text:
Volkswagen UK’s managing director, Paul Willis, has been forced to admit that the company has received nearly 17,000 complaints from customers whose vehicles have suffered after receiving the company’s so-called “fix” for its emissions-cheating Dieselgate models.
Willis appears to think that 17,000 recorded complaints from UK customers represents a complete success, noting in a letter to Chair of the Transport Committee that in his and Volkswagen’s opinion, that “no systemic issue in respect of impaired performance has been identified”.
Meanwhile, reports of “fixed” Volkswagens, Audis, Škodas and SEATs breaking down or going into limp mode – in some cases only a few miles after having the repair work conducted by a dealership – continue to rack up.
Complaints include noticeably worsened fuel economy, broken exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves and clogged diesel particulate filters (DPFs), despite Volkswagen’s official position that “the technical measure has no adverse impact on fuel consumption figures, CO2 emissions figures, engine output, torque, noise emissions, or durability of the engine and its components”.
Willis’ letter was in response to a request from the Chair of the Transport Committee, Lilian Greenwood MP, in which she requested an update from Volkswagen on a number of issues, starting with confirmation that Volkswagen still had no intention of compensating UK drivers for its emissions cheating.
Ms Greenwood also questioned Volkswagen’s progress in applying its fix, which the company had promised to complete by autumn 2017, and asked about the many complaints her committee had received about the negative impacts of Volkswagen’s fix.
She also asked how many customers have received compensation for problems arising from the fix, and what measures Volkswagen was taking in the UK to reduce NOx as it is doing in Germany.
Willis confirmed that Volkswagen has no intention of compensating customers in Europe, which is no great surprise although still disappointing for the 1.2 million UK customers who bought an affected Volkswagen Group vehicle. More than 40,000 UK owners have joined a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen over the Dieselgate scandal, so this may result in the company having to pay out something to owners eventually.
Willis argued that Volkswagen had made excellent progress on its fixing of customers cars, because they have completed about 75% of the job in the time he promised. Clearly, Willis is eyeing up a future career as a painter and decorator, as they never seem to get their jobs finished on time, either.
To be fair, a large number of clued-up owners have explicitly rejected the company’s offer to “fix” their vehicles, so it will be impossible for Volkswagen to ever complete the task as promised. Many others are angry because they feel they were duped into believing the recall work was compulsory, when they would have refused it if they realised they had a choice.
Owners refuse to accept Volkswagen’s excuses
The Volkswagen Diesel Consumer Forum, which now comprises more than 6,600 angry Volkswagen/Audi/SEAT/Skoda owners and still growing, claims that Volkswagen has never disclosed exactly what the “fix” entails. Forum founder Gareth Pritchard said, “So far, 820,000 cars have had the emissions software update in the UK. Yet not one owner has had it explained to them what the fix does to our cars. It’s very easy in those circumstances for VW to deny there is an issue when it won’t tell us what has been changed or how our cars should be operating.”
Willis refused to disclose how many customers have received compensation for failures resulting from the fix, claiming that it was “competitively sensitive information”. He did not elaborate on who such “competitors” would be that could benefit from knowing how many customers Volkswagen had compensated for its own failings.
He also made a rather ambiguous statement that seemed to suggest that 75% of customers who had sought reimbursement have had their claims approved, although it could easily be interpreted that only 75% of those who were actually approved (rather than all applications) have actually been approved for payment. It was a very wordy phrasing, which seemed designed to obfuscate rather than illuminate…
In his letter to the Transport Committee, Willis claimed that “the vast majority of customers have been satisfied with the technical measures”, although he did not provide any evidence to back this up. He went on to boast about his company’s scrappage scheme, which offers customers between £1,800 and £6,000 on certain part-exchange vehicles – the catch, of course, being that they have to buy a new Volkswagen Group vehicle, and only selected models are included in the offer.
Finally, Willis explained that Volkswagen would be offering “widespread voluntary software updates” on certain Euro 5 diesel models, including cars that have already received the dieselgate “fix”. No doubt, many owners will be far more reluctant to let Volkswagen meddle with their cars’ software next time around after their experiences last time.
Meanwhile, in America…
A second Volkswagen executive has been jailed over his role in the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal. Oliver Schmidt led Volkswagen USA’s environmental and engineering office in Michigan, and learned of the cheating scheme in 2015, according to court documents as reported by the BBC. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and violating the Clean Air Act in August, and will spend the next seven years in prison – as well as being hit with a US$400,000 fine.
Volkswagen has been fined more than US$15 billion over its emissions cheating in the USA, but has so far got off scot-free in the UK and Europe thanks to regulations that are worded slightly differently.
The Car Expert recommendation: Don’t buy a “fixed” vehicle
Should you buy a used diesel Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT or Skoda that has been “fixed”? No. There are far too many reports of breakdowns, poor performance and poor fuel economy for it to be a safe bet, despite the company’s protestations. There are literally thousands of other vehicles for sale that are less risky places to put your money.
Should you buy a used diesel Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT or Skoda that has not been “fixed” but is on the list? Probably not. If your car develops any engine or exhaust problems and you have not had the “fix” done, you are less likely to be offered any support from the Volkswagen Group for repairs, or a dealer may go ahead and apply the fix without your knowledge – and the company says it can’t be undone afterwards (although aftermarket specialists are doing good business out of ‘rolling back’ the fix for affected customers).
If you are considering buying a used diesel Volkswagen Audi, SEAT or Skoda, you should absolutely check whether it’s on the recall list and find out whether it has had the work done.
If you own one of these vehicles, whether fixed or unfixed, you have every right to be angry. The Dieselgate scandal has made people wary of buying a used car on the cheat list, regardless of our recommendation above. You will get no apology from Volkswagen, despite the company screwing you over. If you want to sell your car privately or part-exchange it on a non-VW Group vehicle, your car’s value is likely to suffer.
If you part-exchange it for another Volkswagen/Audi/SEAT/Skoda, you may be eligible for a boost to your part-exchange value (called something insipid like a “customer loyalty bonus”), but the downside is you have to buy a new car from the same company that has just screwed you.
Have you been affected by the Volkswagen dieselgate technical measures? Do you work in a dealership and have to deal with the fallout from this whole saga? Has your car been “fixed” and working just fine? Tell us your story in the comments below.


This is a highend English fowler for a gentleman of the 18th century. This one has a
Colerain 38" oct-round barrel
in 20 gauge.
Stocked in English walnut and sterling silver mounted. The lock is polished
and the barrel has been fire blued.
The barrel has a hooked breech and silver wedges for easy
removal for cleaning.
The wrist is checkered with silver wire
nails in each square taking a total
of about 2 feet of wire. All of the silver parts were
cast or fabricated in my shop.
About two pounds
of silver was used to make all of the parts. The muzzle
end of the stock has a horn nose cap and
the ramrod is tipped with horn as well. The wood was lightly stained to bring
out the red hue and
then a hand rubbed
oil finish was applied. There is total of about 300 hours of work in this gun.
Weight is 6 lbs. Length of pull is 13½".


Nudie Thin Finn Black And Grey Jean
This variant is currently sold out
- Slimmed down version of the 1950's carrot shaped silhouettes
- Finn has a normal rise and an extra low back yoke.
- It's slim from the hip and tapers down to a narrow leg opening.
- 12,75 oz denim. Jet black with charcoal grey,
- Smooth scrapings. B
- Lack threads all over and black back pocket embo.
- Organic gunmetal trims and pocket lining.
- 98% organic Nudie cotton 2% elastane.


