Temperature and Humidity Sensors in Pharmaceutical Storage
Temperature and humidity are two of the most important environmental factors to control in pharmaceutical storage. Both temperature humidity sensor can affect the stability and efficacy of pharmaceutical products, and if not properly controlled, can lead to product degradation and spoilage.
Temperature and humidity sensors are essential tools for monitoring and controlling the environment in pharmaceutical storage facilities. These sensors can be used to create a real-time monitoring system that can alert operators to any problems so that corrective action can be taken immediately.
Why are temperature and humidity important in pharmaceutical storage?
Temperature and humidity can affect pharmaceutical products in a number of ways, including:
- Chemical degradation: Many pharmaceutical products are sensitive to temperature and can degrade if stored outside of the recommended temperature range. This can lead to the formation of impurities and a loss of efficacy.
- Physical instability: Temperature and humidity can also affect the physical stability of pharmaceutical products. For example, high humidity can cause some products to absorb moisture and become sticky or even melt. Low humidity can cause other products to become brittle and fracture.
- Microbial growth: High humidity and warm temperatures can create ideal conditions for microbial growth. This can lead to the contamination of pharmaceutical products and the production of toxins.
What are the recommended temperature and humidity ranges for pharmaceutical storage?
The recommended temperature and humidity ranges for pharmaceutical storage vary depending on the specific product. However, in general, most pharmaceutical products should be stored at temperatures between 15°C and 25°C and at relative humidity levels below 60%.
What are the different types of temperature and humidity sensors?
There are a variety of different temperature and humidity sensors available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most common types of sensors used in pharmaceutical storage include:
- Thermocouples: Thermocouples are simple and inexpensive sensors that are accurate over a wide temperature range. However, they can be susceptible to interference from electromagnetic fields.
- Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs): RTDs are more expensive than thermocouples, but they are more accurate and less susceptible to interference.
- Thermistors: Thermistors are very sensitive sensors that can detect small changes in temperature. However, they are not as accurate as RTDs and can be affected by self-heating.
- Capacitive humidity sensors: Capacitive humidity sensors measure the change in capacitance of a dielectric material due to changes in humidity. They are accurate and stable, but they can be expensive.
- Resistive humidity sensors: Resistive humidity sensors measure the change in resistance of a conductive material due to changes in humidity. They are less expensive than capacitive humidity sensors, but they are also less accurate and stable.
How to choose the right temperature and humidity sensors for your pharmaceutical storage facility
When choosing temperature and humidity sensors for your pharmaceutical storage facility, there are a number of factors to consider, including:
- The accuracy and stability of the sensors: It is important to choose sensors that are accurate and stable over the expected temperature and humidity range.
- The type of sensor: The type of sensor you choose will depend on your specific needs and budget.
- The ease of installation and maintenance: Some sensors are easier to install and maintain than others.
- The cost of the sensors: The cost of temperature and humidity sensors can vary depending on the type of sensor, the accuracy and stability required, and the features offered.
How to use temperature and humidity sensors in pharmaceutical storage
Temperature and humidity sensors can be used to create a real-time monitoring system for your pharmaceutical storage facility. This system can be used to alert operators to any problems so that corrective action can be taken immediately.
To create a real-time monitoring system, you will need to install temperature and humidity sensors throughout your storage facility. The sensors should be placed in strategic locations, such as near doorways, vents, and heating and cooling units.
The sensors will collect data on the temperature and humidity levels in the storage facility. This data can be transmitted to a central monitoring station, where it can be analyzed and displayed in real time.
If the temperature or humidity levels in the storage facility fall outside of the recommended ranges, the monitoring system will alert operators. This will allow operators to take corrective action, such as adjusting the heating or cooling system or closing doors and vents.
Temperature and humidity sensors are essential tools for monitoring and controlling the environment in pharmaceutical storage facilities. By using temperature and humidity sensors to create a real-time monitoring system, you can ensure that your pharmaceutical products are stored in the optimal conditions to maintain their stability and efficacy.


Uric acid measurement has become increasingly important, and electrochemically modified detection method based portable devices hold a dominant position in the market for point of care and self-monitoring of uric acid blood levels. However, there has been a lack of detailed performance evaluation of the electrochemical detection devices that are currently being used in professional health care facilities and for home self-monitoring of uric acid. A commercially available uric acid monitoring system that is chemically modified to reduce interference was evaluated via clinical evaluation for its performance and interference as compared to a centralized laboratory instrument. Precision was within ±3.1% for 3 levels of control solutions and whole blood samples. A range from 30 to 55% was acceptable for the measurement of hematocrit levels in whole blood samples. There was no interference for the potential substances at their high therapeutic levels. Hemolyzed samples of up to 75 g/l showed no interference with test results obtained by the BeneCheck system, while a -45.9% bias% was obtained during testing of the same samples by a spectrophotometer. Clinical evaluation showed that >95% of tests were within ±20% bias% compared to a centralized instrument in hospitals. The uric acid monitoring system was suitable for use in monitoring or screening uric acid concentration for home users or professionals.


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Facebook – Genre(s): Metalcore – Location: Dhaka
PSAB: Where does the name “Absentia” come from exactly?
Absentia: We honestly really liked the name Absentia from Porcupine Tree’s album because we wanted a single word name and we interpret it as the feelings we experience in the absence of senses.
Illinois based hardcore/punk band, Kingmaker, announced today that after six years, they’re calling it quits.
UK based doomcore band, Black Tongue, dropped a massive new track, “In The Wake Ov The Wolf” earlier today.
Ira is Shores of Acheron’s latest EP released in June of 2015. There are 7 songs running to about 22 minutes fully through. Ira hits hard so be sure to pick it up or listen to it on Bandcamp, Spotify, and iTunes! Read more
Canadian death/groove metal band, Leave The Living, dropped a new lyric video for their song “Undone” recently.

domain: artistic


A woman narrowly escaped death when a drink and drug-fuelled driver smashed into a lamppost she was standing next to.
The impact propelled her through the air and into the road, outside the Blueprint bar in Gravel Street, in Leicester city centre.
The victim had just finished a night-shift and was standing on the corner of Church Gate and Gravel Street waiting to meet friends, at about 5.45am.
Phillip Plant, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court that Muhammad Bhayat was driving two passengers in a blue VW Golf when he went through traffic lights on red and made contact with a wall before crashing into the lamppost, which took the brunt of the force that possibly saved the woman's life.
Passers-by went to her aid as she lay in the road. She was taken to hospital suffering from lacerations as well as internal and external bruises.
She was in considerable pain and unable to work for two months.
The shock of what happened left her with anxiety and she suffered sleepless nights.
The 21-year-old defendant initially denied he was the driver and gave the police a false name, but his DNA was found on the the driver's airbag.
What was said in mitigation?
Bhayat, a chemical engineering student, admitted dangerous driving and drink driving in the early hours of October 18.
A breath test revealed that Bhayat had 60 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
He initially tested positive for cannabis although a blood test put him below the limit for driving with the class B drug in his system.
Robert Lassey, mitigating, said Bhayat, who was 20 at the time, was "ashamed and remorseful."
He said: "He had no significant problems until he went to university where he regularly consumed alcohol and cannabis.
"It affected his mental health and he went through a "period of hypomania."
Mr Lassey said: "But for the deterioration in his mental health, which was largely his own fault because he consumed these substances, this wouldn't have happened."
The defendant was said to have driven to Leicester to collect his cousin from a nightclub that evening, en route to Preston.
However, he ended up going into the club and having four alcoholic drinks.
Mr Lassey said: "He remembers getting into the car and then almost nothing until the impact.
"When shown the CCTV footage he expressed shock and concern about the victim and asked if she was okay."
Bhayat's family were described as "troubled and worried" about his uncharacteristic behaviour - which included him randomly living rough in various cities last year - although were supportive of him.
Mr Lassey said the defendant had not touched drink or drugs since January and his mental health had improved.
What did the judge say?
Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: "You came very close to killing her.
"If you had you'd be going to prison for 10 years or more. I've heard a lot about you and I think a lot is self-indulgent feeling sorry for yourself.
"I'm not sure if there was a mental disorder in October last year.
"It wasn't reported to a doctor before this.
"But I can't rule out the possibility there was some sort of mental illness.
"You drove when under the influence of cannabis and when nearly twice the drink drive limit; that's the cause of what happened during the early hours of October 18.
"You lost control and collided with a lamppost .
"Drink and cannabis were the problem rather than mental disorder on your part.
"You have no previous convictions and ultimately she suffered serious bruising, that caused her a great deal of pain and inconvenience, but no lasting injuries - and that allows me to suspend the inevitable prison sentence.
"If you offend again you can be sure you'll be sent to prison.
"You've been indulged by your family and others; you won't be indulged by the court if you offend again."
Bhayat, of Maple Crescent, Preston, Lancashire, was given a 12 month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
He was banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay £3,000 compensation to the victim.


