text:
Heero's voice fell like a stone in the large room. "Get away from her."
Duo began to chuckle; a sound Heero had once simply identified as simply mischievious, but which suddenly seemed much more sinister. Shinigami had come out to play, and Heero was getting a sinking feeling that a fight was not only inevitable, but would carry an uncertain outcome. Duo was stronger and faster than when they had been children, and he had a wide array of weapons to choose from. Heero, meanwhile, had no weapons, and would be trying to protect Relena at the same time-- and possibly Quatre, who had always been more of a diplomat than a fighter.
"Duo..." Quatre's voice was strained with incredulity and betrayal. "Why are you doing this?"
Duo turned just enough to grin at them both over his shoulder. "Lots of reasons, Q-man." He selected a wicked-looking knife from the table and reached out, placing it lightly against Relena's inner thigh. She flinched violently. "Now unless you want me to cut a major artery, I suggest you shut that door quietly-- without calling for help."
Heero felt like kicking himself in the head. That pained look Quatre had thrown at the door down the hall-- it was Trowa's room. Wufei and Trowa were in there, only yards away. If he'd only stopped to think, to get them...
Gritting his teeth, he slowly stepped away from the door. Quatre hesitated, then shut the door softly, his entire body tense as a wire. He was staring at a spot on the door, face tight. Heero glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. If Quatre could somehow think of a plan...
"Don't try going all tactician on me, buddy," Duo laughed, shaking a finger at Quatre. "Try anything stupid, and these bedsheets are going to be red instead of white." He jerked his chin towards a chair by the wall. "Take a seat, Quat."
Quatre stiffly crossed the room and sat down slowly, face pale. "Duo, don't do this," he pleaded.
Duo ignored him, his eyes intent on Heero. "I'm disappointed in you, Heero Yuy," he tsked. "I can't believe it took you this long to figure it out."
Heero tore his eyes away from Relena's frightened face to offer his old friend a blistering glare. "Why would I think my best friend would possibly be capable of something like this?" he demanded through clenched teeth.
Duo snorted with laughter. "Oh, come on. You know perfectly well what I'm capable of. You've seen some of the worst sides of me."
"But nothing like this!" Heero exploded, throwing an arm out to indicate Relena's helpless form. "Killing innocent people?! Betraying all of us and everything we fought for?"
"Everything you fought for, maybe," Duo corrected with an edge to his voice. He wasn't smiling any longer. "We handed the world over to Relena and the other politicians on a silver fucking platter, and what do they do with it? They throw it back in our face and grind the colonists under their heel. If they keep going the way they are now, we'll be right back where we started."
Heero stared at him in disbelief. "Then that's all this is about? Politics? That stupid Gorgenstern Bill? Relena's trying to help the colonists, not oppress them!"
"Wrong," Duo snarled, eyes narrowing. "All that Bill does is offer the illusion of a freedom the Earth government isn't ready to allow. They've tried something like this before-- when I was a brat on L2, they had similar laws in place. What did it do? It paved the road for the Alliance to walk all over the colonists. Because of shit like this, Heero Yuy took a stand. So did Gorgenstern. It makes me sick that they're going to ruin his name with that piece of toilet paper they're calling a Bill."
"You don't like the Bill, so that gives you the right to murder innocent politicians?" Quatre demanded angrily. "This is insane!"
"I don't remember anyone ever calling me particuarly sane before," Duo pointed out with a fleeting little smile. "But it's working, isn't it? No one wants to push the Bill through now. And did you know I actually have supporters in space? Some of the colonists actually see me as a hero." He shrugged, unconcerned. "Not that I want that. I'm no hero; I'm not that delusional. But we proved in Operation Meteor that taking lives is sometimes the only surefire way to get the results we want. I'm just making a more precise attack."
Quatre shook his head in fierce denial.
Heero licked dry lips, glancing at Relena again. He had to stall. Sooner or later someone had to notice they were missing... the guards had to come back sometime...
"And Pearson?" he demanded. "Did you set him up?"
Duo didn't seem startled by the abrupt accusation. "Hell no. Don't be dumb, Heero. You know I don't lie. I said I didn't know anything about that body in the panic room, didn't I? The MO was different." He cocked his head thoughtfully. "I'm willing to bet money Pearson was one of my secret supporters. I guess he figured I was taking too long offing Princess Purity here. Maybe Tobias was just in the wrong place at the wrong time-- caught him doing something suspicious, I guess. Pearson's worked here long enough to know about the panic room. He tried to make it look like my handiwork, that's all. I'd be flattered if he wasn't such a dumbass."
"Then why didn't you let him finish the job?"
"It wasn't time yet." Duo chuckled again. "And I wasn't done with you yet, of course."
"You're sick," Quatre whispered, eyes wide with pain.
Duo ignored him, grinning at Heero. "Go on, I know you're just dying to figure out how I did it all," he teased, pressing the blade against Relena's thigh a bit harder. She whimpered.
"It's why no one's been able to get in contact with you, isn't it?" Heero asked quietly. "You've been picking off all the supporters of the Bill."
"And here? You've been responsible for all the chaos?"
Duo winked. "You heard Wufei. It had to be an inside job."
"Then the cat... But how did you get into Relena's office?"
Duo shrugged one shoulder. "I snuck into your room one night and took her key. It was pathetically easy."
A shiver ran up Heero's spine. Shortly after Duo had arrived, he had woken out of a dead sleep, certain that someone else was in his bedroom. It had been Duo all along. The sound of the door shutting behind him had probably woken Heero.
"I put the eyes in the oatmeal, too," Duo continued cheerfully. "Though getting sick was no act. I wasn't sure which bowl the eyes would end up in. Yuck." He shuddered. "Anyway, it was easy enough. I spent enough time in the kitchen getting snacks; the cooks didn't think twice about me being in there that early in the morning."
"And Yule?" Heero's eyes narrowed. "I saw you right before I found his body. How did you..?"
"You sent me to explore the building, remember? What can I say? I work fast. Though I barely managed to get away from the bathroom before you got there. I ended up having to hide in some cleaning lady's cart. You were less than a foot away from me. She woulda told you where the murderer was if I hadn't been aiming a revolver at her from behind the sheets."
Heero's stomach churned with sick realization. The cleaning lady who had anxiously pointed him in the direction of the bathroom... "We couldn't find her afterwards," he said slowly. "Did you...?"
"Kill her? I had to," Duo admitted simply. "She'd seen my face. Didn't really have much of a choice-- Ah-ah-ah!"
Heero had started forward unthinkingly, but he froze when Duo slid the blade upwards and pressed it against Relena's bare stomach. "Be still, Yuy, or you'll be spending the next half hour untangling your girlfriend's guts," Duo promised in a hard voice.
"Let her go," Heero said quietly, half threat, half plea. "If you're so angry at the world that you need to take it out on someone, take it out on me. You've spent the last few days picking away at my sanity anyway."
"Sorry, Heero, but the buck stops here." Duo tapped the blade's edge against Relena's quivering stomach. "This is the final straw. When Relena ends up murdered by the Gorgenstern Butcher, everything else will fall into place."
"You're wrong," Quatre spoke up quietly, knuckles white from his crushing grip on the chair's armrests. "All these people you've killed will be replaced-- even Relena, eventually. For all you know, their replacements will be even worse."
"I think it will take them awhile to have the balls to attempt to walk all over the colonists' rights again," Duo assured him. "And if they ever do try something so stupid again, I'll be there to teach them the error of their ways."
"Quatre's right," Heero snapped. "You're insane."
"We're all mad here, Heero Yuy," Duo murmured with a fleeting smile. "Some of us are just more willing to let loose that darker side of our psyche."
"You're going to have to kill us both, you know," Quatre said defiantly. "We know you're the Butcher now. And if you think our friendship is going to keep me, at least, from going to the authorities--"
"Aw, don't say that," Duo sighed dramatically. "I'd rather not have to kill either of you. We're best buds! And blab all you want. They'll never find me-- or catch me, for that matter. Technically, I don't exist. Never have, really. I'm not on anyone's file. No fingerprints, no real confirmed photo ID, no history. Zip, nadda, zilch. So sic the cops on me if it'll help your delicate sensibilities, Quat, but it won't do any of you any good." He tilted his head towards Relena. "In the end, she'll be dead and I'll be far away from here like the politicians' boogeyman." He arched a brow at Heero. "By the way, I hope this isn't just some lame attempt to stall. I gave the guards the night off-- said the order was directly from you, of course. Those that are left are either at the gates or piss drunk. Or both. You really should fire their incompetent asses in the morning. That is, if you still work here. I'm sure someone will boot you out after you let all these murders happen right under your nose."
"If this is all about this stupid Bill, then maybe this isn't the only option," Quatre cut in desperately. Duo's eye slid slowly his way. "Look, you've killed everyone else who either wrote or supported it, right?" Quatre said quickly, pointing in Relena's direction. "Why kill her? She's the only one left who could remake it properly-- or veto it. If you kill her now, she'll be replaced, and for all you know, they'll stick with the old Bill."
"Always the diplomat, Quat," Duo murmured, his eyes hooded. "However, it's gotten to this point, and I've never been the type to back out of a sticky situation." He lifted the knife and pointed it at the blonde. "So why don't you just shut the hell up before you start to irritate m--"
Relena had left her wineglass on the small end table by the chair Quatre was sitting in. The instant Duo removed the knife from Relena's flesh, he snatched it up and hurled it at the other man.
It was a desperate chance, but Heero took it. Duo ducked reflexively, and the glass shattered on the wall behind the bed. Heero was throwing himself at his friend before Duo could recover.
They crashed into the desk, sending the weapons on its surface flying. Duo landed on his back, snarling, and Heero wrestled frantically for control of the blade in the braided man's hand. Duo bucked, and they rolled, hitting the ground painfully. Heero had no time to check and make sure Quatre was helping Relena. Duo was strong, and straining to tear his wrist out of Heero's grip, fingers still wrapped firmly around the knife handle.
"Damn you, Yuy-" Duo sputtered, and gave a breathy, chilling laugh. He jerked abruptly, driving his knee into Heero's abdomen. Heero gasped for air, and Duo rolled them both over so that he was straddling his friend. He wrested his wrist out of Heero's grasp and raised the knife over Heero's heart. "Should've stayed out of it, buddy," he said quietly.
Heero froze, arms raised instinctively to block the blow.
It was a blow that never came. Duo sat atop him, glaring down at him...
Heero didn't hear the door open, but Duo's head snapped around-- not fast enough.
Wufei barrelled into him in a full-body tackle, and the two of them went flying across the floor like wolves, snarling at each other and fighting for control of the knife. A hand seized Heero's elbow and hauled him to his feet. Trowa's eyes were wide, his lips pressed tightly together as he watched his lover roll across the floor in a desperate fight.
"Heero-- what on earth is going ON he--"
"Get him," Heero managed to growl, already pouncing on the two men. Duo's arm swung out, but Heero barely felt the bite of the knife as it slid across his arm, slicing open cloth and skin and spraying the wallpaper with red droplets. He slammed a fist into Duo's face the instant it turned his way.