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The first is The Rotating House.
The full scale, freestanding structure rotates on rails embedded on a grassy roundabout in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Powered by solar panels, it completes one revolution every 20 hours, its constantly shifting position supposed to evoke a “feeling of alienation from reality.” Front and back gardens were proposed for this permanent art installation but are not yet evident in photographs.
As a public sculpture, the house isn't meant to be inhabited, which begs the obvious question: why not? Perhaps if we wait long enough for the global economic crisis to make vagabond of so many there, we will see it unintentionally colonized.
Moving on to the second: Happy Street.
At first it looks like a proposal for a dense housing project on stilts, wherein residential units flank a roadway curlicued like a roller coaster. Indeed, a photo of a scale model early in its construction (or is it a finished maquette?) shows the street looking like the specialized railway tracks of amusement rides.
We like to think that Körmeling wants to embed a set of rails into the asphalt to facilitate conveyance, because he envisions the units being repositioned, like a certain bathing machine, into a different arrangement every 20 hours. And if his plans become a logistical nightmare, they will remain as infrastructural decoration like half-buried, half-remembered trolley tracks of yesteryear, experienced bumpily by commuters daily.
But perhaps one could more accurately describe Easy Street as a modular city neighborhood of more heterogeneous land uses — sleek condominiums, traditional canal houses, supermarkets, dry cleaners and cultural amenities: a re-interpretation of the cul-de-sac. Dendritic urban planning replaced with multi-dimensional knot topology.
In either case, it's an expected though reasonable urban strategy for a flood prone country with limited space to grow.
Further research online, however, tells us that neither is the case. It is actually the winning concept for the Pavilion of the Netherlands at Expo 2010 in Shanghai.
Bas Haring explains the concept thus:
As the world becomes ever more efficient, it demands more straight streets and rectangular buildings. The fact that the world is becoming more efficient is also eminently logical; efficiency trumps inefficiency. Inefficiency disappears and efficiency endures, and the yet more efficient will in turn also remain. Logical. But is it pleasing? Who is made happy by the efficient, the linear, the rectangular? That is the question Happy Street seems to be posing.
In truth, the linear is somewhat dull. Every straight line looks like every other. Draw a line from one corner of the paper to the other and it is exactly as straight as every other straight line. All things considered there is only one kind of straight line and that is a straight one. Unlike crooked lines. There are millions of kinds of those. Draw a crooked line on the paper, from one corner to the other, or any which way. Odds are that exactly the same crooked line has never been drawn before.
We are like the crooked line: whimsical and unique. Happy Street stands up for the human aspect. For the less efficient. For us.
This is typically Dutch.
So is this, then, a distillation of Dutch landscape and architecture design? “Organized, calculated, efficient, but with room for individuality and whimsicality”?
After working so hard expressing an entire nation's vision of itself, one hopes that the whole structure could be carted away and reused elsewhere instead of rotting on the expo grounds like one of its predecessors. And since we do have a fair amount of interest on coastal development, we propose that it be reassembled on a barrier islands on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and that all units are detached and fastened with wheels.
Better yet, manufacture hundreds of these steel and concrete superstructures and then scatter them along the Atlantic coast from Maine all the way down to the Florida Keys. Instant City.
And each one would support a community of permanent residents or a nomadic population of weekenders, tourists, summer residents, retirees, and seasonal workers who all come, leave and return again. One could take on the character of a quaint hamlet by the sea or SoHo or an ultra-exclusive seaside resort.
Should you bore of Cape Cod, simply sell your lot space and drive your Dutch-designed cottage or shipping-container-turned-winnebagos or a King Alfonso XIII® off to the Carolinas.
Should your sushi restaurant outlive its novelty among the populace or should there no longer be a great demand for avante-garde films at your cinémathèque, again, just relocate your entire unit to a new settlement.
It's trailer park meets Smout Allen in an interspecies tryst between the vernacular and architecture school academe. In the salty, frothy, heaving surf, genetic materials are exchanged to concoct a deformed Archigram city.
“A century ago,” we read in Against the Tide by Cornelia Dean, “it was easy to abandon coastal land.” What few buildings constructed by the ocean included movable cabins that could be jacked up, rolled on logs and shipped to the mainland on barges; cheap shelters like shacks for shipwrecked mariners that wouldn't be a devastating loss if destroyed; and “informal oceanfront 'camps'”. And then there's Henry Beston, author of The Outermost House, who considered his knapsack as “the only ever-ready wagon of the dunes.” In other words, you could easily retreat to avoid harm's way.
Now, “as coastal land grows in value, beach houses are becoming more and more elaborate. The small dune-sheltered cottage of fifty years ago is a thing of the past. Today new-built houses have four, five, or six bedrooms, each with its own bath, and are equipped with every sort of luxury. Some of these new houses are permanent residences, or second homes. But many are rental properties, which must be lavishly equipped if they are to command the high rents their amortization requires. Vacationers who once came to the beach to enjoy sea breezes now demand air conditioning and cable television.” As Dean eventually summarizes, “rather than retreat from the beach, Americans are digging in,” even after hurricanes after hurricanes have unraveled countless coastal communities into piles of driftwood.
On Happy Street, Florida, meanwhile, everybody can decamp their luxurious, six-bedroom LOT-EK units at a moment's notice and take shelter on Happy Street, South Carolina. Though the landscape will be battered or even dramatically recontoured, you know you will be able to very quickly return your city-on-wheels to your city-on-stilts.

domain: geography


Karachi: Army’s Mohammad Sajid clinched gold medal in 100 Km road cycle race in 60th National Cycling Championship on Saturday in Lahore
Meanwhile, SSGC’s Naimat Ali claimed silver medal and Ghulam Abbas of Army won bronze medal.
About 50 cyclists of eight participating teams participated in the race.
Over all after four days, SSGC leads the table ahead of Army and Punjab as second and third respectively.
On the last day of the event on Sunday, individual, team time trial, 4 Km team pursuit and elimination race will be played.


Central Plano has what empty-nesters want: low crime; affordability; property appreciation; pet-friendliness; quality schools; landscaping and trees; proximity to shopping and dining; reasonable commutes; and parks.
So in addition to being the best overall neighborhood in North Texas, Central Plano is also the best neighborhood for empty-nesters, a Dallas Morning News analysis found.
The study defined empty-nesters as couples 45 and older without children in the home.
The area, which includes Ridgeview Ranch golf course and some of the city’s largest parks, is a prime location for outdoor activities such as golf and walking.
Smaller residences like condos are cropping up, and restaurants and shopping in Legacy Town Center provide places to get out on foot.
2 Frisco (east of Preston)
This neighborhood features some of the best Frisco ISD schools. Near Eldorado and Independence parkways around Independence High School and Harold Bacchus Community Park, the neighborhoods are pricey but do feature some more affordable options.
3 North Richardson
The homes are older, but the area has low crime, plentiful parks, trees and gardens. Convenience to popular destinations and things to do bolstered North Richardson’s rating.
4 Frisco (north of Eldorado)
Northern Frisco is known for safe streets and top-notch schools. The neighborhood also earned high marks for being quiet and well-maintained and for nice landscaping and trees.
This northeast Tarrant County city offers an array of parks and recreation programs, low crime and plenty of community outdoor activities. A mix of retail and restaurants and natural areas like the Big Bear Creek Greenbelt and the Keller Senior Activities Center provide plenty to do.
6 Highland Village
The Denton County town near Lewisville Lake is close to some of the region’s top parks and natural areas. It also scored high for pet-friendliness.
7 East Plano
One of the most affordable neighborhoods in the top 10 list, this area just east of U.S. 75 posted a median home value of $112,900 in its highest-scoring census tract. Strong schools also vaulted East Plano to the top 25 in education.
8 McKinney West
This area west of U.S. 75 was low in crime and features homes that hold or increase their value about as well as homes in affluent Southlake.
9 West Plano
Located west of Independence Parkway, this area is home to strong schools, large parks, golf courses and country clubs.
10 Frisco (southwest of the Tollway)
West of the Dallas North Tollway and north of State Highway 121, this area near Pioneer Heritage Middle School has plentiful green space and a dog park nearby.


text:
If you fail to achieve freedom in this life, when do you expect to achieve it? While still alive, you should be tireless in practicing contemplation. The practice consists of abandonments.
"The abandonment of what?" you may ask.
You should abandon all the workings of your relative consciousness, which you have been cherishing since eternity; retire within your inner being and see the reason of it.
As your self-reflection grows deeper and deeper, the moment will surely come upon you when the spiritual flower will suddenly burst into bloom, illuminating the entire universe.

domain: literature


Washington: Russian volunteer programmers are bringing an international team of astronomers close to understanding the so-called intermediate-mass black holes (IMBH).
The term “black holes” was first used in the mid-20th century by theoretical physicist John Wheeler. This term denotes relativistic supermassive objects that are invisible in all electromagnetic waves, but a great number of astrophysical effects confirms their existence.
There are two basic types of black holes known to scientists according to observations: supermassive black holes and stellar-mass black holes. It’s less clear how supermassive black holes come to existence. Ivan Zolotukhin, who works at the Research Institute of Astrophysics and Planetology (Toulouse), said: “The astronomers look for black holes of intermediate mass, because no black hole that weighs a billion times more than the Sun could have been formed without them in just 700 million years.”
The methods of the Virtual Observatory were applied in the research, and all the conclusions were obtained exclusively with the use of publicly available data and, therefore, can be confirmed from any computer with Internet access.
Moreover, the authors used a new site to access the data of the XMM-Newton observatory. “The uniqueness of this web application is that for the first time in international fundamental science such a complicated project is made specifically for scientists by volunteers – highly skilled programmers, who, while working at the best IT-companies in Russia, devoted their free time to this web page. They are Alexey Sergeev, Askar Timirgazin, and Maxim Chernyshov,” told Zolotukhin.
This study essentially opens up the possibility for the search of intermediate-mass black holes. Since the researchers suggested more than a dozen of such candidates, it is expected that in the years to come they will be reliably confirmed with optical spectroscopic observations. In the near future it is expected to search for them by the six-meter telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (Russia) as well. “If there is at least one confirmation – it will be published in Nature, and astronomers immediately will rush to explore these 98 objects,” said the author of the work.
The study is published in The Astrophysical Journal. (ANI)


text:
Wanhua Chemical and Weigao Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement
Latest News: On July 21, Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. and Weigao Group Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Liao Zengtai, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Wanhua Chemical, Yan Jianbo, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, delivered speeches, and city leaders Li Jian and Sun Fuchun attended.
According to the strategic cooperation agreement, the two parties will collaborate and innovate in the fields of medical polymer materials, medical devices and the big health industry, promote the localization of “stuck neck” materials, and jointly create a safe and resilient industrial chain supply chain.
About Weigao Group
Founded in 1988, Weigao has always been committed to improving national health and breaking foreign monopoly. Now it has become a global comprehensive solution provider for a complete range of medical systems that is safe, reliable and trustworthy, and ranks among the top 15 market segments for medical devices in the world. It has entered 11 fields, and is currently committed to the development of its main business medical devices and medicine.

