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What kind of investor are you? If you’re like 4 million on-chain holders of Dogecoin, perhaps you like to have a little fun while putting your money into exciting new ventures.
When Bitcoin was revolutionizing the ways in which people would exchange currency, competitors were sure to follow. Rather than a serious investment opportunity, Dogecoin was founded in 2013 as a meme coin– a way to “stick it” to Bitcoin enthusiasts with the face of an adorable ShibaInu dog.
Whether you are a serious investor or just curious about how to buy this unique cryptocurrency, check out our guide on where to buy Dogecoin US.
The Dogecoin Story
Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus noted that he created Dogecoin as a joke to encourage “some lightheartedness, kindness, and generosity” in the crypto world. The founders are dedicated to fundraising and charity work and have raised money for causes like fresh water in impoverished countries and the Jamaican Bobsled Team as they fundraised for the 2014 Olympics.
As far as investing is concerned, the cryptocurrency is making a name for itself as a legitimate investment opportunity. In May of 2021, it reached a market capitalization of $85 billion. It is rising in popularity as retailers and charities start to accept Dogecoin as valid currency.
Buying Dogecoin doesn’t have to be a complicated affair. Follow these steps for an easy transaction!
Choose Your Crypto Wallet
In order to buy Dogecoin, you’ll need to start with a crypto wallet. You can purchase two types of wallets:
- Hardware wallets – keep the private key to your Dogecoin offline on a physical drive
- Software wallets – store the private key to your cryptocurrency on a mobile phone, a desktop computer, or a laptop
Keep track of the credentials for your wallet so you can access the funds when you need them.
Locate Your Doge Address
A Dogecoin address is a long string of letters and numbers that uniquely identifies your Dogecoin wallet. It allows you to make the transfer of your Dogecoin into secure storage.
Start Trading Dogecoin
Once you have reviewed your wallet options and made the right decision for you, you can start buying Dogecoin. Find a Doge exchange and monitor the current Dogecoin price before making your move. Only a handful of vetted exchanges allow you to purchase Dogecoin with US dollars or Euros.
Withdraw From the Exchange
Don’t leave your crypto at the mercy of the exchange.
Once you have purchased your Dogecoin, withdraw from the exchange and store in your chosen wallet. This is important for the security of your currency. If the exchange is hacked, you risk losing your cryptocurrency.
Where to Buy Dogecoin US – Next Steps
Do you feel confident in your next Dogecoin investment moves? There are plenty of other cryptocurrency options– be sure to do your research to find the right crypto investment for your situation.
Stay informed on the latest in cryptocurrency. “Do Only Good Every Day” and read more modern finance tips on our blog!


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By Michael G. Fry
“Savasana is being without was, being without will be. It is being without anyone who is.” B.K.S. Iyengar
Savasana, also spelled Shavasana or Shivasana, is often seen as a ‘nap’ after class and while the pose does serve this delightful and sometimes needed purpose, savasana is so much more. It is a chance to let go, ‘die’ and be reborn.
Happy New Year! What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Stop. Shhhhh. No need to answer that…again. This is the time of the year when we, in the west, tend to get caught up in making an extra effort to honor our ‘resolutions’. We have made written lists and verbal promises to ourselves, our loved ones and in some cases social media, to do better, act better and be better this year than we were last year.
We want to lose ten pounds, eat less red meat and go to the gym. We begin our ‘new’ year from an old perspective, that we are somehow deficient, need to change and so we begin our year with modern day karmic debt and a fiery intention to pay it back in 12 month installments. Hey, not all debts are bad, right, especially if they allow us to pay over-time to get what we want. Goals are great and resolutions can be used for good!
But, prior to assigning ourselves goals for next year, have we taken the time to relax and rejuvenate? To take a deep cleansing breath? To feel good about ourselves and our last year’s accomplishments? Savasana, occurring after a rigorous practice, reminds us to take that pause and to rest between efforts.
Savasana literally means–corpse pose. It is called corpse pose not only because of the position of the body: lying on the back, arms and legs spread at 45 degrees, palms up with eyes shut and allowing the breathe to be smooth, long and deep, but also in its ability to prepare you for the ultimate relaxation: ‘death’.
Lol. Don’t worry, while in the yogic tradition death is the most important moment of life and reincarnation is a seen as a karmic rebirth, one needn’t embrace these spiritual traditions to benefit from savasana. One only need to be willing and able to let go, relax and release.
Savasana decreases heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension and general levels of anxiety. It increases energy levels, boosts memory and stimulates the ability to concentrate. It gives you a more easy sleep and brings a general sense of well-being. And everyone can do it, making it the great common denominator of yoga practice. Savasana also gives instructors the chance add a personal touch to the practice as they guide students in relaxation, self-blessing, prayer, affirmation, gong, essential oils and even crystal bowls.
After over a decade of yoga practice, I still enjoy occasionally falling asleep during savasana but more often I enjoy the benefits of my practice by allowing essential silence, stillness, pranayama and a deep sense of well-being to replace all thought. After savasana, we roll over to the left into a fetal position in preparation to be reborn. Savasana can be a portal to peace and a reminder to pause and rest before moving onto the next goal.

domain: literature


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Luxurious Amagansett home perched on a hill, amazing views, exceptional outdoor entertainment, stunning pool and hot tub, large deck, fire pit, gas BBQ and wood-fired pizza oven, and minutes to local beaches and shopping
Newly renovated and refurnished, secluded East Hampton home with heated pool, walking to town and 2 miles from the beach
Pristine new construction in the heart of the North Folk, just under an acre of land, minutes to world-class North Fork wineries and eateries
Beautifully renovated East Hampton home close to town, ocean beaches, and village shopping
Beautiful Vacation Home in Hampton Bays walking distance to Peconic Bay Beaches!
Mid-century home on seven serene acres of rolling meadows with private pool in Salt Point.
Private Bayfront Living, Water Views
Renovated Waterfront Home, Outdoor Kitchen, Access to Dock, Close to North Fork Beaches and Wineries
Sag Harbor Village Beauty with Heated Salt Water Gunite Pool, blocks to restaurants, shop, and minutes to the beach.
Beautiful Contemporary Water Mill Home Centrally Located with Private Pool
Sunset Bayview, Master Suite with Private Balcony, Private Gated Residence, One of the Highest Elevations in Southampton
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Contemporary art lover’s escape nestled, minutes to Fishkill Village and Beacon - stylish home with wraparound deck overlooking beautifully landscaped gardens.
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Contemporary and serene estate with heated saltwater pool, expansive windows, and newly renovated interior. A perfect location to relax and recharge near Gerard Beach in East Hampton.
Expansive Deck and Pool Area, Outdoor Dining and Sitting Area, Generous Master Suites, Close to Amagansett Village, Parklands and Bay Beaches

domain: geography


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This year, Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for our common home- ‘Laudato Si’ commemorates its five-year anniversary. For 2020 Catholics around the world acknowledge ‘Laudo Si week’ with varied activities under the theme “Everything is connected.”
According to laudatosiweek.org this week is a launch of a year-long journey of transformation, as we grow through the crisis of the current moment by praying, reflecting, and preparing together for a better world to come tomorrow. Following Pope Francis’ invitation to join Laudato Si’ Week, Catholics everywhere will reflect and prepare for action 16-24 May.
This preparation is expected to be put into action during the Season of Creation in September as Pope Francis invites Catholics to pray and act for ‘our common home’.
Facilitating the movement is The Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) who began online webinars in light of the current pandemic.
The Catholic News joined the first session “‘Laudato Si’ at 5: As Prophetic and Relevant As Ever”
The discussion was moderated by Vice Chair of the GCCM board, Dr Lorna Gold, and presenters included, Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) and Italian priest Fr Augusto Zampini-Davies who serves as an adjunct secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development.
Fr Zampini-Davies emphasized we are all part of the eco-system and therefore any care for our ecology cannot omit human beings and vice versa. He shared what he liked that Pope Francis’ encyclical proposed “spirituality as a key driver for radical change”
Speaking on how interconnectedness has been impacted in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Fr Zampini-Davies said, “Interconnectedness has taken a dive as we see the way we treat animals, our contributions to industrial farming and treatment of nature affects our ecosystems. The origin of the Coronavirrus is a result of how we manipulated nature. In order to tackle the crisis, we have to go to the core of how we treat with nature.”
He noted, the health of people, their way of living and concern for generations to come should “always be put first” and society cannot be lax continue as it is going. And so, “the Coronavirus, in a sense is a wakeup call.”
Referencing the encyclical, Dr Gold said ‘Laudato Si’ makes us become “painfully aware” of what is happening in our world and how it transcends into our own suffering. She added Pope Francis has tried to address what each of us can do about it.
In response, Fr Zampini-Davies said, “The social ecological crisis affects everyone and no source of wisdom can be left out. You don’t radically change from your mind but rather from your heart.”
“We have to be close to nature to do things to care for the earth. It is a common problem and requires collective solutions so even if one person changes their own “heart” it must be in touch with others.”
He added that hope also plays a part as being part of a big global movement can make one feel intimidated or fearful that the challenge can not be taken head on.
Join the conversation! View Laudato Si webinars
From Sunday, May 24 – 28 our local Church will be continuing the initiative. This will be driven by The Franciscan Institute who has partnered with the Archdiocese’s Roman Catholic Youth Commission. Persons are also encouraged to follow CatholicTT platforms on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter to stay tuned and use the hashtags #LaudatoSi5TT #catholictt
By Renee Smith
Email: firstname.lastname@example.org Twitter: @rsmith_cntt

