comorbidities on MCID in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.... The CGI-I is used by clinicians to rate improvement in a subject's condition (benefits) since baseline. It is a 7-point scale with 1=very much improved, 2=much improved, 3=minimally improved, 4=not changed, 5=minimally worse, 6=much worse; and 7=very much worse.
Department of the Army Letterhead DVBIC
Sixtyfour per cent of patients treated with Paxil CR, compared to 35 per cent of patients treated with placebo, showed improvement in their SAD symptoms as measured by Clinical Global Impression Global Improvement score.... ___Better and a definite improvement that has made a real and worthwhile difference (6) ___A great deal better and a considerable improvement that has made all the difference (7) Patientís
Patient Global Impression of Change Scale Health.mil
, the Patient Global Impressions (PGI) Improvement Score, bodily pain as measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the Quality of Life in Depression rating scales were also examined. principles of microeconomics 6th edition pdf Secondary efficacy measures included Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) physical function subscale. Study HMEN was a 13-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, international, multi-
National Continence Management Strategy
By tailoring the question in global impression of change measures, the scale is made relevant to whatever health condition a patient presents with and is presented explicitly in the question. banco santander global forecast 2017 pdf The Clinical Global Impression Ė Severity scale (CGI-S) is a 7-point scale that requires the clinician to rate the severity of the patient's illness at the time of assessment, relative to the clinician's past experience with patients who have the same diagnosis.
How long can it take?
Comparison between reduction in 24‚Äźhour pad weight
- Clinical Global Impression Scales SpringerLink
- Patient Global Impression of Change How is Patient
- Patients‚Äô Global Impression of Change (PGIC) Scale
- 2015 Interpreting Change Critical Path Institute
Patient Global Impression Of Improvement Pdf
The Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) is a brief clinician-rated instrument that consists of three different global measures. 1. Severity of illness: overall assessment of the current severity of the patient's symptoms (CGI-S); 2.
- Patients completed baseline and 1-month follow-up BPI-Facial questionnaires. The MCID was calculated using an The MCID was calculated using an anchor-based approach in which the defined anchor was the 7-point patient global impression of change (PGIC).
- Patients Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) for Prolapse Patient Name _____ Date of Birth ?? ?? ?? Date questionnaire completed ?? ?? ??
- The Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) is the PRO counterpart to the Clinical Global Impressions scale, (CGI), which was published in 1976 by the National Institute of Mental Health (US).
- Heike Benes, Ralf Kohnen, in Restless Legs Syndrome, 2009. Clinical Global Impressions Scales. The Clinical Global Impressions (CGI; National Institute of Mental Health, 1976) 42 scales had been initially developed for a risk-benefit estimation within the treatment of mentally ill patients.

domain: medical


text:
ASHA SRINIVASAN, composer [Fall, 2019]
Asha Srinivasan is an Indian-American composer and Associate Professor of Music (Theory/Composition/Electronic Music) at Lawrence University, Appleton, WI.
I have been involved with music since my early childhood in India. My extended family on both of my parents’ sides are musical. My mother Lalitha is currently a professional singer of Indian film songs and sings all over the U.S. When I was in India, at age 6, I started taking vocal lessons in Carnatic music (the classical music of Southern India).
After moving to the U.S., I was introduced to Western classical music through the public school system. In high school, I had the opportunity to take my first Music Theory class. What was supposed to be theoretical part-writing exercises turned into compositional experiments for me and thus sparked my passion for creating music. I am enthralled by the possibilities of integrating aspects of the Carnatic style into the Western music idiom. Thus, I draw from my Western musical training and my Indian heritage to create my compositional language.
My works have been released on CD by Ablaze Records, Mark Records, Beauport Classical, and SEAMUS CD Series. My composition Dviraag was recognized as winner of the Flute New Music Consortium competition in 2015 and the Ruam Samai award at the Thailand International Composition Festival in 2011. Other credits include the BMI New Music Commission Competition, Flute/Cello Commissioning Circle call for scores, the Walsum competition, the Prix d’Ete competitions, and ASCAPlus Awards. I have had compositions performed at ICMC, June in Buffalo, SEAMUS, National Flute Convention, North American Saxophone Alliance, among others.
