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The congregants of University AME Zion Church have owned their building in Palo Alto, California, for nearly 50 years. As far as the congregation was aware, the church—a low, white building where more than 100 people from around the city gather each Sunday—had not had a mortgage, taken out a loan, or so much as missed a utility bill since the early 1970s.
So when Pastor Kaloma Smith received a default notice in June 2020 alerting him that his church was $235,730 past due on mortgage payments and facing imminent foreclosure, he was stunned.
According to a recent filing by the church in California Eastern Bankruptcy Court, Smith quickly sought counsel from Bishop Staccato Powell—then one of the highest-ranking members of the national AME Zion Church, and the leader of the Episcopal district in which University AME Zion resides.
“We received notice of foreclosure in the mail today,” Smith texted Powell, attaching a photo of the notice. “Is this real.”
“It is being resolved,” the bishop responded cryptically. “On a call.”
“What do I do,” Smith asked, still shellshocked.
“Put the letter in the [drawer],” the bishop responded, “and remember what I told you.”
AME Zion is one of the oldest and largest Black religious institutions in the country. Founded in the early 19th century by African Americans fleeing discrimination in white Methodist churches, it has since grown to more than 1.4 million members around the world. Its ranks have included Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Bishop Alexander Walters, the co-founder of the NAACP.
As bishop of the Western Episcopal District—which stretches from Washington to California, and includes Arizona, Alaska, and Colorado—Powell was one of the most powerful AME Zion figures; as a pastor of more than 30 years, he was one of its most trusted. But an indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California last month claims Powell betrayed that trust in order to enrich himself and his business partners—orchestrating an audacious scheme that has left multiple churches facing the threat of foreclosure and the bishop in debt for more than $12 million.
Powell is now facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted, and the churches under him have filed adversary proceedings against him in his bankruptcy case. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintains that his actions were for the benefit of the district. And while the reverend was disrobed as a bishop last year, a number of AME Zion leaders are still supporting him, leaving members to question whether their charismatic leader was a visionary or a scammer.
The first sign of trouble, according to University AME Zion’s bankruptcy court filing, was at the conference of Western Episcopal District pastors that Powell called in April 2017, less than a year after he took over as bishop. According to the filing, Powell laid out his grand vision for the district—some of which can still be seen online, in a brightly colored pamphlet called “Powell’s Priorities”—and insisted that in order to carry it out, the churches would have to pool their resources and increase their donations to the episcopal district.
According to a recently filed indictment, however, Powell’s alleged pressure campaign started even earlier than that. In February of that year, the indictment alleges, he suggested to the pastor at Kyles Temple in Vallejo, California, that he sign over the deed to the church so that Powell could use it as collateral on a loan for his new residence. According to the indictment, the pastor asked Powell to provide a written proposal for the congregation to review. (Under AME Zion doctrine, any church property transfer must be approved by a majority of the congregation, its board of trustees, and its quarterly conference.)
Instead, the indictment claims, Powell’s assistant pretended to be the secretary of Kyles Temple and created a fake resolution allowing Powell’s business partner, Sheila Quintana, to negotiate with a lender on the church’s behalf. On March 23, the complaint alleges, Quintana did just that, using the church as collateral to obtain a $500,000 loan on the property—without the knowledge of the pastor and his congregation.
Six months later, Powell approached Smith, the pastor of the Palo Alto church, about signing over the deed to his property, too. This time, according to the church’s bankruptcy court filing, Powell claimed that the property would be used as collateral on a loan of about $200,000 to pay off the debts of a struggling church in Sacramento. Believing that the building would be held in trust by the district, and that it would be used to help another congregation, the church’s board approved the transfer.
According to the Palo Alto church’s bankruptcy court filing, however, the deed was transferred not to a trust, but to Powell’s for-profit business, and used to take out $2 million in loans that same day. Over the course of more than a year, the filing states, Powell’s associates would refinance the property multiple times, ultimately securing nearly $4 million in high-interest loans.
According to the indictment and multiple bankruptcy court filings, Powell ran this scheme for years, using manipulation, coercion and deception to secure the deeds to at least five different church properties and take out at least 22 high-interest loans. In some cases, such as in Palo Alto, he allegedly told congregations that giving over their property would benefit the district as a whole. In others, he claimed that the AME Zion Book of Discipline—the official record of church law, which Powell was partially in control of editing and updating—mandated that the churches hold their resources collectively. In still others, such as Vallejo, he allegedly did it in secret.
For a while, it worked. According to the indictment, Powell used the proceeds of the Los Angeles church loan to add land to his family farm in Hallsboro, North Carolina, and used other loans to pay down debt on his personal residence in Wake Forest. The episcopal residence he ultimately purchased, in Granite Bay, California was worth more than $1.8 million, and contained four bedrooms, six bathrooms, a sauna, and an outdoor pool. According to the indictment, Powell’s business partner, Quintana, also benefited from the scheme, writing checks from the WED Inc bank account to her husband, who did no documented work for the company.
And then it all came tumbling down.
Staccato Powell grew up in a working-class, “God fearing” family in Hallsboro, North Carolina, the fifth son of a housekeeper and a civil service worker, according to a profile in the religious publication Faith and Leadership. He has repeated, in multiple interviews, how he was called to service from a young age, giving his first sermon at 16 and accepting his first pastorate at 18.
In 2003, Powell was called to serve as pastor for Grace Zion Church in Raleigh—a role he told Faith and Leadership he took “kicking and screaming.” According to the profile, Powell rapidly expanded membership at the poorly attended church from 50 to 1,300, and increased its presence in the surrounding community. Attendees there professed that he had “elevated all of our lives.”
Evonne Bolding, who worked with Powell at Grace Zion Church between 2005 and 2007, told The Daily Beast that Powell was a compassionate boss and a committed family man. She recalled him moving church services in the summer to earlier in the morning, so parents could go home and spend more time with their kids.
“[He was] very personable and really in tune and sensitive to whatever your needs were,” Bolding said. “Whatever he could offer to get you, he would give that to you.”
But even in Raleigh, Powell’s bold vision led to conflicts with church authorities. Powell claimed to be ushering in a “new church,” which would focus less on denominations and more on unity as Christians. George Washington Carver Walker, the senior bishop of the AME Zion Church at the time, told Faith and Leadership he didn’t think much of that message, quipping: “As a bishop, I cannot go with the post-denominational church. That would be against my philosophy.”
Despite the pushback, Powell took on a larger and larger national role over the coming years. He served as deputy general secretary of the National Council of Churches, a coalition of 38 different Christian faiths, and as a board member on several other cross-denominational coalitions. In 2010, he hosted a joint gathering of leaders from all three major African-American churches called “The Great Gathering,” which drew attendees from Cornell West to Marian Wright Edelman and ended with a taped message from President Barack Obama.
When he arrived in the Western Episcopal District in 2016, much like he did at Grace Church more than a decade earlier, Powell had an ambitious plan for reform. The “Powell Priorities” pamphlet he created for the district is brimming with hopeful—if slightly improbable—optimism, pledging his members to everything from eliminating plastic pollution to acquiring their own nationally chartered bank. In an interview with the Religion News Service, he did not deny having asked his churches to give more of their incomes to the district, but claimed it was in service of “usher[ing] in a new paradigm of growth and expansion.”
Whether this talk of expansion and ingenuity was genuine, or cover for a massive, self-enriching scheme, is up for debate. (There is, in fact, an entire Religion News Service article dedicated to this question, entitled, “Staccato Powell: pioneer or swindler?” in which several pastors pledged their support for him.) Some former colleagues who spoke to The Daily Beast said they still held out hope that the charges against Powell were false, and that he would fully explain himself in court. But they also left open the possibility that the self-proclaimed reformer had gotten too swept up in his own revolution.
“He’s a spiritual person, he’s a good guy,” said Bishop John R. Bryant, who worked with Powell on the Great Gathering. “[But] all of us can fall. And I would just hope that that’s not the case.”
Pastor Smith first sensed something was off in January 2019, when the Palo Alto church received a notice of overdue property tax—which, as a nonprofit organization, it had never had to pay before. Smith, unaware that Powell had transferred ownership of the property to his for-profit corporation, forwarded the notice to the bishop and his staff. According to the church’s court filing, an employee of Powell’s responded by claiming that the agency was simply confused.
But in April 2020, according to the filing, the pastor received a call from a “concerned third party,” informing him that there was a $3.6 million mortgage on the church property and approximately $11 million in mortgages on multiple church properties in the area. A month later, as rumors about the situation swirled, the church claims Powell called the pastors in his district to assure them that their mortgages would all be taken care of, and that each of them would have “money in the bank after this was all done.” What he did not tell them is that his company had doubled down on his scheme just one month before, increasing the loan balance on a Los Angeles church from $1.2 million to $1.5 million, according to that church’s court filing.
Finally, in July 2020, the AME Zion Board of Bishops—the church’s governing body—sent a letter to all of the Western District congregations announcing what many of them already knew: A number of church properties had transferred ownership without following proper church procedure, and several had received foreclosure notices due to delinquent payments. The board said its members had met with Powell that month, and that he had promised to “bring this situation to an appropriate resolution.”
Three days later, Powell’s company filed for bankruptcy.
The scale of the bankruptcy filing is striking. Powell’s company claims to own 11 churches, a parsonage, and the bishop’s official residence, for a total of more than $26 million. It also claims to have taken out $14 million in loans on the properties, and to be nearly $12.5 million in debt. The filing was the first time many churches in the Western District learned exactly how much they owed on their properties. But even more surprising was the plan to pay it off: Sell the church properties and use the proceeds to pay his debt—despite being instructed by the Board of Bishops to return the properties to their rightful owners.
At least three churches have filed adversary proceedings in the bankruptcy proceeding, hoping to block Powell’s company from selling off their properties. A filing by a Los Angeles church is unsparing in its depiction of its former leader, claiming that his company had “no revenue generating operations of its own,” and was now attempting to sell off “coopted local church properties” in order to satisfy a “massive debt incurred by the Debtor alone.” The Palo Alto filing lays out the consequence of this scheme in stark relief: “If the Debtor’s unlawful attempts to sell [the church property] are not stopped by this court,” it reads, “Palo Alto’s oldest Black church will lose its sanctuary.”
In July 2021, almost a year to the day after Powell’s company filed for bankruptcy, the General Conference of the AME Zion Church took the step last year of removing him as a bishop—the first time this had been done since 1948. The move followed a months-long internal investigation into the bishop, and a full trial at the General Conference. “A core principle of Methodism is accountability,” the Board of Bishops said at the time. “No position, regardless of prominence, is beyond this proposition.”
Powell, meanwhile, continued to deny the charges against him, telling the Religious News Service he expected to be “totally exonerated.” Five months later, he was arrested on four counts of mail fraud and wire fraud.
There is a section of the Western Episcopal District’s website, next to the tab on “Powell Priorities,” titled “Dare2Believe,” which quotes from section Mark 9, in which Jesus appears before a sick child and his father and tells them that all things are possible if they believe. The father declares his belief, and the boy is magically healed. According to the site, the moral of this story is that, regardless of one’s plight, “BELIEF in God can and will turn things around.”
“If you BELIEVE,” it reads, “God will fix the situation for you.”
Throughout this process, Powell has not only maintained his innocence, but also his belief that it was all a part of God’s plan. In an interview with Religion News Service in 2021, after his removal as bishop, Powell declared the decision a “providential move of God,” that would allow him to practice ministry outside the confines of the AME Zion Church.
“I have no animus—nothing,” he told the news service. “I feel that God has moved in a mighty way and what some may have intended to be adversarial and evil, God will use ultimately not just for my good, but for the good of his people.”
Powell did not return multiple calls and emails from The Daily Beast; his attorney declined to comment. (Quintana has not secured a lawyer and could not be reached for comment.) The former bishop pleaded not guilty to all four charges in a brief, virtual court hearing in California earlier this month. Both he and Quintana were released on bond.
At the court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lee described how Powell and his associates pressured pastors into giving up their property and forced them into unimaginable debt. “The loss afflicted on the affected congregations is incalculable,” he said. The three churches that filed adversary proceedings in Powell’s bankruptcy proceedings are continuing to move forward; the Palo Alto church, represented pro bono by the law firm Mayer Brown, is moving into discovery.
But in a statement issued the same day the charges were announced, the AME Zion Board of Bishops sounded almost woeful that Powell had been charged.
“It has never been the desire of the Board of Bishops to pursue prosecution of Dr. Powell,” the board said. “Upon hearing the news today, we will continue to keep Dr. Powell, Dr. Quintana, their families, the congregations that were involved as well as the A. M. E. Zion Church in our prayers.”
“We will continue to look to our God for comfort, inspiration and directions as all of us journey through this strange place,” they added.