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Healthcare associated infections essay
Nosocomial infections and their control strategies “healthcare associated infections” is types of nosocomial infections national healthcare safety. This web page provides guidelines, recommendations and strategies for preventing environment-associated infections in healthcare facilities. Mrsa essay mrsa essay the second part of the report will explain why healthcare associated infections such as mrsa occur and will analyse the infection control.
What nurses can do to prevent hospital-associated infections nurses can greatly reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections among their patients. Nursing impact of non-rinse skin cleansing with chlorhexidine gluconate research paper, nursing impact of non-rinse skin cleansing with chlorhexidine gluconate on prevention of healthcare-associated infections project description apa format, apa reference of article, college level discussion of pros and cons of changing practices. 4 objectives • to standardise practice across the northamptonshire healthcare economy • to minimise the potential risk of infections associated with indwelling.
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What effects does poor hand hygiene have on patients within a hospital setting hygiene have on patients within a healthcare associated infections. Nosocomial infections, quality control processes - healthcare associated infections. Ventilator–associated pneumonia (vap) is one of the top three infection concerns of clinicians today it may account for up to 60% of all deaths from healthcare-associated infections (hais) in the us 1 other key us statistics include. A new training programme aims to boost the confidence and improve the skills of healthcare keeping hospitals clean: how nurses can reduce health-care-associated.
- Healthcare associated infections produced by hiqa in 2009 effective care systems and controls in place to - monitor compliance with national standards.
- October 17-21 is national infection prevention and control we are dedicated to preventing and controlling the transmission of healthcare associated infections.
Essay the importance of infection control and prevention in anesthesiology la importancia del control y prevención de healthcare-associated infections. A hospital-acquired infection and prevention estimated roughly 17 million hospital-associated infections, when healthcare workers had access to. The australian safety and quality goals for health healthcare associated infections through effective infection control and antimicrobial stewardship. Reporting healthcare-associated infections lessons f r o m t h e pioneers re p o r t i n g he a l t h c a r e-associated in f e c t i o n s by anna spencer.

domain: medical


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Kermit and Miss Piggy take their place in historyBreaking News
tags: Smithsonian, Muppets
Miss Piggy is finally getting the attention and recognition she desperately sought. On Tuesday, the glamorous, fame-seeking pig secured her place in history when she and some of puppeteer Jim Henson’s other creations were donated to the Smithsonian Institution.
Twenty-one of Henson’s puppets from “Sesame Street,” “The Muppet Show” and other projects – including Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Fozzie Bear and the Swedish Chef – will join Miss Piggy’s longtime squeeze, Kermit the Frog, in the Jim Henson Collection at the Museum of American History on Washington’s National Mall.
Tuesday’s induction ceremony took place on what would have been Muppet creator Henson’s 77th birthday. Puppeteer Henson, the creative mind behind the long-running children’s shows “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show,” died in 1990. His wife and collaborator Jane Henson died in April....
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- Eric Foner interviews Matt Karp about his new book on slaveholders
- Are historians ignoring the history of originalism?
- Mark Noll says evangelicals voted for Trump for lots of reasons, abortion among them
- Yuval Noah Harari: "Homo sapiens as we know them will disappear in a century or so"
- Historian John Fea’s twitterstorm in defense of the NEH

domain: history


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1. Where an AI system is based on a general purpose AI model and the model and the system are developed by the same provider, the AI office shall have powers to monitor and supervise compliance of this AI system with the obligations of this Regulation. To carry monitoring and supervision tasks the AI Office shall have all the powers of a market surveillance authority within the meaning of the Regulation 2019/1020.
2. Where the relevant market surveillance authorities have sufficient reasons to consider that general purpose AI systems that can be used directly by deployers for at least one purpose that is classified as high-risk pursuant to this Regulation, is non-compliant with the requirements laid down in this Regulation, it shall cooperate with the AI Office to carry out evaluation of compliance and inform the Board and other market surveillance authorities accordingly.
3. When a national market surveillance authority is unable to conclude its investigation on the high-risk AI system because of its inability to access certain information related to the AI model despite having made all appropriate efforts to obtain that information, it may submit a reasoned request to the AI Office where access to this information can be enforced. In this case the AI Office shall supply to the applicant authority without delay, and in any event within 30 days, any information that the AI Office considers to be relevant in order to establish whether a high-risk AI system is non-compliant. National market authorities shall safeguard the confidentiality of the information they obtain in accordance with the Article 70. The procedure provided in Chapter VI of the Regulation (EU) 1020/2019 shall apply by analogy.

domain: law


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At the Calico Quilters Quilt Show in April, Marlee Carter of New Gloucester received the most Viewers' Choice votes of all 35 exhibitors. "Homage to Aunt Mamie" was the most popular of the five quilts she entered. This show attracts about 375 attendees and is held in Yarmouth in even-numbered years.
Marlee began stitching as a young girl, sitting with her great Aunt Mamie as they listened to the "soaps" of the day on the radio. She learned to embroider and hand sew and it has become a passion. A member of the Pine Tree Quilters Guild, she participates in two chapters: Calico Quilters and Crazty Quilters of Maine.
Marlee has taught quilting and stitching since 1975. Her main goal as a teacher is to teach upbeat and positive classes where the students not only learn the easiest way to get the job done but also have fun doing it.
She can be found in a log cabin in New Gloucester with her husband - and a needle will always be close by.
[photo taken by Mary Hodgkin]

domain: hobby


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A TANTALIZING hypothesis linking the length of the ends of chromosomes to aging and cancer is wrong, new research suggests.
Every time cells divide, they reproduce their chromosomes. But the cellular enzymes that copy the DNA in the chromosomes have a problem with the chromosome ends, called telomeres, and cannot copy them completely.
The hypothesis was that telomeres were intimately related to cancer and aging. As people grew older, this hypothesis said, their telomeres got shorter until they finally reached a length that meant a person's time was up. Cancer cells, which are immortal (they appear to be able to divide forever in a laboratory) were said to have telomeres that remained as long as a newborn baby's.
The theory said that if scientists could lengthen the telomeres of the elderly, they might be able to restore youth. And if they could shorten the telomeres of cancer cells, they might cure cancer.
But, said Dr. Elizabeth H. Blackburn, a cell biologist at the University of California in San Francisco, it turns out that telomeres do not always shorten significantly with age and that cancer cells do not always have telomeres of a constant length.Continue reading the main story
The telomere hypothesis, she said, is no more true than proposing that since everyone who grows old gets wrinkled, it is wrinkles that cause old age.
''It was a black-and-white world a few years ago,'' Dr. Blackburn said. ''But now the real world has intruded.''
As the old hypothesis has fallen, however, researchers are beginning to understand what does happen with telomeres and why they are important to cells.
New research, reported in the past two weeks in the journals Science and Nature, suggests that telomeres shrink and lengthen over and over as cell division is repeated many times. Because the telomeres are stretches of nonsense DNA, no important information is lost. They function as buffer zones to protect the more important DNA in the rest of the chromosome.
The cyclic changes in chromosome size depend on the proteins that attach themselves to telomeres. The proteins group tightly together so that the longer a telomere is, the more proteins are attached to it.
When the number of proteins exceeds a critical value, an enzyme that lengthens telomeres cannot work. As a consequence, when the cell divides, its telomere shortens. It continues to shorten with each cell division until it finally becomes so short that it is not binding enough proteins to inhibit the enzyme that lengthens the telomeres.
At that point, the enzyme goes to work, copying the telomere and making it grow long again.
Dr. Titia de Lange , a cell biologist at Rockefeller University who recently published a paper on this phenomenon in human cells, said that telomeres ''are constantly moving back and forth between states.'' They alternate between growing and shrinking ''in a dynamic equilibrium,'' Dr. de Lange said.
A wide variety of species use the same mechanism, said Dr. Thomas R. Cech, a Nobel Prize-winning cell biologist at the University of Colorado in Boulder, who published a paper recently on telomere length regulation in yeast.
''The story is consistent,'' he said.
That still leaves the question whether telomeres have any use other than as buffer zones. Dr. Blackburn said an answer was imminent. She and others, she said, are about to publish papers showing that telomeres are essential for nuclear division, the process of pulling apart the chromosomes when cells divide.
So, she said, the telomere story may not be the simple one of a few years ago but ''scientifically, it is a lot more interesting.''Continue reading the main story