domain: news


text:
Canadian real estate prices are rising in areas outside of the big urban centres. Statistics Canada reports that growth in large urban centres has slowed during the pandemic. The desire for more space, both inside and outside the home, is rising primarily due to work from home.
The 500 square foot condo was great when you lived in a vibrant city. Now that it’s gone, talk of returning to work on a hybrid schedule (part from home- part office), many are changing their definition of home sweet home.
In recent media reports, CREA’s senior economist Shaun Cathcart characterizes the growth outside of major urban centres as ‘gangbusters.’ Cathcart says, “It used to be drive until you qualify, but now it’s drive away from the city and virus.”
But, for first-time homebuyers especially, is this a good idea? Or is it a trend that will fade and have Canadians longing to move back into a big urban centre?
Who is leading the “flee the city” movement?
Young people and new families lead the exodus, with cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver getting hit hardest. The Statistics Canada data shows a total of 87,444 people left those three cities between July 2019 and July 2020 for other parts of the same province, up from 72,686 the previous three years.
The higher cost of living
Homebuyers searching for homes should consider more than mortgage payments when they buy a home. Other costs such as gas, hydro and water can be significantly higher when moving from a small dwelling to a detached home. As well, smaller cities and towns tend to have higher property taxes than big urban centres.
For example, a property in Toronto assessed at $500,000 would have an annual property tax bill of $2,999. In contrast, a property set at the same value in Guelph would have a property tax bill of $5614. Conversely, your home insurance and car insurance will typically go down. Either way, your cost of living changes.
However, with a bigger home comes more expensive problems such as a larger roof, more windows and doors that need replacing, and a bigger lawn to mow.
No guarantee your work will be work from home
There is overwhelming evidence that Canadians want to continue to work in some hybrid model in the future. This survey conducted in the summer of 2020 on the pulse of Canadian workers by PWC finds
“Most employees want [the] flexibility to choose between their homes and the office, as needed—and the larger the organization, the greater the desire for remote work.”
While discussions around work from home are happening, there are no guarantees they bear any fruit. Your employer can insist you return to the office once it’s safe to do so. If you refuse to return, you may face termination. Discuss your move with your employer before taking the leap.
One of the reasons city dwellers are leaving the city is ‘lifestyle.’ They want to live in a community where they know their neighbours, where it safe for kids to play on the street and their dog has an area to run around leash-free.
But many are leaving a city whose vibrancy halted due to the pandemic. Once it’s over and people return to the city, will the small town seem slow-paced or lacking the food and entertainment options once desired? Or will small towns, with the new influx of younger families spawn the food and entertainment choices with the newfound desire for them?
Whatever the case, while the draw to move out of the city is strong right now, think of all the factors driving your decision. Where do you see your future self? Consider more than just this moment in time when making a long-term commitment to move away from your current home.
The bottom line
We’re all in a state of flux right now. When vaccines are available to everyone, do we just return to the life we led? Or will everything be forever changed? Weigh your options. No one can predict the future. Decide on the lifestyle you want, then make it fit your budget. Will you flee the city?


text:
The college thanks Mark Dean for his fantastic energy and service during his tenure as interim dean, a position he has held since August 2018. His last day as interim dean is officially July 14.
A 1979 alumnus of the college, Dean is a trailblazing computer pioneer who built a career of distinction with an impact well beyond academia. His breakthroughs and patents led to the creation of IBM’s first personal computer, color graphics, and the ISA bus that allowed multiple devices to connect to a computer.
Dean continued his record of innovation upon returning to UT in 2013, helping foster new collaborations with ORNL, working on the team that developed the “smart” robot NeoN, and helping students tackle the changing frontier in computing before joining the administration as Interim Dean in 2018.
His leadership inspired faculty and students, and even led the Knox County Mayor to declare Mark Dean Day.
Thank you, Professor Dean, for your service and inspiration to the college and university.


text:
It is always encouraging to see an exciting US brand creating jobs in Europe. However, given Apple's recent 13bn Euro fine by the EU and despite the local technology talent, I wonder if Fitbit is already regretting it's choice of location for their new European Head office? Will other now also rethink and perhaps gravitate to a post Brexit UK?
Fitbit, Inc. is opening its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. In conjunction with the opening, the group appointed a new Managing Director, Des Power.


Following on from some of Prawza’s comments the other day, I had a look at the above regulations within WA.
Points of interest, in particular for fixed gear riders.
ROAD TRAFFIC (BICYCLES) REGULATIONS 2002 - REG 6
6 . Brakes
A bicycle must be capable of being braked by either or both of the following means —
(a) an effective foot brake operated by turning the pedals in the reverse direction; (b) an effective hand operated brake fitted to the rear wheel having the operating handle fixed in a position providing for convenient operation.
Interpretation: It stipulates “effective foot brake by turning the pedals in the opposite direction”. Stopping motion on a fixed gear bike by use of your legs to create resistance or a countering force - is that effective foot braking (legally?)? Definitely grey.
ROAD TRAFFIC (BICYCLES) REGULATIONS 2002 - REG 7
7 . Bell
A bicycle must have a bell or other effective warning device fixed in a convenient position.
ROAD TRAFFIC (BICYCLES) REGULATIONS 2002 - REG 8
8 . Handle bar
The handle bar of a bicycle must extend not less than 200 mm nor more than 330 mm on each side of the centre of the bicycle and the height of the uppermost point of the handle bar must not exceed the height of the uppermost part of the seat by more than 300 mm.
Interpretation: This equates a legal chopdown size to a 400mm width bar. I personally have never really gone below - say - 450mm?
ROAD TRAFFIC (BICYCLES) REGULATIONS 2002 - REG 11
11 . Reflector
(1) A bicycle must have affixed at all times a reflector that will effectively reflect red light when illuminated by the headlight of a vehicle approaching from the rear and that reflector must —
(a) comply with the requirements specified in rule 102(1)(a) and (2) of the Vehicle Standards and have a reflective area of not less than the area of a circle of 38 mm diameter; (b) be mounted on the rear part of the bicycle at a height that is not less than 330 mm nor more than 1 m; and (c) be mounted vertically and facing to the rear in such a manner that the light reflected from the headlight of a vehicle approaching from the rear is clearly visible to the driver of that vehicle. (2) The reflector required by subregulation (1) may be in the form of a reflecting lens fitted to the rear lamp. (3) If a bicycle is being ridden between sunset and sunrise, it must have affixed, to each wheel, 2 yellow side reflectors complying with the requirements for reflectors in Australian Standard AS 1927-1998 ( Pedal Bicycles — Safety Requirements ) and Australian Standard AS 2142-1978 ( Specification for Reflectors for Pedal Bicycles ). (4) If a bicycle is being ridden between sunset and sunrise, it must have affixed, to both sides of each pedal, yellow pedal reflectors complying with the requirements for reflectors in Australian Standard AS 2142-1978 ( Specification for Reflectors for Pedal Bicycles ). (5) A bicycle must not have affixed a reflector capable of reflecting red light in the forward direction.
Interpretation: Go into any LBS these days. How many bikes do you see that ride off the shop floor without suitable reflectors? I dunno if Ive ever seen a bike priced in excess of $1000 with a reflector fitted?! K-Mart specials are all over the reflectors though!
ROAD TRAFFIC (BICYCLES) REGULATIONS 2002 - REG 12
12 . Lights
(1) If a bicycle is being ridden between sunset and sunrise —
(a) there must be attached to the bicycle a lighted front light showing an unbroken white light that is clearly visible at a distance of 200 m from the front of the bicycle; and (b) there must be attached to the bicycle or its rider a lighted rear light showing — (i) an unbroken red light; or (ii) a red light that flashes regularly at the rate of not less than 60 per minute, visible at a distance of 200 m from the rear of the bicycle. (2) The vertical distance from the ground to the centre of each light referred to in subregulation (1) is to be at least 330 mm. (3) In addition to the light required under subregulation (1)(a), a front light showing a white flashing light may be attached to a bicycle or its rider.
Interpretation: Enough said. Stands to reason.
ROAD TRAFFIC (BICYCLES) REGULATIONS 2002 - REG 15
15 . Offences
(1) A person must not ride a bicycle on a road unless it complies with these regulations.
Penalty: 4 PU. (2) For the purposes of section 102 of the Act — (a) the offence in subregulation (1) is prescribed; and (b) the amount of the modified penalty for the offence if it is dealt with under that section is 1 PU. (3) Despite subregulation (2), an alleged offender against subregulation (1) who is under 14 years of age is not to be dealt with by way of an infringement notice and modified penalty.
Interpretation: A penalty unit is $50.
Learn anything new???


