|Publication number||US4403695 A|
|Application number||US 06/337,497|
|Publication date||Sep 13, 1983|
|Filing date||Jan 6, 1982|
|Priority date||Jan 6, 1982|
|Publication number||06337497, 337497, US 4403695 A, US 4403695A, US-A-4403695, US4403695 A, US4403695A|
|Inventors||Russell A. Raymoure, Richard P. Bechtel, Jr., Ray Carson, Alva G. Don Carlos|
|Original Assignee||Hallmark Cards, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (4), Referenced by (25), Classifications (12), Legal Events (6)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This invention relates to the art of packaging and more particularly the invention relates to improvements in the packaging art involving a carton having an overwrap. Still more particularly, the invention involves the packaging of materials in a carton which is overwrapped with a heat-shrinkable plastic film.
Numerous articles are packaged in boxes or cartons fabricated of paperboard, fiberboard, chipboard and the like with the carton being enveloped by a heat-shrinkable plastic or shrink-type plastic film or overwrap. Many kinds of natural and synthetic polymers can be formed into relatively thin sheets of films (usually 3 mils or less). Films which shrink in length and/or width when heat is applied are known as shrink films. Such films when subjected to heat shrink up around an object in both high profile and low profile regions and conform to the object to give a neat, attractive package. Commercially available shrink-type films or heat-shrinkable plastics are formed from polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene and copolymers thereof, polyvinyls, such as polyvinyl chloride, such as "Saran Wrap", polystyrene and the like. The use of shrink-type films as a package overwrap affords a number of advantages, with one major advantage being that it assures the purchaser as to the integrity of the packaged article or articles. Thus, for example, when a puzzle consisting of many pieces is packaged in a carton having an unbroken overwrap, the purchaser is assured that the package has not been opened with possible loss of one or more pieces of the puzzle. On the other hand, when an overwrap film on a packaged article is disrupted, torn or broken, the sales appeal of the package is greatly diminished with many prospective customers being reluctant or refusing to purchase the article. This problem is particularly acute for manufacturers of jigsaw puzzles for which the slightest imperfection in the integrity of the packaging creats a psychological barrier to purchase. This often occurs even when by close inspection it can be easily determined that a portion of the overwrap material only is torn or broken and the overwrapped carton itself has not been opened. This negative sales appeal to customers resulting from torn or broken overwrap on packages causes economic loss to retailers, distributors and manufacturers of packaged articles.
It is a principal object of this invention to provide a neat, attractive article container having an unbroken, heat-shrinkable plastic film overwrap thereon which gives assurance as to the integrity of the package.
It is another object of the invention to provide an article container overwrapped with a heat-shrinkable plastic film in which disruption or breakage of the plastic overwrap is significantly reduced.
It is another object of the invention to provide a neat, attractive container having a heat-shrinkable plastic overwrap which is much less susceptible to being torn or broken during distribution and display than shrink film overwrapped prior art containers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of forming an article package having an unbroken, heat-shrinkable plastic overwrap thereon.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method of forming a package, including a carton and overwrap therefor, which method is simple and economical and provides a sturdy package on which the overwrap remains intact during distribution and display.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of forming a package including a carton overwrapped first within an intermediate paper overwrap and finally with a heat-shrinkable plastic film.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a packaging article comprising a carton characterized by the absence of sharp points at the corners thereof which is overwrapped with a heat-shrinkable plastic film such that the plastic film is not subjected to stress forces at the corners and thus resists breakage during handling, distribution and storage. The carton is formed of a rigid or semi-rigid material such as hardboard, chipboard, fiberboard and the like having a top and bottom and a plurality of sides disposed in angularly intersecting planes which define a plurality of angular corners and having portions of the apex regions of said corners cut-away so as to define a non-angular or blunt corner. The carton of the invention can be formed as a foldable box from a single blank or be composed of separable carton tray and lid components. In either case, the carton is formed with cut-out corners which do not present a sharp point or stress force to the plastic overwrap material.
The advantages and full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following disclosure and claims:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package embodying the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carton used in forming a package in accordance with this invention with the carton having separate tray and lid components.
FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a scored and cut-out blank from which the carton lid of FIG. 2 is formed.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a carton lid used to form a package in accordance with this invention.
FIG. 5 is a top plane view of a scored and cut-out blank from which the carton tray of FIG. 2 is formed.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a carton tray used to form a package in accordance with invention.
FIG. 7 is a broken away, enlarged partial view of a complete preferred package in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 8 shows schematically a method of forming a package in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention.
While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that we do not intend to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, we intend to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention includes a lid blank generally designated 10 which includes a top panel 12. The blank 10, which can be square, rectangular or any other polygonal shape which normally in erected condition presents sharp corners, includes end flaps 16 and 18 and side flaps 20 and 22 which are demarcated from the top panel 12 by score lines 24. Preferably, the distal corners of the flaps 16, 18, 20 and 22 are somewhat rounded or arcuate, as illustrated by numeral 25. The four corners of the lid 30 are provided with cut-outs 28 formed by cutting away portions of the side and end panels and top panel 12. In the drawings the cut-outs 28 are shown as being generally U-shaped but these cut-outs can have other configurations such as round, square, triangular, etc.
By folding downwardly the end flaps 16 and 18 and side flaps 20 and 22 on the associated score lines 24, the side and end flaps are in erected abutting relationship as shown in FIG. 4 to form a lid 30. The carton lid 30 is secured in erected or set-up condition by applying short strips of an adhesive tape 32, such as "staying" tape of Kraftpaper or the like, to the abutting corners of the side and end flaps. Metal stiches, stays, glue or other suitable bonding devices can be used. In certain instances the bonding of the corners can be eliminated entirely relying only on the paper overwrap for containment.
The tray 36 of the container or carton is similarly formed from a tray blank 38 having a bottom panel 40, end flaps 42 and 44 and side flaps 46 and 48. The side and end flaps are demarcated from the bottom panel 40 by score lines 50. The tray 36 is identical in shape but slightly smaller in size than the lid 30 to permit the lid to fit snugly thereon. Thus, the blank 38 from which the tray is formed is correspondingly smaller in size than the blank 10 from which the lid is formed. In a preferred form, the distal corners of the flaps 42, 44, 46 and 48 are somewhat rounded or arcuate as at 49. The four corners of blank 38 are provided with cut-outs 52 formed by cutting away portions of the side and end flaps and bottom panel 40. Cut-outs 52 are preferably of the same configuration as are the cut-outs 28 on lid 30.
By folding upwardly the end flaps 42 and 44 and side flaps 46 and 48 on the associated score lines 50, the side and end flaps are in erected abutting relationship as shown in FIG. 6 to form tray 36. The tray 36 is secured in erected or set-up condition by applying short strips of an adhesive tape 54 to the abutting edges of the side and end flaps. Means other than tape can, however, be utilized to maintain both the lid 30 and tray 36 in set-up condition. Such means could include, for example, joining the side and end flaps by means of lock tabs and the like.
A preferred package 65 according to the invention is formed as diagrammatically shown in FIG. 8 by setting-up from suitably cut-out blanks the tray 36 and lid 30 with corners of each being suitably taped or otherwise held in abutting relationship.
In one embodiment illustrated, the lid is then encased in an intermediate paper overwrap 58 which can be decorative and/or imprinted with desired indicia 59 to identify the packaged article, the manufacturer, etc. For example, in the case of a packaged jigsaw puzzle, the intermediate paper overwrap can be imprinted to illustrate the complete, fully assembled packaged puzzle. Use of an intermediate paper overwrap is optional and it can, as is desired, overwrap the entire assembled carton 65 or partially cover the carton leaving the carton bottom exposed. In any event, merchandise such as the various individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle are placed in the tray in a filling operation and the carton assembled by joining the lid and the tray. The assembled carton 55 containing the packaged article, such as a jigsaw puzzle, is then enveloped with a heat-shrinkable plastic film with the shrink-type film 60 being subjected to heat in accordance with procedures well-known in the art to cause it to shrink tightly around and conform to the carton. Various techniques known to the art for overwrapping an article with a shrink-type plastic film are known. In general, these techniques involve enveloping the article to be overwrapped with a sheet of a heat-shrinkable plastic, sealing the ends of the plastic sheet and subjecting the envelope to heat to cause the plastic shrink-type film to shrink tightly around the encased article. Air is generally exhausted through a small bleed hole provided in the film. Any suitable method of applying the shrink-type film to the carton can be employed.
A complete package 65 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is thus produced. By virtue of the cut-out corners 28 in the lid 30 and corners 52 in tray 36, the completed package is devoid of sharp film-disrupting points at all the corners of the carton. Sharp corners normally represent the points at which the shrink-type overwrap is subjected to greatest stress and where a high percentage of tearing or breaking is encountered in prior art packages. This problem is extremely acute when cartons having square pointed corners are subjected to an abrading action with other surfaces during shipment or while being packed or stacked with other cartons.
The size of the corner cut-outs of the carton is not critical and can be of a minimal size sufficient to eliminate sharp film-disrupting points at the corners. When the carton corner cut-outs are relatively small in size, there is usually no visible break or distortion in the continuity of the lines of the intermediate overwrap material or the final shrink-type overwrap. Excessively large corner cut-outs are less desired due to the possibility of the overwrap materials crunching at the cut-out and disrupting the continuity of the lines of the overwrap. Also, in instances where an intermediate overwrap material is not utilized, the carton corner cut-outs should not be of such large size as to permit escape of the package contents, such as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
The foregoing description describes a novel carton or box having a separate lid and tray component formed from blanks having cut-outs at the corner-forming portions of the blanks. The invention contemplates forming a carton devoid of sharp corner points from formable or foldable blank or blanks, suitably cut-out and scored to permit folding into a set-up completed carton.
Those modifications and equivalents which fall within the spirit of the invention are to be considered a part thereof.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US2823797 *||Jul 1, 1954||Feb 18, 1958||Westinghouse Electric Corp||Article packing and display container|
|US3410396 *||Jun 15, 1965||Nov 12, 1968||Meyer Geo J Mfg Co||Article and tray package|
|US3542193 *||Oct 9, 1968||Nov 24, 1970||American Home Prod||Package|
|US3987897 *||Apr 7, 1975||Oct 26, 1976||Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.||Label roll package|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US4762272 *||Aug 29, 1986||Aug 9, 1988||Lenny Herrin||Box formed from two tray-type containers|
|US4947605 *||Nov 10, 1988||Aug 14, 1990||E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company||Shrink-wrapping apparatus and method|
|US5370229 *||Aug 2, 1993||Dec 6, 1994||Eastman Kodak Company||High impact resistant packaging system and method|
|US5472092 *||Mar 30, 1994||Dec 5, 1995||H. J. Heinz Company||Shrink wrapped package and method for its production|
|US5515973 *||Jul 25, 1995||May 14, 1996||James River Paper Company, Inc.||Bulk package wrapping and securing system|
|US5620088 *||Mar 31, 1995||Apr 15, 1997||Johnson & Johnson Vision Products, Inc.||Packaging arrangement for contact lenses|
|US5664684 *||Aug 30, 1995||Sep 9, 1997||H.J. Heinz Company||Shrink wrapped package and method for its production|
|US5759146 *||Aug 28, 1995||Jun 2, 1998||Kpc/Master's Craft International, Inc.||Method and apparatus for making shrink package|
|US7583011 *||Feb 3, 2004||Sep 1, 2009||Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.||Package of surface-mountable electronic component|
|US7615183||Nov 3, 2006||Nov 10, 2009||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid blown film and method of manufacturing same|
|US7713601||Nov 20, 2006||May 11, 2010||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid shrink films and methods of casting same|
|US7846517||Apr 19, 2006||Dec 7, 2010||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid shrink films and methods of manufacturing same|
|US7998545||May 7, 2010||Aug 16, 2011||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid shrink films and methods of casting same|
|US8133558||Aug 24, 2005||Mar 13, 2012||Plastics Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid blown film and method of manufacturing same|
|US8263197||Jul 7, 2011||Sep 11, 2012||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid shrink films and methods of casting same|
|US8469193 *||Dec 23, 2004||Jun 25, 2013||Worldwise, Inc.||Vacuum activated shipping container|
|US8496868||Dec 6, 2010||Jul 30, 2013||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid shrink films and methods of manufacturing same|
|US8551586||Aug 22, 2012||Oct 8, 2013||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid shrink films and methods of casting same|
|US20040218769 *||Feb 3, 2004||Nov 4, 2004||Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.||Package of surface-mountable electronic component|
|US20050158492 *||Mar 18, 2005||Jul 21, 2005||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Longitudinal shrink films|
|US20060045940 *||Aug 24, 2005||Mar 2, 2006||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid blown film and method of manufacturing same|
|US20060138013 *||Dec 23, 2004||Jun 29, 2006||Aaron Lamstein||Vacuum activated shipping container|
|US20070003774 *||Apr 19, 2006||Jan 4, 2007||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid shrink films and methods of manufacturing same|
|US20070054073 *||Nov 3, 2006||Mar 8, 2007||Plastic Suppliers, Inc.||Polylactic acid blown film and method of manufacturing same|
|WO2006071733A1 *||Dec 21, 2005||Jul 6, 2006||Lamstein Aaron||Vacuum activated shipping container|
|U.S. Classification||206/497, 206/315.1, 53/441, 53/442, 206/432, 206/459.5|
|International Classification||B65D75/00, B65D5/68|
|Cooperative Classification||B65D5/68, B65D75/004|
|European Classification||B65D75/00B1, B65D5/68|
|Jan 6, 1982||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: HALLMARK CARDS, INC. 2501 MCGEE TRAFFICWAY, KANSAS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:RAYMOURE, RUSSELL A.;BECHTEL, RICHARD P. JR.;CARSON, RAY;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:003965/0408;SIGNING DATES FROM 19811218 TO 19811229
|Mar 6, 1987||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Mar 4, 1991||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8
|Apr 18, 1995||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Sep 10, 1995||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Nov 21, 1995||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 19950913