domain: news


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PARIS — France’s Pinault-Printemps-Redoute on Tuesday gave more evidence that Europe’s luxury firms are enjoying hearty growth, reporting double-digit sales increases at its Gucci Group division in the two months since the departure of its star management and design duo, Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole.
Serge Weinberg, PPR’s chief executive, said sales at Gucci gained 17.7 percent on a comparable basis in May and June. “We are moving in the right direction,” Weinberg said in a conference call, commenting on PPR’s first-half sales, which fell 6 percent to 5.61 billion euros, or $6.89 billion, deteriorated by adverse currency translations and restructuring costs. Figures have been converted at average exchange rates for the corresponding periods.
From February though April, Gucci Group’s sales rose 4.9 percent to 595 million euros, or $731.7 million. At constant exchange rates, sales grew by 10.5 percent.
Gucci brand sales gained 4.6 percent to 334.7 million euros, or $411.6 million, while Yves Saint Laurent advanced 14.5 percent to 37.6 million euros, or $46.2 million. Bottega Veneta surged 48.1 percent to 21.8 million euros, or $26.8 million.
Sales at Sergio Rossi, the shoe house, rose 3.5 percent to 20.4 million euros, or $25.1 million. Gucci also runs the Boucheron jewelry business, Bedat & Co. watches and the fashion houses of Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga, all of which made “excellent headway,” PPR said.
By zone, Gucci Group’s highest comparable-sales gains were logged in America (19.1 percent), Asia (11.8 percent) and France (14.2 percent). Sales in the rest of Europe excluding France increased 4.9 percent.
Weinberg cited “exceptional” responses to the first post-Ford cruise collections by Gucci’s women’s wear designer Alessandra Facchinetti and Yves Saint Laurent’s Stefano Pilati, two of Ford’s underlings.
He said orders for their collections had surged 50 percent in the U.S. and 100 percent in Europe. He added that the response had been “positive” to John Ray’s debut men’s collection at Gucci, shown on the Milan runway in June, as well as to accessories created by Frida Gianni.
Pilati and Facchinetti both will make highly anticipated formal runway debuts in front of the critical press this fall.“Recent sales trends and the positive response to Gucci Group’s latest collections further bolster our confidence in the brand portfolio and teams at Gucci Group, as well as the organizational decision we have made,” Weinberg said.
Nonetheless, some analysts expressed disappointment with Gucci’s performance.
“The numbers were below what people were expecting because De Sole parted with such bullish comments,” said Elisabeth Jamieson, analyst at Lehman Brothers in London. Jamieson said Lehman expected comparable growth of 15 percent in the quarter.
Though Weinberg said little on potential strategy changes at Gucci Group, he did hint at certain modifications already set in motion at YSL, including the realignment of prices and merchandise. He said more daywear would be introduced at a broader range of prices, adding that the brand would not open new stores until it optimized its current network.
He declined to comment on when the brand could become profitable, saying only that more progress had been made “sooner than I expected three months ago. YSL has enormous potential.”
A more complete three-year strategy statement will be made by yearend by Gucci’s new ceo, former Unilever executive Robert Polet, Weinberg said.
Meanwhile, he plugged YSL Beauté’s upcoming launch in September of Cinemá, the first post-Ford fragrance. “It has been well received by professionals,” Weinberg said. “[YSL Beauté] will have a stronger second half.”
YSL Beauté’s sales increased 3.2 percent to 145.3 million euros, or $178.7 million, in the February to April period.
Overall, PPR’s sales were broadly in line with analysts’ consensus expectations and the stock was up 0.7 percent to close at 80.80 euros in trading on the Paris Bourse.
Through the first six months, PPR, whose far-flung interests range from department stores to catalogues, stood at 11.37 billion euros, or $14 billion, which was down 7.4 percent.
Weinberg said the so-called “new PPR,” or the company’s retail and luxury businesses, had posted a 4.9 percent gain in the second quarter to 3.91 billion euros, or $4.8 billion.
Rexel, the electronic components firm that PPR said it intends to sell by yearend, saw sales improve 2.3 percent to 1.71 billion euros, or $2.1 billion.Weinberg said the retail division’s sales gained 5.1 percent to 3.31 billion euros, or $4.06 billion, boosted by a good performance in France. Sales at the Conforama home store reported a 6.1 percent gain and the Fnac music and book chain gained 8.3 percent.
Sales at Printemps department stores increased 8.2 percent, as tourists returned to the firm’s Paris flagship on the Boulevard Haussmann. Meanwhile, the Redcats mail-order division fell 0.1 percent.
PPR also runs the CFAO African trading company, whose sales increased 7.4 percent to 464.9 million euros, or $570.9 million.
Like most French firms, PPR reports earnings and revenues separately. It is slated to give profits on Sept. 15.
Yesterday, the Parisian fashion house @azzaro_official cut the ribbon on a temeporary retrospective at the wing of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The exhibition, which shows the lasting influence of the brand’s founder Loris Azzaro, is titled “Azzaro, Fifty Sparkling Years” and presents 50 looks. In it’s ’70s heyday, fans of the brand included Jane Birkin, pictured here, Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot and more. See more photos on WWD.com #wwdfashion
@trinaturk and @macys Inc International Concepts line are linking up on a collection for summer — filled with accessories, swimwear and shoes. The collection will also include a Mr Turk men’s line, both of which are the designer’s first entry into a more accessibly priced area. “It’s very world-traveler, gypset-inspired,” said Turk. The Trina Turk x INC line will launch on May 15th. #wwdfashion
Assouline is paying homage to the late Azzedine Alaïa with a reprint of "Alaïa Livre de Collection.” The book is comprised of photographs of the designer's summer 1992 runway show with models Christy Turlington Burns, Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks, pictured here at right. #wwdfashion #alaia #tyrabanks
Fall 2018 accessories take on a painterly hue, with Nebulas Blue among Pantone’s top 10 colors of the season. (📸: @jonghyupstudio ; editor: @twallz21 ; stylist and set designer: @haideefindlaylevin ) #wwdaccessories
@americanapparelusa is relaunching the brand outside of the U.S. today, opening its online store to more than 200 countries. The company is also contemplating a return to brick-and-mortar, though details have not been confirmed. In tandem with the expanded distribution is a recasting of a social media ad campagn, called “Back to Basics,” pictured here, with a focus on diversity and a cast of models above the age of 21. Read more on WWD.com #wwdnews #wwdfashion
Exclusive: @britneyspears is continuing to expand her brand. The pop icon, who appears in @kenzo ’s latest campaign, is partnering with Epic Rights to launch a line of branded merchandise. Read @hernameislex ‘s story, link in bio. #wwdnews #britneyspears
The Duchess of Cambridge channeled Princess Diana’s look upon giving birth to Prince Harry, when she and the Duke of Cambridge departed the hospital with the new baby Prince this afternoon in London. #wwdeye #princeofcambridge
The new Prince of Cambridge has arrived! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posed with the 8-pound newborn. She wore a look from one of her go-to designers, @jennypackham. Tap link in bio for more. #wwdeye #princeofcambridge

domain: economics


Former Wiseburn schools chief Don Brann will take reins of troubled Inglewood Unified
Don Brann, who engineered the dramatic turnaround of the tiny Wiseburn School District, was appointed by the state Friday to lead the financially troubled Inglewood schools.
Brann’s appointment, which will be effective Monday, comes six months after the state Department of Education’s first attempt to install a handpicked administrator to run the embattled district ended in disaster.
Brann, 67, spent 40 years in the field of education before retiring in 2008 from the K-8 Wiseburn district in west Hawthorne, where he stemmed declining enrollment, helped push through successful bond measures to rebuild schools and led a turnaround of student test scores.
“There is hope for the Titanic with Don at the helm,” said Dennis Curtis, a longtime school board member in Wiseburn. “He is a wonderful leader. … He can work with the unions, he can work with the teachers, he can work with the administrators – he can work with anybody who will work with him.”
Neither Brann nor the office of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson would comment.
In September, financially insolvent Inglewood Unified became the ninth school district in the history of California to be taken over by the state. The maneuver came with a $55 million bailout loan, but also required stripping the five-member school board of its legislative powers and firing then-Superintendent Gary McHenry.
Appointed by the state to replace them all was administrator Kent Taylor, who – as is custom for districts taken over by the state – served as a one-man board and administration.
Taylor’s tenure lasted just two months. He was pressured to resign in December for brokering a deal with teachers without proper approval from Torlakson. That deal locked the district into a contract that didn’t save nearly enough money, officials say.
As for Brann, so celebrated is his legacy in Wiseburn that the tiny district this spring named an elementary school’s multipurpose room in honor of him and his wife, Sari.
By the time Brann took the reins in 1993, Wiseburn was a shell of its former self, having lost two of every three students since a heyday in the 1960s. The district had closed three of its six schools; enrollment had sunk to 1,000.
By the time he left in 2008, every school in the district had been or was slated to be rebuilt, one of the closed schools – Peter Burnett Elementary – was reopened, test scores were on the rise and enrollment was back to 2,000-plus. (Enrollment there currently sits at nearly 4,000, thanks largely to the addition of Da Vinci charter high schools.)
But Wiseburn is a far cry from Inglewood Unified.
Inglewood in a decade has lost roughly a third of its student population, which now numbers 12,000. It’s a smaller proportion than Wiseburn’s loss, but a much larger hit in terms of raw numbers, given the size of the respective districts.
Whereas the enrollment decline in Wiseburn was primarily the result of an aging population, in Inglewood the exodus owes largely to a spate of charter schools that have sprung up in the area to fulfill unmet demand for good schools. Other Inglewood students have transferred to nearby school districts – such as Wiseburn.
In any case, it’s not the size of the loss that defines Inglewood’s malaise so much as the severity of the root causes.
The district’s two traditional high schools – Inglewood and Morningside – score in the bottom 10 percent of all high schools in California. Enrollment in the elementary schools has dwindled to the point where at least a couple of the buildings are half empty; Freeman Elementary this past year was down to just 158 students – 300 fewer than a decade ago.
The finances have been in a disarray, with the district deficit-spending to the tune of $17 million a year.
Mirroring the academic decline of the schools is their physical deterioration.
Custodians in Inglewood’s schools are in such short supply that the students have been known to take a broom to their own classrooms. During the winter rains in December, a leaky rooftop at Morningside High necessitated lining the gymnasium floor with a tarp and dozens of trash cans to catch the water. (The roof was later repaired.)
Casting a shadow over it all is Inglewood’s gang culture, which has reportedly flared up this year in the Morningside Park area of town. One student this year was shot in the arm in the middle of the day – though not fatally, and not on school grounds.
On the advice of the California Highway Patrol, La Tanya Kirk-Carter, the business administrator who has been holding the top job on an interim basis, is protected by bodyguards at a cost to the district of $200,000 annually.
As for Brann, he will be the first white leader to take the helm of the district in years. Inglewood Unified’s student makeup is roughly 60 percent Latino and 40 percent black. Most of its leaders on the school board and administration have been black.
Brann took an unusual approach to reviving the Wiseburn district, which consists of three elementary schools and Dana Middle School, all located in a roughly 4-square-mile patch wedged between El Segundo and Hawthorne.
It could be said that he brought a charter-school sensibility to the traditional public school district.
While most school leaders are indifferent or ambivalent about admitting students from outside their attendance boundaries, Brann went out and actively recruited them. The reason: the state pays school districts based on enrollment.
To lure families, Brann realized it wouldn’t hurt to have brand-new schools. With the support of the Wiseburn school board that employed him, he authorized several construction bond measures that proved successful at the ballot. These efforts generated some $80 million, which was used to demolish and rebuild all four schools, which to this day are among the newest in the South Bay.
Crystel Coleman is one of the many parents who was won over. A resident of Ladera Heights, generally known as a wealthy black community located within the bounds of the Inglewood Unified School District, Coleman spoke effusively of Brann, calling him a visionary.
“He is extremely good at what he does,” she said. “The (Wiseburn) district has a motto of ‘kids first.’ He lives that out in his administrative thinking and his administrative execution.”
Coleman was part of a group of parents from Ladera Heights who in 2006 tried to escape Inglewood Unified by persuading the Culver City Unified School District to take their enclave into its attendance area. The effort failed.
Brann came along shortly after and said Wiseburn’s doors were wide open.
“It was literally a godsend,” Coleman said. “We felt very orphaned by the Culver City situation.”
For Brann, coming to Wiseburn was a homecoming. Both he and his wife, Sari, attended its K-8 schools. Brann attended Hawthorne High School with the founding members of The Beach Boys, graduating in the class of 1963 with drummer Dennis Wilson.
Prior to taking the job in Wiseburn, Brann was already a veteran in the field. He’d served as a superintendent at three other elementary school districts – Mother Lode in Placerville, Old Adobe in Petaluma and Wilsona in Lancaster. He’d served as principal of Wilsona Elementary and a classroom teacher at Center Street School in El Segundo, among other jobs.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from USC, master’s from Cal State Los Angeles and doctorate in education from USC.
After high school he attended El Camino College, which two years ago named him a distinguished alum.
Education seems to be in his blood; both of his grown daughters are educators.
This isn’t the first time Brann has come out of retirement to lead a district. In 2012, he served as interim superintendent of the San Gabriel Unified School District. He also sits on the board of directors for the Da Vinci charter high school franchise in Wiseburn.
At Inglewood Unified, teachers union President Pete Somberg said he is withholding judgment for now. “I don’t know anything about him, other than he came with glowing reviews from Wiseburn,” he said. “We have to take a wait-and-see approach at this point.”
As for Coleman – the parent from Ladera Heights – when asked whether she would now recommend that families return to Inglewood, she hesitated.
“I would say yes, but conditionally,” she said. “As awesome a man as Dr. Brann is, he also has to work with a team that has to have the same vision and tenacity that he does. … It takes more than one man. Only God can create a universe in a week.”