text:
Number of person
1.5 oz de vodka
3 oz de sweet and sour sauce
1 dash de lemon juice
1/2 tsp de worcestershire sauce
3 drops de soy sauce
3 drops de tabasco sauce
- 1 Old-Fashioned Glass
- 1 In glass
- Use a "In glass" for "Chinese Mary" drink recipe.
- Make like a Bloody Mary, improvising with ingredients until you find your preferred taste and texture. Try adding extra vodka to thin out the sauce a little. When heated, this also makes a great sauce for food.
- Serve in "Old-Fashioned Glass".
In the same selection
Choisir un carnet
J'ajoute la recette à mes carnets
Do you confirm that this picture isn't a cooking picture or doesn't match with this recipe ?

domain: food


text:
Ariane Le Port – Global Creative Effectiveness Lead, Google
Arthur Anglade – Advertising Research Manager, Google
Ignacio Mamone – Manager, NielsenMember Only Access
While a new ARF study explores the long-term impact of different advertising strategies during last year’s pandemic, a new paper in the Journal of Advertising Research provides evidence on a specific strategy: “Going Dark.” “When Brands Go Dark: Examining Sales Trends when Brands Stop Broad-Reach Advertising for Long Periods” is the title of a new paper in the Journal of Advertising Research (July 2021). Their study examined the sales performance of beer, cider and spirit brands that advertised intermittently over almost two decades. Of 57 cases, 34 stopped mass media advertising for more than a year. The researchers analyzed changes in sales for the years when brands stopped advertising relative to the last advertised year. Their findings:
As more and more networks and agencies are looking at measures of “attention” to ads, A+E Networks and dentsu have taken a major step, using an eye tracking measure as guarantee for an Anheuser-Busch campaign. Paolo Provinciali, Head of U.S. Media, Anheuser-Busch, "We went back to the basics and focused on people's changing media consumption behavior. The assumption was that if we could run a campaign that could be seen by a higher number of people and capture a higher share of attention, it could drive higher brand equity and subsequently, impact consumer behavior. We partnered with A+E to guarantee our buy against people being present in the room when our ads were airing, increasing our chance to drive meaningful impact with our investment."
Céline Dion’s “It's All Coming Back to Me Now” thunders throughout the two-minute spot. Gum sales have declined during the era of face masks and social distancing. The amount of death, economic anxiety, social isolation and political strife that’s occurred over the past 14- months or so is something anyone who’s lived through it will never forget. Source: Hiebert, P. (2021, May 3). Extra Gum’s Back-to-Normal Ad Is a Euphoric Release. Adweek (only Adweek subscribers can read the full article – but the Ad is available to all viewers, see below). In this hilarious ad, Extra Gum imagines a post-pandemic world where we can't not hook up with the next person we see. Energy BBDO is the agency. View the video.Member Only Access
A product’s shape, packaging or logo contributes to consumer understanding and reactions to that product, previous research has found. But what impression does the perceived weight of a product convey and how can this be used for advertising and marketing purposes? Researchers Priya Raghubir, Lu Yang and Dengfeng Yan looked into this and discovered that consumers use a stability heuristic for weight judgements. Shorter, broader objects are judged to be heavier and thus are considered more stable. And when it comes to food items, weight also plays on such things as calorie assessment.
The public's view of most industries has improved since the beginning of the pandemic. However, social media companies rank in the bottom 10 of the list and are viewed slightly less favorably now than before the pandemic. The poll ranks the 100 most visible brands in America, and is based on Harris Poll research. Companies were rated by 34,026 U.S. adults from June 24-July 6. The public's view of almost every industry has improved since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Industries with a prominent role in life under quarantine have seen especially big jumps. Why it matters: Businesses in America were already undergoing a transformation from being solely focused on profits to being focused on values as well. The pandemic has expedited that shift, and consumers are responding favorably to it. Details: Consumers in the poll scored the top 100 companies across 7 qualities: Affinity (trust), citizenship, ethics, culture, vision, growth and products and services. Affinity is weighted higher than all other categories. Leading the index are companies that have focused on solving problems related to the coronavirus. Grocers, including Publix, Wegmans and Kroger, are among the highest-ranking companies, as are delivery companies like Fedex, Amazon and UPS. Consumer packaged goods companies that focus on cleaning and kids, like Clorox, Hersey's, Disney and Procter & Gamble Co. ranked in the top 25. Pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS, also scored well on consumer trust, culture and ethics. According to the poll, 75% of consumers agree that generally speaking, during the pandemic and related shutdowns, "companies were more reliable than the federal government in keeping America running." What's next: Overwhelmingly, the poll finds that consumers approve of companies that address social and societal issues. Source: Allen, M. (2020, July 30). 1 big thing…Axios Harris Poll 100: Corporate trust soars during pandemic. Axios.Member Only Access
Editor’s Note: The next report focuses on attitudes about advertising and the impact of advertising that addresses the current crisis. The findings paint a complex picture – strong support for advertising during this crisis, some positive impact, but also cynicism. According to the survey, consumers also think brands should incorporate COVID-19 messaging into their ads. FreeWheel released the results of a new survey of over 1,000 consumers on their changing behaviors and attitudes towards advertising in light of COVID-19 events. The results showed that 91% of consumers believe it’s appropriate for brands to continue advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic, with about half saying they believe it’s appropriate only with “certain types of ads.” The survey, conducted using a SurveyMonkey, also revealed that nearly 60% of consumers believe brands should incorporate messaging around COVID-19 into their ads. But discretion is needed: most consumers – about 50% – agree that brands should only do so “if it is tasteful.” When asked about their feelings towards brands that advertise in the current environment, over 40% of consumers say that when brands incorporate COVID-19 messaging into their ads, it can result in positive feelings. Though again, consumers caveat that messaging must be sensitive, with 29% saying that ads with COVID-19 messaging only gives them positive feelings if done tastefully. Consumers were also asked what types of ads they are most open to seeing now. The top category by far was food and beverage companies (51%), followed by financial (28%) and technology (24%) companies. Source: FreeWheel (2020, April 28). FreeWheel Real-Time Insights, APRIL 28, 2020: Consumer Survey. FreeWheel.Member Only Access


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Founded in 2002 by Marcus Kenyon and Jonny Ford, Finger Industries is a creative, hard-working animation & illustration studio with a history of producing great characters and original ideas.
We’ve come a long way since our inception 17 years ago and our crack team of extraordinarily talented individuals now works for clients in 4 continents, across multiple industries, all from our lovely studio in Sheffield, England.
We are a service provider, a creative partner and an independent studio.
Considering the entire concept, the world and the characters within it, be it IP or campaign led; we can work with you to get the most 'character and story' out of your concept
The first steps in style setting and animation design; everything from movement, flow, cameras, lighting, cinematography -designing all the nuances and subtleties as part of the pre-production stage. As design develops, so too does the edit - storyboards, animatics, VO, music and SFX - we do them all.
For print, digital or OOH campaigns; we can do character based pieces to live action compositing and everything in between. If you can think it up, we can make it. Head over to our Advertising and Comms page to see what we've created or get in touch to find out more.
An iterative process that's all about working with you, from initial style setting through to beautifully posed, expressive characters. Be it part of a wider production process or a stand alone deliverable, coming up with new characters is one of our favourite bits to do!
Video Production; from building scenes and characters to animating and any live action shoot (or both!). Did you know we use our custom built rigs to execute those lovely idiosyncrasies and characterisations?
Compositing, grading and VFX, get in touch if you'd like to see what our post production team can do. A service in its own right; not just part of our animation process!
Managing Director and Technical Lead
Creative Director and Illustrator
Global Sales and Marketing Manager. Senior Management
Production Manager. Senior Management
Studio and HR Manager
Studio Manager. Senior Management
Lead 3D Artist. Senior Management
Concept Artist and 2D Animator
Junior 3D Animator
Junior Editor and Animator
Be it 2D, 3D, photo-realistic, live action, VFX or VR Production. It might be character led, it might not. We're pretty versatile when it comes to what we can create so if you'd like to know more, please do get in touch
If you think you'd be a good fit for our team send your CV and a link to your portfolio/reel to [email protected]
Please include your availability and daily rate.
Please note, we can only consider freelancers that can work in house.

