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By enacting the secondary laws to constitutional energy reforms back in August, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto detailed the opening of energy sector. However, while the press has been focusing on the reforms’ implications for the oil and natural gas sectors, the clean power market did not receive the attention it deserved, especially considering that Mexico has set the objective to generate 35% of electricity with clean power by 2025.
One of the reasons is that green infrastructure has been growing for a decade outside the political debate of oil and gas. Many plants in Mexico migrated to clean energy to replace natural gas generation. So, secondary laws for clean power were not amended per se, but were boosted with the opening of the sector to private companies. Unlike hydrocarbons infrastructure, clean infrastructure is ready to take off without big investments.
The new Power Industry Law will allow private actors to contribute to power generation with a legal framework that ensures fair competition. Regulations to that Law are in process of discussion among the industry and regulators. As private generators will be given access to the power transmission and distribution infrastructure, solar and wind energy projects are bound to increase where both sun and win are abundant. As for transmission and distribution, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) will be capable of performing power market planning as an independent system operator. As a result, it will be able to accommodate the growing numbers of clean energy generators and provide them with better cost-based access to the power market. Finally, private traders will contribute the green power they produce, allowing others to consume clean electricity.
Aside from these implications, the Power Industry Law creates a Clean Energy Certificate (CEC) system. The Ministry of Energy has been entrusted with setting a percent threshold for clean-to-conventional power production per annum. Power suppliers and consumers will have to uphold this threshold, allowing the government to enjoy a demand for its renewable power and the income it makes once the initial investment costs are paid off.
In addition to the Power Industry Law, other statutes are bound to fortify the production, distribution and trade of clean power. First off is the Coordinated Regulatory Bodies Law, which will support the power sector regulator Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) and provide it with the technology, financing and operational autonomy it needs to tackle the more competitive power market in Mexico. Another law is the Geothermal Energy Law, which aims at prospecting, exploring and ultimately using geothermal resources for generating electricity and other uses.
With so many changes taking place in the Mexican power market, more global energy firms are focusing their attention towards the Latin American country. In June, Spanish utility Iberdrola announced that it would be investing $5 billion between 2014 and 2018. Following its footsteps was U.S. based power generator AES, which told Reuters in August that it plans to double its capacity in Mexico for $1 billion over three to five years.
The U.S. especially has shown interest in partnering with Mexico, even for its clean energy production efforts. After visiting the Mexican President in July and hosting him a month later, California’s Governor Jerry Brown has expressed his interest in Mexico’s energy industry. As many Californian companies are focusing on renewable energy goals, state energy officials have faith that they can help Mexico, especially when it comes to reducing its emissions and further promoting the use of renewable energy sources. However, other companies from Utah and Colorado have been scouting and developing solar projects even before the Reform.
Despite the challenges facing the Mexican power sector, especially its inability to access natural gas from the U.S. and the widespread theft of electricity, international firms are very optimistic and believe these problems to be some of the “vast and varied” opportunities they believe they can avail. Now, maybe it is time for PV companies to start evangelizing the home market as “everyday appliances”.
Photo credit: Wind turbines, eco energy by majeczka-majeczka – Bigstockphoto.com
China and Mexico have been at opposite ends for decades, especially since the latter accused the former of flooding the U.S. market with cheap goods that affected the sales of its own. However, now that the Mexican oil and natural gas industry is open to local and foreign investors after over seven decades, China has expressed its interest in investing in the country.
Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo told the press earlier in May that China among other countries has expressed its interest in the world’s 10th biggest crude oil producer. “Basically, Singaporean companies, Chinese companies, European companies, Norway, the Americas, the U.S. obviously. There is a lot of interest,” he said.
Earlier in March, a top company executive told Reuters that China’s largest company intends to compete for oil and gas development rights in Mexico. The vice president of the American division of the China National Petroleum Corporation , Gong Bencai, had pointed at Mexico when asked if his country had future plans to invest in Latin America. Gong only said, “Yes, we are ready to participate in the Mexico venture. This is a very big market in the international business.”
Gustavo Hernandez, an exploration and production executive at PEMEX, hinted that such an opportunity will be available for companies like CNPC quite soon. “I think (the first international public tender) is going to happen by the end of this year,” he said. However, government officials had said that they expected the first tenders by the mid of 2015.
Currently, the government is working on detailing secondary laws to ensure investors of the safety of their ventures. The government planned to pass these laws before the last session on April 30, but the opposition disputed these, delaying the process. President Enrique Pena Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) hopes to gain approval for the legislation by the end of June.
Meanwhile, the Mexican Ministry of Energy is in the process of evaluating the fields PEMEX intends to keep. The process, which is called Round Zero allocation will last until mid-September for the ministry or until the ministry decides which of the fields PEMEX will keep. Once Round Zero is complete, an annual international bidding session will start all the way until 2019, each offering investors access to about 20,000 square kilometers.
With China’s new ventures in Mexico, CNPC will have a stronger hold over Latin America as it is currently active in Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Cuba.
Photo credit: Ameresco Biomass Cogeneration Facility at SRS by Savannah River Site
Despite Mexico’s potential oil boom in the light of its latest energy reforms and the newly approved Hydrocarbons Transboundary Agreement with the U.S., the country remains invested in its alternative energy resources. Currently, only 7% of Mexico’s energy is from renewable sources. Biomass is in the lead with 3.8%, followed by Geothermal at 1.6% and Hydropower at 1.4%. Finally, solar and wind energy sources are 0.1%.
In 2012, the Mexico Ministry of Energy (SENER) published a report titled Prospects for Renewable Energy 2012-2016. In it, SENER highlights that Mexico had issued over 50 permits in 2012 for generating power from agricultural residue. The report also showed Mexico’s high potential for landfill gas production with approximately 28.2 million tons of solid waste dumped in landfills, of which 53% is organic. Taking into consideration that 10 permits offered a capacity of 44.76 MW, SENER estimates that Mexico’s 186 landfills can generate between 652 and 912 MW.
Power generated from livestock waste also shows great potential. The 327 anaerobic digesters the Mexican government approved between 2008 and 2012 have successfully processed a variety of waste materials, including pig manure collected from pig farms, dairies and feedlots. Pig manure alone has the potential of generating 246-492 MW.
Complementing the findings of the report is a study initiated by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to evaluate the sources of biomass in Mexico and determine their potential. According to the study, the capacity of biomass generation can reach 1.5 GW in 2020, which is a substantial rise from the 550 MW produced in 2012. The sources of the 1.5 GW are predicted to be agricultural residuals (950 MW), livestock waste (278 MW), urban landfills (200 MW), and forestry residuals (87 MW). By embracing its biomass potential alone and generating at least 1 GW by 2020, Mexico will be able to add USD 37.5 billion to its GDP, generate 31,000 jobs, and cut down its CO2 emissions by 5 Mt.
Biomass aside, geothermal energy in Mexico offers great energy potential. Ranking fourth worldwide, Mexico’s geothermal power generation is estimated at 7560 MW, of which three quarters is produced at the Cerro Prieto plant in Baja California. Mexico’s 72 operating hydropower stations also contribute highly at 11,603 MW while those under construction promise to add 136 MW. Experts haves identified over 100 possible sites which the government will explore when funds and labor are available.
Despite getting attention much later, solar energy in Mexico is expected to thrive, as the county is one of the top five countries to invest in. By 2013, 33 MW of solar energy was being produced while 39.1 MW was expected from facilities under construction. As for wind energy, the sector remains underdeveloped. Despite offering a potential of 71,000 MW, only 1.7% of it is in use. In 2013, in operation facilities produced 1214 MW while those under construction promised to add 2069 MW.
With the current world reserve/production ratio estimated at 54.2 years for oil, Mexico appears to be set to cover its energy needs in the future.
Photo credit: Rig repairs by Andrew Deacon
The Mexican energy reform drafted by President Enrique Peña Nieto was approved by the Congress in Dec 12 and most of the 31 states. As a result, the once PEMEX-controlled sector opened up to private and foreign partners after 75 years. Starting next year, new contracts will be issued to companies to allow them to enter Mexico and carry out their work without becoming PEMEX contractors. As well, PEMEX may partner or contract with companies, too.
Peña Nieto believes that foreign companies’ knowledge and technology are what Mexico needs to exploit its huge reserves. “We, Mexicans, have decided to set aside myths and taboos, to take a big step forward,” said the President to assure investors that Mexico is indeed changing its policies and attitudes towards foreign investors. Funds are also an important factor in the success of Mexico’s energy sector as PEMEX estimates that Mexican fields require $60 billion a year in investment, which is double what Pemex spends today.
By allowing private contracts for profit and production sharing with well-known companies such as Exxon Mobil, the government expects the country’s oil output to increase by one million barrels per day. Currently, the country produces 2.5 million barrels per day, which is about one million less than the numbers recorded in 2003. With the reforms implemented and part of the constitution, the new energy sector changes are bound to increase Mexico’s GDP by 1% until 2018 and by 2% by 2025. This means a stable economy for Mexico, which translates into a growing middle class and lower poverty rates.
Though the reforms give PEMEX the first round of entitlements, the state-oil producer will have three to five years to develop the resource on its own or by entering into a joint venture with private companies. US oil service companies and independents may be interested in partnering with PEMEX, but the latter is definitely aiming for this joint venture.
The reason behind this is that PEMEX has burdened the economy by not making the most of oil and gas resources due to insufficient labor and lack of technology. By entering into a joint venture with one of the independents, it will be able to learn the know-how it lacks and use sophisticated technology to develop half-exploited fields.
In addition to international oil companies, oil service companies will contribute to Mexico’s energy. This is because the contracts opening up and the licenses provided are better suited for their work. Foreign service companies may also join forces with Mexican companies to develop Mexican energy resources, further boosting the productivity of the oil and gas sectors.
However, Mexico is yet to decide how its hydrocarbon fields will be valued, what the bidding process entails, the nature of the contracts, and other important details. Given the speed and dedication exhibited in drafting and approving the reform bills, Mexico’s regulators are bound to resolve these issues before President Peña Nieto leaves office in 2018. Yet the reforms will be so advanced by then that the new government will deem them economically costly to turn back.
I made an early review of the Mexican Energy Reform. Now it is time to revisit in full. This is part 1 of 3 for a series of posts trying to construe the recently approved Mexican Energy Reform. Despite the political opinions, this Reform sets a new landmark on how Mexico sees the future of energy sector and the free market economy.
Mexico has liberalised the energy market, leaving behind the vision that PEMEX and CFE must have monopoly over hydrocarbons and electricity. Mexican Congress has already declared constitutional the Energy Reform, after having received approval from majority of State Congresses. President has already signed the publishing Decree, and is being published this afternoon. On Monday, the Reform will have effects.
The approval happened despite the opposition of the left-wing party PRD, who proposed an overhaul to PEMEX and not allowing private investment into the energy sector. As PRI/PAN majority on Senate and Representatives approved the Reform, it passed. Regardless of the political opinions, the majority decided. PRD is analysing legal recourses to challenge the Reform, and also suggesting a public consultation that could happen in 2015. Considering that this Reform was to the Constitution, it will be very hard to challenge it, as there are very limited cases where the Constitution can be challenged.
What is firm now?
The Reform has two sets of provisions: The constitutional articles and the transitory articles. The first are firm, and as indicated, it is very hard to challenge due to the circumstances of majority. The second are provisions that rule during vacant time until secondary legislation is enacted. Secondary legislation would be enacted during first quarter of 2014.
The Constitutional Articles that were amended are 25, 27 and 28, and provide for the following:
1. A common mistake is that PEMEX had the monopoly of oil and gas reserves, and CFE from electricity. However, the Mexican State has always been the owner, and decided, as public policy, granting monopolies to PEMEX/CFE, not by Constitution. According to the Reform, Mexican State will keep control of government-owned companies (GOC) in the oil, gas and electricity sector. From the Reform, PEMEX and CFE will remain 100% state-owned, but breaks the customary monopoly, i.e. the State itself can create other GOCs that compete or collaborate into those markets. Creation of diverse GOC is not so uncommon, as happened with CFE and Luz y Fuerza del Centro.
2. Nuclear power and radioactive materials are property of the State, and always will be used for pacific purposes.
3. In electricity sector, the State will keep control of the grid, transmission and distribution. In relation to the generation (and self-generation) of electric power, there will not be licenses, but contracts for private parties. For practical purposes, licenses equal contracts.
4. In oil and hydrocarbons, the State will be their owner and there will be no concessions. However, for the purpose of obtaining economic benefits, it can grant, for exploration and extraction: a) assignments to GOCs, or b) contracts with GOCs or private parties. GOCs can subcontract or partner private parties. Secondary activities like refining, transport, sub-products and retail are not provided for, which would be regulated on detail by secondary legislation.
5. Banco de México will manage a sovereign fund for receiving the rents, manage the investment and distribute the benefits and make payments in relation to oil rents.
6. Executive Branch will have regulatory bodies for hydrocarbons sector (Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos) and electricity (Comisión Reguladora de Energía).
For now, many details are to be defined by March 2014. However, the Reform draws four main conclusions: 1) There is not coming back to state-monopoly; 2) The Reform is good enough to start exploring opportunities, 3) PEMEX and CFE will require experience, resources and partners/contractors to compete, as well as private players, and 4) Mexican energy market is being fuelled by growth in the manufacturing industry and public infrastructure.