As the composer selected by ECU music students for through the NewMusic Initiative’s unique Commissioning Program, Asha Srinivasan visits us in September to begin the collaborative phase of her commission. Ms. Srinivasan will compose a work for multiple instruments to be delivered December, 2020, and premiered/recorded in the spring, 2021. This September, 2019 visit will be an opportunity for us to welcome Ms. Srinivasan into our community, for her to meet our students, conductors, teach classes, and work with student composers.
[September, 2018 @ A.J. Fletcher School of Music]


text:
The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) today published two decisions on its assessment of competition in the wholesale Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) market and wholesale broadband markets.
The completion of these market reviews, which followed an earlier public consultation process, fulfils our obligation to complete such reviews within a 5-year timeline. The proposals were, in accordance with relevant legislation, reviewed by the European Commission and were cleared by it in December 2023.
ComReg’s assessment of competition in these markets focuses on determining whether any service provider has Significant Market Power (SMP) that would allow it to adversely affect market outcomes.
ComReg has found that Eircom has SMP in the PIA market (which relates to the provision of duct and pole access) and in the next generation wholesale fibre broadband market. To ensure fair competition, Eircom is subject to a range of SMP-based regulatory obligations, some of which have been scaled back relative to those imposed on it to date.
Such obligations, include requirements for it to rent next generation fibre lines to other retail telecoms companies, with Eircom allowed further pricing flexibility to set wholesale Fibre-To-The-Premises (FTTP) broadband prices at any level it chooses (subject to certain rules with respect to below cost selling and, notification periods and compliance with competition law requirements as the case may be). ComReg has also relaxed the current obligation which banned wholesale pricing discounts and so, subject to pre-approval from ComReg, Eircom may now offer discounted prices for wholesale FTTP broadband services.
ComReg has also removed all existing SMP regulation from Eircom on the Wholesale Central Access (WCA) broadband market, with regulatory obligations on copper only broadband services also being withdrawn given the expected continuing shift towards Next Generation FTTP services over the coming years.
Ensuring fair competition means that, consumers can benefit from having a wide choice of service providers offering high quality next generation broadband services at competitive prices. The regulatory framework, which aligns with that in place in many other European countries, should encourage ongoing investment and innovation in next generation broadband services, including FTTP.
ComReg’s most recent Quarterly Key Data Report (QKDR) (ComReg Document 23/114R) shows that at the end of Q3 2023, FTTP was the most commonly purchased broadband technology in Ireland (38% of fixed broadband lines) with Eircom having the highest retail FTTP market share (32.7%).
Notes to editors
In January 2023 ComReg issued two Consultations (see ComReg Document 23/03 and ComReg Document 23/04) setting out its assessment of competition in the above wholesale broadband markets and its proposed regulatory framework governing these. Following the conclusion of the public consultations in March 2023, and having considered respondents’ submissions, in November 2023 ComReg notified the European Commission of its assessment of competition in two wholesale broadband access markets and the PIA market (which relates to the provision of duct and pole access) (see ComReg Document 23/105 and ComReg Document 23/106). The services provided in these markets by telecoms service providers are bought by other service providers, to supply retail broadband and other services to residential and business consumers.
Prior to adopting a final decision, ComReg (like all National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) across the EU) is required to notify the European Commission of draft measures that it proposes to adopt. The European Commission cleared ComReg’s proposals in December 2023 and did not raise any serious doubts about them. The European Commission can also (and frequently does) provide comments on regulatory proposals and NRAs are obliged to take ‘utmost account’ of these. ComReg’s has addressed and taken account of the European Commission’s one comment in its adopted decisions, where appropriate ComReg Document 24/05 and ComReg Document 24/07
ComReg publications may be found here: https://www.comreg.ie/publications/.

domain: economics


Universal Pictures has released the trailer for their James Brown biopic Get On Up. Directed by Tate Taylor (The Help) and produced by The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Brian Grazer (8 Mile, A Beautiful Mind), the film stars 42 actor Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul.
