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The media is buzzing with memorials to the late Studs Terkel who passed away yesterday, October 31, 2008, in his Chicago home. Many of those radio retrospectives, recollections of long-time friends, and immediate elegies strike common themes -- Terkel liked people, he paid attention to people we do not generally put in the spotlight, he had friends, he “knew the real America,” he made grit beautiful. The flood of sorrow and celebration now pouring out of media outlets around the country and throughout the world (Google news turns up articles from India, the UK, and Canada, among others) capture the humanity, humor, and unforgiving politics of man who, seven days before he died, said of the Republican nominee for vice president, Sarah Palin, "She's Joe McCarthy in drag!" There are people in a much better position than this writer to measure why Studs might have been the greatest Chicagoan. But I have a feeling he would have been interested in what we (me and you) think about Terkel’s Chicago, the city he brought to light by listening to everyday people.
It is fitting that Studs Terkel, one of the greatest chroniclers of American working people’s lives, moved to Chicago from New York City. In doing so, he reversed the path taken by so many writers, artists, and media stars who stop in Chicago on their way to New York or L.A. No, Studs followed the route of the everyday working person to the Midwest, where glamour is rare but a grittier kind of opportunity abounds.
In Chicago, Terkel found a home friendly to a radio star blacklisted for his Leftist ideas. Terkel found a city divided between the leaders of one of the world’s great industrial and financial powerhouses and the workers who kept that powerhouse running. In Chicago, he found an immigrant city continually renewing itself. He found a place where the tensions between the rich and the poor, between black and white, between newcomers and old-timers remained close to the surface. In Division Street America, Terkel found Chicagoans who would not let the city’s traditions of resistance, hard work, and struggle die. In the face of what Terkel called the United States’ national Alzheimer's disease, he found Chicagoans proud of their city’s special place in the making of a specifically American form of radicalism. Chicagoans wise to this story of American freedom and struggle fed Terkel’s curiosity, and, in turn, they fed off his unique ability to capture their own feelings about work, the Depression, race, war, politics, neighborhoods, and hope in the face of death.
Chicago was the perfect city for someone like Terkel, interested in the possibilities of working-class radicalism and the potential for political and personal transformation. Chicago was founded by Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a French-speaking, mixed-race Haitian immigrant fur-trapper and entrepreneur; it was a Midwest abolitionist city, a haven for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad; it is the city where Carl Sandburg so wonderfully embellished the myth of Abraham Lincoln as a workingman’s hero. In Chicago, Eugene V. Debs, Albert and Lucy Parsons, Mother Jones, Clarence Darrow, Bessie Abromowitz, Sidney Hillman, and A. Philip Randolph (to name just a few) fought alongside workers in monumental battles against the combined forces of the American industrial octopus.
You might know Chicago through other lenses. Perhaps you know Hyde Park in the “Devil in the White City;” Daley’s machine city; the city wracked by police riots and race riots in the 1960s; or maybe the city of flowerpots and boulevards seeking to host the 2016 summer Olympics. Maybe you know Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie city, the Sears Tower or John Hancock Building, the Republican Chicago Tribune, or even the city where Donald Trump sent his apprentice to build his newest high-rise office and condo building. Maybe you know Chicago in Barack Obama’s image -- equal parts community organizer and clean-government advocate, equally influenced by the struggle against deindustrialization and University of Chicago free market economics, equally committed to small “d” democracy and embedded in big “D” Democratic power networks.
All of those Chicagos are real, but they were created by the people Terkel spotlighted. The downtown’s high-rises are glittering symbols of the wealth forged by workers burning in steel furnaces along the Calumet River. The prairie suburbs are now home to the children and grandchildren who grasped their chance to get a house, a back yard, and good schools for their children by breaking their backs in the “city of big shoulders.” Obama’s power is dependent upon the millions of union members, churchgoers, precinct captains, neighborhood activists, and parents who vote their local interests.
Terkel’s power was the power of revelation, not voyeurism. Let me illustrate with one example. After a long fight in the 1960s to save a largely Italian neighborhood on Chicago’s Near West Side, community activist Florence Scala told Terkel about her profound frustration with city leaders who continually promised urban renewal that would benefit everyday people all while placing the burdens -- the loss of housing, the loss of communities, the loss of churches, bars, friends -- on the poorest and least powerful people in the city. Scala told Terkel about her friend and mentor Eri Hulbert, former Hull-House resident and grandnephew of Hull-House founder Jane Addams. Hulbert, Scala said, “told me of a dream he had. The Near West Side, our area, could become the kind of place people would want to live in, close to the city. He introduced me to the idea of city planning. He felt the only hope for big cities, in these communities that were in danger of being bulldozed, was to sit down and look and say we have a responsibility here. He convinced me that you could have a tree on the West Side, see?” Tragically, however, “Hulbert committed suicide before our plan was accepted by the city. His death, more than anything else, opened a door which I never dreamed could open.”[i]
We should pause here for a second because (although I’ve only read the interview, I’ve never heard it) I think Scala paused. I think Scala took a moment, sitting across from Terkel, to reconsider the suicide of her good friend and fellow activist. Terkel had helped her find a moment to articulate what she had learned through persistent activism about the fundamental nature of a vision of urban politics in which some people’s communities must be destroyed in order to save the whole city. I think Scala looked up from the table she was sitting at and found a kind of clarity she perhaps had not had before that moment.
“You know, there’s a real kind of ugliness among nice people,” Scala told Terkel. “You know, the dirty stuff that you think only hoodlums pull off. They can really destroy you, the nice people. I think this is what happened to Eri, the way he was deserted by his own. I think it really broke his heart.” Scala, too, grew angry when she saw bulldozers tear through the Near West Side to build the University of Illinois at Chicago. “It’s an evil thing the liberal community does,” she concluded, “it wants to see the slums cleared but doesn’t fight to see housing for lower-income groups built first. It reinforces all the terrible things we’re talking about in the big cities. Segregates the poor people, particularly the Negro people, and this goes on and on.”[ii]
Terkel’s role was not to inform us of the downsides of things like urban renewal and slum clearance or to reveal racial and class inequalities. His role was to facilitate moments of revelation -- this is why so many of his friends and admirers say his interviews had the improvisational genius of jazz. His role was to make us remember in a way that also forced us to imagine how we might act differently.
In a recent biography of Mother Jones, the Chicago dressmaker who remade herself into “the most dangerous woman in America,” historian Elliott Gorn describes what I have been referring to as Terkel’s Chicago. “There, a constant surge of ideas -- foreign and domestic versions of trade and industrial unionism, anarchism, socialism, populism -- was a part of daily working life. The radical ideas, the mix of peoples from so many lands, the city’s mythology of rebuilding itself out of the ashes, all made it remarkable. But much more than that, Chicago was where people came to transform themselves…What brought so many to Chicago was ambition, and the mutability of cityscape and self fed their desires. The reinvention of identity in a city that constantly re-created itself was all part of the protean quality that Americans ... identified with urban life.”[iii] Terkel came to Chicago and reinvented himself as the griot of the city of big shoulders, he reinvented himself in a way that helps us all remember that we, too, can recreate ourselves by remembering and acting on alternatives to the status quo.
[i] Terkel, Division Street, pp. 3-4 and 8.
[ii] Terkel, Division Street, pp. 3-4 and 8.
[iii] Elliott J. Gorn, Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America (New York: Hill and Wang, 2001), p. 54


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i should have titled this post...the sock yarn blanket continues
it's so much fun that i have a hard time working on anything else!
i did find a tutorial on rope baskets & i've been having lots of fun with those
it hasn't been all blanket knitting all the time but most of the time
here's my blanket progress so far...
i have to say my favorite part of this project
is swapping yarn with the ladies of my sisters knitter~ yarn blanket swapping group
my first swap was from andi (insert... enabler enabler enabler....but in a very good way :)) which i blogged about here
i joined the yarn blanket swap and switched with these ladies...
let me tell ya, it was a fun mail week!
who doesn't like to receive anything addressed by hand
peggy from the same state as myself sent this package of goodness
just look at all those pretty little balls of yarn & a sweet card too!
it's been hard not to pop them out & start casting on but mothers day is
around the corner & i've got mothers day goodies to create :)
laura sent chocolate AND yarn! chocolate with peanuts, my favorite!
i only have the cream color left to add
fun yarn & chocolate candy....what more could a girl want?
thanks ladies! i love having a part of you knit into my blanket :)
it's spring time in ohio and if you are a gardener, it's time to dig in the dirt
we ( i say we but i did very little of the work) converted to raised beds last year
we love it!
this year the hubs added another bed & a little hoop house
the littles have a cabin near by & we have plans of a little flower bed project to
make their cabin a bit more cozy
they even have a little clothes line in the back~
how's your spring?
(wanna swap yarn?)

