text:
Dynamical Structure Factor of Magnetic Excitation in Underdoped La1.90Sr0.10CuO4 Measured by Chopper Neutron Spectrometer
We have performed inelastic neutron scattering measurement on high-transition temperature superconductor La1.90Sr0.10CuO4 with utilizing a Fermi chopper spectrometer. We succeeded in converting the observed neutron scattering intensity into a dynamical structure factor in the absolute unit by attempting two methods with analyzing (i) incoherent scattering intensity from the sample itself and (ii) that from vanadium standard. The total squared moment <M2> was evaluated to be 0.176 μB2/Cu, which is much smaller than the value for the parent compound, indicating a markedly change of electronic state by hole-doping.
Takashi Goto, Zhengyi Fu and Lianmeng Zhang
K. Sato et al., "Dynamical Structure Factor of Magnetic Excitation in Underdoped La1.90Sr0.10CuO4 Measured by Chopper Neutron Spectrometer", Key Engineering Materials, Vol. 616, pp. 291-296, 2014

domain: chemistry


TC Keni flies by
11 April, 2018, 12:00 am
Tropical Cyclone Keni caused quite a stir around the country yesterday. There were no buses around, most businesses stayed shut, schools were closed and civil servants stayed home.
Floodwaters rose in parts of the Western and Northern divisions early yesterday morning, forcing people into evacuation centres in these areas. Power was down in some parts of the country.
By yesterday afternoon though, the cyclone was heading away from Viti Levu. Last evening, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama urged people to be wary of the fact that Cyclone Keni was still in Fiji waters.
He said there may be rain and flooding in certain areas. Mr Bainimarama announced schools being used as evacuation centres in the Western Division, Labasa, and Kadavu would remain closed.
Civil servants, on the other hand, have been advised to return to work today. Civil servants living in areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Keni, however, should use their own discretion and evaluate flood conditions in their area before returning to work.
Public transportation and businesses not affected by Cyclone Keni would also resume operations today.
While parts of the Western Division would remain without power as the Fiji Electricity Authority assessed damage caused by TC Keni, by last evening, power was starting to come back on in some affected areas.
A couple of things will stand out in the wake of this episode though.
The positives include the effective response by many members of the public to weather warnings. They prepared for the cyclone. Those affected by floodwaters headed for evacuation centres early while others took appropriate action to keep themselves and their families safe. Thousands of families stocked up on food and drinks, bought supplies of candles, and batteries for their torches and radios.
Understandably there would be questions hanging over the dissemination of information by the weather office and the reality on the ground.
Mother nature is unpredictable we know. We accept the fact that preparation is key to safety as well.
Fiji Meteorological Service director Ravind Kumar said the weather office is not able to please everyone.
His comments come in the wake of criticisms about the dissemination of weather reports linked to TC Keni.
It seems there were mixed reactions though, with some tourism industry stakeholders expressing concern that weather bulletins were at odds with the reality on the ground.
Farmers in some areas, on the other hand, said the warnings issued by the Nadi weather office were accurate and helped them prepare well. There were others though who said they were given too early and resulted in complacency. There was also criticism about disruption to business caused by early warnings.
A number of issues have been raised, and it is encouraging to note that the weather office is prepared to embrace different opinions and discuss them to better its services. That can only mean positive things for the people of Fiji.


text:
The Kentucky Dogwear Velvet Dog Lead is the perfect combination of style and functionality. It is created with velvet for a classic and elegant look. Crafted with exceptional quality, this lead is sure to be an ideal addition to your pet's wardrobe.
Made from a very soft microfiber material on the outside that is reinforced with nylon for extra strength. 120cm in length.
- Matches Dog Collar Velvet
- Classy look
- Soft and strong
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domain: design


text:
Aspire Puxos Kit
Free battery (21700) included inside the box!
The Puxos is the latest mod released by Aspire, and this kit is a real unique beauty. The Aspire Puxos mod can fire up to 80w, which is perfect for the Cleito Pro tank supplied – and most sub-ohm tanks. The mod can be powered by either a single 21700 battery (supplied) or an 18650 using the included battery sleeve. The included 21700 battery has a huge power rating of 4000 mAh which means that this compact device will last most users the whole day!!
On the side of the device you will find the easy to read screen which provides all vaping info (wattage, voltage, resistance, battery etc), along with the power controls and fire button. The side design panels can also be removed and interchanged for a different look depending on your liking.
This kit is supplied with the all new Aspire Cleito Pro tank which makes a perfect pair for full flavour and vapour production. The Cleito Pro can hold up to 2ml of e-liquid and can be very easily refilled by simply sliding up the ring cover to expose the filling hole.
Charging can be done via micro USB, and has pass-through technology to allow vaping while on charge.
What we love:
Due to the supplied battery (4000 mAh), using a single battery makes this kit extremely compact and light in weight – but still lasting as long as a dual battery kit. Our favourite feature of the tank is the quick and simple filling process – no unscrewing or dismantling!
Find replacement coils for the Cleito tank here.
1x Puxos mod
1x Cleito PRO tank
2x Cleito PRO 0.5ohm coils
1x 21700 battery
1x USB charging cable
1x 18650 battery adapter
1x Warranty card
1x User manual

domain: hobby


These days, Drum is a different beast from its 1950s heyday under Jim Bailey – the magazine enters its 60s as a sister publication to Huisgenoot and You. While current owners Media24 are planning a big birthday later this month, and a commemorative edition will be released in November, the real story of Drum magazine is the one that happened in 1950s. J BROOKS SPECTOR looks back on the magazine's glory days.
In its heyday in the 1950s, Drum magazine was unique. It was both arbiter and mirror of the evolving tastes – of the urban, polyglot society taking hold in post-war Johannesburg. It was also a vehicle for crusading journalistic exposés, an exultation of an emerging celebrity culture, a space for black literature to reach a large continental audience, and some reasonably modest “cheese cake”. And it conveyed all of this with a right-in-your-face English that owed much to the dialogue of cinema noir detective stories.
Drum was fun to read and audiences in South Africa – and later throughout the continent – responded by turning it into a must-have. Time magazine could write in 1952: “In the teeming Negro and coloured shantytowns of Johannesburg, where newspapers and magazines are a rarity, a truck piled high with magazines rumbled through the unpaved streets last week. Wherever it stopped, hundreds of people swarmed about it, buying the magazine…”
Founded by broadcaster and test cricketer Bob Crisp, it was then purchased by World War II pilot hero and scion of a Randlord family, Jim Bailey, who thought the magazine could strike it rich by telling the longed-for tales of the Africa of villages and homesteads in far-off rural homelands to homesick urban dwellers. But that was not what Bailey’s would-be readers wanted to know about. As an editor, Crisp was quickly replaced by the young British journalist, Anthony Sampson, who wrote of his experiences at “Drum”: “Most of the new Johannesburgers I encountered had embraced the big city with gusto, to become more eagerly urbanised than most Afrikaners. The tens of thousands who had arrived during and after the Second World War had to live on their wits or go under, and they faced constant battles – to travel to town, to survive in the streets, to earn extra money or to outwit the police.”
Particularly emblematic of this “Drum” culture was the texture of life in Sophiatown. One famous example of the type was the photographic short story, “Baby Come Duze”, written by Can Themba and illustrated by photographer Gopal Naransamy, using the evocative tsotsi taal/fly taal/isicamto patois so much a part of Sophiatown. “Baby Come Duze” has a streetwise snappy dresser trying his luck with an attractive young woman – ending with the following exchange:
Ellen: Moet dit’n laatie is, dan maak hy nyakanyaka onder die cherrekies net soos hom ganbini. Dan squeal hy die mamzan globe hom weg met ‘n evil while hy nog boeke oopmaak.
Pretty Boy: Yefies! Yefies! Dan le hy die baby by die mong, dan rwa hy haar met die ou spead: “Baby, come duze!” Yefies! Yefies!
Or, in breathless English for the rest of us…
Ellen: If it’s a boy, he’ll cause trouble among the little girls just like his father. And he’ll grumble that her mother stares him off whilst he’s still making love.
Pretty Boy: Geewhiz! Geewhiz! Then he waylays her at the Chinaman’s shop, and then he deceives her with the old flattery: “Baby, come closer!” Geewhiz! Geewhiz!
Contemporary witnesses often spoke of the crowding and degradation that was Sophiatown, but there was also an energy and optimism due to the unusual legal circumstances that Sophiatown’s residents could buy freehold ownership of its housing stands. Accordingly, its inhabitants had the “luxury” to believe in the possibilities of a freer, more just, urban future. Sophiatown’s cosmopolitan nature also meant that political meetings and initiatives could transcend the apartheid political universe. Indian, Coloured, African – and white – political activists often appeared at the same rallies, or competed for the same followers. And Drum covered it all.
Drum fit this aesthetic perfectly, according to its enthusiastic readers. Its investigative reporting of prisoner abuse or farm workers outside Bethal; its township photographic cheesecake; and its Runyonesque fiction were all harbingers of a journalism that would come to the fore in the future. In fact, the story of Drum itself eventually became the background for the famous 1980s theatre piece, “Sophiatown”, that described a chaste cross-racial romance between a white woman and one of Drum’s star writers, as well as a Hollywood film and numerous documentaries.
Drum brought together – or perhaps attracted them like moths to a flame – a whole group of young writers and photographers, and would-be writers and photographers, who became the exemplars of their crafts for generations to follow. Photography was an especially important component of Drum’s success, especially because it was an easily accessible means to document protest action, even as it appealed to a lightly literate readership. Over time, extraordinary photographers like German immigrant Jurgen Schadeberg, Bob Gosani, Peter Magubane, Ernest Cole, Alf Khumalo and others joined the staff. Sometimes, Drum photographers had to come up with artful ruses to get their stories without also receiving the wrath of white officials and the confiscation of their equipment. In one famous example, Gosani and Arthur Maimane posed as white secretary Deborah Duncan’s helpers to get the photographs that convincingly illustrated Henry Nxumalo’s (nicknamed by the public as Mr Drum) first-hand account of prison conditions.
Of the iconic photographs that illustrate this era – the young Nelson Mandela in a smart suit and determination on a still-smiling face, Dolly Rathebe in a two-piece swim suit on what seems to be a beachside dune (although is actually a mine dump), Miriam Makeba in a skin-tight dress designed by Eduan Naude – all were famously in Drum before becoming fashion statements in today’s Stoned Cherrie clothing range.
Besides Nxumalo, Nat Nakasa, Casey Motsisi, Themba and Maimane; writers in the Drum stable included Peter Abrahams, Alex la Guma, Es’kia Mphahlele, Lewis Nkosi, Todd Matshikiza, and Richard Rive. All wrote stories that drew upon satire and irony in their depictions of Black South African life and they went on to further international recognition after their Drum moments.
Besides being the composer who created the musical “King Kong”, Todd Matshikiza became Drum’s music reviewer. Nakasa established the literary magazine, “The Classic”, and won a Nieman Fellowship to study journalism in the US, but had to leave South Africa on a one-way exit permit. Unable to return home, he eventually took his own life in desperate sadness. Works like Themba’s “The Suit”, and Mphahlele’s “The Suitcase” have become contemporary standards, also generating award-winning plays, dance works and musicals that glance back to Drum from today’s very different society.
At Drum, aspiring journalists and photographers received the kind of hands-on experience that became known as the “Drum school” from its editors Anthony Sampson and Sylvester Stein, and their colleagues. Looking back upon his time with the magazine, award-winning photojournalist Peter Magubane could say: “Drum was a different home; it did not have apartheid. There was no discrimination in the offices of Drum magazine. It was only when you left Drum and entered the world outside of the main door that you knew you were in apartheid-land. But while you were inside Drum magazine, everyone there was a family.” And Schadeberg could recall that “Sylvester [Stein] was the best editor that Drum ever had and some of the most exciting and valuable stories were produced under his editorship: such as the Church story, the Treason Trial, etc.”.
Eventually, Drum began to run out of energy, its West and East African editions atrophied away, and the editors wearied of fighting censorship battles with apartheid-era government and police. The magazine became a monthly supplement to another of Bailey’s publications, and in 1984 it was sold off to Naspers – now Media 24 – although its extraordinary photographic archive remains a stand-alone institution. Drum continues on – although it is now more like an African-oriented version of a home and features magazine like Huisgenoot and You than the crusading, quirky, phenomenon of its youth. But it continues. Its first issue hit the newsstands in March 1951; the publishers now plan a celebrity-studded 60th anniversary commemorative celebration in late October to mark its legendary impact. DM
- Sylvester Stein on his website;
- Drum, on SA History Archive website;
- Drum, on Wikipedia;
- The African Drum, in Time;
- Bailey’s African History Archive website;
- DRUM turns 60! on Drum website.