Duo's head snapped back and cracked against the floor. The knife clattered from his nerveless fingers.
"Wufei--" Trowa was dragging his infuriated lover off of Duo, struggling to restrain him. "Stop! He's got--"
Duo twisted like a snake, his hand sliding out from behind his back. Belatedly Heero remembered how fond the other man was of hiding things in his braid. Like lockpicks--
And like the slim stilleto that sank into his side an instant later.
Relena's shriek came from the hall. "HEERO!!"
It had been a long time, but Heero had dealt with worse injuries-- and had never let them stop him before. He tore the stilleto from his side and threw it aside. Duo's eyes widened slightly, then Heero was on top of him-- and hitting him.
He threw all of his pent up rage, frustration and betrayal into each blow. Duo laughed for a little while, weakly trying to protect his face with his hands, but then he went limp.
Heero didn't stop, even when his knuckles started sliding in the blood on Duo's face. He kept swinging, mouth open in a soundless scream of fury. Then hands were seizing him, pulling at him.
"HELP me, damn it!" came Quatre's frantic voice in his ear. "He's killing him!" More hands wrapped around Heero's shoulders, and he was hauled off of Duo's body. Heero began to struggle mindlessly, and he heard a yelp as his elbow connected with Quatre's face.
"Snap out of it, Yuy!" Wufei shouted, shaking him roughly. "It's over!"
Heero's eyes focused on the other man's face, and he stopped resisting, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings again. Trowa had him in a rough headlock, and Quatre was sitting nearby, clutching his nose and wincing. Wufei turned to check out Duo, and Heero's eyes darted towards the door.
Relena was hovering in the doorway, Quatre's jacket draped loosely over her bare shoulders. She was shaking, her face a mask of frozen terror.
A thick chuckle brought everyone's attention quickly back to the limp form on the floor.
"Damn.. Heero..." Duo's voice was thick and sluggish, his face a mess of blood. He opened his eyes a slit and stared up at the ceiling, fingers twitching slightly against the carpet as if searching for a weapon. "Anger...management, dude..."
Heero lunged for him, but Trowa's arms were unyeilding.
"Call the authorities, Winner," Wufei said tightly.
Quatre nodded silently and climbed to his feet slowly, staggering out of the room.
"It's you." Wufei stared down at Duo with a sick look on his face. "You're the Butcher."
"Bingo," Duo wheezed. He tried to laugh, but almost choked on his own blood. "Damn... anyone got a tissue..?"
"You fucking psychotic bastard--" Wufei moved as if to kick him.
"Wufei," Trowa said sharply.
Relena took a hesitant step into the room, and Heero pulled Trowa's arms quickly away from his neck. "Relena, go wait downstairs," he urged. "He's still dangerous."
Relena's wide eyes moved slowly from Duo to him, then back again. She was shaking so hard that the jacket slipped off of her hunched shoulders and landed on the floor, leaving her in her underwear. She seemed unaware of the fact; she gazed down at Duo as if entranced. "You could have asked me," she whispered, almost too quietly to hear.
Duo didn't respond at first. Then his head shifted slightly, turning her way. "...What?"
Wufei snatched a sheet from the bed and wrapped it hastily around Relena, eyes averted as if embarrassed. Relena didn't respond at all, still staring down at Duo. "You could have asked," she repeated quietly. "For amendments. The Bill isn't a law yet, you know." She shuddered violently, fingers plucking at the edges of the sheet and grasping it like a lifeline. "I want what's best for the colonists, Duo. Even if you don't believe me."
Duo stared up at her for a long time, but didn't say anything.
Trowa's head turned towards the open balcony doors. "...Sirens," he murmured. "The police are coming."
"Get your woman downstairs, Yuy," Wufei said roughly, staring at Duo with a sick look on his face. "We'll watch him." His eyes flickered towards the blood stain on Heero's shirt. "Make sure you tend that."
Heero got to his feet slowly and guided Relena towards the door.
"..Ask, huh..? Heero..." Duo's voice had the edge of its old dark cheer to it. Heero stopped, but didn't turn around. Duo gave a low chuckle. "When I get out... and I will..... you don't have to worry about me anymore."
"You're going to prison, Duo," Heero said roughly. "For a very long time." Holding Relena's quaking form close, he left the room and didn't look back.
Heero was unaware of most of the chaos that went on in the mansion when the police arrived.
Quatre met him downstairs and brought him and Relena to the kitchen, where he silently patched up Heero's wounds before leaving them to check on the others. Relena crawled into his lap and latched onto him, and even though he held her until her shaking subdued, he got the feeling that she was hugging him back just as tightly in an attempt to comfort him as well. She cried a little, but they were silent tears. She was exhausted and jumpy, and she didn't fall into a light doze until just before Wufei came in to fill them in.
He glanced at Relena's huddled slumbering form and kept his voice low to keep from waking her. "They just took him away. Quatre tried to get them to wait until morning, but they want to question you both tonight while..." he shook his head in frustration. "While it's still fresh in your heads, I guess. Think you're up to it?"
"As long as he's no longer in the house," Heero said coldly. He shook Relena's shoulder gently to wake her.
Wufei gazed at him for a moment, an expression of regret flickering across his face. "Yuy--"
"Don't," Heero cut him off. He already knew what Wufei was struggling to say. He had a feeling his friends would be pulling the sympathetic "sorry your best friend turned out to be a psycopath" card for the next few days, but he didn't want to hear it.
Wufei nodded and let it go.
Heero took his groggy fiancee by the hand and led her away to confront the lawmen awaiting them. Relena clung to his hand for the rest of the night, and Heero couldn't help but wonder if she knew what he was thinking.
If she knew he was going to leave her.
Heero didn't look up at sound of his door opening, but his hand moved towards the gun making a dent in the bedsheets. Even he wasn't sure if it was old habit or a lingering paranoia from Duo's murderous games over a month ago.
The door clicked shut, and he heard a whisper of skirts. He glanced up unwillingly, releasing the gun and snatching up a pair of folded pants instead. Relena was leaning against the door, staring at him. Her eyes were red-- she'd been crying again. He lowered his gaze, hands methodically collecting the stacks of clothing lined up on his bed and moving them to the open suitcase.
"...You're really serious," Relena whispered. "You're leaving me."
"I have to," Heero replied quietly, stuffing his extra pair of boots in with his single pair of faded jeans.
"But why?" Relena's voice was strained, as if she was struggling to keep from crying. "I don't understand--"
"We've been over this, Relena," Heero reminded her gently, still unable to meet her gaze. He tossed in his little bag of toiletries and shut the suitcase, zipping it up quickly. Twenty-one years old, and all of his possessions still fit into a single bag. He pressed his hands against the top of the suitcase, gazing down at it dully. Duo had once suggested that a man who was able to live out of his suitcase had no place to call home. He'd spoken from personal experience. Heero had decided this was not true after he'd moved in with Relena. But even after being with her so long, one bag was still all it took. It was as if the mansion would never even notice his absence once the bag was taken from it along with its owner. There would be no proof that he had ever lived there.
"It still doesn't make any sense," Relena argued. There was a hint of anger there, now. Good. Heero wanted her to be angry. Anger was better than heartbreak. She had every right to be mad at him-- perhaps even to hate him. He felt as if he deserved the anger. It was her pain he couldn't handle-- and the guilt it caused him.
"How can you... how can you be engaged to someone you don't love??" Relena demanded. "How can you kiss me, make love to me... all of it.... Are you saying it didn't mean anything to you??"
"It did," Heero interrupted firmly, finally forcing himself to look up and meet her gaze. Her lips were quivering, and there was betrayal in her eyes. "You are important to me, Relena," he said more softly. "But it isn't fair to either of us if I stay with you. If I live a lie for both of us. I care about you. But I don't l--"
"Stop it!" Relena's fists flew up to press against her ears as if to block out the words. She closed her eyes tightly, and a tear slipped free. Her voice turned into a whimper. "I don't believe you..."
Heero gazed at her helplessly. "I can't stay here. You'll never be happy with me. You need--"
"Somebody who loves me," Relena spat. "So you've said." She lowered her fists shakily and opened her eyes again slowly. "You were supposed to be that somebody, Heero Yuy."
"...I know." He picked up his suitcase. Logically he knew it weighed perhaps fifty pounds. But as he stood holding it by his side and gazing at her in the room where she had almost been killed, it felt as if the weight of the bag would tear his arm from its socket. "I'm sorry, Relena."
Relena took a deep breath and tilted her head to stare blindly up at the ceiling, forcing gravity to keep her tears back. "Stop apologizing, Heero," she commanded, her voice low and rough. "You've never sounded so sincere before, and it makes it harder to hate you." She reached up and wiped quickly at her cheeks, refusing to look at him again. "I'm tired of it," she whispered harshly. "I've been trying to talk you out of this for days. It's obvious your mind is made up. Go, then. Get out of here. And I hope for both our sakes that you don't come to visit me for a long long time. I'm not sure I could take it."
Heero hesitated, feeling wretched and awkward. Finally he forced himself to move across the floor. She stepped aside, staring at the wall as he reached out and opened the door.
He hesitated, glancing back at her.
She took a few deep breaths, struggling to compose herself. "...Where will you go?" she asked at last in a small voice.
"....L4, I suppose," Heero admitted. He hadn't made the decision until last night. "Quatre is friends with the Chief of Police there. He said they could probably give me a job."
Relena managed a small laugh, but it sounded forced and painful. "You really don't know how to live without a gun in your hand, do you? I'd hoped... I'd hoped I could teach you there was more to life than that."
"So did I," Heero admitted.
She looked up at him quickly with wounded eyes, biting her lip. "Please just leave," she murmured. "I'm afraid I'll make myself look a fool if you don't."
Heero nodded once and stepped out into the hall. He went downstairs quickly. He was afraid that if he heard Relena crying he would do something stupid.
Wufei met him in the foyer, looking uncomfortable in his new uniform. His eyes flicked to the bag in Heero's hand, and he looked his friend in the eye. "Is that it?"
"Yes." He inspected Wufei's uniform automatically. "...Where's your firearm?"
Wufei gave him a Look, but Heero had already spotted the scabbard on the other man's left hip. "Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Wufei grumbled, glancing towards the stairs. "Relena and I barely get along as it is."
Heero gazed at him for a long moment. "I trust you," he said simply. "To keep her safe."
Wufei looked away, but nodded silently. No one had been more surprised than Wufei when Heero had offered him his job as head of security at the mansion. But when it came down to it, Heero could see no other man better for the job. Trowa had the circus, but he would be able to visit his lover. Quatre had his family business to run. Wufei was the only one left that Heero trusted, and he knew the other man would take his job seriously.
And and of course there was no risk of him falling in love with the woman he had sworn to protect.
Wufei cleared his throat. "I thought you might want to see this before you go." He held out a folded paper, arching a brow. "I didn't think she was serious when she started asking me questions about it, but..." he nodded towards the paper as Heero opened it up, "some of what I suggested is actually in there. Go figure."