domain: law


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Pope Benedict XVI takes stand against violence in video games
Violence here, violence there, violence, violence everywhere! Too many video games are too violent, so they say. And who's saying it this time but the Pope himself?
Ever since the video game industry began growing in earnest, a lot of people have complained about the increase of violence in games. Because of that, the games now support age warnings, but it is very hard to keep those regulations when almost anyone can buy or download the games.
The World Communications Day is arranged every year to make sure the Pope gets out to the people. This year’s subject was Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education, which had its focus on the effects today’s media have on the children. One of the biggest segments of Pope Benedict XVI's statement concerned violent video games and how to stop them before they reach the children.
He talks a lot about how the church, parents and teachers must reach out to make sure that children do not get to play these games. That the media should be used to educate rather than promoting violence.
”This heartfelt wish of parents and teachers to educate children in the ways of beauty, truth and goodness can be supported by the media industry only to the extent that it promotes fundamental human dignity, the true value of marriage and family life, and the positive achievements and goals of humanity.”According to the Pope, the responsibility falls not only to the teachers and parents of the children, but also to the church. They must unite to stop these games and the negative, violent media from getting in the hands of the young.
”Any trend to produce programmes and products - including animated films and video games - which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behaviour or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion, all the more repulsive when these programmes are directed at children and adolescents. How could one explain this ‘entertainment’ to the countless innocent young people who actually suffer violence, exploitation and abuse?”
[url=http://220.127.116.11/news_services/bulletin/news/19598.php?index=19598〈=it#TESTO%20ORIGINALE%20IN%20LINGUA%20INGLESE]Vatican.va[/url] - The statement

domain: news


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Algoma Public Health is taking action to curb the spread of the Covid19 virus
Algoma’s Medical Officer of Health is issuing the following class order effective for Sault Ste. Marie Nov. 29, at 12:01 a.m. until Tuesday Dec. 28, 2021 at 11:59 p.m., and may be amended, rescinded, or extended as the situation evolves.
The new restrictions limit the number of attendees at social gatherings and organized public events to a maximum number of 10 people indoors, and 25 people outdoors.
They also require Sault Ste. Marie businesses and organizations to put in strengthened masking and physical distancing requirements, and prohibit certain high risk close contact activities.
“Work remotely if you can, stay home if you have any symptoms, limit gatherings and encounters where you have unmasked, face-to-face close contact with people you don’t live with, and please get fully immunized and help others to do so, ”said Dr. Jennifer Loo, Algoma Medical Officer of Health.
The health unit is also suspending close contact extracurricular activities in schools for 28 days.
“In local areas where there has been an increase in COVID-19 activity, such as Sault Ste. Marie, there is a vital need to put key protective measures in place and reduce the highest risk activities,” Loo said.
“At the same time, we must work together to minimize impacts on student learning and student engagement in activities that support their physical, mental and social health and well-being.”
Friday, Algoma Public Health reached a milestone of more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 reported since the onset of the pandemic.

domain: medical


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Nearly 253 million people suffer with vision problems like cataracts and macular degeneration. In fact, macular degeneration affects close to 11 million people and optometrists expect that number to significantly grow, but doctors say if more people would embrace natural eye care, vision impairments would diminish.
Blood vessels within the eyes are vital because they provide each cell with nutrients and oxygen. With the blood flow, the body also disposes of the degradation of by-products that arise during metabolism. For the maintenance of these transport routes, and the growth of new vessels is mainly responsible for a protein molecule, the so-called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. It is transported through the blood and ensures that new vessels are born.
However, this mechanism can also cause severe vision problems and severe eye damage in age-related macular degeneration. The disease starts out as a yellow spot, in the middle of the retina, also called the macula. The density of photoreceptors is particularly high there, which enables sharp vision. In AMD, blood vessels in the vicinity of the retina proliferate. Unfortunately, their walls are permeable, and blood fluid can enter the retina and lead to edema. As a result, visual cells of the macula slowly die.
What Can Patients Do?
More likely, people over the age of 65 are affected, and the number of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) increases with life expectancy. Untreated, the disease usually leads to blindness, in the majority of cases. Nevertheless, poor vision can be prevented, and existing eye problems can also be cured or at least alleviated with natural methods, especially when it comes to the so-called age-related visual impairment.
Eye problems are known to occur with increasing age. However, this should not lead to the conclusion that age inevitably leads to visual impairment. Poor sight, in this case, are long-term consequences of the lifestyle and diet of the person and the bad habits they embrace. This in turn means that a different lifestyle and the change of habits can prevent the so-called age-related visual problems or significantly mitigate their severity.
Train the Eye Muscles
When sitting in front of a screen, like a computer or television, from time to time let your eyes wander off into the distance (e.g. out of the window), then immediately hold some object directly in front of your eyes to look at it closely, then look into the distance again. By consistently practicing this, you will train the elasticity of your eye muscle.
Our Diet Often Determines the Health of Our Eyes
The eyes, like all other organs, are supplied with nutrients from our daily diet, via our blood supply, and can therefore only be as healthy as the food we eat allows them. Holistic therapy for eye diseases include moderate exercise, fruits and vegetables, and sufficient amounts of the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin, and vitamin D for the eyes.
Remember, many eye problems are the result of an unfavorable diet and lifestyle that often goes on for decades, and therefore, cannot disappear overnight. Start early and visit an ophthalmologist to make sure everything you’re doing is equally effective.