domain: news


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Check out our recent news stories below.
Parents as Career Coaches (1)
Click here to view our finalised senior NCEA options lines and subject codes Senior Option Lines 2021 V10 SUBJECT CODES 2021
We have completed our lockdown exercise and all students, staff and persons on-site are safely accounted for. Everyone did extremely well and responded to... Read More
These additional changes to NCEA for students in Auckland are to recognise the 13 days of classroom time lost during the recent Alert Level... Read More
We are seeking parent feedback regarding how well we did as a school communicating with you as parents, teaching practices we used during lockdown... Read More


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Great picture of how simple plant-based vegan meal prep can be! Just the simple act of pre-chopping your veggies can speed up your meals during the week and serve as simple to grab snacks too! Just be mindful if you click through this pin, the article doe
Who else makes a priority on Sunday because they know it leaves them feeling healthier and with more time during the week? _ Twin meal preps for the win! How about delicious Chicken Cobb salads? The hubs sure is happy.
fai Deli Snack Box - Prep for the week ahead with these healthy, budget-friendly snack boxes! High protein, high fiber and so nutritious!
Make these Honey Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls ahead of time and you'll have FOUR work lunches ready and waiting! A healthy meal prep work lunch recipe. I could totally eat this for lunch, maybe Eric would like it too.

domain: food


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The first three years of life are crucial in a child’s development. During this period, he learns to stand and walk, to sit properly, to interact with others, to communicate, and to develop basic cognitive skills. Obviously, the child does not achieve these advances on his own, he does it with the help of his parents.
Later, in order to continue their development, the child will need to be inserted in school, a space where they will not only find professionals who will educate them but will also be able to interact with children their age. This new environment stimulates other capacities, not only cognitively but also socially and emotionally.
Unfortunately, there are still parents who question the effectiveness of nursery school and think that it is a place where children only have fun and where the chances of getting sick increase. However, it should be pointed out that the benefits of kindergarten or nursery school far outweigh any disadvantage that can be attributed to it.
It is true that in nursery school the child will spend a large part of the day playing, but it is not just any game, like the one they can play at home, but educational games that enhance their motor skills and stimulate their psychological and social development. In fact, during the first years of life, play is the main source of learning for children and the best way to discover the world.
The main advantages of going to nursery school are:
- Create new spaces for interaction with children of the same age and with contemporary groups that enhance their development.
- Stimulates verbal and extraverbal communication through play and other group activities.
- Strengthens emotional ties with people and stimulates empathy, causing the child to abandon the typical egocentricity of the first years of life.
- It contributes to the achievement of children’s independence and autonomy, as well as the formation of well-structured life habits.
- Stimulates emotional self-control and assertiveness in conflict resolution. In fact, the nursery school is the place where the seed of Emotional Intelligence grows.
- It strengthens the child’s self-esteem and self-confidence, as he becomes more independent and acquires new learning.
- Develops fine motor skills, mainly through games and drawing. In addition, it also stimulates motor coordination from those games that involve physical skills.
- Teaches the child the basic rules of coexistence and respect for others, as well as the rules and limits that must be met.
- It develops their creativity and imagination, mainly through stories and role plays.
- It favors the development of language and the acquisition of new words, which considerably expand the child’s vocabulary.
- It promotes the acquisition of complex cognitive skills and stimulates the development of thought.
It is worth clarifying that it is normal for you to have doubts and that, in your desire to protect your child, you want to postpone the separation as much as possible but remember that, sooner or later, he will have to enter school.

domain: psychology


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Walk downhill from just about anywhere in Bisbee and you will end up at an area which is the confluence of two canyons, Tombstone Canyon and Zacatecas Canyon. At this downtown nexus you will find the post office and the library along with a bank and many shops and other businesses. Everyone in town passes through this area at one time or another.
The “town end” of Zacatecas Canyon is called Brewery Gulch, locally known as “the Gulch”. Most of Bisbee’s bars are clustered there, but if you follow the twists and turns of the canyon it becomes residential, a unique neighborhood housing the more unconventional of Bisbee’s inhabitants, which is saying something! There are so many abrupt bends in the street that you have to drive slowly — it’s really more of a street for walkers.
Eventually you will come to an old-fashioned store called Mimosa Market, which in my mind marks the demarcation between the Gulch and Zacatecas Canyon. The street becomes rougher and narrower after that, eventually giving way to rough cobbles. Prudent drivers will begin to wonder if they will ever find a place to turn around. Some of the houses are vacant. Eventually there are no more houses and the true and enduring nature of Zacatecas Canyon manifests itself.
Late yesterday afternoon I became embroiled in a really pointless and stupid “discussion” on a Facebook group for Bisbee people. I was having trouble refraining from making scathing comments and, as they say around here, the vibes were bad. I decisively closed my laptop, hopped in my truck, and drove as far as I could up Brewery Gulch. I found a place to park past Mimosa Market and began to walk up Zacatecas Canyon until the scene became suitably wild and thorny. Just the way I like it!
A side-canyon beckoned to me and I began clambering up and around schist outcrops. A trickle of water was still flowing, evidence of recent monsoon rains. Plants were flowering all around, the contrast of bright dots of floral color with the enduring gray-green of the vegetation was calming to my soul. A very light drizzle of rain was falling, and the sky was gray.
I shot a few photos on this excursion. It’s nearly impossible to capture the feel of these desert canyons, so I tend to go for the close-up macro shots of plants and such.
A very common summer plant in Bisbee and the surrounding canyons is this charming little morning glory, Ipomoea cristulata. The vines are all over Bisbee’s alleys and street-sides. Once a woman, a long-time Bisbee resident, said to me “Sometimes I think that morning glory vines are what hold Old Bisbee together!” I like to see the plant in its native canyon and wash habitat:
Here are some morning glory vines climbing up and around a rigid clump of Sotol, a relative of the Yuccas and Agaves:
Such a charming sight! Off to one side of the sub-canyon I saw a Devil’s Claw plant which has been forming its fruits. Notice how a morning glory vine has wrapped itself around the plump fruit:
These fruits are edible at this stage, but as they ripen they split and the two halves form wickedly-curved horns which snag onto any creature happening by.
Now and then I encountered a diminutive species of sage, Salvia subincisus, also known as Sawtooth Sage. This is an easily-overlooked plant, as the plant is only six inches tall, and the flowers are only three-eighths of an inch long. A couple of weeks from now these sages will have set seed and won’t be noticeable again until next summer, after the rains.
I enjoyed this densely-packed passage of botanical English from a published description of this Salvia:
The flowers are each followed by a ribbed, bilobed, glandular-hairy, green to dark purple fruiting calyx that dries to brown and contains tan-colored nutlets.
I’m glad not to be “glandular-hairy” and would prefer not to have “tan-colored nutlets”. Just the thing for a Salvia, though!
One of the last houses in Zacatecas Canyon belongs to two friends of mine, a couple with whom I regularly play music. I was on the canyon slope opposite their house when I took the above photos. Here’s a photo of their house, the lair of two true canyon-dwellers:
I got back to my apartment, opened the laptop, and found that the roiling discussion was still going on in that Bisbee Facebook group. Once again I was drawn in — after all, when someone is wrong on the internet something must be done!