Heero skimmed the words briefly, a humorless little smile tugging at his lips. "She meant what she said. She wants to help the colonists."
"Too bad it took all of this nonsense to get her to see why the old version was a crock of shit," Wufei mumbled, then stopped himself with a wince. For a month no one had spoken of Duo or the mayhem he'd caused.
Heero let it slide. He folded the paper carefully and handed it back. "I think this is a version Gorgenstern would have approved of."
Wufei nodded in agreement, tucking the paper in his pocket. "It's not perfect. But it's a start. It's being sent for review first thing tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe in a few months there will be new laws. Laws that protect everyone's rights-- even the colonists'."
"Duo got what he wanted after all," Heero said quietly.
Wufei frowned, but didn't respond.
Heero glanced over his shoulder towards the stairs. "Take care of her, Wufei."
"Of course," Wufei muttered. They shook hands briefly, and then Heero was walking down the garden path, suitcase in hand.
Looking for home.
Author's Notes: All that's left is an epilogue. More detailed author's notes then.
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Get started with your website’s accessibility with accessiBe’s easy-to-use features and technology.
You’ve heard about it but now it’s time to learn about it.
In this in-depth guide, we’ll cover the following:
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about website accessibility in Australia, this is the guide for you.
Web accessibility issues are affecting a number of industries and businesses of all sizes across Australia.
But what exactly is the connection between the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and websites?
Let’s start with the fact that 1 in 5 Australians are living with some form of disability – that’s over 2 million Australians of working age alone. This is according to the Australian Network on Disability.
Another study conducted by the Centre of Inclusive Design has found that close to 5 million Australians don’t have access to certain products and services because of poor design.
This means if you own a website that’s not DDA compliant, you’re losing out on billions-worth of potential revenue every year. Not to mention the legal ramifications of non-compliance.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) was created to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. This protection applies across areas of work, accommodation, leisure, education, as well as goods and services.
The act states that persons with disabilities are entitled to the same equality and fundamental rights as persons without disabilities. It also promotes the recognition and acceptance of these individuals within a community.
The DDA is based on WCAG, which is the benchmark of web accessibility, and was first used during the case of Bruce Lindsay Maguire v Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
During the 1999 case, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission ruled that Bruce Lindsay Maguire, who is blind, had been directly discriminated against by a government agency that didn’t provide ticketing materials in braille for the Sydney Olympic Games.
The DDA is made up of different divisions that cover the following:
Division 1: Discrimination in Work
Division 2: Discrimination in Other Areas
Division 3: Disability Standards
Division 4: Discrimination Involving Harassment
Division 5: Offences
Division 6: Exemptions
Division 2 covers goods, services, and facilities, which is where websites come into play.
However, web accessibility in Australia is made up of more than just the DDA. There are additional laws and standards in place depending on the type of service you offer.
Let’s get into those now.
The Australian Government’s Web Accessibility National Transition Strategy (NTS) states that all web properties need to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA. (This applies to any type of website including government agencies and all organizations that serve the public, including private businesses).
WCAG, or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, was originally developed in the U.S. with the goal of providing a single standard for web content accessibility. It’s also what the DDA was based on. The WCAG documents outline how to make websites more accessible to people with disabilities.
The Digital Service Standard is for anyone designing and delivering Australian Government services. These include any services that are public facing, owned by non-corporate Commonwealth entities, informational and transactional services, and high-volume transactional services.
It is made up of 13 criteria that ensure digital professionals are able to create fast and simple online government services that are inclusive of all users, regardless of ability or environment.
We’re almost there – accessibility requirements for ICT products and services are the final set of standards that apply to web accessibility in Australia.
AS EN 301 549:2020 outlines the minimum standards that ICT product and services provider websites need to meet. This includes hardware, software, and any other technologies that someone might interact with. These standards adopt the EN 301-549 European accessibility standards.
These standards apply to the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.
In 2019-20, the Australian Commission of Human Rights received 12,554 enquiries.
As with previous years, employment and the provision of goods, services and facilities were the main areas of complaint.
And 44% of those complaints were lodged under the Disability Discrimination Act
Any government or public-facing websites are required to comply with DDA web accessibility laws. This is applicable across all major industries, including:
✅ Banking and Finance
✅ Real estate
✅ Food and agriculture
In 2014, a visually impaired woman filed a complaint against the Coles supermarket chain because their online shopping service was not accessible to her. This claim eventually made it to the Federal Circuit Court with the claimant asking for millions of dollars.
The reality is, DDA lawsuits are impacting businesses of all sizes. Even brands such as Netflix and Amazon and stars such as Beyonce have had to fight web accessibility suits.
If your website is not fully accessible to everyone, regardless of ability, a complaint can be filed, and legal action can be taken against your business.
Anyone who feels they have been discriminated against can submit a complaint on the Australian Human Rights Commission website. An investigation is then launched and both parties will have the opportunity to discuss and resolve the issue.
If the person who filed the complaint is not satisfied with the outcome, they can take the case directly to the Federal Court of Australia.
The result is high settlement fees and a damaged reputation, all of which can be avoided by taking some simple steps to become DDA complaint.
Not only are these suits inconvenient and destructive to your brand, but if you don’t have access to a sizeable legal budget, a suit such as this can have far-reaching financial implications.
Overall, any online platform, including websites, apps, and online stores needs to cater to people of all abilities.
You could take the chance and leave your website as is, or you could avoid the headache and financial risks and become DDA compliant.
What’s more, you get to support the movement to make the web a more accessible place for all, while also benefitting from additional revenue streams.
Let’s discuss how you can achieve this.
The DDA was based on WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). These are the guidelines you need to follow to become DDA compliant.
When you first open the 80+ page WCAG document, website accessibility seems a lot more complicated.
However, we’ve packaged it in a more digestible format so that you can make the necessary changes as quickly as possible.
As you make your website accessible, you will be focusing on elements such as:
Readability: How easy is your text to read and understand. Is your text structured in a way that makes it easy to scan?
Links: Have you implemented descriptive link text to give them more context?
Media: Do your images have alt text and have you added captions or transcripts to your video and audio files?
Colour: Does the color contrast ratio of your site cater to those with color blindness?
Basically, you want your website to be operable, perceivable, understandable, and robust across a wide range of assistive technology.
To make your website accessible, you need to do two things:
1. Add a website accessibility interface
When your site has an accessibility interface, any visitor can adjust the design and user interface elements to suit their needs. Here are some of the ways this interface can help those with disabilities:
• ADHD-friendly functionality. Any site visitors with neurodevelopment disorders can browse and interact with a site more easily thanks to a reduction in distractions.
• Cognitive disability functionality. Assists visitors with cognitive disabilities such as dyslexia and autism by making it easier to understand essential website elements.
• Visually impaired functionality. Allows a visitor to increase the size of text and adjust colors for better contrast.
2. Compatibility with assistive technologies
Assistive technologies also make it easier for visitors with disabilities to navigate your site. Some of what you can implement includes:
Screen readers are a must if you want to make your website accessible. They’re designed to help visually impaired users read the content on your site, including both text and images. This is why it’s essential for all images on your site to have alternative text.
Alternative text can describe an object or location to a user who cannot see the images. It also provides them with a better understanding of your site’s content by telling the full story.
Assistive technologies such as navigation tools ensure your site also caters to users who don’t have full motor function.
Navigational tools that you can implement on your site include:
• On-screen keyboards for visitors who are unable to operate a computer mouse
• Faster navigation techniques for easy access to important pages on your site
• Assigning actions to specific keyboard keys such as Enter or Tab.
• Adding shortcuts to forms, buttons, and menus to make it easier to access specific elements on your website
The good news is that there’s no longer any need to make manual updates to your site to be compliant. In fact, not only is it time-consuming, but costly too. This is because you would need a professional to audit your site and plan and implement the changes.
Automated tools are changing how easily a business can make its website more accessible to users with disabilities.
Get started with your website’s accessibility with accessiBe’s easy-to-use features and technology.
Confirm whether your website is at risk of web accessibility lawsuits and if you need to make changes to meet DDA standards.
Get started with your free audit now.
If your scan returns results that indicate website accessibility issues, you can take steps to rectify them before you’re forced to deal with the legal ramifications. Your report will show you exactly how to fix each problem.
A DDA is a Disability Discrimination Act. This type of activity ensures that anyone living with a disability has access to public spaces, including educational institutions, restaurants, websites, sporting venues, hospitals, libraries, and more.
DDA is an acronym for the Disability Discrimination Act, which is applicable in several countries, including Australia and the UK. The DDA applies to key areas of life and benefits those living with disabilities.
Website accessibility in Australia falls under the Disabilities Discrimination Act 1992. The act was created to ensure that those living with disabilities were able to access online products and services in the same way that everyone else could.
The easiest way to check web accessibility in Australia is to use an automated accessibility tool. These tools are designed to scan your site to check for accessibility issues. Many of the top tools provide you with instructions on how to fix any accessibility issues, while other tools will even carry out the fixes for you.