domain: artistic


text:
Teardrop Tangled - Copper Jewellery Collection - Copper Wire Wrapped | (KJ-403E) Handmade Earrings
Teardrop Tangled Statement Design Earrings
Copper fire oxidized to give a reddish brown warmth and sealed are these gorgeous pair off earrings. They are embellished with swirls and beads, which makes a beautiful mothers day gift for the lady that loves the earthy natural tones.
For you that appreciates Handmade, easy to wear with all your fashion attire, they are approximately 6.5 cm (21/2") in length from the top of the Silver 925 handmade ear hooks. (These ear hooks are best sellers). With the width being approximately 3 cm. (1.18")
The Process: - Raw Copper 18 gauge has been used to shape the teardrop element of these earrings, then raw copper 24 gauge wire was used to wrapping the earrings and create swirls on the bottom of the teardrop. Baby blue crystal beads were added to both sides of the earrings. Tumbled, cleaned and sealed. The Silver 925 ear hooks were added last, after going through their own process to be made.
Item Code: KJ-403E
Versatile Handmade Jewellery. Wear it daily, on social events or special occasions. Handmade Jewellery made with quality renowned and ethically sourced material.
We Also Recommend
Oxidized Copper Wire Earrings | (KJ-401E) Handmade Earrings
Hanging Hearts - Oxidized Copper Teardrop Howlite | (KJ-397E) Handmade Earrings
Turquoise Blue Howlite Earrings | KJ-396E | Artisan Earrings

domain: design


text:
Start with (25) 1" English Paper Piecing Papers
(25) 2 1/2" squares of fabric
1 square for center - yellow
8 squares for first diamond - red
16 squares for second diamond - green
Press with hot iron on front of diamond to make flat.
Use a "Sewline" fabric glue pen to hold fabric down on backside of diamond.
Start by sewing diamonds together first to make rows.
Then sew rows together.
Use a whip stip to sew diamonds together...use 6-8 stitches per inch.

