Here Comes the Midrange!
Today AMD is announcing the upcoming Ryzen 5 CPUs. A little bit was known about them from several weeks ago when AMD talked about their upcoming 6 core processors, but official specifications were lacking. Today we get to see what Ryzen 5 is mostly about.
There are four initial SKUs that AMD is talking about this evening. These encompass quad core and six core products. There are two “enthusiast” level SKUs with the X connotation while the other two are aimed at a less edgy crowd.
The two six core CPUs are the 1600 and 1600X. The X version features the higher extended frequency range when combined with performance cooling. That unit is clocked at a base 3.6 GHz and achieves a boost of 4 GHz. This compares well to the top end R7 1800X, but it is short 2 cores and four threads. The price of the R5 1600X is a very reasonable $249. The 1600 does not feature the extended range, but it does come in at a 3.2 GHz base and 3.6 GHz boost. The R5 1600 has a MSRP of $219.
When we get to the four core, eight thread units we see much the same stratification. The top end 1500X comes in at $189 and features a base clock of 3.5 GHz and a boost of 3.7 GHz. What is interesting about this model is that the XFR is raised by 100 MHz vs. other XFR CPUs. So instead of an extra 100 MHz boost when high end cooling is present we can expect to see 200 MHz. In theory this could run at 3.9 GHz in the extended state. The lowest priced R5 is the 1400 which comes in at a very modest $169. This features a 3.2 GHz base clock and a 3.4 GHz boost.
The 1400, 1500, and 1600 CPUs come with Wraith cooling solutions. The 1600X comes bare as it is assumed that users want to use something a bit more robust. The R5 1400 comes with the lower end Wraith Stealth cooler while the R5 1500X and R5 1600 come with the bigger Wraith Spire. The bottom 3 SKUs are all rated at 65 watts TDP. The 1600X comes in at the higher 95 watt rating. Each of the CPUs are unlocked for overclocking.
These chips will provide a more fleshed out pricing structure for the Ryzen processors and provide users and enthusiasts with lower cost options for those wanting to invest in AMD again. These chips all run on the new AM4 platform which are pretty strong in terms of features and I/O performance.
AMD is not shipping these parts today, but rather announcing them. Review samples are not in hand yet and AMD expects world-wide availability by April 11. This is likely a very necessary step for AMD as current AM4 motherboard availability is not at the level we were expecting to see. We also are seeing some pretty quick firmware updates from motherboard partners to address issues with these first AM4 boards. By April 11 I would expect to see most of the issues solved and a healthy supply of motherboards on the shelves to handle the influx of consumers waiting to buy these more midrange priced CPUs from AMD.
What they did not cover or answer would be how the four core products would be presented. Would each be a single CCX and only 8 MB of L3 cace, or would AMD disable two cores in each CCX and present 16 MB of L3? We currently do not have the answer to this. Considering the latency between accessing different CCX units we can surely hope they only keep one CCX active.
Ryzen has certainly been a success for AMD and I have no doubt that their quarter will be pretty healthy with the estimated sales of around 1 million Ryzen CPUs since launch. Announcing these new chips will give the mainstream and budget enthusiasts something to look forward to and plan their purchases around. AMD is not announcing the Ryzen 3 products at this time.
Update: AMD got back to me this morning about a question I asked them about the makeup of cores, CCX units, and L3 cache. Here is their response.
1600X: 3+3 with 16MB L3 cache. 1600: 3+3 with 16MB L3 cache. 1500X: 2+2 with 16MB L3 cache. 1400: 2+2 with 8MB L3 cache. As with Ryzen 7, each core still has 512KB local L2 cache.
Subject: Processors | March 15, 2017 - 05:51 PM | Josh Walrath
Tagged: ryzen, Infinity Fabric, hwbot, FMA3, Control Fabric, bug, amd, AM4
Last week a thread was started at the HWBOT forum and discussed a certain workload that resulted in a hard lock every time it was run. This was tested with a variety of motherboards and Ryzen processors from the 1700 to the 1800X. In no circumstance at default power and clock settings did the processor not lock from the samples that they have worked on, as well as products that contributors have been able to test themselves.
This is quite reminiscent of the Coppermine based Pentium III 1133 MHz processor from Intel which failed in one specific workload (compiling). Intel had shipped a limited number of these CPUs at that time, and it was Kyle from HardOCP and Tom from Tom’s Hardware that were the first to show this behavior in a repeatable environment. Intel stopped shipping these models and had to wait til the Tualatin version of the Pentium III to be released to achieve that speed (and above) and be stable in all workloads.
The interesting thing about this FMA3 finding is that it is seen to not be present in some overclocked Ryzen chips. To me this indicates that it could be a power delivery issue with the chip. A particular workload that heavily leans upon the FPU could require more power than the chip’s Control Fabric can deliver, therefore causing a hard lock. Several tested overclocked chips with much more power being pushed to them seems as though enough power is being applied to the specific area of the chip to allow the operation to be completed successfully.
This particular fact implies to me that AMD does not necessarily have a bug such as what Intel had with the infamous F-Div issue with the original Pentium, or AMD’s issue with the B2 stepping of Phenom. AMD has a very complex voltage control system that is controlled by the Control Fabric portion of the Infinity Fabric. With a potential firmware or microcode update this could be a fixable problem. If this is the case, then AMD would simply increase power being supplied to the FPU/SIMD/SSE portion of the Ryzen cores. This may come at a cost through lower burst speeds to keep TDP within their stated envelope.
A source at AMD has confirmed this issue and that a fix will be provided via motherboard firmware update. More than likely this comes in the form of an updated AGESA protocol.
Subject: Processors | March 13, 2017 - 08:48 PM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: Windows 7, windows 10, thread scheduling, SMT, ryzen, Robert Hallock, processor, cpu, amd
AMD's Robert Hallock (previously the Head of Global Technical Marketing for AMD and now working full time on the CPU side of things) has posted a comprehensive Ryzen update, covering AMD's official stance on Windows 10 thread scheduling, the performance implications of SMT, Windows power management settings, and more. The post in its entirety is reproduced below, and also available from AMD by following this link.
It’s been about two weeks since we launched the new AMD Ryzen™ processor, and I’m just thrilled to see all the excitement and chatter surrounding our new chip. Seems like not a day goes by when I’m not being tweeted by someone doing a new build, often for the first time in many years. Reports from media and users have also been good:
- “This CPU gives you something that we needed for a long time, which is a CPU that gives you a well-rounded experience.” –JayzTwoCents
- Competitive performance at 1080p, with Tech Spot saying the “affordable Ryzen 7 1700” is an “awesome option” and a “safer bet long term.”
- ExtremeTech showed strong performance for high-end GPUs like the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, especially for gamers that understand how much value AMD Ryzen™ brings to the table
- Many users are noting that the 8-core design of AMD Ryzen™ 7 processors enables “noticeably SMOOTHER” performance compared to their old platforms.
While these findings have been great to read, we are just getting started! The AMD Ryzen™ processor and AM4 Platform both have room to grow, and we wanted to take a few minutes to address some of the questions and comments being discussed across the web.
We have investigated reports alleging incorrect thread scheduling on the AMD Ryzen™ processor. Based on our findings, AMD believes that the Windows® 10 thread scheduler is operating properly for “Zen,” and we do not presently believe there is an issue with the scheduler adversely utilizing the logical and physical configurations of the architecture.
As an extension of this investigation, we have also reviewed topology logs generated by the Sysinternals Coreinfo utility. We have determined that an outdated version of the application was responsible for originating the incorrect topology data that has been widely reported in the media. Coreinfo v3.31 (or later) will produce the correct results.
Finally, we have reviewed the limited available evidence concerning performance deltas between Windows® 7 and Windows® 10 on the AMD Ryzen™ CPU. We do not believe there is an issue with scheduling differences between the two versions of Windows. Any differences in performance can be more likely attributed to software architecture differences between these OSes.
Going forward, our analysis highlights that there are many applications that already make good use of the cores and threads in Ryzen, and there are other applications that can better utilize the topology and capabilities of our new CPU with some targeted optimizations. These opportunities are already being actively worked via the AMD Ryzen™ dev kit program that has sampled 300+ systems worldwide.
Above all, we would like to thank the community for their efforts to understand the Ryzen processor and reporting their findings. The software/hardware relationship is a complex one, with additional layers of nuance when preexisting software is exposed to an all-new architecture. We are already finding many small changes that can improve the Ryzen performance in certain applications, and we are optimistic that these will result in beneficial optimizations for current and future applications.
The primary temperature reporting sensor of the AMD Ryzen™ processor is a sensor called “T Control,” or tCTL for short. The tCTL sensor is derived from the junction (Tj) temperature—the interface point between the die and heatspreader—but it may be offset on certain CPU models so that all models on the AM4 Platform have the same maximum tCTL value. This approach ensures that all AMD Ryzen™ processors have a consistent fan policy.
Specifically, the AMD Ryzen™ 7 1700X and 1800X carry a +20°C offset between the tCTL° (reported) temperature and the actual Tj° temperature. In the short term, users of the AMD Ryzen™ 1700X and 1800X can simply subtract 20°C to determine the true junction temperature of their processor. No arithmetic is required for the Ryzen 7 1700. Long term, we expect temperature monitoring software to better understand our tCTL offsets to report the junction temperature automatically.
The table below serves as an example of how the tCTL sensor can be interpreted in a hypothetical scenario where a Ryzen processor is operating at 38°C.
Users may have heard that AMD recommends the High Performance power plan within Windows® 10 for the best performance on Ryzen, and indeed we do. We recommend this plan for two key reasons:
- Core Parking OFF: Idle CPU cores are instantaneously available for thread scheduling. In contrast, the Balanced plan aggressively places idle CPU cores into low power states. This can cause additional latency when un-parking cores to accommodate varying loads.
- Fast frequency change: The AMD Ryzen™ processor can alter its voltage and frequency states in the 1ms intervals natively supported by the “Zen” architecture. In contrast, the Balanced plan may take longer for voltage and frequency (V/f) changes due to software participation in power state changes.
In the near term, we recommend that games and other high-performance applications are complemented by the High Performance plan. By the first week of April, AMD intends to provide an update for AMD Ryzen™ processors that optimizes the power policy parameters of the Balanced plan to favor performance more consistent with the typical usage models of a desktop PC.
Simultaneous Multi-threading (SMT)
Finally, we have investigated reports of instances where SMT is producing reduced performance in a handful of games. Based on our characterization of game workloads, it is our expectation that gaming applications should generally see a neutral/positive benefit from SMT. We see this neutral/positive behavior in a wide range of titles, including: Arma® 3, Battlefield™ 1, Mafia™ III, Watch Dogs™ 2, Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI, For Honor™, Hitman™, Mirror’s Edge™ Catalyst and The Division™. Independent 3rd-party analyses have corroborated these findings.
For the remaining outliers, AMD again sees multiple opportunities within the codebases of specific applications to improve how this software addresses the “Zen” architecture. We have already identified some simple changes that can improve a game’s understanding of the "Zen" core/cache topology, and we intend to provide a status update to the community when they are ready.
Overall, we are thrilled with the outpouring of support we’ve seen from AMD fans new and old. We love seeing your new builds, your benchmarks, your excitement, and your deep dives into the nuts and bolts of Ryzen. You are helping us make Ryzen™ even better by the day. You should expect to hear from us regularly through this blog to answer new questions and give you updates on new improvements in the Ryzen ecosystem.