domain: artistic


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domain: travel


text:
Throughout its 50-some-odd years since its premier in 1963, “Doctor Who” has boasted strong representation for women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Characters like Sarah Jane Smith, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Captain Jack Harkness and Bill Potts have paved the way for black, gay, bisexual and female representation in sci-fi television. However, that representation has never extended to the Doctor himself.
Let me backup a little. If you’re new to “Doctor Who,” in the simplest of terms, it is a show about a human-looking alien who travels through space and time to save the lives of humans and aliens alike. He appears in times of crisis emerging from a bright blue telephone box, hair disheveled and a sonic screwdriver in hand. He saves the day and leaves no trace except for his moniker “The Doctor”.
Every few seasons, the Doctor is mortally wounded and must regenerate into a new form in order to save his life. In the history of the show, there have been 13 iterations of the Doctor, all of them white males, although the Doctor has stated in the past that he could be any gender or race (including the alien ones).
The most recent incarnation of the Doctor was revealed to be actress Jodie Whittaker. This is a landmark achievement for a show in which diverse representation has been limited to the sidekicks. That is not to say that these sidekicks aren’t strong characters. In fact, I often find myself more drawn to the Doctor’s companions than I do to the Doctor himself. However, if all of the diversity in your show is relegated to companions and side characters, you’re doing something wrong, especially in a show about an alien who flies around in a blue box saving people’s lives. It enforces the idea of the “White Boy Savior,” in which a white male must swoop in to save the day because women and people of color are not powerful enough to do it themselves. This stigma has been perpetuated throughout the media, most recently in Marvel’s Iron Fist, where a white male must be counted upon to save all of China Town because they simply can’t seem to do it themselves. And believe me, the irony of me, a white male, writing an article on this subject isn’t lost on me, but when you’re passionate about a subject you find a way to discuss it with like-minded individuals, and this is my way of doing that.
As you can imagine, when Jodie was announced as the new Doctor, her casting was polarizing to put it lightly. The Doctor is not even human, but God forbid he be portrayed by a woman. Some people absolutely hated the casting, saying that they would stop watching the show as a result. For the most part, the response to Jodie’s version of the character has been overwhelmingly positive, and her season has not even aired yet. People have already begun cosplaying as her version of the character. In an interview with BBC News about her take on the immortal Time Lord Whittaker said, “I hope my gender isn’t a fearful thing for the fans, because in this world particularly, there aren’t rules, and that’s a great thing. So hopefully everyone is as excited as I am.”
While the casting of a woman to play an iconically male character doesn’t magically solve the issue of the lack of diverse representation in the media, it is a step in the right direction. Perhaps the next Doctor will be a person of color, or transgender, or a transgender person of color. Once you break the glass ceiling, you can only continue to go up from there.


atau cari berdasarkan hari
State-owned coal mining company Bukit Asam (IDX: PTBA) has ventured into the solar energy business.
The ESDM Ministry's Mineral and Coal Director-General Ridwan said Indonesia still has large coal reserves of 38.84 billion tons.
Coordinating Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said the Indonesian government is gradually shutting down the operation of coal-fired power plants.
The government removed the ash resulting from burning coal in power plants from the category of hazardous and toxic waste.
Bumi Resources is confident that it could pay off its debts this year following a performance growth in 2021 due to surging coal prices.
KPK confirmed that it had thoroughly reviewed its recommendations on the elimination of coal waste (Fly Ash Bottom Ash/FABA) from the B3 waste list.
Little are aware that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had also issued a recommendation to drop FABA from hazardous waste category.
The government's decision to no longer deem coal fly ash and bottom ash (FABA) as B3 hazardous waste benefits the interests of investors says Walhi.
The government has removed coal residue or FABA (Fly Ash and Bottom Ash) from the list of toxic and hazardous waste (B3 waste).
The New and Renewable Energy Bill must accelerate the endeavor to abandon fossil-based energy sources such as coal.
In December 2020, the trade balance recorded a surplus of US $ 2.1 billion, which is the eighth surplus in a row.
Pertamina CEO says gasification can utilize coal and turn it into alternative energy.
Tangerang city administration through its Environment Agency encouraged several industries to use refuse-derived fuel as an alternative to coal.
The coal downstream project could lead to the state losing money. It is more expensive than importing LPG.
Former finance minister Chatib Basri said global investors were starting to consider environmental issues in financing.
President Jokowi asks cabinet ministers to accelerate the development of the coal derivative industry to increase the added value of the commodity.
The landslide at a traditional coal-mining site in South Sumatra killed 11 mine workers.
The coalition of #BersihkanIndonesia suspected that the enactment of the new Omnibus Law on Job Creation was an order from mining corporations.
Luhut Pandjaitan inaugurated a waste management facility using a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) system in Cilacap, Central Java, today, July 21.
Coal miner Bukit Asam (IDX: PTBA) is preparing to expand its market to Brunei Darussalam.


If you’re a gamer, you must have heard of Valve Index. It’s a virtual reality headset that has been making waves in the gaming industry for quite some time now.
The Valve Index is known for its high-quality display and immersive gaming experience. But does it have AR capabilities? Let’s find out.
What is AR?
AR stands for Augmented Reality. It’s a technology that overlays computer-generated images on top of the real world. AR is different from Virtual Reality (VR) in the sense that it doesn’t create an entirely new environment but enhances the existing one.
Does Valve Index Have AR?
Unfortunately, the Valve Index does not have built-in AR capabilities. The headset is designed specifically for VR gaming and does not support any kind of augmented reality applications.
Why Doesn’t Valve Index Support AR?
The reason behind this is simple: the hardware required for AR is different from VR. While VR requires a headset with high-resolution displays and motion tracking sensors, AR needs cameras and sensors to track real-world objects and overlay digital content on top of them.
What About Third-Party Apps?
While the Valve Index doesn’t support AR natively, there are third-party apps that allow you to experience augmented reality on your PC using the headset. However, these apps are still in their early stages and are not very reliable or user-friendly.
The Future of Valve Index and AR
Valve has not made any official announcements regarding adding AR capabilities to the Index headset. However, given how rapidly technology is advancing, it’s possible that we may see some form of augmented reality on future iterations of the device.
While the Valve Index is an excellent VR headset, it does not support augmented reality at this time. If you’re looking for an AR headset, you might want to consider other options like the Microsoft HoloLens or the Magic Leap One. Nevertheless, the Valve Index remains a top choice for gamers who are looking for an immersive and high-quality VR experience.


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domain: design


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text: Do you know that you can save money by getting the book World Cities Report 2016 by UN-HABITAT in pdf version instead of buying one? We have the pdf version of the book Orphans of Islam available for free. Just click on red download button below to download World Cities Report 2016 by UN-HABITAT for free.The analysis of urban development of the past twenty years presented in this maiden edition of the World Cities Report shows, with compelling evidence, that there are new forms of collaboration and cooperation, planning, governance, finance and learning that can sustain positive change. The Report unequivocally demonstrates that the current urbanization model is unsustainable in many respects. It conveys a clear message that the pattern of urbanization needs to change in order to better respond to the challenges of our time, to address issues such as inequality, climate change, informality, insecurity, and the unsustainable forms of urban expansion.