domain: hobby


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Summary of the Rule
In late 2022, the Department of Labor under President Biden promulgated a new rule on “Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights,” superseding the Department’s 2020 rule promulgated under President Trump. Numerous media reports suggested that the 2022 Biden Rule permits or even encourages ESG investing, in contrast to the 2020 Trump Rule, which was reported to be hostile to ESG investing. These reports are wrong. This summary aims clarify the effect of the Biden Rule and what has changed from the Trump Rule.
In brief, the 2022 Biden Rule largely reaffirms the Department of Labor’s longstanding position, compelled by binding Supreme Court precedent, that an ERISA fiduciary may use ESG investing to improve risk-adjusted returns but not to obtain collateral benefits. Subject to a few nuanced changes of limited practical import, the Biden Rule is largely consistent with the 2020 Trump Rule and earlier regulatory guidance.
Much of the confusion that the 2022 Biden Rule endorses ESG investing, and that the 2020 Trump Rule opposed it, traces to the original proposals for those rules. The Biden Proposal favored ESG factors by deeming them “often” required by fiduciary duty. The Trump Proposal disfavored ESG factors by subjecting them to enhanced fiduciary scrutiny. However, following the notice-and-comment period, the Department significantly revised those proposals before finalization. Neither final rule singled out ESG investing for favored or disfavored treatment. The final Trump Rule did not use the term “ESG.” The regulatory text of the final Biden Rule refers once to ESG investing, but only to state that ESG factors “may” be “relevant to a risk and return analysis,” depending “on the individual facts and circumstances.” This statement is true for all investment factors, ESG or otherwise.
The heart of the 2022 Biden Rule is the requirement that an ERISA fiduciary must make investment decisions “based on factors that the fiduciary reasonably determines are relevant to a risk and return analysis.” The heart of the 2020 Trump Rule was the requirement that an ERISA fiduciary must make investment decisions “based only on pecuniary factors.” But a pecuniary factor was defined by the Trump Rule to mean one “that a fiduciary prudently determines is expected to have a material effect on the risk and/or return of an investment.” The changes in the Biden Rule from the Trump Rule are thus cosmetic: changing the terms “prudently” to “reasonably,” and “material” to “relevant.” In practical terms, the Biden Rule replaced the Trump Rule’s use of the term “pecuniary factors” with its definition provided in the Trump rule. Crucially, both the Biden Rule and the Trump Rule specify that a “fiduciary may not subordinate the interests of the participants and beneficiaries in their retirement income or financial benefits under the plan to other objectives, and may not sacrifice investment return or take on additional investment risk to promote [other] benefits or goals.”
Under both the 2022 Biden Rule and the 2020 Trump Rule, therefore, an ERISA fiduciary may consider only financial risk-and-return considerations, and no other considerations, including collateral benefits to third parties. In accordance with prudent investor principles, the fiduciary must assess diversification and liquidity needs, be cost sensitive, and consider a reasonable number of alternative investments. The fiduciary must also document this analysis and update it periodically, making prudent adjustments to the investment program in light of changing circumstances. Given the current state of the theory and evidence on ESG investing, a particular ESG strategy could well satisfy these prudent investor principles. However, whether a given ESG strategy is prudent will depend on the particular facts and circumstances and a reasoned relationship to risk and return, as explicitly acknowledged in the regulatory text of the Biden Rule. The key consideration is whether the investment fits as part of portfolio- or menu-level balance of risk and return reasonably suited to the purpose of the plan.
To be sure, the 2022 Biden Rule does make some nuanced technical changes to the 2020 Trump Rule. Relative to the Trump Rule, the Biden Rule: (i) makes adjustments to the language governing reliance on collateral benefits to break a tie between two investment alternatives that “equally serve the financial interests of the plan”; (ii) identifies the “menu” of available investment funds as the portfolio to which prudent investor principles apply in a self-directed retirement plan (such as a 401(k)); and (iii) removes the categorical prohibition of an investment fund that pursues collateral benefits as a qualified default investment alternative (QDIA). However, none of these changes, which are elaborated in the FAQ that follows, reflects a significant change in policy. And none cuts against our bottom line that the Biden Rule, like the Trump Rule, confirms the permissibility of ESG investing in pursuit of improved risk-adjusted returns in accordance with prudent investor principles without mandating such an investment strategy.
Accordingly, the Biden Rule changes nothing for ERISA fiduciaries who are currently pursing risk-and-return ESG investing in a prudent process, without regard for collateral benefits. ERISA fiduciaries who did not use ESG factors prior to 2022 should feel no greater urgency to begin doing so now. And ERISA fiduciaries who are investing for collateral benefits continue to run the same fiduciary risk as before.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When the Biden Rule was first proposed, it was widely reported as favoring ESG investing. How is the final rule different?
The regulatory text of the proposed Biden Rule favored ESG factors by deeming them “often” required by fiduciary duty. Singling out ESG investing for favored treatment was widely criticized by many commentators, including us, as inconsistent with long-standing prudent investor principles, which apply neutrally without favoring or disfavoring any particular investment strategy. The Department of Labor, supported by dedicated career staff who have served under presidents of both parties, responded by rewording the final Biden Rule to remain neutral between investment strategies, and removed the word “often.” The preamble to the final Biden Rule, though not operative law, confirms that the Department did not mean to favor or disfavor ESG investing.
2. But the final Biden Rule has been widely reported as reversing the Trump Rule by welcoming ESG investing. Are those reports wrong?
As discussed in the summary above, the heart of the final 2022 Biden Rule is the requirement that an ERISA fiduciary must make investment decisions “based on factors that the fiduciary reasonably determines are relevant to a risk and return analysis.” Except for the cosmetic changes from “prudently” to “reasonably,” and from “material” to “relevant,” this language tracks the definition of “pecuniary factors” in the 2020 Trump Rule. In substance, therefore, the Biden Rule replaced the Trump Rule’s use of the term “pecuniary factors” with its definition.
At the same time, the text of the Biden Rule contains an additional, for-the-avoidance-of-doubt provision confirming that “[r]isk and return factors may include the economic effects of climate change and other environmental, social, or governance factors.” Crucially, however, the text also confirms that “[w]hether any particular consideration is a risk-return factor depends on the individual facts and circumstances,” and that “[t]he weight given to any factor by a fiduciary should appropriately reflect a reasonable assessment of its impact on risk-return.” Moreover, under both the Biden Rule and the Trump rule, a “fiduciary may not subordinate the interests of the participants and beneficiaries in their retirement income or financial benefits under the plan to other objectives, and may not sacrifice investment return or take on additional investment risk to promote [other] benefits or goals.”
Accordingly, under both the Biden Rule and the Trump Rule, an ERISA fiduciary may consider only financial risk-and-return considerations, and no other considerations, including collateral benefits to third parties. These principles apply to all investment strategies, whether ESG or otherwise. And ESG factors, like any other factor, may or may not be a relevant risk-return factor depending on the circumstances.
3. Does this mean that an ERISA fiduciary may include a fund that uses ESG factors in a plan menu?
An overlooked but potentially important substantive change made by the 2022 Biden Rule is the addition of the term “or menu” to the rule’s references to “the portfolio.” Consistent with Supreme Court precedent, this change confirms that menu construction is a fiduciary act subject to ERISA’s duties of loyalty and prudence. In consequence, that a particular fund relies on ESG factors for risk-and-return purposes is, by itself, neither qualifying nor disqualifying. Instead, as per the preamble to the regulatory text (relying on our comment letter), two questions pertain to the inclusion of any fund, whether ESG or otherwise, as follows: “First, how does a given fund fit within the menu of funds to enable plan participants to construct an overall portfolio suitable to their circumstances? Second, how does a given fund compare to a reasonable number of alternative funds to fill the given fund’s role in the overall menu?”
All told, therefore, an ERISA fiduciary should not hesitate to include an ESG fund in a menu of investment choices offered to plan participants provided that the fiduciary reasonably concludes that the fund’s use of ESG factors will provide superior risk and return benefits within the context of the full menu relative to reasonably available alternatives.
4. What about collateral benefits? May an ERISA fiduciary include a fund that uses ESG factors to promote collateral benefits in a plan menu?
This is a bit more complicated, and touches on another subtle change. Under both the 2020 Trump Rule and the 2022 Biden Rule, a fund with a collateral benefit goal is not categorically prohibited from inclusion in a plan menu. However, an ERISA fiduciary may choose such a fund based only a risk-and-return analysis, and in no event may the fiduciary subordinate the participant’s financial interests to other objectives. In other words, a fund that pursues collateral benefits may be included in a plan menu in spite of, but not because of, those benefits. The fiduciary must determine, without regard for the fund’s collateral benefits, that the fund is a suitable fit within the menu as a whole and will provide superior risk and return benefits relative to reasonably available alternatives. If including a collateral benefits fund in the menu, the normal fiduciary practice of documenting the fiduciary process will therefore be even more critical than usual, and the fiduciary would be well-advised to document its reasoning with greater care than normal.
The change in the Biden Rule pertains to the use of a collateral benefits fund as a qualified default investment alternative (QDIA). The Trump Rule prohibited the use of a collateral benefit fund as a QDIA. The Biden Rule removed this prohibition. Thus, an ERISA fiduciary may now choose a fund with a collateral benefit goal to be a QDIA. However, this choice is subject to the same principles of loyalty and prudence that apply to the choice of such a fund as an ordinary menu alternative. And as just discussed, doing so will require additional process and may entail additional regulatory scrutiny and litigation risk. Given the importance of the QDIA, which a majority of plan participants commonly retain, we believe that well-counseled plan fiduciaries will not use a collateral benefits fund as their QDIA.
5. Does this mean that an ERISA fiduciary may never actively pursue a collateral benefit? What about the “tiebreaker” rule?
The 2022 Biden Rule carries forward the so-called “tiebreaker” principle set forth in the 2020 Trump Rule and earlier guidance bulletins tracing back to 1994. As revised, if an ERISA fiduciary “prudently concludes” that competing investment alternatives “equally serve the financial interests of the plan,” the fiduciary may break the tie “based on collateral benefits other than investment returns.” Crucially, however, the text confirms that the “fiduciary may not … accept expected reduced returns or greater risks to secure such additional benefits.” Moreover, relative to the Trump Rule, the Biden Rule more clearly judges a tie in relation to the portfolio or menu as a whole instead of in isolation.
Two other changes to the tiebreaker warrant discussion. First, the Biden Rule confirms in the regulatory text that an ERISA fiduciary does not necessarily violate the duty of loyalty by taking into account participants’ preferences in choosing a collateral benefit to break a tie. Second, the Biden Rule did not carry forward the Trump Rule’s inclusion in the regulatory text of a specific documentation requirement for the tiebreaker. However, as confirmed by the preamble to the Biden Rule, “removal of the documentation provision from the regulation does not suggest that ERISA fiduciaries are excused from complying with ERISA’s prudence obligations, or subject to a lower standard of care, with regard to documentation or otherwise.” The well-known and longstanding fiduciary obligation to document important decisions and the reasons for those decisions continues to pertain to an ERISA fiduciary’s invocation of the tiebreaker rule.
All told, little of substance has changed regarding the application of the tie-breaker.
6. What sort of disclosures should an ERISA fiduciary look for in a fund prospectus to determine whether the fund relies on ESG factors for a collateral purpose?
The key inquiry is how and why the fund uses ESG factors. Does the fund use ESG factors for risk and return purposes only? Or does the fund use ESG factors to any extent for collateral benefits? By way of illustration, suppose the following three funds:
- “Our investment objective is to seek the highest total return. We employ a responsible and sustainable investing philosophy that aligns with environmental, social, and governance values. We integrate ESG factors into our fundamental analysis to identify investment opportunities, manage risk, and pursue alpha, and we integrate ESG factors into proxy voting guidelines to minimize risk and maximize return.”
- “Our investment objective is to seek the highest total return consistent with our prescribed environmental criteria. We seek to invest in companies that have positive environmental impacts and avoid companies with negative environmental impacts. These environmental criteria exclude securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons.”
- “Our investment objective is to seek the highest level of current income consistent with generating environmental benefits via investment in so called ‘green bonds’ that finance projects that will have positive environmental impacts.”
Fund A integrates ESG factors for the purpose of improving risk-adjusted returns. As such, Fund A is permissible for an ERISA fiduciary, provided that the fund is prudent on risk and return grounds in light of reasonably available alternatives and in light of the overall menu.
Funds B and C, by contrast, consider environmental impacts without connection to risk and return. As such, Funds B and C could be included in a plan menu, including as a QDIA, but only if the fiduciary could show (i) that the decision to include them was based solely on risk and return factors and not on the Fund’s collateral benefit goals (a litigation risk that is not present for Fund A), and (ii) that they were prudent on risk and return grounds in light of reasonably available alternatives and in light of the overall menu.
7. How much due diligence must an ERISA fiduciary conduct with respect to a fund’s use of ESG factors? Can the fiduciary rely on the fund’s prospectus?
An ERISA fiduciary must act with the same care, skill, and diligence that a similarly situated prudent person would under like circumstances. Applied to the fiduciary’s due diligence about a fund’s use of ESG factors, the answer will necessarily be context specific. For a smaller plan, it will often be prudent to rely exclusively on the plan’s prospectus. A prospectus is subject to securities law regulation and further investigation may be disproportionately costly relative to its benefits. On the other hand, for a larger plan with more market power, the cost of further inquiry, such as meeting with the fund’s adviser or manager, may be worthwhile relative to its benefits, potentially making it prudent under the circumstances. These prudence principles are of general application, and not specific to ESG factors. The same prudence principles, including balancing costs and benefits, apply to an ERISA fiduciary’s due diligence for any investment decision, whether ESG or otherwise.
8. We’ve heard that use of ESG factors is required by fiduciary principles because ESG factors are material to risk and return. Why aren’t fiduciaries required to use ESG factors?
The claim that ESG investing is required by fiduciary principles is not true, at least not under American law. The text of the 2022 Biden Rule is unambiguous in not mandating ESG investing: “Risk and return factors may include the economic effects of climate change and other environmental, social, or governance factors on the particular investment or investment course of action. Whether any particular consideration is a risk-return factor depends on the individual facts and circumstances.”
The great innovation of the prudent investor rule was to eschew categorical rules of permissible or impermissible investments. No type or kind of investment strategy is favored or disfavored. The law does not prescribe types or kinds of investments that are per se prudent or imprudent. Instead, any fiduciary investment, whether based on ESG factors or otherwise, is judged in light of its relationship to a diversified, portfolio-level balance of risk and return reasonably suited to the purpose of the plan. To this end, the fiduciary should consider diversification and liquidity needs, be cost sensitive, and consider a reasonable number of alternative investments. In a given case, a prudent investor analysis could point to active use of ESG factors, active use of non-ESG factors, a passive investment strategy, or a blend. The Biden Rule reflects these basic prudent investor principles.
9. What if plan participants want their retirement savings to be invested in an ESG-themed investment fund that pursues collateral benefits?
The U.S. Supreme Court has said ERISA mandates that plan funds are to be used for the “exclusive purpose” of securing the retirement of plan participants. Once retired, a participant can take a distribution and spend it on whatever he or she pleases. But until then, the quid pro quo for the substantial tax and creditor protection benefits granted to ERISA plans is the requirement of administration by fiduciaries subject to ERISA’s strict fiduciary duties.
A potential gray area is a self-directed brokerage window that supplements the plan’s menu of designated investment options. A brokerage window can offer access to numerous mutual funds, including ESG funds, as well as other types of investments. Through a brokerage window, therefore, a plan participant might be able to pursue an investment program that more closely matches the participant’s preferences. However, the decision to provide a brokerage window, the choice of broker, and setting the broker’s fees and other charges are fiduciary actions subject to ERISA’s strict fiduciary duties. Moreover, the Department of Labor has not addressed under what circumstances ERISA’s strict fiduciary duties might require a plan fiduciary to disregard or overrule a participant’s brokerage window selections. The viability of using a self-directed brokerage window to permit investment funds collateral benefit goals is thus uncertain and entails additional litigation risk.