Multifunctional Pr3+-doped GdPO4 nanocrystals possessing UV, visible emissions and magnetic properties were synthesized via co-precipitation and following annealing. It was revealed that as-prepared GdPO4 nanorods were transformed to nanoparticles after heat treatment at 900 °C for 2 hours. Ultimately, GdPO4:Pr3+ nanoparticles have strong UV emission under the excitation of 275 nm and visible emission under the excitation of 445 nm, which offers the optical modalities in both UV and visible range. Moreover, Gd3+-containing nanoparticles are efficient T
-weighted (negative) magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents due to the presence of Gd3+ ions, which can be potentially applied as multimodal, photoluminescence-magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent.


Marcos Camacho/Attorney: "It's pretty simple prevention that had been followed would have prevented this death we believe."
Attorneys say the pregnant 17 year old collapsed on May 14th after working in a vineyard near Farmington in 100 degree heat for more than nine hours. She died two days later. An autopsy report released Wednesday morning lists the cause of death as heat stroke. Attorneys say Maria's employers did not follow laws designed to protect her and other farm workers.
Camacho: "It's basically providing water, shade, and training workers to understand when they're under the symptoms of heat."
This lawsuit was filed on behalf of Maria's mother against West Coast Grape Farming, Inc. and the teen's employer, Merced Farm Labor, which was shut down by the state last week.
Robert Perez/attorney: "One goal is obviously to provide monetary benefit to the mother who lost her daughter. And the second thing is to put employers and landowners on notice that they must comply with the law."
A United Farm Workers representative says it's difficult for the state to enforce the law because there are more than 600 thousand farm workers in California. That's why he says it's critical for the workers to feel safe enough to speak up.
Armando Elenes/U.F.W. Organizing Director: "Unless workers feel they have a voice, unless workers feel they are not going to be retaliated against, I'm afraid we're going to continue to see this."
Maria's uncle says his family also wants to protect others from suffering such a painful loss.
Doroteo Jimenez/Victim's Uncle: "What the family suffered, what we saw, we don't want them to have fear in speaking out."
Action News tried contacting the land owner and labor company, but they could not be reached for comment.


