text:
AUGUSTA — State Entomologist Tom Schmeelk was close to losing his voice on Tuesday from answering an average of 25 phone calls a day regarding browntail moth caterpillars.
“It’s really bad in May and June, but this year has, by far, been the worst since I’ve been here for browntail moth calls,” he said in conversation with the Islander.
Despite the many calls he receives on the subject, Schmeelk says he has little to offer by way of combating the furry caterpillars that seem to be in abundance right now.
“This is the worst time to treat for browntail moth,” he said. “We’re a month past the treatment time.”
For those who are not familiar with them, or have been lucky enough not to have had a run-in with them, browntail moth caterpillars are fuzzy with broken white lines that run down their backs, on which there are two distinct orange dots. They look similar to other benign, native fuzzy caterpillars, such as the eastern and forest tent, gypsy moth and milkweed tussock moths.
Maine Center for Disease Control has declared the browntail moth caterpillar a public health nuisance for both forests and humans. Those fuzzy hairs on the caterpillar are toxic and can, upon contact, cause a skin irritation similar to poison ivy. If the hairs become airborne and are inhaled, they can cause lung irritation, which can be serious in people with asthma or other respiratory health issues.
“On dry, windy days, they really blow around,” said Fred Mason, an arborist who, with his wife, owns Mountain Wren Tree and Garden Specialists. “When mowing the lawn, do it in the morning when dew is on the grass still. If you wait until afternoon, it’s dry and can blow those hairs around.”
Mason recommends wetting down any outdoor spaces before entertaining company, covering sandboxes that children play in and wetting the cover before removing it, and dowsing other large equipment like trampolines with water during the time when the hairs are more toxic. According to the Maine CDC, caterpillars in their third larval stage begin to develop the toxic hairs; larger caterpillars have more of the toxic hairs.
For the tree-working couple, dealing with browntail moth caterpillars is just part of the job. To prevent exposure, the Masons employ several different tactics that range from wearing a Tyvek suit to an extra layer of clothes that are removed before entering their vehicle or home. But if he does have a brush with the caterpillar, Mason employs fast, proper hygiene.
“I just try and wash quickly,” he said. “It’s just part of life for us.”
As Schmeelk explained, once the browntail moth caterpillars are out, it is too late to do a lot about it. Pesticides can be used to control caterpillars. The Maine Forest Service recommends contracting with a licensed pesticide applicator to control browntail moth caterpillars. Pesticide treatments should be done before the end of May. Later treatments will not reduce human exposures to the toxic hairs.
“What we’re seeing now is the offspring of last fall,” said Mason, adding that there are treatments for injecting or spraying trees to try and kill the caterpillars. “They prefer oaks and fruit trees, but they will go on any tree that’s deciduous, especially after they’ve wiped out the others. They don’t attack evergreens at all.”
Maine and a small area on Cape Cod are the only places these toxic caterpillars can be found in the United States. According to Schmeelk, in cool, damp springs, a natural fungus called Entomophaga aulicae grows and will wipe out the browntail moth caterpillars. But, this year has been a warm, dry spring, which helps them thrive. “The fungus really only affects the caterpillars,” said Schmeelk.
Really, the time to be on the lookout for these insects is in the fall and through the winter.
“It’s been in Maine since 1904 and is here to stay, unfortunately,” said Schmeelk, who has been with the Maine Forest Service since 2018. “This current outbreak started in 2015.”
Although social media is abuzz on ways to capture the moths – some suggest placing tubs of soapy water at the base of trees where the caterpillars are – the best defense is an aggressive offense. Treating for browntail moth caterpillars is done from December through April by removing their silken webs from tree limbs.
“People think they are large webs, but they’re the size of the palm of your hand,” said Schmeelk. Go out on a bright, sunny day during these months and turn your back to sun, he explains, and the nests will shine white on the tips of the branches of fruit and other leaf-shedding trees. Removing the nests and soaking them in soapy water or burning them is the best way to get rid of what is inside them.
“Forty to 400 little caterpillars can be in one of those nests,” said Mason. “Each one of them makes 10 babies.”
What about those silken nests found in the crotches of many tree branches during this time of year? Mason says those are the nests of the native caterpillars and moths and are not harmful.
In July, you’ll see the super furry white moth, he added. “Their hairs are toxic too.”
Browntail moth caterpillars are active two times a year, according to the Maine CDC. In mid-April they emerge from their winter webs and grow to their full size by June.
“Each adult moth can lay 200-400 eggs,” said Schmeelk.
Then, the second batch of caterpillars hatches from their eggs in August and are active until October when they enter their winter webs.
As with other insects that transition from caterpillars to moths or butterflies, there is a cocoon stage for the browntail moth. Cocoons can be found on the sides of houses or on the side of trees.
“They are impregnated with toxic hairs, so I wouldn’t tangle with them,” said Schmeelk.
When the moths emerge, they are attracted to lights and will hang around buildings where they are kept on through the night. To catch the moths, some people put out tubs of soapy water with a light shining close to the water.
Winter weather used to do more to keep the browntail moth population in check.
“Our winters aren’t cold enough or extreme enough to kill a moth,” said Mason. “You won’t see brown tail nests until winter. Those nests are pretty darn tough and the hairs in those nests are toxic for a couple of years.”
For those looking for relief from a run-in with a browntail moth caterpillar, there are a few recommendations. One, offered by the Maine General Medical Center, includes a mixture of witch hazel, hydrocortisone cream, diphenhydramine cream and Aspercreme shaken in a spray bottle and applied topically. Another involves mixing equal parts of hydrocortisone cream, diphenhydramine, witch hazel and Vicks VapoRub and applying it three to four times a day. Ice packs can also be soothing.


text:
I was truly lucky to know Ric Weiland. He was an incredible programmer and an exceptional individual. b-gat.es/3EeigR1
Over the years, I’ve come to know Bono as an incredible storyteller and friend. I’m excited for the world to see hi… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Thanks for dedicating your career to keeping the world informed, @edyong209. I hope you have a restful sabbatical.
A moving story about the universal power of books. b-gat.es/3E6x2ct

domain: literature


text:
Objectives: This study aimed to resolve controversy regarding the effects of Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy and H. pylori infection in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.
Design: A randomized, double-blind, multicentre trial was performed in patients presenting with reflux symptoms. H. pylori-positive patients were randomized to receive either antibiotics or placebo for 7 days. H. pylori-negative patient controls received placebo. All received esomeprazole 20 mg b.d. for 7 days, followed by 40 mg o.d. to complete an 8-week course, and were followed up for 32 weeks by telephone.
Results: In this study, 198/589 (34%) patients were H. pylori-positive and 113 H. pylori-negative patients served as controls. Baseline endoscopy revealed 63% Los Angeles grade 0A and 37% Los Angeles grade BCD oesophagitis with no difference between patient groups. Symptom improvement on esomeprazole was seen in 89%. H. pylori eradication was successful in 82%. H. pylori eradication had no effect on symptomatic relapse (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% CI 0.74-1.8; p = 0.5). Overall, H. pylori-positive patients had a lower probability of relapse compared to H. pylori-negative controls (hazard ratio 0.6, 95% CI 0.43-0.85; p = 0.004). Relapse hazard was modulated also by oesophagitis grade (BCD vs. 0A, hazard ratio 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-3.0).
Conclusion: Relapse of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease symptoms after a course of high dose acid suppression took longer for H. pylori-positive patients than H. pylori-negative controls; however eradication therapy had no effect on the risk of relapse; ClincialTrials.gov number, NCT00574925.
Keywords: H. pylori eradication therapy; Helicobacter pylori; esomeprazole; gastritis; gastro-oesophageal reflux disease; oesophagitis; symptomatic relapse.