text:
Craig Bouchard, who is, according to the company, no longer Braidy Industries’ CEO or Chairman of the Board and is merely a board member, says he wants to pursue foreign strategic partners representing patient capital “that will stay with us for generations,” according to his Facebook post.
Bouchard said some of the directors want to focus on finding American private equity investment. He, though, said that’s not the route to go.
This in-house disagreement reached the surface — and the public eye — when Business Wire first reported Thursday that Bouchard had stepped down, according to Braidy Industries, as CEO and Chairman of the Board. Tom Modrowski and Charles Price are taking over those spots, respectively, said the company.
Bouchard said the board merely “attempted” to remove him, and that it’s not finalized. The company never indicated such murkiness.
Bottom line: It’s a mess. And even if it’s not a mess, it appears to be a mess.
Perception goes a long way.
How difficult will it be for Braidy to plow through this obstacle and attain enough investors to build this record-setting mill?
Now, Modrowski, Price and even Bouchard seem to want Braidy Industries to thrive — well, of course Bouchard does; why would a father name a company after his daughter and want it to ultimately fail? For his own financial gain, power and prestige? We don’t believe that, but nothing is out of the realm of possibility.
Price said Braidy Industries is sticking with its plan of constructing the $1.7 billion aluminum mill, but will it still be at EastPark?
That’s not been made crystal clear, and no one at Braidy Industries is commenting at the moment.
“The Board and (new) CEO Tom Modrowski are committed to the Ashland community and focused on building the Kentucky mill,” read a statement from Price.
Well, it still says Kentucky, at least. The headquarters are still in downtown Ashland.
A Braidy executive indicated back in August 2019 that Braidy hoped to make a major announcement regarding its funding goal by October. That announcement never occurred.
At the time, Braidy had potential investors commanding more than $1 billion in capital interested in the venture, but commitments were not locked in.
Documents released this past fall indicate the plan to complete the mill is now set for sometime in 2022.
There are several students who are set to graduate this spring who plan to work for Braidy Industries. Fifteen of them will move on to Braidy subsidiaries Veloxint and NanoAl.
Can Braidy Industries still happen in northeastern Kentucky?
Time will tell, unless somebody at Braidy Industries wants to tell first.

domain: economics


text:
Deciding Who Gets to Live within the Family Home During a Divorce
Q: My husband and I lately determined to separate after a few years collectively. Because we collectively personal the home and are each named on the mortgage, I consider we must always every be entitled to time residing alone there. (Our youngsters are grown, so there are not any custody points.) My husband disagrees and refuses to depart our residence for any period of time. Since I personal half the home, do I’ve the authorized proper to have it to myself half of the time?
A: As a married couple, you and your husband collectively personal the home, with equal rights to it. So you each must be in settlement about what to do with the property. Neither of you’ll be able to promote the home with out the opposite’s consent, nor are you able to restrict one another’s entry to it. It’s as a lot his home as it’s yours.
“If they purchased it collectively and maintained it collectively, it’s marital property and probably it might be divided 50-50,” mentioned Charles B. Law, Jr., a household lawyer within the New York City workplace of the regulation agency Cozen O’Connor. “Most possible, they’d be each entitled to dwell there till the place is bought.”
For the second, put aside your speedy want to share time on the home and, as an alternative, work out what you in the end need for the home as soon as your divorce is finalized. Do you wish to hold the home? If so, you could finally want to purchase out your husband once you divide your property. Or do you wish to transfer? In that case, your husband may both purchase you out or you possibly can promote the property and divide the property.
Once you might have a greater sense of your long-term targets, attempt to attain a brief settlement for find out how to climate this transition interval. That might imply that you simply alternate time spent in the home, or it might imply that considered one of you strikes out, or that you simply each proceed to dwell there till you’ll be able to promote the property and transfer on together with your lives. Moving out can have monetary ramifications for each of you and people must be fastidiously thought-about.
If you’ll be able to’t attain an settlement, contact a mediator that will help you navigate the negotiation. The different means hiring a lawyer, and when you begin litigation, “it’s going to get costly,” Mr. Law mentioned. “It’s time consuming,” and will in the end be determined by a decide. “Then your issues will not be yours to resolve, and that’s a crapshoot.”
For weekly e-mail updates on residential actual property information, join right here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate.

domain: law


text:
Empire State Brands is building a better food system in New York. Better for farmers, bakers, brewers and distillers. Better for the environment and better for consumers.
We’re building infrastructure, brands and processing facilities, all in Western New York. We’re employing New Yorkers, partnering with New York farmers and establishing our state as a growing region for hops, barley and grains.
By supplying the Northeast with New York agriculture, Empire State Brands will localize the food system while at the same time growing it. We’ll create an identity for quality ingredients grown throughout New York.


Within the HarvestPlus program there are many collaborators currently using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy to measure Fe and Zn in their target crops. In India, five HarvestPlus wheat collaborators have laboratories that conduct this analysis and their throughput has increased significantly. The benefits of using XRF are its ease of use, minimal sample preparation and high throughput analysis. The lack of commercially available calibration standards has led to a need for alternative calibration arrangements for many of the instruments. Consequently, the majority of instruments have either been installed with an electronic transfer of an original grain calibration set developed by a preferred lab, or a locally supplied calibration. Unfortunately, neither of these methods has been entirely successful. The electronic transfer is unable to account for small variations between the instruments, whereas the use of a locally provided calibration set is heavily reliant on the accuracy of the reference analysis method, which is particularly difficult to achieve when analyzing low levels of micronutrient. Consequently, we have developed a calibration method that uses non-matrix matched glass disks. Here we present the validation of this method and show this calibration approach can improve the reproducibility and accuracy of whole grain wheat analysis on 5 different XRF instruments across the HarvestPlus breeding program.