domain: finance


text:
This month many of us will sit down to a Thanksgiving feast with family and friends. The table will be filled with the bounty of the earth and our lives. We will savor the special dishes and hopefully, we will thank God for our blessings, especially the abundance of food we enjoy.
Most of us take food for granted. Our cupboards and refrigerators are full. The grocery stores are a smorgasbord of choices galore. Rarely do we stop and think about where our food comes from or the systems of food production that keep our homes and stores so well stocked. Rarely do we consider our responsibility as stewards of God’s wondrous gift of food.
In the first chapter of Genesis, we learn that God gives us all the plants of the ground and every tree that bears fruit and seed to us for food (Genesis 1:29-31). When God surveys this divine arrangement, God declares it good. Later, after the flood, God adds living creatures like animals, fish and birds to our diet (Genesis 9:3). All of this bounty is for our sustenance, our nutrition and our enjoyment. As the psalmist sings, “You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart”(Psalm 104:14-15). Not only does God’s gift of food feed our bodies, but it feeds our hearts and spirits too!
As with all of God’s gifts to us, we are called to be good stewards of God’s gift of food and sustenance. Stewardship begins in gratitude. When we are grateful for the blessings we enjoy, we are far more likely to appreciate them and make sure they are used wisely. When we are grateful for our food, we are more likely to savor it and less likely to waste it. This is especially important today when our world is facing not only food shortages but the highest rates of food waste of any time in history. Food waste is not just a logistical and economic issue; it is a moral and spiritual issue for us as people of faith. If we are to be good stewards of God’s gift of food, then we are called to examine our own patterns of consumption and tackle the systems that allow such waste to continue and so many people to remain undernourished and hungry.
This Thanksgiving, how can we honor the gift of life that God gives us in the food we eat and enjoy? How can we be good stewards of God’s gift of food and ensure that everyone has enough to eat?
Our church already does wonderful work through our Food Pantry, Jan Peek, Noontime meal and Midnight Run. How might we express our gratitude to God and take our stewardship of food to the next level? Join us on Sunday, November 20, when we will give thanks to God for our many gifts and consider how we can reduce food waste so that more people may enjoy God’s good gifts of food and abundant life. We will also be holding a vegetarian potluck brunch following the 10:45 service.

domain: food


text:
Similar to the Goodland Apple, but hardier. The large fruit is creamy yellow with splashes of red, good for fresh eating and cooking.
12 - 15'
15 - 20'
•Needs to be sheltered from the winter winds (especially North and West)
•Needs a sunny, well-drained location
•For best fruiting, prune annually to avoid dense growth; ripening fruit needs lots of sunlight
•Requires a second apple variety nearby for cross-pollination to produce a good crop of apples

domain: agronomy


text:
MUMBAI: At least 14 people in western India have lost sight in one eye after botched cataract surgeries, doctors and officials said Thursday, the latest example of poor medical care in the country.
Authorities in the state of Maharashtra blamed hospital staff for failing to sterilise equipment properly and causing the blindness, following what is generally considered to be a low-risk operation.
Sheer negligence was shown by doctors and the civil surgeons, Maharashtra Health Minister Deepak Sawant told AFP.
We have suspended three doctors and some supporting staff. We have launched a high-level inquiry and if they are found guilty they will be removed from the health services, he added.
23 patients were affected by the bungled operations, which took place over a couple of weeks at a district hospital in Washim, around 450 kilometres east of Indias commercial capital Mumbai.
After complaining of pain and loss of vision, they were then taken to Mumbai on October 31 where eye specialists were able to fully restore the sight of four patients.
We operated on all of them and four have had their sight restored. But up until now 14 have lost their vision in one eye. For the other five, we are trying, the dean of JJ Hospital, TP Lahane, told AFP.
Lahane, a cataract expert, said the patients had all suffered from a highly infectious strain of bacteria called pseudomonas.
The case raises fresh concerns about hygiene standards in Indias severely stretched health-care services.
It comes after around 20 people were blinded by free cataract surgeries in northern Punjab state in December last year.
That incident came just weeks after the deaths of 13 women following mass sterilisation surgeries at a health camp in central India. Agencies
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domain: medical


Taylor Swift is taking the music industry by storm, once again, as she released her new album, “Folklore.” Different reactions from fans have been overwhelming and just a few hours after it was unveiled, it has trended on social media.
Who would’ve thought that the 30-year-old singer’s new album would drop just 24 hours after she told the world it was coming?
Fans of Swift couldn’t help but get excited after “Folklore” became available in the market. Netizens had been talking —reacting— about Swift’s new album on Twitter with #Folklore, which made it a trending topic on the said social media platform.
One Swift fan described “Folklore” as “Red’s” older sister. After describing how beautiful the album was, the fan said that Swift has outdone herself.
Emotions have been overflowing since the “Cats” actress released “Folklore” and these were just some of the reactions from Swift’s overwhelmed fans.
Several fans thought Swift’s music with perfection. Under Twitter’s #Folklore topic, one fan said that Swift didn’t know how to make a bad album and that the only thing bad about “Folklore” was it has an ending.
There was nothing but praises and celebration from Swifties for this album.
Swift stunned her nearly 87 million Twitter followers when she announced the release of “Folklore,” yesterday (July 23.) Her tweet revealed that she poured all her “whims, dreams, fears and musings” into the latest album.
The said tweet gained more than 333,000 retweets, nearly 35,000 comments and more than 800,000 likes just several hours after its upload online.
Swift, additionally, said that she made 8 deluxe CDs and 8 deluxe vinyl because “Folklore’s” her 8th studio album. The CDs and vinyl, which was designed to have unique covers and rare photos, would only be available for 1 week.
Swift’s latest album has a standard version, with 16 tracks, and a deluxe version, with “The Lakes” as a bonus song.
Swift described how a tale becomes folklore. She said these were the stories passed down from one generation to another and whispered around. She penned the songs in isolation and the product was her “Folklore” studio album.


text: Every actor is alive because of his/her fans. I'm glad that my fans love me so much. I have an immense responsibility towards them. That's why I'm careful while signing a film. What is also important is to judge whether I would like to watch the film as an audience or not.

domain: celebrity


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It is estimated that one in two women and one in three men over the age of 60 in Australia will suffer a fracture related to osteoporosis – the loss of bone tissue – research from the University of Melbourne reveal.
“Osteoporosis places a huge burden, both physically and financially, on the individual and the general community, and research shows that the rate of osteoporotic fractures is significantly increasing, particularly with our ageing population,” Head of Osteoporosis Australia Judy Stenmark said in a statement.
The guides suggest how to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis. :-
“Exercises should target the main muscle groups, such as the arm muscles (biceps and triceps), upper torso muscles, lower abdomen muscles, muscles around the hip, thigh muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings) and calf muscles,” guide co-author Maria Fiatarone Singh said in a statement.
“The most effective activities progress in difficulty and always challenge different muscle groups. The best activities for great bone health are those done in rapid, short bursts of high intensity such as brisk walking, jogging and weight training,” Maria added.
Sources: The Times Of India
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- Building better bones
- Doug Bremner: Ladies, Don’t Fall Into the Bone Mineral Density Osteoporosis Trap


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Thermography wedding invitations perfected by the presence of your wedding with comely wedding invitation card template 1Wedding
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What is it that separates a great recipe from a good one? The secret to many of our favorite recipes is a high-quality blender. In particular, the Vitamix blender has an excellent reputation for quality, efficiency, and its contribution to quick, easy, delicious recipes.
Vitamix blenders makes healthy recipe prep a breeze, due to the quality and efficiency of these blenders. Purchase a Vitamix blender today and chop, blend, and puree your way to a fitter, healthier life.
The Vitamix Blend
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A Vitamix blender can puree nearly any food product, helping you to whip up delicious Vitamix smoothies and Vitamix juices. Regardless of whether you purchase the popular Vitamix 5200 Series Blender orVitamix 6300 or another model, you’ll find that it’s ideal for recipes ranging from pureed soups and green smoothies to salad dressings, healthy ice creams, and nut butters.


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There are specific requirements one has to follow during 9 days of fasting. People who fast do eat.
Tag: healthy recipes
Coconut rice or Thengai saadam or Kobbari rice is very popular in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Winter is almost here. With flu, cold and running nose one feels to have something hot that can also be prepared within few minutes.
Arbi is the common leafy and root vegetable plant available throughout the year in many parts of tropical countries. It is very popular in India and Malaysia.
Medium grain size will give good taste and lemon flavor which will not be masked by any other aroma.
Serve puris hot with daal, vegetable curry prepared without onion and garlic.
Sabudana is made from raw tapioca roots. It is extracted from the stems of sago palm trees, then processed into small, circular pellets, which are sometimes referred to as pearls.
Jackfruit can weigh between 10 and 100 pounds and contains hundreds of seeds that are rich in protein, potassium, calcium, and iron — all of which are important for bodily growth.