domain: medical


text:
SharesChain claims to be the first public blockchain that anchors real assets with a mining mechanism. Find out what that means today in our review.
What Is SharesChain?
SharesChain, found online at SharesChain.net, is a community-owned fundraising platform that.
According to the official website, “acts as a bridge between the real world financial assets (e.g. equity) and the blockchain space.”
The goal is to allow off-blockchain startups or established companies efficiently raise capital at a low cost by tokenizing part or all of their assets using the SharesChain ecosystem.
If successful, SharesChain will create a safe and legal tool that provides benefits to both companies and investors: companies can use SharesChain to access new sources of fundraising and liquidity while investors can use SharesChain to find new investment opportunities.
Overall, SharesChain claims to be the first public blockchain anchoring real assets with a mining mechanism. Let’s take a closer look at how it works.
How Does SharesChain Work?
SharesChain allows companies to create asset-backed tokens – including tokens that represent real shares or ownership of a company.
These tokens are backed by more than an ordinary digital currency. Traditional cryptocurrencies are backed by demand and their underlying technology, while SharesChain would be backed by real assets.
Core features of the platform would include all of the following:
- A Technological and Legal Platform: SharesChain would allow assets of the real-world (like company shares) to be legally represented as tokens.
- Legal Contracts and Smart Contracts: SharesChain would have legal and smart contracts that allow users to comply with KYC, AML, and other protocols in jurisdictions worldwide.
- Open and Decentralized Network: SharesChain’s open network would allow anyone to invest in tokens.
- On-Chain and Off-Chain: Legal and smart contracts would work together to secure collaborators on-chain and off-chain.
The SharesChain technology stack consists of three layers, including:
- Application Layer (Decentralized Apps): Smart contracts, assets register, assets issuer, assets transactions, and assets settlement
- Protocol Layer: KYC, AML, assets certification, information storage, and protocol stacks
- Infrastructure Layer: Consensus algorithm (D2PoS), smart contracts, and dynamic P2P networking
What Problems Does SharesChain Seek to Solve?
Why do we need a platform like SharesChain? Here are some of the crucial problems the platform seeks to solve, according to the whitepaper:
- Startups and high-tech companies struggle to obtain funding and investments
- The mobility of over-the-counter shares is low, and the shares-exit mechanism is problematic
- Individual investors struggle to obtain shares “due to the hurdles and obstacles in obtaining them”
In the crypto industry, there’s a problem where token purchasers cannot be certain that project leaders will fulfill their promises and meet the expectations of purchasers, which makes investors wary about investing in risky crypto projects
SharesChain Features and Benefits
SharesChain will implement all of the following features and benefits:
- A global community that operates in diverse jurisdictional areas
- Assets are represented by tradeable tokens
- A structured and unlimited trading flow path
- A decentralized credit system maintained by communities and enterprises, where transactions are encoded on the blockchain without the need for a centralized authority or bank
- No geographical restrictions for entrepreneurs or businesses
- Community reviews and interactions that allow investors to make informed investment decisions
- Automated execution based on smart blockchain contracts, reducing transaction costs and ongoing management expenses (smart contracts replace the middleman)
How Do SharesChain Tokens Work?
SharesChain will have its own tokens called SharesChain tokens, or SCTK. These tokens will be utility tokens for the SharesChain platform. The tokens will have five core functions:
- Pay platform fees using tokens (small fees are deducted from each successful issuance on the platform)
- Pay commissions using tokens (small fees will be paid by investors)
- Pay transaction fees (transaction fees on secondary markets)
- Burning mechanism (part of SCTK tokens will be burned to reward investors)
- Share proceeds (SCTK holders will be entitled to “share all proceeds of the community”, according to the SharesChain whitepaper
SharesChain tokens will also have a mining mechanism. Investors will get SCTK rewards by staking funds on SharesChain. Higher rewards are offered for early adopters.
All transcation fees charged by the SharesChain network will go to a fee pool, and that pool will be used to help achieve objectives for the company.
The SharesChain Token Sale
There’s a total supply of 20 billion SCTK tokens. Of those tokens, 40% are available during the pre-sale. The remaining tokens are allocated to the mining pool (40%), operations (10%), and team incentives (10%).
- no tokens reserved for any sale beside the pre-sale
- The pre-sale will be the only time when you can buy tokens.
- The pre-sale will have a hard cap of 30,000 ETH
- The pre-sale will have asoft cap of 5,000 ETH.
- the SharesChain pre-sale is taking place from April 29 to May 29, 2018.
Who’s Behind SharesChain?
SharesChain was founded in November 2017, although the team has been building blockchain applications and custom blockchains since 2015.
Key members of the team include co-founders Peter He, Z. Johnson, Kevin Yang, and “Grant”. The team is based in China.
The SharesChain website lists a number of institutional investors that have already invested in the project, including Cretrend Capital, Redmud Green Energy, CPChain, HPB, and Banyan Network.
SharesChain aims to act as a bridge between real world financial assets and the blockchain, allowing off-chain startups and companies to tokenize their shares, then legally offer shares for sale to investors. The goal is to help companies access a new source of fundraising while helping investors access new opportunities.
To learn more about SharesChain and how it works, visit online today at SharesChain.net. The company’s token sale for SCTK tokens is underway until May 29, 2018.

domain: finance


text: This paper examines whether the legalization of marijuana has contributed to crime rates around Colorado and Washington. Specifically, the primary objective of this paper is to analyze incident based crime rates in a 1,400-ft radius around each dispensary before and after legalization. I collected incident-based crime data from cities across Colorado and Washington from January 2009 to November 2014. For the control variables, I primarily used census block groups around each dispensary and employment data collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). After sorting each variable into sub-categories, I am able to test my hypothesis at different levels across the dataset. Aggregate data analysis supports the hypothesis that legalizing recreational marijuana would have no statistically significant effect on crime in Colorado and Washington. Categorizing my results suggest crimes such as Burglary and Robbery increased by up to 111%, while Vandalism and ‘All Other Crimes’ decreased by up to 130% since legalization.

domain: geography


Former Jalopnik contributor and all-around good guy Matt Brown has a bunch of really cool project cars and an even better YouTube channel. It could be argued that he has too many project cars, because he doesn’t finish a lot of them. But the off-road Viper that he’s been working on for a little over a year is finally on the road. If you haven’t been keeping up with Matt’s Viper project, you’ve been missing out. It’s time to go back and watch every absurd little detail that was necessary to change in order to make this ridiculous project a reality.
One of the best things about Matt and his Superfast on-camera persona is his extremely dry brand of humor, which plays out very well in his car videos. Clearly he has a lust for life and a zest that many of us lack in the modern world, as he’s basically making my childhood HotWheels collection of oddities come to life in 1:1 scale, but his unwavering delivery and subtle jokes bely the wonder and creativity going on behind those artificially dead eyes.
Instead of finishing his 250cc-swapped Honda Grom, bike-engine Honda S600, land speed racing streamliner, Tesla-swapped Jaguar, super scooter, Smart ForTwo, or overlanding Toyota 4Runner, he’s recently been spending the lion’s share of his time working on this inadvisably dumb, but also incredibly cool as all hell, lifted Viper. Is that a smart decision? I don’t know, and Matt probably doesn’t either. But it’s worth watching the lightly-organized chaos either way.
You can see all of his videos about building custom suspension, 3D scanning, custom driveshafts, custom shifters, custom oil pans, cutting bumpers apart and building new ones. Go do it. Now. You won’t regret it.


The heart of the controversy lies in a 2022 sale that offered drilling rights across approximately 120,000 acres of federal territory in Wyoming.
We hope the climate assessment will help communities anticipate the complex impacts ahead and start planning for the future.
The campaign, which stated on social media on July 8, was a creative action to stop the hunt and rather get activists in the field and "hunt" with a camera rather than with a gun.
“Good laws already exist to protect property without this chilling impact on free speech.”
Blocking a new coal mine shows the power of the public.