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On a weekly basis, millions of people from the tri-state area listen to Philadelphia radio personality Tiffany Bacon on WRNB/100.3FM & WPPZ/Praise Philly 103.9FM (Radio One owned stations). But what many people don’t know is that Bacon is more than just a radio celebrity. Bacon is a proud Christian who is redefining the role of a modern day renaissance woman - she’s a scholar, stage actress, youth sexual health advocate and producer of a weekly performing arts showcase!
Bacon, a North Philly native, grew up in a working class home; her mother retired as a city administrative manager and her step-father worked for the U.S. Postal Service. Bacon was a brilliant young scholar, she graduated with honors from Friends Select School, one of the top private schools in the state. After graduating from Friends, Bacon matriculated and graduated from Temple University as a Radio/Television Broadcast major. While attending Temple University, Bacon worked at the school’s public radio station.
“I started in radio at WRTI, formerly Jazz FM/Temple University, in public radio, in 1990,” said Bacon who also worked production at Fox News.
As a radio personality at WRTI, Bacon excelled in popularity and parlayed that opportunity to work in promotions at B-101 FM as the station’s mascot.
“I wore the Bee costume just to break into professional radio,” said Bacon.
Always the go-getter with a plan, Bacon excelled in promotions and was eventually given an opportunity to work as an on-air personality. Philadelphia’s adult contemporary listeners embraced this new voice in the marketplace immediately.
“I positioned and petitioned myself for that position, so I was on air at B-101, working at Fox News, and on air at Temple at WRTI, simultaneously,” said Bacon.
She admits that this grinding scheduling became a little overwhelming. Her break would soon come.
In 1997, Bacon’s broadcasting career took another upward jump, as she was invited to apply for a position at Power 99FM, Philadelphia’s top hip-hop/urban contemporary station.
“Helen Little [WUSL Power 99FM’s operations manager) was looking for new talent, and she suggested that I apply. I said, ‘I work for B-101, people think I’m white, I don’t know how I’m going to fit in at Power 99.’ But I loved Power, so I would be a fool not to apply for the position, and I did.”
And Bacon’s career has jettisoned from there.
Bacon quickly became the beloved young, smart, hip-hop voice of Philly’s urban landscape, America’s fifth largest broadcast market. Bacon worked during an era when Power 99FM was the urban radio juggernaut in the tri-state area. Bacon joined the station when it had the legendary duo of “Carter and Sanborn in the Morning” – Brian Carter and David Sanborn were ratings giant killers during morning drive, helping to buttress Power 99FM (a Clear Channel radio station) as ratings king of hip-hop/urban contemporary radio in Philadelphia. Bacon credits her success in broadcasting to one of her radio mentors, Brian Carter, who died in April.
“He was a consummate professional,” said Bacon.
Many would have been satisfied with enjoying the fame as a local celebrity within their own hometown, but not Bacon. As a Christian, the fame and celebrity status was never the goal for her, Bacon was motivated by the creative aspect of radio — the writing, the production work, the creative on-air performance, these things appealed to her.
After a successful eleven year on-air run at Power 99FM, in 2008, Bacon made another career leap to join Philly’s new upstart hip-hop radio station 100.3/The Beat. Her R&B show, “Cooking with Bacon.” can be heard Sundays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Always motivated and never complacent, Bacon has expanded her broadcasting career to express her religious persona. She is the host and co-host of: “Praise in the City” on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and “Marriage Beyond the Vows” on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., respectively, on Praise Philly/103.9FM. Bacon is a longstanding member of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church where the Rev. Dr. Alyn Waller is senior pastor.
Baconalso works as a certified HIV/AIDS educator, for the Philadelphia SIHLE Project (Sisters Informing Healing Living & Empowering). SIHLE is a program funded by the Center for Disease Control, via Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC). According to Bacon, “SIHLE provides monthly healthy lifestyles workshops designed to reduce HIV sexual risk behaviors in teen girls.” It also promotes healthy relationships and gender and ethnic pride among African-American girls between the ages of 14 and 18.
Bacon parlayed her radio career to pursue an acting career in stage productions. “Recently, I was in the play ‘The Repast’ written by Bryana Michelle, ”she said. “We had an awesome time, the cast was amazing.”
Bacon will also star in the upcoming stage play “Girl He Loves Me” on Oct. 14 at the Adrienne Theater, 2030 Samson St.
Bacon’s favorite actor is Meryl Streep.
“She owns every character she’s ever played,” said Bacon.
Every Tuesday, Bacon helps promote other performing artists (i.e., poets, dancers, singers, musicians) during, “The Resurgence.”
“It’s family friendly entertainment,” said Bacon, who describes it as, “Harlem Renaissance meets the Philly Soul Movement.”
“The Resurgence” is held every Tuesday at Sole II Soul, 6139 Ridge Ave.