Get On Up is a “fearless look inside the music, moves and moods of Brown” as he rises from “a street kid from Augusta, Georgia” to one of the most recognizable figures of the 20th century. Due in theaters August 1st, the movie also stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter, Jill Scott and Dan Aykroyd. The Office’s Craig Robinson also appears as one of Brown’s saxophonists.
Watch the trailer below (via Indiewire).


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According to economics professor Nouriel Roubini, popularly referred to as ‘Dr Doom’, there is something fishy about Tether.
In a recent tweet Roubini is commenting on Tether. Tether tokens are issued by Tether Limited, which claims that each token issued is backed by one United States dollar. Dr. Doom states 'Tether is the Mother of all crypto scams and propping up Bitcoin and all the other shitcoins by up to 80%.' He added that regulators checking Tether/Bitfinex are 'still asleep at the wheel'.
Agreed. Tether is the Mother of all crypto scams and propping up Bitcoin and all the other shitcoins by up to 80%. But regulators who started to investigate Tether/Bitfinex months ago are still asleep at the wheel https://t.co/1ACCbVcqSi— Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel) October 13, 2018
With his tweet, Roubini is reacting on a Bloomberg article about an Bitcoin and Tether connection, seeking to expose 'the fruitless deeds of darkness.'
Bloomberg is stating that:
"Griffin and Shams noticed that when Bitcoin fell to certain levels, purchases using Tether would flood in to stabilize prices. After crunching the data, they concluded this fit a pattern consistent with someone, or a group of people, trying to manipulate Bitcoin prices. The two researchers made the startling claim that half the gains in Bitcoin last year can be attributed to Tether."
Roubini got involved in a Twitter scrimmage with supporters of crypto the last few days, doubling down on his stated opinion of crypto as a “scam” and “fake wealth”.
Roubini recently posted on Twitter that decentralization of cryptocurrencies is a ‘myth, and that even ‘North Korea’ is more decentralized than crypto. Dr. Doom, who predicted the 2008 financial crisis, testified in front of Congress on Thursday on the future of blockchain and cryptocurrency. The hearing can be watched here.


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The Minnesota Magicians are excited to announce a partnership with Susan G. Komen Minnesota. Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization. Susan G. Komen’s mission is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all, and energizing science to the find the cures.
On February 8th, the Richfield Ice Arena will be painted pink for a promotion for Breast Cancer Awareness. The players will wear Pink jerseys that will later be auctioned off to fans after the game; the net proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Minnesota Affiliate. “We are so ecstatic about having the Susan G. Komen Minnesota Affiliate a part of our inaugural season. Our staff is counting down the days until February 8th.” added Director of Community Relations James Lilledahl. The Minnesota Magicians (Members of the NAHL) will embark on their inaugural season in 2013-2014. For more information on the Magicians and to purchase ticket packages visit; www.wisconsinjuniorhockey.com


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The integrated impacts of marine acidification, temperature and precipitation changes on bivalve coastal biodiversity and fisheries: how to adapt?
Objective(s)Scientific assessment of ocean acidification impacts on bivalves. Propose adaptation measures for bivalves aquaculture.
The experiments done in the Ria Formosa (Portugal) and in the Northern Adriatic sea, next to the Lagoon of Venice (Italy) revealed contrasting responses of the bivalves to marine acidification. Results obtained in the Northern Adriatic sea highlighted effects of seawater acidification at biochemical, cellular and organism level in both species considered. Detrimental effects were observed in adults exposed for short time to reduced pH and temperature/salinity variations (as foreseen in climate change scenarios), as well as the long-term exposure of juvenile bivalves to reduced pH, which caused severe damage to the shells of both species tested and reduced growth in one of those species (C. gallina). Furthermore, increased mortality, reduced capability to survive to aerial exposure and reduced well-being were found in animals maintained at high temperature and salinity values close to the tolerance limits of the species. Among the studied species, C. gallina was already known as less tolerant and demonstrated to suffer more severely from environmental changes, sea water acidification in particular.