text:
E. Coli Hysteria Cost Bulgaria's Farmers EUR 2.5 M
Bulgaria's fruit and vegetable growers have suffered financial losses estimated at EUR 2.5 from the "e. coli hysteria."
A total of 96 Bulgarian farmers have submitted requests for compensations, mostly in the southern regions of Plovdiv (30) and Blagoevgrad (25).
The farmers are eligible for compensations for their unsold or unharvested produce as a result of the widespread panic.
EU's EUR 210 M e. coli compensation package aims at helping vegetable growers who have suffered major financial losses due to the dangerous outbreak that has already killed over 50 and sickened more than 4000.
Cucumbers from Spain were initially blamed as the epidemic's source. Fenugreek seeds from Egypt were subsequently identified as the cause of the outbreak.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
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text:
It's Lucky, lucky Tuesday. Do you know what that means? It means you need to sit down and get comfy because it is story time! I am about to share another morsel from my life regarding Barta Heiner. (for a little Barta background go here)
Again, when I was at BYU and rooming with the best roommate on the planet (besides the husband) we both worked at the Morris Center. Did you work at the Morris Center? The roommate, let's call her J, and I met there, in fact. We worked together, serving food to ravenous dorm-livers for a whole year (and eating the yummy cookies from the dessert line).
After we spent a year working together, we decided that we should be roommates. So we were. And it was great. Except for the psycho roommates. And we got a new living situation. And we bought a t.v. from Barta Heiner. And from then on, we were obsessed with all things Barta. Because it was a funny thing to laugh about. An inside joke, if you will.
One day we were at work and there appeared by the kronos (the time clock system used by BYU) a stack of half-sheet fliers advertising a production that Barta was to be appearing in: The Glass Menagerie. We did the only logical thing that one might do, if you ACTUALLY KNOW Barta Heiner. We took home that stack of Barta fliers and cut out her face from each one and taped them to the wall to form a huge heart-shape from the numerous mugs of her. That's so logical- we heart Barta, therefore we should make a heart-shape out of her pictures.
In the following days we came across small posters advertising the production which we took home to add to the shrine. There was an article in The Daily Universe announcing the opening of the show. We cut that out and encapsulated it in the Barta heart.
J and I met in the Cougareat at the Wilk one day for lunch. As we were simultaneously eating and checking out the hotties (actually, I was the only one checking out the hotties since J had a missionary + a boyfriend= dear john. and all I had was a really great guy friend who shared a confusing relationship with me) we noticed on the wall, hanging near some large artwork, a giant 3' x 4' poster advertising The Glass Menagerie with guest artist Barta Heiner. We had to have that poster. It was the missing piece.
A plan was hatched. The production was to run February 23- March 9th. The final performance being March 9 at 7:30 PM. We determined to be in the Cougareat on March 9th at 7:31 to claim that poster for our own.
On the appointed day at the appointed time we made the dangerous journey to carry out the risky mission. We made our way to the Wilkinson Center and carefully removed the poster from the spot in which it hung. We stole that poster. (Can you believe it? We are thieves.) We took it home and displayed it proudly in the front room of our house.
After it hung in the front room for a few weeks, it was relocated to our bedroom so that it could complete the Barta shrine. It was hung on the wall adjacent to the heart. And it was a thing of beauty. The likes of which have never been seen since. It was pure tribute to the wonder that is Barta Heiner.
Shortly after, J became engaged and I met the man of my dreams and became engaged myself. We both had summer weddings and new roommates. The shrine was dismantled. And in packing up at the end of the school year for a new life, somehow I won the poster and the cut out faces.
One newlywed evening the husband and I were talking and I divulged to him the whole Barta odyssey. I ran to our closet and pulled from its dark corner a rolled up poster. I slid off the rubber bands, unrolled the poster and revealed to the husband a tidbit from my past.
A plan was hatched. We took that poster and a few of the cutout faces and in the dark of night crept to the basement apartment of J and her groom. We pasted the poster and little Barta faces to their door, knocked and ran like a child who is trying to pull one over on the clerk at the Corner Store.
I haven't seen the poster since. But I trust that it is well taken care of.
*after I dug this picture out of my stack of un-scrapbooked photos, I noticed that there are show tickets and a play bill from the show. I do not recall going to the show. I don't have a clue what the tickets might be from. My memory fails me. So, J, if you read this can you remember what those are?

domain: artistic


text:
Analysis of the Data on DUI Arrests and Citations for Seat Belt Violations during July 4 Holiday Weekend
The U.S. Army Europe Provost Marshal’s Office recently released data on the number of DUI arrests and citations for seat belt violations during the July 4 holiday weekend. The report shows that fewer citations for these violations were issued this year compared to last year. However, the report also highlights some concerning trends that need to be addressed. This editorial provides an analysis of the data and suggests possible measures to reduce drunk driving and increase seat belt compliance among service members and civilians.
Decrease in DUI Arrests and Citations for Seat Belt Violations
According to the report, the number of DUI arrests decreased significantly from 31 in 2002 to 19 this year. Similarly, fewer citations were issued this year for seat belt violations compared to last year. The report suggests that the military police are intensively enforcing drunk driving laws and seat belt compliance on military installations and in housing areas. However, it is unclear if the decrease in citations and arrests is due to better compliance or lower enforcement. It is possible that people are becoming more compliant, but it is also likely that the military police are focusing on other priorities.
The Need for Continuous Enforcement
Regardless of the reason for the decrease in citations and arrests, it is essential to ensure that enforcement continues at high levels. DUI and seat belt violations remain significant contributors to road accidents, injuries, and deaths in the US. During the Booze It and Lose It campaigns over Easter, Memorial Day, and July Fourth weekends, more than 50 soldiers, family members, and government employees have been arrested for DUI. These numbers are unacceptable and call for continued enforcement of the law. The military police must continue to intensively enforce drunk driving laws and seat belt compliance on military installations and in housing areas to prevent death and serious injury that result from people driving under the influence or without seat belts.
Concerning Trends in DUI Arrests among Young Service Members
The report highlights that soldiers under 25 made up about half the DUI arrests during the July 4 holiday weekend. In 2002, they made up the majority of arrests. This trend is concerning, especially given that young service members are more likely to engage in risky behavior and are less experienced drivers. The military must develop targeted interventions to address this trend, such as mandatory education programs about the dangers of drunk driving, random testing, and counseling services. These interventions will help reduce DUI arrests, promote safe driving habits, and ensure that young service members are responsible and accountable on the road.
The data on DUI arrests and citations for seat belt violations during the July 4 weekend is encouraging but concerning. The decrease in citations and arrests is a positive trend, but it is essential to continue to enforce drunk driving laws and seat belt compliance to prevent death and serious injury. Additionally, the concerning trend of DUI arrests among young service members requires immediate attention and targeted interventions. The military and civilian authorities must work together to address this issue and promote safe driving habits among all individuals on the road.
Read more about this topic at
The Decrease in Drunk Driving from the 1970s to Present
New Report Shows Lower Rates of Drunk Driving …

domain: sociology


text: Rimmel hosted their 180 Years Of Cool anniversary party in London on Thursday and Rita Ora stood out in her on trend red tartan trouser suit. Stewart Royal tartan in case you wondered. Rita's friend Cara Delevingne has always been a fan of tartan and Rita was first seen in a pair of Cara's tartan trousers with the distinctive black satin stripe running up either side but now she has the full ensemble. And doesn't she look good in it! Complete the look with embroidery in gold thread to match your ear-rings and the cutest Stewart Royal bow tie.