People call me eccentric.
They are probably right.
And that influenced my first Jeep purchase after Native Jeeps bit me with the wheeling bug.
My dad always had Broncos. My best friend’s dad growing up in the early 80s had a blue CJ-7.
I loved how stripped down the CJ was compared to the Bronco – no doors, bikini top, rear jump seat, those flat dash analog gauges … and of course the manual transmission.
Fast forward 35+ years, I bought my 20.19 (stripped down) Sport 2-door manual. My five options included a Dana 44 limited slip rear axle, air conditioning (yes, AC is a $1,295 option on the Sport!), Sirius XM, tinted back windows and floor mats.
Before wheeling with Native Jeeps in my very own rig, I naively believed all I needed was to swap in Rubicon takeoff springs, shocks and 33″ tires to give me the extra 2 inches of lift to be a bona fide Rubicon.
Riding in the “tail gunner” position, I soon realized my gearing was way too high as I was going too fast and crawling up my friends’ butts on the trails.
My Sport differential gears were 3.45 whereas a Rubicon’s are 4.10! Additionally, my Sport transfer case 4L ratio is 2.72:1 vs. the Rubicon’s 4:1. I was going way too fast on the trail and compensated by remaining in 4L while my friends were in 4H.
In addition to being frustrated on the trail, I wasn’t having fun on the highway. I was constantly shifting to keep the engine in the power band. Before our last day, I bought manual front sway bar disconnects for more articulation and a better ride (Rubicon comes standard with an electronic disconnect).
I learned my lesson and re-geared my differentials to 4:10 before my next outing with Native Jeeps in Moab.
Big improvement! I was no longer overrunning my friends as the tail gunner.
In addition to wheeling bringing you closer to your friends, you meet new random ones on the trail!
On our penultimate day in Moab, we met Brian (2 door Rubicon / manual / same color as mine / with a hardtop) who ended up taking over the tail gunner position.
I’ve been rowing gears for over 30 years. My last three vehicles are manuals along with owning motorcycles. My uncle raced at Indy. I thought I was good. Brian noticed right away I wasn’t and taught me how to wheel with a manual.
1. Stay off the clutch and trust your gears! It’s amazing how slow you can crawl in 4L / first gear and modulate speed with the brakes or skinny pedal.
2. It’s okay to stall. See lesson #1.
Makes sense. As an example, you’re going around a tight turn on a bike. You have more control in the right gear than in neutral or with the clutch pulled.
1. In 4L, I only use the first three gears. Anything faster has me shifting into 4H. I’m only using as much as I need to overcome the trail.
2. With the manual, I’m much quicker shifting my transfer case than my automatic buddies.
3. Also much less braking than they are going down hills letting the gears work.
Lastly, I’ll address the elephant in the room. Do I regret not getting a Rubicon?
I’ve spent roughly $4K getting close to a Rubicon but I still don’t have front and rear differential lockers and the beefier Dana 44 front axle.Not having lockers hasn’t bothered me. I’ve kept up with my Rubicon friends running 37 inch tires on the trails. Right now, I’m mostly on paved roads so I use the limited slip rear more.
Not having the Dana 44 gnaws at me and complicates my quest to where with 37 inch shoes I have a Dana 30 (aka “Dana Turdy”) up front which limits me to 33 inch tires. Bigger tires equal bigger axles! I have three options:
1. Roughly $8K for an upgraded front Dana 44 axle and re-gear and locker the stock rear Dana 44.
2. Roughly $16K for Dana 60s!!!
3. Swap in Rubicon takeoff axles for roughly $4K and hope to find ones with the right gears for 37s. I do have a rear Dana 44, but… it’s a different length than the Rubicon’s so I’d need both.
I just went on Jeep.com and did a price comparison between my Sport and a comparable stripped down Rubicon. Price difference is $7K. I’m at $4K now and would need another $4K to be on par with a Rubicon. So in hindsight on cost, I should have ordered a Rubicon, but I wouldn’t have additional dash cubby holes and crank windows!


All medical equipment is monitored for safety and proper performance with documentation of testing as required by healthcare regulating agencies. Planned maintenance inspections and safety testing are generally performed during standard shifts or as otherwise agreed.
Test intervals are established based on requirements outlined by manufactures of the equipment and regulatory agencies such as The Joint Commission. Moreover, planned maintenance intervals are individually determined by experienced–based algorithm that considers all relevant information including the the critical function of the equipment, clinical application, cost and timing of repair, replacement parts inventories and depot locations and other criteria.
This approach will ensure that planned maintenance is performed on critically important equipment at intervals recommended by manufacturers, e. g., yearly, or in some cases even more frequently such as bi-annually or a set number of hours in use. The net effect is that planned maintenance is optimized, saving thousands of dollars in planned maintenance that may not be cost-effective.


text:
The HV30 from Canon is a suitable candidate to be contested with Sony’s recently released HDR-S11 camcorder. The thing you may find common in both of them is their price and variety of features.
They both have the ability to move footage directly in iMovie. However, these are formats were you can find the basic difference.
In MiniDV you would find a format of cassette tape that makes recording workable with HDV it means that will provide a lot better bit rate with least undesired artefacting and lower image compression than a SSD that is being used in AVCHD codec.
When it comes to MiniDV tapes, they are also quite switch-able and many times stronger than the usual hard drives.
The HV30 is, indeed, one of the most user-friendly cameras available these days. Its menu system doesn’t put you in any difficulty even for a moment and you would find each and every button quite self explanatory.
It is not as compact as the HDR-S11 and you may feel it quite chunky to hold and it’s mainly due to the bulging tape that you have under your palm when holding it, and so is its strap that is not breathable and you may find it sticky using on some hot day.
The HV30 also looks a lot similar to the previous year’s award winning camera the HV20. You may find that the only difference between these two is color, otherwise, it is quite difficult to differentiate them.
However, some small improvements have been made in it, as its zoom closure is quite solid and reactive than the previous one. But the power system, export options, menu systems, shape and size, lens and interface are still the same.
Its ½.7” CMOS sensor and DVII DIGIC processor have great imaging prowess ,as this is the similar paring that you can see the HV20 as well as in the HR10. When it comes to image stabilization, you would find it superb even when zooming full. The same is true about its still shots.
If are looking for a really nice camcorder, the Canon HV30 is the thing that can serve your purpose best, as it provides the a lot better quality image than many HDD models available with the similar price tags.

domain: hobby


text:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a special report this week revealing its findings following an investigation into the Trump administration’s contentious family separation policy.
The OIG’s primary finding is that DHS was “not fully prepared to implement the Zero Tolerance Policy.”
Further, the OIG found that DHS was not prepared to “deal with certain effects” of the policy, an ominous euphemism for the countless horrors that unfolded as a result of Zero Tolerance: hundreds of parents deported back to possible harm without their children following the separations, hundreds of migrant children who remain alone to this day in government custody, and the extensive and permanent psychological trauma suffered by children and parents alike.
The report confirmed the countless concerns shared by members of Congress, immigration advocates, medical and mental health professionals, and the legal community and highlighted the sheer incompetence of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its implementation and subsequent cleanup of the policy.
The report also confirms what we already knew – that the administration was lying when it asserted that a policy of family separation never existed. In a June 2018 press conference, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen stated unequivocally: “We do not have a policy separating families at the border. Period.” However, the OIG’s report detailing the problems with the policy family separation demonstrate that the policy did in fact exist.
The OIG notes that it requested all data from DHS on family separation after April 19, 2018, a date selected because Border Patrol officials “stated that they could not feasibly identify children who were separated before that date.” Again, this is a clear indication that DHS had no system in place to track the families it was separating and leaving one to wonder how many children remain separated from their parents due to the government’s utter incompetence.
Perhaps most chilling was the OIG’s observations regarding Border Patrol’s inability to handle non-verbal children – babies and toddlers, leading one to wonder whether some such children were lost in the confusion after being separated from their parents.
“Border Patrol does not provide pre-verbal children with wrist bracelets or other means of identification, nor does Border Patrol fingerprint or photograph most children during processing to ensure that they can be easily linked with the proper file.”
The OIG also reports that hundreds of separated children were held in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody longer than the permissible 72 hours: about 27% of separated children in the Rio Grande Valley sector and about 23% of separated children in the El Paso sector were detained in CBP holding cells for over five days. One child was detained in CBP custody for 25 days.
The prohibition against detaining migrant children in CBP processing units longer than 72 hours is that they are not equipped for long-term care. Conditions are generally deplorable, detainees are frequently not provided with medical care, and access to clean drinking water and adequate food and hygiene products are very limited. Furthermore, detaining migrant children in CBP processing units not only violates written CBP policy, but a federal settlement.
The report also highlights the impossible scenario confronted by asylum seekers arriving at our Southern border – the subject of ongoing litigation brought on behalf of asylum seekers denied access to the asylum process at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Noncitizens have a right to seek asylum under U.S. law and DHS encourages asylum seekers to request such humanitarian relief at ports of entry, rather than between checkpoints which could subject them to prosecution for unlawful entry. However, the OIG found that Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s use of “metering” led many to enter the United States between ports. According to the report, “metering,” a system used by CBP in some sectors of the border since at least 2016 and designed to limit the number of asylum seekers who can enter on a given day, resulted in many asylum seekers growing desperate and crossing the border without authorization in their attempt to find safety in the United States. The metering practice essentially forced asylum-seeking families to cross the border between checkpoints, subjecting the parents to prosecution under the Zero Tolerance policy and leading to the family’s separation.
The OIG also found that fewer families might have been separated but for the sheer laziness of CBP officials who wished to avoid “additional paperwork.”
The OIG’s report findings confirm what the nation has known for many months – that DHS’ actions directly caused incredible harm, and that their ill-preparedness made it especially egregious. Left unanswered is the question of who will be held accountable for the needless trauma purposefully inflicted on these families and how we can be sure the travesty of family separation will not be repeated.
FILED UNDER: family separation, featured