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Cool and Easy DIY Hairstyles - Messy Bun - Quick and Easy Ideas for Back to School Styles for Medium, Short and Long Hair - Fun Tips and Best Step by Step Tutorials for Teens, Prom, Weddings, Special (Top Knot For Short Hair)
Make your daughter a Sock Bun! easy and you can either use a color sock to match her hair color . Have fun with cute hair desins.cute wedding or flower girl look. It looks so cute and you only need a few things .
Tuxedo Braid Bun Tutorial 5 Messy Updos for Long Hair. Making hairstyles a bit more glamorous with our tips, ideas and tutorials. The Ledyz Fashions Hair Inspiration board is full of how to instructions and tutorials for hairstyles, hair inspiration, ha

domain: hobby


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Minecraft players have the right to mark details locations on their map to offer as waypoints by cleverly making use of banners that have different names and also colors.
You are watching: How to set a waypoint in minecraft
The people of Minecraft room truly expansive and can large for numerous blocks. V that being said, it deserve to be fairly easy because that players come accidentally lose their way and get lost.
In order come prevent acquiring lost or to keep track of particular locations that interest, Minecraft players have the right to mark various unique places on a map. This can be done by using a map on a banner the was put out in the Overworld.
The banner will certainly then present up top top a map once players look at it. By utilizing multiple names and colors the banners, Minecraft players have the right to keep track of every sorts of different locations lot easier.
This short article breaks down exactly how to produce waypoints for specific locations in the Minecraft world that players have the right to later refer to on your map.
How have the right to players do waypoints on a map in vanilla Minecraft?
Once the banner has been made, players can even readjust the surname of the banner by utilizing an anvil. Players have the right to name their banner anything lock like. They can quickly give labels or names because that their locations of interest.
Players will watch a red banner the was change the name "Portal" to note the ar of a giant damaged portal, and a environment-friendly banner the was renamed "Secret Base," i m sorry is whereby the entrance for an underground lair is located.
See more: Vocabulary Workshop Level E Unit 7 Level E Vocab Answers, Vocab Level E Unit 7 Flashcards
In bespeak to note a waypoint ~ above a map, all a Minecraft player demands to carry out is walk up to a banner that was put down in the world and also use a map on the banner. That banner"s name, color and also location will then be denoted ~ above the player"s map.


Here at Revolver, we're always on the hunt for new songs to bang our heads to — indeed, it's a big part of our jobs. With that in mind, here are the tracks released this week in metal, hard rock and hardcore that have been on heavy rotation at Revolver HQ. For your listening pleasure, we've also compiled the songs in a Spotify playlist below, which will grow each week.
Lingua Ignota - "Butcher of the World"
It's hard to categorize exactly what Lingua Ignota, a.k.a. Kristin Hayter, does in her music. But one thing's for sure: it's always a wild ride. On her latest single, "Butcher of the World," Hayter marries completely disparate sounds, styles and musical elements into one strikingly weird new form. It opens with a film score kind of overture with her voice shrieking some incredibly harsh lines as a counterpoint. As the song progresses, she introduces operatic vocals to the mix, which take this extremely unsettling — and utterly transfixing — track to a whole new level. It's a total experience.
Knocked Loose - "...And Still I Wander South"
Knocked Loose have undeniably leveled up since the release of their 2016 album Laugh Tracks. Their latest single, "...And Still I Wander South," shows the band expanding the range of their musicality and incorporating elements of death metal and slam into their metallic hardcore sound. The young Kentucky group also reveals previously unseen levels of restraint and confidence in their craft: allowing melodic parts to ring out so that when the heaviness hits, it absolutely destroys.
Abuse of Power - "What on Earth Can We Do"
Immediate, clobbering and directly to the punch, Abuse of Power's "What on Earth Can We Do" is a brash and pissed-off dark anthem that channels the driven rage of the group's intent into two-and-a-half brief, but impactful, minutes. The track's staccato pacing and unconventional melodic elements reflect both the Atlanta outfit's love of Nineties hardcore, and their ability to energize this often-tired genre by injecting freshness and passion into every note.
Russian Circles - "Arluck"
Russian Circles' new track "Arluck" is complex and engaging, making it easy to get wrapped up inside the intricate layering of the trio's straightforward but hypnotic sounds. Kings among the heavy instrumental scene, the band continues to impress with their ability to create new interesting channels through well-trodden musical territory and move seamlessly between scenes and genres with their near-universal appeal.
Alexisonfire - "Complicit"
Back this year with their first new music in over a decade, Alexisonfire's latest jam "Complicit" brings the gruff, snarling post-hardcore to the forefront for a nonstop, anthemic fire starter from start to finish. Intensely catchy and listenable, the round-style breakdown is sure to incite some aging punks to get back out and mosh like it's 2006 all over again.
$uicideBoy$ x Travis Barker with James "Munky" Shaffer - "Killing 2 Birds With 22 Stones"
Kicking off your heavy-metal–meets–punk-rap hybrid track with a seemingly pure sample of "Hey kids, let's go to church!" is always a good start to something completely wicked. $uicideboy$ and Travis Barker's new collaborative track from the just-released Live Fast, Die Whenever EP is a total pipe bomb — a lethal combo of screams, raps and defiantly heavy guitar work courtesy of Korn's Munky. It all comes together perfectly — a genre-defying banger that will absolutely piss off multiple generations of parents with its blasphemy and chaos.


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Igor Cornelsen is a Brazilian stock market investor and entrepreneur who currently work for a Bahamas company dubbed Bainbridge Investments. Cornelsen’s tenure at the company began back in 2011. During his first years of service at Bainbridge Investments, he was passionate about discovering creative and intelligent ways in which investors can use stock markets for future success.
Cornelsen is a resident of South Florida despite being a Brazil native. He usually alternates between living in his South Florida home and Brazil. Besides engaging himself with investment related stuff, he likes playing golf. He believes that golfing is one of the best ways he can relieve himself from the busy office schedules.
Insights on Investment
Igor Cornelsen is one of the most celebrated Brazilian investors. He usually pays close attention to the Brazilian market because of its potential for growth and investment. Brazil ranks number five among the top ten world economies. Cornelsen believes that the country has diverse opportunities for investing. The country has policies that allow foreign entrepreneurs to invest in any Brazilian sector. Local entrepreneurs have an added advantage over foreign ones because of their comprehension of the Brazilian economy and consumer trends.
Besides his focus on the Brazilian market, Igor Cornelsen is also enthusiastic about investing in stock markets. His expertise lies in this lucrative industry. Spending cash on buying company shares has greater returns as compared to spending on retail investments. As he pursued his professional career, he learned that establishing relationships with industry leaders is one of the ways of succeeding.
His advice to beginners is that they should be selective when choosing the experts who can advise them. This is because the industry is full of fraudsters who usually take advantage of the beginners. Cornelsen also advises budding investors to strive to master the requirements associated with the stock market sector. He is certain that more business-oriented individuals will continue investing in shares in the future as their value increases. According to Cornelsen, this venture requires relatively small capital for one to make profits. It relies on one’s will to seize the opportunity and receive high returns on every penny spent. https://about.me/igorcornelsen1

domain: finance


The final set of winners for our Samsung 8GB SDHC Plus Memory Card
giveaway competition have been picked and they are:
Well done to everyone who won a Samsung Memory Card last month and thank you to everyone who posted images.
Up for grabs this month are 4 Manfrotto Small Pocket Tripods
. Every week, seven images will be shortlisted and one overall winner will be chosen from the shortlist. The first winner will be announced on Tuesday 8 May 2012.
You can find the Photo Month forum here: Photo Month
For more information on how you can upload a photo to ePHOTOzine's forums, take a look at our article: How To Upload Photos To ePz's Forums