Such topics as Windows 7 vs. Windows 10 performance, SMT impact, and thread scheduling will no doubt still be debated, and AMD has correctly pointed out that optimization for this brand new architecture will only improve Ryzen performance going forward. Our own findings as to Ryzen and the Windows 10 thread scheduler appear to be validated as AMD officially dismisses performance impact in that area, though there is still room for improvement in other areas from our initial gaming performance findings. As mentioned in the post, AMD will have an update for Windows power plan optimization by the first week of April, and the company has "already identified some simple changes that can improve a game’s understanding of the 'Zen' core/cache topology, and we intend to provide a status update to the community when they are ready", as well.
It is refreshing to see a company publicly acknowledging the topics that have resulted in so much discussion in the past couple of weeks, and their transparency is commendable, with every issue (that this author is aware of) being touched on in the post.
** UPDATE 3/13 5 PM **
AMD has posted a follow-up statement that officially clears up much of the conjecture this article was attempting to clarify. Relevant points from their post that relate to this article as well as many of the requests for additional testing we have seen since its posting (emphasis mine):
"We have investigated reports alleging incorrect thread scheduling on the AMD Ryzen™ processor. Based on our findings, AMD believes that the Windows® 10 thread scheduler is operating properly for “Zen,” and we do not presently believe there is an issue with the scheduler adversely utilizing the logical and physical configurations of the architecture."
"Finally, we have reviewed the limited available evidence concerning performance deltas between Windows® 7 and Windows® 10 on the AMD Ryzen™ CPU. We do not believe there is an issue with scheduling differences between the two versions of Windows. Any differences in performance can be more likely attributed to software architecture differences between these OSes."
So there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. AMD does not believe the problem lies within the Windows thread scheduler. SMT performance in gaming workloads was also addressed:
"Finally, we have investigated reports of instances where SMT is producing reduced performance in a handful of games. Based on our characterization of game workloads, it is our expectation that gaming applications should generally see a neutral/positive benefit from SMT. We see this neutral/positive behavior in a wide range of titles, including: Arma® 3, Battlefield™ 1, Mafia™ III, Watch Dogs™ 2, Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI, For Honor™, Hitman™, Mirror’s Edge™ Catalyst and The Division™. Independent 3rd-party analyses have corroborated these findings.
For the remaining outliers, AMD again sees multiple opportunities within the codebases of specific applications to improve how this software addresses the “Zen” architecture. We have already identified some simple changes that can improve a game’s understanding of the "Zen" core/cache topology, and we intend to provide a status update to the community when they are ready."
We are still digging into the observed differences of toggling SMT compared with disabling the second CCX, but it is good to see AMD issue a clarifying statement here for all of those out there observing and reporting on SMT-related performance deltas.
** END UPDATE **
Editor's Note: The testing you see here was a response to many days of comments and questions to our team on how and why AMD Ryzen processors are seeing performance gaps in 1080p gaming (and other scenarios) in comparison to Intel Core processors. Several outlets have posted that the culprit is the Windows 10 scheduler and its inability to properly allocate work across the logical vs. physical cores of the Zen architecture. As it turns out, we can prove that isn't the case at all. -Ryan Shrout
Initial reviews of AMD’s Ryzen CPU revealed a few inefficiencies in some situations particularly in gaming workloads running at the more common resolutions like 1080p, where the CPU comprises more of a bottleneck when coupled with modern GPUs. Lots of folks have theorized about what could possibly be causing these issues, and most recent attention appears to have been directed at the Windows 10 scheduler and its supposed inability to properly place threads on the Ryzen cores for the most efficient processing.
I typically have Task Manager open while running storage tests (they are boring to watch otherwise), and I naturally had it open during Ryzen platform storage testing. I’m accustomed to how the IO workers are distributed across reported threads, and in the case of SMT capable CPUs, distributed across cores. There is a clear difference when viewing our custom storage workloads with SMT on vs. off, and it was dead obvious to me that core loading was working as expected while I was testing Ryzen. I went back and pulled the actual thread/core loading data from my testing results to confirm:
The Windows scheduler has a habit of bouncing processes across available processor threads. This naturally happens as other processes share time with a particular core, with the heavier process not necessarily switching back to the same core. As you can see above, the single IO handler thread was spread across the first four cores during its run, but the Windows scheduler was always hitting just one of the two available SMT threads on any single core at one time.
My testing for Ryan’s Ryzen review consisted of only single threaded workloads, but we can make things a bit clearer by loading down half of the CPU while toggling SMT off. We do this by increasing the worker count (4) to be half of the available threads on the Ryzen processor, which is 8 with SMT disabled in the motherboard BIOS.
SMT OFF, 8 cores, 4 workers
With SMT off, the scheduler is clearly not giving priority to any particular core and the work is spread throughout the physical cores in a fairly even fashion.
Now let’s try with SMT turned back on and doubling the number of IO workers to 8 to keep the CPU half loaded:
SMT ON, 16 (logical) cores, 8 workers
With SMT on, we see a very different result. The scheduler is clearly loading only one thread per core. This could only be possible if Windows was aware of the 2-way SMT (two threads per core) configuration of the Ryzen processor. Do note that sometimes the workload will toggle around every few seconds, but the total loading on each physical core will still remain at ~%50. I chose a workload that saturated its thread just enough for Windows to not shift it around as it ran, making the above result even clearer.
Synthetic Testing Procedure
While the storage testing methods above provide a real-world example of the Windows 10 scheduler working as expected, we do have another workload that can help demonstrate core balancing with Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors. A quick and simple custom-built C++ application can be used to generate generic worker threads and monitor for core collisions and resolutions.
This test app has a very straight forward workflow. Every few seconds it generates a new thread, capping at N/2 threads total, where N is equal to the reported number of logical cores. If the OS scheduler is working as expected, it should load 8 threads across 8 physical cores, though the division between the specific logical core per physical core will be based on very minute parameters and conditions going on in the OS background.
By monitoring the APIC_ID through the CPUID instruction, the first application thread monitors all threads and detects and reports on collisions - when a thread from our app is running on the same core as another thread from our app. That thread also reports when those collisions have been cleared. In an ideal and expected environment where Windows 10 knows the boundaries of physical and logical cores, you should never see more than one thread of a core loaded at the same time.
Click to Enlarge
This screenshot shows our app working on the left and the Windows Task Manager on the right with logical cores labeled. While it may look like all logical cores are being utilized at the same time, in fact they are not. At any given point, only LCore 0 or LCore 1 are actively processing a thread. Need proof? Check out the modified view of the task manager where I copy the graph of LCore 1/5/9/13 over the graph of LCore 0/4/8/12 with inverted colors to aid viewability.
If you look closely, by overlapping the graphs in this way, you can see that the threads migrate from LCore 0 to LCore 1, LCore 4 to LCore 5, and so on. The graphs intersect and fill in to consume ~100% of the physical core. This pattern is repeated for the other 8 logical cores on the right two columns as well.
Running the same application on a Core i7-5960X Haswell-E 8-core processor shows a very similar behavior.
Click to Enlarge
Each pair of logical cores shares a single thread and when thread transitions occur away from LCore N, they migrate perfectly to LCore N+1. It does appear that in this scenario the Intel system is showing a more stable threaded distribution than the Ryzen system. While that may in fact incur some performance advantage for the 5960X configuration, the penalty for intra-core thread migration is expected to be very minute.
The fact that Windows 10 is balancing the 8 thread load specifically between matching logical core pairs indicates that the operating system is perfectly aware of the processor topology and is selecting distinct cores first to complete the work.
Information from this custom application, along with the storage performance tool example above, clearly show that Windows 10 is attempting to balance work on Ryzen between cores in the same manner that we have experienced with Intel and its HyperThreaded processors for many years.
Subject: Motherboards | March 10, 2017 - 02:22 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Z270 GAMING M6 AC, z270, ryzen, msi, amd
The new MSI Z270 GAMING M6 AC has a huge selection of features, up to and including a free Phanteks RGB LED strip for those who suffer from chronic RGBitis
The add-in card you see on the side is an Intel Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card which supports MU-MIMO. The onboard audio is powered by Nahimic, which MSI refers to as Audio Boost 4 and it is isolated from the other components on the motherboard to prevent noise. There is a U.2 slot and two M.2 slots with a removable heatsink they call M.2 Shield. They fully isolated the memory circuit design and as you can see below The Witcher 3 seems to like the DDR4 Boost design.
Check out the PR below for a closer look at the features included, including the special USB slot for your VR headset and the One-Click to VR option.
MSI, world leading in gaming hardware innovation, is proud to announce a brand new Enthusiast GAMING motherboard, the Z270 GAMING M6 AC with its incredibly versatile and complete foundation for a high-end gaming system. Inspired from a futuristic armored spaceship, the Z270 GAMING M6 AC design with multilayer plating, wings and armaments emphasize an ultramodern style. Erupting from the core, the entire color spectrum flows through illuminated lines. The complete motherboard and heatsink design offers a strong look and feel and uses heavy quality components to deliver the best performance and stability as the base of any gaming rig. Added features such as Audio Boost 4 with Nahimic 2, Twin Turbo M.2 with M.2 Shield, VR Boost, Killer LAN & Intel WIFI AC, and the option to fully customize the RGB LEDs to any color using Mystic light, makes the Z270 GAMING M6 AC one of the most high-end and desirable Z270 motherboards to build a gaming rig with.
Through fully isolating the memory circuit design, the DDR4 Boost ensures maximum performance and stability. The technical enhancements of DDR4 Boost allow for more stability at higher memory speeds compared to other brands.DDR4 Boost benchmark based on The Witcher 3 Enjoy the additional boost in gaming performance or when working with large video and photo files. Enable Intel® Extreme Memory Profile with ease using a single option in the BIOS to gain performance and create a perfectly stable system.
Twin Turbo M.2 with M.2 shield & U.2
Enjoy a blazing fast system boot up and insanely quick loading of applications and games with MSI motherboards. Twin Turbo M.2 delivers PCI-E Gen3 x4 performance with transfer speeds up to 64 Gb/s for the latest SSDs. It also supports the all-new Intel® Optane™ technology. M.2 Shield (patent pending) is a thermal solution, which keeps the M.2 or Optane™ device safe and cool to prevent damage and thermal throttling. M.2 GENIE makes setting up RAID easy by taking less steps, using any M.2 or PCI-E SSD (even when used in a mixed configuration). The Z270 GAMING M6 AC supports the latest storage interface, U.2 as well.
Audio Boost 4 with Nahimic 2
With Audio Boost, powered by Nahimic, MSI motherboards deliver the highest sound quality through the use of premium quality audio components and an isolated audio PCB. An added audio cover and golden audio connectors ensure the purest audio signal.
VR Ready & VR Boost
VR Boost is a smart chip that ensures a clean and strong signal to a VR optimized USB port located on the back, to reduce motion sickness caused by a bad signal. The One-Click to VR option in the MSI Gaming App gets your PC primed for VR use in just a single click by setting your components to max. performance and preventing other applications from impacting your VR experience negatively.