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Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda, died over the weekend after a battle with pancreatic cancer. I have known him since I was a kid, and had the privilege to work for him for several years. He was mercurial and fearless, and never accepted "no" as an answer. While working for him could be tough, years later I find that the lessons I learned from him influence me every day—and continue to play into my love of the creative and innovative process that I have now embraced as a career.
Be A Trailblazer.
When Horst founded the Aveda Corporation in 1978, no one saw the beauty industry like he did: as health and beauty combined. Never one to be idle, he started making shampoos and conditioners from a mix of natural ingredients, and gathering people around him who could also see his vision of holistic beauty. I once heard him say that you could drink any of the hair care products he made. (Please don't.) But that's how committed he was to finding and creating a plant-based way to enhance beauty. These days "health and beauty" are more common together, than not. Back then, it was revolutionary. Visionary. He pioneered the healthy beauty movement in the same way that today's digital/tech pioneers are changing how we see technology. And like many pioneers, he was years—if not decades—ahead of his time. Being a trailblazer is often a lonely path. But without trailblazers like Horst, new products—and new categories of products—would never exist. That's one of the things I love about working with Ideas To Go clients. Every week we help create new trailblazers, in almost every product category.
Horst was known in the salon and beauty industry as having cult-like followers—or groupies. While there's some tongue-in-cheek-ness in that, there is also an overwhelming truth. Because of his passion and conviction in what he believed in, he inspired thousands of people. Not just to change how they saw the world of beauty, but how they lived their lives, and understood their own impact on the environment. Inspiring leaders are rare. He taught me to be passionate in what I believe in, inspire others to be passionate, and search for people to inspire me every day.
Never Settle. Never Stop Creating.
Horst was a man who never stopped seeing possibilities. It is a trait that is both frustrating and liberating. He could put two seemingly unconnected things together—like ingredients and desired results—and find a way (or find the people who could find a way) to make something real. It takes a level of fearlessness and recklessness to never settle. He had both in spades. It's that type of risk-taking that is essential in innovation—whether you're in the beauty industry, food industry or financial industry. It was this belief in possibilities that eventually led me to Ideas To Go—where possibilities are endless, passion for creativity is a daily ritual, and inspiring people are in abundance.
Thank you Horst. You were a mad genius. A creative visionary. And an indelible influence on who I am and where I am today.
Liza Babcock is the Director of Operations at Ideas To Go, an innovation agency that works with Fortune 500 companies in ideation and concept development to incorporate the voice of the consumer. She worked at Aveda as a Copywriter from 1996-1999.
©2014 Ideas To Go, Inc. All rights reserved.
Liza Babcock is a Creative and Marketing Writer at Ideas To Go, an innovation agency that works with Fortune 500 companies in ideation and concept development to incorporate the voice of the consumer.

domain: artistic


text: Why? The OG comic was nothing like that- prod studios are obviously just jumping on the Sin City bandwagon, trying to seem cool. Take a look. (Goddamn hyperlinks don' work- http://www.newsarama.com/SDCC05/DC/Spirit/SPIRIT1.jpg) In what way is that Sin City? It's far more cartoony, and has its own distinct style. I'm not saying that this movie will be bad; in fact the opposite- it looks really good. But seriously, why all the black 'n white 'n a dash of red?

domain: entertainment


FERNANDO Martinez was born to be a Met.
For in what other organiz ation or on what other team would this 20-year-old prove that he belongs by doing what has come naturally to so many in Queens, which, quite simply, is not running hard out of the batter’s box?
Who cares if it was only the young man’s second big-league game and just his seventh plate appearance? Who claimed that he would need work? Who said that the Mets were rushing him by recalling him on Tuesday from AAA Buffalo in just his fourth pro season?
Last night in the fifth inning, Martinez could have been mistaken for a veteran — a veteran Met, that is. Because with one out, Ramon Castro on second and the Mets on top of the Nationals by 5-3 in the game they would win 7-4, Fernandez hit a spiraling pop-up in fair territory a few feet in front of the plate under which catcher Wil Nieves fairly staggered.
The ball went up and Martinez stood by, watching. The ball began to come down and Martinez stood by, watching. Nieves dropped the ball, and the left-handed hitting Martinez started to run to first.
Uh, it was a little too late.
But it was entirely Metsian.
Mike Piazza, Hall of Famer in waiting who only occasionally busted tail out of the box, would have been proud. Jose Reyes, whose penchant for watching rather than running was at the center of yet another storm before he went down last week with tendonitis behind his right calf, can know that he has set a fine example.
Timo Perez in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series had nothing on young Mr. Martinez.
Reyes’ maddening walkabouts persist though manager Jerry Manuel pledged that he would put an end to such indolence the moment he replaced Willie Randolph last June 17. The Mets, once renowned for their historically significant pitching, now have a reputation as a team on which players young and old don’t have to run hard to stay in the lineup.
But this young?
“That was really an unfortunate thing for him, but it was a mistake,” Manuel said after his club reclaimed first place by a half-game over the Phillies with its fifth win in the last six. “I don’t see that as part of his [regular] behavior.”
The Mets are trying to shield Martinez from by limiting the amount of time he is available to the press. That’s the same approach the team took a couple of years ago with Lastings Milledge, another one whose attention span on the field seemed to come and go until he was gone in a trade to the Nationals.
It’s the same approach they took with Doc Gooden when he was a rookie, and how well did that serve him in life outside the lines?
Mets managers may have little choice but to tolerate sloth on the basepaths. Randolph, you will recall, lost Reyes after chastising the shortstop for his indifference. He lost Reyes and then he lost his job.
Mets fans, however, they have a choice. And they exercised it loudly when Martinez next came to the plate in the seventh, booing the kid they had heard so much about and had yearned to see, until that is, they saw his act in the fifth inning.
Martinez pledged to win them back when he was allowed to chat with the media after the game. He did fine, accepting responsibility without even attempting to find an excuse for the inexcusable.
“I will say sorry to my fans and I promise that will never happen again,” said Martinez, 0-for-7 with a hit-by-pitch thus far. “I promise that’s not me.”
The overriding complaint about the new ballpark in Queens is its absence of franchise history and Mets identity. Of course that overlooks the fact that it’s there to be found on the field.
Last night, 20-year-old Fernando Martinez hit a pop fly in front of the plate.
He did not run.
Meet the Met.