text:
Detailed Notes on Make Free Bitcoin
@jgarzik The the Postel maxim is widely, if not still universally, looked upon as a broken idea of the earlier. When It can be brought up within the IETF it's usually with regret or with mocking-- it can be right liable for numerous major challenges on the net these days. ( ).
Learn about crucial expense procedures that several Other folks learn about. Investing insights which could introduce you to definitely a number of the most profitable financial commitment options in Australia...and worldwide.
Now, Imagine if I tell you that these incentives have presently been dished out in selected aspects of the entire world?
Replying to @serklarvel @azizonomics @serklarvel @azizonomics I agree. The headline really should say one thing handy.
At the moment, you have the possibility to be Component of greatest overhaul into the fiscal system For the reason that US dollar was taken from the gold standard.
For those who have a reasonably impressive computer which is almost always on line, you may help the community by running Bitcoin Core. You can even use Bitcoin Main as an exceedingly secure Bitcoin wallet.
How to take a position…where to take a position…when to take a position…just how much to invest…and what to take a position in? Arm you With all the knowledge and knowhow that will assist you to become an improved, smarter, Trader.
Its better part is its server is quick, rarely any downtime is seasoned, also given that they are paying out weekly hardly consumer deal with their dry situation.
two of these of free and withdrawable instantaneously but relies on how claim it is possible to make in every 2nd.
Dependant on the adoption prices of previously releases, I do not be expecting The complete community to suddenly improve to 0.15 and result in a network break up (I transpire to Individually operate many older variations of bitcoin core, and I presume several Other individuals do way too, which might function bridges).
(Probably if btc1 modified network magic a handful of weeks or even more prior to any planned fork, then that would be ample to do away with the necessity listed here, but as I see btc1#99 (comment) You can find Evidently no urge for food for this.)
they can be as explicit as you need. I agree It can be simply a nit and not a large deal, but I really Will not fully grasp
It's not propaganda. Folks try here pay attention to his guidance In regards to stocks and enterprise so Why don't you bitcoin? Maybe you don't concur with him that's Alright, perhaps he retains a major place in bitcoin that's Alright, but that anchor does not make his viewpoint invalid or propaganda. At here the least Tim Draper places his cash the place his mouth is...
report titled ‘How to obtain Bitcoin’, Aussie tech investing skilled Sam Volkering lays out a step-by-action blueprint on how to obtain your very first bitcoin inside of half-hour.

domain: finance


text:
|This inspirational design has a wonderful dimensional quality. It is worked in a variety of threads and ribbons, with the addition of a brass pedestal and bread dough urn plus a brass butterfly. The painted background lends extra perspective.
Featured in: Embroidery & Cross Stitch, Vol 1 No 4; Embroidery With Judith & Kathryn; Ribbon Embroidery Book.
Helen recommends: Beginner.
Kit includes: Printed picture on fabric, ribbons, threads, urn, pedestal and butterfly.
All kits come complete with: Instructions, illustrations, patterns and coloured print.
Only one kit left before it’s taken off the website!