by Countable | 2.19.18
Following the mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 dead, President Donald Trump tweeted:
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018
A day after the shooting, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) also spoke about mental health, calling it "a big problem underlying these tragedies."
"We have a system to prevent people who aren't supposed to get guns from getting guns," Ryan said. “And if there are gaps there then we need to look at those gaps."
Federal law bans anyone who "has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution" from purchasing a gun. And as the New York Times explained, “a majority of states have laws requiring them to report mental health information to the national background check system.”
Only 18 states require a background check to buy a gun from private sellers.
Not everyone with a mental illness has been committed or labeled a "mental defective."
Mental health records are not always accessible.
Almost a year ago, on February 28, 2017, the president signed a law ending the Social Security Administration’s requirement to enter the names of people who receive mental health benefits into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Both the National Rifle Association (NRA) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposed the rule.
The White House requested $8.6 billion for mental health services at the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, the budget also proposed slashing funding to the National Institute of Mental Health by 30 percent.
Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) noted that the same Republicans blaming mental illness for gun violence tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), which provides Americans mental health care.
On May 4, 2017, all of these men gleefully celebrated passing a bill that would have taken mental health care from millions of Americans. Today, these same men blamed mental illness for gun violence. pic.twitter.com/kCkPaFTvz0— Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) February 15, 2018
According to the 2016 book "Gun Violence and Mental Illness" published by the American Psychiatric Association, mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represent 1 percent of all gun homicides each year
Are mass shootings a mental health issue or gun issue? And if "mental health is often a big problem underlying these tragedies," what should America be doing about it? Hit Take Action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.
(Photo Credit: bubaone / iStock)
Written by Countable
I know to the right facts don’t matter anymore, but... the truth is mental illness is a convenient scapegoat in these debates, but very few of these shooting are committed by individuals previously identified with a mental illness that would / should have disqualified them from buying a gun legally. The difference between the US and places with fewer guns deaths per capita ( basically everyone) isn’t mental health policy it’s common sense gun legislation.
Mental health problems exist globally. In Australia then enacted strict gun laws. Mass shootings disappeared. They didn’t change how they deal with mental health. So how is changing how we deal with mental health going to affect things in America? My thought is very very slowly because it takes time to implement a healthcare system to deal with serious mental health problems. It would be an overnight fix if we enacted strict gun laws
The American Psychiatric Association has formally and publicly stated that only a tiny percentage of the mentally ill are responsible for violent crimes. I realize there are those who say anyone who would kill people, especially in a mass murder setting can’t be sane, but the fact is that, unless you consider extreme rage and desperate attempts to feel powerful mental illness, it’s just not true that the majority of these acts are carried out by the mentally ill. We have statistics that show that the ban on assault weapons decreased mass shootings by 37%. that ban was lifted (I believe by George W, but not sure) and we’ve seen a 183% increase. As an aside, the ad slogan perpetrated by the NRA “guns don’t kill people” should end with “people who use guns kill people”. Yes, murder can be committed without a gun but I don’t think many would argue that guns make it pretty damn easy.
In 1996, the Republican-majority Congress threatened to strip funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unless it stopped funding research into firearm injuries and deaths. The National Rifle Association accused the CDC of promoting gun control. As a result, the CDC stopped funding gun-control research — which had a chilling effect far beyond the agency, drying up money for almost all public health studies of the issue nationwide. https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/wonk/wp/2017/10/04/gun-violence-research-has-been-shut-down-for-20-years/
Let’s take care of the Mental Illness part and go from there. I personally have never seen a handgun or long gun discharge without human input. Never have seen a long gun running into a school either.
40 years ago almost every pickup truck that was parked at high school had a rifle in the rear window. What changed.
Everyone in this form using the terms “automatic weapon, assault rifle, or military grade weapon,” needs to shut up and go learn something. “Scary looking black gun” is a more knowledgeable assessment.
One month into the Hairpiece Heretic’s presidency, our orange president signed a bill that repealed an Obama era order to add names of known, mentally unstable people to the rolls of the FBI list for uses of gun background checks. So that happened. The bill’s author was SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY. Just one more reason Iowa is useless in their role determining our federal leadership.
Take each, mental health & guns in separate but joint discussions based on reliable facts pertinent to each. More importantly, focus more effort on establishing gun safety usage. The same manner we have safety guidelines in exercise of 1st Amendment - Free Speech. Antonin Scalia recognized this fact as applied to guns. SCOTUS has already admitted that with the 2nd Amendment we have the right to protect ourself in our home...with a gun. SCOTUS has not directly expounded on our right to walk our 2018 streets-our neighborhood with a gun holstered to our leg—-ie, away from our home. “Well regulated militia”...is another category to better define in 2018 milieu. If you believe our Constitution is a dynamic document, can we honestly ignore this reality? Look how far we have come as a Nation among Nations. Among them all, we are the only Nation that claims singular distinction of wallowing in Mass Killing of our own citizens. Make yourself proud! MAGA?
Banning over 300 million guns is impossible. More gun control isn’t going to solve the problem. Stop comparing us to England and Australia where our population is 6-15 times greater. We have more people on antidepressants in this country than England’s entire population! HUGE PROBLEM. Keep the kids off Prozac and allow teachers to conceal. That’s the only precautionary I can think of. You’ll never get the guns. Confiscation would start a civil war the state would absolutely loose.
AR-15s are little more than a slightly upcaliber .22 rifle.They are semi automatic meaning you must pull the trigger for each shot. Some can be modified to full auto but this is not a simple process. The army no longer uses full auto on its M16 and hasn’t since the early 80’s. To compare this to any fully automatic “ machine gun” is disingenuous.
What’s important to note, is even before the news is out, and anyone understands the details, Republicans are already going to Media and staying that the Gun man or Gun persons are mentally ill and using that to protect gun rights and ownership. Then they are quick to say to anyone who suggests Gun Control Legislation now, as “turning something political while the bodies are still warm”. It should be noted that Republicans have made this political and controversial and continue to do so every time, they declare someone mentally ill, without even knowing the details. They are quick to deflect and defer and to own the the talk and control what is being said in the media. And they know if they repeat their message over and over again, their followers believe it to be truth. Disgusting, unethical, immoral behavior on the right. They are the people are truly mentally ill. You have to be, if you put profits and death before safety and honor and protecting innocence.
Stop being distracted! By asking this question you are following the latest GOP shiny object to distract you from our problem: WE GLORIFY GUNS AND WE THINK GUNS ARE PROBLEM SOLVING TOOLS! Stop looking wherever the GOP points. Only notice that they are pointing AWAY from guns! Stop being distracted, and dammit, stop feeding the distraction. Don't engage in a debate on the distractions. Stay focused on changing the gun culture! Guns do not solve problems. Other problems can be faced and resolved on their own track; in their own right. Do not allow them to seep into discussions on changing our gun culture. If you want to save lives, work to end our love affair with guns. If you want to save lives, end our gun fetish. If you want to save lives, end the myth that guns are problem solving tools. If you want to save lives, vote out ANYONE who takes NRA blood money!
The alleged perpetrator of this crime was visited multiple times by Florida agencies and interviewed. In each case, they did not find any credible reason to have him hospitalized for treatment. There is no law in this country that allows any law enforcement officer to arrest and imprison a citizen without due cause. This young man obviously had anger management issues. Are anger issues now going to be added to the list of mental health issues? Not everyone who takes a military-style assault rifle and shoots up a school or a concert venue or a movie theater or a church is 'mentally ill'. Some of them are just lost or angry and not provided with the right coping skills to deal with these feelings. What this young man has allegedly done is horrific. What our society fails to provide our citizens regarding tools required to survive is inexcusable. Allowing military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazine clips to be sold to average American citizens is indefensible. The fact that none of our government leaders will even begin discussions around these issues is completely unconscionable.
Have you head the talking heads today? CHANGE is coming. These are, in fact, 2 separate AND equal issues.....PUBLIC SUPPORT for: ...Assault rifle ban, semi automatic handgun ban, ban of convicted stalkers and spousal abusers, 3 day waiting period / cooling off period, testing/licensing of gun owners, national gun AND owner registry, 21 years of age minimum age mandate for any gun purchase, NO transfer of gun sale, zero tolerance for unreported gun sale, zero tolerance for gun lobbying, NO sale to anyone under going mental health care (12 months since last visit), PUBLIC welfare takes PRECEDENCE over all. MENTAL ILLNESS: free consultation, scaled service costs for needed care. “And a child shall lead them”. see our kids doing what we won’t ... March For Our Lives. Our future is calling us out.
Please add greater restrictions on guns, support gun control and protect our future generations from living in fear of dying at school. Mental illness is difficult, but it does not have to be deadly. If guns are not available to those with homicidal thoughts- the will not be able to kill nearly as many deaths. Please, more gun control!
Two separate issues. Mental health and education are critical issues that drum up press but have zero follow through. Gun violence is symptom of a deeper problem in this country. It is unhealthy and inhumane how we treat people and this is our punishment.
As far as mental illness and guns—there is a problem. That problem is politicians who accept millions of dollars from manufacturers of warfare assault weaponry and are complicit in spreading those weapons onto the streets of America. They then send prayers to murdered children’s’ families and act contrite while they hold out their palms to be greased with more money from weapons manufacturers; these politicians are the ones who are mentally (and ethically) ill. What most politicians (yes, primarily Republicans) have done (nothing but accept profitable campaign donations) has not kept American children safe; yet they continue to follow that routine time and time again. That is mental illness. Vote in some sane senators and congresspeople in 2018, listen to the children who are afraid and tired of being targets for some twisted capitalistic ideology that puts massive profits and campaign funds in the hands of do-nothing politicians and places those profits before the safety of American families! Americans need to ask why there are so many American terrorists.
If I suspected my son was mentally disturbed and called the cops they would ask him a cursory set of questions and if he denied wanting to harm himself or someone else that would be the end of it. And he could go out the very same day, buy an AR-15 and murder dozens of school children. THAT is the way things are in America.
It’s time to look at the facts and statistics. We are the only industrialized nation with so many gun deaths, and the fact of the matter is that we also own the most guns. More guns=more gun deaths, period. This should be common sense, reduce guns and reduce gun deaths. It’s that simple. What about an the right to bear arms? Well, is the right to have a gun more important than someone’s life? I sure hope not.


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The Butterfly Card was made with SEI papers, and a $1 stamp from the Michael's Bargain Bin. I love the glitter and glitz of the background paper. I stamped the sentiment on plain white cardstock with Memento Cocoa Brown Ink. I inked the edges with a Creamy Brown Cat's Eye Chalk from ColorBox. I cut some butterflies from the patterned paper to accent the sentiment. For the accent piece I cut a butterfly from the patterned paper and inked the edges using the same Creamy Brown chalk. I layered that using glue dots on other coordinating papers.
I love how it turned out.
For this card I wanted a more masculine feel. These papers are also from SEI. I used a Sketch by my friend Abby over at Scrappin-n-Chattin' group on yahoo. I inked the edges of my patterned paper strips using Chestnut Roan Creamy Chalk Inks from ColorBox. I used another $1 stamp from Michael's for the sentiment, and I stamped it on the coordinating cardstock from this line. I used my Making Memories Slot Punch to cut the ribbon slit in the card fold. I used Scor-Tape to secure the ribbon then tied it with coordinating twine. I used my Copic Markers to fill in the parts of my stamped image that didn't stamp well. I inked the edge of the stamped image with my Chestnut Roan chalk, and then mounted it on a coordinating cardstock sticker using a pop-dot. The epoxy accent is also from SEI. I like this for a great simple masculine card.
10 Things I Love Sunday
6 hours ago


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The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the migration from brick-and-mortar shopping to e-commerce and 1-800-Flowers (FLWS) was positioned perfectly to benefit, observes Douglas Gerlach, editor of Investor Advisory Service.
The pandemic gave customers stuck at home desirable gift products to brighten their mood when celebrating holidays and special events remotely. Flowers are one of the best ways to reach out and connect.
Consumer Floral & Gifts, 40% of fiscal 2020 sales, includes the flagship brand 1-800-Flowers.com as well as the August 2020 acquisition of PersonalizationMall.com, a leader in customized gift products. Most of this segment’s sales come through e-commerce.
Gourmet Foods & Gift Baskets, 53% of sales, includes well known brands Harry & David and The Popcorn Factory. About three quarters of sales in this segment come through eCommerce with the balance from wholesale and retail channels.
Finally, BloomNet, 7% of sales, provides wholesale products and outsources support services marketed to independent florists. BloomNet carries a contribution margin more than double the firm’s other two segments as florists pay more for complex offerings such as point of sale systems and website creation and maintenance.
1-800-Flowers’ growth strategy focuses on building customer loyalty; the Celebration Passport loyalty program provides free shipping, membership product previews, and special offers for $19.99 per year. It recently surpassed one million customers and is growing at a double-digit pace.
The company credits the program, along with the spike in demand from the pandemic, for building its customer file to over 12 million. Building this customer file is important for future growth as two-thirds of sales come from repeat orders.
The company has built its local fulfillment capabilities, particularly for flowers, over many years. Further, its BloomNet division has forged close relationships that support cross-selling of non-flower gift products.
The company is particularly bullish about its acquisition of PersonalizationMall given its higher profit margin offerings and customers’ increasing desire to send gifts that more personally resonate with the recipient.
In the short-term, a key risk is the uncertainly of demand now that the economy has fully reopened. Management noted in its third fiscal quarter conference call that it expects fiscal fourth quarter (calendar second quarter) sales to grow 10%-15% on top of the 61% jump for last year’s fourth fiscal quarter.
Further, it believes strong reorder demand will drive double-digit growth for fiscal year 2022. If management is correct in its growth expectations, recent earnings results represent a floor for future performance instead of a short-term peak.
Analysts are bullish that 1-800-Flowers can sustain strong earnings growth of 19% per year. We are more conservative and project 14%. Five years of this growth and an average high P/E of 22.3 could generate a stock price as high as $74.
We use a low price of $21, the product of trailing twelve-month EPS of $1.73 and the average low P/E of 12.3. The upside-to-downside ratio is 3.9 to 1.