text:
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text:
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Omics score: 0
Role of furin in granular acidification in the endocrine pancreas: identification of the V-ATPase subunit Ac45 as a candidate substrate.
ABSTRACT: Furin is a proprotein convertase which activates a variety of regulatory proteins in the constitutive exocytic and endocytic pathway. The effect of genetic ablation of fur was studied in the endocrine pancreas to define its physiological function in the regulated secretory pathway. Pdx1-Cre/loxP furin KO mice show decreased secretion of insulin and impaired processing of known PC2 substrates like proPC2 and proinsulin II. Both secretion and PC2 activity depend on granule acidification, which was demonstrated to be significantly decreased in furin-deficient beta cells by using the acidotrophic agent 3-(2,4-dinitroanilino)-3'amino-N-methyldipropylamine (DAMP). Ac45, an accessory subunit of the proton pump V-ATPase, was investigated as a candidate substrate. Ac45 is highly expressed in islets of Langerhans and furin was able to cleave Ac45 ex vivo. Furthermore, the exact cleavage site was determined. In addition, reduced regulated secretion and proinsulin II processing could be obtained in the insulinoma cell line betaTC3 by downregulation of either furin or Ac45. Together, these data establish an important role for furin in regulated secretion, particularly in intragranular acidification most likely due to impaired processing of Ac45.
Project description:AIM:Periodontitis induced by oral pathogens leads to severe periodontal tissue damage and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption caused by inflammation. On the basis of the importance of Ac45 in osteoclast formation and function, we performed this study to evaluate the therapeutic potential of periodontitis by local adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated Ac45 gene knockdown. MATERIAL AND METHODS:We used AAV-mediated short hairpin RNAi knockdown of Ac45 gene expression (AAV-sh-Ac45) to inhibit bone erosion and gingival inflammation simultaneously in a well-established periodontitis mouse model induced by Porphyromonas gingivalis W50. Histological studies were performed to evaluate the bone protection of AAV-sh-Ac45. Immunochemistry, ELISA and qRT-PCR were performed to reveal the role of Ac45 knockdown on inflammation, immune response and expression of cytokine. RESULTS:We found that Ac45 knockdown impaired osteoclast-mediated extracellular acidification and bone resorption in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, local administration of AAV-sh-Ac45 protected mice from bone erosion by >85% and attenuated inflammation and decreased infiltration of T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages in the periodontal lesion. Notably, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was also reduced. CONCLUSIONS:Local AAV-sh-Ac45 gene therapy efficiently protects against periodontal tissue damage and bone erosion through both inhibition of osteoclast function and attenuating inflammation, and may represent a powerful new treatment strategy for periodontitis.
Project description:Vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPases (V-ATPases) are macromolecular proton pumps that acidify intracellular cargos and deliver protons across the plasma membrane of a variety of specialized cells, including bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Extracellular acidification is crucial for osteoclastic bone resorption, a process that initiates the dissolution of mineralized bone matrix. While the importance of V-ATPases in osteoclastic resorptive function is well-defined, whether V-ATPases facilitate additional aspects of osteoclast function and/or formation remains largely obscure. Here we report that the V-ATPase accessory subunit Ac45 participates in both osteoclast formation and function. Using a siRNA-based approach, we show that targeted suppression of Ac45 impairs intracellular acidification and endocytosis, both are prerequisite for osteoclastic bone resorptive function in vitro. Interestingly, we find that knockdown of Ac45 also attenuates osteoclastogenesis owing to a reduced fusion capacity of osteoclastic precursor cells. Finally, in an effort to gain more detailed insights into the functional role of Ac45 in osteoclasts, we attempted to generate osteoclast-specific Ac45 conditional knockout mice using a Cathepsin K-Cre-LoxP system. Surprisingly, however, insertion of the neomycin cassette in the Ac45-Flox(Neo) mice resulted in marked disturbances in CNS development and ensuing embryonic lethality thus precluding functional assessment of Ac45 in osteoclasts and peripheral bone tissues. Based on these unexpected findings we propose that, in addition to its canonical function in V-ATPase-mediated acidification, Ac45 plays versatile roles during osteoclast formation and function.
Project description:PC2 is a neuroendocrine endoprotease involved in the processing of prohormones and proneuropeptides. PC2 is synthesized as a proenzyme which undergoes proteolytic maturation within the cellular secretory apparatus. Cleavage occurs at specific sites to remove the N-terminal propeptide. The aim of the present study was to investigate structural requirements for the transfer of proPC2 through the secretory pathway. A series of mutant proPC2 constructs were transfected into COS-7 cells and the fate of the expressed proteins followed by pulse-chase analysis and immunocytochemistry. Human PC2 was secreted relatively slowly, and appeared in the medium primarily as proPC2 (75 kDa), together with much lower amounts of a processed intermediate (71 kDa) and mature PC2 (68 kDa). Mutations within the primary processing site or the catalytic triad caused the protein to accumulate intracellularly, whereas deletion of part of the propeptide, the P-domain or the C-terminal regions also prevented secretion. Immunocytochemistry showed that wild-type hPC2 was localized mainly in the Golgi, whereas two representative mutants showed a distribution typical of proteins resident in the endoplasmic reticulum. The results suggest that proenzyme processing is not essential for secretion of PC2, but peptides containing mutations that affect the ability of the propeptide (and cleavage sites) to fold within the catalytic pocket are not transferred beyond the early stages of the secretory pathway. C-terminal sequences may be involved in stabilizing such conformations.
Project description:Lysosomal trafficking and protease exocytosis in osteoclasts are essential for ruffled border formation and bone resorption. Yet the mechanism underlying lysosomal trafficking and the related process of exocytosis remains largely unknown. We found ATP6ap1 (Ac45), an accessory subunit of vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPases (V-ATPases), to be highly induced by receptor activator for nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) in osteoclast differentiation. Ac45 knockdown osteoclasts formed normal actin rings, but had severely impaired extracellular acidification and bone resorption. Ac45 knockdown significantly reduced osteoclast formation. The decrease in the number of osteoclasts does not result from abnormal apoptosis; rather, it results from decreased osteoclast precursor cell proliferation and fusion, which may be partially due to the downregulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and FBJ osteosarcoma oncogene (c-fos), nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1), and "transmembrane 7 superfamily member 4" (Tm7sf4) expression. Notably, Ac45 knockdown osteoclasts exhibited impaired lysosomal trafficking and exocytosis, as indicated by the absence of lysosomal trafficking to the ruffled border and a lack of cathepsin K exocytosis into the resorption lacuna. Our data revealed that the impaired exocytosis is specifically due to Ac45 deficiency, and not the general consequence of a defective V-ATPase. Together, our results demonstrate the essential role of Ac45 in osteoclast-mediated extracellular acidification and protease exocytosis, as well as the ability of Ac45 to guide lysosomal intracellular trafficking to the ruffled border, potentially through its interaction with the small guanosine-5'-triphosphatase (GTPase) Rab7. Our work indicates that Ac45 may be a novel therapeutic target for osteolytic disease.
Project description:To observe the change of the neuropeptide pro-protein processing system in the ischemic retina ganglion cell-5 (RGC-5) cells, pro-protein convertase-2 (PC2), carboxypeptidase-E (CPE) and preproneuropeptide Y (preproNPY) protein levels in the ischemic RGC-5 cells and conditioned medium were analyzed.The RGC-5 cell was differentiated in 0.1 mumol/L staurosporine for 24 h and then stressed by different doses of oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). The acute or chronic OGD-induced cell death rates were obtained by using PI or TUNEL staining. The protein expression levels were determined by using the Western blot method and PC2 activity analysis.The ischemia caused substantial cell death in an OGD dose-dependent manner. In the cells, proPC2 and preproNPY protein levels gradually increased whereas proCPE gradually decreased. After OGD, PC2 activity was decreased. In the conditioned medium, proPC2 and PC2 proteins gradually decreased whereas proCPE, CPE, and preproNPY proteins gradually increased.These results demonstrated that OGD inhibited the neuropeptide pro-protein processing system by reducing PC2 activity and the maturation of proPC2. The aggregation of the pro-proteins and the increase of the active CPE excision adversely exacerbated the cell injury. The pro-protein processing system might play a critical role in the ischemic stress of RGC-5 cells.
Project description:Solubilization of mineralized bone by osteoclasts is largely dependent on the acidification of the extracellular resorption lacuna driven by the vacuolar (H+)-ATPases (V-ATPases) polarized within the ruffled border membranes. V-ATPases consist of two functionally and structurally distinct domains, V(1) and V(0). The peripheral cytoplasmically oriented V(1) domain drives ATP hydrolysis, which necessitates the translocation of protons across the integral membrane bound V(0) domain. Here, we demonstrate that an accessory subunit, Ac45, interacts with the V(0) domain and contributes to the vacuolar type proton pump-mediated function in osteoclasts. Consistent with its role in intracellular acidification, Ac45 was found to be localized to the ruffled border region of polarized resorbing osteoclasts and enriched in pH-dependent endosomal compartments that polarized to the ruffled border region of actively resorbing osteoclasts. Interestingly, truncation of the 26-amino acid residue cytoplasmic tail of Ac45, which encodes an autonomous internalization signal, was found to impair bone resorption in vitro. Furthermore, biochemical analysis revealed that although both wild type Ac45 and mutant were capable of associating with subunits a3, c, c'', and d, deletion of the cytoplasmic tail altered its binding proximity with a3, c'', and d. In all, our data suggest that the cytoplasmic terminus of Ac45 contains elements necessary for its proper interaction with V(0) domain and efficient osteoclastic bone resorption.
Project description:The role of PC2 in prosomatostatin (PSS) processing was investigated in GH3/GH4C1 pituitary cells. These cells are sparsely granulated, express different amounts of PC2 and no PC1. We described heterologous processing of rat PSS (rPSS) co-expressed with PC2 in stably transfected cells, correlate PC2 protein levels under different conditions of transfection with efficiency of PSS processing to somatostatin-14 (SS-14), determine the effect of modulating cell granularity on enzyme expression and PSS processing, and compare the relative potency of PC2 with that of PC1, PSS and cleavage products were monitored by HPLC and radioimmunoassay of SS-like immunoreactivity (SSLI). Radioimmunoassay analysis of N-terminal PC2-like immunoreactivity (PC2 LI) in GH4C1:rPSS, GH4C1:rPSS + PC2 and GH3:rPSS transfectants showed a gradient of PC2 protein of 1:2.6:3.4 in cell extracts and 1:4.7:9 in secretion media from these cells respectively. The concentration of PC2 protein correlated with SS-14 conversion efficiency was 36 +/- 3% in GH4C1:rPSS cells, 56 +/- 7% in GH4C1:rPSS-PC2 cells and 100% in GH3:rPSS cells. Treatment of GH4C1:rPSS + PC2 cells with epidermal growth factor, insulin, and beta-estradiol to induce granules, significantly increased basal and forskolin-stimulated co-release of SS LI and PC2 LI, but had no influence on SS-14 processing efficiency. Hormone treatment led to a small increase in the ratio of mature PC2 (68 kDa) to proPC2 (75 kDa) forms. PC1 stably transfected in GH4C1 cells produced significantly greater SS-14 conversion (62% in cells, 66% in media) compared with PC2 transfectants (53% in cells, 47% in media) These results provide the first proof that PC2 can effect dibasic processing of mammalian PSS, and, along with PC1, qualifies as an authentic SS-14 convertase. The activity of PC2 requires the milieu of the secretory cell but not the secretory granule.
Project description:Prohormone convertase 2 (PC2) is a neuroendocrine-specific protease involved in the intracellular maturation of prohormones and proneuropeptides. PC2 is synthesised as a proprotein (proPC2) that undergoes proteolysis, aggregation and membrane association during its transit through the regulated secretory pathway. We have previously shown that the pro region of proPC2 plays a key role in its aggregation and membrane association. To investigate this further, we determined the binding properties of a peptide containing amino acids 45-84 of proPC2 (proPC2(45-84)) to trans-Golgi network/granule-enriched membranes from the AtT20 cell line. Removal of peripheral membrane proteins or hydrolysis of integral membrane proteins did not affect the binding properties of proPC2(45-84). Rather, proPC2(45-84) was shown to bind to protein-free liposomes in a pH- and Ca(2+)-dependent manner. To identify the component of the lipid bilayer involved in this membrane association, we used chromaffin-granule membranes and studied the binding properties of the endogenous PC2. Treatment of the membranes with saponin, a cholesterol-depleting detergent, failed to extract PC2 from the membranes, whereas chromogranin A (CgA) was removed. Treatment of the membranes with Triton X-100 yielded a low-density detergent-insoluble fraction enriched in PC2, but not CgA. The detergent-insoluble fraction also contained glycoprotein III, known to be part of the lipid rafts (membrane microdomains rich in sphingolipids). Finally, sphingolipid depletion of AtT20 cells resulted in the mis-sorting of PC2, suggestive of a link between the association of PC2 with lipid rafts in the membrane and its sorting into the regulated secretory pathway.
Project description:The vacuolar (H(+))-ATPase (V-ATPase) is the main regulator of intraorganellar pH and in neuroendocrine cells is controlled by its accessory subunit, Ac45. Here, we report the discovery of the first isoform of a V-ATPase accessory subunit, namely an Ac45-like protein, denoted Ac45LP. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a lineage-dependent evolutionary history: Ac45 is absent in birds, and Ac45LP is absent in placental mammals, whereas all other tetrapod species contain both genes. In contrast to Ac45, Ac45LP is not proteolytically cleaved, a prerequisite for proper Ac45 routing. Intriguingly, Xenopus Ac45LP mRNA was expressed in developing neural tissue and in neural crest cells. In adult Xenopus, Ac45 mRNA is widely expressed mostly in neuroendocrine tissues, while Ac45LP mRNA expression was found to be restricted to the kidney and the lung. This novel Ac45LP may provide additional possibilities for V-ATPase regulation during neurodevelopment as well as in kidney and lung cells.
Project description:Insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells is dependent on maturation and acidification of the secretory granule, processes necessary for prohormone convertase cleavage of proinsulin. Previous studies in isolated beta cells revealed that acidification may be dependent on the granule membrane chloride channel ClC-3, in a step permissive for a regulated secretory response. In this study, immuno-EM of beta cells revealed colocalization of ClC-3 and insulin on secretory granules. Clcn3(-/-) mice as well as isolated islets demonstrate impaired insulin secretion; Clcn3(-/-) beta cells are defective in regulated insulin exocytosis and granular acidification. Increased amounts of proinsulin were found in the majority of secretory granules in the Clcn3(-/-) mice, while in Clcn3(+/+) cells, proinsulin was confined to the immature secretory granules. These results demonstrate that in pancreatic beta cells, chloride channels, specifically ClC-3, are localized on insulin granules and play a role in insulin processing as well as insulin secretion through regulation of granular acidification.