domain: artistic


text:
Workshop: How the NHS tackled MRSA
What can we learn from…how the NHS tackled MRSA?
This digital workshop explored how the NHS successfully reduced healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) such as MRSA, and what we can learn from its approach for delivering lasting change today.
- Ginny Edwards, Director, Edwards Consulting
- Sally Warren, Director of Policy, The King’s Fund

domain: medical


text:
About the Project
The Ethiopian Sustainable Food Project continues to make better than expected gains at the local, grassroots level throughout the northwest Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Because of the project’s strong local appeal to the potato growers and the conscientious work and follow-through efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture officials at the ARARI Center based in Bahir Dar and Adit, the “potato project” has made substantial gains towards its goals of supporting sustainable food production for Ethiopia. Here are several focus points of the project, and what has been undertaken to meet the challenges for improved crop growth and nutrition for Ethiopian citizens.
Potato Tissue Lab and Screen House Seed Production:
A tissue lab has been organized in Bahir Dar capable of providing disease free seed potatoes to all of northern Ethiopia. Production in the growth rooms and screen houses increases every year. An inventory of clones is available for the potato breeding program and for the entire nation. New, improved clone varieties selected by Ethiopian potato breeders are stored as disease free plantlets in sterile agar. After increasing in the lab the plantlets are planted in the screen houses for increase. One plantlet will produce about ten mini tubers for distribution to growers.
Seed Potato Increase and Distribution Program:
Seed potatoes of improved varieties are distributed to local farmers throughout the region. Each new demonstration site may include anywhere from five to fifty new farmers; at a minimum, five new sites have been added each year. Guassa and Belletta potato varieties have proven to be the most popular with local farmers. Once they experience the higher yields and the increased disease resistants inherent in the new seed potatoes, local farmers have shown whole-hearted support and enthusiasm. The first round of seed tubers are given free to farmers then they are expected to pay for their seed from the lab in the future. These potato payments are used to fund the cloning work at the tissue lab. This is an important cycle that helps to provide for the sustainability of the project.
On-Farm Seed Potato Storage:
These diffuse light seed potato storages stimulate the seed potatoes to become more dormant and resist dehydration. The tubers will not sprout until the next planting season.
Solar Dehydration of Potatoes and Vegietables:
The addition of this component to the project has two purposes. Farmers are taught to construct solar dehydrators out of local materials. They are taught to slice the potatoes (as well as other vegetables) and place them on racks for drying. Approximately 90% to 95% of the moisture can be removed in just a few hours in the African sun. The first purpose is to reduce the product to a flour, then integrate the potato flour into local recipes (especially the staple bread injerra). The second purpose of dehydration is to encourage the locals to keep a bag or two of the dehydrated potato flour in the pantry, where the dried potatoes will keep for years. Following a year or two of returning drought (that is sure to happen as it has in the past), the citizens will have a daily nutrition source that can keep families alive simply by adding water, until the next rainy season and harvest can return normalcy to their lives. Also, mashed potatoes are becoming a favorite mix in bread dough or injera.
Nutrition Research & Information Dissemination:
This portion of the project is designed to provide nutritionally high-valued recipes to farmers and their wives to encourage the use of potatoes in their diets. As farmers produce larger crops of tastier, disease resistant potatoes, the problem of minimizing the seasonal impact of this crop at the marketplace and enhancing local diets with tasty recipes requires on-site nutrition workshops. These have been very well attended by both the farmers and their wives. Cutting the traditional teff with a powdered potato mixture or mashed potatoes has proven quite popular. The high vitamin and mineral quality of the potato has benefited the nutritional value of traditional Ethiopian food, and served as a hedge for the next drought brought on by the cycle of mother nature.
Click the flag to Donate Now

domain: food


text:
Find a bed and breakfast in Green Mountain National Forest Vermont for your romantic weekend getaway. Intimate b & bs are cozy, romantic accommodations that are perfect for a mini-vacation, honeymoon, or wedding anniversary celebration. You will love the unique charm of our inns in Green Mountain National Forest Vermont. Many guesthouses include complimentary breakfasts and unbeatable hospitality. Browse our bed & breakfasts and plan your Green Mountain National Forest Vermont romantic getaway today!
|Page:1 of 1||Sort By:|
Bed & Breakfasts Wallingford, Vermont - Elegant farmhouse in magnificent setting. Let us pamper you with romantic guestrooms and packages including chauffeur-driven ride to dinner in 1939 Cadillac limousine. Indulge yourself with a stay in one of our secluded honeymoon cottages.
Bed & Breakfasts GOSHEN, Vermont - Blueberry Hill Inn located in the heart of the Green Mountain National Forest of Vermont surrounded by 75km of trails both for winter and summer. Twelve rooms all with private baths, ecclectic regional cuisine,fabulous surroundings and gardens.
Bed & Breakfasts Bennington, Vermont - Welcoming 1859 southern Vermont inn. Located close to downtown and historic Old Bennington; near the covered bridges and Bennington College. Restful and well appointed B&B lodging and delicious food in a casually relaxed atmosphere.
Bed & Breakfasts Ludlow, Vermont - 1840 Victorian Inn offering full service. Some rooms with jacuzzi and fireplace, all with private baths, restaurant, pool, tennis court, jacuzzi, dock on Echo Lake with canoes and rowboat. 5 miles to Okemo Mountain for skiing, snowmobiling, xcountry
Bed & Breakfasts Westmore, Vermont - The Inn is situated in an exquisite natural setting on Lake Willoughby. Lodging in our eleven unique guest rooms and eight cozy cottages is gracious and informal, providing a perfectly relaxed atmosphere for vacationing in all four seasons.
Bed & Breakfasts Arlington-Sunderland, Vermont - Charming country setting, nestled on 16 acres. Hospitality starts with a warm welcome. Excellent cuisine, full breakfast service, mini bars, cedar wood hot tub,immaculatly clean rooms, pool,near shopping and sports activities.Dinner on request.
Bed & Breakfasts Roxbury, Vermont - Johnnycake Flats is a family owned B & B nestled in a valley surrounded by open fields and woods. Come join us for a true country experience in any season. Great breakfasts too!
Bed & Breakfasts Killington, Vermont - A haven for foodies, sports’ enthusiasts, and destination weddings, the Inn and Restaurant are acclaimed for local food with European flair; stylish, comfortable lodging with mountain views; fireside après-ski and plentiful wine cellar.
Bed & Breakfasts Woodstock, Vermont - 2011 received our 10th award! This award winning indulgent 'green' inn aimed at adults. Run along European lines the inn has a 21st century style and specialises in O.T.T. bathrooms and local/organic foods. Rated # 2 on TripAdvisor in the village
Bed & Breakfasts Woodstock, Vermont - Peaceful refinement on 3 acres just outside the village of Woodstock. Our 1890 manor offers 11 guest rooms - all private baths, antiques, fine linens, garden views, multi-course breakfast, TV, WIFI and AC. Some gas fireplaces and massage tubs.

domain: geography


The 1/2 in. Copper Press x FPT Female Adapter copper press fitting is NSF Listed, lead free and features a robust EPDM O-Rings to ensure a clean leak free seal. Copper press fittings are designed for mechanical connection to ASTM B88-Type K, L and M copper tubing in hard drawn condition. Utilizing a hydraulic press tool, a watertight seal can be made in seconds without no flame, solder or flux. Each press fitting comes standard with leak before press technology to easily identify a fitting that has not been pressed. Connections can be made in wet or dry conditions reducing project downtime. These fittings are available in sizes from 1/2 in. to 1 in. and are compatible with all major hydraulic press tools.


text:
Coconut and mango give a Thai twist to the creamy classic rice pudding.
Fuel your creative spark. Sign up for eletters today and get the latest from Fine Cooking plus special offers.
I served this wonderful lightly sweetened pudding in tall stemmed glasses for a fancy presentation. Everyone enjoyed them and I'm happy they were not very sweet.
Pete welcomes us to Virginia on this episode of Moveable Feast, where we meet skilled oystermen Ryan & Travis Croxton, as well as chef Dylan Fultineer. Dylan brings Pete to…View all Moveable Feast recipes and video extras
© 2017 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Fine Cooking may receive a percentage of sales for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Do you really want to delete the list, ?
This won't delete the recipes and articles you've saved, just the list.
This feature has been temporarily disabled during the beta site preview.
Add/Edit a private note for this recipeThis note is only visible to you.
Double CheckAre you sure you want to delete your notes for this recipe?


text:
Grantee Research Project Results
The Maintenance of Diversity on Coral Reefs: Empirical Tests of the Role of Aggregation in Promoting Coral Species RichnessEPA Grant Number: F5E20892
Title: The Maintenance of Diversity on Coral Reefs: Empirical Tests of the Role of Aggregation in Promoting Coral Species Richness
Investigators: Idjadi, Joshua A.
Institution: University of Delaware
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 1, 2005 through August 1, 2007
Project Amount: $94,232
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (2005) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Academic Fellowships
This project will use manipulative experiments and mensurative surveys to test the role of aggregation in promoting coral species coexistence. Specifically, the investigation will focus on the influence of the spatial dispersion of strong and weak competitors on the ability of the less competitive species to grow and survive (coexist) in artificial competitive arenas.
There are worldwide reports of coral reef degradation involving reduced coral abundance and diversity. This project will provide information about what processes maintain diversity on coral reefs and about how diversity might be restored. There is no shortage of theories and models regarding processes, which increase diversity and species coexistence. This project will focus on empirical tests of a spatial heterogeneity mechanism specifically, the aggregation/segregation hypothesis. The aggregation/segregation hypothesis simply predicts that common corals are more aggregated in speciose communities. The grouping of aggressive, competitive species leaves suitable, vacant habitat and thus helps promote the presence of a greater diversity of less competitive organisms. In addition, when neighboring corals are more likely to be conspecifics than heterospecifics, the spatial separation of different species prevents exclusion by the competitive dominant. This project will address the hypothesis by using both mensurative and manipulative studies at two study sites on two Pacific coral reefs across a range of coral species richness.
Preliminary experiments indicated that an aggregated pattern of strong competitors could positively influence the growth of less competitive species. Weakly competitive coral branches were placed on plastic tiles in competition with conspecifics and heterospecifics with treatments representing different levels of aggregation and the plates were attached to the substratum in lagoonal habitats in Moorea, French Polynesia and Heron Island, GBR, Australia. Growth and survivorship were recorded after one year. Corals competing with the same number and type of competitors grew almost twice as much in aggregated patterns. Further planned experiments will test the roles of interspecific competition among strong competitors and the importance of colony position in aggregated and regulary dispersed patches on the growth and survivorship of weak competitors. The project will also test the influence of competitive release (via open space in which to grow) on the aggregation effect observed in earlier experiments. Mensurative surveys are being conducted to confirm the occurrence of natural aggregation and to establish the frequency of these competitive interactions on the natural reef.
If further experiments confirm the importance of aggregation in promoting coral species coexistence, this study will have implicated one of the putative mechanisms for generating diversity on coral reefs. This information could be used to assess the condition of healthy reefs and to guide reef restoration efforts.