domain: news


text:
The Rows of Trucks at the Indy Rest Stop
Sep 17, 2012
Mar 16, 2013
Where I stayed
The Largest Truck Stop/Rest Stop I have ever seen
We left Illinois with our next destination Indianapolis. We were sort of concerned about negotiating around Indinanapolis, I74 took you right thru downtown Indy. We were trying to reach I70 on the eastern side and really didn't want to go thru downtown. The GPS had us going downtown and I was having problems changing our route on the GPS so we were sort of on our own. We ended up taking a state road about 15 miles outside of Indy. As it turned out it was a good route it put us on the alternate route around Indy and got us to our destination outside of the city. We found this rest stop just outside of Indy to stay in. It has be the largest rest stop I have ever stayed in.....I think there were enough parking spots for at least 100 trucks. We felt really small in this group. I know Jerry wished he could have spent time in Indianapolis to check out the racing. Someday maybe.

domain: geography


text:
Mixer has arrived
I did two other things that should make future catastrophes less exciting: as promised in yesterday’s blog entry, I created a file with all the important software serial numbers and unlock codes. There weren’t that many; I just needed to make a deliberate effort to get them organized. The other thing I did was create tar files of the “dot” directories in my account. Unix (which is the underpinnings of MacOS X) has a cool rule that directory names that begin with a period (dot) are not made visible when you inspect the directory, unless you specifically ask to see everything. There are two programs that I run that make little directories like this: the Logbook of The World software, and the GNU Privacy Guard utilities. Just to be sure that these directories, and their contents, don’t get lost in the shuffle, I’ve made a special effort to create an easily restorable tar file for each of them and put them in a safe place.
I spent a whole lot of money on disk drives this week, and I’m feeling pretty good about it. I bought three of the SmartDisk FireLite drives: one for my laptop, one for Sandy’s laptop, and one for HamMac. The are small, reasonably fast, and super-easy to use as they require no external power. Just connect them to your machine and run the backup program. Voila! Now each laptop has a dedicated backup device with a recent backup on it. I’ll still back up to the other drives occasionally, but this one can be used weekly or even a couple of times a week. The backup of my 17-inch PowerBook took about 90 minutes in today’s exercise. I plan on setting this up and letting it run over lunch a couple of times a week. Easy.
The drive I bought for HamMac was a little bigger. I might do a little video editing while down on the island (just to play) and I thought the extra space might be handy. It isn’t exactly that I’m looking forward to my next disk crash, but I’m not fearing it, either
While all this excitement with the computer was going on, I was receiving packages from orders I’d been placing over the last week. I received 15 blank video tapes for my video camera in one box. Another box held my new audio mixer that I’ll be using on Montserrat to capture on-air QSO audio. It is a Eurorack UB502 from Behringer. Here’s a picture.
The unit can take up to 5 inputs. I’ll bring in a microphone that will be attached to the boom of my headset in one channel. Two other channels will take the audio from the radio (do I need both?). That still leaves me with two other channels, possibly a second receiver or another microphone in the room. I’ve got a wireless microphone setup that might be good for one of those remaining channels. I had read the manual before buying the unit (every manufacturer should put their manuals on the web!) so setup only took a few minutes. I’ll try to capture some audio exactly like the setup I’ll use on Montserrat this weekend. Maybe I’ll even post a clip.
Finally, I got word from our friend on the island that he’ll be arranging for the last two licenses to be processed in the next few days. Things are coming together! And, that’s good as there are only about 58 days (it is after midnight here now) until I leave. I’m pretty sure that time will go very, very quickly.

domain: hobby


text:
(Bloomberg) — Citigroup Inc. wants a bigger piece of that decades-old Wall Street favorite: the leveraged buyout.
The bank is looking to drum up more business with private equity firms to help finance their biggest acquisitions, according to Tyler Dickson, global co-head of banking, capital markets and advisory at Citigroup. The firm plans to add staff to its investment banking team focused on private placements and venture capital, where it’s already been beefing up hires, he said.
“It’s more important for us to have deeper, richer relationships with financial sponsors because they have unprecedented dry powder,” Dickson said in an interview. “Their reach across investing styles and geographies has expanded dramatically.”
The bank is hoping the push will boost returns in its investment banking division, where it — along with most of its peers — posted a first-quarter decline in revenue as market turmoil chilled the pace of initial public offerings and debt capital markets activity. Citigroup even dispatched almost a dozen bankers to the Milken Global Institute Conference in Beverly Hills this week — a congregation of the world’s investing elite — to hunt for business.
Buyout firms amassed a record $1.2 trillion of dry powder in 2021 as high valuations for targets kept potential buyers on the sidelines. Private equity firms typically augment that dry powder by borrowing from the world’s largest banks for acquisitions in a model that offers the potential for higher returns but at increased risk.
Heading into the financial crisis, Citigroup was the second-largest arranger of U.S. leveraged loans. But the crisis hobbled the bank, forcing it to ditch nearly $1 trillion of toxic assets and severely curtail its appetite for risk. By last year, it ranked eighth in the U.S. leveraged loan market, data compiled by Bloomberg shows.
That’s hurt Citigroup’s share in the broader debt capital markets business, which has dropped 80 basis points since 2017. In response, Citigroup is looking to make more money available for leveraged debt.
“We have suffered somewhat in our DCM franchise because of our conservative approach to the leverage finance market,” Paco Ybarra, head of Citigroup’s institutional clients group, said in March. “Recapturing share in leverage finance and capitalizing on the private asset opportunity will require us to increase our capital allocation to these sectors.”
Citigroup is wading deeper into leveraged finance as investors increasingly fear rising interest rates will sap borrower appetite for such loans. Lenders also have to account for how supply chain issues could complicate business plans and once-in-a-generation levels of inflation may curb demand for companies’ products.
“We don’t need to be in everything, we want to pick the situations where we know the sponsors,” Dickson said, speaking from the Milken conference. “In this risk environment, we’ll live within our means and look for the opportunities to execute our plan with a bias toward making sure we’re not too risky. We’re going to be patient.”
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