domain: sociology


text:
Thanks for taking the time to report this user.
Your participation helps keep Airbnb a safe and trusted community, and it doesn’t go unnoticed!
We live in a small town about 40 miles south of Portland, Oregon. We have a few acres of land, 23 chickens that produce eggs, and 2 very cool kids.
We really enjoyed our stay in Amity. The accommodations were spacious, clean and relaxing. Jon & Laura's view down into the valley is really spectacular, even on the foggy days!
Jon & Laura are excellent hosts. They provided very detailed instructions before we arrived and have put together a great little binder with all kinds of helpful information. Their place is beautiful inside and out and you absolutely cannot beat the view! It's even better when it's not raining, I'm sure, but even with the weather the view was gorgeous. Highly recommended!
This place was perfect! The house had everything that was needed and was a great home base as we explored the Willamette Valley. The only downside was that we had some sub-par weather that prevented us from enjoying the view. 5 stars!
I spent a couple of days touring wine country, Jon & Laura's house is ideally situated for this. The house is modern and spacious and has a great rural outlook.
The apartment was perfect for our three day getaway. The views from the covered patio were lovely and the country atmosphere made it feel like we were farther from the city than we really were. The patio itself was set up great - with tables, comfy couch & chairs. It was a great spot for enjoying the views and sipping Willamette Valley wine. It was very private, clean and just what we expected from the listing. The location was the perfect for visiting wineries and restaurants in Dundee, Dayton and McMinnville.
We had a great stay with Jon and Laura. The place is really nice, comfortable and in a beautiful location. Jon was very helpful, he came out to greet us when we arrived and explained to us how everything worked. We will definitely stay here again when we come back to Oregon's wine country!
We are so pleased to have found this quiet country retreat . Great clean accommodation with all the amenities. Location was perfect for exploring . Highly suggest you stay here!
Jon and Laura have an exceptional home near McMinnville (and Amity.) What you rent out is a gorgeous and spacious mother-in-law suite with fantastic views and all the amenities of home. From a full kitchen, to a washer and dryer, to a large patio with an amazing lounge area to watch the sunset and the amazing views of the valley below. They provide a detailed list of recommendations for bars, restaurants and wineries as well as growlers to fill up at different breweries. We had fresh eggs from their chickens in the fridge provided and a large tv to watch Netflix and Hulu if the view became boring, which it never did. Jon and Laura were incredibly helpful, always easy to get in touch with and made a stay even more enjoyable just by making sure we had everything we needed. It was the only place we stayed at in the area, but I don't need to spend time anywhere else to know that this is the perfect stay if you want to explore parts of Oregon wine country near Amity and McMinnville or for any other reason. If we ever come back, I'll know the first place we'll look up.
One of the most amazing couples ever. They are so caring and kind and really made the beach pad better then before. I thank you and hope to see you soon.
Jon was very gracious when I forgot to send him the lockbox code before his arrival and was thankful for the $25 I took off his booking for the inconvenience. His family was very kind and seemed to enjoy the yard and space. They were also quiet and clean even with two small kids. We'd have them back anytime.
Jon and his family were wonderful guests. Very respectful of our home.
Jon and his family were great guests. Friendly, courteous, left the place clean. The kids were very sweet and well behaved. Would love to have them back!
Jon was a great guest, quiet, always communicated with arrivals and departing, left the unit very clean. Would welcome him back anytime!
Jon and his wife stayed at the cottage to celebrate her birthday in Ballard. Really nice couple. Think they enjoyed their stay. Other hosts should welcome them without reservation.
We sincerely appreciate your visit to our townhouse and hope to welcome you back again soon.

domain: travel


text: What are the job prospects for the M.S. Finance? Is it a good investment? The only remotely-related course I've taken is intermediate macroeconomic theory. It's not really related at all. Basically, I'm looking at non-technical-to-slightly-more technical graduate programs that might yield a nice return after graduation. I'm a few years outside the undergrad curve, so that monetary concern is probably the most important one right now. No I-banking. I've been working in economic development for the past three years. I graduate in May with a B.S. Math and Physics Minor. Economic development requires a lot of networking, salesmanship, and so forth. That's not really what I enjoy. I'm not sure what all finance and its subsets entail. Frankly, I know nothing of finance, but I'm just poking around seeing if anything piques my interest. From my cursory look into the various aspects of finance, corporate valuation, determining how to value companies, assets, and such for the purposes of acquisitions or capital investment/management kind of seems interesting. If I had to guess, I'd say that might be more research-oriented and slightly quantitative in the professional world as opposed to garnering investors and so forth which would require the networking skills.