Alterations in physiological responses, such as filtration, respiration and excretion, were also observed in the Northern Adriatic sea. Immune parameters were affected by the experimental conditions tested, which suggests that some bivalves may have a reduced capability of defense against pathogens under future conditions of elevated CO2 and reduced pH. Variations in biochemical responses variously involved in metabolic pathways and mechanisms of defense from oxidative stress were also found. Overall, results from the Northern Adriatic sea indicate increased stress conditions for both mussels and clams exposed to reduced pH and extreme temperature/salinity values, suggesting weakening of natural populations followed by possible reduction of their presence/abundance and increased risk of local extinction.
In general, the experiments done in the Ria Formosa lagoon showed a less detrimental response of the studied bivalves to seawater acidification. Juveniles of both species studied were able to survive more than 80 days exposed to extreme reductions of seawater pH (0.7 units). No dissolution or damage to the shells was observed, although mussels in the acidified treatments showed reduced net calcification, indicating that the composition or structure of the shell was affected. Some physiological parameters of R. decussatus were significantly affected by the acidification conditions tested. Reduced clearance, ingestion and respiration rates and increased the ammonia excretion rate were observed in the acidified treatments, which, in the long terms, will likely contribute to a slower growth of the clams. The physiological responses of the studied bivalves to seawater acidification were, therefore, also more varied than previously thought. The responses of the common species (M. galloprovincialis) also differed between locations and according to the stage of life cycle. This suggest that, even for the same species or process, the responses may be variable at local scales, which emphasizes the danger of extrapolating results from a few model species or from one region to another.
It seems clear that there are unidentified variables interacting or mediating the effects of seawater acidification by CO2, which causes the effects to be site-specific. The most remarkable characteristic of the carbonate chemistry of the water from Ría Formosa is the extremely high Total Alkalinity, probably associated to extremely alkaline runoff from continental waters, which prevented under-saturation of CaCO3, even in the most extreme acification treatments, minimizing the impact of the carbonate supply-side on calcification and the growth of the bivalves.
Studying biological responses to ocean acidification in coastal, estuarine and transitional waters is particularly important because human interactions with marine organisms mainly occur within these areas. Nevertheless, the results obtained from sampling of natural intertidal mussel habitats of in the Galician Rías (Spain) clearly show that bivalves living in coastal and transitional waters are routinely exposed to greater variations in terms of seawater carbonate chemistry, relative to the open ocean. This has been suggested to reduce their sensitivity to future ocean acidification. Accordingly, we expect that local responses will be particularly relevant in coastal, estuarine and transitional waters.
As is often the case in scientific research, the results of the ACIDBIV project clearly suggest more questions for future work than definitive answers for the proposed questions. One question that aroused particular interest was the possibility of interactions with the chemical composition of local seawater (carbonates, pollutants, etc) determining the biological effect of seawater acidification by CO2. Accordingly, two small experiments targeting these issues are being implemented in Padova (UNPD) and Algarve (CCMAR), using the same target-species.
Added value for the Mediterranean scientific community
The semi-enclosed geography of the Mediterranean Sea has many unique oceanographic and biogeographical features which could either serve to exacerbate or reduce future effects of increased concentrations of CO2 and ocean acidification (Fowler 2008). Anthropogenic stressors such as increasing river nutrient loads, atmospheric inputs, pollution, fishing and aquaculture activities combine with climate change-induced temperature increase and changes in seawater chemistry. Nevertheless, since the first biological consequences of marine acidification are expected to occur in high latitude seas, research on this topic is a recent trend in the Mediterranean sea and robust data are still scarce (CIESM 2008).
Based on current knowledge, bivalves are expected to be among the first taxa to experience the adverse effects of ocean acidification. Considering the importance of bivalve aquaculture and commercial/artisanal fisheries in the Mediterranean basin, any adverse effect on the viability or productivity of living resources could have high socioeconomic significance. In this respect our results on both juveniles and adults of C. gallina in the Adriatic Sea pose serious concerns about maintenance of natural clam beds. Along the western Adriatic coasts, a dramatic decrease in population densities has already been observed due to heavy fishing effort, this decline in clam biomass being also enhanced by the occurrence of repeated mortality events, and recruitment failures.