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Advertise in this news brief.
Wyoming House faces Medicaid expansion debate on budget |
The Associated Press via Casper Star-Tribune
The Wyoming House is set to debate Thursday whether the state should move to expand the federal Medicaid program. Wyoming Rep. Dan Zwonitzer is sponsoring a Medicaid-expansion amendment to the pending supplemental budget bill in the House. The Wyoming Senate earlier this month rejected a freestanding Medicaid expansion bill.
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A separate peace: GOP governors and the Medicaid expansion
When Indiana Gov. Mike Pence agreed to expand eligibility for his state's Medicaid program, he made sure to call it "reform" rather than "expansion." The change reflects both the unique, conservative features of Indiana's Medicaid plan as well as a complex political dynamic for Pence, a conservative Republican with rumored presidential aspirations.
Montana House panel considers partial Medicaid-expansion bill
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would use a combination of state and federal money to expand Medicaid to about 10,000 Montanans. Republican Rep. Nancy Ballance of Hamilton, Montana, brought House Bill 455 before the House Human Services Committee on Wednesday.
Montana Medicaid expansion supporters trash GOP alternative
The Montana Standard
Supporters of full Montana Medicaid expansion turned out in force Wednesday to oppose a Republican-sponsored alternative, saying it doesn't go far enough in expanding government coverage for the state's poorest citizens.
Wisconsin governor faces growing pressure over Medicaid expansion
Wisconsin could save $400 million over two years if state officials agree to expand Medicaid, raising pressure on Republican Gov. Scott Walker to move forward with the politically divisive Obamacare policy. The estimates released Tuesday indicate that Wisconsin could benefit even more than expected from the Medicaid expansion, according to research from the state's budget office.
Complex Clinical Reviews. Dependent Audits. And More.
Contact HMS today!
Ohio among states pushing prisoners on Medicaid
Landing time in an Ohio prison could also soon get you help enrolling into health care coverage under Obamacare. Ohio is among a small but growing number of states working to enroll prisoners into Medicaid when they get sick and as they are being released.
Illinois' new GOP governor calls for billions in budget cuts,
The Associated Press via Yahoo News
Gov. Bruce Rauner, Illinois' new Republican governor, called Wednesday for deep spending cuts to Medicaid, pensions and other programs to fix the state's budget mess without raising taxes — a pitch met with quick opposition from Democrats who control the legislature.
Connecticut Medicaid clients, seniors, healthcare providers face cuts under governor's plan
The CT Mirror
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposed budget aims to save hundreds of millions of dollars through cuts to healthcare and social service programs, including reductions in Medicaid eligibility, payments to healthcare providers and grants for mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Missouri Medicaid enrollments starting to rise, but challenges remain
St. Louis Public Radio
Administrators for Missouri's Medicaid program told members of their oversight committee that they are getting closer to fixing their processing delays for new applicants. But the wait can still take months.
States add dental coverage for adults on Medicaid but struggle to
Kaiser Health News
Colorado was one of five states last year to begin offering routine dental coverage to millions of low-income adults in Medicaid — an unprecedented expansion. But many have had trouble finding dentists willing to treat them because of Medicaid's low reimbursements, according to providers, advocates and patients.
HHS joins new push for health innovation
The Department of Health and Human Services is supporting an effort by 10 entrepreneurs to come up with solutions to 10 healthcare problems in 10 days. The endeavor is part of a new event in Denver called 10.10.10, which is looking for solutions to tough problems that could become the basis for startup companies.
Anthem, Inc. completes acquisition of Simply Healthcare Holdings, Inc.
Anthem, Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of Simply Healthcare Holdings, Inc., a leading managed care company for people enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare programs in the state of Florida.
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NDEP webinar: 'Population Health Management: Improving Health Where We Live, Work, and Play' | Feb. 24 | noon-1 p.m. ET
National Diabetes Education Program
Healthcare costs continue to soar, outpacing inflation and taking up increasingly larger portions of business, government and consumer budgets. But while costs are rising, overall health and well-being are declining. A population health management approach considers health quality and costs beyond the clinical setting to integrate health information, management and support into people's daily lives. Join the CDC's National Diabetes Education Program in this webinar that will show you a different way to think about health and wellness on the job and in the community.
Feb. 25 Webinar Wednesday: 'Health Plans Leave Money on the Table When They Fail to Effectively Audit, Track Rx Drug Claims'
The total cost of overpayments and fraud, waste and abuse (FWA) in the prescription drug claims arena can be significant. Discuss techniques that health plans and pharmacy benefit management companies can consider to root out FWA and audit for claims processing inefficiencies.
Did you miss Webinar Wednesday: 'Engage Moms on Mobile Devices: How Smartphone Apps Can Improve Maternal Health'?
Download the presentation by Wildflower Health and other past webinars here.
MHPA's Myers joins keynote health plan panel at Medicaid Managed Care Leadership Summit | Feb. 24-25 | Alexandria, VA
World Congress and MHPA
Hear from CMS, national health plans and seven state offices. Topics include expansion, long term care, dual eligibles and more!
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MHPA's Myers to chair WHCC 4th Annual Medicaid and Medicare Reform Summit | March 2015 | Washington, DC
MHPA President and CEO Jeff Myers will chair the WHCC 4th Annual Medicaid and Medicare Reform Summit, a meeting that convenes executives from health plans, hospital systems and policy organizations to share, learn and discuss approaches to improve the quality of government programs and achieve payment and delivery reform. For conference details, agenda and registration, please visit here.
Missed an issue of MHPA's Industry NewsBrief? Click here to visit the brief's archive page.
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Negotiates, re-negotiates and executes physician and/or provider contracts in accordance with company standards in order to maintain and enhance provider networks while meeting and exceeding accessibility, quality and financial goals. Medicaid and Medicare contracting experience strongly preferred. Enter Requisition #22158.
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domain: politics


text:
We all know how Lego pieces can be assembled and connected in many ways to construct objects such as buildings, cars, roads and other complicated structures.
The same philosophy, well almost, is applied to modular construction, which is a process in which a building is constructed off-site, using the same materials and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built structures — but in less than half the time.
MEP Middle East witnessed an off-site construction facility last month where building modules are developed. Since the launch of the 16ha KEF Infra One Industrial Park, in India, KEF Infra has witnessed robust growth in its order book. The industrial park currently has a manufacturing capacity of more than 500,000m2 per annum.
Faizal E Kottikollon, founder and chairman of KEF Infra and UAE-based KEF Holdings, says: “In a short span of three years, KEF Infra has demonstrated our ability to bring world-class proficiency in design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly, and project management, all under roof, thereby, transforming the traditional construction industry by significantly reducing costs and increasing efficiencies.”
Kottikollon says that the reason why modular engineering is not yet very popular is because people are unwilling to accept change. “People are happy to remain with what they know,” he says. “And this is why it has not really gone leaps and bounds into the market because of a certain disintegration of engineering. In conventional projects, you will have around 10 consultants; fire and safety, electrical, and air conditioning are all done by different people. This is what we are eliminating. We use the Autodesk design software Revit, which allows us to do architectural, structural, and MEP designs. We then modularise it.”
Prefabricated apartments are designed to be literally stacked one on top of the other. “Like Lego,” says Kottikollon. Furthermore, prefabricated MEP is all about planning and collaboration; the sooner the stakeholders are involved, the more opportunities there will be to save space and time during construction.
Prefabrication out of philanthropy
Talking about how KEF Infra came to fruition, Kottikollon says that this was because of his interest in philanthropy. His journey began in 1995 with the opening of Al Ahamadi General Trading in Ajman, following which the business launched a valve trading company. He then created Emirates Techno Casting, which is an integrated facility incorporating engineering and design labs. After selling his valve manufacturing business to Tyco International for $400m in 2012, Kottikollon’s passion for philanthropy led him to India. “My philanthropy work started in Calicut, India, for government schools,” he says. “We worked on a study with Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calicut, to understand what were the challenges faced in the public education system. We assumed that some of the issues might be teachers not being up to the mark, lack of motivation among students, etc. However, the study revealed that rundown infrastructures in government schools, such as lack of toilets and dilapidated buildings was the root cause. This surprised me and I wondered why no one was addressing the issue. That’s when off-site manufacturing came into our mind. Back then, we rebuilt an entire school in 95 days!”
Kottikollon says that KEF Infra has constructed around 68 government schools across India.
At KEF Infra One Park, automation and data exchange are integrated with manufacturing technologies, where a network of smart factories are driven by human enterprise and cyber physical systems. Technology creates products that are durable and sustainable, which pioneers speed, efficiency and precision.
Kottikollon adds: “This technology, provides a much longer life to the building because it is produced with steam curing, and on the site there is water curing. The strength of prefabricated concrete is much higher than conventional concrete. And also, it is done using Building Information Modelling (BIM). That means, with every element going into the building, we know the life of that particular product in the system. So, maintenance becomes much easier. And everything is tracked today with technology.”
The maintenance cost will be nil, says Kottikollon. He also says that using a graphic concrete technology, the requirement for painting buildings is eliminated.
Kottikollon says: “All the steel is produced using robots. It’s all automatically done from the design stage directly; the interface is with machines. This is German technology. All welding is done using robots.”

domain: economics


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Posts Tagged ‘ Bestdealfinance.com ’
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Bangalore-based Minions Ventures Pvt. Ltd, which runs invoice discounting platform KredX, has raised $6.25 million (around Rs 42 crore)in its Series A round of funding led by marquee investment firm Sequoia India. The company’s existing investor Prime Venture Partners has also participated in the ...
Bestdealfinance.com, an online marketplace for financial products for individuals and SMEs, has rebranded itself as Rubique. The company had recently secured $3 million (Rs 20 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Kalaari Capital. YourNest Angel Fund, Globevestor and Dexter Angel Circle also pu...
15 December, 2015 |
Bestdealfinance.com, an online marketplace that provides loan fulfillment services for individuals and SME’s, has secured $3 million (Rs 20 crore) in Series A funding led by Kalaari Capital. YourNest Angel Fund, Globevestor and Dexter Angel Circle also put money in this round, as per a press stat...
22 September, 2015 |