domain: biology


- Cory Sandhagen put on a show as he outclassed Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC Fight Night
- The Sandman dominated the bout from start to finish, but one judge still scored Vera as the winner
- Sandhagen proved difficult to hit as he constantly switched stances and stayed out of Vera's range
The UFC’s Bantamweight is stacked with talented fighters, and two of the division’s top athletes showcased that at UFC Fight Night.
Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera and Cory ‘The Sandman’ Sandhagen fought in the main event, with both fighters hoping to make a big statement as they chase Aljamain Sterling for the gold.
While the opening minutes of the first round started cagey, Sandhagen took control as he took Chito down to the ground.
Vera managed to land shots from the bottom, but Sandhagen soon took control and dominated the rest of the round, firing shots at his grounded opponent.
Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡ click on "Recommended for you" and enjoy!
Sandhagen, ranked fifth in the division, had ground control again in the second round, dominating the third-ranked Vera. Chito’s coaches were once again not impressed with their fighter’s output in round two and wanted more.
Buoyed by his domination in the first two rounds, Sandhagen pressed forward in the third. While Vera was able to avoid being taken down in the third, he still got tagged a few times by Sandhagen’s strikes. Vera found his range a bit more in the third and landed some good shots of his own.
Sandhagen proved very difficult to hit as he kept switching his stances and left Vera guessing.
Chito landed a few shots, but nothing really threatened The Sandman, who looked comfortable as ever. Sandhagen attempted another takedown, but when that failed, he went back to sticking with staying out of range and using his reach to his advantage.
Vera needed to come out swinging in the fifth and final round as many felt he was down on the judges’ scorecards. Despite his best efforts in the opening minute, it was Sandhagen who took the fight to the ground once again. Vera managed to get back to his feet with two and a half minutes to go, but Sandhagen’s movement and switching of stances made him very hard to hit.
Vera put his foot on the pedal in the last minute, as he tried to find a finish, but it was too little, too late. The fight went to the judges’ scorecards and despite The Sandman’s dominance throughout the fight, not all the judges agreed on the decision.
One judge scored the fight in favour of Vera, while the other two gave the nod to Sandhagen.
Who is the best UFC Bantamweight?
The UFC's Bantamweight division is properly stacked, and over the years, legendary athletes have battled for glory within the 126-135 pounds (57.2-61.2 kg) weight class.
Some of the best bantamweight fighters in the world in the male category include Suga Sean O'Malley, Petr 'No Mercy' Yan, Cory "The Sandman" Sandhagen and Merab 'The machine' Dvalishvili.
Sports Brief looks at the best Bantamweights in the business and who is chasing down Amanda Nunes and Aljamain Sterling for the gold.


text: Bloodbath release new video for ‘Church Of Vastitas’ Asher November 14, 2014 News An announcement earlier this year saw Paradise Lost vocalist Nick Holmes joining on vocals and the announcement of a new full length. The resulting album, Grand Morbid Funeral,also has guest appearances from Chris Reifert and Eric Cutler of Autopsy. Grand Morbid Funeral is out 11/18 on Peaceville Records. The track “Church of Vastitas” has now been released for your listening pleasure. Watch here.

domain: news


Product Overview: Buy Kimber Custom LW For Sale Online cost (Price) Semi-Automatic Pistol 9mm Luger 5″ Barrel 8-Round Flat Dark Earth Black
Aluminum was used for the frame of the kimber custom lw for sale online (Lightweight) 1911 pistol, and black rubber was used for the grips. It has a front sight that is red fiber optic, a white dot rear sight, and a 5″ match grade stainless barrel. Additionally, the slide has an FDE finish.
It comes with a single magazine in the package. The fact that Kimber manufactures the world’s best 1911 pistols right here in the United States makes perfect sense, given that there are few things that are as quintessentially American as a 1911.
The Kimber gun factory is responsible for the production of virtually every important component of each and every pistol. The best raw materials are brought in through the front gate, and from there, Kimber takes care of the rest. This is the only way to guarantee that every component lives up to Kimber’s unparalleled standards.
WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm – www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
|Overall Length||8.7 Inches|
|Barrel Length||5 Inches|
|Trigger Type||Single Action|
|Front Sight||Fiber Optic|
|Rear Sight||Fixed with White Dot|
|Frame Finish||Flat Dark Earth|
|Slide Finish||Flat Dark Earth|
|Country of Origin||United States of America|
There are no reviews yet.


Catalysis Today, Vol.372, 198-210, 2021
LED visible-light activated mesoporous TiO2: A better understanding about carbon role in the photocatalytic performance of solid
Carbon and iron co-doped mesoporous titanium dioxide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized through an environmentally friendly methodology. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DR), N-2 adsorption/desorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Significant advances about the nature of carbon species responsible of photosensibility of solids, distinguishing furthermore between environmental surface carbon and the carbon that truly forming part of the oxide network, are presented. In order to avoid confusing results that frequently arise from conventional XPS analysis, pickling studies were carried out measuring depth XPS profiles. Effect of a calcination treatment and the co-doping with Fe was studied in terms of the response of solids to visible light coming from LED modules for the Ibuprofen degradation. The highest degradation of the drug (about 90 %) was reached in 5 h of reaction using photocatalyst co-doped with Fe/C and treated at 200 degrees C. The generation of new electronic states narrowing the TiO2 band gap due presence of carbon and iron in interstitial and substitutional sites of network is proposed to account for this behavior.
Keywords:Mesoporous TiO2;Active carbon and iron species;Pickling XPS analysis;Emerging pollutants;Photocatalysis;LED visible light


text:
A cautionary tale for potentially dishonest doctorsBMJ 2022; 377 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o1298 (Published 23 May 2022) Cite this as: BMJ 2022;377:o1298
There is a scene in episode three of the BBC series “This is Going to Hurt” where the central character, a junior doctor called Adam, is walking briskly in an underground station. As he is about to exit the station, he stumbles upon a person collapsed on the ground. A passer-by yells “Hey, someone, find a doctor, she fainted.” Adam walks past the increasingly chaotic scene when, with a heavy sigh, he turns back towards the patient. Maybe, I thought, he remembered paragraph 26 of the General Medical Council’s guidance “Good Medical Practice,” which states that doctors “must offer help if emergencies arise in clinical settings or in the community.”
As Adam approaches the patient, another person rushes to the scene. “Are you…,” asks Adam. “A GP” comes the reply. Relieved, Adam says that he is a “Dentist. Trainee dentist.” and rushes off, leaving the GP to assist the patient.
Adam’s quick-witted reply is humorous but, in real life, it could land him in trouble.
Contrary to his claim, Adam was no dentist, trainee, or otherwise. Putting aside concerns about criminal breaches of the Dentists Act 1984, which prohibits people from holding themselves out as a dentist and using the title “dentist” (“either alone or in combination with any other word”) unless registered with the General Dental Council, Adam deliberately misled a GP colleague and the members of the public who heard his lie.
For doctors, dishonesty lies at the severe end of the spectrum of sins and can lead to suspension or erasure from the medical register. If someone reported Adam to the GMC, there is little doubt that the allegations of misconduct would include reference to the GMC’s Duties of a Doctor, in particular “Be honest and open and act with integrity” and “never abuse your patients’ trust in you or the public’s trust in the profession.” The Medical Practitioners Tribunals, who make independent decisions about doctors’ fitness to practise, often remark in their written judgments that the doctor’s dishonest conduct violated a fundamental tenet of the medical profession and brought the profession into disrepute.
The key word here is “trust.” Dishonesty tends to damage trust and trust is the bedrock of medical ethics. Without trust, society’s faith in doctors will collapse and so will the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship. Most doctors, I suspect, will know that dishonesty towards patients and relatives is ethically prohibited in nearly all situations, but fewer doctors are aware that this duty of honesty extends to colleagues and others beyond the clinic, from the postman to the plumber.
I have had medical clients in trouble with their regulator for dishonesty towards their home insurer, the police about a minor traffic offence, a marketer on Facebook, and a receptionist at a clinic. In each of those cases, no patients were involved. There was no risk of physical harm to anyone, nor any concerns about clinical competence. Yet, the doctors were under investigation because their dishonest conduct injured the general respectability of the profession.
The take home message for doctors is to be scrupulously honest, in and out of work, unless the situation obviously allows for ethical dishonesty, as in a game of poker. Doctors should be aware that what they consider a “white lie” or harmless fib may not be interpreted as such by others. In this sense, doctors are always “on ethical duty,” upholding the high standards of conduct expected of the medical profession.
This rule applies also to social media, where some doctors—like Icarus—fly perilously close to the sun. Adam’s dishonesty in the underground station would probably never be detected. On social media, where statements may be exposed for the world to see, the likelihood of detection and reporting to the GMC or one’s employer is higher.
In my experience, many doctors under investigation for acts of dishonesty, especially if these took place in a non-professional environment, are surprised by the dramatic consequences of their deception. Forced to reflect on their actions, most do eventually appreciate why honesty is held sacred by their regulator, but best to acquire this insight before any wrongdoing rather than afterwards, hence this column.
Competing interests: none declared.
Provenance and peer review: commissioned, not peer reviewed.