The ACIDBIV project made a small, but significant contribution to increase our understanding about synergistic effects of multiple climatic stressors (pH, temperature and salinity) on the survival, growth, calcification, ecophysiology and fitness of some of the most ecologically relevant and economically important bivalve species in the Mediterranean basin. It also allowed the development of a new line of research for the participating institutions and constituted a solid foundation for future research initiatives. Finally, in accordance with the objectives of the Circle-Med call, the project contributed to improve the integration of the research communities from the North and South rim of the Mediterranean, which is of crucial importance to successfully address the multiple challenges posed by climatic changes in this region.
See also article in Regional Environmental Change supplement issue (Volume 14 - supplement 1 - Feb. 2014)
Fernandez-Reiriz MJ, Range P, Alvarez-Salgado XA, Labarta U (submitted) Physiological energetics of juvenile clams (Ruditapes decussatus) in a high CO2 coastal ocean. MARINE ECOLOGY-PROGRESS SERIES.
Range P, Chicharo MA, Ben-Hamadou R, Piló D, Matias D, Joaquim S, Oliveira AP, Chicharo L (2011) Calcification, growth and mortality of juvenile clams Ruditapes decussatus under increased pCO2 and reduced pH: variable responses to ocean
acidification at local scales? J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 396:177-184.
Chinellato A., Munari M., Matozzo V., Bressan M., Marin M.G. (2010). First attempts in evaluating acidification effects on physiological responses in Mytilus galloprovincialis. 27th Congress of the new European Society of Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Alessandria (Italy) — Sept. 5–9, 2010, “Biological effects of climatic changes and pollution: from biomarkers to system biology”. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 157, S13. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2010.06.051
Munari M., Chinellato A., Matozzo V., Bressan M., Marin M.G. (2010).Combined effects of temperature, salinity and pH on immune parameters in the clam Chamelea gallina. 27th Congress of the new European Society of Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Alessandria (Italy) — Sept. 5–9, 2010, “Biological effects of climatic changes and
pollution: from biomarkers to system biology”. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 157, S14. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2010.06.052
Munari M., Chinellato A., Matozzo V., Bressan M., Marin M.G. (2010). First attempts at evaluating combined effects of pH, temperature and salinity on haemocyte responses of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. SETAC Europe, 20th Annual Meeting, 23-27 May 2010, Seville, Spain, Abstract book, WEPC1-2.
Range P, Chicharo L, Chicharo MA, Ben-Hamadou R, Piló D, Matias D, Joaquim S, Oliveira AP (2010) Effects of ocean acidification on juvenile clams Ruditapes decussatus. In: Proceedings of the 39th CIESM Congress. International Commission for Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean Sea, Venice, Italy, Italy, 10 - 14 May 2010, p. 789.
Prof. Luis Chicharo: firstname.lastname@example.org
- WP 1 Coordination and dissemination
- WP2 Selection of targeted species and harmonization of protocols
- WP3 Effects of acidification on shell structure
- WP4 Integrated effects of temperature, salinity and pCO2 on the physiological performance of bivalves
- WP5 Bivalve performance and survival model
- WP 6 Development of adaptation measures to elevated pCO2 values
- ACIDBIV_nov2008: Powerpoint at CIRCLEMED Kickoff, Rome Nov.2008
- Final Conference Acidbiv presentation: 22-23 Mars 2011, Aix-en-Provence
- ACIDBIV Final report april 2011: revision April 2011
- Changement Climatique et littoral méditerranéen: comprendre les impacts, construire l'adaptation: Synthèse des programmes de recherche Circle-Med
- Climate Change and Mediterranean Coastal Areas: Understanding the Impacts and Developing Adaptation Strategies: An overview of the CIRCLE-Med Research Projects, 2008-2011


Nike Heritage 2.0 Gym Sack
Spacious main compartment provides ample storage.
Drawcord closure for easy access to main compartment.
Zipper side pocket secures small items like a phone.
Polyester fabric is durable and has a slight sheen.