domain: literature


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Sjuggerud: I can’t believe smart people can be this stupid
From Dr. Steve Sjuggerud, Editor, True Wealth:
Whoa! I couldn’t believe it when I read it!
It turns out, smart investors plan to keep owning their stocks – even when the likely outcome is losing money for a decade, or more…
I guess the investing “establishment” has successfully bamboozled you and your fellow investors into believing that you ALWAYS need to be in the stock market.
At least, that’s what I took away on Tuesday when my friend, investment analyst Meb Faber, conducted a surprising pop quiz…
Meb is one of the smartest guys I know. Last week, he asked more than 1,000 of his customers – sophisticated investors – three questions in a quiz on Twitter.
Effectively, this is what he asked…
- Do you currently own U.S. stocks?
- If stocks were as expensive as they were at the peak in 1999, would you continue to own them?
- If stocks were as expensive as they were at the world’s all-time peak (Japan in 1989), would you continue to own them?
I was shocked at the answers…
87% of his respondents said they own stocks today. That sounds right. His readers are sophisticated investors.
Then it got crazy…
Out of those who responded, 55% answered “yes” to question No. 2. And 33% said “yes” to question No. 3!
This is nuts!
Look, you don’t have to buy stocks. As Meb says, “You don’t have to play.” And history shows you don’t make any money over the next decade if you buy stocks when they’re extremely expensive.
Let’s look at the second and third questions a bit closer – starting with the more extreme question: No. 3…
Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index peaked near 40,000 in 1989. It was more expensive than any world stock market in decades.
What has happened since 1989? Today – nearly 30 years later – Japan’s stock market is still down around 50% from its peak, sitting at around 20,000. Take a look:
Can you believe that one out of three investors said “yes” – they would keep owning stocks if the stocks became as expensive as they were in Japan in 1989? I can’t!
Let me rephrase the question, to help them land on the correct answer:
“The last time stocks were this expensive, you would have lost half your money over the next 30 years in stocks. So let me ask you again, would you buy stocks today if they were that expensive?”
Hopefully this time they’d say “no!”
Now let’s look at question No. 2 – whether you would buy when U.S. stocks were the most expensive they’ve ever been. (That was in late 1999 and early 2000.)
Here’s a chart of the Nasdaq Composite Index. (The chart is adjusted for inflation – but inflation wasn’t that big a deal over the last 20 years.)
If you had bought stocks at the peak nearly 20 years ago, where would you be today? Would you have made any money?
The Nasdaq peaked in early 2000. It’s now 2017 – and today, the Nasdaq is still below where it was 17 years ago (adjusted for inflation).
Hopefully, the message from these two charts is clear: You don’t have to always own stocks.
Sometimes, stocks are a great buy. I’ve been “pounding the table” for you to buy stocks for many years now. And I expect stocks will go even higher from today’s levels.
But they won’t go up forever. And at some point, when stocks get very expensive, the odds of you making money in stocks over the following decade get pretty bad. These two charts are proof.
“Remember, when Mr. Market shows up at your door, you don’t have to answer,” Meb concluded about his quiz.
I agree with him, 100%. Mutual-fund companies will tell you that you ALWAYS want to be invested in stocks, because you never know what the stock market will do.
Having some money in stocks is the right thing to do – most of the time. Heck, nearly all of the time. But there are rare occasions (like Japan in 1989 and the U.S. in late 1999) where the risk over the next 10 years is not worth the potential reward.
I expect when the current bull market finally peaks, we will be at that point. We’re not there yet, though.
Don’t be afraid to own stocks today. And when the peak arrives, don’t be afraid to dramatically cut back on your stock holdings – keeping these two charts (and decades of losses) in mind…
Crux note: We’re in the final stages of this explosive bull market. And to squeeze out every last bit of profit before it hits the peak, you need to watch Steve’s latest presentation. It’ll tell you exactly when you need to get out of the market. Click here to watch it now.

domain: finance


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To Buy or Not to Buy
The decision whether to buy or rent a home may have long-term implications.
Have A Question About This Topic?
The right executor may help ensure the distribution of your assets is done with as little upheaval as possible.
One or the other? Perhaps both traditional and Roth IRAs can play a part in your retirement plans.
When your child has income, there’s a good chance that he or she will need to report it and pay taxes.


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Tuesday Huesday: Potting Shed Color Inspiration
Yellow, Purple and Gray Living Room Color Palette - HGTV's Design Happens Blog
Decorator's favorite white paint colors
Watch and learn how to decorate any room with color! See our color videos here: www.bhg.com/...
Pair orchid with mint and blush pink. (blog.hgtv.com/...)
A few ways to use white.
Color Stories by Benjamin Moore Paints
Victorian shaker style...leaded glass doors, beaded-board backsplashes, victorian green paint


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Richmond Carers Group
August 1 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
An event every month that begins at 1:00pm on day First of the month, repeating until November 30, 2019
A person centered group that meets on a monthly basis and aims to increase the opportunities to socialise, share information, and help with confidence. This peer support group brings together carers who have the opportunity to chat in an informal setting and supports the carers wellbeing and a support worker is on hand for any one to one needs.


Christians in Sacramento, CA, are protesting the decision of San Juan High School principal, Dave Terwilliger, to prohibit Christian students from wearing t-shirts in school telling their classmates that they are going to hell. It seems that these Christians have decided to frame this as a threat to their religious freedom. Does this mean that intolerance is a core part of the Christian religion? You'll get no argument from me.
As Austin points out so effectively, we should consider this story in a particular context - the context of American atheists being regularly condemned as "intolerant" or "disrespectful" for speaking out against religion. Austin goes on to ask many compelling questions (e.g., "Would Christians be allowed to wear shirts expressing opposition to racial integration?") before stating what should be obvious:
Christians don't have a religious "right" to intimidate others whenever they have religious objections to the behavior and/or beliefs of others in society. They may sincerely believe that they have a god-given right and god-mandated duty to hate certain segments of society, but none of this translates into a legal right to use that hatred as a means to intimidate others in public school.Christians, you can't have it both ways. If you don't want students wearing "F@$& the skull of Jesus" shirts at the public high school, you must also oppose shirts telling gay students that they are going to burn in hell. If it is more important to you that you be allowed to spread your intolerance and hatred, then you forfeit your right to complain when your ridiculous superstition becomes the target.
Tags: religion, Christianity, Christian, free speech, intolerance, hate speech, Don Imus, homophobia


PROFESSOR PLUM may not have killed Mr. Boddy, but I did see him in the Library with a cuppa while reading to Miss Scarlet.
Inspired by the game CLUE. CLUE (or Cluedo in Europe) board game was launched in 1972 in North America. Since our family of five was always up for board games, we would play often and in the cut-throat competitive nature of our family.
Shown on my SERAMA (fingering/sock) base, you'll love using this yarn.
Please allow 7 - 14 days for processing as this is a dyed-to-order colorway.
YARN BASE INFORMATION:
MOHAIR (Lace) 1-ply:
~~ 72% Kid Mohair/28% Silk
SERAMA SOCK (fingering)
SERAMA BAMBOO (fingering)
80% Superwash Merino / 20% Bamboo
436yd / 100 g / 4-ply
245 yd / 115g / 3-ply
RHODE ISLAND RED (worsted)
200yd / 115g / 5-ply
85% Merino / 15% Tussah Silk
170yd / 115g / 2-ply
170yd / 115g / 3-ply
For best results, hand-knit items should be hand washed in tepid water and laid flat to dry. Superwash yarn CAN be washed in the machine on a gentle cycle (but not advised), then laid flat to dry. It is recommended to wash your skein before use. This will ensure any extra color will be rinsed out and prevent "bleeding".
Yarn dyeing is done at home in my back room and air-dried by God. We are a non-smoking home with a cat that roams around our back room and yard. He is afraid of the dyeing equipment and special care is taken so that he does not get onto the yarn - he's too old and arthritic to jump up on the table anyway.
Due to the nature of hand dyed yarns being unique, the skein you receive may vary slightly from the photo shown. If you have questions about the skein, please contact me and I will answer any questions you may have.