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The recent string of horrific events involving the murders of unarmed Black and brown people like Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Daunte Wright at the hands of police, and the long history of brutality that preceded it, has brought much of the nation and onlooking world to a consensus conclusion: “the system is broken.”
To many of us however, the system is actually functioning exactly as it was designed, having been born in blood, molded in the image of its white supremacist authors, and built on the backs of the people it continues to oppress. Making matters worse it is now apparent that even the dream of ever realizing the Constitution’s promise of fairness, equality under the law, and justice has turned into a recurring nightmare of cruelty and subjugation.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said: “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” How can we breathe life into those words? And ultimately, how can we imagine and implement processes in which justice is practiced and experienced as an act of love?
Acknowledging, understanding and confronting the ugly origins of any oppressive system is the first step towards transforming it. The disgusting white supremacist backlash we are currently experiencing notwithstanding, confrontation is at hand. A range of voices demanding change including justice-involved individuals, community organizers, human rights champions, advocates, elected officials and the President himself — who admits his tough-on-crime stance of the 1990s was wrong — are raising hopes for real progress towards addressing systemic problems produced by our criminal justice system.
The challenge, however, will be implementing sustainable models for the new experience of justice we envision, and that our youth, families and communities deserve.
During my tenure with the NYC Department of Probation, as part of the agency’s leadership team under then-Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi, I led an initiative focused on the following objectives: listen to the voices of the people and communities most impacted by the justice system; stop doing harm; change Probation’s culture; invest resources into community capacity building; and begin to share power.
Armed with this vision, we launched a community engagement campaign through which we reintroduced the department to the most impacted communities, and created neighborhood-based hubs, known as Neighborhood Opportunity Networks or NeON’s. The hubs empowered and facilitated community-led programs addressing healthcare, education, restorative justice, creative arts and other community needs.
To further build community capacity and demonstrate that solutions to reducing incarceration rates and addressing racial disparities in the justice system will come from communities, not systems, we launched “Arches Transformative Mentoring.” Under this initiative “Credible Messengers” – indigenous natural leaders who share similar life experiences with justice-involved young people they serve – were recruited, trained and deployed in communities to have transformative impact on individuals, families and at the community and systemic level.
An Urban Institute study would later show the major success of this effort, including an unprecedented 60 percent reduction in recidivism of Probation’s 16 -24-year-olds. But the impact of this community capacity building effort was much greater. By partnering with credible messengers, the very notion of probation (or community corrections) was being redefined. New voices with credible messages were now gaining access to spaces previously exclusive to parole and probation officers yet closed to the community. Those who had been seen as the source of the pathology were now providing the healing.
When Mayor Muriel Bowser recruited me to lead Washington DC’s juvenile justice system, we built on the New York City experience. In addition to transformative mentoring, life coaching and advocacy to the parents, caregivers and extended families of the youth, we invited youth, families, credible messengers and other grassroots community stakeholders to participate in program design, policy formation and critical decision-making on how justice involved youth would be treated. We were even able to open the detention centers to credible messengers, giving them 24-hour access to the youth, space and opportunity to engage them in restorative programming and the authority to impact how detained youth are treated and engaged, and ultimately released.
These experiences from New York City and Washington DC began with a focus on probation and youth detention centers. But they are fostering alternative approaches along the entire criminal justice continuum – from new ways of defining policing to alternatives to mass incarceration. In fact, in places like Los Angeles, Houston and Jackson MI., organizations are leading highly-successful initiatives that bring justice-involved youth together with grass-roots community leaders to demonstrate the efficacy of this new practice of community-centered justice.
By changing the way justice is defined, practiced and experienced by the most vulnerable people in our society, we can transform the system. Clearly, no one program, initiative or model will serve as the medicine needed to cure the diseases from which our justice system suffers and which it continues to spread. But it will be innovative models of reimagined justice upon which a new paradigm is ultimately built. Only then will the dream of love-infused justice become a sustainable standard and not a fleeting exception to the rule.
Clinton Lacey is a former Deputy Commissioner with the NYC Dept. of Probation and former Director of the District of Columbia Dept. of Youth Rehabilitation Services. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer. The Urban Agenda is available on CSS’s website: www.cssny.org.

domain: law


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I promote Art in Baltimore MD. Art has the potential to show the world as it is, and more importantly the world as it can be.
551 days ago
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Tamar Braxton’s hubby, Vincent Herbert, is recovering well after being treated for a pulmonary embolism last weekend.
He was rushed to the hospital when he reported difficulty breathing, but he never collapsed as some outlets have reported.
During the emergency, doctors found a blood clot in his lungs. Since then, he’s been on blood thinners and should be in the hospital for only another week.
Herbert was on a business trip in New York when he was taken to the hospital.

domain: medical


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When you’re in pain, it can be a quick fix to reach for the trusty bottle of painkillers in the medicine cabinet. This habit that we often slip into can have a detrimental impact on our health if we suffer from recurring pain.
Painkiller addiction is real, and as well as causing us mental turmoil, it also has horrid effects on our insides. Painkiller addiction can lead to serious health problems, such as stomach ulcers and heart attacks.
If you suffer from recurring pain from an old injury or the effects of aging, then it’s time to give natural pain relief techniques a try. You’ll be shocked at the results!
Physiotherapy isn’t just something the doctor orders you to do at home or with a professional after an accident. You can self refer to a physiotherapist. They hold expertise in building muscle and tendon strength, repairing aching joints, and nerve damage.
Physiotherapy is often the go-to choice for those who suffer from sporting injuries. A physiotherapist will work with you through exercise. The exercises aim for you to gain functionality and get you back in full working order, pain-free!
Around 22 million Americans visit a chiropractor annually. If you’re experiencing pain in your back and neck, then a chiropractor can realign your musculoskeletal structure to relieve the pain. The theory is based upon the proper alignment of the spine specifically to relieve you of your pain and allow your body to heal naturally without surgical intervention.
The main difference between physiotherapy and chiropractic adjustment is in their name. Physiotherapy involves repetitive exercises designed to work on a specific area. Over time the therapy will build up strength to alleviate the pain in the long term.
Chiropractic adjustment is a method in which the professional uses hands-on techniques to move and align your skeleton back into the correct posture with the belief that this will take the strain off of a pained area and encourage healing.
Acupuncture is growing in popularity in the western world of medicine. It’s one of the oldest forms of traditional medicine and boasts the ability to cure headaches, migraines, anxiety, and stress, as well as neck pain and other areas of specific chronic pain in the body.
The professionals at Activa Clinics say that acupuncture works through the stimulation of nerves, muscles, organs, connective tissues, and the immune systems by using needles.
A regular massage is not just beneficial for our mental health, but it’s also a great way to manage pain. By massaging the muscles, you’re dampening the cytokines released in our bodies that cause inflammation and pain. It also triggers the muscle to release mitochondria, which produce the energy muscles we need to recover.
Massage is not a long term cure but should be used for a pain management and prevention regime, especially for those who involve themselves in high impact sport.
Aquatic therapy for chronic pain is an excellent alternative for those who find physiotherapy too painful to continue with daily. When submerged, 80% of the body’s weight is reduced, taking the pressure off of joints to be able to practice exercises and build strength for mobility.
Chronic pain can be deliberating, and people find aqua therapy as a means to regain independence and be active again. There are a number of exercises you can do in the pool to build strength. Which you use will depend on the affected area and your level of pain.
It’s best to start slow and simple and build up your confidence in the water to a comfortable level of pain and work from there. Pushing yourself too hard and too fast can have a negative impact on your recovery.
Before going ahead with any type of therapy for pain relief, it’s always safe practice to consult your physician. The last thing you want is to try therapy and make your pain worse. Remember that natural therapies can be used alongside medicinal help, so don’t throw away what the doctor has ordered just because you’ve booked your acupuncture appointment.