Intel Wi-Fi AC with Antennas
Optimize your gaming rig to deliver game networking traffic over LAN for the best possible online gaming experience, while using WiFi for other online applications. This next-generation Intel® Wi-Fi / Bluetooth solution uses smart MU-MIMO technology, delivering AC speeds up to 867Mbps. Perfect for streaming and gaming at the same time.
Includes free Phanteks RGB LED strip
This RGB LED strip helps to transform and synchronize colors in your case to any liking. Simply connect the plug & play strip to the Mystic Light Extension pin header located on MSI motherboards, without the need of external power, and set a color and choose an LED effect to match it with your motherboard and other peripherals RGB LEDs. Use the included double sided 3M tape to place the strip firmly wherever you want inside (or even outside) your chassis.
The right angle
While many in the media and enthusiast communities are still trying to fully grasp the importance and impact of the recent AMD Ryzen 7 processor release, I have been trying to complete my review of the 1700X and 1700 processors, in between testing the upcoming GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and preparing for more hardware to show up at the offices very soon. There is still much to learn and understand about the first new architecture from AMD in nearly a decade, including analysis of the memory hierarchy, power consumption, overclocking, gaming performance, etc.
During my Ryzen 7 1700 testing, I went through some overclocking evaluation and thought the results might be worth sharing earlier than later. This quick article is just a preview of what we are working on so don’t expect to find the answers to Ryzen power management here, only a recounting of how I was able to get stellar performance from the lowest priced Ryzen part on the market today.
The system specifications for this overclocking test were identical to our original Ryzen 7 processor review.
|Test System Setup|
|CPU||AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
AMD Ryzen 7 1700
Intel Core i7-7700K
Intel Core i5-7600K
Intel Core i7-6700K
Intel Core i7-6950X
Intel Core i7-6900K
Intel Core i7-6800K
|Motherboard||ASUS Crosshair VI Hero (Ryzen)
ASUS Prime Z270-A (Kaby Lake, Skylake)
ASUS X99-Deluxe II (Broadwell-E)
|Storage||Corsair Force GS 240 SSD|
|Graphics Card||NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB|
|Graphics Drivers||NVIDIA 378.49|
|Power Supply||Corsair HX1000|
|Operating System||Windows 10 Pro x64|
Of note is that I am still utilizing the Noctua U12S cooler that AMD provided for our initial testing – all of the overclocking and temperature reporting in this story is air cooled.
First, let’s start with the motherboard. All of this testing was done on the ASUS Crosshair VI Hero with the latest 5704 BIOS installed. As I began to discover the different overclocking capabilities (BCLK adjustment, multipliers, voltage) I came across one of the ASUS presets. These presets offer pre-defined collections of settings that ASUS feels will offer simple overclocking capabilities. An option for higher BCLK existed but the one that caught my eye was straight forward – 4.0 GHz.
With the Ryzen 1700 installed, I thought I would give it a shot. Keep in mind that this processor has a base clock of 3.0 GHz, a rated maximum boost clock of 3.7 GHz, and is the only 65-watt TDP variant of the three Ryzen 7 processors released last week. Because of that, I didn’t expect the overclocking capability for it to match what the 1700X and 1800X could offer. Based on previous processor experience, when a chip is binned at a lower power draw than the rest of a family it will often have properties that make it disadvantageous for running at HIGHER power. Based on my results here, that doesn’t seem to the case.
By simply enabling that option in the ASUS UEFI and rebooting, our Ryzen 1700 processor was running at 4.0 GHz on all cores! For this piece, I won’t be going into the drudge and debate on what settings ASUS changed to get to this setting or if the voltages are overly aggressive – the point is that it just works out of the box.
Subject: Processors | March 8, 2017 - 02:43 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Ryzen 1700X, Ryzen 1700, amd
With suggested prices of $330 for the Ryzen 1700 and $400 for the 1700X, a lot of users are more curious about the performance of these two chips, especially with some sites reporting almost equal performance when these chips are overclocked. [H]ard|OCP tested both of these chips at the same clock speeds to see what performance differences there are between the two. As it turns out the only test which resulted in delta of 1% or more was WinRAR, all other tests showed a minuscule difference between the X and the plain old 1700. They are going to follow these findings up with more tests, once they source some CPUs from retail outlets to see if there are any differences there.
"So there has been a lot of talk about what Ryzen CPU do you buy? The way I think is that you want to buy the least expensive one that will give you the best performance. That is exactly what we expect to find out here today. Is the Ryzen 1700 for $330 as good as the $400 1700X, or even the $500 1800X? "
Here are some more Processor articles from around the web:
- AMD Ryzen 7 1800X @ eTeknix
- AMD Ryzen 7 1700X @ Kitguru
- Athlon X4 860K @ Hardware Secrets
- Intel 7th Generation Core i3 7350K Processor Review @ OCC
Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 7, 2017 - 01:50 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ryzen, CRYORIG, amd, AM4
If you own a CRYORIG cooler, apart from the M9i, you can head to this page to request a free upgrade kit to support AM4 motherboards. Depending on the cooler you purchased you will need to choose from one of four different kits and CRYORIG will send it off to you for free, no shipping or other fees required.
You will need to produce either a product registration number or proof of purchase of your CRYORIG product as well as proof of purchase of an AMD Ryzen or AM4 motherboard. The upgrade kits will ship out later this month and sometime in the latter half of the year CRYORIG will release four new coolers which natively support AM4, as well as previous AM3(+) boards.
07.03.17 Taipei, Taiwan – With the much-anticipated release of the AMD Ryzen, CRYORIG prepares to launch a full line of AMD Ryzen dedicated coolers as well as simple upgrade kits for existing AMD compatible CRYORIG cooling products. Beginning from Type A to Type D, there will be a total of 4 different AM4 upgrade kits depending on the corresponding CRYORIG product. Natively supporting Ryzen dedicated version models will begin to release later in Q2 2017 and will consist of the full CRYORIG cooling portfolio.
CRYORIG’s four AM4 upgrade kits will be released beginning in late March and will be completely free of charge (including shipping) for existing users to apply for. Users will only need to provide a proof of purchase of the CRYORIG product (or product registration number), and a proof of purchase of an AMD Ryzen or AM4 CPU or Motherboard. Just fill out and supply all necessary info at www.cryorig.com/getam4.php, the kit will be sent directly to the provided address. Distributors and select channels will also have these kits available.
Beginning in Q2 2017, CRYORIG will start shipping dedicated Ryzen ready versions of CRYORIG’s full product line. Exact release dates will vary from model to model. The Ryzen Supported sticker will be found on all dedicated Ryzen ready coolers for easy identification, and indicates that no additional kits are required for Ryzen support.
Subject: Processors | March 7, 2017 - 09:02 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: SoC, server, ryzen, opteron, Naples, HPC, amd
Over the summer, AMD introduced its Naples platform which is the server-focused implementation of the Zen microarchitecture in a SoC (System On a Chip) package. The company showed off a prototype dual socket Naples system and bits of information leaked onto the Internet, but for the most part news has been quiet on this front (whereas there were quite a few leaks of Ryzen which is AMD's desktop implementation of Zen).
The wait seems to be finally over, and AMD appears ready to talk more about Naples which will reportedly launch in the second quarter of this year (Q2'17) with full availability of processors and motherboards from OEMs and channel partners (e.g. system integrators) happening in the second half of 2017. Per AMD, "Naples" processors are SoCs with 32 cores and 64 threads that support 8 memory channels and a (theoretical) maximum of 2TB DDR4-2667. (Using the 16GB DIMMs available today, Naples support 256GB of DDR4 per socket.) Further, the Naples SoC features 64 PCI-E 3.0 lanes. Rumors also indicated that the SoC included support for sixteen 10GbE interfaces, but AMD has yet to confirm this or the number of SATA/SAS ports offered. AMD did say that Naples has an optimized cache structure for HPC compute and "dedicated security hardware" though it did not go into specifics. (The security hardware may be similar to the ARM TrustZone technology it has used in the past.)
Naples will be offered in single and dual socket designs with dual socket systems offering up 64 cores, 128 threads, 32 DDR4 DIMMs (512 GB using 16 GB modules) on 16 total memory channels with 21.3 GB/s per channel bandwidth (170.7 GB/s per SoC), 128 PCI-E 3.0 lanes, and an AMD Infinity Fabric interconnect between the two processor sockets.
AMD claims that its Naples platform offers up to 45% more cores, 122% more memory bandwidth, and 60% more I/O than its competition. For its internal comparison, AMD chose the Intel Xeon E5-2699A V4 which is the processor with highest core count that is intended for dual socket systems (there are E7s with more cores but those are in 4P systems). The Intel Xeon E5-2699A V4 system is a 14nm 22 core (44 thread) processor clocked at 2.4 GHz base to 3.6 GHz turbo with 55MB cache. It supports four channels of DDR4-2400 for a maximum bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s (19.2 GB/s per channel) as well as 40 PCI-E 3.0 lanes. A dual socket system with two of those Xeons features 44 cores, 88 threads, and a theoretical maximum of 1.54 TB of ECC RAM.
AMD's reference platform with two 32 core Naples SoCs and 512 GB DDR4 2400 MHz was purportedly 2.5x faster at the seismic analysis workload than the dual Xeon E5-2699A V4 OEM system with 1866 MHz DDR4. Curiously, when AMD compared a Naples reference platform with 44 cores enabled and running 1866 MHz memory to a similarly configured Intel system the Naples platform was twice as fast. It seems that the increased number of memory channels and memory bandwidth are really helping the Naples platform pull ahead in this workload.
AMD further claims that its Naples platform is more balanced and suited to cloud computing and scientific and HPC workloads than the competition. Specifically, Forrest Norrod the Senior Vice president and General Manager of AMD's Enterprise, Embedded, and Semi-Custom Business Unit stated:
“’Naples’ represents a completely new approach to supporting the massive processing requirements of the modern datacenter. This groundbreaking system-on-chip delivers the unique high-performance features required to address highly virtualized environments, massive data sets and new, emerging workloads.”
There is no word on pricing yet, but it should be competitive with Intel's offerings (the E5-2699A V4 is $4,938). AMD will reportedly be talking data center strategy and its upcoming products during the Open Compute Summit later this week, so hopefully there will be more information released at those presentations.
(My opinions follow)
This is one area where AMD needs to come out strong with support from motherboard manufacturers, system integrators, OEM partners, and OS and software validation to succeed. Intel is not likely to take AMD encroaching on its lucrative server market share lightly, and AMD is going to have a long road ahead of it to regain the market share it once had in this area, but it does have a decent architecture on its hands to build off of with Zen and if it can secure partner support Intel is certainly going to have competition here that it has not had to face in a long time. Intel and AMD competing over the data center market is a good thing, and as both companies bring new technology to market it will trickle down into the consumer level hardware. Naples' success in the data center could mean a profitable AMD with R&D money to push Zen as far as it can – so hopefully they can pull it off.
What are your thoughts on the Naples SoC and AMD's push into the server market?
Subject: Graphics Cards | March 6, 2017 - 09:08 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: amd, graphics drivers
Just prior to the release of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, AMD has released another graphics driver with specific optimizations. Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.3.1 is support to provide up to a 6% performance improvement (on an RX 480) in that title. It also adds a CrossFire profile under DirectX 11. Note that there’s a known issue with 3- and 4-GPU systems, which will apparently make the game crash back to desktop on launch.
Beyond this, the new graphics driver also fixes several issues, many of which involve flickering textures, objects, or mouse pointers. It also solves an issue where installing the driver could cause a failed reboot.
If you have an AMD GPU, then you can pick up the driver from their website.