domain: economics


text:
HUNTINGTON BEACH — A fantastic finish, an emotional victory, punctuated the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing Sunday.
With big money and ratings points up for grabs during the nine-day event at the Huntington Beach Pier, it was Alejo Muniz of Brazil and Carissa Moore of Hawaii who weathered the week to win the Men's and Women's Prime titles, respectively.
The champions earned their titles by defeating local favorites Sunday. Moore withstood a late, spirited charge by Courtney Conlogue of Santa Ana to take the Women's final. Muniz followed with a start-to-finish win against Kolohe Andino of San Clemente in the Men's final.
An estimated crowd of 750,000 came out for the U.S. Open.
For Muniz, 23, of Santa Catarina, Brazil, Sunday marked his first win at the U.S. Open. His triumph drew cheers and chants of "Brazil, Brazil," from fans waving the Brazilian flag, as he accepted his championship trophy.
Sunday's win, he said, came as a surprise.
"I wasn't expecting to win here," he said. "For some reason, I woke up this morning and I knew I was going to do well. I'm really stoked. This is the biggest win of my career."
Muniz also collected his biggest paycheck to date: $100,000.
Moore collected a $15,000 paycheck for her win.
The victory also made Moore a two-time winner at the U.S. Open.
"It feels amazing and it's an honor to win in front of all of you," Moore, 20 and a native of Honolulu, told the massive crowd.
The Women's finals heat figured to be a tough competition, and it was. Conlogue, a Sage Hill School (Newport Coast) alumna, had won all four of her previous heats, which included knocking off top-ranked Tyler Wright of Australia in a Sunday morning semifinal. Moore, meanwhile, won four of her five previous heats to make her way to the final.
Conlogue, 20 had used fast starts in her four previous heats to grab leads in each. She again followed form Sunday by taking her first wave only 10 seconds into the 35-minute heat and scored a 5.50. That lead was short lived as Moore opened with a score of 8.17, then scored a 7.83 on her second wave.
That strong opening put Moore into the lead for the remainder of the heat. Conlogue, however, nearly pulled out the win.
Needing a score of 8.50 to regain the lead, Conlogue finished with a flurry. She turned in consecutive wave scores of 7.50, 6.00, neither of which, though, was enough to give her the lead. But she had momentum. With less than a minute remaining, she came up with a great ride which included a vertical hook that brought cheers from the crowd.
She still had a shot at the title. Her final wave score didn't trickle in until a minute after the final horn had sounded. She was scored a 7.77 on her final effort, leaving the 2009 Open Women's champion just short of earning her second U.S. Open title.
Moore held on for a finals victory by a score of 16.00-15.27.
Sunday's win placed Moore as the Women's World Tour ratings leader. Conlogue moved up to No. 3.
"She put me on the ropes," Conlogue said of Moore's early lead. "I wanted to have fun and put on a show. It was a good heat."
Conlogue roared to the Women's final by scoring an impressive semifinal victory in the morning over Wright. A great performance included top wave scores of 9.27 and 6.80, which led to a 16.07-11.33 victory.


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By September 9, 1971, inmates at New York’s Attica Correctional Facility had seized control of the prison and taken guards hostage. Their extreme actions followed months of protests over inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, minimal food, harassment, lack of medical care and rations of one toilet paper roll per month and one shower per week. Then, New York’s governor decided to open fire.
According to a taped conversation with aides, President Richard Nixon thought the decision was justified, saying, “You see it’s the black business...he had to do it.”
Top officials knew there would be a massacre if Governor Nelson Rockefeller abandoned negotiations with the prisoners and sent in state troops, and that’s exactly what happened. Officers dropped tear gas and fired 3,000 rounds, killing 39 people and wounding more than 80 others. Nixon hoped it would send a message to activists, or “the Angela Davis crowd,” as he put it, on his secret tapes.
“I think this is going to have a hell of a salutary effect on future prison riots,” Nixon said of the Attica attack. “Just like Kent State”—where the Ohio National Guard murdered four students during an anti-war protest—“had a hell of a salutary effect.”
Before these tapes became public, “we never really knew that [Nixon] was as deeply invested in what was happening in prisons,” says historian Heather Ann Thompson, who discovered Nixon’s taped conversations regarding Attica. “What we’ve sort of forgotten about this time period was that there was a great deal of activism inside of prisons.” Nixon viewed the protests as dangerous threats that needed quelling.
But it wasn’t just Nixon. Using the tapes and other government records, Thomson revealed in her 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning book Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy that officials across the federal government viewed prison protests as dangerous, and that after the Attica massacre, numerous officials would work to cover it up.
The very first day that inmates seized control in Attica, New York, the FBI began sending memos about it to the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines, the CIA, the attorney general, the vice president and President Nixon himself.
“That was stunning because this is a minuscule town, one random state prison,” Thompson says. “But the instant there is conflict there, the FBI is not only all over it, but so was every branch of the federal government and every branch of the military… That shows that prisons matter in this country.” When prisoners protest, “authorities find that incredibly disruptive.”
Paranoia Was Rampant Within the Federal Government
These revelations also tell a larger story about the pervasiveness of paranoia within the federal government. Attorney General John Mitchell “was absolutely consumed with this idea of the left and activists kind of taking over the country,” Thompson says. Under J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI’s COINTELPRO, or “counterintelligence program,” surveilled civil rights leaders and sabotaged their organizations.
“This is an entire apparatus of the federal government that is…deeply fearful of and hostile to the civil rights movement,” she says. “Add prison activism into that, and these guys think that the world’s coming apart at the seams.”
On his tapes, Nixon said Governor Rockefeller was worried about Attica because “the word is around that this is a signal for the black uprising.”
“The Nixon tapes give a hint but do not fully reveal just how deeply involved Nixon’s White House was in shutting down prison activism,” Thompson says.
At the time, state government officials spread misinformation about Attica in order to justify the massacre. They said they’d given prisoners an ultimatum to surrender; that the prisoners, who were mostly black, had castrated white hostages; and that prisoners had killed hostages during the retaking of Attica. None of the statements were true. In reality, law enforcement killed the 10 hostages along with 29 prisoners as they raided the prison.
The false statements about what happened at Attica profoundly shaped how Americans saw that uprising in particular and prison activism in general. “On the eve of Attica, right as the prisoner protest was starting, Americans were quite sympathetic to these prisoners; they understood that prisons were hellholes that needed reform,” Thompson says. “And after Attica they are quickly deciding that, no, these guys are animals.”

domain: history


[Nut-upsdev] new variable for battery charge indication?
Berge, Matthijs ten
M.tenBerge at awl.nl
Wed Apr 11 14:24:41 UTC 2018
While writing a new driver for Siemens UPSes, I encountered the following problem:
The UPS is not able to indicate the current battery charge level as a numeric value, but only as a Boolean value: below or above 85%.
(Apart from that, it can also signal a Boolean 'critical' level, which is used to activate the 'LB' status in NUT. This works fine.)
There is currently no variable in nut-names.txt that can hold such a battery charge indication, all existing variables are percentages, voltages or other numeric values.
What would be your preferred solution?
- Create a new variable (for example 'battery.charge.indication') with an opaque string value, such as "<85%" or ">85%",
- Place such as string in the variable 'battery.charge', (this would probably confuse software that expects a number there),
- Place some numeric value in 'battery.charge' for the two (or actually three) situations (which values?),
- Leave out the charge indication altogether,
- something else...
DISCLAIMER: For our full disclaimer, please visit www.awl.nl/en/about-us/disclaimer
More information about the Nut-upsdev


text:
Please mail us at email@example.com, To register cooking class, please copy and paste the following informations.
· Your name :
· Your email address :
· Expect cooking date and time (9:30 or 15:00) :
· Market Tour (Yes or No) :
· Participants (e.g. 2 adults, 1 child) :
· One of Menu A, B, C or Tailor-made 3 dishes and/or special diet :


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+ DAILY PRAYER +
This Daily Devotion covers the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy also called the Books of Moses or the Pentateuch, in a period of one year in a Monday through Friday format, the Psalms and order of devotion follow those presented in The Treasury of Daily Prayer from Concordia Publishing House.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you;
He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”
Reading Lev 22:17-23:8
17 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the ?Israelites?, and say to them, ‘Anyone from the house of Israel or from the alien in Israel who presents his offering for any of their vows or for any of their freewill offerings that they present to Yahweh as a burnt offering, 19 it must be without defect ?to be acceptable for you?: a male among the cattle, among the sheep, or among the goats. 20 You shall not present any animal in which is a physical defect, because it shall not be ?acceptable? for you. 21 And if anyone brings a sacrifice of fellowship offerings for Yahweh to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the cattle or from the flock, it must be without defect ?to be acceptable?; there must not be any physical defect in it. 22 The blind or the injured or the maimed or the seeping or one with a skin disorder or one with a skin eruption—these you shall not present to Yahweh, nor shall you give from them an offering made by fire on the altar for Yahweh. 23 As for an ox or sheep that is deformed or that is stunted, you may present it as a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. 24 And you shall not present anything for Yahweh with bruised or shattered or torn or cut-off testicles, and you shall not ?sacrifice? such in your land. 25 And you shall not present your God’s food from any of these by the hand of ?a foreigner?, because their deformity is in them; a physical defect is in them; they shall not be accepted for you.’ ”
26 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, then it shall be under its mother for seven days, and from the eighth day and beyond it is acceptable as an offering made by fire for Yahweh. 28 And you shall not slaughter an ox or a sheep and ?its young? on ?the same day?. 29 And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Yahweh, you must sacrifice it to be acceptable for you. 30 It must be eaten on that day; you must not leave over anything from it until morning; I am Yahweh.
31 “Thus you shall keep my commands, and you shall do them; I am Yahweh.
32 “And you shall not profane my holy name, so that I may be consecrated in the midst of the ?Israelites?; I am Yahweh, who consecrates you, 33 the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be as God for you; I am Yahweh.”
23 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the ?Israelites?, and say to them, ‘The festivals of Yahweh that you shall proclaim are holy assemblies; these are my appointed times.
3 “ ‘For six days work is to be done, and on the seventh day shall be ?a Sabbath of complete rest?, a holy assembly; you shall not do any work; it shall be a Sabbath for Yahweh in all your dwellings.
4 “ ‘These are Yahweh’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you shall proclaim at their appointed time. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month at the evening is Yahweh’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of this month is Yahweh’s Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do ?any regular work?. 8 And you shall present an offering for Yahweh made by fire for seven days; on the seventh day there shall be a holy assembly; you shall not do ?any regular work?.’ ”
Everlasting Father, source of every blessing, mercifully direct and govern us by Your Holy Spirit that we may complete the works You have prepared for us to do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Heavenly Father, send Your Holy Spirit into our hearts to direct and rule us according to Your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.