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Read Midnight Hunter by Bonnie Bernard Free Online
Book Title: Midnight Hunter|
The author of the book: Bonnie Bernard
Date of issue: August 5th 2011
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Donna McCormick is a smart, pretty college student whose twenty-first birthday is a week away. Unfortunately, so is her murder - unless the mysterious man from the darkness can reach her first.
Donna is pursued in her dreams by a man who claims to be her Eternal Partner. During her waking hours, she’s cornered by another who claims to be the same. There’s only one problem: neither is entirely honest.
Or, for that matter, entirely human.
Eight years earlier, Donna’s life was dealt a terrible blow with the untimely death of a little brother who was left in her care. Ever since, Donna has yearned to get a normal life back – and despite her best friend Mo’s efforts to the contrary, Donna has almost managed it…at least until the Underworld cracks wide open, scattering chaos and spilling out every shifty force under the moon. Most of them want Donna dead, but some will stop at nothing to keep her alive.
Too bad she doesn’t know which is which.
With death following Donna like a shadow, she turns to her best friend for help. But instead of help, Mo offers only more mystery. And she knows more about the Underworld than she's willing to admit.
Now, Donna must choose: Cling to the mortal world where she feels safe, or embrace the Underworld where her dreams – and nightmares – come true.
One thing’s for sure - doing either one might get her killed in both.
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domain: literature


What if somehow, some way, John Coltrane and Dr. Dre got into a studio together late one night and produced some music?
The sound might be something like you’d hear from the L.A.-based group, Caught a Ghost. Yes, it’s kind of a big claim but the group, fronted by veteran musician, Jesse Nolan, (and featuring Veronica Mars and Copper actress Tessa Thompson) has built their musical foundation on a classic Motown and Stax Records sensibilities as the brick mixed with modern day samples, synths and beats as the mortar.
The band has their music heard on television shows like Suits, Grey’s Anatomy and mostly recently, trailers for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. (See video below)
The band will be performing this Friday at New York’s famed Bowery Ballroom in support of He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister. Tickets are just $15 and can be purchased by clicking here.


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WALTHAM, MA | Eden Badertscher, of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), was awarded the prestigious Kay Gilliland Equity Lecture Award for 2018 by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM). The annual award recognizes unique dedication and contributions to equity in mathematics education.
A senior project director at EDC, Badertscher has spent her career promoting access and equitable learning for all students in mathematics education. She has extensive expertise in teacher education, mathematics curriculum, standards alignment, and professional development, as well as advancing effective mathematics instruction in urban school districts.
As co-principal investigator of Designing for Equity by Thinking In and About Mathematics (DEbt-M), Badertscher leads two teams focused on closing opportunity gaps for marginalized mathematics students in grades 6–12. One team is creating strong communities of mathematical practice that engage teachers, school and district leaders, and mathematicians. The other team is developing a diagnostic tool to identify where opportunity gaps exist within and across school systems.
Prior to EDC, Badertscher was the mathematics supervisor in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, where she helped to advance education reform. As a Maryland post-doctoral fellow at Prince George's County Public Schools, she co-developed a graduate program to enhance instruction by addressing needs related to special education, culturally relevant teaching, and English language learners.
“I am thrilled and humbled to receive this award,” said Badertscher, who will deliver the Kay Gilliland Equity Lecture in April at the NCSM annual conference in Washington, D.C. “But no one does this work in isolation, and I want to recognize the brilliant teams and teachers I have the honor of collaborating with who also share an enduring commitment to transforming school mathematics to repay our debt to learners of color.”
Read this interview to learn more about Badertscher and her passion for equity in mathematics.
Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity. Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world. Visit www.edc.org.

domain: news


text:
From Jansen Robinson
Tea Party Republicans through their actions said to the president/democrats and the nation that unless we get our way, we are going to allow the government to shut down and the country to default on its financial obligations (resulting in harmful impacts on this nation). Their goal was to pressure the president/democrats into giving in to their demands.
Harford County Board of Education (the majority of whom are appointed by a democratic governor) through their actions have said to the County Executive/Council and taxpayers of Harford County that since we did not get the funding that we’ve asked for, we are going to inflict certain harmful impacts on children and parents. Their goal is to elicit outrage and pressure the County Executive/Council into giving in to their demands.
The Tea Party Republicans failed in their effort to extort concessions from the president/democrats and it appears that this is a failed tactic on behalf of the Board of Education. But there is way forward provided the Board of Education is willing to take it.
First, both the school board and the county executive/council have acknowledged that because of the state of our economy, revenues will at best remain flat-the county is not going to take in much more that it did last year. In addition, both the Board of Education and the county government acknowledge that the county will be picking up additional costs to fund the school system’s personnel retirement program.
Second, by all accounts, to include the school system’s numbers, Harford County is growing older. The school-age population is gradually decreasing while the non-school age population is increasing.
With flat lined revenue projections at the state and local level, coupled with a declining school-age population, and increased obligations, there seems to be a few options available to use public funds to fund the school system at the requested level: 1) County Executive/Council would have to reduce or eliminate funding provided to one or more of the remaining county agencies; 2) raise property taxes or 3) work with the County Executive/Council to reduce costs and seek savings/efficiencies within the school system’s budget by doing business differently.
If funding is reduced or one county agency is eliminated, then other county functions/communities will be adversely impacted. In addition, it will be extremely difficult for elected officials to encourage taxpayers, who may not have children in Harford County Public schools to incur higher property taxes to pay for the same services that they are already getting-especially under the already heavy tax burdens we all find ourselves.
So let me suggest to the BOE that the best way forward starts with option 3. And, if the BOE wants to start shaping public opinion behind their efforts to obtain additional local funding then they need to stop pissing-off the very people (parents) that they need to help make their case.


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photo by Shigeo Ogawa
Nebuta House, a museum and cultural centre in Aomori, Japan that was designed by molo and team, has been selected as the winner of the 2011 Civic Building Award in the World Architecture News Awards
Nebuta House was chosen to receive the award by a unanimous jury from a shortlist of completed international projects.
The ‘Unbuilt’ award in the category was won by Kengo Kuma & Associates for the design of the Victoria and Albert Museum in Dundee, Scotland.
A short video of the judges comments on the winning entries.