text:
Ready for the camp or cabin, this reliable, no-frills stove features two 30,000-BTU commercial-grade cast burners. The all-steel range features sturdy grates built to support hefty cast-iron cookware. It's surrounded by a three-sided steel screen to block drafts and grease splatter. The heavy-duty steel legs slide off for transportation and storage. Cooks up to 15 hours on a 20-lb. propane cylinder (not included). Includes hose and regulator.
As the launcher of the pellet smoker trend, it’s only natural that the innovative Traeger Pellet Grill Company would perfect its pellet grill technology and come up with some of the most affordably priced smokers around costing $300 upwards. It’s the Ford Motors of the pellet grilling world and many a pellet griller on the market to date owes the existence of their industry to this one company.
Barbecuing and grilling meats to the perfect temperature, texture and doneness is a skill that is acquired over years and years of practice. There is a lot that goes into making a good BBQ than just good seasoning and fresh meat, and any pit master will agree. There are just so many aspects you have to learn how to control: the temperature, the smoke, the placement, the ratios and so on. But you are lucky that this is new of yesterdays.
Camp Chef has already been mentioned several times on this list. It's a venerable company that makes up in quality what it lacks in the name recognition of a Traeger or Weber. Their Deluxe Pellet Grill is built to reach and hold ideal temperatures for smoking. An internal system syncs pellet delivery to temperature instead of simply feeding in fuel when it begins to run out. This ensures a clean, consistent cooking experience. A removable ash can makes clean-up a snap as well.
The Pit Boss Grills 340 Wood Pellet Grill is a great grill with dial-in digital control and led read-out. Pellets are 100% natural hardwood. This grill has got an automatic start and cool down. It’s heavy duty with 16 gauge steel construction. It’s easy to assemble. It’s a little expensive. However, other grills are more expensive and seeing that I would recommend this to anyone.
Because the wood pellets are the grill’s fuel, you should pay careful attention to the pellet hopper, the chamber that holds the pellets. You want a large enough hopper to hold all the pellets you need for a single cooking session. Look for a hopper with at least an 18-pound capacity if you want to slow cook for longer periods without having to refill the hopper.
So, I say go for the best pellet grill you can get within your budget. I reviewed the little GMG Davy Crockett pellet grill recently and was impressed. At just under $400, it’s a good option. That said, I would like to see them put the unit on fold down legs with casters or some other option to make it easier to move around. You’ll see what I mean in the post. Hope this helps.
Rubbery skin has very little to do with the type of heat (direct vs indirect). Rubbery skin is a result of too low a cooking temperature. Take your smoker/grill or whatever you use and get the temperature in the mid 400’s or even higher and you will get crispy skin. One thing though never let the internal temperature of your bird get over 150 or you’ll have crispy skin and dry crunchy meat too. Take it off the grill and let is rest a full 30 minutes. Best bird you’ll ever eat no matter which grill, smoker, 50 gal barrel, etc you cooked it on.
After looking at a lot of pellets smoker grill reviews, it is easy to see that this is a pretty decent model. It is just so functional. So if you are looking to purchase something that is more than a pellet smoker, this is the product for you. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully when assembling it and be sure to gauge cooking time since this is a fast one.
The argument for bark is that it smolders really well, providing more smoke during the cook and therefore more smokey flavor. Think about it: When you put a log on the fire, the bark almost immediately begins to smoke and smolder. And therein lies the second half of the pro-bark argument: when cooking on an offset you use logs with bark, so why should pellets be any different?
This smoker is one totally awesome product. It is more that just a smoker, it is a true convection oven, we have baked bread in it! As for being able to hold the temp for low and slow, wonderful. The beef that I smoked was delectable. I just this week smoked 10 venison loins at the same time; it took 1 hour for the most tender, delicious venison I have ever tasted!
Bring the savory simplicity of the SmokePro XT Pellet Grill to your back patio and change the way you cook outdoors. Just like your kitchen oven, the SmokePro XT automatically maintains whatever temperature you set, so you don't have to worry about over or under-cooking your meal. The SmokePro XT Pellet Grill comes standard with Smart Smoke Technology to evenly distribute wood-fired flavor into every bite. Skip the tedious cleaning routine associated with traditional pellet grills thanks to the Simple Ash-Cleanout System. Simply dump the ash after every cook and save yourself hours of cleaning and enjoy better flavor on your next meatsterpiece as a result. The SmokePro XT can tackle anything from fatty pork butts to quick and easy burgers. Shop the Camp Chef SmokePro XT today and see for yourself why Camp Chef is the way to cook outdoors.
We have already mentioned this product in our review once and we’re talking about it again. Whenever you are thinking of Green Mountain Grills, Daniel Boone should always be your first choice; it’s simply the best among the GMG products. Due to having other products at much lower prices with the same features, we could not include Daniel Boone in this review. We have, however, included the Davy Crockett in our review as our Budget Pick.
Final Verdict: If you have the capability to cook on this full-time, then I recommend doing so. You will save your kitchen and house from excess grease and smell. It can cook most items relatively fast and easy once you get accustomed to cooking on a flat top. The only thing it can't do is cook sauces or bake items. I even recommend it to folks who don't eat typical greasy foods. This requires very little oil and can use all sorts of cooking oil. All of my food dishes have been cooked well and I constantly have people asking about this flat top. Clean up is a breeze and will save you from needing to clean skillets and pans. This is an essential cookware that every household should have.
Another “set it and forget it” pellet grill, the Camp Chef allows you to set the temperature controls for up to a range of 500 degrees F, and leave it to do the regulating. With its efficient auto-dispensing pellet hopper and digital temperature controls, the pellet grill sets, maintains and adjusts the desired temperature for even cooking each time. With consistent and fuss-free temperature control, you’ll sure to have the most perfectly grilled foods.
Hey Ben – thank you for your comment. From a retail user standpoint, I think you’d be happy with either a Yoder or FEC. I really like the PG 500 for the purpose that you’re looking at. Best of both worlds it seems the more I’m looking at it. You can see how they approach grilling steaks in this video. You can incorporate the use of GrillGrates in either pellet grill. Both companies make their units in the USA. Both have great reputations. I’m just partial to Cookshack’s pellet smokers over Yoder as I know more folks who use them.
Well, if you get yourself a wood pellet smoker not only you can enjoy such an event in the summer, but also continue doing the same in the winter. Today, pellet smokers often come with the “turbo heating technology” that can help you fire up the grill even in the winter. Go get yourself a pellet smoker and don’t let something as trivial as seasons, limit your enjoyment. Because a smoking warm piece of marbled, top quality fatty meat is best enjoyed on a cold night.
Featuring a cast-aluminum rust resistant burner this stove Featuring a cast-aluminum rust resistant burner this stove is a versatile all around cooker. Perfect for any of your cooking needs from boiling and frying to Dutch oven cooking. Its compact size and portability make this stove a great side companion to add cooking space to your outdoor kitchen. Great ... More + Product Details Close
With a massive 700 square inches of primary grilling space, this grill impressed us when compared to other Pit Boss grills we reviewed. Its size is large enough to cook for large groups of people. It features a Flame Broiler that uses slide-plates which allow for direct flame grilling, which means you get an even cast-iron cooking each time. If the 700 square inches isn’t enough, you can make use of the additional upper cooking rack space. The racks are made of porcelain-coated cast iron for optimum grilling as well as easier maintenance.
I did a lot looking around at pellet smokers before buying the ys 640. This thing is amazing! I have been cooking BBQ for about 15 years. I owned a Gator pit entertainer which is made in Houston Texas (stick burning pit) and I currently own a $25,000 Ole Hickory Pit EL-EDX which can cook 700 lbs of BBQ at once. I wanted something smaller to cook for family. The ys 640 turns out PERFECT Q every time! The amount of smoke is just right. Plenty of smoke flavor without over smoking which is very easy to do in my other pit. This is an EXCELLENT product which I strongly recommend.
While using and running a pellet grill is child’s play, catching the right offer on pellet grills can be a hassle for consumers who have little to know clue about it can prove a costly bargain. Knowing your facts prior to buying one is always a good a smart idea. My pellet grill review will do the best it can to educate you on the things you need to look out for when purchasing your perfect grill. Here are a few heads-up:
The control panel is simple, uncomplicated and easy to use, no codes of crazy steps to remember. Turn the switch on, set the temp once it lights and you are ready to go. On the outside the controls may look simple but behind the scenes it is working to constantly monitor feed rates and temperatures to lock into your set temperature as close as possible. The longer you cook the smaller the adjustments , making this one of he most consistent cookers on the market.
I was able to put this to use for the first time this past weekend. It was awesome! Worked exactly as expected. Very easy to cook on and clean. I see us breaking this out on every camping trip. Just a bit of warning though...our first meal on the griddle side was scrambled eggs (which cooked up super fast) and we forgot to make sure the stove itself was level and the eggs almost slid over the not so tall edge. Once the stove legs were leveled, everything was perfect.
"Camp Chef is excited to join the exceptional family of Vista Outdoor brands," said Ty Measom, Camp Chef President. "The opportunity to be part of this dynamic company will provide for the future growth and success of Camp Chef as a leader in our market. The hard work and dedication of Camp Chef employees, past and present, has made Camp Chef what it is today. We look forward to the opportunities ahead."
Ordered Renegade Pro, received it and missing 6 washers to assemble the legs. They are rattling around inside the unit making it unusable. The control knob also sheared off in shipping. Traeger has yet to come up with a solution to fix or replace the unit...disappointed in their customer service. They don't care about customers after they get their money.
Compared to the Traeger Pro and the other smokers we’ve reviewed, there’s not much not to like about this bad boy. It’s significantly cheaper, packs ample cooking space, and a good, consistent temperature controller. At 173 lbs, it is quite heavy, and not at all portable like the Davy Crocket, and we’d love to see it come with more precise temperature control, and maybe even WiFi in the future. But for the price, it’s a beast of smoker that is almost as good as the Traeger.
My traeger has had some good moments but it very unreliable. I really do not enjoy cooking with it. I have no confidence in the temp readings and the smoke control. Every time I open the lid the temp drops like 200 degrees. I'll smoke at the "smoke" setting but as soon as I turn it to 225 it spikes to like 300-500 degrees. Wtf? I thought this POS was supposed to be a set it and forget it type smoker. Very unreliable. Temp fluctuates so much and if there is even a slight breeze the temps just go up and down up and down. The pellet feeder is garbage. It will all the sudden just start smoking like crazy because the pellets have jammed into the burner. Completely ridiculous smoker. I use it still but only when I can sit and watch the feeder. The guys comment below is true about the feeder always just using the middle pellets. I always have to check it and push the pellets to the center. Some simple engineering would change this. Never again will I purchase a traeger. There are much better options out there and better price.
This great build extends itself to its porcelain coated grates allowing it to be used for years with no signs of rust and also allows for an easy clean by the user. You can expect to have excellent results on your food with beautiful grill marks. Temperature control is made easy with its digital elite controller which makes you able to manage temperatures with ease. Its ignition is quick to start meaning there is no stress to be felt when lighting up your device.
What are your thoughts about the Kalamazoo hybrid grills? From what I’ve found online, you have the choice of gas, charcoal and wood for cooking or combinations of all. I have no first hand experience with Kalamazoo but it seems very versatile? At the moment after a month of researching, I’m leaning towards a Mac/Yoder or a Webber spirit & egg or a Memphis….so in other words, I’m no closer to a decision than when I started. I currently have a 9 yr old treager that won’t break, seriously, I’ve only repainted once with rustolium….dang thing won’t break so I can get a new toy. I sear in a skillet in the kitchen. My treager has the smoke/med/high switch and I want more control, I’ve maxed what I can do and it’s a challenge in cold weather and wind but it was a great start when they were made to last, more than got my money’s worth. I cook at all levels from smoking to grilling. I do love pellets and don’t want an egg but enjoy the food as much as the process of preparing it. Ok probably to much info but money aside, will you list your recommendations of what you think is best for me?
Whether it's smoking a rack of ribs or grilling a wood-fired pizza, to even baking a homemade apple pie, do it all with Traeger's 6-in-1 versatility. No matter what you grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, or BBQ, it all gets flavored with amazing Traeger wood-fired taste. Don't settle for a grill that can only grill or smoke when you can do it all with a Traeger.
An electric smoker and a pellet smoker, according to the reviews, both allow you to set the temperature and walk away. However, the flavor that you’re going to get from a pellet smoker is a lot stronger as compared to an electric one. Pellet smokers allow you a little bit more versatility than an electric smoker, whereas electric smokers are better at maintaining and controlling the temperature inside the cook box.
Seeking to produce the pellet cooker that is both a great smoker and a powerful grill. The truth is that burning pellets in a controlled way is not the best method for producing high grilling temperatures. Most pellet grills top out at 500 degrees F while the hottest units can hit 600 degrees F. This pellet cooker is in reality, a combination grill with a large smoking space, and a small but powerful direct grilling area. Reasonably priced with quality construction, this is definitely a pellet grill to look at.
Yo, Kevin! Hope that you can soon review one of my all-time favorite purchases, the Traeger Li’l Tex Elite Smoker/Grill. After using it for a couple of months, I gave away my two year old gas-grill to my grandson. We’ve done chicken, turkey, pheasant, lamb, all kinds of beef, pork and sausages including some wonderful ribs and brisket. Our Easter Rib Roast turned out terrific as did the chunks of assorted sausages that we did for another family get-together. I was never a big fan of grilling until we got our Traeger. Both Traeger and the web-sites like yours are full of great recipes and ideas.
Thank you all for a great site and an informative discussion. I am a newbie to smoking and presently have a charcoal grill for when I have more time and a gas grill for a fast meal. Its time to replace my gas grill so I am looking at alternative options. Is a pellet grill overkill, or a timely expedition, if I want to grill a couple steaks or chicken breasts during week nights? I’d also be interested in smoking larger hunks of meat (and ribs!) less often, but am wondering if a pellet grill can cover both? How long does it take a pellet grill to get to temp (e.g. 450°)? With the indirect heat, can you get char marks on your meat? Thanks in advance for the info!