ALBANY — Lawmakers said Thursday they were close to deals to take away pensions from officials convicted of corruption, expand charter schools and extend mayoral control of New York City schools for just one year, as they rushed to close out the 2016 legislative session.
On a day where the discussion was dominated by vices, lawmakers haggled over a pension forfeiture bill (after years of promising to do so), as a way of addressing the 2015 corruption scandals that rocked New York politics. Several lawmakers said the issue was all but settled, but officials stressed that the Senate, Assembly and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo hadn’t signed off on anything.
Earlier Thursday, legislators gave final passage to a series of bills designed to address the growth in heroin and opioid addiction. They approved a bill to re-privatize the New York Racing Association, which oversees horse racing at Belmont Park and other tracks. They said the Senate and Assembly had a conceptual agreement on allowing daily fantasy sports wagering and were trying to settle an anti-ticket-scalping proposal.
On regional issues, Long Island lawmakers spearheaded the approval of a bill to roll back the power of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to develop property regardless of local control. They approved legislation that provides a compromise for the use of Kings Point Park. Additionally, they were attempting to authorize a test program in Suffolk County that would give alternatives to sentencing 16- and 17-year-old felony convicts to state prison.
The pension-forfeiture bill had been kicked around for years, gaining steam after last year’s convictions of Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos, the former leaders of the Assembly and Senate, respectively. Good-government groups had urged a more dynamic overhaul, including changing significant campaign-finance laws and closing a loophole that allows companies to form spin-offs to skirt limits on corporate contributions. Those pleas were ignored and some legislators were less than impressed with a focus just on pensions.
“It took us this long to get to this no-brainer?” said Sen. Liz Krueger.
The pension proposal actually requires New York voters to approve the change in a constitutional amendment, which could happen no earlier than 2017.
Tied into that discussion were proposals to change campaign-finance laws and, in a small, last-minute surprise, rules governing charter schools, as well as a boost in the overall number.
Rank-and-file legislators said they were all but agreed to extend mayoral control over New York City schools for one year. Mayor Bill de Blasio had asked for three but faced strong opposition from Senate Republicans. The deal would include more capital funds for the State University of New York and the City University of New York.
Among other issues, lawmakers:
- Approved a package of bills aimed at combating heroin and opioid addiction. It would expand access to treatment and increase insurance coverage.
- Approved a bill to rein-in the MTA’s power to develop its parcels regardless of local input. Several Long Island mayors had said they fear that the MTA could build on land it controls — or lease land to a private developer — without obeying zoning codes or paying property taxes. But Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had backed an expansion of the MTA’s authority as part of the state budget, so it wasn’t clear if he’d veto the bill.
- Advanced a bill to establish a two-year “demonstration program” that would give Suffolk County judges authority to direct teenage felons to a prison alternative, making them participate in treatment and other programs offered through the Office of Children and Family Services. The Senate approved the bill; key Assembly backers said they expected the chamber to follow suit. They said it could reduce recidivism and gave youthful offenders a second chance.
- Approved a bill that would allow the Village of Kings Point to use 1.1 acres of Kings Point Park for public works equipment, a bill that was triggered by a 2014 court decision that evicted the village from the park after 70 years of usage.
- Approved a bill that would re-privatize NYRA and limit Cuomo to two appointees on an oversight board. Cuomo had wanted five appointees and a tighter rein on revenue flowing to NYRA; so the fate of the legislators’ bill is uncertain.
- Advanced a bill to allow daily fantasy sports in New York. But they were still haggling with the governor’s office over details.


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Shibarium’s Marketing Strategist, going by the name LUCIE on X (formerly known as Twitter), said the crypto community should keep its trust in the BAD token due to several essential reasons.
Launched earlier this year, the native asset of Shiba Inu’s partner – BAD Idea AI – performed quite well during July and August before plummeting in the past several weeks.
BAD is not a ‘Pump and Dump’
LUCIE believes people should stop spreading negative news about BAD since the community lacks “toxicity,” while the management team behind the token is “responsible” by organizing special sales for liquidity & listings.
They also assumed the coin has a “great potential for growth,” assuring it is not a “pump and dump” scheme. According to LUCIE, the collaboration with Shiba Inu is another factor proving BAD’s legitimacy.
“Their communication channels are spot on,” whereas there are “beautiful artworks all around,” Shibarium’s Marketing Strategist concluded.
Recently, Shiba Inu developers, including LUCIE, have issued warnings about malicious projects that contain the logo of SHIB or its layer-2 scaling solution.
“I’ve lost count of how many projects fake support only to pursue a different agenda. I’d rather stick with official partnerships like Wellys or Bad,” the Marketing Strategist stated.
Those who want to learn more about the specifics of Shibarium, which saw the light of day at the end of August, could watch our dedicated video.
BAD’s Rise and Fall
The native token of Bad Idea AI (a decentralized experiment that combines Blockchain, AI, and DAOs) has been on a roll in the past few months. Its valuation surged to an all-time high in mid-August and maintained good performance throughout the rest of the month.
It started plunging in September, being 70% down from its peak. However, LUCIE seemed unfazed by the recent fall, outlining that the asset has increased its price by over 1,000% since its launch.
The post Shiba Inu Team Explains Why People Should Stop ‘Fudding’ BAD Token appeared first on CryptoPotato.
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If you have a baseball fan in your life, you might be thinking that getting them something baseball-related as a gift will be a sure-fire hit, and you would probably be right. However, finding and choosing the right gifts to give to them can be a little more difficult.
This is why this blog post saves you the hassle of trying to wade through everything and puts together this piece to help make sure you get only the best gifts for the baseball fan in your life. Read on for a gift idea guide for baseball fans.
Personalized Baseball Bat
Depending on whether your potential recipient is an avid baseball player or not, you might want to consider a personalized baseball bat as a gift. Not only can this be something that can be used, but it can also be treasured as a keepsake too. You can usually personalize it however you would like, so consider something like a nickname engravement or their favorite baseball player’s name too.
Major League Baseball Tickets
If there is a big birthday coming up, or you just really, really like your friends or family, then treating them to major league baseball tickets is a smart move. This could be a wonderful present if they have never been to a game before, or perfect for those who make going to see games a regular occurrence. Nothing beats being there in the flesh and soaking up the atmosphere while being surrounded by other baseball fans, so it is worth splashing out if it is on someone special. You could also grab yourself some MLB tickets and make a day of it too.
Major League Baseball Watch
A major league baseball watch is the perfect special gift for someone who likes to embrace their passion for baseball wherever they go and not be late for a game, of course! There have been a series of watches created for dedicated fans, so just be sure to choose a style they will love for a great gift. This is also a perfect baseball-centric item for those who like to keep their interests more on the subtle side.
Favorite Team Merch
If you find that your recipient is someone that lives and breathes baseball, they will most likely not mind having a gift that is perhaps a little more outlandish to suit their enthusiasm. This is where the latest baseball merch can be a great present. Obviously, you have to get the team they support correct when choosing a shirt. Otherwise, you could be in deep trouble. However, if they are that loud and proud about them, it should not be difficult to know what team to go for. The good thing about merch is that you are able to get something small or something big depending on your budget and who you are buying for, which can give you some good options to choose from.
If you can’t afford to get your baseball fan a present, then setting up your front room with some chips, dip, and a game is another great low-cost gift.
If you’re shopping for yourself or another favorite person in your life for the holidays or for a future celebration, perhaps you’re seeking out those gifts falling in the center of the “unique” and “personalized”. Custom pins can meet all you need. Baseball season is one of the grand festivals for baseball fans and it is also the perfect time for you to think about the newest Baseball Trading Pins designs for your beloved team or club. Use GS-JJ’s unique design system to take full charge of your artwork. Be your own designer!

domain: sports


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Orbit is one of the room size area rugs part of the NOOR Collection by Sahrai featuring circular paths interjecting each other around an imaginary sphere on the centrepiece. The design featured here in black and white can be customised to the colours of your choice. It comes in a Handknotted finish in:
- Wool and Silk
in the following standard sizes:
- 300 x 200 cm
- 300 x 250 cm
- 360 x 280 cm
- 400 x 300 cm
This design is customisable to the size and colour of your choice. If you need a size or colour not listed here, you are welcome to place a bespoke order.
If you need a size not listed here, you are welcome to place a bespoke order.
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domain: artistic


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This folder contains correspondence and other documents relating to the commercial development of Edison's alkaline storage battery in Germany and Austria-Hungary under the auspices of Sigmund Bergmann, head of the failing Deutsche Edison-Akkumulatoren-Co. in Berlin. Most of the correspondence is between Edison and Bergmann. Among the documents for 1912 are letters concerning the proposed sale of Bergmann's battery works and visits to the Berlin works by A. J. Doty of the Edison Storage Battery Co. and John F. Monnot, representative of the Edison company in Great Britain and parts of Europe. Some letters indicate Bergmann's relationship with stockholders, the Deutsche Bank, and competitors such as Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft and Siemens & Halske.
All of the documents have been selected except letters of transmittal, duplicates, and variant versions of selected items. Courtesy of Thomas Edison National Historical Park.