Two applications to erect a satellite receiver dish dominated a four-hour session of the Salisbury Township Zoning Hearing Board Tuesday night.
Service Electric Cable TV got the green light to install one, and a request by Roy Knecht was put "on hold."
Service Electric's counsel, Chris Spadoni of Bethlehem, told the board that the cable TV company needs the fourth dish at its facility at 1829 Savercool Ave. to stay up with the state of the art, to survive and compete. The new dish will enable Service Electric to receive 80 percent of the transmissions from satellites.
Spadoni said the 12-foot white dish would not affect the neighborhood because it is a passive device that receives signals only. It is not a transmitter. The dish will be mounted on a 4-inch diameter pipe, and there will be no need to remove any trees for the receiver to function.
Salisbury solicitor James Kellar countered that when Service Electric received permission from the Zoning Board for its third dish last November, the board was told there was no need for further dishes at the facility. First Ward commissioner Francis Walter asked if the radiation from the facility is checked by anyone.
Harold R. Haas, operations manager at the facility, told Walter that the Federal Communications Commission makes periodic unannounced checks and there has never been a problem.
Before the 3-0 approval by the board, Merrill Dickinson of 1798 Savercool Ave. shared excerpts from an article in the Aug. 19 issue of "Business Week" asking if the facility could be a health hazard to the community. The board, with Louis Falcone removing himself from the vote, felt that no hazard was proven and to deny Service Electric's request would be a hardship to their business operation.
In the second application, Knecht of 3109 W. Emmaus Ave. asked for permission to erect an 8-foot dish in his rear yard because he is not happy with the offerings of cable companies in the area.
His attorney, Charles C. Hansforth, said that the dish would be able to collect 140 channels for Knecht and the only difference between it and an antenna is its appearance. He further stated that Allentown, Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township and Easton allow dishes to be installed at private residences. Hansforth said he feels Salisbury should recognize that times are changing and dishes should be allowed.
Kellar, opposing the application for the township, told the board of a 1982 legal opinion by the Commonwealth Court upholding a Salisbury Zoning Board decision of Dec. 1, 1982, in which Richard E. Brown of 2705 Andrea Drive was denied permission to erect a dish because it was not a customary or incidental accessory use to a home.
The board wrestled with whether or not in the past four years the use of a satellite dish has become an acceptable accessory. Since the decision could prove to be a "landmark" in Salisbury, the board asked for the two opposing attorneys to presentbriefs before the next session on Nov. 5 when the application will be continued.
In other action, permission was given to:
- Glenn Heckman, 2764 Honeysuckle Road, to erect a 24- by 30-foot, two-car detached garage at his home.
- Robert T. Wuscher, 3111 Capital St., to erect a 48- by 48-foot addition to his welding shop at 3215 Berger St. and to install a free-standing sign with insufficient side-yard setback.
- Bruce A. Jaskot, 3305 Eisenhower Ave., to erect a 32- by 32-foot, two- story addition to his home with insufficient front-yard setback.


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2016 North Carolina presidential, governor and U.S. Senate general election results from WXII
Follow WXII 12 News for the latest results from the 2016 North Carolina general election on Nov. 8. We’ll keep an eye on the president, governor and U.S. Senate races on this page, and find links to local and other statewide results below. Inside our app, tap here for full election results.
You also can get second-by-second campaign updates and analysis through our Live Wire.
Polls were open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nearly 3.1 million voters, or about 45 percent of the state’s registered voters, cast their ballots early.
Presidential Electoral College Votes

domain: news


Mercury Medical Launches CarboTrack™ in Europe and Beyond
JADA Medical and Mercury Medical collaborated for the first time at the Euroanesthesia 2018, in Copenhagen Denmark. This was the first exposure of CarboTrack™, the universal capnography adapter, to the international anesthesia community. Throughout the ESA 2018 Mercury Medical focused on the CarboTrack™ features, benefits and demonstrated its use in conjunction with other airway products.
The CarboTrack™ device was specifically designed to facilitate compliance with ESA standards for capnography for non-intubated patients. It serves a very broad range of target airways including but not limited to supplemental oxygen face masks, oropharyngeal airways, and bite blocks. CarboTrack™ aims to replace the widespread practice of jerry-rigging equipment in the operating room with the first FDA listed and CE marked device for this purpose.
“Clinicians were impressed with this universal capnography adaptor. Dr. Michael Jach, inventor of CarboTrack™, was at the booth demonstrating its safety and innovative device”, stated Ivette Compton, Director of International Sales, Mercury Medical.
ESA 2018 was an excellent launching pad for CarboTrack™ with a very positive response from a broad range of anesthesia providers. As global needs for capnography expand, CarboTrack is ideally positioned to meet the challenge of patient safety for procedural sedation.


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Ghosts of War
Within the fog of did you see?
An old woman, made up to the nines
Can be seen in the corner of the non-believers eye
Purse in hand and a glass of wine
Waiting for a lover who never comes
Just shadows on the wall,
Whispering names through
Spiders silk, the inheritors
Of this forgotten, debutants ball
While Portraits glare at vacant laughter
An echoed waltz swirls
The embrace of loves decay
Images now jailed within the Crystal shards
Of a fallen chandelier
A tear of Woman wears mourning face well,
This vigil Mask hiding immortality lost
Now broken and marking time,
love lies lost in the barbed wire of war
Fallen stars to shine no more
Their Remembrance merging into darkness
Behind a cloudless sky
Alone is the corpse in cratered field
Covered by poppies blood
Walked on by ghosts to come
Another Whispered soul is roaming
The guns have left their post
And Peace is just an illusion
For yet another Flanders ghost
This cruel winter’s night
The withered rose has lost its fragrance
The champagne has all gone flat
And love calls without an answer
For silence is the memory
And it is we
Who walk hand in hand
With our ghosts of War?
© Copyright 2017 steven cooke. All rights reserved.
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Multidisciplinary artist and MacArthur fellow Shahzia Sikander MFA 95 PT/PR encourages RISD students to question societal norms and reimagine the future.
more information »
Chitra Ganesh, RISD’s first Kirloskar Visiting Scholar in Painting, spoke about her multicultural influences and growing up Indian in New York City.
Todd Oldham, Jean Kennedy Smith, Bruce Mau and Hildegard Vásquez will be honored at RISD’s 2014 Commencement ceremony.
At Commencement on May 31, RISD will recognize architect Hildegard Vásquez BArch 94 for her work in revitalizing Panama City’s Old Quarter.
A new summer Continuing Ed class invites students to analyze the layers of Rome’s long history by exploring its underground infrastructure.
During RISD’s 2014 Design Portfolio Review, students networked with representatives from top tier companies including Google, Harmonix, The Daily Beast and West Elm.
Students in the Northern Visions Landscape Architecture studio traveled to Sri Lanka during Wintersession to sow the seeds of long-term growth.
RISD students recently traveled to Earth University, a Costa Rican research institute focused on sustainable agriculture, to build a functional and energy efficient prototype of a one-room schoolhouse.
Students from RISD, Brown and the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt in Germany are now focused on constructing their entry for the summer Solar Decathlon Europe in Versailles, France.
A new interdisciplinary travel course in Guyana focuses on ecological conservation, cross-cultural communication and the arts.
© 2015 RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN


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Fewer people bought cars in 2020 than usual, but some of the world's top automakers weathered the pandemic year surprisingly well.
Drivers in the United States, as they have annually for nearly four decades, bought more Ford F-series trucks than any other type of car. Those in countries like Argentina and Australia preferred Toyota pickups, and Swiss drivers typically opted for a mid-sized sedan made by the Czech brand Skoda. That's all according to data from the website BestSellingCarsBlog.com, which analyzed the car brands that topped sales charts in different countries around the world last year.
Toyota topped all other auto brands in 2020 global sales, overtaking Volkswagen to regain the title as the world's best-selling car brand for the first time in five years. Toyota sold more than 9.5 million vehicles in 2020, which was down 11.3% from 2019 — but a less precipitous drop-off than Volkswagen's 15% decline to 9.3 million cars sold in 2020.
Globally, Toyota also sold the most cars in a whopping 44 different countries around the world, according to data compiled from BestSellingCarsBlog.com by the site AutomotiveTouchup. Volkswagen was again second, topping the rankings in 14 countries.
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The Toyota truck with global reach
While Toyota's long-popular Corolla sedan (more than 1.1 million cars sold in 2020) and Rav4 compact SUV (995,000 sold) were the world's top two best-selling individual cars in 2020, a surprise Toyota vehicle made its way to the top of the country count this year.
That would be the Toyota Hilux, a mid-sized pickup truck sold in numerous markets around the world. The truck, which is often used in off-road racing competitions like the Dakar Rally in Senegal, starts at roughly $23,500 — and was 2020's best-selling vehicle in 14 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Panama, South Africa and Fiji. The Hilux hasn't been available in the U.S. since the 1990s, when Toyota introduced its Tacoma pickup, but it has a reputation for being practically indestructible (Toyota calls it the "world's toughest pickup").
Another surprise for some American drivers: The Skoda Octavia featured prominently among the world's most popular cars, despite also not being available in the U.S. The family sedan is manufactured by Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic-based Skoda Auto, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. It's available throughout most of Europe with a base price of nearly $25,000, and was the best-selling 2020 car in six countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
All in all, Toyota and Volkswagen dominated the worldwide rankings. The Toyota Corolla was the best-selling car in six different countries, including Ireland, Finland and Taiwan. The Rav4 was the best-selling car in five different countries, including Estonia, Iceland and Ukraine. Drivers in an additional six other countries, including Bahrain and Yemen, preferred Toyota's Land Cruiser SUV.
By comparison, Volkswagen-owned brands were the most popular cars in 14 countries, including Germany (the VW Golf), Norway (Audi's electric E-Tron SUV), and the Netherlands (VW's ID.3 electric hatchback).
Local flavors in larger countries
In many of the world's largest countries, local automakers reigned supreme. Ford's F-Series trucks, including the F-150, topped the North American market, even during the pandemic: Sales dropped more than 12% in the U.S. in 2020, but the trucks still sold better than any other vehicle model in the U.S. and Canada last year.
Now, Ford is relying that longstanding success enter the nascent electric vehicle market at full speed. In May, the Dearborn, Michigan-based company unveiled its all-electric version of the F-150 truck, at a time when many of the world's largest automakers are accelerating toward a future with more electric vehicles on the market.
In Russia, 2020's top-selling car was the Lada Granta, a subcompact car manufactured by Russian company Avtovaz and France's Renault Group. The Lada Granta is a notably affordable car, costing only the equivalent of nearly $7,000. Meanwhile, India's top-selling car was the Maruti Swift, a similarly affordable subcompact hatchback that starts at the equivalent of about $7,800. It's manufactured by an Indian subsidiary of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp.
Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect that Avtovaz has no relation to the Volga sedan, which was manufactured by Russian company GAZ.
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(end of 07/24/13)
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Hormel Foods Corp.
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1Tyson employee, House Majority Whip shot at Congressional baseball practice
2JBS SA aims to sell $1.8B in assets
3Couple sues dog food manufacturer after pet death
4Nine processors issue recalls for undeclared milk ingredient
5Amazon to buy Whole Foods Market
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1Amazon to buy Whole Foods Market
4Perdue stops import of fresh Brazilian beef
5Nine processors issue recalls for undeclared milk ingredient
2USDA, China agree on beef shipment details
3David Theno, food safety expert, dies in swimming accident
4Canadian company fires workers for chicken abuse
5Couple sues dog food manufacturer after pet death
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Social Value Officer, Melissa Dalton – Cocks pictured with members of the Waltham Forest Community Group receiving hampers for their senior’s Christmas lunch.
With the cost-of-living crisis, we wanted to see what else we could do to further help the communities we support. As well as continuing our social value commitments across our contracts, the social value team have sourced and delivered generous donations from our sub-contractors, partners, and friends to help the most vulnerable have a better Christmas.
In total, £20,834 has been raised for our local communities, you can read below about the many donations that have been received this year.
London Borough of Waltham Forest
The Waltham Forest Christmas appeal raised £2,350. Our thanks to the subcontractors who donated including Russel Roofing, Beacons Scaffolding Ltd, PMC Landscapes Ltd, The TPG Group, Michael Dyson, Texo Scaffolding and Construction Sentry Doors and GC Construct Ltd.
These donations include Tesco vouchers, hampers, raffle prizes which will help groups and charities including Waltham Forest Community Hub, London Master Bakers Alms Houses and Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter, amongst others.
Westminster City Council
The Westminster Christmas appeal raised an incredible £6,500. Our thanks you to the subcontractors, including TFG Refurbishment, Flow 3 drains, Zyber Construction, Build Recruitment, Tarem Services, Glaze&Frame, Regen Solutions Sparktricity, EC-Construction and 3dservices Ltd.
These donations include food vouchers, fridges, freezers and cookers and will help organisations and charities including the Connection at St Martin’s, Look Ahead Care, West London Mission, Lillington & Longmore Community Centre and Harrow Road Food Pantry,
Hammersmith and Fulham City Council
The Hammersmith and Fulham Christmas appeal has raised £5,505. Our thanks to Boilers and T W Drainage for their generous donations, which will help to sponsor the heating of a community centre in the borough to provide a warm place for residents, alongside other support for residents.
Basildon Borough Council
The Basildon Borough Council Christmas appeal has raised £3,729. Our thanks to Van Vynck, Summit Projects, the Window Company, CCR Property Services, ProRite, Laporte Garage Doors Limited, and W Kee roofing LTD.
These donations included over £2,000 to Changing Pathways, a local domestic violence refuge, supporting them to continue their important work providing refuge and advice in the local community for anyone experiencing domestic abuse. Donations also included several items such as televisions, mobile phones, toy boxes to make their Christmas more comfortable during this challenging time.
Cash pledges of £1650 will be split between three charities in Basildon including Feeding the Family, which support with feeding those impacted by the cost of living this Christmas, Motivated Minds, Basildon Happy Hub and SAVS Basildon.
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council
Our newest contract, which launched in October, has raised £750 for its Christmas appeal, our thanks to CBM Group, Abbey Roofing and Power Rod for their generous donations.
These donations have allowed us to donate £150 Tesco vouchers for a competition at the Hatfield Christmas Lights Switch-on and to support our ongoing cost of living work in the borough.
Helen Sheen, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Morgan Sindall Property Services said,
“Despite it being an extremely tough time for so many people, the level of generosity and community spirit shown in support of this appeal has been amazing. Thank you to everyone who has donated to which will help ease the burden for some hard-hit households this Christmas.”