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BBC Reality Check reports that as children across the UK are settling into the new school year, many families are facing hefty bills for compulsory school uniforms. For older children – or those who are taller than average – school uniforms, as well as all other clothing and shoes, attract the full standard VAT rate of 20%.
Clothing and shoes for young children have been charged a zero rate of VAT since the introduction of the tax on 1 April 1973.
The problem is that there is no definition of the term “young children” in VAT law. Instead, the VAT relief is based on the maximum size an average child will be on their 14th birthday. So clothes for older children, as well as many children under the age of 14 who are larger than average, are taxed at 20%. And this includes school uniform.
The policy would be very popular with parents, and it has been considered in the past, but it has never been taken up. Way back in 1980, HM Customs & Excise considered the possibility of scrapping VAT on school uniforms, but concluded that the zero rate, aimed at children, would be exploited by adults in the larger sizes.
Last week, Labour MP Sarah Jones asked Steven Baker, a minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union, whether Brexit might result in a change in policy.
EU countries have been co-ordinating VAT rates since 1992 to ensure there is no unfair competition across national borders. Under EU rules, countries must apply a minimum standard VAT rate of 15%, but 0% VAT is also allowed for the goods which were taxed at that rate before 1991. So children’s clothing and footwear in the UK are protected.
Exceptions to the rules
If a school is exclusively for pupils under 14 years of age, the zero rate can be applied irrespective of the size of the garment, as long as the garment is unique to that school by design, such as a prominent badge. So, for instance, a uniform for a private prep school which caters for children up to the age of 13 only, attracts 0% VAT irrespective of the size, but the parents of older or taller children in a typical state secondary school with pupils up to the age of 16, have to pay an extra 20% to cover the VAT.
Read more Why is VAT charged on school uniform?
Now you know. Do your think singling out taller/larger/older pupils is correct? Please tell us your thoughts in comments or via Twitter ~ Tamsin
Don’t forget you can sign up to receive our daily email bulletin (around 7am) with all the latest schools news stories. Your details will never be given to anyone else and you can unsubscribe at any stage. Just follow this link
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Real-time geospatial analytics: What does the future hold?
GIS has come a long way from its academic roots in the 1960’s, when computers were the size of rooms and geospatial data meant maps overlaid with mylar sheets. Today, GIS has become one of the most exciting realms in all of data science, with applications that are transforming our world.
It’s fair to say that the COVID-19 pandemic, for all its impact, would have been far worse were it not for the contact tracing, spread mitigation and logistics support made possible by geospatial analytics. Cellular data, mobile devices, IoT and other technologies have taken geospatial science to an even higher level of value.
As we look toward the future, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), as well as accelerated data processing based on parallel GPU and CPU configurations, will push GIS further. The ability to process and visualize billions of rows of data in milliseconds, a trait of accelerated geospatial analytics systems, is supporting everything from autonomous vehicle design to helping to solve the opioid crisis.
Modern GIS analytics is used for health research, commercial real estate, public safety, even national security. And the real possibilities are just beginning.
New use cases emerging
The ability to model geospatial data in real time has had a deep impact on data science. The discipline gains additional insight when disparate datasets, from a multitude of sources, are integrated.
COVID-19 vaccine deployment is a perfect example. Even after months of advanced planning, there were delays in vaccine deployment once the FDA granted its emergency use authorization. Logistics experts had to adjust in real-time to meet incredibly important distribution schedules. The combination of case count data, warehousing information, transport availability, traffic and weather, all played a role in solving shipping problems and removing bottlenecks.
There are endless applications for simultaneous integration of real-time data from public and private sources in the GIS sciences. ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance—Broadcast) data, when viewed alone, shows where commercial and non-commercial aircraft are flying in U.S. airspace at a given moment. ADS-B allows analysts to say, “Show me which planes are more than 50 miles off their typical flight path.” But simply by adding real-time weather data, new insights are unlocked. Users can quickly determine which aircraft are off their normal flight path due to a thunderstorm, for example, versus other potential causes.
Advanced spatiotemporal analytics—the study of movement over time in a particular geography—is answering questions for businesses as well. For retail stores, spatiotemporal analytics is used to identify patterns and anomalies in foot traffic outside, and even inside, a store. Merchants are able to look at when shoppers spend more or less time in front of a particular store display. They can then determine if there are patterns among customers, or groups of customers, that may prompt possible improvements in the layouts of stores, restaurants or entertainment venues.
In sales and marketing, different forms of data can be combined using spatiotemporal applications to generate targeted promotions and loyalty programs. Shopper movement data can be leveraged against customer purchase history to optimize real-time offers, promotions and product information. These notifications, delivered via a retailer app or other channel, can be timed for when the shopper is in the neighborhood or even as they move through different departments within a store.
Real-time analytics is also helping transportation dispatchers track trucks, ships, trains and other modes of transport. By cross-referencing traffic, weather, safety and emergency information, operators can optimize routes and minimize delivery delays.
Real-time data helps GIS practitioners supply insights faster so agile decision-making is the norm, not the exception. In many quarters, decision-makers are finding they no longer have months, days or even hours to plan their moves. Daily or weekly operational reports simply don’t fit the bill in our fast-paced, digital world. But with the ascendence of real-time information and advanced analytics platforms to process information, people are getting the immediate understanding they need.
Advances through AI/ML
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are changing the nature of geospatial analytics. ML technology is enabling image classification with significantly higher granularity; assessments of forest development and health, which not long ago was based on years-old 30-meter resolution from Landsat satellite data, can now be evaluated using ML-enhanced, 10-meter data from newer Sentinel-2 satellites updated weekly. AI is being used on high-resolution urban imagery to help with post-disaster assessments, urban planning, ad targeting and more. Several open source and commercial options are also available to perform image cleanup and ML data extraction on-demand.
On another front, Discrete Global Grids (DGGs) are seeing new life. DGGs are not new, but they are being energized by Placekey, an open-source initiative, to eventually give every physical place on the planet a unique identifier. Placekey includes a “where” and a “what”; the “where is encoded using the H3 DGG system from the Uber, the ride-sharing company. This, along with other programs, is making DGGs more useful in GIS analysis.
Soon the long-awaited concept of digital twinning will become a reality as well. GIS is fast becoming a pursuit in which data is not based on class abstractions, but on real-world objects of extremely fine granularity. Utilities, for example, are beginning to model and monitor individual trees around their powerlines for potential strike and fire risk. Telecommunications providers are measuring signal interference from buildings and vegetation with one-meter resolution. Knowing what is going on around critical assets is increasingly important—and modern technology stacks are automating the construction of these virtual doppelgangers.
Speed of curiosity
When organizations have the ability to quickly and interactively interrogate their geospatial and spatiotemporal data in real-time, the game changes. Practitioners can work at the speed of their natural curiosity, asking and answering questions as quickly as they can come up with them. New forms of inquiry emerge, science advances, and all sorts of seemingly intractable problems suddenly have a path to resolution.
Advanced analytics tools, combined with a growing ecosystem of real-time data from thousands of sources, are driving this GIS revolution. It’s a rich, multi-dimensional world we live in—and real-time geospatial analytics is helping us comprehend it, one data point at a time.
Crowdmapping in the Midst of a Pandemic (by Map Kibera)
By Peter Agenga of Map Kibera
This post has been cross-posted from Map Kibera.
2020 has been a unique year owing to the fact that the whole world was brought to a stand-still by a global pandemic. Kibera and other informal settlements of Nairobi weren’t spared either. Most of the Kibera residents work as casual labourers and due to the regulations set up by the government, the majority of the residents lost their jobs while some had to shut down their business. This left most of them having to rely on well wishers for any form of support.
In response to this, many organizations came up with initiatives to support the community; this varied from sensitization activities, food and soap distributions, setting up hand wash points and other relevant resources. Map Kibera, having worked with these organizations in other events and activities, partnered with them to:
- Map out their activities and post them on the Ushahidi-based Kenya Covid-19 tracker; this included training them on how to post their work and offering support in posting them where necessary.
- Directly support the programmes they were implementing on the ground.
Mid this year Map Kibera was awarded the 2020 Rapid response Micro-grant funds by Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) to support our Ushahidi deployment. We created the site for tracking Covid-19 cases, resources and news related to Covid-19 —primarily in Kibera as well as the other informal settlements of Nairobi, but also other parts of country. The goal was to keep this information together in one easy place, allowing people to see what is going on around them that might be relevant to them. This was also to aid in our efforts to keep Kibera, one of the most vulnerable communities to illness, healthy during this pandemic.
The team had already started working remotely, and therefore made use of the online tools for accomplishing the mapping tasks involved in the project. The team used tools like Maps.Me, healthsites.io, and of course OpenStreetMap to work on all the mapping tasks that were agreed upon. The initial training was conducted in form of webinars through Zoom and Google Meet; this was because of government directives on safe distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As the tools mentioned above suggest, the goals of the mapping activity were the following:
- To train community volunteers on how to add and edit information remotely on OpenStreetMap
- To ensure timely and accurate health data on OpenStreetMap
- To improve coverage of maps on health in the country (especially on informal-settlements)
We also have recently trained more community ambassadors on the use of various mapping platforms that are freely available and accessible to the public. This wouldn’t be easy to achieve without the financial and moral support from HOT and all the parties that were involved in the Micro-grant Program.
Update: Map Kibera is currently doing an update of WASH data in Kibera and Mathare and at the same time running a survey of how the two communities coped with the issues of water and sanitation during the pandemic.


Product name: wrought iron railhead top fencing
Material: mild steel rod and flat steel(steel)
Surface finish: powder coated based on self color or based on zinc plated
Fence height: 954mm
Fence width: 1830mm
Other sizes can be made according to your drawings or requests.
Brand Name: DNL
Install: very easy to assemble and tighten
Place of origin: Shandong, China
Application: Residential, villas, factories, parks, stadium, convention centers, pasture…
1> European art design, strong structure, the sizes and flower parts can be customized;
2> Have excellent climate resistance;
3> Erosion resistance and temperature change resistance;
4> Tough paint coating, powerful adhesive ability;
5> The classical ornamental wrought iron component is totally produced by ourselves, so we have unusual speedily application property and selectivity. They can be collocated optionally to ensure different kinds of our products and the constructions are flexible and convenient.


Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Electric Power Tools and other Tool topics.
Tile saws look intimidating, especially with the large blade, but they can actually be safer to operate than a circular saw -provided you have the right safety gear. Your tile saw results may depend on one simple little detail about your tile: can you cut it wet, or dry? Some materials can only be properly cut using a wet tile saw, which runs water over the blade to keep it from overheating during the cutting operation. Marble and granite are recommended for wet tile saws only. When in doubt, ask your home improvement shop crew what tiles work best with a dry saw or a wet one.


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REDLANDS >> A group of Kingsbury Elementary students walked into Famous Dave’s restaurant Thursday and helped a Calimesa father and daughter pay for their meal.
The kind gesture caught Gloria Denver and Frank Ramirez off-guard, especially after dealing with a burglary that took place Tuesday.
“You know, his home was broken into a couple of days ago,” Denver told the students. “So this is a really nice surprise.”
The random act of kindness brought joy to the group, who walked around the Citrus Plaza shopping center passing out gift cards and notes to strangers in hopes of making their day.
The dozen participating in the activity are part of Kingsbury’s RAK — Random Acts of Kindness — Club, which takes on various philanthropy projects to help better the community both on- and off-campus.
The students raised more than $150 to make Thursday’s “acts” happen through the sale of Candy Grams during the holidays. RAK members — there are about 80 total — then voted on how they would use the money.
With help from club advisers and Kingsbury educators Melissa Anderson and Cosette Gaytan, the group made stops at Starbucks and Chick-fil-A, to name a few, passing out the cards and cheer. The stop at Famous Dave’s was the group’s last and not only made Denver and Ramirez’s day, but also put a smile on the faces of employees inside the eatery who watched the exchange.
“I think, first of all, doing something like this, we hope, can be contagious,” Anderson said.
The RAK Club at Kingsbury holds biweekly meetings and has taken on several projects during the 2016-17 school year, including the recent building of “buddy benches” at the school. A food drive also recently helped provide baskets of goods to 19 families in the area, Anderson said.
“It is really powerful for them to understand that they may be only 8 years old, but look what they can do,” she said. “And hopefully they can take this to middle school and beyond and continue to make a difference.”