domain: history


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Ever wonder how you’re brain is able to control the perception of time? At times it seems as if life is flying by – especially when we are involved in a fun activity or event. At other times, though, when we are stressed out or witness a scary event, time seems to stop or even freeze in our brains. Our perception of time is different from person to person, and definitely has a deep biological-rooted influence from within our brains.
Though we have things like watches and clocks to help us keep track of time, our brain is involved in the perception of how fast time passes. Like I’ve already mentioned, some people feel that one hour of listening to country music may go by extremely quick, while for others [that maybe aren’t interested in this genre] feel as if one hour was actually 3 or 4 hours. Being able to keep track of time is a skill that our brains’ have that allows us to determine what is happening in our surroundings and when to respond to that event.
Simple functions that we take for granted such as: hearing speech are even involved in our brain’s perception of time. As an example: we need to tell where a voice is coming from, how long the sound of it takes to reach our ears, etc. Also, when we respond to voices through the act of “talking,” we need to be timely with our responses.
Animals and studies of “time perception”
Researchers have found that telling time is even widely utilized by animals. University of Edinburgh researchers were able to study hummingbirds to determine how they told time. Researchers used fake flowers with sugar inside. They found that after hummingbirds drank the sweet nectar contained within real flowers, it took time for the flowers to replenish their nectar supply. The fake flowers were refilled every 10 minutes , while the real flowers were filled every 20 minutes. The hummingbirds were able to catch on to the time period it took for the nectar came back into both the real and the fake flowers.
Many other animals are also great time-tellers. Research on rats at the University of Georgia showed that rats do a phenomenal job at telling time. Rats can be taught to wait over 2 days after a meal to poke their noses through a trough and be given fresh food. Psychologists have hypothesized [for over 40 years] that both animals and human beings kept track of time with a biological version of a “stopwatch.” They strongly believed that within our brains, we had a “series of pulses” that were being generated. They thought that when our brains needed to “time an event,” a gate opened and those electrical pulsations turned into a “counting device.
The flawed brain-clock model of “time perception”
There was definitely good reasoning behind the brain-clock model of time perception. You’re time perception always will speed up when you are caught up in a pleasurable or fun event, while your brain will naturally slow down time perception when you are in a place you dislike or feel stressed out. These good and bad experiences were believed by psychologists to trigger the “pulsation generator” within our brains – thus speeding or slowing time depending on the given situation.
With that said, the biological roots within the brain don’t work like “clocks” that we understand. Neurons in our brain are able to produce steady pulses, however, our brain doesn’t have what it takes to count accurate pulses for even a few seconds. How we tell time is definitely far from the way a clock tells time. This is why scientists had to dismiss the brain-clock theory mentioned above.
Had our brains been built to work like that, we’d definitely be able to do a great job at estimating long periods of time better than short ones. Any individual or single pulses from the hypothetical clock within would be either a bit too slow, or a bit too fast. In short periods of time, the brain would begin to retain just a few short pulses, leaving plenty of room for error. The extra pulses that our brain would naturally error, would cancel themselves out [i.e. errors of telling time would be canceled out by the brain]. Though it sounds like it could be true, it’s not. Whenever we estimate longer periods of time, our errors don’t cancel themselves out – they keep accumulating.
What does our brain use to tell time?
At this day in age, tons of new breakthroughs and experiments are surfacing to help scientists better understand time within the brain. Things such as: studying genetically engineered mice, computer simulations in combination with E.E.G.’s, are being used to help scientists. The results of their studies prove that our brain doesn’t use any form of a “stopwatch.”
Our brains do not work like clocks or stopwatches that come to mind when we think of elapsed time. Instead, our brains utilize several other methods in order to tell time. Neuroscientist Dean Buonomano from U.C.L.A. believes that our brains tell time like they were observing “ripples in a pond.” He continues to argue that they perceive time in “fractions of seconds.” Let’s say you are listening to the sound of a summer cricket. The criket’s chirps are split by just one-tenth of a second. The cricket’s very first chirp immediately perks up our auditory neurons.
Sound signals are sensed by the neurons for less than half a second – same time as it takes ripples from a skimming a rock across the river to disappear. When the second cricket chirp is heard, the auditory neurons are still perked up. Therefore, the second chirp creates a different signal pattern. Dean Buonomano believes that our brains are able to compare the first pattern to the second patter in order to determine how much time has elapsed. Basically, the brain doesn’t contain an internal clock, because the telling of time is fixed in our neuronal behavior.
Dean Buonomano Theory vs. Warren Meck Theory
Should the U.C.L.A. researcher’s [Dean Buonomano] theory turn out to be correct, he will have explained only the “fast time telling” within the brain. Why? Because after half-of-a-second, the ripples in our brain clear out. On a bigger scale, which would range from a few seconds to a few hours, there must be a different way to study the brain’s time control processing.
That’s where Duke University’s Warren Meck comes into play. He has a different theory stating that: the brain measures long periods of time by producing pulses. However, he also believes that the brain doesn’t count the pulses like the way a “clock does.” He strongly believes that the brain listens to the pulses in the same way that our ears listen to music.
Warren Meck started developing his first “musical model” of time processing when he was studying the time perception of rodents; more specifically, the time perception of rats. All that Meck needed to do in order to kill their time processing was to destroy certain neuronal clusters within their brains. After taking a closer look at the situation, Meck found that some of these neurons differed from the rest of the neurons in the brain.
Each neuron was linked to a at least 20,000 other neurons in the brain. The “linked neurons” were able to be seen throughout the cortex. Many even linked to the outer parts of the brain which handle “sophisticated information processing.” While other neurons were linked to “controlling vision,” and even others worked to bind other areas into our perception. Because these neurons received many signals from “all over the brain,” he believes that these medium spiny neurons provide us with an accurate perception of time.
Picture yourself listening to a 30 second constant sound. At the beginning of listening to the constant sound, your neurons [found within your cortex] will reset themselves in order to fire in synchronized fashion. Some of the neurons fire faster than others, while others remain inactive. In between one split second and the next, the medium spiny neurons are able to read a unique pattern of signals from the many [20,000 +] interconnected neurons.
The pattern changes similar to pitch changes in between various notes of music. When the 30 seconds of the beat are up, the medium spiny neurons are able to “listen” to the “pitch changes” to determine the amount of elapsed time. Warren Meck has been able to provide evidence supporting his theory. How? Warren has recorded neuronal electrical activity and analyzed them deeply and has studied individuals with a “skewed sense of time.”
Healthy brains vs. Drugged brains & time perception
There are also specific neurotransmitters like dopamine which control the pulsing of neurons. Crystal meth and cocaine are examples of drugs that control the pulsing rate of neuron groups. They do this by overpowering the brain with abnormally high levels of dopamine. Several studies have proven the increased dopamine to have a profound effect on changing the perception of time.
In 2007, U.C.L.A. also ran an experiment. In the experiment, scientists rang a bell after 53 seconds of pure silence. Healthy individuals were told to guess how much time had passed. Most guessed an average of 67 seconds of time had elapsed. People on stimulants [which boost the amount of dopamine in the brain] guessed that an average of 91 seconds had passed. Many other drugs have the exact opposite effect on the amount of dopamine in the brain – thus compressing the subjective experience of time.
In even the most healthy brains, the processing of time varies. Staring at a scary face for 5 seconds feels significantly longer than staring at a neutral or happy one. It may not even be coincidence that pulse-generating neurons are embedded within regions of the brain that process emotionally-charged sounds and sights. Recently, researcher Amelia Hunt from Harvard University addressed the idea that every time we move our eyes, we may in fact be “pushing back our mental time.”
Amelia Hunt’s research at Harvard University
Even more recently, Amelia Hunt conducted an experiment where she had individuals stare “straight ahead” with a ticking clock off to one side of their gazes. Hunt then asked the individuals to move their eyes in order to see the clock. She told them to attempt to remember the time each time they had looked at the clock. On average, participants reported seeing the clock about four one-hundreths of a second before their eyes actually arrived at the clock.
The act of “pushing back” time may actually be a good thing, believes Hunt. It may allow us to cope with our slightly imperfect nervous systems. Every person has a highly-dense patch of light-sensitive cells in our retinas. These cells have been dubbed the name: fovea. We must move and jerk our eyes around several times in order for our fovea to generate an accurate, detailed image of our environment and surroundings; this gives the fovea enough time for scaling the features of our surroundings. The stream of signals from our eyes creates a series of jumps or bumps on the road. The human brain naturally will then allude us to believe that we are experiencing one complete “flow of reality.” When our brain realizes that it is still editing the “signaling jumps,” we may have errors in time perception.
Embedding time in our memories
However, the most shocking reworking of time may be the way it gets embedded in our memories. We usually always recall memories that include both: what happened, and when it happened. We understand how much time has passed since a certain past event by drumming up an event of the old memory. People who have brain damage as a result from injury or surgery – which depleted a certain part of the brain – gives researchers clues as to the way the brain embeds time within memories.
In 2007, scientists from France studied a group of individuals that were suffering from left-temporal lobe brain damage. The study participants then watched a film in which a familiar object appeared on the screen and reappeared a few minutes later [8 minutes later]. The study participants were then told to guess how much time had passed since first seeing the familiar object and seeing it for a second time. On average, the brain-damaged participants thought 8 minutes was really around 13 minutes. Healthy brain subjects were only off in guessing by roughly only one minute.
These type of experiments are great progress for researchers and scientists. They are slowly bridging the gap and honing in more on the regions of the brain which store memories of time. What is still unknown, is how these brain regions are able to record and understand time. Listening in on the brain’s signaling for a few minutes is one thing, but it is completely different [and much more complex] to understand how the brain’s neural networks of memories are able to deposit and withdraw [for later recollection] elapsed time during certain events.
Compressing memories of time [Berlin research]
It is interesting though, because scientists have by no means given up on understanding time-control in the brain. Researchers in Berlin, Germany have been working to build an accurate model of how memories may embed time. When neurons produce a normal generation of signals, some signals are received sooner – while others, a little later. These Berlin researchers believe that as the neurons communicate with one another, they pass the signals. While they are passing the signals, they can create slight adjustments [“wobbles”] – some bigger, some smaller. With these tiny “wobbles,” the brain is able to embed memories of time by compressing them. The brain is able to compress memories of several seconds down to “several hundreths” of a second. This allows the brain to save it’s space and easily have enough room to store many memories.
When your brain stores time in its memories, the brain is able to alter it in another significant way. Your brain could record the time such that we recall the events in a “backwards order.” M.I.T. researchers found that the brain was able to form reverse memories. They ran an experiment which included rats running down a track and stopping to eat food at the end of the track. When rats become more familiar with their environment, individual neurons became more active when they reached familiar spots.
Researchers discovered what are called “place cells.” These “place cells” fired off signals when rats moved to different places along the track. When the rats took a break and stopped to eat, researchers checked their brain activity again. They realized that the “place cells” fired again – due to the fact that memories of the track became stronger within their brains. However, the “place neurons” at the end of the track signaled first. The ones at the beginning of the track fired last. It is definitely possible, though, that we can reverse time processing in our memories in order to focus on our brains’ on something rewarding or a goal. Though we are not free from time, we are able to maintain some control over it. Our brains can bend it and twist it to properly fit our needs and reality.