domain: finance


Almost two months after New Jersey's budget confrontation over raising the state sales tax, Governor Jon Corzine's approval ratings are not being hurt. According to the most recent survey results from Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind, half of New Jersey voters (51%) say they approve of the job Corzine is doing; 31% disapprove and 18% aren't sure—numbers essentially unchanged from July immediately after the budget crisis, and improved from April after he proposed a number of tax hikes.
In addition, 42% say Corzine is doing a “good” or “excellent” job -- essentially unchanged from his July numbers -- and 48% say they have a favorable impression of him, against just 32% who say their impression is unfavorable, also little changed from July.
As for the hubbub over the sales tax, 57% say the increased sales tax so far has made little or no difference to them personally, while 28% say it has made some difference, and only 14% say it has made a great difference. However, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say it has made a “great deal” of difference to them personally, and conservatives are more likely than either moderates or liberals to say it has made a “great deal” of difference.
“The dust has settled and there is no indication--at the moment--of a sales tax revolt,” said Peter J. Woolley, a political scientist and director of the poll. “Corzine doesn't seem to have hurt himself in the short run with the budget confrontation or the sales tax,” added Woolley. “And there is no evidence in the survey that the governor has hurt Bob Menendez in his race for Senate.”
Still, despite the governor's favorable ratings, only a third of New Jersey voters (34%) say the state is headed in the right direction and half (50%) say the state is “on the wrong track.”
Voters in households tied into the state pension system approve of Corzine's job performance by a margin of 59-26 percent, a more convincing margin than approval from other households which split 49-32. Yet households of public employees are not more likely than other households to say the state is headed in the right direction.
Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind poll of 651 registered voters was conducted from August 21 through August 27 and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points
Contacts: Peter Woolley 973.670.3239; Dan Cassino 973.896.7072
Radio actuality line: (201) 692-2846.
For more information, please call (201) 692-7032.
Copyright © 2006, Fairleigh Dickinson University. All rights reserved. FDU PublicMind Poll [Latest update 060831]


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Facebook will become the suggester of perspective to avoid being the “arbiter of truth”. It’s rolling out “Related Articles” that appear below news links to stories lots of people are posting about on Facebook, or that are suspected to be false news and have been externally fact checked by Facebook’s partners. [...] Pre-click Related Articles are rolling out in the US, Germany, France, and Netherlands today.
Three ballet companies from different countries come together for an international performance.
The French leader said that migrants were destabilizing Libya and Europe by fueling people-smuggling, which in turn funded terrorism. "The idea is to create hotspots to avoid people taking crazy risks when they are not all eligible for asylum. We'll go to them," he said on Thursday at a naturalization ceremony in the central city of Orléans.
In postwar France, two men had a bold, even utopian idea: a peace-loving network of ‘world cities’. [...] The symbol of the global city remains an effective one. As the idea of globalisation falters and tensions between nations ratchet up once more, is the world ready to revisit the older idea of global cities?
France is this year’s top soft power, according to a report published Tuesday. The Soft Power 30, published by PR firm Portland Communications, ranks countries on their exercise of soft power — the ability to influence others through attraction and likability rather than coercion.
“In the area of security and defense, France and the UAE are fighting a common battle against terrorism and extremism, both on the ground and in the minds,” said Ludovic Pouille, the new French Ambassador to the UAE. [...] About the joint initiatives of France and the UAE, he said: “I am thinking in particular of the joint Franco-UAE initiative that led to the organization last December in Abu Dhabi of the international Conference on Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage.," the envoy said.

domain: sociology


Jun 26, 2011, 5:01 PM EDT
Updated at 3:25 p.m.
The Nationals announced Johnson will serve as manager through the remainder of 2011, making his debut Monday night in Anaheim, while also announcing he’s signed a three-year consulting contract to remain with the organization through 2013.
Whether Johnson stays on as manager won’t be determined until season’s end. The Nationals are required by Major League Baseball to conduct a full search, with minority candidates included. Johnson will be a candidate, and if he returns, he’ll do so under a 2012 option already written into his contract.
If Johnson does not return, he’ll stay with the front office as a consultant and will be involved in the search for his replacement.
“It’s going to be a mutual, organizational decision,” general manager Mike Rizzo said before Sunday’s game against the White Sox. “Davey
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- Is this a preview of Nats' Opening Day lineup?
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The Eclipse L300 Series has been discontinued and replaced by the Eclipse L300N Series.
Featuring Nikon's most advanced optics for flawless inspection of large-size LCDs and wafers.
Configured for 300mm wafer and mask inspection, the Eclipse L300 Series also satisfies the need for Flat Panel Display backend inspection, which includes the inspection of LCDs. The L300 Series utilizes Nikon proprietary CFI60 optical system, offering high resolution, contrast and transmittance. Image brightness has been dramatically improved compared to conventional microscopes, making these microscopes series suitable for various kinds of inspections.
Categories: Upright Microscopes


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All talk and no action: What is happening with triple talaq?
With triple talaq through post card, Facebook, and WhatsApp, news related to the contentious custom is right out of the twilight zone.
There has been a lot of noise about triple talaq, but no concrete action has been taken.
A man in Hyderabad has been arrested after he sent a postcard with "triple talaq" to divorce his new wife. In a rare arrest linked to the practice that has been challenged in the Supreme Court by Muslim women, the police have charged the 38-year-old man with cheating his 26-year-old wife.
There were media reports of a woman in Aligarh who sat in dharna outside her marital home after her husband pronounced triple talaq and refused to let her enter the house. Married for more than five years, the woman was staying with her parents when she came to know from her neighbours that her husband gave her triple talaq. The woman’s father alleged that her in-laws started demanding more money even after he gave them Rs 10 lakh in cash. But now, her husband wants to remarry.
Triple talaq allows Muslim men to get an instant divorce by saying the word "talaq" (or divorce) thrice. Next month, the Supreme Court will take up petitions challenging triple talaq by women who have complained of being divorced on Facebook and WhatsApp.
Many Muslim women have filed PILs in the Supreme Court challenging the provision of triple talaq and 'nikah halala', terming them regressive. These women do not receive alimony and end up as dependants of relatives or become destitute. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has opposed the PILs and filed a counter affidavit in the apex court defending Muslim personal laws and triple talaq.
The conversation between the Centre and the Supreme Court
The Centre had started off the discussion in October last year by telling the Supreme Court that the practice of triple talaq, nikah halala, and polygamy among Muslims was unconstitutional and infringed upon the fundamental rights of Muslim women. Earlier this week, the Centre again told the Supreme Court to respect the fundamental right of Muslim women to live in dignity and not without any security, unlike women of other religions in the country.
The arguments are part of the Centre’s written submissions that will be taken up by a five-judge constitution bench during the ensuing summer vacation. The bench will determine the validity of the practices.
A few days ago, Salma Ansari, wife of Vice President Hamid Ansari, also added her two cents to the issue, “Triple talaq is not an issue. There can be no ‘talaq’ (divorce) just because someone utters talaq, talaq, talaq.” She asked Muslim women to read the Quran thoroughly instead of relying on clerics.
The AIMPLB's stand
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will do away with the practice of triple talaq in a year and a half, said Dr. Sayeed Sadiq, Vice President of the body, adding that there was no need for “government interference”.
Chief Organiser of the AIMPLB's women wing Asma Zohra made a big and unsubstantiated claim while addressing a gathering of around 20,000 women at a workshop - “We have received Rs 3.50 crore forms in favour of Shariyat and triple talaq from Muslim women in the country, and the number of women against these are very less.”
Meanwhile, in Kerala and UP
Women in Kerala who have got divorced through the Islamic tradition of triple talaq can now receive free legal aid sponsored by the state government. Kerala’s minority commission constituted a special committee under retired judge P.K. Haneefa to provide legal assistance to divorced women whose husbands invoked the Sharia law by verbally saying ‘talaq’ thrice. It also set up a toll-free helpline number (0471-2315122).
In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said while holding a meeting with the Women and Child Development Department, "The state government will pass its inputs to the SC on triple talaq after taking views of Muslim women.” The Chief Minister directed officials to prepare a plan for collecting the views of Muslim women, and asked the minister of the department and all women ministers in his cabinet to talk to women's organisations.
Let us hope the government and the Supreme Court resolve these discussions with the best interests of Muslim women in mind, without unnecessary political controversies.