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|Total length||23.00m||Design waterline length||20.80m|
|Total width||4.80m||Type width||4.60m|
|Navigation area||Inland River B||Speed||~25km/h|
|Fixed height above waterline||7m||Host||WD615.61C-2(147KWx2100rpm)|
The boat is a single-layer bottom, single-deck, twin-machine twin-blade, medium-drive, and frame-integrated steel welded ship. Its linear design and mainframe selection are all focused on the requirements of small speedboats. Strive for low resistance and fast speed. The interior is decorated with new materials and new techniques, and it is designed to combine luxury, beauty and practicality. Striving for stability in performance. The steering is convenient, the noise is low, and the lifesaving and fire fighting are in compliance with the requirements of the specification.

domain: design


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Book discounted fares between the capital of Slovakia and Dalaman, Turkey! Tickets available from only €31 for a round trip with Ryanair!
Welcome to the enchanting Turkish Riviera, where sun-kissed beaches meet ancient wonders! Nestled along the sparkling turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, this captivating coastal paradise beckons travelers with its diverse allure. Discover the charming old towns of Antalya and Alanya, rich in history and culture. Unwind on sandy stretches like Cleopatra Beach, basking in the Mediterranean sun. Explore the mesmerizing ruins of Ephesus and Aspendos, echoes of past civilizations. Embark on a boat trip to the stunning Butterfly Valley or sail to the idyllic Blue Lagoon of Ölüdeniz. With its warm hospitality, delectable cuisine, and breathtaking vistas, the Turkish Riviera guarantees an unforgettable holiday.
November 2023 – March 2024
Bratislava – Dalaman – Bratislava
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Did you have a delayed or cancelled flight? Get up to €600 per passenger for flights from the last 3 years. File your claim >>

domain: travel


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Session of the selection committee, March 15, 2023
Who is affected: citizens, businesses, government bodies, local governments, judges, judicial candidates, and members of the Supreme Council of Justice.
Summary of the session: the selection committee approved the list of 32 candidates recommended for the Supreme Council of Justice to be appointed as members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ).
Why this is important:
- the HQCJ is an extremely important body in the judiciary. The Commission is the body that conducts the selection of judicial candidates and makes recommendations on the appointment and transfer of judges
- as of October 2021, Ukraine was 3000 judges short. Since then, the problem has only gotten worse
- the previous composition of the HQCJ was dismissed back in October 2019. The selection committee that is supposed to select HQCJ members was launched in the fall of 2021. The competition began in February 2022. That is, the HQCJ has not been working for more than three years, and this has a negative impact on the entire judicial system.
What is right: the draft bill unblocks judicial reform. Competitions for judicial candidates will eventually resume in time.
What’s next: the Supreme Council of Justice has to appoint 16 members of the HQCJ. 8 of them have to be judges or retired judges. For the HQCJ to start working, at least 11 members have to be appointed, and 6 of them must be judges.
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- Stage 2 loadshedding has been declared but Stage 3 powercuts are expected to be the norm for this weekend.
- Eskom says that the lower Stages come as generation capacity at the utility improves.
- The utility says that it still intends to suspend loadshedding between 05:00 and 16:00 on Sunday.
The last two days have been confusing for South Africans as Eskom has run various stages of loadshedding following the improvement of generation capacity.
After battling through a week plagued by Stage 5 and Stage 6 loadshedding, Eskom on Thursday downgraded powercuts to Stage 3 before upgrading to Stage 4 and then Stage 5 later in the evening. Ultimately, Stage 5 was abandoned and Stage 4 remained in place until 05:00 on Friday morning.
On Friday morning, Stage 3 was in effect from 05:00 but at 10:00 Eskom downgraded the frequency of loadshedding down to Stage 2.
“Due to the sustained improvement of the generation capacity with unplanned outages at 13 542MW, loadshedding will be reduced to Stage 2 from 10:00 today until 16:00,” the utility wrote in a X, formerly Twitter, post.
The bad news is that Stage 2 loadshedding will only be in effect until 16:00 this afternoon and thereafter, Stage 3 loadshedding will remain in place until Sunday at 05:00. Eskom intends to suspend loadshedding on Sunday from 05:00 to 16:00 but this could change so we advise you make use of the EskomSePush app for Android and Apple iOS for updates as Eskom issues them.
It’s been a tumultuous week for Eskom and South Africa is looking at the utility to keep the lights on as we move into the festive season. Here’s hoping lower demand brought on by businesses closing for half of the month gives Eskom breathing room and that breakdowns at power plants are kept to a minimum.
This week government took delivery of generators from China. An initial shipment of 450 generators will be distributed to public service facilities around the country. While fuel-powered generators do help alleviate some of the effects of loadshedding, they are costly and noisy.
Many South Africans expressed disappointment at the news that the solutions being delivered to South Africa were – compared to others – tiny fuel-powered generators. While they may be small, if they help keep government offices functional during loadshedding, we’re less inclined to complain.


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As the global green energy transition has gained traction, the movement away from fossil fuels and toward renewable and low-carbon energy sources has been marked by ups and downs and wide gaps between rhetoric and practice. Public and private leaders of policy and industry alike have been (relatively) quick to make climate pledges and align themselves on the side of decarbonization, but actual action plans and concrete steps toward sweeping and lasting change have been harder to come by. In a certain sense, this is a very understandable dilemma; we all know what is needed in the long run, but there is no easy or painless way to get there. Climate change is a wicked problem that will require no small measure of trade-offs, losses, and market shocks as the world’s largest global cooperative initiative grinds into gear under the gun of what the United Nations is referring to as a “code red for humanity.”
For the world to have any hope of meeting climate goals in time to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, markets are going to need to see a quick shift with the cooperation of both policy-makers, industry heads, and the financial sector, all of which currently run on fossil fuels. The effort will require divestment from fossil fuels as well as a huge inversion of cash into cleaner energy alternatives and infrastructure to make renewables capable of replacing massive amounts of oil, gas, and coal capacity.
While the decarbonization problem is a tricky one, and there is no shortage of disagreement and debate over the proper path to decarbonization, one thing that the world seems to agree on is that coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, needs to be run out of the world’s energy mix post-haste. The International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have shown in no uncertain terms that all scenarios which envision the world meeting the goals set by the Paris climate accord involve the rapid retirement of coal as an absolute necessity.
However, a recent report from campaign groups Urgewald and Reclaim Finance, alongside more than two dozen other non-governmental organizations, found that banks and investors have been dishonest about their divestment aims and claims. “Banks and investors have channeled massive sums of money to support the coal industry in recent years,” CNBC recently reported, thereby “propping up the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel at a time when humanity is facing a climate emergency.”
Between January 2019 and November of last year, commercial banks funneled a jaw-dropping $1.5 trillion into the coal industry alone. The analysis also shows that a tiny number of financial institutions are playing a remarkably outsized role in supporting coal and directing global energy markets in a way that some would call short-sighted, and others would call criminally negligent. Financial firms from just six countries – the United States, China, Japan, India, Canada, and the United Kingdom - are responsible for more than 80% of coal financing and investment.
“These financial institutions must come under fire from all quarters: civil society organizations, financial regulators, customers, and progressive investors,” said report author and head of financial research at Urgewald Katrin Ganswindt. “Unless we end financing of coal, it will end us.” On the bright side, the coal problem suddenly seems a lot easier to conquer. Naming and shaming have proven effective in the past and could have a potent impact with such a short list of parties on which to focus the coal reformation initiative.
The recent bombshell report also calls attention to the prevalence and insidious nature of greenwashing among the ranks of institutions that are providing the scaffolding upholding coal. Two of the investors called out in the report – BlackRock and Vanguard – are also members of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative. “These two institutions have more responsibility for accelerating climate change than any other institutional investor worldwide,” Yann Louvel, a policy analyst at Reclaim Finance, was quoted by CNBC.
While coal is entrenched in the global economy, and particularly in developing countries that are in desperate need of a cheap and dependable fuel source, coal is not the only option. Looking at the amount of money being channeled into keeping coal alive reveals how much more money could be channeled into making cleaner energy more affordable and accessible. Change isn’t easy, but it’s possible – especially and necessarily when financial, political, and industrial mechanisms are held accountable.
By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
- Oil Prices Temporarily Break $99 As Russian Troops Move Into Ukraine
- 5 Commodities That Could Explode As The Ukraine Crisis Escalates
- Russia Speaks Out Against High Oil Prices As Brent Nears $100