domain: biology


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This post is also available in: Vietnamese
The Arsenal fan who ran for five kilometres alongside the team bus in Hanoi, surviving collisions with a lamp-post and a tree, got the players singing “sign him up” to Arsene Wenger who was sitting at the front. After leaping onto a motorbike, he was eventually invited on board where the players signed his shirt and took pictures.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny tells the story in a video posted on the Arsenal website. You can see how impressed they players were when Vu Xuan Tien took off his shirt and revealed an “impressive six-pack”.
Just another of Arsenal’s amazing fans in Vietnam.
Thinking it would be impossible, I asked Vietnam Football Federation Vice Chairman Le Hung Dung over lunch yesterday whether we could get “the running man” a ticket for today’s match. Mr Dung is also Chairman of EximBank. He immediately picked up the phone and two minutes later told me a ticket would be on its way.
Vietnamese “can do” attitude? In his video, Wojciech Szczesny’s message is: “if you really want to pursue your dreams, it can happen”.
Let’s hope for a great match this evening and another boost to sporting links between Britain and Vietnam.


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Security's Nebulous Side
AN INCREASING NUMBER of organizations are looking to cloud-based solutions for benefits ranging from outside expertise to cost savings to scalability. And one fast-emerging area of such services is security as a service for access control and video surveillance.
Typically, cloud-based providers store video footage and other information remotely, helping to ensure reliability and service continuity. For managers, the solutions can be accessed through any Internet-enabled Web browser. Some cloud solutions offer staff who can monitor footage off-site; they also may offer incident alerts and reports.
These service options may present smaller firms with a way to build something like an enterprise-class access control or surveillance system with relatively little start-up investment or ongoing costs, says William Rhodes, an analyst at IMS Research. This type of service can also benefit organizations that have widely dispersed buildings and facilities to create a more unified, centrally managed security solution without installing much on-site equipment.
One company, Osgoode Properties, has been rolling out an IP-based solution across numerous properties. The company has implemented one of the few cloud-based security solutions that integrates both access control and video surveillance capabilities into a single system.
The Energy Resources Department of the City of Mesa offers another example of how an organization can use a cloud solution; in this case, it is used to monitor a remote storage facility. Both organizations offer lessons for any operation interested in this approach.
Osgoode Properties of Ottawa, Canada, one of eastern Canada’s largest owners of rental properties, was looking for a way to beef up security at its approximately 20 residential and commercial locations. In some cases, particularly in less desirable neighborhoods, the company was experiencing ongoing “deviant behavior,” says Geoffrey Younghusband, residential portfolio manager. Loitering, graffiti spraying, and other criminal activity were common.
The facilities had a traditional, key-based access system, but this was proving inadequate from both a security and maintenance perspective, says Younghusband. Osgoode, on average, experiences about 30 percent tenant turnover annually, he says. Tenants would frequently leave without returning keys, creating access vulnerabilities. The company frequently found itself having to reinstall locks and redistribute keys, sometimes to hundreds of tenants. It was also clear that nonresidents were accessing some of the buildings. “It was very difficult to have 100 percent control,” he notes.
Stronger access. After a company executive asked Younghusband and other security managers to explore possible solutions, Younghusband consulted with a third-party access and security consulting firm, Double Vision of Orangeville, Ontario, Canada.
Double Vision suggested a solution from Brivo Systems called ACS Webservice, a Web-hosted security solution. A Double Vision executive demonstrated the product to Younghusband and other managers.
Younghusband says he was impressed with the system’s ease of use. The system, which includes IP-based technology, could be managed from any Internet-connected computer. He also liked the way the service could provide access control through key fobs, which seemed more manageable and secure than keys.
The system also promised to allow Osgoode to scale its access control and to eventually combine video functionality into the same system. For many rental property and other clients, the ACS system’s unified capabilities are a key selling point, says Carlo Di Leo, Double Vision general manager.
The company began installing the solution within a week of the demonstration, first focusing on one or two properties with particularly high loitering and other crime-related issues.
Installation of the new fob-based system took about a week for each building, Younghusband says. It mainly involved installing readers on doors and then connecting wiring to a power supply; the task tended to take longer when more wiring was required. There was no software to install, because that would be in the cloud.
After having the system installed in a building, Younghusband typically allows a transition period, usually of a few weeks, to help tenants adapt, he says. During this time, they can use their old keys as well as newly issued key fobs.
Installation has also involved configuring the Brivo software in the cloud. Presently only one manager, Younghusband, receives full administrative access. Property managers, covering about four or five buildings, are given lower-tiered privileges. Building managers each have a different, lower access level as well. In addition to different controls, each level also has a different degree of visibility into the system.
Managers can control access to the company’s facilities through the ACS Web portal—essentially, working in the cloud. The portal consists of a main screen with tabs located across the bottom that lead managers to areas including access control, the managing of access points or doors, and the generation of access history reports. The software can also be configured to send instant incident alerts via e-mail, pager, or cell phone, to specific security staff.
To date, Osgoode has installed ACS in about 14 buildings, managing access for about 3,500 users.
The system has made access control far safer and easier to manage, Younghusband says. If a tenant loses a fob, it can be instantly deactivated. The same applies if a tenant leaves and does not turn in the fob. “Keys aren’t simply floating around for people to use.”
The system also helps the company manage communal rooms. In the past, Younghusband and other managers would have had to physically lock certain rooms, such as laundry facilities, during certain hours. With ACS, doors can be automatically timed to lock during off hours.
The system also provides better data, says Younghusband. With ACS, managers can determine who entered a room when something may have been stolen, for example.
New video. Not long after beginning installation of the new access control system, the company decided that it wanted to improve its video surveillance capabilities. The company had video surveillance in many of its buildings but because it had purchased properties over more than a decade, it had inherited a patchwork of systems, often of varying quality.
Another major issue was storing the video footage, says Younghusband. In many cases, when a power outage or other computer issue occurred, video footage would be irretrievably lost. It could also be difficult for managers to properly back up data. Generating and maintaining consistent policies over the different systems was a challenge as well.
By implementing video surveillance through Brivo’s cloud, many of these issues, including backup and central control, would likely be improved, he says. With the help of Double Vision, the company began adding new cameras and integrating the surveillance technology into the ACS system.
With both the video surveillance and access control together, the system is not only easier to manage, says Younghusband, but it also has another level of security. Through ACS, for example, managers can check which key fob may have been used at one location. They can then easily get corresponding video footage, helping prove, for example, that the right person was using a particular fob.
Younghusband says working with a third-party vendor for both access control and surveillance has also improved overall efficiency and service. Another advantage of the ACS system is that it is automatically updated by Brivo, he says.
Both the fob system and the additional security cameras have had a deterrent effect, he says. Most buildings with ACS-based cameras and access control are now “incident free.” There has been a noticeable decrease in loitering in many buildings and surrounding areas.
Many tenants and managers have said that they like both the fob system and the increased video surveillance, he says. The added security has also helped the company in terms of marketing.
The cloud. One concern about implementing a cloud-based solution was the security of the data that would be transmitted and stored off-site, Younghusband says. When he and other managers first looked at Brivo’s security measures, however, they were “satisfied that the information would be secure and wouldn’t be used inappropriately.”
To secure customers’ data, Brivo has implemented a host of security measures ranging from encrypting Internet traffic to physically securing servers to conducting regular security audits.
As soon as users log into the Brivo site, the connection is secured with 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption; traffic remains secure as it travels to and from Brivo’s servers. The encryption is the same kind used by many financial companies to protect their Web services, notes John Szczygiel, executive vice president of business development at Brivo. SSL can protect against traffic “sniffing,” whether users employ a wired or wireless Internet connection.
Brivo’s Web site also recently earned a TRUSTe Privacy Seal, which involves a certification process and ongoing auditing. Privacy Seal requirements are based on a set of existing guidelines and best practices surrounding Web site data protection and privacy policies.
Brivo protects its servers with tools including firewalls, which are configured to only permit Internet traffic from the company’s public-facing Web site and from user account sessions, the company states. An intrusion detection system is also employed; it can detect signs of hacking and other unauthorized access and generate alerts and reports.
Brivo physically protects its servers, kept at a separate facility, with around-the-clock security guards. The facility is further protected with an access card system and video surveillance. In addition, customer service representatives (CSRs) and other employees are subjected to background checks. CSRs must also follow strict protocols in order to authenticate the identity of callers who might contact Brivo for such reasons as account changes or forgotten passwords.
Brivo also conducts regular security audits. Recently, the company completed a Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) 70 Type II Information Security Audit. The audit, developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts, helps ensure that sufficient data protection controls and processes are in place. It’s frequently used to gauge security at third-party service providers and is often employed in highly regulated sectors such as financial services and healthcare.
Securing customers’ data is an ongoing process and includes continuous monitoring for potential threats, says Szczygiel, “making sure you’re staying ahead of the people who might want to compromise what you’re doing.” Cloud service providers sometimes have more experience and resources to invest in security than individual customers, he says. Cloud providers “are uniquely poised to make the [necessary] kinds of security investments….It’s our business and really what we do.”
Overall, Younghusband says the system has been beneficial from a cost perspective. A major advantage of going with Brivo is that Osgoode can continue to scale out its security, he says.
Having video and other information stored off-site means the company doesn’t need as many of its own computers, he adds. Moreover, ACS has freed up Osgoode security staff to focus on other tasks.
The system has upfront installation fees that can range from several hundred to a few thousand dollars, according to Brivo. The service also has recurring annual fees ranging from several hundred to more than a thousand dollars.
Mesa Energy Resources
The Energy Resources Department of the city of Mesa, Arizona, wanted to boost security at a remote substation and storage facility. The energy company, which provides electric and gas services to tens of thousands of residents, had suffered from break-ins at the remote facility. Losses had equaled “thousands of dollars,” says Harry Jones, the department’s critical infrastructure protection coordinator.
The facility, which also receives natural gas deliveries and regulates pressure changes, had been secured with measures including a fence. But managers wanted to improve security, so they began researching possible video surveillance systems. They eventually chose a cloud-based system from Iveda Solutions. Jones liked that the system could be installed remotely with little additional cost in equipment at the site.
The vendor provided Mesa with a selection of possible cameras. Jones says the company chose one with strong tilt and rotation capabilities and a second with thermal vision capabilities, the SR-35 from FLIR Systems. Each camera was attached to a unit equipped with Internet connection capabilities via an integrated cellular-based router.
Mesa also made the choice between two basic types of surveillance offered by Iveda. With one, users can access video footage in real-time or after-the-fact and do the monitoring themselves. The other option is to pay Iveda to do the monitoring with its own staff. Mesa chose the latter. If suspicious activity is detected, Iveda can immediately notify appropriate authorities. The service also sends alerts about any incident to Mesa. Reports describe the incident and also include a link to the relevant video footage.
The system proved its worth from the start. Mesa received an alert shortly after installation. Although the activity didn’t appear to directly threaten the facility, the vendor notified nonemergency law enforcement. Jones received a report shortly after and could review the incident. In a separate incident, a trespasser appeared to enter the fence. After an Iveda alert, Mesa worked to strengthen part of the fence that had allowed access.
The cameras have also provided a deterrent effect, says Jones. Signs accompanying the cameras indicate that trespassers will be surveilled. Since the installation, he doesn’t think any equipment has been stolen. Mesa is planning to install additional cameras at other remote sites.
Jones generally accesses the system from his office computer. But he says that he appreciates that, if necessary, he can access video and other data through a mobile device, such as his iPad, which is useful when he’s out of the office or on the road, he says.
A key benefit of the service is the offsite video storage, which means that Mesa doesn’t have to invest in additional computers or storage equipment. The service has also given the organization’s security staff the ability to focus on other security matters, Jones says.
Cloud concerns. The security of storing data with a third party was a concern for Mesa, according to Frank McRae, the Energy Resources Department director. When first looking at Iveda, Mesa learned that the vendor had numerous safeguards in place, ranging from Internet traffic encryption to firewalls to physical security surrounding servers.
But one main reason Mesa was confident in the Iveda solution was the vendor’s designation, by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as a qualified antiterrorism technology provider, says McRae. Such designations, authorized by the SAFETY Act, began largely to help spur the adoption of strong antiterrorism technologies. Companies that earn the designation are protected from civil claims brought by customers in the aftermath of terrorism and criminal acts.
“I assumed that if [Iveda] was endorsed by DHS, then it would be secure enough for us,” says McRae.
Both Mesa and Osgoode Properties say they are pleased so far with the cloud option for its efficiency and cost savings. Both also appreciate the security and reliability of off-site video and data storage. As the market for cloud-based access control and video surveillance develops, more organizations may reap these benefits.