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Washington Harbour hits the market
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- Tierney Plumb
- Staff Reporter
Washington Harbour, a Georgetown gem along the Potomac River that garners priceless views, is up for sale.
Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP is marketing the property at 3000 and 3050 K St. NW and just released a flyer about the for-sale property Tuesday night.
Prudential Real Estate Investors, the seller, bought the site in late 2004 for $220 million, according to D.C. tax assessment records.
Prudential’s asking price is not known.
The two Class A towers built in the late-1980s house 532,601 rentable square feet of office and retail space. Most of the space is leased to two law firms: Foley & Lardner LLP has 203,500 square feet through January 2023 and Kelley Drye & Warren LLP leases 117,500 square feet through December 2017. Foley & Lardner recently unveiled its major three-year renovation and expansion of its office space.
Washington Harbour, which has historically remained more than 95-percent leased, is currently 86-percent leased with 74,987 square feet of vacant space due to two recent lease expirations. Those tenants vacated due to the inability of the owner to accommodate the tenants’ expansion needs because of the space requirements of the existing law firm tenants.
The towers currently have 12 office and 10 retail tenants.
The East building at 3000 K St. stands six stories tall and the West building at 3050 K St. is seven stories. The top three floors of that site are occupied by condos and are excluded from the offering.
Its major retail tenants include the popular waterfront restaurants Sequoia, Tony & Joe’s, and Nick’s Riverside Grille. The entire project sits on a two-level underground garage that provides 489 spaces.
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Staff Accountant U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | Washington, DC
Director, Business Development Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation | Upper Marlboro, MD

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Zizaijiasu Homestay is a property only 1.9 km from Shantang Street, Beisita and Suzhou Park. The on-site comforts include free parking, a designated smoking area and a luggage storage.
Serving a variety of dishes, Songhelou Restaurant and Deyuelou Restaurant are just 850 meters away.
Zizaijiasu Homestay offers rooms with free Wi-Fi, a private balcony, multi-channel TV, climate control and a dressing area. Bathrooms are equipped with a hairdryer, slippers and bath sheets.
Kitchen facilities feature an electric kettle and coffee/tea makers.
Suzhou Railway train station is a 15-minute walking distance away.