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Jessica Duchen's Classical Music Blog. Music and writing in London, UK.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Bennett play about Britten & Auden
Opening at the National Theatre next week.
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Fourth from the left.
Retronaut and other sources (including Connery’s own website) claim he finished third in the Mr. Universe competition in 1953. But when you look at the group photo, that seems unlikely: He’s not big enough.
His Wikipedia pages also refutes the claim, saying he either finished third in the Junior class, or failed to place in the Tall Man classification (he’s 6 feet 2 inches).
Still, he looked impressive oiled up.
- Over two dozen people were injured after a truck crashed into a crowd at a Mardi Gras parade, New Orleans police said.
- President Trump said he will skip the White House correspondents' dinner. On Friday, he called the media "the enemy of the people."
- Moderate to severe coral bleaching continues to affect the Great Barrier Reef almost a year after the worst bleaching crisis in history.
- Here's the beef: Rapper Remy Ma dragged Nicki Minaj in a new diss track, and she fired back with a Beyoncé endorsement 😱


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In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into play, requiring organisations around the world that hold data belonging to individuals from within the European Union (EU) to provide a high level of protection and explicitly know where every ounce of data is stored.
Organisations that fail to comply with the regulation requirements could be slapped with administrative fines up to €20 million, or in the case of an undertaking, up to 4 percent of the total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher.
The laws do not stop at European boundaries, however, with those in the rest of the world, including Australia, bound by the GDPR requirements if they have an establishment in the EU, if they offer goods and services in the EU, or if they monitor the behaviour of individuals in the EU.
The GDPR and the Australian Privacy Act 1988 share many common requirements, including to implement a privacy-by-design approach to compliance; to be able to demonstrate compliance with privacy principles and obligations; and to adopt transparent information handling practices.
There are a bunch of differences, too, with the appointment of a data protection officer to each organisation one significant requirement under the GDPR.
Speaking at the Data + Privacy Asia Pacific conference in Sydney on Wednesday, Australia's Privacy and Information Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim explained that although Australian law doesn't mandate having a data protection officer inside an organisation, the GDPR does, so organisations trading in the EU need to ensure they have an individual charged with the responsibility.
"These are key issues that you need to start thinking about if you are dealing or trading in Europe," Pilgrim said.
He also recommends Australian organisations use the opportunity to ensure they are compliant with their requirements under the Privacy Act, such as having good governance in place and undertaking privacy impact assessments.
"There are a lot more similarities than difference and that's what we need to draw on," he said.
The GDPR is a somewhat consent-based law, with Article 17 of the regulation titled the Right to Erasure -- the right for an individual to be "forgotten" by an organisation that holds their data.
"The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning him or her without undue delay and the controller shall have the obligation to erase personal data without undue delay," the GDPR states.
It also states that an individual can correct any misinformation held on them.
Under Australian law, Pilgrim explained that an organisation doesn't even require specific consent for the general collection of personal information unless it is collecting sensitive information, let alone the mandate to erase the trace of an individual.
Under the GDPR, individuals are protected against being subject to determinations based on automated systems without human intervention. As such, practices employed by organisations similar to what the Australian Department of Human Services had adopted with its Centrelink automated debt recovery project may find themselves in deep water.
Simon Entwisle, Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the United Kingdom's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), clarified the GDPR also covers an outsider who is in Europe.
"Anyone in Europe is covered and it's not just citizens either ...if you're in Europe and subject to some heinous data protection issue, then you're covered by the GDPR," he explained.
The GDPR is centred on the individual and their rights, and places a hefty responsibility on organisations. In Entwisle's words, it clarifies the definition of personal data, it makes consent more specific, it's supposed to result in transparency and accountability, it places obligations on data controllers and data processes, and charges them with additional responsibilities too.
With $26.9 billion in revenue for 2016, Entwisle put social media giant Facebook on notice for adhering to the GDPR rules.
As Brexit pushes ahead, the UK is still bound by the GDPR for as long as it is a part of the EU; however Entwisle noted the ICO -- the independent body set up to uphold information rights in the UK -- only receives data breach notifications on a voluntary, not compulsory, basis.
In an effort to legislate around informing Australians of when their privacy has been breached, the federal government finally passed its data breach notification laws at its third attempt in February that will see people be alerted of their data being inappropriately accessed come February 2018 under the Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches) Act.
The legislation is restricted to incidents involving personal information, credit card information, credit eligibility, and tax file number information that would put individuals at "real risk of serious harm".
Notification laws apply only to companies covered by the Privacy Act, and sees intelligence agencies, small businesses with turnover of less than AU$3 million annually, and political parties exempt from disclosing breaches.
Organisations have 30 days to declare the breach; under the GDPR, organisations have 72 hours to notify authorities after having become aware of it, unless the personal data breach is unlikely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons.
One of the major tasks for all the data protection authorities around Europe at the moment is to gear up the resources to deal with the GDPR.
"It's massive, we're looking to increase our staff by about 15 percent or something like that," Entwisle explained. "It's a big deal and there are some massive challenges."
Speaking with ZDNet earlier this year, Louis Tague, Australia and New Zealand managing director at Veritas Technologies, said only 30 percent of local businesses meet the requirements to comply with the GDPR and that they are either not aware of the implications of GDPR or potentially underestimate the effort needed to be compliant under the directive.
According to survey findings released by Dell Technologies in October, nearly 90 percent of businesses in Asia Pacific know little or nothing about the EU's upcoming regulation, while another 93 percent did not have any plan in place for when the GDPR regime kicks off.
Article 5 of the GDPR says that organisations must be able to demonstrate they comply with all the principles relating to the processing of personal data; organisations must also implement appropriate technical and organisational measures, including data protection policies, to ensure and be able to demonstrate that processing complies with the GDPR under Article 24; and Article 25 stipulates that organisations must implement technical and organisational measures to show that they have considered and integrated data protection into their processing activities -- "data protection by design and by default".


Useful flight info right to your iPad® or Android™ tablet
Dual's XGPS170 Bluetooth® Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver makes your Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) app much more convenient by providing accurate ADS-B weather and traffic information right to your tablet without costly subscription fees, no matter where you fly in the United States. Some key ADS-B services you'll find transmitted by this handy receiver include:
FAA Traffic Information Service Broadcast (TIS-B): air traffic information from ATC radar and broadcast from ground radio stations
ADS-B position reports directly from nearby aircraft operating at 978 MHz
FAA Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B) info from the National Weather Service, including NEXRAD radar, winds aloft, pilot reports, and more
Works with several different EFB apps
The compact XGPS170A receiver transmits the ADS-B info to your tablet, where your EFB app can take advantage of it. You don't need to feel limited to a small number of compatible EFB apps — the info will work with a variety of apps, including Hilton Software WingX Pro7, Global NavSource EFB, Digital Sectional i1000, and Reader Plates, as well as many other non-EFB apps that use GPS location information. And you can download Dual's free Status Tool app for the XGPS170 to view detailed device and reception information right on your tablet.
Easy to set up and use
It takes less than a minute to pair your device with the XGPS170 receiver, and the receiver will remember your device the next time you use it. The receiver acquires most locations with high accuracy in under 30 seconds, and can update position up to 10 times per second. You can use the included non-slip pad to mount the XGPS170 securely, whether it's on your car's dashboard, a boat console, or your plane's glareshield.
The receiver's built-in rechargeable battery lasts up to 5 hours of continuous use, and Dual includes a 12-30V cigarette lighter adapter for charging in the aircraft or car. It'll also work with many standard tablet wall USB chargers. The detachable ADS-B antenna allows you to connect the receiver directly to the plane's external antenna if you choose. And you can use the XGPS170 with almost any app that requires location information, including golfing, hiking, geocaching, and car and marine navigation.
The XGPS170 also includes LED indicators for the following statuses: low battery, Bluetooth, GPS, and ADS-B signal.
Bluetooth for a better connection
The XGPS170's Bluetooth compatibility means your tablet's Wi-Fi connection isn't being slowed down or prevented from using another accessory. You'll get a seamless signal all flight long, without any service interruptions or the hassle of switching between networks. And it can pair with two Bluetooth devices at the same time so your co-pilot can follow along.