domain: food


text:
The video will be available on this page
Your support means a lot!
To complete the payment, you will be redirected to the chosen payment system website
By bank transfer:
Beneficiary name: Classic at Home
IBAN: DE04 1001 1001 2620 6568 90
Transfer purpose: helpbotvins
Get notifications on your email, so you won't miss any interesting concerts!
The recording label HARMONIA MUNDI and an outstanding pianist of today Nikolai Lugansky made an exclusive record of three sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven – sonatas No.28, 30 and 32 pertaining to the later creative years of the composer, performed on the stage of the famous Grand hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory. The performance of one of the three sonatas will be streamed during the music festival BEE250VEN. Which of the three pieces the musician will prefer for streaming, we cannot say – let’s wait together for his decision and plunge into enchanting atmosphere of the empty concert hall!
We express our gratitude to Nikolai Lugansky for his readiness to pass all donations from the concert to the charity initiative #HelpBotvins supporting treatment of the two children of the Russian musicians family Botwin, Adrian (3) and Mark (5), suffering from a heavy genetic disease adrenoleukodystrophy. The money donated for the concert will be passed to Botwins for the purpose of funding the bone-marrow transplantation the children desperately need.

domain: artistic


text:
The civic university agreement commits to moving beyond the status quo for the university, working with local partners to rebuild stronger after the pandemic and address key regional challenges around the economy, health, education, regeneration and our communities.
The deal was officially launched today – Tuesday July 27 – with the backing of South Yorkshire Mayor MP Dan Jarvis, who has committed funding to help implement the plan.
* Provide more opportunities to become an apprentice, offering at least 2,500 fully work-based degree apprenticeships that see tuition fees paid by employers and students earning a salary as they learn.
* A free and subsidized support package for regional SMEs, including advice, training, access to university facilities and support for the development of research and innovation.
* Completed a major redevelopment of a key gateway to Sheffield city center to be completed by the end of 2023, including a new ‘university green’ public space available for everyone to use it and enjoy it.
* Double the annual number of students to become healthcare professionals by 2025, address regional staff shortages and provide more opportunities to start a career in the NHS.
* Expand a successful school mentoring program which enables Hallam graduates to support local school students in their studies, and which has already seen over 1,000 GCSE and A-level students across South Yorkshire benefit .
* Develop a newly opened early childhood community research center in the Shirecliffe area, share best practices regionally and provide a vital community resource for early childhood.
Other actions include working closely with colleges of higher education to develop a post-18 education offer, extending Hallam’s innovation hub to Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park to attract new investment and new jobs, and providing free or paid access to facilities for community and volunteer groups.
The University has identified ‘civic values’ to underpin the plan that include sustainability and climate action, harnessing the power of volunteerism of more than 35,000 students and staff, and a commitment to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
Sheffield Hallam University Assistant Vice Chancellor Richard Calvert said: “Sheffield Hallam is proud to be a university in the heart of our region. We want to be a beacon of what a university can do for and with its community.
“By working closely with partners across the region, we seek to provide solutions to key regional challenges with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of local people and strengthening the regional economy and skills base.
“The range of civic commitments set out in the new agreement demonstrates our determination to put community at the heart of our daily practice, ensuring that our activities are of maximum benefit to local communities.
“We are at a crucial time as we seek to rebuild stronger after the economic and social challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we see our role as an anchor institution in the region as essential to the recovery. and long-term success. ”
South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis MP has pledged £ 100,000 in funding to help expand the successful GROW school mentoring program. The program, founded in the summer of 2020 with the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, is helping schools cope with the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on young people and their education in South Yorkshire.
The deal is also supported by a range of local partners, including local authorities, the local NHS, other education service providers, the South Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Local Enterprise Partnership.
Speaking at the launch of the Civic University agreement, MP Dan Jarvis said: ‘Since my election as Mayor of South Yorkshire, I have worked closely with important University projects. to improve the lives of local residents.
“To provide funding to help expand Children’s University across South Yorkshire to the newer work to support the GROW mentorship program, which has been a lifeline for so many young people struggling with the disruption of their education during of the last year.
“The University and I share the ambition to renew our region for the benefit of all and I look forward to continuing our important work together. ”
More about this article: Read More
This notice was published: 2021-07-27 12:20:38

domain: news


We are heading into a take no prisoners war in the Middle East.
The Islamic State released a video Tuesday showing a Jordanian pilot held captive by the group being burned alive. The release of the video came just days after the militants beheaded a Japanese journalist. Jordanian TV reported that the burning of the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, actually took place Jan. 3.
Sky News Arabic reports prisoners Jordan planned to swap with ISIS are to be executed tonight.
Jordan had said they would hang all of its ISIS captives if Jordan airman hostage is dead.
Nextbigfuture had previously discussed Wyatt Earp approach of “Hell is coming with me” to deal with radical Islam.
Japan appears to be getting back into militarism after having pacifist policies since WW2.
There was the contest to kill 100 people using a sword.
The contest to kill 100 people using a sword is a wartime account of a contest between two Japanese Army officers during the Japanese invasion of China over who could first kill 100 people with a sword. The two officers were later executed on war crimes charges for their involvement. Since that time, the historicity of the event has been hotly contested, often by Japanese nationalists or revisionist historians seeking to invalidate the historiography of the Nanking Massacre.
Going back to the old ways of war by certain countries will be surprising to many people in the media or by liberals or pacifists.
However, historians will not be surprised.
SOURCES – USA Today, Daily Mail UK, Breaking News, Youtube
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.


text:
Judge sentences man to life in prison without parole in 2017 killing of Logan County deputy
A judge on Thursday night sentenced a man, convicted of killing a Logan County deputy, to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury could not agree on a sentence recommendation.
The jury spent nearly six hours deliberating Thursday, just a few days after finding Nathan LeForce guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Deputy David Wade in April 2017. However, the sentencing deliberation ended when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. The judge then ruled that LeForce would serve life in prison without parole.
A formal sentencing will take place at 3 p.m. on Sept. 20.
Last week, the jury recommended that LeForce spend 30 years and 37 years, respectively for two other convictions -- larceny of a motor vehicle after a former felony conviction and first-degree armed robbery after a former conviction.
After announcing their recommended sentences for the larceny and armed robbery counts, members of the jury started listening to testimony regarding sentencing for the first-degree murder count. LeForce's lawyer filed a motion for a mistrial, but the judge overruled the request.
Police said LeForce opened fire at Wade while the deputy was serving an eviction notice at a home in Logan County, hitting Wade four times at close range. LeForce then stole Wade's truck and drove to a gas station in Coyle, where he was seen on camera trying to break into a vehicle before carjacking a woman.
Officers found LeForce in an outbuilding after an hourslong manhunt. He surrendered to officers and was taken into custody.
Shortly after the shooting, Logan County District Attorney Laura Thomas filed a document seeking the death penalty against LeForce.
More than 1,000 people, including law enforcement officers from across Oklahoma and the nation, attended Wade's funeral in Guthrie.