text:
Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas, 2004, Harper Collins Publishers (Avon), 391 pages
Lady Aline Marsden was brought up for one reason: to make an advantageous marriage to a member of her own class. Instead, she willingly gave her innocence to John McKenna, a servant on her father's estate. Their passionate transgression was unforgivable--John was sent away, and Aline was left to live in the countryside...an exile from London society.
Now McKenna has made his fortune, and he has returned--more boldly handsome and more mesmerizing than before. His ruthless plan is to take revenge on the woman who shattered his dreams of love. But the magic between them burns as bright as ever. And now he must decide whether to let vengeance take its toll...or risk everything for his first, and only, love.
First and foremost, this is one of the very first books I read by Lisa Kleypas. An interesting, true romance writer, Ms. Kleypas keeps a reader on their toes, weaving exceptional plot devices with multi-dimensional characters. Again the Magic is no exception to the rule.
Well-bred, aristocratic heroine Aline Marsden is sister to the Earl of Westbrook, and they live on a HUGE country estate, which Kleypas describes to perfection. Rolling hills, lakes, hunting grounds, lush gardens. And the house itself is out of this world amazing with its rich furnishings and neighboring hunter's cottage. Right off the bat, one can easily picture oneself sitting on the back lawn, sipping lemonade or tea with the Marsden family, wind tousling your hair, the scent of fresh lawn sifting through a Spring breeze...
As for the characters, Aline is genuinely likable. Though beautiful, she's not perfect; even harbors a dark secret which the hero later discovers. Speaking of which, former servant turned American businessman McKenna (everyone calls him by his last name, a commonplace practice during that time period) is a strong, good looking, typically piratical dark-type. Typical, I say, because that seems to be an ongoing trend with romance novels. Not that I disagree, precisely, but sometimes I'd rather read about an average Joe, ya know? All right. Back to the subject at hand: He's changed a lot, our hero, from the boy Aline once knew. He's extremely ambitious, smart, and has a new American accent to boot.
But he wants revenge on Aline for breaking his heart. And that, gentle readers, is the core plot of the book. He feels rejected, even after all these years, but he's not a boy anymore. He's a man with a man's needs, and he's not afraid to own up to 'em. When he returns to the estate (he, his American sidekick Gideon, and Earl Westbrook are working on a business deal), he seeks out Aline. Then, proceeds to boldly inform her that unless she tells him to leave (again), he plans to bed her before his visit's up. Yes, that makes for some saucy sexual tension.
And while we're on that subject...the love scenes (yes, scenes, plural!) are very tasteful and well-written. Because the past between these two runs so far deep and wide, when they finally...ya know...it's heart pounding, face-fanning, somebody-hand-me-a-glass-of-water delicious. Exceptional to the wam-bam-thank-you-ma'am, though by the second lovemaking scene, I kind of felt irritated toward McKenna for his lack of kind. By then, his revenge ordeal was really getting on my nerves.
Naturally, however, when deep feelings are involved, it's hard to hurt someone. Even when they've hurt you. Kind of the way love works, right? So, in true romance novel fashion, everything works out in the end, fences are mended, they kiss and make up, la, la, la... happily ever after...
All in all, I'd give this one a 4 out of 5, enough to earn its slot on my keeper shelf.
Peace, Love, and Junior Mints,