- Dimensions: 17" H x 13" W
- Fabric: 100% polyester
- Spot clean
1 year ago


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|McCarthy: We Just About Deserved It Tue 11th Mar 2014|
Boss Mick McCarthy felt Town deserved their 1-0 victory over Yeovil having put in a solid performance on their first visit to Huish Park.
|Yeovil 0-1 Town Tue 11th Mar 2014|
Christophe Berra’s 40th minute goal saw Town to a 1-0 victory over Yeovil in their first ever visit to Huish Park. The Scottish international diverted Tommy Smith’s header from Stephen Hunt’s corner into the roof of the net to claim the Blues’ first away win of 2014.
|Yeovil Town 0-1 Town - Half-Time Tue 11th Mar 2014|
Christophe Berra’s 40th minute goal has seen Town into a 1-0 lead at Yeovil at half-time.
|McCarthy to Freshen-Up Team at Yeovil Tue 11th Mar 2014|
Boss Mick McCarthy is likely to make a handful of changes to freshen-up his team for tonight's game at Yeovil but has said there won’t be a wholesale switch of personnel despite the busy March fixture programme.
|Taylor Starts And Hyam Could Return at Boro Fri 07th Mar 2014|
Manager Mick McCarthy has confirmed that striker Paul Taylor will keep his place up front at Middlesbrough on Saturday but the Blues boss may be weighing up changes elsewhere in his side with Luke Hyam and new loanee Jonny Williams available after hamstring injuries.
|McCarthy Pleased Smith Stayed Behind Wed 05th Mar 2014|
Boss Mick McCarthy is pleased that centre-half Tommy Smith opted not to join up with the New Zealand squad for today’s friendly in Japan with Town having seven games of their own in March.
|Town 1-0 Birmingham Sat 01st Mar 2014|
Daryl Murphy’s ninth goal of the season saw Town to a 1-0 home victory over Birmingham. The Blues might have added to their lead in the second half with Paul Taylor twice coming close with curling efforts from just outside the area.
|Town 1-0 Birmingham - Half-Time Sat 01st Mar 2014|
Daryl Murphy's ninth goal of the season sees Town leading Birmingham 1-0 at half-time.
|Williams Set for Debut Against Birmingham Fri 28th Feb 2014|
Manager Mick McCarthy looks set to hand new loan signing Jonny Williams his Blues debut when Birmingham visit Portman Road on Saturday. The Town boss again has decisions to make regarding his frontline with David McGoldrick probably out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury.
|Leicester 3-0 Town Sat 22nd Feb 2014|
David Nugent’s inevitable goal was sandwiched between strikes from Jamie Vardy and Chris Wood as Championship leaders Leicester comfortably beat Town 3-0 at the King Power Stadium. Vardy opened the scoring in the 19th minute, Nugent added the second on 31 and Wood completed the scoring two minutes before the end.
|More news for Tommy Smith from TWTD.co.uk and Football Latest|


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Allied health degrees also given funding boost
Last month it was announced that the UK government would be providing grants of £5,000 (minimum) to help nursing students with their living costs during their study. At the time, it was clear that the grant would also be available to future allied health professionals as they start their pre-registration degree courses at UK universities. It has now been revealed that the funding will also be available to students studying radiography, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and dietetics.
Shortage specialisms to receive £1,000 per academic year
In addition to the £5,000 grant for living costs, the government had previously verified that additional funds of £1,000 would be available for specialisms affected by shortages. These specialisms have now been confirmed as:
Mental Health Nursing
Learning Disability Nursing
Radiography (Diagnostic and Therapeutic)
Prosthetics and Orthotics
Orthoptics and Podiatry
The grants are in addition to other financial support (such as student loans) and eligible students will receive a further £1,000 per academic year towards childcare costs. Those who live in certain regions will also receive a final £1,000 per academic year, although details of those locations are yet to be announced.
The government believes that these maintenance grants will benefit approximately 100,000 pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health degree students every year. The funding will begin for those starting their courses in September 2020.
It’s great to see allied health gaining recognition
At Sanctuary, we believe that it is a positive step by the government to recognise the tremendous impact that allied health professionals have upon the NHS. They make up a third of the NHS workforce, so it’s imperative that we do what we can to encourage more people to consider a career in this highly valued area of care.