text:
A $565 million expansion of Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton is in the works to keep up with health needs in the fast-growing South Hall area.
The project would call for adding 235,000 square feet of new clinical space, including two new patient care floors and 150 more acute-care beds that would bring the hospital’s bed number to 284, according to the Northeast Georgia Health System.
NGHS announced the expansion Monday morning.
Also, plans call for increasing the number of treatment rooms in the emergency department from 23 to 46 and adding a second helipad, “which will mean faster, more efficient access to life-saving heart, stroke and surgical care,” NGHS said in a Nov. 14 press release.
In addition, the hospital would add more than 200 new parking spaces for patients and visitors, and expand the pharmacy, laboratory, kitchen and other support spaces.
Just how the expansion would impact future staffing may not be known for several weeks.
“We’re still putting some figures together on that,” said Williamson, who has led the hospital since it opened in 2015 with 100 beds.
Overall, “this expansion is not only a reflection of the growth of the Braselton area but also of our original plan to continue to add timely, comprehensive, much needed health-related services for the community.”
“This expansion is not only a reflection of the growth of the Braselton area but also of our original plan to continue to add timely, comprehensive, much needed health-related services for the community,” said Anthony Williamson, president of NGMC Braselton.
Fresh off state approval earlier this month, the expansion is scheduled to begin in late November, with new patient care floors completed in summer 2025. The emergency department expansion is expected to be complete in 2026.
“This is another of our many projects we refer to as ‘Growing the Greater Good,’” said Carol Burrell, president & CEO of NGHS. “That phrase is a reminder that, when we grow to care for more patients and expand our clinical services, we’re ultimately reinvesting in the overall health of our region – whether that’s through the care we provide, creating new jobs, or the ripple effect high-quality health care can have in a community.”
A “certificate of need” application has also been filed with the state to add more operating rooms to expand available surgeries and procedures, according to NGHS.
The certificate is a formal justification for the project.
Additional expansion also includes the construction of an endovascular operating room for the performance of complex vascular and cardiac cases. Areas for care before and after surgery will also be expanded, NGHS says.


Hi: I have a Audi A4 (2004 2.0 auto FSI petrol) about two years. Recently I found problems about break and acceleration and it get worse and worse. Issue 1: When the car is standstill and I press and release the break pedal, the break icon in the gear selection panel will not light on immediately. It will light on about 3 or 5 second delay and then flash couple second and finally the light is on. The delay and flashing time is vary. Sometimes everything is ok, the icon will light on as soon as I release the pedal but sometime not. The break light sometime it will flash but most time it will light off when I release the break pedal. It looks like the break pedal or something else is "sticky". I am not very sure about it. During the break icon is grey, if I press the break pedal, I can still change the gear. There is no error or warning showing in the dash board at all. The break looks working during the car is moving. Issue 2: There is another issue which I think it might cause by the break issue. Sometime when the car is moving, I press the acceleration pedal. The car does not accelerate even I push the pedal to the bottom. The rpm of engine isn't change as well so that there is no petrol pump to the engine. I have to release and re-push the pedal and then the car has reaction. Is this because the break is still "sticky" so that the computer refuse to accelerate? These issue confuse and annoy me quite well and I think these are really risk of the car. I am not a mechanic so that I have to guess. Any ideas about the issues please? Thank you very much indeed. BTW: Does these issues relate gearbox (hope not, otherwise...)? Does change the gearbox oil will help? Thanks again.


text:
Pharmaceutical Quality Control and Testing
Field-Proven Products Designed to Meet Your Stringent Requirements
To ensure your product is safe, effective and pure, you need to rely on optimal quality and compliance at all times.
In compliance with international guidelines such as ICH Q10 and Q9 for effective ‘Pharmaceutical Quality Systems’ and ‘Quality Risk Management,’ our test kits, assays and solutions offer the highest level of confidence so you can mitigate risks to near zero – test after test.
Our solutions minimize risk of contamination during handling of tools (such us filters), decreasing time-to-result with rapid microbial detection methods, well-designed continuous air monitoring products and closed sterility testing devices to ensure desired product quality is met for final product release.
For analytical quality control, our Octet® GxP package includes tools such as IQ/OQ, PQ and software validation support that make Octet® instruments ideal for regulated quality control (QC) labs.
Pharmaceutical Quality Control Applications by Category
Addressing the Challenges of Quality Control Labs in Vaccine Manufacturing
Different vaccine types against COVID-19 and other diseases are currently being manufactured and offered to the global population. To ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of these vaccines, a meaningful combination of quality test methods need to be in place that comply with the principles of proper manufacturing practices, including proving the consistency of the manufacturing process.
Our solutions for quality control testing are designed to give you the best tools to meet the challenges you face every day, ensuring your results meet the required levels of safety and compliance. Sartorius offers intelligent solutions for unmet needs.
Take a look at a typical cell-based vaccine manufacturing process and see where our products and services can help you overcome your quality control challenges.
Explore QC testing solutions throughout the process by Clicking on the + symbol.
Pharmaceutical Quality Control & Testing Benefits
Ensure your compliance with demanding requirements of international regulations. Our products and solutions are aimed at providing full compliance and reliability to all international standards and requirements like GMP, EU 2017/745 MDR, ISO 10993, ISO 13485, USP, JP and EP. From personnel training and equipment qualification to calibration and microbiological studies, we provide confident compliance for every step along your laboratory workflow.
Rapid detection kits based on real-time PCR for mycoplasma, bacteria and fungi provide highly specific, sensitive, and compliant results in only 3 hours.
The Octet® label-free, Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI) platforms allow QC labs to implement straightforward methods which greatly simplify the testing process. The high-throughput capability and flexibility of the Octet® RH16 and RH96 systems allow for design of experiments (DOE) that enables rapid development of robust assay methods for assessing critical quality attributes (CQAs).
Protecting the security and integrity of electronic records (ER) is essential for compliance. Cubis® II lab balances and Octet® BLI instruments include 21 CFR Part 11 software with audit trails.
The Cubis® II balance, with pharma package, contains all the technical controls to support compliance with common regulations. Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, and Accurate (ALCOA) principles are incorporated into the Cubis® II balance, offering a full form of compliance to adhere to all necessary data integrity regulations.

domain: chemistry


text:
For Your Dogs,
For Your Cats.
Qingdao healthy care foodstuff co. Ltd is located in Qingdao Pingdu strait industrial park, is the production of dried pet snacks series based professional enterprise. The company existing production workshop of 12, 000 square meters, employs 250 people, with 2, 000 tons of cold storage and daily freezing capacity of 20 tons of freezer rooms, a variety of production, testing, and laboratory facilities, and equipment improvement, and now can produce all kinds of pet food 5, ooo tons or more.
The company has highly-educated professional management and R&D organizations, a complete and scientific quality management system, "honest and trustworthy" for business purposes, in strict accordance with international food processing regulations to new varieties, superior quality, reasonable prices, and sincere service won high recognition from customers at home and abroad. The company focused on continuous improvement of enterprise processes, the key point of control analysis, process quality control, improve product quality, and competitiveness of the enterprise. The company has passed Shandong province CIQ healthy registration, with import and export rights; Has passed the ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management System), the UK BRC, Wal-mart's social responsibility certification, and other international standardization system certification.

domain: economics


Step 2 for pumping tests
Defines pumping well details and their pumping rates.
Right click on a field enables the cut, copy and paste commands.
The first column contains the number of the entry.
The second column is used for entering the pumping well name.
The last two columns are used to enter the pumping rate, either constant (third column) or variable (fourth column).
Constant pumping rate is entered in column "Q" in cubic meters per day.
Variable pumping rate can be entered and edited by clicking with the mouse on the field "Variable pumping rate". It opens an additional table for the selected well where the variation of pumping rate can be entered against time.
Ctrl and left click on the time or rate fields will open a dialog window for units conversion.
Step 2. Dialog windows for pumping tests
The property table must contain at least one well. Additional data can be pasted from the clipboard, adding new rows for each new well. It is not possible to copy and paste partial information into the table.
Step 2 for slug tests
Details of the slug test can be entered in this table
The first column records the entry number.
The second column is used to enter the well name.
The third column is used to record the initial drawdown: this field is mandatory.
The fourth column records the screen radius: this field is mandatory.
Recovery can be entered in the fifth column. A left click on the field will open a new table where the recovery can be entered against time. Recovery is calculated as the difference between the water level at the time of the measurement and the initial water level. The last recovery measurement should be similar to the initial drawdown
Step 2. Dialog window for slug tests
The standard slug test does not support multiple wells: only the tested well can be entered. Multiple observation wells can be assigned in the extended Editor window.
Step 2 for natural fluctuations projects (i.e. impact of river fluctuations on groundwater levels).
The table allows recording the parameters for the source impacting the wells. The first column records the entry number, the second column records the sources name.
The source water level is entered in the third and fourth column. If only a single water level is available, it is entered in column 3.
Variable levels can be recorded in column 4. A left click on the field opens a new table where the variation of the water level with time can be entered.
Step 2. Dialog window for natural fluctuations projects
Example of river hydrograph. Water level variations at different times are entered in the table above
Natural fluctuations projects supports only one external factor of hydrodynamic influence (i.e. a river or other superficial water body).