Microsoft announced its Xbox One controller would be making its official debut as a PC gamepad back in September, allowing PC gamers who don’t own an Xbox One to experience the evolution of the company’s Xbox 360 controller from the comfort of their computer. The Xbox One Controller + Cable for Windows is a carbon copy of the Xbox One controller, except it comes with a cable that allows PC gamers to experience true plug & play as you won’t have to download any sort of drivers once you plug it into an open USB port.
Should those who own an Xbox 360 controller consider purchasing the Xbox One for Windows controller or should you just continue wearing down your analog sticks until they just vanish? There’s only one way to find out and that’s by letting our fingers do the talking in our review.
As I touched on in my opening paragraph, the Xbox One for Windows controller, for the most part, is an exact replica of the controller Xbox One owners receive when they purchase their console. That means if your sweaty mitts have ever touched an Xbox One controller and you weren’t impressed by it, then you’re going to have the same feelings towards this controller.
As far as what’s changed from the Xbox 360 controller, the Xbox One controller features slightly larger hand grips, a much-improved directional pad (or D-pad as it’s known), more solid-feeling thumbsticks that don’t feel as stiff, and more responsive face buttons. The trigger and bumpers have also been improved as the bumpers are larger and have a better click to them and the triggers are larger and more prominent on the controller. The extremely large battery pack has also been removed, allowing you to plug your batteries directly into the controller, which helps it feel way less bulky.
One of the biggest improvements of the Xbox One controller is the replacement of the Xbox 360’s proprietary connector, and is instead using microUSB to connect it to your PC. As someone who has lost too many Xbox 360 cables in the past, this is a very welcome change as it allows me to use any of the thousands of microUSB cables I have lying around in order to use the Xbox One controller on my PC.
Since the Xbox One for Windows controller is so similar to its console counterpart, it isn’t at all surprising to hear I could used it as a controller on my Xbox One console in addition to its use as a PC controller. Even though I’m not at all surprised by this, I’m sure this is will be a nice feature to know for those who are considering picking up this gamepad and may also be in the market for an Xbox One console.
Ball and USB chain
One benefit the Xbox 360 for Windows controller has over the Xbox One controller is the fact that it can be used wirelessly, so long as you own the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. Unfortunately, as of this writing, Microsoft doesn’t offer any way for the Xbox One to be used wirelessly on the PC as its gaming receiver is only compatible with Xbox 360 controllers. Not only is there no wireless adapter for the Xbox One controller, Microsoft has yet to announce such a device is in the works.
Fortunately, the cable that’s provided with the Xbox One controller is quite long measuring in at 9 feet, which means you shouldn’t have any trouble plugging it into your PC, so long as it’s within the same room. At 9 feet, the cable should even be able to reach across a small bedroom. The length of the cable helps somewhat, but if you require a wireless controller for you PC gaming needs, then you’re going to need to hold out on the Xbox One controller until Microsoft announces a compatible adapter.
Curious if the included cable allows you to use the Xbox One controller with your Xbox One console? Good news! It’s completely compatible if you suddenly need a second controller for your console, although you should know the controller is able to connect to the Xbox One wirelessly if you prefer. All you would need to do is sync it with your console and you’ll be good to go. It should be noted if you connect the Xbox One controller back to your PC with the included cable, you’ll need to sync it to your console again afterwards.
Xbox One vs. Xbox 360 controller. FIGHT!
If you’re in the market for a gamepad for your PC, I’d recommend the Xbox One Controller + Cable for Windows over the Xbox 360 controller so long as you don’t need it to be wireless. Microsoft has done a really great job of offering some notable enhancements to the Xbox One controller. With a unibody design, drastically improved input methods, and compatibility with the Xbox One console, you really should be picking this one up.
If you currently have an Xbox 360 controller and are enjoying the wireless goodness, there’s absolutely no rush to pick up the Xbox One controller. Even though I feel strongly towards its improvements, the lack of wireless could be a deal breaker for many PC gamers who want to keep their desks as clutter free as possible or have a PC hooked up in their living room. If you don’t own an Xbox One nor do you plan to in the near future, that’s even more of a reason to not upgrade since you won’t be using it for anything outside of PC gaming.
Once Microsoft releases the Xbox One Wireless Adapter, then I would say that would be the opportune time to kick your Xbox 360 controller to the curb.


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Monday, 18 November 2013
Delegates pick up export trade tricks at MITEC 2013
Speakers at the event, at Pride Park Stadium, Derby, included regional business people with experience of importing and exporting and others from the world of finance.
Tim Parker, President of DNCC and Legal Director and Company Secretary for Newark-based NSK-Europe, told delegates that through the Chamber’s export documentation service his company had processed over £15m worth of exports in the past 12 months.
He added: “Our agenda today includes a broad line-up of interesting speakers, covering many aspects of exporting – from finance and global economic climate to how to market and sell your products into countries which don’t speak our native tongue – such as the US.”
Melissa Burton, of Morecambe-based Goody Good Stuff – a vegan sweet and snack manufacturer – during her presentation showed a black and white map of the world with only her main markets coloured in.
“We haven’t coloured in half the globe… yet,” she told delegates, adding that through exports her businesses had grown to £1.4m turnover within four years.
Alastair Cunningham, the Bank of England’s agent in the East Midlands, then outlined the state of the economy and said that despite media reports to the contrary neither a property bubble nor a boom were seen as likely by the Bank.
About two dozen firms and organisations with strong export links exhibited at the event on Friday and there were 19 one-to-one experts from trade organisations and UK Embassies available to give counselling and advice to would-be overseas traders.
Two regional entrepreneurs, Steve Perez of Global Brands and owner of the Casa Hotel, Chesterfield, and Malcolm Hall, of Mansfield-based Hall-Fast Industrial Supplies had recorded video-casts of their experiences with trading overseas.
MITEC 2013 was hosted by DNCC’s International Trade team in partnership with UKTI, EEN and the European Commission.
Before it started, Laura Howard, DNCC’s Head of International Trade described the day as “like a wedding – you do all the planning and then its all over in a heartbeat”.
She said that having done all the hard work she want to “sit back and enjoy it” and halfway through the morning she said she was “very happy” with the way things were going.
After the event she added: "I'm delighted with the way the day has gone.
"The one-to-one counselling sessions were particularly popular and gave delegates some real help on how to do business in overseas markets."
Other speakers on the day included Guy Fraser, Managing Director, Columbus Consulting, Dr Nik Kotecha, Chief Executive Officer, Morningside Pharamceuticals, Oliver Englesdorf, Head of International Desk, Santander and Jon Egley, eBusiness Club Manager, DNCC.
Laura said: "Dr Kotecha's presentation was also very well received. He talked about how important paperwork was to exporters."
To see all the pictures from MITEC 2013 and other Chamber events, click this link.
To see each of the speakers' presentations, click on the appropriate image below:Back


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Tripura to be 100 percent literate in six months
Tripura is the most literate state in India
India’s northeastern state of Tripura, which has already achieved the first position in literacy in the country with 95.16 percent, is likely to achieve 100 percent literacy in six months, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said Monday.
“Tripura attained the first position in literacy in India with 95.16 percent last year. We have launched all-out efforts to make literate the remaining people with Class 3 standards by March 2015,” Sarkar said here on the occasion of International Literacy Day.
“Tripura jumped to the first position in literacy among the states from the 12th position in the 2001 census and the fourth position in the 2011 census,” he said.
While Mizoram and Tripura are among the toppers in literacy in India, another northeastern state, Arunachal Pradesh (66.95 percent), is placed second lowest in literacy in the country, just above Bihar, which recorded the least literacy of 63.82 percent. Kerala follows Tripura with 94 percent literacy.
Sarkar said that after Tripura attained 87.75 percent literacy in 2011, a government survey was conducted by the eight district magistrates in August 2012 which found that only 131,634 people of the state’s 37 lakh people, including those aged 50 and above, were illiterate.
“Over 8,254 voluntary literacy workers (VLW) have worked tremendously with full dedication under 8,152 literacy centres to make the leftover (131,634 people) unlettered people literate,” the chief minister said.
Over 85 master trainers have supervised the work of the VLWs, who have worked at the village and habitation levels.
Anganwadi workers under the social welfare department have also assisted the VLWs in their endeavour.
“The final evaluation of the neo-literate people was conducted across the state in August last year under the supervision of the (Kolkata-based) Indian Statistical Institution (ISI) and (Noida-based) National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS),” the chief minister said.
Both the ISI and the NIOS are national institutes recognised by the National Literacy Mission, under the union human resource development ministry.
Sarkar said the Left Front government has concurrently taken up a literacy programme and a job-oriented occupational training programme for the neo-literate so that they can become self-reliant.
“To build up sustainable livelihood, the state government is also considering providing financial, technical and logistical support to those who complete the literacy course and skill development training,” he said.
“Much before the UN proclaimed the ‘literacy and sustainable development’ scheme a few years back, the Left Front government in Tripura took the scheme with all sincerity,” Sarkar said.
According to the 2011 census, the literacy level is 94 percent in Kerala, 91.58 percent in Mizoram and 88.7 percent in Goa, among the most literate states in India.
The national literacy rate, according to the 2011 census, is 74.04 percent.
Tripura’s Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Bhanulal Saha said the state government has just not tried to make people literate, it has undertaken specific plans to improve the functional literacy of the neo-literate.
The Tripura success story is attributed to the involvement of local government bodies, including gram panchayats, NGOs and local clubs under the close supervision of the State Literacy Mission Authority headed by the chief minister.
Former census director Dilip Acherjee, who has also held the post of school education department secretary in Tripura, told IANS: “In Tripura, increase of female literacy is better than their male counterparts.”
“The literacy rate of females during the period of 2001 and 2011 census rose from 64.91 to 83.15 percent, with an increase of 18.24 percent, while in the case of men the increase was just 11.18 percent — from 81 to 92.18 percent,” Acherjee said.

domain: politics


FILE: Joshua Cheptegei preparing for the Valencia race./ PHOTO: Maraton Valencia- Twitter
Uganda's athlete Joshua Cheptegei set a new 10km road world record in the Spanish port city of Valencia on Sunday, beating the previous record set by Kenyan Leonard Komon.
The 23-year-old runner clocked 26 minutes 38 seconds at the Valencia Trinidad Alfonso, improving Komon's 2010 mark by six seconds.
The feat was a perfect close to a positive year for the Ugandan, having won the IAAF World Cross Championships in Denmark in March. He was also crowned 10,000m world champion in Doha in September.
"What a year it has been. I can't believe it," the 23-year-old said after completing the memorable 2019 hat-trick.
"I knew that Valencia was going to be a really fast course, one of the fastest in the world. So to get to achieve what we came here for is something really special.
"This year has made me so happy.”
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