domain: law


text:
Passionate about her characters’ unique destinies, author Bessora talks about her beginnings as a writer and the release of her latest novel, Les Orphelins (The Orphans), wherein she retraces an obscure historical event.
Updated on 27/04/2021
After dreaming of becoming an air hostess then making a career in finance, you’ve finally devoted your days to writing. How did it come into your life? What event led you to change your life?
I started by working in the financial world in Geneva, which didn’t suit me at all. I went on a journey to South Africa one day, and at the end of the trip I decided to take up studying again, in anthropology. I then wrote a memoir that amounted to a transition to fiction but I had no ambition to write books. As a child I didn’t imagine that there was a book trade or writers. I had fun writing this first novel during my thesis, without thinking that it would work. After having a friend read it, I sent it to an editor and he published it. I didn’t really know if I was made for writing or if a second novel was going to take shape. Nowadays, I don’t think that you’re really born a writer but rather that you spend your life becoming one.
Your literary style is sometimes compared to Boris Vian, sometimes to Nathalie Sarraute. What were your major influences in the artistic world?
I am a watchful sponge, meaning I soak up everything. Not just from my reading or my artistic tastes. I can be inspired by a scene witnessed or experienced in the metro, in a restaurant, in a documentary, or in a painting. It’s impossible for me to give it a specific name because there are too many things that can spark an emotion. Personally, I don’t understand this need to compare authors to each other and I really do think that each one is unique. I should obviously feel flattered to be compared to Boris Vian or to Nathalie Sarraute, but the value of the comparison escapes me.
In your novels, you like to explore destiny and how your characters try to break free of it by forging their own path. How do you envisage this theme? What is the seed of this inspiration?
I have a real soft spot for pariah characters and I want to examine how we break free of these labels. As we live in society, we have to respect a certain number of rules, except when they become oppressive and veer towards totalitarian doctrine. So how do we break free of it? It’s quite prominent in Les Orphelins, my latest novel, as my two characters are emblematic of two doctrines, Nazism and apartheid. They find themselves trapped in this indoctrination and try to free themselves from it. Is it possible? What path does each one take? I find these topics fascinating.
Your latest novel, Les Orphelins, broaches an obscure historical event where 83 children, supposedly Aryan orphans, were adopted by white South African families in 1948. How did you learn about this story? How did this project take shape in your mind?
I told you I was a watchful sponge. I was watching television around three years ago and saw Weisses Blut, a documentary by Regine Dura. Already fascinated by South Africa, where I had the opportunity to travel several times, I was floored by a sequence where Peter, one of the two protagonists, talks about his toxic relationship with his adoptive mother. There are pain-filled silences and you can discern, in the eyes of this man who’s now 70 years old, the eight-year-old child from 1948. I felt straight away that there was something to write and I had a strong urge to find it. I already knew that the narrative wouldn’t be an essay but definitely fiction, a novel. After applying for a Stendhal mission, I set off for South Africa a few months later.
You went on a Stendhal mission to South Africa in 2018 to write this novel. Can you tell us about your trip?
My story structure was vague when I left, and I knew that this trip would help me focus on the narrative approach I wanted to give the book. When I got to the Cape, I didn’t have Peter’s details and I quickly realised that no one had ever heard about this story. By all accounts, it’s not the kind of story you want to remember and celebrate. Thanks to a few details gleaned from the documentary, I identified the names of towns and railways that helped me locate an estate with 62 houses where he lived. After a surreal investigation, I got his address and was warmly welcomed when I told him that I’d travelled 10,000 km to see him. He agreed to answer my questions and he had a book that belonged to Werner, another adopted child who’d since died and who I’d never found. It was the first time I was writing fiction based on a real person and I was eager not to betray the facts.
During this Stendhal mission, you managed to get in contact with and meet one of the adopted children. How did you rework this connection in the text? What memories do you have of your talks with him?
I’m still in contact with him, his wife, and his daughter. I sent them the book and I hope it’ll be translated into English so they can read it. He told me a lot about the relationship he had with his adoptive parents and he brought me to his childhood home. I was able to get photos and records but these weren’t formal interviews. They were invitations to lunch or walks along the beach with his family members and friends. It turned out that his daughter was born in Germany but grew up in South Africa: she told me recently that, at 46 years old, she moved to Germany because she never felt South African. This reinforces the idea that there was a trauma spanning generations, that she was torn apart by this story that happened before she was born.
While this story was brought to the screen in Weisses Blut, a 2011 documentary by Regine Dura, you would also like to adapt it as an original screenplay. Do you have any initial ideas for directing? Would you like to create this film yourself or entrust it to someone else?
I love dramaturgy — the art of telling stories — but I’m not a professional scriptwriter. I would of course be very happy to contribute to the audiovisual adaptation, even if I don’t think I’m up to taking on the project all alone. I’m doing some beginner scriptwriting courses, notably with scriptwriter and mentor Isabelle Blanchard. I’ve already gone as far as writing a treatment but that’s not enough yet since a film adaptation isn’t a literary transposition. The book is very visual to begin with and it can be read in sequences like you’d watch a film. The result, however, depends on the scriptwriter’s and the director’s freedom of interpretation. I was thinking about a collaboration with director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who created The Staircase, a documentary series on the Michael Peterson case, but I haven’t yet been in contact with a producer.
The concept of obsession with safety, already present in your novel Courant d'air aux Galeries (Draughts in the Galeries), as well as fear of the other are explored at length in Les Orphelins. What is your take on the present day and the excesses of a complex world?
I think we’re living in a society that’s becoming increasingly polarised, where identities are hardening. It makes me sad because I wrote several books encompassing these themes twenty years ago and I’m unhappy to see that things haven’t changed over time. You could even say that things have gotten worse. It looks like you have to be an optimist and that history goes in cycles but we’re not in a good place.
Thanks to the Institut français Stendhal programme, Bessora went to South-Africa to write her latest novel Les Orphelins (The Orphans).
The Stendhal programme supports French-language authors whose writing project justifies living abroad for at least one month.
Most popular within the same topic

domain: literature


text:
Maintaining a comprehensive healthcare plan is paramount when planning for your golden years. For seniors relying on Medicare, understanding the various components of the service is crucial to ensure that all of their healthcare needs are met. While Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) covers hospital and medical insurance, it does not typically offer prescription drug coverage. Medicare Part D – the prescription drug coverage program – was established to fill this gap.
Medicare Part D provides crucial coverage for prescription medications required by seniors to manage their health effectively. Offered through private insurance companies approved by Medicare, these plans are designed to help beneficiaries save on prescription drug costs and protect against high or unexpected prescription expenses. With a wide array of Part D plans available, it’s essential to understand their structure and select the one that best meets your specific needs and budget.
At DeSeguros LLC, we are dedicated to helping our clients make informed decisions regarding their healthcare coverage. As independent health insurance agents, we work with leading providers like Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser Permanent, and UnitedHealthcare to simplify your Medicare planning process. Our expertise in senior benefits allows us to navigate the complexities of Medicare and its various components, providing you with the knowledge and tools necessary to create a tailored healthcare plan for your retirement years.
In this article, we will guide you through the ins and outs of Medicare Part D, including eligibility, enrollment, plan options, and key cost-saving strategies. By equipping yourself with this knowledge, you will be better positioned to make informed decisions regarding your prescription drug coverage, ensuring your continued health, and financial security.
Eligibility and Enrollment for Medicare Part D
Enrollment in Medicare Part D is voluntary and available to beneficiaries enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B. If you have Medicare Advantage and wish to receive prescription drug coverage, you may opt for a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) Plan, which combines health and prescription drug coverage into a single plan.
You may enroll in a Medicare Part D plan when you first become eligible for Medicare during your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP). The IEP spans seven months, starting three months before your 65th birthday, including your birth month, and lasting three months afterward. You may also enroll during the Annual Election Period (AEP), which runs from October 15th to December 7th each year, allowing changes to your Medicare coverage, including the addition or alteration of your Part D plan.
Missing these enrollment windows could result in late enrollment penalties or higher premiums. It is, therefore, crucial to be aware of these time frames and plan accordingly.
Understanding Medicare Part D Plan Options
There are two primary ways to obtain prescription drug coverage through Medicare Part D:
- Standalone Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs): These plans provide drug coverage to beneficiaries with Original Medicare or Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap). PDPs only cover prescription medications and do not impact your Part A or Part B coverage.
- Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) Plans: As mentioned earlier, these plans offer comprehensive health coverage, combining Parts A and B and adding prescription drug coverage (Part D) into one plan.
When selecting the right Part D plan, consider factors such as premiums, deductibles, copayments, covered medications, and the pharmacy network. It’s essential to assess your prescription drug needs and estimate your annual expenses to determine the most suitable plan.
Cost-Related Factors and Savings Strategies
Medicare Part D costs vary from plan to plan, with different levels of premiums, deductibles, and copayments. Here are some key cost-related factors to consider when choosing a Part D plan:
- Monthly Premiums: The monthly fee you pay for having prescription drug coverage. Premiums may vary depending on the plan and region.
- Deductibles: The annual amount you pay out-of-pocket for prescriptions before your plan begins to cover costs. Deductibles must not exceed the annual limit set by Medicare, though some plans offer lower deductibles or waive them altogether.
- Copayments or Coinsurance: The portion of prescription costs you are responsible for after meeting the deductible, either as a flat fee (copayment) or a percentage of the drug’s cost (coinsurance).
- Coverage Gap (Donut Hole): You enter the coverage gap phase after your total prescription drug costs hit a certain threshold. In this stage, you pay a higher percentage of your drug costs until reaching the catastrophic coverage level, at which point your out-of-pocket expenses will reduce significantly.
To maximize savings, consider these strategies:
- Review your plan’s formulary (the list of covered drugs) and ensure that your prescription medications are included.
- Look for possible generic alternatives to your current medications, as generics can often be more cost-effective.
- Use in-network pharmacies to take advantage of your plan’s negotiated drug prices.
- Investigate additional cost-saving programs, such as manufacturer discounts or state pharmaceutical assistance programs, to reduce your prescription drug costs.
Maintaining and Adjusting Your Part D Plan
As your health needs change over time, so too might your prescription drug requirements. Therefore, it is crucial to review your Part D plan each year during the Annual Election Period (AEP) to ensure that it continues to meet your needs.
Stay informed about changes to your plan’s formulary, premium costs, or pharmacy networks, as these factors could influence your healthcare expenses. The AEP provides a valuable opportunity to adjust your coverage if you find your current Part D plan is no longer the best fit.
Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) plays a vital role in your comprehensive healthcare plan, ensuring you receive the medications you need at affordable prices. You can confidently navigate the complex Medicare landscape by staying informed of your eligibility requirements, understanding available plan options, and developing cost-saving strategies.
At DeSeguros LLC, our expertise in senior health benefits and dedication to our clients empowers us to guide you in making informed decisions that protect your health and financial well-being. Allow us to be your supportive partner on your healthcare journey, offering knowledge, strategies, and access to leading insurance providers to support your healthcare needs throughout your retirement years. Visit our website to explore our Medicare prescription drug plans.