domain: artistic


text: Glycerine 30mL Sale! from $1.99 $1.99 Qty. Add to Cart Glycerine is used as a finishing formula to thicken liqueurs and wines. Reduces aging time also. Stir 30 mL (1 oz) into 750 mL (26 oz) of liqueur or 30 mL per 23 L (6 U.S. gallons) of finished wine.

domain: chemistry


German exports rebounded at a stronger-than-expected pace in February, data from Destatis showed on Monday.
Exports grew 6.4 percent on a monthly basis, reversing a 3.0 percent fall in January. Shipments were forecast to climb 1.5 percent.
Likewise, imports advanced 4.5 percent in February, in contrast to the 4.0 percent fall a month ago. Economists had expected a monthly growth of 1.4 percent.
As a result, the trade surplus rose to a seasonally adjusted EUR 11.5 billion from EUR 8.9 billion in January. This was also well above the economists’ forecast of EUR 9.6 billion.
On a yearly basis, exports grew 14.4 percent after rising 11.1 percent in the previous month. At the same time, growth in imports moderated to 24.5 percent from 25.9 percent.
The unadjusted trade surplus totaled EUR 11.4 billion versus a EUR 17.9 billion surplus in the same period last year.
In trade with the Russian Federation, exports decreased 6.3 percent and imports dropped 7.3 percent in February compared to January. Trade with Russia was not restricted until late February but sanctions imposed against Russia will impact the trade in March, Destatis said.
Exports to the member states to the EU grew 10.4 percent month-on-month and imports from those nations rose only 5.2 percent. Similarly, shipments to the euro area countries moved up 9.2 percent and imports from currency bloc gained 4.4 percent.
Most German exports went to the United States in February, with goods exports up 2.7 percent. Meanwhile, imports from the U.S. were down 2.5 percent.
At the same time, exports to China increased 6.4 percent and imports from China moved up 4.8 percent.
Source: Read Full Article


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Out of Earshot Goes Back-to-Back with First Festival Fundraiser in St. John’s
When Shed Island decided to close the doors on their summer festival after a refreshing three year run, there was a void left in the St. John’s summer schedule that the music community was eager to see filled.
Lucky for us, it was only one Shed Island-less summer in 2017 before the same ambitious spirit swept a new cast of organizers to the plate to take a swing at the festival racket.
We’re ecstatic to say that the newest St. John’s arts and music festival is Out of Earshot, and it will be happening August 23rd-25th, 2018.
The announcement of the festival comes one year after the release of Fresh Riot in 2016. Fresh Riot was a compilation project that collected recordings of many new St. John’s bands and served as a celebration for “all the women, queer, trans and marginalized pals who have picked up instruments for the first time and taken up space in the spirit of making our community more inclusive”.
As the next step in a natural progression, the concept of Out of Earshot has come to fruition from the same wheelhouse as Fresh Riot. The festival idea was initiated by Jess Barry, the same vital organizer who sparked Fresh Riot, and soon a determined team came together to put Out of Earshot in motion. Joining Barry is the growing contributive company of Pepa Chan, Nicole Squires, Sarah Harris, Nicole Boggan, Riley Pike, Maria Peddle and Becky Gibson.
Out of Earshot will commence their inauguration with a dual show festival fundraiser this Saturday, December 16th in St. John’s.
The festivities begin with an all ages showcase at 7PM featuring music from Nick Bendzsa of Dormitories, Door Lock (Maggie Burton and Chris McGee), Kira Sheppard, and readings from Eva Crocker and Allison Graves
Each show is $10 or PWYC, or can take in the whole double feature for $15.

domain: news


text:
A state law passed in 2018 requires school districts to report teacher misconduct to the state within 30 days, even if that teacher was no longer employed by the school.
But the NBC 6 Investigators found it does not cover uncertified substitute teachers.
A recent case of alleged teacher misconduct from Broward County could lead to a change in the law, adding substitutes to the reporting requirement.
It's the case of Christopher Falzone, who taught children in Broward County for nearly a decade.
First, as a substitute teacher for Sheridan Hills Elementary.
Then, he worked full-time at the Renaissance Charter School in Cooper City.
"All the kids loved him, even my daughter," said a mother who spoke exclusively to NBC 6 Investigators. We're calling her Monica.
Monica says her daughter became a victim of Falzone when she was just eight.
"He would sit her down and he put his hand under her skirt," she said. "She would try to find an excuse to move away, but he would call her again and again and again."
Four other girls also came forward and accused Falzone of similar abuse in and outside of school.
Falzone is now in jail. He's awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to multiple counts of sexual battery and molestation.
Falzone's personnel file from Broward County Public Schools shows accusations against the former teacher surfaced years before his arrest. In May 2014, he was fired and "disqualified from future employment" in the district after multiple girls said he touched them inappropriately.
Falzone, then a substitute teacher at Sheridan Hills Elementary, denied the allegations in a lengthy letter to the district.
A year after being fired from Broward County Public Schools, Falzone was back in the classroom teaching young students at Renaissance, a charter school located just 15 minutes away from the school where he was fired.
"It's really one of the worst examples that I've seen of failing to protect kids," said Jeff Herman, who is representing Monica and two other families suing the charter school.
In a statement, Renaissance said its "schools conduct thorough background checks and all applicants must be cleared by the district prior to us offering a position to any employee."
Broward Public Schools would not comment on if they informed Renaissance that they fired him and why. But the district said charter schools have their own hiring practices and that they only help them with criminal history checks.
Under state law, school districts do not have to notify the Florida Department of Education about substitute teachers who are fired or accused of misconduct, unless they have a state license.
Falzone didn't have a license at the time and therefore Broward Public Schools did not inform the state about the allegations against Falzone.
"That's a huge hole that needs to be fixed immediately," said Herman. "How is it that a teacher at a public school can be accused of molesting kids, credibly, and they are allowed to teach anywhere?"
But that's just part of the story.
The NBC 6 Investigators found that Falzone was able to get his state teaching license in May 2017, with the assistance of Broward Public Schools. This was just three years after he had been fired from the district.
According to the Department of Education, the district requested Falzone's license to be valid starting on July 2016, even though it was issued months later.
The district declined to give us an interview but confirmed that they have submitted a "certificate issuance request" for Falzone on behalf of Renaissance Charter, where he was working at the time.
In an email, the district wrote their Human Resources Department is obligated to process teachers' licenses requests from charter schools under state law and that applicants are selected by the charter school independently.
Broward Public Schools wouldn't respond why their HR department didn't flag Falzone's application, despite his history with the district.
The district said they are going to review its policies and procedures after being told about what the NBC 6 Investigators uncovered.
The NBC 6 Investigators spoke with state Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. about Falzone's case.
"It begs the question as did something fall through the cracks in that county of how this was not caught," said Diaz, who chairs the Florida Senate's Education Committee.
Last year, as a state representative, Diaz sponsored the bill that requires schools to report teacher misconduct to the state regardless if they're still employed.
But Diaz' bill didn't include uncertified substitutes and he says that should change.
"If that's a gap that exists, I think what we need to do is make sure that there's an avenue, forcing districts to report substitutes to the state so there can be some kind of notification sent to all 67 districts and that includes charter schools," he said. "I think that's is a really good topic for us to dive into this session."
Falzone's teaching license is still active while he sits in jail.
Records show that Broward Public Schools notified the state about Falzone's arrest in 2018.
Falzone's lawyer didn't respond to our multiple requests for comment.

domain: law


text:
There's a restaurant on site. Free breakfast is available. WiFi is free in public spaces. There's an onsite business centre. The business-friendly Grandview Hotel also features laundry facilities and room service (during limited hours). Parking is available for a fee.
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Self parking (surcharge)
Grandview Hotel offers 21 forms of air-conditioned accommodation with complimentary bottles of water and coffee/tea makers. 32-inch LCD televisions come with satellite channels. Bathrooms include a shower, complimentary toiletries and a hairdryer. This Raub hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Housekeeping is offered on a daily basis and an iron/ironing board can be requested.
Guests are served a free breakfast.
Meet Make Coffee – This café specialises in Malaysian cuisine and serves breakfast and lunch.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit, credit card or debit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification are required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.