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Music: Destiny Boy Ft. 2tboyz x Leo Dee – Igboro O Rerin
Music: SCG x Destiny Boy x 2tboyz x Leo Dee x S – Igboro O Rerin Mp3 Download Audio
Destiny Boy team up with 2tboyz and Leo Dee on his new track titled “Igboro O Rerin”
What do you think about this song?
We want to hear from you all.
Drop your comments

domain: entertainment


Mechanical Maintenance Engineer
Our chosen business partner is an established market leader in smart heating innovations. Their extensive portfolio, which compromises of multiple brands, has allowed the business to firmly cement its place as a trusted heating solutions provider within the UK.
The successful applicant will provide cover on double day shifts (typically 6am-2pm / 2pm-10pm mon to fri) and have responsibility for various duties including planned maintenance routines, fault finding and corrective activities on a wide variety of automated industrial plant and process equipment including foundry process, CNC machinery, metal forming/press tool machinery, assembly plant, powder coating paint plant etc.
Reporting to the Maintenance manager/supervisors, the ideal applicant should possess the following attributes or work experience:
* Time served apprenticeship in a relevant discipline.
* Qualified to ONC level or equivalent in a relevant mechanical discipline.
* A minimum of 5 years relevant mechanical fitting experience in an industrial maintenance engineering environment.
* Able to read and follow mechanical drawings.
* Competent with bench and machine fitting.
* A proven working knowledge of hydraulics and pneumatics.
* Basic welding competence (preferable but not essential).
* Competent with lifting/slinging.
* FLT driving license/experience (preferable but not essential).
* IPAF license to drive MEWP's i.e. scissor/boom lifts (preferable but not essential).
* Capable of working unsupervised when required - alone or as part of the team.
* Flexible to all aspects of maintenance with an appreciation of electrical control systems to enable basic electrical isolation/repair assistance (preferable but not essential).
* PC literate.
* Current driving license.
As reward for this demanding role you will receive a competitive basic salary, contributory Pension scheme with double contribution match, 25 Days holiday plus stats, workwear, friends and family scheme, income protection, health cash plan, mycar, gym scheme, cycle to work scheme, childcare vouchers, Premier Apartments, tastecard, perkz, not to mention fantastic training and technical support. If you think you have what it takes then please apply via the link detailing your current salary and package details.
Search is an equal opportunities recruiter and we welcome applications from all suitably skilled or qualified applicants, regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/beliefs, sexual orientation or age.


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We stayed here for four nights and were very impressed. The hotel is very clean with large rooms, free wifi, TV, large fridge and a balcony big enough to sit out on. It's within walking distance to the beach and close to the hustle bustle of Patong, without being noisy.
The swimming pool is small, but very well maintained and pleasant to have a dip in. We did not try any of the food as there are so many other places to eat around Patong. We recommend the night market outside Banzaan Market!
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Expedia, Travel Republic (UK), Booking.com, Ctrip TA, Hotels.com, Agoda, TripOnline SA, Ebookers, getaroom.com, Evoline ltd and HotelsClick so you can book your Orchid Garden Hotel reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Orchid Garden Hotel Phuket, Thailand


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The Gallery at Sweetgrass
The Gallery at Sweetgrass is nestled into the Sweetgrass Plaza in Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms. The Gallery showcases regionally and nationally recognized artists that have created pieces celebrating the beauty, color and tranquility of our coastal locale.
Fly Away Sale
20% off all birds* by Hayden Wilson through the month of December!
Discount is applied automatically at checkout.
*Pier Review is excluded from the sale
Holiday Gift Guide
CURATED ARTWORK UNDER $500

domain: artistic


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Bosque County, Texas Genealogy
From FamilySearch Wiki
Revision as of 17:13, 6 February 2009 by Marianne (added links)
|This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.
Please review the contributor help to assist you in editing.
- 1 County Courthouse
- 2 History
- 3 Places/Localities
- 4 Resources
- 5 Societies and Libraries
- 6 Web Sites
- 7 References
Settled mostly by Norwegians in the western part of the county and Germans in the eastern part of the county
Cities: Clifton, Cranfills, Iredell, Meridian, Morgan, Valley Mills and Walnut Springs
Societies and Libraries
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Family History Library Catalog
- Texas Genealogy Website @ http://www.txgenweb.org/
- The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).

domain: library


Changing Aging Blog
Sign up for Changing Aging News
You can read Stacy Becker's article here (scroll to page 5). There's also a great article on Page 1 by LaRhae Knatterud, who has one of the coolest titles in America: Director of Aging Transformation at Minnesota's Department of Human Services.
Stacy, who is the Citizens League's director on this project advises local and regional governments, non-profits, foundations, and private companies on issues of economic development, community building, and innovation. She was the budget director for the City and County of San Francisco. She also served in the administrations of Saint Paul mayors Jim Scheibel and Norm Coleman.
Stacy was the first non-engineer to hold the title of Saint Paul Public Works Director. She streamlined the department, improved its credit rating, improved citizen participation, and resolved long-standing controversies around key infrastructure projects. Becker also served as the director of research and development for the Saint Paul Police Department and as budget director for the City of Saint Paul. She has degrees from Macalester College, Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the London School of Economics, where she was a Bush Leadership Fellow.
How the Public Can Participate
The League is now bringing the project to the public. Stacy will be leading several citizen workshops. Learn more about them and how to sign up here.


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1kg sugar approx
Juice of 1 lemon (if using ripe quince)
When making a jelly, I work on the principle of simmering 500g of fruit with the same amount of water ie 500ml. So, with the quince, I quartered them and added the fruits, seeds, core, peel and everything to the pan and simmered with a lid on for half an hour until the fruit was soft and pulpy.
Strain the fruit pulp through a jelly bag overnight. Weigh the drained fruit pulp the next day and add the same volume of water to the pan and simmer again for 20 minutes before straining again for a couple of hours.
When all the fruit juice has drained through, measure the liquid into a pan with a measuring jug and add 500g of sugar for every 500ml of liquid and the lemon juice if using ripe fruit. Bring to the boil and then leave on a rolling boil for 10 minutes taking care it doesn't boil over.
After 10 minutes check for a set on a chilled plate. When a spoonful of cold jelly wrinkles when you push your finger through it, it is done. Take the jelly of the heat. Jelly does seem to create a scum very easily so pour gently through a sieve into sterilised jars and seal.

domain: hobby


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Massive Disneyland Attraction Database
Picture: The Practical Pig's Car Boon Rotate attraction, softly roving in the morning sunlight
Practical Pig's Car Boon Rotate
November 22, 1961
Avg. queue length:
29 minutes (or 26 minutes by boat)
The Practical Pig's Car Boon Rotate entrance is like a trip into the back alley's of Boontown. The attraction cars are designed to look like Benny the Can, and while you drive you can rotate them by turning the tauntauns.
- Warning: just before the summer, this attraction will be hostile to children.
Policies and Notices
- Expectant mothers should avoid this attraction.
- This attraction may become addictive.
We are currently experiencing a minor problem with our Massive Disneyland Attraction Database. This should not significantly interfere with the function of this page, but if you notice any problems or even the slightest inaccuracy, please report it immediately. Thank you for your patience.