domain: news


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While Jesus’ disciples were gathering supplies for dinner, Jesus met the Samaritan Woman at the well. Mid-day, in public, they engaged in the longest theological discussion recorded in Scripture. She challenged Jesus with her theological concerns, and he seriously entertained her questions and answered them, neither dominating the conversation nor demeaning her.1 During this discussion Jesus first revealed his identity as the Messiah, favoring a woman for his revelation over his disciples. Taken seriously, and convinced of Jesus’ identity and message, she went and effectively evangelized to her whole village. She is still remembered in churches as the first Christian evangelist.
The disciples’ confusion in finding Jesus speaking to this woman shows his counter-cultural approach to women at the margins. In broad daylight he associated himself with an ethnic group the Jews disparaged, the Samaritans. At the time, Jews would not eat or drink from anything associated with a Samaritan, yet he asked her for a drink, which meant he would need to drink from her bucket. Furthermore, he entrusted to a woman theological details regarding the Messiah in an era when women did not study Torah. She was a lowly woman forced to fetch water in the heat of the day, rather than the usual mornings and evenings, because she was ostracized by her own people due to the number of husbands in her life. While tradition has attributed these men to her own loose lifestyle, it is likely that she was married as a child to an older man, and through Levirate-like laws continued to outlive the older men assigned to her in marriage. By the fifth husband, she would have been considered bad luck. Despite this, Jesus saw in her a responsive, theological mind worth engaging. In her, he saw someone worthy of being the first to learn his true identity. In her he identified an evangelist, as she enthusiastically and effectively led her entire village, both men and women, to Jesus as Messiah. May we too take seriously women considered outcasts or who are ostracized, and like Jesus, see them as the key to the future of the church!
To learn more about the cultural background of the Samaritan Woman and the Orthodox church’s remembrance of her, see: “Samaritan Sinner, Celebrated Saint: The Story of the First Christian Missionary,” by Bronwen Speedie in Mutuality: New Testament Women, December 4, 2016.
To learn more about modern day “Samaritan type women,” listen to the Mutuality Matters: Global Impact podcast interview: “Healing the Outcasts: Fistula Repair in Bangladesh” with Dr. Beatrice Ambuen-Berger.
To read about Jesus’ counter-cultural engagement, see: “Dominance: Patriarchy’s Logic,” by Mimi Haddad in Mutuality July 2021.
“Which Women Matter to God,” by Jill Lin, January 20, 2021.
- To read more about how men tend to dominate conversations with women, see J.W. Wartick, “Are Men Talking Too Much,” Mutuality (July 8, 2020).

domain: sociology


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Most Aulonocara cichlids are remarkably easy to breed in aquariums, but some species will require a little extra attention to get into spawning condition. It is quite common for Aulonocara cichlids to spawn “on their own” without any coaxing from the aquarium keeper (such as temperatures changes, live food feedings or similar). If you want to make an active effort to spawn high quality Aulonocara cichlids, the first step is to choose suitable parent fish. Only healthy and high quality fish with good features should be considered. The parents should of course be without undesirable deformations or other known genetic problems. Make sure the parents are from the same species, unless you want to produce hybrids. Keeping Aulonocara cichlids from different species in the same aquarium will often result in interbreeding.
If you are a beginner, one of the best species to breed is Aulonocara walteri. Provide your Aulonocara walteri cichlids with their own separate aquarium without any other Aulonocara species to avoid hybridisation. It is not recommended to keep just one female and one male Aulonocara walteri together. Instead, one male should ideally be kept with 3-5 females. Keeping several male Aulonocara walteri in the same aquarium will result in a lot of fighting. There are however several cases where the Aulonocara maisoni (Maison's Peacock) have bred when two males have been kept with at least six females. Do not be afraid to experiment, but keep an eye on your Aulonocaras and provide them with plenty of hiding spaces and natural territorial borders to reduce aggression.
Feed the potential parents a nutritious diet and make sure it includes a lot of meaty foods, such as crustaceans, bloodworms or mosquito larvae. Monitor the water quality and keep the pH in the 8.0-8.2 range and the water hardness from 10 to 18 dH. The water temperature should be comparatively high; around 79-84°F (26-29°C) have proven successfully. You need to provide your Aulonocara cichlids with a suitable spawning place in the aquarium, such as a spawning slate or a flat stone.
Aulonocara baenschi female. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk
When your Aulonocara cichlids have gotten into spawning condition, the male Aulonocara will start showing him self off in front of the females. He will also try to make them swim close to the spawning place and check it out. The male Aulonocara can be quite a pest for the females during this period since he will be very persistent and sometimes even violent. To reduce the amount of stress experience by the females you should therefore make sure that they have a lot of places to hide in the aquarium. The females should ideally experience as little stress as possible during the breeding period, since stress can affect the process and make the spawning unsuccessful.
All Aulonocara species are polygamous mouth brooders. They generally produce 25-50 eggs during a spawning. A female Aulonocara will deposit her eggs on the spawning site, and instantly pick them up with her mouth to protect them from harm. The eggs will then be fertilized by a male while they are inside her mouth. Most male Aulonocara cichlids have egg-shaped growths on their bodies to lure the female Aulonocaras close to them. When the female Aulonocara tries to pick the “eggs” from the male, she will instead get a mouthful of semen in her mouth.
Aulonocara baenschi male. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk
You can see that a female Aulonocara is brooding, since her mouth is much larger than usual. Aulonocara cichlids are generally very good holders and will seldom spit out their eggs prematurely. Sever stress can however cause even an Aulonocara to do spit her batch. Many Aulonocara breeders move the brooding female to her own aquarium so that the emerging fry will not be eaten by other fish. Moving a fish is however always stressful for the fish, and can cause a brooding Aulonocara to spit out her offspring. Young females, especially those which have not spawned before, are especially vulnerable. It is therefore recommended to wait until you think the release of the fry is soon to happen, since a premature spitting is not as harmful if the fry is well developed. Moving the brooding Aulonocara to early will also force her to stay away from her group for a long time, and this can cause her to loose her status and be harassed when she return. The Aulonocara will generally brood for four weeks before spiting the fry, but this time can vary between different Aulonocara species.
When there is no yolk sack left for the released fry to feed from, you can begin feeding them small Artemia (Brine Shrimp). Pulverised flake food will also work. If you give the fry a nutritious diet they will grow very fast. When they are around four months old they will start showing their adult colouration, until then all the fry will show the drab female coloration.
Related ArticlesAulonocara - Information about Aulonocara
Breeding the Sulphur-Crested Lithobate: Otopharynx lithobates - A detailed article about breeding this Lake Malawi mouthbrooder, together with some useful general tips.
Haplochromis - Information about Haplochromis
Home-made Rocks for the Mbuna Aquarium - A guide to help you mad home made rocks for your Mbuna aquarium.
Keeping Pseudotropheus - Information about Keeping Pseudotropheus
Malawi Cichlids - Information about Malawi Cichlids
Pseudotropheus - Information about Pseudotropheus
Breeding Pseudotropheus - Information about Pseudotropheus Breeding
Pseudotropheus introduction - Basic information about Pseudotropheus cichlids from lake Malawi.
Central American Cichlids
Frogs and Turtles
Lake Victoria Cichlids
Marine Aquarium Fish
Responsible Fish Keeping
South American Cichlids
Tropical Fish Food

domain: pet


text:
Amid waning demand, cellular IoT module market faces another challenging quarter in Q3 2023, according to Counterpoint Research.
- Despite a decline in shipments, Quectel continued to lead, followed by Fibocom and China Mobile.
- The top five applications – smart meter, automotive, POS, router/CPE and telematics – accounted for over 60% of total cellular IoT module shipments.
- Against the backdrop of muted demand, full-year shipments for 2023 are expected to decline by 5%.
Global cellular IoT module shipments saw a 2% YoY decline in Q3 2023, according to Counterpoint’s latest Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker by Application report.
Weaker demand, rising interest rates and cautious spending from enterprise IoT players are some of the important factors for slowdown in this market.
For the first time, the 5G market’s share in the global cellular IoT module market crossed 5%, indicating traction for 5G adoption. However, 5G applications are currently limited due to the lack of killer use cases and higher prices. We are only witnessing early adoption in the router/CPE, PC and automotive markets.
The IoT module market is undergoing a technology transition from 4G Cat 1 and NB-IoT to 4G Cat 1 bis. The low-cost and power-efficient 4G Cat 1 bis is becoming popular for many applications, including POS, smart meter, telematics and asset tracking.
Commenting on the market dynamics, Associate Director Mohit Agrawal said, “The top five applications, encompassing smart meter, automotive, POS, router/CPE and telematics, accounted for over 60% of total cellular IoT module shipments this quarter. Notably, only the smart meter and router/CPE segments observed positive growth in shipments, with other applications experiencing a decline.
India stands out as the only region to register positive growth in the global cellular IoT module market. Conversely, the market outside of China and India saw a steeper decline compared to China. Contrary to industry expectations, the market is not gaining momentum.”
Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments Share by Vendor Q3 2023
- Quectel, the market leader, and Telit Cinterion, one of the leading international vendors, experienced a decline in shipments. This trend mirrors the prevailing conditions in both the Chinese and global IoT module markets. However, Quectel showed a slight improvement in performance in the global market on a sequential basis.
- In contrast, the other two vendors in the top five – China Mobile and Fibocom – saw positive growth. This growth was driven by smart meter, asset tracker and POS for China Mobile and router/CPE applications for Fibocom. China Mobile recently established a subsidiary, BILIN’ZHILIAN, to accelerate its module business growth.
- Certain Chinese brands such as Unionman, OpenLuat and Lierda exhibited positive performance from a niche perspective. Their growth was fuelled by applications in smart meters, asset tracking and POS.
Commenting on the future outlook, Senior Research Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “Global cellular IoT module shipments are projected to experience a 5% YoY decline in 2023. However, demand revival is expected by the second half of 2024, with substantial growth predicted for 2025, coinciding with the mass adoption of 5G and 5G RedCap.”
“In the long term, the cellular IoT module market holds promise and applications such as smart meter, router/CPE, POS, automotive and asset tracking will be driving most of the growth for this market.”
#Global #cellular #IoT #module #shipments #YoY #decline