domain: economics


UTK Environmental Health & Safety Plan EC-003
This plan describes the ways that UTK will reduce the impact of hazardous waste through reduction and minimization. The full document is linked in the appendices as a pdf.
Revision Date: May 8, 2019
The main objective of this plan is to reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous waste to the extent that is economically and technically feasible. In research, teaching, testing and many other operations on campus, generating chemical waste cannot be avoided. However, chemical waste can be managed as efficiently as possible to minimize the amount that is generated. The Director of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) will be primarily responsible for coordinating the waste minimization plan.
The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 requires all hazardous waste generators to reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous waste whenever feasible. The University of Tennessee must report its efforts towards waste minimization to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) on an annual basis. As a result, the university sets waste reduction goals for each waste stream. These goals are outlined in detail in Appendix A.
Scope and Applicability
This waste minimization plan meets all of the requirements of the Tennessee Hazardous Reduction Act of 1990 (TCA 68-212-301), and encompasses all chemical waste operations conducted on the Knoxville campus and all off-campus activities that are part of the Knoxville campus’s mission. The plan requires all individuals on campus who generate any type of hazardous waste to implement this plan by using resources that are economically and technically feasible to reduce or eliminate waste generation. Waste in any form represents lost money, lost resources, and lost labor.
Implementing a waste minimization program benefits everyone at UT Knoxville and the community by:
- Lowering waste disposal and compliance costs
- Reducing long-term liability for disposal
- Reducing costs of chemical purchases
- Reducing health and safety hazards
- Promoting environmental awareness
- Preventing pollution and conserving resources
Abbreviations and Definitions
EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
RCRA: Resource, Conservation and Recovery Act
TDEC: Tennessee Department of Environmental Quality
Methods to Minimize Hazardous Waste Generation:
Waste reduction should be considered during all phases of a process including project/process design, purchasing, and use. The most effective location to minimize the amount of waste generated is at the point of waste generation. The policy of the University is to maintain an open-minded attitude towards application of any waste reduction option. Therefore, all faculty and staff are encouraged to constantly search for ideas that can be implemented to improve waste reduction efforts. The following methods should be considered to reduce the amount of hazardous waste produced on campus and the university will encourage use of these methods to meet its waste reduction goals.
This involves the use of micro-chemistry or using reduced volumes in an experiment. Procedures to switch to micro-chemistry include:
- Switching from conventional to fast microprocessor-based, top loading balances that are sensitive to 0.1 mg.
- Use of chromatographic techniques, such as high performance and ion exchange that can clearly separate and purify milligram quantities of a substance.
- Use of microscale glassware, including pipettes, burettes, syringes, reactors and stills for handling reagents and their products.
- Switching from conventional to sensitive spectrometers that can analyze milligram quantities of substance.
Chemical waste exchange:
Laboratories should check with other departments on campus, with EHS or on the chemical waste exchange list on-line before ordering a specific chemical. It costs 20-40 times the original purchase price of a chemical to dispose of that same chemical. In fact, the American Chemical Society estimates that 40% of the chemical waste generated by labs consists of unused chemicals. This could be reduced if labs checked with other departments or their own stock before ordering chemicals. Do not accept any chemicals from another department or outside organization unless you are sure these substances will be used.
Product substitution with a non-hazardous or less hazardous material.
Examples of product substitution include:
- Using a biodegradable non-toxic preservative, such as ethanol, in lieu of formaldehyde-based substances (formalin).
- Replacing flammable scintillation fluid with non-hazardous biodegradable scintillation fluid.
- Replacing hazardous solvents or cleaning solutions in parts washers with non-hazardous solutions.
Avoid mixing hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste.
Do not mix water, or other non-hazardous substances with hazardous waste. This will generate even more hazardous waste, which increases disposal cost. In the case of flammable solvents, the more water mixed with the hazardous waste, the more expensive the disposal costs. Flammable liquids with a high BTU content are typically sent for fuel blending and water mixed with the flammables lowers the energy contents thereby requiring more expensive disposal techniques. Also, do not mix used oil with solvents or heavy metals, or the used oil cannot be recycled.
Care should be taken when weighing or transferring chemicals to minimize spills. Containers should be sealed when not in use and processes should be contained (i.e. fume hoods) to prevent the escape of fumes or leaks into the environment.
Limiting quantities purchased.
Purchase chemicals in the smallest volumes needed. Consider buying pre-weighed or pre-measured reagent packets where waste generation is high.
Inventory management and control
Laboratories should constantly monitor their chemical inventory and dispose of any unwanted or expired chemicals through EHS. New containers should be dated when they are received so that older products will be used first.
Good housekeeping practices:
This includes properly labeling all containers with their hazardous contents and keeping an up-to-date chemical inventory.
Include waste minimization practices in student and employee training sessions. All employees and students who generate hazardous waste should take the hazardous waste management and waste minimization training and quiz.
Waste should be properly segregated once they are generated and stored in chemically compatible containers. For example, acid waste should not be stored together with caustics and oxidizers should not be stored with flammables. Hydrofluoric acid waste should not be stored in glass containers. Waste should be stored in secondary containment (i.e. tubs) when appropriate to ensure proper segregation during storage.
Eliminating unknown chemicals
Chemicals that are unlabeled cost up to 10 times more for disposal than properly labeled chemicals. In fact, in 2001 UT Knoxville spent roughly $75,000.00 to identify unknown chemicals (that price does not include disposal fees). At the very minimum, containers need to be labeled with the chemical/product name and primary hazard. Lab checkouts are conducted by EHS when an employee is leaving the university to ensure they are not leaving behind unlabeled chemicals.
There are many good reasons to recycle. Some of these reasons include:
- Conserves energy
- Protects the environment
- Reduces the need to build new landfills and incinerators
- Saves money and energy
- Stimulates the development of green technologies
- Provides valuable raw materials to industry
Examples of current recycling programs at UT Knoxville are:
- Universal waste, such as rechargeable batteries, fluorescent lamps and used oil, are sent to commercial recyclers.
- Solvents with high BTU values are reclaimed and burned as fuel in incinerators.
- Mercury from thermometers and equipment is collected for retorting.
- Any used photographic fixer that is generated is processed for silver recovery.
- Old computer equipment is sent for electronics recycling.
Some solvents can be re-distilled and reused. Currently, the Chemistry Department re-distills acetone for reuse.
Elementary neutralization and reclamation.
- Acids and bases can be neutralized, as long as they don’t contain any heavy metals or organics.
- Gels can be directly injected with ethidium bromide to eliminate large volumes of liquid waste.
The following methods of disposal are not acceptable and are considered a violation of state and federal environmental regulations.
- storm sewer
- sanitary sewer
- sharps container
- regular trash
- biohazard waste containers
In 1982, the EPA adopted the mixture rule 40 CFR § 261.3a) (2) (IV), which states that hazardous waste, when mixed with a non-hazardous substances remains hazardous. This rule does not apply when mixing occurs during a process, only when waste is being mixed. Combining wastes to render them nonhazardous is considered treatment. Intentional mixing of waste to change the characteristic is a direct violation of the US EPA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) land disposal treatment standards. A permit is generally required to treat hazardous waste. There are some exceptions to this rule, however, please call EHS before attempting any method of disposal.
EHS shall characterize the waste stream from each area that generates hazardous waste. Generators of hazardous waste will be queried about the availability and feasibility of waste reduction. EHS shall work with all departments to implement waste reduction efforts.
- Document hazardous waste minimization efforts. These records will be kept as part of Appendix A that is available in the EHS office for review and inspection.
- Review hazardous waste reduction results from the Annual Hazard Waste Report that is filed with the Tennessee Department of Solid Waste.
- Statutory limits as defined by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
This program shall be reviewed annually and amended as necessary. When it becomes apparent that the plan is deficient, it shall be revised.
Performance measures shall be monitored at least annually.
Employees who generate or handle hazardous waste shall be trained to reduce hazardous waste generation. The hazardous waste management and waste reduction training may be presented during the annual training for hazardous waste generators. In addition, a self-study course is available by contacting the Environmental Health and Safety department at 865-974-5084.
Waste Minimization Efforts:
Specific Examples of waste minimization efforts that were made but EHS during 2017.
- EHS is packaging non-hazardous lab pack waste separately from hazardous waste, which saves money and reduces reportable quantities on our State year-end report.
- EHS eliminated >600 unknowns at a cost savings of $20.00 per sample plus eliminating an addition $1,400.00 in disposal costs by performing testing and consolidating compatible waste streams together. The unknowns originated from Walter Life Science building.
- EHS personnel poured off solvent materials campus-wide, which saved UT $2,500.00 in disposal costs.
- EHS punched over 50 empty propane cylinders during 2018 and shipped the empty cylinders to metals recycling. A cost savings of $1,000.00
- EHS was able to find a re-use option for 50% of the hazardous waste that was collected on-site.
- EHS is managing the non-hazardous waste on-site through a “Waste to Energy” program that converts the waste to electricity thereby providing a greatly reduced carbon footprint for that material into a beneficial re-use product.
EHS shall keep a record of the waste minimization plans for at least three years.
40 CFR 239-282 (RCRA Regulations)
Tennessee State Regulations 0400-12-01
The information provided in these guidelines is designed for educational use only and is not a substitute for specific training or experience.
The University of Tennessee Knoxville and the authors of these guidelines assume no liability for any individual’s use of or reliance upon any material contained or referenced herein. The material contained in these guidelines may not be the most current.
This material may be freely distributed for nonprofit educational use. However, if included in publications, written or electronic, attributions must be made to the author. Commercial use of this material is prohibited without express written permission from the author.


text:
To assess how characteristics of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 have changed over the three waves in the US (April, July and November 2020) and evaluate the temporal relationship of disease severity.
This retrospective database study used IQVIA’s medical (Dx) and longitudinal prescription claims (LRx) databases. Patients with a new medical claim with a diagnosis code of COVID-19 (ICD-10-CM: U07.1) in April, July or November 2020 were identified (first diagnosis = index date). Demographics, comorbidities and prescriptions within 6-months pre-index and diagnoses (symptoms/complications) and healthcare resource utilization within 14-days pre- or post-index were descriptively assessed by index month. Logistic regression was used to evaluate adjusted odds of serious complication and hospitalization by index month.
The study sample comprised 1,401,309 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (330,110 April/452,663 July/618,546 November). Half of April/July/November cohorts were female (53.5/56.0/53.7%) with mean age 57.4/47.3/50.1 years and mean CCI score 1.3/0.7/0.6. Region varied with 20.8/60.2/40.4% located in the South. The top 3 comorbidities were more common in April: hypertension (35.8/23.4/19.6%), T2DM (20.7/13.6/10.6%) and dyslipidemia (19.3/13.6/11.0%). Similarly, the top 3 symptoms were more common in April: cough (25.4/14.8/14.5%), fever (22.7/11.4/8.5%) and shortness of breath (19.8/11.3/9.9%). Pneumonia was the most common serious complication and highest in April (33.4/17.8/16.9%). Proportion with ER visit (42.1/36.1/32.4%) and hospitalization (32.5/17.3/14.7%) was highest in April; conversely, COVID-19 diagnostic testing (24.2/45.0/43.5%) was lowest in April. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, July/November cohorts were associated with 51.4/57.4% lower odds of pneumonia and 49.0/62.1% lower odds of hospitalization compared to the April cohort, respectively (all p<0.0001).
This research confirms that the underlying population contracting COVID-19 has changed over time. While new cases have increased, the burden and severity of illness appeared to be highest in April. These changing trends likely reflect improvements in the knowledge, treatment and management of the disease, as well as increased testing.
© 2021 Published by Elsevier Inc.