Spotnana, a self-proclaimed “travel-as-a-service” platform that targets corporations, travel management firms, and other technology companies with a cloud-based toolset for booking and managing travel, has raised $75 million in a series B round of funding.
The raise comes less than a year after Spotnana exited stealth with $41 million in funding, and the latest cash injection is perhaps indicative of the world slowly returning to normal as businesses resume at least some degree of travel.
Founded out of New York in 2019, Spotnana touts itself as a “unified cloud-based platform,” one that gives a consistent interface and booking experience to each user — it serves as a single platform for both travelers and agents, who can see the same travel inventory, profiles, policies, and rates, all at the same time.
But Spotnana can be used in different ways, either as a full standalone product replete with interface, or as an API that allows third-parties to take Spotnana’s infrastructure and build their own products. At its core, Spotnana is about bringing “consumer-grade” booking technologies into the enterprise, while simultaneously allowing anyone to leverage its booking engine and data integrations.
“It’s our mission to rebuild the infrastructure of the travel industry in order to bring freedom, simplicity, and trust to travelers everywhere,” Spotnana cofounder and CEO Sarosh Waghmar said in a press release. “The infrastructure that has been in place for decades puts huge barriers between suppliers and travelers.”
Corporate travel bounces back
The global business travel market was a $700 billion industry in 2020, according to data from Allied Market Research, a figure that was surprisingly high given that the world was in a pandemic-driven lockdown. But as corporate travel begins to crank back into gear, the sector is expected to hit the giddy heights


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Flow St. Kitts, launched its Flow Tv on Oct 13, 2017. We were commissioned to make 10 dresses for Flow Tv's Promotional Models. The stylist brought the design and fabric to us. We cut the fabric and sewed up these fabulous dresses. The ladies look so stunning.
Blue body-con halter dress.
Flow Tv logo embroidered at front bust - to match Flows's colors.
Paired with nude & transparent heels.


Arabica Music produces Nancy Ajram’s latest album
The production and distribution company ‘Arabica Music’ will be producing and distributing the latest album by Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram. The new album holds the title “Bil Hadawah” (Calmly).
The company has decided that during the Muslim holiday Eid El Fitr, which is directly after the holy month of Ramadan, will be the launch date for the album, according to the daily newspaper Al Arab Al Youm.
The album was previously scheduled to be launched during the summer season, but due to the world cup, which took place this summer, and the coming of Ramadan, time was tight and so it was decided to postpone the album.
Nancy has filmed the song “Ayni Alaik” (My eyes on you) in the form of a music video under the direction of Laila Kan’an to have it ready for launch along with the album.


Damage identification of bridge structure considering temperature variations based on particle swarm optimization - cuckoo search algorithm
|Published in:||Advances in Structural Engineering, July 2019, n. 15, v. 22|
Structures are always exposed to environmental conditions such as varying temperatures and noises; as a consequence, the dynamic features of structures are changed accordingly. But the model-based methods, used to detect damage using optimization algorithms to get global optimal solution, are highly sensitive to environmental conditions, experimental noises, or numerical errors. While the mechanisms of optimization algorithms are limited by local optimal solution, their convergences are not always assured. In the study, a model-based damage-identification method considering temperature variations, comprised of particle swarm optimization and cuckoo search, is implemented to detect structural damage. First, to eliminate the influence of environmental temperature, temperature change is considered as a parameter of structural material elastic modulus. A function relationship is established between environmental temperature and the material elastic modulus, and an objective function composed of natural frequency, mode shape and modal strain energy with different weight coefficients is constructed. Second, the hybrid optimization algorithm, a combination of particle swarm optimization and cuckoo search, is proposed. Third, to solve the problem of optimization algorithm convergence, the optimization performance of the hybrid optimization algorithm is validated by utilizing four benchmark functions, and it is found that the performance of the hybrid optimization algorithm is the best. In order to test the performance of the three algorithms in damage identification, a numerical simply supported beam is adopted. The results show that the hybrid optimization algorithm can identify the damage location and severity under four different damage cases without considering temperature variations and two cases considering temperature variations. Finally, the hybrid optimization algorithm is introduced to test the damage-identification performance of I-40 Bridge, an actual steel–concrete composite bridge under temperature variations, whose results show that the hybrid optimization algorithm can preferably distinguish between real damages and temperature effects (temperature gradient included); its good robustness and engineering applicability are validated.
- About this
- Published on:
- Last updated on:


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National Capital Area Challenge
Operation Warm teams with the nonprofit Coats For Kids Foundation to reach children in the Nation’s Capital area. There are over 100,000 people living in poverty in the District of Columbia alone, enough to fill RFK stadium twice. Of those, one third are children.
Please help us reach children in need in Fairfax County, Alexandria City, and Arlington County, VA, in Washington D.C, and in Prince George’s County, MD. Facing at least five months of cold weather, or on average 71 days of temperatures below freezing, children in the greater Washington, DC area can benefit greatly from a warm coat. We believe that by providing a child with a new winter coat, we are also demonstrating to that child that she/he is important and of value.
We greatly value our community partners that support our expanding programs to serve local children. Thanks to the following organizations, children continue to receive the gift of a new winter coat.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, served over 2,000 children.
Fairfax County Public Schools and Homeless Office provided coats to nearly 1,000 children in need.
Prince George’s County Fire/EMS, Prince George County Public Schools and Homeless Program and students from the University of Maryland provided new coats to the homeless and most vulnerable children in PG County.
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department provided 2,000 coats to children in need.
Alexandria City Sheriff's Office, serving families of inmates.
Thank you to our supporters that have helped us meet this CHALLENGE year after year! Operation Warm has received support from the Ada Harris Maley Memorial Fund, the Safeway Foundation, Philip L. Graham Fund, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Coats For Kids Foundation Combined Federal Campaign CFC#52316, the Rotary Club of Alexandria and other local service organizations and many generous individuals. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thanks to you, in 2013, over 5,000 Capital area children received a brand new Operation Warm winter coat.
Please help us to continue meeting our local Challenge! Click here to donate now and feel free to specify the program you would like to support by noting it in the "Comments / Notes" section. Thank you for your generosity.
Please consider supporting our work with a recurring gift.
It’s an easy way to support children in need and their families.
$40 per month sponsors new coats for an entire classroom.
$10 per month sponsors new coats for six children each year.

domain: sociology


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Glucocorticosteroids are the cornerstone of treatment of giant cell arteritis. An initial dose of prednisone or its equivalent of at least 40-60mg per day as single or divided dose is usually adequate. Glucocorticosteroids may prevent, but usually do not reverse, visual loss. A treatment course of 1-2 years is often required. Some patients, however, have a more chronic-relapsing course and may require low doses of glucocorticosteroids for several years. Glucocorticosteroid-related adverse events are common. In studies on immunosuppressant agents, methotrexate has been used as a glucocorticosteroid-sparing drug with conflicting results. This drug may, however, be given to patients who need high doses of glucocorticosteroids to control active disease and who have serious side effects. A recent pilot study found that infliximab was efficacious in patients with glucocorticosteroid-resistant giant cell arteritis. However, randomized controlled trials are required to define the role of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha agents in the treatment of giant cell arteritis. Finally, low-dose aspirin has been shown in a recent retrospective study to decrease the rate of cranial ischemic complications secondary to giant cell arteritis. It is conceivable that the definition of different patterns of inflammation in giant cell arteritis in the future might facilitate the design of differentiated therapeutic approaches.
|Data di pubblicazione:||2005|
|Titolo:||Are steroids alone sufficient for the treatment of giant cell arteritis?|
|Autore/i:||Pipitone, Nicolò; Boiardi, Luigi; Salvarani, Carlo|
|Digital Object Identifier (DOI):||10.1016/j.berh.2004.10.002|
|Codice identificativo ISI:||WOS:000229175700007|
|Codice identificativo Scopus:||2-s2.0-17644376815|
|Codice identificativo Pubmed:||15857796|
|Citazione:||Are steroids alone sufficient for the treatment of giant cell arteritis? / Pipitone, Nicolò; Boiardi, Luigi; Salvarani, Carlo. - In: BAILLIERE'S BEST PRACTICE & RESEARCH: CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY. - ISSN 1521-6942. - 19(2005), pp. 277-292.|
|Tipologia||Articolo su rivista|
File in questo prodotto:
I documenti presenti in Iris Unimore sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 3.0 Italia, salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

domain: literature


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Beef Enchilada Mac & Cheese (Tex-Mex, Mexican, Southern recipe)
The Best Blueberry Lemon Bread You've Ever Tasted. (And it's Paleo!)
Fisherman’s Bastion on the castle hill, Budapest, Hungary | by lelepisano
Budapest - Climbing Castle Hill
Budavári Sikló (Budapest Castle Hill Funicular) | 29 Places That Prove Budapest Is The Most Stunning City In Europe
Ancient streets of Locorotondo, Puglia - Italy
Budapest :: I think Oxford might need to give up the title of the city of dreaming spires!
The Castle in Budapast - This looks like a story book! Love!
Budapest, Hungary. Go to www.YourTravelVideos.com or just click on photo for home videos and much more on sites like this.

domain: geography


Hey folks. I have currently become re-entranced with the .45 ACP caliber for it's stopping power. Of course when I thought of carry options I thought of Glock, and as I don't own one right now I thought I should (I've had them in the past). How do you guys like the 36? Is there a substantial difference in the slim-frame compared to the regular subcompact size wise? Is it worth the 4 round trade-off? Any reliability issues? I own a Kahr PM9 and carry it regularly. I realize the G36 can't be pocket-carried, but I'd like to have something with a little more "umph" I can carry when situations dictate. This gun will also serve double duty as a nightstand gun (with the PM9 as backup), as I live in an apartment and don't want to go the shotgun route right now. Other guns in the running include the G27 and the G30. Thanks. Also, are there barrel exchange options for either the G30 or the G36? I'd like to be able to shoot some 9mm at the range.