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The Compozers are a young band whose music and live performances have been described again and again as “vibrant, energetic and memorable”. The quartet, which formed in 2008, includes Nana Ntorinkansah on Bass, Stephen Asamoah-Duah on the drums, David Akrasi on Keys and Keytar, and Charles Mensah Bonsu on Keys.
As the fourth installment of their highly acclaimed show A Night with the Compozers draws near, and after the release of their heavy weight Summer Mix, it was only right and a great pleasure indeed to have the boys for an interview with WPGM.
Thank you so much for being with me today, firstly I’m curious to know how you started playing your instruments?
Nana: I started from Church… Sounds like a typical story I guess… Majority of musicians start from church. I started by playing the drums and I developed an interest in Keys, bass and then keyboard. When I like something, if I can teach myself how to do it, I’ll figure out a way and start doing it.
Steven – Same really, from young I was just playing pots and pans, my mums pots and pans… then I started going to church… after church, [I’d] sit back and play around a bit, as I got older, people started to see … ‘Oh he’s got something in him’. From church to secondary school, to doing a few little bits here and there to where I am now.
I’m also curious to know how you lot met?
Nana: Myself and Charles went to the same primary school… we were really good friends. [from there] obviously he went to secondary school [before I did] as he’s older than me, lost contact for a couple of years and then reconnected at his church’s [youth] conference, then just developed an interest… [saw] the fun in playing as a collective, young people just playing all the different styles in music, started to become popular in our locality, amongst our friends and family, we started to germinate organically… 100% we weren’t just put together.
Impressive to know that you aren’t just instrumentalists but producers, music arrangers and music consultants. How did that come about?
Steven – It’s stuff we did naturally, it was second nature, without us even realising [You know]. Some girls do make up really well, and they do it on their friends… [they say] ‘oh you’re a really good MUA’.
You fit the role without realising, so with us, people come to us [saying] ‘oh what you think about this’… ‘how can we do this and that’ and that’s actually a service people provide professionally, as well as producing… [maybe] we will just sit down one day and be like ‘aw let’s mess around’ and we would actually put something together and we were [actually] producing music and arranging music.
That’s an everyday thing for us because, for shows, for rehearsals we have to arrange the music, for an artist, for ourselves, we have to actually sit down and piece music together.
You are all of Ghanaian heritage, so permit to ask this: Knowing African parents, more truth than just a stereotypical assumption, want us to follow the Doctor, Lawyer, Academic, Engineer path of life. How did your parents take on the idea of pursuing music as a full time career? And is that the case till now?
Nana – [laughs] I like how you coined that!
Steven – For me, literally from day one, they’ve had my back, from as little as 3, 4 years old… I’d probably have to buy a new drum kit like twice a month, cos they’ll buy it [and] I’ll break it, and then I got to an age where they could get me a proper drum kit, and then if i need to go places, even if it means taking time off work, or getting someone to take me.
He [dad] has always wanted me to play in a bad, always always, He always makes reference to Oasis, U2, He’d be like ‘Listen you need to get into something like this’… They’ve never forced me to be something, ‘oh you have to do this you have to do that’, especially cos they’ve seen the love and passion for what I do. My parents are like, ‘yeah this is what our child wants to do, why should we make him do something he doesn’t want to do?’
Nana – My case is very much the same. My parents always had really influential people around them seeing my music ability from a young age and they encouraged me to push my music in the right direction. In Church, my dad is a bishop, [so] there are different departments in church, sound and instruments.
I started picking up skills, and when we got older and got into the music industry, I realised that many people in high positions do not even know what we know from church as musicians. This has put me in an advantageous position. They just encourage me to keep my morals, and home training as it is a crazy world we are in, in the music industry, your mistakes are more blatant to see.
Being that your parents are christians, and your father is a Bishop for that matter, were you ever pressured or advised to go into gospel music?
Nana: yes [laughs] – loads of times, my personal perspective… although this may change later on and you might see me on the cover of a gospel album [laughs] but for now I believe, this is a career. It’s a career of the arts and in this career you have actors, artists and different directions you can go in. [And] you can’t tell a christian actor only act in christian films, you can’t tell an artist, only paint pictures of Jesus Christ, you can’t put someone’s creativity in that sort of nutshell.
We are all christians in the group so we try to make sure the music that we are playing it conveys some level of positivity, encouragement. In comparison to people who bible bash all the time… what people tend to take from us the most is how we carry ourselves, our lifestyles, how we relate with people.
This resonates more with the people than those who just go around shoving the bible. The lifestyle – that’s the most important thing. They’ll be like ‘Rah! This guy, he’s a lot more different than what we expected, asides all the success, there’s something consistent about his character’.
Fair enough we all listen to the same type of music. We are not even necessarily playing the most popular songs, so it’s not really about the songs. [It’s] what they are taking away from it, is the story, the story and the creativity?’ Every interview we do, every show we do, the first thing we always do is acknowledge GOD, because we didn’t get these skills or these talents by ourselves. We nurture them, but it didn’t come from us. With that, they (fans) always and continue to support us.
Would you like to share any challenges you confronted along the way from when you first started this musical journey?
Steven – Yes I will speak for myself, myself and Nana, we did a lot of work together playing for artists, so making the transition from being the musician (behind the scenes) to being the artist. It’s [like] a whole new different world it’s like we are doing now. We would be [the ones] back stage while the artist was doing the interview. Now our shows have become so much more hectic, that transition to that.
Dealing with the sacrifices you have to make as well, in the beginning you don’t really understand the sacrifices you need to make and why you have to give up so much but I think after a while… after finding your feet you understand.
Being the youngest in the group I found it hard not to go and out and chill with my friends how everyone else was out all the time. If they were going to this party, I had to be at rehearsal. [You know] you wanna be young and have fun but you have to understand and set your mind to say ‘look, this is what I have been called to do and whatever it takes I have to do, make that sacrifice put in that work’.
It’s a whole different world… the hours are longer, you have to eat sleep and breathe this literally like 24/7… Before it was like we turn up to rehearsal and we can leave after and we don’t have to think about nothing. [Like] Today for example, we went from a shoot to the studio to this interview and then we have to go back to the studio, where’s the time to breathe? Do you know what I mean? There’s no time for that no more.
In the beginning it is challenging, but I say it’s a good challenge… that we can take upon ourselves. At the end of the day, you know what you’re working towards.
You guys have performed at a catalogue of places, from Europe to Africa, what is the best and also what is the worst experience you’ve had during a performance?
Nana – The worst… we were playing at an event at South London. We had to do all the preparation on the day itself like soundcheck and all that. It’s a process that takes a bit of time… So we done all of that, the show started. They put us on as the first act. At the time we hadn’t had a name like that we were just ‘The Compozers’. We start playing, and after 3 minutes they start closing the curtains on us, [pause] it was emotional.
It happened because… well… it wasn’t a connection problem, because it was obvious the crowd wanted more, but it was the promoters and all these people who obviously aren’t really concerned with how good you are as an act, they just have to get their money’s worth off of everyone else they put on the bill, so that was a proper confidence killer, really annoying experience. But It’s good… it humbles you… as good as I thought I was through all of this, there are still ways that someone can [proper] remind you that you are still not where you need to be.
Steven – Okay one of our shows, our first headline show, during soundcheck , we were soundchecking the last songs, and my drum set literally split in half and I did not know what to do, as the show was to sart in an hour so I call any drummer I know in the area saying ‘Have you got this?’ [and I hear] ‘No I’m here, I’m there’ and I was like ‘Ugh!’. But i got to the end of it, something came through.
Another one… so we got this festival with Fuse ODG. We were packed and excited, and usually I have my drumsticks on me, but [for some reason] I’m looking around me, I can’t find the bag. No one has seen it, [but] I have to keep calm. When Fuse’s tour manager came and told us it was time to go on stage, I still didn’t have my drumsticks, this is 10,000 people, so I had to come clean and say I didn’t have them.
Thankfully there was this store of emergency supplies, so my manager had to literally run for his life to go get them. I told my band mates to not let anybody see this, because they’d be like ‘How stupid can you be to be without your drum sticks?’ Drummer turning up with no drum sticks, first and last!
Nana – [laughs] Trust, I’ll never let you forget.
In a place like Nigeria, where anything can happen, what do you do in the event of a power outage?
Nana- It happens all the time!
But… You can only wait, or carry on playing, for some of the instruments, eg the drums we don’t need electricity.
Steven – [So] We were playing at a wedding I think. The venue had one of those noise limits, so we went over and it [the sound] just cut off. But I think the crowd was so into it , they were actually singing the song , so I just continued playing [drums] and we were just like yeah it’s not gonna come back on so people thank you very much!
If you weren’t into music , what do you think you’d be doing by now?
Nana – Entrepreneurship. God being good to me [miraculously] I have the gift to persuade people to do things, to encourage people to do positive things [innit]. Business is set up to help people. I think I’d do [really] good in those sorts of things.
Steven – Same and also a social activist.
So what sort of issues are you standing for at the moment?
Steven – The rubbish going on… especially amongst the youth. It’s just getting ridiculous. Obviously being younger than them [band members], I think I see [it] more directly than they do.
I say this all the time – me hearing someone has been stabbed, it’s almost like i am immune to it… it’s almost like a weekly thing, but that shouldn’t be the norm. Why is that [even] normal?
Just helping young people, to go out there and do something with themselves.
What song out there, old or new do you wish you composed on your own?
Steven – [pause] In my whole career this is the best question I have ever heard!
Nana – Rah! Okay I know. That Michael Jackson song. ‘Human Nature’. What it takes to put that song together musically is crazy.
Steven – I’d say ‘Stay’ by Chicoria. Big Jazz song. You can’t be a musician and not know that song. Doing that, I would know what I have left a legacy amongst musicians. Second would be Rihanna’s ‘Work’ [laughter].
Nana – Yo! That surprised me
Steven – Such a simple song… lyrically and production wise, but the waves that song has created! Knowing that I have a percentage on that as a producer, I can kick back and enjoy my life. That song world wide is doing a madness, and the producer, whoever he is, is probably doing what i said I’d be doing. Just kick back and enjoy and the money will still be coming in! But I’ll get Rihanna one day for something else, something bigger!
You lot have put out a couple of mixes which are great, we’ve got the twists and turns you put on other people’s music, when are we going to get official original music from you?
Nana – The only thing we can’t give you right now is a date but probably the beginning part of next year. We’ve basically been living in the studio at least the second half of this year working on an EP/Album/body of work [1st part we were touring]. We are going to be featuring some really good artists as well so everyone should look out, it’s going to be a great piece for everyone to look out for.
Speaking of features, you guys have performed with another impressive catalogue of Artists including Wizkid and Fuse ODG, to name just a few, but if you could pick 3 vocalists anywhere in the world to work on your original music, who would you pick?
Steven – Stevie Wonder, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande [laughs]
I like that. You’re an old soul that knows where the money is at…
Steven – They got the money right now. Stevie wonder is a legend, I got the mix!
Nana – I would say, Mariah carey, Chris Brown, Usher. Usher has been in the game for over 20 years for a reason.
Which one of achievement are you most proud of?
Steven – A Night with The Compozers. What it started out as vs what it is now, that is not how it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be a “friends and family show” literally about 200 people but it sold out to about…
Steven – Thank you! And that was our first show and we thought, ‘we must be doing something right here, people like it’. We thought, we should do a part two, and we hit the ball like far out. We’ve jumped from a 250 capacity venue to literally 10 times the size , 2000 people and leading up to that was just a madness.
We had a day (set) for the show, literally the day before the show i get a phone call, cos I was rehearsing with the orchestra and Ryan and Nana were both at the venue…
Nana – No… I was with you.
Steven – oh yeah and Nana gets a phone call to come down to the venue quickly and they were like ‘Steven you stay with them’. I was cool… not long after, I get a phone call to come down to the venue urgently, ‘get in a cab and come’. I get there and there’s police there and they’re like ‘you lot can’t do your show here’.
We’re like ‘what do you mean?’ This goes on [back and forth] but that didn’t stop us, we still came back to the venue on the day of the show as if we were still doing the show. Until the point where the police came back and issued a warrant, and said this show is not happening, ‘just go home’.
Nana – Imagine standing there telling 2000 people to go home! The reason is the tip off. We promoted the show so hard, that so many people from so many different areas on the internet were coming. But the event was meant to hold in a church building. Now obviously the church building doesn’t need to inform the police that an event is happening because they do church all the time. But because of the magnitude of the event socially, it wasn’t even over because of over capacity… it’s because it was ticketed.
The police needed to be informed to be prepared just in case anything was to happen. It was the last Saturday before Christmas and then Tottenham Football Club was playing on that day as well, so they felt that they were under policed if anything was to happen.
Bear in mind we were all young guys. We used all our money on this, it was so emotional it was about £15,000 worth of stuff down the drain, we had to recoup all that money within 2 weeks and put it back on as well as keep 2500 people calm in order so they could come back again so it was a really hectic (event). We were like ‘why is this happening’, what exactly is this for, but when we actually did the show, I saw that God has his reasons why things happen.
Steven – The show, the feeling in that building, speaking for myself it was indescribable. It was like ‘wow’. Okay despite the fact that this show got cancelled… on the day I know for a fact there was some guy shining his shoes, some girl doing her make up and straightening her hair getting ready to come to this then being told it’s off… but still came and if anything the numbers were more…
Obviously we’ve gone on to the third one now, we’ve played at a prestigious venue now and, the industry personnel now have their eyes on us due to our consistency, ‘These guys have continued this thing so what is it?’. To be able to keep such a show running ad getting bigger and better to me that’s a very proud achievement. Not to say anything else doesn’t surpass it but this is because it’s no one but the 5 of us.
After 3 shows, what would make the 4th different and more memorable for the fans? What should they be looking forward to?
Steven – It’s the 4th. Its bigger than 1 , It’s bigger than 2, It’s bigger than 3, It’s bigger than 3, 2, and 1!
A Night with The Compozers takes place on December 19, 2016 at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London. Grab your tickets here before it’s too late!
On a final note, here’s what the lads have to say to the fans:
“Thank you for supporting us, keep supporting us keep following us keep dreaming keep believing your part of the grind as well, it’s not just us!”
Interview by Davina Orikakhi