the invisible threat
By Alexis Eisenberg
Founder and CEO of Poly-Mer
Technology | Plastic pollution | Entrepreneur
Reading time: About 5 minutes
Text by Alexis Eisenberg
Placed on line 12 June 2020
As part of Oceans Week, the Blue Organization will share stories from our collaborators, to share their stories, both inspiring and instructive. Immerse yourself in our theme of plastic pollution.
Interview with Alexis Eisenberg, founder and managing director of Poly-Mer, a young Quebec company that is developing a method to collect microplastics from water to better understand the extent of their presence, mainly in the St. Lawrence River.
Water pollution from plastic is a growing concern. We talk about it especially for the ocean environment, what is its scope?
The concern is justified since 300 million tonnes are produced by the plastics industry each year to meet global demand ... growing. 8.8 million tonnes (1 elephant = 1 tonne) are found in the waters and oceans of the planet each year. This represents 1 truckload of 15 tonnes of plastic waste which dumps every minute for a year.
The oceans are polluted by waste, such as bottles, buoys, nets and other containers and products (90% are plastic). Of these marine plastics, around 80% are estimated to have been brought to sea by rivers, wind or come from land. These plastics are responsible for the strangulation of marine mammals, accumulating in the digestive system of millions of birds, turtles and whales.
Plastic continues to float more normally. It is fragmented again and again by the action of waves and obstacles which create friction or by the sun which hardens the polymer. The pieces getting smaller and smaller turn into a kind of underwater plastic dust, known as microplastic. This dust continues to affect the living world without us being able to see their presence and what is more, fully understanding their long-term effect.
" There are more microplastics
in our oceans that stars
throughout the galaxy. "
At the microplastic scale, smaller than 2 microns in size, life swarms. Plankton is at the bottom of the food chain, at the microscopic level. He also consumes microplastics as a meal. These tiny particles tend to accumulate toxic agents, such as a sponge (heavy metals, PCB, DDT), while moving up the food chain. That is to say that in addition to consuming plastic, living organisms accumulate more and more toxins.
The microplastics ingested by fish, mussels, crustaceans, or even found in sea salt, are consumed by humans who are located at the end of the food chain. Scientists around the world are currently demonstrating the effects of this phenomenon often described as "from the trash to the table". These very small granules, less than 5 millimeters, there would be more than 5 billion billion on our planet. There are more microplastics in our oceans than stars in the entire galaxy. And we fully produced this problem ourselves!
Are we right to think that this problem is mainly localized in the great oceans?
Unfortunately, this form of pollution is also found in the St. Lawrence River. Scientific publications in recent years confirm this: plastic is everywhere and in large quantities! As much in the Great Lakes as along the St. Lawrence. You may have even witnessed it during a recent coastal trip.
Studies carried out in 2012 show high concentrations of microplastics in the Great Lakes (39 plastic particles found per 100g of sand, Dean et al., 2016). The presence of plastic was found in the sediments of the St. Lawrence through a study conducted by McGill University in 2014: several thousand particles per cubic meter of sediment, a concentration much higher than those of marine sediments than found in the most contaminated areas of the world. However, the St. Lawrence is still under-studied on this question with too little data. Data, however, necessary to trace the source of this pollution and put in place suitable and targeted mitigation measures.
" The microplastics are in the water
what greenhouse gases look like:
diffuse and without any border. "
What has Canada done so far?
Industrialized countries like Canada are part of the problem. They must now also be part of the solution in order to solve the problem. Since July 1, 2018, Canada has applied the Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations, the first big step in the right direction, especially in toothpaste. There are choices of natural exfoliators, such as beads made of bark or fruit stones, sugar, etc. However, microbeads in toiletries are only part of the problem.
There are other sources from our daily life as well as in certain industrial processes, and their use is growing: industrial plastic granules to make thermomolded objects ("pellets"), clothing fibers (eg polyester), cigarette filters, microbeads used in abrasive products, degradation of macroplastics (bottles, bags, etc.). There is still a lot to do.
Since 2018, Canadian regulations have prohibited the manufacture, import and sale of toiletries that contain plastic microbeads, including cosmetics, non-prescription drugs and natural health products.
A start-up based on data sharing!
Poly-Mer proposes the implementation of a participative science project (citizen science) by sampling in order to be able to cover a multitude of watercourses. The idea is to involve local, nautical and ecotourism communities in the gathering of information, while offering a formula at the fraction of the cost vis-à-vis current sampling methods, ie 2% of the cost.
To engage participants in the Poly-Mer Community, we develop and offer innovative and adapted tools, namely a microplastic sampler for small boats (canoe, kayak, low speed vessel) as well as a mobile application linking the collected sample, the Poly-Mer database as well as the interactive maps of our partners for viewing the data collected.
By building this database georeferenced by the proposed approach, Poly-Mer creates a strong link between citizens collecting samples during trips on water, the scientific community surrounding the sampling protocol and laboratory analyzes, and public and private decision-makers wishing to act on the issue of microplastics.
Because we better protect what we know, Poly-Mer offers in its 2019-2021 business plan a collective intelligence approach in terms of open data, citizen involvement and cross-functional collaborations between parties stakeholders, citizens, scientists, decision-makers and industrialists still unaccustomed to working together on issues as complex as pollution by microplastics.
An invitation from Poly-Mer
For citizens: avoid single-use plastics and favor reusable. We will soon work with a partner in this direction to offer other choices. Ask your municipality to participate in the Poly-Mer Community project in order to create data on your outdoor territory.
For municipalities: Learn about this issue and contact us to discuss the Charter, it can be adapted according to your territorial reality and your challenges. It is also a great way to forge a concrete link with your nautical community that has water quality at heart.
For businesses: You are part of the solution and we need you by our side to find solutions and try to eliminate the problem. We are open to discussion, join our cause, be part of the movement.
Entrepreneur | environmentalist
Alexis Eisenberg is the founder and managing director of Poly-Mer, a young Quebec company that is developing a method to collect microplastics from water to better understand the extent of their presence, mainly in the St. Lawrence River. Alexis has a bachelor's degree in oceanography, a master's degree in marine resource management and has been working in the environmental field and more particularly in residual materials management for almost 10 years. The health of the river depends on a better understanding of the ecosystem according to him. Because we protect what we love!