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- Game control:
Bullet Bill is a challenging skill game on www.t45ol.com in which you will play as a bullet through the air with various obstacles. And your objective is to hit both Mario and Luigi. All you have to do is to use the arrow keys to move. Hit bricks and mushroom to get points. If you hit platforms, you crash. Hit the flag at the end to get a big point bonus. Beware, your speed will be very fast, get ready for your traveling. Go ahead and show your quick response. Good luck and have fun!


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Projects per year
Various environmental challenges are rapidly threatening ecosystems and societies globally. Major interventions and a strategic approach are required to minimize harm and to avoid reaching catastrophic tipping points. Setting evidence-based priorities aids maximizing the impact of the limited resources available for environmental interventions. Focusing on protecting both food security and biodiversity, international experts prioritized major environmental challenges for intervention based on three comprehensive criteria - importance, neglect, and tractability. The top priorities differ between food security and biodiversity. For food security, the top priorities are pollinator loss, soil compaction, and nutrient depletion, and for biodiversity conservation, ocean acidification and land and sea use (especially habitat degradation) are the main concerns. While climate change might be the most pressing environmental challenge and mitigation is clearly off-track, other issues rank higher because of climate change's high attention in research. Research and policy agendas do not yet consistently cover these priorities. Thus, a shift in attention towards the high-priority environmental challenges, identified here, is needed to increase the effectiveness of global environmental protection. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
|Number of pages||9|
|Journal||Science of the Total Environment|
|Publication status||Published - 15 Aug 2020|
|MoE publication type||A1 Journal article-refereed|
- Environmental protection
- Global change
FingerprintDive into the research topics of 'Global priorities of environmental issues to combat food insecurity and biodiversity loss'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
- 1 Active
SOS.aquaterra: Respecting safe operating spaces: opportunities to meet future food demand with sustainable use of water and land resources
Kummu, M., Porkka, M., Hounkpatin, K., Sandström, V., Chrisendo, D., Piipponen, J., Virkki, V., Niva, V. & Chrysafi, A.
01/04/2019 → 28/02/2025
Project: EU: ERC grants


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You don’t get any more authentic Irish cuisine and pub on this side of the Atlantic Ocean than Flynn’s. Named for the family of Ireland natives who own and operate the restaurant and bar, Flynn’s has become a favorite among locals and visiting golfers. Housed in the former North Myrtle Beach Jail, the building is home to much better food and times these days.
Irish classics meet American favorites on this menu with something for everyone. Much like American Southern cooking, Irish cuisine is the soul food of Europe. Today people call it “comfort food,” which is a pretty good description of Flynn’s extensive menu. From bangers and mash (pork sausage with grilled onions, mashed potatoes and Guiness gravy) to Shepherd’s Pie (layers of beef, mashed potatoes and Guiness gravy), Flynn’s delivers ideal traditional Irish dishes. For more Americanized offerings, try the Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf and the Liver and Onions. True to the Irish theme, Flynn’s also has a full bar lined with imported drafts and Irish whiskeys.
First-time visitors will swear they’ve stepped into a local pub in Ireland. The wooden bar area is a warm and friendly gathering spot, the dining room is small and intimate and the new outdoor bar area is reserved for good times and weather, with dart boards, pool tables and a full bar. You will feel like family at Flynn’s.

domain: food


BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Birmingham VA Medical Center is one of 37 Veterans Affairs medical centers across the country selected to distribute the coronavirus vaccine at it’s facility this week. Health officials there say they are expecting the vaccine’s arrival on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Officials at the Birmingham VA said that with cases so high in Alabama, they are grateful they were selected as among the first VA centers to administer the coronavirus vaccine. The center is expecting to receive nearly 1,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Health care workers will be among the first priority group to receive coronavirus vaccinations. However, officials say with only 1,000 original doses given to them immediately, it will not be enough to cover there more than 3,000 employees. The medical center will start by administering the vaccine to front line workers who have high contact with coronavirus patients.
Stacy Vasquez, CEO of the Birmingham VA Medical Center, said they are getting mixed reviews from veterans as well as their health care workers regarding taking the vaccine.
“After you get the dose, you are going to wait for 15 minutes and you’re going to watch and if there is any other effects after that. And the side effects have been very minor of what they have seen out there. We have a reporting system where we’ll bring all those together and make sure we aren’t seeing something we wouldn’t expect,” Vasquez said.
State health officials expect to receive weekly distributions of the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccine is not expected to be available to the general public until this spring or summer.
- Boyhood home of Malcolm X gets historic designation in Boston
- ‘It’s not fair’: Rioter who put his feet up in Pelosi’s office complains to judge
- ‘I just saw a UFO’: Browns QB Baker Mayfield says he had a strange encounter
- English Language Arts Teacher Wins ‘One Class at a Time’ $1,000 Grant!
- Saw’s Soul Kitchen prepares for eased COVID-19 restrictions


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A long commute to work may also drive you to poor health. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, American workers now spend about 25 minutes getting to work on average. Only about 3.5% walk or ride their bike. That means a lot of extra time sitting down most days of the week.
In the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers measured the health effects of a long commute. After studying nearly 4,300 workers, they found that people who spent more time on the road had a higher body mass index. They also had a bigger waist and higher blood pressure. In addition, the lengthy-commuters had poorer measurements of their fitness.
Experts are continually finding that sitting down too much can lead to a variety of chronic health problems.
If you have a long commute, making time for plenty of physical activity may be extra important.


Big Brother Naija couple and former housemates in the popular Big Brother Naija reality TV show, Teddy A and Bam Bam have confirmed the arrival of a baby girl.
The good news was made public by Teddy A who took to his Twitter page in the early hours of Thursday, March 5, 2020, to announce the good news.
Going by the tweet, it seems the baby’s name is ”Zendaya Folakemi Adenibuyan.”
Zendaya Folakemi Adenibuyan! ❤
— Teddy-A (@BadmanTeddyA) March 5, 2020
Bam Bam and Teddy A who both participated in the third season of the Big Brother Naija reality TV show, got married in 2019.
They held a high-class celebrity wedding in Dubai which was attended by friends and family of the couple.
The event held at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai and was well attended by many celebrities.
Download NAIJA NEWS app:


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Like any program, the Control Panel has a jumplist. On right-clicking the Control Panel icon in the taskbar, its jumplist shows the last used Control Panel components. Would you like to add additional elements to the jumplist and pin them permanently?
Skype and Microsoft now announced that their deal has now been completed. Valued some $8.5 billion USD, Skype is making Microsoft one of the leading providers for Voice-over-IP phone services.
Steve Jobs has died. One of the most prominent personalities in computer technology, this charismatic visioneer has contributed so much to the world we know today.
Microsoft has published a signature update for several security tools. It fixes an erroneous patch causing Google’s Chrome web browser being falsely detected as part of the PWS:Win32/Zbot trojan horse, also known as Zeus.
The Windows Live team is currently developing SkyDrive applications for Windows, Windows Phone, Apple iOS, Mac und Android. On top of the planned SkyDrive clients for the mentioned systems, an integration of Windows Live Devices is planned.
Messenger for Mac 8 does not use the modern emoticons introduced in Windows Live Wave 3.
There is no end to the updates for Windows Live published in recent times. The sign-in screen to the Live web services got updated too. It now focuses on single accounts only.
An all-round update for the Windows Live services is developed at the moment. The recently published new features in Windows Live SkyDrive and Hotmail are only the tip of the iceberg. As Windows 8 sets a large focus on Microsoft’s web services.
The Windows Live team is publishing a bugfix update for Windows Live Essentials 2011 (Wave 4). The quick fix update, rolling out in two stages, fixes several problems in Messenger, Photo Gallery, Mail and other applications.
Hotmail uses its own servers to send messages. Using your own e-mail address with Hotmail might cause your mail to originate from Hotmail on behalf of You. Why?