text:
AJ Krafton – Heartstopping Fiction That is Epic in Scope
Author AJ Krafton has always been fascinated with Victorian society and has a thing for vampires, which is very evident when reading her book, The Heartbeat Thief. However, having already written about demivamps in her Demimonde series, she came up with a brand new twist for The Heartbeat Thief. Today we chat to her about the immense research that the book required, the challenge of writing about macabre subject matter and the influence of Edgar Allan Poe on her work.
Please give us a short introduction to The Heartbeat Thief
The Heartbeat Thief is a paranormal tale that begins in Victorian England. Senza Fyne is a young woman whose mother is arranging an advantageous marriage for her daughter. Two things stand in the way of Senza’s scripted destiny: her overwhelming fear of death, and her increasing infatuation with a mysterious stranger, Mr. Knell.
When Knell offers an escape from the worst of her fears—the chance to remain young and beautiful for all eternity—she seizes the opportunity without realizing the price she’ll pay.
What would you do with a life if it lasted forever?
What made you choose to branch out to New Adult speculative fiction?
Like most writers, I keep a perpetual story file in my head, ideas and plots and characters that I keep tucked away, waiting for a break between projects. I generally write for adult audiences.
Several story ideas, however, featured younger protagonists but, because I tend to go deep and serious and sometimes very, very dark, I never felt comfortable labelling it Young Adult. I write stuff I didn’t want middle schoolers carrying around in their bookbags. It sounds a little like censoring, but that’s the mom in me. Sorry. However, mature teens 16 and up usually have no problems reading my stories (as well as inspire me to push my own limits in writing.
Because THE HEARTBEAT THIEF deals with violence, death, and the consequences of sexual activity, I decided to label it NA. I have been told that it’s still YA friendly, so…I guess it depends on the person reading it. In the end, the author picks the label…but once the book is in the hands of the reader, it goes where the audiences take it.
Senza goes through quite an interesting character arc in your story. How challenging was it to write about her experience while still keeping her relatable to readers?
I knew who Senza was on the inside so I had an advantage. The main problem was dealing with a character who, on all outward appearances, was beautiful to perfection. We live in a society that judges books by their covers; the Victorians were no different.
Senza is a kind girl, compassionate and caring. She puts others before herself. She’s devoted to her family. She’s a great reader and possesses immense intelligence and wit. She’s also doing her best to be a model daughter for her mother, whose only goal is to get that girl married.
So it’s tough writing a character who, in the beginning, is constantly extolled for her beauty. But that’s the constant dialog that goes on when she’s with her mother. “You’re beautiful. We have to get you married before you grow older and your beauty fades.”
The loss of beauty and, with it, her mother’s approval only fuels her harrowing fear of death. It’s what motivates her to make the dark deal with Knell.
But, once she becomes immortal, her beauty becomes a static, unchanging thing—and no longer an overwhelmingly consuming obsession. Senza is free to grow and learn and live as her internal charms dictate…which is how readers can connect to her.
I guess there is a little lesson in it. Look beyond the surface to see the real person inside. That’s where the secret of true beauty lies.
What is it that drew you to the Victorian era for your story?
I’ve always been fascinated with Victorian society—the fashion, the societal structure, the moral code…and the burgeoning interest in the macabre. All these things provided the ideal setting for a tale of love, of loss, and of magic.
Your book features quite a few compelling secondary characters. Who is your personal favorite and why?
Senza went through many stages in her long life—I patterned the story after “The Masque of the Red Death” and so the story’s scene-changing mimics passage through the seven apartments of Poe’s tale. Each “apartment” has its own special characters.
Overall, Aggie, Senza’s cousin, is a favorite. She’s someone who is very much embroiled in the whole get-a-husband scheme. For her, prospects aren’t quite as bright as Senza’s so her path through life leads her to a very different place. When last they meet, it is very apparent these two girls, who had once been as close as sisters, grew into very different women. Circumstances can change a person and, ultimately, her heart.
What made you decide to forge your own path instead of following the more traditional vampire stereotype?
Okay, I admit—I have a huge thing for vampires. (Just watched “Dracula Untold” recently and I was cheering throughout the whole thing!) This isn’t the first “vampire” story I’ve written. My Demimonde series is a trilogy about demivamps and the advice columnist-turned-oracle who is destined to save them from spiritual destruction.
Stealing heartbeats instead of drinking blood to maintain immortality was a concept that actually was born of my interest in Victorian society. In keeping with the moral code and rules of modesty, biting and blood drinking would have been scandalous to the point of exile from society—and Senza had to remain within society.
I liked the fresh idea, the thought that we could nick a heartbeat from someone else by touching their skin, feeling their pulse, imaging the throb of life that pushes it. And, who knows? It may actually be possible in this world where nothing is impossible. I like to daydream that there are heartbeat thieves out there, somewhere, and Knell is just waiting his turn to dance with us.
Your story spans 150 years and numerous cities, did you research the time period and how did you go about choosing what historical references to include in the book?
The research was immense (I only put more research into one other tale, and that was about a social worker so I had to study the profession as well as many aspects of mental health). However, I realized I’ve been working on this research for decades.
I read a lot of Georgian and Victorian literature. Historical documentaries and romances are my favorite films to watch. And I’m pretty sure the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe has been tethered to my soul all my life. The Victorian sections were easiest to write because I’ve long immersed myself in the culture.
But Senza didn’t stay in Victorian England. She travelled, through time and across the world to different eras in different places. She summered in Provence…revisited London during the Flapper Age…travelled the East Coast of the US during the Twentieth Century…and found herself in present day New England. Each time period was a unique experience and I did my best to capture the essences of each of those places, each one completely different from the last, to give depth to Senza’s incredible journey through eternal life.
Judging by the Edgar Allan Poe quotes in your book you seem to be a fan of the author. What do you think it is about his writing that made his work so iconic?
Poe was a haunted, melancholy man whose writing was raw and soul-borne. While his contemporaries were following the path to transcendentalism, he instead chose to write in the gothic style. Perhaps it was to give the masses what they wanted: transcendentalism was an intellectual, elevated form while gothic verses spoke to the everyday man and our preoccupation with darkness and death.
Spooky tales, mournful epitaphs, tales of loss and longing and failure—these were the types of stories that spoke of humanity and mortality. They were dark, but they were accessible. In a world where séances were the entertainment of the day and where morbid death traditions were as important as the rules of courtship, Poe was the ultimate storyteller.
His work survived the passage of time because, like Senza Fyne, his work was not constrained by it. His work is truly timeless.
What do you hope your readers will take away from this book? Does it contain an underlying message about growing old and dying?
I’m sure readers will find lots of messages if they look for them…
Remember those hidden picture prints they sold in shopping malls in the nineties, the ones that at first looked like repeating geometric patterns but, if you looked at them the right way, you’d see a schooner (#mallratsreference) or a dinosaur or a palm tree? Well, that’s what this book offers: a hidden message or two if you care to look for them.
Not everyone will want to get it. And that’s okay. Some people will enjoy the book simply for its story. That’s a good thing. I’m not preachy. I won’t beat you over the head with a life lesson.
But we learn from everything we read, see, and experience. I hope that if a reader is open to carrying away a message from this story, it’s a positive one that helps them see life in a more positive way.
And if it inspires a following of would-be heartbeat thieves, I’d be positively thrilled. *wink*
Can you tell us more about the artwork you chose for the cover of the book?
I wanted something haunting, ethereal, beautiful, even with the threat of shadows. The cover captures this for me: the elegant Senza in her gorgeous ballroom gown, the black lace and crinoline associated with Victorian mourning, the gothic arch slowly succumbing to the decay of time, the mists and bare branches of a spooky beyond. It’s a dark, shadowy scenery, but the beauty dances through it, untouched.
How challenging is it to write a book about such a macabre subject matter without making it too bleak to be enjoyable to readers?
I knew there was a challenge to be had in walking that fine line. If I overstepped too far, this story would be more horror than fantasy. I suppose my personal philosophies prevented that.
In writing this story, I tried to incorporate the styles of Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe—the elegant language and traditions draped with the black crape of the macabre. My early readers “shipped” Austen and Poe into “Scary Jane”. *grins*
Senza is a fierce life that keeps death at bay. The traditions and the events of daily life go on for her as it did for most people of her day—the difference is that she saw the shadows as they painted delicate verses around her.
It was my intention to present death as a beautiful, natural phase of our existence and I tried to pay homage to Poe by doing it in as poetic a manner as I could.
Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?
I can walk on my toes, I make excellent homemade pierogis, and I have a knack for playing “Six Degrees” of just about any actor. I cannot, however, grow vegetables, endure spinny rides at amusement parks, or figure out how to stay one step ahead of my teenagers anymore.
What are you working on right now?
Currently, I’m writing a new urban fantasy series about an exorcist mage in Baltimore. The first book, CHARM CITY, is up on Wattpad.com where you can read it free! https://www.wattpad.com/story/56172477-charm-city-the-demon-whisperer-1
Currently I’m finishing the second book, MURDER THE LIGHT. It’s got angels and demons and the man who stands between them both. Simon Alliant will always have a trick up his sleeve. Then again, most mages do.
Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?
Visit my website at www.ashkrafton.com
and meet up with me at:
If you’d like to meet Senza Fyne, THE HEARTBEAT THIEF ebook will be only 99 cents from June 20th to June 26th. Happy Book Birthday, Senza!