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In most earlier games in the series, all towns used a default town theme, often simply called "town theme". This trend has faded in later games as many towns now have their own unique themes.
"Town" appears as the first town theme. It plays in every town, and is listed as the eighth track in the NES soundtrack, and the tenth track of the first disc in the PS soundtrack. It also appears as a purchasable theme in Dissidia Final Fantasy and remixed on the Chocobo Racing Original Soundtrack under the name "White Mage's Theme". A live performance is included on the A New World: intimate music from Final Fantasy album.
"Town" returns with a similar feel to the original Final Fantasy version. It appears as the twenty seventh track in the original NES soundtrack, and the ninth track of disc two in the PS soundtrack. It is also included on the Final Fantasy Vinyls collector's set album on the fourth disc and in the Final Fantasy XV music player.
"My Home Town" (故郷の街ウル, Furusato no Machi Uru?, lit. Home Town of Ur), called "The Village of Ur" in the DS remake, is the town theme used most often, appearing in all towns but three. "Time Remains" (古代人の村, Kodaijin no Mura?, lit. Village of the Ancients), called "The Ancients" in the DS remake, plays only in the Village of the Ancients. "Return of the Warrior" (勇者の帰還, Yūsha no Kikan?, lit. Return of the Hero), called "Return of the Warriors" in the DS remake, plays in Kazus and Castle Sasune after the warriors defeat Djinn, and Saronia after defeating Gigametz.
The theme "Welcome to Our Town!" (街のテーマ, Machi no Tēma?, lit. Town Theme) plays in most towns. It is the sixth track in the official soundtrack. Arrangements of the theme are included on the Final Fantasy IV: Celtic Moon and Piano Collections: Final Fantasy IV albums. The Piano Collections version is also found on the Potion: Relaxin' with Final Fantasy album.
Mysidia does not have the normal town theme, instead playing "Mystic Mysidia". The Feymarch town area also has a different theme, "The Land of Summons". All the inhabited castles have themes of their own.
The "Town Theme" makes an appearance and plays in many towns. It also known as "Tenderness in the Air." Another town theme, "Harvest" (ハーヴェスト, Hāvesuto?) plays in Carwen, Istory, and Quelb, in the style of lively Welsh instrumental folk music. It is included Final Fantasy XV music player.
|Carwen||"Harvest"||Castle of Bal||"The Castle of Dawn"|
|Jachol||"Town Theme"||Karnak||"Cursed Lands"|
|Karnak Castle||"Royal Palace"||Lix||"My Home, Sweet Home"|
|Moogle Village||"Critter Tripper Fritter"||Moore||"Town Theme"|
|Phantom Village||"Sealed Book"||Quelb||"Harvest"|
|Regole||"Town Theme"||Surgate Castle||"The Castle of Dawn"|
|Tule||"Town Theme"||Tycoon||"Royal Palace"|
|Walse Castle||"Royal Palace"||Walse Town||"Town Theme"|
"Kids Run Through the City" is the primary town theme.
Town themes that ultimately didn't make it to the finished game have been released on the Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks album.
|Town||World of Balance Theme||World of Ruin Theme|
|Albrook||"Under Martial Law"||"From That Day On..."|
|Doma||"Cyan's Theme"||"Cyan's Theme"|
|Figaro Castle||"Edgar & Sabin's Theme"||"Edgar & Sabin's Theme"|
|Jidoor||"Kids Run Through the City"||"The Magic House"|
|Kohlingen||"Kids Run Through the City"||"From That Day On..."|
"Kids Run Through the City" (after recruiting Locke)
|Maranda||"Under Martial Law"||"From That Day On..."|
|Mobliz||"Kids Run Through the City"||"From That Day On..."|
"Awakening" (after recruiting Terra)
|Narshe||"The Mines of Narshe"||"Dark World"|
|Nikeah||"Kids Run Through the City"||"Under Martial Law"|
|South Figaro||"Kids Run Through the City" (free)
"Under Martial Law" (occupied)
|"Kids Run Through the City"|
|Thamasa||"Strago's Theme"||"Strago's Theme"|
|Tzen||"Under Martial Law"||"From That Day On..."|
|Vector||"The Gestahlian Empire"||—|
|Zozo||"Slam Shuffle"||"Slam Shuffle"|
"Wind Blowing in the Home" is the town theme.
Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008)
"Town" from the original NES version of Final Fantasy may be purchased in this game from the PP Catalog, to receive the option to choose it as the background theme during battles. It costs 500 PP.
"Town" from Final Fantasy reappears in an identical fashion, and is one of the items that may be imported from the original Dissidia. In this game, it only costs 150 PP to obtain from its PP Catalog
The Final Fantasy II "Town" makes an appearance as a playable Field Music Sequence.
Every town has its own unique theme. However, a few of these themes are arrangements of themes from other Final Fantasy games. "Prismelody: Town", an arrangement of "Town" from Final Fantasy, plays in Cornelia. "Prismelody: Eternal Wind", an arrangement of the song of the same name from Final Fantasy III, plays in Saronia Harbor. "Prismelody: Tifa", an arrangement of "Tifa's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII, plays in Nibelheim. "Prismelody: Library of the Ancients", an arrangement of the song of the same name from Final Fantasy V, plays in the Tometown of the Ancients.
Arrangement album appearances
An arrangement of "The Village of Ur" from Final Fantasy III is included in "Following the Wind", arranged by Yukio Kakehi.
The arrangement of "Town Theme" from Final Fantasy V is called "Tenderness in the Air", arranged by Nobuo Uematsu.
The arrangement of "My Home Town" from Final Fantasy III is called "Machi". The lyrics are by Manami Kiyota, the original music by Nobuo Uematsu arranged by Yuji Hasegawa. Manami Kiyota sings the vocals.
- Tobu tori no sora o miage
- Nekoronda nohara
- Yawarakai hizashi ga
- Hoo o terashiteru
- Midori no umi no sazanami
- Mimi o sumashite
- Yuruyaka ni nagareru
- Toki ni mi o makase
- Me o tojite, fukaku iki o hakidashite
- Odayaka ni naru kokoro
- Kokyou wa itsudemo watashi ni
- Yawarakai jikan o kureru
- Onaji sora no shita de
- Keredo tooku hanareteru
- Ima hitorikiri no machi
- Sugosu hibi wa
- Kibou to yume to fuan to
- Soshite samishisa ga
- Karamatte tama ni namida
- Nagasu keredo
- Osanai hi--yume ni, egaita mirai ni
- Kanarazu deau tame ni
- Sore made wa ima kono machi de
- Jibun o shinjite susumou
- Mihatenu yume o motometeru
- Looking up at a sky of flying birds
- Lying down in a field
- Gentle sunbeams
- Shining on my cheeks
- Ripples of an emerald sea
- I strain to hear
- Going with the gentle flow
- Of time
- I close my eyes, take a deep breath
- My heart grows tranquil
- My hometown always gives me
- Gentle times
- Beneath the same sky
- Yet far apart
- Now the town is mine alone
- The days I spend here
- Hopes and dreams and uneasiness
- And loneliness, too
- All tangle together; sometimes
- I let the tears flow, although
- Younger days--dreams, and the future I imagined
- So I can be sure I'll come across them
- I'll be in this town until then
- Keeping on, believing in myself
- In search of boundless dreams
The piano arrangement of "Harvest" from Piano Collections: Final Fantasy V is included in this compilation album.
A piano arrangement of "Harvest" from Final Fantasy V appears on this album, arranged by Shirou Satou and performed by Toshiyuki Mori.
A piano arranged medley of the town themes of the first three Final Fantasy games appears on this album.

domain: game


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As the city of Bangkok becomes increasingly popular for business and tourism, it is expected that international law firms in Bangkok will continue to flourish. At present, the business climate is strong and the demand for international firms is high. With the influx of individuals and businessmen coming to Bangkok from all over the world, it is not surprising that there are more employment opportunities now than ever before.
Foreigners should not worry about language barriers or the standards of living in Thailand being beyond their reach when seeking employment at these law firms. This is because, as the population continues to grow, many individuals are moving to Bangkok. Businesses are also beginning to hire more expatriates as well.
Before going to work for any of these law firms, you must consider the skills and knowledge of the people who will be responsible for your education, training, and management. Thai teachers that teach courses in legal languages may not be the most appropriate choices if you have a specific interest in a particular field. The teacher will be an important part of your education, but you must be prepared to pursue it.
As part of the process of recruiting new employees, applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation for the position that they are applying for. Applicants must be able to demonstrate to their interviewers why they should be hired. Foreigners must pass their certification examinations if they want to work in Thai law firms.
Students of Tibetan studies are often encouraged to take these examinations. As the requirement for registration in private colleges and universities is slowly raised, Tibetan students are likely to qualify. If you qualify, you can expect to begin taking courses in the spring and summer of your freshman year.
A course like Tibetan law or international law may not be right for everyone. However, you should find out why the course is needed so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not it is right for you. If it is the first time that you are taking an examination in your life, you should not rush into taking it.
While it would be very difficult to provide you with a list of high quality law firms in Bangkok, you can still determine which companies are worth looking into if you know where to look. You may need to do some research on your own to determine whether or not your options are viable. Although you can find reviews online, you may find it helpful to talk to some other potential candidates.
In addition to teaching courses in Tibetan law, some prospective students may have taken courses in Tibetan philosophy or Buddhist studies. If this is the case, you may also be able to take the certification examination and then apply to a company. If you have some degree of knowledge of Buddhism or Tibetan culture, you should be able to gain admission to any reputable law firm.
Some students may have recently graduated from a recent class that included a requirement that they be fluent in at least one language. For this reason, finding out if the course meets this requirement is especially important. You can probably tell if the student has taken the test if the answer is “yes”no.”
If you have a decent understanding of Tibetan culture and philosophy, you should be fine with Tibetan law or international law. If you don’t want to learn Tibetan, but want to work with someone who is fluent in Tibetan, your short list of law firms in Bangkok should include many reputable companies. After all, if you are looking for law firms in Bangkok that have a high level of bilingual staff, you should try to get a hold of them.
Although you may be surprised, it’s possible that a candidate might be selected with a certificate in Buddhist studies and a certificate in Tibetan law. It could also happen that a student chose a combination of degrees that was required by a number of schools. different institutions.
In fact, most of the countries of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines, do not have a national level exam for graduate study. Therefore, those who are interested in pursuing legal positions in Bangkok need to be aware of their cultural as well as academic requirements.

domain: law


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These turquoise blue beauties are beautifully intricate and detailed with their hand-carved details. They have such a natural feel to them that would lend a beautiful earthy look would to your jewelry designs! Made in India, from cow bone that has been carved and then stained to look like natural turquoise (learn more about the source of the bone below).
These have a nice slightly-larger hole on them (approximately 2mm), so they would work on smaller cord or twine. These beads feature an cut-out carved pattern that will showcase the cord you use to add a unique flair to your design!
The strand is approximately 9" long, with approximately 9 beads, and the beads are a tube shape, measuring approximately 5x25mm.
Curious to know about the source of the bone?
In India and Nepal, not much is wasted. So instead of just eating the meat of an animal, every part of the animal is used: bones for things like beads, hides/hair for clothing and accessories and talismans, and the meat is consumed.
The making of these beads and pendants provides a livelihood for families in remote villages in Nepal and India, which we are
**As many of my products come from Nepal, a portion of my proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Nepal Earthquake Relief.**
All content (which includes all text, photography, product names, product descriptions) is All rights reserved - Woman Shops World, Inc. Carter Seibels, 2014 - infinity


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Abbaye de Pontigny
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Photographs, negatives, and slides, notes, booklets and papers gathered by Dr. Zakin for her research, as well as academic papers and presentations and correspondence.
This series contains photographs, picture postcards, slides and negatives from M. Basil Pennington's worldwide travels to summits, conferences and symposiums. Also included are snapshots from his visits to abbeys and monasteries around the world and the buildings and people seen there.

domain: library