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Reporting on retail results for the opening weekend of the 2015 holiday shopping season took on a variety interpretations, ranging from “bleak” in the view of a Forbes.com columnist, to “record breaking” in terms of online purchasing, according to Adobe.com.
For Cyber Monday (November 30), CO-OP Financial Services found activity to be somewhere in the middle. The company reported 9,421,258 transactions processed, including debit, credit, ATM and branch services, a figure slightly higher than in 2014.
A few key moments:
- 775,455 transactions were processed during the peak hour, 8 a.m. Eastern.
- 14,918 transactions were processed during the peak minute, 10:27 a.m. Eastern.
- 258 transactions were processed at 10:24:45 a.m. Eastern, the busiest second of the day.
“This bodes well for December retail buying, since we had a record breaking year in 2014 with more than 3 billion transactions, a figure we expect to surpass in 2015,” says Stan Hollen, President/CEO of CO-OP.
In addition to the transaction totals, CO-OP’s data analytics tool, CO-OP Revelation, powered by Saylent, revealed a raft of merchant-specific data, with research conducted by Saylent’s FInsights360 consulting team.
The merchants who did the best on Cyber Monday 2015 compared to the previous year are the ones you might expect. Computer Network Services led all merchant types with a whopping 261 percent increase. Consumers were busy – and hungry – on November 30 judging from the 15 percent increase for Fast Food Restaurants and 14 percent rise for Eating Places and Restaurants. Consumers were also in either a do-it-yourself or reflective mode, with Home Supply Warehouse Stores recording a 14 percent gain, and Book Stores showing 12 percent more transaction volume.
The rising importance of Cyber Monday is part of a greater shift in holiday spending habits. Black Friday has now expanded into a long holiday kickoff weekend that begins on Thanksgiving day and lasts through the following Monday. Modes of shopping are evolving too: This year’s comScore Cyber Monday figures included $838 million in mobile spending – a 53 percent increase over 2014.
Increased on-line and emerging payments activity inevitably raises questions about security. Among CO-OP’s holiday security tips for credit unions: promote security technologies such as EMV, tokenization and card controls; maintain fraud detection and analytics; and educate members about security risks.
These tips will come in handy as holiday season 2015 continues to move into high gear. CO-OP transactions often peak as Christmas day draws closer, with CO-OP typically experiencing the highest volumes of the year on December 24. On Christmas Eve 2014, for instance, transactions for that day reached a single-day record of 10,327,641 transactions.


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We’re proud to say that we offer a first-class Hog Roast Sandwich catering service and the surrounding regions which has become extremely popular with customers up and down the UK. Hog Roast Sandwich is not only a team of chefs and waiting staff serving you a delectable hog roast, but you also have the option to hire a state-of-the-art hog roast machine to impress your guests with your own cooking skills at your next private event.
We have catered for all types of events in the Kent region; from small back garden family gatherings to wedding receptions and even large-scale outdoor festivals. There really is nothing out of our reach – let us know your vision and we’ll be happy to meet your criteria.
We’re a unique catering service in Sandwich
We offer something a little different to other catering companies in the sense that you have the freedom to tailor your menu to your exact preferences. We understand that not everyone will have the same taste when it comes to the food they enjoy, so we’ll be happy to work with you to create a delicious menu to suit each and every person in attendance at your event.
We offer a wide variety of dishes including healthy vegan and vegetarian options, as well as a gluten-free menu. If there are any ingredients, you’re not happy with or need changing, don’t hesitate to let us know. We will work with you to ensure you’re completely happy with the food you have selected. Our mission is to ensure every single Hog Roast Sandwich customer is 100% content, so no request is too far out of reach.
With over 20 years experience in the catering industry, we have had the pleasure of catering for thousands of events. Our Hog Roast Sandwich services have gained a positive reputation in the local area and we can’t wait to show you what we offer. Get in touch to find out more today!


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Urbanful – Football teams and the NFL often say that a Super Bowl host city brings in close to a half-billion dollars in revenue. All those tourists paying for hotel rooms, rental cars, food, and merch adds up, after all. This year, the Super Bowl host committee is telling Phoenix to expect 100,000 out-of-town visitors, 6,000 members of the media, and at least $2 million in grants to be given back to the community.
But, some economists say, that figure is bogus. Robert Baade, a sports economist with Lake Forest College in Illinois, told the Phoenix Business Journal that host cities usually net about $30 to $90 million. That’s not chump change but it’s nowhere near the big numbers the NFL claims. (The number cited by the NFL is supposedly from a 2010 study the Sports Management Research Institute conducted that it won’t release, so it’s impossible to check its methodology. “If we release the report, everybody is debating one number vs. another number,” a host committee spokesperson said in 2010.)
Often, Baade says, there’s a “substitution effect.” In other words, those sports fans may be spending lots of money, but not necessarily any more than the tourists who would have come to Phoenix but have chosen to go elsewhere to avoid the crowds. Broadway attendance fell 20 percent in 2004 when the Republican National Convention was held in New York. (Whether it’s because Broadway fans hate crowds or hate Republicans is up for debate). Hotels are often owned by large corporations, so the money spent there doesn’t stay in the host city (except for the taxes). Tickets and beer and merchandise mostly benefits the teams (except for a small amount for the local vendor). But truly local businesses may do a bit better.
Imagine, sports economist Victor Matheson posits to SportsOnEarth, that an airplane lands in Phoenix, or any Super Bowl city. Everyone gets out and gives each other a million bucks, then gets back on the plane and leaves. “That’s $200 million in economic activity, but it’s not any benefit to the local economy.”
Limo companies and cab companies tend to be locally owned, so there’s that. And, Matheson says, “strip clubs tend to do well.”
Last year’s Super Bowl, played in New Jersey, was the first played outdoors in cold weather. It also may have been the smartest Super Bowl as far as revenue for cities. For one thing, the new stadium in which the game was held was privately funded, not paid for by taxpayers. For another, there’s much less of a substitution effect when you’re talking about New Jersey in winter.
“This isn’t the same as sending a Super Bowl to New Orleans right at the beginning of Mardi Gras, or sending a Super Bowl to Miami Beach during February and January when their hotels are usually full of tourists anyway,” Matheson told NJ.com.
Last year’s big game was also between two non-local teams, which in theory brings double the out-of-towners than a game where one of the contenders is local.
As an aside, Arizona has changed how it hosts Super Bowl-related events since it last hosted the championship in 2008. In 2008, the “NFL Experience,” a temporary theme park for football fans, was located outside of the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This year, Super Bowl XLIX takes place in the same suburban stadium, but fan activities will be centralized downtown, where city officials hope fans will walk or take the new light rail. That’s new, and represents one of America’s sprawliest cities making an attempt at bringing back downtown.
“It’s really going to be a return on our investment in terms of attracting tax revenue from hotels, retail, restaurants, galleries, concerts, theaters and everything that involves just spending money here in Phoenix,” said councilman Mike Nowakowski.
But the challenge still remains: How do you keep that economic boost in the local economy, whether local in this case means downtown or the suburbs? Only time will tell how the 2015 Super Bowl plays out.
Now, we want to hear from you! Would like to share your opinion or make a comment on the Unlock Your Wealth Radio Show? If so, then please leave your comment or questions in the space provided below and share this article with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. Your comments or question could be chosen as our featured Money Question Monday and a phone call by financial expert Heather Wagenhals could dial your way to be live on the Unlock Your Wealth Radio Show.

domain: sports


This women shearling coat is made of Mouton, which is very soft to the touch and provides an air of elegance and luxury, and Nappa lamb leather. The Nappa lamb leather is a type of leather that has closed pores, to ensure moisture and dirt resistance. The shearling coat is 3/4 in length with a combination of three assorted colors. This sheepskin coat closes with four snap buttons and a leather belt. The collar of the fur coat is tall enough to provide the necessary protection in cold weather. Choose this model to enhance your femininity in the cold season.