High voltage compartment.
a. 40/60-ampere AC generator (fig 3). The testing principles of the 40/60-
ampere AC charging system were covered in lessons 1 and 2. Tests included were
with and without the internal regulator. These required special test circuits to
connect externally to the generator. The circuit components consisted of measuring
meters, resistors, switches, and batteries. Once these components were connected
in the configuration required for the particular test, then an external motor or
engine was connected to operate the generator at the various speeds of rotation
(RPM) to perform the test. As you learned in lesson 3, the 500-ampere test stand
has these components for the external test circuits and a motor system, which turns
the generator to the required speeds, all enclosed in a single unit. Thus, all
that is further required is the installation of the generator on the stand for the
b. 100-ampere generator (alternator). Even though the 100-ampere generator
(fig 4) has not been discussed in detail, it functions basically in the same manner
as the 40/60 system. The differences between them are as follows.
(1) The 40/60-ampere system has an AC generator, rectifier, and
regulator all contained in a single unit.
(2) The 100-ampere system consists of three individual components which
are connected together by electrical cables. These individual components are the
AC generator, separate rectifier component, and separate regulator component.
OS 010, 4-P5


text:
Interactive Vocabulary Books: Dog Breeds
4 Dog Breed Books in Color
4 Dog Breed Books in Black and White
Level 1 - Match the dog card to the dog on the page.
Includes 2 different card options: Picture only and Picture + Word
Level 2 - What kind of dog am I? Find the correct dog card.
Includes 2 different card options: Word Only and Picture + Word
Laminate, Bind and add Velcro to make these Interactive Books.
The Black and White books would be great to Color, Cut & Paste.

domain: pet


text:
Sweet red bean paste, or anko, is a kind of Japanese jam made with azuki beans, a legume grown extensively in East Asia. With a soft texture and a sweetish taste, these beans can be perfectly used for the preparation of jams, preserves and other various types of desserts. In Japan, anko is mainly used as a filling for some typical sweets, such as the famous dorayaki, daifuku (mochi) or taiyaki, sometimes it is also used as a garnish for ice cream.
Easy to make, you will just have to boil the beans in water, add a sugar syrup and blend everything until you get a smooth, homogeneous and super soft cream. Depending on whether the beans are left whole or pureed in cream, there are two different variants: tsubuan with whole legumes and koshiban with pureed ones.
You can enjoy this delicious sweet red bean paste for breakfast or as a snack, spread it on toasted bread, or use it to fill a tart or garnish a dessert. So let’s find out how to make anko by following our simple recipe step by step.
If you prefer, you can replace brown sugar with granulated white sugar, with whole coconut sugar or with honey.
For an even more fragrant red bean paste, you can also add the spices you prefer, such as cinnamon, vanilla and citrus peel.
You can also try other two pastes similar to anko: mamean, based on green mung beans, and shiroan, based on cannellini beans.
Anko can be stored in sterilized and vacuum-sealed glass jars for 4-6 months, kept in a cool and dry place. Freezing is not recommended.
Rinse the beans and soak them in water overnight (1).
Throw in the soaking water and boil them, covering them again with the water, for a couple of hours (2). If needed, add more boiling water during cooking.
Once cooked, drain the beans and weigh them, you will need about 400 grams of them (3).
Pour the water into a saucepan (4).
Add the sugar (5).
Melt over low heat (6).
Add the cooked beans and continue cooking for another 10 minutes (7).
Blend with an immersion blender, until you get a smooth cream (8).
Transfer the jam to the sterilized jars (9).
Bring to the table and enjoy (10).

domain: food


Well this keeps getting crazier.
The Washington Nationals are going to roll with Stephen Strasburg as their Game 4 starter.
Cubs receive lineup card with Strasburg's name on it, will now sub in Heyward for Schwarber.— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) October 11, 2017
Immediately after Tuesday's game was rained out, Nationals manager Dusty Baker announced his team would still start Illinois native Tanner Roark in Game 4 as planned, even though Strasburg would be on regular rest to go Wednesday.
However, Strasburg was feeling under the weather and the Nationals initially chose to roll with the guy who is 100 percent — Roark — instead of a sick Strasburg.
The Nationals co-ace has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the All-Star Break and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Cubs in Game 1 before ultimately coming up short in a 3-0 Cubs win.
Now, with their backs against the wall and facing elimination, the Nationals are apparently turning back to Strasburg.
Washington GM Mike Rizzo was on the Sports Junkies radio show earlier Wednesday morning and defended his player and team for the initial decision they made, also saying Strasburg was "attempting to put his balls on the line."
"Yeah, he wanted to pitch," Rizzo said. "What he told Mike Maddux was he'll give us everything he has. He's not sure how much that is and how long he can go."
The Cubs official Twitter account had a brilliant reaction to the Nationals' bait-and-switch:


Bianchi will join City in an £8.8million switch from Italian side Reggina.
The former Italy Under-21 international told The Sun: “Mr Eriksson called me personally and told me he wanted me at any cost.
“He told me ‘Come and we will be watched by 50,000 fans every Saturday and we want to be in Europe’. When he mentioned the word Europe, I had a big feeling. Nothing was moving in Italy so I had to take this chance.”
He added: “I hope, one day, I can return to Italy with a big club. But I am beginning this new adventure and I want to show what I can do.”


Austerity measures imposed to Greeks in the late months were not enough. They were not serious either. Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said under the pressure of Greece’s lenders to tight fiscal discipline said yesterday: “The measures must be serious, definitive and concrete.” A semantic interpretation shot in many people’s heads. That it that the austerity measures imposed in the last 18 months were apparently ridiculous, temporary and vague.
Herewith, the Greek FinMin introduced a new economy term: “Austerity For Fun”…
Leaving my playful and angry mood by side, I can tell you that additional austerity measures are on the way, there are several leaks in the Greek media, but don’t tell me you want to hear them on a Sunday!
Prime Minister George Papandreou hastily interrupted his trip to USA on Saturday night and returned to Athens where he is going to lead an extraordinary government meeting at 3.30 p. Allegedly the Troika sent an ultimatum to the government, threatening “either new measures on Monday or we don’t come back.”
The government is seeking political consensus. But who will take the risk of social unrest, should new austerity measures be imposed?
PS What I don’t understand is that Merkel-Sarkozy assured Papandreou beginning of the week that “Greece will neither default, nor exit the euro zone.” Now they threaten to halt the sixth bailout tranche, amounting 8 billion euro. If they do so, Athens won’t pay able to pay wages and pensions. If that’s not “Default” what is it?