domain: travel


text:
For some reason, apparently fair skinned people seem being more understanding of latest. We are left with all the conclusion that Opalescence 20 is one from the top tooth whitening gels currently about the market. However, the fact that there can be over the million products online, ones that needs no summary of people who may have already used they over time. Basing from research, teeth bleaching are totally efficient in more than 78% of folks. There are different concentrations of teeth bleaching gels available today. It will whiten your teeth and fight stains as you sleep. If you really want to find out a difference, then at the very least seven or eight would be much better.
These products contain mild abrasives to take out plaque, food particles and superficial stains. Best teeth whitening strips are available in a number different varieties based around the concentration of Hydrogen peroxide on them. Dissolvable whitening strips were invented later after consumers wanted a much easier and much more convenient method to whiten teeth using a busy life schedule. Once the fitted tray is formed in your mouth, it should be capable of hold the whitening gel against the surfaces of your teeth. Tooth whitening or bleaching is a procedure that may be performed with a cosmetic dentist. Teeth whitening treatment methods are indeed one with the revolutionary teeth bleaching products. Compared to those gels utilised by the dentist, those that you can buy on the counter are cheaper.
A whitening toothpaste can possible lightening your teeth color by one shade. In many cases, the outcomes that you achieve using these strips will last as much as 12 months. If you might be in a hurry you’ll be able to just apply it before leaving to get a party or meeting. • Go through the instructions before using any kit to make sure that you would not have allergic reactions. Instinctively and quite often subconsciously we come up with a first impression within seconds upon meeting someone. Some folks have more sensitive teeth this also problem gets aggravated at the time of whitening teeth. The whitening for teeth is also directly dependant around the concentration from the whitening solution.
Proper dentistry is required to uplift not simply your health and confidence but also your personality traits. When it comes to accomplish-it-yourself or at home whitening, gels are generally the best and effective treatment for serious tooth bleaching. Now we can readily access them inside our local groceries and drugstores. While the outcome achieved inside a dentist office include the most noticeable, these procedures in many cases are expensive, and they is not afforded by everyone. Surface whiteners use abrasives to take out stains and can be purchased in either toothpaste form or chewing gum. In such situations, it’s advisable to take precautions and choose the whitening programs to stop the further teeth damage. There can be a plethora of whitening teeth gels that it is possible to come across; however, it is just the right teeth bleaching gels that you simply need for your purpose.
We see the importance of your time therefore, UVBleachbright product has been so made to save your time along with instant and remarkable results. However, in the event the sensitivity is always to much, you must reduce frequency of treatments or in additional extreme cases, discontinue them altogether. Cosmetic Dentistry Cherry Hill NJ However, the opalescence teeth whitening system actually strengthens the enamel, making it harder and decreases the prospect of cavities. The majority of these items use a hydrogen based bleach to take out and lift stains from your teeth. One in the less attractive characteristics of laser teeth whitening products is that these are very expensive compared to other teeth bleaching products.
There are several reasons why you’ll want to use a product like Polanight to make your teeth whiter. To remove tough grout, a brush, bleach and just a little elbow grease can get the job done. This convenient way of teeth bleaching therapy features a lasting effect of four years old to five years. Well, you will find modern teeth whitening products bleaching methods that can boost your teeth and hence can improve your appearance. There are many kinds of tooth whitening items like whitening gels, whitening pastes, strips etc.
If you have just about any inquiries concerning where as well as the way to work with is sodium hydroxide safe in teeth whitening products, you’ll be able to e-mail us on our page.

domain: health


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Washington struggles on ISIS policy
Jonathan S. Landay, national security and intelligence reporter with McClatchy Newspapers, talks with Rachel Maddow about the struggle in Washington to craft a policy for dealing with ISIS extremists based in Syria.


text:
In January 1998, workers began a three-year, $9.4 million renovation of the
Washington Monument, still the largest freestanding stone structure in the
world. (Unlike the ancient Egyptian obelisks, which are solid pieces of
granite, the Washington Monument contains 36,000 separate blocks of stone.)
First, they gave the inside of the 80,000-ton obelisk a complete mechanical
overhaul: new air conditioning, heating systems, and elevators. They then
refinished the exterior, replacing windows and cleaning and reshaping stones so
that they were perfectly level. In those stones missing chunks, workmen added
"dutchmen," pieces of replacement marble, rather than simply patching them. All
of these changes were particularly difficult, since only 12 to 16 people could
work at the project at once, due to the weight limitations of the 37 miles of
aluminum scaffolding wrapped around the monument (along with a blue mesh sleeve
to catch any falling tools or tool-users).
Another challenge was installing a new lightning-protection system. Originally,
the lightning-deterrent tip was a chunk of aluminum, which, at the time of its
installation, was the most expensive piece of aluminum in the world due to its
massive size. Workers replaced it with a tip comprised of platinum-tipped,
gold-plated rods, which were built so that little service would ever be
required, due to the difficulty of servicing the exposed and extremely lofty
tip of the 550-foot monument.
Principal sources: "Renovating Washington's Monument, Designer-style,"
SmithsonianMagazine, June 1999, and the U.S. National Park

domain: geography


AUDI A8 96 REPAIR MANUAL
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AUDI A8 1996 Workshop Service Repair Manual
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ETEREO NEW MUSIC FOR FLUTE by Lindsey Goodman with Chrysalis Duo & Leviathan Trio
Featuring works by Bruce Babcock, Steven Block, Peter Castine, Alla Elana Cohen, Mara Helmuth, Jennifer Jolley, Josh Oxford, Jason Taurins
Flutist Lindsey Goodman has just released her latest album, Etereo, New Music for Flute. Goodman, a champion of New Music, dives into her 3rd album of new works.
The album begins with Bluez by Josh Oxford. With it’s Blues-y feel, Goodman rocks the singing and playing bit, as well as showing great commend over the technical riffs. The melancholic nature of Soliloquy by Bruce Babcock, showcases Goodman’s exquisite musicality and rich tone. Marsyas by Jason Taurins is a change of pace track featuring Alto Flute, delivering a mournful, contemplative mood. Goodman offers a deep, plush sound on her Alto Flute. The work is haunting and ethereal. Gadfly by Jason Taurins lets Goodman display wonderful extended techniques, all showcasing her riveting tone. Sweet Soulless Solstice by Steven Block is desolate, and severe, expertly played by Goodman.
Butterfly Within by Mara Helmuth offers an entirely different landscape. Bone chilling and indelible, Goodman waves her magic wand and lights the path within the electronic soundscapes.
Watercolors of the Master Who Is Accustomed to Paint Oils, by Alla Elana Cohen, is a beautiful work for flute and piano. Goodman masterfully explores new colors with her brilliant pianist.
3 Duos for Alto Flute & Cello by Peter Castine offers interesting landscapes for the otherwise unusual bedmates. A toy piano is also heard in this piece, offering dolorous hints of hammered stabs.
Flight 710 to Cabo San Lucas for Flute, Cello and Piano by Jennifer Jolly makes for a blistering & captivating finale.
Throughout the album, Goodman’s crystal sound commands attention, and her technique is impeccable. Her world class collaborators and composers make for an enthralling album of new works for flute.


text:
Friday, November 25, 2005
Turkey Soup..the day after!
Turkey Soup is a holiday must for me! So this is a posted request from Nines who wanted to know more about how I do it :c)
It's not that big of a deal! I'm a throw in some of this, some of that cook and this is what I did!
Take turkey leftovers...and pull all the meat from the bones. Save what you want for sandwhiches , etc..this soup just uses the little bits that no one will snack on! Crack the remaining carcass in half and put it in the crock pot with water to cover. I also remove any turkey skin, this just adds fat to the broth. You can add any leftover meat that you want, there will be alot more that will continue to cook off the carcass....I don't add anything else to it at this point, just making the soup stock. I let it simmer until the meat falls off the bones. At this point I unplug the crock pot, pour the contents through a collander so the broth goes into a pot, and the meat/bones stays in the collander.
I put the broth in the fridge to cool so the fat raises to the top and I can remove it. After the meat/bones have cooled enough for handling, I pick through it putting the meat bits back into the crock pot, and tossing the bones, cartilage, yucky stuff....
When the broth has cooled and the fat has been skimmed off, back into the crock pot it goes, this time with the meat, and the other things I want in it...a chopped onion, chopped celery, slices of carrot, sometimes diced raw potatoes, along with some poultry seasoning, a couple bay leaves, some minced garlic, pepper, and if it needs more flavor, I add some chicken soup base. The soup base usually has enough salt, so test if it needs more. Season it to your taste.
I let the veggies cook until they are done. Along the way you might want to add rice, or stir in noodles a bit before serving, just long enough to get them done and not mushy. Be aware that rice and pasta are going to soak up ALOT of juice, so you can even cook those on the stove top and add them cooked to the soup just before serving.
I've also added any leftover gravy that I have to the broth depending if I am going to use it with the leftovers or not...it adds good flavor to the broth.
Serve with corn bread, rolls or crusty french bread and any left over salad you have from the day before. And of course, finish it off with any leftover pie, cake, brownies, whatever that you SURELY have at your house Nines, with all that food you baked up, it can't all be gone yet!
Quipped by Bonnie K Hunter at 4:30 PM

domain: food


text:
In this question the mass of each given reactant
must first be
converted to the amount of the reactant using its molar mass.
Then the amount of each product is determined from the stoichiometry of the chemical equation.
The amount of each product is converted to mass using the product's molar mass.


text:
Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico with record-breaking rains.
The most powerful hurricane to hit the island in nearly a century brought ravaging winds and rainfall on Wednesday, destroying homes, knocking out all of the power, and snapping concrete poles in half. Maria wrecked many repairs that had just been completed after Irma swiped at Puerto Rico two weeks ago.
The National Hurricane Center reports that the island could receive an additional 4–8 inches of rain through Saturday. Puerto Rico remains under a watch for life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
Grist contributing writer Eric Holthaus pointed out some surprising stats regarding Maria’s rainfall on Twitter:
- In one day, parts of Puerto Rico received 24–36 inches of rain. Compare that to Houston, which received 32 inches in three days during Harvey.
- In Caguas, a city in the mountains of eastern Puerto Rico, rain gauges measured more than 14 inches in one hour — apparently a candidate for a new world record.
- For reference, Caguas got more rain in a single day (nearly 40 inches) than Seattle does in an average year (37 inches).
After Puerto Rico, Maria headed toward the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Southeast Bahamas — bringing debilitating rain with it.