domain: medical


text:
You can still listen to BBC iPlayer Radio via your browser by visiting bbc.co.uk/radio
Including pianist Alexander Romanovsky in a recital of Rameau, Brahms and Chopin.
BBC Radio 3
Martin Handley presents Radio 3's classical breakfast show, with Ravel and Scarlatti.
With Andrew McGregor. Building a Library: Beethoven: String Quartet, Op 131.
Tom Service asks a panel of guests 'who's really in charge of the classical music world?'.
Doric Quartet: Haydn: String Quartet in A, Op 20 No 6. Schumann: Quartet in A, Op 41 No 3. (R)
To coincide with the 2013 Free Thinking festival, Rana Mitter explores music and freedom.
The BBC Singers and Symphony Orchestra perform music by Poulenc, Ravel and Roussel.
Ivan Hewett with music by John Corigliano, Stephen McNeff, Colin Matthews and Brett Dean.
Catriona Young presents music by Barber, Debussy, Mahler and Gorecki.
Sunday 27 October 2013

domain: artistic


text:
Heather Woodward, The Olympian, Olympia WA, August 16, 2007
Elvis Presley became perhaps the biggest international rock star of all time the year Barbara Taylor turned 12.
But Taylor, now 63, thinks of him as a man who tried his best to live an ordinary life.
"He�s a phenomenon, but he was a real person," said Taylor, who lives southeast of Lacey. "That�s the main thing: he was trying to make his way in the world."
Presley died 30 years ago today. However, some local fans say their love for the King of Rock �n� Roll hasn�t waned in the past three decades and probably never will.
"He had a world impact that can�t be underestimated," Maya North, 51, said.
North lives south of Tumwater but grew up in Missouri where she said, "Elvis was universal. There was no separating Elvis from anything. He was in the air. ... He formed a great deal of my culture."
Taylor also grew up with Presley, who was "the big thing" during her teenage years. She attended three Elvis concerts in Maryland, sometimes waiting in long lines after midnight to get tickets.
"It was just a mob scene," said Taylor, who also has visited Graceland three times.
However, not all South Sound residents were impressed by Presley�s act.
"Quite the opposite," said Jacqueline Jehle of Lacey. "I saw the first performance by Elvis on �The Ed Sullivan Show� and remember saying that I had watched this strange young man who wiggled on stage and couldn�t really sing. What did I know! My family has never let me forget that incident."
North was a student at The Evergreen State College near Olympia the day Elvis died and remembers being at home when she heard the news.
"It was a shock," she said. "I felt horror and at the same time I was not surprised in the slightest. He�d been in such a desperate spin for a long time."
Within days of his death, Taylor had a dream that Presley came to her and told her that he was at peace. "It was very comforting," she said.
North also was moved by an experience she had not long after Presley died. While hitchhiking, she got a ride home from a man who had the King playing on his car radio. She commented that she�d always thought Presley seemed incredibly lonely.
"You are the first person I�ve ever met who noticed that," the man responded with tears in his eyes and then told her he had once worked with Presley.
"I had just touched someone who had touched his life," North said. "I�m still kind of amazed."
In the weeks after Presley died, Taylor started buying up his albums, many of which sold for $1 or $2. In the past three decades, she�s collected nearly 70 albums, has kept dozens of newspaper clippings about the King and has read nearly as many books on his life.
In particular, Taylor became fascinated by Elvis� spiritual side, which included a sometimes unconventional approach to religion.
"He really introduced me to seeing religion in a different way," she said. "It gave me the idea that there are a lot of different ways to do spirituality."
In the years since Presley�s death, North discovered that her stepmother went to school with him and that a distant cousin of Presley�s from many generations ago is related to her husband�s family. If he�d lived, Presley would now be 72. "He had two paths to go," North said, speculating about his possible fate if he hadn�t died. "I wonder who he would have been."
Author: Heather Woodward writes for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-4225 or hwoodward [at] theolympian.com.
Take a closer look at the celebrated performer:
More than 1 billion: The number of record units Elvis Presley has sold worldwide.
150: The number of different Elvis albums and singles sold in the United States that have been certified gold, platinum or multiplatinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
149: The number of Elvis songs to appear on Billboard�s Hot 100 Pop Chart in the United States.
18: The number of those songs that went to No. 1.
31: The number of feature films in which Elvis starred as an actor.
14: The number of Grammy Award nominations that Elvis received from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). His three wins were for gospel recordings.
Elvis� mother died while he was in basic training, but his father outlived him. Elvis married Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967, in Las Vegas. The two met when she was 14 and he was 24, while Elvis was stationed with the military in Germany. Nine months to the day after her marriage to Elvis, Priscilla gave birth to daughter Lisa Marie. Lisa Marie was briefly married to singer Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage and has two children by her first husband, Danny Keough. She is now married to guitarist and producer Michael Lockwood, who produced her 2005 album "Now What."
Elvis died Aug. 16, 1977. The coroner�s report stated he died of heart disease. Since then, however, a pathologist who performed the autopsy has confirmed rumors that Elvis died of a prescription drug overdose. Elvis was 42.
More than 600,000 people tour Graceland every year. It was designated as a National Historic landmark in 2006. Since his death, Elvis has been inducted into the Rock �n� Roll, Country Music and Gospel Music Association halls of fame. In 1997, Elvis appeared (via a videotape) in a live concert with more than 30 of his former band members in a concert in Memphis. The concert went on tour, shaking up box office sales across the country and in London. Elvis became the first deceased performer to headline a concert tour. A remix of "A Little Less Conversation" hit No. 1 on the singles chart in 2002. - McClatchy Newspapers
Elvis' personality in the Personality Game system: Elvis was an Artisan role (high creativity and explains his love for brilliant costume designs), Competing perspective, with Sage influence. Sages are known for having fun as Elvis is known to do. He had a Goal of Acceptance, which help account for his well-known politeness and desire to be loved. His Attitude was Spiritualist, which explains his deep love of gospel music, and his interest in religion, metaphysics and spirituality. His Mode was Passion, which helps to explain his passionate pleasures, his magnetic sexuality and people's passionate response to him. His Centering was Emotional with Moving part, explaining the softness and quickness he had (emotional center) and his early unconscious body movements [remember the shaking leg?] (moving center) that he later perfected to a be an integral part of his performance style. It appears that Elvis' personality dragons were Greed (sliding to Self-Destruction at times) and Self-Deprecation (sliding to Arrogance at times).
I believe his needs were: Community (need to have his family and friends around him at all times), Expression (needing to express himself in his own unique way) and Adventure (explaining his constant desire to experiment and have new experiences).
This page is http://www.itstime.com/elvis2007.htm
Page updated: October 16, 2023


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A treat today to be walking in the last light and west winds at the shore near St Ismael, the tide right in and the sea near a teal or duck egg blue, strangely full of light under the mist and soft drizzle blowing in. Estuary birds flying up from the sea edge as we […]
Tiny video to share – taken from a footbridge over the River Gwendraeth this morning.
Here is a short piece of sound clip from the Gwendraeth River from near to my house – very restful, very watery, as we have had nothing but rain for the last three weeks, unless you also count the snow …
Today I read this: “Did you ever say “Yes” to one joy? Oh my friends, then you also said “Yes” to all pain. All things are entwined, enmeshed, enamored – – did you ever want Once to be Twice, did you ever say “I love you, bliss – instant – flash” – then you wanted […]
We had forgotten that the high tide covers the footpath along the rivers-edge. And so, after climbing down the steps just under Dylan Thomas’ writing-shed at Laugharne this afternoon, we sat down on the red rocks where the path was disappearing into the water. As we sat, we talked about family, about fear, justice and […]
sounds of this evening, light rain, tide out, birds sounds and river
a video snippet, turbulence behind a tree stump in the river


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Six facing federal drug trafficking, money laundering charges related to K2 outbreak
The Austin Police Department's Organized Crime Division Narcotics Team, along with the Houston Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Internal Revenue Service announced the round up of six people facing federal drug and money laundering charges on Wednesday.
Police say these arrests are the culmination of two separate investigations into the people being the manufacturers of synthetic cannabis--also known as K2--in Houston and its distribution in Austin, Texas.
Two men and one woman from Austin are charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute synthetic cannabinoids and money laundering:
- Charles Kevin Herd, 56
- Juanita Deshawn Price, 42
- Sydney Henry Franklin Jr., 59
Two men from Houston and one man from Austin are charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute synthetic cannabinoids:
- Salah Said Omar El-Hennawi, 44
- Mothanna Abdallah Yousef, 28
- Obdule Ware, 43, of Austin
These investigations began, APD says, after the rash of adverse K2 reactions in the downtown Austin area.

domain: law


First, a time of reflection and support. Since our last Straight Talk members of our “family” have suffered loss. Superintendent Kirk Carpenter’s wife Teresa has lost her health battle and has passed. Secondly, Business Manager for NMCEL/NMSSA, Jo Lynn Gallegos, has suffered a second recent loss (losing her son earlier this fall) as her mother was lost to a head injury resulting in death. And, a note of the loss of Superintendent LeeAnn Gandy’s son earlier this fall, also. We ask that you keep all three families in your prayers. At this time of joy and anticipation I ask that you remember the impact that losses such as these have on each of these “family members.”
We at NMCEL/NMSSA wish each of you and your families the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years. We pause and pray for your peace and joy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2019
CONTACT: Jan Goodwin | NMERB Executive Director | 505. 476. 6118 | firstname.lastname@example.org
I recently was reminded that student outcomes don’t change until adult behaviors change. In order for adult behaviors to change, we all have to be reminded that we have a responsibility to put aside any personal goals, ambitions, issues or grievances for the greater good of the thousands of students throughout the state. It isn’t “they” or “them” that needs to change; it is all of us who must proclaim and embrace “I am New Mexico.” We have to work interdependently, to create opportunities for students to succeed. As a new administration and legislature continue to review old and establish new policies, statutes and rules impacting education, the New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders stands ready to work collaboratively on behalf of children, parents, teachers, and all those who have devoted their lives to the institution of public education. I am astounded and humbled by the servant leadership that permeates to every corner of the state, and I look forward to playing my small part in helping shape our future. May we all remember that our focus is simple … to do what’s best for kids.
William D. Hawkins
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources
Hobbs Municipal Schools