We’ve worked closely with our allied health community for many years now, so it’s exciting to us to see it financially supported in the same way as other areas of healthcare.


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CUMMINS ISBe AVAILABLE AT EURO 5 AND EEV
18 October 2007
Kortrijk, Belgium (October 18, 2007) - Cummins ISBe engines exhibited at the Busworld exhibition (stand PAV4-8) are available now for Euro 5 and EEV bus applications.
The B Series family of engines has established an excellent reputation in the bus market for reliability and performance, and the latest ISBe models have taken this further at Euro 4. Now, customers can take Euro 5 and EEV specifications, with all of the power and fuel economy benefits seen at Euro 4. This enables operators to meet green credentials demanded in tender documents and gain any tax benefits available for using ultra low emission vehicles, with minimal impact to running costs.
"Cummins chose Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) as the right technology for Euro 4, as it meant little or no installation changes for the move to Euro 5," said Neil Pattison, Cummins EMEA Automotive Sales Director. "This minimised engineering requirements, providing a major benefit to both OEM and end user customers alike. SCR has been very successful for us, with customers providing extremely positive feedback in terms of responsiveness, fuel economy and servicing costs," he continued.
To move to Euro 5, the ISBe incorporates a new electronic control module with a higher capacity and faster processing capability. This will manage the requirements of the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) Stage 2, which ensures the vehicle remains emissions compliant. It also controls the upgraded fuel system to further maximise engine performance.
Cummins Inc. is the world's largest independent manufacturer of diesel engines and related components. With over 30,000 employees, Cummins reported sales of $11.4 billion in 2006 and produced over 833,000 engines. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA) Cummins serves customers in more than 160 countries through its network of 550 company-owned and independent distributor facilities and more than 5,000 dealer locations. A substantial manufacturing presence in Europe includes the Mid-Range engine plant


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Date: 1905 ca.
Description: West side of Main Street, with "The One Price Store" along with other commercial buildings. Large utility poles are clear in the picture, as well as horse...
Date: 1914 ca.
Description: Map shows townships, schools, creameries, post offices, and roads. The left side of the map features a legend with symbols for points of interest.
Description: This Art Moderne service station located at 202 North Cascade Street was built in 1947. With its dramatically curved facade, it undoubtedly grabbed the att...
Date: 1900 ca.
Description: Elevated view of crowd of men, women and children, gathered for some unidentified occasion, standing in the street. There is also a group of people gathere...
Description: A view of a residence in Osceola, Wisconsin.
Description: A cabin at Clear Lake (Vilas County), a small Chippewa (Ojibwa) settlement, occupied by a white man and his Native American wife. This image is part of an...
Date: 1871 ca.
Description: Map created between 1871 and 1880. Shows townships, post offices, a possible railroad to Penoka Iron Range, and the North Wisconsin Railroad.
Date: date unknown
Description: Photographic postcard of the exterior of the Court House. A large belfry is above the arched entranceway.
Description: Russian church with a triple cross in Clayton.
Description: A view of the old mill.
Description: Business section of downtown.
Description: The manufacture of bricks was begun on this spot sometime in the latter 1860's by Henry Bretag, a German brickmaker, the father of Mrs. Englehardt. Brick...
Description: Section 2 of a Sanborn map of Osceola.
Description: View of Main Street, looking north.
Date: 1900 after
Description: This photocopy map shows landownership and mills in T35N, R17W as it appeared in 1885. Rice Lake, Little Balsam Lake, and Half Moon Lake are labeled.
Description: Section 2 of a Sanborn Map of Osceola.
Description: Exterior view of the St. Croix House with people lined up outside.
Description: Exterior of building from across a street.
Description: View of the west side of Main Street.
Description: Exterior view of the church.