The most confounding thing about a Lion Electric school bus is that it’s so simple.
Workers start with a few steel beams, a couple of dozen fiberglass panels around a metal body shell, and an electric motor that has 20 parts and is as big as a picnic basket.
Diesel engines for large trucks, in contrast, have 2,000 parts. They’re as big as grizzly bears.
The Lion Electric factory is confounding, too, mostly because it’s not in Mexico or China or some southern U.S. state where companies go to escape labor unions.
The factory is in Joliet, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, on a bluff 60 feet above the Des Plaines River. It’s surrounded by warehouses, petrochemical plants and a Caterpillar factory that closed two years ago. It’s an unlikely place for zero-emission manufacturing to flourish. But, during the spring of 2021, Gov. J.B. Pritzker beat out a site in Texas and won the Lion Electric plant for Joliet with a new type of strategic argument.
Pritzker convinced the Canadian company that in suburban Will County, electricity is not just cheap, reliable and abundant. It’s also — thanks to a statewide commitment Pritzker was then shepherding through the legislature — on its way to being carbon-free by 2050.
Clean energy was a big plus for Marc Bedard, the Lion Electric chief executive officer. Bedard wants to run a zero-emission enterprise, and he’s telling suppliers that someday soon he’ll refuse deliveries from fossil fuel-burning trucks.
Bedard is writing an updated rule book for Chicago manufacturing, even though he’s new to town and even though state officials in Springfield have yet to throw their full weight behind his company.
Lion Electric brings the prospect of 1,400 jobs and the first new vehicle assembly plant to metropolitan Chicago since 1965. It offers hope that Illinois can put people to work attacking its most significant source of greenhouse gas pollution: tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks.
The Lion Electric factory is unquestionably a green feather in Pritzker’s cap.
Today the factory is hiring new workers every week and hopes to have the capacity to make 2,500 buses annually by the end of 2023, Bedard said. In a few years, if all goes as planned, the Joliet plant could be building 20,000 buses and trucks a year, he said. That’s dozens of vehicles each day.
But two years have passed since the company’s Joliet announcement. During that time, Illinois has failed to join in the parade of electric vehicle and battery plant announcements fueled by President Joe Biden’s historic infrastructure spending.
Georgia has been a big winner, with a staggering $23 billion in new electric vehicle investments since 2018. Georgia won out in part with lavish incentives, including $1.5 billion for Rivian Automotive to build electric trucks and SUVs at a factory with 7,500 workers east of Atlanta. Rivian began building vehicles in downstate Normal two years ago, and now employs a similar number there.
Illinois spent just $7.9 million in incentives for the Lion Electric factory.
When the Democratic-controlled legislature finished its spring session last month, lawmakers approved bills to make it easier for public-private partnerships to expand I-55 to 10 lanes from six through Black and brown Chicago neighborhoods where life expectancy is already being suppressed by congestion and truck pollution.
But they adjourned without acknowledging the danger posed by this added pollution or considering any measures to mitigate it.
These include paying subsidies up to $120,000 per vehicle for electric trucks, and a requirement that Lion Electric’s competitors will also have to build more battery-powered vehicles.
Without such measures, the clean-air benefits of the electric vehicles Pritzker wants to build in Illinois will be going to other states, said Brian Urbaszewski, director of the Respiratory Health Association in Chicago.
Lion Electric has invited Biden to its official ribbon-cutting in Joliet on July 21. He’ll doubtlessly celebrate the $5 billion his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set aside for electric school bus rebates last year. But like Lion Electric, the president’s clean energy revolution is still in a young and fragile state.
The company’s stock dropped to $1.92 on June 6 from $33.48 in January 2021 as concern spread through Wall Street that the transition to a zero-emission economy will be slower and more expensive than many investors had hoped.
Lion Electric is not yet part of Illinois’ economic bedrock.
It’s more like the piping plovers that showed up unannounced on Montrose Beach in 2019 and became the first of their species to nest in Chicago in half a century.
They’re both hopeful signs about the state’s environment. But they’re still seeking the shelter and support they need to thrive.
School bus as entryway
Lion Electric is based in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, an industrial suburb 35 miles northwest of Montreal.
Bedard, 57, started the company in 2008, soon after leaving his job as a partner at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
In person, Bedard comes across as a popular college professor more than a cigar-chomping industrialist. He’s never wavered from a simple idea — that school buses would be the first big vehicles to go electric and would provide an entryway for his company into the commercial truck market that’s 10 times bigger.
His basic logic has been impeccable so far, even if his timing has been off.
School buses operate for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon over routes that mostly don’t change. This leaves plenty of time for charging in the same garage every night, often at off-peak electricity prices and with a relatively inexpensive slow charger.
In addition, the buses typically operate in stop-and-go traffic, allowing their brakes to capture more energy from the friction they generate as they stop the vehicle.
Best of all, they don’t subject school workers and their young passengers to dangerous diesel fumes.
School districts in the United States now spend about $350,000 for a new electric bus, or 3½ times more than a diesel counterpart, according to Curt Macysyn, executive director of the National School Transportation Association, a trade group.
By 2030, 30% of all new school bus sales in the United States will be powered by electric motors, according to a forecast by Gregory Genette of S&P Global Mobility. This implies total annual sales of 35,000 electric buses.
It’s estimated that battery-powered vehicles will make up 20% of medium-duty truck sales by 2030 and 14% of new heavy-duty trucks, according to the S&P forecast. This adds up to annual sales of about 95,000 battery-powered trucks, Genette said.
Lion Electric got a big head start in electric school buses because of determined efforts by government leaders in Quebec.
The province outlawed the registration of diesel school buses in 2021 and now offers subsidies up to $75,000 for each electric bus. Quebec also offers grants up to $150,000 for each electric truck.
The rebates are partly funded by a cap-and-trade system for carbon credits that Quebec launched with California in 2014. The program allows polluters to buy credits from companies reducing carbon dioxide emissions by, for example, using electricity from solar power instead of coal.
Kevin Matthews is head of electrification for First Student Inc., the largest North American school bus operator, with 46,000 vehicles providing 5.4 million student trips per day. The company operates 244 electric school buses, Matthews said, and Lion Electric built 230 of them. “We’ve been happy with their performance,” Matthews said.
Of the 2,490 bus replacements funded through the Biden infrastructure bill last year, Lion Electric has secured orders for 289 so far and is still trying to get more.
Most of the rest were divided among the traditional U.S. players — Blue Bird, Thomas Built and I.C. Bus. These companies convert a portion of their diesel fleets to run on electric motors and batteries.
According to Pierre Fitzgibbon, the cabinet minister for innovation and the environment in Quebec, after pushing Lion Electric to the forefront of the electric school bus race, the province is determined to help the company stay there.
A competitive advantage
In April, amid muddy construction roads and unpaved parking lots at a cargo airport near Montreal, the company dedicated a $140 million factory to build battery packs. Of this amount, $75 million came from loans from the federal government of Canada and the province of Quebec, both eager to support the creation of 135 jobs.
The factory starts with battery cells that, like those used by Tesla, are a bit bigger than a Size AA household battery. A line of robots stacks, welds and seals thousands of cells, along with the necessary electronic controls and cooling equipment, inside a battery pack that’s as big as a large suitcase.
The packs are central to Lion Electric’s strategy. They encompass 40% of the cost of a bus. They required more than a decade of software writing so they can keep the batteries at an optimal operating temperature as they charge and discharge under a variety of circumstances. This helps them last longer.
When the company’s factories are running at full speed, its electric buses won’t cost any more to build than a diesel model, said Nate Baguio, senior vice president for commercial development in the United States.
He wouldn’t specify when cost parity will happen, but he said it’s coming.
Performance data from the 950 Lion Electric buses on the road today indicate that many will last for 12 years, Baguio said.
The economics will improve even more, he said, as school boards learn to sell power back to the grid instead of letting the buses sit idle and as they start to recycle batteries.
Currently, many commercial fleets keep their diesel trucks for only five years before replacing them, Baguio said.
All these potential improvements are rooted in Lion Electric’s ability to build its own battery packs.
It’s a competitive advantage that all of the company’s competitors will need to match, said Sam Jaffe, senior director of business development for Addionics, a battery manufacturer based in London. And it’s only happening at Lion Electric because of government loans.
The roots of Quebec’s environmental activism go back to 1971. That’s when the province started building a $15 billion hydroelectric generating station on the shores of James Bay, 600 miles north of Montreal. The project required diverting the course of three rivers and the flooding of Indigenous villages.
Today, hydroelectric stations at James Bay and elsewhere generate 94% of Quebec’s power, according to a government of Quebec website. The electricity they produce is abundant, cheap and clean. It’s the cornerstone of Quebec’s effort to transform itself into a green manufacturing hub, starting with the mining and processing of lithium, the assembly and recycling of battery cells, and the delivery of finished vehicles by companies such as Lion Electric.
Fitzgibbon, the innovation minister, says Quebec is too small to compete with the United States or even the province of Ontario for passenger cars and trucks. So it’s concentrating on niche products such as buses instead. And it won’t bother with products that aren’t innovative and green.