text:
Amazon, the leading online retail giant, has unlawfully fired two of its most prominent employees who advocated for better working conditions of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) has found.
In 2020, Amazon discontinued the employment of Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham after they protested in public the firm’s environmental as well as labor policies.
As per their charge filed in October, both the employees accused the firm of enforcing workplace policies in an unbiased fashion, having very unclear rules that chill and confine employees from exercising rights.
The two employees had gained importance for pushing Amazon to do much more on the climate change and thus became some of the firm’s most honest internal critics. A while back they were terminated from employment after passing on a petition regarding Amazon’s COVID-19 safety rules and worked to collect money for warehouse workers at risk of contracting coronavirus infection.
According to reliable reports, the decision comes in as the online retail giant faced a high number of complaints filed to the NLRB last year.
NLRB stated that the record number of filings accusing the retail giant of interfering with the rights of workers to organize increased three times during the COVID-19 outbreak.
In the meantime, Amazon is awaiting the result of its Bessemer, Alabama, employees’ vote on whether to make their warehouse the firm’s first ever unionized facility across the country.
Amazon stated that the firm fired these employees not for protesting publicly regarding working conditions, sustainability, or safety, but instead, for continually violating the company’s internal policies.
Amazon further added that the firm supports every staff’s right to criticize their employer’s working conditions, however that does not come with total immunity against the internal policies of the firm, which are all lawful.

domain: sociology


After his successful Deutsche Grammophon debut recording of Chopin Preludes, Rafal Blechacz returns to the composer who helped make him famous with this all-new recording of Chopin’s Piano concertos nos. 1 & 2. As the winner of the 2005 International Chopin Competition at the young age of only 20, Blechacz was awarded not only the rarely given first prize but also all four special prizes for best sonata, mazurka, concerto and polonaise performances. Since then, Blechacz has performed in Europe, Japan and North America to critical acclaim and has already ensured himself a huge following among piano aficionados.
These two concertos, cornerstones of every pianist’s repertory, are especially central to Rafal Blechacz’sRead more introduction to the world-stage. He performed the e minor concerto at the 2005 Chopin Competition and has used both works for numerable memorable debuts around the world. His affinity with Chopin runs deeper than just their shared nationality: Blechacz possesses an exceptional intelligence that gives him an in-depth understanding of the music he performs and a degree of perception that allows him to infallibly grasp the aesthetic and spiritual dimensions of the compositions he interprets. For this recording Blechacz is joined by Polish conductor Jerzy Semkow and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Read less
Concerto's With OrchestraApril 4, 2014By D. Schoenung (Kettering , OH)See All My Reviews"Any Concerto with orchestra, by any artist on any instrument is only as good as the Conductor & Orchestra. Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg is very good at choosing hers. This orchestra and Conductor complements the Artist and does not over power him. Well done."Report Abuse


Reuters.com reports that the U.S. House of Representatives passed a hotly debated measure that blocks any mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically engineered crops, including pre-empting a state law set to take effect next year in Vermont.
To learn more visit http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/23/us-usa-gmo-labeling-idUSKCN0PX17920150723
NBC New York reported that Murry’s Inc., a Pennsylvania-based food company, is recalling more than 20,000 pounds of chicken nuggets nationwide due to possible staph contamination after its product tested positive for Staphylococcal enterotoxin, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced.
To learn more go to http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Chicken-Nugget-Recall-Murrys-Bell-Evans-Gluten-Free-Health-Staph-Bacteria-315850321.html
We support this campaign wholeheartedly!
Phthalates (pronounced “thallets”) are found in plastics, pharmaceutical drugs, cosmetics, insecticides, and even baby care products. They have been linked to asthma, birth defects, and cancer. Some medications are coated in a type of phthalate known as di-n-butyl-phthalate. They recommend storing food in glass containers. It’s why Premier Group International (www.pregrp.com) makes “safe” plastic food storage products.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/not-tonight-ive-had-too-many-toxins.html#ixzz3VEKe66uL
A new study made public by MotherJones.com talks about how harmful chemicals make their way into your beverages, and shows which bottles are affected the most by UV contact. http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/06/bpa-free-plastics-tritan-nalgene-dangerous
Themindunleashed.org reported toxic chemicals being found in 81% of Dollar Store products. Apparently the products tested contained chemicals linked to learning disabilities, cancer, and other serious illnesses.
According to the Breast Cancer Fund, plastic can contain harmful chemicals that are dangerous to the human body!
The Royal Society posted an article discussing components in plastic being detected in humans.


text:
Hi 4 months ago i planted 3 seeds of moringa in my forest garden, at the beginning the plants grown fast, The first 2 months the plants growed like 14 centimetes, but then they stop growing. The last 2 months it seems that the plants have grown nothing, they have the same size as 2 months ago. One month ago it appeared some yellow dots in the leaves and then i added worm castings ( humus) , some leaves with yellow dots fell off and then it grow new green leaves but the plant is not growing.
Do anybody know if this is normal behaivor in moringa? im very surprised how slow this plants grow compared to other plants.
Has it got cooler recently? Moringa doesn't like cold. It will slow growth to almost nothing and even die if temps go below about 15C. Once the tree has survived its first winter, it will be stronger the next winter and its cold tolerance will improve each year but you have to try to protect it from cold for the first year.
Where in the world are you? Its always easier to advise if we know your location and climate. And photos are great too.

domain: agronomy


text:
Summertime is my favorite time. Bright colors, warm weather, LOVE!
So to celebrate summer, Spicy Pinecone is giving away a free Rainbow Rattle Mini Lovey!
This Mini Lovey has been hand dyed by me in a Rainbow Spiral, washed with professional, baby-safe detergent and finished with a baby-safe professional grade fabric softener for super plush, super snuggly softness. A CPSIA compliant rattle has been sewn on the inside of one corner for your loved one's entertainment. Our Mini Lovey measures 15" x 22" and is the perfect size for your loved one to chew and snuggle.
As with all hand-dyed items, please wash by itself for the first few washes. As always, machine wash cold and tumble dry low.
Amy Warden of Great Cakes Soapworks started a Soap Challenge Club and the first technique was the Peacock Swirl. I had never tried this before, so I decided to give it a whirl.
Rainbow Sherbert Peacock was born! This soap is scented with Rainbow Sherbert fragrance oil from Nature's Garden, and it smells good enough to eat!
Okay, now the process....
First, I had to get all of my supplies together:
I used micas and titanium dioxide from The Conservatorie to color my soap. The marbling rake was made using curler picks and a piece of cardboard. I liked the look of a tightly swirled peacock swirl, so I spaced mine closer together. :)
I mixed up a slow-moving soap recipe to give myself time to work with the swirl, lined a pizza box (I wanted a lot of room to work), and then got all of my colors into my squeeze bottles. Poured the majority of my soap batter (colored with TD) into the box, and then took a deep breath...
It was time to start squeezing and marbling. I went crazy with the colors, but also squirted some white to help define the swirls.
Above is a picture before using the rake and doing the "S" swirls...
And now (above) here is the photo AFTER swirling. I am now SUCH a fan of this technique and really can't wait to try it again!
After a day of drying, it was ready to cut and shoot.