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Zeiss Inner Rail, often simply called Zeiss rail, is a ringless telescopic sight mounting system introduced by Zeiss in 1990 as an alternative to traditional ring mounts. A patent was granted in 1992, and the patent expired in 2008. The mounting system is now also offered on sights sold by other major manufacturers, such as Blaser, Leica, Minox, Meopta, Nikon, Noblex (formerly Docter), Schmidt & Bender and Steiner. It has therefore, in some sense, become the industry standard for scope mounting rails. The system has so far seen most use on the European high end market.
Before the Zeiss rail, many European scope manufacturers used to offer a single type of standardized ringless mounting solution known as standard prism. This mounting solution was also known under names such as exterior rail, 70° prism rail or LM rail (Light Metal). Compared to ring mounts, this type of mounting rail permitted mounting without putting compression on the internal mechanics of the scope. The system also allowed the shooter to place the scope at their preferred height and correct eye relief (distance to the eye), as well as the opportunity to easily move the scope between different firearms. However, the standard prism had an aesthetic drawback in that the scope rail had to drilled on the side for attachment screws. In case the rifle scope was to be used on different guns, new holes often had to be drilled. A motivation for developing the Zeiss rail was thus to avoid such drilling.
The Zeiss rail system was introduced in 1990 as an option on all Zeiss ZM/Z riflescopes, the top of the line riflescope offered by Zeiss at that time. The system was later offered on the new top of line VM/V models. For these reasons, some sources have referred to the Zeiss rail system under names such as Zeiss ZM/VM rail or Zeiss M rail. Names such as Zeiss Integral rail, Zeiss 45° rail or simply Z rail have also been used.
Compared to the older prism rail, the Zeiss rail does not require any drilling, and therefore provides easier mounting to the user, as well as improved aesthetics. Compatible scopes have an internal dovetail rail where two or more 45 degree wedge nuts can be slided in. For example, EAW uses wedge nuts with M5 or M4 threads. The scope mount is then attached using simple hand tools like a torx key or hex key to a torque between 4–5 N⋅m (3.0–3.7 lbf⋅ft).
Drawing of scopes with Zeiss rail (left) and ring mount (right), both with picatinny receiver interface. https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?curid=1903002
Wedge nut with metric M5 threads. https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?curid=1441079
The Zeiss rail system can be found on some models from scope manufacturers such as Docter, Leica, Minox, Meopta and Schmidt & Bender, and sometimes only on high end models. Often the manufacturer will offer these models in two variations; one for traditional ring mounts, and another for the Zeiss rail mount.
There are also examples of rifle scopes that thave been sold exclusively for Zeiss rail mounts (i.e. no option for a ring mount version). These include the Zeiss Victory Diarange laser rangefinder scope and the Zeiss Varipoint iC models. In late 2017, Blaser released their Infinity iC (illumination Control) line of scopes which also only uses the Zeiss rail system.
Aftermarket mounts compatible with the Zeiss rail system are offered by several well known manufacturers such as Blaser, EAW, Henneberger, Innomount, Kozap, MAK, Recknagel, Rusan, Uronen Precision, Virtus, and Ziegler. Both two-piece or monobloc mounts are offered.
Compatible mounts are offered in different configurations, depending on the mounting opportunities on the firearm receiver. Examples include Picatinny, Weaver or different types of claw or swing (pivot) mounts.
Competing standards to the Zeiss rail include the Swarovski SR rail and Schmidt & Bender Convex rail. The three systems are not compatible. While the Zeiss rail has a stepless dovetail shaped mounting surface, the Swarovski SR rail has a finely toothed rail, and the S&B Convex has a smooth convex rail.
Swarovski applied for patent on their SR rail system in 2002, and introduced to the product to the market in late 2005. The Swarovski SR rail is also used by Kahles, a Swarovski subsidiary.
The Convex rail has been offered by Schmidt & Bender since at least 2005, and has also been marketed under the name LMC (Light Metal with Convex rail). Contrary to the Zeiss and Swarovski rails, which ensure a levelled reticle, the S&B Convex rail instead allows the user to tilt the reticle up to 1° (60 moa; 17.5 mrad) to the left or right. Since 2016, Schmidt & Bender has also offered the Zeiss rail system as an option on some of their hunting scope sights under the name LMZ (Light Metal with Z-rail).