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Can I add food extracts like vanilla extract to my soap cold process? Because it has alcohol in it?
Alcohol can react unusually in the soap making process and unfortunately, the vanilla extract scent doesn't come through in the final soaps.
Your best bet is to purchase fragrance or essential oils that are proven to work in the handmade soap making processes.
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domain: hobby


All rumors can now be laid to rest. The Last of Us Remastered is not coming out next week, but it is coming soon – July 29th. The Last of Us is one of the highest-scoring games of all time, and received many game of the year awards in 2013. The remastered edition is coming to us just a year after the original release, but now on Sony’s shiny new console.
The PlayStation 4 has allowed the developers to up the resolution to 1080p and target 60fps, which the trailer below will demonstrate. The developers are also working on improving character models, textures, lighting, etc. Though, from a glance, it doesn’t appear to be as substantial an upgrade as, say, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Still, The Last of Us is already a damn-good-looking game, so it’s all just icing on the cake really.
The game comes complete with the Left Behind campaign, multiplayer map pack, and single player difficulty DLC. Naughty Dog was also pleased to confirm that all of the other PS3 DLC will carry over to PS4 if you’ve already purchased it.
WARNING: The trailer below does contain out-of-context spoilers. Tread carefully if you haven’t played the game – maybe it’s better to just trust us, and buy it without watching. It’s that good, guys.


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I can see it now. The 2020 Presidential match-up:
An old, white New York City billionaire going head-to-head with the incumbent old, whiteish-orangish New York City billionaire.
Bloomberg will be 78 in February, making him 79 the month after his potential 2021 inauguration.
Trump was 70 at his inauguration.
I'd love to see the melee that ensues at the DNC debates when Bloomberg pulls out his accountants' reports on how badly Warren's "plans" can never be paid for no matter HOW MUCH she takes from the "wealthy".
It's unconstitutional to just confiscate wealth, BTW. Taxes are levied on incomes, real property and transactions. To target someone to take their money for government's purposes using no other criteria than "I think you have too much" is not part of America's system. Anytime the government takes anything from its citizens, there has to be a justification, such as a fine for criminal activities or a tax that applies to a behavior.
ACA is a perfect example. The bill was passed with a mandate that fined people for opting out. If they'd called it a tax, it may not have gotten the votes needed to pass.
Once they had to defend that mandate in front of the Supreme Court, they changed the law to say it's a "tax". Bait and switch, to put it mildly.
Even if Warren took 100% of the wealth from all of the 1% she claims needs to pay more, that would fund Medicare for all for about 2 years, and there will be no more billionaires to milk.
That doesn't include paying for all her other plans: free college, free daycare, student loan forgiveness, increasing the minimum wage, paid family leave, slavery reparations, federal dollars to build more housing....

domain: finance


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In spring of 2012, Michigan Rising (formerly Fire Rick Snyder) will start a second recall attempt against Governor Rick Snyder. The first recall effort was done without the formal help of the unions or the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP). Considering a piece published last week in the Detroit Free Press, I think it’s safe to say that the UAW, at least, won’t be involved this time around, either. And with the direction of the MDP all but controlled by the UAW, the state level Dems will probably sit this one out, too.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder took the next step toward placing Michigan’s largest city under the control of an Emergency Manager this afternoon, appointing a review team to go over Detroit’s finances.
The team has 60 days to report on Detroit’s finances after a preliminary review ordered by Dillon found evidence of financial stress.
The review could lead to appointment of an emergency manager to take control of the city.…
Yeah, well, at least Newt is honest about his position on LGBTQ rights:
Or so says a professor who met Gingrich at the Smokey Row coffee house in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register.
“I asked him if he’s elected, how does he plan to engage gay Americans. How are we to support him? And he told me to support Obama,” Scott Arnold, an associate professor of writing at William Penn University told the paper.
“When you ask somebody a question and you expect them to support all Americans and have everyone’s general interest,” Arnold continued.…
I’ve gotten reports from some folks, including JM Ashby of Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog! Go!, that some anti-virus programs are causing false positives. I have pulled all the third party ads of this morning so you shouldn’t encounter any more of them and this will likely speed the site up a bit, as well.
Please consider making a donation instead if you like what you read at Eclectablog. You can do that here:
Thanks! And have a terrific holiday.
– Chris…Read more ›
This is awesome. First Lady Michelle Obama speaking to children from the Santa-tracking station at NORAD. Lots more after the jump.
|Photo credit: Peter Souza|
OPERATOR: You’re connected, ma’am.
MRS. OBAMA: Hello, this is the First Lady, Michelle Obama. How may I help you?
MRS. HARRIS: Hi, I have my daughter right here. She’d like to speak to you.
MRS. OBAMA: I would love to speak to her. Is her name Summer?
MRS. HARRIS: It sure is.
MRS. OBAMA: Okay, I’m ready for Summer.
MRS. HARRIS: Here she is.
MRS. OBAMA: Hi, Summer? Is this Summer?
SUMMER: Can you tell me where Santa is?…Read more ›
A recap of sorts by Rachel Maddow tonight of Michigan’s Emergency Manager law and its impacts, particularly on Benton Harbor. A bunch of my photos from one of the early rallies are featured.
The bit at 5:15 is probably the most significant:
What Governor Rick Snyder and the Republican legislature did in Michigan this year gets my vote as the single most radical thing in American politics in this fairly radical year.…
Does Justice Dept’s ruling on SC voter ID law bode well for repeal of Michigan’s Emergency Manager law?
This could signal an important foreshadowing of the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation of Michigan’s Emergency Manager law and its disparate impact on African Americans.
The decision places the federal government squarely in opposition to the types of voter ID requirements that have swept through mostly Republican-controlled state legislatures.…
Keeping a tax break for the majority of Americans in place just like Republicans fought for on behalf of skabillionaires last year was, of course, “the right thing to do”. A clear no-brainer, barely worth the breath it takes to discuss it. One would have thought all those House Republicans that signed the Grover Norquist pledge not to raise taxes would have bent over backwards to get this extension passed. Somehow, however, they managed to bend themselves into pretzels, instead, figuring out why it’s okay to raise takes on most Americans but not gajillionaires after signing the Norquist pledge.
But there’s one piece from yesterday’s massive and epic GOPfail that really stood out from me.…Read more ›
There aren’t too many people in Michigan more emphatic that we need to repeal Public Act 4 – Michigan’s Emergency Manager law – more than I am. But THIS is just an absurd waste of time.
The high court announced Wednesday it will consider an argument rejected in October by the Michigan Court of Appeals that Roberts’ appointment in May is invalid because he failed to take the oath of office until months later.…
Reverend Al Sharpton covered Michigan’s Emergency Manager law last night on Politics Nation. My now-famous chart showing the number of African Americans that will be impacted by this was mentioned with credit to me at around the 2:30 minute mark. They also used my audio of Emergency Manager Joe Harris without attribution. That comes in around 5:50 and is incorrectly identified as him speaking on a radio show (it was during a training session for potential Emergency Managers held in February 2011.)
The guests are Lansing mayor Virg Bernero and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jackson will be among a coalition of activists who will marching on Rick Snyder’s town on Martin Luther King, Jr.…Read more ›