In a concrete block cellar of the building that houses the moon bears and snow leopards at Roger Williams Park Zoo is a brightly lit room. Unrecognized visitors are welcomed by the clatter produced by some of the sixteen Eastern timber rattlesnakes that reside here. Heated to 82 degrees, the room is lined with large, clear plastic cages along two walls, each containing an adult rattlesnake about four feet in length, two of which are believed to be pregnant. A vertical rack containing twelve plastic tubs stands against a third wall, each home to a juvenile rattler less than half the length of the adults.
The snakes are unexpectedly attractive and strikingly patterned, some colored in yellows and browns while others are dressed in smoky gray and white. One adult male displays a yellow triangular head with chocolate brown chevrons along the length of his golden back, which blends into a velvety black tail that doesn’t stop rattling during the entire fifteen-minute visit.
Lou Perrotti, fifty-three, director of conservation at the zoo and an expert snake handler since his junior high school days, says the rattlesnakes are usually silent when their regular zookeepers attend them. “But new faces get the full treatment,” he adds.
The subterranean room is a captive rearing center for New England’s only native rattlesnake, an endangered species that disappeared from Rhode Island in the 1960s and whose few remaining colonies in the Northeast are declining precipitously due to habitat loss and poaching. A newly discovered fungal disease that causes skin lesions and blisters on their faces is contributing to the high mortality rate.
When Perrotti heard about the disease, he recruited the veterinarians at the zoo to study how prevalent it was in New England; they found it everywhere they surveyed. So he partnered with the Massachusetts division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to launch a captive breeding effort. By taking rattlesnakes from healthy populations and breeding them at the zoo so their offspring can be released into the wild, Perrotti and his colleagues are augmenting snake populations that are barely sustaining themselves.
“And then we decided that creating a new population would be awesome,” he says. Biologists identified a small island in the Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts as the ideal location. “We thought the site was brilliant. It has plenty of habitat, plenty of food, it’s off limits to humans. It just made sense to create a secure population there.”
It didn’t turn out that way. When the public got wind of the plan, their vocal objections — which Perrotti says were based on little more than fear and speculation — quickly scuttled the project.
“We were doing what we thought was the best thing to keep this endangered animal on the planet,” Perrotti says. “We can’t only protect the cute and cuddly animals. They all deserve to be protected. This project was going to become a model for the conservation of non-charismatic species. The zoo has an international reputation for doing that.”
That reputation is due largely to Perrotti’s efforts. While the zoo is justifiably proud of the large charismatic animals it exhibits, from elephants and cheetahs to giraffes and wolves, it has earned acclaim for its conservation efforts on behalf of rare and endangered species that don’t necessarily lure in visitors. For instance, Perrotti raised New England’s rarest butterfly, the tiny Karner blue, to restore populations in the Pine Barrens of New Hampshire. He’s done the same thing for one of the most endangered beetles in North America and for a threatened rabbit, and he’s beginning a similar project to conserve a rare toad.
“Lou can rear anything: caterpillars, beetles, monitor lizards, tarantulas, frogs, lungfish,” says David Gregg, executive director of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, on whose board Perrotti serves. “He doesn’t sit around and wonder how to do stuff, he just tries something. He’s very practical and hands-on. He doesn’t overthink it. He just does it, and he does it successfully.”
A resident of Hope Valley and a drummer in a local rock band, Perrotti grew up watching “Wild Kingdom” on television and reading National Geographic magazine. The turning point in his wildlife education came when his family moved from Providence to West Greenwich as he entered the second grade.
“It was like moving to the jungle,” he remembers. “I explored every inch of that yard. I remember being crouched behind a rock one day and I got a feeling I wasn’t alone. I looked down, and curled up in the sun was a beautiful adult garter snake. That was my first wild snake, and I immediately grabbed it.”
Later, a visitor brought a boa constrictor to Perrotti’s school classroom, and it inspired him to follow in the man’s footsteps. “I wanted to be that guy,” he says. It didn’t take long before he achieved that objective.
With his family’s support, he obtained his first boa constrictor at age eleven, and a year later he was breeding them. “Breeding was mostly by trial and error, reading books, talking to others,” he says. “I had some mentors who kept snakes, but mostly it just came naturally for me. It’s all about knowing an animal and giving it what it needs.
“To this day I still get excited by snakes. You can’t build something as perfect as a snake: legless, colorful, great diversity, from giants down to tiny ones, venomous ones. I’m still fascinated by them.”
By the time he got to high school, he was known throughout the state as “the snake guy” for the free educational programs he offered at libraries, schools and birthday parties. Soon after graduation, he helped start the Rhode Island Herpetological Association to bring together like-minded people with whom to trade the animals they raised. And his reputation resulted in local police departments and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) asking for his assistance when they discovered pet snakes left behind in residences.
His reputation paid off when he applied for a job as a zookeeper at Roger Williams Park Zoo and DEM officials gave him a strong recommendation. For nine years beginning in 1997, Perrotti cared for penguins, flamingos and a variety of South American creatures, including snakes and other reptiles. It also gave him his first introduction to wildlife conservation, a career direction he found more and more appealing.
But when the job of conservation director opened up at the zoo, he found he was woefully underqualified. The position required a doctorate, yet Perrotti had never attended college. He applied for the job anyway.
“I felt I had nothing to lose,” he says. “I knew they thought highly of me, I told them I would never let them down and I would give them 150 percent every day. And I got the job.”
Jeremy Goodman, the zoo’s executive director, says that Perrotti’s lack of a college education was never a concern to him. “His life experience and on-the-job training and passion overcome any Ph.D. I’ve seen,” Goodman says. “He might not have the academic credentials, but he knows his stuff. And he has a craving to want to know more and be better all the time. That’s irreplaceable.”
Goodman says that Perrotti’s passion “oozes out of every pore. I’ve been around a lot of environmentalists and conservationists, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with that sheer passion,” he says.
While it would be easy to assume that Perrotti is most comfortable among snakes and other wildlife, Goodman says that Perrotti is also a master at collaborating with others in the conservation community.
“He’s a connector. He’s the type of person who will see what other people see as abstract points and find ways to connect them and make something better out of it,” Goodman says. “He uses his position at the zoo to make things happen between government entities, private individuals, land trusts and other not-for-profits. He brings everybody together so the whole can function so much higher than each individual entity.”
That’s not to say that he doesn’t occasionally make a misstep. Goodman recalls a day last year when Perrotti put his foot in his boot without realizing a black widow spider was inside, and the spider bit him.
“His foot swelled up incredibly, and it was incredibly painful,” Goodman says. “It was something that would cause the average person to miss days or weeks of work. But for Lou, he was back at work the same day doing what he had to get done. His attitude is that the animals rely on him. He was probably more concerned about the spider than about his foot.”
Perrotti’s ability to figure out how to successfully raise unusual animals in captivity and get them to reproduce was tested in 2008, the International Year of the Frog, when zoo officials encouraged him to find out how to support amphibian conservation without bringing tropical frogs to Providence. He knew that more than two-thirds of amphibians around the world are at risk from a fungal disease called chytrid, which has caused the disappearance of an untold number of species. So Perrotti went to Panama to see how he could help.
Since chytrid can be cured in animals brought into captivity, a group of conservationists was capturing thousands of frogs of twenty different species, housing them in hotel rooms and treating them for the disease. Because the frogs eat a varied diet of insects, the conservationists had crickets and fruit flies shipped from the United States, but most of the insects died while waiting in customs. They also attempted to catch local insects, but that took up too much of their time. When Perrotti suggested that they breed local insects to feed to the frogs, they asked him to show them how.
“Something like that had never been done to complement an amphibian rescue effort before,” Perrotti says. “But it was a cutting-edge project, and I love nobody’s-done-it-before things. So I went down, looked at what they were catching, identified the bugs to species, came up with the husbandry and caging they needed to keep them alive, and tried to get them to reproduce in a sustainable way. And we did that.”
The project has become a model for amphibian conservation efforts around the world, and Perrotti now serves as a consultant on rearing insects in Africa and the Dominican Republic. This year he is partnering with the San Antonio Zoo on a similar project designed to protect frogs native to Chile.
Back in Rhode Island, he uses a different strategy for rearing the American burying beetle, the official state insect of the Ocean State, which has disappeared from 90 percent of its range; its lone population in the eastern portion of its historic range is on Block Island. The thumb-sized, black-and-orange insect eats only small vertebrate carrion, and they only reproduce after burying an appropriately sized dead animal approximately two feet deep as food for its young.
So Perrotti, who sports a burying beetle tattoo on his arm, created a beetle room in a zoo storage and maintenance building on a dead-end road about a mile from Roger Williams Park. The room contains fifteen three-gallon buckets filled to the brim with soil, on which he places a dead rat or quail and two burying beetles. Within twenty-four hours, the beetles bury the carcass, and within a week they have laid their eggs and prepared the carcass to be fed to their larvae when they hatch. Six weeks later, the young beetles emerge from the soil as adults, and three weeks after that they are ready to reproduce.
The project has been so successful that about 3,000 burying beetles raised at the zoo were released on Nantucket between 1994 and 2006 to establish a new population in case a disease or other catastrophe wipes out the Block Island beetles. It’s a project of which Perrotti is especially proud.
“It’s a federally endangered insect, and Block Island has the only extant population, which, to me, is cool,” he says, noting that the burying beetle was the first insect in the world to have a species survival plan developed through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “To be able to expand its range is important to me, even if we just create an insurance policy for those on Block Island. We owe it to the beetle to do something.”
Not far from the rattle- snake room, in a small building that formerly held animals used in the zoo’s education programs, Perrotti oversees the captive rearing of another rare species native to Rhode Island, the New England cottontail. Two walls of the building are lined with eighteen wire cages stacked three high, each lined with hay and holding a single adult cottontail — except for one, which houses five baby cottontails recently weaned from their mother. Most of the animals are awaiting the February-to-August breeding season, when select pairs will be placed in outdoor pens for three days, during which time they will mate and then be returned inside to give birth.
The New England cottontail is the only native cottontail rabbit in the Northeast, but habitat loss, hunting, and especially competition from the introduced Eastern cottontail has pushed them to the brink of extinction. A multi-state effort to restore their population centers on DNA studies at the University of Rhode Island and captive rearing of the animals at Roger Williams Park Zoo and the Queens Zoo in New York.
“We had to write the book about how to rear this rabbit in captivity,” he says. “There were no established husbandry practices for them. We didn’t know how stressed out they would be or if they would eat. So we looked at their natural history and tried to replicate it as much as we could.”
Starting with just six rabbits collected from a population in Connecticut, Perrotti and his team kept them quarantined for a month while feeding them rabbit chow, apples, dandelion greens and other natural foods they collected around the zoo property. When they finally paired up the animals for breeding for the first time, they were immediately met with success: Every female became pregnant and raised her kits to weaning age. The program has grown every year since, with about 140 captive-born cottontails raised since 2012.
“All of our short-term goals have been met,” Perrotti explains. “We’ve built a hardening pen at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge with predator-proof fencing so they can learn to be wild rabbits. We created an island population at Patience Island in Narragansett Bay to establish it as a breeding colony. And for the last two years we’ve pulled rabbits from Patience and released them in New Hampshire. This year we’re releasing some in Maine, too.”
Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Cindy Corsair, who transports the rabbits from the zoo to Ninigret and Patience Island, has observed Perrotti’s approach to the captive rearing of cottontails and burying beetles, and she considers him as a mentor. “Lou thinks outside the box about what might be affecting the success of the program,” she says. “He’s very willing to try a variety of different solutions. It was his idea to vary the temperature in the building where we keep the rabbits to try to mimic wild conditions as much as possible and trigger their breeding period. And it worked.
“He’s very intuitive in how he goes about things, and that comes from being so intent on studying the animals he has in captivity,” Corsair adds. “He’s guided by his experience and his passion and everything he’s learned over the years of being in the middle of it all.”
Perrotti, who famed chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall calls a conservation hero, says that his objective at the zoo is “to contribute to the conservation of species in the wild and the wild places they live.” One part of his job that gets little attention, however, is his role in educating Rhode Islanders about native species. He says he enjoys sharing his knowledge and passion for wildlife with others, especially children, through a wide variety of shows, lectures and events.
At the Rhode Island Natural History Survey’s annual BioBlitz, where 200 naturalists spend twenty-four hours on one property searching for and identifying as many species of wildlife as possible, Perrotti leads the reptile and amphibian team. Joined by a dozen enthusiastic volunteers, he wanders through fields and forests turning over rocks and logs, and he always seems to find more creatures than anyone else. Especially snakes.
“Lou could find a snake in an empty room,” says David Gregg, who organizes the event. “He intuits what would be a good place for a snake to go, and he looks in those places. And he’s not all wound up about whether it’s going to bite him. He has a perspective on grabbing stuff that most of us don’t have.”
“I don’t mind getting bitten,” acknowledges Perrotti, who calculates that he has probably been bitten a thousand times by non-venomous snakes but never by a venomous one. “I hardly notice it anymore. It’s almost a badge of honor. If you handle a lot of snakes, you’re going to get bit.”
At the end of the day, though, he says the bites and mortalities and obstacles to protecting rare species are worth it.
“What’s not to like about this work?” he asks. “I have the support of an amazing institution, I get to work with species many people never get to work with, and I’ll be able to say I contributed to keeping the planet as good, if not better, than I left it. I don’t want anyone to ask why I didn’t do anything to protect these species. I’m in a position to protect species for the quality of life and the quality of nature for the next generation. That’s why I do it.”