iRig HD Review
The iconic and pioneering iRig from IK Multimedia finally gets a makeover in HD form. Details Manufacturer IK Multimedia Price €79 .99 Contact IK Multimedia 01223 234414 Web www.ikmultimedia.com The term HD is quite vague, so to be clear, the main difference in this HD upgrade is that the newer unit uses your iOS device’s 30-pin Docking port […]
The iconic and pioneering iRig from IK Multimedia finally gets a makeover in HD form.
Manufacturer IK Multimedia
Price €79 .99
Contact IK Multimedia 01223 234414
The term HD is quite vague, so to be clear, the main difference in this HD upgrade is that the newer unit uses your iOS device’s 30-pin Docking port or Lightning port rather than the headphone port. The accessories include a lead for either connection as well as a USB connector to run this input-only device with your Mac. The Dock port offers much better sound quality than the headphone port, and since the iRig HD’s converters are 24-bit, this improves on an already respectable noise floor when using this connection type.
The unit is larger than the original iRig and all connectivity is via detachable cables, which avoids you having to bin the unit if a built-in cable fails. Asides from a jack input for your guitar and output connection to your hardware device, there’s nothing else in terms of connectivity. This means there’s no power connection, which is a shame as it limits your practice time with an iOS device as you’re running down the battery as you play.
The input stage of the iRig HD coped perfectly well with our double-humbucker output and the input has a gain dial for optimum gain-staging. The unit feels a lot more solid than the original and we immediately started using it plugged into our iPad.
It is purely an input device, so the headphone out of your iPod/iPhone, iPad or Mac needs to be wired into headphones or your speaker system. This is fine in terms of functionality, but with headphone use, both your Apple device and the iRig need to be kept quite close together as any of the included iRig cables measures only approximately 70cm. This makes it a little tricky to use for stand-up practice with headphones should you want to let loose.
In operation there’s a lot less computer noise and chatter than is evident in other products occupying this price range. The sound quality is quite neutral in terms of spectral balance, with plenty of detail and dynamics but without being excessively bassy or bright.
Asides from the headphones restrictions if you want to move around, the sound quality is a major upgrade from the original.
Get the latest news, reviews and tutorials to your inbox.Subscribe


Update (1/17/2018, 2:25pm ET): The Senate broke the filibuster by a vote of 60-38 after just two-and-a-half hours of discussion Tuesday evening. This limits the debate on the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act to a maximum of 30 hours. According to Rand Paul's press liaison it is "highly likely" the vote will occur Wednesday night or sometime on Thursday. Motherboard will update this post with the results.
On Tuesday afternoon, a bipartisan coalition of 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans committed to filibustering the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017, a bill that effectively expands the warrantless surveillance of American citizens. Last week, the House of Representatives voted in favor of a nearly identical bill to the one being considered in the Senate today.
The filibuster coalition is led by Republican Senator Rand Paul and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, who have co-sponsored the USA Rights Act, a privacy-oriented alternative to the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act that is widely supported by civil rights groups.


text:
email@example.com | 254 20 2663761 or 254 713 771 001
In the beginning of this nature series of Kenya wildlife safariseries and what to expect on a safari, I promised to give all the information you need for an African safari. I hope the last two advances have been of great help to you.
Now let’s get to this season ……. suppose I ask you a question, “How close have you ever got to a rhino?
In Africa today, the fight for growth of the rhino population is an everyday activity since it was declared an endangered species. Kenya has put up big efforts financially to see to it that rhinos and their habitats have been safe guarded.
It is for this reason that I had to participate in one of the greatest ungulate translocation which took place in Kenya. Kenya Wildlife Service, a body with the mandate of protecting all Kenyan wildlife heritages was spearheading the event. All efforts were geared towards refurbishing of Meru national park and I was glad to be of help in the action.
Due to the intensive tasks involved in translocation, much skills and labor was needed with specific skills required for animal handling.
Rhinos are wonderful animals to look at and even more thrilling when you have an opportunity to get close enough to smell them.
The translocation gave me a great opportunity to observe a rhino at the closest point, touch its hairs on the wrinkled skin, lean on the horn, and see the difference in the mouth shapes and so much more.
Closer look ……
Rhino belongs to the family Rhinoceroteridae with five species placed in four genera. Three of these species are found in south-central Asia and the other two live in Africa south of the Sahara. It is in this region you’ll find Kenya, where rhinos inhabit savannahs, shrubby regions and occasionally the dense forests.
Rhino’s problem has been its beauty, the horn which is made of keratin (a substance found in human hair and nails). Powdered Rhino horn has been used extensively in traditional medicine in Asia and to make ornamental dagger handles by the Yemen men. The demand is so great that traders are prepared to pay poachers vast sums to kill rhinos for their horns. Because of these, Rhinos have faced wholesale slaughter which led to their unimaginable decline and sweep off in Meru national park in 70’s.
To stop these abuse, governments and bodies such as Save the Rhino teamed up together to halt the abusive. Thanks to them, the overall decline of the rhino has been halted, and populations in Africa are beginning to stabilize.
Now that I hold a ‘legacy’ of moving rhinos, allow me to quickly share something interesting about African rhino species.
As mentioned earlier, we have two rhino species in Africa namely the black and white rhinos. These two African species live in more open areas than do the Asian species. Their habitat has to generally have access to water, as they usually drink everyday. The white rhinos have a preference of feeding low to the open grounds whereas the black rhino usually browse on leaves and have a tendency to stay hidden. They have been noted to be more active in the evening, through the night and in early morning, spending their days resting in heavy cover.
The history of the rhino can be traced back to 45 million years ago. The Baluchitherium, an ancestor of the Indian rhino, was the largest land mammal that ever lived. It was 18 feet high and 36 feet long and lived over 20 million years ago.
Rhinos sleep in both standing and laying positions and love to wallow in muddy pools and sandy riverbeds. They penetrate dense thickets by shear force, often leaving behind a trail that other animal’s later use. Rhinos run with a cumbersome motion, reaching top speed at a canter. They can, however, attain speeds of up to 45 km per hour for short distances. Basically the black rhino is more solitary and territorial except for the mother-child unit.
Rhinos usually have 1-2 horns. Their horns are dermal growths originally composed of compressed keratin. Both hind and forefeet have 3 digits with a small hoof. They are known to have poor eye sight but strong hearing and smell. The tough and wrinkled skin has very few scattered hairs and the tail ends with stiff bristles.
Female rhinos give birth every 2 years to a single calf, which is active soon after birth and the calf remains with the mother until the next offspring is born. Gestation period is 420-570 days while sexual maturity is reached at 7-10 years for bulls and 4-6 years for cows.They have a life span of up to 50 years.
Groups of adult cows or bachelor bulls are sometimes formed, however, and during the mating season pairs of rhinos may stay together for up to 4 months. Rhinos mark their territories with urine and by dropping their dung in well-defined piles that can reach up to 1 m in height. They often furrow the areas around these piles with their horns and make the piles even more conspicuous.
The black rhino has a wide vocal range and can possibly communicate like an elephant,
through frequencies below the range of human hearing. Breathing is an important part of communication. Unlike the white rhino-calf, the black rhino calf normally runs behind its mother.
Current standing & population
There were an estimated 20,000 black rhino in Kenya in the 1970s. By 1982 the population was reduced to fewer than 400. Since then, their number has increased and now stands at over 450. The number in fenced areas has risen at an average rate of four percent each year when the conditions are good. Since 1984 the Kenyan government has pursued an active program devoted to the recovery of Kenya’s black rhino, with efforts centering on the development of specially protected or fenced sanctuaries on government and private land, such as Lewa.
Rhino populations under custodianship both on private land (Solio Ranch) and in some
State-run areas (such as Nairobi and Nakuru National Park) have provided set up for new populations (including reintroducing animals into an electrified-fence sanctuary inside the KWS-run Tsavo West and Meru National Parks). The private sector thus plays an important part in the conservation of rhino in Kenya and currently supplies many of the animals being used to restock state parks.
Kenya is currently the stronghold of the Eastern African subspecies Diceros bicornis michaeli, a home to about 88 % of the population in 1995. Like South Africa and Namibia, Kenya is doing translocation to set up new populations while aiming to ensure that donor populations
remain productive. The public plight of the black rhino has attracted support from many different areas.
Today, scientists are formulating a method of «fingerprinting» rhino horn based on the nutrient content of each specific rhino conservation area. This will enable them to pinpoint the area a rhino came from, its family group, and even its preferred diet. It is also an important step toward eradicating poaching, as scientists will be able to determine where a rhino was when it was killed.
Today we stop here …… until next issue, lets see whatKenya budget safari series will have for you.