X3M male vocalist, Praiz is here to thrill us with the live performance of “Under The Sky”.
Multi Award Winning singer, Praiz serves us with a new love song tagged “Under The Sky“. He gave us this acoustic version of the song that is on his forthcoming album. This to bless the lovers of good music
Praizz did a quick stop by at Clouts for a live session and he picks on this track ‘Under The Sky’ to perform it live with @magical_andy on the keys. If you want to dance with your lover then this for you.
Listen and Enjoy!


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On Monday, Wall Street investor Stan Druckenmiller announced that he is long on Bitcoin.
Druckenmiller is the president of Duquesne Capital, which closed in 2010 with $12 billion under management. He also was one of the few investors to have made a large amount on his investments in 2008. His net worth is estimated to be $4.4 billion.
In a CNBC interview, he explained that he thinks Bitcoin has "a lot of attraction in it" from millennial investors and "West Coast money." "They got a lot of it," he added, referencing the aforementioned demographic and the propensity to buy Bitcoin.
On how Bitcoin stacks up against gold, he said that he thinks BTC will "work even better" than gold if the "gold bet works." Gold has traditionally been seen as a hedge against inflation, having held its purchasing power over decades.
He did not disclose what percentage of his portfolio is in Bitcoin, though he did say that he owns "multiples more" in BTC than gold.
Druckenmiller has long been a proponent of gold, having marge large bets on the precious metal over his career.
Assuming gold still represents a material portion of his portfolio at five to ten percent, Bitcoin may have a low single-digit percentage allocation. Fidelity Investments, the $2 trillion asset manager, found that a low single-digit percentage allocation has the ability to consistently improve the returns and minimize the losses of normal stock-bond portfolios.
In that same interview, he added that foreigners have been net sellers of U.S. Treasury bonds this year for the first time in many years. Druckenmiller said that he expects the U.S. dollar to slide against foreign currencies as a result.
A weak U.S. dollar is good for the gold market. And if what the investor says is to be believed as true, Bitcoin should outperform once the U.S. dollar slips lower.
Latest Legendary Investor to Go Long on Bitcoin
While the news is still spreading of this endorsement, many believe that this is on the same level as Paul Tudor Jones promoting Bitcoin in May this year, then a CNBC interview more recently.
As the BTC Times reported previously, Tudor Jones said in that recent interview that he thinks investing in Bitcoin now is like investing in Apple or Google early on in their lifespans.
The investor also said that he thinks Bitcoin is the best inflation trade, which is the same comment Druckenmiller basically stated.
Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, said earlier this year that he thinks Tudor Jones is one of the four macro titans in the investing world. Another one of those titans is Druckenmiller.
What makes this news so notable is that it eliminates the career risk of entering the Bitcoin space, whether that's as an investor or as a "builder."
As Raoul Pal, CEO of Real Vision and a friend of Druckenmiller's, wrote on Twitter after he saw the CNBC segment:
"The significance of the world's greatest and most respected money manager - Stan Druckenmiller saying just now that he is long bitcoin can not be overstated. That has removed every obstacle for any hedge fund or endowment to invest…"

domain: economics


text:
Once again, innocent lives were lost in the recent suicide attack in Bajaur. While there will be a lot of talk about the security establishment taking firm action, everyone knows that the people of Pakistan continue to pay a heavy price for the policies adopted by the Pakistani state.
For decades the Pakistani state has adopted a policy of using jihadi groups as levers of Pakistan’s foreign policy towards its immediate neighbors – India and Afghanistan. The notion that you can use such groups and they will not come back to haunt was naïve and erroneous. However, despite thousands of Pakistani deaths, the deep state still refuses to give up on its support to jihadi groups and remains reluctant to crack down on them.
On Sunday’s suicide attack in Bajaur during a political rally by Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam -Fazl (JUI-F) 45 people were killed and over 100 injured. This attack against an Islamist political party – and one that has historically been allied with the Afghan Taliban – is even more worrying.
As an editorial in Dawn wrote, “It is important to consider why the workers of a religiously inclined political party could have been subjected to such bestial violence. However ultraconservative the JUI-F’s worldview, the party has chosen to contest power and operate within the parameters set by the Constitution of Pakistan. This does not sit well with a host of militant organisations like the TTP, the IS-K and Al Qaeda, which have competed with democratic parties for control of the Pakhtun belt, particularly the tribal belts of KP and Balochistan. These groups, in the past, targeted and decimated the ANP and Qaumi Watan Party for the same reason.”
Top leaders came out to condemn the attack but as an editorial in Dawn noted cynically, “We now process it as if by ritual. The standard condemnations have been shared and registered, and the mourners will now commit the deceased to their earthly abodes. Very soon, a senior official will, on record, express their institution’s ‘unshakeable resolve’ with regard to ‘eliminating terrorism’ from Pakistan. And that will be that.”


text:
The National Association of Realtors announced today that existing home sales in September increased 5.5 percent as compared to August 2008.
What’s so great about Reverse Mortgages? Senior homeowners want to know… and quite frankly, so do their kids. Right now, reverse mortgages are gaining popularity among senior homeowners. But why? Could it be because of the FHA's announcement of new loan limits?
There are a few common questions that mortgage professionals hear over and over again. It doesn’t matter what the market is doing or if the economy is booming or tanking. The questions are the same.
We'd like to offer a solution for the housing crisis straight from the Quicken Loans Chairman, Dan Gilbert. For the full story and to get involved, please visit www.ASolutionThatWorks.com.
Mortgage rates have remained low, but ongoing financial unrest on Wall Street continues to have a negative impact on the national mortgage market.
With current market conditions spurring foreclosures, it only makes sense that buyers would want to take advantage of housing prices well under market value. But what’s the deal? Is this idea way too good to be true? Does buying a home that’s been foreclosed on make you a Good Investor or a Risk Taker? Here we'll explore the pros, cons and precautions to take when buying a foreclosed home.
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that sales of new, single-family homes fell in the month of August, decreasing 11.5% from July’s numbers.
The National Association of Realtors announced today that existing home sales in August were down 2.2 percent as compared to July 2008.
Despite rates remaining low, the surge of applications from the previous week did not continue, according to a report released today by the Mortgage Bankers Association.
To battle America's looming financial crisis, The Bush Administration has proposed a $700 billion package – but what's in it for you?

domain: finance


text:
Music video by Genesis performing No Son Of Mine (2004 Digital Remaster).
"No Son of Mine" is the first single by the British rock group Genesis from their 1991 album We Can't Dance, which reached #6 in the UK and #12 in the U.S. It made #8 on the Dutch Top 40.
Pick and Click one of the menu tabs above for more artist info.
Or click the artist name tag above to go to the artist page.
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He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt.
He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.(Albert Einstein)


text:
Quote of the Day:
It has been well said that we do not see things as they are, but as we are ourselves. Every man looks through the eyes of his prejudices, of his preconceived notions. Hence, it is the most difficult thing in the world to broaden a man so that he will realize truth as other men see it.
I picked up a new pair of progressive glasses the other day. I’m not crazy about them. I have to keep turning my head to look directly at what I’m reading because my periphery vision is blurry. No worries, my eye doctor tells me. After 7-10 days, I won’t need to turn my head in order to see clearly. It’s not that the blurriness will really go away, it’s that my brain will compensate for it and I won’t notice it anymore. In other words, my brain will effectively blind me to the blurriness that is present. The blurriness will become normalized, and I will no longer recognize it as such.
Spend a minute to let the magnitude of our brain’s capabilities soak in. It’s stunning. And it should frighten us just a little.
The day before I picked up my new glasses, I returned from an eight-day Loras service-learning trip to Haiti. Most of us who go to Haiti for any period of time have some difficulty returning to the U.S. Usually, I experience a period of depression, anger, and/or disgust upon re-entry. It isn’t necessarily that I don’t want to be back, it’s just that sometime between my leaving the U.S. and my return, my brain does its magical thing that allows me to adjust (as much as possible) to the beautiful people and culture of Haiti. The result is that when I return to America, all those things that my brain compensated for previously are now blurred by my experiences in Haiti. Basically, my lens has been reset. Upon returning from this trip, for example, I became more aware of our American addiction to material things, to social media, and our intense drive for outcomes combined with our inability to see that we often use people to get to those outcomes, as wonderful as we think those outcomes will be. And….what else am I not seeing? Depressing.
I don’t want my brain to compensate for or blind me to all this blurriness. Perhaps instead of being angry and depressed, I can find a way to blend these different perspectives. Might I now look at desired outcomes through a lens that prioritizes contemplation of the long-term impacts of our “seemingly” good intentions? It’s a start. I’m privileged to be on this ever-learning journey with all of you.