In recent years, companies have shown the benefits of “copying” and sending traffic from network backbones to purpose-built monitoring devices…no interference with the existing, “live” traffic and the traffic can be analyzed in real-time or stored for later playback. However, the best approaches to “copying” and sending the traffic to be monitored has been a source of contention. As 40/100G becomes more prevalent, how the traffic is accessed will become increasingly important.
Initially, the Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) ports were used to deliver copies of traffic to analyzers, but this has posed several problems at the 1G and 10G data rates, which likely will increase exponentially with 40/100G:
- SPAN ports are part of the switch/router and operate in much the same way as typical ports, so the data is not always an exact copy
- Traffic congestion both on the router and on the SPAN port itself can result in increased latency or the traffic to be dropped completely
- Relying on a device that could be creating the problem to help identify it can be a self-defeating exercise
Figure 1: Network Monitoring with SPAN Ports
The practice most recently deployed, uses passive taps to send an exact copy of the traffic to the analyzer(s). While this accomplishes the task of not interfering with the “live” network, it presents issues in terms of cost and data accessibility. For example, if a network has 10x10Gbps backbones that require monitoring, the network must also have 10 analyzer ports available for the monitoring. That may not seem that daunting at first, but suppose you are a service provider or data center and you have 144/288 fibers that require monitoring. Now, you need that many analyzer ports as well, which are expensive even at 10Gbps, so what happens when the customer migrates to 40/100G?
Figure 2: Network Monitoring with Passive Taps
Of course, a practical approach to this issue would be to connect the “monitor” ports from the tap, storage device ports, and a few analyzer ports to a patch panel. If a 1x3 tap is used (creates two monitoring ports for each backbone), all of the traffic can be stored for replay using one of the monitoring ports, and the analyzer(s) can be patched into the other monitoring port as needed. This enables all traffic on the network backbones to be captured while simultaneously monitoring the most critical paths (the paths of most interest) in real-time.
Figure 3: Network Monitoring with Passive Taps and a Patch Panel
While the approach above does solve the problem of capturing everything and reducing the cost of the analyzing equipment, it does present one key problem: manually patching in the storage device or backbone that you want to monitor can be time consuming, error prone, and increase the risk of creating a network issue. Using a Layer 1 switch or an automated patch panel can eliminate or reduce these issues. For example, connecting the “monitor” ports from the tap to a Layer 1 switch or an automated patch panel reduces the time needed to make connections because now they can be made remotely and at the click of a mouse. Furthermore, using a switch or automated patch panel reduces errors as generally some intelligence keeps the user from making an inappropriate connection (software may be intelligent enough to prevent a 10G port connection to a 100G port). In addition, making the connections inside the switch or automated patch panel reduces exposure to the elements preventing network errors that can occur, such as dirt on the end of a fiber optic connector.
Figure 4: Network Monitoring using Passive Taps and Symmetrical Switch
Ideally, the Layer 1 switch or automated patch panel would be used to “patch” either a monitor port directly from the network or a storage device port to the analyzer as needed. As a result, one of the “monitor” ports can be statically connected through a patch panel to the storage device’s Rx port. In this case, all of the storage device’s Tx ports and the other “monitor” ports from the tap should be connected to the input ports on the Layer 1 switch or automated patch panel. With that in mind, the output ports of the Layer 1 switch or automated patch panel should be connected to the Rx port(s) on the analyzer. This approach further reduces the cost of capturing the traffic on the network because it requires a patch panel, a passive optical tap, a highly asymmetrical Layer 1 switch or automated patch panel, and only a handful of analyzer ports. The cost savings of this approach versus the previous one above is primarily due to the asymmetrical Layer 1 switch or automated patch panel cost versus a symmetrical switch.
Figure 5: Network Monitoring using Passive Taps and Asymmetrical Switch
In summary, as we move toward 40/100G networks, the same problems seen in monitoring networks at 10G still exist but are compounded with the additional cost and complexity associated with 40/100G. The best and most cost-effective approach to ensuring that all data is quickly, reliably, and easily captured is to deploy passive optical taps coupled with either optical switches or automated patch panels, which connect the network backbones to storage devices and network analyzers.
With most of the world now relying on fiber optic systems for communication, a key component to ensuring a high level of performance from operators is network monitoring. When we think of network monitoring, much of the focus is usually on the equipment itself, as well as the management of all the data flowing through the system. As a result, an area often overlooked when deploying and monitoring a network is the actual fiber optic cable, through which all the data is sent from one location to another.
While network operators aim to protect fiber optic cables as best they can, it is a relatively common occurrence to hear via the local news or industry reports that a fiber optic cable was accidentally cut and some type of outage immediately followed. A recent article on AllAfrica.com by Eric Bright serves as a great example in highlighting some recent events in Europe and Africa along these lines. This is especially true in the developing countries, where there may not yet be the same level of protection or advanced routing options readily available.
To deal with these types of issues in the past, most operators would need to physically check the line using an OTDR to determine the location and then travel to that specific point to service the issue. With every second of downtime counting negatively towards the operator in several ways, this process often took up valuable time before a resolution could be completed.
Fortunately, Remote Fiber Test Systems (RFTS) are available to assist operators in servicing these fiber-related issues in the most efficient manner. By installing a remote fiber test system, an operator is able to monitor fibers around-the-clock from anywhere and receive immediate alerts of breaks, degraded connections, and even malicious intrusion attempts. In addition to the quick notification, most fiber test systems will provide a near-exact location of the issue, so the service team will not have to waste as much time determining where to go. The positive end result is increased network availability via another layer of network monitoring.
When looking into deploying a remote fiber test system, there are several different alternatives available in the market that might be suitable for an operator’s requirements. While some have utilized solutions based on traditional OTDR technology, due to the extremely high price tag and ongoing budgetary pressure, many are finding new systems based on alternative technology to be sufficient for meeting their fiber monitoring goals. Since all networks are unique, it is important to obtain information on a number of different systems to find the solution that best fits all the objectives of the operator.


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Urgent care centers help alleviate pressure of health reform
05.15.2012Urgent care benefits may play an important role in a post-reform healthcare system. Experts say primary care resources are likely to be stretched thin. Standalone medical facilities could help by providing many of the services of primary care offices on a more flexible schedule.
In the past, urgent care facilities were largely focused on treating non-emergency injuries. This included things like sprained ankles and sinus infections. However, in recent years, these providers have started offering more preventive health services like cholesterol screenings and general checkups.
This trend is emerging at just the right time. Experts have estimated that the Affordable Care Act may provide about 30 million people with health insurance. Moreover, some provisions of the reform laws try to steer patients toward primary care. This is happening at a time when the family physician workforce is already strained.
By offering preventive health services in addition to immediate care, urgent care centers may help the healthcare system sustain the headwinds that are currently threatening to blow down primary care medicine.
"It is anticipated that urgent care will become a major component of providing medical care to Americans, as access to basic care becomes increasingly limited and an estimated 30 million plus uninsured Americans seek access to affordable, consistent medical care," said Dr. Robert Graw, an attendee of the recent national conference of the Urgent Care Association of America.
He added that major changes are taking place in the field of urgent care. This evolution is resulting in major benefits for patients, who now have many more care options, and the urgent care industry, which has experienced significant growth over the last few years.
Categories: Urgent Care Services
A recent study by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics shows that, in 2012, total spending … more
Patients may turn to urgent care centers rather than emergency department solutions to save them … more


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EU ministers tighten rules on child food health marketing.
Ministers also agreed that this claim also should not appear on labeling in the EU: "Three portions of dairy food everyday, as part of a balanced diet, may help promote a healthy body weight during childhood and adolescence." And they rejected a series of child health claims for foods containing the additives docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), including that they help vision, mental development, calming and serenity to children.
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|Publication:||International News Services.com|
|Date:||Mar 1, 2010|
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Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) has reaped nearly $87 million (roughly Rs. 621 crores) in global player spending and more than 172 million downloads in its first two months. The game picked up nearly 21 million installs in November, compared to almost 146 million in October, revealed analytics firm Sensor Tower recently. As per report, the game has been a hit in the US, where it has seen nearly 28.5 million installs, or 16.6 per cent of all downloads. India came in second with 17.5 million installs, or 10.2 per cent, and Brazil ranked third with 12 million installs, or 7 per cent.
Google Play generated the majority of downloads over 89 million or 52 percent. The iOS version, meanwhile, accumulated nearly 83 million downloads, or 48 per cent.
In the game, up to 100 users fight for survival in a map designed for the mobile title, featuring locations from across Call of Duty franchise in solos, duos or four-person teams.
Players can battle across land, sea and air with vehicles including an ATV, helicopter and tactical raft, while finding and equipping gear and weapons that span the series.
The zombie mode is available as a separate gameplay mode and the content is slightly different from what we have seen in PUBG Mobile.
The zombie mode, for now, brings two different modes that are broadly divided into: Raid and Survival mode.