Norwich held 0-0 by Newcastle in EPL as relegation looms
Relegation from the English Premier League is looming closer for Norwich after it missed a chance for three valuable points in drawing with Newcastle 0-0 on Saturday.
Teemu Pukki’s 11 goals this season have made him a hero of Norwich’s struggle against the drop, but the Finn wasted good chances to score in Newcastle.
Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was on good form to stop a header from Norwich’s Sam Byram early on. Pukki had a half-volley saved by Dubravka in the 17th minute and then another shot blocked in the 29th after he initially got through the Newcastle defense.
Pukki again missed a good chance to score with 20 minutes remaining.
At the other end, Norwich keeper Tim Krul kept his old club at bay with a save from Joelinton before Miguel Almiron missed on the rebound.
Norwich has won just one of its last 12 games in the league and is seven points off 17th-placed Aston Villa.
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Session II of the Marshals Hoops Camp will take place July 10-12 from 9:00 am -12:00. The camp will be conducted by Head Coach Terry Birdsong and the MCHS coaching staff, along with both former and current Marshall County basketball players.
Session II will be an extension of the first camp, with more emphasis on offensive instruction. It will focus mainly on shooting, ball handling, passing, and 3 on 3 play. It will also involve competitions designed to develop individual and team play.
Sign up at the door or download the camp registration by clicking on the link: MC-Hoops-Camp

domain: sports


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For more than six decades, Alan Lomax wielded a microphone, collecting and archiving folk music from the U.S. and abroad.
This spring, noted banjo player and composer Jayme Stone, along with a team of collaborators, will release an album of music culled from the Lomax archive.
Fans who attend Stone’s show on Wednesday will not only have the chance to hear some of this music performed live, they’ll be among the first to be able to buy the album in advance of its March 3 release.
Stone, a Canadian now based on Colorado, said he’d been aware of Lomax’s work for years. About 20 years ago, when he first picked up the banjo, he’d read Lomax’s book “The Land Where the Blues Began,” which brought Lomax’s famed field recordings to his attention. He’s used those recordings as the basis for various projects.
“Little did I know until I started digging deep into this project how many people and songs that I already know and love and play were originally collected by Alan Lomax and his father, John,” Stone said.
Early in his career, when he was working for the Library of Congress, Lomax recorded landmark interviews with artists such as Muddy Waters, Lead Belly, Jelly Roll Morton and Woody Guthrie. He recorded jazz pioneers and poets, and people who were never famous.
It came together for Stone a couple years ago when he read “Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded the World,” a biography by John Szwed. “It connected all these dots and I started really focusing on his archive and exploring the people and traditions that he helped to preserve,” Stone said.
As he got to work picking the songs for the album, he originally had a “short list” of 100 songs that he considered for the project. His musicians brought in suggestions, too. He whittled it down to 20 songs, recorded during three different sessions using 15 musicians. “Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project” also comes with a 60-page booklet with song notes, an essay and photos.
The opening song, “Lazy John,” was one he hadn’t heard before, Stone said.
“I hunted for a few months to try to find out the source because it sounds like a traditional tune. It shares a title with a more well-known song called ‘Lazy John,’ but it wasn’t related in any way,” he said. “And it turns out (Lomax) actually wrote it. And it’s one of the only songs I know of that he actually wrote.”
The styles on the album vary. There are folk songs in that classic Americana- bluegrass-Appalachia tradition. There are songs from the British islands and the Caribbean. There are two songs from the Georgia Sea Islands, an African-American a capella tradition with roots in West Africa.
“A lot of what we think of as American music comes from elsewhere, or at least has its roots elsewhere,” Stone said. “That was one of the things I wanted to explore.”
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Main / Productivity / Gundam seed reason
Gundam seed reason
Name: Gundam seed reason
File size: 632mb
13 Aug Stream Gundam Seed Destiny - Nami Tamaki – Reason Ed 1st by Mam Fauzi from desktop or your mobile device. 6 Mar - 5 min - Uploaded by MikuBom TV This video contains content from Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.. It is not available in. 12 Apr - 5 min - Uploaded by Thekiss 大家好我係Thekiss 今日我帶左首歌比大家~ 歌名:Reason ~.
10 Mar - 2 min - Uploaded by RoadSideSkipper09 With Lyrics and English Translation, from (MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny) I don' t own this. "Reason" is the 6th single release from J-Pop artist Nami Tamaki. It was released on , and ranked #2 on the Oricon charts. It also was used as the ending theme to the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Reason, First Ending Song, Gundam SEED Destiny, lyrics,song lyrics,music lyrics ,lyric songs,lyric search,words to song,song words,anime music,megumi.
Reason is a song by Nami Tamaki. It is the first ending theme of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. The song is available in the single Reason and later. 21 Nov Download Gundam SEED Destiny ED1 Single - Reason soundtracks to your PC in MP3 format. Free Gundam SEED Destiny ED1 Single. 20 Sep - 4 min Regarder la vidéo «Gundam SEED - The Reason» envoyée par @®un Deep sur dailymotion. See the lyrics and sing karaoke to Gundam SEED Destiny - Reason by Nami Tamaki. Find your favorite song lyrics with Smule now! tooku hanareteru hodo ni . Buy Reason (From "Gundam Seed Destiny"): Read Digital Music Reviews - comercioexcelentedeasturias.com
Reason (From Gundam Seed Destiny) - Japanese Vocal Version. By I Love You! Project. • 1 song, Play on Spotify. 1. Reason (From Gundam Seed. Gundam seed-reason. 5 likes. Movie. Gundam seed-reason. Share. Gundam seed-reason. Unofficial Page. English (US); Español · Français (France) · 中文. gundam seed destiny - reason by Kilerden in reason, Destiny, and seed. Reason - Gundam SEED Destiny - free sheet music for grand piano. Learn this song on Jellynote with our interactive sheet music and tabs. Play along with.

domain: entertainment


Auxiliary equipment - news on Plastech
The Meusburger Group is taking over the Berlin software specialist Segoni. Segoni will continue as an independent enterprise, and all employees will be retained.
More than 1.000 guests invited by Erema made their way to Ansfelden, Austria, for the Discovery Days 2018 from 27 to 29 June. Well-known companies from the plastics sector, such as Borealis, Engel, Greiner, Haidlmair and Henkel gave participants an insight into their view of working with plastics in a sustainable way.
Moretto USA, celebrating multiple years of both commercial success in the US and their recent relocation to a new, centrally located facility in Western Pennsylvania, will be proudly displaying the complete Moretto product range at NPE 2018.
Upgrade provides individual drive motor power measurement and real-time operator visualisation to reduce production line downtime.
KruiseKontrol, through the control and management of the speed of the material, the dedicated material handling and the backfeed content management, which constantly optimizes the system, guides the granule at the best speed to the target destination.
Presented in preview at Fakuma 2017 (and available on the market in 2018), Moisture Meter Manager is able to handle the drying process by creating a fully automatic loop allowing incredible energy efficiency and guaranteeing the production certification.
From the 17th to the 21st of October, Meusburger presents both the tried and trusted products and numerous innovations at the international trade fair for the processing of plastics.
With the founding of the POWERFIL business unit, EREMA, the manufacturer of plastics recycling systems, once again extends its portfolio and now also offers the proven melt filter as individual components for existing extrusion plants.
Company will target growing pharma industry in eastern Europe.
Eaton has launched new space-saving command and signalling devices, the RMQ Flat Front and RMQ Flat Rear components, which allow machine builders and engineers to implement premium design and build more cost-effective and compact machines.
Rapid Granulator makes major investment to take back full control of US production.
Moretto has finished its most successful K show with a record number of visitors at their two booths and the Moretto in Motion, articulated lorry.


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The north country has entered Phase IV of reopening during the three-month-long coronavirus pandemic.
However, according to a memo sent out by Robert Zayas, executive director of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, “schools are still prohibited from any indoor activities, any in-person instruction (excluding special education), and any organized sports or recreational activities that are hosted/operated,” — this is contrary to what the NYSPHSAA COVID-19 task force believed to be true.
Zayas sent out the memo Friday afternoon to the task force and all section executive directors, along with tweeting it out on his account.
In the memo, Zayas stated, “I realize this information is frustrating for many schools, coaches and student-athletes who planned to start on campus conditioning workouts upon entering Phase 4. However, as you know, these are challenging times for everyone, and decisions are made to protect and prevent future outbreaks.”
On June 12, the NYSPHSAA COVID-19 task force released a guide to operating offseason, voluntary workouts that it suggested member schools follow. In that guide, the task force recommended that workouts should not commence until certain criteria have been met, one of those criterion being “school enters Phase IV of the NY Forward reopening plan.”
That recommendation guide was updated Friday. The guide now recommends that schools only begin offseason workouts once “Governor (Andrew) Cuomo authorizes on campus sport activity.”
According to the memo, schools are permitted to allow outside individuals or groups access to their fields.