“If you’re doing a gray battery, what’s the point?” asked Fitzgibbon, referring to batteries made with electricity from coal plants.
The draw of renewable power
Pritzker also had energy on his mind as he tried to lure Lion Electric to Illinois.
In frequent phone calls with Bedard, Pritzker focused on a half-finished Joliet warehouse that could be converted quickly into a factory. And he touted the ability of Will County to produce power from every noncoal source: nuclear, natural gas, wind, solar and hydro.
The region’s energy sources are diverse and plentiful. And before ComEd’s pending delivery charge increases take effect, they’re 35% cheaper for industrial users than the average for the country’s top 20 metro areas, according to Diana Sharpe, the utility’s vice president for large customers.
Plus, under the Clean Energy Jobs Act, Pritzker was setting Illinois on a course to remove carbon dioxide emissions from energy productionby 2050. He did so partly by subsidizing nuclear plants in the last stages of their productive life and small towns dependent on coal plants that are closing.
This transition to largely renewable power is a significant drawing card for the low-emission industries that Illinois needs, said Doug Pryor, head of Will County’s economic development program and a direct participant in talks with Lion Electric.
Pryor said the state is constantly trying to recruit companies that make electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, hydrogen-powered equipment such as fuel cells or hydrogen itself.
With the prospect of renewable power as a principal enticement, Pryor said he could turn his sales pitch to traditional Chicago-area advantages such as its central location, big consumer market, educated workers, abundant water and diverse transportation infrastructure.
Lion Electric quickly started plugging into the existing Illinois industrial base. Air conditioners come from Rockford, bumpers from Lockport and brakes from North Aurora.
But manufacturing as a percent of private-sector employment in the state fell to 11.9% in 2021 from 32% in 1950, according to Matthew Wilson of the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Factory jobs disappeared as productivity rose and investment shifted to other countries and states.
And Chicago’s legacy as a union town was a constant issue.
Even with Biden’s pro-union stance, more than four-fifths of the clean-energy production facilities announced in the six months after the Inflation Reduction Act went to right-to-work states, according to a Reuters report. These states weaken unions by allowing workers to not pay dues.
Pritzker caught a lucky break when Bedard declined to join this right-to-work exodus.
“It’s going to be their decision in Illinois if they want to go with a labor union,” Bedard said.
The United Steelworkers union has already staked a claim with successful organizing drives at electric bus factories in California and Georgia and community benefit agreements that provide training and other assistance to workers who need it.
Lagging truck sales
Bedard differs from many corporate executives in other ways.
Lion Electric does its best, he said, to avoid component suppliers based in countries that allow child labor or that are run by totalitarian governments.
Like many parts of the United States, Illinois has substantially more job openings than unemployed people.
Eric Pansegrau, the general manager at Joliet, said he’s experienced no significant problems recruiting his workforce so far. He describes the starting hourly pay of $21 plus benefits such as health insurance and a 401(k) retirement savings plan as competitive with surrounding employers.
Keith Gullquist, 52, has worked as a team leader at Lion Electric for a year.
He said he doesn’t think much about protecting the environment with zero-emission vehicles. But he said he likes the challenge of launching a new type of factory for battery-powered vehicles.
Gullquist said he was the first worker in Joliet to use a spray gun to apply a rust-fighting coating to the bottom of the bus and enjoyed the challenges of hitting all the nooks and crannies.
“I like to have to figure stuff out,” he said.
A big chunk of the factory’s 906,517-square-foot expanse is covered with boxes of parts and components since workers still haven’t finished the racks to stack them up in the back. Pansegrau says he has bar-coded and scanned each box to know where everything is.
Much of the work at Lion Electric now occurs by hand. For example, workers stand at a small table to attach rubber sealers and metal frames around the window panes.
In the future, Pansegrau said, such components will arrive fully assembled. This will help workers keep up with mobile robots called AGVs that will haul the buses along the assembly line at an accelerating pace.
As Bedard readily admits, the main cloud on this horizon is that electric truck sales are lagging years behind the company’s expectations.
A case in point is Amazon. Two years ago, the online retailer said it may buy as many as 2,500 trucks from Lion Electric by the end of 2025. So far, Bedard says, Amazon has purchased just 10.
Katie Loughnane, an Amazon spokeswoman, declined to comment.
Amazon has a similar but much larger agreement to purchase up to 100,000 trucks from Rivian. But the retailer dialed back its purchases from both companies amid a slowdown in e-commerce sales. That, in turn, could force Rivian to compete directly with Lion Electric for new delivery truck customers.
Lion Electric is in regular contact with Amazon and will be ready “when they’ve really got to go electric,” Bedard said. As this crucial moment approaches, he said, he’d rather have too much manufacturing capacity than too little.
Bedard said he expects a significant boost in January when California starts requiring regional fleets that operate between the state’s ports and nearby rail yards to register only zero-emission vehicles.
Lion Electric delivered 220 trucks and buses in the first quarter of 2023, up from 84 in the year-ago period. These sales generated $54.7 million in revenue, of which the company lost $15.6 million. According to management estimates, Lion Electric had orders on hand for 2,565 trucks and buses worth $625 million.
Lion Electric doesn’t provide formal earnings guidance to investors. When asked on an investor call when the company will break even, Bedard would say only that earnings will improve with higher volumes.
Bedard will get some breathing room as he finishes paying off the $105 million Joliet plant and as bus sales continue to grow.
“The bus business is pretty good,” he said. “We can go for a while.”
In the meantime, Bedard said he hopes and expects Illinois to follow the example of environmental leaders such as Quebec and California and offer incentives for electric trucks.
“I think Illinois is working hard on making this happen,” Bedard said. “Are they there yet? No. Is there still a very good potential? Yes.”
Bedard said he expects electric bus and truck sales to continue rising even if political parties with sharply different views on climate policies gain and lose power in the United States and Canada.
“This is where the market is going, even if some parties might think differently on a short-term basis,” Bedard said. “It’s a green thing, you know, where you can make money.”
In a strong position
For Pritzker, a big chance to lure more of this “green thing” to Illinois will come in September.
That’s when the United Auto Workers union and Stellantis N.V. will renegotiate their labor contract.
The union’s recently elected president, Shawn Fain, is demanding new investments in Belvidere, where the company closed a 58-year-old factory in February and laid off 1,350 workers.
“It’s unacceptable,” Fain told reporters. “I’ve been very clear with the corporation that we expect things there to change.”
Pritzker is standing by with a $400 million incentive fund that the legislature has already approved. He’s hoping the company will build a new factory for its coming electric flagship, the Ram 1500 Rev pickup.
“We’re in a pretty good place with Stellantis,” Pritzker said in an interview Wednesday. “They understand we’re providing significant incentives.”
But there’s no well-established political consensus in Illinois about whether and how to expand these efforts in the future, unlike in California or Quebec.
Pritzker shows no sign of embracing California-style mandates on how many electric vehicles must be sold in Illinois. He backs a plan that would require state government fleets in Illinois, aside from police departments, to purchase only electric vehicles starting in 2030. But that measure got sidelined as legislators rushed to approve hundreds of other bills before adjourning in May.
Lawmakers did approve a bill making it easier for public-private partnerships to expand I-55 to 10 lanes through the South and West sides. Pritzker said he hasn’t taken a position. “There are some unions on the one side, and there’s the environmental community on the other side,” Pritzker said. “You do need to reach some consensus.”
In the meantime, the governor is rolling out new incentives through his Reimagining Energy and Electric Vehicles program. These incentives don’t grab headlines. But just one provision, reduced payroll taxes, could be worth tens of millions of dollars to big manufacturers like Stellantis.
Pritzker said these incentives help him argue that electric vehicle incentives in Illinois “are as strong or nearly as strong as other states.”
In April, Pritzker announced a $27 million subsidy to help school boards buy electric school buses and charging stations.
“We’re going to continue to work on providing the right kinds of incentives so that companies like Lion, as well as the automobile manufacturers, see Illinois as a great place,” he said.
On Thursday, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that Pritzker interrupted leadership talks last week to meet with a battery-maker that’s eyeing a new factory in Morris, a Joliet suburb. The governor may have offered incentives worth $600 million, Crain’s said. Pritzker is in talks with three different companies, including one from China and one from Europe.
Politicians like such incentives because they demonstrate environmental progress without requiring voters to make really hard choices, such as driving less or building fewer highways, said Pierre-Olivier Pineau, chairman of energy sector management at HEC Montreal, a business school.
“From a political perspective, electric vehicles are perfect because you can tell people, ‘You just have to change the vehicle, but you don’t have to change your lifestyle,’” he said.
“Everyone will say, ‘Oh, for the kids, it’s very good to have a clean bus,’” Pineau said. “Lion Electric is not that big but they’ve been used as example so often that the government will continue to help them. It means they’re too big to fail.”
Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed.
John Lippert is a freelancer.
Editor’s note: Earlier versions of this story misstated a former title of the chief executive officer of Lion Electric. Marc Bedard was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Earlier versions also misstated which government fleets could be part of a plan to require the purchase of electric vehicles. The plan targets state government fleets.


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domain: sociology