Lovense USB Bluetooth Adapter
The Lovense USB Bluetooth adapter connects all your favourite Lovense toys to PC's that do not have 4.0 Bluetooth enabled.
It holds a 1 year warranty.
All Lovense toys will work with the below without this USB adapter:
- iPhone/iPad Air/iPad Mini/iPod Touch iOS 9.0 and later
- Android 4.3 and later with Bluetooth 4.0 enabled
- Mac (with Bluetooth 4.0 enabled)


Can you say ouch? If Toyota were to take to heart Consumer Reports’ appraisal of its newly launched Prius c – now selling like gangbusters here, and in Japan badged as the Aqua – that could be what it might say.
“In the end, you get what you pay for,” said Consumer Reports at the beginning of a video review that goes on to point a critical finger at a laundry list of the car’s features that in its view fall short.
While noting fuel economy is terrific as promised, that plus civil lower speed driving is about all you get, says CR.
As you can see in the video, the consumer watchdog publication otherwise nicks the Prius c for “dead” steering feedback, a “busy and choppy” ride, intrusive wind and road noise, insufficient rearward visibility, anemic power necessitating keeping the revs up, cheap interior and more.
“We can’t recommend the Prius c,” Consumer Reports also said on its Web site “because it scores too low in our tests. We do expect it to have very good reliability.”
It will presumably give “very good reliability” because CR sums up Toyota’s newest value-leading hybrid as a sized-down version of the reliable regular Prius Liftback – albeit executed with too much corner-cutting in order to serve up a look-at-me price point starting at $18,950.
“In the end the Prius c is a cheap car with an expensive drivetrain,” Consumer Reports said.
Consumer Reports paid just shy of $21,000 for its c as equipped. Its recommendation is prospective hybrid buyers would be better served if they found a clean, used regular Prius for this kind of money, rather than paying for a new c off the dealer’s lot.
Consumer Reports did find the c got “excellent” fuel economy of 43 mpg and 37 mpg in city, representing a pinnacle among all cars it’s tested, it said – but a far cry below the U.S. EPA’s ratings of 46 highway, 53 city, 50 combined.
In all, CR scored it 1 point below the Honda Insight with a total of 53 points out of 100 possible which – if this were a school report card – would basically mean the “c” gets an “F.”