domain: politics


The HHCL10 is ideal for pinpointing the location of electrical cables and metal, water, or gas pipes behind walls, above ceilings or under floors. It can also trace circuits, detect open- and short-circuits, find outlets covered by plaster, identify a circuit’s breaker, and locate blockages in plastic pipes. Makes it safe to break through any wall by revealing and locating hidden infrastructure up to 2 m (6.6') behind it, and eliminates the need to find and read construction drawings before starting a job. Transmitter and receiver communicate on any of eight channels and display readings on a big, bright, multi-function graphic LCD. Both units also include a flashlight (for illuminating dark areas) and a buzzer that can be muted. Transmitter has three power levels; receiver has variable sensitivity. Compatible with one- or two-pole circuits. Used with a metal rod, system can locate blockages and constrictions in plastic pipes.
Specifications Transmitter Output Frequency: 125 kHz Measurement Range/Accuracy: 12 to 600 Vdc or Vac (@60 Hz)/±2.5% in voltmeter mode Display: LCD, with function display and column chart Overvoltage: 300V Current Consumption: 31 mA (minimum), 115 mA (maximum) Operating Temperature: 0 to 40°C (32 to 104°F) @ 80% RH Storage Temperature: -20 to 60°C (-4 to 140°F) @ 80% RH Dimensions: 190 x 89 x 42.5 mm (7.5 x 3.5 x 1.7") Weight: Without Battery: 360 g (12.7 oz) With Battery: 420 g (14.8 oz) Power Source: 9V battery (included) Receiver Tracking Depth (Maximum): In Cable Locating Mode: 2 m (6.6') for 1-pole circuit, 0.5 m (1.6') for 2-pole circuit, 2.5 m (8.2') for single-loop line>br> In Grid Voltage Identification Mode: 0.4 m (1.3') Display: LCD, with function display and column chart Current Consumption: 32 mA (minimum), 89 mA (maximum) Operating Temperature: 0 to 40°C (32 to 104°F) @ 80% RH Storage Temperature: -20 to 60°C (-4 to 140°F) @ 80% RH Dimensions: 242 x 78 x 39 mm (9.5 x 3.1 x 1.5") Weight: Without Batteries: 280 g (9.9 oz) With Battery: 350 g (12.3 oz)


return to: checklist; keys; family Verbenaceae
Tree; leaves opposite, palmately compound; leaflets elliptic, base obtuse, margin entire, apex obtuse to acute, minutely pubescent; inflorescence an axillary panicle; corolla bilaterally symmetric, blue, with white and/or yellow at the throat; fruit globose, fleshy. (Image at left photographed at Loltun Cavern.)
The wood is durable and used in the construction of diverse items. Listed as an important source of pollen and/or nectar for bees (Souza Novello 1981).


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Coronavirus with all the restrictions and even lockdowns imposed have changed our way of life, and some of the changes will be irrevocable. Many pubs will stay shut never to open again and even working life and travel patterns will be permanently altered for many. But it’ll also impact upon our democracy and that’s where I’ve concerns.
2022’s the centenary of the historic election that saw a Labour breakthrough in the UK, with the ILP and Red Clydesiders coming to the fore in Scotland. It was the first election fought under the full franchise for men, though women shamefully had to wait a while longer for equality.
Political activity as we now know it really began then with the Labour Movement mobilising its strength in the shipyards and industrial sites, along with political activism in the community especially amongst women. The media was different, not necessarily more balanced, but with easier access to communicate directly with communities and perhaps a more level playing field than exists today.
But what now? Silo living, as has been the lot for many of us, has the ability to alter political views and not simply in the for and against restrictions debate. To be fair some changes were underway before the virus struck but its accelerated or compounded them.
For politics is a learned habit not simply in going to the ballot box. Who you voted for was often passed down through the generations, as was Labour voting in my family and many others. That was then added to by work, where trade union membership was demanded or just encouraged. Even socialising had an impact as pubs, clubs and co-ops could imbibe a solidarity and encourage participation and support. The sense of solidarity was tangible and the encouragement and even pressure could be loud and sometimes even severe.
Now changes in employment had been well underway with large site employers vastly reduced and trade union membership becoming significantly white collar. The gig economy and other social and economic changes scattering people to the wind and often isolating them. But coronavirus has added to that a thousand-fold. Living in a silo, restricted in contact to close family and friends, where you went and who you might meet vastly limited. Camaraderie, expectations and even ability to find out or learn are restricted.
The media had been changing but again coronavirus seems to have compounded it. The mainstream press is far less influential in so many ways. Social media has transformed the situation. Notionally it’s a leveller but the ability to access platforms and even push information’s still heavily dependent on finance. Moreover, the ability to distort and spread disinformation’s now even a threat to national security.
So where does that leave democracy a century on? In a far weaker place and where the ability of working people to organise is greatly constrained and the ability of a few to manipulate is far greater. The USA with a low turnout and manipulation shows what can happen. We should beware.


Ladies who lunch: Grace England, Resonance
Leisurely work-time social luncheons don’t often fit into the schedule of a social entrepreneur. So, in our WISE100 interview series, we manage to sit down over a lunchtime Skype call with leading women in social enterprise to grab a quick bite and learn a bit about their work. This week, Grace England, investment manager at Resonance, tells us about her Black Country upbringing, questioning Economics textbooks, and how her boss helped her overcome public speaking nerves.
A table for two... over Skype. Left, Grace; right, Sasha
As of the beginning of this year, Grace England’s team doubled: there are now two of them. But welcoming even one new team member has made a difference – and encouraged England to break bad habits: “I want to set a good example of taking a proper lunch break. It’s been a good reset button.”
One break that’s always been in the diary, though, is ‘tea at three’. “I’m a tea addict. I find it therapeutic to put the kettle on and have that point in my day to work towards.”
Based in Birmingham, England works in the fund management team at Resonance, a social investor created in 2002 that manages over £210m of investors' capital across eight funds. The funds tackle different social impact areas, but England focuses specifically on the West Midlands, managing the Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) fund which supports social enterprises tackling poverty and inequality.
If you had mentioned social investment tax relief to England 10 years ago, you would have been met with a blank expression.
“To be completely honest, I hadn’t really heard of social enterprise or social investment when I went to university.”
England grew up just outside Birmingham in the ‘Black Country’ – an area that used to be an industrial town, and parts of which are among the most deprived in the UK. “The schools come at the bottom of every [league] table and there’s high unemployment,” England tells me. “I remember growing up and feeling really frustrated by it. From a young age, I was asking: ‘Why is it like this?’ and ‘Why don’t people have opportunities?’”
I remember growing up and feeling really frustrated. From a young age, I was asking: ‘Why don’t people have opportunities?’
She got accepted into a sixth form college and studied Economics and Sociology – a formative experience. “My eyes were opened to the world… It was the first time I’d heard of Karl Marx! Everything I learnt helped me understand why there's so much inequality in the systems that govern our society.”
Excited about changing things, England went on to study Economics at Cambridge, but soon began to feel disillusioned.
“There were lots of assumptions in mainstream theory that I didn’t agree with. It didn't seem to address how real communities are affected,” she says. Moving back home after university reminded her what she was most passionate about; she also had the time to read more widely around the topics that she had “fundamentally disagreed” with at university. And suddenly, through her research, she “discovered the world of social enterprise and social investment”.
After freelancing for three years, doing jobs including research for social intermediaries, she met Resonance CEO Daniel Brewer, by chance, in Bristol. “The rest is history!” says England.
Resonance helps social enterprises grow their business and social impact through its two areas of work: consultancy and investment. Social enterprises can get advice in areas such as business planning or market development; the company also manages investment funds, attracting investors who want to tackle major issues including homelessness, poverty, or community resilience. But, as England puts it, the aim is that “one day, all businesses will be social enterprises and all investors will be social investors – so we won't need those terms anymore.”
Six years after that fateful meeting with her future boss, and England is driving Resonance’s West Midlands SITR fund – combined with the company’s other SITR fund in Bristol, it has raised over £4m of investment to date, investing in 13 social enterprises. She is also leading the development of SITR funds in other regions across the country: Resonance announced a third one in the North West of England in May, and is hoping to launch a fourth in 2020.
And England doesn’t just have plans to grow the funds that she manages, but also to improve them. Six months ago, Resonance began measuring key performance data on diversity. This involves looking at how many organisations in their portfolio are led by women or ethnic minorities – or that are supporting those groups as beneficiaries. “It’s early days, but the fact that we’re starting to measure this means we’re moving in the right direction.” England and her colleagues have also begun asking for information about the diversity of their investees’ boards. Again, this is “a slow journey”, but she believes there’s a benefit even in having these conversations. Her motto, she says, is “you need to measure what you value otherwise you just end up valuing what you measure.”
It’s early days, but the fact that we’re starting to measure [diversity] means we’re moving in the right direction
If England’s hometown is renowned for its lack of opportunities, her own career path at Resonance has been full of them. When she first joined, she was “terrified” of public speaking and couldn’t do it without her voice completely going. Her line manager began to share his speaking slots with England, slowly offering more and more over time to help her build confidence. Others in the sector also gave England the opportunity to speak on panels and at events: “I might not have been as qualified as others but they gave me that space to have that experience and exposure,” she says. You can only get better as you do it, it’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation. I’m really thankful to lots of women and men.”
For England, achieving gender equality is about empowerment: “It’s not just empowered women but empowered people.” Inspired by her own manager, England says it’s important not just for women but for “everyone” to share their platform, adding: “I hope I do that for others.”
Grace England was listed on the 2018 NatWest WISE100 – a list of the UK’s 100 leading women in social enterprise and impact investment – and spotlighted as one of 12 particularly influential and inspiring women.
Key figures: Resonance
Header photo: Grace pictured with staff of Wildgoose Rural Training, which secured £85,000 from the Resonance West Midlands Social Investment Tax Relief fund earlier this year.
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