text:
Johnson & Johnson Careers
Principal Scientist, Expression Screening and Cell-line Development
Requisition ID: 7286180806
Janssen Research and Development, L.L.C., a member of Johnson and Johnson's Family of Companies, is recruiting for a Principal Scientist, Expression Screening and Cell-line Development to be located in Spring House, PA.
At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, what matters most is helping people live full and healthy lives. We focus on treating, curing and preventing some of the most devastating and complex diseases of our time. And we pursue the most promising science, wherever it might be found.
Janssen Research & Development, LLC discovers and develops innovative medical solutions to address important unmet medical needs in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious diseases and vaccines, and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Please visit http://www.janssenrnd.com/ for more information.
We are Janssen. Our mission drives us. Our patients inspire us. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Thriving on a diverse company culture, celebrating the uniqueness of our employees and committed to inclusion. Proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
The Lead Discovery team is a critical part of the Discovery Sciences organization in Janssen R&D and is committed to the delivery of high quality chemical leads needed for the generation of small molecule clinical compounds in all five Janssen Therapeutic Area discovery teams. This mission requires deep scientific expertise in a number of disciplines including chemistry, cellular pharmacology, screening and protein science coupled with an ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners.
The Protein Science department within Lead Discovery is responsible for the delivery of high quality reagents (proteins and cell-lines) to enable assay development, HTS, pharmacological profiling and structural biology (X-ray crystallography and NMR). The global Small Molecule Protein Sciences team, based in Spring House, PA, USA and in Beerse, Belgium, collaborates closely with Janssen therapeutic areas and functional teams and with external collaborators in academia and industry. We seek individuals with a strong ability to connect with key stake holders for the delivery of goals and objectives, fostering an environment of collaboration, collegiality and positive communication, and who show superior performance in the context of a multidisciplinary, geographically disperse team.
- Provide scientific leadership to the high throughput expression screening and cell-line development team
- Responsible for providing timely expression screening results to the protein scientists and cell-lines for assay development and screening
- Explore and develop innovative approaches to protein and cell-line generation including evaluation of new technologies to increase the throughput or reduce timelines
- Responsible for the timely delivery of high-quality reagents to collaborators in Discovery Sciences and Janssen Therapeutic Areas
- Lead the design and implementation of protein production strategies that provide active proteins for use in assays and structural biology
- Contribute to other activities within Protein Sciences
- Join drug discovery project teams as a representative and point of contact for all reagent-related needs
- Have a strong preference for hands-on work in the laboratory
- Analyze, interpret, summarize and report experimental data
- Attend and present at internal and external scientific meetings as appropriate
- Work independently with limited supervision
- Collaborate across multiple therapeutic and functional areas in the US, Europe and Asia
- Manage external collaborations
- Publish research in high-quality journals as appropriate
- PhD in biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, pharmacology or related areas is required
- Postdoctoral experience is required
- At least 8 years of industry experience in recombinant protein expression and production and cell-line generation is required
- Demonstrated expertise in the field of cell line development and/or synthetic biology.
- Experience and knowledge working with recombinant protein expression in mammalian, insect and E.coli cells is required
- At least 5 years of previous people management experience (supervising, coaching, mentoring) is required
- Experience with recombinant protein expression in yeast is preferred
- Expertise with assay methods such as FP, HTRF, luminescence and SPA is preferred
- Expertise with biophysical methods including SPR is preferred
- Publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals are required
- Expertise in cardiovascular, immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience or oncology therapeutic areas is preferred
- Experience working with and guiding external collaborators in industry or academia is preferred
United States-Pennsylvania-Spring House
Janssen Research & Development, LLC. (6084)


text:
An important role for inflammatory cytokines in driving synovial (joint) pathology in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is well established and has been validated by the success of therapeutic targeting of TNF and IL-6. Inflammatory cytokines drive RA pathogenesis by activating cells in the synovium and inducing recruitment of immune cells. The long term goals of this project are to understand how inflammatory cytokines implicated in RA pathogenesis activate macrophages, an important pathogenic cell type. An associated goal is to identify novel cytokine-mediated pathways that regulate macrophage inflammatory phenotype that can serve as targets for new therapeutic approaches to suppress RA pathogenesis. TNF is a major pathogenic cytokine in RA and a strong activator of inflammatory responses. Classical inflammatory activation of cells by TNF is mediated by canonical NF-?B signaling that activates well known TNF target genes such as IL-1 and IL-6. In the previous project period, we used signaling and transcriptomic approaches to investigate novel pathways and gene expression patterns activated by TNF in human macrophages. We found that TNF induced delayed but sustained noncanonical NF-?B, Jak and AP-1 signaling that resulted in activation of transcription factors, including STAT3, that are not known to be part of the TNF response. These transcription factors activated expression of late phase TNF-induced genes not currently appreciated to be TNF targets. These genes included feedback inhibitors of inflammatory signaling, and mediators of lipid metabolism that may be important for inflammation-accelerated atherosclerosis. Late phase TNF-induced genes were expressed in RA synovial macrophages, implicating these genes in synovitis. RA synovium is characterized by low oxygen tension (hypoxia) and associated cellular glycolytic metabolism and metabolic stress. The importance of synovial hypoxia in arthritis pathogenesis is becoming increasingly appreciated. We found that hypoxia remodels the late phase TNF response in human macrophages, including attenuation of STAT3-dependent genes and suppression of lipid metabolism genes. Expression of these genes was dependent on the master metabolic regulator mTORC1, and hypoxia downregulated gene expression at least in part by suppressing mTORC1 activity. These results suggest novel mechanisms by which hypoxia and metabolic stress modulate inflammatory responses in RA synovium. Based on our overarching hypothesis that late phase TNF signaling and gene expression, and its regulation by hypoxia and metabolic stress, contribute to RA pathogenesis, we will investigate mechanisms underlying the late phase TNF response, its regulation by hypoxia, and their functional importance for macrophage inflammatory phenotype, arthritis, and inflammation-accelerated atherosclerosis. We anticipate that these studies will reveal new pathways important in the regulation of inflammatory macrophage phenotype, and thus identify new targets for therapeutic intervention in RA.
The cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a key player in several inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The goals of this project are to understand how TNF activates macrophages, an immune cell important in RA. We will investigate new molecular pathways and genes that are activated by TNF and are important in joint inflammation and the increased atherosclerosis that is a complication of RA. We anticipate that our studies will provide knowledge that can be used to develop new therapies to suppress inflammatory joint damage and atherosclerosis in RA patients.
|Sokhi, Upneet K; Liber, Mark P; Frye, Laura et al. (2018) Dissection and function of autoimmunity-associated TNFAIP3 (A20) gene enhancers in humanized mouse models. Nat Commun 9:658|
|Binder, Nikolaus; Miller, Christine; Yoshida, Masaki et al. (2017) Def6 Restrains Osteoclastogenesis and Inflammatory Bone Resorption. J Immunol 198:3436-3447|
|Loupasakis, Konstantinos; Kuo, David; Sokhi, Upneet K et al. (2017) Tumor Necrosis Factor dynamically regulates the mRNA stabilome in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes. PLoS One 12:e0179762|
|Park, Sung Ho; Kang, Kyuho; Giannopoulou, Eugenia et al. (2017) Type I interferons and the cytokine TNF cooperatively reprogram the macrophage epigenome to promote inflammatory activation. Nat Immunol 18:1104-1116|
|Murata, Koichi; Fang, Celestia; Terao, Chikashi et al. (2017) Hypoxia-Sensitive COMMD1 Integrates Signaling and Cellular Metabolism in Human Macrophages and Suppresses Osteoclastogenesis. Immunity 47:66-79.e5|
|Ivashkiv, Lionel B; Park, Sung Ho (2016) Epigenetic Regulation of Myeloid Cells. Microbiol Spectr 4:|
|Foldi, Julia; Shang, Yingli; Zhao, Baohong et al. (2016) RBP-J is required for M2 macrophage polarization in response to chitin and mediates expression of a subset of M2 genes. Protein Cell 7:201-9|
|Miller, Christine H; Smith, Sinead M; Elguindy, Mahmoud et al. (2016) RBP-J-Regulated miR-182 Promotes TNF-?-Induced Osteoclastogenesis. J Immunol 196:4977-86|
|Huynh, Linda; Kusnadi, Anthony; Park, Sung Ho et al. (2016) Opposing regulation of the late phase TNF response by mTORC1-IL-10 signaling and hypoxia in human macrophages. Sci Rep 6:31959|
|Kalliolias, George D; Ivashkiv, Lionel B (2016) TNF biology, pathogenic mechanisms and emerging therapeutic strategies. Nat Rev Rheumatol 12:49-62|
Showing the most recent 10 out of 51 publications