JPM thinks that Texas may seriously risk a recession in 2015 because of lower oil prices, it seems the shale sector is being hit too
JPM’s Michael Feroli has a very dark forecast for Texas:
- In less than five years Texas’ share of US oil production has gone from around 25% to over 40%
- By some measures, the oil intensity of the Texas economy looks similar to what it was in the mid-1980s
- The 1986 collapse in oil prices led to a painful regional recession in Texas
- While the rest of the country looks to benefit from cheap oil, Texas could be headed for recession
The collapse in oil prices will create winners and losers, both globally and here in the US. While we expect the country, overall, will be a net beneficiary from falling oil prices, two states look like they will bear the brunt of the pain: North Dakota and Texas. Given its much larger size, the prospect of a recession in Texas could have some broader reverberations.
By now, most people are familiar with the growth of the fossil fuel industry in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio. However, that has primarily been a natural gas story. The renaissance of US crude oil production has been much more concentrated: over 90% of the growth in the past five years has been in North Dakota and Texas; with Texas alone accounting for 67% of the increase in the nation’s crude output over that period.
In the first half of 1986, crude oil prices fell just over 50%. At the end of 1985, the unemployment rate in Texas was equal to that in the nation as a whole; at the end of 1986 it was 2.6%- points higher than the national rate. There are some reasons to think that it may not be as bad this time around, but there are even better reasons not to be complacent about the risk of a regional recession in Texas.
Geography of a boom
The well-known energy renaissance in the US has occurred in both the oil and natural gas sectors. Some states that are huge natural gas producers have limited oil production: Pennsylvania is the second largest gas producing state but 19th largest oil producer. The converse is also true: North Dakota is the second largest crude producer but 14th largest gas producer. However, most of the economic data as it relates to the energy sector, employment, GDP, etc, often lump together the oil and gas extraction industries. Yet oil prices have collapsed while natural gas prices have held fairly steady. To understand who is vulnerable to the decline in oil prices specifically we turn to the EIA’s state-level crude oil production data.
The first point, mentioned at the outset, is that Texas, already a giant, has become a behemoth crude producer in the past few years, and now accounts for over 40% of US production. However, there are a few states for which oil is a relatively larger sector (as measured by crude production relative to Gross State Product): North Dakota, Alaska, Wyoming, and New Mexico. For two other states, Oklahoma and Montana, crude production is important, though somewhat less so than for Texas. Note, however, that these are all pretty small states: the four states where oil is more important to the local economy than Texas have a combined GSP that is only 16% of the Texas GSP. Finally, there is one large oil producer, California, which is dwarfed by such a huge economy that its oil intensity is actually below the national average, and we would expect it, like the country as a whole, to benefit from lower oil prices.
As discussed above, Texas is unique in the country as a huge economy and a huge oil producer. When thinking about the challenges facing the Texas economy in 2015 it may be useful, as a starting point, to begin with the oil price collapse of 1986. Then, like now, crude oil prices collapsed around 50% in the space of a few short months. As noted in the introduction, the labor market response was severe and swift, with the Texas unemployment rate rising 2.0%-points in the first three months of 1986 alone. Following the hit to the labor market, the real estate market suffered a longer, slower, burn, and by the end of 1988 Texas house prices were down over 14% from their peak in early 1986 (over the same period national house prices were up just over 14%). The last act of this tragedy was a banking crisis, as several hundred Texas banks failed, with peak failures occurring in 1988 and 1989.
How appropriate is it to compare the challenges Texas faces today to the ones they faced in 1986? The natural place to begin is by getting a sense of the relative energy industry intensity of Texas today versus 1986. Unfortunately, the GSP-by-industry data have a definitional break in 1997, but splicing the data would suggest a similar share of the oil and gas sector in Texas GSP now and in 1985: around 11%. Employment in the mining and logging sector (which, in Texas, is overwhelmingly dominated by the oil and gas sector) was around 3.7% in 1985 and is 2.7% now. This is consistent with a point we have been making in the national context: the oil and gas sector is very capital-intensive, and increasingly so. Even so, as the 1986 episode demonstrated, there do seem to be sizable multiplier effects on non-energy employment. Finally, there does not exist capital spending by state data, but at the national level we can see the flip side of the increasing capital intensive nature of energy: oil and gas related cap-ex was 0.58% of GDP in 4Q85, and is 0.98% of GDP now.
Given this, what is the case for arguing that this time is different, and the impact will be smaller than in 1986? One is that now, unlike in 1986, natural gas prices haven’t moved down in sympathy with crude oil prices, and the Texas recession in 1986 may have owed in part also to the decline in gas prices. Another is that, as noted above, the employment share is somewhat lower, and thus the income hit will be felt more by capital-holders – i.e. investors around the country and the world. Finally, unlike 1986, the energy industry is experiencing rapid technological gains, pushing down the energy extraction cost curve.
While these are all valid, they are not so strong as to signal smooth sailing for the Texas economy. Financially, oil is a fair bit more important than gas for Texas, both now and in 1986, with a dollar value two to three times as large. Moreover, while energy employment may be somewhat smaller now, we are not talking about night and day. The current share is about 3/4ths what it was in 1986. (Given the higher capital intensity, there are some reasons to think employment may be greater now in sectors outside the traditional oil and gas sectors, such as pipeline and heavy engineering construction).
As we weigh the evidence, we think Texas will, at the least, have a rough 2015 ahead, and is at risk of slipping into a regional recession. Such an outcome could bring with it the usual collateral damage that occurs in a slowdown. Housing markets have been hot in Texas. Although affordability in Texas looks good compared to the national average, it always does; compared to its own history, housing in some major Texas metro areas looks quite dear, suggesting a risk of a pull-back in the real estate market.
The national economy performed quite well in 1986, in spite of the Texas recession. We expect the US economy will perform well next year too , though some regions – most notably Texas – could significantly underperform the national average.
So, in general, lower oil prices should be good for the US economy. However, not everyone in the US will be happy about that.


On this episode of The Knife Junkie podcast we dive into fixed blade knifes -- camp, combat and every day carry (EDC) neck knives. Also this week are show segments "Knife Life News" and the "Tip of the Week."
We'd love to get your feedback on today's show. If you have any questions or comments -- or a differing opinion -- we're taking your calls. Call The Knife Junkie listener line at 724-466-4467 and let us know.
• Jim continues to carry his Victorinox Swiss Army Knife
• Bob has several knives (again)
Spyderco Yojimbo 2-20CV
Pink Cold Steel Broken Skull (his usual)
Segment 1 – Knife Life News
Benchmade had a significant announcement this month. Founder Les de Asis announced that he is stepping down as President of the company, to be replaced by his son Jon deAsis. The younger deAsis says to expect Benchmade to build on its recent successes as the second generation of leadership in the 31-year old company takes the helm. Read more on The Knife News.
Main Show Segment
Lots to unfold -- although this show isn't about folding knives (get the humor?). Anyway ... fixed blade knives is the subject of the week as The Knife Junkie continues his Knives 101 series.
Great information about fixed blade knives as Bob and Jim discuss several types of fixed blade knives -- camp, combat and neck knives (every day carry). Bob also dives into the subject of fighting knives as well.
Segment 2 – Tip of the Week
The "Tip of the Week" segment is appropriate since this week's topic is fixed blades. The Knife Junkie's tip this week is about fixed blade lanyards and how not to cut yourself.
Links / Resources Mentioned
Bark River Knives
Cold Steel Chaos Double Edge
Show Highlights / Key Points
00:30 - Welcome
00:50 - Show preview
1:30 - Pocket Check
2:49 - Knife Life News (Benchmade announcement)
5:30 - The Knife Junkie on Benchmade quality and the company's future
6:27 - Fixed Blade Knives
6:47 - Three categories
8:24 - What is a fixed blade knife
8:45 - Main benefit of a fixed blade
9:22 - Styles of fixed blade
9:40 - Camp knives
10:55 - Combat knives
12:14 - EDC / Neck knives
12:45 - Fighting knives
15:00 - Collect-bility of fixed blade knives
16:20 - Resale and collectibility
16:51 - Plain or ornate
18:06 - Not giving legal guidance
18:25 - Jim's preference
18:55 - Not all knives are legal to carry
19:43 - Call the Listener Line
19:58 - Bob pulls out a dramatic statement piece (The Cold Steel Chaos)
20:53 - Kukri blade (Wikipedia)
21:31 - Zombies
21:40 - Fixed blade knife recap
22:18 - Support the podcast
22:48 - Tip of the Week (Fixed Blade Lanyard)
25:28 - Show wrap-up / Jim's preference
26:50 - Final Thoughts from The Knife Junkie
27:12 - Show Extro
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text:
Powerstar Pawan Kalyan is making his comeback with Vakeel Saab, a court drama that is directed by Sriram Venu. The film is in the last leg of shoot and the last schedule of Vakeel Saab will take place in December. Shruti Haasan is the leading lady and the actress is all excited to join the sets of the film. The actress confirmed that she would shoot for the film very soon and she is currently preparing herself for the role.
After Gabbar Singh and Kaatamarayudu, Shruti Haasan is working with Pawan Kalyan for the third time in Vakeel Saab. Some important portions on Pawan Kalyan and Shruti Haasan will be canned in the last schedule. Anjali, Nivetha Thomas and Ananya will be seen in other crucial roles. Bankrolled by Dil Raju and Boney Kapoor, Vakeel Saab is in Sankranthi 2021 release race.